Mom's Green Beans

I was grocery shopping at Wal-mart yesterday, and a huge mound of fresh green beans on sale caught my attention. It instantly reminded me of the times my mom would send me to Sav-a-Center to stand there and carefully pick out all the "good" green beans to bring home for dinner. Then she taught me how to snap the ends using my fingernails, and if they're too long, she told me to snap them in half. What I don't remember is how she cooked them, but thank God for the internet! I picked up this easy and delicious French recipe, and it turned out just the way I wanted. If you're interested, I included it below. I had no intentions of buying any fresh foods to cook, but it was nice to re-live this memory... and get a nice, fresh side dish out of it. ;)

As many of my friends know, I'm not a cook. I know this because I realized I've been trying out recipes and experimenting for several years, and I don't believe my cooking intuitions have improved in any way, nor have I gained any further desire in cooking more. The only motivation I have to cook comes from wanting to feed my husband when he comes home from work, but that doesn't really work out because he eats dinner at work since he's there so late. Oh, and to top things off, he was raised on authentic (key word = authentic!) Vietnamese dishes. I've attempted to learn from my sister-in-law and other Vietnamese friends, but if my frustration exceeds my enjoyment, I think it's time to take a hint, don't you think? :)

It boggled my mind when fellow Vietnamese friends are shocked when they discover I haven't a clue as to how to put together the simplest of Vietnamese dishes or what two sauces combined makes a specific dipping sauce. It was as if every Vietnamese family had to know. My response would always be something along the lines of, "Sorry, my mom never cooked." or "Sorry, my mom was too busy to cook." I guess the same went for my lack of speaking Vietnamese... "Sorry, my parents never spoke to me in Vietnamese." When I was younger, there were times where I felt so guilty and shameful because of my lack of culture. I knew it wasn't my fault, but I still felt bad.

Everything we have, we were given for a reason... even our own parents. I believe God blesses us with the kind of parents we could learn the most from, and also blesses us with the demeanor to receive, wisdom to discern and grace to forgive. My mom may not have taught me everything, but what she did teach me, she taught well. She taught me how to run a business -- which later taught me to stay out of business! She taught me how to trust -- and also when not to trust. She taught me how to speak and write properly (perhaps I should include her in an acknowledgement section?). She taught me how to never give up and to keep pressing through, because there's no one I know who did that better than her. Heck, she even taught me how to use a cash register and "coi chung" or "watch out" (for stealing customers, haha) -- this definitely gave me a sharp eye for suspicious activity! There may be times where we feel so convinced that the mothers we end up with was a huge mistake, but if you ask God to reveal to you your mother's purpose in your life, it will become easier to appreciate her by realizing what you wouldn't have without her. And even if you think you were tossed the worst of the bunch, you start to find valuable lessons even from their mistakes. When we find beauty in ashes, the rewards are even more rewarding.

Here's the recipe. If my mom reads this (I hear she stalks my blogs), she'll most likely send me her own recipe and encourage me to do it her way. I'll be sure to post it up if she does. :)

French Green Bean Recipe
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add green beans and blanch for 3-4 minutes (just until they turn bright green). Drain water, return beans to dry pan and put back on burner to get all excess water off. Add a generous dallop of butter and a handful of freshly chopped parsley and garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes until butter is melted and beans are heated through. Garnish with a bit more parsly if desired. Voila!

Revival Conference 2011

I have to say that I loved today. Revival Conference is awesome every year. Even though it took nearly all of me, I enjoyed every moment, including the two important lessons I learned today: 1) Never teach a child how to be a giraffe, for this may be my first and last time in Children's Ministry, and 2) We should probably enjoy our marriage without children a little while longer, haha... Oh yeah! And 3) Aligned with God is the way to be, of course! :)

Quality Out of Quantity

When free time with your spouse seldom comes, it's important to make those rare moments count.  I used to unintentionally use those times to complain about how I don't get to see my husband, and just talk about how nice it is to finally have that time.  It's okay to mention it a couple of times just to communicate how I feel, but after that, it's overkill and annoying.  We're too tired to do anything else, so we just end up lounging on the couch watching TV, which isn't bad at all, but can get a bit redundant at times... and by the time the end of the night arrives, there are no highlights to remember the day by.

