Lauren's So Called Life

Yolanda's Baby Shower

2011-04-22T14:02:00.000-07:00

Before Mother's Day, I hosted a baby shower for my friend Yolanda. She already has a son, but she was thrilled to having a little girl.

I took a few months to plan everything, including decorations, set up, food, etc.

For the centerpieces, I used empty cans from Gerber's Crunchies and wrapped them with scrapbook paper. The candles were held inside empty baby food jars with a cute ribbon.

We had a whole spread of appetizers and I wanted to decorate them as well. I added these adorable blocks, balloons, etc to each platter.

I made some star-shaped cookies with royal icing for dessert along with these cupcakes.

We had a raffle for guests who brought diapers.

Want Free Stuff?

2010-02-01T21:30:00.001-08:00

A while back Cuong and I signed up for a website called Swag Bucks. It's a super easy way to earn free gift certificates, etc. All you do is use it as a search engine for everyday things. We have it set as our homepage and use it to search for things like, "hotmail" or "google mail", or anything else. It will show you the link and every so often you earn a "swag buck". Since we've set it as our homepage we've been earning them really quickly.
We've been using it since Halloween and we've already received $45 in free Amazon gift cards.
There's nothing to install, no commitment!
They have a store full of things that you can cash in your swag bucks for.

Click the link and sign up...start earning some awesome free stuff!
www.swagbucks.com/refer/CuongNguyen

Birth Story - If you're so inclined

2009-09-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

As my due date drew closer and closer, I kept getting more and more anxious! We thought for sure she would come early! I made my final trip to the grocery store about 3 days before my due date.

At 5:30am on August 28th (Ashley's due date), we were laying in bed and I felt somewhat of a small gush. I knew it felt different, so I got up to check it out. I thought it was my water breaking, and was actually worried that as I got out of bed that I would leak all over the floor! Luckily that didn't happen, but there was quite a bit of clear fluid that had leaked out. I cleaned up and changed and told Cuong what had happened. I told him that he had better stay home from work because that definitely wasn't normal!

I didn't feel any contractions start, so I tried walking around our bedroom and eventually headed downstairs to try walking around down there. I grabbed some toast to eat and then called Labor & Delivery. They ask you to call so they can let you know if one hospital is too busy and you need to go to another one. I spoke to the Triage nurse and told her what had happened. She told me to take my time, take a shower, eat something and that I have up to six hours to come to the hospital. I did what she said. Cuong and I took a walk up to the park to try to get contractions started, took a shower and then had some more toast to eat.

We headed to the hospital a little later and check in at the Labor & Delivery Triage center. They brought me into an observation room and hooked me up to a monitor to check the baby's heart rate and for contractions. I was having inconsistent, non-painful contractions and Ashley's heart rate was perfect.

A Midwife came in to verify that my water had actually broken and told me that I should have come in right away when my water broke. I told her that the nurse told me I had up to 6 hours to come in and she said, "No, we want you to be in ACTIVE labor by 6 hours!" Hmph, so much for listening to what the nurse said! At this point, I was about 1 1/2 cm dilated.

Since I wasn't having consistent contractions, they recommended that I be admitted into a Delivery room and started on Pitocin (12pm). I really didn't want to have to get Pitocin while I was in labor, but I knew that it needed to be done since my water had broken and they like to get the baby out within 24 hours after that. So I got a huge, nasty IV put into my and and they started me on some fluids and Pitocin.

After your water breaks, you're more susceptible to infection, so they try not to check you for dilation as often. Three hours after they started me on Pitocin I was only 2 cm dilated (3pm).

Normally people would be up out of bed, walking around to try to entice labor to become more active, but since my water had broken, I was still leaking a little bit of fluid whenever I would get out of bed. I figured it wouldn't be a pretty sight to have the leaky girl out in the hallways!

Three hours later she checked me again and I was only at 3cm (6pm). She told me that she was going to insert an internal fetal monitor instead of using the one that was strapped onto my belly. That way they would be able to see the baby's heart beat and the contractions better and know whether or not they needed to up my dosage of Pitocin. After inserting the internal monitor, the Midwife told me that since it was a "foreign" object, it might actually increase the timing and pain of the contractions. The L&D nurse told me that I could get the epidural at that point if I wanted it. I told her I would think about it since I was only 3cm dilated. It just seemed too early to me to get it. About a 1/2 hour later, I told Cuong to get the nurse because I needed the epidural! It was amazing how fast the hard contractions came on! The nurse had to give me a bag of fluids before I was able to get the epidural, but she paged for them to come down when I was ready. The doctor came in and administered the epidural and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be! Phew! It was definitely a relief to get! (7pm)

At about 9pm, the Midwife checked me again and I was only at 4cm. At this point, I was starting to get worried. I was progressing only 1cm per 3 hours! I really didn't even want to think about having to have a C-Section! Luckily the Midwife said that you're considered in "active" labor when you reach 4cm and she was anticipating that things would move more quickly now.

After getting the epidural, things were great. I just had to keep my eye on the clock and make sure I turned to the other side about every 45 minutes to keep the medicine from only flowing to one side of my body. Like clockwork, after another three hours, the Midwife checked me again and I was at 8cm! Woah!! Now that was fast! (approx Midnight) It made me feel much better though to know that I was progressing and ALMOST there!

I started to feel more pressure as Ashley was moving further down. The nurse was monitoring the contractions and Ashley's heart rate and saw that every time I had a contraction her heart rate was dipping. To counteract that, they had me breathe with an oxygen mask on. Thankfully that helped and her heart rate remained fairly steady throughout the contractions.

A little while later the Midwife came in and checked me again. I was at 10cm, but she wanted me to "labor down" a little bit and allow Ashley to move further down the birth canal so I wouldn't have to push as long. She estimated that I would be ready to push in about an hour. She said that first time moms generally push for anywhere between one to four hours.

About a half hour later I told Cuong and the nurse that I felt like I was ready to push. The nurse checked and said that the baby had definitely made her way down. She went to go get the Midwife to deliver the baby....but she was delivering ANOTHER baby right at that moment and wouldn't be able to come in. She said that I could go ahead and start pushing. She must have figured that it still would be a while.
The nurse came back in and said that I could start pushing with each contraction. So I had Cuong on one side of me and the nurse on the other to help hold my legs. After pushing for a while, I think the nurse was starting to get nervous because Ashley's head was getting closer and closer! After I had pushed for about 40 minutes, she paged for the OBGYN who was on call. He came in and about 10 minutes later, Ashley made her debut.

She came out with her eyes wide open and ready to greet the world with a good loud cry!
She weighed 7lbs, 6 oz. and was 19 inches long.
While she was under the baby warmer she reached up and grabbed onto Cuong's finger with a good strong grip! She was so alert and beautiful!

More to come later....

Officially on Baby Watch

2009-08-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!

We just got back from a doctor's appointment and the midwife says that we're officially on baby watch! Ashley is in position and will be considered "full term" on Friday (37 weeks). My hospital bag is packed, car seat is installed and the nursery is ready! I haven't had any consistent contractions, so there's no impending labor! Don't worry!

Over the past 2 months, we've had 4 baby showers!! They were all so helpful and wonderful!

In June we had a shower with my Warmington work friends at our house. It was great to have everyone over to check out the house and give everyone a chance to hang out together outside of the office. One of the gifts we received was the carseat!

Next, in July, we had a shower with Cuong's co-workers from Santa Fe Springs. We had lots of fun...and we got the much needed stroller! Yay!

The very next day I had the shower that Jen planned!! Everything was SO adorable! Jen did a "Pink Paris" theme complete with lots of Eiffel Towers and French themed food (croissant sandwiches & Parisian salad, etc). Plus, a very delicious cake!

It was a great chance to see some of my friends and family friends that I hadn't seen in a while! I couldn't believe how many gifts we got! We were just barely able to squeeze everything into the car! It was so much fun going through everything; hanging up all of the tiny clothes and organizing all of the baby items.

To round out the weekend, we headed down to Oceanside for a final shower! It was a co-ed & family friendly shower complete with games for the kids and the guys! Who wouldn't want to race to see who can suck down beer out of a bottle the fastest?! It was fantastic to see all of the support from our friends down there.

33 Weeks

2009-07-13T15:25:00.001-07:00

So I'm in the 33rd week (out of 40) and we're heading into the home stretch! In one way I feel like it's gone by so quickly, but then in another...I'm ready to have my little baby.

I've definitely been getting bigger as the weeks go on. Cuong helps me put cocoa butter on every night and he said that he's able to tell a difference when my tummy grows a little bit more.

My ribs are getting pretty sore now. I think it was just a fluke thing that may last a day or so....but it still hurts. She likes to get up under my ribs and then kick hard or just push on them. Luckily when I lay on one side, gravity will pull her to the other side. At least it gets her away from one side of my body so she can push on the other side! :)

Baby showers this weekend! Can't wait! It should be fun!

Woohoo!! I'm famous!!

2009-06-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Haha, Just Kidding! My sister-in-law just let me know that my Shades of Summer scrapbook page made it onto Elizabeth Kartchner's blog!!
Last summer she mailed out 10 boxes around the U.S. with a pair of yellow sunglasses and instructions on what to do next inside. Apparently my group's box was the only one that made it back to her after it had been sent to all of the assigned recipients.
I remember how much I looked forward to receiving that box on my doorstep, so I'm glad that everyone followed through and got all of our pages back to her.
http://elizabethkartchner.blogspot.com/2009/06/sos-season-2.html

Rest in Peace, Grandpa

2009-06-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Grandpa & I, circa 1984

After a long 84 years here on earth, my grandfather passed away on Wednesday, June 10th.

He definitely had a great & memorable life. He was married to his sweetheart for 62 loving years, had to children, 3 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren (including Ashley). He was fully aware that Ashley would be born in August and I think he was trying hang on just to see her be born and grow up. Now he can look down from heaven and see her anytime he'd like.

After learning that he had been admitted to the hospital on Monday night, I drove down to San Diego on Tuesday afternoon. Due to a leak in his feeding tube that was tapping into this stomach, he had developed a massive infection in his abdomen area. Because of his age and condition (suffering a stroke about 3 months before), the doctors were unsure about even administering antibiotics to him. He definitely would not be able to survive another surgery to try and remove any of the toxins.
When I arrived to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon, my grandma, mom and uncle were already in his room. I walked in and my grandpa opened his eyes. He looked at me and said, "I love you". My grandma asked him if he knew who I was and he quietly said, "She's one of my sweethearts." After his stroke he sometimes had a hard time recalling peoples' names, but definitely knew who they were and that they were important to him. Those were the last words he said to me. We left the hospital that evening and headed back to my grandma's house.
The next day (Wednesday), we headed back to the hospital after we at breakfast. By then, my dad and great-aunt had joined us at the hospital. My brother had left Arizona around 9:00am and was making the 7+ hour trip to San Diego. My grandparents' pastor had spoken to the family earlier in the week and encouraged everyone to tell him that you loved him, tell him that we will all be okay and take care of each other and it's okay and he can let go.
I think it was one of the most heart wrenching ordeals I had ever been through. I went through plenty of kleenex, that's for sure. To see my grandma go up to his bedside and look into his eyes, tell him she loved him, and that it was okay to let go...that just got me all worked up. You could see the deep, unending love in both of their eyes and just feel the love and power between them. I couldn't imagine having to do that.
We had been at the hospital for a few hours and lunch time started to roll around. We were hesitant about leaving, but my grandma kept telling us that we needed to eat. She and my great-aunt said together in the room where my grandpa was. Reluctantly, my mom, dad, uncle and I headed to the hospital cafeteria. We had just barely sat down and began to eat when my great-aunt comes rushing in and tell us to pack up our stuff and come back to the room. He was nearing his last breaths. She darted back to the room and we began to pack up our food and head back. By the time we reached his room, we were probably about 20 seconds too late and the nurse was confirming the lack of heart beat.
It was a very tough thing to have happen. Cuong called shortly after he had passed and I could barely compose myself to tell him what was going on. A little while later, Cuong met us at the hospital.

He will most definitely be missed. He was the type of grandpa who had unending stories to tell. I don't think I had heard very many of them twice. He would tell us about his days serving in the Army in WWII, in the Philippines and in New Guinea. About the native people they would come across, the wild animals they would have for dinner, the gigantic snakes in the trees, the beautiful orchids that were covering the waterfalls, etc. He had so many experiences and so much knowledge to share.
Things won't be the same without him, but I know he is in a much better place now. He can look down on all of us and we'll know he's always there. He'll be there in the thunder (bowling a strike!), in the gentle breeze and in the refreshing rain.

Hummingbird Nest

2009-06-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Just like last year, we have another hummingbird nest in one of the trees in our backyard. We started seeing the nest a few weeks ago, and now it's definitely apparent that some babies will be in there. The mother is VERY territorial. We'll just be watering or walking around in the backyard, and she'll try to swoop down on us or hover above us.

I had to take this photo from about 10 feet away. Thank goodness for our camera's zoom! Hopefully we'll be able to get a shot of the babies soon.

Gestational Diabetes Test

2009-06-03T15:40:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday morning I headed to the lab to take my 1-hour gestational diabetes test. Before you went, you weren't supposed to drink anything except for the glucose drink they gave you. It tasted like flat, extra syrupy orange soda. Not horrible, but not something I would want to drink very often.
My blood had to be drawn an hour after I finished the drink. I felt fine after the test, but just like my stomach had a huge sugar overload. I didn't want anything sweet to eat or drink the rest of the day.
Turns out, my blood sugar level came out at 135 and they don't want to see anything higher than 130. So since it was higher than their maximum level, I had to go for the 3-hour test.

I had to fast for 12 hours prior to going into the lab. So I had to stop eating on Monday night at 8pm (which is hard for a pregnant chick!). We got to the lab on Tuesday morning around 8am and I got my blood drawn so they could see my "fasting" blood sugar level. Then the lady who drew my blood gave me another one of those orange drinks that I had to down in front of her. Then I had to come back in an hour to get my blood drawn again. When all was said and done, I had 4 holes in my arms!
I got an email from Kaiser yesterday afternoon and it looks like all of my levels came out below their maximum levels. Yay!!! Now I need to try to avoid my cravings for sweets and try to eat a healthy diet.

4D Ultrasound

2009-06-03T15:13:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday, May 28th, we had an appointment at a 4D Ultrasound Center in Anaheim Hills. We weren't totally sure what to expect, but we were very pleased with the results.

