Recording Snow

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-21T11:10:00.003-06:00

My last post was about the new year's and a review of last year's resolutions. Now, I would like to wish you a very Happy Chinese New Year (which is next Monday)!

In between these two new year celebrations, we also went to Hong Kong for my brother's wedding. It was a relatively short trip but it was great. We spent most of our time with family and friends, while doing a tiny bit of sightseeing. :) So in case you were wondering what we had been up to these past few weeks, we were traveling!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T22:36:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!

It has been a gorgeous day here in our town. Our back porch faces east so we have a great view of the sunrise. I got up this morning just as the sun rose. What a glorious sight! We went to church and our guest speaker preached a great sermon on new year's resolutions based on Proverbs 3. What a great way to start the year!

Speaking of new year's resolutions, I have been thinking about them. When I was younger, I would write down my new year's resolutions on new year's eve. But this year, I have not been able to quite put everything down. A lot of things have come to mind, but to pare them down and to focus on specific goals for 2012, it might take some time.

In light of this, it might be more productive to look back at my three new year's resolutions (and life-long projects) from 2011, so here we are (if you'd like to see the original posts, click on the titles):

Giving: This resolution was about giving something (material or otherwise) to someone every day. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. :) God opened my eyes to see how easy it was to give something; and it helped me to think about myself - my to-do lists, my plans, my concerns - less often. By God's grace, I think this resolution was accomplished fairly well (but there is always room for improvement, of course) and I am looking forward to new ideas and opportunities this year! Hopefully, along the way, through these little givings, someone was pointed to Him.

Punctually: This resolution was about not filling every moment to get one more thing done and about allowing time to be still and to be on time for the next thing. I think overall I improved on being on time, but there is a lot of room for improvement. I was still late quite a few times. If I were to fine myself ten dollars for every minute I was late, I would have set apart quite a large sum. This bad habit of doing one more thing before leaving the house mostly happened outside work and school. I had been late to church, to appointments...... and I am not proud of it. I need to do better this year.

Confidence: This resolution was about letting go of myself and trusting in God and finding confidence through Him alone. The result, or fulfillment, of this resolution is somewhat difficult to assess. I still have the lock issue, and I still (subconsciously) take matters in my own hands, and try to plan things out, but I also know that this is not something I can get rid of in a year's time. It truly is a life-long goal. I'd like to report that I have made progress, but in a way, I also think this is not up to me to say. I only know that I need to keep working on this, through God's help and the strength He gives me; and because of Him, I am hopeful.

One of the verses our guest speaker shared this morning was Proverbs 3: 5-6 -

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

It is a familiar verse, and what an encouragement it is as we begin the new year!

Shoebox Stories (2/2)

2011-12-31T11:41:00.000-06:00

Here are more great stories for this year's shoebox collection!

A lady came by the OCC kiosk at church and asked how she could help. I explained the needs and she wrote a check. She then reiterated her desire to help with anything - she had time because she had recently been laid off and was now pouring her energy on various ministries. When I looked at the check later, I saw that she made a very generous donation.
Three ladies who had just run the Race for the Cure came straight to church to drop off their packed shoeboxes.
The elementary school at our church chose Operation Christmas Child as one of their service projects.
The entire 6th grader Sunday School class packed a bunch of boxes.
A lady told her family, neighbors, co-workers and friends about OCC, and she brought to church 29 packed shoeboxes!
Our Girls in Action packed shoeboxes. The leaders' goal was 8 boxes. The girls packed 15 in about 30 minutes!
The Acteens packed over 30 boxes. They wanted to do it after hearing a former shoebox recipient from Russia speak over the summer and being deeply touched by her testimony.
A lady packed her boxes and also dropped off a big bag of stuffed animals for other boxes!
Remember the 36 empty boxes I gave our middle school teacher? She and her students packed over 170 boxes! And two of the girls raised funds to pack - coincidentally - 36 of them just by themselves!

I was - and still am - utterly amazed!

Shoeboxes Stories (1/2)

2011-12-30T22:53:00.000-06:00

I hope you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas!

It's been a very long time since my last post, so I am making a final push before we welcome the new year. :) But the real motivation is to share with you some of the many wonderful things that happened during the weeks before Thanksgiving when we were collecting shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child (OCC). Enjoy!

Our church was very supportive of Operation Christmas Child and did a great deal of promotion!
Since early Fall, I was collecting empty shoeboxes and a friend was wrapping them with Christmas paper. We hoped to have a steady supply of wrapped shoeboxes for our church members to take and fill. All was well until shortly before the packing party in early November, when I was having trouble getting shoeboxes. My contact at a local store who had been collecting empty shoeboxes for me told me her boss began tossing the boxes without explanation and would not allow her to save any shoeboxes (thankfully, she was not in any trouble with her job). Just as I was running out of boxes, and three days before the packing party, a couple of Sunday School teachers donated 80 shoeboxes to the packing party!
From our church, a lady who is blind packed 12 boxes. She started packing after last Christmas!
I collected empty shoeboxes at work, and the response was wonderful! My colleagues dropped off boxes; one even made a monetary donation on the spot as soon as I told him why I was collecting shoeboxes.
My friend who owns a salon collected a box full of donations from her customers.
The packing party was well-attended. We had young children, singles, newlyweds, expectant parents, parents and grandparents!
We did not have enough donations to pack all 80 boxes at the packing party, and at the end, we had about 36 boxes left. But the next day, a teacher from our church's middle school told me they were once again going to pack 150 shoeboxes and needed as many shoeboxes as possible. I gave her all 36 boxes.
On the same day, the Sunday School teachers who donated the 80 boxes led their very excited 4th Grade Sunday School class downstairs to the OCC kiosk to drop off their packed shoeboxes. Seeing the excited children coming with their boxes in their hands brought tears to my eyes. I could just see how excited the children receiving these shoeboxes would be.

Shoeboxes!

2011-11-26T10:44:00.001-06:00

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! So sorry, it's been a long time since my last post. This semester has been quite busy, but there is much for which to be thankful!

Before Thanksgiving, as usual, Hubby and I dropped off Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. This year, with the effort of many from our church, middle school, and friends, neighbors and co-workers, we dropped off 520 packed boxes on Sunday!

This is the most we have collected so far! I can't express with words how thankful I am to you for packing a box or donating your time, money, filler items etc. Your response has been amazing!

I have told Hubby and several friends that I was secretly praying for 500 packed shoeboxes this year so that 500 children would receive gifts and hear the Gospel this Christmas season. For a while, it was an unrealistic goal. But God never took this number away, and I saw before my eyes how He accomplished this goal by raising up His people to get involved. With God, all things are possible!

Thank you once again for being a big part of Operation Christmas Child. There are many great stories to tell and I hope to share some of them with you soon!

Remembering in Hope

2011-09-11T14:37:00.000-05:00

Since the early 1990s, I have been "traveling" to New York City every year for the US Open through TV. The US Open takes place at the National Tennis Center in Queens during the two weeks that straddle the Labor Day weekend. I remember quite fondly that when I was still in Hong Kong, because of the time difference, I would get up extra early on the second Monday morning after the Labor Day weekend to catch the men's single's final as much as I could before school.

In 2001, the men's championship match took place on September 9. By that point, I was studying in the United States so I watched the match on TV that Sunday night. Two days later, on the morning of September 11, I was home alone (my roommates were at work). I remember that morning as a beautiful, sunny day with clear blue sky. The TV and the computer were not on, so I was completely oblivious to the tragedy unfolding in New York City, Washington DC and Shanksville, until my friends and family called and I turned on the TV.

Like many, I was shocked, saddened and unsure of what was happening. I had just "come back" from New York City after the US Open. I still remember shots of the beautiful New York City skyline during the tennis programming. That evening, my roommates, friends and I gathered at home to support each other and to make sense of what had happened while wondering what would come next, knowing quite well that life would not be the same.

Just before the fifth anniversary of 9/11, I had a chance to travel to New York and I visited the World Trade Center site. It was a large wound. Life went on, but the site served as a reminder of what had happened. Since then, I had become an American citizen and 9/11 became more meaningful to me. Most of those who died in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and on Flight 93 were my fellow citizens. So were the first responders who risked their own lives to save others, and the military who had gone on to fight for freedom since then.

This year, as usual, I have "come back" to New York for the US Open. The skyline is not the same as the one I saw ten years ago, and in many ways, our lives have not been the same. However, God is still the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. As we remember 9/11, the victims and their families, we can remember in hope, knowing that while we experienced much sadness ten years ago (and even now), we can hold on to the eternal hope that comes through Jesus Christ alone.

Fighting Facebook?

2011-07-31T19:22:00.001-05:00

There is a lot more to write about our vacation, and Hubby has posted pictures on Facebook (check them out!). But speaking of Facebook, I have been wondering about something.

After many invites from friends, I joined the Facebook nation two years ago. As soon as I signed up, it opened up a whole new world. Friends who invited me immediately "became" my friends (as if we were not already); within hours, Facebook connected me to many friends from around the country and friends from back home, some of whom I have been in touch all along, some of whom I have not. It was wonderful to share lives with them despite the physical distance.

I have really appreciated this connection; but on the other hand, I have also been wondering about what I should post.

Should I post day-to-day happenings? But is it important for others to know what I had for lunch?

Should I post my whereabouts?

Should I post my thoughts (random or not)? My questions? Pictures?

Nothing is wrong about these postings because this is part of sharing life. But in this Facebook nation that promotes connections, this is an extremely self-centered world. It is all about "me." I might be posting updates and letting all my friends know how I am doing, but these updates are not really directed to one person or a group of people. It is different from calling a particular family member or friend on the phone, or emailing them, or, for that matter, seeing that person face to face.

