Half Way

Woo yeah! Let us stroll backwards to the first chapters of my university life.

Time to celebrate the half way mark of my first quarter at Cal Poly. It is so different from the semester system, and I have barely become used to it all. But--Yay! Five weeks have already passed, and so has the day I took three midterms. Although it is done and over with, the exams fail to bring happiness and sense of achievements. Boo.

Weeks one through four were such a bore, but I was able to adapt to my various professors through the course of these weeks. I am grateful for the professors that God has given to me. They are tough, but not too tough. I am just grateful.

Now, enough of school. Yesterday, Mitch squashed a beetle of some sort. No pictures because the creepy crawlies gross me out; however, I did search a little to look for it crushed body to show 'em who is made in God's image, but did not find him--there was only a ring of the innards where the whole body should have laid.

My mom celebrated her birthday at California Adventure. Our good God blessed her with the opportunity to meet and greet Chef Robert Irvine, from Food Network's Dinner: Impossible. That guy is really funny with really huge muscles, and his personality differs very little from what you see on the show. WYSIWYG type guy. God is so wonderful, that He even blessed my mom with Chef Irvine's cookbook, personally autographed for my mom. Blessings, what more could she ask for her birthday? Then dinner with the family at Pompeii's, a wonderful pizza place. Kudos to Philip and Nicole for showing us that place.

And everything else? My time in the Word has taken the backseat for a few weeks, and thus proven to me (once again) that the strength to get through the day comes from God who sustains all things. In my times of weakness and worries, He has reminded me to trust in His work and in the ways He has provided me to walk in. So, let's walk in 'em.

Would've, Could've, Should've

I would've...

I could've...

I should've...

been more productive over the past few months. It feels too soon to return to school after a three and a half month break. Now I don't know if I'll ever have time because I start school tomorrow!

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?

Vulnerable

A simple life can be attained by being vague about everything. If you could pretend as if the world is as it should be, you could possibly have a happy and carefree life. If the tough times rolled along, then you could sleep it off and wake up to a new slate.

Who am I kidding? I thank my Savior everyday from waking me up from that terrible nightmare. Being vulnerable to the Truth of God is mos def the way to live. I love that His Word is as sharp as a double-edged sword. It shows me my heart and thoughts--the capacity of sinfulness that can be contained. It points me to the Cross, where all my sins hang, and to the God who saved me from my wretched self. It brings me hope in the midst of trials that all is loss for the sake of knowing Him and sharing Him with others. Oh, how I love Thee!

For these reasons, and more, I am able to make myself vulnerable to His piercing Truth for personal growth in love for God and for people--the ones I know and the ones I will come to know.

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.