What do I Treasure?

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Looking for a job has not been a bowl of cherries. This transition in my life has not been anything like I expected. Getting married. Moving to a new area. Looking for a new job. Trying to plan for the future. Trying to lay the ground work for that future. And you know how I like to have control...and how I like to know what's going to happen. I want to be a good wife. I want to find a good job. I want to make a difference. And maybe someday...I want to be a good mom. But sometimes that is so overwhelming to me. How to orchestrate all of that so that all those things happen. How can I ensure that that happens. Surely God would want that for me. That is what I treasure. I treasure being stable and secure. I treasure being successful (not necessarily wildly successful). I treasure my life and my things and my status here in this world. In the very immediate...I would really treasure getting a job.

Of course, it's not wrong to want those things. Sure maybe it coincides with God's plan for me. But I can't fool myself...and for sure not fool God. I really want that for me. My heart gets consumed with all those things. And because of my human condition, my heart stops at the things that I treasure.

I want a good job. But I want it so that I can be stable and make money and build towards a future. I didn't want a good job so that maybe I could be more useful to God. I want to be a good wife so that I can build a good family so I could be happy and boast about how good a wife I turned out to be. I didn't want to go through hard times to perhaps touch someone else's life. I didn't want to be good wife with a good family so that I could boast about how God has helped me and has transformed me. Those things, stability, financial success, great family, are all wonderful things...but I don't think they should be where it all ends. There has to be more. God has more in store than just building my life here in this world.

This week I was reminded of one of my most cherished songs. It's called "How Deep the Father's Love for Us" by Stuart Townend. There's a version sung by Joy Williams who has a very very beautiful voice. The song very movingly describes how much He loves me. That He treasures me. Even when I least deserved it. Even though I treasure other things.

So will it be easy to treasure what God did for me? Can I treasure what He will do through me? Will I simply treasure God and who He is regardless of how my life turns out? Or will I continue to treasure things like my job (or future job) or my financial stability or my reputation. I don't think that it will be easy to shift my perspective. I don't really even know how I would do it. I will try to move my heart away from treasuring the things I want and think are good. I want to treasure the things that matter to God. Loving Him. Loving people. I'm sure it will be easier to do when times are better. The bigger challenge will be to do so when things are not good or not smooth. When I'm anxious about my future. Or scared about what will happen. I know it will take a lot of awareness and real honesty. And hopefully reminders when I get going down the oh-so familiar track.

Where my treasures are...there my heart will be. I want my heart to be with God...so I will do my best to make Him my treasure.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!

We love you!

I feel human again!!

I went for my sleep study last night. Here's what happened...

Took one hour for them to hook up all the electrodes and probes. (judyc: thanks for the pjs!). They tapes most to my body: stomach, collarbone, legs. Then glued several onto my head after first marking my head up with this red crayon pencil that you can find in any high school yearbook rooms. Fun times. Was a little tentative going to the bathroom. Didn't want the little hook up box falling into the toilet. One overnight session later...and 15 minutes of de-electroding and de-probing, I was on my way home at 8am! Straight into the shower and shampooing my hair twice, I still have some flaky remnants of glue...but for the most part...I'm human again!!!! We'll see what happens with the results.

The high light of the event...access to TV!!! alright. no oscars for me. Nope, I'll watch simpsons and family guy for sure!! double episodes of both too.. AWESOME!

the low light of the event...besides the smelly head glue and gazillion wires...the hour if took to put all the electrodes in place was right during the hour double episode of Family Guy! Doh! Couldn't watch the much anticipated show during the time the tech was there applying everything. Well. we had good conversation...

I'm sick again.

This makes four times being sick since moving up to the Bay Area. Four times in 7 months. What is up!?!? It's not like I am exposed to many many people who have germs. Maybe I'm just incubating the germs all by myself. Anyway...I'm grateful that it's not the weird bacterial infection requiring antibiotics kind of sick. Just a cold. And I think it's under control. Still...four times in 7 months!!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, VINCE!!

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Another complaint about my gym

I know, I don't have kids so I don't know what it's like to balance your time with little ones...but still...

