A Day with the 'Adults'

What a blessing it has been spending time in Jersey since I got back! My aunt and her best friend are retired and have been living with my parents for the past 3 months, visiting from Taiwan. My parents are off from work a lot these past two weeks because of the holidays. And I'm temporarily retired. So it really feels like it's a house full of retired people just hanging out, shopping, eating, playing, laughing, talking and acting like kids without a care in the world, hahaha! Seriously, I haven't seen my parents laugh and play so much, it's been so great to see them relax and enjoy life with a couple of new 'roommates'.

Yesterday, I went on a day-long road trip with my parents, my aunt and her best friend. Seriously, I felt like their chaperone at times, LOL! What an amusing and entertaining day! First we were 30 minutes late from our planned departure time, which apparently happens to them a lot when they go out. We were planning to visit Cape May and then hitting the casinos in Atlantic City, and so during our 3-hour drive, the 'adults' talked about their slot machine strategy. And how they pick a 'good machine'. Wow, they are absolutely hilarious. At this point, I had already planned on making my way to the blackjack table for the first time. Yes, I learned the rules the night before through wikipedia, woohoo!

So we arrive at Cape May and go see the beach and browse the gift shop. My dad buys a plaque and a big plastic fish from the shop, while my mom, aunt and her friend walk along the beach and collect stones. I took a free cup of coffee and cookie from the shop, and I'm standing in the parking lot, shivering and waiting for the adults. Our next stop was the lighthouse, which is really beautiful. We walked along the beach, and everything about the little bit of sun shining through the clouds in the sky, the sand, the peaceful sound of waves hitting the shore, the lack of people on the beach, it was really perfect. I just stood there for awhile, staring at and listening to the ocean, and wondering why it brings such a sense of peace and relaxation. Then I started thinking that pretty much all things in nature, whether it be mountains or oceans or sky or trees tend to make us feel peaceful. What makes the mountain peaceful to look at and a skyscraper not, what makes the sound of the ocean peaceful to listen to and car alarms not? And the only thing I can think of is that there is something miraculous in the things that God created in the beginning for us to enjoy. We are created in His image, and so we love the things He loves. The things in nature are His creation, not ours, and hence we inherently love His creation. Even if we've never seen a mountain with our physical eyes, if all of a sudden we found ourselves facing a mountain, I think our spirits would know it is something beautiful and precious. This just reminded me of Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse". How can we be surrounded by the awesome and amazing things in nature and not understand who God is?!
























































WWII bunker



































We stopped by the Lobster House for lunch; we had eaten dinner there years before and waited over 3 hours for a table! This time was a lot more relaxing, since it's in the middle of winter. The food was great and we enjoyed the meal with a bottle of wine :) The bread and crab cakes were extra-delicious, FYI. After lunch, we made our way to The Donald, it was about 3:30pm. We each went our separate ways and agreed to meet at 7pm. I walked around the tables to observe for a bit and finally felt comfortable enough to sit down at a blackjack table. I was surprised to see that the lowest minimum bet available at that casino was $15, I had expected a couple of $5 tables. Oh well, it's not like I gamble all the time and it's an educational experience. I had such a nice group of people at my table, thank God! The dealer kept things light and was helping me out, and the guy to my left was teaching me and answering my questions the entire time. No one at the table gave me a hard time about not knowing what I was doing, and I've heard that in a lot of cases, people are annoyed with newbies. It turned out that the guy next to me lives 5 minutes away from my hometown in Jersey, and he was telling us about his 5-month old daughter. What an interesting way to meet people, huh? I started out winning more than I was losing, and then the chips started disappearing right before my eyes. I think it was because I wasn't making any large bets, so that even on the 'good hands', I didn't have a chance to win a lot. Within less than an hour, I had lost $200. I still had two more hours until 7pm! So with that, I said goodbye to my table and went to the slot machines where I figured I could waste more time with less money. Another hour later, $85 went out the window. What can I do for another hour and not 'lose' money in a casino? Aha! Sit at the bar, watch TV and have an apple martini, haha! Amusing. So 7pm finally rolls around, we meet for some pizza, and somehow in the process of going to the restrooms before we headed back home, my dad decided to push back the departure time cuz he felt bad that I didn't win anything, LOL! Finally, I randomly pressed some buttons on a slot machine and won 3,000 pennies, woohoo! Time to go home :) It was quite an entertaining day.

