Five Good Things [Tony Edition]

1.  He will always cuddle upon request.  

2.  When we stay at his parents to commute to work in the morning; he always gets up before me, wakes me up, and packs my things and puts them next to the door so they're ready to go.

3.  He is superb @ Excel and financial management, both of which I suck at.

4.  He does not freak out when I freak out.  

It's a very good thing one of us is emotionally stable.

5.  He teaches me patience.  

Five Good Things

1. A full return on a pair of rubber boots that cracked after 4 months of wear. Hunter you disappointed me, but at least I got my moolah back.

2. A rich Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzard on a relaxing train ride.

3. $4 tank tops.

4. The Bookseller of Kabul. Heartbreaking, but good.

5. Sun, sun, suuuuuuun!!!!!

Five Good Things

My taste buds have been going crazy every since T and I got back from China.

I've been craving Asian food so badly.

1.  Ma La Food.
Roughly translated this means numbing and spicy food.
It's the specialty of my hometown, Chongqing.
What can I say?  I miss heartburn.

2.  Creamy Taro Bubble Tea.
Not all bubble tea are created equal.  Some are more watery than others.  I crave the creamy type.

3.  Edamame.
I think I've killed this craving by making 3 bags full of edamame and consuming them within 48 hours.

4.  Tofu.
And I'm not talking about the white soft ones.  I'm talking the chewy yellow-beige ones.

5.  Rice.
Oh, good old rice.  I love filling my stomach with you.
But alas you're so carby!

10 Things I Like About T.S.

1.  He remembers random facts about me, and whips them out, out of nowhere.
The other day we were driving, and he said, 'look there's your dream car,' and then pointed to a baby blue mini cooper in front of us.

2.  He always carries my heavy bags.  Always.

3.  He's incredibly gracious with this pathological latecomer.

4.  He is incredibly servant hearted.
Case in point he drives many kms for me.
From Toronto to Burlington to Guelph to Cambridge to Guelph and then back to Toronto.

5.  He cheerfully minces garlic, and scoops out squash for me.
I hate mincing garlic and scooping out squash.

6.  He willingly suggests and goes to farmer's markets with me because he knows I heart them.
What non-hippie, non-foodie guy wants to go to the farmer's market?

7.  When playing 'Worms', he gives me tips on how to kill his worms.
But it doesn't matter.  His engineering skills pwns mine anyway.

8.  He asks me kindly about my seasonal affective disorder, and tries to help.
Like buying me flowers on a regular basis.

9.  He is always gentle AND manly!  Like Jesus.  Even when disagreeing with me.

10.  He wears the same size pants as me so when I soak my pants with milk by accident, I can teef his shorts.
Like last night.

*Note:  He doesn't think he's a romantic, but he is.  Look at this list!  And there's more I have not written.

Five Good Things

1. Ancaster Old Mill for dinner.
2. Family hike and pumpkin picking and turkey dinner.
3. A real live doggy to snuggle and sleep with. For 4 nights at least.
4. A certain tall ginger with the initials T.S.
5. Friends who care enough to bring pecan pie and ask hard questions.

The Birthday Wishlist

I didn't want to put one up this year, but a few people have asked, saying it's really helpful, and they said it's a way for them to show love so...upon multiple requests here it be:

1.  Anything from Curious Oddities at Fresh Collective that I don't already own.
I'm starting to really like the old, vintage look of bronze and oxidized copper.
I think I like it more than silver.

2.  A Gardenia plant.
I know I suck at keeping plants alive, but they smell SO nice!

3.  Copic Markers.
Not the whole set mind you.  That would break the bank.  Just a few colours here and there.  I particularly like the blues.  You can get them at Curry's.

4.  Any picture frame, knick-knack, glass bottle from Chatelet.
I love the Parisian chic look.

5.  Art Supplies
~  White Acrylic Paint
~  White Oil Paint
~  Canvas (the larger the better)
~  Round Palette
~  Palette Knives


















*No gift cards please! :D

You know you're getting old(er) when you want furniture.

I'm saving up for this sucker because my desk has turned into a cluttered storage area.

In the other news, I was contemplating a bag change since the library that I carry to work everyday was getting to be a bit too much.  I had my eye on this guy:

because:

1)  He was classy and grown up.
2)  He was by Matt & Nat.

But I opted out and went for this:



















because:

1)  She was cheaper.
2)  She was better for my back.

Which, I suppose, was actually the grown up thing to do.

Pats on the back for me for not splurging.  Pat. Pat. Pat.

Puppy Fever

I want a puppy.

But my roommate does not.

So I'm trying to get my boyfriend to want one and buy one so I can live vicariously through him, by sending him these pictures:

PREPARE TO DIE OF CUTENESS!

P.S.  Alas this plan is doomed to failure because he is too busy driving to Toronto to see me to take care of an energetic puppy who will probably tear his house down while he is gone.  Sad face.

