beautiful tahoe 

Sister Bonding

It was so awesome hanging out with Yums yesterday. We went to Crate and Barrel to find a pair of Wustoff shears for her friend but had no luck. Then to Sur la Table but still no luck. So we gave up on her friend and went exploring for ourselves. I took her to Lather which I myself just discovered last week and she had a blast. She was so amused by all the textures and scents of the products offered there. She tried almost every product they had on their spa like sink and smelled great! We both ended up buying gifts for each other. She bought me a natural sponge which is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. To our great surprise, it was amazingly soft when it absorbed water. All of the sponges were different in shape and size and Yums got a headache looking through them all trying to pick the best ones out. With our paid treasures in hand, we headed to Kabuki for a snack. She hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was already dinner time in Chicago. (United doesn't serve free meals anymore on their 4 hour flights.) Our snack turned into four rolls since it was half price and we each had to order two, so it was four rolls for the price of two. We then went to K-town for dinner at Shik-Do-Rak. She was curious because our older brother and his wife raved about it. Deeply satisfied, we went to Au 79 for Yums' favorite almond milk tea with boba. We were exhausted by the time we got home but stayed up past midnight just talking.

2005 seems to be zooming by so far. It's been a whirlwind of activities and I haven't had any breaks.

This week at work, we started test preparations on top of all the usual curriculum that needs to be covered which is extra work. I also got into a little arguement with our literacy coach over it. Sometimes I really surprise myself. I didn't want to back down and just say okay because I felt what I was doing was good for the students and things got heated. I can be so stubborn sometimes. I've also been getting ready for the floor cleaning this weekend. We practically have to empty out our classroom. It's a lot of work. The principal had the nerve to tell the teachers that we could come in on Monday, which is a rare holiday, to rearrange our classrooms. No, thanks!

My sister, Young Mi, is coming into town today. Erik will pick her up at LAX and then pick me up at work. She's sleeping over tonight and then will be meeting up with her college roommates in Laguna Beach for the weekend. We will be leaving for Tahoe tomorrow after work. I am not looking forward to the long drive there, but I am looking forward to the change of scenery and company. I'm a little concerned that we may get stuck up there since it's supposed to rain/snow all weekend and Monday, but willing to risk it for the experience. I am so ready for the weekend.

Valentine's Day

Yesterday after school, Erik picked me up with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. James, our nephew, was also in the car with a bouquet of flowers for his mom. It was so cute. Then for dinner, we were invited over to Erik's brother's house for a special feast. Lien, Erik's sister-in-law, cooked up a storm - ten lobsters, plenty of steaks, salad, grilled asparagus, garlic bread, and dessert - with the help of Kate, our niece. We cleaned up the whole thing and ate to our content. I was very happy.

This past two weeks have been so busy. At work, we had the parent-teacher conferences, awards ceremonies, classroom spelling bee, and other various special activities. At home, we had the Lunar Chinese New Year celebrations which included the whole house cleaning and feeding many family members. Time is just flying by and I feel like I'm barely keeping up with it.

We went to celebrate Roberta's 85th birthday this past Wednesday. I like Roberta. She has no one to impress and nothing to strive for. She's dignified yet humble. She told me that it's not the "special" things that couples do on days like Valentine's that make the relationship, but the steady, day to day being with each other.

Here are some quotes from Reaching for the Invisible God:

"God often does His work through 'holy fools,' dreamers who strike out in ridiculous faith, whereas I approach my own decisions with calculation and restraint."

"Over time, I have grown more comfortable with mystery rather than certainty. God does not twist arms and never forces us into a corner with faith in himself as the only exit. We can never present the Final Proof, to ourselves or to anyone else. We will always, with Pascal, see 'too much to deny and too little to be sure...'"

"In my pilgrimage I found a grace-filled church and a community of Christians who formed a safe place for my doubts. I note in the Gospels that Jesus' disciple Thomas kept company with the other disciples even though he could not believe their accounts of Jesus' resurrection - the sine qua non of any doctrinal statement - and it was amid that community that Jesus appeared in order to strengthen Thomas' faith."

"Without an element of risk, there is no faith. ... Faith means striking out, with no clear end in sight and perhaps even no clear view of the next step. It means following, trusting, holding out a hand to an invisible Guide."

"I learned that opposite of faith is not doubt, but fear."

Of course the obvious opposite of faith would be unbelief or even I think being double-minded. Both of which are admonished in the Bible.