The first year Joey and I were married we read "The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage" by Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and "His Needs, Her Needs" by Willard F. Harley, Jr. We thought that Dr. Laura was a little too anti-feminist. I liked "His Needs.." though, and I highly recommend it if you haven't read it before. This year, we're reading "The Adventist Home" in the evenings as part of our quiet time together. I'm really enjoying this book.I particularly like Chapter 16, "A Happy, Successful Partnership." Here are some exerpts: The Real Union is a Lifelong Experience. To gain a proper understanding of the marriage relation is the work of a lifetime. Those who marry enter a school from which they are never in this life to be graduated. Affection may be as clear as crystal and beauteous in its purity, yet it may be shallow because it has not been tested and tried. Make Christ first and last and best in everything. Constantly behold Him, and your love for Him will daily become deeper and stronger as it is submitted to the test of trial. And as your love for Him increases, your love for each other will grow deeper and stronger.In every way encourage each other in fighting the battles of life. Study to advance the happiness of each other. Let there be mutual love, mutual forbearance. Then marriage, instead of being the end of love, will be as it were the very beginning of love. The warmth of true friendship, the love that binds heart to heart, is a foretaste of the joys of heaven.I would type out the whole chapter, but it's a bit much for blogging. It's just a great chapter to read and reread. Reflecting on this passage and the past 2 years of marriage, I realize that my husband is WAY more patient with me than I am with him. So as I read through Adventist Home, I strive not to love my husband more, but to love my God more. Because I think right now, I know very little about what true love is. This is my resolution for our marriage this year.Happy Sabbath Everyone.
Mosquito bites.
Chicken pox.
Sweat rashes.
Poison ivy.
I've only had 3 of the 4 ailments above, but none of what I've experienced in the past has prepared me for this. The itchy pregnancy skin syndrome wins hands down as the most intolerable of them all.
First it started at the chest. Yes, that area. Then it traveled without mercy down to my feet, not skipping any body parts along the way (lest they should feel left out).
So I began scratching. Breaking skin. Bleeding.
Then I was scratching in my sleep. And waking up with scars where old scars were trying to heal. Sorry skin, it's gonna take take awhile before you recognize yourself again.
I've been researching the itchy pregnancy skin syndrome, and there's the drink-more-water suggestion, the apply-lotion-2x-daily-suggestion, the cool-shower suggestion, the blah-blah-blah-blah-blah. None of these makes it stop.
Anti-itch cream, here I come. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thank you everyone for your concern. It is much better now!!
...
mesmerized by history in the making.
I've been hibernating. Sleeping 9-10 hours a night. Taking a 2-4 hour nap in the afternoon. And I still feel exhausted! All this sleeping takes up alot of time. haha.
Per my father-in-law's request, photos of our last ultrasound:
Stay tuned, we find out the gender in 3 weeks...
Happy 2 Year Anniversary honey!!
So here's the abridged story of "us". We met my Freshman year in college.
But didn't start dating until 5 years later, when we both found ourselves living in LA. Joey was excited that I had decided to go to USC, but didn't quite know why. 
We've had alot of fun along the way. Here we are at a wedding.
At our church's fall festival. 
Another wedding.
Four years later, Joey left for Andrews all by himself. Boy was I steamed! If you are my friend, you know why:).
But he made everything OK when he flew back the following month and proposed. He chose this bridge to replicate a scene from the Anne of Green Gables movie. Joey turned the proposal into a production, and I couldn't even squeeze out a tear. (I was too much in shock!!)
Then we booked an amazing photographer, Taek, who took our engagement & wedding photos. We planned the wedding in 5 1/2 months. Boy, was it a hectic time.
We got married on December 17, 2006. It was a chilly day, but everything went off without a hitch!
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We flew to Cancun, Mexico for our honeymoon, where we stayed in a fantastic hotel.
In 2007 we got to travel a little. New York, in May.
Our first trip overseas, to Greece, in August. We had ALOT of struggles on this first international trip of ours, but we learned alot about each other. ha! 
Beautiful Santorini.
In Crete, at ancient ruins. 
