a beautiful story...

(from a sermon by Ray Cortese, Seven Rivers Church)

in 1st c. jewish culture, a prospective engagement went like this:
-parents of boy and girl decide this might be a good match
-in front of the entire village, boy sits down and offers girl a cup of wine - if she takes the cup, it is her symbol that she accepts the proposal
-he will become her husband and provider, but before the marriage ceremony, he must go home and build a room onto his parents' house for the new couple to live in
-once the room is done, the groom takes the bride to their new accommodations, and there are a week of wedding celebrations in that home for a week

at the time she takes the cup of wine, he says to her, "I'm leaving to prepare a place for you, but I will come back so I can take you there too."

sounds familiar b/c JC said that the night that he was betrayed, the night of His last communion, he said it to the disciples as he offered the wine to them. and every time we take the wine, we are choosing to enter (or remember) that covenant relationship w/ Him too. isn't that beautiful? we are once again acknowledging that He is our protector, our provider, our husband.

--
recently, i'd been feeling distant from everyone - from D and even my closest friends... i couldn't explain it - it wasn't for lack of time together, nor a desire for closeness. after some analysis, i think i've found the problem: i was feeling distant from everyone b/c i'd become distant from God. not to say i didn't love learning about Him, serving Him, etc. but did i love HIM and was i in love?

it's stories like the one above that help me to get back on track, to remember that He's my Father, my Friend, and the best Lover. and it's good to be near Him again, not the closest i've ever been but nearer than before...and i'm thankful that w/ His grace, i'll become nearer still. in the midst of all my busy-ness, when i actually STOP and look at Him, how can i not help falling in love again?

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ANYWAYS, to the more fun stuff...

in April, i celebrated my last bday in my 20's (so old am I!)

good chinese food (those tasty pan-fried noodles!) and great karaoke. =)

i went on some fun field trips:

i took the 2nd graders to the zoo. the spider exhibit i wanted to show them had closed a few days early (darn it!) but aren't those giraffes cute??

the 3rd graders got to go to the Sci. Museum. we tested variables to making a sailboat float, viewed the museum, had lunch in the beautiful rose garden, and saw a 3-D IMAX movie (and it really does look 3-D! i saw the kids waving their hands in front of themselves, trying to grab the fishies floating toward them...)

i went to some parties:

this is us all dressed up for Scott's wedding in beautiful PV. doesn't D look sharp? his new baller pin-striped suit!

and this is at Glo's baby shower... it was quite a fun, intimate time to celebrate the baby girl growing within!

i got to enjoy some of the treats of LA:

LR flew into town one last time before quitting her dare as a flight attendant... and we celebrated our standing tradition to eat yummy yummy soup dumplings.

living near this girl (and her parents) is still such a treat, though tiring as well... she's so on the "go" - not unlike me, but seeing it in someone else can be exhausting! =)

the day of the game, i got free tickets for Dodger stadium from my coworker. it was a sweet deal b/c it included free parking!! too bad our tardiness and later my nagging hunger (or rather, me nagging about my hunger) resulted in me missing all 5 Dodger runs!

& i was also introduced to some important ppl...

my long-lost parents' friends found me in LA...and apparently, their son (who i played w/ every wked when i was 3) goes to my church! and now i'm caught in a korean drama as our parents try to set us up together ...! eeek. but anyways, while at dinner w/ the family, uncle A ran into a good friend of his - Antonio, the mayor of LA.
since i get all my local news from the radio, i had no clue who the man was until after we all sat down... haha, clueless as always...

and even more impt ppl: D's parents. we spent a whole week w/ them and yay! they were nice! this is us at a Clipper's game.

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other than that, my committee work is going well. Also, plans for china are coming along nicely. my teammates and i will be there the last 2 wks of july before the olympic craze!

i'm sick right now... it's no fun, but i think i'm getting much needed rest (i just slept for 3.5 hrs in the middle of the day!). and D has showered me with care and food. heehee, lucky me. =)