twenty.eight

 Every so often a person gets the chance to reflect...

and to set goals.

For most people it happens on the first of the new year.

For me, the fresh start begins on September 27 since that was the day it all began for me.

This year I want to try something new.  I got the idea that as a twenty-eight year old I should challenge myself to do 28 things I wouldn't normally do or things I have been meaning to do but haven't gotten to yet.

I asked my family and hubs for ideas and what lies beneath is the beginning of a beautiful adventure.

 twenty.eight things to do 

(and the people who helped me come up with them)

1. write more letters and less emails

2. take a floral arrangement class

3. take a writing class (G & G I. inspired)

4. surf more frequently and finally stand up (Alaina's suggestion)

 5. Buy a drink/groceries for the person behind you in line (Rochelle)

6. Deep sea fish

7. Write a children's book

8. Go sailing

9. Go to another new country.

10. Visit a redwood forest

11. Try a new recipe each week (R & Becca)

12. Work your way through a favorite cookbook (to be decided later).

13. bring goodies/small gift (potted plant) to neighbors

14. go on more nature walks with family

15. get all dressed up in my very best, go out to eat in a fabulous restaurant (Grandma S.)

16. write an article for a magazine until I get published. (Dad)

17. Read "My Life in France" by Julia Childs 

18. take a cross country road trip

19. Climb a 14-er (Mt Whitney perhaps??) with family

20. finish reading and interacting with 'Modern Day Malcolms'

21. Find a way to get physical exercise that is fun every day

22. Go kayaking

23. Host more dinner parties

24. Get a tattoo

25. Develop my sewing and crocheting more

26. Write and memorize 28 verses that have been/are impactful in my life (Mikey)

27. Jordan's secret suggestion

28. Becca's secret suggestion

So there you have it. twenty.eight things to do while being a twenty-eight year old. I'll be including a link and posts along the way so that for those of you who are interested can follow to see if I actually accomplish my list.

It's been exciting for me to anticipate this year and to know that so many adventures await me. To push myself.

It's been good to also look back and see how I've adventured and been pushed.

I'll try not to get too sappy on you or even cry as I think about wonderfully blessed I've... sniff... been in life.  I have though.  Beautifully blessed.

I have a husband who not only allows me to be me but helps me to become even more of who I'm supposed to be. Who dreams my crazy dreams with me, who eats my crazy concotions called dinner and says, "I like it." when I do things like paint the bookshelf pacific blue.

Blessed.

I have parents who love and support me even in my wildest endeavors!

Who always have dreamed huge dreams for me and always will.

Who challenge me to remember my roots while living far from them

and who call me five days before my birthday and sing to me every day leading up to the actual day.

Blessed.

I have brothers who taught me to ride a bike, climb a tree and balance my budget.

These brothers married amazingly strong and impressive women who show me every day how to love God by serving your children and families.

Their children, my nieces and nephews, teach me to cultivate the child within my own heart and to never ever grow too old where I can no longer throw my head back and laugh.

Blessed.

 Blessed to have all my friends.

Friends who have seen me grow from childhood, through the awkward years and bounce my way through life.

Friends who have met me along this journey and keep my mailbox filled with love, encouragement and kookiness.

Friends who keep me up late at night.

Friends who kick their shoes off and dance with me.

Friends who teach me that God is always near and never as far as we think.

Blessed.

Thank you to everyone who has blessed me these twenty eight years.

It's been an honor to be your daughter, sister, wife, friend and playmate.

I couldn't have asked for anything else as a gift but the gift of my memory.

impulsion...

I would love to be one of those crafty DIY type bloggers.  But I'm not.  And that's not why you read this.  You read this blog because you know I'm a healthy mixture of part nuts part impulsiveness.  And that, is what brings you back for more.  You wonder what crazy blog I'm going to post next and what weird things am I begging hubs for.

Well, you are nothing short of in luck with this post.