Some of my friends have recently closed their Facebook accounts because of it.

I have also been thinking about something else: how do I balance between posting my daily happenings and what is going on in my friends' lives and around the world?

One night, I was about to post something happy only to see that two different friends both lost a parent on the same evening. I could not bring myself to share my happy news when my friends were grieving.

A few days ago, I was going to post about dinner plan with my friends to celebrate a birthday before learning about what happened in Norway.

Then, I was going to post about the great weekend I had, but I could not do that in the midst of the terrible train accident in China.

There are many sufferings around us, whether it is in the news or not. But I know I can do better about my postings. One of my guiding principles for Facebook postings has been to post something that involves not only me, but also others (Hubby, family, friends etc.), and this has helped me think twice before posting.

I am still thinking and wondering about my Facebook citizenship. It is a wonderful way to connect with family and friends, but it is also an easy trap for self-centeredness, of which I hope I am not too guilty.

Shoes

2011-07-19T13:21:00.000-05:00

I got new shoes on sale last week.

The pair of black shoes I wore most often to work was wearing out quite badly. It did not help at all that the shoes were not the right fit (they were wide, instead of regular) so they were loose. But at that point, I had been having a lot of trouble finding black dress shoes for a while, so I bought them anyway. As soon as I tried on the new shoes which were the right size and fit and were better made, I could tell the difference. My feet have been much, much happier.

Nonetheless, many people around the world do not have shoes. They do not have the luxury to buy what we consider necessity.

There are so many stories about children who cannot go to school, not only because their families cannot afford tuition, or they have to help in the farm, but also because they do not have a single pair of shoes that they absolutely need to walk the many miles to school. One way.

The black shoes I got were already half off; and with the sale going on in the store, I got another pair of shoes on the clearance rack for an even deeper discount. With the shoes, I got two shoeboxes.

What is the best way to use the shoeboxes? Fill them up with school supplies, hygiene items and toys! Operation Christmas Child collects shoeboxes filled with gifts for children around the world who might otherwise not receive a gift this Christmas.

I remember a story: one year, a child received a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child. Inside was a pair of shoes about which she had been praying. Overwhelmed with joy, she could now go to school, knowing that someone somewhere loved and cared about her; and so did God.

Plan

2011-07-07T21:20:00.003-05:00

[Hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July celebration!]

A few months ago, I applied for a summer position on campus to help coordinate a study abroad program to Hong Kong. The students were going to take classes at my alma mater and I thought I could contribute to the program with my background of growing up and attending college there. And it would certainly be nice to visit with family and friends.

I did not get the job.

I think part of it was that they were not sure if I could take extended time off from work. It would have been a six-week vacation.

It was a little disappointing at first, but this week - the week I would have been coming home - I realized that had I been selected for the position, I would have missed the following events:

Extended time with my sister-in-law visiting from California

Weekend with other family members, including our fast-growing nieces and nephews

Fun day with my aunt and cousins at the local theme park

Time with my friends here

Fourth of July celebration

Wimbledon and local tennis events

Spanish (The summer Spanish class I was taking ended up being canceled, but I was studying on my own, nonetheless :)

When I thought it made perfect sense for me to apply for the summer position (and even go) a few months ago, God already knew otherwise. I would still love to go home, but I am glad I was here, spending time with my family here (including Hubby!).

We might not always see it right away, but God's plan is always the best.

Directions

2011-06-16T22:43:00.000-05:00

A little detour from vacation postings.

I am not good at directions; and it does not help that I am married to someone who could give directions (by pointing) before he could speak. :)

Over the weekend, Hubby was trimming our trees on the roof. He asked me to go to the north side of the house to help him get some tools up, and I had no idea which side was north! I ended up walking to the opposite side before I asked him.

Imagine me in a much bigger place, namely the big campus where I work and study. Fairly regularly, during the 15-minute walk from my car to my office, I see new people holding a map or looking at the maps mounted around campus. Sometimes they ask me where a certain building is (they probably figure I work here when they see my lunch box), sometimes I offer to help. A few mornings ago, I walked up to two people on my way to the office. They were looking for two different buildings on opposite sides of campus. I knew exactly where these buildings were, but because I didn't go to these buildings often and not usually from where we were, I was not confident enough to show them right away which direction to go. I looked at the map to orient myself before telling them how to get to where they needed to be.

But they were grateful.

Some people who ask me for directions would even say thank-you more than once. You can tell they are really lost, and are both relieved and happy someone show them which way to go. Although I don't know every building on campus, I know enough to help others who might have never been on this campus.

Sometimes, we don't have to know everything to show others where to go. Being willing is what it takes to help someone who can't find their way, not only physically but also spiritually.

I don't know my Bible inside and out and I can always memorize more Scriptures, but I know it well enough to know the Truth, the Way and the Life. I am not the most well-versed in creationism, eschatology or apologetics, and I might not know Aramaic or Greek, but I know the Bible well enough to point others to the right way, the eternal way.

The question is, am I doing it enough?

Road Trip!

2011-06-01T21:02:00.000-05:00

Hubby and I just took a wonderful road trip to California and the Grand Canyon. :)

The vacation itself was an interesting story. I had requested the time off for my brother's wedding, but my Grandmother passed away three months ago and my brother postponed the wedding out of respect to the deceased (a Chinese tradition). I was going to cancel the time off, but Hubby wanted to go to an air show near where my sister-in-law lived in California the weekend before my scheduled time off. So we made it into a vacation. Hubby would drive out to California first for his air show and time with sister, before I finished up the semester at work and joined in for the rest of the trip.

So 6,000 miles, five states, 8,000-feet elevation, over 40-degree difference in temperatures, 1,000+ photos, about a dozen patches (Hubby collects those) and 50 postcards (I collect those) later, we have had a fantastic time exploring places between the Pacific coast and the heart of Texas. As we go through the photos, here are some of the many wonderful memories from the trip, chronologically:

Coming in sister-in-law's place to Hubby's hello message made of coke cans

Visiting with family and friends (and their children and pets), sleeping on their floor/couch/air mattress and getting fed by their wonderful cooking

Having dinner at the Santa Monica Pier

Cruising along the Pacific Coast Highway and looking out to the gorgeous Pacific Ocean

Eating authentic Chinese food in the San Francisco Chinatown

Enjoying ice-cream while strolling along small-town Sausalito (just outside of San Francisco)

Straddling the Nevada and Arizona state lines at the Hoover Dam

Seeing the rainbow at the Yosemite National Park

Hiking on a sea of snow at Yosemite

Watching the sun set at the Grand Canyon

Looking up to a clear sky full of stars at the Grand Canyon

Camping at Yosemite and the Grand Canyon

Pictures to come!

TV

2011-05-16T00:02:00.005-05:00

About a month ago, our 10-plus-year-old TV stopped working. It went out for the first time last Summer and Hubby had it fixed. But this time, we got a new TV. We had moved from a tube (that would take two strong guys to move) to one of those fancy flat screen, HDTVs. We had jumped from a 27-inch TV to a 40-inch TV.

I must say it is very nice to have a much lighter TV and the quality is quite an upgrade. I will also admit that I look forward to watching tennis on it later this month. :)

However, I was actually not as excited about the new TV as I thought I would be. I had watched tennis matches or movies on those fancy screens at other peoples' homes before; and occasionally, I had thought that it might be cool for Hubby and me to have a TV just like that. But our TV was fine so we had no justification for the purchase. Now that we have such a TV sitting in our house, I have been fairly calm about this. In fact, I have not used the TV in the past four days (Hubby's been out of town).

This TV experience reminded me of the time we bought our house. A few years before we bought our house, we had considered buying a house in our previous town, so we looked at some model homes, which gave me ideas. In my head, I had a list of things that I thought would be nice to have in our future home, including a library, rounded corners and a flat glass stove top. When we bought our house, these features happened to be part of the house. I must say I was - and still am - exited about the loft which we use as a library, but I also realized that I would have no problem living in a house without the loft, the rounded corners or a flat glass stove top.

Perhaps this is God's sense of humor, or it is simply His way of teaching me to be a good steward of the things that He gives me so generously. If I keep wanting things, maybe He will just withhold them until I learn not to be preoccupied with, or even controlled by, those things - whether it be a house, a vehicle, electronics, or whatever that might be, tangible or otherwise.

I still have my silly wants, like a smart phone, but I also understand the monetary costs that come with owning such a phone. Do I really need a smart phone? No. It would be something nice to have (I can text faster, I can get online faster, I can have more storage space for photos, whatever the rationale might be), but, a few occasional glitches aside, my current phone is working just fine. I have not completely gotten rid of my want for a smart phone, but I have lately become much more appreciative of my phone.

I read this somewhere not too long ago -

Contentment is not having what you want, it is wanting what you have.

The Apostle Paul also said in the book of Philippians -

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. - Philippians 4: 12

Well said.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T18:29:00.003-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, my mother-in-law and all the moms!

Thank you for nurturing us while we were in your womb, for enduring birth pains, for feeding us, changing our diapers, picking up after us, taking us to school, picking us up from school, teaching us, guiding us, developing us, disciplining us, helping us pursue God's plans for us, sharing our ups and downs, being there for us, and loving us with the kind of love only mothers can give.

Enjoy your special day!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T22:44:00.000-05:00

Jesus, the perfect God and the perfect man, was crucified on the cross - for my sins and for yours, so we did not have to pay the price for our actions. That was how much He loved us.

But death was not the end of the story.

