I ran a half marathon!

Probably the craziest goal I set for 2015 was to run a half marathon. I mean really, isn't that something people do in their twenties?  Certainly not when they're approaching...ahem...forty!  The way I see it, I can't change careers.  I am a mom for life.  I can't buy a sports car.  I can't afford it and where would I put the kids?  So, instead, I set out to run 13.1 continuous miles.  I didn't tell anyone this, but had my sights set on 9:30 or faster miles.  I thought it would be nice to run somewhere new, so David planned a route for me from our house to the Back Bay and around the 10-mile Back Bay loop.  I was a little nervous even though I had printed directions and my cell phone that I would get lost.  (I have the worst sense of direction ever!)  Sure, enough, I took a few wrong turns and had to back-track.  I even had to call David once cause I missed a turn and ran into the marina.  In the end, I did make it and ran the whole way, though it was much harder than I expected.  The last two miles were especially difficult because I just wanted to be done running, but I set my mind on hymns and praise songs and those carried me through those last miles!

It took a little bit of work to calculate my time because of a little GPS glitch when I ran into the marina, but David says I finished the 13.1 miles in 2:01 moving time, or 9:14 miles!  Yay!  Better than I hoped for, helped by the pancake-flat terrain at the Back Bay!

I did learn a very important lesson from running my first half marathon. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  I didn't, and the recovery was miserable.  I had three vomiting sessions and severe digestive issues for a full 24 hours!  I had to take a bath, then a nap, and nearly missed taking Mary to a Build-A-Bear birthday party.  So, if you have your sights set on that half marathon, drink yo' water!! I will not be defeated.  I want to train and run the same route with proper hydration and not get sick!

Please Pray for Emily!

This cutie pie is Emily Choi. I am writing to ask you to please, please pray for her. She is 18 months old and has been recently diagnosed with stage 4, high-risk neuroblastoma, a.k.a. CANCER. She has two tumors, one in her brain and one in her abdomen. She has one round of chemotherapy under her belt and will undergo six more rounds over the next six months. The goal of this treatment is to reduce the size of the tumors so that they can ultimately be removed surgically.

Emily is the daughter of one of our pastors, Pastor Aaron Choi. Pastor Aaron and his wife Tina moved along with their son, Silas, from Orange County to the Bay Area to plant a church two years ago. David and I were very blessed to have the opportunity to hear Pastor Aaron preach several times before they moved. David also had the opportunity to visit the church plant, Berean Mission Church, when he attended a conference in San Francisco. Pastor Aaron preaches with authority and conviction, and Berean Mission Church is blessed to have him as their pastor!

When our twins were born, they each had health issues. Jonathan was in the NICU because he had trouble breathing and Matthew was in a Children's Hospital because he was jaundiced and dehydrated. At that time, I feared for their lives. That experience gave me just the smallest inkling of what Pastor Aaron and Tina are going through.  So, I just want to urge you to pray for her!

Please pray for God to heal Emily from this cancer and to give wisdom and skill to all the medical professionals involved.

Please pray for Pastor Aaron and Tina that their faith will be firm and steadfast and that God will supply them with all the strength and courage that they need to walk through this trial as they care for Emily, including giving her injections at home (tears!)

Please pray for Emily's big brother Silas. I'm sure it's really rough on Silas having his parents and Emily gone during her hospital stays. He does have lots of aunties and uncles caring for him, but no one replaces mom and dad.

Please pray for the ministry of Berean Mission Church as leaders step up to enable the church to continue to flourish.

An Entire Day Off!

What do you give a wife who doesn't wear jewelry, has zero self control around chocolate, and considers flowers to be a waste of money? This is pretty much the dilemma that my husband faces every year. Ordinarily, David does a really good job at selecting gifts for me, despite my minimalist tendencies.  He will never be able to top this year, though!  He teamed up with the kids to give me an entire day off!  I haven't had one of those in almost nine years. Sure, I take time here and there but never an ENTIRE DAY!  Super Dad took the day off of work and took charge of caring for all five kids from sunrise till sunset, while I acted like a ghost!

