Give

I am doing something special this Christmas season. I am trying to give this Christmas away.

When I was getting ready for Opeation Christmas Child earlier this year, I heard this song and was immediately intrigued by the title. Then I saw the book as I was Christmas shopping a couple of weeks ago.

I am reading 101 Simple and Thoughtful Ways to Give This Christmas Away by singer-songwriter Matthew West. This book has lots of ideas about taking the focus off of me and making others' Christmases special.

The first idea? Operation Christmas Child!

Other ideas? Holding the door for the person behind you, saying "Merry Christmas" to a complete stranger, cooking breakfast for loved ones, parking in the back to give people the closer spots, giving your family a memory......

These ideas are not difficult to do. It simply takes paying attention to others.

Go ahead. Give this Christmas away!

First Thanksgiving Meal

This year was the first time we hosted for Thanksgiving and we were having twelve guests. My gravy did not turn out, the broccoli was overdone, in the process I forgot about the ginger-glazed carrots and cranberry sauce, my mashed potatoes were liquidy, and dinner was an hour late.

But we had a great Thanksgiving!

To begin with, my first turkey turned out! It was a 20-pound turkey and at first, I was very unsure about how to cook a turkey. But after talking to a number of experienced cooks and doing some homework online, I cooked my first turkey! I forgot to take out the foil at the end to let the turkey brown, but it tasted fine.

And the meal was a result of great team work:

My sister-in-law and I went shopping for some last-minute items on Wednesday. My friends and sisters-in-law brought and made some side dishes and dessert, making it much easier for me as I did not have to cook everything. And my friends carved the turkey, Hubby set the tables, my cousin helped with dishes, my aunt and my other cousin peeled the potatoes, my sister-in-law and another friend then saved the mashed potatoes from being a pot of yellow liquid, and worked on the carrots......the list can go on. In the end, there was plenty of food for everyone!

We were able to enjoy the meal. It was so nice to spend the special day with family and friends.

Centerpiece for one of the tables

After dinner, Hubby did ALL the dishes!

My sisters-in-law and I were even crazy enough to go to the mall at midnight for Black Friday! We were there for 4 hours and it was so much fun to have some girl time!

Other fun pictures -

Hanes and Miguel (the picture frame can be ignored)

Alex and Miguel Drawing

                           

The boys enjoying mama's cookies

Big electronic device for big person, small device for small person, same serious look on the face

Happy Thanksgiving!

It has been quite some time since I posted last. November has been a very busy month and I hope to have the oppotunity to send an update soon. But for now, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving!

We are hosting for Thanksgiving for the first time this year, which means I am cooking my very first turkey! There will be 14 of us so I have a 20-pound turkey to cook tomorrow morning. It will be a challenge, but I am very thankful to have the opportunity to cook for family and friends, and to count the many blessings from God throughout the year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gold Medal

I heard a Beijing Olympic gold medalist speak tonight.

He won the gold medal in one of the most riveting events in the Beijing Games (I still remember watching it on TV and cheering for him and his teammates in the extremely close competition). Before I went to his talk, I had read that he was training for the Olympics while battling a chronic illness. Since I did not know about his illness, I was curious to hear his story.

As the Olympian spoke, we could sense his passion for his sport, and it was great to hear how he overcame his struggle with his illness and how he desired to help others with a similar medical condition.

About halfway through his speech, however, he talked about his favorite philosopher. In his lead-up to it, he mentioned that former President George W. Bush proclaimed in his presidential campaign that his "favorite philosopher was God." Then he looked down, paused for a few seconds, and said "whatever," in a rather mocking fashion.

At the end of the event, he shared with us his gold medal that was the highest honor in his sport, his award for all the hard work he had put in, the years of sacrifice he had made, and for his steller performance.

Having heard how he has strived towards his most important prize and having seen his beautiful medal right in front of my eyes, I wonder to myself: what prize am I pursuing? Am I going after an earthly prize or am I after something eternal? Am I going after the prize - the crown - as vigorously and passionately as he was his prize?

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

- 1 Corinthians 9: 24-25

Faith, Hope and Love

I had the honor to hear a Holocaust Survivor speak today.

Mr. Walter Kase, now 80 years old, shared with a full house the details of his life in a ghetto and then in multiple concentration camps. He lost his young sister, then 6 years old, in front of his eyes, and suffered all kinds of humiliation and hardships for 5 years before his liberation at the age of 15, weighing 65 pounds.

