MIA

wow, it's been about 2 weeks since my last post! life's been pretty full lately. but it's been a "good" kind of full except for a cold i caught last week.

in fact, i got pretty sick i guess cause i actually took a sick day on thursday...my first full fledge sick day for as far back as i can remember. yeah, being sick like that is no good...can't do anything except lay around. but it was pretty "well-timed" in a "God" sort of way. it was good to be able to catch up on some much needed tv time (i hadn't been able to watch any of my shows for 3 weeks! but luckily i have tivo!), and i was also able to spend part of the day reading and researching for my basic lesson this past saturday.

anyways, what else have i been filling my time with? hmmm, i got lots of pics i need to post but here's a quick summary: jumped on the seahawk's bandwagon and got to go to the home opener, finished 2:7, celebrated steph & hi-d's b-day, friend's wedding shower, organized corn maze night, started bowling thurs nights in a league, craft & chat, basic lesson...um, that's it, i think.

well that's it for now...gotta get to bed so i can get rid of the last of this cold.

NOTE: breaking news! the seahawk's just traded for Jerry Rice!!! yay! i was a huge 49er fan back in the day, and i loved watching jerry rice play! i gotta get me some tickets to another seahawk game!

P-Town & Graceland

i went to p-town this past weekend to meet up with my family that was visiting the area. it was, of course, a whirlwind shopping tour...what else are you supposed to do there! i spent a bunch of money on things i might not have bought had i not been in portland. it's definitely the "asian" in me that makes me start to rationalize buying something "now" when i can save on tax b/c i'm going to "need" it sometime in the future.



tonight i went to graceland, a small live music venue that hosts shows for local bands. i went there to see the audiobiography...abe's band! some other friends and i went to go be "abe groupies"...we were really excited to finally get to see his band perform live. an added bonus to tonight was that we also knew people in the two bands that performed before abe's band...arick is the bass player in autumn sonata and the second band was cody who (the lead singer performed at a past co-hi). all of the bands did a great job, and it was a fun AND deafening night!

So So Tired

man, i just can't get used to this "working" thing. i keep trying to go to bed earlier to get more sleep, but it never works or it's never enough!! as each day passes, i find myself more and more tired. i'm struggling to stay awake at work and i even find myself trying to sneak in some long "blinks" cause i can't keep my eyes open.

how tired am i? let's look at today, i had to make myself stand up at my desk today to stay awake as i tried to read a document. and it's really sad, but i'm finding myself planning out how i can evenly spread out my trips to get more water and to go to the bathroom so that it breaks up my day.

i really hope my project picks up the pace soon and gets rolling...i don't think i can stand more "slow paced" days like today. and i definitely need to either get my body "trained" for less sleep or figure out how to get more.

Gotta Stay Focused!

i've been struggling lately with trying to stay focused on the blessings in my life instead of dwelling on the negatives. i keep letting the negatives get to me which brings me down, and in turn, my patience level keeps getting lower and i find myself focusing more and more on "me". boo! i don't like it when i get like this.

so...i'm going to keep writing about the "blessings" and good things in my life cause hopefully it'll make me able to focus on them more, but this definitely does not mean that i don't have some struggles going on. i just don't want to focus so much on them.

blessings/goodies from this week:
- having the opportunity to relax and unwind by watching an awesome amazing race finale with cassie. there was lots of emotion and intensity, and one of my favorite teams won!
- hanging out with my cousin/ex-roomie who is visiting this week. we saw a sneak preview of "first daughter"
- spending time hanging out with my old roomies this weekend. it was a fun reunion weekend with all of us together again. it, of course, centered around food...first hosoonyi and then a big homemade brunch/breakfast
- receiving my first paycheck after one week of work...it sure is nice to have some money coming in again
- basic had a large turnout tonight...it was nice getting a chance to talk to and see lots of students i haven't seen in awhile
- having kelvin and kevin lead worship for basic/ttic for the first time! praise God!
- God also totally provided a last minute speaker for basic this week allowing us, regular leaders, to spend more time with out-of-town friends

yes, i know...what a "horrible" life i must have with so many good things going on. exactly! that's my point...by focusing on the negative i'm wasting or missing out on all the blessings God is giving me. must stay focused!

note: i finally caved in and bought myself a tivo! it wasn't that easy to setup (eventhough everyone said it was), and i probably need to get a new tv to be able to do what i want to do, but it really is a nice nifty little toy. yay!

