Happy Chinese New Year!

On Sunday mornings I help out at a church with an English program for Asian men and women.  There was a lot of hype and activity going on this Sunday because of the Chinese New Year, which was last Thursday.  

We put together lots and lots of wontons.  

There were two fillings:  1) Shrimp and Chives and 2) Beef and Spices

It was definitely a team effort.

It really is a simple process and it is so fun.

{.1.}

Take a wonton skin and scoop a small serving of filling into the middle

{.2.}

Wet the outer edge of the wonton skin, 

fold opposite corners together and seal it into a triangle

{.3.}

Take the two "arms" of the now folded wonton 

and fold one on top of the other

{.4.}

Steam, bake or fry until fully cooked

I've officially decided I would like to have a wonton party

sometime in the near future.

xin nian kuai le!

{Happy Chinese New Year!}

Picture Credits:

Wonton Steps

I Will Be Grateful

I will be grateful for the unceasing rain.
{because it means there will be green grass and flowers soon}.

I will be grateful for the cold, biting wind that makes my hands numb
{because it means I have the sense of feeling}.

I will be grateful for the fact that I miss home terribly
{because it means I have incredbly wonderful parents}.

I will be grateful for the three tests that I have this week
{because it means I have a brain that can think logically}.

I will be grateful for the pain, the pleasure,
the failures, the successes.

No matter what -- no matter the circumstances or the outcomes,

Volume 25

Roomie Time

Today was a fun day.

I slept in.  

That was wonderful.

Then I headed off campus with my roomies

(except for Lauralee, who couldn't make it--sniff, sniff).

We were celebrating Abbie's half birthday.  

The rest of us have birthdays in the semester, but hers is in the summer,

and we didn't want her to be left out.

So, what did the half-birthday girl want to do?

Well, there's this great Mexican restaurant close to campus.

 

The food is absolutely wonderful.

We tried fried ice cream.
It was very interesting but very good.

We had lots of fun.

Oh, How I Love Mountains

A friend, my sister and I took a lovely trip to Paris Mountain.

 

The fall weather was invigorating 

and the scenery was absolutely stunning.

  

We hiked a level 8 out of 10 trail that ran alongside Sulfur Springs.

Several times we had to cross the springs in order to continue on the trail.

 

Being in the forest can be so magical.  It was so beautiful.

We were excited to reach the top and took a picture 

(trying to look professional).

We hiked back down and set up a delightful picnic arrangement right next to a beautiful lake and yes, we brought a pumpkin and candles for decoration.  Let me emphasize that the bottle is not wine.  It is Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice.  If you can see well enough, you can read the label.

Our picnic consisted of groceries purchased from Whole Foods Market.  

We had a delicious variety of cheese, grapes, whole grain bread, deli meat,

Grecian yogurt, and whole grain crackers.

 

We hadn't been setting up for too long when two hungry little geese came quacking their little tails off!

They were begging for food and of course we couldn't resist.  They were quite humorous to watch as they dashed for the food and sometimes fought for it.

Afterward we went to Elizabeth's apartment and enjoyed 

a delicious, home-made apple crisp topped with ice cream and 

freshly brewed Seattle's Best coffee blended with Pumpkin Spice creamer.

What a wonderful day.

Fallish Things

Yesterday was perfectly Fall.

Crisp breeze.

Rich colors.

Cheerful people.

I thought it couldn't get any better,

but then I remembered my society was going on an outing to Sky Top Orchard.

The apples had already been mostly picked,

but we ventured far enough to get a few good ones.

The sky was so blue, and the mountain air was so wonderful.

After our apple picking adventure, we shopped around the cozy country store.

 

We thought it'd be rude to refuse apple cider.

Then we waited in line for some of their famous $1 donuts.

Mmmmmm.

Then after a delicious lunch and delightful fellowship, we headed home.

I had about THIS much fun.

Girls Night

One of my friends put on a surprise birthday party for her roommate.

 

Here's the birthday girl:

 

She was so surprised, and the party was superb.

It was full of fantastic fellowship and delicious food.

We played this crazy fun game (it's already on my Christmas list):

 

The fantastic girl in the blue shirt put on the party.

 

At the end we got some group pictures.

 

 

 

 

 It was a great end to a tough school week.

My Inspiration

Some people have been commenting on what I like to call
"my inspiration space,"  

so I thought I'd share some pictures.

 

Basically, it's just a compilation of all the memories I've experienced so far this year.

I have a lot of good ones.

 

1.

I cut out the Starbucks logo from a coffee sleeve, since I've had some great experiences there with friends a few times this semester.

2.

I received the "Save the Date" card in my school mailbox--my lovely friend, Crystal, is getting married in Florida next May.  If all the details work out on my end, I'll be playing the piano for her wedding.

3.

The red card is my society card.  Our theme this year is "Light," and the card is to help remind us what we as society sisters in Christ have been called to do (Matthew 5:14).

4.

I cut "Chipotle" out of a napkin.  My sister, friend, and I went out one Sunday night after church and (after a little shopping) ate a delicious and super fun dinner there.

5.

The stunning leaf is one of my favorites.  It caught my eye one day as I was walking to my dorm room from class.  I had to keep it--it goes really well with the inspiration theme.

 

1.

Bob Jones held a concert put on by The 5 Browns. 

My friends and I stayed afterward, met the group, and got their autographs.

2.

I cut out the pumpkin picture from a Pottery Barn catalog.

3.

West Greenville put on an Arts Festival one weekend, and I had a lovely time.

 

Just for a little extra flair I sprinkled a few fun buttons around, and I added a couple fabric flowers that I made a few weeks ago.

There are also some business cards that I collected from the Festival of Handmade Art where I got

 this incredible mug.

 My sister got

 this incredible mug.

 

Back to the inspiration wall.

This is the prize I won for first place in my age group at the 8k race a couple weekends ago.

I've kinda run out of room on my wall, so I've continued the memory theme on my closet doors.

 

 

 

This is my half of the dresser (my roommate, Lauralee, has the other unpictured half).

 

A couple girls have asked me to help them decorate their dresser and shelf space,

and I'm really looking forward to it.

 

I think this quote beautifully sums up the purpose of my inspiration space:
 

 "What matters is the sharing of time

       and remembering what a gift life is."