What struck me the most was not the details of the hardships (however difficult it was just to hear about them), but how calm he was, and how much he talked about faith, hope and love. He admitted that he lost faith at one point, as he saw the inhuman treatment he and others suffered day in and day out. He discussed hope, the hope of leaving the state of agony. However, most of all, he talked about love, in particular his love for his parents and sister. Many times he talked about his family lovingly, and many times his tears rolled down his eyes, leaving the audience deeply moved.

He had no anger, no hatred, despite the hurt he had suffered physically, emotionally and spiritually. He had long forgiven the offenders.

Afterwards, I had the honor to speak with him, shake his hands and give him a hug. He gave me a kiss on the cheek in return.

My colleagues in my office had been celebrating my belated birthday this week (lunch yesterday and cake today). As we celebrated life, it was my privilege to hear a Holocaust Survivor, after suffering so much in his life and seeing so many needless deaths, give this message of faith, hope and love.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

- 1 Corinthians 13: 13

New Path

The parking lot I use is about 15 to 20 minutes from my office, and I usually walk the same route to and from these two places. While it is not bad at all, the path has become familiar. Last week, however, I accidentally found a new path.

I made a stop to the library after work. After my library trip, instead of staying on the sidewalk I usually took, I cut through the residence hall next to it, thinking it would quickly lead me back to the route I knew.

As I was following this new, and rather winding, path, I became a little uncertain after a minute since I was actually getting farther away from the sidewalk. But instead of turning around, I kept going. Then, after a couple of turns, I saw a large field in which many residents were enjoying the sunny Friday afternoon with a game of soccer, or Frisbee.

How refreshing to see this sea of green for a nice change of scenery! I had never seen the field from the sidewalk because of the many trees in between.

And shortly after, I saw some steps that led me back to the sidewalk.

Sometimes it takes a new path to discover hidden treasures. Day in and day out, we probably pass by many treasures because where we are keeps us from seeing the other side. The Bible study I just finished has further taught me that there is a time to step out of my comfort zone, and to take a new path as God calls us. When we step out in faith in God's timing, leave our familiar surroundings and start walking a new path, there might be uncertainty; but if we keep going, along the way we will experience the fine treasures He has in store for us, treasures we have never known before.

I (Jesus) came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
- John 10: 10 (The Message)

Boy(s) Oh Boy(s)!

A couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law had surgery (she is recovering well) so I went over there to help take care of our three nephews. It was the first time I had the boys ALL MY MYSELF.

On Friday, as my brother- and sister-in law were at the hospital for her surgery, I took the boys to school. It took some effort to get a tired Alex ready for school, but my first experience as a chauffeur to my nephews went well. It was quite interesting to have booster and car seats in my car. When Miguel, the little one, and I got home from dropping David and Alex off, we took off our shoes and he lined them up against my running shoes. How cute!

The next day, Saturday, was a quiet day as we waited for my brother- and sister-in-law to come home from the hospital in the evening.

David likes to play video games, and boy, did he play that day! He played the Star Wars game and completed the level he had been trying to complete. Then, he put in a game of family board games and taught me how to play many of them. We had fun!

Meanwhile, the screensaver of my computer was on, showing a slideshow of my Hong Kong pictures. Both Alex and Miguel were fascinated so I had both boys on my lap as I told them about my hometown.

Later that day, the boys and I were all in the living room. David had wanted to watch TV, but after he had played video games for such a long time, I decided against it. We compromised and listened to Radio Disney, which happened to be playing songs from the entire soundtrack of Phineas and Ferb, David's favorite Disney show. He was excited and was singing along most of the time (he knew all the songs!). At one point, the boys and I were dancing on the living room floor, albeit for only a short while. It was fun.

Then my brother- and sister- in law came home, and we were all excited to see them!

Sunday afternoon concluded with David's baseball game. He was excited to play!


I had fun with the boys!

Give This Christmas Away

Operation Christmas Child shares the love of Jesus through Christmas presents and the Gospel message. You can help share God's love by participating in this wonderful and fun project! For more about the project, visit their website or my post from last year.

8 Years

Swimming Lessons

Two months after the swimming pool in our neighborhood opened, I finally had a chance to visit a few weeks ago. While enjoying the pool, I learned a few lessons:

Go

Before this trip, I had not gone swimming for about 5 or 6 years (so long I could not even remember). When I went swimming in the past, I always had trouble breathing. So, in addition to not having a bathing suit, knowing that I could not breathe right was a major deterrent for swimming. But having finally found a decent suit, I found a time when I was the only person in the pool. So I went, thinking if I found myself incapable of swimming, I would only embarrass myself.