The Tide is Coming In

i'm back at work again, summer is over, basic has started, prime time is just around the corner, friends are visiting, wedding showers are a plenty, my parents are coming...the "tide" is coming in again!

it seems that the "busyness" of life seems to come and go like swells or ocean tides. and i'm sadly realizing that most of these "tides" are of my own doing. when the swell gets to be really big and almost over my head, i start cutting back on things and it slowly recedes. but then i'll bring the tide back in again when i realize i have "extra" time on my hands, and it starts all over. in and out, up and down.

although i know that things don't have to be this way, i'm still trying to figure out that "balance" thing. at least there is a constant thru all of these swells, though.

now, if only i could remember to stand on that "rock" instead of trying to keep my head above water myself. hmmm...

Do the Puyallup!

i finally got to go to the puyallup fair after missing it the past couple of years. these pics pretty much say it all! yum, yum, yum! so much fun!





note: the weird looking thing is a fried snickers bar. i'm bummed we didn't get to try the fried twinkies. but i guess i'll have to save that for next year!

Back To The Grind

i've come to the end of my 1st official week back at work, and it surprisingly wasn't that bad. there were struggles, but there were blessings too. all in all, it was a good first week.

some blessings/struggles from the week:
*Struggle/Blessing* attempted to find a starbucks near my project site monday morning, and drove around for half an hour going in all directions before i finally found one! it's crazy how many starbucks you can find in seattle in a one block radius, but on the eastside there's nothing within a half a mile radius!! (later i learned that there's a starbucks inside my building, but i needed to wait until i got my security badge to be able to use that one)

*Blessing* found out how surprisingly easy it is to remember how to be a "consultant" again. it's weird how everything kinda comes rushing back and makes the past 6 months seem not so long anymore.

*Struggle* learned my biggest struggle with working again is trying to go to sleep earlier. i have to wake up at 6:30a, but i still keep going to bed after midnight!! i didn't get much sleep this week, and my body is going to start rebelling soon if i don't figure out how to got to bed earlier. long gone are the days that i got a consistent 8 hrs!

*Blessing* great co-workers! i really like my co-workers and i've enjoyed getting to know them this week. i even had "bonding" time with one of them as we struggled in the office together to get all the necessary software installed.

*Struggle* i'm learning that the insurance industry is a very slow-paced environment. it's going to be tough to stay motivated and productive when everyone does things so slowly. i also find myself checking the time every half an hour, but this will probably get better as i get more things to do.

*Blessing* i'm also learning that the insurance industry is also good b/c everyone works very consistent hours. this project has mandatory 40 hr weeks (yippee) and by 5:30p everyone's gone! it's so weird! i can totally get used to this!

*Struggle* there's one little thing that is going to continue to irk me about working at this insurance company. they're totally obsessed with security! they have all the web-based email sites blocked and no instant messengers too! i feel so cut-off from the world...i can't check email...can't chat with friends...how am i supposed to keep up on things??? i'm actually supposed to work every single minute i'm there?!?!

*Struggle/Blessing* it's great getting to leave by 5p, but the traffic absolutely SUCKS!!! it took me almost an hour on thursday to get to beacon hill and i was in a terrible mood by then...luckily i was able to pray a little and calm down by watching some of the amazing race before bible study!

What Would You Do If...

so, what would you do if you were driving home and the car in front of you pulls over and let's you pass. but then, the car starts following you thru a residential neighborhood? do you speed up and try to lose them? do you change your course and turn down little residential streets? do you start driving towards a major street? do you keep thinking "i really wish i hadn't left my cell phone at home"?

i've only had one previous experience with cars that pull over, let you pass and then follow you...and it wasn't good (ask me later if you want to know). but this time, i didn't think it was the same thing b/c i wasn't doing anything wrong...i don't think.

anyways, the car following me finally turned off as i headed for a major street. i didn't look to see where they went b/c i didn't want them to know that i knew they were following me. but, as i headed back to my house again i kept looking around for the car. creepy!

