Gratitude IMHO

This year has not gone the way that I planned. But it probably hasn't gone the way for all of you either right? There are many things that I miss such as traveling, dining out, getting together with friends, going to church and breathing freely without a mask. But I realized that the core things, the things I can't live without, the things I appreciate and love the most, I was able to get in abundance. Through the confinement, disappointment and loss, there is still much to be thankful for. 

1. FAITH

Throughout this crazy year where things were so unexpected and we can never plan for anything before state and county restrictions change it,  I was thankful that God never changes. He is always the same: faithful, loving and true. Knowing God gives us Hope. Hope for a better future.  He is always there for us. We just need to go to Him. And Trust Him. As we embark on a new endeavor (Matthew starting his own business January 5), we have great faith that God will provide for our family in all that we need. 

We have made new friends at a new church (gracechurchfremont.org) and have been encouraged through the friendships and challenged through the sermons. Matthew and I have also been meeting with our former pastor weekly as he teaches us how to interpret and understand God's Word which has been an enlightening experience!

 

2. FAMILY  

I don't think the four of us have spent so much time together under one roof ever! Working at home; schooling at home, eating all our meals at home.. HOME is where our heart is at and that is so true. I am thankful that both of my girls had virtual schooling this semester. Both were able to finish well academically and Emily also tutored her sister when needed. She also had the time to help me with some graphic design projects and start her own small business:  dustbunniesandco on Etsy. 

Even though we have not seen our extended family as often as we would have liked, I am thankful that everyone is safe and healthy and local.

And ZOOM gives us the opportunity to connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime. We have reconnected with family in Hong Kong, Vancouver, Washington, New York, SoCAL and throughout the Bay Area.

3. FRIENDS

As I miss connection with others outside of my family, the pandemic does not prohibit you from connecting with others. I reconnected with my high school friends; friends I worked with 30 years ago in advertising and in teaching; and friends from the first church I attended in Oakland when I was single! And when SIP guidelines eased, I squeezed in a few in-person meetings a few times with old and new friends. 

4. FOOD

I have not cooked this much in my life! Matthew got me a Ninja air-fryer and I put it and my InstaPot to work! I so appreciate the ease that both appliances offer in making quick and tasty dishes. My most intricate was making beef pho in the Instapot,  

5. FITNESS

I am so thankful for the MOTR to keep me active at home. With the daily Pilates Zoom classes, I had the opportunity to continue working out with some great instructors and even more awesome friends. We have not seen each other in person since March but I am so thankful we can see each other early each morning at 7am on the TV!

6. FOSTERING

In the 9-1/2 months that we have been SIPing, Emily had the opportunity to foster eight more bunnies and was able to write for House Rabbit Society's (where she gets the rabbits to foster) bi-annual journal. We are thankful for the opportunity to care for these creatures many of whom had illness' or injuries that they were healing from when we cared for them. All of them have been adopted into forever families except our current bun, Crimson (pictured lower right). One of the best rewards of fostering is to be in contact with the adopters! We love seeing how their buns are doing in their new homes! You can follow Emily's bunnies on IG@fosterbunnymama

As you reflect on the past year, I hope that you find many things you are thankful for and know that God exists, He loves you and has a plan for you.

2020 Messenger

Volume 25 Issue 1 2020

2020 has been one whopper of a year, hasn’t it? Definitely one that we never would have imagined (maybe in one of my Young Adult books)!

At times we felt disappointment, sadness, anger, frustration and pain when we focused on the loss. Yet there were also times of joy, peace, and blessing when we focused on the gain. Know that God is here with us and desires for us to come to Him especially when times are hard. 

"For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. The Lord says. "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep under control. Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.. " Psalm 32:7-10

May you know Jesus is the reason for the season. Merry Christmas!

What were your losses and gains for this year? Would love to hear from you. Comment below.

Here are each of our Top 5 Losses and Gains this year of Shelter-In-Place. 