We headed in to the "Ultrasound Theater" which had a comfy bed for me and a plush couch for Cuong. There was a huge 42"+ screen on the wall which allowed us to easily see what was going on during the ultrasound.

The girl who did the ultrasound was SO nice!! She said that she had been doing these ultrasounds for a few years and had seen tons of babies. We were happy to hear that she thought the "conditions" for the ultrasound were great. She said there was plenty of amniotic fluid which allowed her to see Ashley more clearly and there was plenty of room for her to move around.

The tech confirmed the sex for us and then continued on to show us our little girl inside the womb. It was really amazing!!

Here are a few of the images she captured. We got to see her stretching, moving around, and opening her mouth:

I was tagged!!

2009-05-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

What is your current obsession? After today it will be getting the room ready for the baby! We're hopefully going to confirm the sex today!! Yay!!

What is your weirdest obsession? I get random urges to majorly clean. I don't know where that comes from! haha

What are you wearing today? Jeans and a black shirt and used to hide my tummy. Now I can't really hide it.

What's for dinner? Most likely Zito's Pizza. Mmmmmm. My parents are coming over and I don't think my dad can come into the city of Orange without having Zito's. He's addicted. hehe

What would you eat for your last meal? I had some toast and chocolate soy milk this morning after my Gestational Diabetes test this morning. I get the results on Monday. I really hope they come out okay! I would HATE to have to do the 3 hour test!

What's the last thing you bought? Some groceries at Target

What are you listening to right now? Nothing, just the hum of the laptop.

What is your favorite ice-cream flavour? I think my all time favorite it Mint Chocolate Chip. But I love Rocky Road and any combination of chocolate & peanut butter.

What do you think of the person who tagged you? She's wonderful!! Best sister-in-law I could ask for! I'm excited that she'll be an Auntie and be able to see her niece more often than she sees her nephews.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? Shoot, I agree with Connie! Why not Hawaii??

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? I would love to go to a tropical island and lay on the beach (minus a preggo belly!)

Which language do you want to learn? I wish Vietnamese was easier to learn!

What's your favorite quote (for now)? "God won't give you more than you can handle"

What is your favorite colour? I like blues, greens & pinks

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe? Jeans and comfy shirts

What is your dream job? Stay at home mom and maybe making some money on the side doing something I enjoy.

What's your favourite magazine? I always get so excited when my scrapbook magazines come in the mail and I also like Real Simple mag.

If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on? If someone conveniently gave me $100 right now, I'd use it to buy a gift for someone. Otherwise, I'd probably just go shopping for some clothes that I can wear during summer.

Favorite designer? I generally don't buy anything "designer"....so that's a tough question. I'm trying to think if I have anything "designer" in my closet! haha

Do you admire any one's style? I admire bits and pieces of a few people's styles, but I don't know if I'd be able to pull it off.

Describe your personal style? Simple, Comfortable, semi-cute. haha

What are you going to do after this? Take a shower

What are your favourite movies? Any comedy, romantic-comedy, etc.

What's your favourite fruit? Green apples, asian pears, plums, pineapple, kiwi, mango

What inspires you? In life - lots of people; for creativity - blogs, etsy.com, scrapbook mags

What is on the walls in your bedroom? We have a mirror on the wall and a painting of a flower

Your favorite book ?Of all time? I like Nicholas Sparks books.

Do you collect something ? Does hording scrapbooking supplies count?!?

The rules :
1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag three other people.
No pressure but if any of you or anyone else would like to take part please do! Just post a link in the comments so I can come read your answers. Have a fun day!!!

Tomas Drew Mendoza is here!

2009-05-26T09:59:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to our friends Paul & Yolanda!!

After a long, hard 14 hour labor, Tomas Drew Mendoza was born:

3:57 in the afternoon

Monday May 25 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Orange. (On his actual due date!)

6lbs 14oz and 20 inches long

We had a chance to visit Yolanda & Paul at the hospital last night and saw Tomas when he was only about 3 1/2 hours old! Yolanda will be in the hopsital for another day or two and then she'll be discharged to go home.

We can't wait to see little Tomas as he grows!

Ultrasound Pictures

2009-04-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to scanning some of the ultrasound pictures we got a few weeks back. This was from when we went in hoping to determine the sex of the baby. They're both profile pictures of our baby girl.

We're hoping to make an appointment for a 3D ultrasound within the next few weeks. They suggest coming in between 26-28 weeks when the baby is more "filled out". I'm 22 1/2 weeks right now, so a few weeks to go.

In the 2nd picture, a little hand flew by, so you can sort of see it above her face/neck.

New Car!!

2009-04-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Woohoo!!! We've been looking to get a Honda Pilot for a little while, since we know having two 2-door cars probably wouldn't be the most convenient when the baby arrives!

We thought we had found one last week. It was everything we wanted and more, and for a decent price. Turns out the guy ended up selling it to someone else. It must not have been meant to be!

Cuong called me before I left for work yesterday and said that he had found another Pilot (a newer year, with fewer miles) that was at a small dealership in Fullerton. Our plan was to eat dinner quickly and then heading over to check it out.

Once we got there and test drove it, we decided that it was the car for us! When we first started looking, we had no idea that we would get one that was fully loaded...but hey, it's a definite plus! This car has leather interior (good for kids), navigation system, and a rear back-up camera. Plus it has heated seats for those chilly Southern California mornings. hehe

Now we just need to sell Cuong's car. 1995 Accord anyone???

100 things

2009-04-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Feel free to do this too! You can even post it in the comment section!

Copy this and BOLD everything that applies...

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain. I rock climbed a huge rock, does that count?
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo. I haven't sang one, but I've played some on my trumpet
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick. Rarely
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run. On a tiny field
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. Does Illinois count? haha
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied. Working on it
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant. Hopefully one day
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House. I saw the grounds, but we didn't get to go inside.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby. Working on that one too.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

We're wheelin' and dealin'!

2009-04-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Lately Cuong and I have been trying to save as much money as possible by using coupons. Did you know that there are actually blogs where people tell you what coupons to use or match up in order to get things for FREE? That's right, FREE!

We made a trip to Target the other week and picked up a few items and handed the cashier about 10 coupons. I think we ended up saving $18.00! Our final bill totaled $8!

Here's a picture of all that we got:

We used our $5 off Huggies coupon to get the bag of 187 wipes for 99 cents. The salsa, pledge, and applesauce were completly free. I think we paid a few cents for the fruit chillers, and the same for the Cheetos. Normally for a bill totaling $8, you'd be able to buy the Fritos cheese sauce and the salsa. So essentially, we got everything else for free!

We discovered that coupons.com is a great way to print your own coupons at home! You just select which coupons you want to print, and then you're ready to go!

19 1/2 weeks

2009-04-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

Last Friday (4/3/09) I was officially 19 weeks pregnant! The baby weighs about 1/2 a pound and is about 6 inches long. I'll be 20 weeks tomorrow! Half way there already!

She's definitely moving around a lot more. Every few hours I'll feel some little kicks and punches. The other night I rolled over and had my tummy against Cuong's back and she went crazy! So he definitely felt her then! It was pretty funny and exciting.

I started feeling her move around at about week 17. I wasn't sure at first if I was feeling the correct thing, but since it kept happening, it had to be the baby!

Last night we were sitting on the couch together and I lifted my shirt up to put my hand on my tummy. I was shocked to see that my stomach was actually MOVING every time I felt a little kick or punch! It's so bizarre and amazing at the same time!

Here are some pictures that we took the other night (about 19 1/2 weeks):

I think my tummy is getting bigger as each week passes by. According to what I've been reading in books and websites, my belly button might start to get sore soon. My uterus will be moving upwards and actually start creeping behind my belly button. They say that it will be rubbing against the back of it. We'll see how long the belly button ring stays in.

It's a...

2009-04-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

GIRL!

After a long ultrasound appointment and some confusion with our ultrasound tech, we ended up having to go back last night to take capture a few more images. I asked the 2nd ultrasound tech to try and determine the sex. The first time around the baby had her legs crossed! Little stinker!

The 2nd ultrasound tech said it looked like a girl to her.

We had only picked out boys names, so now we need to start looking at girl names!

Happy Birthday Connie!!

2009-03-24T08:55:00.001-07:00

A quick birthday shout out to my Sis-In-Law, Connie!! Hope you have a wonderful day today! You deserve it! :)

Week 16

2009-03-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I was officially 16 weeks pregnant. Now I'm about 16 1/2.

They say that between 16-20 you may start feeling the baby move. I'm not really sure what I should be looking for. Some people say it feels like bubbles popping, butterflies, or just hunger pains or gas bubbles. I think I've been feeling something lately though, more like bubbles popping. I can't wait until they get stronger and I'm sure of what I'm feeling. From what we've been reading, the baby's bones get harder as it approaches 20 weeks.

I scheduled my ultrasound with Radiology for Tuesday, March 31st in the late afternoon. At that appointment, they'll be checking the size of the baby, the development of the major organs, and the sex of the baby. Woohoo! I can't wait.

Cuong took some pictures of my belly last night, so I figured I'd share. It seems to be growing as each weeks go on.

Warning: I really need a tan!!

Baby Shower

2009-03-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

I'm helping Yolanda's friend Dana (or doing most of the work) for Yolanda's baby shower in early April. I don't mind, but I just hope she doesn't take the credit like she usually does. I just want to make sure that Yolanda enjoys herself and feels like we're celebrating her and Tomas.

I've been working on putting together the games, game prizes, favors, desserts, and more. Since I have the time, it's pretty convenient for me. I went to Costco today to pick up some candy to put in the favor bags. I was excited to put them together since I had used my Xyron sticker-maker to make the the little tag to attach to the bag. I was so excited to get it done that after they were finished, I realized that I hadn't even put away my groceries from Costco yet! Whoops.

Here's a sneak peak! Plus, I plan on making cupcakes (per Yolanda's request) and I've already put together cute toothpicks with a monkey on top to put on the cupcakes. It's similar to the tag on the favors. It should be adorable. Now I just need to learn how to do the fancy frosting on cupcakes.

New Ultrasounds! 14.5 weeks

2009-03-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

We just got back from the doctor's office this morning. There wasn't much to do at this appointment. First she was just using a doppler to find the heartbeat. It worried me a little when she was having trouble finding it. She ended up "cheating" and using a little ultrasound machine. I didn't mind too much though since we got new pictures of the baby! These are even better than the last ones! Now I'm almost 15 weeks pregnant.

She put in an order for an ultrasound in the Radiology department for the big ultrasound to check for the vital organs...and sex. So my appointment will probably be towards the end of the month. I can't wait! I hope the baby is in a good position so we can find out the sex.

Here are the ultrasounds we got this morning. I added some text to make it easier to figure out, but it's getting much easier now that the baby is getting bigger and looking more human!

14 Weeks

2009-03-02T16:35:00.001-08:00

Today I'm almost 14 1/2 weeks pregnant. In my doctors appointments thus far, they've decided that I'm progressing to a new week either each Wednesday or Friday. Who knows. That's the confusing part.

Either way, I'm just happy to be progressing well.

Cuong took these pictures last Thursday (Feb. 26th) to show my belly. I was surprised to see how fast it was growing. I've been hearing that everyone grows differently. Some pop out really quickly and then don't grow again until towards the end. Some don't grow much until the end...and some just continue growing throughout! Who knows what will happen to me!

Note: This shirt was very clingy, so it exaggerated the bump. But my stomach definitely looks different than it did in the past!

At 14 weeks, the baby is about 3 1/2 inches long - about the size of a lemon.

GREAT Grandparents

2009-03-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

Each February, my Aunt Rita and Uncle Mike from Illinois (my mom's brother) come out to visit California. This year was no exception. They brought along their daughter (my cousin) Julie and her daughter Celia. Julie's husband is a Deputy Sherrif and was stuck at work, so he wasn't able to escape the cold weather this year. They were all staying at my grandparents' house in San Diego.

Since I'm not working, my mom decided that she would take a day off work and asked me to join her to visit them down in San Diego (Feb. 11th). They wanted to make a day trip of going to Coronado Island. Even though I've lived in California, I had never been to Coronado before! So it was a new adventure to me.

I wanted to tell my grandparents about the pregnancy, so before we headed out for Coronado, I gave them a little gift.

I had picked up a plain white metal mailbox in the $1 spot at Target and embellished it with some scrapbook papers, stickers and jewels. Inside I had written them a little note, stuck the ultrasounds in and given them a sweet treat for Valentine's Day.

My grandma had my grandpa read the note outloud. After he read it, he gasped and got a big smile on his face. My grandma was crying, gave me a hug and said how happy she was! My grandpa was a little teary eyed, gave me a hug and said how lucky he was. My grandma then turned to him and said, "We made it Paul. Now just hang in there!" They're so funny. My grandpa has been in and out of the hospital a lot in the past few years, so I was really glad to be able to tell them this good news while he's still healthy.

This will be their 2nd great-grandchild, but Celia lives all the way in Illinois and they only get to see her once a year.

The big announcements!

2009-03-02T16:04:00.001-08:00

Now that I was further into my 1st Trimester (about 11 weeks), we felt safe announcing it to our families. With the high rate of miscarriages and the fact that my mom had about 3-4 miscarriages during her pregnancies, I was a bit worried about announcing it too soon. I wasn't sure what I would do if we had already told people and then something happened.

Phew! Luckily we made it! Go baby!

We first announced to each of our parents on the weekend of Feb. 6th-9th. Cuong's parents were planning on coming up that weekend, so we asked my parents to come up to help us out with some electrical and plumbing issues we were having.

We had made a trip to Babies R Us during the prior weekend to pick up some matching bibs in order to make the big announcement.

On Friday night, Cuong's parents came up and brought some yummy crab and his mom made one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes! Yum! After dinner, Cuong went upstairs and grabbed 2 gift bags. He told them that we had gotten them matching gifts and them asked them to open them at the same time.
Cuong's dad was so excited, he jumped out of his chair, ran over, gave me a big hug and said, "THANK YOU!" It was so great to see such an enthusiastic reaction! :) Cuong's parents were so happy to be having a 4th grandchild and then reminded him that he needed to help out around the house and make sure I wasn't carrying heavy things or reaching up too high.