When the women visited the tomb where Jesus's body was, they got a message from the angel:

Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. - Matthew 28: 5-6

The tomb is empty! He is risen!

Happy Easter!

The cross in front of our church

The Sun, The Son

2011-03-27T21:34:00.000-05:00

Before daylight savings time took effect two weeks ago, the sun would have had risen and there would be daylight by the time I left for work. But as we were now an hour "ahead", the sun did not rise until later.

A couple of days into the new time, I was driving west towards campus, as usual. Morning gradually broke and I could see the rising sun from my rear window. As I glanced at the sun, I was happy that the sun was there.

Then it dawned on me.

Despite what we have been taught as children about the sun rising from the east and setting on the west, the sun does not move. It is the earth that does. The sun has always been where it is. It does not matter that we change our clock every six months, the sun always shines where it is. We don't see it because the parts of the earth moves facing away from it every day.

It is the same with the Son. We see darkness around us not because God is not there. He does not "show up"; He has always been where He is. We don't see Him because we move away from Him, not because He moves away from us.

May we always move towards Him and bask in His glorious Light.

Grandparents

2011-03-10T18:35:00.000-06:00

The first time I lost a grandparent, I did not know to grief. I was not yet fearfully and wonderfully made.

The second time I lost a grandparent, I was a young 18-year-old, facing death suddenly and unexpectedly for the first time. My heart broke.

The third time I lost a grandparent, a few years ago, I was blessed enough to know the Gospel had been presented to my Grandma. I was there when she drew her last breath on earth and I saw how beautiful and peaceful she was. My sorrowful heart had a reason to rejoice.

The fourth and last time I lost a grandparent, a week ago, I was sad again. Yet, in the midst of grief, God put a song in my heart -

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Snow!

2011-02-15T18:20:00.001-06:00

Even though this blog is not about snow, I am happy to present to you these photos - of snow - from a couple of weeks ago when these little white flurries came along!

Outside

Front Yard

The sun came out and Hubby having fun on sidewalk while snow was melting

Commemorating the special occasions. :)

And Happy Chinese New Year!

Oh, and happy belated Valentine's Day too!

New Year's Resolution: Confidence

2011-02-04T18:00:00.001-06:00

My third (and last, but certainly not least) resolution of the year is somewhat difficult to explain, but hopefully it makes sense.

I had never had confidence issue. In fact, I had the opposite issue - too much confidence, or so I thought. Being an independent and perfectionisic soul, I had a lot of pride, always trying to do things on my own without asking for help (I really stunk at asking for help). I never liked to boast about anything, but this independence, this drive to do well made me rely on myself way too much, and I always took matters into my own hands. Because I was constantly planning and trying to be in control, I got a lot of things done; but at the same time, I worried a lot as I always thought about many different scenarios.

A few years ago, Hubby and I were apart for a school year, because of his job transfer and my school. We were sure that it was God's plan for us to take the offer even after I had been given a TAship, meaning I could not move just yet. Because I was now by myself most of the time, I developed this insecurity about locks - I checked my front door lock multiple times at night; and I checked my car door more than once every time I parked. I got much better since Hubby and I were under the same roof again; but I was still checking my locks multiple times. My confidence did not bring down my insecurity about locks. Around New Year's, I realized all of a sudden that far from being a confident self, I needed more confidence.

A different kind of confidence.

I used to be confident in my own self, but I was not confident enough in the Lord. Through Beth Moore's So Long, Insecurity book and simulcast, I realized I was in bondage of my perfectionism. My confidence in myself was simply a facade to cover up my insecurity of perfectionism. I finally understood I did not need confidence in my flesh or my "abilities" but confidence in the Lord. Rather, I needed to trust Him with all of me and receive the true confidence that comes only from God.

So this is really not a new year's resolution; it's part of my walk with God. Confidence in myself had been such a burden (I thought and worried a lot, did I say that already? :) In just the past few weeks, I have come to experience such new freedom in God because He is the one and only true source of confidence. I have subscribed to human confidence far too long and I am glad to bid it farewell.

Writing about these three New Year's resolutions had, surprisingly, been a very natural task for me. As I wrote, I was amazed by how easily and freely I talked about these three things, particularly the last two. A year ago, I would not have been able to share these, because I was still trusting in myself and focusing on myself way too much. If by reading these blog posts, you see anything that causes you to amaze at God, give Him praise and give Him thanks, for He is the wonderful Heavenly Father who never gives up on His children, you and me included.

New Year's Resolution: Punctuality

2011-01-30T17:39:00.003-06:00

Being on time is not my strong suit.

I have always tried to get one more thing done. So when I have a few minutes to spare before having to leave home or go do the next thing, I would fill up the next few minutes by finding something to do - put away one more thing, finish one more housework, read one more page of a book, send one more text, reply to one more email......

Nothing might seem wrong with it, but by trying to get one more thing done, I often run later than expected, and as a result, instead of having a few minutes to spare, I need to rush for the next thing. While this has not been much of an issue with work or school, Hubby can tell you that he has waited for me more times than he wants, and I have been late to appointments.

And I finally realized that this tendency to get one more thing done goes deeper than having a bad habit, or wanting to cross off another item on my to-do list, so to speak. It has a lot to do with being still, being at rest, being less perfectionist; or the opposite of it.

These past few weeks, I have become more aware of this trying-to-get-one-more-thing-done habit. I tell myself that it is okay to do this "one thing" later and that I need to focus on what I need to do right now, on the task at hand. Whatever this "one thing" is, it will still be there waiting for me.

While I have been late a few times, I find myself more at ease and more calm. I finally understand that I don't have to fill my every waking moment with things to do. It is perfectly fine to have a spare moment, to be still and not get every single thing done right away, because I don't have to be in the driver's seat and everything will still be alright.

Pink Candle

2011-01-28T19:31:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, as I was doing some cleaning for the new year, I finally started burning the candle I had received as a bridal shower favor. It smelled good in the house!

While enjoying the candle, somehow I remembered joking with a newlywed couple about the wife moving in and "decorating" the house with pink, smelly and girly stuff. It then occurred to me that maybe I should ask Hubby what he thought about the candle - it was pink, and the scent was pineapple.

So below was our conversation, re-created from my memory -

Me: Babe, can I burn the candle in the living room? (I actually had started burning the candle already)

Hubby: Yes.

Me: But it's pink and it smells like pineapple.

Hubby: That's fine.

He did not mind! But wait, something was missing.

Me: So you don't have a problem with it?

Hubby: Yes, it is being left unattended in the living room.

Oh, right. We were in the TV room. But that's my Hubby! :)

New Year's Resolution: Giving

2011-01-23T23:46:00.001-06:00

Since it is still January, it is not too late to talk about new year's resolutions. :)

For as long as I could remember, I would make a list on New Year's Eve of things I would like to accomplish in the new year. For this year, however, instead of a list of things to accomplish, I have three goals for the year that are less things to do but more like life-long projects. The first one is giving.

A couple of years ago, I had a thought of giving something to someone every day. It could be things tangible or otherwise. Most of the time, I found myself giving the same thing - letting a car from the parking lot or the side road pull in front of me while I was driving. This was good, but it was certainly not the only way to give. Soon, the thought of giving became less and less prominent and I was less and less diligent about it. But last Christmas, as I was re-reading Matthew West's Give This Christmas Away, in which he gives 101 ideas of giving, I thought of extending this to a year-long project for 2011 and God confirmed the idea.

A few weeks into the year, I am happy to report that this has been a great start! Most of the things I have given are little things - time, friendships, little gifts, car rides, donations, and yes, occasionally, letting a car pull in front of me - but they have been giving me a lot of joy. There is nothing in me that can give any of these things, but I know it is God enabling me to pay more attention to others and He is guiding me in my giving. In the process, I find me thinking of myself less, which is a great benefit!

How about you? What can you give someone today?

Shoebox Recap

2011-01-18T22:47:00.000-06:00

I hope your new year has been going well! Before the year goes by too quickly, it is time to do some recap - on Operation Christmas Child!

My last update was in October, when we were in the middle of it. There are many great stories to tell, and below are some highlights -

We had a booth at church and many took interest in packing shoeboxes or making individual donations. Many involved their families, friends and Sunday School classes. Almost 1,000 brochures were distributed in six weeks!
When a mother-daughter duo dropped off two boxes, they told me that one of them was packed by their non-believer friend who insisted on packing a shoebox for a child!
At our packing party, we processed and packed a few dozen boxes (not to mention we had a lot of fun!).
Our church middle school kids packed over a hundred shoeboxes in just a couple of weeks!
Our church tennis league did a tournament to benefit Operation Christmas Child. In a very short amount of time, we put together the details for the tournament. It was great fun that day and we raised over $600 and collected over 12 packed boxes and many donations that helped pack a few more dozen shoeboxes!
Our AWANA kids packed over 40 boxes!
My friend from my Bible study class got her high school students involved and they packed over 60 boxes!
At the drop-off location, we were even able to help raise funds for a summer missions trips for college students by dropping off our boxes. For each box they were to collect, a dollar was donated towards the missions trip funds.

I remember a week before collection deadline, as I walked to the booth, I saw piles and piles of packed shoeboxes that had been dropped off. What a sight to behold!

And remember the number 300 (see last update)? Merely a week before collection deadline, we had about half the number. Just as I was wondering how the goal would be reached, it was when the teacher called me to tell me about the 100+ boxes from our middle school kids.

By the end of collection, 379 packed shoeboxes were dropped off and over $1,900 was raised through church and the tennis tournament. It amazes me to look at these numbers!