Celebrated her 20th Birthday in Sept.

EMILY (20 yrs)

Loss

5. Miss volunteering at House Rabbit Society

4. No Alaskan cruise with cousins

3. Lost my room at home to my sister

2. Foster bunny Graham passed away due to megacolon

1. Missing a year of in person college schooling, along with missing college friends and events

Gain

5. Learned new baking skills ex: bolo bao, Bavarian cream banana cheesecake, sponge cake 

4. Added more crafting hobbies ex: macrame, cross stitching, punch needle, digital portraits

3. Started In home lash lift service

2. Fostering new bunnies (many that needed medication or healing from surgery) and seeing them get adopted

1. Lots of time to spend with family

HANNAH (17 yrs)

Loss

5. Lost my bed to my sister (I’m sleeping on the floor)

4. No relaxing summer due to AP summer homework and SAT prep

3. Track & Field season cancelled after one meet

2. Cancelled summer cruise to Alaska with my cousins

1.  Never got the chance to perform & compete in Choir competition at Disneyland with friends

Gain

5. Got a new smile after 23 months with braces

4. Still had a memorable choir trip (minus the competition) and an early departure back home

3. Made lots of new recipes with my sister

2. Started my driving hours in lower than usual traffic conditions

1. Hanging out with my sister for nine months plus getting free tutoring

My Girls Accountability Group - during SIP meet weekly on zoom and once in person

CEZANNE

Loss

5. Losing the opportunity to watch Hannah's school choir compete at Disneyland and to see Hannah compete in Track & Field in her sophomore year.

4. Full House 24/7: No longer having a quiet empty house for myself during the day.

3. Not being able to dine at our favorite restaurants.

2. Not having my hair colored to its ’natural’ color

1. Having to cancel our planned Alaskan Cruise with family and our Vancouver trip.

Gain

5. Bible Study: Matthew and I meet weekly with our former pastor to learn how to better understand and interpret God's Word.

4. New Church: Met some wonderful new friends through online prayer meetings.

3. Exercise-At-Home: Bought a MOTR and started attending Zoom classes for a full body workout.

2. Emily Home: Being at home, Emily was able to design some graphic projects for me and tutor her sister in some difficult subjects.

1. Reconnecting: Being able to reconnect with many friends and family (63 of them); and for my girls accountability group, weekly Zoom meetings (35x so far) vs our usual 2x/year meetings before SIP.

Celebrating his 50th this October

MATTHEW

Loss

5. Commute: Lost a 2 hour round trip commute and replaced it with a 1 minute round trip commute.

4. Quiet work environment: Our home doesn’t have a lot of space for 4 people to work/go to school at the same time.

3.Coworkers: Several of my coworkers were laid off at the beginning of the pandemic. My team shrank from 5 to 2.

2. Exercise: Our lunchtime basketball group hasn’t played ball since March.

1. Job: My department at work is being shut down. Everyone in my department will be out of a job at the end of the year.

Gain

5. Meeting new church friends via Zoom.

4. New in-house hair stylists (Emily & Hannah).

3. New opportunity to start my own architecture practice.

2. Regular zoom meetings with friends.

1. Extended family time since Emily is home from college.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR:

January- Visiting Apple headquarters with the Ngs

February - Visited FRIENDS Pop-Up @ AT&T with Sus

March - Move Emily out of CBU dorm due to SIP

June - One-day outing to Half Moon Bay w/ Lees

June - Graduations: Faith Lee (HS) and Marissa Sam (8th Grade)

July - Climbed Mission Peak

Sept - Extended Ma Family Day Trip to Bodega Bay

Nov - Celebrated Hannah's 17th Birthday at Pier 39

Nov - Distributed 139 bags of groceries to needy families for Hearty Harvest at Grace Church

Nov - Ma Family Thanksgiving- outdoors, masked, distanced

Nov- Ow Family Thanksgiving (minus my parents and sister's family)

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