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Dear Immune System,
Please don’t fail me now! We’re almost there! I know, I know, I’m exhausted too… but very soon we’ll be basking in the sun with sand between our toes… just wait, you’ll see… it’ll be great!! Goodbye, Blue Bell! Hawaii, here we come!
Love,
Jen
Friday was my last day of work. We had pizza and ice cream. I sent farewell emails, cleaned my desk, recycled binders full of paper which had been so diligently organized four years ago, hung hawaii pictures all over my cube (I hope they don’t hate me for it), said goodbyes, returned my badge and got escorted out of the building. Literally, no turning back! It was hectic, exciting, liberating, strange. Right now is also strange–blogging on Monday morning when I would normally be in a status meeting. Eric is still sleeping.
We said a lot of goodbyes this weekend. Our church friends threw us a farewell lunch (thank you Joyce & Jason!) which at first felt like a mini-wedding (we had a private room and cake), but without the vows. Pictures were taken, hugs were exchanged, it was all very sweet. We will miss you guys!
We bought a moving kit from Costco. On Saturday, we sold furniture via Craigslist and friends (thank you Esther!). Now there are boxes everywhere and it’s making me claustrophobic and yet the rooms feel very bare at the same time with all the decorations taken down. For two years this house has been our home, and now we must depersonalize and turn it back into a house. It feels so… um, strange. (I apologize for my lack of descriptive vocabulary… I blame the packing and goodbyes for having exhausted my brain cells.) Anyway, I should be cleaning up now.. or doing laundry.. but instead I am escaping into the Internet and hoping that all my belongings will jump into boxes and pack themselves.
I also finished processing my last official set of photos yesterday. About a week ago, Elijah turned one and, following Korean tradition, his parents threw a BIG party to celebrate! It was the Best Birthday Party of 2009! Elmo was there, Freckles the Clown was there, Emily the Caricaturist was there. There were favors, centerpieces, games, cake, music, a slideshow, etc… most importantly, there was a lot of love in the room for this little boy and his parents! Eric and I were the designated photographers (notice I did not say professional, haha) and it was our first time doing “event” photography. It was tiring, but fun!! Here are a few of our favorites: 
Ok, now I REALLY should get to packing!!! : )
When we first photographed Jeanie, some people said that she barely looked pregnant. Well, three months later, her baby bump has blossomed into a bigger belly (hehe), but in my opinion, you still can’t tell that she’s pregnant in some of these photos, let alone at 33 weeks!! How can it be?!? She looks amazing!
We’re bummed that we won’t be around to meet their baby boy when he arrives, but considering his parents, he’s sure to be one handsome and blessed little guy!!
So this is it. What a difference a week makes. Last Saturday we were driving up the turnpike for our monthly visit to Eric’s family in northern Jersey. As usual, I fell asleep in the car… Eric drove and listened to Christian radio… their house had piles of stuff everywhere… we caught up on the latest news and the most recent purchases (be it cans of food, six pairs of shoes, or this time, a new car)… had lunch together and–in my ongoing quest to bring out the sweet tooth in this family–enjoyed Trader Joe’s tropical popsicles together. All that to say… it was a normal Saturday. Last Sunday, after church, we went out for pizza, came home, did laundry, edited pictures, got groceries, ate dinner and went to bed. It was a normal Sunday.
Monday came and began normally, too. We peeled ourselves out of bed, hurried out the door, and rushed into our respective Monday morning meetings. But then, Eric got a call–a moment we had been eagerly praying for–and got some good news, and now… now… we may not see “normal” again! At least not the normal that we had gotten so used to! Our world has been rapidly and excitedly changing over the last few days, because Eric got a job and WE ARE MOVING TO HAWAII. Oh! and if that isn’t enough of a shocker, we are doing it IN SEVENTEEN DAYS. Aaah!
Get this… he accepted on Monday, gave his 2 weeks notice on Tuesday, I gave mine on Wednesday, we purchased our one-way tickets on Thursday, and started selling our stuff on Friday… um, crazy! (We are not used to crazy!) So life today… Saturday… is very different from a week ago. There is much to do and many people to see and I am a bit overwhelmed, a bit sad to be leaving, but at the same time totally excited to move home and move with my husband. It is slowly sinking in. The fact that in less than three weeks, I will be able to look my mom in the face, rather than just talk with her over the phone. That I can taste dad’s dinner for myself, and decide whether his cooking really is as good as he says it is. That I can practice Chinese with my grandma. That I can see Eric in aloha shirts… eating spam musubi… and that we will finally get a chance to ride TheBus together. Every time we’ve visited in the past, I’ve wanted to take him for a ride on the bus… but we always run out of time. Now we will have a lot of time, and enough to go running along the beach, too!
But at the same time, it is bittersweet. This is where we met and fell in love, where we (or I) studied hard, where we graduated, got engaged, moved into our first home, and spent the first year and a half of our life as husband and wife. This is where we started taking photos, started running, ran ten miles, served our church, joined the gym, cheered on the Phillies, and watched way too much redbox. I got my first car here, snow tires and all. We met many awesome people along the way, whom we will miss dearly, but expect to see again, in one place or another! And how can I forget, this is where I survived eight winters. Yes, what a drastic lifestyle change that was, complete with a new wardrobe, high electricity bills, shoveling snow, restless afternoons, you name it. The only good thing that came out of it, the one thing about cold mornings that I will miss, are the messages that Eric and I would scribble to each other in the frost on our car windows. That was pretty awesome.
So… all that to say… this is it. God has opened doors and we are walking through them, in faith. Not everything is figured out, and the next three weeks are a bit daunting, but we are confident that He will provide and things will work out. To those of you who share our faith, please keep us in your prayers… we know that it makes all the difference.
If you are still reading at this point, thanks for bearing with me! This has been rather stream of consciousness. I have a couple other thoughts I want to share… related to life being temporary & compliments being free… but as time is running short, it will have to wait until next time. It is with great joy and anticipation that I conclude this post. We invite you to follow along with us on our journey to Hawaii… I hope to blog often & capture this exciting time in our lives!
Remember Mike and Sang Mi? Well, their sweet little package arrived 5 weeks early, and praise God, is one healthy and happy little boy! This was my first time photographing a newborn, and I was soooo stoked about it that the night before the shoot, Eric and I went shopping for props to bring to the session. Determined to make the most of this opportunity, our cart began to fill rather quickly with random things… to the point that I began to worry I was going overboard… because after all, Jeremy was only ten days old and might not want to be bothered much! So in the middle of my shopping spree, I called Sang Mi to express a few ideas and gauge whether I should back off. To my delight, she told me to go for it, to do whatever I wanted and to indulge my creative side. I don’t know if she realized how huge that was… but as a growing photographer, there is nothing better than your subject (or subject’s mom) giving you their full trust and permission to try anything. Mike and Sang Mi, thank you so much and I hope that these pictures make you smile!
First up are a few photos with grandma (and eyes wide open!), followed by a few creative shots… five “scenes” in all. And last but not least, a family portrait. Enjoy!
By the way, thanks to those of you who drop comments every so often. I appreciate each one and it encourages me to keep posting!
