Lexykins' Life Happenings

Nutcrackers

2011-12-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

I drove from Kentucky to Ohio to visit with John. I arrived late that Monday night so we just caught up that night and then we went over to the Kidd's (where I was staying).

The following morning I had brunch with Corrine Kidd and Annie Baxter before I headed over to John's.

Our plan was to crack the walnuts he had cured for 2 months. He had four bags. Here he is opening the first bag.

Because the black walnuts were so hard, he had to smash them with a hammer and I would leave the table because pieces would fly everywhere!

Then I would sit back down and start taking the meat out of the shells with John.

One bag produced about 2 cups of walnuts. We only ended up doing one bag together because it took 3 hours! He did the other bags on his own later.

Here are the shells from our work.

Later on, John and I went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. Here he is enjoying a game on his phone.
I wish I could've stayed longer, but I left the next morning really early.

Kentucky Visit

2011-12-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

I flew into Nashville because my sister now lives 90 miles north of Nashville. Erika, Brian and the kids picked me up and we went to Whole Foods, as well as had dinner at Wendy's (in Clarksville which is mid-way point between Nashville and Cadiz, KY. We had to go to Wendy's because every restaurant had an hour wait and Lauren was having serious hypoglycemia issues (I wasn't feeling too well myself!).

The next morning, I gave gifts to the kids. The girls got pink sea shells and Sebastian got a wasp captured in a resin. Here he is checking it out: While I was there I baked 3 HUGE loafs of banana bread to be given to various people on my travels (I gave one to John, one to Andrea and her family and one to Andrea's in-laws). Here is Lauren helping me put in the ingredients!

I also tried a new recipe for pumpkin bars. I made two of them: one for my guinea pigs, I mean Erika and her family and one for Don and Corrine who I stayed with in Ohio. Rebecca helped me frost them with cream cheese frosting.

I bought a bag of apples so that we could go across the way to where the horses corale.

Here are the kids demonstrating how to hold your hand out so you don't get your fingers bitten off.

Notice how flat my hand is-I need my digits!

We had a great time! The house with the grey roof is theirs!

Sharefest Fundraiser Dinner

2011-12-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

Normally, I volunteer for the Sharefest fundraiser, which occurs every November. Because I knew this would be my last year, I decided to attend instead. Without knowing it, I replaced myself. I had mentioned to my friend, Liz (on right), that I usually volunteer, so she volunteered and convinced our other friend, Colleen (not pictured) to volunteer as well. Here is a picture of me at the silent auction portion of the evening.

I invited Shelley along so I wouldn't be all alone! We had a great time!

Jenn Yale's Bridal Shower

2011-10-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I attended my friend, Jenn Yale's bridal shower. I've known Jenn for 14 years. We met in Boston when I was working at Boston Medical Center and she working for Andersen Consulting from their Chicago office. She and her other Andersen colleagues would fly from Chicago to Boston almost every week to work regular jobs. I got to know this group rather well because we were all the same age (fresh out of college) and I trained most of them on their job duties.

Jenn mentioned one week that she was staying in Boston over the weekend so I asked if she wanted to go to Concord with me. She said yes and that was the beginning of a few trips around the Boston area and of course started our friendship.

She moved out to Los Angeles not long after that to pursue her screenwriting dream. We get together at least once a year (as our schedules permit) to catch up. I'm very excited that she has found such a nice guy to get hitched to!

Here's Jenn laughing with some friends at our table.
Here is Janice (left), the co-host (the event was co-hosted by her and Jenn's mom and sisters) thanking everyone for coming. Jenn is showing off her vintage 60s dress that she "stole" from her mother's things! How cute is she?
Here are three of Jenn's friends. They are part of her "Trashy Teen Novel" book club.

Here I am with Jenn and her friend, Christina, who I was sitting next to and hit it off with. Christina is from New York, so we were talking about the difference between East and Left Coast attitudes and culture.

Jenn and I!

Jenn is gluten intolerant to say the least! Her friend, Monique, who was sitting to my right, brought dessert of Sprinkles. One box said "Tying the Knot" and those were regular chocolate cupcakes with vanilla and chocolate frosting and the other box was "Here Comes the Bride" with gluten free red velvet cupcakes. I tried the gluten free because I am trying to be "gluten light". I also wanted to try it for Shelley who does gluten free and LOVES red velvet cupcakes. It was very moist and delicious!

Here is the gift I brought for Jenn. On the invitation it was asked to bring the gift unwrapped, so I made sure not to use wrapping paper, but I couldn't help but use some decoration! I figure Jenn could use the flower for another gift or as decoration on something if she so desires. I just wanted to make it look pretty!

CPA Exam

2011-09-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

I logged into the CPA exam website on Thursday thinking the results for the audit section wouldn't be up yet, but to my surprise they were posted!

I passed my FINAL section! I was so elated I immediately told coworkers and texted friends!

Now that I have passed all four parts, I needed to take a 50 multiple choice question test and pass with a 90% and then it's the application for licensure after that!

The licensure process isn't too difficult, except for the four people I have to ask to fill out a form certifying that I am a competent individual. I know there are people that can certify to that, it's just a matter of whether they are an (active) CPA! Plus, they fill out the form and send it directly to the agency, so it will be harder to track. But I have no problem following up with people!

I am very grateful that the Lord is allowing me to continue with this process. The last time I took the AUD exam and got a 74 (75 is passing), I was discouraged at first and then thought to myself "God must want me here longer than I want to be here." I was wondering after taking this last exam whether God would bless me with passing the exam so that I could continue to the next step. I am very happy that He has!

Love INC's Gone Country

2011-09-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday I went to the Love INC's Gone Country fundraising event. Shelley went with me! I love this event because it is set up really simply and it's very effective. They have tables that show what ministries they work with and then some tables for raffles. You can buy as many raffle tickets as you want and you choose which items you want to try your luck at.

Andy, Jenn and Sophia joined us at our table! I was the typical Auntie, taking Sophia off Jenn's hands when they first arrived and then handed Sophia back as soon as she got fussy! :D

They served BBQ, so here's Jenn showing how she has to put a napkin over Sophia as she tries to eat her dinner and hold her child at the same time (via a Baby Bjorn). You don't realize how far you are from the plate until pieces of BBQ pork end up on the baby and you!

Here's Jenn entertaining Sophia in the back of the room when Sophia got restless.

The musical group for the evening was "Living Sacrifice" led by Cliff Young. When I heard the name, I thought to myself "I wonder if that's the Cliff Young I went to high school with?" Sure enough, it was! I went up to him after his performance and said hi. He actually goes to my old church, Rolling Hills Covenant. Small world!

Shelley and I went out and did the line dancing portion of the evening. Shelley got super red from the activity! We had a great time and I'm sure we'll end up in the newsletter because we were at the ends and quite visible.

Jenn and Andy left but Shelley and I stayed for the raffle. I never win these things but it's fun hoping!

Still True

2011-09-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

This article still has great advice! (I posted it 2 years ago)

http://yahoo.match.com/y/article.aspx?articleid=5338&TrackingID=526103&BannerID=68352

Cori's Birthday

2011-09-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

Monday night I went to Hennessey's in Hermosa Beach to celebrate Cori's birthday. It was an intimate group-just 6 of us, and it helped let us all catch up with one another.

Here's Cori:

La Jolla Weekend

2011-09-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

My friend, Alice, flew down from Walnut Creek, CA to go with me to La Jolla to kayak the sea caves there. Alice is a Chick-fil-a nut...I mean fan, so we stopped at one on the way so I could try a chicken and biscuit. After that we went to Jamba Juice to get their pumpkin smoothies. I'm a fan of both the chicken and a biscuit and the Jamba Juice treat!We ended up going on the 1 o'clock tour instead of the 2 o'clock and we were both glad! Here's Alice waiting for the tour to start. Getting on the kayaks was relatively easy. We ran into a group of leapard sharks that were swimming really close to shore. Don't worry, according to our guides they are as harmless as kittens. The kayaking over to the cliff face was pretty uneventful except one double kayak kept tipping over, but that didn't slow us down too much. The other rescue, on the other hand, did hold us up! The below picture is of the caves that some women got caught in (they came too close and then the waves started pushing them against the cave entrance). There is a reason why these caves are not navigatable via kayaks! One woman had a HUGE bump on her head and both ladies were very shooken up.

While we were waiting our turn to go into a cave, we watched several sea lions in their natural habitat. Here I am lounging about as we waited. Here's Alice, enjoying the kayaking:We almost made it to shore without capsizing, but at only 15 feet to go we both leaned to one side and I wasn't fast enough moving to the right! We both went over, but it wasn't too traumatic. I actually was smiling from ear to ear-it was hilarious! My ziplock covered camera was still safe under the lifevest and I found my chapstick shortly after that!

That night after showering the sand off, we went to Rock Bottom Brewery because it was close and we were both tired. I definitely was tired because I fell asleep before 8pm.

We woke up refreshed and ready to try Brockton Villa Restaurant which was recommended to me by a friend. The food was delicious!

After walking a bit along the shore we made our way back and went to The Cave Store where we paid to walk down 144 steps to the entrance of the Sunny Jim Cave.Alice is ready to take the tunnel down!I'm ready as well. Held on tight to the rails because it was slippery.Woa! Actually it wasn't too bad. Here is Sunny Jim. He was named after a character on a cereal box way back in the day.Alice inside the cave:Some French women took our picture:The day before we were just like that kayaker, peaking in to see the people inside Sunnny Jim's.

Alice and I drove back to L.A. after that and went to lunch at Dolci Vita, which serves primarily German food. I had the schnitzel and spatzle pasta and it was delish! We then went to get our nails done and then walked in Manhattan Beach before I took Alice to the airport. We both had a great time!

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

Chores and running errands were the names of my game this weekend! Friday night (at 3:30 am I woke up and I was WIDE AWAKE :O) I FINALLY organized my second bedroom. I had let it go because I was studying for my exam, but now I don't have that excuse so I went through clothes and added to my donation pile. I also had a bunch of "twinkies for the brain" type books that I added to my donation pile. Now my second bedroom no longer has the half-inflated air mattress on the floor with the extra pillows I have and all of the bridal shower/wedding stuff I had leftover, I put it all away in the closet.

Saturday morning I went to the gym, came home to get ready for errand-fest! I went to the dry cleaners, my chiropractice office, then to Nordstrom Rack (found one shirt I would have bought but there was no way I was going to stand in the line that went three-quarters of the distance of the store to buy it). Then I dropped off my 4 bags of donations to Salvation Army before heading to Michael's. My plan was to buy a $2.99 bottle of fabric glue and I ended up spending almost $100 on scrapbooking supplies. I decided that since I have this time I'm going to make up a scrapbook from my friend's bridal shower.

After Michael's I went to Sprouts, which is a farmer's market type grocery store sort of like Whole Foods. I picked up a few things, including crumpets which I've been getting into. I'm not a fan of pancakes, but I like crumpets. Who knew! I was exhausted when I got home!

Sunday was a fun-filled day as well. Went to the gym then got ready for church. After church I dropped off an extra car battery I had (long story) to Jenn and Andy Steip who can use it! Yay! Now I have a little more room in the trunk of my car (I've been lugging around this battery for several months). Then I drove to Dad's to help him spring clean, which means helping him rediscover his tabletops! I was pleasantly surprised to see that the coffee table was already cleared off! Dad still has his cleaning lady come (although I think he stretches the time out so it's less frequent than I recommended, but something is better than nothin') and help with some of the papers. I think he felt better about things being able to take control like that, which is great! I sat down at the kitchen table with Dad and my nephew, Thomas (he was over to clean the pool for Dad). We chatted for a bit before we got to work. It really didn't take much time to clear off the couch (it had tons of papers-mostly catalogs) and the dining room table. I also picked up old mail that was there, including a letter from my old french pen pal who sent a letter in 1995 and it arrived this year!

