tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80796679161486681832024-02-19T23:28:12.154-08:00LifeJaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comBlogger183125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-58447659187472332882020-04-10T04:00:00.001-07:002020-04-11T06:06:27.988-07:00SLEEP<br />
Today I woke up at 1:47am. I then tried a few things that should have helped me fall back asleep. By 5:17am I was still as wide awake as an owl. This no sleep is more frequent than I like. So many thoughts went through my head.<br />
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"Oh no. Today will be a disaster!" Stop! Negative thoughts will not help. How do I turn my situation around. Yes, maintain positive thoughts all day in my head and have a sincere conversation with Jesus about my dilemma, requesting his wisdom for my situation as to the route I must take in getting my sleep restored.<br />
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There is one thing that I desire—the ability to fall asleep and stay sound asleep until it is time to wake up. As I get older (late 50s and into 60s), I realize that sound sleep on a daily basis is a dream. Sometimes I think, maybe this is built into the human design. As one gets older, the inability to sleep can cause one to live a shorter lifespan, oh like 70s rather than onwards to 100s. Whatever the case, I am realizing for myself that my inability to sleep is a detriment. Yet Tom still sleeps like a baby EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT!<br />
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I know I've had periods of time when my sleeping problem was worse than now and I was able to improve. So I am searching my brain to bring my thoughts to, "What did I do in the past to get my sleep back?"<br />
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It was about ten years ago, I went through a time of not being able to sleep. I read a lot. I searched for books that would give me methods to sleep. I found <i>The Effortless Sleep Method</i> by Sasha Stephens. I don't remember all of it. I will browse through it, or rather read it again and try those methods again. Hopefully this will work and I won't have to do further research. Hopefully visiting this old book will improve my ability to sleep as it has done in the past.<br />
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Meanwhile my thoughts are turning to how I want to spend my retirement phase. Oh yes, work on doing research towards reversing my memory loss. Read and search daily. Read about eating healthy. Read about improving memory. Paint and be creative, or at least start developing an ease in painting to create finished products. Write, write, write, and write. When there is nothing to write about, still continue to write. Continue to exercise. If an actual workout is too hard to think about starting, like right now, make sure to go for a long walk. Enjoy each day that I am together with Tom. We are entering into a new life of being seniors together. That brings a smile to my face. For so long, I thought of us as being young. Seniors are those who are not as resilient in health and mind. Well, whatever that is, we can be seniors. We'll just change the definition of what a senior is. For me, it is working towards all these items I have mentioned.<br />
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My grandfather died at the age of 104. One morning his great granddaughter ran up the stairs to call her old great grandpa down to breakfast. She did this every morning, and she enjoyed this little errand. But this morning he did not respond. She shook him and called him to no avail. She called her mother who came up to help wake the old grandpa. He never woke up.<br />
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I think of that scenario often. At his age, he still climbed up and down the stairs whenever he was called to eat. I remember going up the hill for morning walks before 7am with him. He was in his 70s and I was four or five years old. We would meet up with all of his old friends who also came out for morning walks before breakfast. I was the only child there, and I was proud to be with my grandpa.<br />
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<br />JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-5735111763338329042020-04-09T17:38:00.000-07:002020-04-10T03:06:06.657-07:00My days Tom is spending much of our quarantined time practicing singing. I have always loved to hear him sing. Normally I would request him to sing when I am sad, depressed, or just in some sort of blue funk. His singing songs to me have always lifted me throughout our 40+ years of marriage.<br />
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Right now my life is bit mundane. I always had so much to work towards. I retired from my job as a pharmacist and started to study towards another career. My new aspiration was to become a functional medicine practitioner. So last two years were very intense in my studies. I would laugh at myself. What woman in correct mind would endeavor to change her career as she is retiring at mid 60s. Retirement to most people were time and leisure and travels. I started to pursue a new career. To be a natural healer, a functional medicine practitioner.<br />
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It was really an exciting anticipation even though the whole process of achieving that place may be filled with so many preparations. Get all the proper credentials, keep up with all my continuing educations, think about renting a space a space to see clients, think of some form of partnership with another practitioner so it may be easier to spear into my career, and the list went on and on.<br />
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After my book training in functional medicine, I enrolled in a program that would practically help me to set up my business and get started. Even as I got my first clients, the program would help out with all the logistics and even help out with clients into the healing paths. It was during this time I took my DNA test in that program. This was to familiarize me to help my patients get DNA tests in that path to find out their genetic health outlook. I found out that I had DNA that would put me towards tendency for Alzheimer's. I then realized that both my mother and father had Alzheimer's.<br />
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About one years ago, I started to be aware that I would forget easily. Then panic would set within me. I sought some medical help. I went to seminars on Dementia. I enrolled in "brain" courses. My one goal in life became "keeping my brain functional and reverse the course of degeneration." My chiropractor who gave a seminar on "Dementia" had me take an MRI. The interpretation of MRI did not show anything particular other than decrease in size of my brain according to my age. As I was experiencing memory loss on daily basis, I decided that I must have a practitioner who is versed well in brain degeneration who can help me to reverse.<br />
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During last two years I saw a chiropractor, Dr. Kenneth Hideman found that I had high level of toxic metals. This alone could decline brain function leading to Alzheimer's. Now I am using chelator to remove metal, mold, and toxin. It would be wonderful if I could get my brain back once all the toxins are cleared out. I also see an MD, (Dr. Rose Gillin) who keeps track of all my data from all the practitioners. I see Aaron Wilson, my natural practitioner, who let me know that he is not a brain expert. But he knows that my brain heals during sleep so I must get a good night sleep every night. My brain needs oxygen on daily basis to function. I do several steps and procedures to get more oxygen. Yet I feel I need someone who is an expert in brain degeneration and restoration and I continue to seek such a person.JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-88521045150347451992020-04-08T13:36:00.000-07:002020-04-11T06:09:30.223-07:00My Travels during the COVID-19 PandemicThese have been more than interesting days. Our adventures during COVID-19 pandemic is to be remembered.<br />
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On March 11th we left our home to fly to Croatia to visit our three grandchildren and their parents. We knew about COVID-19, yet the seriousness of the illness did not hit us, or it did not hit me. Our outbound trip included stops in Chicago, Newark NJ, Barcelona, Vienna, Zagreb Croatia, and our final destination Split Croatia—where Henna and family resides.<br />
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We had five flights and walked through six different airports. after landing in Split, we took the bus to the Riva (popular waterfront plaza where lots and lots of Croatians congregate to eat, socialize, and just enjoy friends and family). Then we walked about a half mile to our daughter's home. The crowd situation was normal. It seemed like Croatians were as naive about social distancing as we were at this point.<br />
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As soon as we arrived at our daughter's home, we were encouraged not to touch the kids but to take showers and change clothes while Henna disinfected our coats, shoes, and luggage. Then she said all seven of us will quarantine ourselves for 14 days (This was to protect others since we may have caught COVID during the travels) --no beautiful walks that I so love. As days passed Henna was getting more nervous. She said if COVID-19 was to invade Croatia (at that time there were zero persons infected in Split Croatia) yet Croatia shared a border with Italy which was struggling with COVID infection and soon would become or was the epicenter of infection. When/If COVID-19 would enter Croatia and hospitals were filling up fast, we as foreigners would not be first in line to be treated. We had two choices; hunker down and wait for the spread to slow down then go home or seek to return home right away.<br />
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I was thinking, surely we would be fine. I was not particularly worried. Then I realized that the longer we stayed, Henna's anxiety concerning our plight could make her sick. We started to look for the earliest flight to come home. We had arrived in Split on March 12th, the same day President Trump closed US borders to non-Americans from infected countries... We started to look for a return flight. The airline flights became extremely expensive. One way trip back were at $1000 per person or more. We generally pay $500 to $700 for round trips. We could not find anything even at any price. Then a few days later we found a ticket at much better price (for the situation) returning on March 20th (9 days total, 8 days with family).<br />
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Once the tickets were purchased, we all could breathe easier. The worry about Tom and I not being able to get a space in the hospital if we got sick was no longer a concern.<br />
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We left at 4AM to catch a plane to Zagreb ( Capital of Croatia) then catch an international flight to US. By midnight of that same day (March 20th), all the airports declared a lockdown by orders from their leaders in each countries. We were very fortunate to leave before the lockdown.<br />