It's Official!

yes, today i made it official. i went downtown to sign all of the paperwork to become a 2DC consultant. next week i'll be starting on a new project out in redmond.

yes, redmond, "home" to the 520 corporate road warriors/road ragers. needless to say, i'm not too happy with my project's location, but everything else has worked out great so i guess i can't really complain. i'll just be spending a lot more time on the eastside trying to avoid rush hour traffic.

i must admit, i'm feeling a bit sad knowing my days of leisure are numbered, but i am looking forward to this new project. it's been awhile since i've been thrown into the total unknown...and the insurance industry is definitely that. but, i feel that God has really hand selected this place/project for me, and i'm excited to see what's coming up. in my quiet times He's been emphasizing to me about the power of "truth" and also the "patience" needed. hmm...wonder where this is leading me.

in any case, i guess i'll have a lot of time to contemplate/pray about it during my commute...at least i hope that's what i'll be doing instead of becoming another bitter seattle driver.

What's Cooking? Vol. 6

sadly, this will probably be my last "what's cooking?" entry for awhile, since i'll be going back to work next week. i totally give those working parents props for being able to work a full time job and still cook for their families!

so, today i finally attempted to make "gau". gau is a chinese dessert that is usually made/bought and eaten around chinese new years. it's sticky and sweet with a sort of mochi like consistency.

actually, in hawaii, we call it "gau". but since i go to a chinese church, i was quickly informed that "gau" means "dog". and after much debate and finally going to the web to find a picture, they informed me that it's pronounced...oh, who am i kidding. i don't know how to write the word in chinese, let alone say it. to me, it's "gau" *EDIT* i found out in chinese it's called "neen goh". thx, mary.

anyways, i have to say, i was quite surprised by the way it turned out since it was a microwave recipe. i also didn't know that there are only 3 main ingredients: chinese brown sugar, coconut milk and mochiko. it looked a little funny when it came out b/c it doesn't normally have a hole in the center, but it tasted pretty much like the real thing. what a fitting end to my foray into the cooking world!

We Are Family

this labor day weekend i went to my very first cbc family retreat. i finally decided to check out this retreat after attending cbc for almost 7 years. in the past, i never felt called to go b/c i felt it was more for the "families", but this year i decided to go b/c i had heard the students rave about the youth speaker and i wanted to check him out.

and i'm happy to say that i'm really glad i went! this retreat was not like any other retreat i've ever been to (and i've been to many). i felt like this retreat was unique & special b/c it had so many generations of people there, and i was able to help out with the youth program yet hang out with "older" people too!

i felt like this weekend was a great example of what it means to be a part of God's family b/c i was able to:
- have fun w/kids from my vbs group this summer
- teach crafts to students from my sunday school class
- hang out w/teens from jr high and high school
- share a cabin w/some 3rd service women
- talk to parents of the high school students
- teach a couple of "popos" how to make fish keychains

ever since God brought me to cbc as a non-believer, i've felt totally blessed by the brothers & sisters at cbc who have welcomed me and encouraged me and helped me to grow in my faith. although there have been many trials and obstacles at our church over the past years, God has remained faithful and it has continued to be a place that i can feel at "home".

i read this verse, 2 Timothy 1:5, at the retreat on saturday, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." and it reminded me of the rich legacy of "sincere faith" that has continued on at cbc & will hopefully continue on for many more generations.

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet

yes, it's true...after 3 interviews, some studying and a lot of praying. i officially received a job offer from the company i've been meeting with. God has definitely been good to me throughout this process. i've had to continually seek His will for my life and seek to turn my will into His will thru the roller coaster of the past 2 weeks. it's been good.

i also know that i've been totally blessed by this "short" job search process (hence the title), and i'm grateful for God's blessings in working things out. i'm even actually excited to start work b/c of this project they told me about that they (and i) think i'd be perfect for. it starts in a week and a half from now...i know, real soon! i guess sometimes God works faster than we're comfortable with or are expecting. wow, strange, huh?

one thing God has also been speaking to me about during this process is that when i do begin this job, i need to focus on the people and develop stronger relationships with my co-workers. i didn't do this very well at my last job, and God's been convicting me that i need to focus on this more. "bloom where you're planted!"

so, i just need to work a couple of things out with the company, and hopefully by the end of next week i'll be back in the "real world", a real "productive" citizen, a "9 to 5"-er...whatever that means! thanks to everyone for their prayers!

