"But these things I plan for you won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed." Habakkuk 2:3

Friday, May 28, 2010

missing.

far away life in a bubble

missing so much, missing so much

go through the motions to get through each day

missing so much, missing so much


feeling one far step behind

is it too much? is it too much?

watching life pass by without me in it

is it too much? is it too much?


all of the colors are fading to grey

wasting away, wasting away

precious time slips through my fingers

wasting away, wasting away


chasing dreams that weren't meant to be

why can't I see? why can't I see?

blinded by doubt and my selfish pride

why can't I see? why can't I see?


desperately searching for peace and renewal

needed so much, needed so much

hands of grace please reach out to me

needed so much, needed so much






Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Direction.

So, tonight at Bible study, a close friend of mine said this:

"I want to be used by God in the way He made me."

It really got me thinking. Alot. You know, we're all created so uniquely and individually... each with our own spiritual gifts. I feel like I haven't quite figured what mine are exactly. I know what people say I'm good at, and maybe what I'm "supposed" to be doing, but I haven't felt that direct calling from the Lord. I keep saying, "Lord! Lord! I'm waiting and willing! Please use me!" but I'm stuck in that in between, not really knowing what's next, and not really knowing where to go from here. Like my friend, I desperately want to be used by God, and I want it to be in the way He intricately designed me to be used! I guess for now I'm patiently waiting for that moment when God decides to fill me in, and the one thing I know for sure is I want to be able to say, "I'm ready!"

I want to share this exerpt from my quiet time tonight as well:

"The good will or plan of God is precisely what Jesus clung to as he endured persecution and faced the brutal reality of the cross...God was reconciling the world to himself through the ageless plan of redemtion. The same Father has crafted a noble plan for you. It may cover some perplexing terrain, but it is the best possible plan you could conceive, perfectly designed by a loving God. He promises you eternal and abundant life (John 10:10), a life so rich and rewarding that it exceeds your wildest anticipation. All he asks is that you turst him moment by moment to execute his purposes while resisting feelings of despondency and despair. The Hold Spirit will renew your mind with the encouraging power of Scripture, and you will progressively come to know and experience the good, acceptable, and pleasant will of God--His best for you." -Charles Stanley A Touch of His Goodness


Sunday, May 23, 2010

Lovely times with Lolly

So I know I'm really late in posting this, but here's the pictures from when Lauren visited!
Lauren's first night in Korea... eating Pork Kalbi for dinner! Yummy!

Steph, Caroline, Me, and Lauren... so fun!

Day #2... out on the town. Daniel, Cameron, Juan, Stephanie, Me, Lauren and Kathy. I call this party street because I don't know what it's really called

Liiiiiiiittle bunnies in liiiiiiiiiiittle t-shirts

Eating dinner... Samgyupsal at Bulzip... so good! My favorite. Cameron and Daniel- we had to waste some time while we waited for people, so we played cards.

BESTIES!

We tried to get waffles, but the place was too crowded! We went for Potbingsu instead. YUM!

One more time minus Juan+ Me

Day 3! Waiting for the train to Seoul!

Lauren enjoying her first train ride!

We made it to Seoul Station

We stayed at Ibis Hotel, Myeongdong! SOOOO wonderful! The location was absolutely ideal!

NO FORGET THEM!

Waiting in the ridiculously long line to go up to Namsan (N. Seoul) Tower.

Posing like the cute little Korean that she is deep down.

I was trying to run away from all the pushy people! Goodness! We were going crazy!

On our way down the mountain...

We were making fun of someone we saw take this picture I think...

Lauren with all the Love Locks!

Me with the thousands and thousands of locks!

Day #4: Dog cafe. On our way we decided to have Potbingsu... I of course got it on me....

We needed to waste a couple of hours before the Dog cafe opened, so we toured Yonsei University. It's one of the top schools in Korea.

It's very ivy league...really beautiful campus

DOG CAFE: so... a dog cafe. What is it? you might ask. Well, no, you don't eat dogs there. You play with them. Lots of them. They run around the tables and sit on you and everywhere else. Pure craziness. I definitely went so Lauren could have the experience... not because I wanted to! This dog's name was Annie.

Surrounded by doggies. She loved her life.

I, however, did not... totally freaked me out at first.

Then, I decided I liked them. This fluffy husky was awesome.

The end of our dog cafe day...

Day 5: Gyeongbukgong Palace.

notice we're behind the ropes... it was the only way we could get a shot using my timer :)

Then a nice man took our picture :)

Day 6: Shopping day and Olympic Park Day... Potbingsu... again.

Another lame timer picture at Olympic Park

Where the 1988 Summer Olympics was held!!

Woohoo! It's such a cool place!

So fun!

That night, Cameron came to meet us for dinner... so nice of him!

The last night :(

So, there's a lot more pictures, but I hope you enjoyed the hilights! It was definitely a really great time! I'm so grateful she was here! So refreshing!

