Healing and Rowing

It amazes me how the human body can heal. I mean, with all the crazy science and inventions, there's nothing that can repair itself the way a body can. I was reminded of that this past weekend when my lips got burned and then started to peel (gross, right?). And then I was reminded again this morning when I ripped some skin off my hand at practice to form a new blister in my palm (even grosser, right?). Can you imagine how terrible it would be if even minor things like blisters and chapped lips didn't heal?


So why did my lips get burned this past weekend? Because I was outside in the sun! Normally this isn't an exciting thing for me as I much prefer clouds and rain, but I do like calm weather when it comes to regattas. Our club had a good showing (at least the Masters team did). I was in two races in which we got 1st in one (women's 4+) and 2nd in the other (women's 8+), and our mixed 8+ got 3rd in their race (although I wasn't in that boat). It was a lot of fun!

Happy Spring

Temperatures are starting to warm. The sun's making an occasional appearance. Spring is here! 

A few things I love about Spring:

• Baseball is back! I've been a Giants fan pretty much my whole life; I admit I'm still excited about the World Series last year. Even though they only won one of the first four games of the season, I think this season's going to be good. I only wish they came up and played the Mariners a few times...(or even once).
• Easter is coming. I love Easter. It's a toss-up as to whether I like Easter or Christmas better, but it definitely is one of my two favorite holidays. It's fun to form new traditions living up here, although I really miss the sunrise service and french toast breakfast served by the youth group on Easter sunday. Still, our church's Easter breakfast was pretty fun last year and I'm looking forward to celebrating Christ's resurrection. 
• Spring regattas. Since I started rowing again last summer, I'm really excited for Spring regattas. Although I'll do the longer Fall races, I much prefer the Spring sprints and can't wait for them!
• The weather. Even though it still rains fairly frequently and is a little chilly, it's warm enough to start considering going outside in just a couple of layers. We even got to run around outside and toss around a football at youth group tonight!

I'm sure there are more reasons I like Spring that I'm just forgetting. What are your favorite things about this time of year?

Washington & California: What I Love & What I Miss

This summer will mark the second complete year of living in Washington. It's really sunny today, which I guess is what made me think about summer and, henceforth, moving here. A lot of people still give me a hard time for one of the reasons I love living up here: the weather. I love the cloudy, rainy skies overhead 9 months of the year. I know most people don't share my sentiments for the gray weather...but there are other things I love about living in Washington (in no particular order):

• Chicken Teriyaki. It is really easy to get good chicken teriyaki up here. It's everywhere. We have a couple of default restaurants, although we just tried a new place last night that was also very good. In fact, there are at least two teriyaki restaurants within walking distance of our apartment. It's a great substitute to a burger when you're on a budget.
• DaddyO's Burgers. Speaking of burgers, theirs are delicious. Yes, my husband works there, but that doesn't mean I have to like the food. I tend to be a little picky about fast food, but DaddyO's makes good quality burgers with their own special sauce. Mmm...I could go for a burger now...
• It's beautiful. How can you not enjoy the green of evergreens with Mt. Rainier in the distance? 
• It's light longer. Well, at least during the summer. It's not uncommon for the sun to be out until past 9pm in the months of June, July and August, allowing even more time to get outside and do something fun!
• Sometimes it snows (but just a little). When it does snow, it's just enough to be really pretty and fun to play in, but not enough to last for months at a time. It's also a big enough deal that a lot of businesses shut down and get snow days along with the kids in school.
• Life Pointe Church. I have to include our church on this list, because I love it! From the day we started attending, it felt like home. Our Life Group is a HUGE part of that as well :)

With all the things I love about Washington, I do have to admit there are a few things I miss from California:

• Friends & Family. This one's obvious, but needs to be said. Most of our family, plus a lot of close friends, still live down in California. I really wish they all could've just come up here with us, although that's not exactly practical.
• The San Francisco Giants. I've been a fan for as long as I can remember and have a lot of fond memories of going to the games, especially with my dad. I was SO excited about them winning the World Series last year, although I was also a little sad I couldn't go to any of the games or just celebrate with other fans before, during and after the games.
• Chinese food. I grew up in a predominantly Chinese/Taiwanese neighborhood. In addition to standing out in class photos, I learned to expect a certain quality of Chinese food (thanks to all the family-owned restaurants). Although the places I've tried up here have been okay, none of them have quite hit the spot.
• Disneyland. Even though we lived in Northern California, a trip to Disneyland only took 6 hours, which made it much more feasible.