Our Indiana Wedding Experience

At 9 o’clock on Friday night, we met my Uncle Mike at Union Station (where he works) and he took us out to my grandparents house in Bradley, IL. There we met my Aunt Barbara. She then drove us out to the town that she lives in, Watseka, IL. We finally arrived there at 11pm. We spent the night in my cousin’s old bedroom…in her full size bed. The next morning we woke up and I peeked out the window. Having not been there in 7 years, I had completely forgotten that there was a cornfield nearly across the street from the house!
We got dressed and ready for the wedding. My dad’s youngest sister, Diane and her son Spencer met us at Barbara & Skip’s house to follow us on our road trip to Indiana. It was about a 2-hour drive into Zionsville, IN. We arrived at the Catholic Church about an hour before the ceremony started. The church was pretty new and had a very nice design.
The ceremony was lovely, and we were glad that we got to share in Kevin & Monica’s special day.
After the ceremony, we checked into our hotel. From the hotel they had a shuttle set up to take us to the Yacht Club, which was on Lake Geist. It had beautiful views of the lake.

Our Day in Chicago

We got back from our Mid-West trip on Monday night. Last Thursday we headed out to Chicago for my cousin’s wedding. We landed at Midway Airport and checked into our hotel in the town of Cicero (near the airport). Since it was about dinner time, we walked across the parking lot to TGI Friday’s. They have their “3 Course Meal for $12.99” deal again…so we all go that. Cuong ordered the Fried Green Beans as his appetizer. Surprisingly, they were actually pretty good!

We didn’t get too great of sleep that night. Our hotel room had a nice view of the parking lot and was located right by one of the exits…plenty of noise…not conducive for sleep!

The next morning we got up and drove into the city of Chicago. My parents dropped us off at the Chicago Architecture Foundation for our tour…in the rain! We had booked the 3 ½ hour city bus tour through Ticket Master and we were excited to see where the tour would take us.
We boarded the bus with about 40 other passengers. Our bus driver was James, and our tour guide was Cima. Cima has her Master degree and was a teacher for many years and is now a volunteer docent for the Architecture Foundation.
Our first stop was down their “Wall Street”. It was amazing to see the very old and massive buildings. We went into one of the buildings and were amazed by the gold leaf decorations on the courtyard plaza area. After the building was originally built, Frank Lloyd Wright came in to help with the stairways and to brighten up the building. He did a fabulous job.

Next we went into another financial building that had enormous cathedral ceilings that were covered in gold leaf. If you looked up, you could see the tiny squares of gold leaf that had to be hand applied.

On the University of Chicago campus is the Robie House that Frank Lloyd Wright designed. We were given a tour by the docent there. His open and airy vision was very different than your typical architecture. We weren’t allowed to take pictures of the inside of the building, so the only picture we have is from the outside.

Nearing the end of our tour, we stopped at the Illinois Institute of Technology. We went into their School of Architecture, which happened to be in a building designed by Meis van der Rohe. I had personally never head of him, but Cuong quickly told me that he is one of the most famous architects.

Our last stop was along the Museum Campus. It gave a great view of the city skyline. Our tour guide said that the tours don’t normally stop there, but she was feeling extra nice that day!
….then our camera battery died!
After the tour we were starving for lunch! We found a place called Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta. It’s famous for their Chicago style thin crust pizza. It was really yummy!

From there we headed further up Michigan Ave towards where the new Trump Tower is going up. We headed downstairs to the river to catch our River Tour. It wasn’t as informative as our bus tour, but it definitely gave us a different perspective of the city.

Busy, busy, busy

We've been pretty busy lately. We're still checking out houses online. We haven't been out to really check out houses in a while. Who knows, maybe soon.
Cuong's been keeping busy working on this "thesis" for his last class in his MPA program.

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?
Gosh, I guess I would like a vacation home in Hawaii. I wanted somewhere by the beach, but even in So Cal it can be cold at the beach. Hawaii has the nice and warm climate.
2. What's your favorite article of clothing?
Cuong thinks I'm crazy but I think I could live in jeans....and a comfy shirt or tank top.
3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex?
Nice smile and pretty eyes
4. What's the last CD that you bought?
Gosh, I don't even remember! How sad! Sorry music industry!
5. Where's your favorite place to be?
Somewhere relaxing with nothing to worry about....and that always happens to be on vacation!
6. Where is your least favorite place to be?
Costco on a Saturday or Sunday. haha I hate when there are a bunch of stupid people all gathered in one place. Or stuck in traffic...same senario!
7. What's your favorite place to be massaged?
Almost any spa will do.....I LOVED that sugar scrub then massage at Pechanga!
8. Strong in mind or strong in body?
Both! But strong in mind can get you to be strong in body! :)
9. What time do you wake up in the morning? The alarm goes off at 5:45am. Cuong gets up at 6 and I lay there until about 6:15.
10. What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
Strange question...I like the oven becuase then you can walk away and come back when the timer dings...but I make most of the food on the cooktop.
11. If you could play any instrument what would it be?
Well...I can play the trumpet. I guess I should probably play it more instead of having it just sit in my closet!
12. Which do you prefer...sports car or SUV?
Right now I'm getting my "sports car" out of the way before moving into the SUV.
13. What is your favorite season? Definitely summer! I like warm weather better than cold weather....plus vacation usually happens during summer!
14. What is your least favorite household chore? Trash & cleaning bathrooms (scrubbing showers/toilets)
15. If you could have one super power, what would it be? I would agree with Connie...be able to clone myself when I need to so I would be able to get everything done in a 24 hur period.
16. What's your favorite day? Saturdays. It's the ultimate weekend day. You didn't just get off work...and you don't have to worry about going to work the next day!
17. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? Sorry, hamburger for me! Nice and juicy!