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Our return flight was surreal. Every airport was practically empty. Each person practiced six foot social distancing. The comparison between our trip to Split and our return flights to the US was phenomenal. The airports were so empty, and their shops were mostly closed. We went through every step so quickly and easily due to the absence of humanity. Normal tedious checking at borders were almost nonexistent. Once we got back to O'Hare in Chicago, US Customs just waved everyone through, no questions asked. But the CDC staff took the temperature of every person entering the US and asked a few questions about where we had been. We passed. I wondered what happens to people with a temperature. Since then I learned that 25% of COVID-19 infected persons had no symptoms like temperature and others. So even the checking at the airport would have missed 25% of the COVID-19 carriers.<br />
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When we arrived in Chicago O'Hare airport, we rented a car and drove home. All this was done with no waiting because of the empty airport. And though our drive through Chicago was on Friday at what should have been rush hour, we zipped through the heart of the city at regular highway speeds. When we entered in Goshen, we experienced something else. Our roads were filled with cars going and coming as if nothing is happening. All the caution we experiencing last nine days in Croatia and traveling was almost non-existent. My comment was, I guess Goshenites are not taking the COVID-19 virus seriously, as I didn't just nine days ago.<br />
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We quarantined ourselves for fourteen days in Goshen. So our travel looks like 8 days of quarantining in Croatia (the whole time we were there) and fourteen days of quarantining in good ole USA in our home. We believe we did not catch the COVID-19 virus (but our quarantining was to avoid the spread just in case we had the virus). What an unusual and interesting experience traveling during the height of the virus spread! I have to say, we are still glad we went because we did have a wonderful visit with Henna and Aki and our grandchildren. It was a very focused visit since we were with each other 24/7. We were very fortunate that through all those travels and most likely encountering many COVID-19 infected persons whether they knew it or not, we came home without the illness. Before we left, our church prayed that our Lord would keep us safe. Thank you Lord.JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-73628985463375554302020-02-15T16:55:00.000-08:002020-04-08T17:04:53.569-07:00Hopes and Dreams<br />
Lately I have been happy. Hopeful. And Looking at my life with much gratitude. I wonder how much of this has to do with some changes in my brain.<br />
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Of course I do run into lots of road blocks. I ran into a major blow. I sure did not expect to face memory loss which could lead into Alzheimer's. My unfortunate DNA test came up with double APOE4 genes. Upto 70% to 90% of those who have my genes end up with Alzheimer's. I was pressing on towards being a functional medicine practitioner who at age 90 is still happily practicing. That dream or ambition had to be set aside, to realize that may never transpire. Right now, my first and foremost goal is to restore my memory loss, to bring back the ability to maintain short term memory, or any form of memory.<br />
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Funny how life has its twist and turns. What do you do when something happens that you were not anticipating? What do you do when your dreams had to be thrown up in the air, possibly never to see it happen. There are times when I become very scared of my future. Yet I am noticing in myself that it is easier to appreciate all the blessings that I have received. In about a month we will be going to Barcelona Spain to have a family reunion with my four grown children and family. How fortunate we are that I do not have to work like so many people at my age (64). In our trip to Croatia we will stop in Barcelona Spain and spend one week with all of our children and grandchildren.<br />
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<br />JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-56505908414528883242020-02-02T15:14:00.002-08:002020-02-02T15:16:22.547-08:00My memory12/15/2019 Sunday<br />
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Just five more years.<br />
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Could I live to my utmost, living to the fullest if I was to pass on in five years. Just a year ago I dreamed of becoming a functional medicine practitioner. Now I am fighting daily in trying to hang on to any memories of current events of my life and current thoughts of five minutes ago. So my venture begins, reading about brain and how it degenerates and how I can help my own brain in some restoration or decrease in the speed of degeneration to Alzheimers.<br />
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It is ironic that earlier this year I took DNA.mind testing via Nordic Labs in Scandinavia. In it I found that my life span is not long. So what does that mean? I would guess if I could live to age 70, on one hand it is a full life, yet I dreamt of living till I was in my nineties. I wanted to be an active functional medicine practitioner at age ninety, busy with taking care of so many clients. If I could reverse this brain degradation, I can help others who are going through same condition, to live a full life. So with my genetics that shows short lifespan and genes that dictates almost 75% Alzheimers staring at my face, I decided I will live to the fullest and longest as much as I can.<br />
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Somehow the task is formidable, daunting yet fascinating. I find in literature that green vegetables increase life span. Good nutrition nourishes the brain for strength and resiliency. I started to eat lots of vegetables. Sugar degrades the brain; I am avoiding all forms of sweetness including grain, pasta, legumes and all forms obvious sweets. Exercise pumps blood and oxygen to brain helping it to clean up and refresh. I try to do sets of fifty jumping jacks throughout the day and take walks in the woods.<br />
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Yesterday I went to all you can eat buffet with Dee and gorged on sushi and meat and veggies and anything else I wanted to eat. How long was I so strict with my diet? Can't remember. It felt so good to just eat and eat anything. Normally it may be considered a good meal. For me, the white rice makes it the same category as sweet rolls. Today I ate more sushi. Tomorrow back to strict diet of vegetables and meat. I wonder how long I can keep myself mostly on vegetables.JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-4304529000858209892019-07-10T14:46:00.004-07:002019-07-11T02:47:54.995-07:00Where Am I in Life?<br />
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So many things have happened since my last blogging. It has been two years since I left pharmacy at Kroger. I was searching for physically easier job where I will not be standing, walking, or running for up to 13 hours in order to take care of patients.<br />
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I found a job at a hospital where I can sit down for the whole shift. I became keenly aware that my learning curve had dramatically changed, and I left that new job in three months. That was beginning of October in 2017. This was one full year after when I was taken to ER with a complete amnesia, Transient Global Amnesia from 9 am to 7 pm on a Sunday in May of 2016.<br />
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My last visit to Croatia (Spring of 2019) has brought attention to the seriousness of my brain issue. It takes me good three weeks before I get acclimated to a new time zone. My lack of sleep in Croatia and again here in US was manifested in daily inability to remember what happened for 2 to 3 hours of any given day. Now fully rested with plenty of sleep, I am realizing that my brain is affected. It dawned on me that I AM retired...maybe for good. I am not yet 64. I always dreamed of working well into 90's as a health and wellness practitioner. I saw myself as a thin old lady who is in love with her life helping sickies of today. I saw myself as a 95 years old little lady, full of life and zest with love for healing and watching health restoration.<br />
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I decided for now, I must stop studying and to re-evaluate my future. How am I to occupy my time. It has always been easy in the past; I always gave my studies priority. I have been a student all my life and at late age, I have discovered my passion; my desire to be a natural health practitioner. Yet when the realization set in that I may never be the healer, I was not as discouraged as I thought I would be. Having time on my hand was a new experience. Now my dream career is put aside, maybe permanently. I wonder what my future holds for me.<br />
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What must I do to heal and restore my brain? I tried to remember anything related to brain restoration from my studies. I was left with a "blank." I had one patient, myself. Yet all my hours and years of studies preparing me to a new career left me blank.<br />
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I decided there are two things that I would love; writing and painting. I have always loved writing. I have a long way to reach the skill set of a good writer. Painting has been very sporadic. I will write and paint. This time I will not give myself pressure to accomplish. I will see it as one of my healing project that I can enjoy. Learn skill set at a pace where I can enjoy my life no matter where it may lead me.<br />
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So I start my life again at age 64 with different goal set! Learn to enjoy life! Learn to enjoy people around me. Learn to develop relationships. Learn to walk in steps with my dear husband. Learn to be connected with my grown children and still young grand children.<br />
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<br />JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-48747585413729034162018-12-27T13:55:00.000-08:002019-07-10T13:56:55.262-07:00One Baby Step at a Time12/27/2018<br />
This year is almost over. I am filled with anxiety of so many things to consider.<br />
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I am finished with Functional Medicine studies. How do I pursue from here. Where do I start? It's not like I can go someplace and apply. There is no FM clinics around here or next several towns.<br />
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My mother fell for the second time and is in the hospital. It looks like we are the only ones who can take her in for the remaining years. What happens with my FM career which is already scary to start by myself. Now that has to be in back burner until my mother is established in my home. Last time she was with me for three weeks, all my spare time was spent on her. I still have so much desire to be in a profession, be active in it, to find fulfillment in it.<br />
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As I sit daily, I ponder, "How do I get myself into an active profession? Where do I start? I do not want to go back to pharmacy.<br />
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12/28/2018<br />
This morning I felt such a reassurance. God knows... one little step at a time... how to begin.<br />
... He has all things under control. Just trust in Him and I take one baby step at a time. Don't look at daily results. When time is right, God will bring in the clients one by one. Just keep plugging along. Thank You Lord.JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-74610473705000100202018-11-06T13:59:00.000-08:002019-07-10T14:02:10.884-07:00Where am I going?I am 63 years old. Where have time gone! Feeling vanity of living.<br />
