Trip to San Diego is just as fun as being there.

My flight wasn't as "adventurous" as my friend Jen's is. Then again, things that happen to her don't usually happen to normal people, and she's extraordinary.

I sat next to this lady that was reading "The Shack." She's at the beginning of the book, so I had to try REALLY hard not to give away my favorite scenes! She's on her way to see her son graduate from Marine boot camp, and hasn't seen him since he left over 3 months ago. Just listening to her, and seeing how excited she is going to see her son, I started picturing her running onto the marching field to hug and smooch her "boy", and maybe give a squeeze to his cheeks. To all my military family and friends, did your mom embarrass you on the marching field when she saw you? :-)

For 13 weeks, the military have trained and molded these boys to fighting men, and then in one day Mom can tear that down to her baby boy again. The final and ultimate test to see if the training stuck.

That's just righteous!

Austin's way of ringing in the New Year.

Last year on New Years Eve, I celebrated the new year by staying home with a fireplace, S'mores, and Bourne Trilogy. This Year (well, now last year), I celebrated the New Year on a Party Barge!! My church was doing a fundraiser thing for a group we're sending to Egypt by inviting 140 people on a barge to ring in the new year and chat with the ladies headed for Egypt.

It started mildly when my friends and I boarded the boat, and saw a lot of friends I haven't seen for a great while. Since our church is getting big and has 4 different services, I haven't seen a lot of my friends so it was great to meet up with them last night on the barge. The Barge is a two story boat, with the outside deck as the 2nd floor. What made it extraordinary was when my amazing friends Char, Emily, Wendy, Jen, Tracy, Heather, and Dana got altogether, and I've been in stitches throughout the whole time that my sides hurt from laughing so hard. I wish I could put down all the details on this blog, but there's too much.

Later, we disembarked to watch the fireworks at Auditorium Shores, where the city built a wooden clock to represent the Year 2008 just to set it on fire. I guess it's an art expression of making room for the new year. Earlier, when we were driving to the barge party, we watched the blazing clock while were stuck on Riverside Dr. (Everyone driving decided to stop in the middle of the street to watch, turning the street into a parking lot.) By the time we got back to the Auditorium Shores, the clock was reduced to a small bonfire in the middle of the park.

At midnight, the fireworks began, and kept on going that we looked at each other asking if it was over yet. Quite a few times they had a barage of fireworks like the usual finale, but then continued on. By the time the real finale came, and we all cheered that it was finally over.

This has been an awesome end of the year for me, as in the last 2 months. Surrounded by loving friends and church family, I can truly say I've been truly blessed in 2008.

2008 - Year of the Onion

I wish I can say 2008 was awesome for me...well, in a way it was. It's good to look back and see what I've gone through and what prayers been answered. Looking back, I've seen received blessings, missed opportunities, painful lessons (too many of those), and finally doing what the Lord has been telling me to do: resting. It's been the year of the Onion. I'm the onion, and God has been peeling my layers back. It doesn't tickle. No wonder when you cut through an onion tears are bound that follow. It not only stinks, it also hurts.

2008 has been my transitional year. After traveling for a year and a half, going to another city every 3 months, and then to stop in one place "permanently" has not been an easy task. In November, last year, I took a permanent staff position in Austin, but my mind wanted to gear up for the next city, and had a problem listening to God speaking to my heart to stay in Austin, and it's been a tug-of-war between mind and heart to stay in one place for the Lord. With that, I lost sight of why I was to stop. It wasn't to serve, but to rest. He whispered it to me to rest since I returned to Austin last August ('07), but I didn't really listen very well until in May when I went to my church's Women's Retreat where He made it very clear to rest, and how to do that. Since then, I've stepped down from ministries I was involved with, but still available to volunteer for little things around the church office, when asked. Since then, the Lord has been peeling away LAYERS of barriers, obstacles, and other issues of my life that I apparently was hiding behind to reveal the real Leona that He sees (work still in progress).

It goes to shows that no matter how "strong" you think you are in Christ, you're not. I'm not perfect. 2008 has been refreshing and revealing that I wouldn't change my experiences if I had a choice to go back. Maybe start resting earlier in the year....like August '07. Can't wait to see what's in stored for in 2009.

The best blessings I received in 2008 are my amazing Austin friends that started popping up in my life since May. Laughter is the best medicine, and they've kept me laughing since I met them. Thank you, ladies (and gentlemen). You know who you are, and I praise God for you in my life.