Christmas 2007

It was a quiet but fun-filled Christmas celebration at the Chen household this year. The kids played Monopoly and the adults played ma-jong! I never realized Monopoly could be such a great game, it's more fun playing as adults, with some trash-talking and interesting negotiation tactics. Afterwards, we ate LOTS of delicious hotpot food until we were about to burst, I think it definitely makes the top of the 'best hotpot experience' list! We decided to skip the hassle of getting each other presents, so I made everyone sing 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' before the end of the night, I was happy that we at least did something 'traditional' :)











































Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!

To My Readers: Thank you :)

Over the past 3 months, I have truly enjoyed writing and sharing my life and thoughts with you, more than I could ever have imagined! It has helped me put 'random' feelings and thoughts into more coherent words, and has made my experiences alone seem not-so-alone, knowing that I can share those experiences here at a later date. It really has also helped me to not be as lazy as I sometimes want to be, the fact that I have committed to writing this blog. If a week passed by, and I have absolutely nothing remotely interesting to share, then it's probably a red flag that I need to get my priorities straight! Honestly, I know that even if this blog were merely a 'personal journal' of sorts for me to look back on, it would be enough of a blessing for me. Which is why it is an EXTRA blessing to hear from so many of you that you actually enjoy reading the blog, and that it's been at times an encouragement to you as well! Thank you all so much for your encouraging words, your support and your prayers!

I'm not exactly sure where this blog will go in the future, but for now I still have a strong desire to keep writing. In the months that I have been away from full-time employment, I have learned to relax, enjoy life one day at a time, to 'be' all there wherever it is that I am, and to realize more and more in every situation, good or bad, that it's all about Him. Sometimes when I think back on what I actually accomplished, I feel the urge to criticize myself because I wasn't perfect. I could have done more, I could have read more of the Bible, prayed more, woken up earlier each day, hung out with my grandmother more, explored more of Arizona, tried to meet more people at church, I could have handled certain situations better, certain conversations better. And while yes, these things are probably all true, when the urge arises to beat myself up, I have to remind myself that it's not about me. I will never be perfect or 'good enough' on my own, I am weak and sinful as a human being, and therefore have nothing to boast of in and of myself! Which is why God's unconditional and sacrificial love for me through His Son is SO awesome and powerful! I don't have to 'earn' His love, I already have it! Nothing I do or don't do will ever change that! When we recognize our own failure, He doesn't condemn us or love us any less. We are His children and when we are hurting, He has compassion on us and wants to bring us joy and peace, not guilt or condemnation. When Peter realized that he had denied Jesus three times just as He had predicted, he was so overwhelmed by his failure and weakness that he wept. But after Jesus rose from the dead, Peter was one of the first people who was told of the news that Jesus is alive, perhaps because He knew that Peter was grieving and hurting. It is clear that Jesus still loved Peter very much, despite his mistakes! Praise the Lord that His grace is sufficient for us, for His strength is made perfect in weakness! Paul wrote, 'Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me ... for when I am weak, then I am strong.' How awesome is that! When we admit to our own weaknesses, we allow God's strength to carry us!

So what's my plan now that I'm no longer in Arizona? Well, I had to leave Jake, my printer and a bag of miscellaneous things behind, so there is still a part of me that's still in Arizona! For the next 5 weeks, I'll be in the NYC area hanging out with family and friends, going to a wedding in Florida, and preparing for my trip to Taiwan and possibly a couple of other destinations in Asia! Unless the Holy Spirit tells me to stay in Asia, I'll back in the states and attempting to figure out where to live and work (ack!) sometime in March 2008! I really need revelation from God in these next few months about where He wants me to go and what He wants me to do!

Back in the Big Apple

It's been so wonderful seeing family and friends in NJ / NYC this past week! On Thursday I went with my mom and aunt to K-town for lunch, and met up with family to celebrate Heather's birthday at Texas Arizona in Hoboken, the biggest Steelers' bar in the country! When I saw everyone, it felt as if I hadn't been gone for 3 months and that I'd just seen them a week ago. On Friday I tagged along with my mom, aunt and my aunt's best friend to the Botanical Garden in the Bronx. It was SO cold, and obviously we didn't see much as far as 'gardens' go. There was a beautiful model city and train display indoors, which was neat to walk through and see. It really makes a difference when it's cold out, all I wanted to do was hide inside my jacket and get to the next warm destination. I didn't even want to stop for pictures! Note to self: I need take this into consideration when planning trips.

























































On a 'tram' of sorts, it was too cold to walk!