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I am sitting on the couch wondering what I should do! It seems like my life is in a constant pressure to accomplish, to achieve, and to earn. I have no desire to go back to pharmacy. So what can I do? I studied functional medicine. As I am taking steps to get started, I feel more lost than ever.<br />
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Tom tells me that I need to spend 2 hours a day to water color. That actually will be my whole day when I include cooking, shopping, and house upkeep.<br />
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Lately I have been feeling that I am losing my memory even from day to day. I seem to forget things constantly all the time.<br />
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I fear being lost into the oblivion. To not pursue into some goal is to be lost. To not have an income feels like I am lost, falling into the oblivion.JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-60853478156333992332018-09-12T15:25:00.001-07:002018-09-12T15:53:47.540-07:00Piano<br />
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It is a beautiful day. I went out for a walk along the Mill Race Trail between Elkhart River along the canal. I should call my mother I thought. She would enjoy talking to me. She is 83 years old and insist on living alone. So the best we can do is visit or call her on the phone. I have more than one hour.<br />
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I was expecting the "same old" stories that she tells me over and over and over. I could almost recite them. At times she does not even realize that she is repeating herself for 20th time in one time stretch.<br />
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As she was talking, my mind was far away. Agreeing with her and synchronizing the timing of response that she expects at the right moments. I had heard this story so many times before, but today she pulled on my heart until I was in tune with her story telling.<br />
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"We had just immigrated to US. You were about 12 years old. After school, I would find you in bed with expression of forlorn life. Depression was on your face every day. I was desperate and did not want to lose you the way your aunt and uncle lost their daughter TaeSoon; from depression to loss of her mind. She never got her mind restored.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">TaeSoon was 16 years old. She was probably the smartest girl in the family of seven children. So smart that everyone knew that she would become somebody someday. Yet she did not have the beauty that her older sister and younger sister had. She had fallen in love with a local boy. Her mother and father did not approve of him. They told her that her status was too high for that common boy. This was Korea during early 1960's. Her dad was a high level executive and they were very wealthy. Because of the disapproval of the parents TaeSoon had to give up her love. She changed. The boy was taken away from her yet her mind hung on to him and eventually desire for life left. She never sought another man. Eventually all her siblings got married and left home. When her father retired, he bought a large farm. He gave TaeSoon bit of land to manage herself, to plant vegetables and flowers. She lived with her parents. She had lost zest for life. Her ambition in career died. In time her mother died. Then her father died. She grew to be an old woman. I don't know if she is still alive or not."</span></div>
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That is a sad story of my cousin I thought. Yet this was an intro to how that relates to me as a 12 years old. My mother continued.<br />
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"You told me that ...Life is too hard. Learning English is too hard. You have no friends.... I told your dad that we must do something to make you happier. Otherwise you may end up like your cousin TaeSoon. You had tendency to be depressed. That is why we bought you a piano."<br />
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At that time we lived in a cheap one bedroom apartment. My parents had the bedroom. My brother had the dining room and my little sister and I had the living room. It totally did not make any sense to buy a piano at that stage in life. My mother continued ...'I told your dad, I want to save you(JaeHi) from depression that can lead to mind loss. I don't care about money....' Once we bought the piano, I found you playing the piano every day after school. I did not see you being depressed anymore."<br />
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On my part, yes I do remember those days. I felt it was my duty to play the piano otherwise all of their money would be wasted. My ten years old brother and five years old sister had no interest in piano. I kept on playing because my parents sacrificed too much. I knew how many hours they had to work to buy that instrument. I never understood why they bought a piano. I did not know that I appeared so depressed to my mother. I was always a melancholy child and having melancholy face was the norm for me. Immigrating at age eleven and being put into my grade when I did not speak any English was not an easy thing. Not having any friends was not a easy phase to go through. Anyhow it was my duty to play whether I wanted to or not especially since my brother and sister did not care to play the piano. My mother felt that they did the right thing to pull me away from depression.<br />
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When I married Tom, he bought a piano because he wanted to play. I hardly notice that we have a piano. I don't play our piano but I always love to hear Tom play.<br />
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<br />JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-50125251398204464562018-03-27T17:39:00.000-07:002018-03-27T17:39:17.206-07:00Clearing the Paths<br />
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We live near a small woods where we hike daily if time and weather allows. The winding trails can intertwine so much that we can hike up to two hours within a deceptively small space. We have done this for few years now. We are creating memories for ourselves when we can no longer hike. Then we will reminisce ... those good old days when we were able to spend so much time together daily in the woods, breathing in the wonderful fresh air and loving the beauty of it all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDC1SR4p7-Fzt7JFgDiuI7z-UOGwcFlsj4Q8a9ksi_HAbprb0PVIL7bQJ7vT_rzo4dDEp21ZnA5GofbrRvIM_1dW0fm0l1fbEIriPNXY9faPVP3RZUrL3BLzL0l2Eq8mFDWdEq7MiBoZo/w850-h637-no/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDC1SR4p7-Fzt7JFgDiuI7z-UOGwcFlsj4Q8a9ksi_HAbprb0PVIL7bQJ7vT_rzo4dDEp21ZnA5GofbrRvIM_1dW0fm0l1fbEIriPNXY9faPVP3RZUrL3BLzL0l2Eq8mFDWdEq7MiBoZo/w850-h637-no/" width="200" /></a>This year the river that flows within the woods flooded due to melting snow and lots of rain. Much of our trails have been under water for a week or more. As our paths have dried out, we have been able to use more and more of them, after clearing away the branches and fallen trees carried by the flood blocking the paths.<br />
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This flood also left an abundance of litter: pop cans, alcohol bottles, candy and gum wrappers, etc. The first day back on our trails, we collected five grocery bags of garbage. Subsequent days were much less. One week will clear the woods for another year!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbVKoa99DW_K-LS5FJgUZ-69mF8nm2rWg4F_7PIsLygFlEPkxEnNUvolrsbm8MAk87j0xG2LJ_QWKI2Q4F1tjqopAKj56I5yvoIgig_N1-RUgBlC0YtrvQ1S2lLHgDLT7UOw_Gu7hhMA/w850-h637-no/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQbVKoa99DW_K-LS5FJgUZ-69mF8nm2rWg4F_7PIsLygFlEPkxEnNUvolrsbm8MAk87j0xG2LJ_QWKI2Q4F1tjqopAKj56I5yvoIgig_N1-RUgBlC0YtrvQ1S2lLHgDLT7UOw_Gu7hhMA/w850-h637-no/" width="200" /></a>It is rather interesting that we have learned to enjoy the whole process of maintaining these trails by trimming the thorn bushes that would snag us, collecting litter, and clearing fallen branches and trees as we're on our daily walks.<br />
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We have all the wonders of nature, many giant logs that have fallen, the uphill climb, wetlands, river, countless trees that create such interesting patterns with the blue sky, small and large animals that make home here, and all the birds and their songs. And we have our little haven in which we take daily mini vacations of hiking in nature as if these woods belonged to us.<br />
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<br />JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-20862034395184791562018-03-13T18:45:00.001-07:002018-03-20T08:47:01.722-07:00Goals, dreams, and an open doorEarlier today, as we were walking in the woods after the flood, even though our boots were getting muddy, I was moved to see the beauty of my surroundings. My thoughts were roaming. What is it that is important for me? How do I want to finish my life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpkBD08oMsfk2aUil7rrY4j6QwWHwevk2Z1cfWkPb_SMmSB-bdAKEAhdCPxbrGiA2TUPVtX2hn2kAsezJm-X0onrvK6gEOV3DYV3HJgVrM6FLQEOecBBCWhofeNszUOyi-BhjhAtIQkBQ/s1600/Little+JaeHi+and+JaeHu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1030" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpkBD08oMsfk2aUil7rrY4j6QwWHwevk2Z1cfWkPb_SMmSB-bdAKEAhdCPxbrGiA2TUPVtX2hn2kAsezJm-X0onrvK6gEOV3DYV3HJgVrM6FLQEOecBBCWhofeNszUOyi-BhjhAtIQkBQ/s320/Little+JaeHi+and+JaeHu.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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I thought of my history. As a little girl growing up in post-war Korea, I determined that I wanted to fulfill all the aspirations that my parents had, that were taken away by the war. I wanted to fulfill my grandfather's aspiration also taken away by the war. It was a huge task to fulfill their dreams.
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In that endeavor, I tried so hard to achieve the unachievable. Those around me noticed me as someone accomplished, but I was always a huge disappointment to myself for failing my parents' and grand-father's dreams. I could not enjoy my present life.
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Here I am, 62 years old. Because of what I believe was a providential pathway, I resigned from my lifelong career. Then another career path opened up, which I believe was also providential. That step alone was empowering. I actually chose my desire in studies, something that I am passionate about.<br />
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The thought of fulfilling that path also scared me. Why would I want to be a functional medicine practitioner when I don't have... a million reasons pop into my mind contrary to pressing on.
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Providence has opened the door for me. I will pursue it. At the same time, I realize that what is important is relationship with those whom I love and care about and those whom I will meet in my path. My dream is not a successful career but a successful life. I dream of making an impact on the people whose lives I hope to touch with love for God by serving humanity in the healing arts.
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I realized that there are lots of things that need to be cleaned up within me. With God's help I am allowing forgiveness for myself. I can let go of my past, when I was so intensely focused on fulfilling my seniors' dreams that I often did not enjoy, relish, and pour myself into my own children as they were growing up. My regrets only tie me down. Only when I am free from that weight of guilt can I love my grown children to the utmost and love my grandchildren to the fullest. I shall also let go of any bitterness that has come along my path one by one so that I can fully be released to live in life, in God, and in love.
