timeflies

Today was an awesome day. I’m going to write it all out in...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:08:25 -0700

Today was an awesome day. I’m going to write it all out in a list:

1. It’s finally SUNNY again! It’s been raining for the past several weeks and I believe it took a toll on my mood. But today I’m feeling alright because the sun is bright!

2. I got myself a pair of new glasses from this amazing, cheap, helpful place in Chinatown, just blocks from my place. The guy helping me with my frames was really helpful and nice. I fell in love with these green frames upon first glance and although I tried many other pairs on, I knew my heart had already settled on the ones that I knew were made for me.

3. I made an impulse decision and got my hair cut again! I guess I like it super short.

4. I found a couple T-shirts that were on sale.

5. I randomly walked into a Chinese herbal health store and the man checked my pulse and looked at my tongue and told me my circulation was bad and that I needed to eat less raw vegetables and instead eat them steamed. It was really interesting talking to this kind Chinese herbalist so I bought some expensive remedial tea (he recommended some pills but I told him I am against those) and went on my way.

6. Totoro is hanging out on my phone now because Nekobasu broke. D:

I had a very productive and good first day off. :) In a month, I’ll be in Japan with my family!

¡HOLA, amigos! Hoy fue mi ultimo dia a Bethany Homes, la granja,...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:32:00 -0700

¡HOLA, amigos!

Hoy fue mi ultimo dia a Bethany Homes, la granja, hasta….probablemente agosto. Entonces, me saque muchas fotos (sobre todos, el gatito, obvio). ¡Conoci el caballo chiquitito (¿el poni?) se llama Bella y sembramos cebollas! Las cebollas son mis favoritas entonces disfrute mucho sembrando esos. :) Tambien, yo aprendi que heno ayuda evitar malas hierbas cultivar. Colocamos mucho heno cerca nuestras plantas. Gracias a Dios que hacia calor con el sol. !Las mujeres trabajaron muy bien hoy igual, como siempre!

PS. ¡Se me olvido decir que nuestras plantas (PEAS!! <—se me olvido como se llaman en Chile) que sembramos hace poco ya estan creciendo!

Yesterday was the darkest day of my life. But yesterday has...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 20:17:00 -0700

Yesterday was the darkest day of my life. But yesterday has passed and I won’t have to live it ever again! (I would like to talk more about this experience but I can’t find the right words so I will leave it for now.) Today, I got myself out of bed and went to work with a positive attitude. I saw that someone had posted this on the wall at Wellspring and it brought a smile to my face. I believe that with any type of recovery, this is so true.

p.s. Thank you to those people who have continued to love and support me through this difficult time. I couldn’t have survived this week without you!

For my aunt, かずえおばちゃん。 My times are in Your hand. Psalm 31:15

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:21:30 -0700

For my aunt, かずえおばちゃん。

My times are in Your hand. Psalm 31:15

Photo

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:34:55 -0700

I think the best part of today was when I got this award from...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:50:00 -0700

I think the best part of today was when I got this award from work for ‘Best Smile in the face of Adversity’. I didn’t expect to get anything because a. I never get work awards and b. I`m a new employee at Hope Mission and no one except people at Wellspring really know me. But apparently, my manager Alison voted me for best smile because regardless of what happens at work, I apparently always have a smile on my face. :) When my name got called, I looked around confused as if there was another Yumi working for Hope Mission. I truly feel appreciated at work. Thanks, Alison!

Today was a beautiful day in many ways. Hope Mission has a kids...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:48:00 -0700

Today was a beautiful day in many ways. Hope Mission has a kids camp called Brightwood Ranch and every year there is a staff retreat where we get to explore horseback riding, archery, zip lining, and more! Situated a couple hours West of Edmonton, we drove early in the morning right into the green pastures. I finally experienced a real horseback ride with a lovely black horse named Tumbler! (We have a lot in common - we both have black hair and he has to wear a muzzle because he eats too much on his daily excursions :( [I need one of those too, hahaha]). I also rock climbed and went zip lining! It was FUN-TASTIC!

In other news, I lost my glasses while adventuring with Tumbler which I’ll take as a sign from God that I reaaaally need to see an optometrist.

Also, why are the cutest pictures always of cats? Sabrina and Holly were loving Mr. Grey Kitty.

Being at Brightwood today made me nostalgic of Camp Squeah,...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:40:00 -0700

Being at Brightwood today made me nostalgic of Camp Squeah, (which is still, hands down, the best kid’s camp in the entire world) but I love it all the same. Like at Camp Squeah, we sang worship songs and listened to a message to start off the day and then went off to do our chosen activities.