Ok, time for bed soon... I hate Mondays! I'll post ASAP about my wonderful weekend getaway!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

50 Things I Love

So my dad turned 50 on May 13th, so I decided I needed to make a 50 Things I Love About My Dad list (sorry it's a little late)...also, alot of these apply to you too Mom so don't feel left out :) haha

1. He taught me how to love the Lord.
2. He works with integrity.
3. He loves my mom.
4. Recently at Christmas he's been getting us only from Dad gifts... this year we all got Pumas, last year we all got Vans, the year before, I think we got books... so fun.
5. He has 2 small bowls of ice cream every night, rather than just eating one bigger bowl.
6. He sacrificed for me to go to the college of my choice.
7. He doesn't play card games that don't require thinking.
8. When we were little up until probably middle school, he would make our beds on Sundays. Every now and then on a Sunday morning I'll get out of the shower to find my bed made.
9. He researches everything so thoroughly before making a purchase.
10. He always had time for us.
11. He never missed a dance recital, choir concert, or church performance.
12. He always encouraged me in the things I was passionate about... playing keyboard, dancing, photography... the list could go on
13. My first car he got me was a Porsche. Unfortunately it didn't last until I turned 16. I think I was just his excuse to buy one :)
14. I've always known he's proud of me.
15. Sometimes he would let me get away with things mom wouldn't...
16. He let us have a dalmation after we watched 101 Dalmations and we even got to name her Penny.
17. He works really hard, but never let it affect our home life.
18. He was the best small group leader at Student Life Camp, and was always passionate about the youth he taught in Sunday School.
19. He's never too hard to please. I never feel inadequate.
20. He bought me my first camera, essentially instilling in me one of my great passions.
21. He's always encouraged me to see the world.
22. He is SO good with kids. So much fun to be around.
23. We have the bond of pickiness with food.
24. He's ok with just sitting on the couch at night and watching our family TV shows.
25. He loves to read, so I love to read.
26. If he ever gets mad, it is for about 2 seconds, and then he speaks reasonably.
27. He takes the time to read my blogs and comment on them :)
28. He takes us on trips.
29. In college, he sent little surprises in the mail to let me know he was thinking of me.
30. He's always willing to teach me.
31. He can't sit still to save his life! Always going going going, just like Big Daddy.
32. He loves to talk about whatever he's passionate about.
33. He can fix anything.
34. He can build anything. Really.
35. He never gives up when it gets diffucult.
36. He's a good friend.
37. He plays games with us, even if there's a game on he wants to watch.
38. He takes us to Baseball games.
39. He loves Mexican food, just like me.
40. He respects my mom.
41. He goes out of his way to help people.
42. He never lets me get left behind.
43. He taught me how to wakeboard.
44. Any time he heard me talking bad about my friends, he would tell me not to.
45. He taught me how to pray.
46. He lets me be who I wanted to be.
47. He's always patient with me.
48. He learned to skateboard once! haha
49. He taught me how to love others.
50. HE LOVES ME!

The End. Happy 50th, Daddy! I love you and wish I could've been there to celebrate with you!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Parent's Love...

So I know it's been abnormally long since I've written, but let's just say I've been a little busy lately. Whew... May is FLYING! But I can't say I'm complaining right now...only 77 more days until I see my family! I'm definitely counting down to that day!

I wanted to share a story of an encounter that Lauren and I had last week while she was visiting (which was amazing, btw... more on that later).

On Saturday, Lauren and I decided to venture out to Olympic Park where the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics were held. It's a really cool place, and it was so fun to think about all of the world coming together in the very spot we were walking. So after we walked a while, I decided it was time to introduce Lauren to the ice cream waffle that Korea so proudly boasts. Conveniently, there was a restaurant in the park, so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the absolutely beautiful weather we were having that day.

So we're just sitting enjoying our waffle when an old man begins to approach us. I thought to myself, "oh no, here we go again... another crazy wanting to speak English." He began talking to us casually, introducing himself as Mr. Seong. I was a little bit startled at first because he was just going on and on about how beautiful we were and how he couldn't believe we didn't have boyfriends or weren't married. But then, the conversation shifted from something light and weird/funny, to something more serious. He started to explain that Saturday was Parent's Day. He asked us about our families, and wondered why I would be so willing to leave my family behind. He then began talking about his own 4 children, especially his youngest daughter who lived so close, but never came to visit. "Do you know how much your parents love you?? Don't you know that they love you more than anything?? How could you leave them so easily??" He kept saying over and over. Tears came to his eyes as he explained how we could never understand the love our parents have for us. This little old man just broke our hearts right there. The saddest part, is we knew it was true as he was walking through the park alone on Parent's Day, his children unaware of how much he wanted just a little bit of their time....

I'm grateful for this chat I so randomly encountered with this man. I'm so thankful for the reminder of my parent's love, and the sacrifices they've made for me.

Happy (belated) Parent's Day, Mom and Dad... you are 2 very, very special people. Thank you for loving me more than I can know or understand :)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Kinder Teachers Outing

So a couple weeks ago (I'm sort of going backwards here) all the kindergarten teachers went out to dinner, then came to my apt for dessert and coffee/tea. Catharine, myself, and Caroline eating dinner...

Dinner... first we had Samgyupsal (pork), and then they take all your left over veggies, chop it all up and turn it into fried rice on your grill. It was surprisingly very yummy!

Rachel and Angie

Sungyeom and Erin (Sungyeom is getting married in 3 weeks!)

The whole group at my casa for dessert and drinks!

The whole group this time with Erin

Well, all I can say is LAUREN GETS HERE TOMORROW! I can't believe that this time tomorrow I'll be sitting in the same room with her! I absolutely cannot wait!!!! I have a lot of cleaning and prepping to do though :)

Have a wonderful week! I'll try to post updates of Lauren and I's adventures while she's here!