yesterday was moving day. or rather, the movers came and took all of our things… we’ll be flying out later in the week. we are very thankful that my parents are here to help, especially in the cleaning and cooking department. in fact, i think the kitchen will be cleaner than when we moved into the parsonage, thanks to my mom’s skills.

my wonderful friends at HPAC threw me a baby shower last weekend. i felt very blessed to be able to spend time with them, especially during my last week here in chicago. thank you for all the gifts and adorable outfits… this baby is already getting spoiled. thanks especially to the hostesses lisa and shawna!

last week i went to a free She & Him concert at millennium park with debra and sarah… together with thousands of other like-minded 20-30-something year olds. admittedly, i haven’t followed the band’s music in the past, but i like zoe deschanel (‘Elf’, ’500 Days of Summer’). our plan for finding a nice grassy spot was thwarted, and had to settle for the board walk along the winding sky bridge, which although offered no view of the stage, was at least comfortable.

towards the end, we snaked our way through the crowds and actually got close enough to the front to catch a glimpse of the band. then ended the evening with some hazelnut gelato at cafe baci.

i was helping a friend babysit for a couple of hours on campus this week. it was a such a beautiful day, i couldn’t help taking some pics of the lovely surroundings.

mr. turtle at the goldfish pond.

pretty flowers.

the quandrangle.

We had been meaning to update the appearance of our blog for a while, but since it also required upgrading WordPress, I kept putting it off. Today I finally got around to it–the technical side that is. The creativity part is obviously thanks to Sherwin. Hope you all enjoy the new look!

(stained glass window from Saint Séverin Church in Paris)

Luke 2:8-14
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Merry Christmas!

pretty leaves.

granville island.

we enjoyed two weeks of lovely fall weather in vancouver. i have a feeling that’s all i’m going to get though, cuz i’m already back to wearing my winter gear…

the cold and dry air has been the perfect recipe for a lot of static shocks. it’s causing us to develop a pavlovian response to things like turning off the light switch or taking off a sweater or poking each other. i actually saw a blue spark from a big zap when my finger touched the light switch, and yesterday i shocked my toe on a nail in the hardwood floor! someone save us!

i flew back to chicago last night, to a friendly -13 degree fahrenheit (-25 celsius) plus windchill. unfortunately the car wouldn’t start because of the cold, and so joe came to get me via bus and train. you know it’s cold when…

…the sauce packet from the instant noodles packet is solid.
…wearing gloves and long underwear indoors seems like a good idea.
…the fog that accumulates on your glasses freezes before it can dissipate.
…your eyeballs hurt when you are walking outside.

hopefully it will warm up tomorrow.

new toques by mommy lam… and she wanted to point out that joe’s toque is called “tree of life”. have a wonderful christmas everyone!