I am very thankful to everyone who participated in Operation Christmas Child. Because of you, many children around the world got to know someone overseas cared for them, and that God loved them. This was not at all about me setting goals, but I cannot tell you how much I was blessed throughout those few weeks. It was such a privilege and joy to be a part of this, to see God's hand move and to see God's people give generously and willingly.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T22:46:00.000-06:00

As we reflect on and say goodbye to 2010, I hope you have had a blessed year.

For me, it has been a great year. Many great things happened while there were also a few difficult moments (which I hope to catch up and share on the blog soon). I am thankful for the great things and am learning to give thanks to God during difficult times. It is not easy, but those are times that I have found myself being drawn closer to Him, and times that I have to look beyond myself to seek His purpose and glory.

As we welcome the new year and ponder our new year's resolutions, I hope we will all be seeking Him more diligently through great times and difficult times. There is always a reason to hope because He holds tomorrow.

So long, 2010. Hello, 2011!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T23:13:00.001-06:00

It has been a long while. There is much to update, but first -

Merry Christmas!

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." - Luke 2:11

Shoebox Time!

2010-10-24T22:38:00.002-05:00

Operation Christmas Child is going at full force!

In July, I attended a banquet and was challenged to double the number of boxes packed from last year, so more children will receive shoebox gifts and hear the Good News. Last year, we had about 140 boxes; to double it, it would be about 280. This was not about numbers, because every shoebox gift is precious. Yet, it was about stepping out in faith, and trusting God and His provisions, since packing these many boxes was something I absolutely could not do on my own. And along the way, I had the help of friends at church who came on board with promoting OCC with much enthusiasm.

Now we have a booth at church and people are very responsive! Various Sunday School classes, Bible study classes and other groups are participating, and donations have been coming in! Even when I went to a couple of Target stores this afternoon to ask about empty shoebox donations, I got great responses and took home a few dozen boxes.

Packing a shoebox is easy - find an empty shoebox (wrapping it with Christmas wrapping paper is optional), decide whether to fill it for a boy or girl (and what age range), and fill it with age-appropriate toys, hygiene items, school supplies and hard candy. If you can, enclose a $7 donation to help cover shipping costs too. It is a fun and easy project both adults and children would enjoy. Children can also do a coloring page and tell the recipients about themselves, and/or write a letter!

OCC has offices not only in the US, but also Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia, New Zealand - and Hong Kong! So if you are in those areas, please visit their website and look for the icons towards the bottom.

Will you pack a shoebox?

August Birthdays!

2010-10-09T21:52:00.001-05:00

It has been two months since my last post. Since two months ago, I have returned to school (part-time), begun a new Bible study, seen my toe heal, and gotten a year older, among many other things. Speaking of birthday, we celebrated three birthdays in the family in August. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

The first one was my sister-in-law Rachel's birthday. We had a pool party at our aunt's house and it was a lot of fun! We also welcomed my other sister-in-law who had moved to the state with her family about a week before.

Rachel cutting the cake while the kids eagerly waiting to have a piece.

Later in August, we had another party to celebrate two birthdays! Princess N's and Miss E's birthdays were only a few days apart and my baby sister-in-law was going through town before moving out of state, so my back-to-Texas sister-in-law threw a party for both birthday girls.

Fun water balloon fight between my nieces and nephews before the birthday (cup)cakes.

Princess N turned 10!

Miss E turned 1!

We ended the day with dinner at Hubby's favorite barbeque restaurant, and with a picture of the five oldest children lined up by height.

Black Sandals

2010-08-08T20:35:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, one of the heels of the black closed-toe shoes that I often wore to work was wearing out badly.

So I went to the mall.

I used to like to go clothes shopping; but now, not so much. The mall had become a place of strong smells - a mix of all scents of perfume, incense, candles etc. My sense of smell had been severely challenged and going to the mall had become a dread. But I had a coupon for a department store.

So I wanted to make it a quick trip.

I knew black closed-toe - and comfortable - shoes would be hard to find, so I did not expect to spend only 15 minutes at the mall. In the end, however, after some looking, and expanding my search to various shoe stores at the mall, I could not find what I was looking for. For the few pairs of black closed-toe shoes I saw, they were either too pricey or too not-my-style, or too uncomfortable.

So I resorted to anything black.

Then I saw this pair of black sandals. They were not what I was looking for, and they were not on sale (!). But my nose was complaining and my mind could not bear the thought of another trip to the mall - any mall or shopping place.

So I bought the black sandals.

They turned out to be the pair of shoes I have been wearing the most in the past three weeks. With my broken toe, my foot was too swollen and bruised for me to wear closed-toe shoes; and I would rather not wear anything even with the slightest heels. The sandals had been the perfect shoes. And now, I like these sandals a lot too. I am very thankful I had the sandals already before the broken toe. I would not want to go shopping, not with a broken toe.

Sometimes, what I know, what I think, or what I think I know, is best, is not the best. I thought I needed a pair of black closed-toe shoes because I had always worn them to work; but in the end, I needed sandals. I did not know that when I bought them, but now I do. This might be a small example, but in life, how many times have I thought I know what would be best for me, only to find out I really do not know - and that I am not in control anyway (see: broken toe)? And how often has God provided what I truly need?

So I need to trust God.

Broken Toe

2010-07-20T22:48:00.005-05:00

Perfectionism is insecurity in art form. - Beth Moore

In a freak accident at home on Sunday night before bed, I broke (or sprained, I don't really know which one) my little toe, as my foot was somehow caught in the foot stool in the opposite direction I was headed. A fairly large area of my foot turned a light purple and became swollen overnight, making it rather painful to walk the next morning.

I don't think I am clumsy, and I have never had a broken bone, not even on the tennis court (where in my case, the injury risks are theoretically the highest). To a perfectionist like me, breaking/spraining a toe would have been a fairly upsetting moment because the whole thing came out of nowhere, it was of course not planned and the consequences were inconvenient. It would normally immediately provoke thoughts such as "how did this happen?" or "why were you not being more careful?" or "were you not looking?" or "this could not be happening. I have tennis this weekend!" So on and so forth. The kind of thinking that is unnecessarily harsh on oneself as a response to circumstances over which she has no control.

Strangely, however, I have somehow been very accepting of this rather rare occurance. Sure, I have to make adjustments (and yes, too bad there will be no tennis for a few weeks), but much worse things have happened. This little incident has only made me more appreciative of the many things (the ability to walk, good health, to name a few) I have had the privilege of enjoying.

It must have something to do with the lessons on (in)security I have been learning in the past few months.

I have always known I am a perfectionist, but I have also always thought it is part of the "package" - my personality (as a first-born child). However, Beth Moore's So Long, Insecurity has been telling me otherwise. Accordingly to Beth, all women have insecurity in some form; and perfectionism is one of them. I have never put perfectionism together with insecurity; but truth be told, the drive to do everything "perfectly" and according to plan comes from a fear of failure or a fear of showing weaknesses. Oh my. How my eyes have been opened to something I thought was simply a personality trait.

Under normal circumstances, a toe-breaking incident would trigger the perfectionistic mechanism in me. But if this incident means a new normal, perhaps it is worth a broken toe.

Celebrating Freedom

2010-07-06T19:19:00.000-05:00

We had a great Fourth of July weekend with family.

We first spent a little bit of time with my aunt and cousins before my cousins went back to Hong Kong for a few weeks. It was a musical night as we played drums on XBox and listened to my younger cousin play the flute. Fun!

Then we spent the rest of the weekend with my sister- and brother-in law and our three nephews. It was a fun-filled weekend as we watched baseball and World Cup (and I snuck in however much Wimbledon as I could :), drew pictures, played ball/toy airplane/video games/Scrabble/magnetic letters, read stories, went grocery shopping (okay, that was just my sister-in-law and me, the girls), did dishes together, ate home-made icecream, and as a bonus, I even got kisses from my youngest nephew......good times.

But my favorite Fourth of July moment actually came a few weeks earlier, if that could count. At my baby sister-in-law's college graduation in mid-May, I happened to sit next to my oldest nephew. We sang the national anthem at the beginning of commencement. As we sang, I also heard David's singing. It was such a beautiful sound to me. Listening to adults sing those treasured words often brought tears to my eyes, but listening to a 9-year-old sing those words was in a way much more powerful.

Not only can we celebrate Independence Day by singing the national anthem and watching fireworks on the Fourth of July, but we can sing those words any day of the year. And even more significantly, our next generation has the freedom to sing it too. What better way to celebrate our country than this?

Scratches

2010-06-19T15:46:00.002-05:00

I get scratches from Hanes on a fairly regular basis.

She does not scratch me on purpose; but sometimes she puts her claws on me when I unkonwingly startle her, or when she does not want to be picked up, or when she decides she is done cuddling and uses me as a springboard, or whenever she thinks more force is needed. I have had scratches on my stomach, my arms and legs. Some have never left any marks, but a few are still visible.

Oddly enough, although the scratches hurt (and some more than others), I would still rather have them than Hanes not letting me love on her.

I wonder what God thinks about the "scratches" we give him when we decide we are finished getting close to him, or when we do not obey Him, or when we try to run away from Him (or His plans for us). Would He rather us hurt Him (whether intentionally or unintentionally) than us not going to Him at all too?

If I, a mere mortal, care about a cat enough to not mind the scratches, how much more does God, who is immortal and the Creator of us all, care about us? During this Father's Day weekend, it makes me wonder.

Locks of Love II

2010-06-06T17:57:00.000-05:00

Four years ago, I donated my hair to Locks of Love for the first time. To this day, I still remember how light I felt after the cut, not to mention the joy I had knowing it was not just another other haircut, but one that contributed to a special cause. Because of that, I had wanted to do it again.