We decided to have a praise night once or twice a week after An gets home.  No matter how busy or tiring the day has been, we'll put time aside to blast some music and show God how grateful we are to simply be in the same room together.  Who knows -- by making these little steps, habits will slowly incorporate themselves into our daily lives.  We have to start somewhere.

I've been using the busy-ness of life far too often as an excuse to neglect God (though I didn't quite see it that way).  Recently, He's taught me that it doesn't make sense for Him to put me in a plan that requires me to be too busy, even for Him.  I never saw it that way, but it's kind of silly now that I think about it.

I must add, at the same time, this shouldn't serve as a queue to force yourself to attend spiritual gatherings and teachings out of guilt.  Allow God to work in you as an individual.  The beauty of us is in our differences, and that's something we need to embrace.  There's no one right doctrine we all should follow.  We all have a unique pace that God works in us with, and it's good to be around people who can understand and respect that.  That's what makes our stories so amazing.  And as I always say, at the same time, we have to ensure that we do our part before we expect God to do His.  He's waiting on us, not the other way around.

It was silly of me to think that God would understand if I didn't have devotion time with Him anymore since He blessed me with getting into pharmacy school.  He understood alright... He understood that there should never be anything above Him, not even a blessing that was from Him.  The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.  Looks like I found another reason to give praise to Him tonight. :)

OFFICIALLY Officially Mrs. Vo!

It has been 5 months since we've gotten married and today, I've officially changed my name with the Social Security Administration! Of course, it's just the beginning because I've still got to change my name on my driver's license, school records, bank accounts, etc., but it's a major first step! I'm glad it only took me about 30 minutes too. Social security is getting pretty organized these days... :)

To me, it's a big thing to make this change officially. It's one of the most visible proofs and statements of unity. I completely dropped my maiden name for a couple reasons... one, it's far too common for me to miss it (haha), and two, I see marriage as beginning a completely new life with your spouse. I take the concept of leaving and cleaving very seriously. I believe it's important to define a clear distinction between your life with your first family and your new life with your new family. And just for an added peace of mind, digging yourself in a deeper and more binding situation, legally, kind of makes it harder to get yourself out of it, right? I see it as a little incentive to fight for a marriage rather than to fight for another name change. ;)

HIS Shoulder to Lean On

The last day of the semester has finally arrived, and I can't believe I still have the energy to blog! I guess when there's something on my heart that's itching to get out, it gets out, right? I don't think I've ever been happier that a semester has ended -- not because I've completed it (I don't even know that much yet), but more because it was so painful and now it's finally over. I just don't have the capability of staying up hours on end studying or even pulling anything close to all-nighters. I need my 6 hours of sleep, and if I don't get it, I pay for it physically, mentally and now, emotionally.

How often do we let the busyness and stresses of life bring turmoil into our most cherished personal relationships? How often do we use a "busy day at work" or a "killer of an exam" as excuses as to why we're not loving and temperamental? [Raises hand] I've been so guilty of this for the past few weeks, since the semester started winding down and the pressure got to an all-time high. My husband is the most accessible person in the world to me, even when he's not around, and that's how it should be. However, that doesn't validate me selfishly unloading all my baggage on him and using him as my personal punching bag.

My mistake is that I forget God plays this role, too. He doesn't only come when He chooses, He also comes when I call on Him. In fact, He WANTS me to turn to Him first and unload everything on Him. Unlike us humans, God won't naturally retaliate or take it to offense. Instead, He has the ability to turn our troubles into stepping stones to a greater glory. And the fact that we're continuing to designate Him as our first shoulder to lean on -- our confidant, is pleasing to Him.

While driving home, I remembered what it felt like to fall in love with An for the first time. The fluttery feelings in my tummy came back, and immediately, I felt the conviction of my actions. At times when I was frustrated and tired, I would treat him as if he didn't deserve my acknowledgement, yet I couldn't imagine my life without him. There were times where a long week had taken its toll on me, and I completely ran out of patience to deal with him... yet, of all the people in the world, he is the one most deserving of my patience.

