our first anniversary!

Time seriously flies!
Yesterday was our first wedding anniversary and it's amazing how fast our first year has come and gone. Eugene was at school all day yesterday and I was at work so we celebrated with some Brazilian BBQ last weekend.  We ate a lot of meat (and even more from the salad bar) and shared about the many things we learned from our first year of marriage.

A lot has happened this past year: I became a sandwich-making machine. I learned how to schedule my day around my laundry time (our dryer takes FOREVER). I cut my hair short-short for the first time since I was a child (still regretting it!). I got a Costco card. I inherited a chinese last name. I learned how to make a strawberry trifle! I became a firm believer of the slow cooker and I subscribed to the Rachel Ray Magazine (which is now to be one of many magazine subscriptions, hooray!)

This has truly been a very sweet, humbling and sanctifying year. God has really shown us much of our own sins, our selfishness and our self-seeking tendencies. We're still learning what it means to die to ourselves and to really love, serve and sacrifice for each other the way Christ loved, served and sacrificed for us. We still have a long, long way to go-- but we know that he who began a good work in us will bring it completion at the day of Christ (philippians 1:6) so we're still working hard! We've learned what it means to show grace to each other, to confess our sins to each other and to ask for forgiveness. We've learned the great comfort found in coming before the Lord in prayer and what great joy is found in trusting in Him in all circumstances. :) God is so faithful and so good.

We shared a few things we both learned this past year,  so here they are.

3 things Eugene learned:
1) "We live very differently." He likes using his towel multiple times,  while I only use it once or twice before throwing it in the laundry. He puts things away immediately after using it, while I like cleaning it up all at once after I'm done (i.e. whilst cooking, getting ready, etc) He hangs clothes that he wants to re-wear on top of his drawer, and I'm still having trouble getting used to this.
2) "You're not as girly as I thought." He was surprised that I don't PMS. (YAY haha!)
3) "Life is easier with a wife." It was not good for man to be alone ;)

3 things I learned:
1) Eugene top three comfort foods are 1) any kind of curry 2) sushi 3) ramen 4) the "big gulp" drinks at 711, if this counts as a "food". We've gone to eat sushi or ramen almost every weekend since he's started school :)
2) Eugene is excellent at saving money and is really cautious when it comes to finances. I attribute it to him being Chinese! This is a huge blessing because I can be pretty nonchalant about it. Having a joint account really serves as a good source of accountability too since he can see everything I spend my money on!
3) Eugene has absolutely no ability at reading my "girly signs." If I'm upset or hurt about something and I want him to know, my immediate "girly tendency" is to want to withdraw myself, to give him a cold shoulder, to silence myself, to not send smileys or exclamation marks in my text messages and to make it extremely obvious that I'm unhappy and I need attention. I think God was sovereign in making Eugene the way he is because Eugene never falls for these signs. If I want him to know something is wrong I have to tell him and verbalize why, what initially caused it and what I want him to do. This has been humbling for me, because I usually wish he would just know how I feel and know how to fix it but he doesn't. It's hard to practically live this out day-to-day but it definitely helps us communicate better, so in that sense its a huge blessing :) haha

P.S. For our first anniversary, Eugene bought me a sewing machine! I've been wanting one for years but didn't really feel confident enough to buy one..but I'm soooo happy and so excited to use it and start on the many projects I've planned for myself!

Hopefully I can learn how to make a few things before we have kids. I'll also try to learn how to hem/alter clothes so I can do it for my friends in the future! :)

Have a great day, everyone!

XOXO,
sharon

give thanks- pandora, sweet patients, readings in the morning, a weekend full of fellowship, a 6 hour AR to spend this morning resting/cleaning/recuperating, sleeping in, a weekend with Eugene, salompas for my poor wrist, a year to testify of God's grace and faithfulness to us in our first year of marriage :)

{five} I ran around like a head-less chicken today, but...

..there's always much to be thankful for. :)

1. Celebrating a co-worker's 37th birthday with amazing pizza & cake (hi, Sean!) and ending the night by visiting one of my favorite nurses ever who is now a lovely mommy of THREE (hiya, Amy!!)

2. Tag-teaming with a cardiologist all day to get my patient's crazy rapid Afib heart rate of 140-160's to a stable 60's by the end of my shift. *whew* thank goodness for cardizem drips and digoxin! Amen, amen.

3. Taking care of an 85+ year old caucasian grandma who is the BIGGEST k-pop star I've ever met. She legitly knew EVERY korean drama, TV show, boy/girl band groups, actor names, etc. I got owned... but in the end of the day we smiled and kept calling each other "korean sisters 4 life". It was AMAZING.

4. My mid-day coffee break with Ken, who never fails to take 2-3 trips to the cafe and cafeteria every day we work together.

5. Reminders of Christ's unconditional, self-sacrificing, self-giving, wholehearted love for me - and how that motivates me daily to love and serve my patients with all that I have-- regardless of how needy, particular, demanding they may be sometimes.

+ + +

Rejoicing, even amidst busy work days! One down, two to go...