I started off my day reading my Bible while David was out for a run with his cohort, Joe.  This is the verse that I spent time meditating on: "But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble."

After David came home from his run, I went out for a run, a really long run, for me.  I ran a 10-mile loop through Quail Hill, a route that I have been interested in running for a very long time.  For the record, I think this is the longest run I have ever done in my life!  

After I came back from my run, I wanted to spend a little bit of one-on-one time with each of the boys.  Josiah and I jumped on the trampoline together!  He looks less than thrilled in this picture, but he really had a blast!

Jonathan rode his big blue bike.

Matthew rode his big red bike.

Then, I went to a salon and had my hair shampooed, cut and styled!  This is my new short do inspired by Hannah Michelle and Cheryl!  I think the last time I had the whole shabang done was for my wedding!

After that, I went to Cha for Tea to enjoy some milk tea and a good read.  Mary and Maggie have two friends, Alexa and Elyse, who have been reading books about warrior cats.  They love these books so much that they have developed an elaborate warrior cat game that they play in our neighborhood.  The four girls have names for themselves and positions. They scooter around on patrol, collecting medicine, guarding the camp, etc.  They even leave notes on one another's doorsteps!  I wanted to take some time to read part of the first book, so I could understand this "game" a bit!

When I came back, I spent some one-on-one time with each of the girls.  Maggie taught me to ride a scooter!

Mary and I worked on her Knot-A-Quilt!

Then, I went off for a 90-minute sports massage.  About now, I'm thinking David is probably regretting not setting a dollar limit on my day off!  The massage was great, but they tried to talk me into purchasing a membership to enable me to come in for monthly massages.  Who's got the time or money for that???  

After that, I went to the pool and swam just enough to be relaxing (15 100s on 2 minute intervals).  Then, I soaked in the hot tub for a long time.

Then, I picked up dinner from Tender Greens and dessert from Yogurtland. I brought it home and ate and read while David and the kids were at soccer practice.  

That was the exciting conclusion of my day off. This should prove to all that I am an introvert at heart no matter how much I talk!

Our New Year's Tea Party

I really don't like New Year's. At all.  I don't like to be around people, and I don't like staying up late.  I don't even like fireworks or loud noises.  So, it's really saying a lot to say that our New Year's celebration this year was the best ever!  David and I wanted to give our kids an experience gift for Christmas. We figure they really need time with us not more things.  The downside of an experience gift, though, is the price tag, especially for a family of seven!  So, we ended up gifting our kids a home-made tea party. Everyone played a part in the preparations: Mary and Maggie decorated the butterfly cookies; Matthew and Jonathan helped make heart sandwiches; Josiah supervised pretzel making; and David ooed and ahed at the appropriate moments! We got dressed up in fancy clothes, pulled out the fine china, and ate and drank to our belly's delight!  Below are some pictures of the celebration.  The kids enjoyed it so much that they have already requested this be a New Year's tradition, but I don't know...I'm kinda tired...

Everyone is eagerly anticipating the opening prayer!

Placemats made out of wrapping paper and aluminum foil!

The menu!

Pretty placecards illustrating our butterfly-heart theme!

The food: pretzels, heart-shaped ham and cheese sandwiches, grapes and butterfly cookies! 

The centerpiece: twigs with origami butterflies!

Lots of origami butterflies all over the table!

Jonathan is goofy as ever!

Maggie and her beautifully decorated butterfly!

Josiah ate his grapes first!  I would have started with the cookies!

Matthew sat Indian style the whole time!

Mary being such a fine lady!

Pictures of David and me are few and far between.

Goals for 2015

This year, I will be turning 40.  Even though 50 is probably the new middle-age, I still think of 40 as being middle-aged.  As I approach 40, I notice that I'm perpetually tired, no exhausted is more like it. I forget things a lot, like entire conversations, just ask my husband about it.  I also lose my keys and my phone all the time.  My muscles ache and creak and seem to prefer the state of rest over motion.  2 Corinthians 4:16-17 has become more meaningful to me: So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.  It's getting harder and harder to set goals when the new year approaches because I just don't have the mojo I used to.  So, it is only by the grace of God that I hope to accomplish the following goals in 2015! 

