| no more livejournals |
[Jan. 13th, 2008|01:19 pm] |
Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm going to change my blogs to blogspot instead of livejournals. (But i'll still read my friends live journals!)
my new blog is hitosea.blogspot.com (hawaii to seattle) |
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| Success |
[Sep. 30th, 2007|07:44 pm] |
Just returned from Portland after participating in the LiveStrong Challenge....and what an incredible experience. My team, 4forDiane was able to raise over $10,000. We were qualified for a dinner the night before to hear Lance Armstrong, and other incredibly motivating people speak (one being a boy who turned 15 three days ago, and reduced EVERYONE to tears. He is a cancer survivor, and finished his last round of chemo this year. He helped raise over $30,000 this year. He talked about his experience battling cancer, which was incredibly emotional as is. But then he called his younger sister up to the podium, and told her that she deserves the honors, because for the past few years all of the attention has been on him, and she's always been incredibly supportive and never complaining, and how much he loves having her as a sister. Well, i'm sure i didn't do his speech justice, but I think that was the jist of it).
Today was the race. Stace and Ryan were doing the 40 mile bike ride, and Dustin and I were doing the 5K. We left the hotel at 6 am. It was pouring rain. Stace and Ryan started at 8. Still raining. Dustin and I started at 9. Still raining. =)
While waiting to start the run, I was watching the big jumbotron where they display pictures of people who have passed away from cancer, and there was a picture of my mom! Turns out Ryan had submitted her picture, and it just so happened that about 3 minutes before the race started, my moms picture showed up.
Can't quite describe how i felt....but i knew that mom was there with us, cheering us on, proud of what we were doing.
I had two goals, my first was to be able to run continuously for the entire 5K. my 2nd was to run it under 45 minutes. I am pleased to announce that i accomplished both goals. I ran the 5K in 30 minutes and 45 seconds. =)
This was an incredible experience, and one that I won't forget. |
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| birthday.... |
[Sep. 19th, 2007|08:36 pm] |
I miss you mom.
You would be 63 today. |
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| graceful me |
[Sep. 9th, 2007|01:51 pm] |
ha. graceful cecily makes a special appearance today while preparing for her livestrong run challenge. Dustin and i were running and about 15 minutes into our run, graceful cec leaps out and takes a tumble on the concrete sidewalk. no dog, no squirrel, no rock, not even a crack in the sidewalk was to be found. Graceful Cec tripped over a thick patch of air. =) Graceful cec immediately disappeared, and trooper cec kicked in, shook it off (didn't even tear up) and ran back to the apartment to clean up. (half way through the trip back, self-conscious cec appeared and mopped up the blood dripping from her knee with her hat so that she wouldn't attract too much attention).
So here i sit, icing my thick upper lip and the scratches right below my eye (thank goodness my eye is alright!) i have a pretty nice set of scratches on my right knee, the palms of both of my hands are missing some chunks of skin, =) and my right shoulder is pretty scraped up.
=) Dustin said i am no longer allowed to workout in the month of September. (Last year at this time i broke my arm during a softball game) =)
Happy September everyone! |
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| Livestrong Challenge |
[Aug. 29th, 2007|09:34 pm] |
Dear Friends,
As you all know, this has been a very difficult time for the Yang family.
My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer last summer, and immediately
began aggressive chemotherapy treatment. The doctors estimated she had
about 2-3 months. But at the start of her very first chemotherapy
session, she said “the battle has begun, and I am ready to fight”. And
boy did she put up a fight.
My mom was able to celebrate Christmas with us. She was able to see my
sister Stacy get married in April. She was able to visit with friends,
and spend quality time with family.
My mom passed away on June 3rd, 2007. She lived a full 10 months after
her diagnosis.
For those of you who didn’t know my mom, she was amazing. Beautiful,
creative, caring, funny, patient, and incredibly strong. She was a
fighter, and I am so proud of her. So in her honor, I decided to
participate in the Livestrong Challenge, which helps raise money for the
Lance Armstrong Foundation which inspires and empowers people affected by
cancer. Dustin, Stacy, her husband Ryan, and I will be running/biking in
Portland under the team name 4 for Diane. I have to raise $200 but my
personal goal is to raise $1,500 in support of the fight against cancer.
This is a big goal, one that I will need the support of people like you
to achieve.
I’m doing this because one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer
during their lifetime. I’m doing this for my mom, who was one of those
three. I’m doing this because I’m grateful to be healthy and I don’t want
to take that for granted. Mostly, though, I’m doing this because I can.
Please support me by making a donation to this worthy cause. Thank you in
advance for your generosity and understanding how important this cause and
event are to me.
Sincerely,
Cecily
Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts
to support Lance Armstrong Foundation
http://portland07.livestrong.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=219861&u=219861-181367619&e=1224431690 |
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| ALIVE!!! |
[Aug. 16th, 2007|08:44 am] |
Just got a call from Dustin. He's alive. =)
We didn't talk long, but he wanted to call me cause he knew i would worry. He said that they felt the earthquake, and that it was like being on a boat. Everyone's fine, exhausted and stinky, but fine.
