What does being rich in Christ look like lived out? (ref: Luke 16)

It was a pretty quiet and low-key Valentine's Day and birthday for me this year, but the one I was with made it super special. <3

Valentine's Day

• Dinner w/my Valentine at Sushi Koyo - Valentine's Day Dinner Special: big eye tuna, yellowtail, salmon, albacore, butterfish, halibut, kurodai, shrimp, blue crab hand roll (and california rolls), miso soup, and salad. yum! And that was just the start...
• He handmade me a Valentine's Day card!
• Baked me homemade Guinness chocolate stout cupcakes (recipe)
• Surprised me with a framed photo collage of the many moments we've shared
• Celebrated with Lette Macarons

Another Year Older (and probably a few pounds heavier... =P )

• According to him, Friday night wasn't for my birthday, it was just because. He prepared a most delicious meal for us: seared black & white sesame-crusted ahi tuna for dinner. We also broke open the yummy bottle of sake Monkey introduced us to last Christmas. Saturday, we celebrated...
• During a recent trip, one of the movies I watched on the flight was the glee concert. One of the segments introduced the mini-warbler. I saw his videos before and found him to be adorable, but it made me like the music even more. Anyway, he got the glee warbler's album for me.
• Started off our day with brunch at Chado Tea in Pasadena (although, the first time we visited was better).
• Treated me out to a movie (his pick - The Vow) at a super nice movie theater in the OC.
• And the best part, AYCE k-bbq at Cham Sut Gol in Garden Grove!
• Oh, and celebrated with more Lette Macarons.

1/18, Wednesday - Crag Cave and Ring of Kerry (Co. Kerry) -
Like the Burrows, the Ring of Kerry is the area of a path around the peninsula (can be up to a 10 hr drive!). We visited Crag Cave on our way down to Kilarney. Grabbed a bit of lunch at a place called Murphy's where the locals ate. I ordered Irish law stew and b ordered Guinness beef stew (better than the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin; you can actually taste the beer this time. Granted, it was also a bit more pricey). Took a while to find our way to the correct path to the Ring of Kerry. I finally knew we were on the right track when I saw a sign that said Mucklow. That was our first stop and there along the path we saw an abandoned Friary tucked away in the corner next to a lake. Our second stop (not including the God-sent hotel with bathroom) was Torc Waterfall. And that was pretty much it. Not even a ride on the jaunting carts. By the time we rounded up the kids (aka. Wendy and Matt), it was almost 5 by then with the sun beginning to set. We did, however, see sheep along the path (see sheep in Ireland: check) and what we did see, did indeed take my breath away.

For dinner, b and I hit up our usual pub, Pat Collins, the same one we went to the first night. I finally got to order bacon and cabbage (not how I imagined it in my mind, but delish)! b ordered another round of Guinness beef. And after sampling their soup of the day again (I did this on the first night, too), I ordered the leek and potato soup. Creamy, smooth, flavored just enough (not too salty). Yum! The Irish really do know their soups! We lounged for a while longer; it so happens that every Wednesday night, they play traditional Irish music at 9 pm (listen to live Irish music: check)!

1/19, Thursday - Adare Manor & Golf Resort -
Matt and Wendy wanted to go back into Dublin to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College and go pub hopping (turns out the Book of Kells exhibit didn't allow pictures, so we didn't miss that opportunity after all). b decided it would be best for us to rest and take the opportunity to explore the place we're staying (ruins, gardens, and forests, etc.), so the kids took the car and we stayed behind. This involved a TON of walking that day (huge property and all around the quaint town), but it was well-worth it. After checking out the Adare Manor estates, we ventured to the surrounding neighborhood. Across the street there was an Augustinian Friary to explore (still in use for church services on a school). It started raining a bit, so we went to find some shelter and food in the early afternoon at our usual pub (I also had my order of Irish coffee - I didn't find out until AFTER I drank it that traditionally, we're not supposed to stir the coffee and just drink straight-up when served). After we warmed ourselves and fed our tummies, we returned back to our exploring. We took a walking path along a scenic path by a river (that locals take to go jogging) that led back to the Manor. On our way, we passed by the Adare Club House. As we were informed during our tour on Monday, the Adare Golf Resort is a different property from the Adare Manor (very confusing). Turns out they had ruins on their property, too, and we only need permission from the club house to gain access. It was uber neat, but the sun began to set and it was getting cold and dark rather quick (we still had a bit to walk back and ruins start to look more creepy than cool when there's a lack of daylight). We hurried in the last bit of light back to the Manor. Although, this part of the trip felt forever (tired and cold), we eventually made it back to our warm villa and had delish leftovers from the night before. Quite an adventure and a most enjoyable day with b.