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<br />JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-21438014372013577132018-02-20T11:12:00.000-08:002018-02-20T16:02:05.629-08:00Visiting my blog again<br />
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Life has a funny way of marching on. Who would have thought a year ago that so much would have changed in my life. I was able to leave the pharmacy world in September, then embark on totally new studies as I pursue another field. As most peers my age are looking forward to retirement, I have decided to tackle new studies for new goals. And I am dreaming of living a full life and loving my new career as I age.<br />
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I graduated from college in 1980, 38 years ago. It has been a long time since I was an active student. Back then, it was normal to dedicate a full day every day to studies. Fast forwarding 38 years, I was not ready to experience headaches and eye aches after just two hours of studying.<br />
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Four years ago, I stopped blogging, except during vacations. My full-time job as a pharmacy manager had consumed my body and my soul. This very dissatisfaction with my career screamed out to me, and I felt I must do what I wanted to do before I die. So now I spend most of my days studying functional medicine. No excitement. Just plugging along daily in my studies with the dream of becoming a passionate healing practitioner.<br />
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Just two days ago, I made a decision to join #standupandshinechallenge. This was something the young me, as a college student, would have joined. Lizy, my youngest daughter, had joined and in her excitement, I followed suit. Joining was a difficult decision for me. These thoughts were filling my head: "I am too old for these kinds of challenges. My daughter will be embarrassed with her mother doing the same projects. My peers will laugh at me." On and on the thoughts came into my head. Not only that, I was filled with, "What a crazy venture I am starting. I like to study. After I am done studying, I will quit. I do not have the oomph to press on to become an effective practitioner, to fight through what it takes to get there."<br />
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Oh my goodness! All those thoughts passed through my head. I just pushed and forced myself to signed up on my Instagram account (@noni_jaehi) and tagged Lizy (@elizab_anne). If I become a laughing stock, well let me see if I will survive.<br />
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My daughter Lizy responded:<br />
<ul class="_b0tqa" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; background-color: white; border: 0px; flex-grow: 1; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<li class="_ezgzd" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: -5px 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 0px 6px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;"><button class="_reoub" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #c7c7c7; cursor: pointer; float: right; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin-left: 10px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; width: 1em;" title="Delete Comment">Delete Comment</button><a class="_2g7d5 notranslate _95hvo" href="https://www.instagram.com/elizbeth_anne/" style="border: 0px; color: #262626; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.3em 0px -5px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-decoration-line: none; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;" title="elizbeth_anne">elizbeth_anne</a><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Go mama!! You’re amazing and I love you so much!!!</span></li>
<li class="_ezgzd" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: -5px 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 0px 6px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;"><button class="_reoub" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #c7c7c7; cursor: pointer; float: right; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; height: 1em; line-height: inherit; margin-left: 10px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; width: 1em;" title="Delete Comment">Delete Comment</button><a class="_2g7d5 notranslate _95hvo" href="https://www.instagram.com/elizbeth_anne/" style="border: 0px; color: #262626; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 600; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0.3em 0px -5px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-decoration-line: none; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;" title="elizbeth_anne">elizbeth_anne</a><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You inspire me ❤️</span></li>
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JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-21124547518447857722017-01-31T19:35:00.004-08:002017-01-31T19:37:24.736-08:00Ranch Tres Palomas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The ranch we stayed at was on this dirt road. It is plowed from time to time because the wind causes the sand to accumulate.</div>
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The Neill men on the Ranch</div>
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Me and my two boys</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUQrcjxRpe9Ij6CSWn59K3xMljaDMnBxviavuOgPD1fZiJhJ0c28VD2-QDGD7lrixLlmep5KRBTktNc0oCCbYoVeYLxSfKNBnp33RManDYcrw7SS3mw56Apz1D6KPV0s8EFUDhPOxzwY/s1600/DSCF0355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUQrcjxRpe9Ij6CSWn59K3xMljaDMnBxviavuOgPD1fZiJhJ0c28VD2-QDGD7lrixLlmep5KRBTktNc0oCCbYoVeYLxSfKNBnp33RManDYcrw7SS3mw56Apz1D6KPV0s8EFUDhPOxzwY/s320/DSCF0355.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is some of the food we ate. Tom and I made breakfast every morning, and our sons and Danielle made dinner every evening. We had wonderful meals. Here are some samples.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvKd-kgcJjmZQVnaaAKb2XQJ8uYFsDqgOFSXHv2xVPMD5LlPP3-F67gPG5JmJT_6DJw243wKzqgFS7qVwpklLSuKzOKutA1kgDjVRE7bz7YofbsYvN3I-lFi0Ko642u5ZLwbZ6B2Y8Yw/s1600/IMG_0831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLzpIwzsznwN-k8EPMKstRRttP3u8fF8eMTkfwM0gpRt8YENyz_j_Z-d4DmR8IgaPEkIFtAy_YEQsQrhiHjluEcVs0ccsNIH3mhLFTMLVF9viK-glxOQvhPb5zc3GnGTa3JoDFzVj4ME/s1600/IMG_0835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLzpIwzsznwN-k8EPMKstRRttP3u8fF8eMTkfwM0gpRt8YENyz_j_Z-d4DmR8IgaPEkIFtAy_YEQsQrhiHjluEcVs0ccsNIH3mhLFTMLVF9viK-glxOQvhPb5zc3GnGTa3JoDFzVj4ME/s320/IMG_0835.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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All in all, in spite of challenges in our health, we had a wonderful week together!JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-39546664196224538172017-01-27T13:30:00.000-08:002017-01-30T18:18:47.427-08:00Joshua Tree: Day 6Today is the last day of our vacation. Seth said he felt so comfortable being here together that it seemed we could just go on living like this for who knows how long. I like that sentiment.<br />
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We had a lazy breakfast and left for our last day of excursion. We wanted to do so much but so limited in time. <br />
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We headed for the Fortynine Palms Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park, one of the final destinations of our trip.</div>
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Seth told us about <a href="http://www.noahpurifoy.com/joshua-tree-outdoor-museum/" target="_blank">Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Sculpture</a>. Although it would be closed and it was getting dark, we decided to go. I have never seen anything like this. Each piece is so large that it needed to be displayed outdoor rather than indoor.<br />
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JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-19568997770322776052017-01-26T19:11:00.001-08:002017-01-29T15:31:40.822-08:00Joshua Tree: Day 5<div dir="auto">
This morning Christian came down with a virus. So Danielle is the only healthy one. Tom opted out of today's outing to get some more rest, and Seth decided to work at home.</div>
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So today it will be me, Christian, and Danielle. I cannot miss out on the sun and the beauty that awaits me even if I am still under the weather.<br />
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Funny, we all thought we would be having outings in other areas besides Joshua Tree. There are bends and turns that one could not anticipate. Yet I am loving every moment here with Tom, my sons, and Danielle.<br />
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Christian and Danielle really wanted to climb Ryan Mountain, which I did yesterday. The second visit was just as impressive. I still needed several stops to rest! I loved this hike just as much as yesterday's.<br />
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The sides of the mountain at this point looked like the boulders had stopped in the midst of the momentum of rolling down the hill and froze in time.</div>
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So glad that Danielle took so many great photos.</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCfNBIP1DUGSRfUgCjBI9NOhFy15yrm_WrMzn4IYUkMuM44lYz6mYUTh8KdtQ1jwM5GSPmaO10AgTIxhd25J2IICqPIGEX0fyPDr2_Z6dyfXsp6MJ2biaB1VT25vZVAB-gDADql84-EU/?imgmax=9999" style="max-width: 100%;" width="600" /></div>
JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-34750212343696215232017-01-25T20:50:00.011-08:002017-01-26T19:17:36.560-08:00Joshua Tree: Day 4<p dir="auto">It is ironic that Tom, myself, and Seth were the ones to go for an outing today, since we are the three who have been sick. We were feeling somewhat better but still sick. Christian and Danielle were deeply engrossed in prep for their project due tomorrow and decided to spend another day working.</p><p>We climbed Ryan Mountain, which is 5457 feet high. The trail to the summit was 1.5 miles long. I have never experienced such exhaustion on a hike of that length. I had to rest at least four times before I reaching the top.</p><p dir="ltr">The stone steps sometimes were so steep, just trying to climb several left me breathless. This was a stark contrast to hiking five miles in the woods in Goshen, Indiana, which makes me feel fully satisfied with my exercise for the day.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZ2WBp7-GtcmCnLsrQ6iW7w0WZazJKEH53qNnnkT2eZBMdjxcABiSHIjO1VqvK07YM97m-1s3Hykfqd4YV3xHV2bWma54OCqsK2IUPTAOhUv77LYlFSPADPs4aOhekdpm3k6X_ZYDgyU/?imgmax=9999" width="450" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">This is how the trail started. It seemed like the gentle slope of a garden.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdCX8ysuUFdvmh9ra6zS2nuQSyAg0-FvnCdBJtrRor6HfsP9N4b7qYrhXnU8bVNhUiYkAQedyo7rymWuLQ61YZgdJJFJfNWlAeWfjrtGubb3Wj-g9llWyGA-q_JNAh8JShp1X1S3DM8A/" width="450" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6AOliYN9dIz4n_xs0V-IEOFIxlu0DqW66VmnJCRHkeC2-38VhgSBrc8Y82K3v4wsc9C-6rzUE_xU0G39-CTwoaWIUWE83cvwLOnksN7mhyphenhyphenGriiWLd2XxoCGBeEEYwJk_H5ttfe2P4SM/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">Who would have thought that growing old together could be so much fun!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaf0X1_rcQdlNZa1GPwRgTVF7ba3tJWfrlWx5cZscNvfQ-0dxrYu4bdrCnzAMn6QoDVST8FRrkHGmDYIqE20TAlo-b7LQJvl3ZUBMp1cepLLLN34BCNeC1sSSqMo8_yJrT2CmV7D43ZU/?imgmax=9999" width="450" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">A view of way below us as we climb higher—those little bumps in the back are mountains as large as this one we are hiking.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1Gihb-DpCL-OgyL3EG45mnvURlcCknvcXQBnKo_0olH2ImauXHpaVsxN974uZJSEmADuJMrOdxOWCujRpMkMWYcZfr7rmNSzfA-8Z1p3LXVNCpLVJV4PoMi15vbPxzCHavxlCQZQcZ4/?imgmax=9999" width="450" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">Seth, my younger son, whom I see only once or twice a year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio61v1uZPuAhyphenhyphen33oGlXB5EWnGP78TLDy1T8Ud-gMVWvoEDSsWprq0OHOBgJeEGRJvGGi7hrnZaIhVKqkeUg-XQ_Bn6vjJ4QpyZ12rDniT3WaDCyMpZuYDZg5fnhMCROAS6HF98Wwco4M4/?imgmax=9999" width="599" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">The path is getting steeper, and rocks on the trail are more part of the mountain itself, sharper and harder.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrP0yfxoVBVktbM3b9iaZWLNPsE-kokVFU1iPmNutis8wiDM8faXAeVpBXSfB8C0crw4f6CgsbtELSpk7Y-q4X1P7QzmhbC_6BDWE21Cg0ZZiXdBL6wGq6k2sREqXWKttpcMqO84-HZDA/?imgmax=9999" width="599" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnP4sgl2NnGK0gO9cCs4kGSio6NT2Dm4wgeuXSzD8v3tNSfplbn9nAtYRsw6x-DY-dF74oPGz3JmaH_Z4TvnhmolsQCJtApTc5Iiukw4AEvPQuFPXBLh_FDLuhNZr2TjAYWteDyNnYcEs/?imgmax=9999" width="599" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KqSjeIE5JGxiZhc30SJAwFMJmljerR0LDxOcreiXZeNZTm8SUwZIc-aqL_qe4rri8DPfTQR3yjRCMtq9rcd_6ECao9e4tsg93RjITKtRMst7DOWyL7lqxNmjfHiYWrTARPZ2PPTSxl4/?imgmax=9999" width="450" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5E0rJ18YLI-K3QVAWyG8ltbTACNx1PQo8LYYnEb1wKPk_a8eB4UCb8AjRg_skYis-xWhCtZ5rRMo65OQYFKfysJs9yyGF2q_uoYTVcaGNCUA-dNKo0L4tKOF54u7lKAuQVmRkwAt4b8s/?imgmax=9999" width="450" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRb76KXTjWB8O-vKArxjzdvJHetqxwG6xaE9fDLJvyAaAhQMPV8Z2LHD29o1MjjYjPS2-QEKkjhVIl7zudWF6MaahdUE9ne6kxP319lasxYFCLCfRW4ovHAYsZqJOTlUy7nr3uBahyphenhyphenD0Q/?imgmax=9999" width="599" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFfsmfli2AbKNuWYirUoN4ba5-s7e0rdjG2KhsBMpMhZVEcwOEjoxTvsmEDhS0YMhX4qyc-h0D7nsxIVEg3PbONk3lhpQ8wsK9wOU2BPXWzJMa8X-esEwNUZwpVTmDNKnryimIyAa1rs/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p>Almost to the top...<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jwKMpBFMZfhXUfo5RsId_H4ECi2VwRUUpOfNmBN5UNeMC3_0SAWyfSvbd8c_bcKjAcrEyLoS3TH3QwxPlP2H63ZDSiBa9PQzrQ1WGPvSIfwnz4f3OBTI2vywwBorRhf8FNhyphenhyphenz9kFlV4/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">Come on, you can do it...<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7P937q4fcwkUVsE_h9tAuPfWlbMjsKZdoCWiMftbQanSa1GOnPxl7QulBdsyiolwCoc7qnOGSE6nwqn12_Yeh49L3MDplIXgkVO865DOeTsrOffUXdyo7VK-PHuzc8m_nVc_Fn1qOC0/?imgmax=9999" width="599" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">Tom helped me up the last leg of the journey.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBIvmUls58wtuVS-ifGEEu5SJuxnTNIxc1UG1icOpzuj5fTMtko8y7XYIc0Da84moj3wTUsSQ3CvbiShZSzrLFy1Ozv88IpQNbapsntHrENFNbrLIz4ohJC1ZOweQUcA0_SiXwSFoa1o/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">We made it!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPqjgJmklFvkw3ymfzMhGMlyOugMUUAAoszixrXz082Oriof9cJDJo8wfRw-eTEvl8VWF2Na7gd0xSFtrXO_sHd4Yz7K4Fcbiz8L0k68LX2hXiNzVYXNuEcGe8COx6xLHC_yZRRLOTzg/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">A little mound to show you reached the summit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TaMfLdphSFbfT9BykhxJxNe75OWtmuxlEaSujbvsQZLtOZCBItFMKqmTGaBjOKnwbsRz8wJza_dYlmYjIyKS8KJNspu89S7ChgdYhA4cCERD112mlmdnQp8CO6g3pS_KZvzcSoBtMVA/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">Vegetation at the top.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cwgm8eh0K3Hiie8KrEiO-uCJHn8DcM9cs5MWu5-C3KmwkmLItBrcJnMQZQuJkJhGJDUOn-6HD0Kyy1DFssnXSGK-ppspszkCjCNEeK6ljtIQdptc0CNNgUfmdwAFq1JOWzu17Tei9Uw/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">Just to make it official...5457 feet high!</p><p dir="ltr">Here's Seth's description of today's hike up the mountain: "After spending some time exploring the huge granite boulders at the foot of Mt. Ryan, we started up the trail to the peak. It wound around the mountain so that at first we got an increasingly grand view of the enormous boulder piles that clumped into a boulder mountain to our north. The higher we got, the more snow we saw. We passed around bends that would expose totally new views across the plains to more rows of tan, pink, and blue mountains. Only at the very top did we leave the shade of the highest peak. Half the horizon came into view for the first time, a massive mountain range in the western distance emerging from clouds, and flowing ranges and plains of different elevations across the southern horizon (including the low Colorado desert we visited yesterday). From the very top, we could see in every direction, and the low sun only exaggerated the enormity of the view. The joshua trees and cactii disappeared at that height, showing all the land."<br></p>JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-43124120099981351872017-01-24T13:24:00.000-08:002017-01-30T18:25:07.800-08:00Joshua Tree: Day 3<div dir="auto">
At the start of our vacation, it was just Tom and I who were coughing throughout the day, which has continued till now. As careful as we tried to be, Seth came down with a virus, most likely from us.</div>
Seth decided to stay at the ranch today, do his work, and try to get well quickly. Christian and Danielle also opted to stay home and work on their projects.<br />
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So Tom and I left for more adventure at Joshua Tree National Park. We stopped at the park visitors center. Realizing we were both still a bit weak, we asked the ranger's suggestion for a three mile hike—pretty tame by our standards now. The ranger suggested Split Rock Trail, which sounded good to us.<br />
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The trail started at the split rock.</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicq7cC9RVX4BqS5NwhirLFi8TTMrIhgaanXMK9ze_QEXBW_EwZ36DaCSO90-MikD9E7nawEA3n6NNhoVBSDemECJRi477hcXKL1mW8nvmkz2K94gI55mW9Idw48E5rx-Cg4-UZy00oYRg/" style="max-width: 100%;" width="450" /></div>
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As we started to hike, we found that things we would normally get excited about doing, neither of us ventured to do today, like climbing to the highest of the rock hills. Yet we could still treasure these moments... </div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eKFmTtZX9GwWVOmD5rp4Sqy4BfgG4yvotxJjFP7ES8L6mEXHz0znJUMkgFTHE9kPiTsRVNmmoQ0Cv6DGY66yUvflyRNVo9nvSv_za0oDGJFwkj54E3MWjCRxGn30Ca4U4X_ENcH9Q8A/?imgmax=9999" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div>
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I am still smiling!</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8HWpuLMtrNOrWTSTsG2953kdPxsmxC5agMRjpdoRYaC9k-uE4_4CacOp1doONvDAlsOq7p2sCNVRvm2Lz0ghxgg572W9PDuWBtTwnQv_sVs1JTR6c6fooirURSXIOopESOk-3G192u0/?imgmax=9999" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div>
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Hey Tom, your face is turning red!</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOka11RlMAcCH92Hr5qfxYh2ew6oPz_Y-HKE_O4cFPuPUVmbe1rgeRyfhQEXxRdC_iQlw-fY8CCyVbBbAFmEgBq1ZRFkEBEl2Ak42hyphenhyphenYlGfwWopVH9uL3O_gLhu27zkmLElq-hKnoIX0/" style="max-width: 100%;" width="450" /></div>
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Baby birds are hungry...</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpcyQkhjTDlwSf313GYDQuBrxaZEQqc4wUsTutGAqPUV4Jl0i4RFFX3eQIjFMySoW7neQquInRbG4TLxjyec4jz26GS8iYUTXP7NtIhdRSlXv3WXP0iNuBXLeUQf6TZRjsbpDr2fhYfY/" style="max-width: 100%;" width="450" /></div>
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Sunny side up! Anyone hungry?</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipqfnLEO-va787AM6BPEL874FkYSWfsSjUYSScsWG06O4nXbTms-WTDRSP0yKu-5rSID5EBaSPEux8TrtYtSL69ETJCF6LAlvN-kxjI5hQs-GIByMnabLlSCJ-awyPeg6j1tsVA_A6rIs/" style="max-width: 100%;" width="450" /></div>
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Wow, look at the big elephant!</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCVh33H-73zjiBq2k3Op_6CXOoco8vF0EVJ_xjGFd1RIwvw8pPi4dpi-Ct89n-ogAZiimoUfIwflJQJbYuW5j3fM3CNv5_CVXIzP7ozGylL1beGS018TF0euGSUJlw7Z7LaIBRN5S4Ig/" style="max-width: 100%;" width="600" /></div>