On Sunday, my parents came over to the house. We had some delicious lunch at Zito's Pizza, and then we headed back to the house to figure out our electrical and sprinkler problems. After successfully figuring one of them out, we headed back into the house. Now it was my turn to go upstairs to get the gift bags! Once again, we said we had gotten them matching gifts and to open them at the same time. My dad, being a smarty-pants, said "Why do we have to open them at the same time if they match? Just have mom open hers!" Grrr! To which I responded, "Just open it!" My mom was surprised and then gave me a hug and said congratulations and then commented that she couldn't believe she was going to be a grandmother!

Doctor's Appointments

2009-03-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

After I got my positive home pregnancy tests, I called to make an appointment with my OB/GYN. I wasn't sure how quickly (or not) I was supposed to see her. They told me that they would set up an appointment with their Nurse Midwife so she could do my first pre-natal exam. I went on January 7th to see her. After I filled out tons of paper work, I went into the exam room to see Lisa. She was a very nice and intelligent lady.

She told me that she was going to request for me to go to the lab and have some blood drawn for all of the different tests they needed to run. She explained about different races/ethnicity having a higher rate of carrying genes for diseases, etc. Towards the end of the appointment she said that she was going to do an ultrasound. I was in shock! It was only 7 weeks pregnant, why would she do an ultrasound? I had just told Cuong that he didn't need to come with me because the book I read told me that all they would do was just check vital signs, blood work, etc. Boy was I wrong!

Lisa went ahead and did an ultrasound. I could see a tiny heartbeat going at a rapid speed. It just looked like a little dot inside an egg sack. She told me that it was about the size of a jellybean!

My second appointment was about 3 weeks later, January 29th. This time my appointment was with my OB/GYN. She talked to us about genetic testing during the first trimester to check for the possibility of having a high or low risk of birth defects. There was also an option to wait until the 2nd trimester to do the testing. We decided that the 2nd trimester was better suited for us. It gave us more of a choice of what would happen even if the test came back saying that there was a higher risk.
My blood tests came back and everything looked normal as far as being a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis or being anemic, etc.
At this appointment they were able to do another ultrasound to check the baby's development and heartbeat. The doctor said that things looked to be progressing normally and that the heartbeat was strong. The baby looked a little more "human" during this ultrasound. Believe it or not, the head is on the right side and the legs were still developing on the left side. The doctor said she could even see a little hand!

Our next appointment is this Wednesday, so we're excited to see what else we can learn!

I'm back!

2009-03-02T15:35:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since my last post. Some exciting things have happened, and now it's all out in the open!

After I was notified that I was being laid off, Cuong and I decided that despite me losing my job and the economy going into a recession, it was the perfect time to get pregnant....right? :) Pretty ironic. None the less, we started trying and within 3 weeks or so, I was pregnant!

On Tuesday, December 23rd, I got out of bed at the same time that Cuong usually gets up to go to work. I had picked up a 2 pack of pregnancy tests at the store the day before. Since I had missed my period we decided that I should take the test.

I went into the restroom and did my thing, and then set it on the counter. The directions said it would take about 5 minutes until something showed up. I bought one of the "digital" tests so there was no mistaking lines or colors. After putting the test on the counter, I went into the closet and started folding some clothes.

Cuong, meanwhile, was doing his usual routine to get ready for work. He had gotten dressed and headed to the sink area to do his hair. I heard him get quiet and then poke his head in the closet and say, "I think you'd better get the camera!". I of course told him to "shut up" and that it had only been about 2 minutes and the directions said it would take 5 minutes. So he told me to come out and have a look for myself.

Sure enough, when I looked at the test it said " YES +". I was in complete shock. I ran and got the camera and took a picture. I was still in disbelief at what I saw on that little stick. Could I have really gotten pregnant? We hadn't even been trying for that long!

But....here is the proof.

Since I still couldn't belive it, I ended up taking the 2nd pregnancy test later in the day. I called Cuong to tell him that it definitely said YES on it too!

Talk about a Christmas present!

Obama Inauguration - Jan. 20th 2009

2009-01-22T13:22:00.000-08:00

Since I'm at home, I was able to watch the inauguration of our new president, Barack Obama. It really was a huge event. Newscasters and other people were comparing it to the excitement of the JFK inauguration. Never before had so many people descended upon Washington DC for a presidential inauguration!

It was a good feeling to see a new president take office. After the swearing in, the President and First Lady headed out for their parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Many people had talked about how emotional they were when Obama won the election and was sworn in as our 44th President. I didn't feel too much more than just happiness and thankfulness. But as I was watching Barack and Michelle walking down Pennsylvania Avenue, waving at the crowd, I feel an overwhelming sense of sheet amazement. It's been a long time since people have felt hope for a better country (definitely not within the past 8 years!).

About 1 million people were in Washington DC to witness the inauguration. It was incredible to see how many people lined the street to at least get a first close-up glimpse of the new President and his lovely wife.

Christmas Decorations

2009-01-22T13:01:00.001-08:00

Since we were living with my parents during last Christmas, all of our decorations sat in storage and finally got pulled out for this Christmas. We had forgotten some of the things that we actually had.

Our Christmas decorating actually started on Thanksgiving! One of the neighbors rents a big crane every year to put up the 2nd story lights on the houses of nieghbors that would like to participate. Our time slot was scheduled on Thanksgiving morning. Even though it was quite cold and rainy, they were still able to put the lights up in about a 1/2 hour. It turned out really nicely!

After Thanksgiving it was full speed ahead with decorating! I pulled out all of our decorating boxes and went to it. We ended up donating some of our decorations that just wouldn't work in the house.

2009-01-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a great Christmas & a very happy new year! Our holiday season was a good one.
Before Christmas we hosted a gift exchange with some of our friends. Instead of buying for each person, we bought a gift and did a blind exchange, complete with stealing gifts, etc. All in all, it was a very fun night. Hmmm...most of the gifts were alcohol! haha

On Christmas Eve we hosted Cuong's family (aunts, uncles, cousins) for dinner and a chance to catch up. It was nice to be able to see everyone since we don't all get together very often.
Since Cuong's parents and Connie's family were already at the house, the spent the night and we woke up to find that Santa had found our house and left plenty of gifts. (Good thing we gave him directions! hehe) The girls were really excited to have new fun gifts to open on Christmas morning.

After cleaning up at our house, we headed over my parents' house in Costa Mesa. My grandparents and great-aunt were already there when we arrived. We had a delicious lunch (comlete with ham, yum!) and then opened a few more gifts. I was really excited for Cuong to open one of the gifts I (along with my parents) had gotten him. It had been a secret since about July. My dad had bought a USC helmet to be signed. Luckily one of the guys at Warmington is Mark Sanchez's uncle and was able to ask Mark to have some of his team members sign the helmet. It was great! We got Mark Sanchez, all the back up quarter backs, Pete Carroll, Brian Cushing, Joe McKnight, Patrick Turner, Damian Williams, and a few others. I had bought a nice football helmet case and had my parents *secretly* take it home with them before Thanksgiving. Cuong was excited and surprised when he opened it.

Thanksgiving '08

2008-12-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

This is late, but I wanted to post the pictures either way.

I had been prepping for Thanksgiving for a few weeks, figuring out what I needed to make and how it would all come together.

The night before I had set the table with the china we received as wedding gifts. We had never used it before, so it was kind of exciting.

I woke up early on Thanksgiving morning to get ready. We finally got the turkey thawed out (oops!) and got it in the oven.

We at a little bit later than planned, but everything turned out great.

We had a full blown Thanksgiving meal: turkey, stuffing, gravy, veggies, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry jello, rolls, etc.

A Little Too Close for Comfort

2008-11-20T07:43:00.000-08:00

This past weekend a string of fires broke out in Southern California.

Early Saturday morning we saw smoke rising from the fire in Yorba Linda (less than 10 miles from us). When we arrived home in the afternoon, we learned that the fire had jumped the freeway and was also in Anaheim Hills. We live on the other side of the hill from Anaheim Hills! That's when it started getting pretty scary. Down the hill from us is lots of brush, so if any embers flew our way and hit that, then we'd have a fire on our hands also. Luckily (for us), the wind was blowing away from us.

We were glued to the news trying to figure out exactly where the fire was. We saw TONS of people fleeing the Anaheim Hills area in their cars. It was like a massive exodus.

We heard that it was right behind the Costco we go to and actually burned a building in the same shopping center.

There were so many huge million dollar houses that were damaged or destroyed. It was really unbelievable!

Cuong's parents were supposed to come over and have dinner with us on Saturday night. Apparently they had put a police officer at the bottom of our major street who was turning people away. It took them about 1 1/2 hours to move just 200 yards.

I walked down to the corner to see if I could see what was going on. I brought the camera along:

This was when I was on the corner of our street looking up towards the Anaheim Hills/Yorba Linda area.

This is our house, along with LOTS of smoke!

Next I walked down to the major street that Cuong's parents were trying to get up. On a clear day, you can get a glimpse of the ocean, but today it was all smoke. I think it will be a while until there is any views of the ocean.

From the major street corner looking back up towards Anaheim Hills/Yorba Linda. That's our house on the right.

Since it was getting pretty close and embers were flying all over the place, I started making up an "Evacuation Packing List". I even started putting all of my scrapbooking stuff my the door. These are my albums and pictures....it looks like so much more stuff once I pulled it out of the cabinets.

Phew!

2008-11-20T07:27:00.000-08:00

Can I just say how happy I have to finally have ZERO new items in my Google Reader. It's official, I subscribe to way too many blogs. I even went through my subscriptions to try and decide who I could delete, but I didn't have the heart to delete anyone.
The other day I had over 500 new posts to read. UGH!
And you would think that with me being at home that I would have plenty of time to post to my blog! For some reason, I feel like I'm super busy now. Now my days are mostly filled with exercise, running errands, some tv, and chores.

Scrapbooking!

2008-11-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

Back in late October I participated in the Survivor Crop that Ever After scrapbook store put on in Oceanside. It was their 7th annual event. You basically are srapbooking for 24 hours straight with 150+ of your closest scrappers. hehe

There were about 20 tables and each table had a team. Our team was the 'Monster Croppers 4 the Cure'! We were lucky enough to have some Monster Energy stuff donated to us to use. We had stickers, bracelets, lanyards, temporary tattoos, etc. It was so cool!

This was my first time at the event and I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't even sure if I could stay up for 24 hours...but I did it!

On Friday afternoon, I headed down to Oceanside to get ready and spend the night at Connie's house. I got my t-shirt iron on done, and Connie taught me the dance that we need to incorporate with our song. Each team needed to have a song and dance to perform.

We had so much fun!

Here are a few of the projects I worked on:

Towards the early morning, I had run out of things to do..and out of adhesive! Luckily Ever After had a little mini store set up. I was able to pick up some paper and adhesive right there!
Luckily I had brought pictures from the Fraternity days, so I made a little mini album. Here are a few pages:

Anniversary Weekend

2008-11-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

This weekend we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. My how time flies!!

Our actual anniversary was on the 21st, but that weekend didn't work for us to go on a little get away.

It was my turn to plan our anniversary get away this year. I had been debating about where to go for a few months. I finally picked the Hyatt in Long Beach. It's right across the street from the harbor and has a great view of Shoreline Village and the Queen Mary. We actually looked into getting married at this Hyatt!

We arrived on Saturday afternoon to check in. Since our room wasn't ready yet, we checked our luggage and then headed across the street to the extended Shoreline Village. They have tons of newer restaurants & shops, and plus the aquarium at the end.

We headed out onto a little pier to take in the scenery along with taking a few pictures.

About a minute after we took this last picture, the sky opened up and poured on us! We ran for cover and hid out under some thick trees until it reduced down to a sprinkle.

From there we headed back to the hotel bar to catch most of the USC game. They kicked butt of course.

A little while later we headed up to our room, which had an awesome view of the harbor. I couldn't have asked for a better view. I was nervous about the quality of room we would get since there were two different functions going on at the convention center. Phew!

After settling into our room, we got ready to head to dinner. Since we both love Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co, we ditched the fancy, romantic anniversary dinner and went for some yummy shrimp. I got a Lt. Dan's Pomegranate Punch and Cuong got some sort of limey margarita. Delicious!

Gusty Winds - and a few creatures I've captured

2008-10-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

We've had a few days of really gusty Santa Ana winds recently. On Monday when I came home from work, I went over to the sliding glass door and thought, "Where is our patio furniture?" Well, smart us, we didn't crank down the umbrella on our patio table, so the wind basically picked it up and tossed it across the yard. Chairs were knocked over, our table was flipped upside down and the umbrella was on the other side of the yard.

We had been prepared enough to at least bring our little herbs in to sit on the kitchen table. On Tuesday I was checking out my little Basil plant. I had been wondering what was eating all of the leaves...and then I saw it! A little green caterpillar! He was sitting there just munching away on my beautiful Basil! So I captured him. I felt like a little kid all over again. I put him in a little Tupperware jar and covered it with plastic wrap. Then I poked holes in the plastic wrap with a toothpick. I decided I might as well give him the rest of the half eaten leaves since I wouldn't use them after he slobbered all over them! Now he's my pet. haha

Cuong had planted a green bell pepper plant out in our little "garden". Recently that's been getting eaten up pretty badly. I went out there after work yesterday to check it out. More munching had occurred! I was about to walk away when I saw the biggest caterpillar I had ever seen! I ran inside to get another Tupperware cup. He wouldn't let me just scrap him off the branch...so I ran back inside and grabbed a chopstick. I figured I would just flip him into the cup. That didn't work either! That sucker was STRONG! My only option was to cut his little branch off and then put the whole thing in my cup.

I watched him periodically while watching the debate. He munched away on the little branch. You could actually hear him eating by just sitting there!

This morning I took this picture and he had practically eaten everything I had already given him! Little pig!

Ahhhh, nature!

Not quite Everyday!

2008-10-07T08:58:00.001-07:00

I at least made an attempt to do Ali Edward’s daily photos….but I just wasn’t as committed to it as I wished I was.
I basically only took pictures on my way to work, at work, on my way home and right before work.

I'm headed South...to work! I'm at this signal at about 6:40am every morning.

It can get pretty backed up as everyone is trying to get on the freeway. Luckily there are 3 entrance lanes!

This is what I usually grab in the morning. My granola bar, my Trader Joe's chocolate soy milk and a bottle of water...then I'm off!

At work...that's my phone. I tried to take pictures while no one was looking. People would probably think I was crazy...or a spy.

Heading home! I'm on the 55 North. My exit is only 2 exits after the 22 Freeway splits off!