Because the other day, my horom... *cough* I mean impulsive monster that lives within my very heart and makes me happy was raging and I was in desperate need to clean, organize and change something. Some days I just get like this.  Where my house is chaotic and I tell hubs, either the couch goes or I go.

And then I remember we can't afford another couch at this time and so it stays... and so do I.

But just because the couch has to stay doesn't mean I can't yank the books off the bookshelf, drag it to my patio in a desperate impulsive move (It's the monster influencing me) and spray paint it.

And who cares if the spray paint was originally chosen for the table outdoors, so naturally it's bright and fiercly gardeny.

Who says that bright blue can't make a nice bookshelf indoors?

Who's even thinking past the next two minutes anyway?

So I call up my friend... um, we'll call her Falicia (wink, wink) and say, "Wanna come over and spray paint? Hubs isn't home."

And she comes.

And although it looks like she's taking pictures whilst I paint the bookshelf...

truth be told, she did 90% of the spraying.

I say 90% because 90% into the spraying we ran out...

So I called hubs while Falicia disappeared and asked him to bring another can of spray paint shade Pacific Blue and that I would explain later.

And then later came... and although I cried when I saw the bookshelf at first, it's actually quite grown on me.

And yes, I did cry... but like I said, the horom... i mean, impulsive monster doesn't always persuade me to make the best decisions.

But when you and the impulsive monster are best friends it makes everything okay.  And truth be told, it's one of the reasons Hubs married me anyway... because I told him I might do things like this.

I told you didn't I hubs?

Hubs?

to celebrate

One of my favorite finds in San Francisco was the huge sale of flowers at the farmers market.

So to celebrate our anniversary I bought the flowers I carried down the aisle.

Dahlias!

if you know me for five minutes...

If you've known me for five minutes you've probably heard me talk about...

food.

It is because I love food.

I love food more than I love baby elephants which I believe to be the cutest things in the world. Cuter than baby kittens... sorry, but so true.

So of course, on our anniversary trip to San Francisco I'm going to make a big deal out of food and enjoy myself royally.

So. I. Did.

The above picture is from the Firestone Grill in San Luis Obispo, CA.  One of my favorite restaurants to eat at (when I'm in the area, which is rarely) where I always always order, without fail the tri tip sandwich (pictured above) and basket of french fries.  And of course, extra bbq sauce to slather on both.

After Slo, I indulged and got my first pumpkin spice latte of the season.... although it was iced I still managed to enjoy it.

Once in San Francisco, we enjoyed many tourist places like

Ghirardelli's ice cream

(with our friends from Japan) and

clam chowder on fisherman's wharf.

We also ventured off the beaten path to find our own little favorites...

at the farmer's market

Mikey's choice at the corner cafe

my choice at the cafe

and sandwiches before the long drive back.

Is there anything more lovely than a half-chewed close-up of an amazingly delicious sandwich?

one year

Wow! What a weekend.

What a year actually.

Hubs and I celebrated our first year anniversary by taking a trip to San Francisco and it was probably the most fun I've had in a long time.  It was wonderful.

It's true. Hubs and I have been married a whole year.  This time last year I was laying on the couch, nursing my wedding planning ulcer with crackers and milk. Ha ha! How romantic.

I didn't have any jitters about getting married.  I was mostly overwhelmed with making sure everyone had a fun time.

Wedding planning might not be the best industry for a people pleaser....

I knew probably a month into dating Hubs that I wanted to marry him.  I knew he was like no other dude I'd ever dated.  He was so different from me and I was intrigued by him.

I still am intrigued.  How can he remain so calm and steady while I am violently rocking our boat? And sometimes rocking it just to rock it.

There is no rhyme or reason to my actions... I just gotta be me.

Anyway, I am always impressed with Hubs' calm and steady heart.  He is the gravity to my rocketing-off-into-space personality. 

He is my perfect match and I am more in love with Hubs today than ever before.