Four years later, my hair had gotten very, very long. Hubby loves long hair so it took a few months before he said yes to my haircut. :-) He was very sweet to let me do it again. He also took my "before and after" pictures, so here we go:

Before

After

It feels so good to be able to do it again!

Washington DC

2010-05-31T20:19:00.002-05:00

Two and a half months ago, we took a road trip to Washington DC, the nation's capital.

It came about when one of the few original copies of "my map" (the 17th-century world map I worked with for my thesis), was featured in one of the exhibits at the Library of Congress. The LOC did not own the map, but made a rare exception to show an item on loan. Since this was the first time an original copy of "my map" was on display in America, I wanted to go! Hubby had a few things he wanted to see in the area, so it expanded into a vacation. It had been about 10 years since we had been to DC (separately).

A long road trip of course meant the license plate game! The goal was to spot all 50 license plates on the road (seeing license plates in the issuing states does not count). Usually we would get about 35-40 plates and it was almost impossible to get Alaska or Hawaii, let alone both. But this time, we got both!! We did not get all 50 plates, but we did have 45!

On the way there, weather was not the best; but while we were there, weather in DC was beautiful! It was sunny, pleasant, with clear blue sky! On the first day, we visited the Library of Congress (for my map, among other things). It was so great to see one of the few original maps in its original size (in 6 panels)!

While Hubby visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps, I indulged in more early modern history with a trip to the Folger Shakespeare Library.

We also visited the National Mall, several Smithsonian Museums (Air and Space, Freer Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Natural History, American Indians, and American History), Chinatown, Arlington National Cemetery and Old Town Alexandria. It was a lot of walking, but it was a nice trip (and riding the subway daily certainly reminded me of home)!

Hubby got sick about half way through our trip so we cut our stay in DC half a day short and I did most of the driving on the way back. It was the first time I drove that much! To add to the adventure, on the way back, there was even snow - real snow - in our own state! Because of that, we changed our route but could still see - and safely drive through - some snow. Pretty phenomenal.

So, enjoy the pictures!

Nieces and Nephews: Hanes

2010-04-17T15:22:00.001-05:00

Yes, it's Hanes, the cat. Since she is my sister-in-law's cat, we call ourselves uncle and aunt when we "talk" to her. In that sense, she is our "niece," the feline one. But I guess this post is also a way for me to update on Hanes, because it has been a while since I last posted her pictures.

When I met Hanes for the first time (if we could call it a meeting), she was sleeping on the couch at my mother-in-law's house. It was before Hubby and I were married, so it was many years ago. She did not get up (or get away) so I did not even see her face or any movement. She was just a ball of fur on the couch. She did not seem too "friendly."

Then, I saw her move around the house during our subsequent visits, but she was shy and I still did not know her much.

Hubby became her keeper almost three years ago, when my mother-in-law moved and we moved hubby to our current town (I was still in school in Florida). Since I was not moved yet, I would see her once a month for a weekend, but she had become much more "friendly."

When I joined Hubby in our current town two summers ago, I spent the first couple of weeks of summer at home unpacking boxes from my move from Florida and his move from his apartment, and setting up our new home. But I spent most of the summer finishing my thesis. Hanes began to let me love on her and we developed a bond over the summer. She would come sit on my lap while I was writing, and she let me play with her.

Now, Hanes is no longer just the ball of fur that kept a distance. She is my "little one" or "sweetie," as I sometimes call her. I love it when she comes and drapes her head on my arm, or just sits on my lap, because she lets me love on her.

Below are some pictures of Hanes. Enjoy!

Hanes likes sleeping on Hubby's shirts, like this one (note her paws, very proper like a lady)

Napping on the couch by the window

Cute!

Robo-kitty!

She likes paper

Having a sweet moment with Hubby

Napping, again (but her paws were all over the place that day!)

She also likes shoes

and bags

and boxes

and Christmas presents

Hanes hanging out on my lap

On Hubby's lap

I love this picture of Hubby and Hanes, even though Hanes seems a bit indifferent

Hanes on my lap as I was sipping tea

Robo-kitty (with laser-sharp eyes) in her box

Hanes "hiding" behind my tennis bag

This post also officially concludes my little "Nieces and Nephews" series. Hope you have enjoyed it!

Goodbye/Hello

2010-04-16T21:34:00.000-05:00

Right around our first anniversary, Hubby and I decided to sponsor a child from Ecuador through Compassion International, and five-year-old Patricia became a part of our family. We wrote letters to her, and she would draw for us, usually about the landscape around her house. We would always proudly put each new drawing on our fridge so we would see it every day. Then she learned to write, and she would both draw and write a letter to us. She would tell us what she had learned in school, what her favorite Bible story was, how her family was doing, and how she would like us to pray for her, her family and her teachers. She also asked questions about us. She had such a beautiful heart and she was growing so much, both physically and spiritually. It was such a privilege to get to know her.
Then we received a letter from Compassion last Thanksgiving weekend. We were told her family had moved away from the area where they ministered, so Patricia was no longer in their program and we could no longer be her sponsored parents. It came as such a shock to us but there was nothing we could do. Compassion did not know where they had moved and we could not locate her.

I was sad. Although we had never met Patricia, we had gotten to know her through the letters and her drawings. Occasionally, we would also received her photos. It was difficult to let go just like that, because there was never a goodbye.

But at the same time we were informed of Patricia's move, we were told we could sponsor another child. Compassion chose for us teenaged Susana, also from Ecuador. We wrote her an introductory letter while back. Over the weekend, we received the first letter from her!

Perhaps just as Solomon said, there is a time for everything. Perhaps it was time for another couple, or church, to minster to Patricia. And we know God has entrusted Susana to us right now to minister to her. We don't know for how long it will be, but for as long as we have her as our sponsored daughter, we are going to write her letters and pray for her!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T17:12:00.006-05:00

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " Then they remembered his words.
Luke 24: 1-8

Happy Easter!

Excuses - Part II

2010-03-27T21:02:00.000-05:00

We came back from our road trip to DC last Sunday night. It was a great trip, but by our return, Hubby had been sick for four days. The night we came back, I became sick.

I had had a variety of symptoms but thought I was getting better. Instead, I got worse yesterday and needed to leave work a little early to take a nap. The nap lasted about 15 hours.

And I am still not getting much better.

I would really love to sleep some more to get the bug out of my system but my head is not feeling the greatest from the "nap" (plus two other 12--to-13-hour sleep nights I have already had the past week).

These are my latest excuses for the absence of blog posts. Please pray for me. Thanks!

Excuses

2010-03-08T19:21:00.001-06:00

50, 60 and 46.

These are the number of hours I worked in the past three weeks, also my excuses for not posting anything since mid-February. This past weekend was the first I did not work. It was a little awkward at first but it was a very nice break. :-)

I am anticipating a shorter work week, since Hubby and I are going on vacation on Friday! We are heading to Washington DC to see one of the few original copies of the world map on which I wrote my thesis, among other things. Meanwhile, this also serves as my latest excuse for any lack of posts that might happen in the next two weeks! :-)

Celebrations

2010-02-14T22:02:00.001-06:00

Since the last post, Hubby and I have celebrated many special occasions -

Hubby's birthday
Our anniversary (same day as Hubby's birthday)
My youngest sister-in-law's birthday
Valentine's Day
Chinese New Year (same day as Valentine's Day this year) i.e. today!

Can I use them as an excuse for my lack of post? :-) In any event, I thank the Lord for the many happy and special occasions we have in the last couple of weeks!

Nieces and Nephews: Princess N

2010-01-23T17:43:00.000-06:00

Nine-year-old Princess N is big sister to Lady A and Miss E. She is tall for her age (she will be taller than me in a few years) and is active, fun to be around, easy-going, tranquil and practical.

She absolutely loves Star Wars. She got a Star Wars Lego set for Christmas and was very excited about it.

N holding her Star Wars Lego set (see below)

She also likes Webkinz and has a lot of them at home (I can't keep track of what she has). She got a Love Monkey for Christmas too.

I also played Apples To Apples with her (as a group) for a while and she was laughing pretty hard too, just like David did! It was great to be with kids who were enjoying themselves so much!

However, my favorite memory with N was when she was reading to me before she went to bed one night. I had read a few books to the kids. Afterwards, N picked out the Cars book to read. It was a fairly long book and N was already halfway through when I joined her. She read the rest of the book to me and she did a great job!

All Photo Credits: Lady A

Nieces and Nephews: David

2010-01-19T21:52:00.000-06:00

David, big brother to Alex and Miguel, has an engineer's mind; he is serious, curious and specific. A perfectionist. He loves baseball and the space. One of the presents he received was a telescope. He had fun watching the moon (there were not many stars) with Papi and Cousin N, even though it was very cold outside.

David also loves video games -

Playing video game with Uncle M

Nieces and Nephews: Alex

2010-01-16T17:39:00.000-06:00

Five-year-old Alex is about 8 months older than Lady A. He is Miguel's older brother and is a happy little guy! He is goofy, outspoken, excitable, and loves his Legos. Over Christmas, he got quite a few Lego sets so he was busy building - and playing with - his Lego city.

The funniest memory I had of him over Christmas involved him, Hubby, Miguel and a bunch of Chilean Flemingoes at the zoo we visited.

When we were looking at the Chilean Flemingoes, Hubby joked to Alex that because these were Chilean Flemingoes, they spoke Spanish and he could say "hola" to them. So Alex greeted the birds enthusiastically! He even told Miguel, who was standing next to him, to say "hola" to the Flemingoes which Miguel did. It was so funny!

