no.396 140531 Thank you for the first day of VBS

A beautiful morning that God provided for us!

I am exhausted. Leading children's program all day long is extremely tiring. I feel this way because of my lack of sleep last night. Not only I went to bed late, I couldn't fall asleep because I am so sensitive. Oh how I miss my bed!

Im thankful for day one of VBS program. Im thankful that it was done safe and sound. There is one more day remaining...  I pray that it will also end well! Oh and one more thing… I'm thankful for the beautiful weekend God's provided!

no.395 140530 Thank you for the safe drive to the retreat centre

God's blessed a sunny day for all of us

I'm thankful that our team of teachers got to the retreat centre safe and sound! We only had to make one detour. When we got to the centre, the relaxing view captured my attention. It was indeed the calm before the storm… haha.

no.394 140529 Thank you for teacher's prayer night

In preparation of VBS, teachers gathered in one place to take some time to pray. It is indeed the very important part of this planning, but due to our schedules, we weren't able to meet up to pray together. It was a very nice time to just share about life and prayer requests, to pray for one another, and to pray for the retreat.

no.393 140528 Thank you for the tulip festival

My own tulip festival in my neighbourhood!

Lately, I've been extra tired due to multiple commitments. It requires a very wise time management. I must confess, I did have time to work on my blog at night… perhaps even for ten minutes. But my excuse was that I was too tired and I felt like skipping one or two. Even today, I was so unmotivated to write. It's almost 11PM and I still have a lot to do and my eyes are half closed. But! I took a picture of something beautiful today, and I wanted to share it with you. These tulips made my day today! I was bummed to miss the sakura, and other flowers bloom… however, I'm so thankful that I got to see these colourful bed of tulips blossom in my neighbourhood!

no.392 140527 Thank you for my sewing skills

My portable sewing kit that I got when I was in elementary school!

I realized not many people know how to sew. Not to say I'm an expert, but I'm the only one who knows how to sew out of 30+ people at my work. I guess I'm one of a kind haha. If it wasn't for grade 4 or 5 in elementary school "family" class, I probably wouldn't have known how to sew. I'm thankful for this skill I gained back in elementary school!

The mini sewing kit in the picture was a gift of my aunt! I was obsessed with Hello Kitty when I was young. I thought it was so adorable, and that it could come in handy when I grow up. Just in case a button falls off from my shirt, I could just sew it on I thought. Although I'm all grown up I never carry this. Maybe I should starting from now?

no.390 140525 Thank you for God's will

Summer fun party ideas:)

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, 

but be transferred by the renewing of your mind. 

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - 

his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

I had a pretty tiring sunday, even more than usual. When I got home from church, I ate whatever I saw on my kitchen counter and passed out on the floor. I had to get up in an hour due to a meeting, but it was a nice nap for sure.

Today's sermon, and the work meeting interestingly shared a similar point. I sometimes forget to as "why" I want and do certain things in life. For instance, as my pastor mentioned, why do I want to know God's will? I always, always, and always pray that in every single aspect of my life, that I want things to happen according to God's plan. I guess I never really asked myself why I so eagerly want this. I couldn't disagree with my pastor when he said how us wanting to know God's will is to benefit ourselves. This is very true because, life is full of decisions and many take a lot of time, thought, prayer and advice before coming to a conclusion. Many times I prayed to God to just tell me straight up because that will make my life so much easier. It is true that many times, I was seeking for God's will for my sake. I am reminded that the reason why I am pursuing God's will is to glorify God alone. So let's not forget to ask the question "why" in the things we do and what we pray about.

no.389 140524 Thank you for the moment to remember Mexico

Dulce de leche gelato!

Sometimes I forget how exciting it is to be returning to Mexico this summer. It was for a quick second, but while waiting for a friend at a busy intersection downtown, the moment took be back to Mexico. For some reason, it reminded me of Centro de Guadalajara. It could've been the busyness of the moment, or the breeze, or the smell, or the fact that I was waiting for my Mexico team member from last year. I don't know what, something from that moment triggered my memory of last summer. Mexico 2013 was like a dream for me. I still can't believe that I was on the mission trip to Mexico, and I  can't believe I'm going back this July. I'm happy I had a moment to remember my mission trip!

no.388 140523 Thank you for the time to explore Toronto

I heart desserts:)

I like exploring in general. I love checking out new restaurants and dessert shops. Lately, I haven't been able to due to work and other things going on in my life. I had a chance to explore the part of the city I don't go that often. The result? Too much food in my tummy. Starting with some really delicious Italian pizza, to gelato and these cookies in the photo… mmhmm!