We both knew what was going on, which was the great part. We each have our own relationship with the same God, so it's easy for us to stay on the same page with things. Praise God for that. Last week, he suggested that after the semester ends, we steal at least a day out of our week to get out of town and just relish in each other's presence. It sounded like a wonderful idea, and I was actually blown away by his sudden suggestion. I couldn't have agreed more! Now that the semester is over, I think our time is due. His actions reminded me of many lessons I learned from several different studies and teachings. A marriage doesn't just happen -- it's both of the individuals that were united in that marriage that keep it going. If we want things to happen, we make them happen. If we want things to change, we make things change. It seems like one of those things that is easier said than done, but so far, I've found that if you've got God agreeing with the things that you do, it does actually tend to be easily done. :)

Defend God with what He defended you with: LOVE.

Just to be vague (kinda), there's a link floating around with a man, I believe who is somewhat of a Christian prominent speaker (possibly a pastor/minister as well?), sarcastically criticizing Joel Osteen. It really bothered me listening to this man speak, not because I favor Joel Osteen in any way, but because I believe he portrayed such a poor representation of Christians in general.

I have never heard a single sermon from Joel Osteen. In fact, I've never stepped foot into his church, so I've never heard from anyone associated with him. I just know he's an inspirational  speaker and author, and pastor of Lakewood Church, a mega-church here in Houston. My stand is unbiased and purely based on my point of view as a Christian.

This man uses one of Osteen's inspirational books as his source of fuel. He picks out several lines and contradicts them with verses from the Bible. Basically, he's trying to steer people away from Osteen, discrediting him as a man of God.

The fact of the matter is that Joel Osteen is a seeker-friendly preacher, and there's nothing wrong with that. God calls us to minister to others in different ways, and this is apparently Osteen's way. Yes, it's important to tell people like it is, to tell them the truth plain and clear (for our lives are at stake), and allow them to make their own decision based on the Truth. It works for people like me who already know better, and it ends up serving as conviction from God to do the right thing and get back on the right path with God. But what about those non-believers who don't even realize that they don't believe? What about those people who don't even know who or what God is? And what about those people who have a skin so thick from pain and suffering, that the only thing that can penetrate through it is a message that makes them feel like they're finally at top of the world, and no longer a reject of society? I feel like Joel Osteen brings God into people's lives by revealing reasons to praise and love God, by teaching them to take the initiative to take steps to transform their lives, and eventually showing them that it was God's plan and intentions for them all along; not just by shoving Him in their face and saying, "Either take Him or leave Him." He teaches people how to change their outlook on life, in a way to prepare their hearts to receive something greater -- like God. I think this explains why his church is so big. People from all walks of life feel comfortable enough to enter, and I think the most important part is getting some random and lost non-believer to step foot into a church... after all, it IS God's house, and once you've made a decision to enter into His home, you've given Him the authority to reach out to you in a divine way. And from that point on, who knows where God will direct you? He may lead you to either find another church that's smaller, spirit-filled and more direct, or He may as well call you to remain at that same church. Either way, it's an opportunity for God to touch lives, and I see nothing wrong with it.

Certainly, this man has every right to express his ideas and opinions out of his love and faith in God, but he needs to be reminded that God calls us to conquer the hearts of the lost and unsaved with LOVE, not sarcasm, which is the opposite of love when used more often than necessary, and when used without love. We learned in our pre-marital counseling class to avoid being sarcastic with our spouse, even if it's naturally our personality. There's a point where sarcasm ends up giving off de-valuing and belittling signals to the other person, and that's not healthy, especially in a marriage, when expectations of one another are on a different, more unique level. God IS Love, and there's no question about it -- no preacher will argue with that. If this man doesn't believe Joel Osteen is legitimate and isn't doing anything to save lives and bring glory to God, well there are a million and one ways he can take his stand without pulling another brother down. The number one way would be to pray FOR Joel Osteen, and ask God to reveal the "real" Truth to him, as well as what he may be doing wrong, and then continue to preach to his church the love of Christ by BEING that example. Don't stain God's image by teaching people to publicly slander the names of our fellow brothers and sisters. On top of that, slandering the church -- any church -- is slandering the name of the Bride of Christ, no matter how you put it. I don't think any husband would appreciate that.

Next time you decide to have a late dinner at a restaurant...

