THE SIMPLE LIFE

OVERWHELMED WITH LOVE

So I was sitting at dinner on Friday night surrounded by family & friends and couldn’t help but start tearing up when I realized just how loved I am. It’s weird cuz only recently, I started having doubts about a lot of things in terms of my relationships with people and here was God blatantly reminding me that He is always at work. Praise God for His continuous faithfulness even when I lose faith. Cam, Irene and Simon came down with my parents this year to visit me and tour Chicago. Their attempted surprise didn’t go as planned since I walked up to the car that they were hiding in while looking for my parents but it was still exciting. I have the most awesome friends! And of course, my parents…whatever will I do without them? They would go to the ends of the earth just to see me.

So we went to Joy Yee’s on Friday after dropping off the bags. It’s the best Chinese food in Chinatown that I’ve had and everyone that I’ve brought there so far agrees with me. I think it’s the fresh fruit drinks that tips the balance. Afterwards, stayed up late chatting of course even though it was a long day for everyone.

Saturday morning, we left to go outlet shopping and I got my birthday present – a cell phone!! Finally, at the age of 23, I have my own cell…I know it takes me a while to follow trends (personal cell phones became popular in high school right?) but I’ve arrived to the 21st century =). I also got a new jacket as a birthday present (my mom said the phone wasn’t a real birthday gift cuz it’s also for emergencies…I’m willing to believe it although I know it’s just an excuse for my parents to spoil me). I splurged on a new wallet – it was more expensive than the one I currently have (granted I got it for 10 bucks at an Esprit outlet when I was in grade 8) but I figured since my old one lasted for so long...this will be another one of those “investment” deals. We went to Maggiano’s for dinner...the most “bang for the buck” I’ve had in terms of fine dining. Granted the wait was 1 and 1/2 hrs long but it was definitely well worth it! I have so much leftovers in my fridge right now - my meals are sooo set for the next few days. After being stuffed silly, we ended up just hanging out in my room while slowly digesting our food. It’s so much fun just to sit around and chat with friends back at home...everyone should come down for a visit!! *grin* I know, I know...now I'm just being greedy.

Sunday morning, we woke up early to go to Willowcreek for service. I haven’t been there since my interview and they’ve totally renovated the place since then. It’s so huge! But the sermon was as impactful as the last time I went. God is doing some crazy things with that place. I kind of want to go there again – apparently they’re having a worship concert with Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and some others, just for people who go to their services. Too bad I don’t have a car. After church, we went to Giordano’s for Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza. In my opinion, still not comparable to our dinner from the night before but I guess it’s like comparing apples and oranges. We had a hard time finding unblocked roads since the Chicago Marathon was happening. We ended up parking a few blocks away down by the University of Illinois – Chicago and walked instead. It was so cool cuz I actually saw someone I knew running - Gooo Manlee! What are the odds of that in a marathon this big?! After lunch we did the tourist thing, going to see Buckingham Fountain, the big silver bean and walking around Millenium Park. Today was the perfect weather. And then we had to say our goodbyes after which I totally crashed for 2 hrs.

That pretty much sums up my fun-filled weekend. Thanks again for coming down guys - I really appreciate it! Now back to reality…