1st semester of pharmacy school-- DONE!

Eugene finished his 1st semester on Tuesday-- and it's been non-stop partying ever since! Well, sorta.

We've been sleeping alot, lounging alot, drinking lots of hot tea (and the occasional decaf coffee's to fight off the withdrawals) and trying to get rid of our nasty headaches (and body aches/stomach aches for me). It's been sweet and exhausting at the same time but we are both so thankful that the semester is over! Eugene has been taking non-stop surprise naps as of late, making up for all of the sleeptime he's missed out on the past few weeks and I'm just thankful to have a stress-free husband in the house. (Woot woot!)

Since Eugene doesn't like making his little debuts on our blog, I had to be creative and did a mini-interview.  So here it is.

----

1. What was the hardest thing about your 1st semester?
Driving in traffic

2. What did you like about it?
 I learned alot in a short period of time. It was fun learning everything

3. What did you miss most during your 1st semester?
"Sleep"
 ("and my wife"... after some prompting, of course. hehe)

4. What will you do differently next semester?
"Study earlier"
 ("and spend more time with my wife"..this also required some prompting)

---

 And... there you have it folks! 

I seriously praise God for His faithfulness in carrying Eugene through this quarter. With the hours and hours of driving in heavy, stand still traffic a day.... to rushing after class to get to work on time (in traffic of course)... to coming home late from work (and traffic), having to study, sleep late and wake up really early to do it all over again......from waking up in wee hours in the morning to leave for school by 5:00am...... my husband is a trooper!  Even though it was just ONE semester, it's been a tough and long road. We've learned alot of hard lessons together during this season, but we're glad to say we'll be prepared for next year!!!!!

(after a long, fun-filled, relaxing and fruitful break of course!)

 

Have a great break, everyone!

As for you, Mr. Pharmacy School, you are so dead next year.

We will love you and destroy you to bits and pieces :)

love always,

Sharon & Eugene

give thanks- a semester to testify of God's faithfulness in our lives, hard lessons learned, grace to get through each day, time to spend with my husband (thank you x1000000!!!!), time to rest, time to recover, our physical weaknesses that serve to magnify the strength of our God.

Everyday Life - Week 48, 49 & 50

Oh my, I am so horrible at updating these things on a weekly basis. Can't believe I only have two more weeks of this "everyday life" posting. Hope I can at least keep up until the end of the year. :) November has quickly come and gone and now we are in the better half of December already! Eugene is finishing up his finals (he ends on Tuesday, woo hoo!!) and we're slowly preparing for our move at the end of this month! I'm super excited for Eugene to finish finals and to finally spend some good quality time with my husband again! He's going to be working full-time hours during his break, but at least he wont have to stay up late studying anymore! YAY!

These past few weeks have been fun with lots of grocery shopping at trader Joes, trying new recipes, organizing and re-organizing, laundry, etc. The usual. I'm starting to set goals for myself for the new year and I'm excited to share them with you as this year comes to a close... but for now, here's a quick update of the last few weeks!

I made chili a few weeks ago (sorta-ish out of scratch) and it was really fun! There were sooooo many ingredients and spices, and it turned out fantastic! I'm gonna try to make it again in a few weeks and I'll post a recipe, too! :) Look at all those spices!

Some days, Eugene gets to come home early from class and I have enough motivation to actually whip up some lunch. This was one of those days. :) We had tuna melt and tomato basil soup. Yum!

Our church visited Vintage Newport senior center to sing carols and pass out Christmas cards. It was such a blessing being able to spend time with the residents there! Here's our dashing caroling crew.

This is my favorite picture from the day. Doesn't this just melt your heart?!

The decorations at South Coast plaza are pretty breathtaking during this season. :) I couldnt' get the whole tree because it was SO HUGE but here's the tip of it at least.

Lots of kitchen cleaning this month! Here are some of my spices stashed up in the corner while I sanitize the stove area.

An impromtu-oh-my-the-bananas-are-getting-so-brown banana bread. Healthiest recipe ever, too! Just flour, eggs, baking powder, a dab of butter, banana and brown sugar. No diabetes for us!

Experimenting with goodies I found at Trader Joes. This dish was SO good and made my husband very, very happy!

Too bad yellow curry is so unphotogenic! Boo..

Lunch prepping for Eugene. Whatever doesn't fit in the tupperware = dinner for me! Yay!

