It's Halloween again!! -Corn Maze FUN~~

John was looking forward to the Corn Maze fun because he thought he was going to see the show pig there. Sadly, the old maze was closed and there was no pig at this new one :-( But we still managed to have some fun. We decided to have a competition. Of course my team (me and John) won! It took us 15 minutes to find our way out of the maze!! Let's just say that John's got a gift in the spatial memory department. He has to go back and rescue Kate and Mama after they were in there for 45 minutes and called for help. Haha, Kate is so gonna kill me for posting this :-)








THE WINNERS: 15 minutes to get out of the corn maze!! It's gonna be on John's resume if he has it his way :-)

God's Grandeur=Utah mountains in the Fall

A couple weeks ago, John, Kate. Megan, Neil and I went to Alpine loop to enjoy the beautiful fall leaves. Every time I go into the mountains, I can't help but feeling God's love and miracles through the beauty of nature.

In Memory of Max Cole

This is a long overdue. I guess John's right. I feel like if I don't face it, it never happened.

Max Cole is my American dad. I met him and his wife Deanna in China in 2003. They taught me English and I helped them find their way around Qingdao. We developed a special bond between each other. Max is one of the most honorable men I've ever met. He is honest, hard working, humorous, shy, smart, and very down-t0-earth. He reminds me of my dad and my grandpa.

Last week in Moscow Idaho, he overworked himself and wasn't able to get his sugar level high enough before he slipped into a diabetic coma. By the time his children discovered him, he had already left us.

I am eternally grateful for Max. He made it possible for me to come to BYU and finish my degree; he made it possible for my brother to go on an LDS mission in Seattle; he made it possible for me to join the church and have an eternal family. He changed the story of my life, and he'll continue to guide me on my journey.

I love him and I'll miss him until we meet again.

Down to the South

Amidst my busy work schedule, we got to go to St. George to attend Scottie (John's best friend) and Alexys' Temple sealing. It was a beautiful ceremony! Everything was perfect, the weather, the ceremony, the temple, the spirit... We wish them all the happiness they deserve.




The Open House at Duck CreekThe guys had a good time together. John misses his New Harmony friends!

busy, busy, busy

This semester has been the craziest semester since I started teaching at the ELC in 2005. They started a new program, and I'm teaching it. I made two mistakes: First, I shouldn't have taken two classes for the first time with the new program; second, I should have found out more about the endless paper grading everyday before I accepted the teaching assignment.

Luckily, my bosses are very kind and everyone is trying to figure out a way to reduce my workload. Bless their heart!

At the meanwhile, I'll hang in here and try not to get more cold sores.

Maybe that job offer from Hawaii is not bad at all...

Megan's baptism

This is a day worth remembering!

John baptized Megan,

&

BYU defeated Oklahoma 14:13!!!!

Before: She looked like an angel in her dress. I wish I were in a dress when I got baptized.

After: Can't wait for Neil's Day~~

Celebration afterwards

I'm grateful for my life~~

Chinese Valentine 七夕

Raise your head on August 26th and gaze at the stars, you will find something romantic going on in the sky.
　　VALENTINE'S Day in China, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, falls on August 26th this year.
　　That is, on today's evening, Niu Lang and Zhi Nu will meet on a bridge of magpies（鹊桥） across the Milky Way（银河）. Chinese grannies will remind children that they would not be able to see any magpies on that evening because all the magpies have left to form a bridge in the heavens with their wings.

Romantic legend
　　The legend has been handed down for nearly 2 millennia. The story has been recorded as far back as the Jin Dynasty (256-420 AD). Poets composed hundreds of verses on the love story and many types of Chinese opera tell the story.
　　The Chinese people believe that the star Vega（织女星）, east of the Milky Way, is Zhi Nu and, at the constellation of Aquila（天鹰座）, on the western side of the Milky Way, Niu Lang waits for his wife.
　　Zhi Nu was said to be the youngest of seven daughters of the Queen of Heaven. With her sisters, she worked hard to weave beautiful clouds in the sky, while Niu Lang was a poor orphan cowherd, driven out of his home by his elder brother and his cruel wife.
　　Niu Lang lamented over his lonely and poor life with an old cow, his only friend and companion. The magical cow kindly told him of a way to find a beautiful and nice woman as his life companion.
　　Under the direction of the cow, Niu Lang went to the riverside on an evening, where the seven fairies slipped out of their heavenly palace to bathe.
　　He took one of the beautiful silk dresses the fairies had left on the bank. When the fairies left the water, the youngest couldn''t find her clothes and had to see her sisters fly back to heaven without her.
　　Then Niu Lang came out with the dress and asked the youngest fairy, Zhi Nu, to stay with him.
　　Several years passed on Earth, which were only a few days in heaven. Niu Lang and Zhi Nu lived happily together and had two children before the Queen of Heaven discovered Zhi Nu''s absence.
　　She was so annoyed she had Zhi Nu brought back to heaven. Seeing his beloved wife flying in the sky, Niu Lang was terrified. He caught sight of the cowhide hanging on a wall. The magical cow had told him before dying of old age: "Keep the cowhide（牛皮） for emergency use."
　　Putting the cowhide on, he went after his wife with his two children.
　　With the help of the cowhide, Niu Lang was able to follow Zhi Nu into heaven. He was about to reach his wife when the Queen showed up and pulled off her ha
Zirpin to draw a line between the two. The line became the Silver River in heaven, or the Milky Way.　Zhi Nu went back to the heavenly workshop, going on weaving the clouds. But she was so sad, and missed her husband across the Silver River so much that the clouds she weaved seemed sad. Finally, the Queen showed a little mercy, allowing the couple to meet once every year on the Silver River.
Chinese ceremonies
　　The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the only Chinese festival devoted to love in the Lunar calendar.
　　Unlike St. Valentine''s Day in Western countries there is not so much emphasis on giving chocolates, flowers and kisses. Instead, Chinese girls prepare fruits, melons and incense（熏香） as offerings to Zhi Nu, the weaving maiden, praying to acquire high skills in needlecraft（裁缝）, as well as hoping to find satisfactory husbands.
　　In the evening, people sit outdoors to observe the stars. Chinese grannies would say that, if you stand under a grapevine, you can probably overhear what Zhi Nu and Niu Lang are talking about.