Literature

Fri, 31 May 2013 20:31:11 -0700

May was a good month. I read 10 books!

1. City of Thieves - David Benioff (May 2)

2. The Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff (May 3)

3. The Neverending Story - Michael Ende (May 5)

4. Still Alice - Lisa Genova (May 6)

5. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton (May 14)

6. North of Hope - Shannon Polson (May 17)

7. All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Remarque (May 22)

8. Inkheart - Cornelia Funke (May 29)

9. The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner (May 30)

10. The Alchemist - Paolo Coelho (May 31)

The best? The Alchemist

The Worst? North of Hope (Sorry, Okaasan! It made me depressed).

Every Thursday, all the ladies at Wellspring get to go to...

Thu, 30 May 2013 20:22:55 -0700

Every Thursday, all the ladies at Wellspring get to go to Bethany Homes (a farm about an hour and a half south of Edmonton) to help sow the seeds of new life. :) This is part of our recovery program that happens between May and September and once a week, we go for the day to get dirty and plant lots of vegetables. Within ten minutes of me putting on my boots, I got stuck in the mud and slipped out of them, getting mud all over my socks and pants. It was awesome. It rained most of the day but during the couple hours that it didn’t, we were quickly able to plant some carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce. During breaks, we had fun with the animals and played basketball in the gym. All of the ladies worked hard, maintaining a great attitude despite the weather. Great job, everyone!

friend |frend| - noun ORIGIN Old English frēond, of Germanic...

Mon, 27 May 2013 21:47:00 -0700

friend |frend| - noun

ORIGIN Old English frēond, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love,’…

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Friends are the most important part of my life but I feel like I’ve been neglecting them lately with working two jobs (and then secluding myself for alone-time when I get tired and burnt out from all this working.) I may have to quit my second job. Luckily, this weekend I was able to find time to see these important people - Clara (my new photographer friend!), Leslie, Holly, and Tyson - and I am hoping to make more time during my future days off to spend quality time with them.

My mood has been up and down this past week so I have been wanting to spend more time alone; however, I know that this just perpetuates my negative mood which is why I’ve decided to go out and socialize with those who have been trying to reach out to me for some time. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. :)

Tonight, Tyson and Holly invited me over to their place for a little get together with enchiladas! I didn’t end up getting any good shots of the food (I don’t really like to take photos of food), but found a photo-worthy book in their bathroom (the best book I’ve found in a bathroom so far) and a simple yet significant word on their wall that I’ve been doing a lot of lately. We, along with their friend Paul whom I was introduced to, chatted for hours about anything and everything and had a great time. I am looking forward to more amazing days like today in the future!

Today I’m feeling a bit torn like this book.

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:08:55 -0700

Today I’m feeling a bit torn like this book.

Tonight is my last night until I return to work for four days...

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:06:00 -0700

Tonight is my last night until I return to work for four days tomorrow! I didn’t do anything special except maybe yoga this morning. Last night I bought awesome comfy pants from Polly Magoo’s because they were too comfortable to take off. I love them and am going to wear them all the time. In other news, I love tea (obviously) and have six pairs of shoes?

¡Esta noche es mi ultimo dia de descanso hasta mañana cuando regreso trabajar de nuevo para cuatro dias! No hice nada especial, solamente yoga. :) Anoche, compre pantalones nuevos porque son DEMASIADO COMODOS. Me encantan. :) Las otras cosas….me parecen que tengo muchas zapatos y…..me encanta mi te (obvio). :D

True love is when you play Scrabble with your spouse every...

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:13:11 -0700

True love is when you play Scrabble with your spouse every single night like Grandma and Grandpa Neufeld. Their notebook is full of pages and pages of score-keepings from years of Scrabble games. Maybe a nightly tradition such as this is what marriages need to be held together.

I slept really well last night but at 6:30am, the sun yelled at...

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:10:00 -0700

I slept really well last night but at 6:30am, the sun yelled at me through the window so after about an hour, I decided to embark on an early morning photo walk. And look, I have some greyscale photos! I haven’t done that since the 10th grade. (I used to convert almost all my photos to greyscale because I thought it was cool). It was a very peaceful walk and the air smelled so crisp and fresh. I met up with the jackrabbit I’ve been wanting to meet. But, he had ‘mordor’ eyes so it was pretty frightening. (Once he realized that I wasn’t wearing the Ring, he scampered off.) I couldn’t photograph a magpie so I settled on a crow. (I love crows!)

Spring is here! Awesome.