After finishing up at Dad's I went to Todd's for any early (for me) dinner. He barbecued chicken. We had a good time. :) Then I drove home, changed, and then drove to Sports Authority to get a new bathing suit (nothing like trying on bathing suits to keep the spirits up) before meeting my friend, Shelley, and her friend, Patrick for dinner at the Seaside Palace, a really yummy persian restaurant. I always order the sour cherry rice with lamb on the shank when I go there--because I had eaten earlier I didn't eat much, so guess what I had for lunch for two days? :)

Monday I woke up and did laundry (4 loads!) and finished organizing my apartment, mainly taking the lamps and fans out of the living room and bedroooms to prepare for the carpet cleaners to come. I also moved my frame graveyard from my bedroom to the second bedroom so now my bedroom is more organized too. The carpet cleaners came almost exactly at 10 (they had a window from 10-12).

They cleaned my carpets and power washed the tile in my bathroom. That tile is the bane of my existence! So, I paid professionals to do it and STILL the calk needs to be replaced! But it does look better and my apartment building's annual inspection is coming up so I hope I can get them to replace the calk.

While waiting the two hours required before using the shower again, I started on that scrap book! I organized the pictures and worked on the backgrounds (just picking them out, not attaching them yet). After the two hours was up, I showered and got ready to meet my new friend, Hollis, at Wilderness Park for a walk. It is a beautiful little park and it was nice to get to know Hollis while getting in some exercise.

Fighting Fair

2011-08-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Recently, or I should say finally, I finished a book I was reading for months. With studying for my exams and everything else, it took me awhile. But it was worth it and somewhat valuable to take my time with the text. The book I completed is "Overcoming Emotions That Destroy: Practical Help for Those Angry Feelings That Ruin Relationships" by Chip Ingram and Dr. Becca Johnson.

I heard a radio interview with Chip Ingram and decided that the themes of this book would go along with my goals of learning why I do what I do or why I react the way I do. I had noticed the last year or two becoming more annoyed with others (for seemingly small things like not knowing how to walk single file or closing a door right in front of me when I was right behind a person.) Yes, these are matters on manners, but I knew there must be a deeper meaning. Not to mention other times I get upset.

There are a few things I took away from this book: 1) Anger is only a secondary emotion. There is another feeling or feelings below that which is the true reason for anger. This could be feelings of loneliness, rejection, fear, being ignored, etc. Until we recognize what the underlying feelings are, our anger will not dissipate or change from anger to understanding, calm, or in some cases, resignation to the reality of a situation.

2) Expectations are a main cause of anger. If our expectations are different from what others expectations are, or that person is unaware of our expectations, then we are sure to be disappointed. Recognizing when an expectation is not met and understanding why it wasn't met (hopefully not personalizing it to ourselves) is a key to calming down an angry heart. In the manners example, instead of getting annoyed, I can have pity for the fact that the persons were not raised to have manners. Or, instead of feeling ignored because someone might walk right up to me (expecting me to move) instead of moving to their right, I might think that they must be preoccupied with a stressful situation on their minds.

3) Be a grace-giver. "Being a grace giver means not getting uptight at other's imperfections, slowness, quirks, miscommunications, or lack of insight. It means that we give up a critical spirit fed by expectations, shoulds, and oughts and replace it with tolerance and understanding. That has the power to change lives--both yours and others. What does a grace giver look like? Instead of grief, we give grace--a lot of freedom for people to be who they are and to make mistakes without someone coming down hard on them. Instead of criticizing, we hold our tongue. Instead of enforcing our rights, we back off. You and I long for others to be gracious towards us for our imperfections, yet too often we turn around and deprive others of graciousness." I have this page dog-eared in my book.

This is the most difficult thing to do on a regular basis (besides giving the benefit of the doubt in the above manners example). Putting this grace-giving into practice is difficult at first (I think of a teeter-totter...your inclination is like a bigger kid on one end wanting you to lean on the side of critical, whereas God (and your desire to reduce your anger level) are urging you to go to the other side where the smaller kid is...the one that would easily be beaten up by the bigger kid.) but I think it too can become easier over time. We just need to give ourselves the same grace for not being perfect on giving grace. We'll get there!

4) The Rules of Fighting Fair. I'm going to put these in verbatem from the text:

Fighting Fair

To disagree is one thing, to be disagreeable is another

When you find yourself in an argument:

1. Deal with the present issue only.

2. Refrain from using words like "always" and "never".

3. Examine yourself-your motives, mood and feelings.

4. Control your temper.

5. Try to understand the other person's position and feelings.

6. Use "I" words rather than "you" statements.

7. Stick to the issues and don't attack the other person's character.

8. Listen.

9. Remain open-minded.

10. Don't make statements that negate any possible response--that trap, corner, box, or hem a person in.

11. Assume innocence until proven guilty rather than vice versa.

12. When fighting, be aware of the surroundings and those nearby, and do so as privately as possible.

13. Stick to the content of the argument, not the process or the person.

14. After the argument, don't recount it to others in an effort to gain allies.

15. Be willing to compromise.

16. Be willing to admit weaknesses and mistakes and to say "I'm sorry."

Wow, talk about a tall order! I think #16 should be at the top of the list! Just recognizing that you did do something wrong (even if it was inadvertent) I think that defuses the situation and makes the other person willing to express their point of view and their true feelings regarding the subject matter (if they are upset with something you did).

I think I will reread this book once I've gotten through a few other books I've gotten as gifts that I haven't had the time to read yet. This subject matter is relevant to everyone and for me, a second go-around seems reasonable. :)

The Sussex Tea Pot

2011-08-29T21:26:00.001-07:00

Saturday I drove to Garden Grove to have tea with an old coworker, Abhay, and his wife Isabel. We had a great time eating tea sandwiches, drinking various teas and having scones with Devon cream and strawberry jam. About a week before going,I was with a friend who was examining a bowl of sugar cubes, not believing people still used them to serve sugar. Low and behold, the Sussex Teahouse used them! I had to take a picture of it!

Concert in the Park - 80s Band!!!

2011-08-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

After church on Sunday, Shelley came and picked me up at 2:15 to go to a gentle yoga class. Neither of us had gone to yoga in awhile, so it was more difficult that in usually is!

After the class we parked by Polliwog Park and went to their Concert in the Park series. They had an 80s band for this concert.

Shelley and I trying to take our own photo!
Thankfully, the event had several food/snack booths. I was dying of thirst so I was excited to see they had Hawaiian Ice available. Both Shelley and I got some!

The first half of the concert, Shelley and I just sat on my yoga mat and listened to the really good 80s tunes. When they started playing "Jesse's Girl" I told Shelley I had to get up for that one! We walked to the mosh pit and danced the rest of the concert! It was so much fun! They played songs like "Living on a Prayer" and "Shook Me All Night Long." Such great songs to dance to! It was especially fun to see people in their late 40s and 50s jamming to their music!

The base guitarist was like a celebrity at the concert. He came down to the audience and tons of women wanted to take their picture with him. After the concert, Shelley wanted to ask him if he was Peruvian, but just before a young girl asked him to "sign her." LOL.

Here is Shelley with the guitar player:

Shelley and I had a great time! Ah, I miss the 80s!

Hollywood Bowl - John Williams Concert

2011-08-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

Friday night, my friend Liz (in green) invited me and her friend, Lynette, to dinner and then the Hollywood Bowl John Williams concert. We had dinner at CPK at Hollywood and Highland. Here is a picture of the Hollywood Bowl at the beginning of the performance. John Williams conducted the LA Philharmonic. Lynette and I were sitting closer to the front (Liz sat with our friend, Colleen in the nosebleed). Turns out they were better off because our row was so packed we had no room to breathe!

James Taylor was a guest. He narrated a story as the LA Phil played as background. Then John Williams persuaded him to play "Sweet Baby James".

At intermission, Lynette and I moved up to the high section. We were so happy to have room to stretch out! Here are Lynette, Liz and Colleen:

It was pretty hot and humid that night--no need for the jackets we brought, except to sit on for some cushioning!

During the Star Wars songs, people got out their light sabers to move in time to the music. It was really neat to see! I took video, but my blog doesn't like videos all that much. :(

Liz and I!

After the concert we waited for the crowd to die down and then we walked back to Hollywood and Highland (about a 15 minute liesurely walk). We all had a great time!

Good Luck Bouquet

2011-08-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

I got a gorgeous good luck bouquet right before my audit exam which still has a few blooms left on it (it had over a dozen blooms). I love star-gazer lilies (they are starting to overtake tulips as my favorite flower). They are such beautiful flowers and I love the fact that there are some blooms that take a while to open so the bouquet lasts longer!

Church on the Beach (the River Service)

2011-08-14T14:10:00.003-07:00

My friend, Jazz Thompson, sent me a message letting me know that he was asked to preach at "The River" church's church on the beach service. I decided to come and support him and I'm so glad I did. Normally, church on the beach is a bit distracting, but I was sitting right up front and so I was able to focus on Jazz's sermon, which was awesome! He talked about prayer, acting like a Christian, and being wise. All things I needed to hear.

His handout asked "How is your prayer life?" and my answer was "It stinks!" This week I have a renewed focus on my prayer life.

Here is a picture of the ocean. I was very happy that it wasn't too hot because I dressed in clothes to go study in (jeans and a shirt, with a jacket I also brought along...it get's cold in "Study Jail" as my friend, Liz called it) afterwards.

Creme de la Crepe

2011-08-14T14:10:00.001-07:00

I went to Creme de la Crepe in Redondo Beach with my friends, Liz and Colleen. It is owned by a French person so I asked if the Kir was authentic. You see, back in 1993 when I went to Paris with my sister, Andrea, we ended up having Kir after we missed our tour bus and had to eat dinner at a local brasserie.

We both thought it was delicious! Kir is an apperitif, a dessert wine made from cherries, I believe. Well, I decided to order it and it was, in fact the genuine article. Sorry for the fuzzy photo!

Visit with the Steips, Sophia, 11 weeks

2011-08-14T14:09:00.001-07:00

Need I say more? Sophia is a cutie and so cuddly! I had a fun time hanging out with Jenn and Andy, too, and it was so sweet of them to pray for me before I left.

Jen's 40th Birthday

2011-08-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

Monday I went to Petros Restaurant in Manhattan Beach to celebrate Jen's 40th birthday. Appetizers were provided and a lot of Jen's family was there. When I first came in, I have never felt so short in my life! Everyone there was at least 5'10".

I had some fun conversations with several people and really connected with Jen's friends, Chantal and Kate.

Here's the birthday girl right before she is going to blow out the candles.

Gretchen's Birthday

2011-08-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

All the single ladeies., all the single ladies...
went to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate Gretchen's birthday!
Gretchen with the "basket" of Celtics basketball items she got from her roommate, Angie: Gretchen showing off the necklace I got her:

Singing "Happy Birthday!"

Gretchen blowing out the candle!

Here is a group shot from left: Tania, me, Angie, Gretchen, Brianna and Cori.

A Little Creativity

2011-08-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

This last week was a week for a few birthdays. I got jewelry for everyone who was having a birthday and I had forgotten to get gift boxes. Thankfully, I remembered that I had some plain white jewelry boxes in my night stand at home so I used those and decided to have a little fun with adhesive puffy letters! I also used some pretty ribbon and stickers as well.

I rarely get to do visually creative things so I had fun!

Rusty the l'il kitty

2011-07-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

My friend, James, was planning on coming over and watching the original "Footloose" movie because we were watching previews for the remake and he said he had never seen the original. The next words out of my mouth were, "We can't be friends if you haven't seen that movie." Soon, we made plans to rectify that.

Well, a coworker at James work discovered a feral kitty that was trapped in the building next to theirs. This coworker insisted on taking the kitty from the other company (they didn't seem very attentive to it). When she got back to the office, she asked James to take the kitten because she already had 3 cats at home. He agreed and then spent the afternoon learning about how to take care of them.

He came over with Rusty (what I have dubbed the kitty). He had to immediately feed it. Isn't that cute?Awwww...the little kitty was shaking and really having a feeding frenzy!

James estimated that the kitty is only 2 weeks old. So tiny!