So I thought it was borderline acceptable for one lady to be running on the treadmill while her child sat sleeping in the stroller beside the treadmill. Hey, I do believe that the gym with weight machines and treadmills and bikes and ellipticals and stairs (at least there are no free weights) is not a very safe place for young children, I was placated by the fact that the child was strapped into the stroller, sleeping, so as not to venture into harms way. Fine by me. Maybe bring in one of those little fourwalled contraptions where the baby can at least move around a little.

BUT THEN, I saw something that I though was completely boneheaded. One lady somehow thought it would be ok and safe to bring her child of perhaps 2 or 3 years of age into the gym. Granted it's not a very big or busy gym. But while this woman was doing her walking thing on the treadmill, her little girl is busily running around the whole gym. Touching whatever she can get her little hands on. I don't know about you, but first of all, how could you concentrate on exercising when your child is running around. Second of all, it's not like you can see her at all times for there are some corners in the gym area. Thirdly, how would your even communicate with your child over the several TV's and machines putting out noise. Lastly, isn't it a bit uncomfortable and anxious to have your small child running around wanting to touch things that may have moving or heavy parts associated to them.

I'm not a big fan of shared gyms. In the past 2 weeks, I have not seen anyone bring in a towel to wipe off the machine after they were using it.

i just want to make BIG signs that say:

"WIPE THE MACHINE AFTER YOU USE IT"

and

"THE GYM IS NOT A PLACE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN TO BE RUNNING AROUND IN WHILE YOU EXERCISE"

I know, I should have some compassion. Well, I do. (I haven't made my signs yet) But really, they should have some creativity and common sense.

Principle 1: Enhance your Love Maps

Okay, kind of corny for the name of this principle. What this principle comes down to is paying attention to your partner and being intimately familiar with their world and communicating such. By doing so, you can truly 'know' your husband/wife and truly love them.

What is it to know someone? First impressions? But people change. People grow. There are so many times that I will think "He should just know me!" or "He should know what to do (or how to make me feel better)(or what to say)." Then I take a step back and think "Well, I don't really know what would make me feel better." Or worse yet, "I never expressed to him what might make me feel better." Or the worst: "I expressed that this would make me feel better when in reality, something else that I'm not aware of would." Why should I expect him to read my mind and know me automatically. Again, it takes time and effort to get in sync with my husband. We often fall out of sync, which makes it all the more important. Hopefully I, as a person, and still growing and learning more and more about myself. And should I expect that my spouse know all these changes in me when perhaps I've only just discovered them and have kept that newly acquired information to myself? Likely not. I confess that there are times when I assume I've married a mind reader. One of the many mis-assumptions I have. So I've got to put serious effort in communicating what I know of who I am to my husband, and put some serious effort into getting to know who my husband is. And then remember. I can only hope that it gets easier later down the line. Like with other things, the learning curve at the beginning is so steep, but then...smooth(er) sailings.

There will be changes, distractions or other obstacles as we move through our lives. Financial pressures. The arrival of a baby. Job stresses. Family issues. Health problems. It would be really easy for me not to update my map. For me to go on my way and think Vince would be right there along with me. When in reality, I've left him back at the gas station because I forgot to tell him I was leaving. It's important to be current in communicating and learning about each other. What worked before might not work the same later. I wonder what my interactions with Vince would be like after I get a job. Or if we have kids. Or if we had serious financial burdens. Would I remember to update my map and let him know that it's been updated? Would I just mosey along my way expecting Vince to know where I was and where I'm headed. As with any journey involving two or more people, communication is key. Communication and a shared map are even better!

