Gratitude IMHO

It's the last day of this decade and I feel bad that I've only blogged twice. Since I've opened an account on Instagram  (@mamacez2017) I've been mainly posting there.

But I want to at least blog on what I'm thankful for this past year. And that is ...

God has been so faithful in all that we ask or need. He may have not answered my prayers in the way I've wanted or in my timing but He is working all the time in my life.

A few of my prayer requests this year were:

1. Healing for my dad's knee replacement surgery: My dad does not like seeing the doctor, being in a hospital, nor anything that makes him depend on a medical professional. He thinks he is his own physician but unfortunately as we age, our mind and body age and deteriorate. After many years of enduring pain in his right knee, he realized that at the age of 79 he does not want to be in a wheelchair. So he succumbed to getting a knee replacement. The orthopedic surgeon looked at his knee and told him it looked awful, horrible and that he should have replaced it 5 years ago. Basically his knee was bone-on-bone and was rubbing against each other that the knee shape was unrecognizable. It took four hours for the surgery to be completed (rather than two which is the norm).

My dad 3 days after surgery at home; his x-rayed knee before and after

 But God is FAITHFUL and with many praying for him (and consistent help from my mom and his children),  his surgery and healing process went smoothly. After four weeks, he is up and walking without any assistance from a walker or cane and more importantly, no more pain.

2. Spiritual and social community for my girls.

Emily and Hannah's friends from school

As Emily started her Freshman year in college and Hannah in her Sophomore year of high school, I wanted them to gain a good group of friends, and find community where they can feel accepted and loved. Emily adjusted well to college life and met some great friends who even wanted to meet us parents when we came for Parent Weekend. Hannah celebrated her sweet 16th birthday with some old and new friends. Whenever her anxiety feels overwhelming, she can lean on an incredible group of supportive friends and teachers that I am incredibly grateful for.

3. Adjusting to a Missing Family Member: With Emily gone we saw and felt a huge hole in our family that could never be filled. One small comfort was when Hannah decided to continue Emily's passion for fostering bunnies. This helped Hannah not to miss her sister too much, and to focus on caring for someone else. It also regularly connects us with Emily as she wants constant updates on what the bunny was doing at our home.

From top L-R: Owen- who loved to put his paws in his food bowl; Momo and WonTon, a mother-daughter bonded pair who are still available for adoption; Leon, our first bunny who had megacolon, and also loved romaine lettuce (he passed away recently due to his chronic illness); Hopkins, a mischievous lion-head; Finley, an extremely shy lop-eared bunny who has been adopted into a very loving home with two sister bunnies; Cousteau, our excitable binky bun; Billy who loved going outside to play; Graham, our other bun with megacolon, who happens to be my personal favorite because he was so gentle and sweet, and was recently adopted; and Kristen and Nosey, another mother-daughter pair who also got into everything!

The girls were blessed with the opportunity to foster bunnies (1 or 2 at a time) for one month each. We've never had a pet (other than a tiny turtle) because we are allergic to many types of animals. Once we got a bunny (and changed it's hay to Orchard hay instead of the common Timothy hay) our allergies were fine so we proceeded to foster many bunnies. The girls do everything to take care of the bunnies, so it's been a joy to see them growing in responsibility.

Lula is a sweet energetic bun who loves to explore inside and outside. She also loves to be petted for hours on end!

Currently, we are on our 12th bunny.. this one is Lula who is our biggest bunny to date (8 lbs). It has been so fun and interesting fostering these bunnies since each of them have such different personalities.

4. Safe Travels: We have been traveling quite a bit this year especially since Emily is in SoCal for college. I'm thankful we can travel (it's one of my passions) and eat well when we do. Traveling and food go hand in hand for us since an important reason why we travel to different places is to eat the food.

Top L-R: This years NEW and BEST favorites: Dream Cake from A Taste of Denmark in Oakland; Baked spaghetti from Van Tea House, Vancouver BC; Hot brown sugar latte with boba from Yifang Tea, Vancouver BC; Golden custard tarts from Kirin Seafood Restaurant, Vancouver BC; Earl grey lavender soft serve ice cream from Caldron's Ice Cream, San Jose; Pastrami sandwich from Katz Deli, New York; Poke' bowl from Poki Run, Fremont; Pepperoni slice from Bronco Billys, Fremont; and Mochi ice cream from Tokyo Disney, Tokyo.