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Hey, the boulder in the front looks just like me!</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00mdCSp5sOUDnAe5QA3wrL0whASy8pRHxCwXOtJCfShxXuwWGbboaFc9SbJRcoJcpAkx-q3ZR0THKn-ssfo4ecQpbCr9XU8r5JEWhUzVRHoqtwRBXXpVYBkbbY85_VG20VgEei5YjywI/" style="max-width: 100%;" width="600" /></div>
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Sitting on my granite patio!</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4nantxmvKwMMZnmJoW783xTcynp8SHeOcPnmxjDJ_-u6p-CvSAk5hlkLE0zKb7xdI3sebVd4u_S3na8diaqyTFA0UsrRi2qarWNSRAwVYeP6eQN-fiidrFnCcEOHh9FGFOWyADihSdM/" style="max-width: 100%;" width="450" /></div>
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Beautiful artistry created over millions of years</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhny0e2q7qtRYJXXXXf0nnotEZi7G_yDLoIabv_Xivtjky8vFzu6-9NtmB964ZDXEfrLk72usTdX324CoojU6Ha5V8WWblJ9m6lhCpNhR7xftEU00PV1fTT0W4YVKU-nLGpztU4Kx9O6iM/" style="max-width: 100%;" width="600" /></div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_LD2oKNO2O3AMDz3PhhT2gReQzfmO-rmyrQXI8S7RvqlOAq5NStJW5R3oTlrQDOfB5a2wQCh-D82T98je39lM2ZUX4ghxCZ1z8tB9nxKfAsMtF7T90jqU5aUhPjYi4TSWjtIs1zcNgU/?imgmax=9999" style="max-width: 100%;" /></div>
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By the time we came home, we were ready to crash.<br />
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It is still so wonderful to be here with my grown family. So happy to be here with my husband.<br />
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This evening Tom and I joined Seth and Christian in the hot tub to watch the sunset and then watch the stars appear one by one.JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-8160293936841630352017-01-23T21:13:00.003-08:002017-01-25T11:11:39.088-08:00Joshua Tree: Day 2<p dir="auto">This morning Tom and I made a ranch style breakfast and we all ate together in the screen-in porch.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvY612X-PGgDEcXhIw0IPhYOufcyUrQyZho80GGK-kgFC1qJOFhtzWXFZD4Yzayn31ROgp6M7X542CoCd5qNfnGZp-OjFMaM7o_pkB2DWx8SRvpeQ9lB_WqPyGEZ1MPiWe9nGwRKXkc0/?imgmax=9999" width="326" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKyDIp-xnurkumNtRho9dzS51Dsj8Iokee58m2zoHN5r-mpsvjokJpdpmX20dm3eySfQXzLie-ZfPHMOxDXFKguyHQ3Sc76HJl2Qo8RBm_3u80Pa6q2jp7lvoe8BL441vbBhf4JT10XWA/?imgmax=9999" width="326" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="auto">Our kids said this was better than any breakfast a restaurant could have served. We all concurred. We will make breakfast every morning, and our kids will make dinner every evening.</p><p>Off to Joshua Tree National Park again. Seth and Christian decided we'd visit Cholla Cactus Garden first. It was amazing to see swarms of cactii that were so distinctly different in color and texture from those we saw yesterday.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2KRHyfBZcWrlArJ6Yy2JpItU9JpOSE29Qd5i1iGKAVzo0av7n-dUWBFo4QcN_bHOhUp_OPIUtWlrmIAoxGKp6oH4EtOnnYpna8U8NYLkfdOFp3fRjbLIBHoYRE-fL5PRvaAsZ0FN5hw/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaBWw3pWYy7vPAL02UUxzSD1joKYOkkxu6h4Yir1mzQJXXDRV7zKHnXzz0Mu6z8hfR8NCCcNgLY0B0n9y7TQpgkoo5va_VYLr57kQ5hi5jsIwzc7xkf0pAehGCqm-Pu39aV3ofNsppCQ/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">We took a long stroll among the cactii where the Mohave desert meets the Colorado desert. The change in flora from Joshua trees to Cholla cactii was striking.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AQfbxDw2evCn_n9N3bb84y0sKITQUOyYAO3wuWMRjts_F4-VE8B7Lfg1vJ9-IZTHn9KRmkOp2aqnOdbF3xTpLI8DygIGdudV3HNtOIQIm3ytxkT3c9ce38LU52zZqbm-Wd43cl8Ln5k/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5BfGP6K-AwRVNLBUdO58qZlS19usqJ1LyLM4Xdev-6B_TDmDdN3Erex0HwDm3DP2xsNap-myvrmfKiT40Ltt83ccGMfe72o998ZNZbrisTaIk48Lcr1LtZhNZiZOk6n64fhj3hiJCKo/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">We then drove on backroads not on the map. We drove until we had to stop due to the majesty and grandeur of the mountains made up of huge boulders.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JC1UafwCuu0TuRP64B-FG3kcT85Fh5SAALzaJjjC7cfdzRIgUY3t6t71NduMODOV0WVcHmRy30kX956ppN53paf_0RGzcUdwBh2rJGW5e3OHF99yQvGG182XQkK3z5fVj9MLCeDUg-I/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p>We began climbing the boulders higher and higher until the sheer height scared me.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPhXRUYmsdOKC9Edk4a8XmkG42ovLrALfmUKgq-s8iC47AQWboXd8F_1E9QdU8lIUhYQWPHHQJ5bjWEjDYLyTnynXOaahYxIaIFACRq0YrvOhgXqi2_29OuGs2xlSHwKR9uLIrU2rKX0/?imgmax=9999" width="450" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p>Danielle and I found a shelter from the rain while we were waiting for the boys to come down. It was cozy. The rain did not deter us from having snacks and just enjoying the moment.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPOK_LH5SCVaqhA0NsDcQDe1OivFSgthTOTGt_o-Iy4w1GC6Mfr-r13qvxm0GveoWUOiMtkIrrDTrZkIUJAy-8qN9vjMss4bBDQhmxNQkDa1GuQ4iA4SQO3XC3Of3N0iGEa-Z01OsBV0/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p>After a long wait, we decided to join the boys. We climbed and climbed until we ran into Christian and Seth. They had seen something beyond description. We wanted to see this. Seth led the way. As we came to the top of the mountain, suddenly there were no more rocks and boulders. At our feet was a small stream flowing through a flat bed of sand and vegetation. In the center was a Joshua tree. Beyond that were walls of huge boulders as if to protect this oasis from any harm.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmTlLxowY25XboP-Wt79vuE_EyyxksrF0wGley6Uq4jHXzpXZdDaDLeFTX4Qc3nclFyKrDEoV4UHHlJdOZChEYUf08MXhzsuTn9xEok9pPGai_C8sixLtHIb_MD3D68C0fR2ZWqsq75Q/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nDcPDaL-_hzEs2qUVFM2zLipWEQYUc_Tqhjb1nORS-S0nTuoxpntNgzMrvKlFzD24w2AWE3Y9dtZw-SLituWgyGZwwuRVLFplhHk80AEWU7sazqWldjcTCOn96NMwUal2TjhBS968a4/?imgmax=9999" width="600" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">Poor Tom. He missed so much. He stayed behind because he was sick today.</p>JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-34366884293083485312017-01-22T20:30:00.005-08:002017-01-23T19:39:59.058-08:00Joshua Tree: Day 1<p dir="auto">Tom and I are here with Seth, Christian, and Danielle.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjS0cDR2WAuYlV2Vi5CtPLEOILiXiE2yFEm-PxaXR59xdFUK-Q4m9nKfpzqszRl_TA-fWSCGmWv0GvK1e_T9nxerWwDUeP3bkHMedls6koN4hNXQr0FoDEdZtM60vRNrlDUOAejzHGSTQ/?imgmax=9999" width="400" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">We are staying at a ranch near Joshua Tree National Park. This morning, we viewed the vast desert land around the ranch. It has its own beauty, so satisfying. Because of a fair amount of rain here recently, there is more green than usual.</p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQx575qFTSY2UXPTWva_kSfbtPGAZ09Jwm0tFWbDY3xddYQ2h9V3onWn4U0r05NL_NaesPj7E5jNOm5KRrs5G85nE4ZpgvVEc4ZKsSAXc_ze7dLVepqtiPjnBeV1oDERgiiXsx5f8r9II/?imgmax=9999" width="320" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuk4czloG8wE2YLRsAMs3Rbq04ppJJd_AqziV0VEkzZkqwuilwx2d8wMr-hREkaSl-J9X_6hksy7xrXg240eKyGBpo2svKIQaztKDhTNhvvBH26tW2wnbsJiBs3aDiI3jcYjPe3B5McU/?imgmax=9999" width="400" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFwaks_kiHCuuZn1AfmE1UGd5VOn63eIoPHCrbq8V2c00qyAGkMMeeNU2qXoikx5qKeNLuMKWILJp2Ym-e7t26qVEElj-42BDQb0TU1vam99_PCUVpRWlV1pSU2SAOUcG7dVuS87Y5nc/?imgmax=9999" width="400" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">All we need is a few horses for our cowboys.</p><p dir="ltr">Breakfast was brunch at 29 Palms Inn. I was expecting a buffet, so I was a little disappointed that it was a regular order from a menu. But it was fun just being together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidI6k_Xh3FtqAskLGjb8X1hKeMuCKzN9YLvzXtR0ohInsQXtEsIPb2EuAJNsOgmoqN775jpnkgMy94grGA5TGCKmLxH7_t2gnbdwCdgMn-LfDpj6arTNLQD6drDKizE1DaI1K7maTXNHM/?imgmax=9999" width="326" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">Seth wanted to visit Sky Village Swap-Meet, where people bring items to sell at booths. It closes at 2 pm on Sundays, so we were hoping to get there before it shut down for the day. As we headed in that direction it started to rain.</p><p dir="ltr">As we entered, it looked like a deserted flea market. Maybe the rain chased away the vendors and buyers?<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaJror-PvjiMtnMvovYmtFQEO6dTSk-tje7FocweocNOWnJBB3lkkaq9PuJmJtkaf7UAeLeE1QM_wp3RO0kkv0cMM9TrurhgcWH9kDeF-rkeKA-4Z3b0NOgblydQ2Z24mRxtHMvDxe3w/?imgmax=9999" width="400" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">We walked along viewing old junk that might be someone else's treasure. The ambiance of rustle and bustle and all the bargaining was missing. There was one store open—a store with used cowboy or cowgirl boots, hats, and clothes. Danielle bought a vest and a jacket.</p><p>Time to venture into Joshua Tree National Park. The desert is so beautiful.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xoGmMlqQJ26-F0rfv6HJ9uImHq1qrFeigFYNg2PJIVGIGJ5g4y_JoO-judaiOW_FdmSdrYJ4w2e-UQ16i-2PWQP9RDTnXpkVMlj8OhDmMsJzyuXB11y3RVBCyI3nc9F7fQvDQkRhlaQ/?imgmax=9999" width="326" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5AcqcrCD71dEkBu5nKbjZNHYjLB7sG6NFslBXBAvMBaaFrZyx8fkDdS2KJGtfN-yt6YJD_1fmkiOqFFSTRCg88aORmGiGK4RAcDAqjx2KI_m2g_p4FNebbmhvdntThH2jnHIZPNbI0w/?imgmax=9999" width="326" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">Each plant, so fine and exquisite.