Surprises

On Wednesday Chae surprised me. He had these roses delivered to the house (roses are my favorite) with a note telling me to dress up and be ready to go by 5pm. He took me to see The Nutcracker at an opera house in Denver. I have always loved the story and saw the ballet for the first time 3 years ago in Switzerland (when I studied abroad). I hadn't seen it since. It was a tad different than the first time (i.e. scenery, props) as I'm sure it differs with each year, ballet troupe, and location, but still beautiful. Chae officially survived his first ballet. I thought he would sleep through it. I remember the first time I ever mentioned The Nutcracker he couldn't believe they didn't talk. I had to remind him that it is a ballet ;). I have to admit that I was a little suspicious. A few weeks ago he'd asked me if I preferred to see a Cirque de Soleil show or The Nutcracker (when I saw a commercial for a Cirque de Soleil show playing in the area). Then he kept asking me what my plans for Wednesday night were, saying he might leave work early. However, I had no idea about the roses. It was a very nice surprise and cute. The roses and ballet were an early Christmas/anniversary present (on December 26 it will be 3 years since our Korean wedding). I had been complaining that he'd been neglecting me for a while, no real dates, no surprises, no romance. He'd agreed with me and I guess he decided to do something about it ;).

Tis the Season

I've been meaning to post these pictures for over a week, but never got around to it. On Saturday, December 8, I went to a Christmas market in historic Georgetown. It's a cute little town nestled in the mountains, about 50 minutes from us. I also officially survived my first real attempt at driving in the snow. I had been waiting all week to go, so despite the fact that it snowed all day, I decided to make the trip, amid precautions from Chae. I had been looking forward to it and didn't want to miss it. Chae was taking a final so he couldn't go. Anyway, I figure I better get used to driving in the snow, or I'll be stuck inside a lot.
It was a beautiful drive through the mountains. It reminded me of our trips through Austria (which was my favorite European road trip country), except this time there was snow (we had a mild winter last year in Europe, not very much snow). The town was adorable. It boasted a European Christmas market, so I had to check it out. Not exactly, the way they do it in Europe, but still beautiful with all the shops and vendors. Quite a few shops did have Christmas collectibles imported from Europe, the same ones I had seen during our travels through Europe last Christmas. The world gets smaller and smaller. You no longer have to go Europe (or anywhere else for that matter) to get authentic European items, you can find them in the US. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I wish Chae could have come, it was beautiful with the snow falling and romantic. Maybe next time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and did not regret making the trip alone through the snow.





Saint Nicholas, a very unhappy reindeer who kept showing his teeth, and me.
Those are the mountains you see in the background, not the sky.

Ahh, so serene.

I thought I was in Colorado?

Update

I'm sorry I have not posted an update to my last blog. I've been so busy working on the house (finally eliminating the last few boxes), running errands, and Christmas shopping.
On Monday evening the authorities confirmed that the same shooter had attacked both church grounds. Although I felt relieved, I was also saddened, not only by the death of his victims, but by his own death and the effect these events will have on his family. I question where he is spending eternity. We must remember to pray not only for the victims of this horrible tragedy, but for the shooter's family. They too are hurting. The shooter, Matthew Murray, 24, grew up in a christian home. His dad is a neurosurgeon and works at a local Multiple Sclerosis hospital. His uncle is a pastor at a church in Denver and his mom runs the women's ministry there. Both Matthew and his brother were home schooled and his brother now attends Oral Roberts University, a well known Christian university in Tulsa, OK. So we wonder, what happened, what went wrong in his life? Matthew had studied for a semester in Colorado Christian University and had even considered transferring to Oral Roberts. A few years ago he was enrolled in YWAM (Youth with a Mission, the same base he attacked in Arvada), but had to be released from the program. Due to a health issue, he could not complete his mission (although there is no word on what this issue was). Authorities say he had been writing hate mail to YWAM, and must have been angry about the fact that he had not been allowed to finish the program. They say this was his motivation for the attacks. The church in CO Springs has a small YWAM office. In between attacks, he posted a diatribe on a website for those who have turned away from organized religion. He basically copied something written by one of the Columbine shooters, changing a few words. It describes his/their hate for Christians and his/their desire to kill God's people. A female volunteer security guard at New Life Church in C-Springs (and former law enforcement officer) eventually took him down. She shot him several times before he turned a gun on himself. She saved many lives. He was armed to kill many. He attacked the church in CO Springs with 3 guns (he had one more in his car and another at home) and over 1000 rounds of ammunition in his backpack. Authorities said he had been collecting this weaponry for a year. He must have been very tormented. I wonder what was going on in his head. Some reports insinuate that he may have been mentally unstable.
We must remember to have compassion for his family. They too have lost a son and feel guilty for the lives that he took. They have to live with the negative stigma that this has brought upon their family. As Christians we must also live with this, for many out there will continue to criticize us, maybe more so after these events. Thanks for all your prayers and support and for the phone calls checking on us. We are safe and doing well, focused on home projects.

