Disney Days

So the Disney Days are back with the mama! My momma, DLand, and sweet fellowship--what more could a daughter ask for? We made our tracks out of the hometown to The Happiest Place on Earth for our favorite breaded bowl of soup from Boudin, fireworks, and Fantasmic! engrossed with God and His glorious plan for our lives and the lives of others. It was a great time for my mom to remind me that I need to trust God with my brothers' lives and to stop worrying about how things are going to turn out. Maybe I need to trust in Isaiah 55:11. Maybe I need to read the Word more, period. Maybe I need to spend more time in prayer. Maybe I need to do all of the above more. Mm, I think yes. PtL for quality time with the mom. God knew I needed it.

Engaged

Sunday's message was a simple and blessed challenge, taken from Matthew 28:16-20. I needed to be reminded about Jesus' authority and His command to go out.

I want to be engaged. I want to be engaged with God and His work for His kingdom. I want to be engaged, filled to the brim with love. I want to love God's people so much that it would cause them to pause and realize His love for them. I want to wake up from this daze of an ordinary day; I want to participate in the extraordinary wonders of God's everyday miracles. I want to be engaged.

Dear God, Give me the grace I need to live out this engagement. Amen.

P.S. Today was my cousin's engagement party. Congrats Cousin! Love you much!

Everyday Grace

God gives grace like no other!

I most totally do not deserve the grades, but God has blessed and kept me by His grace--including all other aspects of my life for the past two months.

God has just showered me with His blessing with a job, supportive family and friends, and wisdom to name a few. This isn't a joke. I asked, and He gave. There was so much to learn and be grateful for. One thing that God continually reminds me to do, is to live out 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. It's by His grace that I will.

Let's get together for some stories. I'd love to share with you!

Ketchup

Time to play catch up with blogging and such.

Die Familie: My momma had a quiet celebration with the fam including Nicole. She had everything, a giant pancake from the Guasti Homestyle Cafe (her fave breakfast stop), browsing stores at the Ontario Mills, and an early dinner at Yashima (the family's beloved Japanese joint). My parents are growing into their years, so we all need to watch how we treat our bodies. Philip is graduating next month. Yep. NEXT. MONTH. Mitch is hustlin'--in getting his school stuff situated! It's about time! I look at my little, little brother, and I don't see him so little anymore. They're both not little anymore, and I miss 'em being so young and carefree. Time waits for no one, for sure. I'm happy to watch these two grow into young men, though Mitch has a lot more growing. Why are they growing up so fast?! Nicole is as sweet as ever. The other day, she baked these bomb choco chip cookies. Choco ANDES MINTS cookies! Deeelish.

Die Schule: The quarter is just about halfway through! I've made a friend or two or three, including an accountability partner! God has mosdef answered my prayers about having friends at school, let alone a sister in Christ!! PtL, for sure!! And I've some challenges ahead of me, and I'm ready to tackle 'em. Which reminds me, I've got a massive case study to handle by Friday.

Die Arbeit: Crazy. Unpredictable. Tiresome. I have a job, but don't. I tutor on days the kid has math homework. Aside from tutoring, I pretend I'm an arsty-crafty type o' gal. I make stuff, doodle stuff, and other stuff. I tried the Etsy thing, but it didn't succeed much. My motto: Try, try, and try again! What about picking up a temp job at a credit union as an accounting clerk? Thank God for an opportunity like this!

Das andere Ding: Sheesh. There's so much more to say and do! I want to do this. I need to do that. "I'll tell you about it. When are you free?" type stuff. I mosdef need to fix up this computer. My dad recently wiped my hard drive clean because it contracted a virus. Yep. Sucks, but it's like brand new now. I just don't know what happened to my Google Sidebar, that icon tray at the top, and my scrolling sidebar on the touch pad. Help me. On top of that I need to download all these things I need and upload other stuff. Wah.

I need to handle this business. We'll ketchup soon! And like I almost always say, "Pictures to come soon", but it never is soon enough. You still love me, don't you?

Saturdays

I love Saturdays. It isn't because it's my day off from work--by the way, I don't work anymore. I love Saturdays because after a week of watching loads and loads of television, we have time together as a family to try out places we've seen on our fave shows! It began Saturday, January 30, 2009.

