O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me
except the days are passed in Thy presence,
in Thy service, to Thy glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides,
sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from Thee,
but may rely on Thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth Thy praise,
testify Thy love,
advance Thy kingdom.I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with Thee, O Father as my harbor,
Thee, O Son, at my helm,
Thee O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to Thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.Give me Thy grace to sanctify me,
Thy comforts to cheer,
Thy wisdom to teach,
Thy right hand to guide,
Thy counsel to instruct,
Thy law to judge,
Thy presence to stabilize.
May Thy fear by my awe,
Thy triumphs my joy.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
a tribute to the new year // valley of vision
Monday, December 8, 2014
finals week + our growing love for spaggetti squash!
finals season is among us once again - which means that (God willing!) we will be halfway done with the hardest year of pharmacy school in just a few weeks! hooray!
this year - we're learning the importance of making time for each other even when it's not easy! our opposite work schedules don't make it easy for us to see each other at home too often, but eugene has been so sweet in trying to study more at home so that we can at least be under the same roof! i've also been continuing to learn how to keep him pumped and motivated during his busy seasons. it's been hard at times, but we're learning to give thanks in all things.
finals season is among us so prepping colorful, fun and nutritious food is vital.
because I'll be gone for work for the next 3 days, i had to do most/all of my meal prepping today (it's pretty hard to make food after 12 hours of work!) the stars of our show today are...
- chili + cilantro marinade chicken thighs, rice, corn + bean + avo salsa and steamed broccoli
- spagetti squash, lemon/garlic roasted chicken and a broiled vegetable medley
we also picked up 6 salads from our local fresh + easy and lots of yogurt and juice.
speaking of spagetti squash though - have you guys ever tried it?
eugene + I were so weirded out by it the first time but have grown to love it so much in the last few weeks. it's super cheap and is a great noodle/rice substitute for your meals if you're looking to cut down on your carbs. the taste is amazing too - it's the right amount of crispy and super creamy. they are generally less than $4/squash and will feed you for many meals. I scored this ginormous one at trader joes and separated it into 8 servings!
just cut in half. use a generous amount of oil (i used EVOO) or you can use some chicken stock if you're worried about the calories in the EVOO. sprinkle with salt and pepper. pop in oven at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
scoop out the seeds + fork it through.
beautiful, chewy + crunchy, creamy noodles. it's like culinary magic! and so much fun.
We just put it in all our meals. it's just that good!
ps. roasting/broiling is one of my favorite things to do nowadays. listening to these tomatoes explode in the oven has got to be one of my favorite things right now!
I'm a weirdo. I know.. Hehe :)
xoxo
Monday, December 1, 2014
another year to give thanks
this year's thanksgiving was extra sweet.
we all happened to have the day off so after many, many years of planning and dreaming - we were able to finally cook our first real thanksgiving dinner (sorta!) we didn't want to be too ambitious so we bought the pre-cooked turkey and ham and focused all our time + energy on the sides. it was amazing. we prepared 11 different side dishes and single-handedly picked our favorite recipes from our favorite cook books and websites.
it was a true thanksgiving feast!
we spent the whole day together - prepping, cooking, washing dishes and watching football.
it was truly a feast for our tummies and our hearts. my heart was so full after this day.
we ended the night with a homemade lattice crust pie + talenti gelato - it was amazing!
the holiday season always provides me the opportunity to reflect on the many blessings in my life and prompts me to get back in the daily practice of giving thanks! this year, I'm learning more and more what it means to have a joy and gratitude that is unwavering and unhindered by changing circumstances. i'm learning that this kind of joy and gratitude is only possible when rooted in the unwavering truth of who God is in His sovereignty over all of life, and in His divine love for us demonstrated most perfectly in Jesus.
to be honest- this has been a year of complaining for me.
isn't it funny how we're so good at finding things we're discontent about?
- I miss living in the OC
- I wish I lived closer to church/work/friends
- I wish my legs were longer
- I wish I could spend more time with eugene
- I wish he wasn't so busy - when will this year end!
- I wish I could spend more time with my friends
- our apartment is so dinky and ghetto!
- downey is ghetto!
- i'm all alone, woe is me
wah wah wah
. . etc, etc, etc.
i'm so ungrateful!
i'm praying that God would cultivate in me a heart that is always abounding in gratefulness - that I would be able to see all of life through the lens of God's love and sovereignty in all things - and that this would empower me to be quick to give thanks for the many evidences of His grace in my life.
so in honor of that - here are a few things i'm grateful for this year!
1. trader joes. the cheap produce, the variety of high-quality/organic produce and goodies!
2. daily reminders + our small little apartment finally starting to feel like "home" (after 1.5 years!)
3. my new found love for watercolor and calligraphy and the joy and delight it brings me. therapy to my soul :)
4. the extra time and energy I have to be able to spend with the college students at church. they are a tremendous source of encouragement and joy for me and i'm so thankful that i have the time, energy, flexibility and stamina to keep up with these young bloodz this year.
5. my parents - both the lee + tseng clan.
i hope to never take for granted what a blessing it is that i have such loving, supportive (and silly!) parents and how through our marriage - our two families have also become one.
6. time alone - being a closet introvert, i secretly really enjoy my alone time. sometimes it gets lonely living farther away from friends and community - but i know that there is a season for all things so i'm learning to enjoy my time alone while i can!
7. opportunities to teach!
teaching has actually grown to be one of my passions and i've been so thankful for the many opportunities i've had to pursue this at work. i've loved being a preceptor for these last few years and i've also started guest lecturing for a local nursing program. i've already lectured once for their pharmacology class this year (hence, the nerdy study guide i made for the students!) and i'm excited for the opportunity to teach about my favorite subject in the whole world in januray (--stroke care!) this will be my 5th time lecturing -- so crazy!
8. lattes - this season of my life will forever be marked by a big, big love for lattes and coffee shops. i usually take any opportunity i have to meet people in said cute coffee shops so that I can get ginormous cups of latte (and of course my drink has to be in a mug!)
9. eugene - i can't really imagine a season in my life that i'll not be thankful for my sweet husband. this year has been hard in many ways - but we're learning a lot of important things together: communicating well, sacrificing things to spend time together and making our marriage a priority. but all in all - God has really deepened our love for each other and helped us to see that our marriage must always be rooted in Christ first. it's been a crazy ride but it's been fun and wonderful.
cheers to another year of giving thanks!
xoxo