God has been faithful in keeping us safe and healthy while we travel and that has been a huge blessing.

5. Good Health: I am so thankful that I have been diligent in keeping up my regular exercise routine by going to Pilates 5x/week. God only gave me one body so I really need to take care of it for as long as I can. But exercise isn't the only reason that I go. It's also the people that I have met some whom have become very dear to me.

Thank you to our fearless leader, Jen @ IMXPilates for the group pic!

Also I am regularly using essential oils to help my health! Frankincense oil significantly reduces the pain of inflammation that comes with arthritis; Lavender is great for decreasing the coloration of bruising and itchiness from bug bites; Deep Blue oil for achy muscles; and Melissa oil, which reduces anxiety and depression, helps Hannah sleep through the night peacefully! If you're interested to hear more, just comment below or contact me!

Many thanks go to Lisa L for introducing me to the powerful healing affects of oils!

I hope that God has been faithful to you in your life this year also! Looking forward to seeing what 2020 will bring. I know God will continue to be faithful in our lives because He loves us so.

2019 Messenger

Volume 24 Issue 1 2019

Merry Christmas to our family and friends! We treasure our friendship with you and hope we can connect with you this upcoming year. May you experience God's joy and peace during this Christmas season. We'd love to hear from you!

Blessings to you,

Matt, Cezanne, Emily & Hannah

Emily (19 yrs) @msamylime

"Foster Mom" Emily hired an artist to create her pillow and sweatshirt of her foster bunnies

"This year I fostered a total of 9 bunnies and said goodbye to HRS after volunteering there for 13 months. Senior year was filled with tons of fun memories at senior cruise, prom, and graduating alongside my friends. I loved visiting bunny island and the Studio Ghibli museum in Japan during summer. God taught me that even when I don’t see or feel his presence, He is always working."

Emily is in her first year of college at California Baptist University in Riverside. She is majoring in graphic design and has acclimated well to her new surroundings. This year was filled with many first-time experiences such as going to her first formal dance (prom); grad night at Disneyland; visiting Bunny Island and Studio Ghibli Museum in Japan; and moving out for school over 350 miles away from home (Mom's not counting). Even though we miss her dearly, Matthew and I know that the time has come to let her go. This is a wonderful opportunity in her life to learn about being independent and self-sufficient. We are very happy that she's doing well in her studies, has made many new friends, and continues to grow in her faith. 

Senior Cruise and Senior Prom

HS graduation and Senior Grad Night @ Disneyland

Feeding wild bunnies on Okunoshima (bunny island), Japan

CBU dorm life in Simmons Hall

HANNAH (16 yrs) @am_hannah

Participating in Track & Field last season

"This year's highlights include singing at Carnegie Hall in NY; fun first experience on Track & Field team; Japan trip (food, site-seeing, shopping, Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea); spontaneous trip to LA Disneyland; redecorating my own room (for the first time); fostering my first bunny, Graham; and going to our school's Sadie Hawkins dance. Things I'm looking forward to: Thanksgiving break, LA Disneyland Concert Choir trip, and getting my braces off! God has shown me that he will always be there to comfort me in any situation. He is omnipresent and known as Jehovah-Shalom, which means to bring peace. I have nothing to worry about becuase God will always be there to comfort me."

Hannah is a Sophomore at FCS and has been enjoying her year filled with sports, singing and lots of homework. We thought she would be the one missing her big sis the most since Emily was her full-time tutor/best friend/confidant/beauty tester, but we were pleasantly surprised that she has blossomed into her own self, enjoying being the only child in the house. She has excitedly transformed the room she shared with her sister into her 'own room.' She continued our new tradition of fostering bunnies just like her bunny-crazed sister. Hannah does not love bunnies as much as Emily does but we do know that having a pet (even a temporary one) can help calm her anxiety and help her focus on something other than herself.