At work, we had a little baby booming season this year so we had a lunch with all the babies last week. It was so fun! and hipster (we met at Whole Foods in Fashion Island, aka home of the hipsters.)

A beautiful day at the beach with my sister. Those furry bushes are so pretty to me.

My cousin Sam got married last weekend. As you can see, their wedding was beautiful. :)

My silly family (minus our middle child.) <3

A dashing photo of my parents. I'm blessed, for sure!

Picking flowers during cocktail hour. 

This is basically what our lives look like at the moment.

Can't wait for Eugene to be done this Tuesday!!!
Movie-nights, date-nights, sleeping in, coffee shop trips and packing for our move.

Exciting times ahead. Celebrations to come soon!

Have a joyful week, everyone!

love,

sharon

Give thanks -- time to read, sisters, fellowship, the power of prayer, meeting new people, trader Joes and their infinite supply of goodies, cheap produce at TJ, perfectly ripe avocados, a job that always challenges me to learn something new, anticipation for what's ahead!

five things I'm currently reading

Not everyone may know this about me, but I really love reading. If I could, I would sit in coffee shops for hours and hours sipping on some bad-for-you latte or extra-iced tea and read books all day long. I definitely don't read as much as I would like to, but I'm hoping to change that! I've set goals for myself for the new year so that I could encourage myself to read more of the books I've purchased through the years. I have quite a collection actually (we're gonna be buying another bookshelf soon, we're running out of shelf space) and some books are still in the plastic wrapper.... so shameful!

I vow to (try my best) not to buy any more books for the time being.. emphasis on *try*.

I'm also really ambitious when it comes to reading and I usually starting 3-4 books at one time because I can never decide which one to read first! Unfortunately, I'm a really slow reader and I get discouraged pretty easily so I rarely get to the end. (Such a bad habit, I know!) To alleviate this bad habit of mine, one of my New Years resolutions is to read 12 books from cover to cover (one book a month!) Hopefully this blog will keep me accountable... but, more on that later.


I've been reading a few books for the past few weeks and thought I'd share with you!
Here are five things I'm currently reading:

The Smitten Kitchen is a really fun read with lots of great recipes. The recipes are fancy but the writer makes it so simple and approachable. She shares funny stories, lots of helpful tips and great ideas for make-aheads. 

 

The Keys to the Kitchen is probably my favorite kitchen-related, food-related cook book EVER. It teaches you everything you need to know about the food you're cooking with and the kitchen you're cooking it in. The book talks about how to cook different cuts of meat, what types of spices are good to use in stews vs pastas, different types/consistencies of cheese and which ones to melt vs grate. It also teaches you how to stores/freeze your food, how to sanitize your kitchen goodies, what to stock your pantry with, what vegetables and fruits are in season-- the list goes on! The book ends with 300+ recipes of simple yet AMAZING food.  I'm telling you, the best book EVER.

I randomly grabbed this book off the shelf last week when I had a few hours to kill at Starbucks. I love all Jerry Bridges books because of how clearly he's able to explain the fundamental truths of the Christian faith. The Transforming Power of the Gospel helps us to understand God's grace in our every day lives and how we still need the gospel each and every day. An encouraging read!

These next two are books that I'm always reading.  These books are devotional/prayer books that are great if you're low on time due to busy work seasons, super mom life with kids, etc.. 

The Valley of Vision is a collection of prayers of people who loved God and knew how to deeply commune with Him in prayer. I am always so blessed and strengthened whenever I read pages from this book. This book always leads my heart to worship. I highly encourage you to get this book. ASAP :)

"If" is a really small book that at first glance appears to be a small collection of poems. Amy Carmichael is one of my favorite female authors and one of my heroes of the faith. These are much-needed, honest reminders of how Christ's sacrifice for us on Calvary ought to transform us mind, body and soul. There are no words to really describe what the book is so here are some excerpts.

If I cannot in honest happiness take the second place (or the twentieth); 

if I cannot take the first without making a fuss about my unworthiness, 

then I know nothing of Calvary love

If the praise of others elates me and their blame depresses me; 

if I cannot rest under misunderstanding without defending myself; 

if I love to be loved more than to love, to be served more than to serve, 

then I know nothing of Calvary love.

f I refuse to allow one who is dear to me to suffer for the sake of Christ, 

if I do not see such suffering as the greatest honor that can be offered 

to any follower of the Crucified, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

Happy Reading!