When I went down the pool, however, it felt so good! The water temperature was great, and better yet, the breathing problem I had worried about was non-existent. It had gone away as if it had never happened!

Relax

During my first tentative lap, I was so tight that by the time I finished, my muscles were sore. Then I sat down and remembered (!) that if I just relaxed my muscles, the water would help me float. I tried and, of course, the water did help. So instead of fighting against the water and depending on my own strength, it was so much better and enjoyable to let go of myself and let the water help carry me.

Know

Before going to the pool, for some reason I thought the pool was deep (I was thinking 12 feet). But when I went, I realized the deepest part of the pool was not even 5 feet. It was good to know that I most likely would not drown.

Practice

I swam for about 30 minutes, with each lap getting easier as I relaxed more. I still need to practice to swim longer and better, but it was a great (re)start!

In a way, swimming is so much like faith. In life, all kinds of worries and imaginative obstacles keep us from moving forward. But when we step out and dive in, we quickly learn that our worries are not grounded. After swimming, I did end up with a sore left arm, but it was only from a lack of swimming practice.

A couple of years ago, our pastor back in Florida shared a metaphor about faith and swimming: Christians have two choices, one is to stay in the kiddie pool, that is, on the sideline; the other is to jump into the real pool and swim freely in the ocean of faith.

I am ready to jump into the pool!

Grace

Grace is when I fell asleep on the couch and actually slept well (Hubby was out of town).

Grace is when I woke up at 5am, still tired, and God was still there for me when I fell back to sleep instead of spending time with Him.

Grace is when I woke up later at least 10 minutes late, but somehow managed to leave for work only 5 minutes later than usual.

Grace is when I got through heavier traffic and got to campus only 10 minutes later than usual.

Grace is when this one parking spot was available when logic said it should have been filled.

Grace is when God chose to be patient with me and provided for me even though my weak flesh chose sleep over Him.

Grace is God's unmerited favor.

First Day

August 26, 2009 -

First Day of school.

First Day of Bible Study.

First Day of our new niece in this world. We are aunt and uncle again!

A great first day!

181,705

That was the final mileage of our (almost) 10-year-old truck. After many great memories, it was time to retire it several weeks ago. Hubby got the truck shortly after I met him so I had always associated the truck with him. It was a little sad to let go.


Now, Hubby has a car (right) that is a few inches shorter than mine. It is funny that I am now driving the "bigger" vehicle in the family! :)

Lazy Day

It has been a while since Hanes is on the blog, so here is a cute photo of her sleeping on Hubby's shirt a few weekends ago. Enjoy!

Favorite Souvenirs

A flower from our niece A. She picked it in her front yard as we were getting ready to leave.

A cow from the Billy Graham Library, also the mascot of my car.
My sister-in-law named him Conrad.

T-shirt from Jamestown.

I studied history in both university and graduate school so I like this shirt very much! :)

Postcards!
I started this random habit of collecting postcards in college.
These are just a part of them from the trip.

This concludes the many posts on the vacation. Hope you have enjoyed them!

Great Signs

During our trip, we saw some great signs.

At the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a good warning.
The next 7 miles were indeed quite a winding road.

Visitor Center, Colonial Williamsburg

Since all interpreters wore 18th-century costumes, the restroom signs at the Visitor Center also featured signs in costume. Brilliant!

Jamestown, Virginia

I am not sure if I have seen this speed limit before.

Passing through Virgina and North Carolina on our way home. As Hubby said: "we are going north and south at the same time."

Virginia - Jamestown

After Colonial Williamsburg, we made a quick stop in Historic Jamestowne, about 10 miles away.

We toured the exhibit at the visitor's center before going to the site (James Fort) by the James River, where Captain John Smith made the landing and established the first permanent English settlement in America in 1607.

The James River

The monument commemorating the 300th anniversary of the settlement

The church

While it had little information to replicate life in the 17th and 18th centuries, the way Colonial Williamsburg does, Jamestown featured an Archaearium which housed the archaeological findings of colonial life (Queen Elizabeth II visited it in 2007). My favorite part of the site, however, was the cross beside the Archaearium.

Virginia - Colonial Williamsburg

After North Carolina, we visited Williamsburg and Jamestown of the Historic Triangle (the other leg was Yorktown).

We spent a day and a half in Colonial Williamsburg, where interpreters wore 18th-century costumes to explain the colonial way of life in the thriving British settlement.

From the luxurious Governor's Palace accented with an elegant garden, to the house of George Wythe (Virgina's first signer of the Declaration of Independence), to the many businesses and public facilities along the Duke of Gloucester Street, we went back in time and enjoyed the experience.

