another beautiful day

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another wonderful day there are days when i am overwhelmed by the beauty of this earth. one of those days was displayed as we drove up to lake arrowhead. as we increased in elevation, we witnessed a beautiful ocean of clouds. it was an amazing view to see the fluffy clouds blanketing through the snow capped moutains. i was on cloud nine indeed!

i have been snow deprived compared to how much i use to ski. i grew up spending my xmases in Lake tahoe. i really haven't had the opportunity to see snow after meeting isaac. i don't know if its because we're so busy on the weekends with church stuff or because he doesn't have the greatest interest in snow sports. anyhow, i did get my satisfaction at lake arrowhead. furthermore, it was wonderful to share all the goodness with my sweetheart. it was romantic to sit and read together overlooking the lake. it was romantic to walk around the lake and sip on some lovely pear spritzer. yes, it was truly another wonderful day...

my favorite D

December...
I neglected my blog because every weekend was just crazy busy. In a nut shell here's what happened. (No pictures available because my handsome husband lost our camera in Belize.)

Christmas celebrations started early with a party at our place the first Saturday of D. Isaac received butt paste as his X-mas present exchange!! After the white elephant gift exchange, we went broomballing!! Then we were blessed to visit Tampa and embark on our Cruise porting at Key West, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. It was my first and last cruise. There was a rough storm, broken heater and leaking walls that introduced my uncomfortable cruise experience. Besides my physical conditions, I had the best time hanging out with the most hilarious group of people. I will never forget our laughter and stories shared (Elaine) at the buffet, Lido deck. I also enjoyed biking in Key West, interacting with the free-spirited orphans in Belize and Guatemala, and swimming with dolphins in Cozemul.

Isaac and I came back to Loma Linda just before X-mas to spend time with our families at our place. We had the best time playing the Korean game "yoot" and recieved long massages from the losers of the game. It was great to introduce our parents to the Wii too. The greatest gift this Christmas was the opportunity to spend X-mas with both parents at the same time. Because I had to go back to work on the 26th, our parents left after 2 days with us. I definitely wished they could have stayed longer. ;(

So I had to work 3 days then I had my long weekend with the New Year being placed on Tuesday. Due to my long weekend we had our pastor friends from Cruise with a Mission come party on Sat. night to recount the memories. We stuffed our stomachs and hearts till 4 am! I don't think I have done for a really long time.

Now that's why it was my favorite December...

thanksgiving 2007

My thanksgiving break started leaving for San Jose 5am on Wednesday morning. Our prolific morning after our landing included Isaac purchasing a new phone "Voyager", visiting the new & expanded Whole Foods Market, and taking a nap. Then we headed out to Sf for a fun day riding bikes at the Golden Gate Park, dinner at Ruth Chris, and $20 1 hr massages next to my dad's lab.

Thanksgiving day included a rigorious 2 hr hike in the prospect mtns., cooking and eating our big feast, and gambling & losing money in the korean traditional game "Yout."

We came back to Loma Linda on Friday morning. My husband was gracious to continue my past traditions of obtaining a x-mas tree the day after Thanksgiving. We didn't have time to decorate it because we were invited to our 2nd Thanksgiving dinner at Chastain's home. We stuffed our faces with good food and headed for bed at 6pm because I had symptoms of the flu.

11-18-07 was Soojin & Darren's Wedding. Their wedding was one of the most glamorous weddings I have ever participated in. The beautiful couple got married at the beautiful 1st Congregation Church of Los Angeles and had their reception at the San Gabriel Hilton. Here are some pics of her & her dad and her & Darren.

san diego weekend

saturday: homeless feeding in san diego downtown, dinner at el torito =( and nintendo wi at the hotel: humphrey's half moon

sunday: breakfast at red sands inn, boating around san diego bay in the rain, lunch at pizza nova, dessert at extraordinary desserts

Homeless feeding was a lot of fun. Once we had our sacks of goodies packed, we had 5 cars driving around downtown, till we found blocks of people sleeping on the streets. As we handed out our sacks the people were so grateful especially for the bottled water. My heart was moved even though I didn't know their individual stories. I felt the cold air and the dirtiness around, but their cheerful hearts uplifted my night.

This year at humphrey's half moon inn, I was not upgraded to a suite that overlooks the bay like the picture. That was my room last year. This year I had something better: a husband. lol.

Extraordinary desserts is a heaven for those who have a sweet tooth. Entering its extraordinary glass door, you find all sorts of beautiful desserts decorated with elaborate cream and fresh flowers. The architecture in its simple, modern and eastern influence stands out. From the simple white square plates to the warehouse ceiling, everything is simple. Back to the desserts: they are most excellent desserts. I had the torte misu which was very good consistency of the cake and the right amount of rum. Really worth visiting if you are treating yourself to a special weekend. I am definitely going back even though I don't know enjoy sweets too much. * Also, they have good paninis!

therapy

after a long day of work, my feet swell up, my necks hurts, my wrists ache, my hands get shaky, and my mind is koo-koo. i am still in the transition of getting use to the real world: work. not that sitting on my butt all day is hard, but i tend to clench when i work which really messes my body up by the end of the day.
furthermore, i feel even worse on the days if there is any mental stress from my co-workers or patients. its not fun when a 11 year old starts to cry when i have only applied topical anthesetic with a q-tip. its not fun when someone complains how long they have waited to see me when i have been jumping around from chair to chair breaking the heels of my shoes.
the past couple of months, i collapsed right on my sofa and in front of the tv. however, somethings needed to change. i have been going to the drayson gym with my husband to walk/jog outside. it is so refreshing and energizing by the end of it that i feel like a different person. after the exercise, my life is relieved with all the negative energy that has clogged up inside. i can't believe how therpeutic exercise can be when i'm stressed. so if you are sitting and reading my blog, you should probably get up and at least take a walk around your house.

are you green?

Due to the increased public awareness encouraged by celebrities, there is a "green trend" going on. Al Gore's documentary on global warming has turned the heads of the average American. Even the rich and the glamorous are driving hybrids or electric cars. Also these cars are awarded to use the carpool lane and to save $ on gas. The lastest magazines are encouraging readers to conserve practical and simple ways at home, work and travel.

Environmentalism... Not the most comfortable word to chew on. We all define the word that makes it convenient to our lifestyle. Yesterday, Sabbath school introduced what this word means to Adventists. We love the outdoors: hiking, Adventist campgrounds, etc. Most of us don't litter and we try to recycle. Sometimes we have a beach cleaning for our sabbath activity. Is that all the stewardship we hold of this Earth? How many of us fight to conserve national parks and marshes from becoming targets of a track home community? Do you even really care if the some random bird is endangered? Is it wrong to not respect my front yard landscaping? What do you pick and choose to preserve?

Furthermore, this comment in Sabbath School impacted me:
"does the way we treat creation show how we feel about the Creator?" I know for me, preserving the environment sounds like a really good idea, but an idea I put in the back of my head where it can be ignored. I don't know exactly how I am suppose to be more involved as a "good Christian." At the end of the discussion, Isaac brought up a really good point that God created this Earth for man and woman. He gave us a gift of life to enjoy. He would be sad to see if we rejected the gift and did not use it. However, there is a difference from use and abuse. I am eager to see how this discussion will flourish next week and inspire me to treat Mother Earth.