Spring Break 2012

 

Since I started working, I have not had a lot of free time to blog...or perhaps I had the time but I was too tired to do anything beyond the basics.  However, I really want to document some of the things we do as a family and some thoughts that come to my mind.  So slowly I will try to catch up with my schedule. 

UC Irvine - February 4, 2012

On February 3, 2012 we all went to visit Shannon.  This was the first time we went back to see her since e dropped her off last fall.  She got to show us her place - the Shire.  We even met some of her dorm mates who were eating Taco Bell at the time. 

 

With us there, she got a chance to go to McDonalds - she swears that their fries are the best in the world.  Then she brought us to have dinner at her new favorite place, Koba Tofu Grill.  I immediately understood why she loves this place.  I enjoyed the food so much that I over ate fried fish.  In the end I missed going to the Cha for Tea (another place she wanted us to try) because I was so sick.  So I stayed in the hotel alone. 

 

After all the times we spent with her we had to leave her again.  It was sad.  But we had to go to see UCLA for Brahms. Yes, he is now checking colleges!  I hate to think about it because it means that he will also soon leave us.  Sometimes denial works.  :)  

 

UCLA - February 4, 2012

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Job Leaves No Time to Blog*

I used to spend my after-dinner-resting hours blogging.  It was my time to be alone.  Since I started with my new job about three months ago, I have not had the time to isolate myself from the family.  When I come home from work, the only thing I want to do is to spend time with them - eating, talking, playing games (mostly CIV V), watching TV or driving to the Towne Center and eat ice cream at the parking lot.  So if you are reading my blog and finds out that updating of the website happens rarely these days - it is just because I do not have the time. I might, in the future

My current job is, so far, the most time-demanding job I ever had since I got married.  Now I am kind of shocked to find out that I cannot do all the things that I used to do.  Of course, eight hours everyday has just been eliminated from my disposable time with family.  I am adjusting  - trying to figure out how to maximize the use of my time without jeopardizing the important aspects of life.

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* (I just found this draft from my old files and thought I'd post it for the record. Today is 7/19/2015 and I'm still working and feeling the same sentiment - however, I have already lowered my expectations to some extent.)  

Then and Now

All credit goes to God who is the designer and source of everything!  We continually thank the Lord for all He has been doing in our lives.  God is good, all the time!

Landed At Last

Twenty one days after he left his former company, Tim travels to Taipei for the first time as an employee of Insyde.  It appears that the order of the day is meeting people and learning about the  this company he now works for.

We thank God for the grace and peace He has provided. The Lord is good to us and we will praise Him always.

Anniversary Trip 2012

Last year was Portland. This year we went to Asilomar for our annual fun trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  The place is located in Pacific Grove, California which is adjacent to Monterey.  Since our anniversary happens in the dead of winter, it is quiet a challenge to find a place to go outside of California. 

We spent most of the day on two different beaches in the area.  We hiked.  When we stopped, Miriam observed the tide pools; she and Brahms played chase with the waves.  This morning our destination was Monterey Bay Aquarium.  This is probably the fourth time that I have visited the place.  Miriam was a toddler when the last time we came but she could not remember anything about it. 

This is the first time we celebrated our anniversary without my Shannon.  I missed her so we kept connected electronically. Brahms and Miriam did a great job making up for missing silliness that would have been provided by Shannon.

The second night that we were there, we went to see a mivie at an old fashined theater - there is no surround sound nor high definition.

Tim maintained his tradition of unnecessarily having us all walk to a destination that eventually does not make sense.  After we toured the aquarium, we were all tired and hungry.  In search of a nice place to eat, Tim refers to his dependable GPS through his cell phone.  So we walked.  Our steps turned into yards, yards turned into blocks, and blocks turned into miles until finally we got to the place.  There was much celebration until we found out, thirty seconds later, that the restaurant is no longer in business.  And so we had to walk back and ate in a small restaurant where the food would have been more exciting had we been in a better mood prior to eating.  So we had ribs and hamburgers.  Sigh.

If I count the years, twenty one is a long time.  But if I list all the fun times and blessings of being married, as if we only had begun.  I thank God for giving me Tim! 

Crossing the County Line

Wilson Boulevard ends here.

When coffee ceased to be a goal for our morning walks, Tim and I began to take other hiking routes around our area.  Today was the second time we took the route that involves crossing the county line.  We started from the end of the Wilson Blvd. and onto a footpath that eventually joins Iron Point at Empire Ranch in Folsom.  This is a very good walk except for the fact that we have to climb really steep hills twice!  We tried to reverse our path by starting on the other end - Treviso Way but it was the same - we still had to climb up the same hills.  These walks definitely make me want to take long hot showers afterwards. 

Also, I have joined a hiking group of women from church.  During the last two months we hiked on Salmon Falls Trails.  I'm amazed to see bikers there considering that the road is rough, narrow, and steep.  Our group has to stand in line at the side of the pathway for them to pass.  And then there are runners who can manage to breathe and talk to us while running to pass us.  We are the slow hikers but we talk fast while we walk.  We go once a month and so far it has been fun. (It might be different in the summer when the weather is really hot.)  These hikes makes me want to sit down and watch TV after my long hot showers.

A New Season is About to Begin

Under heaven, everything will change.  Change is sometimes dreaded because it is inflicted upon us by external forces.  On the other hand, it can come upon us as a result of slow internal processes guided by our thoughts, priorities, and aspirations. Either way, when one change happens, hundreds or even thousand other changes will come along.   And the required adjustment can be overwhelming or invigorating.  I've written some of my thoughts about this in my other blog (When Climate Changes).

Our family is undergoing changes - positive changes.  These are exciting days but our faith is being put to the test. Right now, we are constantly reminded of the Giver of all that we have and hope for.  It is tempting to use the things we see and hear as parameters for determining things that ought to be good or not.  And yet the ways of the Almighty God are beyond our comprehension.  I would prefer that our thoughts and actions be guided by the Spirit because in God alone do I trust.

Tim is getting a new job.  He has been working for Phoenix Technologies (a leading BIOS company) as Chief BIOS Architect for sixteen years and enjoyed it.  At one point I called his job as a hobby-job because he loves programming - he writes codes for fun. He considered himself as an idea hamster - producing patentable ideas.  He has at least eight US Patents in his name.  As a family, we enjoyed and appreciated the financial rewards and stability that it offered.  At the time when some employees were being laid off for one reason or another, he was being offered retention bonuses in order to remain.  His services are valued - no doubt about that.  When we moved to El Dorado Hills he worked at the Intel facility in Folsom on a Phoenix/Intel collaborative project.  When the project was done, he was allowed to work from home which is priceless for our then growing family.  Tim is a very loyal sort of guy but his personal aspirations drive him to take a big stride now to welcome change. 

 So far, Tim has accepted a new job offer, resigned from his current job and has two weeks to transition away.  This is a bitter-sweet moment in his career.  But just like the birth of a baby, the labor pains to bring forth an unknown and unseen child pales in comparison to the hope of launching a new life that will soon grow for us to enjoy.

God is good to us!