Tomorrow is our second anniversary, and I’m finally getting around to something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Actually, I’ve wanted to do it since about 1997, when I visited my New Testament professor’s home. He and his wife had their vows hanging up in their kitchen for all to see and for them to remember daily. I thought that was such a neat idea.
Plus, Lawrance and I are making our wedding vows a part of our anniversary. Each year, on our anniversary we repeat them to each other again. So, as I’m digging through my hard drive trying to find them, I also stumbled upon the responsive reading we used in our Taiwanese wedding. Of course in the Taiwanese wedding, we used Chinese, but for my planning purposes, I used English.
I’m not sure where the idea came from–at this point it’s anyone’s guess. We had a few goals with our weddings–one was to stress the idea of a covenant, one was to stress grace, and another was to make Scripture central to everything. So, I compiled verses from the Bible into a responsive reading–I do remember it being too long and having a hard time cutting it down to a reasonable length. Another couple that got married after us had a man and woman take turns reading aloud these verses at their wedding, and that worked beautifully too.
Then the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him. (Gen 2:18)
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. (Gen 2:21)
And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. (Gen 2:22)
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Gen 2:24)
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. (Prov 18:22)
House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. (Prov 19:4)
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (Eph 5:22)
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. (Eph 5:23)
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, (Eph 5:25)
Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (Eph 5:28)
You must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Col 3:12)
You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Col 3:13)
And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. (Col 3:14)
And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Col 3:17)
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else. (1 Thessalonians 3:12)
What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. (Mat 19:6)
Perhaps I’ll ask Lawrance when he gets home whether or not we also want to make reading these scriptures together a part of either our Aug 31st or our March 7th celebrations.
And to those of you who are happily married, I encourage you to be an advocate for marriage. There are four ways off the top of my head I can think of that would be a great way to be an advocate for marriage.
1. We hear so many people griping and complaining about marriage–the very gift extended singles are longing for. We need to also hear validation from those who’ve already been given the gift of marriage that it is indeed a good gift. Of course, this must be done with care and sensitivity–but I don’t think in all the years I longed to be married that seeing couples in love and enjoying their married life ever hurt, not once. It might have increased the desire, but it always served to push me closer to the cross.
2. In addition, you can explicitly encourage those who aren’t longing for marriage, to consider marriage and maintain hope. I had a very sweet friend who was also an extended single that emailed a year into her new marriage and asked me how I was doing in regards to desire for marriage. At that time my desires for marriage were just beginning to surface, her questions and encouragement had perfect timing. Her love story, her love for her marriage, and hearing her say “you know it’s ok to admit you want to get married” were SUCH a blessing.
3. You can also explicitly encourage those who think they are unsuitable to be married for whatever lame lie(s) they are believing, to consider marriage. Just like Corrina did for Lawrance–he thought marriage was a slight possibility for him but a LONG way down the road. He had no idea what God had in store for him. Even if you don’t have someone in mind for that person, I still think challenging that kind of person to reconsider and encouraging them to consider marriage is a good thing. Lawrance would totally agree. ;)
4. Ask for permission to prayerfully “be on the look out” for your single friends, and then don’t be afraid to prayerfully and wisely offer suggestions for matches. Because we are so thankful for what Corrina did for us, we often ask our single Christian friends if it would be ok if we helped them be on the look out. We’ve even tried to set up double date–with permission from both sides, with all parties knowing what’s going on. We’ve not “made a match” yet, but not once has ANY of our single friends said “no, please don’t help me look.”
After writing yesterday’s memory, I just wanted to encourage those of you who are in the midst of extend singleness and longing to get married to consider asking close friends and family for help.
Let them know of your desires to be married, let them pray with you and for you, and let them keep their eyes open too.
The most likely way to find a future marriage partner is through an introduction by family, friends or acquaintances. Despite the romantic notion that people meet and fall in love through chance or fate, the evidence suggests that social networks are important in bringing together individuals of similar interests and backgrounds, especially when it comes to selecting a marriage partner. According to a large-scale national survey of sexuality, almost 60 percent of married people were introduced by family, friends, co-workers or other acquaintances.
