God remains faithful

This past weekend, my heart just about stopped as my sister told me on skype that my nephew had gone into a seizure because of his fever he had been running. The color drained from my face and the fear of what I didn't know started flooding my thoughts. & then my heart started breaking as I thought about what my older sister was feeling right about then as her only son was in such a helpless state.

I got the story 10 minutes later from my older sister. She called and said that they had been on their way to the store with all the kids in the car. Meya had also been running a fever and would fall asleep but wake up crying because she would want to be held. Paaj turned around to tell Meya to hang in there because they were almost to the store when she caught site of Kezzy in his car seat. His face was purple and his eyes started to roll into his head. He tried to cry, but it came out as little whimpers as his body went into a seizure. She jumped from her seat and screamed as Kezzy's sisters looked on in fear and my brother-in-law stopped the car. He gave Kezzy cpr until the ambulance came.

No more than 10 minutes later, Kezzy was okay at the hospital and chewing on ice as they took tests to make sure he was okay. Apparently, little kids are susceptible to seizures when running high fevers. He even got on the phone and said to me "I okay, Auntie. I okay."

It's hard not being in MN to give him a hug and kiss him on the cheek to make sure he's really okay.

But in all of this, I am so encouraged to know that when all this happened in the car, Paaj said that Kayla & Anela unbuckled their seat belts and leaned forward as Kezzy lay unconscious and they said "Mommy, let's pray for Kezzy."

Childl-like faith. They never forgot Who is in control.

It's Home.

We did it! We got a place!

Chris moves into our own little place on the 14th of this month.

I'm going to miss MN and everything that I have here. But I'm so happy that I'm beginning this journey with the most amazing man in the world.

I'm a happy girl.

Pictures to come. And a far better update as well.

How sweet it is...

to be loved by you.

So it finally happened...

Kayla: "Auntie, are you going to live with Chris?"
Me: "Yes. In California."
Kayla: "Oh. Are you going to come home?"
Me: "... but I'll have a home with Chris."
Kayla: "Aww... but I'm going to miss you, Auntie."

Broke. My. Heart.

And I did it.

The other night, I let myself cry and grieve my journey to getting here. It's weird with this trip coming up to SoCal tonight (my flight leaves at 9:45 pm and lands at 11:30 pm). I almost feel guilty because I'm not completely excited like I "should" be. I mean, shouldn't I be? I'm seeing the soon-to-be-hubs and we're going to apartment/home shop and spend time with this family... but in the midst of this, I won't be here to spend a weekend of "nothing" with my family. I tear up every time I think about it now. Is it okay that I feel this way?

I'm terrified.

When does the missing stop hurting so much?

I'll miss my little Kayla, Anela, Meya, & Kezzy.
I'll miss Hli and Paaj and the BFF bond only we've been able to share.
I'll miss Mom and her nagging/teaching me how to be a better woman after God's own heart.
I'll miss Dad's quirks of learning useless information just to school waiters/waitresses at their own restaurant.
I'll miss Cheng's blaring electric guitar playing on Saturday mornings.
I'll miss Josh's stupid alarm clock that I've woken up many times just to storm into his room to completely unplug it instead of just turning it off.
I'll miss the birthday dinners that are so carefully planned so no one is missing.
I'll miss the Thanksgiving dinners that Cheng and Josh actually volunteer to cook.
I'll miss the time I spend with my sisters knowing that we can vent to each other about ANYthing.
I'll miss the best hugs and kisses in the world from the little kiddies.



And it hurts every time I think of those things.

I can't wait for this journey into marriage with the most amazing man ever, but I can't help but wish that somehow, if it was possible, I'd move everyone to our own private island where no one would ever have to leave. I guess that's what Heaven is for. I know, I act like somehow I won't be able to visit. That's just it, isn't it, though? Next time, it won't be "coming" home to MN... it'll be visiting.

Terrified.

So very soon.