One article I read: http://www.denverpost.com//ci_7686929?IADID=Search-www.denverpost.com-www.denverpost.com

For more articles: www.denverpost.com

Please Pray

A great tragedy occurred in our community yesterday. At 12:30am a gunman entered a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base on our church campus (Faith Bible Chapel) and shot four people, two later died. About 12 hours later another shooting occurred at a church in Colorado Springs, about an hour from us. Two teenage sisters (16 and 18) were killed. The second gunman was killed by a security guard at the church, however it has not been confirmed if it was the same gunman who attacked on our church campus. Please pray for the loved ones of those affected. They are hurting and this holiday season will be very difficult for them. Pray that if it was not the same gunman, that God will give the police wisdom in finding the gunman who attacked in our town before he can hurt anyone else. Pray that no one else will decide to copycat these horrible acts. I have to admit that I've been a little nervous to go out today. The first shooting occurred on our church campus, in our town, only 10 minutes from where we live. The gunman could still be out there and could decide to strike again. Although I know that God is on my side and that for me to live is Christ and to die is gain, Chae and I have both been a little nervous and cautious. I hope and pray that people will not turn from the church at this time because of fear, rather, may many more congregate all over the world.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_7677509

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=msnbc&tab=m5&rf=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22174890/&fg=&from=00&vid=cfaab7b1-25e9-40b2-8b1c-5d8daba553ea&playlist=videoByTag:mk:us:vs:0:tag:News_Editors%20Picks:ns:MSNVideo_Top_Cat:ps:10:sd:-1:ind:1:ff:8A

Nothing Much

It's been a while since my last post. The truth is that I've really had nothing exciting to talk about. The days have been spent working on the house and running errands to get things needed for the house. A few days ago the weather here was beautiful. It didn't feel like December. I wore linen pants one day, it was in the 60s that day. Linen in December, that's a summer fabric. I had my first white Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, and here I was enjoying early fall weather in December. I wasn't complaining, but rather enjoying the no coat weather. While we were enjoying nice weather, I heard that a winter storm was moving towards NOVA, but I don't know if it ever hit.
Well, the weather changed last night. This morning Keira woke me up at 4:30. When I let her out I realized that it was snowing, a wet snow that only stuck to the grass, but snowing nonetheless. Today was only in the 30s and overcast. Surprisingly, it didn't feel too cold to me. Most of you out there know that I'm always cold. It's been flurrying on and off. I kind of like it. The snow makes everything look so pretty and makes it feel more like Christmas. Chae said he's surprised that we haven't had a blizzard yet. I know last year Colorado got a lot of snow. He said it's unusual that we haven't had one yet this year. I told him that God is just trying to ease me into Colorado weather, He knows the cold and I don't get along ;).
Wednesday night our church had a Hanukkah service. It was beautiful. I had always learned about Hanukkah in school, from a historical perspective. This was the first time I learned about it from a spiritual perspective. It's a holiday about miracles. I know I serve a God of miracles. I greatly admire the Jews, their history, and this tradition in which they honor the miracles God performed for their people so long ago.

Home Sweet Home

Here are some pictures of our home. We love it and feel very blessed to have it. It's the perfect size for us. These are from a flyer that was made when the previous owners were trying to sell the house, so it's their furniture in the house. We've made a few changes, like added new appliances, which we love. You can't really see it in the flyer, but the kitchen is behind the room with the brown leather couch. It's small but really cute. The house has been very well maintained. The house was owned by the same couple since it was built in 1973. They still had the same appliances, hence why we replaced them. We are in the process of furniture shopping so the house is still a little empty (specifically the dining and living rooms). Once we're more settled, have a few more things, and have given the house more of our personal touch, we'll take some more pictures. It feels so nice to own our own home. The last two years we've lived in great places and have had so many wonderful experiences, but the houses we lived in never really felt like home. It felt like someone else's home. Maybe because we never really got to give the homes our personal touch or maybe because we didn't have that much stuff (our house in Italy felt really bare) and because they did indeed belong to someone else. It's nice to know that any work we put into our home now is for us and not for someone else's house. It's so nice to know that I'm cleaning my own home and not someone else's :). Well, I should go. I'm exhausted. We've been working on the house all evening. Chae finally got a drill today so we were able put some things up and accomplish some needed projects. I'm so excited. Little by little things come together. We even put up our Christmas tree. I love Christmas. Good night everyone!

