fun times = growing moments

this past week had a few cool points. dp led his first junior high bible study group! meaning, since the guy who usually leads it was sick, dp rose to the occasion. with a few encouraging words and ideas, and his ability to lead (though he naturally doesn't gravitate towards that role), it sounds like it was a success. i'm so proud of him and his willingness to challenge himself and do good for others. this friday we helped out at the church's harvest festival. it was so cute having the kids throw rings onto the stumps of the pumpkins. some of them didn't speak english and it was great modeling the objective and having them repeat the action or watch their interpretations. today for our "quality time" and date time, we attempted to make boba tea! first time and it wasn't shabby. aside from all this, i'm just trying to stay upbeat about finding a role that fulfills my purpose and actually pays me (that's the tricky part) and dp and i always looking up and being thankful for what we DO have.

boba teas AND our fish Jacob, had to introduce him somehow :)

nice deeds and upsides of no job

just sitting here reading and thinking, "wow, i don't have a job, yet what's great that i mustn't forget is how helpful people have been!" and it made me realize- i have gained so much during this trail period (that is still going). i have strangers from church who i meet for the first time try to get me jobs at their employers. they don't even know me, yet they believe in me. i have had the great opportunity to share intimate convos with women (and men) that i wouldn't otherwise do if i were stressed out or time limited with a job. i have people thinking of me in their day-to-day and calling me about how someone they met can maybe shine some light into my path. i have grown in awareness of what my passions are and have gained some insight as to what i believe my purpose is. i mean, don't get me wrong, this job-searching journey isn't all happy smiles, but i wrote this post to remind myself that lots of greatness has and is accruing from this trajectory. my point- i am thankful.

monday life group rocks!

what would we be doing on monday evenings if it weren't for our life group peeps? not only are they great company, but they're loving, supportive, funny, and smart Christians! this is the group members (minus two of the gals). so thankful for them!

tofu cooking!

tofu, eggplant, tomato

dp wanted some tofu so i delivered! my first time cooking tofu and it wasn't so shabby!

pizza time and qt time!

as i write this i can't remember exactly what we've been up to, but all i know is, i am glad that it's friday and dp and i get to spend time together! we are making pizza right now... well, actually he is orchestrating the dough and making the actual pizza part. i, on the other hand, am here typing, listening to a Christian music online station, and i actually contributed by slicing the goodies on the pizza! the goodies: chicken, tomato, mushroom, green onion, and bbq/ketchup sauce. below are some photos!

a little insight to what we've been up to:
- i went to laguna for a night/day to help a friend with her event planning business. it was a cool experience!
- i have been to the doc's, had a blood test, and an ultra sound to see what's up with my stomach pains
- dp is enjoying his new job and is still training and looking fwd to actually doing his job. people are nice there to him.
- i've been keeping busy being a homemaker (haha), self-reflecting and networking.

this is dp making another pizza ages ago

pizza from ages ago, forgot its ingredients

life is pretty good. we are so thankful for where we are. thank you God and thank you friends and family for being an amazing support system.

date night

have you watched this movie yet... date night? it was pretty funny! dp and i watched it tonight... too bad i didn't realize there were guns in it bc i wouldn't have otherwise picked it.

today i went to the doc's. i have this random stomach issue that has been here for weeks and just needs to peace out! the doc doesn't think it's anything but i'm still going to get testing. so i was a big girl and did some blood work. to most of you, you'd probably think this is nothing... but to me, it is a big accomplishment. the tech woman got nervous with my nervous laugh and lack of breathing that she made me stay longer, haha. too bad my dear friend caitlin wasn't there to sing and dance for me this time! (miss you!) pray for me that i don't have anything crazy going on please.

as i'm writing this now, my lovely husband is reading the economist. yes, 10pm, friday night, and dp is loving his economist and smiling as he engages in the affairs of the world. so lucky to be married to a man who loves to read about world news (half serious, half joking, haha). he gets so excited that his feet actually start moving (kinda like a dog's tail wagging). and btw, as i write this he has no idea! let's keep it that way... :)

so life's good in our hood. everything's dandy and we can't complain... thank You God. (and OH, we bought a Brita! i know you are excited for us as i am excited. yay- hopefully i'll be consuming healthier h2o!)

i'm married to an insurance license holder...

hehe, that's right! dp passed his insurance license exam and pending his background check, he soon will be licensed to sell insurance! congrats to him and his diligence in studying bc i sure wouldn't have been as studious :) he only had to go through 30+ hours of classroom instruction and the exam to get his license. i, on the other hand, have had 800+ intern hours and passed the national exam and yet school counselors aren't licensed! what is this! dp's instructor thought it was funny that hairdressers need to go through a lot more hours of training just to receive their license in cutting people's hair. whereas one can go through the course dp just went through for the short amount of time and then is able to go provide advice that may mess up someone's life! there's something wrong here...

question for anyone who can answer me by email... if you recall or participated in any girl empowerment programs (ie. girl inc., girl scout) and/or diversity education program, please email/text me the name please.

as for everything else, i'm glad to have my dp back after he's been committed to this training for the last 1.5 weeks. i went from spending too much time with him to no time. lucky me, i get him back maybe tomorrow evening!

you all rock!

just simply want to say that life without you all would be empty and lonely. thank you all for your unconditional love, encouragement, and support. more than ever i am overjoyed knowing i have people in my life who know my heart, appreciate me for me, and encourage me to reach my potential! (dp feels the same way too but he's just not this sentimental ;)

smiling because life is good.

dp and i are just at a happy place in life... me unemployed and all. we are enjoying each others' company and are just laughing a lot and just embracing each others' love languages. it's pretty funny; apparently one of my love languages is physical touch... so he just (seems to) excessively give me hugs throughout the day leaving me asking "dude... what's up with all this lovin'" and his response is "well... gotta fill your love tank!" hehe... if you haven't read "love languages" by gary chapman then you're missing out. apparently i'm missing out since i haven't read it yet, but dp just finished it. the concept in general is pretty cool and beneficial for any relationship.

dp is in insurance training this week...sounds so exciting! not. it's a week long and then he has a test. i am sure he will do well. i, on the other hand, have been enjoying this time to spend time with people i wouldn't otherwise have a chance to. really loving the people i'm meeting and hearing their stories. if i could have a job meeting and greeting people i'd take it! wish me well as i discern what my purpose is here on this lovely planet we call Earth.



this past weekend dp watched the miramar airshow with some friends while i attended a women's day retreat on "trashing the lies". it was nice and i got the chance to hang out with some lovely elderly ladies. sunday we had a beach day with our friends which was nice company. here is a photo of the surfer and our amigo...



da and dp