50 Days

Sophie is due in another 50 days according to my pregnancy calendar.
She is pretty active these days getting so big and all. Sometimes I suspect that she might be dancing in there, especially after meals or when I play piano for her. One day Tim put his ear on my belly and he could hear her heart beating so clearly. It was amazing! I'll get to see her again in a week when I go for my 34 week ultrasound. I wonder what she looks like now.
My parents and Tim's parents are getting super excited too. My mom is preparing all these Chinese herbs and dried fruits for me to have during the month after labor. In Chinese, we called it 做月子 where, for the whole month after labor, the new mother has to stick with a specific kind of diet in order to speed up recovery, enhance milk production, and replenish nutrients back to the body from what it has lost for the baby. Maybe that's why Asian women age slower? I am not sure, but this process is really important for the Chinese, and it apparently works wonders.
For Tim's parents, they purchased lots of baby clothes for Sophie from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, and are sending them to us soon.
As our little family expands, so is the love within the bigger family. We feel truly blessed by our parents and their love for us and this new member who's about to join. ^^
On the same note, we feel really blessed by our church community, our home away from home. The support and encouragement we get from these lovely brothers and sisters in Christ is like food to our soul. Sophie even has a doctor, a close church friend of ours, already waiting for her once she comes out. God prepared everything for us so perfectly, we cannot ask for more. Thanks be to God!

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. ^_~

Mourning For A Lost

Our dear friends' father, who had been fighting a coma after a severe stroke, has past on to be with our Lord yesterday in Hong Kong. May our Lord give the family peace and comfort.
I posted about this incident earlier, and here's is the blog again from his children, http://wakeupwithdad.blogspot.com/

Christmas Party

This is our second year of Christmas away from home, but it's our first time ever hosting a Christmas party. It was quite an exciting event. Tim and I felt so blessed by all the wonderful friends we got to meet in Boston. So even though we can't be with our family this Christmas, we've made our home a place for those away from home to enjoy fellowship and good food. For that, we're extremely proud of ourselves. =) Praise God for all the blessings!

Shrimp cocktails

Smoked salmon

Grape jelly meatballs

Pineapple glazed ham

Lamb leg

Simona's home is in Europe

Little Joshua, the only one born in Boston

Nisha and Jayan, from Great Britain

Ben and Brooke from Oregon

Tomoko from Japan

Bess and her mom, from Taiwan

The spread

Four kinds of cookies baked by me

These are made by Brooke

Now we're just anticipating for the new year!
Happy New Year everyone!

Uncle Benny

As I have vaguely mentioned in a previous entry, our dear friends' father (we refer to him as Uncle Benny) had a severe stroke. His children created a blog to update on his condition since a lot of his friends are overseas. I would like to also ask for prayers for him from you. If it is on your heart to pray for a family in a troubling time, then please do not hesitate to do so.

It is the loneliest to be sick on a hospital bed during the holidays when there is suppose to be celebration and feasting. Tim and I have experienced that when my father-in-law had a stroke last December in Vancouver. Tim and I were in Boston at the time, and along came new year's eve. My mother-in-law called just before the countdown thirsting to hear another family member's voice for comfort as she had been staying with her husband the past couple of nights in the hospital not knowing what more to do. The countdown on the phone was full of emotions, anything but happy though...

Luckily, my father-in-law recovered pretty well, even though it took almost the whole rest of 2009 to do so, but at least he is better now.

So if you would pray with us for Uncle Benny, I am sure God is listening.

Prayer

Sometimes there are things in life that are out of our control. Like illness, death, car accident, layoffs, theft and other things that can turn our lives upside-down in an instant. In times like these, all we could do is pray. Pray for an easier coping process, pray for a faster recovery, pray for a heart open for comfort, pray for direction, the next step...
Maybe that's why we kept having hardship in our lives, so that we won't forget we need God constantly. It can be very unpleasant at times, but we must keep in mind that God is bigger than all our problems.

Today, I am praying for two dear friends that are going through hardships. May God watch over them and help them through their difficulties.

Tim Gone

Tim left this morning to see Howard, his brother, at his new college. It's quite exciting actually. I remember the first day when I went to college. I met the friends that I became so close to, and I said goodbye to my parents, which made me cried. It was a new chapter of my life, a new step toward independence. It was fantastic. I wouldn't trade my college experience for anything else.

So with that said. I am happy for Howard for taking this step going to college. I am happy that Tim gets to see him and visit his campus and dorm room. I felt lonely when Tim was going to leave, but now that he had left, it's actually not that bad.

I have practiced piano, designed new frames for my photos on dalingphotography.com, and also made Soontobu for the first time. All were successful!

I want to go shopping, but I'll wait until tomorrow when the weather is a little bit sunnier! ^_~

This is for Tim, whom I miss!

That's it for now with my blogging. Thanks for coming by!

My Friend Linda

Linda and I met during the first day of college. We were both piano majors and we both went to International Student Association, which we called ISA. Later, we became roommates and applied to grad school in the East Coast together. We've been in Bible studies, Master classes, piano competitions, piano duos together. This past Saturday, it was my honor and joy to photograph her in one of the most important days of her life--her wedding day.
Please visit http://dalingphotography.blogspot.com for pictures as that is where I keep my photography works.
Cheers!

My Support

(I saw Tim writing something on this blog the other day, but he deleted the entry afterward...I wonder what he had written that day???)

Anyways, I want to thank so many people in this entry for their support and encouragement during this tough time in Tim and my life.
First of all, many people prayed for us, and I strongly believe that that's how we are able to recover so quickly, both emotionally and physically.
I want to thank my mom for coming out to take care of me. She's been wonderful. I had so much nutritious food to eat every meal. I just can't imagine how I would be able to do that on my own if she weren't here.
Also, I want to thank my cousin who went through miscarriage before I did, she tirelessly calls me almost everyday, especially before and after the surgery to share her experiences with me and also to encourage me to be brave. She's such a big part of my recovery because I know I am not alone in this struggle. In fact, she let me be sad, she let me feel its normal to cry to question to disappoint, but in the end, she made me feel that everything will be fine.
I want to thank my best friends in California whom I called in the middle of the night just to cry to. They cried with me over the phone and that brought me tremendous comfort. I felt bad afterward that I totally deprived their sleep that night, but I really appreciate them so so much for being there for me when I needed them the most.
I want to thank my friends that are in Boston who came to see me. They brought me flowers, foods, laughter and listening ears. I felt so blessed to have friends like these in Boston.
I also thank a person in particular whom I admire and respect greatly. She called me before I went to surgery and shared with me her miscarriage experience and prayed with me over the phone. I was so touched by her love for me.
I also want to thank all the people who called and wrote cards and emailed to give their sympathy. Tim and I feel very loved by all of you.

so a BIG THANKS once again!
Praise God for all of you!

Recital Pictures

Photo credit belongs to Ben Carroll, a friend that came to the recital who has a Canon 40D.

A talk with my teacher before the recital, but it wasn't anything serious, he was saying, "you look lovely! ...play well...see you afterward, etc."

Korean BBQ

Friends having a good time, celebrating my belated birthday. Thanks you guys, you're so sweet.
This is Koreana Restaurant in Cambridge near Broadway and Prospect.

They're a cute couple

Trying to get the waiter's attention. ^^