My Saturday began with some t.v. surfing through my family's fave networks: FLN, Discovery: Travel, Food Network--you get the idea. Slowly, each family member woke up and moseyed into the family room and plopped onto the couch or the computer. Philppe's anyone? Yes, please! We all got dressed, except for Philip, headed out the door and hopped on the Metrolink.

Let me tell you, I love the train. It's nice to take it easy every once in a while. There are so many experiences to be had, like taking it easy, seeing faces ready for adventure, and the quiet, elderly couples; but there a few that I could do without. These were noisy children, people almost falling over on you while the train is moving, and overhearing CRAZY life stories. For reals. I overheard this one person talking about living in the projects of LA with a bunch of other people, mostly women. This person went on to tell experiences of jail time, the eye-witnessed murder of his mother, escaping to San Bernardino for a fresh start, and whole bunch of other crazy stuff. Crazy I tell you, crazy.

After the train ride, walked all over Union Station and made our way out to Philippe's. Man, this place is DEEELISH!! If you haven't been, you must--it's worth it. I was so excited to eat a double-dipped roast beef sandwich that I forgot to take a picture of the establishment. I regret not having eaten breakfast because of this, BUT lunch was soo worth it. My double-dipped roast beef sandwich, potato salad, and lemonade.

After Philppe's, we walked around Olvera Street and had ourselves more goodies to munch on. Yep. Churros, Mexican candies, taquitos drenched in avocado sauce, tamarindo juice, and horchata. We were so full from everything, we had to sit out and watch the world go by for a while. No pictures because I was feeling a bit slothful after the mouthfuls of yum. We could have walked around China Town too, but we'll save it for another Philippe's trip.

So where to next? I don't know yet, but I'm sure it will be just as tasty as this trip. I can hardly wait!

Autumn is Here

Autumn has begun. Will the heat ever go away? Since school time started, I should tell you how my last three days were spent.

Monday was a nice day. For lunch, my cousin treated me and few others to Korean BBQ. In the evening, I met up with Susan and Jigger, and we shared some Genki Living. Tuesday was an errands day with Jigger. Wednesday--I don't remember Wednesday. And of course, I had some TV time with Mitch, and that's how it went down.

Thursday was the first day of school. Whoa. Over the course of the summer, I received some notices that nudged a thought into my mind--"Maybe the finance thing isn't for you." What did that mean to me? Change, it's time for change. So that's what I decided. I decided to change my major for the last time--yeah, it better be the last time or I'll never finish--to communications.

So what was I to do with the business classes that I was registered for? Drop them. But I wasn't planning on dropping them unless I had a class to fill their place. Furloughs or not, it's tough to add classes that you're not registered for. How was I going to do this? Prayer and faith--lots of it.

I wasn't going to worry, though I had much reason to. I had a reason to worry about what classes to add and when I should add them. I was going to worry about if the professors were nice or not, how much work they were going to assign, if there was space to add, were students going to drop, how spread apart these classes that I had planned to add. The list is really long, but I placed my faith in God--who knows my needs and who is the great Provider. Did I have a reason to worry about my future classes, when I knew that God is the God who provides all needs for all things and people? Totally meditated on His Word, see previous links please.

Prayer began when I decided to change my major. Prayer began when I started to worry about class schedules and petitions. Prayer began as I went to bed six hours before I had to wake up again. Prayer began before I stepped foot on campus. That is what made all the difference.

My schedule this fall happened not because of a decided path, a desperate face, nor a determined will. It was because my God supplied my needs. A major ptL!

Another ptL: This past Saturday was wonderful! My family and I, including Nicole, went back to the apple orchards of Oak Glen and its surroundings! If you haven't been, I suggest you go because it is loads of fun! If I had to sum it up in five words or less--FarmVille in real life! Law's breakfast buffet and their famous apple cider in a jug, Snow-Line's apple picking, sampling, and donut-ing, and more!

Browsing Antiques

Apple Donuts

Mitch and Soda Posters

The Mom and Apples

Forgotten and Rotten

Naturally Sun-dried RaspberriesThe Mom showing the Dad what he missed

FarmVille for the Mom
Apple Cider Enthusiasts

Being Brothers

Kids' Fall in Love

Oddly Shaped Gourds

Big Mac Pumpkins

P.S. I'm still praying for one more class--MHR 318 at 10:00a-11:50a. Please pray with me!