Personal Bill of Rights

2011-07-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten about a list I was given called "Personal Bill of Rights." They are:

1. I have the right to ask for what I want.
2. I have the right to say no to requests or demands I can't meet.
3. I have the right to express all of my feelings, positive or negative.
4. I have the right to change my mind.
5. I have the right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect.
6. I have the right to follow my own values and standards.
7. I have the right to say no to anything when I feel I am not ready, it is unsafe, or it violates my values.
8. I have the right to determine my own priorities.
9. I have the right not to be responsible for others' behavior, actions, feelings, or problems.
10. I have the right to expect honesty from others.
11. I have the right to be angry at someone I love.
12. I have the right to be uniquely myself.
13. I have the right to feel scared and say "I'm afraid."
14. I have the right to say "I don't know."
15. I have the right not to give excuses or reasons for my behavior.
16. I have the right to make decisions based on my feelings.
17. I have the right to my own needs for personal space and time.
18. I have the right to be playful and frivolous.
19. I have the right to be healthier than those around me.
20. I have the right to be in a nonabusive environment.
21. I have the right to make friends and be comfortable around people.
22. I have the right to change and grow.
23. I have the right to have my needs and wants respected by others.
24. I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
25. I have the right to be happy.

When I got this listed I decided to circle the rights that I had a hard time accepting, mainly because it hasn't been my experience with others that is is my right.

An example of this would be number 3. I have the right to express all of my feelings, positive or negative. I have tried to live by this, but I have found that when I have expressed my negative feelings, the other person doesn't want to hear it or is offended that I feel this way about them. Instead of listening and trying to understand why I would feel that way, they look to blame me for having these feelings. I don't just create these negative feelings for the heck of it, so why is it my fault? Trust me when I say I'd rather have positive feelings!

Number 5 is another one that is difficult for me to accept. I have the right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect. I know that I do make mistakes and that I am not perfect, but I believe it's difficult for others to be grace givers, therefore making mistakes are not acceptable. I have also been told I am an unforgiveable person, which means there is no hope for me in relation to that person. I do make mistakes and I try to recognize them and apologize if those mistakes have wronged someone. But I still try to be perfect because I don't want to hurt anyone.

Number 6 is a really doozy and it goes along with number 7 as well. Number 6 is "I have the right to follow my own values and standards." I was raised to have very strong opinions, but due to that and the fact that I have a lot of siblings, I was also raised that it is acceptable to give your opinion to others on how they should live their lives. Problem is we all live different lives. I have the right to follow my values and standards for my life, but I do get comments from others on how I should lead it. I gladly listen, but it leads to number 7 which is "I have the right to say no to anything when I feel I am not ready, it is unsafe, or it violates my values. " Sometimes, what others think is right for me, maybe something I get to down the road. I may not be at that step in my life. Just because I say no, doesn't mean I don't respect the other person's opinion, I am just not going to blindly follow what they think is right when they don't live in my skin. They don't live my daily life.

Numbers 23 and 24 are also biggees for me. "I have the right to have my needs and wants respected by others" and "I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect." I think we have all felt that this has not been true for us at times. I have tended to see other needs above my own, which can be quite unhealthy and I am working towards sticking to my guns about my needs and wants, no matter the consequences (see number 9).

What rights do you have a hard time believing due to your past experiences?

Beautiful Bride

2011-07-17T23:53:00.000-07:00

Here are all the accessories the bride had set out to put on/use. The accessories with the dress in the background.

The beautiful bride!

Wedding Prep

2011-07-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

After the rehearsal, the bridesmaids and the bride went to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Pedro to relax and get ready.

Here is Virginia, the matron of honor, preparing her toast. She asked me to help her translate it into English, since Spanish is her native language. She was Helen's roommate when Helen was a missionary in Sevilla, Spain. Here is Virginia, Helen and Yvonne relaxing on the couch in our suite.

Helen trying to relax/destress:

Me and Helen pre-make-up

Here's Virginia getting her hair done:

Chailling did my hair and makeup. Here she is putting on foundation.

Here is my end results (only picture I have of me before the wedding):

Chailling doing Helen's hair:

Helen's bouquet:

Helen getting the rest of her make-up applied:

Here are the earrings and necklace that Helen gave us. We also received a bracelet to wear that matches, I just didn't realize it until after I took the picture.

The bridesmaids, sans myself, just before we got into our dresses.

Wedding Rehearsal

2011-07-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

I stayed at Shelley's Friday night as well. I had brought all of my wedding stuff with me so that I could leave for the wedding rehearsal from there.

Because it was an important day, I was afraid I wouldn't wake up on time so I got up earlier than expected. I was out the door at 8:15 (after packing my car). I had time to pick up breakfast and stop at CVS to pick up some last minute essentials.

I then drove to San Pedro to Angel's Gate Park for the wedding rehearsal. I wasn't the only early bird! The groom, a wedding coordinator assistant and two groomsmen, the best man and the best man's wife, were there waiting.

The weather was perfect! Very clear and not too breezy. We all hoped the weather would remain the same for the ceremony which was scheduled for 5pm.

Helen and her family (including the two flower girls and ring bearer) arrived. Steve (the groom) greets his bride-to-be:Helen, chatting with Diana, the best man's wife. Diana was nice enough to take most of the pictures of the rehearsal.
Here are all of the bridesmaids in line watching Helen and her dad walk down the aisle.I am missing from the below picture because I had to run to my car (in heals!) to get the practice bouquet. I forgot it in the car! Such a cute photo of the couple!!!The groomsmen and groom waiting to walk to the front.Helen and her dad about to rehearse their entrance.Everyone waiting for Helen and her dad's entrance:Exiting the ceremony:

Pre-Wedding Nails

2011-07-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I stayed at Shelley's place. She had eye surgery earlier that day so on my way to her place, I picked up dinner for us and drove to south Redondo Beach to her apartment by the ocean.

When I arrived, our friend, Robyn was there for the first watch. :) Shelley was in bed sleeping off the anestesia. Robyn and I got caught up with each other and then Robyn left. Shelley got up eventually and we ate dinner. She went back to sleep and I got my bed ready (her couch). :) I actually had a comfy sleep. Much better than sleeping on my own couch for more than a nap. Too soft. :p

I took Friday off. I was happy to do it because I wanted to avoid the 405 freeway during "Carmeggedon" even though looking back now it wasn't a big deal. The thought of the driving stress was a lot for me. Besides that, I liked the vacation day! I woke up on my own and went to Jamba Juice to get steel cut oatmeal topped with berries. One of my favorite breakfasts and one I don't enjoy as often as I'd like. After that I had to go to the bank to get money out for the later that day and the following one.

I came back to Shelley's to check on her and officially get ready for the day! I was able to get some studying in before Robyn visited and we went to the Farmer's Market that is a few blocks away every Friday. Shelley had a list of things she wanted so we mainly got her items, although I couldn't resist getting Grandma Sally's preserves, which are low sugar and delicious! Robyn had never been to a Farmer's Market so it was fun seeing her enjoying herself.

Robyn left shortly after we arrived back at Shelley's apartment. I finished some auditing questions and checked up on Shelley before I left to meet Helen, the bride in the wedding I would be in that Saturday.

I met Helen at May Beauty Salon so that we could get our manicures and pedicures. When I arrived all of the workers must have been bored because I felt pressured to start the manis and pedis before Helen arrived. I had to explain to them that I was waiting for my friend.

Helen came in and they all remembered her from when she had gotten her nails done for her engagement pictures.

Here is the Bride-to-be:We chatted with eachother about the wedding plans and suddenly the new customers were adding their comments!

Rivera Village Summer Festival

2011-07-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

My friend, Seona, was in town, so I picked her up in Whittier and we drove to Redondo Beach to attend the Riviera Village Summer festival. We met up with Shelley, Robyn and Robyn's friend, Diana. Here we are shopping 'til we drop:

Say cheese!After we ate and shopped some more we spent some time at Coffee Bean for a coffee before Seona insisted we go down to the water. She can't get enough and in Boston, although it's on the coast, the beaches just aren't the same. Seona and I near the water.

Sunset.Here we all are at the top of the ramp at Avenue I. From left to right: Shelley, Seona, Lexy, Robyn and Diana:Shelley and Seona playing in the water:

Robyn looking on:

Great Quotes

2011-06-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Two people posted two quotes on Facebook that have resonated with me:

"Love will find a way. Indifference will find an excuse."
"Don't make someone a priority who only sees you as an option."

Boy, have these quotes come to play in my life! A very unfortunate statement, but I think it is mostly true for everyone. Whether it be a friend or potential romantic relationship, a lot of times one person puts in more effort than the other.

I've found this to be the case with friends mostly, probably because I've had more friends than I have had romantic relationships. In the case of friends, I have to weigh whether or not it's worth it to make any effort at all, considering the lack of effort from the other party. Sometimes I just re-categorize the relationship from true friend to mere acquaintance and in other cases I drop the person because they are clearly not regarding me as a person with feelings. I do not understand those types, but I've been known to befriend them from time to time. That indifference is what confuses me. How can you be indifferent to someone's feelings if you've spent considerable time with them?

So, in comes the second quote where I shift from making that effort (or making that person a priority) to adding time boundaries and making others a priority instead when it's clear they only see me as one of many options, and an option that isn't at the top of their list) .

Sad that we have to do that, but it's a fact of life.

Frustration: A 74 AGAIN!!!

2011-06-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

This morning, as has been my habit since April 11th, I went to the CBA (California Board of Accountancy) website to check my final test score. I took the Audit section last April 10th and my original score had been a 74. 75 is passing. At the same time I had received my Regulation exam score so that consoled me and I made a plan to retake the Audit section. That is what I did April 11th.

I had to wait an additional month for my score because the AICPA changed the testing format. Today was the day I found out my score: 74 AGAIN! I am extremely frustrated that I have been so close twice and so I am back to square one. I have to dust off the books, call Becker to make sure my software is updated and valid and begin the grind of studying daily at lunch and studying all day Saturday and Sunday.

I will be appealing my grade since it is a new testing format and maybe by some miracle I will win (it is a miracle because less than 1% of appeals are approved). In the meantime, I'll study.

This next time is the last shot because of the timing. I'll take the exam in August and get the results in October. One of my other exams expires November 1st, so I have to pass the Audit section before that exam expires. If I don't, that means I have to retake that expired exam.

Hopefully 3rd time is a charm. I don't know why God has maneuvered it so that I have to remain in California for longer. I've wanted to move for 2 years and was planning (if I passed) to move to Boston or another city (depending on if I get a job offer) in the next couple of months. Those plans are now postponed. I have to have faith that God has a plan. It is difficult to hold onto that faith, when my hopes are dashed. I need prayers desperately.

Irish Fair

2011-06-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning I drove down to Irvine with my brother, Todd, and his son, Thomas to visit the annual Irish Fair.
Here is an Irish parade we saw just after when entered the fair grounds:

A Feis dancing competition was in full swing. It's very entertaining!

I got curious about adult Irish dancing so I asked an official about it. We'll see if there are any good and convenient classes in my area. :)

There were several demonstrations throughout the day of the art of sheepherding. Those dogs are VERY well trained!

It was surprisingly difficult to find traditional Irish food (and the beer stands for that matter!), but we managed to find one booth. I had a corned beef sandwich, Thomas had cheese brutwurst (bangers) and Todd had fish and chips.

After lunch, it was shopping time! I got a few tee shirts that have the Wales dragon on it and it says "Wales", as well as a Wales flag that I gave Todd (he wanted to put it up on the treehouse in his back yard) and a Wales flag blanket that I gave Thomas (early birthday gift).

Before we left the fair, I was parched, so I decided to get a cool italian ice to quench my thirst. It was a delicious combination of blue raspberry, lemon and cherry.

Of course, my teeth and tongue turned blue:

Here I am with my nephew, Thomas.

Here are Thomas and Todd. It took a lot of effort to get Thomas to smile for the camera, I tell ya!

We had a great time and surprisingly, traffic wasn't too bad on the way back!

Tania's Birthday at King's Hawaiian

2011-06-21T21:41:00.001-07:00

A big group of us went to King's Hawaiian Restaurant to celebrate my friend, Tania's, birthday. Half the table were mutual friends and the other half were new women to get to know.