I know I didn’t ask and wouldn’t have asked anyone and everyone to help me find a husband. But, if you have godly friends who love you and love the Lord, ask for help. It is not shameful to get help in finding a husband or wife. And, if that is the way God chooses to bring a marriage partner into your life . . . it will be an amazing blessing to both you and to them!
Candice Waters has this to say about giving others criteria for what you are looking for when asking others to “be on the look out for you” as you search for a marriage partner:
. . . the point is that having someone ask questions on your behalf ahead of time can go a long way to saving you embarrassment, guarding your heart and protecting your time.
It’s a concept similar to the pre-screening efforts used in business settings — especially employment placement. It’s simply a matter of helping someone who wants to help you have a better sense of what’s really helpful. Rather than mumbling “ah, great,” when someone says, “I have the perfect person in mind for you!” — especially if that person doesn’t know you that well, or you them — you can feel confident letting them know more about what your hopes are.
If they really want to help you, ask if you can give them more detail — a better sense of what God is revealing to you to look for in a mate. If they’re on board, be willing to let them know what your “must-haves” are (e.g., must be a believer), down to your “nice to haves” (likes to play board games, etc.). Friends and family members who have this kind of information will be empowered to “pre-screen” any potential candidates for you. You’ll be helping them move from good intentions to being an informed advocate.
It’s also a way to remove any sense of obligation you’re tempted to feel when friends and family share leads. What you need are opportunities, not more dead ends. Once they have an objective standard to go by, they can help discern if “good leads” really are.
With some well-informed help from your advisers, and a lot of bold prayer, you’ll be a lot closer to marrying well. . .
Two years ago . . . on January 15, 2008 . . . a very dear friend of ours, had lunch with Lawrance and asked him to consider asking me out. That night he did.
We know that our Loving Heavenly Father is the ultimate matchmaker, but we are BOTH so very grateful to our friend Corrina helping (ok, begging) Lawrance to consider Amanda as a potential partner.
You see, Corrina was special. Unlike many other people I’d share my longings to be married with, Corrina wouldn’t promise me that “one day I’d find someone.” She never spouted out trite phrases in an effort to comfort me and then change the topic. Nor did she, as some actually did, tell me that I was better off single because I had more freedom and could do as I pleased.
Instead, Corrina would look at me and say, “I want you to be married too. Marriage is so good. You’d love it so much.”
She delighted in her own marriage and felt free to share that delight with me a hurting single. It wasn’t bragging. It didn’t hurt me more. In fact, it was truly comforting because she was longing for me right along side me. Empathizing.
After one night of some deep empathy and tears, I openly asked Corrina for help. “If you know anyone who you think might make a good husband for me, please introduce us.”
Her reply that night (Jan. 14, 2008) was “Amanda, I think you need to go to a bigger church. Go out, meet more people.” But that night after I left, her heart was heavy as she prayed to God for me asking for wisdom in how to help her friend.
The next day . . . totally unplanned, she bumped into and then had lunch with Lawrance, and half way through, she suddenly thought “ah ha, it’s you!”
The rest is history. Blissful, beautiful history. :)
Us with Corrina, our matchmaker, after our Taiwanese ceremony
Even though I’ve let my blog slip majorly in the past few weeks and months, I couldn’t let my blogaversary and annual tradition of choosing one photo per month slip past.
This will be my fifth year to do this:
2005–was my third year in Taiwan, and I started blogging 2006–my sister got married and my brother came to Taiwan 2007–I moved to a new city, and my cousins came to visit 2008–I met the love of my life; we dated, got engaged, and then married . . . it was perhaps the most perfect year of my entire life. :)
I think I took less photos in all of 2009 than I did in many of the months of 2008. Kinda makes me a little sad, and makes me want to resolve to take more photos in 2010. Anywho, not analyzing anything right now, which I am OH so tempted to do.
Let me get right to the point . . . below you find a month by month look at our 2009 using only one photo per month.