Now you try this, if you blog . . . then copy and paste with your own answers and leave your blog address in the comments. Or if you want, just copy and paste to the comments section. Have a great Friday!

Housing

So I'm kind of frustrated!

My boss just told me that one of the VP's from our design center called him this afternoon to let him know that they are setting up a meeting with some of the big wigs from my company to talk about switching the ordering of appliances to the design center. The ordering of appliances is...ahem!! part of MY job!!
That might be okay if we were super busy...but in this economy, I'm fighting to get any kind of work I can. I've heard of cut throat, but yikes...if they take that portion of my job, I hope I won't get laid off!!
I haven't been in the industry during the down turns, so this is all new to me.

So I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to stick it out and that the market turns back around for us!

Have a Shot!!

On Saturday we went to a local restaurant in Costa Mesa. I had been there once before, but the fact that we found a buy one get one FREE coupon enticed me to go back. It had been years since I had been there, but I remember that their Chicken Teriyaki bowl was SO good!

The place is called Skosh Monahans. It's owned by Gary Monahan, the former Mayor of Costa Mesa.

We were seated and the waitress took our order. I kept seeing this scruffy looking guy cruise around to all of the tables and talking. I wasn't sure who he was. Turns out....that was Gary Monahan! He likes to greet all of his guests, get to know them a little bit and make sure that everything is okay with their meal.

After we got our food, our waitress came by and told us to tell the owner that our waitress was pretty slow today and that she needed a shot. Gary didn't come by, so we didn't have a chance to ask him. Our waitress was very persistant though. About 15 minutes later, she reminded us that she still didn't have her shot!

Cuong finally stopped Gary as he was walking by. We told him that she was kind of sluggish and she needed a shot. Gary's response was, "Oh, I'm sorry. She just finished working an 8 hour shift at her other job. I'm sure she's pretty tired." At that point, I thought we got her in trouble, so I felt all bad.

About 5 mintues later, Gary and our waitress walk up with FOUR shots! Apparently if you tell him your waitress is sluggish, everyone gets shots! Bottoms up! I think it was a double shot of Cactus Cooler. It REALLY did taste like Cactus Cooler! Not bad!!

Right after that I thought, "Darn! I should have brought my camera! We just took a shot with Gary Monahan!"

Of course we tipped Jenny a little extra, since our shots were free. Those are the kinds of things that make you want to go back! :)

Club 33!!!

On Sunday, we went to Club 33 at Disneyland. The Purchasing Director knows the person at Whirlpool who is in charge of making reservations through their Club 33 membership. Luckily I was able to ask my boss about making lunch reservations, partially for Cuong & Paul's birthdays.

Cuong and I, Paul & Yolanda, and Adolfo and Lulu all met at Disneyland at 11:ooam. From there, we picked up our tickets and headed towards Club 33.

It was pretty cool...you walk up to the door, ring a little bell and then you're asked to state the name of your party. Once they find your name on the list, the door opens. You step inside and are greeted by a host.

Yolanda, Lulu and I rode in the 19th century French lift up to the dining room. The restaurant is actually above the Blue Bayou and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Once upstairs and seated, we were given our complimentary glass of champagne. We were then able to hit the appetizer buffet. Cuong and Yolanda were so excited that they had lobster, crab and shrimp! We then all ordered the steak and fries.

Midway through eating, who came in....but Mickey Mouse and Pluto!

Ok fine...August's Last Wedding!

On the 31st we attended the wedding of Mahiely & Bokeem (Alex's younger sister).

The wedding ceremony and reception was held at the Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa. This was the location that we took pictures at after our ceremony. I absolutely love the Spanish architecture of the building!

The ceremony was held outside in the courtyard with the beautiful staircases and fountain.

Bokeem is African-American, so the ceremony was partially following traditional African rituals. When the ceremony began, the groom's family came down the staircase to drums. Bokeem was the last one down the stairs, wearing and playing his own drum.

He then presented Mahiely's family with baskets of fruits and flowers. These were gifts to the family in return for them giving him their daughter. Her family agreed to allow them to be married.

Then Mahiely came down the other staircase, escorted by her father. She looked gorgeous!

In order to prove himself to both families, Bokeem was asked to pick up his bride. He then asked both families if they would also help him take care of Mahiely.Next the minister had Mahiely remove her shoes in order to step on two blocks of clay. Once she had successfully molded her footprints into the clay, he presented them to Bokeem. He told him that he needed to keep those molds close to his heart and in a special part of his home because the footprints of his bride were something to be cherished.

They then exchanged rings, and the ceremony was complete. As they made their way away from the ceremony site, the Mariachi band came in.

We were then instructed to enter the ballroom where the reception would be held. They had cocktails & appetizers for about the first hour.

There were plenty of speeches, then salad and dinner. We danced for a while before the First Dance, and then continued dancing before the cake cutting.

We had a wonderful time with our friends!