Here's Tania when the famous paradise cake was delivered.They came over and gave me a piece of cake as well since it had been my birthday, which was really sweet! All in all, I had 4 separate birthday cakes or what was in lieu of cake! Sorry this picture is so small, but you get the gist!

Spongebob and A Flat Tire

2011-06-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday of Memorial Day, my friend, Heather and I went to Manhattan Beach for lunch and then walked from MB to Hermosa Beach and walked around Fiesta Hermosa. It was crowded and there were over 100 booths to explore.

We met someone famous while we were there:

When we got back to Heather's car, we discovered a flat tire. Good thing Heather knows how to change it. I assisted by taking the old tire and putting it back where the spare had been in the trunk.

Actual Birthday Dinner

2011-06-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

I met up with my friend, Liz, after work on my actual birthday. We went to the Salt Creek Grille which has the best sliders I've ever had (it has blue cheese on it, which I ordinarily despise, but it isn't too strong and sets off the other flavors):
Liz isn't much of a beef eater so we ordered this goat cheese (also a cheese I dont' normally like) and marinara appetizer. So delicious!

Here we are drinking our very girlie martinis (mine was black cherry lemon drop):

Here I am getting a sugar high from gelato:
Those are candles sticking out from the gelato. I got three more wishes!

Birthday Dinner

2011-06-09T22:57:00.001-07:00

After dropping off the meal (see previous post) I drove to the Outback restaurant for a small birthday gathering with friends. I am so mad at myself for not thinking to get a group shot of our table! Angie, Heather, Dyanelle, Shelley, Colleen and Alan were there to celebrate with me.I was sung to and given a dish of ice cream. In addition we ordered the dessert sampler, which had a gluten free brownie topped with ice cream, a caramel cheesecake and a carrot cake.

Dropping Off a Meal

2011-06-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

My church has a meals ministry for families that have new additions (the church better since they have over 30 babies born this year to the church families). Since I know Jenn and Andy, I signed up for a meal.

It gave me an opportunity to make my baked ziti recipe. I only know how to make meals for armies, so it works out because they got more than just one meal out of it. I also made a pear, feta and almond salad and bought a peach mimosa dressing that I hear was delicious on the salad. It sounded intriguing to me! I also bought 2 fruit tarts for dessert.

I had left over plates, napkins, glasses and utensils from the shower so I brought those along so they wouldn't have to do dishes (and I don't like to waste!).

I was able to spend some more time with Sophia.
Time passes quickly with a newborn in your arms, I tell ya! I actually was literally late to my own party (but only 5 minues) because Sophia is such a cuddler!

Sophia Christine Steip

2011-06-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

All weekend, my sister, Erika's sister-in-law was in labor and had the baby on late Sunday night/early Monday morning. Although I am really Jenn and Andy's sister-in-law's sister, I am considered part of the family, so they call me Auntie Alexis for their new daughter, Sophia Christine Steip.

Monday I was able to stop by the hospital and visit. When I arrived, there were three pastors there, a pastor's wife and the maternal grandma, or Mimi as she wants to be called (her actual name is Judy).

Cindy Kaney was holding Sophia when I came in...so small. Pastor Chris Cannon (head pastor at my church) lead us all in a word of prayer before everyone left (except me) since they had been there awhile.

Sophia is such a cuddler! She is so sweet! Now I have another niece to spoil, I mean positively influence.

Helen's Paradise Cherry Blossom Cake

2011-06-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

I ordered a cherry blossom decorated paradise cake from King's Hawaiian. A paradise cake is a three layered cake that has three different cake flavors: guava, passion and lime with a very light frosting. The layers are pink, yellow and green, respectively. Here is the bride with her cake:

Shower Games

2011-06-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

After lunch and getting to know one another a bit, it was time for the games. Here is Helen laughing after she reads an advice card:Bridal Bingo was the next game. I had never played this at a shower. It is harder/takes longer than you'd think! Helen reading out the next item:Cailin, on the far left, is the winner of Bridal Bingo. She went home with cherry blossom bath gel, lotion and vanilla lip gloss.

Apron Guessing Game

This is a game where the bride puts on an apron that has various kitchen/marriage items hanging from it. She walks around the room and people have to try and remember as many items as they could after she leaves the room.
The women waiting for Helen to come out of hiding:

This is a really tough game. Look at how intently these women are inspecting the apron!
Helen took a few turns around the room.

She had to turn around since there were items on the backside!

Here is a picture of Von (another bridesmaid) and I earlier. See how I have a piece of paper in my top? Yep, that's the answer key to this game! Unfortunately all the pictures are prior to this game was played so it looks rather odd.

After everyone guessed, the winner (Linda, Helen's soon-to-be-mother-in-law) had guessed 7 of the 20 items. I think I should have given everyone another minute! There were several items that were unusual so I gave out little prizes to those that could guess them. Some of them were head scratchers. I wish I had taken some pictures of those. Then I could have quizzed you and found out whether you know what a pickle picker looks like! What about a cherry stoner? Strawberry Huller? Olive/Cherry Spoon?

Shower Buffet and Food

2011-06-08T08:04:00.001-07:00

The appetizer was gorgonzola cheese with a cranberry and walnut topping. I liked the look of it because it looks like a flower. I'm not a fan of gorgonzola cheese, but several people liked the treat.This was the first time I had tried to make petite (or tea) sandwiches. I used two types of breads for two types of sandwiches: rainbow bread (made by King's Hawaiian) for the cream cheese, dill and cucumber sandwiches and Webber's White for the cream cheese, pineapple and ham sandwiches. Susan helped me with these. We cut the sandwiches into wedding shapes like a wedding dress, bell, wedding cake and a ring shape.

The main course was chinese chicken salad. This was made with 2 types of lettuce, grilled chicken, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, fried wonton noodles and Lisa's Bon Appetit's famous chinese chicken salad dressing.

I served two types of King's Hawaiian rolls (savory and sweet) to compliment the salad:

Von, one of the bridesmaids, made a fruit salad that we served in these cute little cups!

Here is a view of the entire buffet table:

Here is the bride and a few of the guests enjoying the food. I asked everyone to go around the table and tell everyone how they met Helen as a simple icebreaker.

Helen's Shower Set Up

2011-06-07T23:33:00.000-07:00

My friend, Helen is getting married! I threw her a shower on May 28th. The theme was cherry blossoms!

Here I am in the apron my sister Tanya made me. I was so excited to have an opportunity to use it finally!
I set up an area for the guests to self-address an envelope so that would save Helen the trouble, since she is in a time crunch with all the wedding plans still to finalize.Everyone was requested to fill out advice cards for a game where Helen guesses who gave the advice.Here is the container I put the favors. Everyone got a set of 2 cherry blossom coasters.
What's a shower without shower punch! Here is a bouquet of stock, which I picked up from Trader Joes. Aren't they beautiful? And they smell spicy! Ever since then, I've wanted a bouquet for myself! Yep, I got my Martha Stewart on! I made the napkin rings!

Shelley's Birthday

2011-05-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday night I convinced Shelley to have a low-key dinner to celebrate her birthday. That's her and her friend, Kristin. Very intimate group:

Here's the gifts I got Shelley: signed copy of JLo's Love? cd and a SideSleeperPro pillow.

Shelley using the paper flower I made as a necklace:

Opening the cd:

Sharefest - Boys and Girls Club Project

2011-05-16T23:07:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday was Sharefest's Annual Workday. I signed up to help Joseph Haller's project at the Boys and Girls Club of Harbor Gateway Torrance. I was really surprised at how tiny this place is. Here is Diane Haller and her daughter, Hannah, folding tee shirts. I helped at with volunteer registration and was blessed to get to know Diane better.

The volunteers painted both the interior and exterior of the building.

They also cleaned up the area from old plant and furniture debris.

The wheelchair ramp had corroded paint and was very slippery so the surface was scraped and non-slip strips were installed.

I thought it was hilarious, yet practical, that when their tape measure went missing, Robin Haller had the idea of using a Winchell's box as the consistent measure between the slip strips.

Part of my job was to help get the lunch, as well as cut fruit for the volunteers.

I went with Nancy Detjen and her friend, Jeannette, to Del Amo mall to pick up the sandwiches that were donated by Chick-fil-A.

Here we are serving the volunteers lunch:

All the teens replenishing their energy after their hard work. Joseph is in the red tee shirt. He was doing this as his Eagle Scout project as well as working with Sharefest. He did a great job.

Favorite Pics

2011-05-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Shower Gifts

2011-05-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

Since there were 40 guests in attendance, Jenn and Andy had a mound of gifts to open. Andy came for this part of the shower, which I think is great to include the father in.

This sweater and quilt were made by Grandma Barbara:

This is the blanket Erika's kids made:

Rebecca spent her own Awana dollars on this ball for the baby:

Heather checks out the "My Brest Friend."

Jenn shows off the beautiful painting Lauren made as a gift.

This is a diaper bag Julie (Jenn's mom) got her. It's filled with lots of different goodies.

Shower Games

2011-05-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

Erika put together a few fun games for the shower. I was her helper. Here I am showing off the various candy bars for the first game, which was a candy bar match up game. You had to match up a pregnancy/baby related word or phrase with a candy bar name. For instance, if the word was "nursing" the corresponding candy bar was "Milky Way." All the guests had fun guessing. Some were pretty funny!

Jill got all of them right (I wonder why?)!

Heather was second runner up. Heather is Jenn's sister and she is the mother of four.

Paper Plate Game
The paper plate game is simple: every guest puts a paper plate on their head and with a pen they draw the profile of the pregnant woman and Jenn picked the best one.

Everyone participated but there could be only one winner. Some of the pictures were hilarious!

Erika organized a diaper raffle: bring a package of diapers and be eligible for a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory:

Jenn's mom, Julie won.

Funny Faces

2011-05-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

I had Rebecca look a little serious for her "Hollywood" look:Lauren wanted to make faces for the camera:

My favorite:

Guests arrive at shower

2011-05-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

The three Steip sisters, Erika, Jenn and Katie: Kimberly arrives and sets her gift on the table. Stella is looking out, spying Rebecca and Lauren, girls around her age. I had to encourage them to get to know each other...they were all so shy!

Great Grandma Barbara with her great-grand child, Lauren.

Here I am with my friend, Lisa. She is in my bible study and is a really good friend of Jenn's.

Rebecca playing hide-go-seek:

Scotti welcomes everyone and talks to her daughters-in-law:

It was Jenn's mom's birthday so Jenn wished her a "Happy Birthday" and pinned a corsage on her:

Shower Set Up

2011-05-16T21:57:00.000-07:00

Erika asked me to help her set up for Jenn's baby shower. First we put up chinese lanterns in the colors of the shower: pink, white, green and turquoise. Jenn and Andy don't know the sex of the baby so it was all neutral (well neutral for a baby shower)/non-baby specific. I was mainly holding the lanterns and handing them to Erika:

Lauren was kind of bored because she couldn't help with the lanterns (it was misty and cold outside) so she petted Mickey, Penni and Ross's dog.

The girls did help us put up the lanterns in the backyard, however. They did a great job!

Rebecca folded napkins:

And placed them on the tables. Those favors (multi-colored pails with nail kids, candy and gum in them) are what Erika and I put together the Thursday before. The centerpieces are roses that came from Penni's garden. Aren't they beautiful?

Puddle Jumper

2011-05-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

Brian, Lauren and I decided to take an adventure around the neighborhood while Erika and the other kids napped.

I love how unabashedly Lauren jumps through those puddles!
Lauren spent most of the time trying to collect things for her fairy sanctuary, but we had some time to have fun in the park on the way home.

Easter Sunday Church Service

2011-05-13T21:06:00.001-07:00

Easter morning we all got up and got dolled up for Easter church service. The service was really unique...there were various elements included, all to point newcomers to Christ. They had a dance/sign language act, and a dramatic interchange between two women about who Christ is. Then there was the pastor's sermon, which was excellent.

The Good Friday service a few nights before was set up like a memorial service and they had guest books where you could write a note to Jesus. Lauren and Rebecca both wrote one and Lauren's was actually used in the pastor's sermon.

