Celebrating Eighteen

Two weeks ago, my mom and my sister threw me a surprise birthday dinner with some of my best and closest friends. Because we're all busy with school, it's difficult finding time when we can all meet. So whenever we do get together, it's always something special.

Here are a couple of photos from the dinner!

In such a faith-stretching and emotionally trying season in my life, celebrating my eighteenth birthday with those I love the most was incredibly encouraging. Having gone through so much with these people, I am reminded of God's grace and faithfulness. Because of them, I am hopeful in my trials.

That's why I'm beyond grateful for my friends. They're family to me and I love them beyond words can express. When I look at them, I'm reminded of all the good things in life. All my doubts and fears fade away and I find myself at home. There's no other blessing quite like being able to call someone a friend. My heart is full and my mind is at peace knowing I have people like them in my life. Truly, my cup overflows.

Photography by Alyssa Abesamis

Ooma's Best Sushi Rolls

Ever since my trip to Japan, I've been on the hunt for a restaurant that serves Japanese food that could hopefully come close to what I had in Japan. These days my craving for some good Japanese food is satisfied by Ooma, a Japanese Rice Bar by Chef Bruce Ricketts that serves Japanese food with a twist. 

This was my family's second time eating at Ooma and for this visit, we decided to try three of Ooma's best sushi rolls.

Ebi and Kani Aburi Maki - P265

Ooma's Ebi and Kani Aburi Maki is a simple yet delicious maki topped generously with kani and a piece of shrimp torched perfectly. The Ebi and Kani Aburi Maki tastes comforting and heavenly with all of its flavors coming together beautifully. The sweet tare sauce drizzled on the maki along with the aligue mayo and cream cheese worked perfectly together. This was my favorite maki and my personal recommendation for all of you wanting to try Ooma!

Steak Aburi Maki - P335

The Steak Aburi Maki takes your classic sushi roll topped with meat to an entirely different level with tender and juicy strips of steak and pickled and fried onions. Lots of makis topped with meat don't get that perfect combination of flavory and doneness, but Ooma's Steak Aburi Maki does making it a must have for your next trip to Ooma!

Salmon Belly Roll - P275

Looking for a more familiar sushi roll? Try the Salmon Belly Roll! The crispy salmon belly brings a crunchy element to your soft and tasty maki. Topped with aligue mayo and an incredible ginger and garlic sauce, the Salmon Belly Roll is an amazing combination of flavors and textures that just gives you everything you need in a sushi roll!

Which of Ooma's sushi rolls have you tried before? Let me know in the comments below!

Special thanks to my sister, Alyssa Abesamis, for taking the photos for this entry! 

Book Club: Women in Literature

Back in high school, one of my favorite pastimes was reading books. I could spend hours and hours reading but since entering college, I've had to switch out reading books with reveiwing lecture notes and going over presentations. While that has put a (hopefully, temporary) stopper on my reading, it hasn't stopped me from buying books.

Over the past few months, I've accumulated books that are just waiting to be read and I think it's about time that I get back into the habit of reading. With that, I'm launching a book club here on the blog where I will be sharing all of my book recommendations, reviews, and finds with all of you.

Today's book club features four books written by women!

First on the list is Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book was recommended by a friend who said it was a great book about creativity and as a photographer and a writer, I thought it would be a great read that could help inspire me and spark my creative juices.

Second on the list is Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. I chose this book because I knew it was a classic and one that I haven't read before. Seeing it on the list of recommended books for summer book reports back in high school didn't make it that interesting to me back then, but I know Jane Austen's a spectacular author so I decided to read one of her classic works. 

Next up is Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. A couple weeks ago, I saw the trailer for the film adaptation that's being released fairly soon and it brought me back to my  high school productions of Christie's And Then There Were None and Alfred Hitchcock's Rope. I instantly knew I wanted to read the book because I absolutely loved our productions from the mystery genre and having done one of Agatha Christie's works before, I was confident Muder on the Orient Express would not disappoint.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott takes the final spot for today's book club. To be honest, I've never heard of Alcott or her works before and I only found this book while going through the aisles of Fully Booked. The cover caught my eye so I decided to read the brief description at the back. Little Women seemed like an interesting read so I decided to pick it up and go for something I've never heard before!

Those are all the books that I'll be reading for the next couple of weeks! What books are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments below!

Eighteen

Turning eighteen is a pretty huge thing and I'm not going to lie, I've been eagerly waiting to turn eighteen. Eighteen has always been an important age for me because it meant that I was an adult, someone who's independent and capabable of making wise decisions. But as I came closer to my eighteenth birthday, I realized that the journey to eighteen was just as important as turning eighteen itself.

The roads that led me to where I am right now weren't always easy and smooth. There were roadblocks and detours along the way. But these setbacks, though discouraging, never succeeded in leaving me down on the ground. With each trial I faced, I took with me lessons that have (hopefully) changed me for the better and everything that I've been through in my eighteen years on this planet, the most important lesson I've picked up is to always be hopeful.

For me, being hopeful is more than just seeing past our situation or seeing the big picture. It's more than just being optimistic and looking at the brighter side of things. Being hopeful is having faith that things will work out and being at peace with the possibility that the outcome of our situation won't always be what we expect. It involves surrendering to God not only our situation, but also our expectations.

Though the joy that comes from surrender measures far beyond the doubts of the heart, surrendering my situation to God is always a faith-stretching experience. It's like a never-ending debate between my faith and my doubts. But God makes His love known. In spite of my uncertainties, He reveals more of who He is and that hope is nowhere near lost.

When I look back at everything I've been through, I am reminded of how far Hope has brought me. I find rest knowing that the same Hope that saved me from surrendering to my situation before is the same Hope that I surrender to now. My heart is full knowing that hope is gracious and full of compassion. That even before I raise the white flag, Hope parades through the streets of my heart declaring victory and that it is good. Knowing my surrender is to a Hope that never fails, my anxious heart knows peace and I find myself hopeful on the path to nineteen.