It's strange too because it makes me think: how well do I know myself? How we expect someone to know who we are if we don't really know ourselves? Truth is, the only me that my husband will know, is the me that I let him see and hear. And who am I? Well, that's a complicate issue too. Thank God that Vince is willing and wanting to find all of that out. And even help me along the way. I've been thinking about who I am. Having not had a 'real' job for a while, it has really made me contemplate my identity and my worth. Aside for the truth that I am a child of God and that He finds worth in me just as I am, who am I? Is who I project myself to be really who I am? I remember the day when people were surprised when I told them that I was in law school. Then even more surprised to know, later on, that I was a lawyer. "You're so nice!" "You're too sweet!" "You look like you're still in college!" people would say. I am very appreciative of the comments, but it made me think, why is it so surprising?! Of course, I know the stereotypical jokes about lawyers (please feel free to share more of them with me!) and I'm glad I don't fall into that category. But the wheels had started turning. Who am I and who do people perceive me to be, and are those identities wildly different.

I suppose that question is of more importance now because I'm married. I used to think "I don't care what other people think about me. I'll be who I want to be." But if who I am is so different from who I think I am, it makes it super hard for Vince. I do know and believe that while I need to grow as a person, I need to be honest with myself. First, though, before growing as a person, I need to come to an understanding of where I'm starting from. By no means am I ever stuck where I am with no where to grow. Sure, my interests can change. They can vary from time to time. But my core...my self...would hopefully remain consistent. My core and values are anchored in Jesus. That doesn't change. That classical music made me fall asleep when I was little, and now I enjoy listening to it all day with no sleep inducing effect...that's cool. And as much as I can pretend that I love classical music enough to buy season tickets to the symphony and would go to every performance...well....that wouldn't be who I am. That might be who I think I am. Or who I want others to think I am. But in reality, at the end of the day, in the quietness of my room, it is not. I enjoy classical music. I would enjoy going to a symphony performance once in a while. But am no means am I a purveyor of that art. Still, there is hope. If in fact, I listen to classical music so much, I could, one day, fall in love with it, perhaps a particular composer, and invest myself to one day make myself that person whom I thought I was today and was definitely not many days ago.

Ok, I can go on and on. In short, I need to know and create the map of my own self so to be true to myself and as to assist my husband should he need it. I need to know and consistently read my husband's map of self to be able to truly love and support him. There will be distractions. There will be wrong routes taken. There will probably be brief periods of resentment. But in the end, knowing and communicating the inner workings of our soul brings us closer together.

It's so easy to fall down the spiral of stubbornness, righteousness, and pain. Being newly married is hard. When people ask me when I got married, and I tell them less than a year ago, they automatically say "Oh! You're still newlyweds!" or "Oh, still in your honeymoon period!" And while I do appreciate the well wishes and the optimism...I sometime really don't think of this stage of my life and our lives as being so carefree and blissful.

Why so down? It takes me a lot of brain power to think of the responsible adult things in life. What job to get. Should we buy a house. When to buy. Where to buy. How to spend our time. Who to spend it with. Should we have kids. When to have kids. How many kids to have. How's my health. How's his health. What bills to pay. How to save. The list goes on and on.

Don't get me wrong. There are more times than I can count where things are happy and light and blissful and fun and very funny. (see mini-golf outing and holiday party below) But I suppose that I can't just ignore the hard and serious things that come with marriage and building a life together. I used to nod my head at church when the speaker would say "marriage is like two rivers merging together." I acutally know what that feels like. I was really ignorant of what it took to be in a meaningful, intentional, and intimate marriage. One thing that I am learning is that being in that kind of a marriage takes a lot of humility. Of course, I don't know even a smidgen of being in that kind of a marriage which is also long lasting. Time will tell. And now. I do think (too infrequently than I probably should) that I am a bad wife because I'm still selfish. A hard thing to admit to myself let alone to my husband. It stinks. When will I be done with this life lesson?

Thank my dad for sending me off in a good direction. For those of you who attended our wedding, you might remember that he gave us two books to read. The first one, "The Cost of I Do," was precisely about that. The central message...you guessed it. There is a cost to saying I do. In a nutshell, the book tried to expose the more serious real life about marriage. About taking responsibility and being serious about the commitment. Not my favorite book, but a valid perspective.