Look at those huge pine cones!














After the visit to the botanical garden I was supposed to meet up with a friend for dinner in the city. We drove around until we saw what looked like the subway stop, so I hopped out of the car. Of course, it was Metro North and not the subway, so I asked a security guard for directions and had to walk another 12 blocks or so until I got to the subway stop. It was then that I realized I'd never walked around in the Bronx by myself before.

Ahhh, I really missed the dining experience in NYC! We ate at Borough Food and Drinks, it is such a cute restaurant, and the food was delicious! We ordered the ribs and fried chicken, yum! Afterwards, we went to a wine bar, watched Notting Hill at her apartment, ate some ramen (haha!) and chatted, went to bed, woke up the next day and went out for the spiciest Thai food I've ever eaten. If you really like spicy food, go to Land. By the time we said good-bye, we had hung out for nearly 24 hours straight! It was such a nice way to catch up, doing girly things together :)

On Sunday I got to see so many familiar faces at Citylight, it was wonderful! What a blessing it is to worship God, hear the Word preached and fellowship with old friends and family :)

Being around so many people in the city is a bit overwhelming, although not unfamiliar. I find myself doing what I used to do, which is put on my headphones and ignore what's going on around me. Surrounded by a sea of pedestrians, I felt this strong sense that I was 'in' that crowd but not 'of' that crowd, like I was an outsider looking in. I understood why some people say that NYC could feel lonely at times, each day we pass by so many unfamiliar faces that will never become familiar to us, and it's so easy to just get lost in the routine of life in a big city. But on the other hand, the opportunity to reach out to people and meet someone new is huge in a place like NYC. I have realized that in a city like Phoenix where everyone drives and everything is spread out, the opportunity to 'run into' someone and strike up a conversation is smaller, whereas in NYC, you can't walk five feet without seeing another person! I guess it's not so much where we are, but whether or not we take the opportunity to reach out or minister to someone when it's presented to us.

Last Few Days in Phoenix ...

With my 'vacation' in Arizona coming to a close, the last few days were filled with watching Taiwanese drama with my grandma and aunt, shopping at outdoor malls, taking Jake out for drives, going to dinner parties and saying good-bye to everyone. While I was excited to see family and friends in NYC/NJ, I felt like there wasn't enough hours in the day left in Arizona. I did my best to treasure every moment for what it was, knowing that once the moment has passed, it can never be recaptured, no matter how good my memory is. I guess knowing that there is an end brings a sense of urgency and significance to the present moment, rather than thinking about what the future may bring.

On Saturday, I went to one of the nicest outdoor shopping centers in the Phoenix area, Kierland Commons. It's like a miniature town, with 'blocks' of stores and restaurants and tree-lined sidewalks. I had the BEST salad EVER at this restaurant called Tommy Bahama, it has locations in Hawaii, how cool is that?! It's the Aruba Arugula Salad, with scallops and shrimps, SO delicious. I seriously found it difficult to see the food disappear as I ate. Later that evening, I went with Aunt Mary and Uncle Peter to their friends' Christmas party. Their house is absolutely beautiful, the meal was great and I enjoyed meeting the guests at our dinner table. We went on a hayride into the mountains, it was an interesting experience, although REALLY COLD.





























On Sunday evening a neighbor invited us over for a dinner party, it was great to see everyone and I'm glad I got to say good-bye.














I had planned on going to see the sunset from the top of a mountain on Monday (my 27th birthday, eek!) but didn't have enough time, our Bible study session that morning was so awesome that we went way overtime! So now the sunset is on my list of to-do's when I go back to Phoenix :) Thank you to all who sent me birthday wishes, it was a very low-key but enjoyable birthday! I was especially thrilled with the birthday song from Julien, thank you! :) On Tuesday we completed our Bible study of Mark, and my friend was so thoughtful as to bring a cake and dessert because I was leaving the next day. That evening, I ordered food in from Pei Wei, and enjoyed my 'last' dinner of my 'vacation' with family.