There's my exit! I'm almost home!

Fixing one of Cuong's new favorite dinners: Chicken Chilaquiles w/ Chipotle chiles. See that little box of frozen cilantro?! It's from Trader Joe's. There are little frozen cubes of cilantro. That way you don't have to worry about having fresh cilantro on hand when you need it!

Another dinner. Crispy Ginger-Lime chicken with cous cous and salad.

A super easy dessert! Crispy sugared wonton skins layered with whipped cream and strawberries. Yum!

Last Bonfire of the Year

2008-10-07T08:54:00.001-07:00

Back on September 27th, we met up at the beach (Huntington) with some of Cuong’s friends and Connie’s family. We got there right as the sun was going down.
Since it’s the beginning of fall, the air was a little crisp and the winds picked up more.
The nieces were excited to go down to the water to play for a little while as the sun was going down.

As it got darker, it was colder and colder. Luckily the bonfire was there to keep us warm. The only thing about bonfires though is your clothes and hair are just steeped in that fire smell! Ick!

Isn’t he so reflective?

Man, my hair was all over the place! Darn wind!

Magic S'more Bar Recipe

2008-09-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the recipe:

10 ounces graham crackers (18 whole crackers, or two cellophane wrapped stacks)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 pinch of salt
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large resealable bag (or in a food processor), smash graham crackers until finely ground. Stir in melted butter and salt. Press into a 13×9″ pan.
2. Drizzle can of condensed milk over graham crackers. Sprinkle on chocolate chips; follow with marshmallows.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes until marshmallows a lightly browned.

From blogger: http://www.sophistimom.com/

Food Blogs

2008-09-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

So lately I’ve become totally engulfed in all that is cooking!

Everyday the DVR records Emril Live and I’ll record select episodes of: 30 Minute Meals (Rachel Ray), Quick Fix Meals, Guy’s Big Bite, and Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee.

I’ve pulled a lot of recipes off the Food Network website lately.

I’ve also recently been subscribing to more food blogs. I signed up for Google Reader so that I can track all of the blogs that I read and it will show me when someone has update their blog. It even suggests other blogs that you might enjoy, who knew!

About a week ago I read this lady’s blog and saw a picture and recipe for Magic S’more Brownies. Drool almost came out of my mouth! It looked delicious! I immediately thought, “I have to try this!” I went to the grocery store right after work and picked up the ingredients. Not only did they look yummy, they tasted great! Plus, the blog author was giving away some goodies from William Sonoma for a random winner who tried her recipes.
Now, my picture doesn’t look delicious, but the blog author’s did.

(mine)

(hers)

I heart egg rolls

2008-09-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

I finally worked up the nerve to try the frozen egg rolls that Cuong’s mom bought for us a little while back. I love Vietnamese egg rolls, but I had never tried to fix them before. Granted, all I had to do was pull them out of the freezer and fry them in some oil…I was worried. I’m not a big “fryer”.
Nevertheless, I plopped them into the oil and crossed my fingers. I knew that the filling inside had not been cooked, so I was trying to figure out how to know the inside was cooked, without burning the skin.
Taaadaaaa! I just winged it, and they turned out fantastic! They were yummy, just like the fresh egg rolls you can buy. We had them with some shrimp and teriyaki noodles (straight out of the Lipton/Knorr brand package). Yum! Shrimp are generally quick and easy to fix. They have their own built-in thermometer to let you know when they are ready!

Shades of Summer

2008-09-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

When we got back from vacation and picked up our mail, there was a package for Shades of Summer. For those of you who don’t know about it…The 2007 Scrapbooker of the Year, Elizabeth Kartchner, started this activity called Shades of Summer. She bought about 10 pairs of funky, yellow sunglasses and looked for people who would want to create somewhat of a chain-scrapbook. She sent the package to the first person on the list. They would have to take a picture of themselves (or someone else) wearing the sunglasses and then scrapbook the picture…and send the package on to the next person on the list.

She started this at the beginning of summer, so I had been anxiously awaiting the package. My sister in law, Connie, had already gotten hers about a month or so before I got my package! Elizabeth took the first 150 people who wanted to sign up. (Can you believe that many people read her blog and wanted to participate!?)

So here are my pictures…and my scrapbook page!

Bowtie Pasta with Salami and Italian Squash

2008-09-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

On Monday evening, I decided to make a quick & easy, but delicious, dinner. Now, it’s nothing fancy, but it’s tasty!
This recipe is now somewhat of an oldie, but a goodie. We were trying to remember the first time I made it. We think it was probably after Cuong bought the house in Norwalk, but before we got married.

Bowtie Pasta with Salami and Italian Squash
Serves 2 (but can be multiplied to feed any amount)

½ package of store-bought salami
1 Italian squash (a.k.a. – zucchini) cut into matchsticks or "moons"
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Bowtie pasta
Salt & pepper
Oil

In a skillet on medium-high, heat oil and add garlic. Cook until slightly browned and fragrant.
Add zucchini to skillet and season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, boil water and cook pasta (per box directions).
Once zucchini is softened, add salami to skillet. Lower heat to medium and continue to heat salami.
When pasta is cooked, drain water. Add pasta to skillet with zucchini and salami. Toss to incorporate. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I was really hungry on Monday, so I ended up cleaning my plate. We ate it along with a green salad and some French bread with oil/vinegar…while watching Family Guy on tv. (as you can see in the reflection of the table).

Getting Ready!

2008-09-15T07:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I sat down for about an hour or more to start getting stuff together for the Survivor Crop. I got together photos, embellishments, papers, etc. and got them each into their own page protector and ready to be scrapped.

It actually took a lot of will power to not scrap them...I was just so ready! In the next few weeks I plan on printing out some more pictures, organizing some more, packing up my stuff, and buying any last minute items/goodies that I might need!

2008-09-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Where were you the morning of September 11, 2001?

I was 18 years old and working at Jamba Juice at Metro Pointe in Costa Mesa. I was the shift lead and had opened the store at 6:30am. It was a normal day, just like any other. The usual customers came in and got their morning smoothie before work, we had our “Jamba Music” playing over the store speakers….

Then a customer, a professor from Orange Coast College came in. He heard the up beat music playing in the store and then in a loud, stern voice said to me, “How can you play music like this right now?! Do you know what just happened!? Two planes just slammed into the World Trade Center!”

I was shocked! First of all, why was this total stranger yelling at me? And secondly, why would someone fly into buildings?

Nevertheless, the man got this smoothie and left. My co-worker and I were in shock. We didn’t have access to a tv or a radio, so we were really clueless about all of the mayhem going on in the country.

When I got off work at about 11:30am, I headed home to eat lunch and get ready for school. I turned on the tv and saw the re-plays of everything that had happened earlier in the day on the east coast. Seeing the planes made my stomach turn and tense up. It was all so surreal, like it was a movie and not real life.

My class in the afternoon was a Political Science class. Most of the students were present, although a few decided not to come to school. Instead of holding a formal class, the teacher let us talk about what had happened that morning. I remember asking him, “What does this mean for the country and the economy?”. At this point, no one really knew what the future held and what to expect next.

These 7 years have just flown by. I still remember watching the memorial held on the 1-year anniversary. You can’t help but get a little emotional when you hear the children and loved ones of the victims speak, even 7 years later.
So, today marks the 7th anniversary of a turning point in the United States. Our world is still uncertain and the U.S. is nearing another possible turning point. With this being an election year, all eyes are turned to the presidential candidates to see how they can better our nation and keep its citizens safe and living healthy, productive lives.
I hope you are planning on voting. I know I am.

South America Trip - Day 1

2008-09-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

Day 1 – Wednesday 8/20 – Thursday 8/21

We left LAX this morning (Wednesday) at 10:00am and flew to Atlanta, Georgia. From there we had a 3-hour lay over. We then boarded a large plane to head to Brazil. About 9 ½ hours later, we arrived in Rio de Janeiro. As we were approaching the airport, I looked out the window and saw little black mountains poking out of the misty fog.

We landed at 7:00am local time (Thursday) in Brazil and then had to go through Customs/Immigration. By 8:00am we had gotten all of our luggage and met the driver who had a sign with our names on it.
It took about an hour to get from the airport to our hotel, about 15 miles away. Along the way, the driver was telling us about driving through the “slum” areas, or favelas, before getting to the ritzier and well-known downtown area.

We arrived too early to check in, so we dropped off our luggage at the hotel and headed off to eat breakfast. We ate at the restaurant right next door to our hotel, both of which were located across the street from the beach.

After breakfast, we walked around the town of Copacabana a little and then headed to the beach area. We probably walked about 3 miles before we reached the town of Ipanema. The beaches were packed! We were really surprised to see how many people were there. This time of the year is their winter, but it was still in the 80’s!

While in Ipanema we went to the bar called “Girl of Ipanema” named after the song. Cuong, Paul & Yolanda all tried the light and dark beers that they had there.
For dinner we went to an all-you-can-eat Brazillian BBQ restaurant that the hotel concierge recommended. It had some of the weirdest bathrooms we had ever seen! Rocks on the floor. Rocks in the sinks. Ice in the men’s urinals, keys on the door. Apparently the restroom is known as the Pipi Room! How fitting!

South America Trip - Day 2

2008-09-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

Day 2 – Friday 8/22

Today we woke up early and ate at the breakfast buffet at the hotel. After breakfast we headed off on our tour to the Christ the Redeemer statue.
It was about a 20-minute ride in the bus to get to the bottom of the hill (Corcovado Mountain).

Once we had our tickets for the electric tram, we were all aboard! It was about a 15-minute ride up the steep hill to the plateau. Along the way, you go through the largest urban jungle. You got little peeks of the city below on the way up.

From the plateau you climb a few more stairs to reach the top. While we were still on the tram ride up, we made a quick stop and some local musicians came on board. They played us some tunes on our way up the hill and then were looking for tips afterwards.

The statue of Jesus was massive! They had a large platform that you could walk around. It gave you a 360 degree view of Rio de Janeiro. You could see Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, and all the way to the airport! It was a spectacular view! There was even a small chapel underneath the statue.
The statue was built after Brazil gained its independence.

We were so high up that sometimes a cloud would be passing by and you'd be stuck right in the middle of it!

The tour was only half day, so afterwards we returned to Copacabna. We walked around to find a place to eat. We found a local Italian restaurant to try. For the most part, we weren’t too impressed.
We went back to the hotel and hung out in the pool area for a while. Then we took a nap to try and get us back to normal from the jet lag! Around 8:00pm we headed out in search of a place to eat dinner. We stumbled upon a local restaurant that specialized in rotisserie chicken. It was really good!

South America Trip - Day 3

2008-09-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

Day 3 – Saturday 8/23

It rained pretty hard last night and continues to rain sporadically today. We woke up late this morning, which was nice!
For lunch we ate pizza…in grocery store! We had previously stopped into the grocery store to buy some bottled water and noticed that they had a little mini restaurant inside the store! They had a real brick oven and everything. The pizza crust was almost paper thin, so Cuong and I had no problem finishing off a whole pizza by ourselves!
After lunch we headed to the movie theater across from the grocery store, since it was still raining. They played movies in English with subtitles in Portuguese. We saw “Flashbacks of a Fool”, which I don’t think will play in the U.S. It was a very odd movie.

When we got back to the hotel, we asked the concierge about seeing a Samba show. They recommended a dinner/show combination. The package included transportation for the night. We went ahead and booked it. The van picked us up at the hotel, along with a few other guests and headed to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant. We had an hour to eat and then needed to head back into the van to the Plataforma in the neighborhood of Leblon.

It was kind of like a Vegas show with dances and outfits from Carnival, Portuguese dance, Samba, etc. The show was about 2 hours long and ended around midnight.

The grand finale ended with all of the ladies out in their HUGE dresses for Carnival. Each dress just kept getting bigger and bigger!

They even had guys doing Capoeira - Brazillian fight-dancing.

South America Trip - Day 4

2008-09-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Day 4 – Sunday 8/24

On Sundays they shut down one side of the main highway in Rio so pedestrians can easily stroll along the different beaches of the city. We had heard about something sort of like a swapmeet called the Hippie Fair. They had tons of booths with different vendors selling handmade goods. They even had a large section for art.
After the Hippie Fair, we walked along the beach and took in the scenery on a busy Sunday afternoon.
For lunch we headed back to the rotisserie chicken place! Yum!

Someone picked us up from the hotel at 2:00pm to go to the airport. Our flight left at 5:00pm and landed in Iguazu Falls at 7:00pm. A driver named Elio picked us up. We landed on the Brazillian side and then had to cross the border into Argentina. It was about a 5 mile ride to the border.
From the border we stopped at the local Casino to go to the ATM to take out some money on Argentinean pesos. We liked the exchange rate the best in Argentina. For every US dollar, you got 3 pesos.
From there we drove into the National Park, where our hotel was located. The Sheraton we stayed in is the only hotel within the National Park. We had very nice rooms, like a high class American hotel. From our hotel we had the jungle view.

South America Trip - Day 5

2008-09-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Day 5 – Monday 8/25

Check out the jungle view from our room in the morning!
This morning we woke up and ate breakfast in the restaurant’s buffet.

Elio picked us up again at 8:30am and drove us short distance to the entrance of the waterfall area. We were put into a group with about 10 other people and we were lead by our guide, Carlos.
We had a short walk to a train boarding area and then rode a small train to the next station.

From there we walked a little ways over foot bridges towards the “Devil’s Throat” waterfall. We crossed over about 5 bodies of water that fed the huge waterfall. It was unlike anything we had ever seen! There was so much power and so much water! There were tons of birds flying through the mist of the waterfall to bathe.

After about 15 minutes, we headed back towards the train and back to the original station. We then walked on a path through the rainforest and saw SO many other waterfalls. It was like an endless amount.

The tour guide asked us if we wanted to go on an optional tour where we would go on a motor boat right near the falls and then on a jeep tour through the jungle. We went for it, figuring it was a once in a lifetime deal. Paul, Yolanda, Cuong and I walked down closer towards the river area and then boarded small motor boat. We were each given a waterproof bag to put our belongings in, as well as a life vest. Talk about exhilarating! The driver took us almost under 2 different water falls! Needless to say, we were pretty soaked by the time we got off the boat!

