Frigid Day in the City

Is anyone else amazed at how fast 2007 flew by?! I cannot believe it's 2008! But it has been such an awesome year, with so many new and exciting adventures. I'm glad that I took more pictures in 2007 than I probably have in my entire lifetime, it's a good way to remember actual events rather than just a few blurs throughout the year.

From the baby and wedding showers, to the babies and weddings, from the Phoenix visit in February to a 3-month stay in Phoenix a few months later, from the trip to South Carolina with my roommate who turned out to be a true friend who later became my cousin, to a trip to Philadelphia with my sister where we pigged out and spent quality time together, to an 11-day road trip across the country with a high school friend whom I had not spoken with for 7 years, from working in an office with familiar faces 60 hours a week to driving in the desert in a Wrangler and enjoying 80 degree winter in the fall, from not knowing where the Lord is leading me to trusting that He will provide, from fear and hurt to learning to receive the unconditional love from my Father in heaven, from selfish desires and self-pity to learning that it's not about me, from holding on to irrelevant things to learning to let go and focus on eternal treasures, from thinking about the past and worrying about the future to learning to receive God's blessing right now. What a wonderful year it has been! And 2008 is going to be just as exciting and awesome! :)

On Thursday, probably the coldest day I've experienced in a LONG time, I went into the city to pick up my passport at the Chinese Embassy, do some shopping and grab dinner with a friend. It was so bitterly cold that I had to go into a building to warm up every couple of blocks before heading out again towards my destination. I was so glad there were buses in addition to the subway! When I got to the Chinese Embassy, the security guards greeted me in Mandarin... and every other Asian language. They were not Asian, so my initial response was to think, ugh, they're being obnoxious, like those guys who pass by and say hello in some random Asian language cuz they can't tell what ethnicity we are. Then one of them said something, and I realized I did not understand him because I expected him to speak English. Ah, he was speaking in Mandarin, and telling me where to go! It's so odd that when you expect someone to speak in one language and they speak in another, your brain takes longer to process and at first it's as if you can't understand them even though you speak that language. Then I figured out that they weren't trying to be obnoxious, I guess they are trained to speak in Mandarin to people who come in, which makes sense, it IS the Chinese Embassy.

Afterwards, I headed to Columbus Circle for an unintended shopping spree. I think I need to hide my credit card somewhere. Everything was on sale. I half hoped that all of the clothes I tried on didn't fit, but unfortunately many did. After a few compromises, I ended up only buying my favorites. With two huge bags in my hands, it was too difficult to shop anymore, so I headed to Union Square to Virgin. Ah, the $10 per DVD sale ... I had some time to waste so I went through the stacks of DVDs and came out with a handful of good movies. Yes, I need to leave my credit card at home from now on ... I never used to like shopping, strange, it must have something to do with being unemployed.

I ate dinner with a friend at Bar Carrera, a wine and tapas bar in the East Village. It's a small but intimate place, very casual and yet classy, with a long list wines and an interesting menu. If you like white wine, order the txacoli and watch the bartender pour it. Everything we ordered was delicious, and presented in these small white dishes that I would love to buy for my home someday.

By the time I got home, it was after midnight, and my mom had to stay up for me to pick me up at the bus stop. Oops, I felt like the insensitive teenager making my parents wait up for me, but I guess that's what parents are for, whether we are 13 or 27 :)