Friday, February 15, 2008
happy anniversary and happy birthday!
happy 32nd anniversary to mama and papa! here they are opening their gifts:
a $100 gift card to black angus from christian and boom, where we went to a non-dinner tonight (explanantion to come)
a magellan gps system from henry and me:
so the non-dinner story:
we go through this every year. we try to go eat out on valentine's day for their anniversary and it usually ends up a failure due to long waits, no reservations, poor planning. one year, we ended up at denny's, another year, we ended up ordering pizza. you'd really think we'd learn our lesson and just stay in, right? well, we did make reservations this time. christian even made it early enough that we got a good time slot at 7pm. made it for black angus cuz my parents love that place and we had a coupon. so we head out of our house at 6:30, very early and on time for
my family to achieve this, by the way. we got to black angus just before 7 and there were a grip of people waiting. but we had a reservation, right? so we waited only (sarcasm) 20 minutes. not so bad actually. then we sit and wait for about 30 mins for our very boisterous server to take our order. 20 mins later, we got our appetizer and ordered entrees. we waited and waited, had 3 rounds of bread already and were pretty much not hungry anymore from filling up on bread and appetizers. it's almost 9pm already. so we ended up just asking for the dinner to be packed up and please serve us dessert. the dessert, of course, came out in a jiffy cuz it's been sitting in the freezer. we finished dessert and still had to wait 10 more minutes for the check and the food to come out. oh goodness... such a disappointment. but you know what? i have to say it was the best family time ever! we talked with each other the whole time and even ended up cracking up on the way home as we talked about how our parents talk during the movies all the time and annoy everyone around them! i swear it was a total blessing that our food never came! it was 2 hours of pure family fun time. after all the annoyance, i'd have to say i truly loved it.
tomorrow is papa's 59th bday and this is my gift to him:
here are some close-ups:
like i said earlier in my so sappy post, i found a card that plays the song that we danced to during our father/daughter dance. i'm excited to give it to him. i hope he likes it all.
a $100 gift card to black angus from christian and boom, where we went to a non-dinner tonight (explanantion to come)
a magellan gps system from henry and me:
so the non-dinner story:
we go through this every year. we try to go eat out on valentine's day for their anniversary and it usually ends up a failure due to long waits, no reservations, poor planning. one year, we ended up at denny's, another year, we ended up ordering pizza. you'd really think we'd learn our lesson and just stay in, right? well, we did make reservations this time. christian even made it early enough that we got a good time slot at 7pm. made it for black angus cuz my parents love that place and we had a coupon. so we head out of our house at 6:30, very early and on time for
my family to achieve this, by the way. we got to black angus just before 7 and there were a grip of people waiting. but we had a reservation, right? so we waited only (sarcasm) 20 minutes. not so bad actually. then we sit and wait for about 30 mins for our very boisterous server to take our order. 20 mins later, we got our appetizer and ordered entrees. we waited and waited, had 3 rounds of bread already and were pretty much not hungry anymore from filling up on bread and appetizers. it's almost 9pm already. so we ended up just asking for the dinner to be packed up and please serve us dessert. the dessert, of course, came out in a jiffy cuz it's been sitting in the freezer. we finished dessert and still had to wait 10 more minutes for the check and the food to come out. oh goodness... such a disappointment. but you know what? i have to say it was the best family time ever! we talked with each other the whole time and even ended up cracking up on the way home as we talked about how our parents talk during the movies all the time and annoy everyone around them! i swear it was a total blessing that our food never came! it was 2 hours of pure family fun time. after all the annoyance, i'd have to say i truly loved it.
tomorrow is papa's 59th bday and this is my gift to him:
here are some close-ups:
like i said earlier in my so sappy post, i found a card that plays the song that we danced to during our father/daughter dance. i'm excited to give it to him. i hope he likes it all.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
happy valentine's day!!!
it's my favorite holiday of the year and i'm sick. yayyyy... i went to the doctor because my eye is nice and swollen. he thinks it's inflammed because of fluid in the lacrimal duct? something like that. and it makes sense cuz my forehead hurts, like my sinuses are congested. anyway, no meds, he just recommended a hot compress to bring down the swelling.