From there we had to climb some steep stairs up to a waiting area for the Jeep ride. The large “jeep” held about 20 people and headed through the jungle. The guide from the National Park told us about the animals in the jungle (monkeys, pumas, jaguars, etc.). She also told us about the sad reality of the Hearts of Palms. I have never eaten them before, but I’ve seen them on menus in salads. She said that the “heart” of the palm couldn’t be cut out until it’s a few years old…and then the palm tree dies. So the certain kinds of palm trees are close to extinction. They aren’t being replanted once they are cut down.
While we were on our tour we met an older lady from Japan. She told us that she was retired and doing lots of traveling. Iguazu Falls was her last stop on her 28-day long trip! I can’t imagine taking a trip like that! She had traveled all over South America. Surprisingly, she didn’t speak much of any Spanish!

Here is the view of the Devil's Throat from the grounds of our hotel!! AWESOME!

South America Trip - Day 6

2008-09-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

Day 6 – Tuesday 8/26
Today we woke up and ate breakfast and then got ready to leave Igauzu Falls. The original plan was for us to go see the Brazillian side of the falls, but we found out that we would see the same waterfalls as the day before but just from a different angle.

Instead, we asked Elio if he could take us to the massive Duty Free store we saw on the way to the border.

From there he took us to the Tres Fronteiras, the Three Frontiers, where Brazil, Argentina and Parguay meet. We were standing on the Brazilian side and looked across the river to the other countries. Each country has their own pyramid painted in their colors.

Elio then took us to eat at a local Brazilan BBQ place.

After lunch, we headed off to the airport. We came to find out that our flight was delayed about an hour. Darn! Eventually we were able to board our flight. In about a hour and 45 minutes, we landed in Buenos Aires.

We were then picked up and taken to our hotel in Puerto Madero. This was the nicest hotel we stayed in! It was very modern. Puerto Madero used to be the main port in Buenos Aires, but was abandoned in the 1980's. They recently turned all of the old port warehouses into restaurants, hotels and condos.

After we checked in and got settled, we headed out to grab some dinner. We walked around for while and finally decided on an Italian restuarant, Puerto Cristal. The boys had some beer while Yolanda and I shared some champagne!

South America Trip - Day 7

2008-09-07T18:06:00.001-07:00

Day 7 - Wednesday 8/27

Today we woke up and ate breakfast and then boarded a van for our city tour. There were about 15 people on our tour. The tour guide spoke English and Spanish.

Buenos Aires is such a big city, like Los Angeles and Chicago. There are tons and tons of restaurants dotted along the river, along with the Catholic college.

Buenos Aires is known as the "Paris of South America". It has tons of European influence in the architecture.

We went to all of the different neighborhoods in the city. We saw where all of the rich people used to live in their big palaces. When there was a yellow fever epidemic, they all left and established homes in another part of the city. Those mansions and palaces are now the embassies.

They have tons of monuments of the people who helped to found the city. We even saw the "Pink House" where the president has her office.

We stopped in the neighborhood of La Boca; the home of Tango dancing. The buildings are all painted different bright colors.

After our tour ended, we ate lunch at a place called Mostaza that said it had the Ultimate Hamburger. Pshhh...it had nothing on the burgers in the US!!

By the time we finished eating, it had started to rain pretty hard. We took a cab back to the hotel. We all made appointments for massages. Cuong and Yolanda had really good massages, but Paul and I weren't so impressed.

While Cuong and Yolanda were in their massage appointments, Paul and I sat at the indoor pool area and watched the lightning and heard the thunder as the storm rolled through.

For dinner we went to an all-you-can-eat place down the street called Siga La Vaca, or "follow the cow". For $15 US, we got all you can eat meats, salad bar, drinks and dessert! YUM! Instead of the meat on spits like in Brazil, in Argentina they barbecue right over the flame. In Argentina, they have a dipping sauce called Chimichurri that we absolutely loved!

Here's a view of our hotel as we were walking back after our delicous dinner!

South America Trip - Day 8

2008-09-07T18:05:00.001-07:00

Day 8 - Thursday 8/28

Today it was cold and gloomy out, so we didn't want to be outside for too long. The front desk told us about the clothing district in the city. We decided to go and take a look.
A taxi picked us up and took us to a leather store. Everyone told us that if you are visiting Argentina, you have to buy leather. They are known for good quality, low price leather.
After looking around for a while, I found a leather jacket that I liked. I had never spent that much on a jacket before, but I had also never had a leather jacket before! So....while in Argentina, I purchased my first leather jacket. The one that I tried on had this funky white stitching on it. I told the sales person that I didn't like that part. She told me that they could make one without the stitching. She asked when we were leaving Argentina and where we were staying. It was about 10:00am when we were in the store...and she said she could have the jacket delivered to me by 4:30pm to our hotel. Wow!! Believe it or not, they had already dropped off my "custom" made jacket by 3:45!

After the leather store we headed to the famous "Florida" (sounds like flor-eeda). We had been told that this was the place to buy souvenirs and other items. Sadly we didn't find anything to buy there.
We headed back to the hotel to play on the pool table they had in the lobby. After pool, the boys went outside to smoke their cigars to have a mini-celebration for Paul's birthday.

Since Siga La Vaca was so good the night before....we went again for dinner!!

South America Trip - Day 9

2008-09-07T18:04:00.001-07:00

Day 9 - Friday 8/29

We woke up this morning and had breakfast downstairs in the lobby. While we were eating breakfast we could see black smoke rising in the air. It looked like it was coming from around the restaurant area we had been in the night before.

After breakfast someone came to pick us up to take us to the airport. On the way there the taxi driver asked us if we heard about the fire. We asked him where it was...and he said it was at Siga La Vaca! The place we had just eaten dinner at the night before!! Awwww!

We got to the airport, boarded our plane and in about 3 hours we were landing in Santiago, Chile. On our approach to the airport you could see the amazing Andes Mountains out the windows of the airplane!

Our driver, Antonio picked us up to take us to our hotel. On the way there he told us that 40% of the population of Chile live in the Santiago area. Chile is a really long and skinny country. Near the southern tip, there are penguins and icebergs!

When we checked into our hotel they gave us a complimentary drink ticket for the bar. We had heard that in Chile the national drink is the Pisco Sour, so of course we had to try that as our complimentary drink. Boy, was it sour...and strong! One was enough for all of us! Here is our partial view of the Andes from our hotel room:

By now we were hungry for dinner. The staff at the reception desk of the hotel told us that there was a main part of the area that had all of the restaurants. We headed to that area, called Patio Bellavista to fine a place for dinner. We ended up choosing a seafood restaurant, which was a big change from all that meat we had been eating in Brazil and Argentina! After dinner we walked around Patio Bellavista and took in the atmosphere. On the next street over, it was packed with young crowds at the bars. We're assuming they were all college kids from the college that was only about 1 block away.

South America Trip - Day 10

2008-09-07T18:03:00.001-07:00

Day 10 - Saturday 8/30

Today we woke up, ate breakfast and then were picked up to go out on our city tour of Santiago. The first place he took us to was a hill where they had a statue of the Virgin Mary. On the hill was a small chapel and an outdoor chapel that was used once a year. Like the Christ statue in Brazil, they also had a small prayer area under the statue. From the top of the hill, there was a great view of the city.

Next he took us to Plaza las Armas, the main square in the city. The local firemen were out in the square that morning so all of the kids could check out the fire trucks and ask questions. We found out that all of the firemen in Chile (and Argentina) are volunteers. They all have professional jobs and then work as firemen on the side without pay. It's a very heroic job for the people and they get a lot of respect. They even had one of their very old fire trucks on display.

Off of the main square was a large cathedral. It was very intricate inside and the ceilings were painted just like cathedrals in Italy. They even had a small alter that was made mostly of silver decor.

Next, we were off to the Presidential Palace to see where the president does her work. We walked through the courtyard on one side and then exited out the other side.

After exiting the cathedral, our tour guide dropped us off at the local fish market. Inside there were many restaurants and many fish market boths. They were jam packed with fish, mussels, clams and even more exotic finds. We ended up eating lunch at one of the restaurants in the area of the fish market.

When we had finished lunch, the guys were getting anxious because USC's first game was going to be on that day. Paul had asked the concierge at the hotel to find out if any bars in the local area had ESPN 2. He told us that a sports bar about 3 miles away confirmed that they had ESPN 2. So with that news, we hopped in a cab to go watch the game. The got out of the cab and ran inside....only to find out that they had ESPN Viva and ESPN mas, but no ESPN 2! They recommended us trying TGI Fridays. We walked a little ways and found a Ritz Carlton, Ruby Tuesday, and eventually the TGIF's....all of which did not have the correct channel. Talk about a wild goose chase!

Cuong and Paul were thoroughly disappointed. We headed back to the hotel to go online to check the score. Phew! Good thing they won!

We decided that we might as well go relax and have a little fun after our trek around the city. Yolanda and I hit the jacuzzi while Paul & Cuong decided to play tennis, as well as ping pong.

We didn't feel like going out to dinner, so we decided we would pick up some pizza and chicken. I got a personal pizza from Telepizza and Cuong got some KFC. To my dismay, the pepperoni on my pizza tasted like FISH! As I was trying to tell Cuong about it, our phone in our room rang. It was Paul and Yolanda asking if my pizza tasted like fish! Gross! Needless to say, we were all disappointed with the food thus far in Chile.

South America Trip - Day 11

2008-09-07T18:02:00.001-07:00

Day 11 - Sunday 8/31

Our guide, Antonio, picked us up this morning at 9:00am and we began our drive out to the Casablanca wine country valley.

We stopped at two different wineries. The first was on a small hill overlooking the vineyard. We took a tour (totally in Spanish), but got to see the huge vats that they keep the wine in, which we had never seen before. After the tour, we got to try 3 different wines. Unfortunately we didn't think this new winery had gotten their formula correct yet.

Next we went to Vina Mar winery. This tour was in English, lead by Fransisco, and we really enjoyed it! We learned about how the white wine, red wine and champagne are made. He showed us the huge containers and oak barrels that they were stored in. He said that wine is all suggestive and just because a wine is expensive, it doesn't mean that it is good.

After our tour he had us try their Gewurztraminer/ Sovenigon Blanc combo. It was so sweet and yummy! He also let us try a Chardonnay, 2 red wines and a champagne! I don't think we were supposed to get that many tastings, but I think Fransisco liked us! We each bought a bottle of the Gewurztraminer and a bottle of Champagne. They were only $5 each!

After the wineries, we headed out to the beach city of Vina Mar. It was previously the only port in South America before the Panama Canal was opened. We stopped along the water to check out the still active port and to take a look at where we would be stopping next.

Chile also had a lot of European influence, but Antonio explained that since Chile has very large earthquakes, many of the buildings have been destroyed throughout the years. There were still quite a few old building down by the beach though. We stopped at what used to be a large town square and saw the old building which is home to the Navy of Chile.

Our next stop was further along the coast to a restaurant called Sietes Mares. By the time lunch was over, it was about 4:30pm and we were ready to go home! It was about a 2 hour drive back to Santiago.

We didn't feel much like going out to eat, so we ended up ordering a hamburger from room service!

By this time I think we were all ready to catch our flight home. We were keeping our eye on the news about Hurricane Gustav. He was supposed to hit landfall the very next day.

South America Trip - Day 12

2008-09-07T18:01:00.001-07:00

Day 12 - Monday 9/1

This morning we woke up a little late and then headed down for breakfast. We had requested a late check out since we wouldn't be picked up until about 5:30pm to head to the airport.

After relaxing for a little while, Cuong & Paul went out to play tennis and ping pong one last time.

Paul, Cuong and I had each scheduled massages in the afternoon. Ah, yes. This massage was SO much better than the one in Argentina. It ws just what we needed before our long day of travel.

We then left the hotel in search of lunch. Since we didn't particularly enjoy the Chilean food, we went to a Peruvian restuarant. It was fantastic! Cuong, Yoland and I all got the Lomo Saltado - strips of steak, onions, tomatoes mixed with french fries and served with rice. YUM!! Paul treated himself to some surf & turf! It really hit the spot!

From there, we headed back to the hotel before we were to get picked up. Then we headed to the airport and boarded our flight to Atlanta, GA. In 9 1/2 hours later we landed in Atlanta...went through Customs and then had a 2 hour lay over before our flight to LAX.

Phew! We were so blessed to not have any troubles with flights, lost luggage and serious illness! It was a great trip!

August Birthdays

2008-09-04T15:18:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, August 9th, we all got together to celebrate the birthdays in the month of August. There are actually 5 birthdays in August in the group of friends: Sandra, Cuong, Paul, Marc, and Dan (cheater, he’s really July 31st).
The plan was to get together in Brea at the Yard House for dinner. We all met up around 5 o’clock since we had a large party of about 20 people. Although long, we had a very nice dinner. Even with dinner, appetizers and drinks, we were pleased to hear that it would only come out to $40 per person.

Following dinner, we headed a few doors down to the Improv.

We were originally supposed to see D.L Hughley, but since he was a good friend of Bernie Mac, he cancelled the show. Instead, we saw 3 different comedians. The first comedian was on stage for about 15 minutes or so and was actually pretty darn funny. The second guy had apparently been on Last Comic Standing, Eddie Ifft. He was pretty funny two. His bit was probably about 20-25 minutes long. Lastly, the headliner came out to do his piece. His name was Jamie Kaler. He thought he was on a roll, so he was probably up there for about 30-45 minutes. After the show, we all agreed that the first two guys were funnier than the actual headliner. Nevertheless, it’s always great to be able to go out and have a good laugh! Now I’ve been looking into going to another comedy show.

Time for Vacation!

2008-08-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

We'll heading out tomorrow on our flight to South America!

We leave out of LAX at 10:00am and land in Brazil the following day at 7:00am local time. Phew!

After Brazil, we're off to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Then from Argentina over to Santiago, Chile!

We'll land back at LAX on Sept. 2nd at 11:30am. Then it's back to work the next day! UGH!

My first Dodger Game!

2008-08-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, August 2nd we went to the Dodger’s baseball game vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It was my first time to Dodger’s Stadium! Plus, I had my first Dodger Dog! (Sorry Dodger fans, it just tasted like a regular hot dog to me!)

It was little bit of a hike to the stadium from where we were parked. I’m used to parks like the Anaheim Angles or San Diego Padres where you can walk in on the ground level and walk around the park to get to your seat. At Dodger’s Stadium, you have to enter on the correct level and you are seated on. Of course, we were at the top of the hill, and we needed to be at the bottom.