Ever Gracious

Monday night in an attempt to save $8 on a Go train ticket, I bummed a ride with T.S. to Hamilton because I would be in various parts of the armpit of Ontario for shoots on Wednesday and Thursday.

Now a shoot requires at the very least, a working camera, a working SD card, a working battery, and a working brain.  I had all of that in Toronto except for the working brain.

Because when we got to Hamilton, I realized that I had none of that with me because I had left it at L.Y.'s birthday party right before we left for Hamilton.

Fail.

How was I suppose to do two shoots now?
The answer: go back to Toronto and retrieve said equipment.
Plan: Save $8 back fired.

If I was with me, I would've thought, or said, perhaps with a few drips of condescension, "You idiot."

But T.S., ever the gracious and patient one kept the "You idiot" comments, if they existed to himself, and pulled out a $20 bill to pay for my return fare to Toronto and back.  Because I had no money on me either.

Five Good Things

1.  Fried Chicken from Popeye's
2.  Biscuit Sausage and Egg from McDonald's
3.  Peanut Butter ice cream from M&M meat shops
4.  Portabello mushroom sandwhich from the Bean Bar in Hamilton.
5.  Orange juice.  

Curious Oddities

Currently my favourite jewelry designer is Kat from Curious Oddities.
My super hip friend Beth [let's not lie, I have a friend crush on her even though we are already friends] introduced me to her at Fresh Collective .

Everything about her style is so "me".
I love the old world, Victorian, romantic, feel.  It just speaks to me.
I wish I knew how to do metalwork.

This is the cool thing about art, artists, and God.

No two artists are ever the same, even when one tries to imitate another, but then again one can debate about whether that is art or not.  But what I'm trying to say that God in His genius, created artists to be unique in their own way stylistically.  As much as I love Kat's style, my natural art would not turn out to be like hers, which is why I dish out the dough for her stuff.

Anyone else got some awesome designers that they like?

Classes I Would Take

If I had the chance, I'd want to take classes in:

1.  Flower Arranging
2.  Jewelry- Smelting/Metal Working
3.  Interior Design
4.  Sewing
5.  Sailing


Which one is not like the others?

Five Good Things

1.  Chilly nights.
I can't sleep when it's hot.  I like to huddle under my down comforter.

2.  Fruity Fizz.
Raspberry/kiwi is my favourite.

3.  Quality time with T.S.

4.  Americanos.

5.  Portobello mushrooms.
Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom.

Remind and Refocus

Today as we were waiting for Easter lunch to cook, a friend and I watched the last bit of the Ten Commandments.  As we were getting near the part where the Israelites freak out after Moses goes M.I.A. for 40 days, I started to get agitated because I knew what was coming.  They were going to give into their fears, and make an idol, even after all that God has done for them.  I was seriously annoyed.

It was such an automatic, visceral reaction to a movie that I started to analyze my response.  It wasn't just the fact that they were going to do something stupid that I reacted so strongly in my heart, it was the fact that the vivid onscreen portrayal of the Israelites' faithlessness and stupidity accurately mirrored my own.  I saw myself doing the exact same thing, forgetting God and turning to idols the minute I get freaked out.

I'd like to think that I always walk by faith, but upon reflection my default setting is to trust myself and not to trust God.  When I enter a "foreign land" whether it's a new situation, a new stage in life, a new responsibility, my automatic instinct is look to myself for help, and not to Christ.  It doesn't bode well especially if I have no clue about what I'm doing.

You'd think I'd learn by now that being self-sufficient isn't the best way to go about life since there are so many things in life where I'm way out of my comfort zone...but no, I still need to constantly remind myself and refocus on Christ.

Five Good Things

1.  Friendly reminders to get off the train when you're near your stop.
2.  Naps.  I wonder how many times naps have made this list.
3.  Portobello mushrooms.
4.  Comfortable heels.
5.  Banter

What's in a Date? What a Few Dates Taught Me About Myself, Life, and God

In my 25.5 years of having lived on this planet, my experience in the romantic realm included:
~ 1 "boyfriend" of a week in high school, of which the relationship consisted of hand-holding and snuggling.  I use the term "boyfriend" very loosely.
~ Multiple murky friend-lationships that hit dead ends once they were defined.  (Definition of friend-lationship was always initiated by me.)
~ Countless unrequited crushes. (Unrequited to my knowledge anyways.)
~ Lots of heartaches that were inflicted upon myself by my own immaturity.

That is all to say, the knowledge and wisdom that I had/have in this area consisted/consists of very little, and what very little that I do have is very theoretical.  So it was quite surprising the things I learned when I actually went on some "dates".  I use term "date" loosely as well.  Don't ask, I'm not going to tell beyond what is here.