Weeding Out Completed!

on sunday, i finally completed a task that i've wanted to do ever since i quit my job back in march...cleaning out my closet! but, i could not have accomplished this task without the prodding and crucial help of my long-time friend/ex-roommate. in fact, i owe this entire achievement to her b/c she basically went thru my closet and "made" me get rid of clothes that i haven't worn in years! and i'm totally grateful for it.

in fact, there's just something about friends like her that i've known for (wow!) an amazing 15 years (more than half my life) that are priceless. i have a few friends like her that i've known since 7th grade, and we've managed to keep in touch with each other despite all of the moves and changes that come with growing older. sure, there have been some years with gaping holes of contact, but on a whole we've been friends for what seems like forever.

this friend, in particular, i was roommates with for 7 years (her entire time in seattle). and this weeding out is just an example of why her friendship is priceless to me. she knows me so well that she can go thru all of the junk and embarrassingly old clothes hidden in my closet (without me asking her to), and tell it to me straight that it needs to "go". she can tell me all of this even though she moved away 2 years ago and we don't see or talk to each other very often anymore. for friends like these time apart doesn't really diminish their "closeness".

she's not the only friend either that i have that can tell me like it is, and i'm truly blessed by these friendships. these next couple of months will be a blast since she will be in seattle working on a project.

And The Award Goes To...

no, this post is not about the closing ceremony of the olympics or about anything else olympics related. actually, i've lost intrest in the olympics after a week of intense watching. i guess i really only like the swimming, gymnastics and beach volleyball events.

instead, this post is about God's blessings this weekend. first, the student leaders retreat went great! everything went pretty much as planned and it was a good time of bonding too. i saw a lot of potential in these student leaders as we shared about where they were spiritually and where they needed to grow, and i'm excited to see how God will be teaching and stretching them this year. it was also a fun weekend b/c God loves to bless us with great laughs and entertainment as some of this year's leaders are really funny and big hams!

great quote from the retreat: "no one wants to be the smelly kid in class"

then on saturday night, the student leaders did a FANTASTIC job with the basic senior graduation dinner! it was definitely very creative and top-notch! the theme was "red carpet", so they transformed the fellowship hall into a mini awards ceremony dinner. the tables were decorated with flowers & candles and there was a "red carpet" coming in from the doors down thru the dinner tables to the podium.

after dinner, our emcee introduced presenters who came down the red carpet in pairs, and then proceeded to introduce the next award (a mini trophy) and recipient. the senior for the award came up while a little slideshow of them played, and the presenters explained why they were worthy of the award. the senior then had a chance to give a little speech (sage advice or fun memory) or just say thanks.

it was really a fun night, and it was great to see the student leaders work well together. i know the seniors there felt really appreciated & special. Praise God for his blessings!

here's a photo album of my best pics from the night.

lastly, God blessed me on friday afternoon with a call back from the company i interviewed with last week. in fact, now i have two more interviews scheduled with this company. one is on monday and the other is on tuesday. i think i should probably study again for monday's interview, i have a feeling it's going to be somewhat technical. it's also at EIGHT-o'clock in the morning!! man, that's early! but, if everything goes well, i might have some good news by the end of tuesday.

PR: please pray that i may be diligent in preparing for the interviews, and that i may be calm during my interviews b/c i know and trust that God's will is best.

Up Late...Again!

ok, there's a reason my blog is named "up late", and last night proved that once again. this time, though, it wasn't b/c i'm a natural a night owl, but it's b/c i was yet again caught in my procrastination cycle. i was up until FIVE-in-da-mornin' working on the student leaders retreat stuff. *sigh, shaking head* will i ever learn?

but i must & will continue to give God all praise and glory for the unusual clarity He provides for me in the wee hours of morning! so everything's done and set, and i'm super pumped and excited for this weekend. i also give props to God for the way He fills me with energy & excitement, especially when i really shouldn't be having any with the amount of sleep i got.

my PR (prayer request) for this weekend: please pray that God will continue to guide me as i lead the student retreat, and pray for unity and conviction by the Holy Spirit.