Have a great week, everyone!

XOXO,

sharon

Everyday Life - Week 46 & 47 {Thanksgiving edition}

Yipes, I only have a few more weeks left for these "Everyday Life" posts. Crazy how quickly this year is coming to an end. Sorry I've been slacking on these posts! After a long, long time of being a little husband-deprived because of our crazy opposite schedules-- the long weekend provided us with much opportunity to catch up and make up for lost time. (We went to the movies 2 nights in a row last week! Party hardy..haha) That's my humble attempt to make an excuse for not updating last week. :)

But after some prompting and encouragement from a dear friend (ahem, Logan, ahem).. I'm back! Our Thanksgiving was spent with lots of sleeping in, lots of Chinese food, sweet family time and Wreck it Ralph. Now we're back to the normal routine of things with Eugene back at school and both of us back on our early morning schedules. It's been a rough transition back to reality but our hearts are so thankful. Eugene's been busy with his new job at Kaiser and getting ready for finals, but he's been really working hard to squeeze in some "wife time" every now and then. It's been really sweet and I'm so thankful for him sacrificing his precious study time for me!

Anyway, here's what the last two weeks looked like.

Here's a picture of me in the middle of our crazy bathroom. It's finally cold enough to wear winter clothes!

Our "Baby Wives" small group at The Beachcomber  at Crystal Cove for our last meeting with Tina! It's been a wonderful year :)

I made one of Eugene's favorite dishes to celebrate the end of his midterm season. I believe it's called "Sichuan" which is a Chinese eggplant dish. 

BOOM! Only takes minutes. This is seriously the easiest recipe ever. Hopefully I can get it up on my blog soon (once I figure out all the sauce measurements.) I usually just add sauce as I go, but soon! I don't even know if I'm making it right but this dish makes my husband VERY happy.

This was the coffee station that my in-laws set up for our Thanksgiving Dinner.. biscottis and shortcakes and all. They are SO sweet and SO cute! I love them :)

Some last minute scallion choppin' by my FIL. I just noticed my sister in the back checking on the baking fish in the oven. HAHA!

Getting the salmon ready to cook in the oven. Garlic and cilantro make everything in life a little tastier, in my opinion :)

Here are some happy pictures of my family. First off, my mom and FIL. :)

Our sweet grandparents :) and my sisters ruining the picture in the background.

This is what our Thanksgiving dinner looked like this year... Chinese style :)

Some Thanksgiving/Autumn-themed table decor.

Here's a rare picture of just the two of us,  warming up near the fireplace :)

and here's one with the whole gang. It was a wonderful thanksgiving indeed.

and if you're wondering where I get my craziness is from, here's your answer...

(...with a turkey-shaped flower arrangement of course!)

I hope that even though Thanksgiving was last week, you'll let me share a few things that I'm most thankful for. This year I have soooooo much to be thankful for, but here are 10 things.

1. First and foremost, I'm thankful for Christ and his gospel; The gospel that enables me to see the depravity of my sinful nature and leads me to a deeper understanding of my need for grace. I'm thankful for the joy and hope I am able to find in Him alone, despite the challenges and difficult circumstances of this world. I'm thankful for the strength that God provides daily to help me to live a life of perseverance and sanctification-- as I fight the fight of faith in my every day.

2. I'm thankful for my church, for its leaders for their wisdom and love in shepherding us and the community of believers I'm constantly spurred on by. 

3. I'm thankful for my family. For the Lee's and the Tsengs. For the love that we have for each other and for the vast opportunities that we have (and will continue to have) to show Christ's love to each other and to serve each other with our lives.

4. I'm thankful for my job. For God's providence and faithfulness in providing me with my job. I'm thankful that I have a job that provides opportunities for me to learn new things, ask questions and grow in my love and passion for nursing. I'm thankful to have a job that challenges me to show patience and compassion (even to the most difficult patients), to find joy in serving others, and to give myself selflessly as I strive to show Christ's love to my patients.

5. I'm thankful for my co-workers, who bring so much joy and excitement to my work days. I'm thankful for people who I can learn from and grow alongside. I'm thankful to have awesome people to dance with during great work days and encourage as we struggle through the hardest of days.

