Ba Ngoai

My maternal grandmother died on Monday and I have mixed feelings about this. I love and miss her and will always be grateful for having her in my life. She was in her nineties and have not been in her "right" mind the past few years.

She was one of my favorite in my heart. She was a very brave woman. She never learned how read or write but she was a very hard worker and did what she had to in order to raise her eight children. Back in the day when women didn't strike out on their own and were dependent on my grandfather, she did the best she could. I am so grateful to be where I am and not forget that learning to read and write is a privilege because of her. She would tell me stories of her life and regrets when I was around twelve so I didn't get a chance to ask her questions that linger now.

I miss her but what's hard is to see my mom miss her mommy.

Where's the Ramblin' On lady?

I'm back. We went on our annual weeklong trek "camping" at Lake Chelan. Have you ever been? The most beautiful lake I've seen to date. It's the best of the three C's of lakes for me: clean, clear, and cold. It's such a nice tradition to meet up with my husband's family and just relax, get a tan, and watch the kids explore and play in the water. Every year it gets better. I'm am thankful to have an opportunity to have this experience.

What I did before kids...

I don't know if I ever mentioned what I did before I had kids. I've got a Master's Degree in Food Science. No, not nutrition. Food Science mainly focuses in three areas: food quality, food safety, and my favorite research of new and novel foods. I have worked in a spice company where I got to mix up herbs and spices to make specialized blends for customers such as Taco Time and Jack in the Box. Then I worked for Safeway Ice Cream and Milk division. Fun but fattening. I had to monitor and test the quality of ice cream and milk products coming off the production line to ensure that the products meet specifications and safety standards. All the ice cream I could eat was not a good thing after being there two months and gaining about 5 lbs.

Then, after college, I worked for a local Northwest flour company which made dry mixes of pancakes, brownies, cookies, and breads. I had to test new ingredients to see how they worked in existing products and make sure all raw materials going into the dry mixes still stood the test of shelf-life. And right before I started cranking out babies, I worked for the USDA in their wheat quality division. We tested wheat varieties for the Northwest taking it from milling all the way to the end product (breads, cookies, and cakes). Lots of lab testing and baking. Ultimately, the goal was to find wheat varieties which farmers can plant and get the perfect combination of high yield whiling making great cookies, noodles, or breads.

Funny how no one asks me what I did before kids...

Heaven

"Mom, when we go up to heaven, do we lose our skins and get new ones and come back down here again?" -Koo

"No, we get to stay up there with God." -Mom

"But what if we fall down?" -Koo

"I think once we are up there, we get to stay there." -Mom

"But I will miss my house mommy." -Koo

I've been waking up dreading working out. What?! What?! I love to workout. I'm not sure what's going on other than my diet has been so weird with trying to fix my skin problem that I am not as motivated to workout. I was suppose to run 5 miles today and I only ran 3.5 miles. Oh well, at least I did it I guess. I'm not sure how I'm going to run 26.2 miles in October.

4th of July

I love this country. I'm so grateful to be able to walk around, think my own thoughts, and raise my kids the way I feel is best without fear of being put away or death. Thank you to all the brave warriors who've made it possible for me to have this freedom. Coming from another country, I understand how differently my life could have been. I would not have all the opportunities I've had with being in this country. I am an American citizen for many years and I'm very proud to do my part to help not be a burden to the country that has embraced me and be a productive citizen. Everytime I watch the fireworks and hear the music, I just get choked up.

I am still trying to get my house in order after our big trip and am planning our annual 4th of July bash. The boys have been getting along really well and we had a playdate yesterday for Koo. This is the first time where Koo has a friend over while S.E. was around. She was a lovely little girl and she got along well with both boys. They really enjoyed taking turns playing with her. Koo was very attentive and loved it. I'm happy for him because up until now, Koo has been the third wheel to S.E.'s playdates.