The End Of Summer

yep, it's over. my "extended" summer break has come to an end. no, this does not mean i did well on my first interview today (i'll get to that in a minute), it just means that i'm realizing that my "break" is done, and life is starting to get busy again. now that warm beach is over, it's time for me to get focused on the student leader retreat this weekend, senior graduation dinner and the kick-off for basic. don't get me wrong, though, i'm totally excited for this new year to start...i just need to get my butt in gear and out of "break" mode!

now about that interview, i studied for like 5 hrs straight on monday and ended up with a huge headache. bleh! then i came home and was going to study some more, but i somehow got convinced by some friends that the interview was not going to be so in-depth. so i didn't study anymore...bad idea!

the first question in my interview was "what's the difference between java and c#?". i knew at that point that i should have studied more! i did answer some questions right, but some i just couldn't answer. and when i did answer something right, i ended up talking too much and then ended up saying something that was wrong. i kept trying to compensate for my lack of knowledge and got into more trouble! on top of that, there were no behavioral or past experiences questions which i totally prepped for.

oh well, it's all in God's hands now...i'll be fine with whatever happens. i'm actually surprised how not worried i am, i thought i would be more. anyways, i'm supposed to hear back in a couple of days. so for now, i need to just focus on basic stuff...i got a busy weekend ahead!

JEMS WB 2004

all i gotta say is... GOD IS GOOD! this year's warm beach retreat was just plain amazing...in so many different ways. i returned from the retreat yesterday feeling super-duper tired, but also super-duper blessed!

highlights from this year's retreat:
- my small group: God really blessed me with a great group that clicked really well together & we had some really great & fun discussions
- the climbing tower: i conquered the warm beach climbing tower this year with my small group's encouragement
- the speaker: joyce's messages on lordship and her visual presentation were really powerful; "He's head over heels in love with you and trying to get your attention!"
- cbc crew: i was blessed with the opportunity to hang out with the cbc students (lots of the incoming freshmen were at the camp), and God really used them to get me excited about starting this new school year with basic
- a new believer: Praise God for helping this new believer experience His love and for helping her to understand the sacrifice and gift He offers each one of us; it's also *extra special* for me b/c she's one of the students from the sunday school class i've been helping out with this summer
- awesome & fun leaders: i felt really blessed to have had the opportunity to serve alongside some old AND new friends. also, i think b/c we got to pray together more than usual before the retreat, i felt there was a closer bond between all of us this year
- message for me: it always amazes me that i can go to a retreat to serve the students, and yet i end up leaving the retreat feeling totally blessed and with a message God had specifically for me. i still have some praying and processing to do, but i'm excited about the direction/vision God has shown me for this year at basic

Amazing Moments & A Not So Amazing Moment

wow! did you see paul hamm's performance tonight?! that was absolutely CrAZy how he pulled it off and won the all-around gold medal! he went from being in 1st to 12th to 4th and then back to 1st again! talk about an amazing moment! now that's what i call a "clutch" performance!

after seeing that performance, i felt moved to watch one of my favorite movies growing up...Nadia! i'm sure not many people have seen this movie about nadia comaneci, the best woman gymnast in history, but this movie really inspired me growing up. even in all its cheesy-ness, i'm always amazed by her "never give up" attitude which led her to receive the first perfect 10 in gymnastics history followed by 6 more in the 1976 olympics! cRAzY!

as for me, i've finally officially begun my job search. no, this isn't an "amazing moment" (though my parents might say it is), but it is significant. i've been saying that i'm going to start looking for months now, but something always came up and i postponed beginning my search. but, this past week i finally got to submitting resumes...3 to be exact.

it's really kind of sad that the motivating factor that got me here is b/c i may be facing a potential move soon, and i really want to find a job before that happens. i think w/o this potential move, i might have thought about postponing my search until the fall. i'm thinking that God really knows me best, and finally arranged for me to be in this situation to nudge me along as if to say "ok, c'mon, gotta get looking". while i totally appreciate this "nudge" thru this situation given to me by God's grace, i really wish i could be more motivated on my own like paul hamm and nadia comaneci. *sigh*

but now, i gotta get cramming so that i can do well in my first interview coming up next week. ugh...must...be...more...motivated!

note: i got some serious cramming to do after jems warm beach this weekend! please pray for me!

