On Family...

Hello, friends!

Ezra was born just a few weeks ago but he brought a whole lot of family with him. It's been such a blessing to have so many people come from so many places to help out and show support for our new family. Here's how the calendar has been.

July 5: I call Meg's parents as soon as it's decided that she's in active labor. They leave from South Dakota.
July 6: At 1:30am, Meg's parents get into town. We see them a few hours later after they sleep at our house.
July 7: Meg's dad returns to Watertown to work. Meg's mom stays.
July 10: Meg's dad returns to Columbia, this time with Meg's oldest sister and 2 of her children (Elena is 8 and Claire is 2) in tow.
July 13: Meg's family heads back to South Dakota and it's just the 3 of us for the next few days. Commence freaking out.
July 17: Aunt Judi and 3 of her kids come to visit and they bring Mama Leong, who will be here until the end of the month.
July 21: I drive to StL to pick up my brother Phuzz, who will be visiting until Saturday.

At some point my fourth cousin (Aunt Judi's daughter who didn't make the first trip) and another cousin will be coming to visit, which will be great too. My dad is going to visit in early September, my older sister in mid September, and my younger sister will be coming it to visit too sometime between now and September.

Friends, I can't tell you how wonderful it has been having family in town. Apart from all the extra hands who can hold Ezra while Megan and I get some extra sleep, all the meals and desserts that have been expertly cooked, and all the house projects that are getting done, it's just been fun hosting family. Usually it's us who are traveling to visit family so it's been a blessing to be able to hang tight while the family comes to us.

Once all the travel settles down it'll be a new adventure for us but for now we are just enjoying the ride of family coming through to visit the little guy.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Saying Goodbye...

Hello, friends!

When I was 5 years old, I had a birthday party. It was a sleepover party. My friend Mark came and as a gift, he gave me a big blue shoe pillow. He actually had the same pillow so it was sort of like we were best friends. Ironically, after that school year, I never saw Mark again. We went to different elementary schools and that was that.

However, Shoe (aka Mr. Shoe, aka Zapato), has been with me ever since. He was the perfect friend for a growing boy who liked to sleep. I took him everywhere with me. I once left him in St. Louis and had my great uncle ship him back to California. He went with me on Boy Scout campouts and church retreats. He went with me to college and always came back to California during breaks. He was the perfect size for sleeping and had a lip that was great for grabbing during a pillow fight. For most of my life, Shoe has been there for me.

Of course, we're talking about a piece of fabric filled with cotton so natural wear and tear was bound to occur. Years of constant companionship takes its toll on a pillow and more than once, Shoe had a tear here or lost a little bit of stuffing there. In the early years it was an easy enough fix. All it took was a little needle and thread and Shoe was as good as new. But, as the years wore on and the fabric got thinner and thinner, repairing Shoe became delicate business, and eventually impossible.

At one point I had the dream of giving shoe to my son so that he could have a friend just like I did for so many years. That dream ended in 2011 when I officially retired Shoe from active duty. He was losing too much stuffing each night and his fabric was too thin to repair.

The plan at that point was to send him off properly when I got married in 2012 but I couldn't force myself to do it. For the past few years, Shoe has been hanging out in my garage, enjoying retirement but also knowing that nothing could last forever.

Ezra finally gave me the strength I needed to say goodbye to Shoe. I knew I couldn't give Shoe to Ezra so it was time to say goodbye. On July 7, the day we brought Ezra home from the hospital, I cremated Shoe in our backyard fire pit. It was a tough goodbye but it was the right call.

I don't know if Ezra will ever end up with something like Shoe was for me. I'm sure some of it will depend on his personality. Either way, I'm glad that for the past 25 years, I had a friend who I could count on, even if it was just a big shoe shaped pillow.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Things you can do while holding a baby...

Hello, friends!

Well, life is considerably different now that little Ezra has arrived. For one, my sleep schedule is considerably different than what it used to be (Megan's is even more so). For another, I really like holding him and just looking at him. Rara doesn't do much yet but he's kind of addicting.

