Third Day Concert

I got back from Portland just in time to attend the Third Day concert at the Puyallup Fair. I really enjoyed the concert, but the best part was that the whole thing just cost one dollar. I had a free ticket to the Fair that I won, then I look the Shuttle from Bonney Lake for one dollar (thus avoiding parking fees). The concert was free in the general seating area. It was totally packed and many were turned away but I got a seat!
I think my favorite part of the evening wasn't even Third Day cuz they weren't that great, but it the David Crowder Band who tours with them. I know their music but I didn't know that David Crowder was such a fun guy. He has this huge head of hair and long gotee. I didn't expect him to look like that but there you go. He's a good picture of him. The opening act was a group called Hyper Static Union from Camus, Washington. They were ok. I just love going to concerts for one dollar. :)

Portland Trip

I was just in Portland for 5 glorious days. I LOVE Portland! I want to move to Portland one day. This trip was part vacation part checking out the possibilities of a move. I stayed with Kerri and that's always fun. We stayed up too late and talk too long every night but it was so good to see here. I also visited the Campus Crusade regional office in their new location and the office looks amazing. It's a great location in Sellwood. Thanks for all the friends who came out to see me : Sheri, Josh and Wendy and Russell, Paul and Jeehee, Don and Jocelyn, Shawn and Heather and Evie, Keith, Joe, Jen, Sarah, and Abe. I was also fortunate enough to be there when Robin flew in from Ohio. She's moving to Portand to volunteer with Crusade. What a fun adventure for her. I hope she loves Portland as much as I hope to one day. :)

GRACE Reunion

Time flies when you're having fun. It's been 15 years since I meet some of the most wonderful friends at Green River Comm. College. We all met at GRACE (a campus ministry group affiliated with Campus Crusade). Kris and Vu became Christians that year and many of us grew in amazing ways in our faiths. It's rare that a group of friends can stay connected over 15 years. Three of the families even live on the same street and most of us are still close friends. It's especially been a blessing to me as many of them supported my ministry with Crusade. Tara's kids still say they know me from my picture on their refrigerator.


So, I decided to have a 15 year reunion at the WOK for a fun Bubble Tea party. Here's some pictures from the night. John is relaxing with a Bubble tea as his 5 kids run around the Wok. Shawn says Almond Vanilla BT is the best thing since sliced bread. His son even likes black pearls. Zack (in the left corner) had his first BT ever. The Seatons are enjoying their BT as Tara is seeing to one of the kids behind them. All together it was the Wilkins, Campball, Tran, Henry, Seaton, and Manley families. I think the kids had the most fun watching Holly make all the Bubble Teas. Sorry some couldn't make it but we'll see you next time. It's a good thing that our reunions aren't so rare.

Bubble Tea customer base

So the traditional customer of Bubble tea in the US is the young urban type of person. They tend to be under 30, usually high school or college age. Mainly Asian American but spreading quickly to the mainstream of Americans. They tend to be adventurous and savvy about new cultures and things.

But here at the Wok, our restaurant customer base s non-urban Caucasian, young marrieds or empty nesters. So how in the world would a Bubble Tea shop be successful here in Bonney Lake. Interstingly, I have found a whole new base of customers: blue collar men! I know, it's crazy. During lunch time, we have alot of construction guys that come in for meals. Bonney Lake is growing like crazy and there are plenty of contruction going on all over the place whether it's new homes or roads. So, these guys have started drinking Bubble Tea. Some guys still think Bubble Tea is to whimpy to drink. They make fun of the color cups and straws. But there is a growing groups of big burly Caucasian and Hispanic guys who come in all the time for Bubble Tea.

Another group is the middle aged women. Some have high school kids so they got into Bubble Tea through them, others just found out about it through the Wok. But it's been fun seeing the customer base increase. Now, since many of them never had BT before, they don't know that the reason young people are drawn to BT is that it's very sweet. Most BT shops don't put tea in their Bubble Tea. I know, a sacriledge. :) But my only claim to fame is that there is tea in every one of my BT drinks. The only redeeming ingredient in BT. Actually, not only just redeeming, but extremely healthy. So, that's why these housewives have started drinking my Bubble Tea. Just hope they never find out the true stereotype of Bubble Tea.

Summer is Over

Labor Day marks the end of summer. Kids are back in school, and life is different here in Bonney Lake because there are so many families with young children that life seems to revolve around the school year. There are still some hot days left here in Washington. I really hope it lasts as long as it can because Bubble Tea is really a warm weather beverage. So why sell Bubble Tea in a state that rains 9 months out of the year? Same reason that Alaska sells more ice cream per capita in the US, I guess. With the onslaught of sales on ski equipment around here, it looks like my kayaking days may be numbered. I got some good trips in though.

Here are all the places I've been able to kayak:

Lake Bonney in Bonney Lake, WA
Lake Tapps, Sumner, WA
Mowich Lake, Mt Rainier (pictured above, taken from my kayak)
Puget Sound, at Dash Point in Federal Way, WA
Puget Sound, at Point Defiance in Tacoma, WA
Puget Sound, off Vashon Island
Haro Strait, off San Juan Island, WA
Juan de Fuca Strait, off Port Townsend

Maybe I'll take up skiing but I doubt it. I hate being cold. :)

#1: I'm Home

Being in the Northwest feels like home. I know I was born in Korea and I grew up in S. California, but the NW is really home to me. Tammy used to think it was cute how I'd say, "I'm home" whenever I entered our dorm room at UW. But somehow I feel like I enjoy the NW more than I even used to. Maybe since I'm older, I appreciate things more. Maybe since I'm taking life a bit easier, I notice things more. Even a little trip to Fremont the other day made me happy as I strolled through the Farmer's Market and dined on organic soup from the natural food market. I love being able to take the ferry to Vashon Island for the afternoon or drive only 45 minutes (through a quaint town that has a coffee shop which makes the best mini muffin cookies I've ever had) before I'm hiking the old growth trails of Mt Rainier. I love the diversity and creativity of the city. I enjoy the personalities of people and I am really enjoying being near my family, more than probably any other time in my life.

So that's it. The top 10 reasons I love being in the Northwest. Thanks for reading about my life in the NW.

#2: The Circle

The University of Washington (UW) in Seattle was the birthplace of what we affectionately call "The Circle." We are four friends from college who had alot in common. We all grew in our faith in tremendous ways through Campus Crusade for Christ at UW, we all recognized that God could use our broken lives to help transform the world with the Gospel. We all felt called to join what God was doing through Campus Crusade, we all served the Lord faithfully for years with Campus Crusade. During that time, we made a heartfelt committment to each other as friends and companions in life. We decided to have annual reunions no matter where we were living in the world, (a difficult prospect since two of us lived in different parts of E. Asia). We have been doing that for 11 years.

Being back in the NW makes me feel more connected to the girls. Even though Sherri lives in Green Bay MN, Daniela lives in Albuquerque NM, Katie still lives in East Asia, and I live in Bonney Lake, WA. The girls are all married with children. Only Katie is still on staff with Crusade, but we are still united in our hearts for our love of each other. Since I moved to WA, I have been making special effort to stay connect to the lifelong friends who have changed my life. We write each other emails every week and share with each other the joys and struggles of life. I am thankful for them.