A new year and fresh beginnings

Every new year I find myself thinking, writing or saying "Ah a new year, this year I am going to do this and this and that..." Before I know it, an entire year has passed and yep, you've guessed it "This, this and that..." went partially complete or were not yet started. This year I have decided not make a "to-do list" if you will. I am not going to wait an entire year to check in and see how many goals I am accomplishing or not, if I am on the path that I am meant to be on, if I am looking in the right direction or focusing on what is most important.

 I have been studying and pondering on repentance and forgiveness lately. When hearing/learning about repentance it is generally in the context of "repent or you will ......" I have been finding repenting to be cleansing. Not only do I get to draw nearer to Heavenly Father and Jesus, I also get a fresh start, a do-over to get things right. I am incredibly thankful that I have been given the opportunity to make mistakes, ask for forgiveness, make things right and be able to move forward without past mistakes holding me back from my eternal progression.

 I have felt more strongly than ever that forgiveness, true forgiveness, is vital for a healthy mind and spirit. It is just as important to forgive oneself as it is to forgive others. As I've pondered on this it finally hit me, If I cannot forgive myself, how can I ask Him to forgive me!

A lot of things have happened since my last post. I would hope so, since it was too long ago for me to remember, lol. I am going to be going through pictures and posting updates soon. Until then, please stay healthy, happy and know you are loved!

 

October

What an amazing month! There have been a couple of firsts for the Lopez family this month! First time on a plane for MJ and first time out of the country for Jason, MJ and myself. We were blessed to be able to go to Japan and China. It was an amazing trip! I cannot believe how clean Japan is! Even the homeless - which you do not see many - fold their cardboard boxes and put them away in the morning. The people were so friendly, when we first arrived we did not know how to use the metro and a nice woman stopped and helped us - she ended up having to run to catch her train. I loved how green it was there, just outside of the city there were so many temples and lush green trees and amazingly beautiful flowers. The public restrooms were very odd, they would play different sounds to hide the noise of your bathroom usage. China was a wonderful and different experience at the same time. In all of the public areas that we ventured, except for the airport, the toilets' were holes in the ground that you had to squat over - in really busy areas there was a person who would rinse the floor down with water every once in awhile. Needless to say it was a little smelly. I do not want to say that the people were not friendly, because there were many that we would walk past on the street that would say hello, however no one was really wanted to help much. I found it interesting that the tour guides told us how poor they are and asked us for tips. All of the old building of the Emperors were full of color, beautiful carvings (wood and stone) and paintings. Most of you know that I have difficulty with food, well my body does, I was surprised and delighted to find that I did not have an issue at all the entire time we were in China, unfortunately I cannot say the same for Japan. After our tour at the Forbidden City we went to a vegetarian restaurant, it had the best food I have ever eaten. Oh my goodness the Great Wall was AMAZING! There were so many steps - and they were different heights and widths. I rode my first lift to get there, I was a little more than a tad afraid - me and heights, yeah no thanks. After we headed out, it was not long before we were above the lushest forest with the brightest greens. As we drew closer we were able to see the curvature of the wall as it snaked along the top of the mountainside. To get back to the bus we took a toboggin ride. That was exciting! I did end up running into Jason once - we ended up laughing about it https://youtu.be/VM7dvqzgRGI. I am so thankful that we were able to share this experience together. 

Japan....

Tokyo, Japan.....

        

   Kamakura, Japan.....

Traveling.....

China.....

Forbidden City; Beijing, China.....

The Great Wall.....

 
  

A 5 gum wrapper, don't ask me why, I just thought it was cool...

 Olympic site in Beijing, China.....

 Pizza Hut....

 Last shopping trip in Beijing and waiting for shuttle to the airport...

 

Going home....

Plane from Beijing, China to Dallas, Texas 

(with screen shot once landed)

Diet Coke in Chinese

Made it to Dallas!

Plane from Dallas, Texas to San Francisco, California 

(last plane of the trip)

Made it to SF, We're home!