1. Run a half marathon.  I recently started a training plan that should get me to half marathon distance in another eleven weeks! The tricky part for me is pacing myself slow enough on my long runs to avoid injury.  I'd ideally like to average 10 minute miles, which I think is doable given my 10-K pace is just under 9 minute miles.
2. Potty train Matthew.  Matthew and I made an agreement that he would try again in January.
3. Paint the interior.  No, I'm not going to paint the interior; I want to pay someone else to do it.  The builders used flat paint when they painted our walls, not ideal for our family.  
4. Read through the One-Year Bible.  I'm convinced that the best thing I can do as a mom is to draw strength and encouragement from the Word every day.
5. Pray specifically for my children's salvation each day.  When I had a miscarriage, I was very comforted with the thought of my unborn child being ushered into the presence of God.  This made me want to pray more earnestly and fervently for each of my living children to be saved!
6. Make more of an effort to reach out to the younger ladies at church.  I am not going to use the big "D" word 'cause that's too formal, official, and should be reserved for women of more noble character than myself. But, I do want to make myself more available and approachable to the younger ladies at church.
7. Read If I am a Christian, Why am I Depressed by Robert Somerville.  The author's wife, Mary, came to speak to the ladies at our church this past year, and I bought this book there.  I could relate with much of what Mary related about Bob's experience with depression.
8. Help out in the evenings more so that David can have more meaningful devotions with the kids.  After a day of feeding, napping, and homeschooling the kids, I'm usually ready for a break when David comes home.  My desire for a break, though, is preventing David from having meaningful devotions with the kids.  He's doing them consistently, but the time could be more meaningful if I wasn't so lazy!
9. Make Marquis Old-Fashioned Cream Pie.  I like to bake.  I like to try new recipes.  This is one I found in Better Homes and Gardens and saved (old-school method: I tore the page out and have it waiting on my dresser!)
10. Come up with a plan to teach California state history.  Mary will officially be a fourth grader in the 2015-16 school year, which means it's time to teach her California state history.  I am looking forward to this, since I know so little about California state history myself and it seems like there are lots of local hands-on activities.
11. Watch at least one of Mary's soccer games.  This is seriously the hardest thing I do as a mom, so I try not to do it very often.  More often than not, I stay home with the other kids or take Maggie to her games.
12. Have another baby.  PSYCH!!!!  Five is enough!

2014--The Year in Review

In 2014, our family experienced many joys as well as trials. Many tears were shed, tears of joy and tears of sorrow. Whether our circumstances be joyful or trying, we know that in Christ we possess every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, so we consider ourselves to be truly blessed! As we look forward to another year of faithful service to Christ, here are a few of the highlights from 2014.

After intermittent searching on Craig's List, I was finally able to score a triple jogging stroller!  It wasn't cheap, but I had been saving up gift money for a while.  Those three guys plus the stroller add up to 130 pounds, so I'm also saving money and time by combining my cardio and strength workouts.  No gym membership for this girl!  I don't know how I would have been able to train Mary and Maggie for the 5K without this stroller!!

Believe it or not, when I was a little girl, I wanted more than anything to be a flower girl.  I know that's really surprising coming from the epitome of tomboy.  Mary and Maggie were thrilled to be flower girls in my niece Chealsee's wedding.  They looked like little angels!  Fortunately, Chealsee and John are really laid back and didn't seem to mind that all the petals were on the right side of the aisle!

I really broke out of my comfort zone and agreed to decorate a table for our Women's Christmas Tea at church.  It was really fun hanging out while crafting with Carrie and Melanie.  We stayed up well past nine and made lots of glittery ball ornaments!

David and his running pal, Joe, ran a 5K and raced against a Junior Olympian!

I unexpectedly got pregnant with Baby #6.  Then, I had a miscarriage at 15 weeks. More than two months later, I ended up in the ER needing an emergency D&C.  Because of the nature of the symptoms I was having, the doctors thought it was possible that I had had a molar pregnancy and sent everything off to be tested for malignancy.  Praise God, the pathology results came back normal!