Back to San Fran though... the first time I heard about San Francisco was in the infamous song "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)" which was sung to me by my brother Jordan who changed Francisco to Francesco who was a chubby little boy in my first grade class that Jordan teased me about.  I did not appreciate Jordan's song. 

Fortunately, the city is much nicer to me than Jordan was at the time.  There was no Francesco and no one bothering me about liking him.  Actually, the city is nothing like what you would expect.  Sure, the sights are what you'd expect but the tiny pockets of cultures and the not so tiny pocket of Chinatown were so unexpected.  We ate only local, recommended places and tried to do everything we wanted without a plaguing schedule.  It was low-key, relaxed and a vacation catered to what we wanted, when we wanted.

My favorite moments were at the large farmers market on Saturday, driving the "crookedest street" and eating breakfast at a cafe on the corner.  So quaint.

This is me before the crookedest street.

And our favorite little sandwich shop. Seriously! Looking at this picture makes me drool.  The sandwiches were THAT good! Yum!!

I have too many stories to tell and waaay too many pictures. So I'll have to share with you throughout time what a wonderful trip we had.

So blessed by you, Mikey.  So in love with you. So thankful for you and our marriage.  Thanks for loving me and making my life more peaceful.

Here's to many more years of rocking the boat... and you trying to hang on.

August 2010

It's so funny where you start a month and end a month.  Usually months are just 30 days of doing the ol' regular schedule.  The day in and day out kind of routine.  But every once in awhile you start a month in oh, say Himi Japan and end it in Long Beach.

It's a crazy world out there Frodo...

ya know what I'm saying.

Anyway, it's fun that at the start of August we were with Ayumi and Keigo in Himi Japan.  I didn't realize we were going to the Western side of Japan (i thought Himi was north) until I saw the sun setting... over the ocean.... and I was like, "wait, where are we going?" ha ha

This month we finished our time in Tokyo Japan.

We survived the worst jet lag either of us have ever had.

We hosted my sweet friend Amy and her husband Ben.

We went to Carlsbad where I got a sunburn that is still radiating on my back. Darn you bad surf!

We went to the beach twice in one week and it was awesome.  I got to surf and boogie board so it was wonderful!

I am 75% finished with a gift.

I haven't touched my sewing machine but I've made some new international friends.

I finished the book, The Secret of Christian Joy by Vance Havner which is maybe the best book I have read in a long time.

Havner is easy to understand but seriously passionate.  Wonderfully great book.  I am blessed by it.

We started school.

I met up with old friends... caught up and heard about adventures in Vermont, Russia and the ME. I made the most amazing beef brisket which turned into an even more mouth-watering bbq sandwich that I inhaled today.

I cooked lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch and dinner for 35 returning student leaders.  I made sandwiches (okay, okay! I just laid out the bread and meat! Sheesh!) and curry, baked penne with spinach and tons of cheese (heaven!).  What else? Oh yeah, my current obsession, egg sandwiches for the morning.  You got so many good things going on in those sandwiches. Protein, fiber, and yummy-ness, an important part of every dish. Finishing with chicken fajitas.

I bought a canning kit.

We bought a grill.

I bought a new dress for our anniversary.

Overall, it's been a great and busy month.  It's fun to think as we start September with new friends and a new ministry, where we'll end September. Maybe projects finished, new dishes prepared or even a new adventure started... who knows?

That's the fun thing about life... you never know where it will take you!

one life

If you are just one person then I am sure there has come a time where you have often thought, "But I am just one person, how can I...." fill in the blank.

This book titled, What Difference Do It Make is the sequel to Same Kind of Different as Me and is the continuing story of two men whose lives were touched and impacted by one person, Mrs Deb Hall.

If you can remember, I reviewed Same Kind of Different back in April located here.

I want to encourage you to pick up both of these books either on Amazon (follow the links by clicking on their titles above) or by stopping at your local bookstore to get them.  They've made a huge impact on my life and as the stories tell, on so many others.

