Sunday

Josh's attempt at the mini cone.

Have a great Monday!

Caine's Arcade

For the love of all things beautiful and precious - watch this video. 

In Preparation

Josh had to work today. =( It's a good thing I'm home bound otherwise I'd be out picking up a few things in preparation for our vaca.

All traveling essentials don't you think? Happy gorgeous Saturday!

sunglasses, beach towel, cover-up, wedges, hat, bag, bikini, slippers

An Unique Adventure with a Pregnant Lady and a Handicap

Folks, we are going on vacation!

Josh has been bitten by the travel bug ever since our honeymoon but due to financial and physical restrictions we haven't been able to go. So instead of doing the responsible thing and saving our tax return, we're doing what every couple who has been too stressed out with life does - we're blowing it. =) (please reserve judgment for never.) But not blowing it too much because Josh found an incredible deal through Travelzoo. So Sunday, come hell or high water, we are boarding a plane to Cabo for a week of total relaxation.

And we're taking Aimee and Blane down with us. YES! Officially this will be our first (and last) married couples vacation pre-baby, BOO! (Thanks a lot baby.   ...just kidding. I love you so much already and I regret saying that.)  So a baby moon for them and a couples vaca for us.

We're headed here. Winner of Trip Advisors Traveler's Choice 2012 Award. Plus my trusty friend Leah has been and vouched for the place. For those of you wondering about my back, I've already checked poolside and the lounge chairs are fully padded and completely reclinable. SWEET! And as for the plane ride I figure Mr. ADD and I will just walk around the plane in circles after takeoff.

Although we won't be doing too much (it isn't like Mrs. Preggers and Mrs. Handicap can really go sea fishing or horseback riding) it won't matter. It really won't matter. I mean, just look at these pictures..

Relapse

Last Tuesday I had a bit of a scare with my back. I had returned from my daily walk and was sitting in a chair icing my back with my brace. I stood up and immediately felt what I can only describe as a tinging sensation shoot through my lower back. My legs felt like they were going to crumble so I quickly laid down on the couch. I was too afraid to move so I stayed there until Josh got home, three hours later.

That night I had tears of defeat. I knew something bad had happened.

It has been four months since the initial disc herniations and although I can walk I have taken some steps backward. I can no longer sit for short periods of time, walk two miles, or put my socks on properly. I am back to constantly wearing my brace and awkwardly trying to wash my face, get in and out of bed, and more of the like.

Today we went and met with the Ortho Spine Specialist at Stanford. It was both encouraging and discouraging at the same time. It was encouraging because he seemed to believe I should be able to heal on my own, and wasn't a candidate for surgery. It was discouraging because he said we should try physical therapy for three more months before reassessing how I'm doing. Three more months of this...just feels like a lifetime right now.

All of this has not been easy on Josh. I imagine, as it would be for any husband, the inability to rectify the problem is frustrating, leaving you with a sense of helplessness. So far many things have been out of our control this year and life has not played out to our exact specifications. I was sharing this with my Auntie Barbara a few weeks ago and she reminded me that life never seems to go the way you always wanted, but there is a great lesson to learn in trusting in the Lord. That is certainly not a new concept but it has taken on a new meaning as we struggle to lean on Him.

At present there are many unknowns. But each time I am overwhelmed, the Lord brings something/someone to me reminding me to Trust in the Lord. He is gracious and good. Almighty and powerful. "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." Psalm 56:3

The Measure of Stablity

On Sunday my family traveled down to Anaheim to celebrate Grandma's 88th birthday.  

So much of what is best in us is bound up in our love of family, that it remains the measure of our stability because it measures our sense of loyalty. - Haniel Long

Little Girl

Lots and lots from this weekend but this is what lingers in my mind. :) Remember Regan? They grow so fast. I was again reminded of the beauty in babies. 

Happy Monday friends. =) 

It's a Date

Something huge is coming to Target.

May 6th, it's a date.

100 Days!

Folks, it's that time again. Do you know what I'm talking about? Yesterday marked the 100th day until the  start of the Olympics! If you've been with me a while you know I love the Olympics, especially the Summer Games.

Saw these pictures and it got me all excited. (Sidenote, the photo above is driving me crazy...how could they not be centered?)

Here

Are you a fan of the Olympics too? If so, what's your favorite sport?

Strollers Galore

I've been heavily researching baby items for/with Aimee. It's no small feat. These past few days we've been looking into strollers and car seats. The options and variations are endless and so the reviews, videos, and comparisons have been filling my nights. Maybe too much so - two nights ago I had a nightmare and I remember strollers were in it. The next morning I told Josh that and he rolled his eyes and laughed at me. :/ Although he's Mr. Researcher, so I know he's onboard. 