January: We celebrate our first Chinese New Year together in Meinong
February: New Life Bilingual Church in Kaohsiung starts meeting
March: We marry again . . . well, ok, we celebrate our marriage covenant in Taiwan with our Taiwanese friends and family
April: I have my first birthday as a wife (aka, I turn 31)
May: Some of our friends marry . . . and Lawrance is the MC at their wedding banquet
June: We start our summer Sunday afternoon tradition of eating ice after church
July: We go on several dates during the summer . . . Thai food, the beach and more
August: We celebrate our first anniversary in Kenting
September: Sadly Wu Mama is diagnosed with liver cancer
October: Lawrance is a clown (well, maybe he always is one, but at least he LOOKED like one this time)
November: I start studying Chinese again (This is my awesome Chinese teacher)
December: Law’s parents help us to decorate our tree . . . a Wu family first!
The first half of this semester was hard. Weird schedule, lots of new pressures and responsibilities, and a lack of energy.
Unfortunately lack of energy is a vicious cycle–no energy to cook good stuff = eating out; eating out = not always eating the best foods; not eating healthy = no energy.
So, during the midterm week, when I wasn't grading tests or catching up on laundry. I searched for some recipes to turn into the 30 meals project that
Carrie, my RA in college (well, and my college roommate's sister-in-law) told me about on this post. (BTW, thanks Carrie!!)
My requirements were that the recipes:
could be made in less than 20 min,
needed to be low-carbish,
needed to delight mine and my husband's taste buds, and
could be made with things easily found in Taiwan.
Finding meals that meet all four requirements was no small task!
Although Lawrance is generally easy going and not too picky about food, finding things we both love to eat often has proved to be a challenge.
It was SO easy and best of all packed full of flavor!!
I kinda went a bit overboard using freshly cracked black pepper and might have used extra garlic–so our's was not only tangy, but spicy too–she does say to season to taste. :)
This is probably the least low-carb recipe I collected since it uses apricot jam, but it is definitely something I'll be making again before too long.
Side-note to anyone in Taiwan wanting to give this a try: I used half of a jar of Carrefour brand apricot jam (french name on bottle) to cover 6 chicken breast quarters.
There was a joke in one of my foreign language education classes in grad school about a student of French who went to France and came back upset because no one in France knew their lines to the dialogues.
I think here in Taiwan, someone actually could memorize "their lines to the dialogue" because they are most likely going to be asked the same questions in nearly the same order . . . .over and over and over again.
However, one thing to be careful of is that the conversation patterns change depending on what phase of your life you are in.
So, since I've been amused by the conversations I've been having lately, it seems that I'm entering a new phase of repeated conversations.
Here is an actual conversation I had yesterday in Chinese (translated to English by me):
Shop Owner: So, hey, why can you speak Chinese? You been here long?
Me: Yes, I've been here 7 years.
Him: Ah, married?
Me: Yes.
Him: Taiwanese guy?
Me: (with a smile) yes.
Him: Oh yeah! Taiwanese guys are good guys, aren't they!?!
Me: (with an even bigger smile) yes. they are pretty good.
Him: yall have a baby?
Me: No, not yet.
Him: Oh, that is just not right! If you really think we Taiwanese people are good. You should make a little Taiwanese baby!
Me: Well, we've only been married a year.
Him: (visibly surprised) Oh! Just a year! I thought it would be much longer than that since you speak Chinese. . . .So, uh, hey, you a teacher?
This particular shop owner cracked me up. He had a very lively
personality and talked with me for a least 20 minutes while I waited in
his shop.
So, as I hopped on my moped leaving his store, I started thinking, and here are my observations/ponderings:
Observation/Pondering 1:
His reply to the baby question was a new one. Usually it is followed by something along the lines of "oh, mixed blood babies are beautiful. I'm sure your baby will be so gorgeous."
Following, Lawrance's example, I reply to that with "all babies are beautiful." He can get away with it–they stop that line of commenting with him. When I'm alone, whoever I'm talking to (especially the grandmas) insist I don't know what I'm talking about because it is a "known fact that mixed blood babies and the most beautiful in the world." At this point all I can do is smile. (Something Lawrance and I have already talked about is how to help our future children deal with all the compliments they are going to receive while in Taiwan. But that's another topic for another day.)