... read this.

If you ever asked me, "How's married life?" and I responded with, "It still feels like a honeymoon," I lied, so please forgive me. Okay, maybe I didn't lie because I was referring those few moments I have with him, which does, in fact, feel like a honeymoon. The real truth is that it's hard for me, as well as for him. He's not around much, being in the type of business he's in. Before I leave to school every morning, I gently give him a kiss good-bye... soft enough to not wake him, yet firm enough to let him know I bid him farewell. By the time he gets home, I'm either sleeping or about to sleep, too tired to even talk to him about my day, or about any one of the million things that is on my mind to share. He does get one weekday off (most of the time), but it's not even a day "off." He has to use that day to run his own personal errands, and I still have class until 2:30 pm. By the time the day's over, we look back, and it feels like it just started. It went by so quickly, and before we know it, we're looking forward to the next Tuesday. He gets most Sundays off as well, and of course, we do our best to reserve that day to give praise to and worship our Lord. After church, it's usually family time with all the in-laws and kids, then it's study time and preparation for the next school week.

Okay, regardless of how sad my story sounds, here's the silver lining. My husband and I both serve a faithful God. He directs our paths and guides us to live a life that brings glory to Him. Not a day goes by that we question Him. It was so clear and evident to us that our marriage and unity was divine and created by Him, so there's no doubt in our minds that He is going to continue to lead us to glory. This remains the same even through my own personal battles with physical healing. It's obvious to see that my blessings and favor are far greater than my sufferings (seriously, just ask my husband what he goes through when I'm not feeling well! He's truly my one in a million times a million!). An and I both recognized our purposes, even before we married each other, and now that we're married, our ability to fulfill our purposes shall be multiplied, according to His word. We both know that this time is truly temporary, and when the day comes to share our testimony, this will certainly be a chapter of our story.

And YOU can help too! Yes, YOU. Back to the title of this entry, next time you decide to have a late dinner at a restaurant, THINK ABOUT OUR FAMILIES. Ever since I met An, my outlook on the system of restaurants has transformed profoundly. And now that I'm his wife, my stand is even more firm. I was guilty of what I don't like now, so I hope sharing this will change you in the way it has changed me. For the past two nights, An called and texted me to tell me that he will be coming home late, which means past midnight. At this point, I'm pretty much stoic to news like this. I understand his situation, and I want to be the kind of wife that can turn her husband's bad mood upside-down when he comes home... but I admit, this isn't always the case, and I'm working on it with God's help. I come to find out that the reason for him coming home late are customers that either come in on the MINUTE of the last seating or are allowed to come in AFTER the last seating (he declines, but usually his decision is overridden). There are even several customers who beg and plead to be seated and promise that they'll be quick, but end up slapping you in the face when they end up staying longer than most of customers that day. When An and I were courting, we wouldn't have dinner at a restaurant, even if it was a minute before the last seating, and especially if we were going to be the only folks there. In fact, I'd be the one to argue with him saying, "They set that time for a reason, so if we make it a minute before that time, we're good, right?" Well, I quickly learned first-hand where An was coming from. Say that we do decide to come right at the minute of the last seating, and it's just the two of us, enjoying conversation and each other's company. So who stays to service us? The manager, the cook, the server and the cleaning folks. How many families would we be compromising? Of course, I may be exaggerating, and these people probably wouldn't mind at all, but why take the risk? Why? I suppose being in the family's position makes me a tad bit more compassionate about this, but clearly, I'm also in the position of the customer desiring to have some quality time over a nice dinner with my date. And being in that position more than six months ago, I can assure you that all the times we couldn't have a late dinner at a restaurant, we had just as great of a time spending quality time with each other at home. :)

For the purpose of setting an example for young men, this is what happens on those nights when the tough gets going...

Praise God for my hubs. He knows how to do it right. This is what I call an instant cure to an upset wife (I'm mainly referring to his words in the card -- the tulips were great, too!).

Blog Marathon

I prayed that God help me make time to blog, and so He has.