so i'm eating lunch now at panera. and there's this sweet old korean couple across from me. they're probably retired and are just enjoying each other's company this valentine's day. i'm such a sap. all i can do is go, awww. and they're not super affectionate with each other, like most asian older couples. but they're talking, connecting, laughing, telling stories with each other... all in korean of course, so i'm only speculating. but they sure do look happy. maybe i'm just extra emotional today. i was picking out cards earlier at hallmark and i swear i thought i was gonna start crying right there in the card aisle. it's a big card buying season for me. first time i get to buy a huband valentine's card. hehe :) and of course, a valentine's anniversary card for my parents. then a birthday card for my papa. i found a perfect one. they have these cards with sound now right? and there was one titled "wonderful world" and it played iz's somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful world it was perfect. we danced to that song for our father-daughter dance. and i'm planning to give him a 4 panel frame with pictures from when i came down the stairs in my wedding gown and he was there to greet me at the bottom of the steps. i think i'll include some pics from our father-daughter dance now too. dang it, i'm tearing up now as you tube plays the song. such a sap i am.
ok, i'm off to run some wedding errands. glad the business is growing slowly. i just hope i can keep up with my congestedness and swollen eye. have a happy valentine's day! hug someone today. and celebrate the loves of your life, love of family, love of friends... these are all our loved ones.
so i'm eating lunch now at panera. and there's this sweet old korean couple across from me. they're probably retired and are just enjoying each other's company this valentine's day. i'm such a sap. all i can do is go, awww. and they're not super affectionate with each other, like most asian older couples. but they're talking, connecting, laughing, telling stories with each other... all in korean of course, so i'm only speculating. but they sure do look happy. maybe i'm just extra emotional today. i was picking out cards earlier at hallmark and i swear i thought i was gonna start crying right there in the card aisle. it's a big card buying season for me. first time i get to buy a huband valentine's card. hehe :) and of course, a valentine's anniversary card for my parents. then a birthday card for my papa. i found a perfect one. they have these cards with sound now right? and there was one titled "wonderful world" and it played iz's somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful world it was perfect. we danced to that song for our father-daughter dance. and i'm planning to give him a 4 panel frame with pictures from when i came down the stairs in my wedding gown and he was there to greet me at the bottom of the steps. i think i'll include some pics from our father-daughter dance now too. dang it, i'm tearing up now as you tube plays the song. such a sap i am.
ok, i'm off to run some wedding errands. glad the business is growing slowly. i just hope i can keep up with my congestedness and swollen eye. have a happy valentine's day! hug someone today. and celebrate the loves of your life, love of family, love of friends... these are all our loved ones.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
ash wednesday
crap, i even forgot it was ash wednesday today... fasting and abstinence (eat only 1 full meal and no meat). i already ate a brownie and i brought lunch today: chicken that i cooked from yesterday. poo. guess i'll eat that tomorrow.
glad my co-worker reminded me and even sent a mtg invitation to go to mass at 12noon nearby. thanks Lord for surrounding me with people who keep me on the path.
glad my co-worker reminded me and even sent a mtg invitation to go to mass at 12noon nearby. thanks Lord for surrounding me with people who keep me on the path.
catching up
it's finally slowed down at work. we've been stressed out and busy processing all of our physicians' w-2s, among other projects and things. i've been assigned to different projects now and it's interesting and scary at the same time. office politics is difficult to deal with and comments get often misconstrued and get to your boss' boss then to your boss then back to you.
i've also got a few weddings to work on again. it was pretty cool, cuz at the end of 2006, i had quite a handful lined up. at the end of 2007, i was a little disappointed cuz i didn't have as many lined up for 2008. but then in january, i got a bunch of calls and even though the quantity of weddings are less, a couple of them are actually larger packages, so it's pretty cool. it's also nicer to be involved earlier in the planning process. you get to know the couple more and it's just more fun to see their vision materialize and help make it happen.