Observation/Pondering 2:
The other place this conversation usually takes me is to the fact that we don't have a baby yet. I mean come on we've been married a full year, surely there is a little one by now . . . or at least one the way! When the shocked listener finds out, that truly the answer is "no, not yet" four out five times they will respond "加油" (Jia you)!!
Jia you is a cheer that roughly translates to something like "Go! Go! Go!" It is often used to cheer on sports competitors at sporting events or to encourage someone who needs a little encouragement in their studies or to show support to someone who is about to take a test or needs to be brave.
At first I found it quite embarrassing . . . that is because I was listening to it with my American ears. Once I realized that it just meant something more like "good luck!" or "hope you get what you want soon," it has become much less embarrassing.
Observation/Pondering 3:
I find it funny/interesting that everyone I've spoken with so far about my language skills since I've been married seems to think that having a Taiwanese husband explains why I'm pretty fluent in Chinese. This is a new one for me and something I've got to puzzle through and figure out. I mean it totally and completely explains everything they need to know about why I'm here. Before people always wanted to know why I came . . . and that leads to a good opportunity to share the Gospel, but now that question is gone once they know my husband is Taiwanese. Hmmm . . .
That's all my ponderings for now. . . back to course planning and syllabus making I must go.
To celebrate our first year of marriage, Lawrance and I went to Kenting for three days.
We had a great time just being together, relaxing, and being in a beautiful place!!
As for "anniversary traditions," we've decided to read our vows to each other each year and to write and then read a card to each other each year. We'd also like to make it a tradition to just get away for at least one day to be together alone.
This time, Lawrance choose for us to read our vows and cards to each other on the beach. We got there a bit late (after sunset) so we used his cell phone as our flashlight to read to each other on the darkened beach. It was really sweet.
{we first took a tourism train–to kaohsiung–huge seats}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{we had yummy chicken fajitas, just like we did at our wedding}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{we rounded the tip of the island and got to the "other" side}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{our room had a balcony with a view of the ocean}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{sunset from our balcony}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{we couldn't eat our wedding cake (since it's in mom's fridge) but we did get to eat oreo cheesecake}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{natural gas coming up from the ground}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{Law lit sparklers from the natural gas fires and wrote me this message "1-4-3: I Love You"}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{Law got to go Go-karting for the first time}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{Law picked out this really cool bed and breakfast for us to stay in called the "beach house"}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{great view from our third floor room}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{the white and blue is so fun!}
~*~*~*~*~*~
{it's main drawback was that it had REALLY steep stairs}
~*~*~*~*~*~
We did go to the beach twice . . . but those photos are on Law's cell phone.
And, even though we used 50 SPF, we both still got sunburned. :(
One of our favorite restaurants is called DuDu Cafe. It is a family style restaurant that serves food that is most similar to Chinese dishes you might find in the States.
Sunday, after worshiping the most high God and fellowshiping with our church family, Lawrance and I took a three hour nap. I guess we were tired. :)
When we woke up, Lawrance asked if he could invite me to the beach. I said, "Yes!! Let's go now, before the sunsets!!"
We got there and were actually surprised to see so many people there! Last time we were there it was during the school year, and we were the only ones there. :)
This beach is only about 8 minutes from our house . . . we should go there more often. And it's cool because the sand is black.
So, here we are last spring and this summer . . . then just dating and now married 11 months . . .
God is kind! :)
I am so thankful to my very generous AbBa Fu (Daddy God) who has given me such a kind, considerate, patient husband who cherishes me, protects me, meets my needs, and invites me to go with him to the beach!! :)
I'm not sure how many of my cousins were given a batch of these to eat on their honeymoons, but I know my sister and her groom got a batch, and so did we.
That's how good they are . . . you will want to eat them on your honeymoon. (Ok, so maybe the real reason you want to eat them on your honeymoon is because you are trying to save money broke after the wedding and they are easy to pack and carry. BUT, being practical doesn't make them any less yummy).
