San Francisco Love

Last weekend we were able to take a small trip to San Francisco!

A group of us gave a symposium presentation at the Annual American Psychiatric Association, so it was nice to get a free conference trip :) We treated the trip as a mini-vacation, because boy I can't remember the last time we had a vacation!
The topic of the symposium was: Eating disorders through the Lifespan, exploring diagnostic and treatment challenges through various life stages. I gave my 2 cent blurb on eating disorders in the elderly, hopefully it was informative.... although I did see a lot of yawns and blank stares during the talk. Ah well.

Wow, California sure is beautiful. The best part of the trip was meeting up with some friends (Alex, Ron, Tanya, Jon, Le Lan) who took us around the city and to the golden gate bridge. This city is absolutely incredible, filled with so much culture, variety, and breathtaking views. I wouldn't mind moving here, that's for sure! There was also some sort of marathon going that weekend called the "Bay to Breakers". Thousands of people dressed up in interesting costumes... which was pretty amusing to watch....until I saw the naked people.

Yes, naked.

Old, large, naked men.

NOT what I wanted to see first thing in the morning before my presentation. Boy was that traumatizing.

Needless to say, I couldn't concentrate very much during my lecture.

Unfortunately I didn't start taking pictures until our very last day.. so these were a few that I was able to get.

Embarcodero walk

Can't go to SF and not get Seafood at Fisherman's Wharf!!

My first macaroon!

Golden Gate Bridge

Day 22 may blog challenge prompt: Rant about something

I've skipped so many days haha, I have no right to continue to be part of this challenge, but today I do have something to rant about.

SPAMMERS CAN YOU PLEASE STOP SPAMMING OUR FELLOW BLOGGERS' COMMENTS? Your comments don't make any sense, we don't like them, so please go away. I say this in the nicest and most respectful way possible. Thank you

A short, embarrassing post

I'm getting lazier and lazier with the May blog challenge. Today's prompt is to share your most embarrassing moment. Well, where do I even begin to choose? I have a bag full of embarrassing stories. I'm actually just a walking embarrassment, but this is the most recent one I could think of:

Motherhood Moments

Butt shot for you.

It was my first time changing Grace in a public bathroom. It was a solid #2.
She was squirming and kicking so hard that the diaper flew out of my hands, landed on the floor...
and all the "contents" went rolling into another occupied stall.

I still remember the soft gasp of shock that came from the stall tenant.

Needless to say, I was utterly mortified as I apologetically reached under the stall to retrieve my
daughter's lost items.

What's your most embarrassing moment??

In other news, I think I have a pretty severe case of blog design ADD. I just can't seem to stop designing new templates. I'm trying to make things simpler and easier to read, but this probably is my 5th blog design revision. I really need to just stop and be content with it!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Cherish your mothers this weekend!!!

Life Lessons for my Daughter Part 1

I realized that it's been awhile since I've been able to give an update how our little Grace is doing. I apologize about that! I know that many of you are still thinking about her often and praying for her recovery. For those of you who are new to the blog, in short, our 17 month old little girl had a rough first year. She's had multiple brain surgeries and complications and we questioned whether she would ever come home from the hospital. You can read more about her story in Grace's section of this blog.

Overall, Grace has shown amazing recovery since her last surgery 5 months ago! She surprises us with something new each day. She is still a bit behind with her motor skills because her left side was completely paralyzed after part of her brain was removed, but she has slowly gained that back. She is working with physical therapy every other week to work on her crawling and walking. It's hard sometimes, because I can sense her frustration. She is such a curious girl and wants to play, but has a hard time getting around, and needs a lot of assistance. I also can't help but feel bad that all the other kids her age are so advanced in their skill levels, and Grace is so behind, but then I am quickly reminded that other kids haven't had half of their brain removed. Overall, we are just so grateful that she is alive and well. She is now healthy, active, curious and such a wonderful, easy baby to take care of. She is talking now. Her first language is Shanghainese! We are also tapering her medications, so hopefully in the next few months she won't need to be on anymore medications!!

As I watch her grow everyday, I'm excited and scared. She is so small right now, but someday we will watch her walk into the world as an independent woman. At some point, she won't need us anymore. That time will come sooner than we know. Am I going to be able to teach her to be a good person? Is she going to be a Godly woman? Is she going to succeed in life and relationships? Will she be ready for this big world?

Do you guys watch Modern Family? (GREAT SHOW). There was this one episode where Phil Dunphy wrote a book of life's philosophies for his daughter. Most of them were pretty ridiculous, but I thought it would be wonderful to give Grace a few life lesson's once in awhile that I've learned over the years in this blog. Maybe she'll look back one day and remember them :) This also by the way, fits the May blog challenge Prompt Day #8

 Life lessons For Grace

You will meet a lot of people in life. Friends will come and friends will go. Some may even hurt you. Friends are the flowers in the garden of life, and I hope that you will be able to find ones that will encourage you to be a better person, support you, are loyal to you and will grow with you through life. I hope that you will recognize those who don't. Cherish your friends always, because God put them there to shape who you will grow up to be. 

Work your hardest in all that you do, and you will find success. Don't ever cheat. Don't cut corners. Be honest about your work and help those who struggle. Find help if you are struggling. Be proud of the work that you do and your efforts. Always find ways to improve, and understand what your limitations are. You are attempting to read a book in Chinese right now. This is probably not practical, I would encourage you to start with your ABC's first.

There will be times when you'll think Mom and Dad are complete idiots. We probably are, but remember that we are still your parents and we make decisions together not to harm you. Please be respectful to all your elders. Learn from them and appreciate them, despite how different your opinions may be. 

You are a miracle baby. You have beaten all odds, and for you to be alive and healthy right now is a testament of God's mercy, grace and love. You may go through times in your life wondering if anyone loves you. You may feel alone and that no one cares. Your family will always be here for you and praying for you, through the best of times and the worst of times. Please always remember that. 

Love,

Mommy