Other than his Lego city, Alex also played a little with the sword, another gift he received. One time, when he was playing with it, he put on two hats (one backwards) to make himself look more like Darth Vader/Anakin from Star Wars.

Alex in his gear

The double hats

A funny little guy he is.

Nieces and Nephews: Lady A

2010-01-16T17:37:00.000-06:00

Five-year-old A is Miss E's older sister. She is the outgoing and adventurous one. One of my fondest memories of A over Christmas is documented in the following two pictures.

My mother-in-law and my three sisters-in-law were by the dining table right before our Christmas dinner, so I asked the "ladies" to pose for a picture, as follows -

Haivng heard me using the word "ladies," A announced that "I am a lady too!" So there she was, featured in the next photo -

Isn't she adorable? :-) Over Christmas, she also took quite a few pictures with my camera. Below is a collection of pictures from the 5-year-old's perspective. Enjoy!

Anniversary Slurpee

2010-01-09T20:54:00.000-06:00

Editor's Note: The mini series on the kiddos will return soon!

Ever since Hubby and I got married, we have been celebrating our anniversary each month (we celebrated our dating anniversary too, when we were dating. :-)

On our anniversary date of each month, we would try to be the first to remember the monthly anniversary and say it to the other person. The rules are to say the actual year and month of the anniversary since the wedding, and it needs to be either on the phone or in person. Voice mail or writing does not count.

Other than our real anniversary (which is next month!), we do not normally have any special celebrations. However, we just had our 7-year-11-month anniversary. To commemorate this particular anniversary, we went to 7-11 for a slurpee. Whose idea? Mine!

It was a nice treat. :)

Nieces and Nephews: Miguel

2010-01-09T20:47:00.000-06:00

The next young'un is 3-year-old Miguel. Over the past few months, he seems to have grown a lot, at least to me. He is now more talkative and is showing off his personality which can be goofy at times! He has a contagious smile and is very smart. I played Dominoes with him for the first time over Christmas (it might have been his first time playing the game too) and he did marvelously! We played the game using the colors of the dots instead of the number of dots on the tiles. He had no problem matching the colors. At some point during Christmas too, he rode on my shoulders around the house (I really forgot whose idea that was!), and he loved it! I had great fun too.

It's not easy to take pictures of him facing the camera, but whenever I catch him looking my way, I usually get pretty good pictures, like this one. :-)

He likes his puzzles.

Just finished a game of Dominoes with A and me.

I can't explain what was going on in this picture, but he was having fun with Uncle "Monkey" and Aunt J! (It was Hubby with his tea in the foreground.)

Nieces and Nephews: Miss E

2010-01-09T20:08:00.001-06:00

In this blog, I have mentioned my nieces and nephews from time to time. Since we have a lot of pictures from Christmas, but more so because they are such darlings, I thought I would do a "mini blog series" to post more pictures about them. We have three nieces and three nephews, from 4 months to 9 years old. To kick it off, I am going to start with the littlest.

Miss E was born last summer. We got to meet her over Christmas for the first time since she lives far away. She is such a sweet and happy baby! She cried only once or twice, but that was only when it was her bed time at night and she did not want to be left alone. When she was awake, she was almost always smiling. And her big blue eyes are stunning!

I tried to take her as much as I could during Christmas. Various family members were generous enough to let me have her quite a bit, and I took A LOT OF pictures of her. The followings are only a small part of the collection. Enjoy!

All bundled up for the outing to the Zoo.

One of the MANY pictures I took of her.

She likes to put two figures in her mouth.

One of my favorite pictures with E!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T15:24:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! As we welcome the new year - and decade, I am recapping some fond - and fresh - Christmas memories. Enjoy!

This year, our home looked nothing like it was a year ago. There was no Christmas tree, no lights, no candles. I never got caught up on the Christmas preparations, since I barely got the Christmas cards and newsletters out in the mail, and Christmas shopping done before Christmas. I was still wrapping Christmas presents after the Christmas Eve Service. On top of this busyness (which seemed more than usual than years past), Hubby was sick.

But all was good. Hubby got better and off we went to my brother- and sister-in-law's for Christmas. We had a great time! It was a special year since my mother-in-law was back in the US for a visit after almost 2 years of serving overseas, our new niece was born in the summer, and everyone from Hubby's side of family was there. We had a lot of family fun. We enjoyed a lot of food and laughter. Here are some highlights:

Meeting our four-month-old niece. She is such a happy and quiet baby that she makes everything easy! I took so many pictures of her!
Playing Dominoes with my 3-year-old nephew. He was really good at it.
Seeing our 5-year-old niece in the outfits we got her; and putting a ribbon on her hair
Watching our 5-year-old nephew build his Lego city.
Staying in the cold (for a few minutes) with my oldest niece and nephews, one 9 years old and the other almost 9, as they tried to watch the moon and stars, and explore the universe with my nephew's telescope.
Reading to my nieces and nephews.
Listening to my oldest niece read the Cars story to me.
Letting my 3-year-old nephew ride on my shoulders.
Playing card games with the adults.
Fourteen of us going to the zoo.
All of us, plus our aunt who was off work that day, going to the best barbeque place for dinner right before we headed back.

It was another great Christmas with family.

Give

2009-12-22T21:50:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-01T22:38:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-11-25T20:18:00.006-06:00

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

2009-10-29T23:12:00.020-05:00

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

2009-10-27T20:51:00.001-05:00

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

2009-10-17T20:55:00.001-05:00

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)!

2009-10-08T22:11:00.001-05:00

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

2009-09-12T15:53:00.002-05:00

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

2009-09-11T17:53:00.001-05:00

Swimming Lessons

2009-09-06T21:05:00.000-05:00

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

2009-09-01T23:58:00.002-05:00

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

2009-08-28T01:36:00.001-05:00

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

2009-08-19T23:42:00.003-05:00

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

2009-08-14T23:11:00.001-05:00

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

2009-08-02T23:22:00.000-05:00

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

2009-08-02T23:17:00.001-05:00

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

2009-08-02T23:16:00.000-05:00

After Colonial Williamsburg, we made a quick stop in Historic Jamestown e, 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

2009-08-02T23:13:00.001-05:00

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

2009-07-19T16:30:00.006-05:00

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

2009-07-19T16:03:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-19T15:48:00.001-05:00

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

2009-07-19T15:42:00.001-05:00

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

2009-07-14T23:37:00.000-05:00

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

2009-07-14T23:33:00.000-05:00

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

2009-07-11T20:39:00.001-05:00

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 - Part II: More Friends!

2009-07-11T18:34:00.012-05:00

This day, we were hopping from town to town to visit with more friends.

We stayed overnight with my old roommate, Kara, and her family in Orlando. She and Andy have a very energetic three-year-old, Sam!

Then we visited with Christina, Vanessa, and their their mother, Mrs. E. The guys were not there, but we had the boys (children/grandchildren) -

Big Brother 2.5-year-old Christopher (Darren and Vanessa's oldest). He was playing with the paper towel tube.

Baby brother, ten-day-old Daniel, with Hubby
(Meanwhile, we were trying to wake him up so Vanessa could feed him. It took about 20 minutes - he was sleeping very soundly!)

One-year-old Naham, Trung and Christina's little boy.
He's half Chinese and so very cute that we remain hopeful for our future children. :)

Saying goodbye - Christina with Naham, Christopher (back playing), Vanessa with Daniel and Mrs. E.

Then we went on to Merritt Island for lunch with our lawyer friends, Kathy and Jay, aka the newlyweds.

Afterwards, we visited with Ben and Jen and their three puppies (and a cat who had fallen ill) in Jacksonville. We had dinner and they showed us gorgeous pictures of Alaska, where they vacationed a year ago. Then we had great fun with Wii.

Ben playing hula hoops. It was hilarious! We also played tennis (at my request!), but it turned out to be more difficult than the real game.

Jen with Maggie

Florida - Interlude

2009-07-11T18:27:00.001-05:00

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

Florida - Part I

2009-07-11T18:19:00.009-05:00

We spent two days in Florida visiting as many friends as we could. We could not see them all, but with those we were able to visit, we had a great time! The first day -

Mr. W, daughter Renee and Hubby. We had not seen them in a while so we were happy we could meet up with them. Mr. W grilled some seriously delicious steak for us in his backyard. Even though we had only been away from home for about 48 hours, it was great to enjoy some home cooking (not to mention the company)! Renee also made some dinner rolls from a family recipe that Hubby loved.

Then we moved along to Tampa, where we used to live. We stayed with our friend, Jill, who was not not too thrilled about taking a picture at 10.30 at night.

A year and a half ago, I had the opportunity - and privilege - to help my friend, Joan, set up her (and her husband's) bookstore. It was such joy. Their landlord did not expect their Christian bookstore to survive, but it did. One of the best-selling items? Bibles.

Joan's daughter, Joan and me

Afterwards, we made a quick stop at the hospital to visit with our Physician's Assistant friend, Jess. We were at Starbucks inside the hospital.

Then we went to St. Pete to visit with Brian, Tami (Mr. W's younger daughter) and their two boys. The boys are growing up so fast - so fast I could not get a picture.

Then it was time to go across the state.

Mississippi

2009-07-08T20:53:00.004-05:00

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

2009-07-08T20:33:00.006-05:00

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.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T22:41:00.002-05:00

From the Wright Brothers National Memorial, North Carolina,

where we visited during our vacation.

At the Dinner Table

2009-06-30T23:03:00.004-05:00

A photo to share while I am working on the road trip/vacation posts -

Hanes knows she is not supposed to climb onto our lap while we have dinner. She still tries every now and then, and occasionally she would climb onto the chair next to Hubby and sit there while we eat. She did it again last night, but this time she sat up and looked very cute!