no.387 140522 Thank you for the subway that came early

Add caption

After 9PM, the subways don't come as often. If I miss one, it takes about 5 minutes at least until the next train arrives at the platform. As I was walking to the station, I saw my train coming and I knew that I was going to miss the train even if I ran. I was pretty bummed because I had a stressful day at work and the last thing I wanted was to wait for my train to come. So I just walked at a slower pace thinking that I was gonna have to wait a bit. Strangely, another train came right after! I was surprised, but I was very happy:) Thank you for sending the next train soon, so that I can come home as early as possible!

no.385 150520 Thank you for a tea time with a friend

I quickly met up with a friend of mine, who is also my life leader. Our group meets every other week, and we decided that on the weeks that we don't meet, that we will takes turns going on a date with one member. Although we spent less than two hours, it was nice catching up with her (especially because I missed the last meeting!). I'm thankful to have her as my life group leader and friend in my life:)

no.384 140519 Thank you for the fun day of church picnic

Beautiful sky!

It was supposed to rain but God provided a beautiful sunshine for our church's annual picnic!
I've been out in the sun for almost the entire day… and my face is so itchy because I stayed out in the sun this long. Hopefully the face mask will help! I participated in volleyball (I suck at it) and dodgeball (I suck at this as well). To be honest, I'm not athletic so I suck at everything. So I rather play, and that's why I enjoy sports that doesn't require teamwork. I'm thankful that it didn't rain and it seems like most of us had fun, including myself:)

no.383 150518 Thank you for the home alone night

I sometimes wonder if my family loves me or not. Last Sunday for mother's day dinner, my parents and my sister went out for a "family" dinner without me. Well, I understand because they knew that I was coming home late because of a meeting. Plus I told them to go first, and I was hoping that I would meet them there. Unfortunately, by the time I was done, they were finished and were on their way home.  And today, I was busy with another meeting after the service and on my way home, I received a text message from my sister saying that they are in Niagara Falls. Okay… fine. I probably wouldn't have gone anyway, but how can they not even tell me that they were going away?! I asked when they were heading home and the one and only response I got was "we are watching fireworks." Great. 

It may seem like I'm complaining, but I'm actually glad that I am home alone tonight. From time to time, I definitely feel the need to have this time. Sundays are always tiring… and if I want to make it for the picnic tomorrow, I must go to bed soon!

no.382 150517 Thank you for the yummy eclairs (I hope!)

Chocolate covered mini eclairs

The last time I baked eclairs, I didn't put enough salt... resulting in a pretty bland pate a choux. So I kept adding salt little by little when I was making the dough today. I just took out the first batch and... I find them a little too salty than I expected. But, I trust that they will be fine once I fill them with the pastry cream and cover them in a chocolate glaze. Mmhmm! Can't wait to assemble them:)

I'm thankful for my baking time. I surely enjoyed it with some of my favourite music in the background.

no.381 140516 Thank you for the night with my friends

I met up with a couple of my high school friends for dinner, and we headed over to some networking event that my friend's boyfriend is in charge of. When my friend asked me if I wanted to, I had originally said yes. However, I checked the details and it seemed pretty boring as it was totally unrelated to my interests. I was thinking about just going for dinner with them and skipping round two, but I wanted to spend more time with them so I ended up attending the event. It was certainly irrelevant to me, but it wasn't as bad as I imagined. 

Now it's time for bed. Good night!

no.380 140515 Thank you for a friendship that will last

Kimchi fries and Kalbi taco for lunch

I have my window open and I am listening carefully to the rain drops. It's been raining the entire day. It's nice, however, I'm afraid that it's gonna make all the flowers fall on the ground and break my heart. I didn't even get to go on a picnic!!!! When I checked the High Park website to see the status of the cherry blossoms, it says that they are currently fully blossomed. Most likely I won't get a chance to visit the park, but I just hope that I can make a trip to my school at least.

So many things happened today as I had to meet three different groups of people. Although I had a good time with every one of them, one moment comes in mind as I look back at my day. I really enjoyed the time when I was sitting at a Starbucks by a big glass window, watching people pass by with their umbrellas. It only lasted about a few minutes max, but for some reason that moment left a strong impression on me I guess. Rain and music can shape the way you feel.