We planted lots of vegetables in our garden beds and attracted lots of animals.  David tried just about everything before declaring a humane war on the pests.  He used this contraption to catch them.  Eventually, David's perseverance paid off, and the pests have moved on to greener pastures.  It's a good thing because his next tactical move was going to be to teach the boys to use the sling shot.

We started scheduling dates with each of our children.  Once a month, either David or I will have a special date with one of the kids with each of us having one date with each of the kids during the year.  The kids really look forward to this special time and make plans far in advance.  Maggie asked Daddy to paint her fingernails during their date (after swimming)!

Mary, Maggie, and I built a roller coaster using a K'Nex set we bought at a garage sale. It was challenging and took a lot of time, but it was lots of fun for everyone!

Josiah met his Great Grandma Linda for the first time on the Fourth of July!  I love this picture of them sitting in their rocking chairs together!

This year, David and I celebrated our 13th anniversary!  The kids made us royal scepters and crowns for the occasion.  Mary even made us a special dinner, bacon and waffles!

Matthew and Jonathan are becoming so big that they have mostly outgrown their need for a nap. While this means less of a break for mama, they do have so much fun playing with their sisters in the afternoon (after schoolwork has been completed).  Now they get to play Go Fish, Zingo, baby dolls, and even dress-up!  

Mary's soccer season this fall was quite exciting!  Early on in this season, she kind of fell into playing goalie.  Her team, Orange Crush, won the 1st place for South Irvine!  They also got to play in the Mayor's Cup, a competition between North Irvine and South Irvine, and are still in the regional tournament.  At the conclusion of the regular season, Mary was selected as one of ten girls to play for the U9 All Star team. She also received the sportsmanship award for her team!

The kids got to see lots of construction equipment up close as construction continues just across the street.  

David became a tenured professor at UCI.  From my perspective, this means I can finally set down my roots and call Irvine home.  There is also less pressure on David to travel, although somehow he managed to squeak in work trips to Japan, Korea, and Italy this year!

2014 Goals Assessment

Way back in December 2013, I set 12 goals for 2014.  Here's a recap of the crazy-ambitious goals I set for 2014 along with an assessment of where I am in completing them!

Run a 5K--I ran the New Year's Hustle and finished with a time of 26:20!  You can read my post here.

Make Danish pastries--Well, the girls and I really tried to make these, but they were a big fail.  We did NOT attempt them a second time!

Complete the chronological Bible reading plan--Since mostly giving up caffeine and sugar, I've been able to get up earlier and read my Bible more regularly, so I feel like the spirit behind this goal has been accomplished.  That said, I did not finish the chronological reading plan that I started.  Instead, I bought a one-year Bible and have been working my way through that.

Put together a 2013 photo book--Yippee, I conquered this one!

Potty train Matthew and Jonathan--This actually has not been the nightmarish experience that I was expecting, but I'm still only halfway there.  Jonathan has the potty-business down, well, at least during the day.  Matthew, on the other hand, has no interest in using the toilet yet.  He just does his business in his undies and continues playing.  We both got frustrated with this state of affairs and reverted to diapers.  

Get caught up on my periodical backlog--Check.

Open our home to someone from church at least once per month--Hmmm...well, I didn't really keep track, but I think we did this!  

Learn how to crochet--I did work really hard at this for a while but, eventually, I gave up:(

Build a unit for the laundry room to organize jackets, shoes, and bags--Well, this totally snowballed into an expensive entryway project requiring an experienced carpenter, but it is completed!  You can read about it here.

Learn computer programming in JavaScript faster than Mary--I think it's accurate to say that I learned JavaScript faster than Mary, but I am nowhere close to being proficient at JavaScript.

Read Life Skills for Kids--Ah, I'm going to add this book to my unfinished reads book.

Find out David's answers to Pastor Peter's 39 questions--This one was super-fun and was accomplished quickly and easily!

So, now that my 2014 goals assessment is complete, I'm ready to start thinking about what goals I would like to set for 2015!