We had been invited to go to the game by Jason, whom Cuong used to work with at the City of Downey. Jason had invited Cuong to be a part of a Fantasy Baseball League with many other planners. This was the first time Cuong had done the Fantasy Baseball and felt like he was “Going on Luck Alone”, like his log-in name said! Well, he must be pretty lucky, because he’s going head to head at the very end of the season!

We had a lot of fun at the game. We were able to see Manny Ramirez play his second game for the Dodgers and hit his first home run! It was a really exciting game! Plus, it’s always nice when the home team wins!
Now that we live so close to Angel’s Stadium, we’ll need to go to a few games and stock up on our Angels gear!

On our way out to the parking lot, we caught this great view of the skyline of Los Angeles.

Vegetable/Herb Garden

2008-08-06T14:00:00.001-07:00

We recently decided to do a little more than just my herbs in the small pots. A litle while back we had bought a green bell pepper plant. Most recently we bought a yellow banana pepper plant, an oregano and a parsley plant as well. We cleared a small area in the planters in the back yard, and actually put them in the ground.

We now officially have our own little garden. The green peppers are growing and we can see the yellow one starting to develop a pepper.

In the meantime, the basil, mint, and dill are doing well. This past weekend, I planted some seeds of a yellow zucchini plant....so I'll keep my fingers crossed on that!

It's so nice to be able to go out and snip some herbs without having to pay a buck or two a pop!

Here's a picture of our in-ground garden:

Hummingbirds

2008-08-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

A quick update on the baby hummingbirds:

We had been watching them grow, and getting bigger and bigger and barely fitting together in the next!

Last weekend, I walked up to them to snap a picture. As I was taking the picture, they were chirping to each other….and then FLEW AWAY. So this really was the last picture of them!

Then, here is a picture of the empty nest.

Every now and then I’ll see little hummingbirds flying around the yard, so I’d like to think it is them! I got a hummingbird feeder just in case!

My first Vietnamese Wedding

2008-08-06T13:51:00.001-07:00

Back on July 19th, we attended the wedding of Cuong’s second cousin. We only were present the reception. Apparently the ceremonies were all day events which included a lot of traveling.

The reception was held at a Chinese seafood restaurant in Monterey Park. There were about 400 people! The section of the restaurant we were in was packed! Soon after we arrived, they introduced the wedding party and the bride & groom. The groom wore a shnazzy tuxedo and the bride wore a beautiful ivory mermaid style dress.

They had many large flower arrangements throughout the reception area. Each table had its own centerpiece, with styles that varied by table. Some tables had low, full flower arrangements while others (like ours) had beautiful tree-like centerpieces with votives and orchid flowers hung throughout.

They had about a 7-course meal. I had never had any of the dishes before. Believe it or not…it was the first time I had tried scallops (GASP!) and to my surprise, I liked them! Cuong said that they were the best course of the night.

After many speeches, songs, and the magic show, it was time for dancing! It was about that time when the older crowd started to leave. They had their fill of seafood and VSOP and were ready to head home.

We danced a little bit, but didn’t stay too much longer, as we had carpooled with Cuong’s parents. They had been up since early in the morning and had participated in the full events of the day.
Overall, I’m glad we were able to go. It was something different for me to experience. One thing I wish I saw was the bride change into the different outfits. To my surprise, she stayed in her wedding dress the whole night. I was looking forward to all of the different outfits. Oh well…maybe we’ll go to another Asian wedding sometime in the future!

Be on the lookout

2008-07-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping that some time next week I will be able to send out our Moving Announcments (finally!). I ordered the cards last week from Kodak Gallery. So be checking your mailbox in the near future!

It took longer too because we were never satisfied with the photo that we had. We finally had to bust out the tripod and run back and forth across the street.

Spring has sprung!

2008-07-21T08:24:00.001-07:00

After seeing the mommy hummingbird on her little nest, I was so curious about what was INSIDE the nest. So last weekend, we grabbed our little stool and took a peek!

Two little baby hummingbirds were in there waiting for their mom to come back with some food. They’re so cute…and growing bigger every day.

When I got home one day last week, I saw this little cool hanging out in the shade right outside of our back door.

Looks like I’ve turned into the wildlife paparazzi!

It’s fresh AND easy!

2008-07-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

There’s a new local grocery-type store that has popped up recently called Fresh & Easy. I had heard people talking about it, but we went into it for the first time this past weekend.

They have a lot of fresh and pre-prepared items along with your basic grocery store items. I was a little disappointed with the amount of items they had in their produce section, but overall it was a very interesting shopping trip.

We bought some pre-sliced, pre-marinated chicken fajitas, some tilapia with a tomatillo salsa, an Italian chopped salad and a bowl of pad thai. We also bought a loaf of rosemary infused French bread.

The fajitas were tasty and quick to make since they were already prepared. The tilapia wasn’t bad (Cuong said he likes it better when I make it). I enjoyed the chopped salad, really yummy dressing. Cuong said he wouldn’t buy the pad thai again. The bread was really tasty. 50/50 isn’t that bad!

I did enjoy that everything did look pretty fresh. The way everything was packaged it made it all look very clean.

After you've completed your shopping you head over to the check out area. It's a self-check out, which cuts down on their overhead at the store.

Another good thing about Fresh & Easy is that for every $20 you spend, they give you a $5 off coupon for the following week. Very clever marketing….and you have to use the coupon by the end of the of following week!

One item that I needed to buy for this week’s dinner was fresh mint. The way it was packaged looked really nice. Plus, it’s grown locally in California!

With the fresh mint I was able to make the lemon-herb chicken that I had a recipe for.

Talk about Wildlife!!!

2008-07-10T08:41:00.001-07:00

We’ve now been in the house for about 3 ½ months and we’re really enjoying it. We’ve been learning about the area and seeing a few things we were expecting to see.

Last weekend we were in the backyard cleaning up some of the landscaping and I kept noticing a hummingbird flying into a certain tree. After watching it for a while, I realized that the bird kept landing on the same branch. I got a little closer and saw that there was actually a nest on the branch! It’s too high to see into without a ladder, so I’m not sure how many eggs are in there.

How exciting! I really want to get a hummingbird feeder so we can enjoy them a little bit more. I’m actually surprised how many hummingbirds we see on a regular basis.
..

Now comes the part that gives me the hee-bee gee-bees!

Cuong was out in the front yard while I was inside cleaning up after dinner on Tuesday night. He sticks his head in the front door and says, “Babe! Come here!” He sounded excited, but a little panicked. I ran out front as fast as I could and then he says, “I just thought that you should be aware of what else is in our environment.” No, it wasn’t another snake! I look into the street and what do I see…. but a TARANTULA!!
It was so disgusting! I immediately got the chills…and then said… “Let me get my camera!!” So here you go…and yes, that is Cuong’s hand next to the spider in one of the pictures! Ick!!

This bad boy was crawling towards our side of the street, so needless to say, we flung him to the other side of the street. I don't want any tarantulas crawling in my yard!

My herb garden Update

2008-07-01T09:32:00.001-07:00

My little herbs are still growing. I think I finally got some Rosemary seeds that will grow (fingers crossed!).

I think it's been getting a little too hot for them oustide though. The basil and mint are still outside, but I brought the dill and rosemary in.

Old Towne Orange

2008-07-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we decided to explore more of the City of Orange. We headed out to Irvine Lake to see what it was like and how much it was to fish there. It’s off one of the roads where the fires were last year. You can see that some of the trees are still scorched.

We made our way in there and took a look around. They have a lagoon where little kids can fish. We actually saw a little girl catch one as we were standing there! They also have a huge lake. People can either launch their own boats, or you can rent one there. It’s purely a fishing lake, so no water skiing or anything. Maybe one day we’ll get out there.

After checking out the lake, we headed into Old Towne Orange (downtown). We hadn’t walked around down there since we moved in. It was full of antique stores, little restaurants and knick-knack stores. While we were walking along, we stopped in the “Antique Mall”. It was two stories and just FULL of all kinds of antiques. It was funny because they had a section of Pyrex platters and bowls….and my mom has some of the same ones! Who thought they would be antiques!? Believe it or not, I’ve been into my share of antique stores. My parents would stop in antique stores anywhere they saw one. They would find random ones while we were on road trips, and we would have to pull over.
Needless to say, Cuong and I didn’t buy anything.

By that time, we were getting hungry for lunch. We stopped at the Filling Station. It was my first time there, and Cuong’s first time for lunch. We both got a hamburger with French fries. It was pretty good. The atmosphere is really neat. It’s an old 1920’s gas station turned into a café. Everyone rants and raves about their breakfast (served all day). So we’ll have to stop in for breakfast next time. We sat outside under an umbrella. It was a nice sunny day and perfect for being outside, as long as you had some shade and a breeze.

There is still much more to see in the city and we plan on checking it all out as we go along.

Anniversary Weekend Ideas

2008-06-27T12:36:00.001-07:00

So our 2 year anniversary is coming up at the end of October. A few months away, I know, but I'm trying to get a head start on thinking about what to do.

Cuong & I agreed that we would switch off every year coming up with our anniversary weekend plans. Last year it was his turn and we went to Palm Desert. We ended up spending more money than anticipated.

This year it's my turn. I'm trying to come up with something cool, but not super expensive. We've basically been bleeding out money ever since we moved into the new house.

So my first thoughts were: Santa Barbara, San Diego area, Temecula area. Somewhere close enough to drive to (and that doesn't take TOO long). Chances are we'd be leaving on a Friday night or early Saturday morning...spending the night and then coming back home on Sunday.

Any ideas or suggestions??

The Art of Giving

2008-06-23T14:15:00.001-07:00

In February one of my co-workers was laid off. She is single and in her mid-50’s. It’s probably one of the worst times to be laid off in the construction industry and her status and age are not factors that will help her.

It is now the end of June. She has been out of work for 4 months now. She has been diligently looking for a job. Since she is the only person in her household, she needs to be able to make enough money to cover all of her expenses on her own. Many of the job opportunities out there are entry-level positions without much pay.

Unfortunately the money that she receives from unemployment each month does not cover her bills. She is now forced to dip into her retirement reserves, which is not good to do at her age.

She is a very proud and strong woman. She was a single mother who raised her daughter alone. She refuses to take “hand outs” from people who feel sorry for her.

Without a job for this long, I began to realize that now was probably the time that we should do something regardless of how she feels about taking something from us.
Last week I organized something at work in order for people to donate money or canned goods. By the end of the week, we had raised about $900 plus 4 big bags full of groceries! I was so surprised at the response that I had gotten!

Seeing a friend in need, knowing it’s the right thing to do, and previously being involved in philanthropic work really got me thinking that we needed to do something for her.

I stopped by her house on Friday after work. Cuong and I only live about 4-5 miles from her. I was only able to carry one bag of groceries (they were SO heavy!) and I made my way up to her door. I had told her earlier in the day that I found a few things in her desk that belong to her and I wanted to return them to her.

She had no idea what I was bringing up to her house.

I sat down with her and gave her the card that everyone signed. Inside the card were the $300 grocery gift cards and the remaining cash. As soon as she opened the card and saw everything, she burst into tears. She was totally overwhelmed and surprised. She expressed me that she didn't think anyone would ever do anything like that for her and that she's so grateful for having friends that still care about her.

I know that the grocery gift cards and extra cash will definitely help her.

I spent about 2 hours with her talking about her job search, talking about life in general and trying to brainstorm any other ideas of things she can do. Living alone and not having a high quality relationship with her daughter, it’s not often that she has someone to sit down and talk to.

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I try to take in as much wisdom as I can from other people. Although I wouldn’t say this person is the wisest person I know (they’ll remain nameless, hehe)…I remember learning that everyone needs human contact and someone to talk to every now and then. People, myself included, sometimes forget that the homeless person on the street is a human being too. There are some of them who are sane people and would love to sit down and talk to someone in a normal conversation and feel like they actually exist instead of being looked down on.
Life can definitely teach you how to be a better person, a better friend, etc. Through mistakes you’ve made and other people’s examples of compassion and true friendship, you can definitely see how you can be a good friend and live life a little less unselfishly.

Birthday Party Weekend

2008-06-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had 2 birthday celebrations. On Saturday we drove down to Oceanside. Saturday evening we took Cuong’s dad out for a late Father’s Day dinner. We didn’t have a chance to see them on Father’s Day weekend, so we had to make up for that. We went out with his parents and Connie’s family to a Korean/Japanese restaurant.

The next morning we got up and started getting ready for Kaila’s 8th birthday party! I can’t believe how big she is now. So grown up!
Lots of mini cupcakes, tons of yummy food, and cute decorations. By 1:30, the house was full of the usual suspects, which is always fun.

Unfortunately we had to leave a little bit early….it was time for another Birthday celebration! We headed north up to Buena Park to meet up with everyone for Yolanda’s Birthday dinner. Karuta’s has become the happening dinner spot for birthdays lately. It’s like Benihana’s, but with a buy 1 get 1 free coupon! Yes! I got my usual, filet & shrimp. It was so yummy! Of course I can never finish all of the food, so it will make for some good leftovers.

After dinner, we all headed back to the Palacio de Mendoza (Paul & Yolanda’s house) for some cake. They had red velvet cake. Yolanda is against pictures….but I was able to snap two pictures! Woohoo!

Major Gardening

2008-06-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

We’ve been in our house for about 2 months now. For our trash service, we have three different bins: Recycling, Green Waste and Trash.
I think our Green Waste bin has been filled up every single week since we’ve moved in. The previous owner just let things go wild. Trees were overgrown and needed to be trimmed, bushes needed to be trimmed and shaped and weeds needed to be pulled.
So we’ve been trimming, seeding, weeding and planting almost every weekend (and some weekdays).

The backyard is starting to take shape. I’ll have to find some “before” pictures and compare them to the latest set of pictures. We’re still not done, but we’re taking our time in hopes of not getting too burned out.

One of the parts of the backyard that I like are the hydrangea plants. When we moved in you could see that they were getting ready to bloom, and they are been ever since. Just last weekend I decided that I should snip some off and put them in a vase. That way we are able to enjoy them inside and see them more often while they are still in bloom.

Once all of the flowers are gone, we’ll need to trim the plants back and await the next bloom!!

Chef Lauren

2008-06-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

When I left my parent’s house when I got married, I would say that I had about zero cooking skills. I could make spaghetti, sloppy joes, grilled cheese and I could cook chicken (if it was cut up in little pieces). You know, college type cooking!