Here is the Steip Family:

Egg Dying

2011-05-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

Egg dying is such a lovely tradition. Here are some pictures:Brian is having fun too!Meticulous as ever:
Rebecca made some really neat ones! I actually had the kids do some of mine, although I did color a few. Me showing off my wonderful egg:

Erika and Brian's Egghunt

2011-05-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

Since the weather was nice, Erika and Brian wanted to do their egg hunt on Saturday. They hid a TON of eggs and it was a good thing since the kids felt gypped at the church egg hunt!

The kids had so much fun. Heck, I had fun watching their excitement!

Church Egg Hunt

2011-05-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

Erika and Brian's church put on a great egg hunt. Thank goodness I was there because all of the kids were in different age groups. I took Lauren to the 8-12 category.

Afterwards, I convinced Lauren to try the monkey bars!Brian took this picture of me and the kids. As you can tell, it was pretty sunny outside!

Fairies

2011-05-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

The girls, especially Lauren, are really into fairies. Lauren fashioned a bunch of fairy items to help them out when they visit their back yard. Fairy watering area. Didn't Lauren do a great job dressing up the table?Fairy beds:

Seder Dinner

2011-05-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

Erika organized a family Seder dinner. Here we are preparing the meal. The kids are such good helpers:Rebecca washing the potatoes:

The girls also set the table:Delicious potato leek soup:Cornish game hens with grilled asparagus:

Sushi Making

2011-05-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

I thought sushi would be fun to make with the kids!
Sebastian's held together the best.Lauren's sushi was the neatest (off course)! Look at how neat it is:

Professional Photos

2011-05-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

I had an alterior motive for taking care of the kids for a couple of days: I wanted to get the kids photos taken professionally! We got them taken that Sunday and they were ready on the following Thursday.

I had the kids dress in the coordinating outfits I got them so that they could present the framed pictures to their parents.

Mustaches

2011-05-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

I brought a bunch of fake mustaches for Sebastian to play dress up with.

He's apparently not the only one interested in trying them on:

Build-a-Bear Workshop

2011-05-09T21:38:00.001-07:00

I flew up to Washington for a visit with my sister, Erika and her family. In January, it was Erika and Brian's 10 year anniversary so I offered to take care of the kids while they took a 2 day trip to Forks (home of Twilight).

The first day I decided to take the kids to Build-a-Bear Workshop. What a neat place! The first things the kids did was choose what stuffed animal they wanted. Next they got to choose a heart for their animals. Then they helped stuff them by pushing on a peddle.Then the heart ceremony commenced. Most important part! Once everyone's animal had the proper heart ceremony, they were sewn up and it was time to bathe them!Accessory time! Every stuffed animal needs an outfit! Kaylen knows the importance of coordinating shoes!
The last step was to register the adoption papers:

Here they are with their new pets:After that I promised the kids I'd get them ice cream:Yum!Ready for the ride home:

Tri-Tip Roast Experiment

2011-04-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

I started back on a diet that will help my hypoglycemia and on top of it being a regimen of regular protein, it is low sodium. I decided to create a new crock pot recipe! First, I started out with pearl onions: I added potatoes (although I had to reposition them in the pot when I put the meat in:

Here is the tri-tip roast, which is a nice lean meat:

I added a low sodium vegetable broth (about 1 1/2 - 2 cups):

One can of tomato sauce (no salt added of course):

White pepper of course:

After I added the white pepper, I added italian seasoning:

Who could forget the garlic? I added about a tablespoon.

I also added some water so that most of the meat was covered:

Voila! 6 hours on low heat. It turned out really well. Maybe I would add another tablespoon of garlic next time. :)

Visit with Alice in Northern California

2011-04-09T00:23:00.000-07:00

I stayed with my good friend, Alice, while I was up in Northern California. We had such a great time! My first night there we just caught up on all the goings on in our life. The next day I went to visit with Kristin and Lynn and when I came back it was Alice time! :) We decided to walk around the cute little town that Alice lives in-Walnut Creek. We ended up at McCovey's which is a baseball-themed pub for dinner. This is McCovey's number, which was painted on the ceiling (he played for the Giants): Here we are waiting for our table: Afterwards, we walked around and ended up at the grocery store to get cookie dough to make chocolate chip cookies. They were yummy. :) The next morning, we went to the Neighborhood Church, which is now Alice's church. I really enjoyed it and was impressed that they had a choir AND an orchestra! Wow! Afterwards we went to Pyzano's for pizza.

From there we drove to San Jose to go to the Winchester Mystery House. Here I am eagerly waiting for the tour to start.

I had been on this tour back in 1994 and I can tell you it was very interesting. This time, it was the worst tour both Alice and I had ever experienced! The guy was new so we tried to give him some grace, but he couldn't even pronounced 'mahogany'! It was frustrating because it was Alice's first time there and I felt bad that she didn't have a good experience. :(

Alice drove me to the airport after that! Despite the tourguide fiasco, I had a great time on my visit up north!

Visit with Kristn in Northern California

2011-04-09T00:20:00.000-07:00

I made a trip up to Northern California on the weekend of March 26th. I stayed with my good friend, Alice. I had come to realize that an old friend from my Boston/Park Street Church days lived close by. Kristin and I met up for breakfast and had a fun time catching up!

Visiting Lynn in Northern California

2011-04-09T00:09:00.003-07:00

My sister, Erika, always comments that whenever I fall, I fall gracefully. Well, she obviously did not see me fall when I entered Lynn's house! Well, it was actually a minute after I entered. Tim, Lynn's husband, introduced me to their 3-year-old daughter, Ivy, and she made a mad rush for my shins! I fell, and I fell in stages, too. Clunk....clunk, clunk! I was down for the count! After I regained my composure, Ivy got to open the birthday gift I brought her. Lynn and I went to lunch and had a great time catching up. When we got back, we had a grand old time playing with Ivy. She was great fun.

The next morning Lynn texted me that first thing in the morning, Ivy went straight to her new Little People Farm!

Here is a picture of me, Lynn and Ivy right before I left:

For those of you that don't know, Lynn and I were college suitemates. Lynn is the first person, besides my R.A., that I met in college. I introduced myself to her and because I looked so young apparently, she still thought I was the younger sister of her roommate (she thought it was going to be Erika). Haha....it always makes me laugh. Lynn is one of the nicest people I know. She is a treasured friend.

Nicole's Birthday Dinner

2011-04-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

It was a packed room (The Pope Room to be exact), filled with Nicole's friends to celebrate her birthday. A few minutes after everyone ordered their drinks, Jenn approached me to tell me that everyone on her side of the table had decided that I should be the one to order for everyone, since we were at Buca di Beppo's and they serve family style meals. I quickly accepted the duty and got together a good order of 3 salads (including an antipasto salad), 5 main dishes and 2 orders of garlic bread. Lisa W. could only stay a few minutes, so James suggested that we wrap up any leftovers and bring them to her at church (she works in children's ministry and most of the group was planning on attending service after dinner). Isn't that thoughtful? The leftovers turned out to be perfect for one person! Perfect! Nicole asked for no gifts, but I couldn't resist getting something in the theme of her mission's trip. So I got her a "Missions Preparedness Kit". Nicole and Andrea (to Nicole's left in the picture below) are going to Mexico. The bag was so cute and I included a list of the contents in the card attached. Nicole read it aloud. My favorite item: imodium (you know why). :D Nicole inspecting the items:

After the glorious meal, our server and his server friends sang to Nicole and brought over a celebration cake (I ordered it beforehand). It was a buttercream and coconut frosted white cake, but the insides were colored in the italian flag colors.

I cut the cake, with James assisting me! It was so delicious!

Kings vs. Ducks Hockey Game

2011-03-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to my first professional hockey game: L.A. Kings vs. Anaheim Ducks at the Staples Center. It's a huge rivalry. James got the tickets from his friend, Troy, who is a season ticket holder. Although the tickets were free, they had their price--James kept getting taunting texts from Troy that he expected me (yes, me!) to kill a duck for him! It was quite hilarious, especially when the Southpark cartoons came on where the character ran over a duck.

James is a pretty huge hockey fan. He has his very own Kings jersey, with his name and number (Stone and #6), as well as a "C" on the front for captain. Of course his jersey has purple on it, so you wouldn't find me wearing that style. Maybe the new logo that only has silver and black only.

Last time I was at a hockey game is was the Harvard vs. Cornell game where my friend, Ben, was cheering for his alma mater (Cornell) while we sat in the Harvard section. Oy! :) I've always liked hockey because it is very fast-paced. The Kings lost in overtime. It was quite unfortunate.

During one of the breaks between periods, they had "Sumo Wrestling Hockey." It was hilarious to watch!
Man down:
Here's a picture of James and me enjoying the game:

Lisa P. and Jazz T.'s Birthdays

2011-03-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

Although it's been a month since I've posted, life has continued to happen. I have been focusing on studying, but in the midst of that a few birthdays have happened and I was lucky enough to be invited in on the celebrating.
Lisa Parrish is a sweet woman that I met several years ago when I helped my sister, Erika, with the church children's musical. Lisa has an amazing voice! For the play, she was the music director, leading the children into great musical numbers under the overall direction of Erika. I had helped out with teaching the kids the dance moves and I actually had a very official part in the play. I had a great time then and it was a pleasure getting to know Lisa.

Recently, Lisa joined my bible study so have been able to get to know her even better. She really knows her bible and her comments during group are not only insightful, but they are deep. She is an awesome woman, so I was so excited to be able to go to El Torito Grill with her and about half a dozen other women to celebrate God giving her life.

This past weekend I was invited to my friend, Jazz's, birthday party. I met Jazz about 8 or so years ago and we've kept in touch over the years. He is a very godly man and really has a heart for youth. Not only is he a high school teacher, he also volunteers his time for various youth ministries. Jazz is also a popular guy--everyone knows him! He is originally from New Orleans (aka the nickname Jazz) so he provided red beans and rice and the most delicious pork roast at the party.

I brought ice cream and others brought various items including the cake that he blew the candles out from and his close friend, Beth, made him a carrot cake (his favorite) which he tried to keep all to himself (sorry, Jazz, several people took a piece!). I had a great time catching up with another old friend of mine, Alan. Alan's wife, Jenn, was in my sister, Erika's wedding 10 years ago. I actually met Jenn and Alan before that, having joined Erika for a couple of events in her college ministry at Rolling Hills Covenant. Alan works for Stand to Reason (http://www.str.org/) which is an apologetics ministry. He goes around the country lecturing on how Christians can discuss hot topics with other Christians and non-believers. Suffice to say, he gets into some pretty deep conversations at parties because of this!

Jazz seemed to have a great time, as did everyone else.

I love celebrating friends.

Todd's Heart Attack

2011-02-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

Tuesday afternoon I was startled when I received a text from my nephew, Thomas, notifying me that my brother, Todd had a heart attack and had been admitted into the hospital. I couldn't believe it--he's only 47!

I was able to talk to him that night. He was still in pain and was waiting for a room. I told him I'd visit him first thing in the morning. Well, the next morning I got up early and headed to Rite Aid to pick up some magazines because Todd said he was bored in the hospital. Rite Aid was closed. I called the hospital and found out that visiting hours are from noon-8pm so I decided to go to work and I figured I'd leave early and visit Todd before I had my own doctor's appointment (chiropractic).

When I left work I asked Thomas if he was at the hospital and he notified me that Todd was transferred to a hospital in West Los Angeles. I work in L.A. so I decided to drive there and see him. I didn't want him to be alone for his procedure. Unfortunately, I just missed him before he was brought into the procedure room in the Cath Lab. In order for the doctors to find out how many blockages he had, they had to do a cardiac catherization, which is where they put a teeny tiny tube through an artery in the groin all the way towards the heart. He only had one blockage which meant that he was given an angioplasty (that's where they blow a balloon up in the artery to stretch it out so that there is more space for blood to flow) and a drug-eluding stent was put in (it's a wire mesh tube that is placed in the artery that helps the artery stay open).