Of course, the problem is that even though Rara wants to be constantly held and I constantly want to hold him, there's still stuff to be done. This means we need a hand free system.

Enter… the Mobi…

Friends, seriously, this thing is just a really long piece of cloth but I'm pretty sure it's magic. You wrap it around your body and over your shoulders. Then you slide the kiddo into the fabric against your body. Just like that, your hands are free and you're good to go! Baby is warm and happy because he can hear your heartbeat. You're happy because you can now do stuff. Below is a list of things that I've found you can do while holding a baby.

Read a book: Meg has gotten even better at this because she can read a book (actually, a Kindle) one handed while feeding him, which I find as a miracle in of itself (remember, she's a rockstar). I've learned that I can read while holding him without too much trouble, especially if I'm lying in bed. It's pretty great.

Play video games: Mobi + Baby = two free hands. I'm not saying that I plan on doing this often. I'm just saying that the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots 107-13 in Tecmo Superbowl while I was holding a week old baby.

Play the guitar: This was something that I was just trying really quickly. I found out that I can position the guitar in such a way that I can hold both without too much discomfort. Rara didn't cry while I was strumming so I guess my playing isn't too bad.

Clean the house: I've been told by my lovely wife that this is possible. =0).

Write a blog: Can you guess what I was doing earlier?

There are still a lot of things that I'm interested in trying and some things that I know will never happen. I believe that I can fish, golf, and ride a bike while holding a baby but you'd better believe that those ideas got vetoed. I guess we'll never know.

The important thing is that while Rara has been an absolute joy and I want to spend every moment of the day with him, there's still work to be done and that means I've had to adjust. The adjustments have gone well and I'm looking forward learning more.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Nesting...

Hello, friends!

How do I manage to go an entire month without posting? Seriously, guys, you need to do a better job of reminding me to blog! =0).

Ok, it's really my fault. I apologize. Please forgive me.

Happy July to you all! This first week of July is a very momentous week! Every year we have the beginning of InterVarsity's year (July 1), my cousin Stephanie's birthday (July 2), my parent's anniversary (July 3), and then Independence Day (July 4). This first week is always jam packed. Of course, this year there's also another very special thing happening this week. Megan is due with our first child tomorrow!

We have no idea when Baby Boy Leong will get here (we're hoping soon) but we've been preparing for him for the past 7.5 months (when we found out Megan was pregnant) in what apparently is known as "nesting."

I've had a lot of fun nesting with Megan because I've noticed how different we are when it comes to how we nest. It's definitely not one of those "my way is better than yours" sort of things. In fact, I'd say our nesting styles compliment one another very well. Here's a sampling of our different nesting styles:

Megan picked the color for the baby room so we could paint. I called a contractor so we could get our roof repaired.

Megan arranged the baby room and has been decorating, including purchasing all the furniture that we need. I've been looking at our finances to see where we can cut expenses.

Cleaning the house? Megan is on point. Checking on the sump pump? I'm your man.

(I should note that these aren't separate things we are doing. It's just a matter of who is taking the point in initiating these nesting procedures. I help with the cleaning and we make the financial decisions together.)

I love it because both pieces of our nesting are totally vital in terms of making sure that Baby Boy has a safe, warm, loving home, where he can thrive. Megan and I have had conversations about how thankful we are for one another to be able to share the load when it comes to preparing for parenthood. We couldn't imagine not partnering with one another.

So, friends, please pray for us, especially these next few days. Pray for comfort for Meg as we wait for labor to start. Pray for patience for both of us as we wait for labor to start. Pray for a smooth process without any medical complications. Please pray for our new addition, whenever he arrives.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

International Getaway!!!

Hello, friends!

I hope you've been enjoying my trip down memory lane. Here's a post from Megan about her time at International Getaway a few weeks back. Enjoy!

Getaway Update: Learning Dependence

The International Getaway is always a highlight of the year for me. During the school year, students have limited time, which can make it difficult to take things to a deeper level. This isn’t true at the getaway. The camp is situated at the Lake of the Ozarks where there is limited internet and phone connection and best of all – no homework or research. Students show more of their personalities than they do all year. It is in this context that they are able to consider more deeply, who is Jesus? Why should He matter to me?