Give thanks: prayers in the car before going into work (with my coffee at hand, of course!), the quaint little Starbucks open at 5am every day, Eugene at home, waking up with Eugene, smiling co-workers to get me through the day, free food at Corner Bakery, fellowshiping with Ashley to put things into perspective, reminders of Christ who perfectly demonstrates His humility and wholehearted love for us in the gospel

Everyday Life - Week 41 & 42

Happy Monday!

These last two weeks have been a little hazy for me with the whole sickness drama and Eugene being away from home, but its a new week and I'm excited! Eugene is staying home with me this week and I'm really, really, REALLY happy :) It makes me smile just thinking about it!

I go back to work starting tomorrow, and I'm actually really excited (a bit nervous too!) These next few weeks are filled with many happy and sweet things and I'm bracing myself for yet another busy season. Next week is our one-year wedding anniversary, and I can't believe how fast its come. The saying is so true-- the days are long, but the years are so short! Time has flown by and this year has truly been one of many blessings, learnings, growings, and alot more -ings. More on that later.

Here's what these last two weeks looked like:

This is what I call, preparing for the week. This is my sandwich/salad prepping station :) I try to prechop most of my veggies so I can quickly assemble salads and sandwiches in the mornings.

Eugene's favorite korean soup these days has been "miyukgook" (also known as, seaweed soup). It's incredibly healthy and super duper easy to make. Recipe soon?

Making tuna sandwiches are my favorite! SO easy. I started making it with greek yogurt instead of mayo and it tastes great (and SUPER healthy!) Of course I need to slap on some avocados, tomatoes and arugula to spice it up a bit!

I bought this blood pressure machine a few months ago and we LOVE it. Being a nurse kind of makes you paranoid, so I bought it so I could keep track of our blood pressure. I should also mention that when we have guests over, I take all their blood pressures too! Beware.

Making good use of my ABUNDANT supply of extra big tshirts (from schools/church events/conferences/retreats/blood donations) to make work out clothes. Goodbye shirt tan!

Whenever I get sick, I drink ALOT of tea. It's lovely.

Because our house was empty, I appreciated the extra company I had last week. Susan (deathstare) slept over for a few days and we watched some "Say Yes to the Dress" and ALOT of "Bones". It was so fun!

Another one of my friends got married (Hoooray!) It was sweet. Filled with lots of love and lots of boba.

Speaking of weddings, I must say--  I am seriously the worst bride ever. Still working on our "Thank You's"... Sorry my friends.

Have a great week, everybody!
Off to sleep early before my 1st day of work for the week! YAY

xoxo,

sharon

give thanks --  sweet fellowship with sisters, girl time, quiet evenings to fold laundry, baking, BBQ chicken combo at aloha, eugene at home, reminders of God's sovereignty in every season of our lives, my anniversary gift ordered on amazon today (YIPPEE!! tell you about it later!!!!!)

dear world.. sincerely, an angry body

hi friends,

here's a quick update--  Since last Sunday, Eugene has been spending the night at his parents' place and has been super busy with clinicals and midterm-studying. I, on the other hand, have been trying to adjust to a husband-less home, learning how to grocery shop and cook for one, and trying to fill my time with sweet things. I wasn't feeling 100% since the beginning of last week and this past tuesday, my body got hit with something strange. I've been having fevers, dizzy spells, bloody-noses (so weird) and a lot of stomach problems. the only solution (as of now) has been lots and lots of sleep and lots and lots of tea.

I took some time off work this week to recover, but staying at home all day makes me feel so groggy. I get overzealous during the days and try to run errands and meet with people--but, once the sun goes down my body gets angry at me and shuts down. it's been quite strange. good news is Eugene will be home for the weekend starting tomorrow night, and thinking about it now makes me feel better already!

Eugene has been really busy lately and I can tell that the pressure of pharmacy school plus commuting to LA is no joke. Alot of times I feel so helpless and inadequate because I want to help him somehow but there's nothing I can tangibly do. I realized that the only thing that I could do for my husband is to pray for him. At first, I was so disappointed that this was "all I could do" but I'm learning that this is no little thing. Praying for him is probably the best and most important thing I could do for him. Oh me of little faith! God has really been teaching me how I could be a good wife and helper for Eugene during this season of him being in school. It's been an adjustment for us but I'm learning... slowly but surely. I'm so thankful that we have a God who strengthens us and enables us to persevere through every circumstance. So, so thankful that we have a God who hears our prayers and desires for us to rely upon Him fully in faith. It hasn't been easy, but God is faithful so we're doing okay :)

Learning to rejoice and be thankful in every circumstance!

* * *

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
The Lord is at hand.
Do not be anxious about anything
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
{Philippians 4:4-7}

here is an old one of us during our early dating days. :)

can't wait to spend time with my husband tomorrow!

hope everyone is having a lovely week!

xoxo

give thanks: company at home while eugene is away (hi susan and esther!), free books on kindle, reading in bed, green tea, netflix, the power of prayer and the God Who hears them.

Everyday Life - Week 40

Happy Monday!