"I have refined you,
though not as silver;
I have tested you in the
furnace of affliction."
Isaiah 48:10

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while
you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
These have come so that your faith
-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire --
may be proved genuine and may result
in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
1 Peter 1:6-7

All-American Holiday Feasts.

This holiday season has been interesting and revealing for me. Where do I start? I'm a Filipino-American born in the US. I have eaten plenty of American food, and my mom has done a pretty good job learning to cook my dad's favorite American dishes when she married my dad and came to the US. However, after 38 years of my life, this is the first holiday I had a COMPLETE American Holiday spread of food. That's right. FIRST!

Every holiday with my family we would have a turkey, ham, and even hamhocks and beans. Maybe occasional american fixin's like canned cranberry sauce and stuffing. But, the rest of the food on the table was Filipino food. No complaints here. My mom is an excellent cook. Filipinos are biased to their own mom's cooking, but even my friends would say that my mom cooks better their moms (maybe a little pride there ;))

This year is my 3rd year away from that family tradition, but my first year to enjoy a sit down home cook American dinner/lunch for the holidays. My friends Dan and Jess invited me to their place for Thanksgiving, and made a full Thanksgiving spread for 4 people. A lot of food, and awesome to feast on. First time I had REAL cranberry chutney and candied yams (my mom's was canned.) It was amazing altogether.

On Christmas, my friend Kari invited me to celebrate Christmas with her family. They had the usual Ham, but they also had Green Bean Casserole and a Broccoli/Rice Casserole. That's when it dawned on me that I really haven't had an all-american holiday meal until this year. Restaurants don't count. I never had a Green Bean casserole or Broccoli and Rice Casserole until that day at Kari's uncle's house. It was good, and I went back for seconds. There was also a salad with yogurt (?), walnuts, fruit, and mini marshmellows. I don't know what it's called, but that was GOOOD too.

You'd never know what you've been missing unless you go outside your secure little box. This has been an interesting year....more to come on that later.

Old mill in Arkansas

I was looking through all my pics and reminicing, and found some that I forgot to post when I got back to Austin. When I was driving down from St Louis, I decided to go through Little Rock, AR. I read about this old mill in Little Rock that looked interesting, so I went to check it out since I had the time. I found out that this whole thing is a "sculpture" replica of Pugh's Mill, an old working mill in the 19th century. To me, it looked like I stepped into a Hobbit book, and felt tall when I walked through the mill. Definitely too small to live in it.

You'll never know what's around you, unless you really look.

random memories....

Have you ever had one of your senses jog your memory? I love it when I smell, hear, or taste something, like pine, fireplaces, or Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte that would remind me of an event or just something in the past. Just one taste, and I'm remembering the places I've been in the past holidays when I last drank it. Aw, memories....

I love the holidays.

I miss road trips...

This is starting to become a "what Leona loves" blog site. My last few blogs began with "I love..." And, to not disappoint:

I forgot how I miss and love road trips, until I had to road trip to San Diego from Austin, TX recently. So many trivial questions came to my mind as I drove, and it was like de ja vu. I remember asking those same questions when I was driving around the country as a travel nurse. Just a glimpse:



What's it like to live in a small town, with population <3000? I've never lived anywhere, even rural (Ramona, CA) with population <15,000.

Do EVERY city have their own urban sculptures? Guitars in Austin, Urban trees in San Diego, Polar bears in Vancouver, cows in Denver and San Antonio, small hogs in Sedona, AZ,... click here to see what I'm talking about.

Why do small towns all have water towers with the town name on them? Definitely couldn't see a water tower with "San Diego" on it when you drive into San Diego, even if it was on Mount Soledad or Mount Helix.

There are no water towers in towns so small that it's the size of one or two blocks.

This may be the first time I've ever seen (insert city name here), and am amazed, but for everyone around me, it's just another day at home/work.

Never stop at the rest stop in the middle of California's desert dunes. Stinky.

Who can I call while I'm driving through West Texas?


This makes me want to be a travel nurse again, just to experience it again. But, I won't until the Lord says "Go". Lord, I'll wait.

A 4 year old's version of breakdancing.

I went to my niece's wedding this past weekend, and while she and her son were dancing together, he started dancing like this. I didn't catch his head stance, but was able to get the rest. You gotta love him. I didn't know he had it in him.