Today was the last time seeing my friend in Toronto. She is visiting Japan for the next two months and after, she will be joining her husband in Lebanon as he found a new job there. I'll surely miss her and her cute little baby girl! But I also know that I will see her and her family again in the future. The biggest concern for me is her safety in the foreign country. I hope her husband finds a job in Toronto again and come back soon!

There are certain types of music that I like to listen on a rainy day… one of them being "One Lovely Day" by Citizen Cope. It's a nice song to listen to on a rainy night like this:)

no.379 140514 Thank you for a fast workday

Tulips!

I haven't gone out for a day, and now there are flowers everywhere! These tulips finally bloomed and look so pretty. On one of the sunny days, I want to make a trip to my university and walk around the campus! I took lots of nice photos last year in spring time, and I hope to get another successful photo session.

I'm thankful that the workday went by fast today. I was worried that my stomach problems will come back as I'm not 100% healed. Thankfully, nothing has happened. I made some plans for tomorrow and I hope that by then, I will be back to my normal!

no.378 140513 Thank you for the full day of rest

Craving sweets like this milk roll cake… that I didn't get to eat.

I'm craving a lot of things… it's a good sign that I'm feeling a lot better. I've been craving something sweet and dairy like ice cream, or ice cream and waffles, frozen yogurt, raspberry cupcakes and a Korean snack called "kan-cho." What's more sad is that there are two tubs of Haagen Hazs in my freezer and I can't have it because of my stomach ache:( Although I'm feeling much better, I want to stay away from dairy until tomorrow. I'm thankful for the full day of rest.

no.377 140512 Thank you for my family who takes care of me when I'm sick

I started having a headache during the day and I got so cranky at the fact that no one was coming to pick me up today. I'm usually fine taking the subway home but because I wasn't feeling well, I was pissed off at my family. I suddenly felt so sick on the way home so I called home to see if someone can pick me up. My sister was in the middle of studying for her exam, but she told me she can pick me up although she thought I was faking. Thankfully, I didn't feel too sick until I got home. Things got worse but I was glad that I was home, and I had my family to look after me. No matter how old you get, I realized that the first person who comes to your mind when you're sick is your mom. At least for me. I felt so bad being angry at my mom and my family in the first place. I'm so thankful that they were there to take care of me when I'm sick.

no.376 140511 Thank you for helping me worship God

The first tulip of the year

Happy Mother's day to my mom and all the mothers out there!
My sister and I shared a lot of laughter this morning because of my mom. She wears glasses and because she wasn't wearing a pair this morning, she couldn't even see that there was anything on the dining table… so we walked pass it multiple times until she finally discovered that there was something for her.

I'm thankful that I was reminded of something very important. Since this week, Sunday has become a really busy day for me because Mexico meetings are taking place after the service until the week we depart. I normally have preschool teacher's meeting before the service starts. It was my turn to lead the activity, so I prepared even more than usual for the teacher's meeting. I just had so much things on my mind and things to do at church today, that I missed the most important fact - the very fact that I go to church to worship God. Nothing else matters if the heart to worship God does not exist. There is no point of serving in the ministry nor leading people to the mission trip if there is an absence of worshipping God in my life. To be honest, I didn't go to worship God today. I had too much on my plate and I have prioritized work before God. I'm thankful that I was reminded of my sin. I want to take the time to confess.

no.375 140510 Thank you for the beautiful spring saturday

I was happy to see my favourite flavour:)

You know how something can make you smile instantly when you see it or feel it? That happened to me today when I walked out from the subway station. The breeze was so nice and the sun was so warm  - I took a big breath and breathed in spring! I was really glad it did't rain! Tomorrow is gonna be another beautiful day… I'm looking forward to it!

Another thing that made me smile was these pretty little macarons. A friend of mine surprised me with this thoughtful gift and I was happy to find my favourite flavours

no.374 140509 Thank you for the pretty flowers in the field

Jeju, 2007

I was checking to see when the cherry blossoms in High Park will be blossoming this year. According to the website, the anticipated date is mid May… which is next week. From my photo albums, it was early May last year that I went to see the cherry blossoms. Hmmm, the spring is definitely delayed this year. However, I'm starting to see colours - there is a field of daffodils on my way to work and the pink magnolias in my neighbourhood are slowly blooming. Oh yes, I also saw the lovely dandelions in the field… ahhh great. Thankfully, I'm not allergic to pollen. Hopefully the mix of rain and sunshine will make the flowers grow faster. I can't wait to go on a picnic!

no.373 140508 Thank you for two dates in a row

I love waffles and ice cream!!! Whee!!