I can't believe the first week of October has already come and gone and now we are well on our way into the fall season! My fireplace mantel is sloooowly getting fall-ified with lots of orange/brown decorations  pumpkin-spice candles and a few baby pumpkins.  I'm already playing Christmas music nonstop around the house and filling the air with happy smells and happy sounds. It's lovely! This week was full of celebrations! Me and my sister K both celebrated our birthdays this week and I ended the week with a sweet bridal shower for one of my favoritest sisters. It was a sweet week :)

Here's a peak of this past week in pictures:

Here's a rare shot of my cute husband not wearing a white/black/gray shirt. Woo-hoo! :)

{He was being shy.}

My silly sister K at the disney store just being herself.

My silly sisters: K and Heidi 

Celebrating at Catal's with both sides of my family! 

Nonstop sandwich making machine :)

On my birthday, Eugene surprised me with some sweet cakes from 85C. He turned off all the lights in the living room while I was in the bedroom and sang "Happy Birthday" all by himself. It was SO cute, I cried. Seriously.

On my actual birthday, Tina took me to get my nails done (I felt super girly!) and then I had dinner with the Choi family. Such a blessing!!

Since Eugene has school on the weekdays, we got sushi for lunch on Saturday to celebrate my birthday! We went to an all-you-can-eat place and didn't eat too much at all. We only ate one round... It was worth it though! :)

We ended the weekend with a sweet chemistry-themed bridal shower for Mrs. soon-to-be Barlis. My friend Melissa is a major Chemistry nerd, so there was no theme that would better suit her. It was lovely!

This week was definitely a joyous one and I'm excited to get back into the groove of things. Eugene is actually starting clinicals this week and since he'll be ending pretty late everyday, he's gonna be living at his parents' place for about a month. I'm sad that he can't be at home with me but I know that it's better that now he has time to study and get enough sleep since he doesn't have to commute 3-4  hours a day :)

Please pray for us!

Have a great week, everyone!

love,

sharon

give thanks -- God's faithfulness in my life these last 22 years, friends, berean family, a weekend off, time to spend with old friends again, prayer

Everyday Life - Week 39 & five blessings

Hola,

Just finished my first day of work for the week. I'm super pooped but I've got enough energy for an update! This weekend was filled with spending some time with my husband, cleaning/catching up on chores, going on Costco/Target runs with some cute girls and just enjoying the simple blessings of life. It's already October and I've already begun to stock up on my decorations for fall. Summer was lovely but I can't wait for cooler weather and for the pumpkin spice lattes and orange, yellow, brown combos splashed everywhere! I'm so excited!!

Here's a really quick update on this past week:

Discount shopping. I had a hard week last week so I treated myself out to some "retail therapy" at one of my favorite stores. So cheap and so wonderful. I actually only spent $30 and came out with 5 items. Yayuhh

I've been frequenting coffee shops alot more often these days and it's been so wonderful. Working day shift equals not having to spend my days off catching up on sleep or feeling groggy all day long which equals more time to spend reading, reflecting, journaling, etc. I'm so thankful. :)

Here are some more of my goods from my little retail therapy sesh. To be honest, I wanted to get a cast iron so that I could make one-pot dinners but I never realized how expensive they were! They're like $100+ and even the smallest ones at least $70. Yipes! I texted Eugene asking for permission to buy one but I couldn't stand the idea of paying so much for one thing so I resorted to these $7 beauties. :) Maybe one day I'll save up enough to get a cast iron of my own! 

 I tried to be adventurous and try out a pretty difficult recipe. It tasted OK but it wasn't our favorite... but, I have to say I LOVE searing chicken on the pan, especially when its coated in curry powder. Yum!

I'm so bad at following recipes!
but these are two treasures I found at TJ (Trader Joes). So useful and tasty!

It looks....tasteful, doesn't it? I think the only reason is because it's in my new glass dish. :)

Took 2.5 hours to get my oil changed this weekend. This was the line at 7:30 AM, after I had already waited 30 minutes. They open at 8:00. These people are so hardcore!

Spent last night cleaning out the fridge. Having a clean/organized/sanitized fridge is seriously the best thing ever! I slept really well after cleaning this fridge. 

Work has been really fun but really, really crazy. I find that it's really easy to complain and throw pity parties for myself when I feel like I had a rough day, and I know I'm not alone. I have to remind myself daily that having a job is such a blessing and there are so many things to be thankful for each and everyday. When we drown ourselves in all the bad/hard/difficult/frustrating things about our jobs,  we completely lose sight of the many wonderful blessings we're able to experience at our workplaces. In hopes to urge myself to recognize these wonderful blessings, I'm gonna try to weekly post five things I'm thankful for about my job. Starting today!

{ f i v e    b l e s s i n g s } 

1. tasty and sweet macaroons from a thankful patient

2. cheering and celebrating with a family when my stroke patient said her name for the first time

3. coworkers to laugh and smile with even when we all feel like we're drowning

4. showing my patient's 5 year old kid the "laser gun" I use to scan my medications

5. goodbye hugs from patient families who've become my dear friends (and promising that if we cross paths at a grocery store, that we'd say "hi")

love always,

sharon

give thanks - hugs from eugene after work, korean food, my handy dandy crock pot, singing in the car.