I was a little worried that now having to cook dinner every night would be a horrible punishment! Luckily, it hasn’t been too bad. Within the past year and ½ of being married, we’ve maybe had one or two nights where the recipe I use is just horrible, but I think that’s not bad…considering my skill level! I had been so worried about not knowing what to cook that I began collecting TONS of recipes. Now I’m glad I have them…but I have SO many!

Each month (or so) I get FOOD – Martha Stewart and Cooking Pleasure magazine in the mail. Plus I get the daily recipe in my email inbox. Allrecipe.com is always a good place to look for recipes (by meal type, or by ingredient).

I’ve been finding some pretty good recipes lately! I figured, why not try to make them look especially yummy and take pictures!! So here you go!

Sesame Shrimp (YUM!)

Pork Chops with a mushroom wine sauce (not too bad)

My Scrapbook Room

2008-06-03T17:20:00.001-07:00

We finally got my Scrapbook Room into decent shape! After removing the mirrors from the wall from the previous owner's work out room...it has now become a girly girl scrapbook room! :)

I took my $5 can of "Oops" paint that I bought at Lowe's. When I bought it, Cuong kept telling me that it was a big mistake and he thought it was a stupid idea to buy. He's eating his words now! Best $5 I ever spent on paint! It turned out really cute!

So it's a light pink on top with tan on the bottom and a white chair rail.

We bought the furniture at Ikea a few weeks ago. So almost every night we've been painting, doing the chair rail or putting furniture together.

I'm really pleased with how it all turned out. I still need to put up a little tool/paper scrap holder that I got at Ikea also. Stay tuned for that.

Here is a view from the doorway looking toward the back of the house/end of the room. I have my desk with my Clip It Up on top. We currently have an old tv that you can see on the bottom left of the picture, but that will be coming out of the room.

Here are my 2 matching bookcase/cabinets. I really like the closed area, the open area and the glass cabinet portions.Close up of the cabinet

This is the paper holder that I bought on Ebay for a mere $50. The people were located in Brea, so it wasn't too far of a drive. The guy said that his niece has a scrapbook store up in Big Bear, but she's down sizing and needed to get rid of a few items. He had another rack, but it was twice as tall as this....and I just couldn't imagine it fitting into the back of my Scion!Behind my desk, in the corner, I got this little cabinet/stand for my printer. That way it doesn't have to take up room on the desk, but is close enough if I need to plug in my laptop to print out some journaling!

Hope you like it! Now I just need to put some finishing touches on it. I have some wall rub ons that I've been holding onto for about 2 years, so I think it's time to put those up somewhere!

My Herb "Garden"

2008-06-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

In Norwalk we were able to have a little herb garden on the side of the house, and things grew pretty well there.

Now living in Orange, I'd love to have another one....but the rabbits are eating everything! In an effort to start growing something, we made a stop at Walmart to pick up some little pots and some seeds.

Here they are on the day I planted the seeds. We have Rosemary, Dill, Mint and Basil. On the package it said that it would take about 14 days to germinate. Well only 7 days later, we started to see little sprouts....and only a few days after that.....

Now I need to take even more recent pictures. Within the last 3 days or so, the dill has completely sprung up and looks like grass! The basil has come up a tad bit more. You can see really tiny sprouts in the mint.

The rosemary isn't doing too well. I'm going to blame it on the seeds. When I opened the package they were all stuck together, as well as stuck to the package. Maybe they got wet and are no good anymore. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but I wouldn't be too sad if I needed to go buy another 79 cent package of rosemary.

Bella

2008-06-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

My brother graduated from Yavapai College in Arizona last week and then came to California for a little break. Without to my parents, my brother’s girlfriend bought him a puppy for a graduation gift. She was only 6 weeks old when they bought her. She’s a Chi-Wiener. A mix between a Chihuahua and a Dachshund. She was so cute.

Since he was coming to California for almost a week, he had to bring her along; but since she’s a secret from my parents, he had to leave her at our house.

We immediately began reading our puppy book to try and prepare for her arrival. We learned about puppy bladders, feedings, crate training, etc.

My brother arrived with her late Monday night with her and took care of her for the night. He basically just slept on our couch and she apparently did too! The next few nights my brother stayed at my parents’ house. That meant we were fully in charge of taking care of Bella. During the day she was confined to our master bathroom space. We would try to put her to sleep and lay her in her crate before we left for work. That way we didn’t hear her crying as we left for our 8+ hour workdays.

We’re assuming she cried all day long. She was crying when we got home from work also. She was so happy to see someone at the end of the day. She was really cute but SO much work. It was almost like having a baby. She constantly needed attention and you couldn’t let her out of your sight. She could run RIGHT under our couch without ducking almost!! Plus you always needed to pay attention to when she needed to go to the bathroom. She had her little pee-pee pad that she was learning to go on. When she successfully went on it, you were supposed to give her a treat right away.

We didn’t get much sleep during those nights that we took care of her. She would cry when she was in the crate because she didn’t know where you were. You had to put your hand down near the door to the crate so she could see/smell you. Plus she would walk up every 2-3 hours to go to the bathroom and once during the night to eat.
She was definitely cute, but I think that experience helped us to see that we’re probably not ready for a dog right now!

Digi Scrappin'

2008-05-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

I read Jessica Sprague's blog every now and then. A few weeks back I read that she teaches classes on digital scrapbooking. Having never used Photoshop before, I was intrigued at the fact that she was teaching a beginners class!!

The course is a few weeks long and you get free digi kits and video instructions. So far I've made 2 layouts! It's pretty cool and I've learned a lot so far even though I've only had one "lesson". I can definitely see myself doing digi scrapping along with regular scrapping.

After this beginners course, she also teaching an intermediate course. I'll see how this all goes and I might come back to take another class!

I just kind of picked random pictures that we had on the computer for these layouts...nothing was planned in advance.

Birthday Fun!

2008-05-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the 27th we had a dual Birthday celebration at our house for me & Lulu. Our birthdays are actually on the same day, April 24th!! We had about 20 people over at our new house. Most of them hadn’t seen it before. We bbq’d carne asada, marinated chicken, chicken wings, etc. It was great to see everyone and get a chance to hang out together.

As a surprise for us, our friend Sandra picked up an ice cream cake for me & Lulu. It was definitely yummy.Here’s a picture of the cake, along with a picture of the 2 birthday girls!

Are you down with APO?

2008-04-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

In the week I’ve participated in two Alpha Phi Omega events. That’s more than I usually commit to. This semester’s Pledge Educators contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would give a speech to the kids that are pledging (Mu Pledge Class). The topic I was given was Change.
Being busy with work and the new house, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to give to writing my speech, but I did my best. On Friday night, I went over to Leilani’s house in Signal Hill. We didn’t find out until we got there, but we were “surprise guests”.

I was the first to arrive and next was David Le. He had been the Membership Vice President while I was President. After a while, more people started showing up. It was really good to see everyone.

When we were “revealed” to the pledges, they were able to guess who David was right away, but I think the Dressler/Nguyen thing through them off with me. LOL

I ended up staying at Lani’s house until about 11:00pm and everyone still gave me crap for leaving early.

The very next day, the Long Beach (Rho Gamma) chapter was hosting Sectionals. This consists of inviting all of the schools in your Section to partake in a retreat type environment. There are seminars planned, lunch, activities, and finally a banquet dinner. This was the first time the chapter had hosted Sectionals. Members from UCI, UCR, UCLA, CSULA, USC, Cal Ply SLO, etc. made the trip to Long Beach. There were about 100 people who attended.

I was happy that I got to reunite with the people who are still active in the chapter, along with the large group of Alumni who attended. It was good to see my friend Michelle who I hadn't seen in a little while...she just got into the Doctorate program at USC!!

Next up with Alpha Phi Omega, they’re having me host their Graduation Ceremony. Phew!

Snake!!!

2008-04-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

We had our first encounter with wildlife OTHER than cute, fuzzy bunnies yesterday. I left work early to meet my friend George at the house to do some drywall repair. George used to work for Warmington, but is now doing drywall with his brother. (They do an excellent job, by the way)
He was running in and out of the front door to grab tools from his truck. On his way back in he said, ”Do you have a pet snake? There’s one in you front yard!” AHHHH!

He was sitting at the edge of the planter closest to the house, right near the front door! I watched him for about a ½ hour. George had an air compressor in his truck and he had to run a tube from there, through the front door and up the stairs in order to spray the texture….which meant the door was propped open about an inch.

You better believe I kept an eye on that snake. I called Cuong to tell him about it. He told me to take pictures and email him the pictures. While I was upstairs emailing the pictures….I lost track of the snake. I went back out and I couldn’t find him!

He didn’t have a rattler or a diamond shaped head, so he was probably just a garden variety of snake…but I definitely wouldn’t want to run into him while trimming the plants! Eeeek!
I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that I won’t have to deal with him again!

Anxiously Planning...

2008-04-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

We have our drywall guy coming to the house today to patch a few more holes and to texture the fireplace area that was replaced.
We took the mirrors off the way that were in the old owner’s work out room, now my scrapbook room. Those suckers were so heavy! They’re about 6 ft. tall.

In the meantime, I’m trying to figure out how I want to set up my room. I’ve been looking at pictures of people’s scrap rooms on Two Peas in a Bucket to get ideas. I know I want a desk with a good amount of work space. I like to do journaling on my computer, so I’ll need to have that near by. I also want to allow enough space to set up a table for when people come over to scrap. I’m really into having everything organized, I just need to figure out how I want it put together.

P.S. – I love my Clip It Up! I haven’t been able to use it yet, but you bet I’ve clipped things up. I think I’m going to organize them by theme. It will be so cool to have them all hanging there out in the open, reminding me to use them. (I'll have to post a picture!)

P.S. 2 – I really need to start the wedding album already. I’ve just been scared to start! I have a 12 x 12 album all ready to go and I’ll probably need all of that space, but I’m not totally comfortable with that much room!

Maui 2008

2008-04-09T09:41:00.001-07:00

Our Maui trip was definitely too short!! We landed on Thursday at noon and then headed to get our rental car. From there we headed off to our hotel, the Wailea Beach Marriott. It was a nice hotel. Paul & Yolanda were only a few rooms down from us, so it was convenient to hang out or leave together at the same time.

Our first stop after checking into the hotel was Cheeseburger in Paradise (or whatever they’re called now). Yum yum!! After we digested our food a little, it was off to the pool of course! The “adult” pool was beautiful…and quiet. It was an infinity pool that looked off at the ocean. There were little cabanas that you could rent that looked like little floating islands in the pool. It wasn’t as warm as we expected, but I guess you can’t complain too much when you’re in Maui.

We probably ate WAY too much on this trip. We had decadent dinners every night. The first night we went to a restaurant that something had recommended to me called Capische at the Diamond Resort. We probably should have gone at sunset, but our reservations were for 8:30pm. You sit out on a lanai overlooking the golf course and ocean.

On Friday we did the Road to Hana. Paul was able to borrow a cd that would play while you were driving and tell you what you were seeing. We stopped in Pa'ia for breakfast at Charlie’s. I got ONE pancake since it was the size of the entire plate! Needless to say, I didn’t finish it all. It was a really good breakfast though. We left the restaurant to start up the road at about 8:00am. Along the way we took hikes, saw roosters, had beautiful views, and went down one lane winding roads! It took about 4 hours to get to Hana….and then were was nothing there! I guess that’s why it’s the road to Hana. Since we were hungry by then, we stopped in a guy’s front yard that had a sign saying “Hawaiian BBQ”. We had some teriyaki chicken and steak. It was delicious Hawaiian home style food. On the way back it only took about 2 hours to get back since we didn’t make any stops.

Friday night we went to Ruth Chris Steak house. You’re pretty much always guaranteed a good steak there!

On Saturday we headed to Lahaina since Yolanda had never been there before. We walked up and down the main road a few times until we settled on eating at the Lahaina Fish Co. It had some really yummy coconut shrimp. Cuong had the seafood sampler, Yolanda had calamari and chips and Paul went for the Ahi tacos. It was all really good.

Saturday night we weren’t really sure where to go for dinner. Another restaurant that was recommended was about 40 minutes away, and we just didn’t feel like driving for that long just to get to dinner. Instead, we made reservations for the restaurant at the hotel next door, the Grand Wailea. It was breath taking!! The hotel grounds were beautiful and the restaurant itself was amazing. It looked like it was sitting on stilts over a lagoon with fish and lobster. The dinner was expensive, but very good. We all got the filet mingon and lobster.

Sunday morning we left the hotel and headed to the airport. They were asking for volunteers to not go on the flight and wait until Monday morning’s flight. We volunteered since they were giving a good package, and we just didn’t want to leave yet! Unfortunately they ended up not needing us! Darn!
All in all, it was a good trip and a nice little get away. I wish it were warmer while we were there, but it was good enough! Next time we need to stay longer though!

Maui....Here we come!

2008-04-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

We’re heading off to Maui on Thursday morning! It’s a short trip, but it’s much needed! We’re staying at the Wailea Beach Marriott. It should be really nice. While we’re there, we plan on doing the Road to Hana. We and Paul & Yolanda have never made that trip before. Paul was able to get a cd that tells you where to go and where to stop to see the highlights.
I’m looking forward to just relaxing and not having to worry about anything.

We’ll be home late Sunday night.

Here’s an aerial view of our hotel.

The Joy of DVR

2008-03-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

We got our cable for the computer and TV hooked up last Friday. We got a DVR box for the Family Room fireplace. Neither one of us had ever had a DVR before, so it’s really exciting for us. I’ve already told it to record all of the “Jon & Kate Plus 8” episodes. Those kids are SO cute….I just couldn’t handle that many of them!

Then we were watching something last night and got interrupted. I knew we weren’t going to be able to finish watching to show….so I just recorded it! We were able to come back later and continue watching it until the end. AWESOME!Plus, we have a new TV that fits perfectly in the little niche! YES!

New Homeowners Unpacking

2008-03-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

We're semi-moved in now. Our bed is on the floor in one of the spare bedrooms for now. Cuong and I have been busy unpacking all of the boxes we have....but we're making pretty good progress. Our kitchen is pretty much put away. All of the glassware, silverware, cooking utensils, etc are in their new places. We've been cleaning and getting all of the necessary things done.
The locksmith came out and changed the locks, the cable guy came out and hooked up the tvs and computers, the fireplace guy came out to fix the hearth, and the refrigerator got delivered! Yes!