What Difference Do It Make continues the story of how the first book came to be written and follows the two men as they became famous throughout America.  It made me laugh (there is a hilarious incident at the White House), it made me cry (poverty and slavery still exists in America) but most importantly it changed the way I see homeless people.  

Now, I'm not going to say I've mastered the art of caring.  I still get nervous when I see homeless people and I often forget to put cash in my pockets with the thought of sharing that. My journey of caring for the homeless has been long and often confusing.  I remember, more than a year ago, my roommate buying a sandwich for a homeless man who she and her fiance had "adopted" in some ways.  When we went to drop the sandwich off, we stayed to talk to him.  I was so challenged and shocked by my friend but realized how easy it is to engage in conversation those who I was often scared of.

Ron Hall and Denver Moore's story takes you beyond the money issue. Do homeless people need money? Yes! But do they need to know they are loved and valuable people? Yes!

  What I learned from this book of story upon story was to become Jesus to the homeless and enter their worlds. The homeless have been on my mind since reading this book in June and I can't help but wonder where it's going to lead me this year. 

Will you pick up these two books, read how one life can change so many and be challenged?

We must never say, "But I'm just one life..."

for it's with this one life that we are given the ability to love, care for and minister to those less fortunate.  Next time you pass by a homeless person surprise yourself.  Don't just pass them your money, but as you pass them money ask them their name. Be a frequent visitor to where they sit.  Love on them the way Jesus loves on you.

Be changed and have your heart changed for them.

impulsivity

I once ranked "off the charts" for spontaneity.  I think I've told you that before... 

but anyway, I rather like little impulsive moments, it keeps life fresh and my hubs on his feet.

"What should we do for dinner," he asked last night.

"I'm thinking grilled food...." I said, having chicken already marinating in the fridge.

The only problem with this was we didn't have a grill.

No grill, no grilled food.

Although, if you are clued into my tenses here, you'll notice I used past tense.

Because after the above conversation I convinced my hubs to go with me at 6:00PM on a Sunday night to the local Lowe's and look at grills.

So we got ourselves a little Weber.

Isn't he adorable?

My man mans the little Weber

A little spontaneity never hurt anyone, right?

Speaking of impulses, I also picked up a home-canning kit while I was out. 

Tee hee hee

I hope everyone likes creamed corn for Christmas!!!

made to cling

 

*For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name,  a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen* Jeremiah 13:11

 I ran across this verse today and it stopped me.  Stopped me in my tracks... wait, made to cling?

What does it look like to be made to cling?

I know what it looks like to cling to something in hard times.  I went boogie boarding earlier today and the waves and current were fierce, so I clung to my board.  I know what that looks like.

But to be made to cling, now what does that look like?

Too often I cling to the Lord only when times are rough.  I think it's okay to cling to God in hard times.  The bible even commends the man who finds refuge in the Lord. (Psalm 34:8) The bible says he is blessed.  So it's okay to cling to the Lord in hard times...

but is that enough?

If we were made to cling to the Lord, shouldn't we be clinging more than in just the bad times?  I don't think I've got this down yet.  I don't think I cling to the Lord in all times, yet.

To be honest, I'm reading a book by Vance Havner titled, "The Secret of Christian Joy" because I often rely on my feelings and when my feelings aren't there... well, it makes things harder.  Gosh, I'm such a feeler.  This is such a gift but such a darned thing too! :) Mikey always teases me when I give him directions and say, "Well, I feel like it's this way." and he says, "You feel like it's this way?"

I rely on my feelings a lot.

I guess you could say I cling to my feelings.

So I grabbed this book off my father's shelves because I'm curious.  What do people do when the feelings just aren't there?  I'm not questioning my faith, I know there is more to my walk then just feeling happy.  What I guess I'm wondering is, how to minister when I feel parched myself.  How do you give someone water when your own canteen is dry?

