the wu's year in photos

Even though I've let my blog slip majorly in the past few weeks and months, I couldn't let my blogaversary and annual tradition of choosing one photo per month slip past.


This will be my fifth year to do this:

2005--was my third year in Taiwan, and I started blogging
2006--my sister got married and my brother came to Taiwan
2007--I moved to a new city, and my cousins came to visit
2008--I met the love of my life; we dated, got engaged, and then married . . . it was perhaps the most perfect year of my entire life. :)

I think I took less photos in all of 2009 than I did in many of the months of 2008.  Kinda makes me a little sad, and makes me want to resolve to take more photos in 2010.  Anywho, not analyzing anything right now, which I am OH so tempted to do.


Let me get right to the point . . . below you find a month by month look at our 2009 using only one photo per month.





January: We celebrate our first Chinese New Year together in Meinong


February: New Life Bilingual Church in Kaohsiung starts meeting


March: We marry again . . . well, ok, we celebrate our marriage covenant in Taiwan with our Taiwanese friends and family


April: I have my first birthday as a wife (aka, I turn 31)


May: Some of our friends marry . . . and Lawrance is the MC at their wedding banquet


June: We start our summer Sunday afternoon tradition of eating ice after church




July: We go on several dates during the summer . . . Thai food, the beach and more




August: We celebrate our first anniversary in Kenting


September: Sadly Wu Mama is diagnosed with liver cancer


October: Lawrance is a clown (well, maybe he always is one, but at least he LOOKED like one this time)


November: I start studying Chinese again (This is my awesome Chinese teacher)

December: Law's parents help us to decorate our tree . . . a Wu family first!

apricot chicken delight

The first half of this semester was hard.  Weird schedule, lots of new pressures and responsibilities, and a lack of energy.

Unfortunately lack of energy is a vicious cycle--no energy to cook good stuff = eating out; eating out = not always eating the best foods; not eating healthy = no energy. 

So, during the midterm week, when I wasn't grading tests or catching up on laundry.  I searched for some recipes to turn into the 30 meals project that Carrie, my RD in college (well, and my college roommate's sister-in-law) told me about on this post. (BTW, thanks Carrie!!)

My requirements were that the recipes:

• could be made in less than 20 min,
• needed to be low-carbish,
• needed to delight mine and my husband's taste buds, and
• could be made with things easily found in Taiwan.

Finding meals that meet all four requirements was no small task!

Although Lawrance is generally easy going and not too picky about food, finding things we both love to eat often has proved to be a challenge.

So, my first recipe test was something I found at Cooking During Stolen Moments: Apricot Chicken.

It was SO easy and best of all packed full of flavor!!

I kinda went a bit overboard using freshly cracked black pepper and might have used extra garlic--so our's was not only tangy, but spicy too--she does say to season to taste. :)

This is probably the least low-carb recipe I collected since it uses apricot jam, but it is definitely something I'll be making again before too long.

Side-note to anyone in Taiwan wanting to give this a try: I used half of a jar of Carrefour brand apricot jam (french name on bottle) to cover 6 chicken breast quarters.

my two clowns

like grandfather,

 

like husband . . . or something like that. :)

I love my two clowns!! 

Besides sharing a similar costume idea, my two clowns both LOVE children and are also both great big kids at heart!!  Gotta love my clowns!!

a "what's up" list

What's up:

• Wu MaMa is home for the week, after 2+ weeks in the hospital.  If she qualifies, she might be placed on a research project testing a new direct chemo treatment for liver cancer (which is more common in Asia than it is in America).
  


• School started three weeks ago.  I've finally been to every class once as of last Wednesday.  Several of my classes require students to "test in to" them, so they started a bit later than other classes.
  


• I'm teaching two freshmen classes.  I like this classes because I get the upper-intermediate non-English majors.  Most of my students don't know each other outside of class--this is a good thing for class dynamics; easier to take risks and not lose face so much.  I also like that it is all four skills.  Much easier to teach when I can blend all skills together.  We talk about what we are reading; we write in response to what we've heard and discussed.  Much more "real."
  