Tuesday was a very emotional and bittersweet day for me. Waves of thoughts, memories, and emotions came and went, as I attempted to grasp what I was feeling but failing miserably. I knew that I was grateful for everything that God blessed me with in Arizona, a warm and comfortable home to stay in, family who cared about me, godly wisdom through my aunt and uncle, churches with solid teachings, a new and challenging experience working in a restaurant, the opportunities to meet new people, speaking Mandarin on a whole new level, family and friends back home who kept in touch and encouraged me, time to spend alone with the Lord and enjoying the outdoors and beautiful weather, learning to be comfortable doing things alone and to trust Him in all things! But at the same time, I was really sad and scared to leave what I had grown to love about living in Arizona. By 7pm on Wednesday, I had landed in Newark and my parents came to pick me up. On the car ride home, I realized that the time I spent in Arizona felt so surreal, looking out the window at the 'familiar' views, I almost wondered if I'd ever left New York City. Things are so different here that Arizona seemed so long ago.

Miracles Happen!

After a semi-sad close to the server-phase of my life last Thursday, a friend took me to my first 'trendy' restaurant in Phoenix. I really have missed the restaurant experience in NYC since I've been here, so I'm glad that I went. The place is called The Vig, and we sat outside on a patio-like area, and there's a fireplace! It was beautiful. I also liked it because it felt very relaxed and informal, since there's also a section outside for people who are just getting drinks and sitting on couches.

On Saturday, my parents arrived in Phoenix, expecting to enjoy the dry, warm weather. Ha! Starting with Sunday, it was cloudy the entire day, with a few light rain showers in the afternoon. I took my parents to church in the morning (it was like a 2.5 hour service, I'm proud of my parents for staying that long!) and afterwards we went to the Botanical Garden. We had so much fun posing with the cacti, haha!













































































On our way home, less than a block away from the house, I saw the most beautiful rainbow in the sky and started screaming as I'm driving. I parked the car in the driveway and ran back to take pictures. It looked much more beautiful in person, since the camera doesn't capture all the colors. But within less than 5 minutes, the rainbow disappeared! I'm so glad I caught it!















Early the next morning, we started our 4 hour drive to the Grand Canyon. We brought all the winter clothes we had, and I especially asked my parents to bring snow boots and gloves for me, as I wasn’t prepared for the 20 degree weather here in Arizona! As we got to higher altitudes, we could see snow on the ground, so we knew it was going to be cold. When we arrived at the park, we went to the supermarket to grab a quick lunch and some snacks for later in the evening. Afterwards, we drove to Mather Point for a view of the Grand Canyon, but much to our dismay, the canyon was filled with the thickest fog I have ever seen! We could not see anything except for the piece of rock we were standing on. It’s as if the canyon didn’t exist! We took a few pictures anyway, and everywhere you see white is where the canyon ‘should’ be :)















All the tourists, including us, left Mather Point with downcast expressions and helpless chuckles. As we drove away, I was reminded of a silly argument that my parents got into during lunch, and I half-jokingly said that God is telling us to repent and get our hearts in the right attitude before He’s going to let us see the beauty of His creation! My dad laughed and said, ‘What about all these other tourists? They all have bad attitudes today?’ And I replied, ‘Perhaps not, but they’re suffering because of our bad attitude, haha!’ So we just prayed about it and asked God to let the fog dissipate. Not knowing what else we could do at the Grand Canyon besides seeing the Grand Canyon, we went to our hotel to check in and hang out for a bit. The fog was so thick that while driving, we couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of us. It is such a beautiful hotel, very log cabin-like, although the rooms are small. We ate half of our snacks and watched some TV for a couple of hours, and I suggested that we try Mather Point again to see if the view was any better. We didn’t think it was possible, but it got worse, and we couldn’t even see the rock right in front of us anymore! After a few minutes of waiting it out, we gave up and went to the gift shop. It was funny, my parents picked up books of the Grand Canyon and decided that if they couldn’t see the real thing, they could admire the pictures, haha! As we were walking around the gift shop, laughing to ourselves at how ironic the situation is, I glanced out the window of the store and saw dark patches where the white fog used to be! I grabbed my mom and we ran out to see, the fog had started disappearing and we saw the Grand Canyon! It was ‘extra’ magnificent because of how miraculous it was that God answered our prayer about 30 minutes before sunset! Everyone was SO full of excitement and joy as we walked along the canyon while taking tons of pictures. Within 30 minutes the fog came back, the sun went down and the snow started coming down hard. We couldn’t have asked for more, at one point we said that if we got one minute to see the canyon, it would have been enough, and He was gracious enough to give us half an hour!












