A Sweet Letter from Elder Li

Elder Li in front of the Seattle Temple

Dear family and friends,

I had a joyful day on Sunday. Two weeks ago, we put our eternal investigator Chris Foster on date for Baptism. He was baptized on Sunday by his Brother-in-law. Chris Foster is Part Member Family. His wife Eva is a return missionary from the Philippines. Eva has 4 brothers and 3 sisters who all served missions. They are all faithful members. The family and the ward have been working on Chris for 8 years, ever since they were married. Chris has been coming to church with his wife and 2 kids for 8 years. The missionaries started teaching him 3 years ago. I have been teaching him for 7 months, ever since I came to the area.

He has struggles recognizing the spirit, does not have much faith to believe the spirit. He wants to feel something big...We had many many great lessons. The spirit always fills the room. Eva is always in tear during the lesson. Chris just would not commit to it. I knew he would get what he expects because he has the desire, and he keeps all the commandments.

We fasted for him many times, but nothing happened. However, two weeks ago, it changed. We had a lesson on Temple marriage and Eternal family. I bore my testimony to him. I had never felt the spirit that strong. I was led by the spirit and said to him" Chris, I know and Heavenly Father knows you are ready. The transfer is in two weeks. I will not leave the area until I witness you get baptized. I want to see you, Eva and the kids being sealed in the temple a year from now, before I return home. Will you be baptized? "

Eva was in tear like always, even the 2-year-old kids became silent. The spirit was like fire burning, even Chris could not deny it. He said to me" Elder Li, you made the change. I got all the answers I need tonight. I felt what I have been expecting. I will be baptized before the transfer." I set a date with him: August 23rd.

It is a joy to witness him being baptized by his family member. I will have the opportunity to go to the temple with them in a year. I am so looking forward to it. In 2 years, he will be able to baptize his 6-year-old daughter. It is a joy to see his family united in the gospel. I am grateful.
I love you and miss you all. I appreciate for all your prayers. I have felt them.

With Love, Elder Li
I don't know about you, but I couldn't stop my tears when I read his story. He's become such a great spiritual person! Words cannot describe how proud I am as his sister! He amazes me over and over again. Because of him, I have a stronger testimony. Because of him, I know the Gospel is true. I know it can change people's lives for good! I love my family! I love my brother!

~~Rooster~~

Back in July when we went to that Taste of Utah Valley Festival, we discovered a new Chinese (Asian) restaurant called Rooster. Their Thai Basil Rice won my heart at the festival. So for our anniversary dinner, we decided to try it out.
It didn't disappoint us. It's a little on the pricy side, but it's just right for special occasions. We sat outside for the main course, and then it started raining so we had to move inside for the dessert. What with us and the rain this year?! John said it's a good sign; that means we are very fertile :-) Silly John~~
John's Ginger chicken stir-fry. Isn't that a cute bowl?
My Thai Basil Rice

Anyway, the best part for me was the drink: Taro flavored Boba Smoothie.
Boba balls are made from a mixture of tapioca and carrageenan powder.

When we were in China, my favorite drink was Boba Tea, which in Chinese translated as Pearl Milk Tea. It has different flavors and my favorite is MoCha (green tea).

Then comes John's favorite part of the meal: dessert! We had Chocolate Lava Cake with cream! Yum~~
Please ignore the hairy arm of my husband~~Happy Anniversary~~

2 years down, an eternity to go~~

Butterfly Lake

Today (August 24th) is our two years' anniversary. I can't believe we already left two years behind us. I can still see the day when we got engaged! Time flies. It's been two amazing years! I love John and I'm so grateful that he feels the same way about me~~

For celebration, we went to Mirror Lake for a camping trip. We envisioned a beautiful, quiet camp ground with only us and the deer. However, when we drove in the camp ground, we found the opposite, only people, no deer! Someday we're gonna make it to Max and Deanna's cabin in the wilderness in Alaska where there're only bears!

So we drove down a little and found Butterfly Lake. Luckily it was a lot more private. Even though we could still hear our neighbor's dog, it's not like Cancun any more.

We spent the afternoon there exploring the woods. John chopped us firewood (with rocks). We walked around the lake and talked about our future. When the sun went down, John made campfire and we ate hotdogs and smores.

So it rained on us at 4am. We had to get up and put the rainfly on. It was fun though.

I love my life and I wouldn't want it any other way.