Whale you be my friend?

I think it's so phenomenal what a camera can capture. It can take a nuclear polluted pond (Pictured behind me) and make it appear like we are in Bora Bora. (OH HOW I WISH WE ARE IN BORA BORA!!)

My husband is now head over heels, or shall I say head over loafers obsessed with photography. He is watching youtube videos non-stop, studying the manual and upgrading lenses on a camera that's not even ours. He's taking pictures of the keyboard as we speak. 

Whale shirt and shorts: Jcrew

Belt: Shopruche

Thank you so much to everyone for leaving such encouraging and loving comments on my last post about Grace's special gift. Thanks also for the emails. There are a few of you who I don't know how to properly thank and respond to, since I wasn't able to find a blog to comment back on or an email address that I can write to, so I just wanted to say thank you again on this post.

I have met so many great friends through Sunny with a side of. This has been such a wonderful community, I appreciate all of you for following/reading and being a part of our lives. It has also been exciting getting to know all of you as well. 

So this is just a super brief post to express my gratitude to you, I've really enjoyed all your friendship. Lets stay in touch:

Facebook |  Bloglovin |  Instagram | GFC

Whale you be my friend? ;)

Linking up this week with Style Elixir, Fashion and Beauty Finds, and Real girl glam

A Special Gift for Grace

I was moved to tears today when I received this package from our good friends, Rachel and Jon. It was from Rachel's thoughtful grandparents, Tom and Mary and their wonderful church in California. It was a beautiful soft blanket, hand-made by someone whom we have never met, and given to Grace by a church congregation that has been diligently praying for our daughter over the past year. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was so touched that these remarkable people have been praying for Grace this entire year, thinking of her everyday, wishing her well and loving her so much. I was partly in disbelief, and then it hit me: THIS is why she is doing so well. THIS is why she continues to be a miracle each and everyday. THIS is why we never lose hope, no matter how discouraging things get. Sometimes I still become sad because she can't walk by herself or talk yet, her left side is weak, and she is still behind most kids her age, but my goodness... she is ALIVE, and HAPPY. She is seizure free and cured. She is here with us today because of God's grace and faithful prayer warriors from across the nation who continue to believe in her, and think about her everyday. This package today reminded me again of how incredible and unified the church congregation is, and gave me hope that I sometimes lose. It reminded me of why Grace went through all that she did - she's a testimony and a constant reminder of God's goodness, faithfulness, and the power of the body of Christ. For those of you who are new to Grace's story, you can read her original journey starting from here.

While Grace was holding the letter, she looked at it like she knew how special it is. She knew that it was for her, and she smiled. Then she proceeded to try to wrinkle it up, and I took it away from her just before she tried to eat it. This letter and blanket is such a gift, and I will plan to keep it with all of her other treasures that were given to us so that she may open them someday and remember how much she is loved.

Thank you, Tom and Mary. I am eternally grateful to you and your church. The little girl that you see in the pictures above, her happy smiles and great progress is partly because of you. I know you are not the only ones who continue to think of Grace and pray for her. Her journey is not over and she still has along way to go, but we know that you'll be here with us.

Thank you again to our friends in Chicago, CCUC, Joshua Fellowship, Lansing/Michigan friends, South Church, CCCC in Cleveland, friends in St. Louis, Autumn Ridge in Rochester, Rochester Chinese Church, MSU CCF crew, Oregon friends and of course, thank you to all our supportive friends who read Sunny with a side of on the blogosphere, who have lifted up our family with encouraging words and thoughts. This child is so blessed beyond words can describe, and I will continue to share her growth with you throughout the years. You have all become such an important part of our lives, and I can not imagine how we could have gotten through last year's hardships without you! We love you guys, and hope that you will all be able to meet this little girl you have been praying so hard for. We want her to grow up knowing and remembering how much she is loved.

This is my first time posting a video, it's a little small, but here is a clip of Grace walking with her walker:

Gingham styling when I retire

Top: Banana Republic

Shorts: Jcrew

Flats: Jcrew

Bag: Prada

So this topic has nothing to do with the outfit, but I think most of you have figured out by now that I babble about random things completely unrelated to fashion posts. That’s what makes blogging fun, I suppose. You get to do/say a little bit of everything. Today my random, nonsense thought of the day was triggered by a home visit that I made to one of my older patients last week who lives by himself. It got me thinking…

Have you guys ever thought about what you would want to do on a typical day after you retire? You must think I’m crazy. Maybe I’m just working around too many old people. Seriously though, our lives are busy now, but one day (for me, 35 years from now), we will have NO WORK to do. No deadlines to meet. No projects to complete. Our days will be free and empty…. To do what?