Pleasure

I find pleasure in the Lord and how He works in my family. The Lord is soo gracious to grant us understanding, growth, and other good stuffs--stuffs like this.

(FarmVille)

Uh, you get the point. Don't judge, it's for my mom.

Crazy Good

Oh what a day! Here's how it went down:

4:00A - Awoke in the quiet hours of the morning to watch the spectacular star show (meteor shower) God has so wonderfully blessed our eyes to see. Back to bed by 5:50A

9:00A - Wake up call for the cuzzo for bike rides and pool time.

12:00P - Errands on the bike, TGIFriday for lunch, pool time.

6:00P - Dinner, evening bike ride

And that's about it! Ceaseless praises to God for our bicycles and keeping us safe. As the week goes on, my plans are to work, work, work. God is teaching me to have a thankful heart for the job I still have. Thankful I shall be to You, O Lord!

Summer Nights

Oh, these summer nights include much fam love and togetherness! I love it! What else do you need? Maybe some pictures, but I forget all the time. Don't judge me. Here are a few:

Hang Outs

Beach Bums

Monrovia Street Market

And those are the most decent pictures I have scrambled to find. A few more things to praise God for: There is that one summer night I came home and found my mom looking intensely at her phone. I asked her, "Ma, what are you doing?" She simply replied, "I'm texting." Another summer night as I came home, Philip, Nicole, and Mitch were swimming out in our hardly-used pool! Marco! Polo! One last summer night to share--recently, Mitch and I have been renting movies like mad men. Netflix? I wish, but it doesn't seem reasonable to me to have two accounts for one household. That's besides the point; the point is Hollywood Video is ridiculously out of budget; thank God for choices. United Video reminds me of Videos2DVD, but not quite at the same price. Nonetheless, three dvds tonight is the same price as one dvd any night at HV.

So Many

There are so many blessings to share! God has been so gracious--as He always is--to open my eyes to His glories in this life and the life to come. Some snippets...

Grama is praising God, in His Presence, with her husband and my Lola. I traded some--okay, a lot of--work time for encouragement time with my family. Mitch is a growing boy, and celebrated his 14th birthday. Jigger and Besties time. Harvey and Janet are married now. The Barrett's and their new addition to the fam. Mama Josie and fam time. Chloe, girls, and Mitch breakfast time.

More to come!

Day One

Today was the first day I've seen my Grandma in a week. She looks so different, but it's still her. I don't think I can ever get over the way she looks--or anyone else for that matter--like she's sleeping. My Grandma's skin a bit darker than what I remembered, but I noticed that a bit of that cakey make up is on her hair. It makes me want to take some baby wipes to clean it up. While my Grandma lies there, she's surrounded by a whole bunch of red floras in different shades, her fave. Even her red lipstick is in place the way that she puts it.

The two, tiny boys saw her the first time in about a year; the first thing that Nathaniel said, in hushed voice, was, "Oh! Grama's sleeping." Adam just took a peek with no words or sounds.

Seeing my Grandma today reminds me of my Grandpa and my Lola. I miss them from time to time, but that's normal. Praise God for the comfort that He gives through His Word and through His people.

Break and Brake

Brakes are good, and so are breaks. On Saturday, my auntie decided to make a quick change in plans. The overcast morning made it such an easy decision to change from the beach to Disneyland. It was a full day with two, tiny boys; the smallest didn't even enjoy Astro Blaster, but here are some pictures anyway. You can't really see the boys, but they're there.

Yeah, you saw right. Our cousin, Karina, isn't really playing because she was busy sending a text message.

No Words

What words can I use to describe the start of the summer? None. I cannot explain what my heart feels, how my mind thinks, or what my spirit leads. I am glad that my hope does not come from me, but from my God and His words. Praise the Lord.

A Happy Philip

Happy 22nd birthday Brother; you are really loved.

Philip requested Nicole's scrumptious cheesecake as his birthday dessert, and he got it. However, she opted not to make the traditional, yet simple, type of cheesecake. She combined Philip's love for her cheesecakes and apple pies. "Yum-o" hardly describes this delicious hybrid.

