Interesting Service!

We had a group of pastors from Cuba at our service this afternoon.

So, the translator went from Spanish to Chinese and I sat in the back to type up the talk into English for those who couldn't understand Spanish or Chinese.

It definitely made for a very interesting service.

And since it was the fifth Sunday, we didn't have love feast. Instead, we decided to come home for dinner!

Oh... Alan called Mom Bea this morning and together, they got all the luggage tags and check-in info printed out for the cruise... Tomorrow, I'm going to work on packing!

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Huge Burgers

Today we met up with friends and tried a new restaurant called Huge Burgers!

They make a burger for four people... It had two kinds of meat and you can add extras...

Fries and drinks are included in the price.

It was a treat from our dear friends...

What a fun evening!

Mom ate and ate and ate... and kept telling me that she was still hungry!

We finished the evening with a walk through the Shihlin Night Market... that was so much fun as it was packed since the weather was great...

We bought desserts... and yes, Mom wanted some!

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A Run in the Rain!

I tutored this morning...

When I got home, Isaiah was heading out to lunch with Vikki and Abby was heading out to her service 'retreat'.

I decided to mop the floor and get some housework finished. It was so hot!

I didn't want to be running in the heat... So, I waited until the thunder shower started, then went out for a run in the pouring rain! It was still sizzling hot, but the rain really helped!

Alan went for a run after he helped to pick up Mom...

Today was James' birthday... He turned 62!

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Massage & Things...

I get coupons for things...

So, today, Isaiah went and had a hair treatment plus cut for 10US$! He said it was fantastic... and the haircut looked great... of course, not as great as my creation...

And I went for an hour oil massage... and splurged for more 'classes'... 11 sessions for 500US$. Yes, you read that correctly... I put the credit card down and bought the 'classes'. This will force me to go and be 'pampered'. Mom can also have a massage and Abby can, too. And it's near my house, so I can scooter there... with plenty of scooter parking right in front! The people are super nice and they are willing to help me with Mom, if I have to drop her off first and go and park the car!

Abby worked... Alan spent the day, plowing through his stack of exams that he is correcting... He needs to input the grades... He also has set up lots of meetings for his debate team as well as church brothers and elders.

We have so much going on before we take off on the 8th.

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Men In Black...

As a family, we haven't been able to go to the movies... at least not since Mom came to live with us. Someone has to be home...

But today, we all went...

We decided to go see the 2pm Men In Black movie as Mom was at the elderly center!

We had a great time... I totally enjoyed the movie... and being together.

I hope we will get to do this more often... although once school starts, it's going to be very difficult as the kids and Alan would all have afternoon classes... We will see... Kurtis is coming for six months. So... maybe if there is a really great movie on, we can ask him to hang out here with Mom!

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Getting Ready...

Since Mom lives with us, I no longer need to buy a tremendous amount of goods to bring back to the States. But I do have a few items that I will bring back...

Tissue packets
Coffee packets
Milk tea packets
Ginger tea packets

The above items are things I have purchased already... and they are stacked right in the living room... I am not finished yet... I already have one suitcase filled with things... I'm starting 'early' as I just don't want to leave anything to the last minute.

I had my Bible study this morning... and we will have a long break and start back in late August or early September, depending on my mom deals with jet lag after our return... Plus what the kids will be doing and how much I will be tutoring...

We had an early dinner with James to celebrate his birthday. He will be returning to Vietnam but be back here again on July 5th and for another month... He probably won't be here when we return from the States... but will pop back over in September. We shall see...

Both kids had tutoring this evening...

After Mom went to bed, I went for a run... It had stopped raining... and was a bit cooler... Again, I would have wanted to take a longer run, but I had too many things to finish up at home. Another load of laundry... and general housework... That never seems to end.

At least I'm not cooking much these days since we've been eating out quite a bit.

I did take the time to give myself a power nap this afternoon... I was feeling as if I was coming down with a sore throat!

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Trying to Relax...

Alan's team won second place... Yippy! He said, "No blood! But legs are totally fatigue!"

The kids and I stayed home... I did housework... Abby had to do a trial teaching for the start of a 7th grade class. Unfortunately, only two kids showed up... We were praying for 7! One of the two kids did sign up for the class. Please keep praying...

Isaiah was home all day... on his gadgets... to play games and line people... So, I finally sent him out to run an errand... I asked him to buy some beverages... fruit milk, soybean milk, yoguart drink...

Mom was in bed by 7pm.

Alan was home by 8pm...

And the kids and I watched TV.

It was indeed a relaxing day...

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God Did It...

We had an amazing retreat...

We had a lot going on for one weekend... but the timing of everything... the working of everything... and having my mom around... God did it all!

We had a lot of newcomers and what the Lord had put upon our hearts to share worked perfectly.

We finished at 11:50 and Alan was in a taxi by 11:51 and he got to the train station right on time.

We had bought his train ticket for Hualien as the Soochow Faculty and Staff had a basketball tournament going on this weekend... the same weekend as this retreat.

Thus... you understand why I was so busy prepping for everything... and why I write that God did it all!

Alan was a bit distracted, thinking about how his team was doing on the other side of the island. If they lost early on in the tournament, he would not play at all.

But they won and will be in the top four. He made it there to play the 3 o'clock game. In that game, their top player, DongFang partially tore his Achilles... He was taken to a hospital in Hualien and a specialist flew in from Taichung to operate on him! This was pretty major... Alan will have to carry the weight of the games for tomorrow!

I had to drive back home... And again, I say, GOD DID IT ALL. As many of you know... driving is not something I do with ease... and much less in the rain from a new place...

We got home and had so much stuff to unload and put away. The kids were a big help.

We had dinner and Mom was in bed by 5:45! She was exhausted!

We spent the evening relaxing... and I did a load of clothes... and of course, checked email and am now blogging.

I hope to sleep early tonight... If only I can sleep in...

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Handout Packets Done... Tutoring Done... For This Week...

It was another busy day... Tutoring in the morning... Tutoring in the afternoon... And it was so blaring hot... I had to scooter all over town.

By the time I got home, I was not feeling well... The heat just drained me...

Today was the last day for the kids... All the finals are finished.

Abby went out with her friends.

Isaiah went out with his friends.

My stomach was not feeling well... So, I had a very light dinner... Hopefully, I will be feeling better tomorrow... I will have to feel better as I'm translating for Alan as we're the retreat speakers. And yes, the handout packets are finished... Alan also had time to take the car in for the government yearly 'check-up'!

And this evening, I actually turned on the AC... That's how bad I was feeling... Completely drained from the heat!

I will not be blogging tomorrow as we will be at the Retreat site!

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Feeling So Tired...

I had to get the Retreat stuff finished... so no time to rest or nap...

It's done... and hopefully, Alan will be able to know what to do with everything as I have a whole day of tutoring tomorrow.

I only had to tutor for two hours today...

James picked my mom up and fed her tons of goodies. He is leaving next Wednesday... and Mom is going to miss her 'outings' with James.

I tried to buy movie tickets for next Wednesday but they don't go on sell until this coming Monday!

It was nice to be in the mall as the AC was on full blast... and it was another sizzling hot day!

This evening was the complex meeting... hopefully, the last one... as MAYBE I won't be elected again to be on the board! We will be away during the big meeting... so I'll find out when we get back in August!

We watched one episode of Bull... the kids wanted to watch another one, but I could not keep my eyes opened...

I'm living on FIVE hours of sleep these days! God is sustaining me...

Seek Him First!