So I was thinking about this in the bathroom the other day how I would want to plan out each day:

My daily retirement schedule:

Wake up at ANYTIME! Lets say 9AM.  

Read the paper (or maybe in 2048 they’ll have CMR** brain chips that will deliver all information to us through wireless magnetic downloads), have breakfast and drink my coffee.

10-10:30 AM: Gentle exercising - Tai Chi (This has been proven to reduce the risk of falls in the elderly) or Yoga, if my osteoporotic hips will still allow

10:30-11AM: Shower and get my hair did with my nursing home friends

11-Noon: Watch The Price is right. This show will be on FOREVER…. And I will watch it through my CMR brain chip. Either that, or Young and the Restless, which will also be on forever.

Noon-1: Lunch

1-3 pm: Nap time! Yes, I love long naps

3-4 pm: Tea and biscuits with the ladies. Maybe play some Mahjong or cards, specifically Euchre

4-6 pm: Happy hour: Read my favorite books. Boy so many books to catch up on. I want to re-read all the classics, all the Stephen King and Michael Crichton series, maybe re-read the Babysitters Club. Knit/sew for the grandkids. Do my quiet-times/read the word/pray. Take granny blog pictures of the latest and greatest denture products and hearing aids J Yes, I will still be blogging at that time. Will you still be reading along? My goal is 10,000 bloglovin friends by that time

6-7 pm: Dinner

7-8 pm After dinner walk/stroll/exercise regimen

And here’s the best part:

8pm- Bedtime: Popcorn and movie night EVERY NIGHT. I plan to catch up on all the TV show series I’ve stopped following- like LOST, Glee, Grey’s anatomy, 24 and Breaking Bad. Just to name a few.

HOW AWESOME WOULD THESE DAYS BE??? What would you guys do?? I can't wait to retire. Golden years, here I come!

**CMR = cellular memory review

Linking up this week with Style Elixir, Coffeebeans and Bobby Pins, Plane Pretty

Parks, Pool Parties and Barbecues: Long live Summer 2013

This week we discovered some new local Parks...

Top: Shopruche (Old)

Shorts: J.Crew

Wedges: Clarks

Aaron's shirt: Southern tide

Enjoyed a pool party and met some new friends

....and indulged in a backyard Barbecue

Maybe I'm experiencing some sort of midlife crisis at 30, but lately I've been wanting to capture every memory. I can't stop taking pictures and documenting everything that we are doing. These small snippets of happiness with friends and family are only a part of a chapter of our lives that will soon change again. Who knows, this time next year we could be somewhere else with a whole new group of friends. Will I ever be able to do this with the same people again?

Think back to your life 10 years ago. What were you doing then? What were some of your most pleasant memories? 10 years ago I was in college, having the time of my life with a group of God-loving friends who shaped my character and soul, and whom I will never forget. Those details are stored on an organic memory-drive deep within my brain that will someday probably degenerate into nothing. Not to sound morbid. I can't tell you how many times I've wished that I could go back to those days and live out those times again, but change is inevitable, and change is good. Change is life.

I want Grace to look back and see how happy she was while she was growing up. We are so fortunate to live in a time period where technology allows us to capture such intricate and attentive details of our lives. As silly as it sounds, documenting something as simple as what we did during our summer of 2013 with great friends and family will be met with smiles and nostalgia in another 10 years from now. Especially when Grace, at age 12 asks us someday "What was I like as a baby?"

She'll see these pictures and know that she loved to smile, she had a good friend named Annabelle who she shared corn and toys with together, she enjoyed pool parties and stroller rides to the park, grandma and grandpa loved her dearly, and her mommy use to be young and tried to be fashionable... but oh for pete's sake what IS MOMMY WEARING?

I hope it's okay that I weave some snippets of my life with my attempted fashion posts. It helps me remember, appreciate, and give thanks for all the great things that God continues to bless our lives with. Thank you for being part of it!

Linking up this week with Plane Pretty