1.  Finding a life partner isn't black and white, just as life isn't black and white.
Unfortunately there is no sure-fire formula of a+b+c= finding that someone, as much as I wish there was. I'm sure many of you do too.
I use to think that courtship is the only way to get married, and if my future husband didn't court me, my marriage would eventually fail, but that's not true.
Aside from wise principles of integrity like "guard your heart", "don't date someone with different beliefs", and others, there isn't a black and white, so-called better way to finding a mate.

i.e. courting vs. dating
i.e. online vs. offline
i.e. being friends first vs. being set up

2.  This whole process and every minute detail has to be held with an open hand.  
There are a lot of things that I would prefer to happen on the way to the altar, but more and more I realize that I have to hold them with an open hand, and trust that God has my best in mind.

i.e. like the fact that I use to only want to date and marry staff within my organization.
i.e. like the fact that I think it's completely unromantic to meet my future husband online, and would rather meet him "naturally" and befriend him first.
i.e. like the fact that I don't like being set up.

God is creative, and if He's writing my love story I can't dictate to Him how I want it to happen.

I went against every single preference that I listed above, in the past few weeks.

3.  Clarity is a beautiful thing.
Whether I date or court, I realized that I like clarity.
Whether it's "we're just going on this one date to get to know each other without any expectations of any future romantic attachments" or "we're going to court to see if we're meant for marriage", clarity is a beautiful thing.  It makes it much easier for me to understand where the relationship is, and how to behave, think, and feel accordingly.  The trouble comes when I think there's more to the relationship than there actually is, and my emotions and actions follow that train of thought.
Usually because I overanalyze and read into things.

And no, no one asked to court me.  That was just a hypothetical example.

4.  Dating is emotionally draining for me on two levels.
On one level it's intentionally getting to know someone, which is always draining for me especially if I'm meeting someone new.
On another level it's draining because I'm always monitoring my heart and my thoughts making sure I'm not getting ahead of myself.

5.  First dates make bad first impressions.
I knew that people got nervous on first dates, but most of the guys were more nervous that I expected.  So much so that I was actually surprised at how nervous they were, which was endearing in some cases.

6.  Spiritual compatibility is supremely important to me.
That said even with #5 in mind, lack of spiritual compatibility is definitely a deal breaker even on a first date.
There is no negotiation on this one.

7.  Dating tests my faith in the goodness of God.
If he doesn't like me, if he doesn't ask me out again, if I don't like him, if this relationship doesn't end in marriage, do I still trust that God is good to me?

8.  Dating tests my faith in the sovereignty of God.
If I say something wrong, hurt someone in the process, make a blunder, or get hurt in the process, do I still trust that God is sovereign, and that He ordains all things for the good of those who love Him?

9.  Dating reveals where I find my identity.
Am I crushed when someone doesn't call me back or pursue me because I find my value and worth in how much a man/ any man esteems me?

or

Am I able to let it go and not take it personally, realizing that not everyone's meant for me and that Christ esteems and values me?

10.  Dating reveals where I place my hope.
Do I place my hope in what I see?
i.e. I have hope for a future because there is/are a man/men before me who are potential date(s).

or

Do I place my hope in Christ?
i.e. That whether or not there are potential date(s) around me, He has a good future in store for me.

Five Good Things

1.  A cute light teal dress.
2.  Seeing small budding fruits of my labor. 
Thanks Jesus, You didn't have to, but You did.
3.  Growing in maturity- in being able to make wise choices even though my emotions didn't feel like it.
4.  Slow cookers.
5.  Kettle Chips

In My Head

Things I Want to Blog About, But May Never Get Around To:

1.  Online Dating
2.  S.A.D. the mood disorder and not the mood itself
3.  Being in the middle of a major life decision making process
4.  Things Jesus has been teaching me
5.  Things I've been learning about myself

Guys vs. Girls

For the most part when it comes to looking for a mate, immaturity in girls leads them to think:

"This is the one!",

every time they meet someone they're attracted to, while immaturity in guys leads them to think:

"Can I get someone better?"


I know I'm making sweeping generalizations, but I think this is true for the most part in our Western culture today.

Thoughts?

*EDIT*
In our Western Christian culture.

You're Not Dead Yet

Every girl needs a few older women in their lives.

Women who have walked a little further down this road of life, who can help you navigate the rough terrain, and I've been superbly blessed with a few of these women in my life.

Tonight I had dinner with M.L., her husband, and her adorable baby.

We talked about everything, and there were so many sound bites of wisdom and humour that I just had to dedicate a post to her words.

"You're not dead yet."
This was in response to my lurking fear of making the wrong choices in life.

"You're reformed.  Don't go back to school.  You're just going to get married and have babies."
Upon finding out my theological leanings after I explained my quarter-life crisis, and the options upon options that I have, of which school is one.

"You're going to marry a pastor!  I know it."
After I explained my frustrations with the current state of the local church, the potential that I see it has, and why I prefer parachurch ministry more.