            Most years I am in charge of hospitality (which I love). This year however I wanted to take on something that I could sit around more (due to the pregnancy) and invest more deeply in students. My job was to  help prepare the Bible study portion and train the student leaders. They came in a bit nervous and anxious about leading a small group for the first time. But by the end of the week, they were energized at the way that God could use them.

            I know I said I wouldn’t do hospitality so I could rest more. Old habits die hard however and I still ended up running around just as much as a would have previously. Everyone was so nice and wanting me to slow down, but the prideful & independent woman that I can tend to be – kept saying I am fine! By day 3 my legs hurt so bad I could barely walk. I spent the rest of the time driving to the meals and asking people to do stuff for me. It was a humbling time. I didn’t think much of the humbling process until this yesterday, a week later, when I was at home sick. I couldn’t help but wonder if the Lord may be teaching me the discipline of dependence on Him and a willingness to be humble.

What else happened at the Getaway? This year we had lots of new Muslim friends join us which added a lot to our group. As with every year, students made giant leaps towards Jesus. Please continue to pray for them as it can be easy to forget what you learn once a conference ends. Pray that they will continue to seek and find Jesus. Also pray for the student leaders to lead a Bible Study on their campus in the Fall.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam (and Megan)

Happy Birthday, Phuzz!

Hello, friends!

Happy Sunday to you all but also happy birthday to my little brother Phil "Phuzz" Leong.

The joke goes that I've know Phuzz for his entire life. He's only been Phuzz to me since he was in kindergarten though, when we both had shaved heads. I was Buzz and he was Phuzz. When I started growing out my hair I couldn't be Buzz anymore but Phuzz has been rocking the same look for over 20 years now. Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? =0).

I've found in life when it comes to friends, you have 3 kinds of really good friends. You have those "finish your sentences" kind of friends where you're always on the same wave length. You have the "always in disagreement but always in good fun" friends. And, you have the "Collective IQ drops 50 points because y'all are being ridiculous" friends. In an odd sort of way, Phuzz represents all 3 of those to me.

"Is there anything fluffier than a cloud?" Phuzz knows the answer. "(Ralph) can do a somersault!" Phuzz knows why that matters. What song do they play as you float down the River Styx? Phuzz could tell you. It may be mostly Simpsons quotes but when Phuzz and I are in sync, it's a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Of course, the funny thing is that we are in disagreement most of the time too. Clippers vs. Spurs. Calvin vs. Aminius. Taylor Swift vs. Kelly Clarkson. Empire Strikes Back vs. Return of the Jedi. These are important topics of conversation that often dominate our time together. We've gotten into many a fight, both verbal and physical. But hey, we wouldn't be brothers if we didn't right?

Then there's the IQ thing. I can't say that we aren't smart guys. I can say that games like Keys, Corkscrew, and Apple, may not be the most intelligent things we've ever done. Driving around the city to collect 11 free Slurpees on 7/11 is either a really good bad idea or a really bad good idea. The jury is still out on that. What I can tell you for sure is that every moment is always interesting.

So, here's to you, Phuzz! Happy birthday. I'll leave with the words I told him right around his 13th birthday: You may end up faster (check), smarter (check), and taller (oops) than me, but I will ALWAYS outweigh you by 30 pounds, so respect. =0).

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

My ACF Top 8

Hello, friends!

As I’ve been preparing for my departure from ACF, I’ve spent a lot of time looking back on the years. There have been a lot of great memories. In honor of the 8 years that I’ve spent with ACF, “sharing Christ’s love with the Asian and Asian American[s] on campus,” here are, in no particular order, my top 8 memories from my time with this wonderful group.

McVangelism

Conference Legacies

The First 20

And We’re Off!

7am Breakfast Meetings

And so it begins

Do You Mind?

The Last Goodbye

Have an excellent day!

~Adam