So through Havner's book and today's reading in Jeremiah I am realizing that I need to get back to the Source.  I need to cling to Jesus in more times than the bad.  Because by the time the bad times hit, I'm already in a flurry.  So I need some stability and consistency and the only place I'm going to get that, is with the One who made me.

Made to cling.

I may have more thoughts on this because I feel like I should sit and ponder this a bit more but from now on may we all cling a little bit tighter in the good times of life and remember that to truly know ourselves we must intimately know the One who made us and the purpose of our creation.

little time

Since returning from Japan there seems to be little time to do any blogging.  Even though I said I was going to make this a priority, presently other things have taken over.

Mikey and I hosted Amy and Ben Taylor whilst they were on their honeymoon (postponed for a year) cruising the Pacific Coast Highway.

They did so many wonderful things and had a wonderfully unscheduled schedule that I am inspired to do more and be more relaxed about life and plans.

As cliched as it sounds, I want to make a list of things to do in the next year.

Have you ever done those? 

Have they worked?

I know a friend who made it her birthday gift to herself to get better in shape and then she treated herself to a trip to Hawaii... pretty impressive.

Anyway, if you have ever done a list of some sorts let me know what you did or if it worked or not... I'm super interested in doing one for this next year.

change

Change is good.

I need to remind myself of this frequently but overall, yes, change is good.

People say I've mellowed out since getting married to a mellow man.

they call him mellow yellow, that's right slick! 

Anyone?

As I was saying, frequently I get the comment, "You've changed."

And to be honest, I don't like it.  Nope, not at first.

It makes me want to balk and fight the system.  It makes me want to eat fiery hot things, jump into freezing rivers, eat a whole package of oreos and do other ridiculous things that I used to do just because.

I never said no to a dare.

And so somehow when people say I've changed, I'm worried I'm losing myself.  Worried I'll lose my gumption and my courage and turn into the Cowardly Lion.

But you know what?

A little change is good.

For example, marrying my mellow man has me feeling more relaxed and at peace.  I don't feel like I have to do everything all at once.

A little change is good in narrowing down my interests.  When I was in high school I did everything and wanted to be good at everything and I wasn't because I was doing too much. I couldn't quite settle down on one thing.

Now I'm more interested in certain things and desiring to grow in only those certain things.

I'm okay saying, gulp, "no" and realize at this point that I can't do everything and be everywhere and have everything.

And you know what, I'm okay with that!

A little change is in the air and I think for growing in my desires, one of the places I'll start is with my blog.  Thanks to Katie over at Flibby Design Cultivating blog has received a new and very appropriate look to it.

I couldn't say "Happy Anniversary" without a present, could I?

Enjoy the new look, let me know what you think and here's to another five years of learning.

August 8th

five years ago i started a small blog.

it was called something else at that time... i think it was this little light or something about light and shining... and perhaps that wasn't even it's first name but either way, I didn't settle on "cultivating" as my beautiful title until later in blog life.

five years ago i didn't really think i had anything to say but i wanted to comment on my father's blog which needed a "username" to do so.

so i got an account and then i just signed up for a blog

just because.

five years ago i was fresh out of college and had the world as my oyster before me.

i didn't know anyone, seriously not a single soul from California.

 five years ago i was enchanted with big city living... 

now i can recognize the beauty of my upbringings and the value of home.

five years ago I was working at the gap, 

putting together some change and fundraising full time to get to Japan for a 2 year assignment.

I barely knew Mary.

I barely knew Jennifer.

I barely knew the Roods.

I barely knew myself.

five years ago i thought i was so grown up.

i had experienced college and graduated (thank you Lord) and that, in my mind, qualified me as a certified adult.

five years ago i couldn't separate my life from what Truth told me and what I felt

i knew that there was One person I wanted to live for and He took me as a student and has been teaching me ever since.

five years ago i had never known someone who was vibrantly alive one minute and pronounced dead the next.

i had never known such loneliness and yet the small green bud that grows in the cracked cement sidewalk of my heart.

there was never a moment without hope, although there has been moments of darkness.

five years ago i watched one of my closest friends suffer and knew I had no idea what it felt like to be her but that i wanted so badly to understand.

five years ago my Grandpa was alive and well and I believed whole-heartedly that heaven was going to be the best place and that no one should be sad when your friends or family die.