<br></p><div class="custom-html-block"><div class="media-placeholder media-stuff"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_SBu2xuCmdj2TLUHTyHa3QPU4rzBmDH-hfklYOTyHW0BzO2GsPBmJW2Fi3CX_lTZ5Jdz8_kI6aXpR1KlnRUgafEVH7sLPXNS30YdlxtK1xmaAegnUr0GEWt1eHEniHnhFx2UjQ2wxjk/?imgmax=9999" width="244" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1z7czjMnkXleCKfmQbEBu2o8mfzEuUsQBGA6b3ArDGwRxvCHv23KVr4GB6tcXapHU6a1uj38dQAFJsXT0g8-nAyM6t_kV9KKAbwUV16LBf6u0GFx10kISln3Ns_qPZIjJDg1mzcZMqc/?imgmax=9999" width="326" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="custom-html-block"><div class="media-placeholder media-stuff"></div></div><p dir="ltr">This national park has preserved over 1200 square miles of desert. Amazing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtr7Th-H5K2-Wgfcwxwpy-ZMUoTIga5MpARjDqEzxU1IEjHOnRJfLlV6rcUhHdU8mHblQxrGQ_MGTT8JslH2K8fQTAg04olQ4RyLRFt7GKAYM5sj6RUio4nY4CmaIGAnLspoaj9oV7HU/?imgmax=9999" width="326" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXew1taEj_S7bugkJ3Lxi1CrXlqjtsYdGSXu6dDwfbKtOiABeU9f-sqrFfOqLWYvaP1teUXlWGudX4TXDEMxeI8ilMLL0dbiNt7y7rki-6QL6-nvb-sEX5m32DtH8CmznFoI-FrFGng9g/?imgmax=9999" width="326" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">We did a little hiking, which included rock climbing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZ8YOFaGu2OWK6TDMAPZd4rIz2ZZMhMmZNORveU3MXSxu8bZTehSHGXYd-J3KxH2v7U6UirxAenVXlCllvNOsE5pfNLSv_EJJozdaDwVVjAfMa0cBiG82ySLOucM76piHzjrDNFIA9Dc/?imgmax=9999" width="244" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><p dir="ltr">My boys were shocked that I could climb that quickly. I told them, "Three years of hiking in the woods daily" made this new adventure possible.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JXhPfSHB4UTOAJAo7EhCWwrtCxK6CgQvPKHoOnWUBY8nKaK3_73lzyBQHaREFW_d-D6WXVD8qAaCxEMxbDJSIt1g73Uz70iyAIMdAATKvtIvwHtJXBBcFESpV5XaSZFnXt5u_LpExxY/?imgmax=9999" width="244" style="max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUMLeSGcmndQWk6q698v2bwvM2m-qeIfEqv4OCLjCzsd-zM7hAaPnJgeI3EmJc6RtzHGu2T3cyBmLK3nrDyng-xlRMRsiW88zuvlday3CkWMq8ptzMMVIVawHieOLV7oW1hxbq6qxctw/?imgmax=9999" width="400" style="max-width: 100%;"></div>JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-27673844966270141222016-05-16T18:06:00.000-07:002016-05-16T20:23:46.891-07:00Memory Lapse ...Transient Global Amnesia<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
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When I woke up from what I thought was my Sunday nap yesterday, Tom was next to me reading to me of Henna's account of her trip in SE Asia. I asked, "Why is Henna in VIetnam? Why are Christian and Danielle in Vietnam?" I looked at my arm and asked Tom why I have cotton with surgical tape over it as in a blood draw. He smiled at me and said my memory was returning. </div>
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Then I got the whole story that I was in the ER for 2 hours or more. I had NO recollection of the whole hospital experience. In fact my memory was cut out from my consciousness from around noon to 10pm. I am told that I had my normal mannerism dealing with nurses and doctors. I am told that I remembered my occupation and where I worked. I asked why I was at Goshen hospital and where Tom was. Why is Tom not with me? I was to ask this question every few minutes because I could not remember the answers given me.</div>
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Tom was an hour and half into traveling to Chicago to bring Lizy and our grandkids to Goshen for a week. I drove home by myself from church. As I was driving home, I wondered why I was driving alone on Sunday. We always go home together. When I entered our home, I was wondering where Tom was. I had already forgotten that we both drove so that I could come home and he would go to Chicago to pick up the kids. I called Tom while he was driving. I have no recollection of me calling him or any of our conversation. After many repetitious conversations of answering the same questions--"Why are you going to Chicago? Why are you picking up the grandkids and Lizy?"--Tom realized that someone needed to take me to the ER and he must turn around to come back home to me. </div>
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Tom called Jon Lehman to take me to the ER. Jon and Reni stayed with me until shortly before Tom came to the ER. It's a strange feeling. I am told that when Tom came into my view, I was really happy to see him. Then I started to ask him, "Why am I here? Is something wrong with me?" This question would be answered fully only to be asked again several minutes later, again and again and again... Tom witnessed the doctor asking me who the president of the US is. I thought for some seconds as if the answer was hidden somewhere then shook my head. I did not know. What day is today? It must be Sunday, I am dressed up. What year is this? Again I would search my brain and all I could come up with was, " It's two thousand something." </div>
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Because of this strange occurrence, I have a deeper realization how precious it is to have a husband who loves me and to have friends who care for me. I have a safety net to catch me. Tom made me laugh and have a light hearted interaction. "JaeHi, you impersonated Donald Trump at church for everyone!" "I did not!" Then he would go on to tease me of something else which I knew was not something I would do yet caused me to laugh. It was obvious that my love for him was as strong as his love for me. And that love memory was still intact. He said if this was to be a permanent situation, we still would have a sweet relationship. </div>
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We took a hike into our beautiful woods today! This is something we do as often as we can, sunshine or rain. Today was different. I realized something. I have a precious treasure in my relationship with my husband. I have gems in my friends. Their love and concern did not rely on what I could do for them or what I could accomplish. In my helpless moments, I saw that I was safe in the net created by them. </div>
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A memory came to me of a baby (myself) who was put outside the door because I cried a lot. I needed my mom, but she was so busy taking care of all of her extended family. My young aunts and uncles who were in middle school or high school did not want to hear me cry. My mother had my grandparents and aunts and uncles to take care of, cook for, wash for, and to do so much other housework for. She counted on the family to watch and play with me while she served them. My father was out working to support this large family. The Korean war had created very difficult situations. Yet this baby grew up always thinking that if she could not be quiet or please others, life can be a dangerous place. No one really cared for her other than how useful she could be to them and, more importantly, not to annoy them. This whole picture and the deeply hidden emotions of fear that accompanied it got shattered. I was released from the bondage of fear by the loving network of people who loved and cared for me unconditionally in my hour of weakness. What a gift from God!</div>
JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-71969275543312811572016-05-16T14:58:00.000-07:002016-05-16T14:58:15.822-07:00Wednesday January 27, 2016Today is a windy day. The clouds above are gray and heavy. We need to catch up with our photo logging, and the weather is agreeing with that.<br />
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After a quick breakfast, we went off to the beach. The waves are bigger and stronger. Walking along the beach as the waves pounded our legs felt wonderful. As we have moods, so does the weather.<br />
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Had delightful take out and ate lunch at home in a quiet and intimate setting.<br />
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<br />JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-30738991871010615232016-01-25T15:13:00.001-08:002016-02-01T13:55:00.705-08:00South Beach at Miami<b><i>January 24, 2016</i></b><br />
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At 10pm we arrived at our lodging. Our last meal was at 1:30pm in Chicago. Being famished, we walked a short distance to eat at <a href="http://www.spitfire-grill.com/" target="_blank">Spitfire</a>. Tom ordered pork and I ordered beef döner. We both thought the dinner was oh so mesmerizingly delicious.<br />
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We learned that this shop is only two months old and already a five-star sandwich and salad shop!</div>
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JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comCity Center Miami Beach25.789555 -80.133967tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-8266009172349411412014-12-24T17:40:00.001-08:002014-12-24T17:45:48.416-08:00Travel Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We packed up to head back home...to another world, another way of life, and to *sigh* winter. I wanted to say goodbye to Shira, our hostess. She rented us a one bedroom guest house with a spectacular view of Coral Bay. She is from Israel. She came to US for personal freedom. Israel was a man’s world, and women had a subservient role there. She wanted more. She studied <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">art history</span> at NYU and then taught in NYC until she realized life in NY did not full-fill her. She was not experiencing the degree of freedom she sought. Life became suffocating. She accepted a job at the University of St. Thomas USVI about twenty years ago. To this day, she loves it here. She loves being able to raise her boys in a safe environment. She could identify with much of the story of my Korean past, culture, and learning to accept and grow and evolve. She wanted to read about my stories. We found a friend in one another, having both experienced the merging of a culture of the past from another world while merging and colliding with today’s culture. We said goodbye to each other and exchanged our hopes of seeing each other again.<br />