Olympic Fun

the 2004 olympics have begun! i watched the opening ceremonies on friday night and it was impressive! i'm usually not really into big ceremony type of events on tv, but i watched a good portion of this year's opening ceremonies b/c it was amazing how they organized such a huge production for billions of viewers. then i stayed up to watch the very first gold medal winner for the olympics in air rifle shooting. after that i was hooked!

i've watched so much olympic coverage over the past few days (thanks to nbc's most thorough coverage, you can practically watch the olympics almost 24 hrs a day!), and i have to agree that there's NOTHING like the olympics. the first reason the olympics are like nothing else is b/c of the wide range of international participation and coverage, second b/c of all the hopes and dreams that are realized in such a short period of time, third b/c of the unpredictable outcomes caused by such high pressure, and lastly b/c of the long list of sports, familiar and unusual, that are covered (the only thing missing from the olympics is bowling! what's up with that?!).

here are some "olympics inspired" pics from our youth leaders get-together we had at josh & val's new place in issaquah on sunday.

One Thousand Steps!

today i went back to the "Steps-O-Fun". thanks to victoria and her enthusiasm to try it out, i was motivated to take on the steps again!

the results? surprisingly, they were a little easier to do this time around. i guess my sad attempts to workout more have been paying off. this time, when we got to the end of the 4th roundtrip, i realized i wasn't as tired as the first time. so i decided to push it and try another round for a grand total of 1000 steps...well, actually 980 to be exact. and this time, driving home wasn't as problematic. i could tell my leg was still a bit shaky, but no where near as scary as the first time.

so now i'm pumped! anyone else want to tackle the "Steps-O-Fun" with me?!

27...and it just keeps getting better

27 reasons why this year's b-day was even better than the last:
1) my b-day was on a sunday; a great day for having fun!
2) christine & doug graciously provided all of the food for my party
3) an impromptu happy birthday song by the high schoolers
4) sunday school class "discussion" went well...a total blessing from God
5) friends from different parts of my life converged and/or contacted me all on one day
6) the nakanos, ja-hye and steph created an incredible spread of my favorite foods
7) ja-hye's japchae
8) the famous aunty taka's chicken (aka korean chicken)
9) kalua pig
10) grilled steak & shrimp
11) singapore style noodles & baby bok choy
12) flourless chocolate cake (heavenly)
13) trifle (a fancy looking dessert christine made w/all my faves) - layers of fresh strawberries, pound cake & banana cream (yum!)
14) a kahlua cream, chocolate & yellow layer cake
15) playing with baby mia
16) the married (and well "trained") men did all of the dishes & clean up
17) my really great friends made the time to hang out w/me...
18) AND do what i want to do =o)
19) bowling!
20) friendly competition with a last frame, last roll winner (categories were highest single game, most improved & most number of "8"s)
21) a little goofing around, a little heckling, a little trash talking & a whole lot of laughs & smiles
22) cheap bowling ($0.78 per game & $1 shoes)
23) tribond fun...especially for the winning team...mine!
24) unexpected, totally unnecessary, and yet fun presents...some which really made me laugh!
25) a super cute b-day card from mia
26) i'm was amazed to see how God has grown old and new friendships
27) i felt totally loved...by God, students, friends & family!

note: i think everyone should "embrace" their birthdays & celebrate! it's much more fun than letting it slip by.

Like A Child

this summer i've had the opportunity to take a "walk" on the younger side of our church. yes, even younger than those in our youth ministry! i'm currently helping out with the "5th going on 6th" grade sunday school class for the summer and i was a helper for the "4th going on 5th" grade group at VBS this year (my first VBS experience ever).

my vbs kids...i'm the mummy on the left!


although, these students are not that much younger than the students i've worked with in the past, i still noticed some pretty significant differences. first, i gotta say the obvious, it sure is nice to be the tallest one in the group for a change! haha

but in addition to that, i've also noticed and been amazed at how the "younger" students are so easily AND happily "conditioned" by the structure and order they are surrounded with every day. having the slightest change or delay in the schedule at vbs caused students to start asking questions about being on schedule or falling behind. they really seem to like all of the structure and predictability...i wonder if i too was like them as a child...i'm not a huge fan of that stuff now.

another difference is that they still have that "sweet & innocent" aura about them. even though my "4th going on 5th" grade group were old enough to know and point out that each vbs site they visited was just "pretend", they would still play along in the make-believe world created for them AND even appreciate all of the props brought in to transform the room. with jr highers...yeah, i just don't see it working out that way.