So since I've not enjoyed these treats in nearly a year, I was really craving some. So, I pulled out my grandmother's recipe and made a batch. If you follow her recipe you are going to get a "yeild" of several dozens of muffins. I mean come on . . . it calls for 9 eggs, 6 cups of carrots, and 3 cups of oil!!
At first I was trying to figure out how to half the recipe–but how do you put in 4.5 eggs? Then I figured out she must have TIPPLED the recipe. There was no way I was only going to make a mere 1/3 of a batch . . . I wanted extras to freeze for later.
So, on Saturday I made this GREAT, BIG, HUGE batch of carrot muffins! YUMMY!!!!
I also discovered that Grandmother must shred her carrots because I grated mine . . . . and there is a difference (in texture, not taste). So, if you are wanting to "hide" the carrot aspect from children, I recommend shredding, not grating the carrots. But, if you are wanting them to feel more "hearty" then grate them instead.
So, without further adieu . . . here is my grandmother's recipe for Honeymoon Muffins. :)
6 cups flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat, and 4 all purpose) 3 ¾ cups sugar 6 t soda 6 t cinnamon 1 ½ t salt 6 cups grated carrots 1 ½ cup raisins 1 ½ cups coconut 1 ½ cups pecans 9 eggs 3 cups oil 3 shredded apples (I left the skin on–this makes them SO moist) 6 t vanilla
In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in carrots, raisins, coconut and pecans.
In separate bowl, combine
eggs, oil, apples, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture. Stir only until
combined. Spoon into lined or greased muffin tins.
Bake at 350°F for 15
– 18 minutes.
Like I mentioned before, these muffins freeze very well. Either let them thaw on their own or pop them in the microwave oven for just a bit and eat hot.
Summer vacation is not here for me quite yet. Grades are due this Friday. And, Lawrance just started working full time two weeks ago (YAY!! PTL for his new promotion from part-time teacher to director of the English program!!) .
Everyone keeps asking me what I'm doing for my summer break. I reply "just being a housewife."
Without exception every Taiwanese friend, student, and stranger I've had this conversation with then expresses their sympathies for me, trying to cheer me up.
What they don't realize is that I need no cheering up. I am SO looking forward to the month of July where I get to be a full time housewife for the first time in my life. I've already enjoyed these past two weeks of laundry and washing dishes . . . it's so much easier and more enjoyable when I can do it during my day as time allows and as my work for the day rather than as a chore I must squeeze in before going to work.
They don't get it.
I don't know. Maybe you won't either . . . maybe you think, "silly girl, wait to you've done ten (twenty, thirty) years of your man's dirty laundry–then we'll talk about the 'joy' you have then."
They also worry about me being lonely being home alone all day. How could I possibly look forward to being home alone all day with nothing to do but take care of the home?
Depending on the situation and/or depth of the relationship, I will remind them that not too long ago I was living alone all day everyday. Now, I have someone to anticipate coming home to me. Now, I get to eagerly wait for him to call me and return back to me. It's WAY better than living alone 24/7.
And, crazy as it may sound, it is way more fun to clear the table, change the sheets, dust the furniture, or what-have-you when I know I am blessing someone else. When it was just me living here . . . OH it was SO miserable "keeping house."
I hated it with a passion.
I secretly wondered if I'd even make a good wife. My married friends were able to manage their households of 3 or 4 or 5 . . . . and me? well, I was struggling with my little household of 1. :(
I know I wouldn't score perfectly in housekeeping 101 (I thank God my hubby is so patient and understanding), but I do know (again, crazy as it may sound) keeping house is a lot more fun and rewarding and joyful when I'm not the only one making the messes. ;)
So, yes, I totally look forward to a "boring" summer of being a stay-at-home wife. I'll be honest: it almost feels as if I get to "play" at being a house keeping wife. I'm all giddy and happy about it. Is it weird that I feel that way?
And, actually, it feels like I'm getting to live my dream. For the latter half of my 20's I dreamed about being married . . . I longed to have someone's socks to wash and underwear to fold.
Speaking of . . . I think there's a basket a clean laundry awaiting me in the other room right now as I speak!
