Missing my Mom

Jacqueline Ellen Ryu

23 March 1950 - 5 October 2008

I'm a little behind on this and had wanted to post this on the anniversary of my mom's passing, but better late than never. Not everyone could attend the funeral and I wanted to share my memories of my wonderful, amazing mother.

11 Oct 2008

My mom was an amazing woman. The most generous and loving mother we could have wished for. She was strong, beautiful and full of life. Though there would never be enough time for me to tell you all the things we loved about her, I will try to highlight a few.

Mom could always be counted on, regardless of the time of day or where she was. Back in April, when I was in the hospital, I was up at 5am my time, which was 2 am mom's time, and I called her just to hear her voice. She said, "What can I do for you?". I asked her to come out here to Maryland to see me. She immediately bought a plane ticket and flew out to see me. She came from the airport right to the hospital and stayed the next two nights with me. Just having her near me was reassuring to me. She was always here to help whenever we called.

In addition to being such a wonderful mother, she was a devoted and loving wife to Jai. As all of us married this summer, I know that we all strive to have as successful a marriage as they had. One based on love, trust and the ability to cook well enough to keep our husbands happy! Even after Dad passed away, mom's love did not waiver. She knew that one day they would be back together.

And though selfishly, I feel as if she has been taken from us too soon, I believe in my heart that she and my dad are together now as they should be. Mom, we will strive to be the women that you taught us to be.

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Mom - I still think about you every day. I miss you so much. You'll be happy to know that we are all doing well. You have two absolutely beautiful granddaughters - Julieta and Reagan. You would be incredibly proud of Juliette and Jen and the mothers they have turned out to be. Just so you know, Betty has been keeping an eye on us in your absence to make sure we continue to have the support that every girl needs from her mother. Say hi to dad for me! (Don't worry, his post is coming!)

California Girl...

Today I had a completely "California Girl" day. This morning I biked from Carlsbad down to Encinitas for a yoga class. It was a class at Yoga Swami. This place is great! It's a cute little spot, right off of Pacific Coast Highway and you actually do yoga in a tent/building called a "yurt". It's free, but they do request donations if you can afford it.

After that, Leonie and I went to the Leucadia/Encinitas Farmers' Market, where I picked up some green beans, carrots and celery. Later today, Nessie and I walked down to Ralph's (the grocery store) and picked up some extra stuff that I needed to make lunch for the week.

Weather was perfect all day! I love this place!

In honor of those who have gone before us...

Si vis pacem, para bellum. -Flavius Vegetius Renatus, Roman Military strategist (c. 390 A.D.)

The above quote translates to "If you want peace, prepare for war." In honor of Veteran's Day, I think it's fitting to not only recognize the brave men and women who are deployed over seas, but those who work tirelessly on U.S. soil to ensure that no matter what comes our way, America will be ready to protect its own and those who cannot protect themselves.

Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Marines don't have that problem. -Attributed to Ronald Reagan

Blue Water Triathlon

This weekend I ran my first every triathlon. Because it was my first one, I decided I'd better stick with the sprint distance. As you can see above, the spring was a .6k swim, 15k bike, and 4k run...so a bit shorter than a normal sprint. The swim was done in the Colorado river on the border between California and Arizona.

Overall, it was a great experience and I'd definitely like to do it again. It took me 1 hour 10 minutes and 35 seconds to complete the entire thing...at least 3 minutes of that was wasted in the transition area because I'm not to skilled at slipping in and out of different outfits/shoes! I actually had to beg help from some poor woman to get the zipper down on my wetsuit! She was nice enough to help once she had hers completely off. My friend Leonie ran the long distance course and finished third overall for the women!

Learning How to Cook

Sean and I recently took a "Modern Vegetarian" cooking class at Sur La Table. It was so much fun! There were only six people in the class, which was great, because it meant more one-on-one time with the Chef - Leslie. Here is what we learned to make:

Black Bean Sliders

Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad

Eggplant and Mozzarella Stack with Heirloom Tomato Sauce

Roasted Poblano Chile stuffed with Creamy Masa with Sweet Potato Hash and Tomatillo Salsa

Ginger-Persimmon Lemon Semolina Cake with Compote (no picture)

We had a lot of fun and then got to eat the fruits of our labor...like my play on words! For anyone looking for something fun to do, this class was great!