Now I struggle with the sadness of parting in this life from my loved ones and often go to scripture to remind myself that death is not the end.

I am often scared.

but five years ago the only thing that scared me was never falling in love

five years ago i had no idea how God was going to work in my love life when everyone I knew and was friends with were just that... friends.

five years ago i didn't know that my God thought that was funny and had a story ready to unfold when I was ready for it to be told.

five years ago, i didn't know my husband but i prayed for him and longed for him.

five years ago, i didn't know what i wanted in a man but God did and He totally blew my expectations and "want" list away.

five years ago, I thought I knew what "to be in love" meant

five years ago, I was fearless...

or so I thought.

five years ago, i dove into everything head first.

five years ago, i was "charted" as "dangerously spontaneous"

five years ago i loved sweatpants more than anything. (it's true and gross)

five years ago, a blog was started.  there wasn't much hope in it. just the ramblings of a young girl about to embark on her adventure.

She was about to grow up

and continue to find that instead of getting older,

her heart was getting younger.

And after five years, I know without a doubt that there is so much more to grow in and more beauty to give and more stories to tell.

five years ago I started this blog only to realize now, five years later, that I have only just begun telling the stories of God's love in my life.

How blessed am I to be here today, 5 years and so many adventures later.

Happy Anniversary Blog. 

Thanks for listening to me.

Undeserved

I have been the object of undeserved love.

Let me explain.

This summer has been hard for me... it's been super amazing and full of new surprises but not at all what I was expecting.  It's always always better for God's best to rule in my life but it always takes me awhile to let go of my idea of "best".

I know I've told you this before and so it seems to be a common thread for at least this season of life. 

Letting go.

Anyway, I let go of this summer and hoped at one point just to survive the tiredness and the swirly-ness that was me this summer.

Swirly like you put me in a salad spinner.

In my tiredness I realized I wasn't very kind or thoughtful.

So although I wanted to love my team and love the students in our club, I wondered if I was able to push through the muck and tiredness to get to the sweetness of Jesus' love.

Was I communicating mercy, love and care or just tiredness and crankiness?

I really struggled with this because when you are tired and you aren't getting long times with Jesus, my flesh becomes strong and I tend to react out of my feelings and emotions instead of out of Love and Truth.

Yet, tonight at our debriefing, I was the object of many compliments and a showering of love as my teammates affirmed me and my summer.

This ministered deeply to my heart and I realized that I do not always believe the best about myself.  I believe only what I can see and that is sin.

But the Truth is that sin has been relinguished and redeemed in my life.  The Truth about me is that there is no more darkness but only Light.

And living in that Light and focusing on that Light helps me to be a Light to others.

My teammates who helped me to remember the Truth.

The Truth is, I am lovely. I am valued. I am a Lover of people.  I am a Lover of the Lord.

And the Truth is that you are too! You are lovely and valued. You are restored and you are given a Light.

Let us all take off the baskets of lies that cover the Truth of our Lights.

Shine! Shine! Shine!

July 2010

Wow, this is way overdue.  I'm sorry my precious pets that I have not updated you on July 2010 in the Wang family.  You see... we've been super busy.

We've been out and about.

climbing mountains

visiting old friends and falling in love...

with their bakery!

and super busy helping each other try to look good.

It was a festival and fireworks after all... we have to look our best.

And we've been super busy

spectating

and "oohing" and "ahhing"

(that keeps you really busy!)

But just when I wanted to sit down and write you a lovely post we got super busy

discovering new favorites.

This my friends is money! Green money in a delicious single serving cup!

So I'm sorry I haven't been here to write.  As you can see, we've been busy!

But more thoughts and pictures to come shortly!!