Back from LA

I took a three day trip to LA for a wedding shoot in Temecula, CA. The shoot lasted from 12 noon until 10:30 at night. I couldn't sleep the night before in the hotel plus the fact that I started my trip that morning around 3 am Pacific time. Boy was I exhausted by the end of the day. Luckily I got lots of help and care from some dear friends who were in the wedding. Praise God for them!

On the day heading for home, I shot a short engagement session in Irvine, CA before rushing to the airport. I took a red-eye and was in the middle seat on the plane. Though I tried to sleep most of the flight, I did manage to make conversations with a mother-daughter duo sitting on both sides of me. Turns out that the Caucasian mother adopted the Chinese daughter from Shanghai when she was six weeks old. Now the girl is already a senior in high school, and the purpose of their trip is to visit some universities in Boston since the mother is a BU alumni herself.

I was really touched by their story knowing that the only-child policy in China has caused many infant girls' deaths or abandonment. http://www.allgirlsallowed.org/

At the same time, I felt extremely blessed to be born into a Chinese family that fears God and loves life. Sadly, I don't have any siblings because of the only-child policy, and my children-to-come will not have uncles or aunts from my side.

Anyways, I had a great trip overall seeing good friends in LA. Pictures to come: dalingphotography, in a few days. ^_~

Weekend at Plymouth

It was a hot day, so so hot. In fact, the heat wave is hitting Massachusetts for a whole week now. Summer is definitely here, and I want to remember how this feels like before the harsh 6-months-long winter hits again.

We went to see the replica of the Mayflower ship that sailed from England in the 1600's. It was smaller than I have imagined, but it was probably humongous for the people back then.

Anyways, just a picture of us. ^_^ Happy July!

Tim @ Lover's Point

Tim and I went back to California for a week at the end of May and beginning of June. Together with my family and my cousin's family, we went to Lover's Point, Monterey during Memorial Day this year. Tim took over the camera and got some really awesome shots.

Don't you agree?

This one is my all-time favorite.

Puccini

Currently listening to Puccini's La Bohème.

Tornado Warning

I just came back from California. Tim and I shot a wedding in Coalinga, CA last weekend. For pictures, please check out my photo blog at {www.dalingphotography.com}. We also got to stay with my parents for a week in San Jose. I got to see Tabby my little niece. It was so much fun.

When we came back, the weather was weird: wet, cold, windy, cloudy... We stayed indoors all weekend because of a tornado warning. It was totally different from the California sunshine that we got a few days ago.

But thank God that we're safe. That's all that matters.

多活我两岁

多活了两岁，多学了两年的人生功课，多见了两年的人，多看了两年的事物。。。难怪多了两年的知识，多了两年的学问呐。。。

此人是谁？他就是我的老公。最近我们的生活里多了一些烦杂事，我和他处理的方法有异。我们感性地争论，也理性地讨论。。。但是最终当事情解决后，我才诚恳地认为还是他的处理方法比较好。

他说是因为他多犯了两年的错才学来的。也许吧！俗话说，吃一堑，长一智。
汉典的解释：

【拼音】chī yī qiàn，zhǎng yī zhì

【zdic.net 漢 典 网】

【解释】堑：壕沟，比喻困难、挫折。受 一次挫折，增长一分见识。

【出处】明·王阳明《与薛尚谦书》：“经一蹶者长一智，今日之失，未必不为后日之得。”

【近义词】失败乃成功之母、上当学乖

【反义词】重蹈覆辙

【语法】复句式；作主语、谓语、分句；用于总结经验教训

神设定的婚姻就是这样吧。夫妻互相学习，彼此检讨。在摩擦中成长，在合一中幸福。世上比这种关系更亲密的也只有和神的关系了吧。

Tim's Artwork

Tim brought this seashell and the rock home from the beach we went to on our anniversary in Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard. He said that the rock was a gorgeous purple when he found it in the sand, but since it's dried, the color has faded. He also made a pressed coin from the penny machine. When he got home, he designed and made this souvenir all by himself.

How's that for creativity? Pretty neat right?

Love Is

"Love is an activity, not a passive affect; it is a 'standing in,' not a 'falling for.' In the most general way, the active character of love can be described by stating that love is primarily giving, not receiving."

~ by Erich Fromm in The Art of Loving

Celebrating 3 Years!

On May 5, 2007, Tim and I got married in San Jose, CA. Fast forward to 3 years later. We're in Boston, MA. A lot has happened during these three years. We're thankful for where God has brought us and what He's been doing in our lives and our little family.

To celebrate this special occasion, Tim took me to Martha's Vineyard. It's an island on the Atlantic, one hour ferry ride from the Cape, which is the tip of Massachusetts mainland.

We couldn't asked for a more gorgeous day in New England. Everyone, even the newscasters said that 5.5.2010 was THE nicest day ever. Praise God for the weather!

We started off from Woods Hole, the Steamship Authority in the Cape where we took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard.

Looking down from the ferry leaving Woods Hole

Arriving at Vineyard Haven

As soon as we got off the ferry, we rented a moppet and rode around town.
After lunch, we went to Edgartown where we found this cute little lighthouse.

Tim took this one

Since the tourism season hasn't started yet, we were the few that were there on that day. The beach was quite, the water was pristine. We spent hours relaxing by the sand and collecting seashells. Nobody else was insight and therefore no other noise besides the crashing waves we heard. It was the perfect day at a perfect place for us.

Tim found this broken seashell that he admired for a long white. He told me that this reminds him of how we're all broken as humans, but we're still intricately created by the Creator.  We're beautiful in His eyes despite our brokenness, because He knows us inside and out.  All we need to do is trust Him, trust the One who created us.

The wind was starting to pick up, so we left the beach after many noticed hours had passed by. We went into the town center and sat down for a cup of tea and a cup of little sweets.

Our celebration was very quite, and we loved every moment of it. May God be the center of our marriage, always.

Water

For the past few days, we didn't have clean water. A pipe burst caused the tap water system to be contaminated. The government advised us to not drink from the contaminated water, even to brush teeth with it is a no no. Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and similar coffee shops were all closed in the area. People with caffeine withdrawal are complaining everywhere on the Twit and on Facebook. They gave us temporary water from the reservoirs that are untreated with micro organisms swimming in it. When I took shower I feel itchy all over afterward.

Come to think of this incident, I can't fathom the deprivation of clean water, and what it must be like for people who are without it all year round. God gave us clean and free water to begin with. Humans now have to pay money to have clean water.

Sometimes I think that this world is really a joke. When our basic necessities are at stake, survival becomes the most important thing. That's why you see people fighting for bottled waters at the supermarket, stocking up for themselves. Job, education, entertainment... become secondary. After all, can a starved man still have the brain power to study and memorize? Can a severely thirsty man work? Does a hungry and thirsty man want to be entertained in any way?

God is merciful to us. If He decides to take it all away from us, we'd be doomed. Actually we wouldn't be doomed...


We'd just be dead!