North Carolina - Wright Brothers National Memorial

Since Hubby is a pilot, we naturally visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial, where Wilbur and Orville Wright took the first successful powered, heavier-than-air flights.

Special thanks to Hubby for editing this post!

The Wright Brothers

Full-scale Reproduction of the Wright Flyer

The large boulder marking the take-off point of the first successful flights

Monument on Kill Devil Hill, where the brothers practiced their flights on gliders

At the bottom of the Monument

The Atlantic Ocean

North Carolina - Family

After Charlotte, we drove across North Carolina to visit with family - my sister- and brother- in-law and their three girls, N, A, and baby #3 due in August!

We spent a few days together while visiting a couple of places . It was a lot of fun!

Battleship North Carolina



Wilmington Railroad Museum

Below are some more picture of our nieces!

North Carolina - The Billy Graham Library

After the visit with Chad and Angel, we visited the Billy Graham Library, designed based on a farm as a tribute to Dr. Graham's growing up as a farm boy. The Library outlines Dr. Graham's life and family, introduces his ministries and documents his preaching. True to his commitment to share the Gospel, visitors do not leave without hearing the Good News.

The barn, where the exhibits are located. It was amazing and humbling to walk through the cross (i.e. the entrance).

Dr. Graham's preaching Bible. Another one of my favorite pictures.

The Graham family home moved on site brick by brick.

Mrs. Graham's tombstone. The Chinese character on top means "righteousness," formed in two parts: the "Lamb" on top and "I" or "me" at the bottom. Mrs. Graham was born in China to missionary parents. The flowers were from Dr. Graham.

North Carolina - Friends

The title is a bit of a misnomer, since we were in North Carolina already when we got to the Great Smoky Mountains. No matter, we spent quite some time - a week - in the state, not only sightseeing but also visiting with friends and family.

After the mountains, we went to Charlotte to visit with Chad and Angel, whom we had not seen in quite some time. We had a nice dinner at their back porch before Wii (again!). At first, all four of us were playing a variety of games and having loads of fun, but after Angel went to bed, and Chad and Hubby continued to talk engineering on an increasingly intense level, I was the only one playing Wii (tennis, what else?), and ended up with a sore shoulder the following day. My opinion that Wii tennis was more difficult than real tennis held.

Tennis and Wii aside, we had a great time.

Chad and Angel

Blue Ridge Parkway

After camping at the Great Smoking Mountains overnight, we spent most of the following day driving along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.

The hightest point of this stretch was Mount Mitchell, at 6,684 feet. It was also the highest point east of the Mississippi River!

Great Smoky Mountains

We spent two days at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which was celebrating its 75th anniversary. It was great fun. While most people enjoy the Park in the fall when the leaves change to a beautiful array of gorgeous colors, the green was very nice too.

The Mountains were great. As we drove and visited different parts of the Park, we took many pictures. The hardest part is to choose which ones to post!

After the trip, I came across this article by Dr. Billy Graham. Since he is from Charlotte, NC, he was teaching the Bible using illustrations of the scenery we had just witnessed firsthand at the Great Smoky Mountains!

Georgia

After Florida, we traveled to Georgia, where we met up with my other former roommates.

Lindsey and 10-month old Bethany

We had dinner at Sonny's - where else? Since my roomates and I met in Gainesville, that was only fitting. While Stephen and Lindsey looked at the camera, Sandy (my other roommate) was busy playing with Bethany!

Florida - Interlude

As we were leaving Tampa -

Bayshore

Bayshore adorned with a palm tree

Old Tampa Bay as we passed through I-275

Old Tampa Bay under the beautiful blue sky

Mississippi

After Louisiana, we stopped at the beach while passing through Mississippi. We had a blast! We did not know how much we missed the water until that day. It was great weather and the water was perfect!

Clear blue sky

Nice water

Hubby taking a picture of me as I headed for the water! Fun picture.

Hubby hanging out

Me in the water. One of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Louisiana

I have been sorting through our 800+ pictures, and many posts will be coming. Enjoy!

Our road trip took us from Texas to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and back down to Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

The highlight in Louisiana was the visit with Hubby's friends from when he was a college student on co-op. I actually had never met the family, but had exchanged emails with Allison, who takes wonderful pictures and keeps websites of each of their three wonderful children!

Allison and 9-month-old Hannah

Eli, full of energy like Dad

Big sister Abby, who gave me a tour of their house and a heart-shaped sticker. She is a cutie, and was a joy to be around even though she was not feeling particular well that morning.