Adventures in Painting

Well, today I officially accomplished my first painting project in our home, our master closet. It was a small job, but a good start. We took down some shelving when we first moved in that the previous owners left in the closet. I don't think it was the most efficient use of space. Before putting up the ones we bought, we wanted to paint. The walls were scuffed and dirty. I don't ever remember painting anything in a house. I helped paint storage sheds in college on a trip to Jacksonville with Habitat for Humanity, but I don't know if that really counts. I guess that makes it official - I'm a homeowner :). I'm kind of proud of myself, although a small job, I did it on my own. Chae went snowboarding with a friend. Although I had hoped he'd be the one painting and not me, he deserves to have some fun. These last few months have been hard on him, one thing after the other with no break. While separating from the Air Force his full time job became looking for another job (going to interviews, job hunting, weekend long job conferences all over the US, etc.). He went straight into his new job at Sun without a break, and while trying to learn his new job, we drove across the country (from VA where we were staying with my parents) to Colorado. Then there was the stress and business of moving - renting a home, home shopping, buying a home, moving into that home, and all the many things that come along with not only moving but purchasing a home. During this whole time he's also been working on his MBA, needless to say, he deserved to have some fun in the snow. He's been dying to go snowboarding for months (one of the reasons we moved to Colorado). He bought a new board right before we left Korea in 2006, but has only used it 3 maybe 4 times. Last winter was pretty mild in Europe, not much snow, even in the Alps. He invited me to come along, but I opted to stay home and work on the house. I can't wait until we have it the way I envision (which may be a while). I figure I'll have more opportunities to go. Not sure if I'm ready to endure hours of being in the cold. I'm trying to ease into it. If it were up to my husband, we'd be snowboarding every weekend. Anyway, he promised he'd be back in time for our date tonight. We are going to Denver for a Christmas event this evening, a Parade of Lights. I love Christmas. I'm also excited because next week Chae takes his final and then he'll have six weeks off from school, so we can hang out, work on the house, and really enjoy the holiday season. Well, I should go. I think I've recovered from the dizziness of paint fumes. Have some cleaning to do and then get ready for this evening. I'll keep you posted on future paint ventures. Next painting project: our bedroom. I have an idea of what color I'd like, but I'm waiting until we get a bedroom set. We've been looking for one. I want to make sure the colors compliment each other.


Side note - I can't believe its already December 1st. The last month of 2007. Time flies, sometimes I wish I could slow it down.

Beginnings

Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog. After reading a friend's blog, I decided that I'd like to give blogging a chance. I know some of you out there have been trying to get me on My Space and Facebook for years. I still have no real interest in either, too much technology for me (technology and I don't always get along, I'm a little computer handicapped). Blogging seemed simpler and a good way to keep everyone in on what is going on in my life. Besides, My Space and Facebook is too exclusive, some of you have one, some the other, and some have nothing (like me until this evening). With blogging, anyone can look at it, whether you're a My Spacer, Facebooker, or neither. I also wanted to try and keep in touch with everyone. I care so much about my friends and family scattered all over this world, but keeping in touch can be so difficult(especially considering that I'm not much of a phone or computer person, nor a letter writer). Sending out individual emails with all the details is often time consuming and rarely gets done, but with blogging everyone can see whats going on in my life at once, and hopefully post comments about your own lives. I'm going to try to remain faithful in my blogging, but no promises. Many of you will remember my attempts at instant messenger in college, I created a name, but either than that, my appearance on IM was pretty much nonexistent. Do bear with me as I embark on this new endeavour (anything computer or technology related in my life can turn into an endeavour, thankfully God blessed me with a husband who knows and loves all the ins and outs of modern technology and who just stated, "I love the internet!" as he listened to a radio station on our laptop directly from Korea). Well, I should go. Dirty dishes are calling my name. Cheers to blogging! More details about life in Colorado to come . . . stay tuned! (Praise God that we once again have internet at home, unlike Italy!)