I was reminded of the second book, "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work," the other day. Having recently fallen sharply down the vortex of hurt and anger, I was reminded that marriage, and especially my marriage, takes work. I thought, was I putting any work in it? Or did I just think coasting by was effort enough? I'm not saying the book is the answer to it all. My inspiration and revelation comes from God and those things and people around me. Over the next several posts, I want to share the principles espoused in the book I read because I think it can be a good supplement. Also because someone was supposed to read but hasn't, probably won't, and I'll have to summarize it anyway. And hopefully future posts will continue to reveal that I am getting better at being in a marriage and growing as a person.

The sobering reality to me...I can put so much more effort into my marriage. I have to. Not because it's not working. Not because we were not supposed to be together. But because we made a commitment to each other. We made a promise that we would be married. We hold true to the words "I love you" and saying that to another person demands that effort and commitment. I work so hard at other things. I get distracted by other things. I prioritize other things. It makes me sad at how deficient I can be in this marriage. But it gives me hope and makes me glad, that I can always do better tomorrow.

I love you Vince!
Even when I'm mean.

Why is it that people who work out in gyms that they do not own...on machines that are not theirs, do not feel the need or desire to wipte down the machines when they are done sweating all over them!?!? YEW!! It's totally GROSS!! I find it very hard to believe that after one works out and sweats and touches things that don't belong to him, have some inkling that someone else will be touching the same place, that that one person does not have the courtesy of wiping off the areas that have been touched.

Oh, don't get me wrong...there have been times when I fail to bring a towel with me. But then I use my jacket or whatever to wipe down the machine. *sigh* even when there are signs posted...people don't do it. And even when there are towles provided...people don't do it.

Gross.

With the conveniences of the internet, television, and of course, our heater and comfy bed and blankets, Vince and I are determined to not spend our lives indoors too often.

So we got to hang out with friends Anne, John and Kori - the Pickelle family. Nice!! We braved the cold weather and strolled to downtown Burlingame to have dinner together. Downtown Burlingame is a nice nice little area. So cute...and much changed since 1998-ish. Ha ha. The biggest change that I noticed...the HUGE Apple store on the corner of the main street. If you ask me, it just didn't seem right. It was too modern for the area. In the midst of all these cute boutiques, and yes, other inevitable chain stores...the Apple store just seemed out of place. Almost too pristine of a store. But I guess it's nice and convenient for the locals.

We had a great time and tried to devise a plan for the four of us to go hang out next time at a bar. You know, work places and gyms have temporary child care set up. Why not for bars!?!? Our most viable plan...Anne and I will stay with Kori while Vince and John go to the bar and hang out there for an hour or so. Then they'd come back and Anne and I would go to the bar and hang out for an hour or so. *sigh* It probably won't be happening. But at least we have a game plan. Plus, Kori is way to cute too leave at home:


In another effort, we took some time in the afternoon to go...wait for it...





That's right!!! Mini golfing!!! I think it took us a little over a half hour to finish the course. I lost. Partially because I failed to follow through. But I did get a hole in one!! On one of those holes that you hit the ball into some contraption and then it spits out somewhere else. Vince's nemesis...the volcano hole. You know the one. That one that looks oh so easy...but those dang sloppy sides get you every time. Oh...we will be revisiting mini-golf sometime to rewrite that experience. Lots of kids there for birthday parties. Pretty cool.














To help us with our adventures outdoors, I must report that our tv has died. I guess that's ok because we don't pay for cable anyway. But now, no more dvd watching. YIKES!! Still, the tv was pretty old. I believe it was pre-1999.

It has served us well and it probably was just too tired to keep going after being run practically all day everyday since I'm not working. Thanks to the old tv. We will miss you. Thank goodness for tv online. and youtube. But wait...we're supposed to spend more time outdoors anyways!
Here's to the old tv. we will be sad to see you go. And we soon will be utter consumed by lcd/plasma/dlp and screen sizes. Good times ahead!

WOW! IT'S FREEEEZING!!!!!!