it's also been interesting to see even the difference between the "5th going on 6th" and the "4th going on 5th". it's at this point where the "older" kids start wanting more...they want more say, more options, more distinction, more independence. they realize that they are at the verge of being part of the "older" group (jr high), and want to get there "now"! they act like your typical "upper classmen", not realizing that they will be the "low man on the totem pole" or the "young'uns" the next year...why do they insist on trying to rush into it?

anyways, it's been fun taking a glimpse into these younger classes, and though i'm a bit "shocked" by how God's word can be broken down into such simple messages that miss some bigger points, it's also been a nice reminder to know that our faith IS as simple as hearing, believing and following.

now, will i change my ministry focus and start working with younger children? i think NOT. i love serving the "older" kids in jr high and high school b/c it's at these stages that students start to question, to explore and to learn what it means to make their faith their own and not just something they were taught.

which brings me, finally (yes, i know this is a really long entry), to the song and title for this entry...

i love these lyrics from the jars of clay song b/c it reminds me of how i became a christian. "like a child" i became a Christian b/c i knew God's love for me was pure and unconditional, and knew i could believe and follow Him b/c of that love. but that was just the beginning. the AMAZING thing about being a christian is that it doesn't stop there. God does not want us to remain as "spiritual" children. He wants us AND helps us to grow in our faith and we continue to learn more and more about God thru our questions, trials and blessings. i'm blown away at how God has helped me to grow in my faith and has changed my life since trusting in Him, but i'm also glad to know that this isn't the end yet...He still has much more planned for me!

They say that love can heal the broken
They say that hope can make you see
They say that faith can find a Savior
If you would follow and believe
with faith like a child

More Rafting Pics

i finally found a place that would let me develop my pics and put them straight to cd without requiring me to make prints first. if you ever need to do this go to costco, and it's way cheaper than the other places even if you do get the prints.

here are more fun pics from my disposable water camera!

A "Fondue Worthy" Experience

tonight cassie and i took susan out to dinner for her b-day. our original restaurant choice was closed, so we decided to check out the melting pot. none of us had been there before, and we've always wanted to go. so we went...and it was quite a memorable experience!

here's why it was so memorable:
- it was susan's 26th b-day
- the cheese fondue (cheddar one) was absolutely yummy
- cooking the many different meats was "interesting" (i.e. very slow); you're supposed to cook it one by one by holding it in the boiling broth with your fondue fork, but towards the end we were getting tired and started dumping in food..."hot pot" style or "asian fondue" style
- b/c i'm a klutz, i burned cassie's arm when i tried to serve her some cooked meat
- the chocolate dessert fondue (bailey's chocolate sauce) was heavenly
- our entire dinner took over 3 hours long!!! we think we must have been doing something wrong cause it was such a long, but fun experience.

lastly, susan came up with the term "fondue worthy" b/c we all decided that taking a date to the melting pot is a good "test" for the relationship. you can rate your "potential" spouse as "fondue worthy" if you two make it thru the FULL melting pot experience.

what does the "fondue worthy" test prove?
1) you and your date can make decisions together (many food choices to make)
2) you and your date are able to share food "nicely" together (not like joey from friends)
3) you and your date are comfortable enough to sit and talk for a long time w/o distractions (other than the food), and hopefully your conversations aren't all food based
4) you and your date are NOT CHEAP when it comes to sharing a great experience together (i.e. this is NOT a cheap place to take a date unless you just get dessert)


.: cheese fondue :. .: seafood, meat, chicken, veggie fondue :. .: chocolate dessert fondue :.

.: scarred for life! :.

My First Rafting Trip

saturday was my very first whitewater river rafting trip. i've been wanting to go for over 3 years, but every summer i forgot about it until it was too late. but this year, i finally did it. i organized a group of 23 friends to go rafting with me, and it was an awesome day!

despite having to take a step down to an easier level (Class 1 and 2) river due to low waters on the Wenatchee, our trip on the Skagit river turned out to be lots of fun thanks to a great group of friends and raft guides. the day was filled with lots of water fights, bucket stealing, beautiful scenery, swimming around, jumping off of a rock into frigid water, trying out fun raft tricks, chatting with friends, a bbq dinner and hanging out with the "best looking" group of people in long john wetsuits!!!

next year we'll step it up to a class 3 or 4 river! maybe the wenatchee in late june or the tieton in august.




note: i'll post more pics after i get them developed from my personal camera.