Saturday, February 20, 2010

Dad visits NYC!

My dad drove all the way from Michigan to see Jeff and I this past week. It was so nice to see him - I've really missed him. Something Jeff and I have realized over the past two months (yes, we have officially been married for two months!) is that when people come to visit NYC, they expect to do "touristy" things. Tourist things for people who actually reside in NYC get really expensive! Gratefully, my dad didn't care to be a tourist, although we did do some fun things.

The first night, we dropped off my dad's car at Jeff's parents home and visited my favorite pizza place on Long Island: Umbertos. Yum, it sure was delicious, and my dad was impressed. The next day, my dad and I went to the Jersey Boys box office to get some cheap student tickets for the show later that night. We passed Carnegie Deli on the way and couldn't resist having lunch there :) Dad and I split a Reuben (which was 24$ and as big as my head!) Other than that, we spent our dinners at home. I learned a couple of good recipes from my dad, who is quite the cook. Chicken Picatta and Red Skin Potato Soup were my favorites!


On Wednesday night we went to Jersey Boys, a musical about the life of Frankie Valli. It was fabulous. On Thursday, we went to go see one of Jeff's favorite classical violinists, Joshua Bell. Dad really enjoyed that, too. It was so nice to finally see a classical violin concert - I have never been to one and am married to a classical violinist (shame on me!)

I am really grateful for the traveling mercies my dad had. I tend to 'freak out' easily and not trust God for things I cannot control. My dad safely drove 10 hours, each way by himself with no problems. Thank you to those who prayed for his travels!


Something my dad continuously reminds me of is how faithful God is to His promises and how IMPERATIVE it is for me to trust in Him fully with every aspect of my life. Finances, my future, life in New York City - God has in in His hands and knows what He is doing. God knows my heart for Detroit, and my family, and will bring us home if it's in His will. I need to be consistently reminding myself of this (yes, I still have days when I cry thinking about how bad I want to be back in Michigan.)

Much Love.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Gung hei fat choi (Wishing you prosperity in the New year)


One of the best things about being married to Jeff is that I get to learn ALL about a new culture and their traditions. Jeff is Chinese - his mom's parents came to the USA when his mom was 13. Today, February 14th, is not only Valentines Day, but also Chinese New Year :) Last night, we had the opportunity to celebrate the New Year with his family. Jeff's mom taught me how to say, "Happy New Year" in Chinese (pronounced "Gung hey fa choy") and promised me that her family would be impressed :) I like to think that my background in speech and language aids me in the pronunciation (haha, probably not?)

My mom thought it'd be a good idea to take pictures and blog about our first Chinese
New Year together for our kids (who will make an appearance in the far away future.) The Lee (Jeff's mom's family) family celebrates with TONS of food, each food symbolizing something different (I'm not even going to try to remember what represents what.) Although I don't have an affinity towards Chinese food (mostly because "chinese food", as I know it, offers lots of MSG - and therefore lots of migraines) I tried a couple of the dishes. Pau Pau (Jeff's grandma) knows I love vegetables and made a delicious green bean dish, with chicken (fried of course, haha.)


Aside from the big celebration, Jeff and I have enjoyed a weekend together. We visited Costco with his mom (thank you, MaMA!), lunch with his brother, late night appetizers with his family AND attended the 6pm service at our c
hurch, New Life Fellowship. We actually LOVED the evening service - it was much more intimate. Something that has been on Jeff's heart for awhile has been "keeping the sabbath." Pastor Pete spoke on how God commands us to keep the sabbath. It was really challenging for me - I am ALWAYS on the go, thinking about what I have to do next. Taking 24 hours to 'rest' sounds impossible to me. Yet, it is one of the Lord's commandments. Jeff and I are taking the next 7 weeks to honor the Sabbath from 6pm Friday (or Saturday) until 6pm on Saturday (or Sunday.) We are going to unplug ourselves from the computer, stop multitasking, and trust that God will take care of the things we tend to fill our days up with. Please pray that we hold to this commitment.

My dad is coming Tuesday! I am SO excited to spend time with him and show him around NYC. He's driving in, so please pray for his safe travels!

Much Love.