I was able to see Todd shortly after his procedure, along with one of Todd's coworkers, Ray, who has worked with Todd for over 20 years. Todd looked really good and was in a pretty good mood considering the ordeal he went through.

Ray and I stayed with Todd for a few hours before he had some transitional medical stuff to deal with. Here is a picture of him recuperating:

The following day he was discharged and he is now at home resting. Yay!

Having one of my siblings go through such a scary thing (and at such a young age--he's only 10 years older than I am!) puts some perspective on life. You can't help but evaluate your life. I definitely don't want to go through that procedure!

Andy's Birthday

2011-02-10T21:23:00.000-08:00

Andy had to work the Saturday before his birthday, but Jenn (his wife) had the idea to have everyone (we are all in a life group together) meet him at his work (a restaurant in the area) after Saturday night service to celebrate with him.

I arrived early so I was able to spend time with Jenn and Andy before the rest of the gang showed up. We had a great time! And then we had more fun when everyone showed up! Kim and Paul Aldrich came too and it's fun sitting across from a professional comedian (Paul). :)

Robyn's Birthday Dinner

2011-02-10T21:10:00.000-08:00

My friend Robyn celebrated her birthday with about 20 of her closest friends (popular girl!). We had dinner at La Capilla, a Mexican restaurant in old town Torrance. Here is the table I was sitting at (Robyn was just stopping by...she had 3 other tables to visit!). Here she is blowing out the candles:

Women's Retreat Part 3

2011-01-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

After our personal quiet time, my fellow roommates came back to our room to have a bible study. Michelle lead the study questions but we didn't have much time before we had to head over to lunch. Again the meal was delicious and the people I sat with were very sociable.

We had free time after lunch and I used most of the time to relax and read. I originally was going to go play tennis but that fell through and I was kind of glad because I wasn't in the mood. :)

At 4pm, I attended a breakout session that was about God's greatness in singleness. It was mainly focused on waiting on God and unearthing the lies we start to believe about God when we don't get what we want when we want them. But we need to remind ourselves that God works all things for good and the session was a reminder of that.

We had dinner before our evening session. The evening session began with a touching testimony. The worship time was awesome and by the end of it I was emotionally exhausted.
I went to bed early again and slept with peace.

The next morning I woke up fresh and met up with Jenn to load the car with our bags before heading over to breakfast. I loaded up on protein so that I could last throughout the morning session and our drive home. Brenda Chance lead the morning session and it was exactly what I expected to hear about God's greatness. Brenda also provided a handout for us to take home that had various attributes of God and how those prove how great He is. I read through it once and I plan to go over it again in my quiet time.

King's Harbor Church gives a time at the end of the retreat for others to share how they were affected by God's greatness over the weekend. It was very moving and an awesome way to end the retreat.

Women's Retreat Part 2

2011-01-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

Prior to the women's retreat, every woman was emailed the name of a woman that would be a prayer partner...we would pray for that woman and then write her a note with our prayers and scriptures that we feel God has given us to give to her.

I was fortunate enough to get someone that I know, although I do not know her that well. After breakfast we had our first session and then we were given a quiet time. God really shared a lot of scripture with me during that time...some for me and some for her and some for both of us.

One interesting thing that happened was when I was looking up Zepheniah 3:17, which was referenced in the morning session. "The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy." This scripture was just one that showed God was there with me and that he is sometimes quiet in His Love, but as I began to write the scripture reference down in my journal, instead of writing Zepheniah 3:17 I wrote Zepheniah 3:10. Whoops, so I crossed out the "10" and tried to write "17" and wrote "10" again.

So, I figured God wanted me to read that as well. It reads: "From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, will bring My offerings." I continued to read on: "In that day you will feel no shame because of all your deeds by which you have rebelled against Me; For then I will remove from your midst your proud, exulting ones, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain. But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord." WOW.

Shame is what I felt and God was telling me He will cover me. The next scripture I read was Isaiah 40:2: "Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned." Another WOW and a Whooooaaaa!

Jeremiah 3: 14-15 was the last one I wrote down, which I also included in my women's retreat prayer partner's card..."Return home, you wayward children," says the Lord, "for I am your master, I will bring you back to the Lord of Israel--one from this town and two from that family--from wherever you are scattered. And I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding."

I am thankful that I was given this scripture. I want to be brought back into the fold...the sheepfold. :) I also pray for those out there that feel separated from God. I know the feeling. Whether it be a year and a half or ten years, I pray that even when God is quiet in His love, that we have faith that He still loves us, even if we don't hear Him or feel His presence. And most of all that we know He has forgiven our sins and we should feel no shame, even if we have sinned as a rebellion (as I have) because we have somehow felt betrayed by Him (as I did).

Women's Retreat Part 1

2011-01-22T20:40:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I went to the women's retreat with my church. I hadn't been to a retreat in probably 5 years because my last experience wasn't a pleasant one. I felt very isolated at the last one, but this year's retreat was so much different!

I met up with Jenn Steip at my apartment to drive to Murrieta Hot Springs together. It was a 3 hour drive due to traffic, but it seemed to go by quickly since I was in the company of a friend/family. We arrived at 6:45, just in time to check in and then go to dinner. Dinner was delicious and the company was great. All the ladies at our table were quite animated and everyone seemed to have fun.

After dinner we had our first session. The theme of the retreat was "Great is our God." Marcy Bradford (the outreach pastor's wife) was the MC and she started out by giving everyone earplugs! Haha, some people apparently have issues getting to sleep with 4-5 other "noisy" roommates. :) She also led a cute parody of "All the Single Ladies" and instead of the lyrics "Put a ring on it", all the ladies dancing (it was like a flash mob) had ring pops on their fingers and sang "Purity ring on it." It was hilarious! The session was a quick one with mainly worship time, since it was "late" (9:30 by the end of it). I was actually pretty tired and so was Jenn so we went and found our rooms and just talked for a little bit. I was remarking to Jenn that the whole vibe of this retreat was already so much more upbeat than my previous experience.

For the last year and a half, I had felt very distant from God. I was excited about the theme of the weekend because I really needed the reminder of how great God really is. I slept very soundly that night (no earplugs required) and woke up unexpectedly at 6:10, even though I had planned to get up at 6:45, since breakfast was at 8am. I was wide awake and asked myself "Why am I awake?" and then I tried rolling over, but my eyes popped open and it was clear: God wanted me to go to the early morning prayer.

I'm not what you would call a prayer warrior. I have no problem praying in a group or praying out loud (although I am not a fan of popcorn prayer for fear of cutting someone off) but praying isn't really my forte. But I listened and obeyed, getting out of bed and getting ready for the prayer session. I walked around the lake and into the foyer of the sanctuary where Marcy Bradford and Mena Hughes were sitting with a few other women. I went over and got a cup of coffee and sat down.

Marcy opened the prayer and for the first 5 minutes or so I felt nothing really. Discouraged, I said to myself, "I don't feel God. God's not here." And as soon as I thought that I heard very clearly "I AM HERE!" That got my attention and was reassured that God was with me. The night before, during our praise and worship time, I stopped and wrote the following:

"Your holy presence living in me"
I feel as if Your holy presence is there--a mere ember in the pit of my stomach. Lord, I've been feeding it antacids to try and stiffle Your presence in my life. I don't want to stiffle You, Lord. Help me by breathing oxygen on the fire of Your spirit so that it can grow and grow and I can be holy in You. I want to breathe out your presence, living my life for You and obeying Your will for my life. Lord, help me.

After that moment during morning prayer and throughout the weekend, I felt God telling me "I AM HERE" to continue to reassure me. I also witnessed His presence in the lives of others through His answer of others prayers immediately. After prayer time I witnessed a very tearful answer to prayer that showed He is with us all!

2010 in Review

2011-01-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

Last night, while I was recovering from a cold, I decided to look through my blog to see what types of things went on in 2010 in my life. Here's an abridged review for those of you that are catching up:

Meals with friends -11
Yacht rides - 2
Short term roommies - 1
Self-revelations - 6
Sickness - 4
BASIC events - 6
CPA/CPA review posts - 5
Home improvements (window washing/carpet cleaning/organization, etc) -4
Birthday dinners - 12
Charity events - 4
Gourmet meals - 2
Trips to the ER - 1
Poetry - 2
Hanging out with Alice - 10
Days at the beach - 2
Bootcamp - 2
Trips down memory lane - 2
New jobs - 1
Helping "patients" - 3
Trips out of state - 4
Shows thrown by nieces and nephews - III
Root canals - 2
Recipes - 6
Engagement Parties -1
Bachlorette Parties - 1
Baby showers - 1
Weddings - 2
Holidays - 3
Hikes - 4
Shoes - 11 pairs
Car washes - 1
Strawberry Festivals - 1
Kids games - 3
Barbie cakes - 1
Writer's Conference dinner - 1
Bridal shower - 1
Wedding set ups - 2
Rehearsal dinners - 1
Kid's sleepovers - 1
Visits from family 2
Stop at the Soda Pop Shop - 1
State Fairs - 1
New England Aquarium - 1
Baptisms - 1
College football games - 1
Dumpster diving - 1
Stupid human tricks - 1
Potty Parties - 1

I feel so blessed that I have such a full life, even though I don't have all that I want out of life. I have a lot! I'm blessed with a lot of great friends and family and I am provided for enough that I can manage to do all of the above! Here's to the new year...may it be filled with even more joy!

Real Tea Set

2010-12-29T20:11:00.000-08:00

My sister, Shawn, visited Erika and the family and while she was there she had a conversation about china with Rebecca. Rebecca had said she wanted a tea set. Shawn asked Rebecca if she wanted a real tea set or a plastic princess tea set. Rebecca said she wanted a real tea set, so that's what she got! On Sunday, we got the set out and had hot cocoa instead of tea. We put marshmallows in the container for the creamer. And of course we had the cookies out!

I am showing Rebecca how to pour by holding the top of the tea pot.

Posing for a picture:

Opening Presents

2010-12-29T19:12:00.000-08:00

When we got home it was time to pass out the presents! Then a picture of everyone (youngest to oldest) is taken with their gifts!

There were so many gifts we had to pass out only about 80% though.

The present in the red striped gift is from Santa and they are pillow pets:

Here's Rebecca showing hers (a dolphin) off:
Here's Lauren and most of her gifts:

Grandpa Rich:

Erika (a mommy) got the most gifts I think! Her favorites are the pictures the kids made her.

Brian and his gifts:

And me with my gifts:

For some reason we didn't get a picture of Scotti, but here are a few of her opening the gift we got her (the Willow Tree nativity set).

Scotti has wanted this set for years for tears came to her eyes (and mine):

Yep, she was emotional!

Christmas Morning

2010-12-29T18:17:00.000-08:00

Here's the loot the kids were waiting for: The fearless Peppi was guarding it all:

Here is the tree and all it's glory:

The kids waiting for the greenlight from Mommy and Daddy:

The kids got to open one gift on Christmas Eve. They were slippers from Grandma and Grandpa.

Can you tell it was hectic when the kids ran in?

All the kids were excited (of course):

Cuteness:

Grandma and Lauren checking out the loot:

All the kids got stuffed animals and wanted to show them off:After a little bit, we drove to Denny's and had Christmas breakfast. I'll have to add a picture later.

Christmas Play

2010-12-29T14:13:00.000-08:00

All of my sister's kids were involved in their church's Christmas play. Rebecca had actually memorized the entire thing and Lauren was good with the musical lyrics. Sebastian played Joseph and Kaylen was Mary.

Rebecca was King Herrod:
So that all their effort wouldn't be totally wasted, the kids performed the play for us. I tried to upload a video but it wouldn't work! Bummer! They are so cute!

Christmas Eve Dinner

2010-12-29T13:47:00.000-08:00

had something special planned for Christmas Eve dinner: steak, lobster, rice pilaf and carrots.

Erika showed me how to prepare the lobsters. You cut them down the center and pour drawn butter and lemon down the center. Then you cover them in aluminum foil so that they can steam. Here's Scotti checking on the lobsters:

Here they all are:

Brian cooked the steaks and Scotti did the rice pilaf. I cooked the carrots and prepared the lobsters. Everyone said the lobsters were good (I personally do not like lobster...yep and I'm not a fan of apple pie...so un-American).