View of our hotel, El Tovar














It’s interesting, because this experience was so relevant to what the pastor and another leader in the church said during service the previous day. They said that a lot of times, we can’t see the sun because of the thick clouds in the sky, but that doesn’t mean the sun isn’t there. The sun (God) is constant, the clouds (our circumstances) may make it difficult to see the sun, but we KNOW it’s there! I knew the Grand Canyon was right there, I could picture it in my head because I had seen it just a few months ago! But in front of my physical eyes, all I could see was a huge mass of white fog! But that’s where faith comes in. I had faith that the Grand Canyon was behind the fog. How much more powerful are our spiritual eyes than our physical eyes! The pastor also said that when God’s temple (in the Old Testament, the actual ‘temple’, in the New Testament, our bodies) is in order, miracles happen! When we open up our hearts with gratitude and joy, He is able to work miracles in and around us!

Satisfied with the breathtaking views, we went back to the hotel for dinner and relaxation. My mom brought face masks for us to use on our trip, we looked so scary and ridiculous that we decided to get a little silly in front of the camera, haha!















It snowed a few inches overnight, and Jake was covered in snow the next morning! It was Jake’s first experience in the snow, he looked happy :)














We drove by Mather Point on our way out of the park, and again, it was covered with thick fog, and we knew it really was a miracle that we got to see the canyon the day before. On our way to Sedona, we passed through a couple of areas of heavy snow, it was a bit scary as it was my first time driving in the snow. Jake was very brave and did great! A few miles before we hit Sedona, we came to one of the most beautiful landscapes EVER! There was a car ahead of us going like 5 miles an hour and we couldn’t figure out why until we caught up to it. We were at the top of Oak Creek Canyon and the road winds down into the canyon! The canyon was full of grand, tall oak trees covered with white, powdery snow, and we were right in the middle of it! It was so gorgeous, again, the pictures don’t do it justice. There wasn’t anywhere to stop on the side of the windy road, so everyone was just driving at 5 miles an hour, admiring the views. As we got lower into the canyon, we realized that we were driving along the creek. Sigh, I love creeks, they’re so peaceful.





























When we arrived at Sedona, we grabbed lunch at a Mexican restaurant, with perfect views of some red rocks! Even though I was just in Sedona a few weeks before, the view that day was SO different! It was very cloudy and the tops of many rocks had snow! Whoever thought there’d be so much snow in Arizona! During lunch, it started to hail! It was amazing, we’d never seen hail like this before. These were tiny, perfectly round, solid white pieces falling from the sky, and they roll around on the ground like they were beads from a necklace. Within a few minutes, it stopped. Since the weather wasn’t the best for hiking, as the ground was wet, we made a few stops to take some pictures of the red rocks and headed home.

Thought this was an awesome picture
































As we were nearing Phoenix, it began to pour like crazy! By the time we arrived at the house, we had seen every kind of weather possible in one day, haha!

The next day, I took my aunt, uncle and parents to the University of Phoenix Stadium, which is where the Cardinals play and where the Super Bowl will be played in 2008! We got a tour of the stadium, and saw some of the VIP areas and the locker room. The roof actually opens up; I think it’s the first stadium to have this contraption. The thing that surprised me the most is that the grassy field is outside the stadium so it can get sun, and it is brought in before games!















Me chillin' in the shower room, hehe ;)










































Afterwards, I took my parents to the restaurant where I worked and had a delicious meal, I love the food there! We were one of only two tables who were ‘brave’ enough to sit outside in the courtyard. It was maybe 50 degrees, I guess everyone else thought it was too cold, haha! I got us the chocolate raspberry baby cake, my favorite, the chef decorated it beautifully especially for us (usually the servers decorate the desserts)!





























Later that evening, we celebrated my birthday early since my parents were leaving the next morning. Aunt Mary prepared many yummy dishes, and Uncle Peter bought a cake and some sake, it was my first time drinking sake, not bad!