Performing in Carnegie Hall, NY

Celebrating big sis' graduation

FCS' Sadie Hawkin's dance with her friends; cartoon character theme

MATTHEW @matma92ser

At the Vessel, NYC

Matthew's been thinking about a new car for a while now, with the Mini going on 14+ years and 200k miles. The car that he really wanted was not exactly in the budget, but he was pleasantly surprised when an opportunity came up on a used one through a friend of a friend. On the same day that he picked up the car, he curbed one of the wheels. It was a very real reminder to him that everything we own actually belongs to God. He loves cars and there's nothing wrong with that, but God continually reminds us not to put anything above him. He can take away anything at any time, which has definitely happened before! It's another story that you can ask Matthew about.

Another thing that Matthew doesn't take for granted is his health. He loves playing basketball and usually plays 2 or 3 times a week during his lunch break. There was a period over 9 weeks where he was only able to play 2 of those weeks, because of an achilles injury. He jokes that now he has something in common with Kevin Durant. Whenever he is able to play, he feels blessed to be healthy enough to run and jump, and grateful for a good group of guys to play with.

The most significant milestone for Matthew and our whole family was transitioning to a family of 3 now that Emily is away at college. It's been exciting, happy, and sad all at the same time. Matthew misses Emily dearly but knows that this is God's plan for her as she grows into young adulthood. Matthew's grateful for the time they spent together going to the bunny shelter every weekend during Emily's senior year of high school. He says that it's been a joy to see Hannah growing more independent without big sis around. The two of them have been enjoying more father-daughter time as well.

At Heavenly ski resort with Amos

Father's Day portraits at church

CEZANNE @mamacez2017

Celebrating being the first to complete 500 classes (gifts from the owner)  along with Diane C, who introduced me to the studio  (current class count is 662 in three years)

"Transitions and Travel" was what this year was about: I transitioned from substitute teaching to Executive Admin for our Lead Minister (part-time job working from home) for a brief period. I realized I am most satisfied and fruitful when using the skills God gifted me with. I can't do everything that needs to be done well, but if I can focus on one thing, I can do it well. I know that using my administrative gifts gives me more satisfaction and joy than overseeing something. Thus I've stepped away from overseeing the various ministries I was involved in at our church. But I still enjoy co-leading my Ladies Life Group which has been meeting for 11 years now.

Transitioning from 4 to 3 in our home has been a mixed bag of emotions. I felt a deep sadness that one vital part of our family will not be sharing life with us on a daily basis, but I know that this is an important part of her life that she must experience. I am so thankful for Facetime and texting! Travel was frequent this year with numerous trips to LA for Emily's college; NYC with Hannah's school choir; Japan summer trip to Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Tokyo; and a November Vancouver, BC trip to see family.

Exercise is still super important to me, usually going to Pilates 5x/week and sometimes squeezing in a sixth class (if Danielle offers her stretch/foam rolling class) on the weekends. I am stronger, more flexible and agile which is important as we grow older. I also love the new friends I have made at Pilates. It definitely has grown my 'social circle' since I'm not working at an office/school.

Exploring and eating through NY with my goddaughter/niece, Mandy

So thankful for my accountability group-- forever sisters in Christ

So many graduations

FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS

Weddings, graduations, family and friend reunions are what makes life precious!

Celebrating Jessica (Yee) & Tito Sorto's wedding in February

Celebrating my baby sister's 50th birthday

Emily's fan club at her graduation (33 fans!)

Nephew Daniel's college graduation from Santa Clara University

Godson, Kyle's college graduation party from Cal State SLO

Kimonos and Studio Ghibli, Japan

Reunited with dear friends, Michael, Heather & Ben Chase along with new friends Rhett & Samantha, DisneySea, Tokyo

Reunited with Vancouver Ma Family at my favorite restaurant, Kirin Seafood 

Gratitude IMHO

If you know me well, I do not like change, was never good at it, never looked forward to it but life is filled with change and we have to adapt. I'm rarely bored. When I find something I like to eat at a restaurant, I usually order the same thing each time (salmon terayaki and hamachi kama at Japanese places). If I like a particular movie, I'll watch it over and over again (right now my favs are Crazy Rich Asians and AntMan and the Wasp). I take much comfort in the familiar, the routine, the predictable.