husband's out of town often this month. it's a good and a bad thing. first thing i said when i realized he was gonna be gone so long was, "who's gonna cook?!" i was half-joking. but only half. i actually can cook, really i can. but he enjoys it so much more than i do. i found this really easy chicken recipe and i made it last night. it was really yummy actually. much more than just edible. :)
i've also enjoyed the quiet time. i've been able to get wedding work done. and i've always wanted to try just not having the tv on. i think i totally get sucked in and stop being productive with the tv on. and it works as long as i have the tv off. then i'll decide to turn it on like at 9:30ish and of course, i fall asleep watching it. there goes the productivity.
i haven't been volunteering at confirmation at all, not since i came back from the honeymoon. actually, not since i began my own wedding planning. i think it's taking a toll on me. i miss the kids, i miss talking about God and hearing about God, not just with them but with anyone. i miss our bible studies too. i just miss having Him as a forefront in my thoughts, not just an afterthought. i need to get off my lazy bum and get to church more. henry says i'll say that a lot, but i won't do anything about it. i was just catching up with blogs and some people are going through their ups and downs with their relationship with God too. i feel the need to surround myself with people like that. those who are actually doing something about it. maybe their action will rub off on me. that reminds me. i need to register for the religious ed convention. it's at the end of feb/beg of march. and there are good speakers and talks about all kinds of different topics. i've always gotten a lot out of it and it's a good time to re-center. anyone wanna come with?
i've also got a few weddings to work on again. it was pretty cool, cuz at the end of 2006, i had quite a handful lined up. at the end of 2007, i was a little disappointed cuz i didn't have as many lined up for 2008. but then in january, i got a bunch of calls and even though the quantity of weddings are less, a couple of them are actually larger packages, so it's pretty cool. it's also nicer to be involved earlier in the planning process. you get to know the couple more and it's just more fun to see their vision materialize and help make it happen.
husband's out of town often this month. it's a good and a bad thing. first thing i said when i realized he was gonna be gone so long was, "who's gonna cook?!" i was half-joking. but only half. i actually can cook, really i can. but he enjoys it so much more than i do. i found this really easy chicken recipe and i made it last night. it was really yummy actually. much more than just edible. :)
i've also enjoyed the quiet time. i've been able to get wedding work done. and i've always wanted to try just not having the tv on. i think i totally get sucked in and stop being productive with the tv on. and it works as long as i have the tv off. then i'll decide to turn it on like at 9:30ish and of course, i fall asleep watching it. there goes the productivity.
i haven't been volunteering at confirmation at all, not since i came back from the honeymoon. actually, not since i began my own wedding planning. i think it's taking a toll on me. i miss the kids, i miss talking about God and hearing about God, not just with them but with anyone. i miss our bible studies too. i just miss having Him as a forefront in my thoughts, not just an afterthought. i need to get off my lazy bum and get to church more. henry says i'll say that a lot, but i won't do anything about it. i was just catching up with blogs and some people are going through their ups and downs with their relationship with God too. i feel the need to surround myself with people like that. those who are actually doing something about it. maybe their action will rub off on me. that reminds me. i need to register for the religious ed convention. it's at the end of feb/beg of march. and there are good speakers and talks about all kinds of different topics. i've always gotten a lot out of it and it's a good time to re-center. anyone wanna come with?
quotable quotes
-
"To try is to risk failure. But risk must be taken because the
greatest hazard of life is to risk nothing. The person who risks
nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid
suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change,
grow, live, and love."
~unknown
"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues."
~ Abraham Lincoln
"live a life that others will remember years from now, NOT because it pointed to you but because of how it pointed to the One who made you."
~ Mark Hart, the Bible Geek
"we grow up learning to become self-reliant, but really we need to be God-reliant"
"we could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box"
"never wound hearts that love u, never give them the endless pain, because wounded hearts are like roses that never bloom"
"there comes a time when we have to stop loving someone not because that person has stopped loving us but because we have found out that they'd be happier if we'd let go"
