Summer Manifesto -- How'd I do?

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Remember the Summer Manifesto? Since it's now Fall, I thought I should recap and see what I actually accomplished.

What did I do this summer?

.Spend daily time with God I tried, but for sure there were days I failed at this

.Be more active outdoors Hiked the 9+miles around Lake Chabot for the first time in my life, does that count?

.Go to the Alameda County fair We ended up making it to the fair twice! Thanks to finding free tickets online

.Write a speech for my sister's wedding Yes! I did it, and I made the speech too feeling less nervous than I thought I'd be

.Decide if we want to do any work on the house After some debating and thinking, we've settled on finishing off our garage and adding shelving. Hopefully this will happen before the end of the year.

.Go fishing FAILED, utterly failed at this. I think we fished all of once this year.

.Find a rug This we did do, found us an affordable rug with a pop of color that we can change out if we get tired of it.

.Try at least 3 new recipes (without modifying) meh, probably didn't do this one so well, i took a brief hiatus from cooking after getting preggers

.Clean out closet & donate clothes Got through some of this, but not everything

.Take care of our fruit trees Yes! Trimmed our apple, orange, and lemon trees. Even getting fruits on the lime this year!

Now we're reaching the end of the year. Can you believe it's almost November?

My Summer Manifesto

Inspired by Meg Tsang

What would I like to do this summer?

.Spend daily time with God
.Be more active outdoors
.Go to the Alameda County fair
.Write a speech for my sister's wedding
.Decide if we want to do any work on the house
.Go fishing
.Find a rug
.Try at least 3 new recipes (without modifying)
.Clean out closet & donate clothes
.Take care of our fruit trees

長尾巴...

attack of the cute

There's a saying in Chinese "長尾巴" or growing your tail - which is a nice way to say "you're another year older"... My tail grew this week, and I was reminded again of how loved and blessed I am.

Here's a quick collage to summarize it all. Surrounded by family, friends, and food.

Thank you to all of you who are in my life and constantly remind me of how great our God is and how His love is all around us.

Thankfulness

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, 

for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 107:1)

As I reflect on what I have to be thankful for I find that it's all centered around God's love and blessings in my life...

He has filled my life with amazing family and friends. Those who are there to stand by me, make me laugh, and feed me. 

He has constantly provided for my every need. Opening doors in His perfect timing, helping me move through each of them. 

Having more than my needs, but my wants, fulfilled as well. I thank Him for the constant blessings He bestows. And know that they can all be gone in an instant.

There is much to be thankful for not just at Thanksgiving, but every single day of the year.

My Favorite Time of Year

wishafriend.com 

Is it really mid/late November already? Where has the time gone? How can Thanksgiving be less than a week away?! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year, closely following Christmas (celebrating the birth of my Lord & Savior has to rank first).

One reason I love Thanksgiving so much is all the food and eating associated! But really, its because this holiday brings to mind all that I have to be thankful for, and having a chance to slow down and spend time with family.

This year we'll be hosting Thanksgiving dinner w/ the hubs' family. I think we have a menu planned out and I'm hoping to capture the preparations and recipes through photos (I'll try my best to blog them).

In the meantime, I will leave you with a few cooking photos I took this year:


Catfish soup


Tea eggs


Clam bake. Seafood Linguine. Nectarine Salad


Pumpkin Curry w/ Chicken


Turkey and Veggie Frittata. French Toast. Bacon

You Are...

...my refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1)
...with me wherever I go (Joshua 1:9)
...my confidence (Hebrews 4:16)
...Redeemer (Isaiah 47:4)
...the bread of life (John 6:35)
...here to give a rich and satisfying life (John 10:10)
God...(Be still, and know that I am God! - Psalm 46:10)

Happy December!!

Wow, can you believe it? We're at the end of the year already!! This year has certainly flown by. Another year of blessings =) More to come!