Alas, the research was worth it. I found the best stroller/car seat**. As I was ruminating over my choice during my walk yesterday I passed four different moms with that exact same stroller. I called Aimee and turns out, she too, landed on the same exact stroller. Seems like it's meant to be to me. ;)

So, without further ado - the Uppababy Vista 

Qualifications

+ Easily maneuverable with one hand

+ Large tires

+ Provides 3/4 minimum seat adjustments

+ Decent storage 

+ Seat can be switched from front to back

+ Relatively lightweight and can fold easily 

+ Provides a carseat adapter

+ Carseat that meets all safety standards, preferably with high sides

+ Fits childbirth to toddler

+Adjustable handlebar

+ Washable fabric

+ Taller than most strollers so I can lift my nephew out of the stroller without another disc bulge. 

If you're curious, email/text me for the runner-ups. 

**I have discovered that making hyperbolic references to baby items such as "best stroller" can really stir up the mommy bears. Everyone has their own "best ______" and making such intense statements brings out the claws (aka they're all crazy!). So if you're one of those, retract the claws please and take this for what it is. :) Peace! 

Dinner Is Served

Josh loves ranch dressing. FINE, I do too. :p But we don't like ranch dressing from the supermarket. Josh's favorite ranch is actually from a well known fast food chain, Wendy's. He likes the taste and the thickness. For him, the thicker the better. I love buttermilk ranch dressing from restaurants, but who doesn't? Yum! I found a recipe for a creamy pesto ranch-like dressing and served it up last night. Turns out I had just the right amount of pesto leftover, and a box of rigatoni hanging out in the cupboard, to add a yummy pesto pasta salad. 

Happy eating!

The Most Essential Baby Items

Aimee has been working on her baby registry so yesterday on Facebook I asked moms to give me their 10 Most Essential Baby Items. Boy, did they deliver. In all, there were 63 recommendations! I categorized it all and narrowed it down to the items that were suggested more than once. Here they are in no particular order.

Aimee and I grew up holding babies and babysitting. We loved babies. But looking through all this stuff, it hit me yesterday that my sister is going to be a mom. A real mom. 21 weeks and counting...

A Few Things and then the Most Embarrassing Thing

There was a lot of computer action going on this weekend. I got to join the girls in singing happy birthday to Melissa and I saw Kylie perform at the Olympics of hula competitions, Merrie Monarch. 

Everything was going all right until the most embarrassing thing happened. Sunday after church Josh and I moseyed over to a new apartment complex near ours. We wanted to check out the new digs, browse the model units, and run a few comparables. This is the entrance to the leasing office. 

Well, we walked into the small lobby and waited while the staff helped others. When a leasing agent was free, we told him we were just curious about the new place. He happily obliged our curiosity and set out to take us on the short tour of the new complex. I was putting my phone in my purse as we walked towards the door in the above photo when I SMACK RAN DIRECTLY INTO THE WINDOW TO THE RIGHT OF THE DOOR!! The noise was horrendously loud because I was paced to catch up to the leasing agent who was moving full steam ahead. Everyone in the lobby looked at me like, "did that girl just walk into that window!?!" I looked at Josh and he was also looking at me with a horrified, "did you really just walk into that window!?!" I glanced at all the people in the leasing office, mumbled my apologies, and made a beeline outside through the ACTUAL door. :/ 

Once outside my forehead immediately began to throb. The leasing agent paused and asked me somewhat hesitantly if I had walked into the window (as if he didn't know). I tried to muster all my coolness and, while rubbing my head, mentioned that maybe those windows shouldn't be so clean and then added an embarrassed chuckle while trying to move us away from the eyes of the leasing office. The rest of the tour I had one hand on my forehead and the other in front of me (like a blind person holding their walking stick). Geez, I am a piece of work.

Anyways, moral of the story - watch closely for floor to ceiling windows in brand new leasing offices that are spotless and impeccably clear. They are out to get you.  

A very happy happy birthday to my best friend, Melissa. 

You are truly one of a kind.

Conversation over Dinner

Friday night dinner - Tortilla soup from here and man, it hit just the spot. After a rainy and windy few days, it was the perfect meal for Josh to come home to after a long week at work. 

Today Nurse Maria called with the results of the MRI - two bulging discs in the 14th and 15th area of the spine. They referred me to an Ortho Spine Specialist at Stanford who I will see in a few weeks. I'm thankful that I'm being taken care of by the best of the best as our journey towards a complete recovery continues. 

Have a blessed weekend! 

Storm

Last night we had a storm. Josh and I opened our blinds and turned off the lights so we could watch the show. I woke up to this picture. Some guy opened his window too and took pictures of the storm over the Bay Bridge. Can you see how all four towers are being hit at the same time? Wonderous. 

I hear it's headed to LA. Stay safe everyone - and happy Friday the 13th. :)

MRI-Shremri

The MRI went fine. Before the vortex sucked me into a claustrophobic tunnel I closed my eyes. That was the game plan and it worked perfectly. It only took 20 minutes. The technician told me 40 before sending me in but when she pulled me back out she said that's what she says just in case they have to retake pictures or the machine needs to reboot. Girl knows how to get an A+, just say'in.

The walls were so close I could feel my breath come back and hit me. I decided that instead of letting my mind take me to the sinking Titanic stuck in a room that was quickly filling up with water, I should pray for others. It worked. In fact, as I made my way through my family I had only gotten to Kylie when it was over.