 So when unexpected change happens, it literally throws me for a loop.

This year has been filled with CHANGE for all of us. Some were unexpected.. some were planned.
Matthew's developed more aches and pains due to playing basketball. After 23 years, his company moved to a different building and had to adjust from working in a private office to an open shared space where he can't eat his lunch at his desk nor decorate it like he wants to.

His old private office to...

An open space with an adjustable desk

Emily got her driver's license and a car to drive; experienced a very slow and painful healing from the removal of 4 wisdom teeth; became an official adult; diligently worked on college apps for five months; goes an hour each way to volunteer at a bunny shelter every Saturday since July; and got our very first 'temporary' pet. She has fostered 3 bunnies already and will be on her fourth next month.

She fostered Owen, an adorably people friendly gray bunny who had hip surgery; and two black bunnies, Momo and her daughter, Won Ton, two extremely active girls.

Sadly, I had to turn my living room to a cardboard amusement park for the bunnies.

Hannah got braces (did not like) and contacts (does like); started school as a high schooler; had her first co-ed birthday party and was nominated (1 out of 4 girls) to be Homecoming Princess for the Freshman Class. She wasn't chosen but was honored to be nominated. It was a great surprise for her since she was new to the school.

Celebrating Hannah's 15th Birthday at the ice skating rink

I had vertigo, a strained rotator cuff, tendonitis in my hand and big toe and am currently going through menopause (do not like any of it).

We had five significant home repairs: re-grouting and caulking of the whole kitchen and bathroom;  fumigation from dry-wood termites, repaired part of a rotting roof, repainted the exterior of the house and fixed a broken furnace in the middle of a very cold winter. We even found a mouse in the attic!

The before and after of my sink was night and day!

The grouter took 4 long hard working hours to make my tiles look new again after 23 years of constant use and dirt!

After the fumigation, had to patch up cracks and created a totally different look for the house - March 1995 vs Dec 2018

I stopped teaching since KHA closed and didn't want to sub at a new school (don't like change remember?). So I spent most of my time doing administrative duties in various church ministries at FCC.

So even though I don't like change, change is inevitable .. it's a part of life and I am so GRATEFUL knowing that God does not change. He gives me great comfort and peace that in times of change He is unchanging. If I pray and lift all my anxiety and uncertainty to Him, He will take care of it. He healed my vertigo through a Pastor who has the gift of healing, as he prayed over me.

He is faithful and brings joy in the mist of change.

I embrace the change so that I can live life on how God has planned. He never wants us to live in the past. We should learn from the past not live in it.

Some changes are huge blessings...

I do like learning new ways on how to take care of my skin by using K(orean)-Beauty products and getting microdermabrasion facials (highly recommended from my sister-in-law). I have not changed my frequency of attending IMX Pilates classes (4-5 times a week) and it has significantly improved my flexibility, strength and stamina.

I'm in all these pictures if you look hard enough!

My mom, after 23 years, visited my MIL for the first time for Thanksgiving while my dad was in China. 

New additions to our families on each side:
This past summer, my baby cousin Tiffanie and her husband Roy, had an adorable little girl, Elliott Wen Movshovitz and Matthew's cousin Sherman and his wife Elaine had cutie Roman Jenkins Ma.

I know that there will be more changes next year as Emily goes off to college: for her to be independent and away from home (she's a homebody like me) and we adjust to 3 in our home;

Got acceptance letters from 3 out 7 of the schools already..

Hannah will need to adjust to not having an on-demand tutor at home (and it's not her father) and a buddy to hang out with; Matthew and I will be taking our first sans-kids trip to NY since having the girls to hear Hannah sing in Carnegie Hall with her school choir (Hannah will be with her friends instead of us the whole time) and I will be planning a Japan trip for Emily's graduation gift. (A completely foreign place for me to plan a trip: don't know the language, don't know anyone there; looking into local tour guides to take us around.)

But with all these changes the constant of having our Lord and Savior with us as we navigate life's twists and turns gives me peace and hope to what He has planned to come.

Of course, if it's completely crazy, outrageous, and not so good... don't change! LOL!

Happy New Year everyone!