Home!

2009-06-22T07:36:00.005-05:00

Hubby and I got back from vacation last night. We had a great time!

After 17 days, over 5,000 miles, 90 hours in the car, and 10 states, we came home with tons of memory and about 800 photos!

More posts to follow...

True Champion

2009-05-31T18:47:00.009-05:00

I just watched a piece of tennis history unfold not in the way I had hoped to see, but I witnessed once again the character and class of a true champion.

Rafael Nadal lost his 4th-round match at the French Open, where he had been undefeated (!) and was the four-time defending champion. Until today. Coming into the French Open, the ultimate clay court tournament in tennis, Nadal was the overwhelming favorite to be the first player ever to win it 5 times in a row. He played great tennis in his last match. But he lost a tough four-set match to an opponent who showcased absolutely stunning tennis.

Nadal has been my favorite player in the past two years. At 22, he has rewritten tennis history in many ways in the past year, including winning the greatest match of all time over 5-time defending champion, Roger Federer, at the Wimbledon final. He has already been regarded as the greatest clay-court tennis player ever, and is undeniably one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

I like to watch him play not only because of his tennis, but more so his character and humility. He is a class act in victory and in defeat, and how he dealt with his shocking loss today once again spoke loudly and clearly about him.

Nadal had always said that there would be a day when he would lose at the French Open for the first time. Of course, nobody in the tennis world predicted it would come today, but true to his words, he accepted the defeat, and he did so with such a level of grace that is no less stunning than his defeat.

He said in his post-match press conference -

"I have to accept (the defeat) with the same calm when I win than (sic) when I lose. After four years I lose here, and the season continue(s)."

"Well, all of us athletes, we know that when we walk on the court we can either win or lose. I know it for a fact anything can happen, and I have to accept them both in the same way."

He had nothing bitter to say about the match, gave credit to his opponent and congratulated him, did not make any excuse, and simply admitted that he did not play well and thus lost the match. He even commented that he hoped Federer, whom he defeated at the French Open in the past four years, would win the French Open (which would level Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slams and undoubtedly make him the greatest player of all time).

After the French Open comes Wimbledon later this Summer. At the All England Club, where Wimbledon takes place, is a quote from Rudyard Kipling's poem If -

If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same

Nadal did it today. Even though he lost the match, he is a true champion.

Family and Friends

2009-05-31T17:46:00.001-05:00

I am very thankful to have many opportunities to spend time with family and friends recently.

My mom was here just a month ago. Her "mission" was to bring my two young cousins to the States to reunite with my aunt. So we all got to spend time together.

My youngest sister-in-law came down almost two weeks ago from college to stay with us for the Summer. Hanes has been happy.

We had family and friends over for an "indoor cookout" on Memorial weekend. We had 9 adults (including my middle sister-in-law) and 7 children, ranging from 4 months to 8 years old (three of them were our nephews). It was fun. Sadly, we did not take any pictures.

Hubby and I are going on vacation next week. We will see many friends and family along the way, including our friend who just had the baby less than 48 hours ago, and my other sister-in-law and family who are expecting baby #3!

Tennis (Ball) Fan

2009-05-30T18:55:00.002-05:00

As the French Open is well underway, I thought I would post something about tennis. :)

After a league match a few Saturday mornings ago, I gave Hanes a tennis ball to see if she would like it, since she liked the ping pong balls.

Here is what she did with the tennis ball -

She held the tennis ball tight, ignored her mouse and played with the tennis ball for at least 15 minutes!

She is quite a fan!

Burgers, Fries and Shake

2009-05-30T18:17:00.000-05:00

A year ago, I became an American. At my suggestion, Hubby and I went to celebrate with burgers, fries and shake!

I do not eat beef hardly at all, so I could not tell whether the hamburger was good or not. But according to Hubby, the hamburgers were really good! To me, however, the chocolate shake was the best part!

A really fun feature at the restaurant was a "jacuzzi" for the hands. You put your hands in the holes, then water and the right amount of pressure came out to clean your hands. It was really fun. No wonder the kids there loved washing their hands! I even shamlessly took a sticker (which I am sure was more for kids than adults) -

We also took this meal in honor of our pregnant friend who could not eat any of these things because of gestational diabetes. She had asked her friends to eat these for her when she was first diagnosed, and we finally ate them for her!

She had the baby last night, so congratulations!

Proud Mama

2009-05-12T22:35:00.002-05:00

My work centers around administering the graduate program in my department, so I am heavily involved in everything that pertains to the graduate students, from their academic work (coursework, exams etc.) to their employment (teaching assistantships etc.), to their fellowship opportunities... All the graduate students are my kids, so to speak.

It has been almost seven months since I began my position at the University. I cannot honestly say that I know each one of them well, but I have come to know many of them quite well, especially since we are rather close in age. As I have gotten to know them, I have had quite a few "proud mama" moments.

A student brought me chocolate from Europe where she was for Christmas. :) I had only been with the department for a little over two months then.

In the middle of this semester, we had oral exams for two students, who approached the exams very differently. One of them was fairly calm and confident while the other had been nervous and worry-sick all week. Before her oral, the second student was waiting outside of my office and was clearly anxious. So I talked to her briefly.

After the exam, she was literally hopping and bouncing into my office with a huge smile on her face. She passed! I was the first person she saw and with whom to share the good news after she walked out of the exam room. She also thanked me for calming her down (which I did not know I did). :)

A student also invited me to her birthday party recently. The gesture was very nice and I went for a while. My students are a very tight-knit group, so most of them were at the party. I talked to quite a few of them. When one of them saw me, he told me right away that his big presentation went well just that afternoon. The only congratulatory words I did not say was "I am proud of you, son." (he is older than me)

Another student passed an exam last week. He came to me to give me a fist pump!

A few senior students who are beginning to get into the job market have also talked to me about how the economy has been affecting their job prospects. They even let me read their rejection letters. Of course, whenever it happens, it is also time for me to encourage them to hang in there.

Throughout the last few months, I have also had long chats with some of them, sometimes about things casual and sometimes confidential. I am thankful that they trust me enough to tell me many things.

To my surprise, many of them have also expressed to me their appreciation. It is so nice of them to say the things they are never obligated to say.

I am a proud mama.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T22:13:00.006-05:00

To my mom, my mother-in-law and all the moms I know. :) Have a wonderful celebration!

To Walk with Thee

2009-05-09T21:09:00.001-05:00

My mom took this photo of Hubby and me without us knowing it until afterwards. I like this picture a lot, and I am thankful to God for allowing me to go through life's journey with Hubby.

Visit

2009-05-06T12:40:00.014-05:00

My mom came for a short visit a couple of weeks ago. We had not seen each other since Christmas 2007 so it was nice that she was able to make the trip from Hong Kong.

We did not do too many things but we created many good memories -

We played lots of Dominoes.

We went on a quick day trip to see a historic site.

We ate a lot, including local BBQ. Mom quite enjoyed the slow-cooked smoked chicken.

We also had some Hong Kong-style pot luck. Yummy!

She made me a skirt and a scarf (within hours)!

A few months ago, Hubby and I got some pastel green fabric for about $4 and I was going to make a scarf from it (because I could not make anything more complicated than that :). However, Mom, who is excellent with the sewing machine, had more brilliant ideas! She designed and made the skirt! I wore it to church last Sunday.

We also did some shopping. We found the perfume for her and my sister at a good price! We also found each of us nice and reasonably-priced sunglasses.

The trip was short, but sweet. :)

Thankful

2009-04-18T22:12:00.001-05:00

Recently, God revived something that I used to do with others.

When I was a volunteer life coach/peer counselor at A Woman's Place, I gradually developed the habit of asking every girl I met three things for which they were thankful.

This exercise was really not my idea, but God's. It might sound simple, but it was not the easiest thing to do. Every girl I met was going through difficult situations - financial, educational, family, physical......When they came in, they were sad, stressed, upset, worried, angry or confused, or sometimes all of the above. But one day, God wanted me to ask the girls to name three things for which they were thankful. While they had to think about it for a few seconds the first time I asked them, they were always able to count their blessings. Without fail. Despite their circumstances.

Now, instead of asking someone, God wanted me to ask myself the question. I started counting God's blessings on my way to work one morning, but instead of three things, it grew to five! Then I started counting five things on my way home as well. It has been a great exercise in giving thanks to the Lord.

I am thankful for who He is, and for His providence.

I am also thankful for the many things I take for granted - running water, heat during cold nights, air conditionally during hot days, a functioning car, a roof over my head, food on the table......

And I am thankful for my family. As a bonus, I get to see my mom and a few relatives tomorrow because they will be in town to visit!

Dead and Risen!

2009-04-12T16:50:00.004-05:00

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:7-8

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' "

Luke 24: 1-7

Shoes

2009-03-22T19:25:00.010-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was at Target to get a baby gift for a couple of friends. One of the items was a pair of crocs. While there, I also found a pair of flip flops for Hubby, something I had been searching for a while.

Juxtaposing these two pairs of shoes struck a chord in me about life. Here we had an adult in his prime (and he is a size 12!) and a baby who would soon be coming to this world. Age difference aside, these were two precious lives that God created (and was creating) in his own image. In these shoes, they would be taking their steps and going to different places.

We are all travelers in this world, heading closer to our eternal home each day. There are ups and downs in our journeys; some days we are on mountaintops, and some days we go through valleys. But one constant is this: that God is caring for and guiding us along the Way, whether we notice Him or not.