So i can breath again |
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| Sorting Hat |
[Aug. 12th, 2007|07:59 pm] |
The sorting hat says that I belong in Hufflepuff! Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot, and treat them just the same." Hufflepuff students are friendly, fair-minded, modest, and hard-working. A well-known member was Cedric Digory, who represented Hogwarts in the most recent Triwizard Tournament. </td> Take the most scientific Harry Potter
Quiz ever created.</p> Get Sorted Now!
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| Smart Question/Deep Thoughts |
[Aug. 11th, 2007|02:46 am] |
So, following Tim's lead, here's my smart question of the day/week/month/year.
What is the difference between Success and Fulfillment?
Deep thought:
If you could write your own obituary, what would it say?
How would you define yourself?
and for a fun kick- what's your theme song?
I guess really breaking things down to what's important.
Success to me is preparing my kids for the next grade and fostering their love of learning
Fulfillment to me is having a student and his/her parents tell me what a difference i've made in their childs life, and how they've come to love learning. Narrowing it down, I guess fullfilment to me is being appreciated for a job well done. Being loved.
I would like to be known as someone who helped make the world a better place. not necessarily by recycling or caring for the earth (although that's very important) =), but by human interactions. Working together for the common good (and what better way to do this than by teaching the young?)
Defining myself...I always assume that people will do what is right and i will occasionally get disappointed. I believe everyone has the opportunity to do good, to be good. I believe that there really is a positive side to any situation. Trust, honesty, love, interactions
theme song- walking on sunshine. =)
alright, that's enough deep thinking for now (uncle came into town and he's been talking for the past 2 1/2 hours. I finally excused myself so that i could write this and go to bed) =) |
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| wii boxing |
[Aug. 9th, 2007|08:58 pm] |
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I just beat Yoh, Andy, and Eathan in wi-i boxing. So far I'm 5-0. =) i like this game. (but i'll be sore tomorrow!) =) Nothing like a girl (Who's wearing a skirt) beating three boys in boxing. =) |
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| Poor Boyfriend |
[Aug. 7th, 2007|07:41 pm] |
My poor boyfriend. Plans on going to Mt. Rainier to hike with his family friends in my car. Got to Ennumclaw where my car then stopped accelerating, and then decided to not start up. Towed to Ennumclaw. 4+ hour busride back to West Seattle. by the time they got back home, the day was over. sigh. poor guy.
We still dont' know what's wrong with the car, cause the mechanics place was super busy i guess and they haven't had a chance to take a look at it. Dustin leaves for Peru Thursday morning, so hopefully they'll diagnose and fix my car before Wed night. sigh. |
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| hmmm... |
[Aug. 1st, 2007|11:25 pm] |
Went to Yoh's place tonight to watch tonights mariners game that he recorded. Quite the exciting game tonight. too bad he was only able to record 4 hours of the 4 hours and 5 minute game. =) We made it to the 12th inning with bases loaded, they were just changing the pitcher...and the tape stopped. =) (we won if anyone was wondering).
on a much more prevalent note, i miss my mom. sigh. |
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| Yang Family Update |
[Jun. 4th, 2007|11:44 pm] |
It's been exactly 36 hours since my mom passed away...and I think my family's doing pretty darn good. We've made it through another day, and right now that's our goal- to take it step by step. We're surrounded by things that remind us of my mom, and we acknowledge the fact that it will hurt, and that we'll cry, and we'll miss her terribly...but we're strong, just like her, and we lean on each other (both Dustin and Ryan are here), we talk about mom a lot, and eventually the pain will fade, and the memories and love will shine through.
I think the one thing that I realized, is that this is for the best. My mom was amazing. She never complained about having cancer. I know she was in pain, even before she was diagnosed in July, and especially throughout the year when the effects of the chemo really took its toll. But she never once complained. Never once asked for pity. And she beat the cancer...almost like thumbing her nose at it- saying "you can't get me now". And now she's not in pain anymore. My mom would have kept fighting if we asked her to. Every time Stace and I told her that she had to raise her blood pressure, she would do it for a moment...but then she would drop down even lower. I know if we had asked her to keep trying, she would have....which would have prolonged the inevitable, maybe for a day, maybe a week...but there was already heart damage, a machine was breathing for her, and the chances of her having to stay permanently in the hospital was almost a guarantee. And that's not how my mom would want to live.
I have to be honest. When my dad and sister told her that it was time to rest. i agreed. When they told her she could go in peace, i agreed. But when they told her it was alright that she go....i couldn't agree. Because i'm not ready to let her go. And honestly, i don't know if I ever will be.
Her funeral is scheduled for June 9th, Saturday. (Ironically, that's Dustin's b-day. It's ironic, because the last funeral I went to was my grandmother's funeral, which was scheduled on my Dad's b-day) Right now I'm heavily considering returning to seattle on the 11th, so that i can be there for Summer Experience. Summer Ex is something that I really want to take part in, and I honestly think that being in Seattle will be good for me. It'll be good for me to get back into a sense of "normalcy". (And i'll be returning home immediately after Summer Experience is over).