I knew it would be colder up here in the Bay Area as compared to the wonderful weather of SoCal...but it is FREEZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wouldn't believe it when Vince said it would be below freezing here in Sunnyvale. (Still sunny...yet coooold!). I was the skeptic...thinking..."yeh...it's probably that cold in the inland areas...but not here." I could not have been wronger (is that even a word?) (more wrong, i suppose is better). We checked the weather in the early morning...and sure enough...28 degrees faranheit! Wow. It sure made us think we were enjoying a nice snowboarding vacation in Tahoe. But nope...we were sitting in our little apartment with the heater blasting and bundled up.

Why bundled up with heater blasting?? Our apartment, and nice as it is and as thankful and appreciative as we are...really sucks in the insulation department. While outside it may be 46 degrees during the day...inside it's a whopping 50 degrees! awesome! And I am at home...refusing to turn on the heater during the day so as to try to prove a point...to no one but myself...that I can be energy efficient. I win!! Haha. But my feet, hands, and nose sure do suffer. Thankfully, Vince comes home and then we can turn on the heater. Because it makes sense to turn on the heater for two...rather than for just one.

We love our space heater! Makes our sleep much more enjoyable. Let's all stay warm and make it to the spring!!!!

Merry Christmas!! and Happy New Year!!!

Welcome 2007. so far...day 3...2007 has been great! Spent Christmas down in LA and New Year up in the Bay. It was great to see the little neice and nephew again! seems like they've changed so much...and then haven't. i wonder...did i fight like that with my brother when we were that age?? sometimes i think i just ran away or cried or something. Maile seems to be much smarter than i was at her age. she is much more sly and subversive in her "getting-her-brother's-toys-to-play-with" tactics. kudos to little sisters everywhere!!

still...tyler is so lovable. got his own digital camera to use. i'm secretly hoping that he will be the avid photographer in his later life.

and he is quite the master of the timer setting on our camera.


love those kids...with #3 neice/nephew on the way.


even though this christmas was impacted by my grandmother's passing...it was still a good time for all. seemed like family took my grandmother's passing in stride. sad for us of course, but happy that she is in a better place. she is not in any more pain or discomfort. and i believe, while we can never really be ready to say goodbye, we were as prepared as we could be. the occassion brought a gathering of family that has not been in decades. got to see a lot of my cousins i hadn't seen since i was 8 years old. nice to catch up and learn about their lives in chicago, boston, and florida. hopefully, we'll be able to stay in touch as we grow on.

new years...cold cold cold. and i was practically wearing the same thing this new years eve, as last new years eve. sad? frugal? or perhaps, awesome b/c my clothes have longevity! haha. i think more on the sad part. but i was warm. vince, karen, greg and i went up to the embarcadero after some dinner and drinks in awesome SAN BRUNO, CA!!! our friend BART took us smack dab in the middle of thousands of people.




and by the time it was midnite...thousands more people lined the streets at the ferry building to witness the fireworks. fireworks...awesome! someday, i would love to go to the world series of pyrotechincs. haha. we jammed out of there quick so as not to get stuck in the massive stampede of those riding home. i have to say, that the countdown and the anticipation are half the fun of new years. with no second hand letting us know how many seconds were left...seeing the minute hand slowly ease on over to the stroke of midnite and then having the fireworks blast out of nowhere...not quite the exciting impact. missed the loudly counting down of...THREE...TWO...ONE...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! but still...fun times for all and no trouble getting home.

here's to 2006...still reflecting on all the events thereof. here's looking towards 2007 and all it has in store for us!! last thought...2006 and my mom's fruit trees have been good to this well fed creature:(picture taken by Tyler Shu)

ooo...wee! google party was fun...when there is hardly anyone there. and by hardly anyone, i mean maybe about 1200 ppl. but spread out...there was easy movement, easy access to any one of the 9 bars and ability to check out the rooms and the little shows. room themes had god and goddess names. very creative.


the food was really awesome! lots of variety.
my favorite...hand rolled sushi!!! yum!! i was double fisting more than once that nite. couple of times with the hand rolls...












then here with mini chicken burgers and shrimp with a remoulade sauce.
YUMMY!! i mainly go for the food, if you can't tell by now.