In my opinion, our living room is comfy. We've not finished decorating it yet. We have a few more pillows to add. And, the things along the wall with the TV aren't permanent.
We are blessed by having a huge window in our living room. And, it has a "window seat"/ledge. Of course it is too scary to actually sit on since we live on the 7th floor and it is ALL WINDOW. :) So, we keep wedding photos on it.
If you were to sit on it and look out across our home, this is what you'd see.
We keep two baskets by the front door. One for guest slippers and one for Gilby's toys (which he has too many of and needs to declutter).
In between the living room and dinning area is a "little hallway" to the bedroom. Next to the front door in this little hallway is our shoe cabinet. And. here it is open and closed.
Here is a close up of the things hanging on the walls in our living room in addition to our new wall hanging that is.
And that's all for now. We have a guest bedroom, a study, and a hall bathroom too, but they are still in need of a bit of "spring cleaning" that will hopefully take place this summer. So, that would make it summer cleaning, but that just sounds so totally wrong! Anywho, thanks for coming along this week and touring our home from afar! :D
Like I mentioned yesterday, I totally love our tiny tropical master bathroom.
All our monkey stuff came from my bridal shower in the States–from my aunts.
When one of my aunts asked me about the back story of the monkeys my simple answer was "I took my kid brother to help me register. :)
I later double checked with Law about the monkeys and he LOVED them too.
So . . . as a result, this room saw the largest transformation due to marriage. :)
It truly is tiny. :) (The photo's kinda blurry. oops.)
Some of the really cute monkey stuff. :)
When I visited Japan, every home I stayed in had a calendar hanging across from the toilet. I have NO clue if it was just coincidence or if it is an actual Japanese cultural thing.
However, I kinda liked the idea. So, every time you hear nature's call you can review your monthly appointments. :)
Can you see why I love it? Isn't it SO cute?? :)
Tomorrow, the last day of our apartment tour, I'll show you around our living room.
We've not hung anything on our bedroom walls yet . . . it is on my to do list . . . maybe this summer.
The doorway to our bedroom is kinda unique. It opens right up into the bathroom and to the left is the bedroom.
My bedroom used to be light tan and blue. In order to keep most of the decorations that I have (lamps, wall hangings, flowers) but make it a bit more masculine, we decided to juts change the bed linens. When I was back in the States, I fall in love with this duvet cover that added a dark brown. So, my best friend gave us the duvet cover as a wedding gift.
Our closets. Unlike in America, they are not built in. Here is a little confession . . . I take up two and a hallf, Lawrance only takes up half of one . . . poor guy. However, he does get twice as much dresser drawer space–so maybe it's fair after all. Nah . . . it's probably not! :)
Here is totally boring photo . . . but this is what you can see from the bed. It is our dresser and make up table. Along with our laundry baskets. I'm not sure where I got the idea from, but we sort our dirty laundry as we throw them into the right hamper–lights, darks, and towels/sheets. (I don't like the baskets out in the open, but it is practical and there is no where else for them to go.)
And, that's it for our very simple master bedroom. :) Tomorrow, I'll show you our tiny tropical master bathroom that I just LOVE! :)
Welcome to our tiny kitchen. It is literally about 2-3 foot wide to about 7-8 foot long. We can stand side by side, but passing each other to get back and forth is not easy.
It didn't take long for me to begin to despise what I once appreciated . . . kitchen counter space!!!
At first I was SO happy with the counter top space. Very quickly I began to complain again that they were too small.
If you are standing at the door way to the kitchen, this is what you will see:
Stepping past the new fridge, you'll see the sink with the dish dryer over it. Of course if you want see exactly this view, you're going to have to step outside onto our porch.
Turning around to the left, you'll see this on the right:
and this on the left. It is our "pantry." And, yes, it is all
totally open–no pantries are needed when you shop fresh at the market
daily (which I don't, so hence the need for a pantry).
At the end of the kitchen, if you turn around, you'll see this.
Right behind our sink are double glass doors leading to our laundry porch.
And if you come back to the kitchen doorway and look the other way, you'll see where we eat. That's our bedroom door in the background.