Philip requested Yashima--our family fave for Japanese cuisine--for his birthday dinner with the family, and he got it.

My prayer for Philip this year: To remember the grace of God and to be thankful for His mercies.

Happenings

Things that have happened--

1. Date with Dad
2. Daryl, my cousin, and Noreen graduated from CSUF last Saturday, May 23
3. Attended more EPIC meetings
4. Met a handful of encouraging people
5. Acquired new levels on Rhythm Heaven by giving up
6. Dined at the Soledad's humble home
7. "I create my own caffeine." (in response) "You mean, adrenaline?"

Things that will surely happen--

1. Philip will turn twenty-two in about an hour and few minutes
2. Jireh will graduate
3. EPIC Banquet in four days
4. Statistics final
5. Accounting final in eleven days
6. Economic final in sixteen days
7. Summer quarter starts in twenty-seven days

Things I'd like to happen soon--

1. Pass this quarter's classes so that I won't have to make major changes to my schedule
2. See more people's faces
3. Settle into a new community
4. Explore other work opportunities
5. Mini vacation and day trips
6. Highlights with Jenny
7. More Grama hang outs

More updates on life to come. In the meantime, I'll be MIA because of major study sessions.

How

How do things like this happen when you don't do anything? I asked Mitch that question when he showed me his phone yesterday. Since then, I've been scrambling for a few lenders. Praise God for Philip and Nicole. I asked Philip to ask his girlfriend, Nicole, if she had an extra phone laying around that we could borrow--and she did! She didn't have the charger, but it's okay, the Lord provides. By the way, the phone she lent us is a SideKick ID, and I feel really challenged. Anyway, Mike M has an extra phone too. Thank God for providing for our needs!

Speaking of God and providing for our needs, it reminds me of my most recent visit to Disneyland with my mom and Mitch. There are a lot of fat birds. Most especially on the Pacific Wharf, near the Boudin Bakery. As they were swooping and sweeping for crumbs of food, I couldn't help but notice how pudgy these birds were! Gosh, Luke 12 : 22-34 never felt so true until then. Okay, maybe not, but it definitely was a good reminder.

Sharing blessings and prayer requests are wonderful. I've a bit of work left to do, so until then.

Borrowed Time

I missed something today. I failed to see that my Grandma was sad to leave our home after staying with us for two weeks. How could I have missed that!? During those two weeks, we had some bonding time, to the max! Yes, I admit that most of it was errand related, but those were the best times I have had running them! Every morning, we would have breakfast, then sit and talk about the good ol' days. After an hour's worth of jibbering and jabbering, we would stare at eachother and laugh because we had no idea what to do that day! We would think about what we would have for lunch and dinner while our stomachs were full with foodies, then get ready to have lunch and go to the market. Our days were simple and fun--they were simply fun and full of smiles, but not all days.

On rare occassions--like once a week--sadness overcame her heart and flowed onto her face so that you could see. These days were hard, it reminded me of my Lola. My Grandma would start to question the unfathomable will of God, for she does not understand Him. It scared and intimidated me to answer her question. I wanted to say something, but I hesitated for too long. Before I knew it, we had moved on to another topic. It came, it lingered, and it went--my opportunity to share my Joy, my Jesus, with her.

A day like today would have been a wonderful time to share my faith with her. Her face, so round, was so sad. She did not want to leave our home, but she has no choice. Although she goes to live with her son, my uncle, it would be well with us all to visit from time to time. Maybe then I will be able to share with her Christ's amazing grace and refreshing mercies that are new every morning.

How many times have you heard that we live on borrowed time? Everyday it becomes more and more evident. It is quite the humbling experience, revealing what Truth is and how to live worthily of that Truth. Why is it that it matters so much? We will all pass away soon, and what will we have lived for?

Happy Christmas and New Year

I know it's a bit late, but how could I resist!? Happy Christmas to you all, and a Merry New Year! First things first, let's thank God for His ultimate gift, Jesus Christ; for without Him, there would be no celebration of life. My family and I celebrated our Christmas with my mom's side of the family, as we often do--this time in Las Veags. We spent five, whole days, in which we all took turns caring after Grandma and going out. You see, this was nor ordinary Chirstmas; this was not an ordinary year. Anyway, good times were had and remembered.