Looking back at the photo from our college days, I NEVER would have guessed two college 'buddies' would have ended up married. I know, many of you predicted this to happen (Son, Andy, Lionel). But I denied it for 5 years:). And then in 2002, everything just fell into place. And now, 6 years later, we're as happy as can be. And expecting a baby! I thank God for all the blessings he's given to us, and for the eternal relationship that we have. I love you, bear.
How the pregnancy's been affecting us so far:~Today I missed church. I wasn't sick. Just extremely exhausted. Even after 11 hours of sleep, I took a 1-hour nap in the afternoon. The pregnancy books describe it well--feels like you've just run a marathon, when you haven't done anything at all. It makes me feel lazy, until I remember that my body is manufacturing a baby and a placenta. Herculean tasks.~I now know why the term "morning sickness" is a misnomer. Who coined this incorrect term? A man? Well, I've been nauseated &/or dizzy for about 3 weeks now. Saltines help, and so do preggo pops. Lately, I've also been using motion sickness bands--I don't know if it's working as a placebo, but I think they are helping. I've only thrown up once, after eating a burrito. Baby doesn't like Mexican food.~I've been craving Italian food. And bread. And PIZZA like there's no tomorrow. Normally, I don't care much for these foods. I've only gained 1 pound so far; I don't know where all the pizza-weight is going.~I've started journaling, old-fashioned-style, again. (Also explains why this blog has been neglected.) Several entries a week, writing down my thoughts, "mood check" of the day, relevant current events (Obama), etc. Maybe one day I will share it with my child.~Joey's been compensating for the pregnancy too. One, he's been quietly taking over many of the chores -- washing dishes, doing laundry, making the bed, all the while continuing his chores. I never even asked him to. Two, he claims to have put on 5 pounds since the pregnancy. Talk about pregnancy empathy. Three, he's been craving Saltines. He bought me a 4-pack the other day, and one day I go looking for the Saltines (stomach acid making an ugly appearance that morning), and THERE ARE NONE LEFT. The man has eaten 3 packs all by himself. ARRGH!! Never take a pregnant woman's Saltines!!~Thank you for all your emails & notes of congratulations. We are blessed to have so many supportive friends and family. I look forward to getting lots of parenting tips from all of you!!
My sister made it in from NY:
The newlyweds:
It was also a reunion with my cousin, in red jacket, whom I haven't seen for 20+ years.
My aunt, who is an amazing chef, cooked for 3 days for this event, all by herself. To feed 130 people! I wish I had taken a better photo.
Snow, on the last day. First snow I've seen all season:
So here's the abridged story of "us". We met my Freshman year in college.
But didn't start dating until 5 years later, when we both found ourselves living in LA. Joey was excited that I had decided to go to USC, but didn't quite know why. 
We've had alot of fun along the way. Here we are at a wedding.
At our church's fall festival. 
Another wedding.
Four years later, Joey left for Andrews all by himself. Boy was I steamed! If you are my friend, you know why:).
But he made everything OK when he flew back the following month and proposed. He chose this bridge to replicate a scene from the Anne of Green Gables movie. Joey turned the proposal into a production, and I couldn't even squeeze out a tear. (I was too much in shock!!)
Then we booked an amazing photographer, Taek, who took our engagement & wedding photos. We planned the wedding in 5 1/2 months. Boy, was it a hectic time.
We got married on December 17, 2006. It was a chilly day, but everything went off without a hitch!
.JPG)
We flew to Cancun, Mexico for our honeymoon, where we stayed in a fantastic hotel.
In 2007 we got to travel a little. New York, in May. 
Our first trip overseas, to Greece, in August. We had ALOT of struggles on this first international trip of ours, but we learned alot about each other. ha! 
In Crete, at ancient ruins. 
Looking back at the photo from our college days, I NEVER would have guessed two college 'buddies' would have ended up married. I know, many of you predicted this to happen (Son, Andy, Lionel). But I denied it for 5 years:). And then in 2002, everything just fell into place. And now, 6 years later, we're as happy as can be. And expecting a baby! I thank God for all the blessings he's given to us, and for the eternal relationship that we have. I love you, bear.