Sanctuary

On Monday, I treated myself to a day at the Sanctuary Spa. It was such a relaxing day, that I ended up feeling sleepy all day and was in bed by 9pm, haha! The spa was beautiful. I had a Swedish massage in the morning, after which I sat in the steam room and hot tub for a bit. I had the whole place to myself, it was wonderful. Afterwards, I went and sat by the pool, ate some chips and salsa while listening to Jay Chou on my ipod, and enjoying the view of the mountains and sky. I passed by the fitness room to see if I should work out for a bit, but felt the relaxation leave me as soon as I entered the room of treadmills and workout equipment, and decided not to 'ruin' the spa experience. So I headed back inside for my facial appointment. It was very relaxing, the woman was friendly and we chatted for awhile, and the extraction phase was completely pain-free! After my facial, I took advantage of the huge showers, with TWO shower heads! It was great. What I did find humorous was that in the lounge area, there is hot tea and magazines, and the Wall Street Journal. Who wants to read the Wall Street Journal on their day at the spa?! Not very 'sanctuary' like to me, haha! It was a fun experience, probably not worth the amount of money I spent, but hey, at least now I can say I spent a day at the spa on my vacation in Phoenix :)

Wii-eee!

On Sunday, I went to morning service at Calvary Community Church (which, I think I forgot to mention, I've been attending for the past 6 weeks) at 9:30am. After service, I went to the young adults group for Bible study / discussion. Then we had pizza and games, and I played Wii for the first time! It was fun, we played doubles tennis, although I felt myself running to hit the ball, even though it was unnecessary and irrelevant. An indicator that I am way out of shape (or just plain weak) is that the next day I woke up and my left arm was sore, from playing 10 minutes of Wii tennis! Sadness. After the young adults group, I drove home and rested for about an hour. Then we had church service in our living room, after which my aunt and I left the house for the Extreme Prophetic event with Patricia King. So basically from 9:30am to 9:00pm, I was surrounded by praise and worship, teachings of the Word and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. It was a busy but wonderful, convicting and yet encouraging day!

*Newsflash* Defining moment in Theresa's life. Watched a movie in theaters by myself for the first time on Saturday! It was perfect. I had an entire row (and pretty much the entire theater) to myself, since there were only like 20 people there. I saw Enchanted, what a cute and clever movie! It was really funny and poked fun at many aspects of Disney fairy tale stories. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. And the few men in the theater seemed to enjoy it too, heard some loud laughters (but I guess it could be from pain, haha).

Surprisingly, the movie was really relevant to a few things that I've been thinking about recently. The fairy tale girl meets a guy living in reality (in NYC, and I was so excited to see the scene inside the Time Warner Center). The girl believes in happily ever afters, the guy believes in practicality and reason. The girl believes in love at first sight, the guy believes in dating for a few years and making a logical choice for a spouse. So that got me thinking, if we all agree that happily ever afters don't exist in this world, is it better to keep thinking that it does and to have that dream, or is it better to compromise with reality and destroy the hope of a happily ever after? Sometimes when I watch silly fairy-tale-like movies, I get so excited and happy and hopeful for the characters, all the while knowing full well that it doesn't happen in real life. But somehow it doesn't matter, just the 'thought' that it 'could' happen in an ideal world is enough. Am I crazy? Is this stunting my ability to make practical decisions, am I too idealistic?

Bringing these thoughts into a Biblical perspective, it's clear to me that the things of this world will perish, and our lives in these bodies are but a 'dot' in eternity. Therefore, we are to set our minds on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2), and not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Our wealth, our jobs, our spouses, our children, our possessions will not go with us when we leave this earth. So does it really matter in eternity whether we lived a fairy-tale life or a practical life with compromises? As long as we've done God's will, it really doesn't, because doing God's will IS eternal! Okay, so now I have settled on the fact that life on earth is temporary, what matters in this life is doing God's will, and we live in a world where there is sin and no fairy-tales. I guess the answer is to recognize that nothing is perfect except God, do my best to follow His will, and only compromise to a point where I can still have peace about it. After all, if I believe God is telling me to do something, even if it IS a compromise when compared to 'perfection' (since we live in a fallen world), it is not really a compromise because it's FROM God. And EVEN IF (not that I plan to) I over-compromised, it's still only temporary!