On Saturday I looked out the window into the backyard...and I saw a bunny!! It was so cute! Apparently it fit through the crack between the two block walls. They're so quick! I was rummaging for the camera, but it had darted away before I could turn the camera on! Maybe next time.... a little pre-Easter bunny!
The carpet cleaning guy is coming on Wednesday...just before our big move on Saturday. Our poor furniture and boxes have been in storage for 9 months now. The boxes are starting to collapse on one another...not good.

It will be really nice once we can unpack all of our stuff and start LIVING in our new house! :)

Clock from TJ Maxx......$29.99!! Score!

BTW, we leave for Maui on April 3rd. I think I'm going to need a spray tan....I am butt white! haha

Super Excited!!

2008-03-14T12:47:00.001-07:00

We signed all of our loan documents on Tuesday, so now even more excitement is building for us. We close escrow next Tuesday, the 18th and should be getting the keys on the 20th....or hopefully sooner!
We make a little shopping spree at Target to pick up some necessities: toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, etc. We're slowly making trips to our storage unit to pick up the things we'll need right away (computer, home phones, etc.) Too bad they're just ending up in a pile at my parents' house for now! Ooops!
We plan on moving our bed in along with some clothes/necessities on Easter Sunday and start officially "living" there that night. Since I'm able to go home to my parents' house for lunch, I'll load up my car with more boxes to take to our new home every night. Luckily it's pretty convenient! :)

California Budget Impacts

2008-03-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

I’ve been hearing about the budget that Govenor Schwarzenegger has proposed for the state. It includes a $312.9 million cut to education JUST to the Cal. State Universities! That doesn’t include the other amounts of monies that are being cut from California’s schools.
The President of Cal. State Long Beach encouraged all alumni to write their local government officials and explain the impacts on the campuses that provide our citizens with a higher education.
I wrote a letter to Senator Diane Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer and House official Dana Rohrabacher.

“Dear _________,
After hearing about the current State budget proposed by the Governor, I am very concerned about the funds for our education system. I believe it will be very detrimental to our children and the college students trying to get the best education that they can.
I am a graduate of Cal. State Long Beach and feel very proud of my accomplishments at a CSU. The CSU system was able to provide me with an excellent higher education. Although I did not require any financial aid, I know that monies from the state budget enable the campus to function in a proper manner to provide what their students need.
Unfortunately with the large cuts to education, 10,000 qualified students will not have the opportunity to attend a CSU because they will not be able to offer them a slot at any CSU campus. That only leads to discouraged, and now under educated citizens of California and the United States.
I know we need to get our state budget back on track, but we need to be careful with the cuts we make.
Thank you for your time and all that you do.”

I don’t get involved in politics too much, but I figured that the more people they hear from, hopefully the more they feel compelled to listen to the people to voted them into office and fight for what is right and what they need.

American Idol

2008-02-29T07:08:00.000-08:00

For the past few seasons, I've only started watching American Idol when they get down to around the Top 12. This season, I've watched it almost from the very beginning.

Last night they were down to the Top 20 and they eliminated 4 more people. They're (almost) all really good. There was one person that I for sure thought was going home....but she got lucky. Darn! There's no way she'll keep going further...right?

In other news...I've been bringing boxes home from work and started packing up the stuff that we don't use on an everyday basis. Most of our life has been in boxes for the past 8 months! We found out that boxes really aren't made to be stacked on top of each other for that long. The boxes in our storage unit are starting to give under the weight of each other. Luckily, we just paid our LAST month of storage! Yes! Good thing too because prices are starting to go up next month!!

WE GOT THE HOUSE!!

2008-02-20T07:29:00.000-08:00

After spooking the agent a few times by telling him we went out looking at different houses, Countrywide FINALLY approved our offer! We're so happy!

It's a gorgeous house that will be just perfect for us! Not too big, not too small.

We should close escrow and be able to move in around the end of March!! Yay! Apparently by the lunar calendar, the 20th is a good day to begin moving in, even if it just means one bag.

The official move in day will probably be the 29th.

We'll be in the house in time for my birthday and a graduation party for Cuong.

Aerial View

House lit up at night

Living Room
Dual Staircase

KitchenFamily Room
View down from staircase into Living Room & Dining Room

Linen & Tech Center

Secondary Bedroom

Secondary Bathroom

Master Bathroom

Valentine's Day

2008-02-18T16:51:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is super romantic while you're staying at your parents' house. No candle lit dinner at home, etc. etc.

Instead, we opted to go to a restaurant we had never tried before. We went to the Fish Market at the Irvine Spectrum. It was really yummy! We both got the steak and jumbo prawns (shrimp). Yum! With a Heff & a pear cider....what's more romantic. haha

We had to turn to the camera's timer in order to get a picture outside the restaurant. We asked this old dude to take our picture, but he didn't quite understand how the camera worked. Once a younger guy saw us trying to use the timer, he asked if we would like him to take our picture. Thanks goodness.....then the battery dies! So alas, this was all we were left with!

Go Ducks!

2008-02-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

On Friday night, Paul & Yolanda invited us to go with them to the Ducks hockey game against the Stars. It was Cuong’s first hockey game that he had ever been to. The tickets that Paul had were really good! They were center ice and about 15 rows up. If the puck came flying over the glass, it would’ve hit us in the face!

The Ducks scored in the first period….AND there was a fight in the first period. Apparently one of the Ducks guys came out of retirement for that game. Everyone started clapping and we had no idea why!We’re not huge hockey fans, but it was definitely a change of pace for us and it was pretty exciting!

We left a little bit early to beat the rush of people out to the parking lot. Poor Ducks lost!

Can’t Beat California Weather

2008-02-11T15:25:00.001-08:00

This weekend’s weather was just perfect! You would never know that it had been raining for the past 2 weeks!
Cuong was lucky and got to take Thursday off of work, and this Friday was his regular Friday off. He also has today off for Lincoln’s Birthday or something! Lucky duck! He got a 5 day weekend!On Saturday we had a nice, kind of lazy day. We decided to go check out some model homes down in Ladera Ranch just for fun. We took our camera along to take pictures of any good decorating ideas…although there weren’t many, surprisingly! After we toured some models, we headed to the Irvine Spectrum for lunch. Cuong had never been to P.F. Chang’s before, and since we had a gift certificate, we definitely had to go! Since we weather was great, we decided to sit out on the patio. It was such a beautiful day to relax outside!

Since we went to the Irvine Spectrum to see a movie on our first date, I had to get a picture of it! I've been meaning to do that for a while, but we never head down to Irvine.

We definitely need more relaxing weekends like that!

Vacation Planning

2008-02-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

I think we finally figured out what we're doing for a vacation this year. We planned on going together with Paul & Yolanda on a BIG trip before babies!
At first we were thinking Australia/New Zealand/Fiji. But our summer is their winter and it can get pretty cold in some places. If I'm going half way around the world, I want it to be nice weather!
So then we tried to figure out where else to go. I announced that I didn't think I could get a full 2 weeks off in a row, so we decided to split it into 2 1-week trips. Fine with me!
None of us had been to the Big Island of Hawaii, so we looked into doing that plus Maui....2 islands got to be more expensive than we thought. So instead (for some reason), we're just going to Maui. So we leave April 3rd from San Diego.
We thought our next trip would be an Alaska cruise...turns out those are expensive also! Plus, if you get a balcony, you want to be on the side that is cruising along the coast, otherwise you just see ocean! People must book it a year before the trip because, all of the good cabins were GONE!
Cuong and Paul started looking at other trips. They found an 11 night trip on TravelZoo.com that goes to South America. It includes your flights, tour, hotels and breakfast every morning for about $2,000 per person. The flight alone to S. America is about $1,000!
I'm sure we'll have to be vaccinated just in case...and we have to get a Visitor's Visa from the Brazilian consulate before we go. Apparently you have to pay $100 cash as an entrance fee to Chile also.I just hope that this is the LAST time we change our minds about where we're going to go. It's been a few months of indecisiveness!!

Overload

2008-01-30T17:02:00.000-08:00

Phew! These past 2 weeks have been stressful. I've been learning how to do someone else's job in the Project Managment department. She's worked for Warmington for over 9 years and has been a life saver to all the guys there. For some reason they decided to let her go...and are now realizing (2 days before she leaves) all of the things that she really does for them and how she keeps them organized and up to date.
Donna and I will be splitting/assuming the position on our own starting this coming Monday. One man in the department can't seem to get it out of his head that we'll continue doing everything for him. The fact of the matter is....we have no experience in PM, so we won't be much help to him!
In the meantime, it's been a struggle to try and get our own work done while learning how to do other tasks. Phew! I feel like I need a vacation.

To add to the frustration....we're STILL waiting to hear about the house. Cuong said that if we don't hear anything by tomorrow, he's going to call another agent to see if we can check out some other homes in the area on Saturday. Kind of sad to look at other houses, but maybe we'll find something better! Then the only trouble is...getting back the $10K from the escrow company that they've been making interest on for the past 3 months!! UGH!

More Responsibility

2008-01-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

So I was right about the changes at work! There were 2 people in our group that were notified on Friday that they'll still be here for 2 more weeks.

I got pulled into a meeting to let me know that another lady and I will be splitting one of the lady's job.

The lady who is being let go isn't taking it too well. It's really sad. Meanwhile, we need to try to learn her job in the next 2 weeks!!

So not only am I going to be working (and backing up) with the Contracting Department, but now I'll be working with Project Managment! It'll be interesting to see how this all pans out while trying to do my own job too!

In the meantime, we're still waiting to hear about the house. They said that it should be sometime this week. We let them know that we're getting pretty frustrated with having to wait so long and that this deal is looking less desireable. HOpefully that pushes them along!! We want the house already!

On my way to work….

2008-01-17T13:57:00.000-08:00

I wasn’t totally set on doing the 365-picture challenge. I think it’s a really cool idea, I just don’t know what to take a picture of every day. So...I decided to document a little of my morning the other day.
When I got outside to get in my car, the sun was starting to rise and it made the sky a beautiful range of colors: blue, pink and purple.

My car is usually pretty cold in the morning, so I’ll sit and warm it up for a little while. I’ll make my music selection for my ride to work and then I’m good to go.

By the way, I have all of the Colbie Caillat songs on repeat right now....and in my cd player at home. I really like ALL of the songs!

(Yes, my low tire pressure light is on…and has been for about 4 months now. It’s possessed.)
I generally try to leave around 6:40am or so….but sometimes it slides a little past that.
It usually takes me about 10 - 15 minutes to get to work. I love the commute for now!

Once I get to work, I come into my office (yay for an office!), turn on my computer, and get ready to start the day. On my monitor stand, I have a cute little picture of Cuong.

I’ll bring my chocolate soy milk in my pink Starbucks mug, or just have water or make some hot chocolate.

Behind my desk I have a table that I can lay plans out on when needed. On that table I display some of our wedding/engagement pictures.

I’m so glad that I at least have a nice view from my office. All of our offices have HUGE windows looking out into the hallways. The people across from me have a huge floor to ceiling window at the back of their offices. It definitely helps to be able to see the outdoors. I feel so bad for the people who are stuck in the little cubicles or in the middle of the building with nothing to see.

Well, that’s going to work…and at work in a nutshell!

2008-01-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

Lots of closed doors meetings around work…never a good sign! Whenever you see meetings like this, rumors and speculations start flying.

We currently have 21 people in our “OC/LA Division”, within our Corporate office. Rumor has it that about 30% of that group could be laid off in the coming weeks. That means that the people who are left will be taking over the responsibilities of those people.
It’s been pretty quiet in the office lately. The phone doesn’t ring as much, there aren’t as many emails to answer…all signs of times slowing down.
They say that when the bad times hit, they try to hang on to their best people to ride out the tough times. I’m happy to know that I’m one of those people, but it is still a little nerve racking when there is so much uncertainty!

On the scrapbooking side of things....I've really wanted to scrapbook lately, but my stuff is in boxes and semi-hidden away. I don't really have a place where I can spead it all out and organize it. I would just love to have our offer on the house be accepted, that way I can have my own scrapbook room and REALLY get organized!! I've been seeing lots of good ideas lately!

Yes, STILL waiting!!

2008-01-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

On Thursday evening we got a call from the loan officer at Countrywide. He told us that he only verbally heard that Countrywide wanted to write up a counter offer $20,000 more than our original offer. The house is probably worth that, but we weren't too happy about that news. $20,000 could be a new car!!
On Friday I gave the real estate agent a call to fill him in, if he hadn't heard. When he answered the phone he immediately told me that he heard from Countrywide and told them that there was no way we'd accept that counter offer and that they needed to look their numbers over again. I was a little worried at first, but he sounded pretty confident that they might come down. I would hate to put our offer in, wait 6 weeks and then have them just turn around and walk away.
A few minutes after I talked to the real estate agent, the loan officer from Countrywide called Cuong. He explained to him that the real estate agent asked for them to look at it again and that they would do so. He said that if we get our loan through Countrywide instead of Edward Jones, he thinks we have a much better chance of them accepting our offer.
Countrywide sent us a quote on the special interest rate they'd give us, and it looked great!!

We're hoping to FINALLY hear something this week, but you never know, the way things have been going.
We drove around the area of the house again. It's a little further from grocery stores, etc than we're used to, but it's just something we'll have to get accustomed to. There are all kinds of little pockets of shopping. I think I'd have to make myself a little map or list of where things are. They're really all over the place.

My Very First Sewing Machine

2008-01-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today I purchased my very first sewing machine. My mom found an ad in the newspaper for Big Lots. Apparently a representative from Singer sewing machines was going to be at the Big Lots in Huntington Beach from 9am-1pm selling sewing machines that were left over from a school. They were brand new and in the factory sealed boxes.
They had 3 models available: Student, Teacher and Professional. The student was $199 and the Professional was $399. Considering I know almost nothing about sewing, I figured I'd better stick with the student model. My mom went for the Professional...the "self-threading" needle was what sold her!
In anticipation of the bank accepting our offer on the house, I figured I'd need a sewing machine to make some curtains or pillows. I made some with the help of my mom and Cuong's mom for the house in Norwalk. I had to borrow their sewing machines to do that, so hopefully I'll be able to do it on my own now! :)
After we made our purchases, we headed to Walmart to buy a Singer hard case for storing the sewing machines!