After dinner the kids played for awhile. It was so adorable!

Kaylenie is so cute!
I had to cuddle with her!

Here is Rebecca, Erika, Brian and Kaylen before the kids had to go prepare for the Christmas play.

Monkey Feet

2010-12-29T13:15:00.000-08:00

Somehow the conversation at the table turned to stupid human tricks and Erika mentioned my monkey feet. So, I decided to give a demonstration of how flexible my feet are.

Kaylen's Potty Party

2010-12-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa Steip (Scotti and Rich) drove up from California and arrived just in time for Kaylen's potty party! Here they are with Lauren: We had a feast of lasagna, cesar salad and garlic bread (all Kaylen's favorites) for dinner and then we all sang "Happy Potty Party to You", ending with Rich saying "May you always have clean underwear!"
Kaylen got to blow out the candle!
I got Kaylen a baby boy as her gift. She'd been wanting a boy baby for a long time. She calls him "Blue Boy."
Erika and Brian gave Kaylen big girl panties. She was so excited!
Here I am with Lauren and Kaylen (it was Lauren's idea to put the flower behind my ear).

Santa on the Plane

2010-12-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

Santa was on my plane to Chicago!Santa gave me some workbooks for the kids to work on when school wasn't in session (my sister homeschools).
Here they are doing schoolwork (except Kaylen is coloring her workbook).
Kaylen playing with the antlers! So cute!!
Sebastian being silly!
Awwww, brother and sister--buddies!

Elliemae and Nick's Wedding

2010-12-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

Friday, December 10th, I got up at the crack of dawn to catch my 6am flight to Chicago. I met up with my sisters, Erika and Andrea at the airport so that we could fly on the same connecting flight. We had just enough time to eat lunch at Wolfgang Puck's before boarding our small plane. The flight to Cedar Rapids only took 55 minutes. We were able to get the rental car quickly and we were on our way to Burlington (about 100 miles southeast of Cedar Rapids).

We arrived with some time to check into the Comfort Inn Suites, which had a beautifully decorated lobby (see last picture). We dropped our bags off, freshened up and were on our way to the church for the rehearsal dinner. My cousin's daughter, Elliemae was getting married and Erika had volunteered to decorate the church and reception area. Andrea and I were her helpers. Of course, we were also there to see our cousins!

Our cousin, Sally, walked up to us to greet us and we barely recognized her (she had just darkened her hair)and frankly with the darker hair she looks like Elliemae alot!

After the rehearsal, we went to Perkins with our cousins, Suzanne, Sally and Lyle along with Elliemae and Lyle's granddaughter, Harmony. Suzanne and her husband, Larry, had given us a gift card to pay for dinner for us as a thank you for helping. It was really nice!

The next morning we got up and went to the church to decorate. Here is the before picture:
Jennifer, one of the bridesmaids, was so helpful. She helped me put all of the sashes on the chairs and also helped with the centerpieces. Jennifer's mom, Pam, also was a huge help to us!

Here I am putting on a sash. As you can see, Erika (background right behind me) was directing all the decorating!

Here is the end result! Elliemae's theme was snowflakes and we were all pleased with how things turned up.

Here is a closeup of the centerpieces with the snowflake ornament favors. I had ordered those and was surprised at how well they turned out! Sometimes it's difficult to tell how they will be in person when you order online. I was happy.

Here is a closeup of the bridal table:

Here is the snowflake decorated cake. The baker came by and set it up. I have to tell you, it was the best wedding cake I have ever eaten! She also brought the traditional buttercream mints that are common in the midwest (I learned this when I was in my friend, Ginny's wedding...hers were shaped like roses). I thought I had taken a picture of the mints but I guess I didn't. They were snowflake shaped and were done in white, ice blue and dark blue.

Here is a closeup of the cake and cake topper:

Here is Larry walking his daughter down the aisle:

Here is the happy couple as they first greet eachother at the altar.

During the ceremony, Nick (the groom), took Elliemae's hand and kissed it. It was very touching. Later, he said that he had wanted to kiss her lips, but they weren't at that part yet, so he opted for her hand. It brought tears to many an eye.

Here we are with the bride and groom.

Here is a picture of my sisters and I with our cousins. From left to right: me, Andrea, Erika, Suzanne, Lyle and Sally.

This was during the latter part of the clean up process. Elliemae and Nick were able to get the church for free as long as it was put back to it's normal condition so everyone pitched in to help. It was decided that the ornaments used in the centerpieces and the favors would be given to the newlyweds so they would have something to put on their tree.

After everything was cleaned up, the six of us went to Bid Muddy's On the Mississippi for dinner. Andrea and I had gone there years ago for our birthday (ours are a day apart) so we wanted to go again. I discovered that they had frog legs on the menu, so I had to order them since I've been wanting to try them for years.

They taste like a mix between chicken and fish. Unfortunately they were so deep fried they were too oily for my taste. Lyle finished them off for me. I found out he used to go gigging for frogs all the time as a kid.

Since we were still dressed up, Andrea, Erika and I asked the hotel desk clerk to take our picture with the Christmas tree in the background.

We ended our night with a dip in the jacuzzi. All I can say, is Andrea went right in--she really can handle the hot water. Erika and I had to slowly ease in!

The next morning as we were about to load the car, we found out our flights were cancelled. We decided we should drive to Cedar Rapids and see if we can be rebooked on flights. We were helped by a nice gentleman named Jason and we thought we were all set to go when we were walking away, until he called our names again! Apparently, the flights he booked us on were cancelled too! So Phyllis helped us and we had to fly out at 7pm to Dallas and then fly to our ultimate destinations the following day.

We still had the rental car so we drove to downtown Cedar Rapids for lunch. We went to the Texas Roadhouse and had a great lunch! Then it was back to the airport to catch our flight.

I booked a room at a Marriot in Dallas where a friend was staying (that's how I found a good hotel). We met him for dessert in the lobby until we all started turning into pumpkins!

The next day we arrived at the airport just in time for our flights, except Erika had to wait for her flight for 4 hours (it was the only way). It was a wonderful trip. It was so nice to be able to spend some time with my sisters and get to see my cousins. :)

Jenn's Birthday at the Steips

2010-12-06T22:31:00.001-08:00

Sunday I went over to the Steips to celebrate Jenn's birthday. We had mexican lasagna for dinner and of course red velvet cake for dessert.

Look at how cute Jenn and Rich look! Awwwww.

Here's a picture of me and the girls:
From left to right: Me, Lisa, Jenn, Nicole and Katie:
Here's Scotti checking out the baby bump:The Steips:

Ornament Exchange Party

2010-12-06T22:16:00.001-08:00

Saturday night was Angie's annual ornament exchange party.
As usual there was a ton of food! Angie made a triffle. I had never tried one and it looked so delicious that I broke my dessert abstinence to try it. It was sure worth it! It was wonderful!
The ornament exchange portion of the evening was a small one compared to most years. Here I am with my cute ornament. You can't see but it lights up!
Here's Shelley and Tania:

Our group picture. Top row from left to right: Gretchen, Tania, me, Leslie. Bottom row: Shelley and Angie.

Christmas Carnival

2010-12-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

The Remembrance service at my church was asked by Sharefest to put on a Christmas Carnival in Wilmington. Originally it was supposed to be at Fries (pronounced "freeze") Avenue Elementary school, which is where I went to elementary school. Unfortunately it got moved to the Wilmington Town Square Park, which I know as the small grassy area where the bums usually hang out.

Thankfully, they weren't there Saturday morning for our event. We were in charge of several games and a craft.
The craft was a clothespin reindeer ornament. Apparently it was very challenging! Whoops.
We also did a fishing game where kids cast a "fishing" line (aka twine)and they catch a grab bag.

We also did the Lollipop Game where a child chooses a lollipop from about 60 lollipops. If the child chooses one that has red markings on the bottom they won a stuffed animal, but if the lollipop they choose doesn't have red markings they just get to keep the lollipop. We were all really surprised at how long that game lasted! Apparently, kids tend to pick from the front! Here is one of the volunteers trying to encourage a girl into choosing somewhere else besides the front.
There was also a bowling game which was really popular!

Sachin was part of the team that did a hula hoop toss. What a great idea, don't you think?Here's Nicole giving pointers:
We also had a bead craft table at the event.
And of course face painting!
We had a "Pin the Nose on Rudolph" game too.

There were a few other games that the kids loved and they also had a toy give-away (MacDonalds donated them since they can't give toys in Happy Meals any more). It was a great success!

Bible Study Dinner

2010-12-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night I decided to make turkey cranberry wreaths (aka Pilgrim Puffs) and salad for my bible study, sort of as a make up for not being there the last 6 weeks or so and it turns out it was a great way to get everyone there to help us fill grab bags for a Christmas carnival Nicole and I were volunteering at!

Here's everyone having the meal:
I think the pilgrim puffs go so well with salad.

We were also there to celebrate Jenn's birthday!

Pie Experiment

2010-12-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

I decided to try my hand at a new type of pie. I decided to make an asian pear pie. I first thought I would try a crisp. I put steel cut oats, almonds, brown sugar and butter in a skillet. I heated the mixture up until it was golden brown. The ingredients:

I love asian pears! I'm not a big fan of apples, but asian pears are crisp like an apple but so much better!

I cut up 2 asian pears and mixed them with the warmed oatmeal/almond mixture.

I added more brown sugar to the mixture, first adding water to the brown sugar.
I bought a pie crust because I was just too lazy to make one!
I rolled it out and cut it into quarters.

I put the filling in the center and then folded one end over.
I used a fork to crimp the edges and then to poke holes in the top for steam ventilation.

The end result was tasty, but a little too nutty for my taste. I think I would switch out the steel cut oats for regular oats to reduce the nutty flavor. And maybe add a bit more sugar! :)

Thanksgiving Dinner

2010-12-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

I was invited by Scotti and Rich Steip (my sister, Erika's in-laws) to Thanksgiving dinner. It was a nice family get together with Andy, Jenn, Katie and of course Scotti and Rich.

Dinner was delicious! Scotti made the best stuffing, with sausage in it. Yum!

Jenn and Andy announced that they are pregnant-such exciting news! They are due in June--the best month!
Penni and Ross Smith and their neighbor, Francis (age 93) came over for dessert. We all had such a great time!

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

2010-12-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

I decided to make all the fixings for turkey cranberry wreaths in honor of Thanksgiving. Turkey Cranberry Wreaths are the perfect thing to make with the leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. I, of course, had to make everything first!

I started with the stuffing the night before. I try to pace myself. ;) I started by chopping celery. I also added already chopped onions (that's my fatigue and laziness at work).
I always use Mrs. Cubbison's stuffing mix. That's what my mom used to use and I've stuck with it.
I melted down the butter for the three full packages of stuffing I made. Yep, that's 4 sticks of margarine!
I also added organic chicken stock to the stuffing mix, although I usually use beef stock. I haven't decided which one I like better. I cooked the stuffing for about 40 minutes. I usually like my suffing a bit crunchy, but I didn't make it that way because for the Turkey Cranberry Wreath, you need softer stuffing.

The next morning I woke up and prepped the turkey. When I was a kid, it was my dad's job to prep the turkey (he usually did it the night before, however). I washed the turkey and took out the neck and giblets and rinsed the turkey. We always used cooking bags for the turkey and it's the easiest way to get a well-cooked turkey.
Well, the oven bag and more butter!
The key is to put a stick of butter in all the important places of the bird, like in the neck, in the creases of the wings and inside the bird.
Then you close the bag and put 6 1 1/2 inch slits in the bag for ventilation. Then you pop it into the oven and set the timer and viola!
The turkey generally needs 30 minutes to set and cool off. I had to take all of the meat off the bird. I bought a 15lb bird and that filled a roasting pan with white and dark meat.

The next step is to mix the stuffing and the turkey meat in a separate bowl (about 2 cups of meat and 4 cups of stuffing). Then you add dried cranberries (about a cup) and some mayonnaise to make sure all the filling sticks together.