This photo taken from our bedroom doorway shows the kitchen/dinning room table and cabinet where we store all the dry baking goods and Lawrance's snacks as well as keep our rice cooker, little oven, and cookbooks.
First, we signed the guest book and gave the people at the table our wedding gift (a red envelope with cash inside). They immediately record the names on the red envelope and the amount of the gift. In modern Taiwanese culture, the majority of the money given at the wedding goes towards paying for the banquet.
And the banquet room was really festive with balloons everywhere!
After the guests had found their tables and sat down, the bridal party and bride and groom entered the banquet hall. The flower children came in after the groomsman and maid of honor, the only thing that indicates that they are there is that someone had tied helium balloons to their wrists. (The man speaking the Chinese . . . that's my hubby, he was the MC of the banquet.)
Thanking all the guests for coming by toasting from the font stage.
Since I didn't get many photos of the food from our banquet, I made sure to get a photo of EVERY SINGLE dish taken at their wedding as well as some of the drinks.
There were around 25 tables.
Here's the view of our table.
After a few dishes . . .bride and groom enter again, this time with the bride in a new dress.
Games and tricks on brides and grooms is a HUGE part of most wedding banquets. This very private couple didn't want to be embarrassed. So, Lawrance and I came up with a game for the new couple to play. He asked them questions such as "who fell in love first" and "who will hold the remote control to the TV." Then they decided who and held up a photo of the one they thought was the answer.
Their "punishment" for not agreeing with each other was for MeiShiang to find (with her hands only, eyes closed) some black file clips that Lawrance had hid on GouJong–one for every question "wrong."
They also had the really sweet idea to "reward" their guests with a "lucky draw." They asked their guests to leave words of blessings on little cards and then drew out 30 of the blessings to read aloud during the banquet. Those whose blessings were read aloud were given homemade mango pudding as a reward.
They then went table to table toasting their guests ten at a time.
After the toasting, they disappeared for awhile and came back with the bride in dress number three and ready to give away the bride's bouquet.
They had a really unique way of giving away the bouquet. They called all their single friends–male and female–up to the front by name. Then handed each one a red string. One of the red strings was attached to the bouquet. The one with the lucky attached string got to keep the bouquet. The rest went home with consolatory chopsticks.
After the banquet, they stood at the door and "song ke." They passed out roses (the first time I'd seen that) and candy as they said goodbye and thanks for coming to their guests. And of course took time to take photos with their guests too. :)
This past weekend, Lawrance and I had the privilege to attend our first Taiwanese couple wedding as a married couple. (We attended a wedding in Taiwan earlier this year . . . but both the bride and groom were American.)
It was a sheer joy to watch these two friends–both believers–commit
to living life together forever.
The elder who helped them with their
vows so totally STRESSED that this was a forever thing. He even made
them take 10 seconds to reconsider their desire to marry and gave them a chance to back out
guilt free if they wanted to.
Because the churches here are small and because the wedding party is usually just one best man and one bridesmaid (in white too), usually the groom comes down the center aisle before the bride. So . . . here comes the groom . . .
and the bride too . . .
Lawrance was able to get the cute flower girl to smile for the camera.
They repeated their vows together at the same time both facing forward. I'm glad they got to say vows at all though . . . because many times Taiwanese weddings have no spoken vows.
We live in Taiwan--a little tea leaf shaped island in Asia.
Amanda is from Texas and Lawrance from Tainan. We met, fell in love and married in 2008.
We both teach English and both love to tell others about Jesus. We also both really enjoy laughing, and we both just happen to enjoy "ching cha," a type of fabulous green tea.
Tomorrow is our second anniversary, and I’m finally getting around to something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Actually, I’ve wanted to do it since about 1997, when I visited my New Testament professor’s home. He and his wife had their vows hanging up in their kitchen for all to see and for them to remember daily. I thought that was such a neat idea.
And to those of you who are happily married, I encourage you to be an advocate for marriage. There are four ways off the top of my head I can think of that would be a great way to be an advocate for marriage.
After writing yesterday’s memory