food from all over the place, pulled pork, jambalaya, tamales, green bean salad, sauteed mushrooms. mmm...just remembering makes me drool..








vince's favorite... mini tacos in the best room of all!!



















although he also enjoyed the flambee'd cherries with vanilla ice cream. the desserts were excellent! mini pecan tarts, delicious brownies (i've discovered that i really like brownies) and all kinds of yummy treats. oo...endless and very decadent.


they also had great music. the reggae band, the jazz trio, dj's playing house music, ethereal sounds...any mood you could imagine.


the decor was great.

here's something from the aphrodite room that i thought was super creative. i don't know, it just was really nice.



















and here, from the poseidon room with an awesome reggae band!
here's one of the eating areas and bars...



















but the best part in the best room...the battle of the low-riding impalas! see what happens when you go early and there's room to battle! we asked if they were going to battle again, but alas...they didn't... possibly b/c there were too many people coming in.

see...TOO MANY people is not good! this room had the best decor...the best music...not too sure what it had to do with gods or goddesses...but who cares! it was FUN!!!





by 10:30pm...it was wall to wall people in the food and bar areas. so we high tailed it outta there. didn't have time or the proper attire to participate in the sporting activities around the party...pool tables, basketball hoops, some shooting game.

last thought: from the poseidon room...that is a real person up there....
happy holiday courtesy of google. THANKS!

*sigh* they are so cute. my nephew Tyler and niece Maile. soo cute.

so three things to share today!

apparently, coughing for an extended period of time can result in what feels like bruised ribs. lemme just say that antibiotics are wonderful. and while i have no more spastic coughing and phlegm...yea!...the soreness in my ribs and the feeling like someone has repeatedly punched me right in my right ribs remains. sad to say that i'll be just walking around and then all of a sudden keel over with pain in the right rib area. *sigh* when will the pain go away? but thanks be to God for His healing power...and for giving peeps the smarts to create antibiotics.

second...i'm such a sucker! i had an interview today at this law firm. small law firm. very informal and what i'm used to. met with two tall male partners and one tall male senior associate. one of the partners read my thoughts when he said "oh look, you're surrounded." so this firm does what i used to do so it was all very comfortable and the interview went fine. (not at all like the debacle interview of the past which someone of you may recall i had). nice little surroundings for an "office." nothing like the concrete jungle high rise i have become accustomed to. but i am a sucker because they were so nice! fun. family oriented. pretty kick back. and i feel bad that i will probably turn them down. sad!! i know! where is my killer instinct? where is my business savvy. oh no. i seem to have locked into my...awww...i feel bad and they are so nice mode. *sigh* but alas, i am very thankful for interviews and opportunities such as these. and very thankful for things to come! ( i know...i can think to myself that it was one of them that punched me in the ribs!)

third...let's party tonite! google holiday party tonite! yea. i wasn't looking too much forward to it. maybe it's the lingering feeling of unwellness...maybe it means i have to put effort into my appearance. but really, i know it's b/c i hate being around crowds and really never feel like being in the midst of what could be over 5 thousand people. they say the venue is about the sizie of 4 footbal fields. theme: googolympics. where is my toga? *sigh* i hate people. not individual people. but big crowds of people. vince and i need to implement the buddy system.

go ucla!

judy

so is it okay to not know what you want to do? yes...i know the answer is yes...it's ok. but it just doesn't stop there, does it?

in the grand scheme of things...life is too short and too valuable to worry yeah? while i know in my heart and in my head that God is in control and has a plan for me, somehow, unbeknowst to me...those thoughts of uncertainty in that plan and fear keep on creeping in.

in the midst of my job hunt, inevitably the questions arise:
1. why do you want to work here?
2. where do yo see yourself in 5/10 years?
of course my enthused answers (paraphrased of course):
1. i LOVE your company, it's a great opportunity and exactly what i'm looking for!
2. working here of course!!
when in reality i'm thinking:
1. you're hiring and i think i fit
2. i have no idea.

