Quick Update

It's been awhile since I've last blogged and wanted to let those of you who follow my blog that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth.

I returned to Fuller in September of last year to complete the remaining balance of classes for a Master of Divinity and started a part-time job at McWil Sports Surfaces, a specialized athletic hardwood flooring contractor. I will be done with my degree in March 2010. Last summer, I helped to start a bereavement support group at our church and we are now in the midst of a second cycle. In January of this year, I began a church internship at our church, Gardena Valley Baptist Church doing a variety of adult ministries there. Overall, life's been good and really busy trying to juggle school, work, internship, and family life. Props to my awesome wife for being such a great support to me!

My First Half Marathon

I ran my first half marathon at the America's Finest City Half Marathon in San Diego and I loved it! I'm a runner!

I'd been training for 16 weeks leading up to the race, logging in more running miles than I had ever run before in my life. My regimen started out by running about 6 miles a week and increased to 16 miles near the end. As I ran, I quickly began seeing the fruits of all of my labor. I started losing weight, my waist and tummy got smaller, and surprisingly, one-third of the way through my training I began to notice my asthma improving.

I was soon no longer needing to take meds before each workout (as I have for most of my life). A few days before race day, I began considering taking meds before the race and carrying my inhaler on me. Part of me wanted to do it as a precaution against an asthma attack on the road while another part didn't think it was necessary since I'd been training without them so well thus far. In the end, Allison and I decided that I didn't need to take meds before or during the run. We were going to trust my training and fitness level. And the race turned out just fine without them.

My running family: Garrett, Stephen, me, Tim

I finished my race in 2:06:01 with a 9:38/mile pace, four minutes under my goal. I am now hooked on running. If I don't run every few days I start feeling gross and soon begin itching to run. I'm hoping to do another race in the next few months.

Selling our 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP

We've decided to sell our Pontiac. So if you're interested or you know of someone who might be interested owning a modern American muscle car, you gotta check out this rocket. Click here for a collection of exterior and interior pictures and the details follow:

Asking price: $6600 (between KBB “Good” and “Fair” conditions) or best offer

I am selling a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. The VIN is 1G2WR5213YF135022. The current mileage is 74,530 miles and has a clean title.

FWD V6 3.8 liter Supercharged engine with automatic transmission

Options include sunroof, leather seats, premium wheels (6), cassette player, tinted windows, and traction control. Standard equipment includes AC (blows cold), dual climate control, power steering, power windows, power door locks, tilt wheel, cruise control, AM/FM stereo, dual front air bags, ABS (4-wheel), power driver seat, rear spoiler, keyless remote entry with trunk release button (this is a great feature!). The driver’s seat is heated (this is a great feature for those cold mornings!)

We are the car’s second owners. The first owner was a college professor who passed away a few years prior and as a result, this car has sat for almost two years before being given to us by the widow. This is a great car for cruising. There’s plenty of legroom in the front and back seats making it great for road trips. The trunk is spacious and the trunk lid is mounted on hydraulic struts allowing for your luggage to go inside without getting crushed by the trunk lid. Put back the sunroof, lower the windows and enjoy the roar of the V6 Supercharged engine. It is awesome to hit the gas and feel the G-force knock you back into your seat. This car really moves! If you appreciate the power of a classic American muscle car then this car is for you.

·The paint is still in good condition with some mild oxidation occurring around the rear spoiler (9);
·The HUD does not work (A Pontiac extra that projects speed and other data on the windshield. There’s still the normal instrument panel on the dash.);
·The “Service Engine Soon” light on the dashboard is constantly on (our mechanic believes this is a faulty signal, the engine runs fine);
·There’s a small dent in the front passenger side fender (7) that is quite hard to see because the black paint camouflages it;
·The rear passenger side taillight cover has developed some condensation inside it (8) but it still works fine;
·The rear driver side tire needs replacing soon;
·The rear driver side window does not work (14);
·The front passenger side wheel is missing one bolt to the lug nut (this does not effect the integrity of the wheel);
·And approximately three inches of the front passenger side window molding is broken off (this does not effect the functioning of the window).
·This is a non-smoker vehicle.
·The interior of the car is fine, showing normal wear.
All of the above issues have not affected the overall drivability of the car. I commute to and from work in it everyday.

No modifications have been made to the vehicle.

We do not have a copy of the owner’s manual but you can get a copy of it online from the Pontiac website.

The car has been serviced four times in the last three months.
·We replaced a microchip that controls the fuel flow;
·Rotated the tires (a lug nut on the front driver side wheel and ABS sensor were damaged during the tire rotation and were replaced by the tire people);
·Replaced the ignition key solenoid;
·A factory recall to replace the front oil gasket;
·And new spark plug wires.

We can provide maintenance records for all of the servicing we’ve done it (except the spark plug wires because our mechanic did it for free) while we’ve owned it.