After having a camera for a year, I still forget that I have one; I often fail in the capturing and immortalizing of moments. However, I still praise the Lord for our impressionable hearts and minds. We will never forget these times. Here are some photos I managed to snap when I remembered to.

Christmas Time in The Bellagio

The Woman of Encouragement to my Soul

These are the Men of my Life

Shortly after Christmas is the dawn of the New Year. YAY! Again, I forgot I owned a camera, so these picutres were an afterthought. For me, as long as a picture was snapped, it's all good! From now on, I resolve to make use of my camera. I wonder how long that resolution will last. Speaking of which, I do not remember my resolutions of 2008; come to think of it, I may not have made any because I knew that I would forget. Ha. Let me be the one to say, 2008 was an eventful year of change. I turned twenty-two, and the craze of alcohol died happily; I have been sober for a year! That's a joke; liquor and spirits have never controlled my life in that way, nor will it ever. I have put an end to the hurt in my heart. More than ever, God has never tasted and been so good! In 2008, God has taught me to be thankful for all things and in everything, how to trust Him more and those that He has placed in my life (and kept there), how to lovingly serve my Family and the Church, and so many other things. When I think of 2008, I think of these verses--

Hebrews 12:1-2 There fore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This is what the New Year is all about. Kidding.

The Familia. This is the New Year of New Lives, hopefully. Niko was sleeping.

We missed you Auntie Juvy, Nathaniel, Adam, Daryl, and Chan!

For the second day in the first month of the New Year, we went to Whole Foods again! I really love this place. Thanks Helen for your gift; I am so grateful for you! These are some goodies we bought last night. We also had some cheesecakes--Pumpkin, Chocolate, and Cappuccino. Those were so good, they were gone in a flash!

Yummy Maple Tangerine Almonds

Coconut Water. Delish.

Tastiful Tarts

So I mentioned that this was an extraordinary year, right? You see, just around the time of Thanksgiving, my Grandma became very ill. Later, we learned that it was due to the contraction of a terminal illness, and with her age, it was unlikely that she would recover as quickly as she did. A year and half has gone since the passing away of my Lola, and God has continued to strenthen my faith in Him. That is why my family and I have the Peace of God that transcends all understanding. To make the long story short, God answers prayers. Real life, true story. These stories that God has authored in our lives are only testaments of His grace and mercy to such undeserving people. It is only by Christ and His power over the grave that allows us to enjoy every aspect of our lives, good or bad. There is always a reason to praise the Lord.

Thanks and Giving

My family and I travelled to Las Vegas for a Thanksgiving celebration. As the days approached our departure, I began to feel extremely axious. There were thoughts and questions regard my grandma's health; they rose and conquered my mind. It was not until our arrival that I came to realize that I was not in control, nor could I ever be. Whew! Thank you Lord for being the Sovereign God that You are.

While we were in Las Vegas, we visited our grandma, of course! We stuffed our faces with the non-traditional Chinese and Japanese food. No pictures here because I dislike photography while eating. After such feasting, the cousins and I decided to have a little fun, Puccini Park style. Thank you Lord for Your creation.

We were supplied for some Frisbee, that is it. Good thing the park came loaded with tennis rules and tennis balls. It only made the boys creative, something we would like to call Hand Tennis. Thank you Lord for Your Provision of tennis balls, creative minds, and able bodies.

After Hand Tennis, it was only natural to bowl! Not much to say here. I am not as skilled as others, but it does not matter! It may have been heated in the beginning, but if you know me well, I am not an avid competitor. Fun is the key to victory. What? Nevermind that. Thank you Lord for Your Peaceful Spirit.

There were other things that happened too, but I would like to treasure those things in my heart. I love Thanksgiving. It is everyday for me.

Family Time

I cannot wait! I feel so anxious to see my Grams after so much prayer. I pray that God would be so gracious and merciful to her. I pray for her heart, make it soft and responsive to You. I pray for the Prince of Peace to reign in her life.

I need to patiently wait for God's timing. It is perfect, you know. He is perfect and all that I need. For that, I can truly say, Happy Thanksgiving.