Mmhmm! Spring is in the air!

I had two dates on this beautiful spring day! I was invited over for lunch at a friend's house and she prepared a really delicious and healthy meal for us! And I brought a dessert… so heavy and fattening… I made chocolate glazed pate a choux with pastry cream. Although it looked ugly, I was so glad it still tasted pretty good.

It was so warm and beautiful outside, I wanted to stay out a little longer. I called my sister to see if she wanted to go for ice cream. She said no to my suggestion and recommended something even better. Waffles and ice cream! My sister and I are making a list of places we want to go together - mostly restaurants and dessert shops. We better start working out if we're gonna check out all those places!

no.372 140507 Thank you for a chance to look back at my life as a granddaughter

An early Mother's Day celebration

Talking to my grandparents always makes me emotional. What happened today made me realize how bad of a granddaughter I've been. I just got a phone call from my grandma from Korea, and she was whispering to me. I was wondering what's up, but she hurriedly said something and hung up right away. She told me to call her house because it's "Parent's Day (어버이 날)" in Korea. I usually call my grandparents on this day but it didn't register in my head. I called the house number and my grandma picked up the phone as if our previous conversation never happened. Then, I sensed that my grandpa was home too and was disappointed that my sister and I haven't called them despite the fact that it is Parent's day in Korea. And that's why my grandma called so "secretly."

As usual, my grandpa was watching a baseball game on TV, and my grandma was getting ready to go out to celebrate the day with her friends from the senior centre. I got emotional when I started talking to my grandpa. Most of the time, his answer is "I'm good" when I ask how he's been. For the first time, he responded with a different answer and I wasn't happy to hear that. He said "so so." It was so unexpected. What was more surprising was the question he asked me. He asked if I was gonna come visit my other grandpa in Korea. On a side note, my other grandpa is sick and he used to be in the hospital but he slightly got better. I think I would've been less sad if he asked me when I was gonna visit Korea straight up instead of rephrasing. The way he questioned me seemed like my grandpa himself wasn't of a good reason for me to go back to Korea.

My conversation with my grandparents today makes me seriously consider of visiting Korea sometime soon. I question myself… what good is it if I go back to Korea when all my grandparents have passed away? Thankfully, very thankfully, I have all four of them still with me. Yet, I cannot see them or spend time with them because I'm just too far away from them. I should definitely spend more time, as much as I can when I have the chance. I know that my grandpa is saying "I miss you" when he says how the gingko tree in the fall reminds him of the time when I brought him a bag full of eun-haeng the last time I was in Korea. Although he doesn't tell me the words "I miss you" or "I love you" I know very well that he misses me and loves me.

I wish I could go to Korea right now, and take my grandparents out for lunch. And then walk to a park and play badminton with my grandpa, and after, I can go grocery shopping with my grandma and I can help her prepare dinner. Actually, I've never cooked for my grandparents. I would like to make a nice meal for them one day. I hope I still have a chance to do that for them.

no.371 140506 Thank you for my shopping buddy

Soon to be beautiful tulips!

Shopping is tiring and it takes a lot of time and energy. Generally, I don't really like shopping, unless I am browsing for something specific. And if I have to, I usually like shopping alone, or with my mom and/or my sister. I had a chance to do some window shopping during my lunch time. I wasn't planning on getting anything, but I came across something decent with an ideal price. When I shop, I usually go to the sale section first and try to find good deals. The two items I found were from the clearance, meaning that they were gonna be final sale. Since I couldn't return or exchange the merchandise, I needed to make a wise decision - do I really like this? am I really gonna wear it? does it look good on me? I decided to call for a little help from my shopping buddy. I needed my sister's opinion.

In the end, I purchased both items. I'm happy they look nice on me, and they were so cheap! Thanks Sunny, for being my shopping buddy!

no.370 140505 Thank you for my keun-ee-mo

Happy children's day!