• I'm also teaching two really cool classes for junior and senior English majors.  One is called International Career Path and the other is called Social and Global Issues.  In these classes, the students spend one week preparing to discuss a topic and then one week discussing the topic with students in Japan using the internet and online chatrooms.  Really cool.  I love that my students are using English for a real reason and that they are using English to learn about their own culture as well as Japanese culture.  Let me say it again, really cool.
  


• I strained my back last Friday.  We spent our Moon Festival holiday
  (this past weekend) watching movies and doing not much more than that. 
  


• Law has taken superb care of me when I've not been able to move quickly and take care of as much as I do when I'm feeling better. 
  


• I've cried several times this weekend in appreciation for all he does for me.  He truly has been so sweet.  It's really hard to believe that he knows me SO well--all the good and ALL the bad--and chooses to still love me completely anyway.  It is humbling.
  


• I'm studying Chinese again.  I've not actually studied language in . . . oh, about a decade.  I really wanna work on my reading and writing.  And, to improve my oral self-expression.  I'm really good at ordering food, shopping, and answering questions about myself, but I fail when it comes to carrying a conversation on a deeper more complex topic.  I can listen and understand, but I'm unable to respond in Chinese the way I want to.  Hence, the studying again.
  


• I stumbled upon Laura Story a little while ago.  I've been listening to her stuff over and over.  I've not done that in awhile.  Her song "Grace" is available free here (you do have to register though).

I could keep going, but for now, I need to go get ready for my classes tomorrow. 

I miss blogging, and hope to get back to it sooner rather than later.

wu mama

We found out this week that Lawrance's mom has stage 3 liver cancer.   We've been told to expect her time left on earth to not be very long. 

My husband and his siblings are in the midst of making lots of decisions, trying how to provide the best care for their mother and father right now.  

We would very much appreciate prayers for the Wu family right now. 

The one praise this week has been that Wu MaMa accepted Christ as her savior on Wednesday.  After Lawrance shared his testimony, a dear Christian friend invited Wu MaMa to believe and she did. Father is merciful to the end.  I am so thankful for his patience and mercy!!  Praise Him!

So, in the midst of a heartbreaking situation there is hope. 

Right now, I will just leave it at this . . . we thank you for going to the Father on our behalf.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

(Psalm 121)

please pray

Today, September 22, 2009, at approximately 9AM Taiwan time, Peter Bennett, sustained a head injury when struck by a car
as he was crossing the street in Yonghe, Taiwan, a suburb of the capital city of Taipei.

I do not know Peter, but it seems like according to the blog set up for him that he worked with Team Expansion.  I found out via Scott's facebook who blogs at SQJ Taipei, and set up the site to help others pray for Peter.

I invite you to join others in prayer for this young man who is serving the Lord in Taiwan and is now in critical condition in the hospital.

I just found--literally stumbled upon--Laura Story. 

And, right now, I am enjoying this song because it seems like I could have written it.  It's as if she is speaking my story.

My heart is so proud. My mind is so unfocused.
I see the things You do through me as great things I have done.
And now
You gently break me, then lovingly You take me and hold me as my father
and mold me as my maker.

At times I may grow weak and feel a bit discouraged, knowing that
someone, somewhere could do a better job. For who am I to serve You? I
know I don't deserve You. And that's the part that burns in my heart
and keeps me hanging on.



As I walk with You, I'm learning what Your grace really means. The
price that I could never pay was paid at Calvary. So, instead of trying
to repay You, I'm learning to simply obey You

by giving up my life to you For all that You've given to me.


Chorus:

I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up, when I keep on letting you down?

And each time I will fall short of Your glory, how far will forgiveness abounds?"

And you answer: " My child, I love you. 
And as long as you're seeking My face, You'll walk in the pow'r of My daily sufficient grace."