My heart aches to know I have to leave my sisters.

At some point, you realize you're absolutely nothing without those who love you with everything that they are.

I know, crazy.

I know. So lame that I haven't updated as much as I would like. I need to make sure that I do keep updating... I miss writing.

Wedding planning and the details are still in order. I have lots I have to share regarding colors and decorations/layouts-- you know, the goods!

It's been a busy summer so far.

Chris' stay was fabulous. His parents loved it here, I think. They were kinda bombarded with my side of the family (srsly, uncles, aunts, cousins... and when you're Hmong, you're related to EVERYONE. Srsly.) but were such great sports! Hah. My parents' bash was a hit :)

The 2 family reunions I had this summer were great. I'm surrounded by the best family evAr. Srsly.

I'm headed out to SoCal in 2 weeks to apartment shop with the soon-to-be-hubby and then we're heading up north to see his family for the weekend. It'll be somewhat wedding-planning free which will be a nice break for me. *grin* Can't wait for lunch at the beach!!

There's one last camping trip in August to plan for after I get back from CA. Excited about that too. I love camping. As long as there's running water... and a flushing toilet. Hey, it's camping-- I'm sleeping in a tent, aren't I? :P

On a serious note, I've been reading Francis Chan's "Crazy Love." It's a dangerous book to pick up. God's voice is loud and clear through that book. This week has been designated as "outreach week" for our church and it's been a struggle to really remember that sharing God's love should be my lifestyle-- not an event that occurs only once or twice a year-- if even. I want what breaks God's heart to break mine as well.

On Monday, I met a girl who just recently came to the US from Cambodia when she married her husband 1 1/2 years ago. She talked about how lonely it is sometimes to be here and not know anyone, but she loved that our church was so nice welcoming as we taught her how to play volleyball. I just pray that God would begin to reveal Himself to her in whatever way He wills.

Yesterday, there were just all kinds of roadblocks and excuses for why I wouldn't be going. And yet there came that still small voice that unmistakingly was the Spirit prompting me to go. There weren't as many people at the park, but I realized that it wasn't about whether I came into contact with someone or not, it was about being obedient to just go.

"Give me one pure and holy passion; give me one magnificent obsession, give me one glorious ambition for my life, to know and follow hard after You..."

And the battle between the Spirit and the flesh continues.

Lookey.

I want this dress.

*it's on www.asos.com

Busy, busy! 88 days until the wedding! Chris & his parents are coming out this weekend! Can't wait to see my Baby!

My parents' bash is also this weekend. Fingers crossed for GREAT weather. We made the cutest napkin "rings" with raffe & a stamp on yellow construction paper. I'm thinking we'll duplicate the idea for the wedding reception as well.

I had a family reunion to go to this past weekend in Missouri. It was good to see everyone in one spot for a weekend. There were cows. And chickens. And ponies. We ate. A lot. We laughed. We cried. We shot off fireworks. We chased after fireflies. And watched the stars come out at night under the countryside sky. I got some color on my face. And didn't wear make up all weekend long! hah.

Sometimes it's nice to take a breather just to do those things.

You'll never guess, but you probably will...

who got a beautiful spring bouquet delivered to her desk today at work for their anniversary! Uhhh-huh.



I was so confused because the card read "Baby, Happy" ... so I called Chris just in complete yay-ness because I LOVE the flowers. And I love that man. But I'm giddy at this point and am all "Baaaaaby!" And I told him that all the card read was "Baby, Happy" and Chris said that they must have cut off his message since they charged him per letter so they threw as much as they could on the card. I thought he was joking, but it could have been true... so I believed him. It *could* be true.

I get home and guess what was waiting for me?




Clevah clevah. I love him. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with this man.

Here's to youandme, Baby... no spaces in between.

When all else fades, my soul with dance with You, where the love lasts forever...

So before I go into my lovely post, let me just say one thing:

This above substance is So. Gross. Ew. It may be less in calories than my beloved Yoplait brand (by 20 calories), but it does NOT taste good at all.