I can hardly remember the last time I celebrated children's day. I think the last memory I have of receiving a present on this day was probably when I was in grade 7 or 8. Knowing that there is no such thing as "children's day" in Canada, my aunt sent my sister and I a box full of pretty things, all the way from Korea. I still remember how happy I was when I opened the package! Back then, I was obsessed with Hello Kitty. I got a whole collection of Hello Kitty - umbrella, folder, pencil holder, stationaries, and probably some other goodies, but I can't recall everything (it's just way too long ago). She sent two of everything in different styles - she knew my sister and I would fight over the presents. My aunt also included a card, and she said something like, how she would celebrate the children's day with my sister and I, until her son goes to middle school. Hmmm, my cousin is in first year university. I'm not sure if she kept her promise but I'm thankful for my aunt. I think she's probably the third most thoughtful person in my life. The first being my mom, the second being my grandma, and then my aunt.  She's also written the most about of letters/card to me from Korea. The last couple of times I visited Korea, my eemo and I used to go out for coffee and cake, go shopping, and watch movies together. Ahh fun times. If I go back to Korea in the near future, I would love to spend more time with my eemos - just simple things like going for coffee or dduk-bok-ee would be so much fun, just like always!

no.369 140504 Thank you for the walk in the wind

I'm waiting to see your beautiful faces!

I think I woke up so happy this morning. Well, I woke up because my sister started talking to me at 7AM… just before we woke me up, I had a dream about her so I shared it with her and went back to sleep. I think I slept for another hour or two, when my sister woke me up for the second time because she was hungry. So I got up and started making food… by then, I think I was hungry too. Anyways, I didn't expect the day to be this beautiful! I was just glad to get some sunshine through my window. 

I had an opportunity to walk a pretty long distance in the afternoon. I had the option of taking the bus home or walk, but it felt like I needed to take advantage of this sunny weather. Although it was still windy, I had a nice walk with a friend of mine! I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did!

no.368 140503 Thank you for letting me realize my anger towards my family

Housewarming brunch at a friend's house

Frustration.

I was frustrated at the fact that my parents were inconsiderate about something I had told them earlier this week. I had two schedules lined up for me - brunch at a friend's house and the first Mexico meeting. I got angry because they weren't on time when I told them that I needed to be at certain place by certain time. I told them I needed the car and it seemed like they totally ignored what I had said before. When they called me that they were gonna be late, I got angry. My parents running late meant I was gonna be late for my meeting. I wanted to be at church on time especially because I am in the leadership team. I also wanted to take the car because the team members are high school students and I know the majority won't be driving… I wanted to take them home afterwards. Anyways, we had to make some last minute changes and concluded that my parents will give me a ride to church instead of having myself driving.

While I was waiting for them, I realized how easy it was for me to get angry at my family. I hardly ever get mad at my friends or co-workers. I'm not sure if most people are like that though. I think in some degree, yes, because of the reason that it is your family. We are so comfortable and in a way, there is barely any etiquette amongst family relationships. It's an area that I need to definitely change but it's challenging.

When I think about today's situation, I do also think that I was being selfish in a way. Sometimes I think I'm such a selfish being and think that the world revolves around me. Originally, I told my parents to not go anywhere because I needed the car… yes, I was being super inconsiderate and selfish. I had my reasons… however, I should've brought it up more nicely.

Thankfully, I ended up arriving at the meeting right on time but I wasn't able to drive. I hope, that in the future when I get into an argument with my family, that I wouldn't let my emotions come out first. Rather, I want to logically think and ask the question, what would Jesus do or say in a situation like this.

no.367 140502 Thank you for specific prayer requests

A blast from the past - Jeju, 2007

A friend of mine messaged me today after finding out that I will be going to Mexico this summer. I told him that I'm excited but nervous at the same time, and that I would appreciate a lot of prayers from him. I thought the conversation was gonna end there with him saying "I will keep you in my prayers." I was wrong. He asked me if I have something more specific requests. Then I realized that I normally get two responses when I ask people to pray for me. One is "I will" and the other is "anything specific?" It also made me consider how I respond to others when asked to pray for them. I think I was more of the first type than the latter type. I certainly appreciate both answers but I realized how much difference it makes  when you share specific prayer requests. I'm not saying it's always the best to pray for someone with something specific in mind. And I definitely don't mean that you shouldn't pray for someone unless you know what to pray for them. For me, some people pop up in my mind when I pray and I don't necessarily know what they have been praying about. It's not gonna stop me from praying for them. I know that there is a reason that I thought of them while I was praying.

I want to be able to ask the question "anything specific?" the next time someone asks me to pray for them.

no.366 140501 Thank you for the next goal - 1000 days of blogging

Magnolia buds

Are you surprised? Or did you expect it?

I decided to continue with my blog even after blogging for the past 365 days. I mean, I'm already almost halfway to reach next goal -1000 days of thanksgiving. It might seem unachievable. I also might lack motivation than before. But, it doesn't hurt to give it a try. Right? Even though I might be less dedicated than when I was trying to aim for 365 days, I want to keep going! We'll see how far I can go!