2012 has come and will be soon gone! Each year I try to do something new…and for this past year I dedicated it to expand my boundaries and to be more adventurous. As I look back at this year, I can see God had blessed me with so many new friends and experiences!
Below, I present some highlights of 2012 (also see 2011 & 2010)!
February
- Italian cooking class – Four classes covering different regional cuisines. I’m preparing Italian lamb fennel!
March
- Great Urban Race in Santa Monica – Continuing my annual scavenger hunt tradition, this time in Santa Monica! The most disgusting challenge was to eat lamb testicles…GROSS!
Read blog post: http://www.hungrycactus.com/2012/04/03/great-urban-race-2012-santa-monica
April
- Nefarious: Merchant of Souls – An absolute eye opening documentary on the current state of human/sex trafficking. It will break your heart.
Find out more: http://nefariousdocumentary.com/
- Cherry Blossom Festival – We go every year since it’s always so beautiful and fun! This time we even got to see the Sunday parade!
Read blog post: http://www.hungrycactus.com/2012/04/23/cherry-blossom-festival-2012
- Pleasanton Half Marathon – My first (and most likely last) half marathon…my legs would never agree to do another one!
May
- Concussion tree memorial – 3 years after I had my concussion, I finally have the strength to face the tree. Needless to say, it was a memorable moment for me.
Read original 2009 blog post: http://www.hungrycactus.com/2009/05/02/treehugger
- Mud Factor – A 5k run with lots of mud….in fact, too much mud.
June
- Bought house – house closes, and I am officially a home owner! Woh, that was fast!
- White water rafting – One of the most exciting things I did this summer!
Read blog post: http://www.hungrycactus.com/2012/06/13/white-water-rafting-2012
http://youtu.be/rTASeDA6dmE
July
- Color run – A 5k run with lots of color powder everywhere!!! Fun!
August
- City Impact – Every time I serve the needy and homeless in the Tenderloin, my heart breaks for them. I pray for them often, especially for my friend Brian (see picture below). God is doing wonderful things to the lives in the Tenderloin.
Find out how you can serve in the Tenderloin with City Impact: http://sfcityimpact.com/
September
- Firefly 5K night run – running in the dark, in a Darth Vader outfit. Crazy.
- Tough Mudder – By far one of the most physically challenging race I’ve done in my life — a half marathon with 25 obstacles in between. Fire, ice, mud, swamps, electricity. It was lots of fun going through all the challenges with amazing teammates!
October
- Japan – A dream come true. Ever since the 2011 tsunami, I have been wanting to visit Japan. God opened the doors and I was able to volunteer and explore Japan! I’m so glad to have made many new and wonderful friends in Japan…I will be back in 2013!
Read blog post: http://www.hungrycactus.com/2012/11/14/japan-magical
November
- Thanksgiving volunteer – Spending Thanksgiving morning giving out meals to the homeless in Oakland was the most meaningful Thanksgiving thing I’ve ever done.
Find out how to volunteer with Hope 247: http://hope247.org/
- Snowboarding – Snowboarding in Squaw Valley…the white snow is amazingly beautiful!
December
- House warming party – So happy to celebrate my new home with 35 amazing friends! =) God blessed me with this house, and so I pray it will become a blessing to others!