Rain Over Phoenix

Last Friday was a very rainy day here in Phoenix. First time I'd seen rain for more than 10 minutes since I got here. For a few hours in the morning, it smelled like it was about to rain, it was wonderful. By noon, it was pouring. I'm usually not the biggest fan of rain, but I was so excited to see, hear and feel the rain. I sat outside for a bit and just listened and watched the rain, and felt the cool wind in my face. It was so peaceful. The rain sounds different here because it hits rocks on the ground instead of grass. I guess I never really had an entire day to stay indoors to fully appreciate the rain :) And in Phoenix, it literally is a rare occurrence!





























Sound of Phoenix rain :)

Adventures Around Tucson

After nearly two months of being in Arizona, I finally made the decision to take a two-day trip to Tucson by myself. I was a bit nervous about traveling alone, as I've never done it before, but I thought, what am I afraid of, it's not like I'm doing something stupid and dangerous! And I am so thankful and glad that I did, it was a wonderful experience! The reason this entry is called adventures 'around' Tucson, and not 'in' Tucson, is because there isn't much to see 'in' Tucson. All the beautiful places are around the city, like the parks, canyons, mountains, caves.

I started my two-hour drive to Tucson at 7:40am the day after Thanksgiving. It was COLD, I had to put the heater on for the first 30 minutes of the trip. It was a great drive as soon as I left the Phoenix area and the traffic slowly disappeared. I had my ipod playing in my Jeep, as I'm singing and driving along, with Wilma (my faithful GPS) plugged in and ready to tell me where to turn. I got to my first destination by 10am - Saguaro National Park West. I drove on an unpaved road through the park, which is the closest I've been to 'off-roading' with Jake. I think he was happy about the drive :) There were several trails in the park, I went on a couple of short ones and saw beautiful views of the Sonoran Desert and saguaro (kind of cactus).

One of the many saguaros.


















A saguaro being difficult.


















Jake's and my first unpaved road experience!














Teddy bear cholla. Isn't it cute and cuddly? :)


















View of the Sonoran Desert from the top of one of the trails.














A little after noon, I arrived at the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, which is a zoo / botanical garden in the middle of the desert. Boy, did I pick the 'wrong' day to go! The parking lot was so full that I had to park inside a gated area for staff members! I guess all the families who chose not to take their energetic 5 year olds to the mall decided to take them to the desert so they can run around rampant on acres of open land. I decided to head for the sit-down restaurant inside the museum first to satisfy my hunger so I'll have the energy to deal with the kids. The restaurant was pretty packed and the only table left was a table for 4, so the hostess sat me down with 3 empty seats around me. So I'm drinking my coffee and familiarizing myself with the museum map, and this man asked me if I'd mind sharing the table with his group of 3. I was up for it, no point in wasting the space right? We ended up chatting over lunch - they were a married couple and brother of the wife visiting for Thanksgiving. It was an interesting way to meet random people. With my stomach full, I started on my tour of the desert animals and plants. I'm usually a big fan of animals and zoos, but for some reason, I felt especially bad for them that day, mostly because each animal was by itself, with no one to play with. They're just sitting there with all these humans standing around with their cameras, staring and awwing at how cute they are. It just didn't feel right to take pictures of them, so I didn't. I did enjoy the hummingbird exhibit. They are amazing creatures, beautiful and elegant, and the way their wings flutter so quickly is really cool! At some of the indoor exhibits, there were SO many kids crowding and running around that I felt like screaming for them to get out of my way. It is fun to observe and overhear conversations when traveling alone though. This little Asian boy was taking a picture of his parents. And he says to his dad after he took the picture, 'hey dad, don't you think I'm an ace at taking pictures?' His dad goes, 'I wouldn't say you're an ace, maybe average.' (or maybe he said amateur, couldn't make it out) Then the boy says, 'But dad, I really think I'm an ace photographer.' LOL, persistent little kid. It was too cute.

A view of the 'museum'














After the museum visit, I headed for the hotel to check-in. The hotel was in the middle of the University of Arizona campus, so I was able to take a walking tour before it got dark. It's a beautiful campus.

On the road from the museum to the hotel














University of Arizona campus










































Just when I was reminiscing about how 'easy' school was, relatively speaking, I was quickly reminded that it wasn't as fun as I remembered it.