I've learned expressing myself through writing and blogging is a part of my being. I've been doing this since childhood, when I first learned how to write. The only awards I ever won in high school were two English awards -- one for literature and one for composition. I had about a couple stories published in some sort of kids publication, and I won an award for a Mother's Day essay I "accidentally" wrote. Then all that ended when my Asian parents "encouraged" me to do something medical-related. Haha.

It's a God-given gift, and I dare not crumple it up and throw it in His face by ignoring and neglecting it. In fact, I couldn't even do it if I tried. I get a little short-tempered when I don't express myself (who doesn't?), especially through writing, so you can only imagine how I've been in the last few weeks!

Much has happened since my last entry. The biggest thing is that I'm married now. Yup, I'm Mrs. Vo, and it sounds SO good to hear out loud, so keep those greetings coming! :) The second biggest thing is that I'm still walking with God. Yeah, I consider that a big thing. This world is filled with such pleasurable temptations, that it's so easy to fall away, and it takes such an effort to keep Him in our lives. Being that I'm still walking with Him, He has shared so many things with me that I've been dying to share with the world - not because I feel the need to be heard, but I feel the need for the world to hear it. Thank you, Lord, for helping me find this time once again. Here we go...

Getting Closer...

We had our first session of Pre-Marital Counseling last night. To put it in a nutshell, it was fun, exciting, thought-provoking and fulfilling. We left with something, and that's really important. Of course, there were a lot of reminders of things we already learned in our singleness, but we never want to leave something like that feeling like we know it all.

That's one sign of our special day getting closer. Over the past couple of weeks, my living room has been filling up with packages of supplies for the wedding. Obviously, we can't do anything with it, so it just sits there and accumulates. Today, I received seven HUGE boxes of glass vases for our centerpieces, and I thought to myself, "Gee, it sure it getting hard to walk around here..." I sat back and felt a rush of excitement, realizing that the day is almost here. An and I occasionally stop and playfully ask each other, "Oh my goodness, can you believe we're getting married??" and it never fails to ignite a smile each time. Being at PM Counseling last night also reminded us of how REAL our marriage is going to be. We're praying for God's wisdom and hearts with an expectancy of the RIGHT things (not unrealistic things). We're going to conquer things with love (for it conquers all), and we're going to beat the statistics of the world. That's our goal/promise. You're welcome to hold us to it. :)

We also just purchased our honeymoon package today! The honeymoon is something we're both looking forward to, only because we've been so anxious to just get away from our busy schedules and just be with each other. It came to a point where I didn't really care where we went, as long as we were out of Texas, and together, alone. He actually purchased the plane tickets to Hawaii first, without even knowing what package we'll be getting. After all, getting out was our main goal, right? Haha. In regards to planning and providing for these things, I'm such a blessed woman. I'm taken care of... all thanks to You, God.

Pump-what???

40 days!!! AAAH!! So excited!

To highlight this day, I ate and filmed with Tom Pizzica from Food Network's Outrageous Food! Yeah, I'm totally far from being camera ready, haha. Look for me stuffing my face with Three Brother's famous Pumpecapple Piecake - a mischievous concoction of "pumpkin pie baked in a pumpkin spice cake filled with crème cheese icing, pecan pie (or chocolate pecan pie) baked in chocolate cake filled with crème cheese icing, and apple pie baked in our spice cake, iced all over with crème cheese icing, garnished with pecan pieces and topped with a generous drizzle of carmel!" I'll be sure to post a link when it's produced!

Oh, maybe I should update you on my wedding diet progress?? Haha yeah, what diet - now that the Pumpecapple Piecake has come into my life! It's no big deal, it only took them a good 5 minutes to wrestle with my zipper to finally get it up, right? :)

On a second thought, An and I thought it'd also be perfect to highlight this day by beginning a new fast (heh, the irony). I think we've decided. Probably not a food one since we've been starving due to our budget adjustments, haha. It'll be great... just like You, Lord. Today marks the beginning of a glorious turning point! Thank YOU!

My Daily Laugh

... And who said a businessman can't be a nerd??

I respond to an email from a friend/classmate of mine: "Wow, I can't believe I totally missed your msg!"

An peeks over and reads aloud, "Wow, I can't believe I totally missed your monosodium glutamate..."

I'm practically laughing my butt off, and if you're not, it's probably because I'm about to marry this jokester. :)