The warranty coverage has expired for this car.

Contact: Brian Lo at brolo77@yahoo.com or 310-850-5792 (cell) for more information.

Staying in America

Yep, Allison and I aren't considering going overseas anymore so we'll be staying in the U.S. now. We weren't able to work out a deal with the overseas organization so we've closed the book on leaving the States. We're both sad and disappointed it didn't happen since we really thought we were going international. But we gave it our best shot and we don't have any regrets pursuing that endeavor.

One thing that we're excited about is staying here in the So. Cal. area close by to friends and family. We've got family here in LA, SD and further up north in the Bay Area. We'll continue to be able to see them more often than if we lived thousands of miles away, separated by oceans and continents.

Right now, I'm temping and looking for a job in San Diego and Allison's still plugging away at the Mission. We're also in the process of buying another car to replace my hot rod Pontiac and eventually buying a home. I feel like these are all very grown up things for me to be considering, daunting to say the least. But all I can do is my best and pray the Lord will show us favor.

Thanks to all of you who asked about our plans and listened to our journey. We appreciate all the love and support you've shown us and we look forward to being close by to continue our relationships with you all here in America.

A typical weekend of baking and guns

Yes, it was just another run-of-the-mill weekend for the Lo couple: learning how to bake bread and shooting guns.

Allison and I attended a bread making class at church and learned how to make soft and yummy bread. It turned out to be a lot easier than we were expecting. Nowadays, when we have enough time, we'll bake a loaf to go with an evening meal of pasta.

For my birthday, Jason took us shooting at a local gun range. This was our first time shooting and we really had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be good but I don't expect to be buying a gun any time soon.

A Lo Cousin Reunion

Our cousin, Emily, came out to LA for the weekend to visit UCLA, giving us Los Angeles based Lo's a rare opportunity to get together. Allison and I picked up Emily from UCLA and enjoyed ice cream sandwiches at Diddy Reese. After a bit of coordinating the Los from all points of the compass, we finally all gathered in Santa Monica for some Thai food. Good times with the Lo cousins!

Two-Wheel'n Fun!

Allison & Brian (almost) licensed to ride

Allison and I never dreamed of doing what we did this past weekend: we participated in a class sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) on how to ride motorcycles.

I actually thought about buying a motorcycle after I graduated from college, but never carried through on my desire, out of fear of killing myself on one. However, my desire to learn how to ride was never laid to rest. Allison never thought she'd ever learn how to ride a motorcycle, but when she found out I was posed with the opportunity to do so, she didn't want to get left behind and courageously decided to join me. With a lot of help from a friend, we got into a MSF class with the chance to satisfy my desire to learn how to ride.

We didn't know what to expect going into the class. I had only been on the back of a motorcycle once before and Allison had never been on one. Ever. Our class was held over a Saturday and a Sunday, from 9:30am-5pm, out in San Bernardino County. Our instructor was really funny, nice and informative. He did a great job in teaching us important ways to ride a motorcycle and to be aware of our surroundings when riding.

Our days consisted of spending the morning in a classroom in lecture, watching videos and working through a workbook. Our afternoons were spent out on the bikes applying what we learned. At first, I was incredibly nervous about being on a bike. During the first hour, I had to occasionally remind myself to breathe and calm down or else I wasn't going to enjoy myself and possibly do something dangerous. Thankfully, I was able to calm down and enjoy every moment on the bike.

We learned different procedures on how to get situated on a bike, turning, quick stopping and emergency swerving. We started with "power walking" the bike (using some throttle and walking the bike while seated on it) to eventually changing gears during a turn, coming to quick stops and more. Every exercise was a lot of fun and our teachers were both encouraging and helpful in correcting our techniques. The MSF has a great track record of training its students to be safe motorcyclists. Successful completion of the MSF driving test (administered at the end of the course) not only allows for the student to waive the driving portion of the DMV test, leaving only the written portion to be completed, but also lowers their motorcycle insurance premium. At the end of the day, we all took the driving test and passed! It was a great feeling to pass a test on a brand new skill.

We both were surprised at how much we enjoyed riding motorcycles. I loved leaning into a turn, rolling on the throttle (accelerating), hearing the engine wind higher, and cruising out of the turn. I loved learning different techniques that would help us be safer and more confident motorcyclists (should we ever decide to own ones). The class dispelled some of the fear I had before and replaced it with confidence that I could-with a lot of practice-be a good motorcyclist who enjoys riding and avoids serious accidents. We highly recommend this class to people who have never ridden and want to learn how to do so, and to those who have been riding for a long time but have never received any formal training. The MSF course can help to make the most seasoned a better, safer rider with a lower insurance premium.

We are so thankful to our friends, Silvio and Jessie, who gave us the opportunity to experience a whole new world on the road, enjoyed on only two wheels.

Allison & Brian with the MSF's Honda 259 Nighthawks