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Tom and I drove on to Cruz Bay without having eaten breakfast. We wanted to be sure we got to the car ferry before stopping to eat. We circling Cruz Bay in search of this mysterious ferry. Whenever we stopped to ask for directions, it would go something like this: “buzz buzz...go to the roundabout, don’t do this...buzz, buzz...and make sure you turn...you will see a tennis court and buzz, buzz...you cannot miss it. It takes two minutes.” Well, we did miss it, a few times. Those two minutes were a long, twisted, and confusing two minutes. </div>
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While we drove through the craziness of Cruz Bay, my thoughts went to another place: I hoped that beautiful Coral Bay would be preserved as we found it this week. Residents are very concerned about plans for a monster-sized marina. This will disrupt so much of the natural habitat and the local way of life. </div>
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Cruz Bay, the largest and only town on the island, is a popular vacationer’s destination, but it’s just too much for us. The people lining the already congested roads, the restaurants and bars, boat rentals, car rentals, cruise shop huts, hotels, and more hotels. Eventually we found car ferry and we were transferred to St. Thomas Island from which we flew to the states. </div>
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JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-55271607600817056622014-12-20T19:30:00.000-08:002014-12-21T12:50:15.331-08:00Last Day on St. John<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VtM6vCxXqqtH32vAG2QdpYo7aJ7P98W0KDmr_A7A6Ka1FEtWxiNM7BV2sQ8bFDjVhRW6-Dy-WRMQVFDzGs-ttyZV3llxsa9OY6w8plOFaRIgZJ3xBh1zB03V3kB1e8P64b7Oh3aux08/s1600/IMG_0698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VtM6vCxXqqtH32vAG2QdpYo7aJ7P98W0KDmr_A7A6Ka1FEtWxiNM7BV2sQ8bFDjVhRW6-Dy-WRMQVFDzGs-ttyZV3llxsa9OY6w8plOFaRIgZJ3xBh1zB03V3kB1e8P64b7Oh3aux08/s1600/IMG_0698.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>Today we went to Ram Head on the southeast coast. The trail was about one mile long beginning at Salt Pond Bay Beach. The sign said to expect it to take about one hour each way, which made it sound like a challenging trail.<br />
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It started at a beach of stones. The water was amazingly clear—I could see every detail on the rocks underwater.<br />
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There were parts of the trail where you could look over the precipice. Tom went closer to the edge than I was comfortable with so he could take some pictures. My thought was, “Don’t go near the edge! I would not be able to save you if you are hanging from the edge!” When I verbalized this, Tom just looked at me with an “Of course!” expression. It took less than an hour to get up to the top—an invigorating climb, but not so very strenuous.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YYwVh48NtbBUbk1Y_BJTmuxTvOcpD2kug3a9Xp9nykZGgqKOxVdg8v0iHxE2OSNx1vh4ngqd36JhlzXLHJK5zEm43AELmvPOg_-WwtQHzxwMoGKk1eNtXhujt1kV6wtsOwlXCM_0Bz8/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YYwVh48NtbBUbk1Y_BJTmuxTvOcpD2kug3a9Xp9nykZGgqKOxVdg8v0iHxE2OSNx1vh4ngqd36JhlzXLHJK5zEm43AELmvPOg_-WwtQHzxwMoGKk1eNtXhujt1kV6wtsOwlXCM_0Bz8/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>And the scenic view from the top was GORGEOUS. These photos do not do it justice.<br />
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Whenever I would lead on the trail, I would sometimes turn to look back, only to find that Tom had disappeared. I’d find him stooping down to take a photo of a pretty flower or an interesting small animal. When Tom took the lead on trail, I talked the whole time so that Tom would know I was right behind him.<br />
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While we were hiking back down from Ram Head, I was thinking that I’d love to just sit on the white sands of Salt Pond Bay beach and soak my feet in the water. But once we got back down to the beach, the white sand area was too hot. We settled under the shade of the Mangrove trees and sat on the rocks with our feet immersed in the water. Ah! so wonderfully refreshing.<br />
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We decided to check out Drunk Bay, since it was close by. In my mind, since we had already seen so many bays with their beaches, I wondered if this one could be any different. We went on the trail that leads to this bay. We came to a large brownish pond with white foam along its edges. Tom thought maybe this was Drunk Bay, with white foam representing beer froth. But then Tom checked the map and realized this was Salt Pond and Drunk Bay is beyond it.<br />
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When we came to the bay, we knew this was it! It was a very dramatic change. The water color was deep, deep blue, so deep and dark blue it was almost scary. I was used to colors so warm and inviting, aqua blue-green! There were large boulders, and as the full strength of the waves hit these boulders, it created a giant spray of angry white foam.<br />
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We decided to go to Miss Lucy’s Restaurant again for lunch--great food and beautiful setting at this place! We were there for two hours over our leisurely lunch. Our live entertainment today did not include the diving pelicans we saw on Thursday, but the chicken cleanup crew was out in force, grabbing any leftovers from the tables as people left.<br />
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Today, the chickens were joined by a goat which came up to tables to grab food whether anyone was at the table or not. This goat came to our table as we were eating and pushed us, trying to reach our food. When we pushed her head away, she pressed against our hands, trying to get to our plates. She only managed to grab a napkin and a packet of sugar—and ate them both! She walked away when someone from another table threw her a french fry. She is on mission to get herself fed, since she’s a nursing mama.<br />
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Tomorrow we head back home!</div>
JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079667916148668183.post-46157662713786963842014-12-19T14:39:00.000-08:002014-12-19T14:46:48.736-08:00Cinnamon Bay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today was a bit of a lazy day. We didn't have anything planned. We packed a lunch, using up most of what we accumulated in our little home. We like taking long walks on the beach, walking close enough to the waves that we are sometimes in and sometimes out of the water. I heard that Cinnamon Bay is big, which means it should have a beach long enough for a good walk. The downside is that I also heard it's crowded. No way of really knowing without going there, so that's where we headed.<br />
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As we turned into the entry to Cinnamon Bay, there was a restaurant, one or two snack shops, a boat and canoe rental shop, and probably snorkel rental. Also showers and modern bathrooms. Oh my! we could stay the whole day here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kIcpetY5GkA9aDap-zQhClX04JnRMsw3Q0o9GhElO1uWWXt_IqPz92Le2tKVchAP7xFwpQD4F4sZWkZE4_yx-_L_9V_5FH23Naviq5EW3WKHrSqAuMQS3E1pm8a4Gu0OmtxdgDUruUs/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kIcpetY5GkA9aDap-zQhClX04JnRMsw3Q0o9GhElO1uWWXt_IqPz92Le2tKVchAP7xFwpQD4F4sZWkZE4_yx-_L_9V_5FH23Naviq5EW3WKHrSqAuMQS3E1pm8a4Gu0OmtxdgDUruUs/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7Jm7-JhsCxAzhLaCSipPILOAfYlLCRX4dCKvgJwiTCXs7Dz0pwLbytehygfgzlVMS1homi2BNoYVs_JIWiWMw_nixhDusZzkGEJ7ifeRG2qbHU1We_H3Rbin27A8Yk4hJW_ethLOASE/s1600/JaeHi@CinnamonBeach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7Jm7-JhsCxAzhLaCSipPILOAfYlLCRX4dCKvgJwiTCXs7Dz0pwLbytehygfgzlVMS1homi2BNoYVs_JIWiWMw_nixhDusZzkGEJ7ifeRG2qbHU1We_H3Rbin27A8Yk4hJW_ethLOASE/s1600/JaeHi@CinnamonBeach.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>Cinnamon Bay is grander in scale compared to all the other beaches we have been to this week. Also, at least today, there weren't so many people at the beach in the morning, though it started to get more crowded as the day wore on. It certainly has a long stretch of beach with beautiful white sand for Tom and me to walk in the wet sand. We got that and more. Another great thing about beaches here is that you generally have a choice of sitting in the sun or in the shade, because there are usually mangrove trees growing along the beaches, and they provide a shelter-like shade area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACxAWq18l_E_7QvOY3eMGqO9kJ0LF6B05dgX9Qm08dKq6QmeyZGfYXV2w9c0WqA6sWV4aszHmRdpwRUxkKDJ_R-EEOQerrQy6B7CYPe4sK3Gf6uo181XmwxvOr1fgZILoML3fuz4Q4ck/s1600/JaeHi+on+Rock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACxAWq18l_E_7QvOY3eMGqO9kJ0LF6B05dgX9Qm08dKq6QmeyZGfYXV2w9c0WqA6sWV4aszHmRdpwRUxkKDJ_R-EEOQerrQy6B7CYPe4sK3Gf6uo181XmwxvOr1fgZILoML3fuz4Q4ck/s1600/JaeHi+on+Rock.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
We were not looking for much more than hiking in nature and walking along the beach in barefeet, and also sitting where the waves can caress us. I am not sure if it is our age, but boating, canoeing, and snorkeling somehow do not have the same attraction for us that they once had.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WdC858YlDyc-p9FTWJ7lcdq5ie7JD4pq6LLffwUb_TPOHIUv3Goyr0QaRrR3nfcC3LRNfubz1BSkMDXnxnk6jSTQH-ZvlkbOs72S-TlGExne4dWury5l5udBF1ebQXXH26cTYxOsICE/s1600/Tom&JaeHiSelfie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WdC858YlDyc-p9FTWJ7lcdq5ie7JD4pq6LLffwUb_TPOHIUv3Goyr0QaRrR3nfcC3LRNfubz1BSkMDXnxnk6jSTQH-ZvlkbOs72S-TlGExne4dWury5l5udBF1ebQXXH26cTYxOsICE/s1600/Tom&JaeHiSelfie.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
I am learning to take pictures, although it's just with my iPhone. This beautiful backdrop of nature was our photo studio today.JaeHihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752745006771621196noreply@blogger.com