i don't know about you all...but, to me, work is just work. i have come to realize that i have no great passion to be doing any certain anything as a career. on the other hand, while i don't really care what it is i do, i actually do care. there are things i wouldn't want to do. there are things i would not really enjoy doing. but then there is this whole world of things that i suppose i wouldn't mind doing if it "put food on the table" and let me have a life. and what do those phrases really mean?

here's the burning question of the day: having gone to law school and been a lawyer...is that something i want to do for the rest of my life? can i see myself not doing that after going to school for it and taking the most horrible test of my life? it was good before and seems cool now...but do i want to do that when i'm 47 years old? i don't know but something tells me maybe not. do i want to work at williams sonoma unpacking boxes for $10/hr...because that surely takes no brain power and lets me have a life (incidentally it could also introduce me to a community of potheads). something tells me that i don't really want that either.

so in the struggle to find some happy medium i may have to think more concretley about staying a lawyer or moving over to something else. people move industries. people end up doing something that they did not go to school for all the time, right? and if i wasn't a lawyer...what would i be? (ooo...re-reading this...i changed it to "what would i do" but i thought i fitting to leave it uneditted as it does really reflect that my struggle might more that just "what to do?")(hmmm...more contemplation required) then there are thoughts on would i or could i go back to being a lawyer if i took a 5 or 10 year detour? what's a girl to do!!!

*sigh* my mantra has now morphed from i HATE job hunting to i HATE job hunting AND interviewing.

i miss you all!

better late than never. many of you may have heard that vince had a little accident in our pool over a month ago. he was doing a flip while swimming, pushed off the wall and unfortunately smacked his mouth on the bottom of the pool. that resulted in a fractured tooth. after many dental and oral surgurical appointments...vince is now the proud bearer of a dental implant!!!

the oral surgeon put the implant in his mouth and the dentist affixed a temporary tooth. it takes four months for the implant are to completely heal...so vince is sporting his temporary tooth while the lab makes his new tooth. come end of january 2007...new tooth arrives!!

hopefully that explains vince's slower than normal eating habits and his fondness of using a fork and knife for all food products and hydrogen peroxide.

i am not a fan of this template. i am quite frustrated in trying to change it though. i picked a new one. i saved the new setting. i republished the blog. yet it is still the SAME template!!!

i give up.

jerk.

so here are some pics from my trip to zihuatanejo. sorry for the poor picture quality. i went more on the low tech high convenience camera for this trip.. i'm sure tina has better...

this was from the plane when we were leaving!! so sad...such a beautiful place to be... it was fun to see two giant cruise ships one day in the bay... gave us some perspective on how big the bay actually was. the weather was perfect...some lightning at night...some rain at night...but hot, humid and sunny during the day!!






we spent one of our mornings or afternoons (we never really knew what time it was) in the central market of downtown zihuatanejo. after perusing the fruit/veggie stands (seeing the most gigantic kiwi fruits and cauliflower ever), and the trinket stands...lo and behold...we come to the raw meat stands!! this was one of many....






here was the view from our balcony/patio. we had a jacuzzi tub and two loungey chairs on the patio...so it was nice to hang out in the patio on the humid nights. only once though...then it was even nicer to hang out in the a/c room.









and here was a view while lounging on the beach... didn't want to be too obvious. didn't get a chance to document his hand-on-hip-looking-
afar-into-the-ocean pose. we were only able to his his catwalk along the beach.






overall zihuatanejo was awesome!





















and the people were beautiful...























but he may have been the most beautiful:


(i got too excited trying to photo him while pretending to photo my friend karen...couldn't focus or get the right amount of zoom) (and if you look really close...you can see his headband)

wow. it's been quite sometime since the start of this blog...and a posting...
our bad.. sorry. i personlly find a somewhat foreign to post...even though i can talk for hours about nothing or about things people don't really care about. something, they just warrant some pondering. there is not a lack of things to talk about. could be anything, yeah?

so then, it's a question of who wants to participate in conversations about anything? with me, at that.

so there you have it...if you want to talk about things...or rather, write about things, with me then cool!!! if not...then that's fine too. it's like i'll never know you were here anyways. i'm not that technologically advanced.

talk soon!