That is all. Regarding that anyway.

So I can't believe I haven't posted about the girls in my life who are also the attendants on my side in my wedding. I thought today would be appropriate. Just because.

Meet my sisters. My BFFsNoMatterWhat-s. My older sister PaHoua (the one on the left) is my matron of honor and also holds the wedding planner duties as well and my baby sister Hli (the one on the right) is my maid of honor. They've been there from the very beginning and even helped in coordinating the proposal with Chris to make it perfect. I love them. *sigh* Aren't we lovely?





Bridesmaids
Rache. She's from my Crown College days. We shared a crazy freshmen year & summer together. She just gets me in a different way.




Sad, I realized I don't have a picture with Lauren. She's so cute though, isn't she? She's so sweet and I was super nervous about meeting Chris' family for the first time a year & 1/2 ago, but she was SO sweet and easy to get along with & I am so excited to be part of the fam!


And I can't find my pictures with Sammy either. She's my little cousin. She's so stinkin' adorable, though isn't she? I can't wait to see her! We're so much alike, it's kinda funny.

My special attendants:

Pang. We've been friends/sisters for like 10 or 11 years now! We met at church in youth group and then we lead praise & worship together & sang in the choir together. She married my cousin last June. *sigh* She's amazing and I love her-- she's my go-to girl! This is from her fab surprise bridal shower we threw her last year.


Phoua. She's Pang's sister. We're so much alike! I love her to bits! She got married before me or Pang (Pang's older & I'm actually older than Pang) so she's the "experienced" one. haha. It took a little longer for us to hang out at first, but wow, we've come a long way and I wouldn't trade her for anything. Plus, I'm the only one she trusts borrowing her shoes cause I care about them more than even Pang does! haha.


Flower girls:
This is where it gets unbelieveably hard to narrow down what pictures to share. OMG, I love these little chipmunks.

Kayla's getting so big and tall and skinny! Such a beautiful little girl with SO much hair. It's so thick & long!




I miss Kayla as a baby, but she's grown so much and is starting to read & spells EVERY word she spots.

Now, I don't have any favorites, but Anela and I just click. She's my baby *believe me, Kayla's Hli's baby-- right from the start* I used to go see her on my way to Crown every Sunday night (going back to campus after the weekend) and just hold her. She's also the most talkative, sassy, funny, & photogenic little girl evAr.

(this one's at a carnival and she was *so* upset that we let someone draw on her face-- she picked the kitty look though-- but somehow it was our fault. haha)

(And yes, you can normally find her still eating candy. Bad, I know.)


I know, I see London, I see France... she's gonna be so mad at me someday.

Oh and she LOVES Chris.


And Meya. She is everyone's baby. Seriously. She is the most animated. And SO freakin cute. If you ask her what her name is, she always goes "meYA!" emphasizing on "YA!" and it's high pitched. So freakin cute. And she sings. Or mumbles. To the tune. Precisely. And she does have more hair now. Not by much, but she does now have hair. haha. & She does the cutest "But whyyyy?."



She loves her "Papa" (my dad). Sweetest picture ever.

In all their sweet glory.





& my amazing beau of a groom-to-be just for good measure.

We're so candid.
So now, was this post used to:

a) begin showcasing glimpses of wedding related stuff

b) pat myself on the back because I have figured out how to use Blogger foruploading images (I know! Took me long enough!!)

c) simply just to show off the pictures of my beloveds

or

d) all of the above? You decide. ;)

Cookies and milk, yes?

Pinky swears work. See!!

So we made cookies.

And I'll prove it.


"We wanna help you Auntie!!"


Anela



Kayla


& help me, they did.


They liked unwrapping the hersheys kisses. & popping some into their little mouths.

15 minutes later:







All because of these babies:





And this is what makes it all worth it:


(excuse my icky-self in this picture)





Yay!