By the time I got to the hotel, stormy clouds had started to form above me and a few drops of rain had fallen. Thoughts of driving downtown to try a Mexican restaurant recommended by my Fodor's guide slowly gave way to room service. I ordered a rigatoni dish and a glass of white zinfandel. What the heck, I was on vacation. I sat on my king sized bed with down comforters and pillows, and ate my meal while watching TV. It was wonderful. I heard some live music playing downstairs in the lobby but I was content hanging out in my room and relaxing after a long day. The bed was SO comfortable, I almost wished I rolled around while I slept so I wouldn't waste all that extra space! Ah. I'm getting a king-sized bed with down pillows and comforters one day.














The next morning, I was checked-out by 8am. It was so cold as I drove into downtown Tucson to see what was there. After about 30 minutes, I realized 'not much', so I headed for the Colossal Cave Mountain Park. I learned that the cave is a perfect 70 degrees all year round, so it was a great way to escape the cold weather that morning. As I drove along the mountains, I saw huge dark clouds hovering over Mt. Lemmon. I saw on the news the night before that there was a snow storm warning for the mountains around Tucson that day, so I decided that perhaps I shouldn't attempt my drive up to the top (9,000+ ft in elevation!) of Mt. Lemmon that afternoon.















Our guide for the cave tour was really cool and funny, which was good because I think I did feel a bit claustrophobic and nervous that the stalagmytes (spelling?) were going to fall on my head. At one point of the tour, we were 7 stories below the parking lot! It was very interesting, apparently many outlaws hid in the cave, and bats at times live in it! Oh, I learned that bat poop is frequently used in cosmetics, especially eye shadow and lipstick. LOL!




























Our tour guide informed us that before the stairs, floors, lights and railings were put in the cave, there was a man giving a 2-hour tour of the cave for 25 cents each back in the day. In the picture below, you see a column near the top-center of the photograph, from there, the drop to the bottom is more than 30 feet. What they used to do was tie a rope around the column, and one person at a time lowered himself on the rope to get to the bottom. And get this, there was no light except the candle you're holding. So while you're going down on this rope, you had to give your candle to someone else at the top. The first person going down is holding onto this rope and seeing nothing except pitch black. How crazy is that?!


















Interesting sign inside the Colossal Cave Mountain Park.














After I left the park, I decided to go to Sabino Canyon which is near Mt. Lemmon. I figured given how cold it was, staying near elevation of zero is better than 9,000 ft. On my way there, I was starving, so I stopped in a Jack in the Box and got a breakfast burrito and a warm cup of coffee. When I got to the canyon, I was surprised because the road leads to the bottom of the canyon rather than the top. So the view is the exact opposite of the Grand Canyon, which is from the top. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I hiked for about two hours in the canyon, and just seeing the view, the trees, feeling the wind blowing and the warmth of the sun on my face, hearing the sound of the leaves rustling and flow of water from the creek, it was so perfect. At that point, I realized that I was glad that I was traveling alone. I actually didn't feel like talking to anyone, I was content being alone and just 'taking it all in'.















Where the creek is when there is actually water :)
































This area had the most flowing water from what I saw, I really wanted to climb down the rocks and sit near the water. I struggled for about 10 minutes. What if I fall and become unconscious and no one finds me? What if I get down there and can't climb back up the rocks? Theresa, stop being a wuss, there's a family with kids across the creek, they made it down. Yes but their dads probably carried them. So what if you fall? It's such a short drop, maybe you sprain your ankle. So finally, I went down to the creek. There were actually small fish in it! To prove that I made it down the rocks, I took a picture (whoever invented the timer on cameras is brilliant).














































The rocks that I climbed (jumped) down. Yes, it nearly came up to my shoulders when I stood next to it, hence I couldn't climb back up it with ease. But I found another way up :) It actually wasn't that big of a deal, I'm just a scared-y-cat.











































By mid-afternoon, it was time to leave the canyon, as I wanted to make it home before it was completely dark. Yes, smart move, driving northwest in the middle of the afternoon. For about 20 minutes, I could barely see because of the sun in my eyes, and I had sunglasses on too! It was a challenge. Whew. I made it home just in time for dinner. I was pooped and in bed by 9pm :) What an awesome trip!