My mom's at peace and she's not in pain. And the pain that we're all feeling is a result of the strong bond of love that we shared... i know that this pain will eventually end....and we're working our way through it, one step at a time.
I'm so proud of you mom. You're so strong, and such a fighter. I'll always love you. |
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| Wash your hands!!! |
[Feb. 6th, 2007|07:46 pm] |
Wow.
Of the 12 teachers in lower school...
2 were out with step throat (out sick for the past 2 days)
3 went home sick BEFORE the end of the day.
2 weren't feeling well AT the end of the day.
That leaves 5 of us healthy teachers. YIKES! |
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| Happy Snow Day! |
[Jan. 16th, 2007|08:16 pm] |
hm.... what do my kiddies look like again? =) I haven't seen them since last Wednesday. That's a full 6 days away from the kids. it's just like a mid-winter or spring break!
Finished all the report cards (just have to proof them), cleaned the apartment, did multiple loads of laundry and ran the dishwasher....4 times?
I never thought i'd say this (in fact, my goal WAS to make it to February without getting totally burnt out but) I'm ready to go back to work. |
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| snow snow snow |
[Jan. 11th, 2007|12:37 pm] |
Ahhh snow makes everything look so beautiful! =) We didn't have school today, and it seems like no one did in king county. I didn't make it to my conference either because Auburn school district is closed, AND they received at lesat 6 inches of snow.
and, as you may have guessed, i'm not a good driver when it comes to snow and ice. =) Didn't get much experience with that while i was growing up in Hawaii. =)
Anyway, so it's beautiful right now with at least an inch or more of snow left on the ground (I'd say we had a good 4 inches fall). Roads are super icy though (so are the sidewalks!) so Dustin took the bus to get to his conference this afternoon.
I'm sitting here at Uptown Espresso with about 25 other people (some people lost power!) Am attempting to work on report cards. my goal is to get three done here at uptown, and 2 more done at home. =) we'll see how i do. =) |
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| Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow |
[Jan. 10th, 2007|07:04 pm] |
So it started snowing again today. =) It started hailing at 3:45, and continued on for the next 20 minutes. We were suppose to have our big Open House (for prospective parents) tonight. At first they said if we were worried about our safety (driving home) we could leave. However, a bunch of us were torn between taking the easy way out and going home, or being a good representative for our school. 15 minutes later, the Lower School director decided to cancel the event.
I left school at 4:30. I arrived home at 6:28. My usual commute is 25 minutes. I was not a happy camper. I don't think i've ever sworn that much or so loudly before in my life.
(BUT i beat Kirsten home! We left at the same time, but she was heading toward Redmond, and didn't make it home till 7 something!)
So now it's 9.....and it's still snowing. I have a conference down in Auburn tomorrow, so i have a sub tomorrow....having a snow day wouldn't affect me, but I wouldn't mind it if the road down in Auburn were too trecherous to drive so i had to stay home, and work on report cards (did i mention each report card is 8 pages long?).
let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. =) |
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| Bernard's First Snow |
[Nov. 28th, 2006|05:54 pm] |
Last night after the snow stopped falling, Bernard decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood.
He had a difficult time with the steps.
But eventually he made it.
And then he had fun creating his very first snowman. (Made with chopsticks and Arare, a hawaiian rice cracker)
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| Becki's Wedding |
[Nov. 4th, 2006|11:48 pm] |
I just returned from my cousins beautiful Hawaiian wedding (well, Hawaiian in the sense that it was and outdoors wedding near the beach). All of my relatives were there (some of which i haven't seen in a while). The Bride was beautiful. The groom was teary eyed and later Uncle Jerry made a very moving speech that reduced everyone to tears (and Stace and I to sobs) in his eloquent appreciation for his family, his parents and the foundation which they've raised their children and their children's children. He mentioned how we're going through some difficult times right now (my mom's cancer) which made me realize what an effect this is having on others. As selfish as it sounds, I only thought of how this affects me, as a daughter, and how this affects my immediate family. I didn't stop to think that this is effecting her brothers and sister (as silly as that sounds). I don't think i've cried so much at a wedding...and that's saying a lot cause Catherine B's I was sobbing!
BUT- on a brighter note; this was the start to a wonderful beginning. It was a beautiful beginning to a marriage, and also a wonderful start to (drum roll please.....)
Bernard Bear's wonderful travels.
Meet Bernard (Bernie for short). He'll be traveling the world with me (or at least Washington), and will be posting pictures of various sights. Today was his first day out, and he was eager to explore.
He enjoyed the wedding.....
And also the cake....(the cake toppers were made especially for the couple!)
Thanks to Monkey Grind Espresso (on 85th street in Seattle, they've got THE BEST drinks in town!) for the fabulous idea! (And yes, I AM 27 years old). |
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| just breath |
[Jul. 17th, 2006|08:36 pm] |
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I'm holding it together. |
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