The next step is to make the "wreath" using 2 containers of Pillsbury crescant rolls. Make sure to keep them cold until you have to do it, it makes it easier to mold the shape. On an ungreased cookie sheet, place one of the triangles with the short edge towards as the inside of the wreath. You need to alternate from the pointy side in next and then the flat (short) edge toward the center. It looks like a jumbled mess, but it does make sense once you make it!

Next, take the prepared filling and place it in the thickest part of the dough like so:

Next, take the pointy ends and drape over the filling. Repeat all the way around the wreath.
What is nice about this is that you can see the filling and if you put enough cranberries, it has a nice festive look when it's cooked.

Here is the wreath's shape come to life!

You can follow the crescant roll directions, although I've found that it takes about 20-30 minutes. I usually cook 13 minutes and then turn the cookie sheet to make sure it's evenly cooked.

It makes for a nice decoration on the table if kept in tact.
If you cut the wreath in pieces, the name "Turkey Cranberry Wreath" name loses it's meaning. My friend, Jon, helped me come up with "Pilgrim Puffs" in lieu of the technical name in this case! :D

But, whatever you call it, enjoy!

BASIC's 3G Event

2010-12-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

BASIC has teamed up with King's Harbor's Remembrance Service. Our first social event was called "The 3G Experience: Games, Grub and Glory!" We had a potluck dinner, we worshiped in the sanctuary and then played various board games.

Here's the table I was sitting at for the potluck portion of the evening.

Everyone had a great time playing games! I didn't play any unfortunately. Too busy chattin' up a storm with a bunch of friends I hadn't seen in awhile. :)

Donna's Baby Shower

2010-12-02T21:42:00.001-08:00

Even though I was busy studying, I made time for my friend, Donna James's shower. Here I am with Donna (she's the one in the cute navy floral dress, if you couldn't tell haha ;), Angie and Gretchen at the beginning of the party.The party was held in a rec room and there were lots of h'ors doeuvres and of course this cute cupcake masterpiece!

I have so many "Donna's opening gifts" pictures, but I figured I'd include the one of her opening what I got her. ;) I got her a diaper bag and put a few essentials in it (diaper rash cream, a wipes travel case (that was Winnie the Pooh and I had no idea that was the baby theme!), Hylands colic pills, etc.

The games were a lot of fun! I thought it was ironic that all the winners were us singles girls that all met Donna at a church singles group. None of us have kids, although Gretchen is a nanny so she has an advantage over us. ;)

Here's the whole group. Top row from left to right: Tania, Angie, and Lexy (me!). Bottom row from left to right: Colleen, Donna and Gretchen.

USC v OR Football Game

2010-10-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning my friend, Alice and her boyfriend, Mark, flew in from San Francisco to go with me to the Oregon v USC game at the Colesium. Alice and Mark are from Oregon (it's Mark's alma mater and Alice is a huge fan even though she went to Montana State) so I wore green to support Oregon (never liked USC anyway). ;)

We scored on driving there (ended up behind a beamer who had an Oregon flag attached to her car and so we followed her) and getting parking. Originally we were going to park in this $20 lot but we passed it and decided to turn right and go around the block. You wouldn't believe how many people were selling spots in their driveways for $10! We didn't do that, but instead went to the next block and ended up finding a great parking space on the street--for free!

Our walk was pretty easy...Alice's hat got lots of attention. When we entered the stadium every Ducks fan we encountered said "Go Ducks!" to use (since it was obvious we were Ducks fans). We ended up lapping the Colesium because Alice was craving Chick-fil-A and there was only one! It gave us great exercise and an opportunity to take a picture by the arches:

Here's a close up:
While we were walking around, Mark ran into 3 people he knows that flew down for the game! There were a ton of people that flew in just for this game!

Here is a picture of the game (Oregon creamed USC, although it was a good game until the last part of the 4th quarter). See that guy in the botton of the frame wearing the LA Dodgers hat? He stood up about a million times and turned around and tried to get everyone to cheer for USC. He was so obnoxious. Thankfully, at half-time he moved up to the seats higher than ours so we couldn't see him!
We were sitting in USC country (like most of the stadium). But you could see how devoted the Oregon fans were. The Oregon section stayed until the very end and when the USC fans knew they were going to lose, they high-tailed it out of these, so you could see more green and yellow as the USC fans left.
I was sitting next to a really nice guy (you can see him in the photo above). It turns out he is from Palos Verdes so we are neighbors. When the game was slow we chatted about the South Bay (where we are both from). It was nice. Too bad he's married. Hahaha.

Here is Alice looking extra-special in her hat:

Love how the legs make an awesome bow-tie! I love Alice for wearing that hat!

Chili for Charity

2010-10-22T23:08:00.001-07:00

Tonight I went to Love INC's Chili for Charity event. I had so much fun! I sat at Jenn's table with Scotti, Nicole, Alan,Lisa W.and Lisa H.
Just when I arrived. Pictured: Jenn (next to me), Scotti (below me) and Nicole

Almost everyone dressed up in western wear and had a Yee-haw of a time! First off was the raffle ticket purchasing and then going over to choose which prize to shoot for. I liked the idea that you could pick which item(s) you wanted instead of ending up with something you'd just regift later!

Then it was dinner time--chuck wagon style! We were served frito boats with a salad and corn bread on the side. Coffee, water and lemonade were the beverages offered. It was delicious, down home (as down home as Hormel's gets you! ;) cookin'. Here's a pic of my buddy, Alan, and I, waiting for our grub. Finally, there is a picture of me where my head doesn't look huge (see previous picture):
Here I am about to dig in:
After dinner, there was two musical groups for the entertainment and then there was line dancing. You can see that Lisa W. (a former professional dancer) was the leader of the pack:

Lisa Harden was the big raffle winner of the night: she won two raffle prizes and they were awesome ones (5 car washes with detailing and a Murad gift certificate):
Alan bought raffle tickets and put them all towards winning "The Duke" in cut-out form and HE WON!!!

Everyone had such a wonderful time!

Dumpster Diving with Alice

2010-10-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

Alice flew into town Saturday morning in order to go to a wedding. Originally, she had a hair appointment, but I talked her out of it so she could go shopping with me instead! We went to the Galleria. We had to stop at Chick-fil-A, Alice's favorite place (and I was doing an anti-boycott, to offset some people who didn't like Chick-fil-A because they support Focus on the Family and FoF doesn't support lgbt lifestyles).

After lunch we went to The Limited. It's my favorite place and I think Alice likes it too. :) While we were there I said, "Dang, I had $50 off coupons and I recycled them. I think they are in the recycle bins at my apartment complex." We purchased our items and when we left, Alice said she wanted to dumpster dive for the coupons--it was $50 off for each of our purchases.

So, I promised her that we could dumpster dive and that I would blog about it. Sure enough, we got back and went to the recycle bins and we checked the bags I had dropped in. To no avail. Then I realized that I had put the coupons in a pile of other catalogs in my bookcase. All that for nothing.

As we were walking upstairs, I realized I didn't have my keys. Turns out I accidentally dropped them into the recycling bins! Whoops! Alice was a trooper and got them out (she's taller and has longer arms--she's a rockstar)

Anyway, we were able to find the coupons and we were both able to get the $50 off...I ended up getting a few more things with the money I saved. :) I wore almost everything this week! I love my purchases! No buyer's remorse for me. :D

Lunch at Simon-L.A.

2010-10-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

Alice and I met up with Dyanelle at Simon-L.A., a restaurant in the Beverly Hills area. It was DineLA week so they had a great menu available. On top of that, they knew that it was Dyanelle's birthday so we got free desserts! Here's Dyanelle showing off two of them:
The final dessert--cotton candy!

Here we are trying it out!

Bible Study in Palos Verdes

2010-10-13T19:19:00.001-07:00

Andy and Jenn are house-sitting for the Smiths, who are in New Zealand to take care of their home there that suffered damage from the big earthquake that happened near Christ's Church. Jenn and Andy asked us all up for a BBQ last Wednesday and we will be having bible study there for the next month. Here's Jenn and Andy (the newlyweds): Here are Lisa, Nicole and Tammy:

Andy, me and Bryan:

Look at the wonderful spread! Yum!

And that picture doesn't even show the delicious brownie cake decorated like a jack-o-lantern that Tammy made. It was sooooo good!

B.A.S.I.C. Bonfire

2010-10-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, B.A.S.I.C. had their first event since our summer break. We had our
2nd Annual End-of-Summer Bonfire!

I figured I would get to the beach around 3pm, to ensure that I would get a fire pit for our event. I had never been to Dockweiler beach, but figured that would be enough time--boy was I (almost) wrong! I searched and searched and could not find an unused or unsaved fire pit.

I even asked a woman if she could part with one of the fire pits that she was saving (she was saving two). She texted the person running their event but they said no. I wondered the rest of the beach and found another group that was saving two fire pits, but I decided to put my blanket down and start praying and I waited for Nicole to come.

Nicole asked the group (who said they were a church group) and they said no as well. We decided to drive to the other end of the beach and we were able to observe that there was a family that was already cooking hot dogs on the fire and Nicole asked them if they were staying late--God is good because they were leaving at 6pm!

We staked out their pit and set up our canopy and the chairs Nicole had brought with her. The family was really nice and allowed us to take their spot, even helping us! Here's Nicole before we moved to the fire pit:
We praised God for the fire pit! Can you imagine if we hadn't gotten it? As Nicole said, this was God's party so He had to show up and He did! A family asked us if we would share our fire pit and of course we said YES! They were a nice family and it turned out they were all Christians!

The rest of the set up went well and people started arriving at 7pm. We had a great location...right in between flame throwers (literally) and a group that had a huge red flag flying!

Pictured below: Rebecca, Gretchen and Brianna:
Here's our wonderful fire!
Here's Lisa Perrish and Steph Feuer, two of the worship leaders:

Everyone seems to be having fun:

Here's a picture of Tammy and Sachin enjoying the fire. If you'll notice, Sachin has a s'more in his hand--his first one! Sachin is from Nepal, so this was his first s'more experience!
Our first B.A.S.I.C. event was a success!

Alice's Last Day in L.A.

2010-09-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

My friend, Alice, got a job transfer and was headed to San Francisco. I was sad to see her go, but not before we had our last harrah!

Our first stop was Galco's Soda Pop Stop! This is a store in northern L.A. and it is filled with so many varieties of interesting sodas!
Both Alice and I spent over $20 each on soda and neither of us drinks it that often! I bought mostly rootbeers, but Alice bought Cheerwine (what cherry coke is modeled after) and Ouza soda (licorice-ewwwwww!).
One of the various brands of sodas:

After Galco's we drove to Westwood to try Diddy Riese (pronounced DeeDee Reese) which is a cookie and ice cream shop with amazing prices (25 cents per cookie, $1.50 for a ice cream sandwich), but Alice and I opted for cookies.

Our last stop was the Apple Pan, a place that Alice and her boyfriend, Mark had tried before and loved. The place is just a square counter top and Alice warned me you don't get all "Sally" when ordering here. So we both had Hickory burgers and we shared fries. It was an L.A. experience for sure!

Here we are at the end of our meal! I'm going to miss my friend!

Rockport, MA and Halibut Point with Seona

2010-09-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Thursday of my trip back east, my good friend, Seona, picked me up and we drove to Rockport, MA to spend the day. We had lunch at a cute little "townie" seafood place and then we got to shopping, which the quaint town is known for. We also walked the coast. We were amazed at how blue the water was. This is a picture of a "gazebo" that is on a private residence. We tried to get to it, thinking it was a public area, but we were denied! After Rockport, we drove north to Halibut Pointe, one of my most favorite places in the Northeast.
What's out there?
Aw, Seona the super model:
Natural occurrences are amazing! Look at this tree trunk that was wedged into the rocks from the mere force of the waves!
Here's my modeling session:
At the end of our hike, Seona and I came across what I'll dub "Triton of the Sea":
We drove back to Beantown and had dinner at an Afghanistan restaurant. Very interesting food! We had a really fun day!!!