One of my earliest and best childhood memories is when my dad,...

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:37:00 -0700

One of my earliest and best childhood memories is when my dad, mom, and I joined our next door neighbors for a game of croquet. Most of the details of that night have sadly faded but to this day I still remember the smiles, the laughter, and the all around true happiness that radiated throughout the night. That night, I remember thinking that I had never seen my mom and dad so happy and carefree, and their contagious cheerfulness extended out to me as well. That night was sadly never repeated and since then, I have never played croquet…

UNTIL YESTERDAY!

This memory awakened in me when grandpa Neufeld asked us if we wanted to play. Of course I wanted to play! However, I didn’t remember a thing about how - all I remembered was that it involved some wire, some hammer-like sticks, and some balls. It didn’t take long for all of us to learn! Ah, it was so much fun.

The photos:

Irene played her own personal game of croquet which ended up in her conducting her own orchestra by removing the end piece of the croquet stick and waving it around. It was cute.

Jay brought out a wagon and I demanded to get a ride! He nearly abandoned me but thankfully we rolled into the grass and not down a hill. D:

I wished I stayed longer in Calgary. :( I went to visit Pastor...

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:06:00 -0700

I wished I stayed longer in Calgary. :(

I went to visit Pastor Neufeld and his family in Calgary for one night. Though I didn’t see the city at all (I’ve never been to Calgary) we did lots of fun activities at home that definitely trumped seeing the city. It felt so great catching up with everyone and it felt nice being part of a big family even if it was short lived.

The photos:

1. A beautiful robin that visited the backyard! I’m glad I got the lens I have now to get a little bit closer!

2. Oishi ika! Very tender squid that Pastor Neufeld, his wife Rie-san, and I shared for lunch.

3. Cherry blossoms: no explanation needed here. Obviously they’re very pretty.

4. Rena helped her grandma make rhubard pie! Mmmmm.

5. A book I made Jay (their son) read to me. :)

6. Jay told me that the cards you win at Apples to Apples represent who you are. “What? I’m dead D: ?”

7. Ping pong! We played an ‘around the world’ version where everyone had to run around the table and hit the ball when it was your turn on one end of the table. It was hilarious.

Today, Holly, Tyson, and I explored the Strathcona...

Sat, 11 May 2013 18:08:50 -0700

Today, Holly, Tyson, and I explored the Strathcona Farmer’s Market that is located on Whyte Ave every Saturday from 8am - 3pm. It was my first time there and I wish I went there sooner because this place is amazing! It is full of many stands selling everything from fresh local vegetables to home made crafts. It was great just seeing half the city trying out the samples and going home with bags of fresh local groceries.

My adventure continued when a random man I ran into who also had a Nikon camera gawked over mine and insisted we trade lenses for 20 minutes or so. He let me try out his Tamron wide angle lens while he tested my 18-200mm Nikkor zoom lens. Initially, he gave me his keys as collateral and told me to ‘meet back here in 20 minutes’. Without missing a beat, I said, ‘I don’t trust you!’ shocked that he would even suggest such a thing. Then, he said ‘Okay, I’ll give you my wallet.’ but I just told him that I’d follow him around until he was happy. So, for the next 20 minutes, we walked around the market taking photos with each other’s lenses. It was definitely a fun experience, meeting someone new and talking to him about cameras the whole time but after about 10 minutes, I already began to miss my lens. Eventually, we swapped back, thanked each other and I went back to adventuring with Holly and Tyson. :)

I am so happy I am getting back into photography! I missed this!

YAY!!! Yo trabajo aca. Lo amo. I work here. I love it. :)

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:04:13 -0700

YAY!!!

Yo trabajo aca. Lo amo.

I work here. I love it.

¡¡¡HOLA!!! ¡Por fin ha llegado mi camara nueva! Entonces hoy yo...

Fri, 10 May 2013 21:55:46 -0700

¡¡¡HOLA!!!

¡Por fin ha llegado mi camara nueva! Entonces hoy yo sace muchas fotos. En la mañana, fui con mi amiga, Annora, al rio. La primavera ya llego entonces habia muchas plantas creciendo (por fin). Caminamos mucho y lo pasamos muy bien pero tengo una pregunta….¿por que la agua es tan marron? D: Eso no me gusta. :P

My camera has finally arrived! So today I obviously took a bunch of photos. In the morning, my friend and I went down to the river. I had lots of fun ooh-ing and aah-ing over all the budding plants now that Spring has finally sprung in Edmonton. We walked a lot and had lots of fun but I kept asking Annora….WHY is the water brown? Gross. :P