White Scarf

2009-03-22T19:13:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, we purchased our first sewing machine. The extraordinary part was that it was actually Hubby's idea, not mine. He had thought about getting a sewing machine for quite some time and we picked one out together based on his research (he really did his homework).

At the (free) sewing class on Valentine's Day, I saw Hubby sew for the very first time. It was priceless.

One big project we had in mind with the sewing machine purchase was curtains. But before we took on the this rather big task, I suggested to Hubby about making something small as a beginner's project. He readily agreed.

The following week, we picked out some white fabric, and Hubby made the scarf from there. It was a very impressive day as he labored away, and I took some pictures to document the "historic event." Enjoy!

Here, Hubby got the sewing machine ready by preparing the thread.

Then he cut the fabric

Then it was sewing, ironing and thread-pulling, and some more sewing and ironing

A scarf was born!

Did I mention Hubby did a fantastic job?

P.S. I now have some catching up to do! My mom is coming to visit next month. I am sure I will ask her to give me a few lessons! :)

Hubby Guest Blogs: About Hanes

2009-03-20T22:11:00.001-05:00

Every now and then, Hubby gets inspired to write a poem. Here I present to you his newest work. Enjoy!

Fuzzy Butt leaves fuzzy hair,
On the stair and in the air
On the couch and on the chair
On the bed and everywhere!

Ups and Downs

2009-03-13T23:04:00.002-05:00

The past few weeks have been quite an emotional roller-coaster ride of many ups and downs.

In the beginning of February, we celebrated our anniversary and Hubby's birthday, and we went to his boss's birthday party in the same week.

But a couple of days later, we lost a close friend to cancer. While she is home with the Lord now (and for eternity) without any suffering, it did not take away the sadness of those who had known her and had been blessed by her. She had hosted Hubby and me for Thanksgiving and Christmas; she invited me to her Pampered Chef party when I was still a newlywed and had no idea how to cook; she also altered my bridesmaid's dress because it was too long and I did not know how to do it myself; made donations when I was raising funds for a crisis pregnancy center......Her entire family had "adopted" Hubby, and then me, ever since I met them.

Shortly afterwards, we learned that the baby boy our friends were expecting had been diagnosed with a serious genetic disorder that could require a kidney transplant, and that might even threaten his precious life.

But a few days later, we celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday. Then came Valentine's Day, my sister's birthday, my other friends' son's third birthday, and my other sister-in-law's birthday.

And then came the passing of a friend's friend, and another friend of mine is going through a very difficult time right now for reasons I am not in the liberty to share.

Then there is the ongoing cancer battle my friend's four-year-old grandson is fighting, the financial struggles another friend is going through......

Life is difficult at times, but through these ups and downs, there is always hope and peace that only comes from the Lord. Through everything, I am thankful to have a God who knows all of our thoughts and emotions, who is always ready to rejoice and to comfort.

We are going to another birthday party tomorrow to celebrate life.

Happy Birthday!

2009-02-12T22:14:00.012-06:00

Dear Mommy,

Love,

Hanes

P.S. The humans in the house also send their birthday wishes!

A Better Picture

2009-02-10T22:02:00.006-06:00

I feel bad about the previous "tagged" picture, so to make up for it, I am posting a much better one. Enjoy!

Hubby had told me Hanes loves fresh, warm laundry, and she would get into it whenever the laundry is out of the dryer. But she had not done it very frequently lately - until this past weekend. I put the clean sheets on the bed and Hanes immediately jumped on it. She made herself comfortable and looked very cute.

Tagged

2009-02-10T21:51:00.005-06:00

My sister-in-law tagged me so here we go -

Here is how it works -

1. Go to the 4th picture folder on your computer
2. Post the 4th picture in that folder
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 more bloggers

I have to apologize to Hanes, because this is not a good picture of her at all. The picture was taken in September, 2007. She had been sleeping on our guest bed but apparently I woke her up and she was not the happiest about it. Sorry, Hanes!

If you would like post your picture, consider youself tagged!

Anniversary and Birthday

2009-02-08T22:35:00.004-06:00

This past week, hubby and I celebrated his birthday and our anniversary - we got married on his birthday (my idea). We took the day off and had a very simple day. I even did some housework that morning while he was getting my anniversary presents. :) We did not take a vacation or go to a fancy restaurant. But we were together, and that was enough. Our special day was wonderful and I am thankful for each day I have with him.

Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday to my wonderful hubby!

(American) Football

2009-01-28T22:45:00.000-06:00

In a way, I cannot believe I am writing this, but I am. For a long time, I understood "football" to be the sport in which players kicked a black and white ball with their feet. My minimal exposure to this other sport, known in the rest of the world as "American football," where people geared up with helmets and tons of padding in order to pile themselves upon one another, made it difficult for me to understand what this sport was about. For a long time, I did not understand why people used their hands to play FOOTball and how a sport was played based on human pileups.

Then I came to this land where everyone seemed to be crazy about this "football" game. I learned that people would pay a lot of money for tickets, begin their tailgating hours before the games, eat a lot of food, and dress up in team colors. In my case, it was orange and blue, a color combination which I first found quite unusual. I also quickly learned that game time was the best time to go to the library or grocery shopping.

Years later, things changed. I lived in a town during the time our NFL team won the Super Bowl and our young college football team had an undefeated first half of the season and blasted its way up to the number two ranking. Feverish atmosphere.

In between, I learned about this great coach by the name of Tony Dungy, who loves the Lord AND football. He won the biggest prize in professional football and gave all the glory to God in front of millions of people. The book he wrote after his Super Bowl win, Quiet Strength, is a great read, and I am looking forward to reading his new book.

There is also this guy named Tim Tebow. A missionary kid, and perhaps the best college football player as many have contended, he understands that his athletic talents come from the Lord, whom he unashamedly proclaims, and always carries quite an infectious smile on his face, which either says "Phil 4:13" or "John 3:16" during game time.

Slowly but surely, I began to understand that the pileups was a way the game was played. I began to watch it more often, and slowly came to understand the rules enough to know the happenings on the field.

And then...(gulp)...I began to...(hmm)...enjoy...(clearing throat)...football...A few weeks ago, I was cheering loudly for the Gators during the BSC Championship Game, almost as much as I would for Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal when I am watching my beloved tennis.

As a bonus, my orange and blue team won.

Give(n)

2009-01-28T21:46:00.000-06:00

One of my New Year's resolutions this year is to give something to someone every day - a helping hand, a hug, a word of encouragement, a gift, a note, a ride......it is going quite well so far and it is a great way to get out of myself and think more about others. As a great bonus, it has been bringing me great joy.

But then, God showed me that there is another side of it, and that is to receive, to be given something.

Work has been keeping me quite busy, and I had to break two of my rules recently: not to check work email at home, and not to work over the weekend. I did both this weekend. But at the same time, many people are working way more than I am.

One of them is a lady with whom I had a meeting a couple of weeks ago. Every one in her admissions office has been working through our two-week University break and has been putting in twenty hours of overtime every week (not an exaggeration). But as I was sitting in her office, she was incredibly patient with my questions and spent an hour helping me. It struck me that given her busy schedule, she could have chosen not to meet with me or not to give me as much time as she did. But she gave me her precious time.

Then there is my wonderful hubby. I did not cook dinner for about two weeks because I was home late every night. But he did not complain about the TV dinners or having to eat by himself. Rather, he was incredibly understanding and helped with various housework. When I fell asleep on the couch, he let me sleep and just helped me up to bed. On the weekends, he still let me play my league tennis and gave me time to nap. :)

Thankfully, I were able to leave relatively on time on Fridays for our date nights; and so far this week, I have been leaving the office while there is still daylight; I even cooked dinner for the first time in a while last night. Things I took for granted felt so much like gifts.

Giving is a two-way street. Through giving, God gives me the joy of giving, and He has opened my eyes quite widely to see the many generous givers around me who shower me with many precious things I might otherwise have not appreciated as much.

Being Lukewarm, Being Wholehearted

2009-01-19T20:30:00.008-06:00

Thanks to some time off around Christmas, I had a chance to read a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan, a California-based pastor. He challenges his readers not to be lukewarm Christians but be wholehearted followers of Jesus Christ, not because of what we "can" do for Him but because of who He is. God is the Creator of the vast universe, yet He cares about every single one of His created beings and loves each of us with the kind of unconditional love which Chan calls "crazy love." Chan encourages his audience to go back to the Bible and read it for themselves, to study Jesus's example and understand how to be wholehearted followers of Him who hold nothing back.

As I was turning the pages, I was challenged and convicted, because it reminded me how comfortable and self-centered I am as a Christian. God has given me so much more than I need, yet I am not giving as much as I should in His Name, not only in terms of finances, but also time and abilities. I think more about myself than I do others. Sadly, I am lukewarm at times.

As I was reading and processing what the book presented, Hanes came to me. She settled on my stomach and I patted her, but she left soon afterwards. She did that a couple of times.

Then it hit me.

I was reading about not being lukewarm, yet that was exactly what I was doing - doing what I wanted to do and paying halfhearted attention to a cat! I was only mindlessly patting her and barely acknowledging her presence - and she knew it. That was why she left. Lukewarm attention was worse than no attention at all.

Thankfully, Hanes came back. This time, even though I only had about ten more pages and it was not the time I wanted to put the book down, I put it down.

I welcomed her with both arms and I gave her my full attention. I looked her in the eye and she knew I was being sincere this time. She stayed - for a long while. Through her, God showed me what it was like to be lukewarm, and thankfully, what it was like to be wholehearted.

Later, I finished the last few pages, challenged to put what I read into practice, wholeheartedly.