My shuttle driver was patient and calming. Isn't he always? Here's my don't-let-the-nurses-see-how-freaked-out-I-am before picture. I don't think I fooled them. :p

Hoping for lots of answers!

Jason Wu just debuted his new home line in collaboration with Canvas. I love some of the pieces! Enjoy the eye candy. =)

P.S. MRI tonight. Melissa generously let me borrow some ear plugs. Hope I don't go all crazy because of the long term claustrophobia and have to be admitted to a mental institution... :p If you don't see me tomorrow, this was your head's up. =)

Weekend Recap

Happy monday ya'll.

An 88th Bday, Can You Imagine?

This weekend Josh's whole family is converging on LA to celebrate Jichan's 88th bday. In Japan the 88th birthday is a special one for many reasons - the kanji characters are significant, the number 8 is meaningful, and in general the Japanese culture has respected old age and celebrated long life.

Josh's Jichan is dear to my heart. He is not your typical quiet Japanese nisei. He is outspoken and loud but also kind and loving. He loves to fish and often dreams of the "big catch". And when his back affords him he is an avid gardener as well. From the beginning he has always accepted me and made me feel like part of the family (even though I'm only half Japanese! gasp! :p). And when my sister got engaged he found me at church and told me if Josh didn't propose soon he would take a hammer to his head! =)

I'll share pictures of the celebration with you when we get back. Although I'm sure there will be an abundance of food the entire weekend, I wanted to do something to show my love.

Recipe here. 

Happy 88th Jichan! I love you dearly.

Good Friday

"And they mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise." - Mark 10:34

Thank you Jesus.

And for Dessert

Last week I found an old recipe I had torn out of a Food Network Magazine and decided to give it a go. Even though it isn't winter, (and called a Winter Fruit Salad) something about the picture was calling me. 

After we let it sit overnight, we ventured a taste. I wasn't sure how it would come out since the fruit salads I'm used to are made from canned fruits and flavored from those juices. But this did not disappoint. Josh and I gobbled it up so fast, and I was loving it so much, I forgot to take a picture! 

But, lo and behold, I just found the recipe online. Yea! If you are looking for something light and juicy, this is definitely worth the second trip to the market.  

Here's the recipe online. We made a few revisions: we skipped the vanilla bean (tasted just fine without it) and substituted some of the fruit that was out of season to some that are plump, ripe, and delicious now.

Winter Fruit Salad
1/2 cup sugar
1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise with the seeds scraped out
1 lemon
5 large navel or blood oranges
2 mangos, peeled and diced
2 firm bananas, peeled and diced
5 kiwis, peeled and diced
12 kumquats, very thinly sliced crosswise, seeds removed
1 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 pomegranate)

Combine the sugar, 2 cups of water, ginger and vanilla seeds in a saucepan. Use a vegetable peeler to remove wide strips of zest from the lemon and 1 orange, add to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Refrigerate until cold.

Meanwhile, peel the remaining oranges with a paring knife. Save the juice and put in the fruit bowl. Add the remaining fruit and gently toss. Pour the syrup over the fruit and chill overnight.

Before serving, remove the citrus zest, ginger, and vanilla pod. Spoon the fruit and syrup into bowls.

Enjoy! (I have a second one waiting in the fridge, so don't mind if I join you. :p)

Spent some time at Stanford hospital yesterday. These pictures are from the entrance.

Trying to get some answers on my back and a few other things. Aimee was telling me that her old college roommate called. Apparently her husband (they were married a week before Josh and I), experienced two herniated disc's last November and two weeks ago had surgery to fuse his spine. I guess he couldn't take it anymore.

For us, surgery is the last option. I am improving everyday but it is just taking so dang long. I can sit for longer periods of time now - like a few hours max if I need to. I am walking a few miles five days a week and I think that helps. (I was telling Josh that when I walk it's me, a bunch of pregnant women, and a bunch of mom's with their toddlers. Ack - so embarrassing. Sometimes I'm tempted to shout "I have a back problem!" into the air so people don't look at me like I'm crazy :p). I can get in and out of bed without feeling like the darn thing is going to slip out but I still cannot drive or workout.

I think I have gotten all I can from the chiropractor and, on the advice of my mother and Grandma K, I am branching out to other things. I'm scheduled to have an MRI of my spine to see if it has been healing correctly and we'll go from there.

So that's that.

On a more exciting note - Boo is halfway here! weeeeeee! That beautiful little bump signifies so much goodness. =) His mercies are new everyday!

The past few weeks have been a series of minor disappointments. I can't help but think of the disappointments Jesus must have felt the week leading up to his crucifixion. Judas' betrayal, Peter's denials, the chief priests and elders who plotted his death, the crowds he spent time with who turned their backs on him, Pilate who didn't stop it, and his plea to his Father to save him from his coming death.

On Sunday we celebrate his resurrection. I was reminded that Jesus needed those disappointments in order to give the gift of eternal life. What a necessary feat for an unparalleled end!

May my disappointments be to His glory and my growth.

"Then...with my tunic and cloak torn, I fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God and prayed.." Ezra 9:5