1/20, Friday - Rock of Cashel and Waterford Crystals
Our last day, we headed down for our tour of the Waterford Crystal Factory. On our way there, we were able to stop at the Rock of Cashel (thanks b for doing all the research for this trip - esp. since the kids didn't want to plan a lick). This was a really neat place. It's known as a fortress of faith - originally owned by the kings, it  was gifted and given to the monks to care for. It was incredibly cold and windy on the rock, but the sun was out and gave the place an almost magical feel. Shortly afterwards, we went about our way. When we had arrived at the Waterford Crystal Factory, we were told that we missed the last tour. We knew that the last tour was 30 min. before closing, but had no idea how early people called it a day on Fridays (it was just shy of 3:30 pm when we had arrived). Sad, we took turns using the washroom and was getting ready to leave when a Sales Manager passed us by and in their usual friendly demeanor, asked us how we were. My sister answered truthfully and when he heard that we came all this way, he took us into the back to see if we were able to catch-up with the tour. It turns out his wife was the tour-guide (he was very proud of her). Indeed we caught up with them (they barely just started - we only missed the intro room, which included a short video of their designers) and got to check out how crystals are made! With our admission, we also had a discount. I ended up picking up a Waterford Crystal Seahorse Memento for my mother and a similar broach for b's mom.

It was hard to imagine that this was our last day of our trip in Ireland. We headed back to the Manor with one last stop at our usual pub, Pat Collins. For my last meal there, it wasn't difficult to figure out what I wanted to order - bacon and cabbage, of course! So yummy! With our tummies full, we headed back to our villa - b and I got to packing and to bed. Aer Lingus awaited us at the Dublin airport early the next morning to fly us back to our connecting flight in Chicago. After many adventures in Ireland and surprisingly, much rest (most of our days were wake-up at 7:30 am, get back at 7:30 pm, and not very dependable internet, so we can focus on unpugging), I was ready to return to my home-sweet-home. PTL for this spontaneous and memorable trip!

Took a spontaneous trip. Somewhere I never imagined I'd go. Green, lucky, full of magic and beauty. Not to mention, very friendly and hospitable people everywhere you go. Yep, it's hard to believe I'm here, in Ireland! Saying it's beautiful here is truly an understatement. It is, however, very cold, wet (I guess that's how they keep green), and windy. To be fair though, the rain hasn't been too bad so far (not much more than a light drizzle). The locals have been saying that this has been a surprisingly mild winter and nothing compared to last year's. Either way, we're quite prepared and will be staying snug n' warm throughout our trip (thanks to REI, Sports Chalet, and Dicks, which I learned, was once Chics ).

We left on the 14th, Saturday morning and arrived the next day, on Sunday morning. We're staying at Adare Manor Castle , a Luxury 5* Golf & Spa Resort. An 840 acre estate located in Co. Limerick, it's one of the most desired hot spots for weddings and engagements. We're staying at the Villas for a week: 3 ensuite bedrooms (with their own bathrooms), a fully equipped kitchen with an American style fridge, down pillows and comforters, washing & drying machine (no extra charge), and beautifully executed plush interiors. The best part was the deal we got (I came across it on Groupon): 6-Night Stay for Four in their luxury villa with rental car, Cliffs of Moher admission, Waterford Crystal Experience, and breakfast for only $1,199; can't get much better than that!

Adare Manor

The Villas

Downstairs - kitchen

Downstairs - living area and den

Upstairs - Master bedroom

The pace of this country is also super mellow. They start their days late (8:30-9 am-ish) and close shop rather early (5:30 pm); then they hit up the pubs. This made it so our schedule was super chill, too: get up around 7:45 am, finish breakfast and hit the roads around 10-ish, return back to our Villa most nights around 7:30 pm.

1/15, Sunday: We landed at around 8 am. By the time we got our bags, rental car, and reached our destination, it was around 10 in the morning. Our first stop (literally - straight from the airport with luggage in the back of the car!) was Dublin. It was quiet in the big city (my guess is that most people were at church). Took a stroll through Trinity College, walked through the city, and visited the Guinness Storehouse (had my free pint w/admission and tried their beef stew). We missed out on the Book of Kells that day because it wasn't until noon and by the time we looped back, I was exhausted and b still had to drive stick on the right-side of the car, driving on the left-side of the road, while jet-lagged. The drive to Adare took about 3 hrs (it is actually closer to Shannon airport). We arrived pretty exhausted, but the place where we were staying was quite the home away from home. After we settled in, we hit up a pub to get a bite to eat. After trying a sample of their soup of the day, I ordered the carrot and tomato soup (came with brown bread), which was delish (b ordered the fish n' chips, of course).

1/16, Monday: The next day, we visited the Cliffs of Moher (located in Co. Clare, approx a 2 hr drive). I learned that they filmed the entrance to the cave scene from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! It was very beautiful, sorta magical, and pretty windy n' cold that day (no rain though and even sun! - an answer to prayer!). I wanted to visit the Aillwee Caves, too, but we didn't have enough time.