6. I'm thankful for our little cozy apartment. I'm thankful that its close to church so we can stand ready to serve whenever a need arises. I'm thankful that its close to my church community  and UCI so I can use our home as a place of ministry and service to the church body.

7. I'm thankful for Thai Spice, Aloha hawaiian BBQ, Chae Bahn and Pho Saigon Pearl for providing the perfect comfort foods after long work days. 

8. I'm thankful that I discovered the awesomness of Trader Joes. For it's fresh and organic produce, cheap but tasty cheeses, and great instant foods that make my home-making life easier and so much more enjoyable!

9. I'm thankful for the ability we have to pray to a God who hears us, who cares for us and who accomplishes His will through the prayers of His people. I'm thankful for the conviction to pray and constant reminders to pray via sermons, conversations with sisters, etc. I'm thankful that even when I fail to pray, God is gracious.  I'm thankful for times of loneliness and helplessness that cause me to pray.I'm thankful for the peace it brings during trying times, the hope it brings in times of desperation and the strength it brings when I'm feeling most weak. I'm thankful that there is power in prayer and that there have been millions of instances in this past year that have shown me what great power there is when God's people pray.

10. Last but most definitely not least, I'm thankful for Eugene. I'm thankful for his leadership in our marriage. I'm thankful for his perseverance during this difficult semester of Pharmacy School and his effort to still spend time with me during his busy seasons. I'm thankful that we have a marriage that teaches us how to show grace, how to serve unconditionally and how to love each other even when we don't feel like we do. I'm thankful to have a partner to grow with, to struggle with, to learn with and to mutually sharpen. I'm thankful that he's not picky when it comes to food and that he forgives me when I forget to lock the door, or turn the stove off, or leave the towel on the floor. I'm also very thankful for his love for ramen, for his cute-ness and for the little dances he does when I make food that he likes.

Happy (late) Thanksgiving, everyone!

I love you all.

XOXO,

sharon

Give thanks: the fact that we always have things to be thankful for.

Everyday Life - Week 43, 44, 45

I've been a wee bit behind on these posts for the past few weeks, but you have to forgive me! It's been super crazy busy with work, baby showers, weddings, etc! Forgive.  :)

These past few weeks have indeed been busy-- Eugene started his new job (woo-hoo!), I've been husband-less at home for most weekdays, and there have been many celebrations of babies and new marriages along the way. It's been a hard road, but sweet nevertheless. These days I'm learning what it means to find my joy, my strength, my energy for each day in my God, and not in my circumstances. Elisabeth Elliot (one of my faves) reminds us that "the secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances". 

Here's what the past few weeks looked like:

Is it just me or does laundry feel like a non-stop chore? I feel like I'm always doing laundry!

This has become the remedy for both Eugene and I on our extremely hard days of school/work.

It works everytime. Thai food and netflix :)

Making some chicken soup with lots of veggies. Preparing for long weeks!

We had leftover croissants at church a few weekends ago, which meant fancy sandwich lunches for us! Eugene was so happy, he loves croissants!

I can't get over how cute butternut squash looks when its getting ready to be roasted!  They look like little mangos pieces. Yum!

Snack time at work. Our current go-to snack: sliced apples and little peanut butter cups (both from Costco!) Perfect way to quench up mid-day cravings!

A very sweet and intimate baby shower for baby Karis. Congrats to the cute mommy-to-be, Abby! 

I love, love, LOVE baby shower/bridal shower finger foods :)

A cool little boy living the good life. CJ is such a cutie pie!

Fellowship and accountability with two of my sisters over really fancy lattes!

This past weekend, one of my best friends got married. It was a beautiful celebration of their love for each other and their greater Love in the One who brought them together to be one! The night before, everyone crashed at my place and this is us at 2:00 am being crazy and "partying it up", even though we all had hair appointments at 4:00 am. 

Lastly, I'll leave you with a picture of us!

Here we are being silly as can be. Even though it's been a rough few weeks with us being apart, being busy with work, stressed with school, etc.. I can never thank God enough for the blessing I have in our marriage. :)

Give thanks: a morning together after a long while apart, banana milk, crackers and cheese, goodnight hugs, cheap asian markets that sell good quality fake eyelashes, clearance sales at target, friends who will switch shifts with me at work, reminders of Christ's love and faithfulness to us in the gospel, celebrating melissa & mark barlis, iced coffees