1/17, Tuesday: We're in Ireland - of course, we had to hit up one of Ireland's many castles! We took a trip to Bunratty castle and folk park (Co. Limerick, maybe 30 min. drive). It wasn't as um..."lively" as I imagined. Since it's off-season, it was pretty much just us and a handful of other visitors roaming around the village. I would have thought the castle would be what I would enjoy the most, but I think the notion of "castle" has become a bit too romanticized in female minds (thanks to romance novels and Hollywood). It was dark, dank, lots of climbing on narrow stairways, and sort of smelly. I did enjoy my trip though. My favorite highlights were found in the folk park (the village was comprised of collected building through time; they would move real buildings from Irish history to this village). the adorable Irish wolfhounds (2 of them!), mini-ponies (the brown one came over to the fence to say hello), and funny looking brown-spotted sheep.

Bunratty Castle

Folk Village

Little pony

Irish Wolfhounds

1/18, Wednesday: Next Stop: Kilarney - Ring of Kerry! Stay tuned...

Before we had a being in the world we had a being in His heart. When we were enemies to Him, He knew us, our misery, our madness, and our wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and viewed Him only as a judge and a ruler, He viewed us as His brethren well beloved, and His heart yearned toward us. He never mistook His chosen but always beheld them as objects of His infinite affection.

grateful. thank you, Jesus.

 
On Christmas Eve, b & i were able to attend service and worship together for the very first time (since we started dating over a year ago) at our home church. Although both he and I are super blessed to serve regularly, sometimes we miss just attending. This was a special treat for us. Thank you, Jesus, for helping us prepare our hearts for your birthday together. <3

when I first saw posts and pictures on macarons, I really didn't get why macarons are so great. They seemed overrated. I want to say that I had them before and didn't enjoy them and then I realized that I only had the wannabe ones. I  actually thought "lette" was a flavor. now I understand. I tried my first one yesterday! omg, my taste buds had a most pleasant unexpected surprise! I had caribbean chocolate from lette (b saved his for me). uber delish! needless to say, I craved more, so today after church, we went to Pasadena for lunch and afterwards (since we were in the neighborhood), visited lette.

I purchased a box of 12 for $9.50 (if purchased alone, it would have been $1.70 each. Oh, and if you buy a box of 6, they actually charge for the box). That would be just enough for his mom (and us), my parents, and my fake parents. We tried lychee (yuck! did not taste like the lychee that I know and like), pistachio, almond, coffee, and chocolate. I like the almond and pistachio (b prefers these 2. he likes the almond a little more), and of course, the chocolate (so yummy!). hm, I think chocolate is still my favorite. the others were a bit too sweet.

Lately, my friend, Tiff, has been getting the almond, violet, passion fruit, earl grey, and rose. She also said the pumpkin's not bad. She especially likes the fruity ones (violet and passionfruit are really fruity). It was her colorful pictures that I remembered when I tried my first macaron.   I'll be trying these next time. She also dislikes the lychee and lemon - next time, I'll also know better and pass these up. Twas a fun experience trying all the different flavors! It'll be fun sharing with our parents, too. <3

In the past few months, I've parted with my first point-and-shoot, along with my DSLR (Canon XTI Rebel). It's been a long time since I've used either (a whole year since I shot with my dslr) and it became obvious that there were others who need it more and would put it to better use that me. Letting go has always been a difficult thing for me, whether it be people or possessions. God has been teaching me how hoarding prevents me from experiencing more of Him and the deep truth that we are blessed to be a blessing - we can never out-give God.

When I parted with my cameras, I knew photography wasn't something I was going to give up long-term, but just for now. I had no idea it would be this soon that I would be shooting again. Just before Thanksgiving, a co-worker of mine offered to sell me a D90 (body only) for a pretty good price, especially considering it was just like new and barely used (b confirmed the condition of the camera). After much thought and research (I had a little bit of help from my friends, Ron and Brian), I decided to pass up the offer (if you're interested, I'll let my co-worker know) and save up for a newer model. I returned my co-worker's camera Monday night (he brought it in for me to check out for a week or so). Little did I know that it would be the same night that I would across another good deal online for a refurbed newer model that I would've saved up for and the price was just right...

I'll be the proud owner of a Nikon soon. ^_^

* Also, now I'll be able to capture moments like these, too.
Yes, that is our CEO on the rooftop taking a call.

Last night, my friends and I had the opportunity to see Lady Antebellum perform at Jimmy Kimmel Live! It was super fun!

This would be my 3rd mini-concert there:
- The 1st was when I was an Undergraduate Associate - aka. Disney intern (I didn't even know who the performer was, so it wasn't very memorable).
- The 2nd I remember well...Brad Paisley on Jimmy Kimmel Live! 2-17-10. I had the best seat in the house! Front-center, right in front of his mic! <3

During the mini-concert he performed...
- American Saturday Night
- Water
- Then
- Ticks &
- Welcome to the Future

- Last night Lady Antebellum opened with:

LeSportsac without tokidoki...

 The price of a messenger bag with buckle is $120 US. gross.