The Smiths - LA Style

"Happy 30th Birthday!" "To ME?" "Yes, to you!"

2011-11-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

That's right! I just joined the 30+ club. This is going to be my year, do you hear me?!? :)

2nd Annual Yosemite Trip

2011-11-26T17:07:00.000-08:00

Matt and Ashley Marriano, Kael and Heather Alden, Sarah and Josh Rivera, Austin and Rachel Robinson and Mike and me! Such a great photo op.

In the Fall of 2010 Michael and I had the chance to go to Yosemite National Park with the Robinsons. It was so much fun and you can read all about it here. Well, this year at the end of September, thanks to the thinking and planning of some really great friends, we were able to go again and this time we had lots more people to enjoy the trip with!! I love Yosemite and I can't believe how amazingly gorgeous it is. I wish it were just a little bit closer so that we could go more often.

The weekend trip consisted of a 9 mile hike up to the top (and edge) of North Dome, some AMAZING meals planned and cooked by the Riveras, some yummy 'smores roasted over some much needed warm fires, and two fun car rides back and forth from LA to Yosemite. Heather and I walking along the edge of North Dome
walking along the edge of North Dome

The girls sitting at Glacier Point

We hope that we can make this a tradition and go back again next year for a 3rd Annual Yosemite Trip :)

And Thanks Kael for taking such amazing pictures!

Another AWESOME Blog!!

2011-11-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

So many style and design blogs out there, but every once in a while a REALLY GREAT one comes along. I want to rant and rave about a new Style Blog that's been launched recently by my friend Paige Cordon, who I have to say, has the most amazing style and it always looks so effortless. :) And what's even better than a great style blog? A great style blog with a GIVEAWAY! So, check out http://whatmodernmomswear.blogspot.com/2011/11/giveaway.html and enter yourself in a giveaway and also read up on some truly wonderful style advice. :)

Enjoy.

Obsessed!

2011-11-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

Oh, dear me. I am obsessed with these boots. I think a pair in green or turquoise would simply make any rainy day bright. :)

Mighty Fine Design!

2011-10-25T23:31:00.000-07:00

It may not be a surprise, but I absolutely LOVE design. I also have to say that thanks to Pinterest, I've lost many more hours each week "pinning" all of those great designs that I see. Well, a friend of a friend launched a great new design blog called The Rustic Alley. Allison is truly talented and it as quickly become one of my favorite blogs to stalk. You should check it out. Oh, and while you're at it, check out the AWESOME giveaway she has going this week. I know I want a 3 day, 2 night stay in a great condo in Tahoe. How about you?

http://therusticalley.blogspot.com/2011/10/need-trip-win-ck-condos-giveaway.html

Final Weekly Wrap-up In Pictures: Week 8

2011-10-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

Monday - Praying at the center of the earth

Tuesday - Michael at the Forbidden City

Wednesday - Smoking over my food? Why thank you.

Thursday - Shopkeeper

Friday - An original Chinese garden entranceWell, I had an amazing summer that I will NEVER FORGOT!! I'm so happy that I was able to document all of our adventures and blog about them, even if it is mainly for myself. Thanks for reading along. And if you ever have a chance to go to China? GO!! It will change your life!!!

Wangfujing Market and FRIED SCORPION!!!

2011-10-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, I ate a fried scorpion. I decided when I got to China that I was going to eat something outrageous and not long after, I decided that it was going to be a fried scorpion. Lucky for me, when my parents came to Beijing my dad decided that he was going to eat a fried scorpion as well. I had heard a lot about the Wangfujing market and I knew that it would be the PERFECT place to eat my fried scorpion because they fry pretty much EVERYTHING there from scorpion to rattlesnake to seahorse.

We started out by trying a few "normal" things like seasoned lamb on a stick and some strange fried seafood, then my dad and I decided we were ready.

I got some great pics of him eating his fried friend, but sadly there was a camera malfunction and I didn't get mine on camera. My dad offered to buy another one so I could eat it on camera, but there was NOTHING that could get me to do that EVER AGAIN. It tasted just like it sounds in case you are wondering...
We decided to finish off with some candied fruit which was AWESOME and really took that gritty taste out of my mouth.
Over all, I'm glad I did it, but I would never do it again. :)

The Forbidden City

2011-10-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Michael and I never really got the chance to visit the Forbidden City until my parents came into town. It was amazing, but unfortunately the weather was not in our favor. It would have been even more impressive I'm sure if it had also been a beautiful day outside. The Forbidden City was actually forbidden to anyone outside of the royal family and his servants. It is unbelievable how HUGE the forbidden city was!! We walked the entire length of it from south to north and wondered if it would ever end!

My parents inside of one of the squares. There were about 5 total.

Michael and I at the entrance.

Just outside Qianmen Gate.

Another one of the huge Forbidden City Squares.

At the North Entrance to the Forbidden City, where we exited from, had an amazing Chinese garden and was really neat to see. It was packed, so we could hardly get a good picture, though...

I'm so glad I got to finally see the inside of the Forbidden City since I had passed it atleast 10 times while living in Beijing. :)

Weekly Wrap-up In Pictures: Week 7

2011-10-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

Monday - Inside the Bird's Nest at the Olympic Village

Tuesday - at the Lama Temple

Wednesday - I don't know what this sign says, but it is entertaining nonetheless...

Thursday- me and my mamma

Friday - Houhai Bar District at night

Saturday - MEGA SIZED COTTON CANDY!! It was GINORMOUS!!

Sunday

Qianmen, Allie and Chinese Candy

2011-10-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

I loved having a friend in Beijing that I could get together with and I loved that Allie wanted to see all of the same city sites as me. On this particular occasion, we decided to stroll around one of the busy tourist markets just south of Tian'anmen Square called Qianmen, and test out some Chinese candy. Unfortunately, we were not too impressed with the Chinese treats but at least a couple of them were good. :)

Harry Potter 3D Asian Style

2011-10-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

Just because we weren't in the States for the premiere of Harry Potter doesn't mean we weren't going to be part of all the Harry Hooplah! We actually went to see the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 at the big "Western-Style Movie Theater" for a midnight movie and it was soooo worth it. It really made me miss being home for the premiere of a great Hollywood movie, but having the experience in Beijing was worthwhile, especially since they have THE BEST movie theater popcorn! It was actually caramel corn and it was super yummy!! Oh, and did I mention the movie was in 3D? Awe-some!

Mutianyu Great Wall and Factories

2011-10-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Close to the end of my trip, my parents came out to visit and see some of the sights. I was excited to take them to see the Great Wall and this time we decided to go to another section a little closer to Beijing called Mutianyu. It was beautiful as well but had many more tourists. We had decided to take a private tour and this also included two factories, one to a silk factory to see how they make silk blankets and another to see how Chinese cloisonne is made. Both factories were really interesting and the Great Wall as once again spectacular. I'm glad I was able to show my parents around Beijing, as well.

My Parents on the Great Wall. Aren't they cute? :)

Another Gorgeous View on the Great Wall

Riding up to the Great Wall

Cloisonne Factory

Ancient Observatory

2011-10-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Another great site! This time I went to see the Ancient Observatory. It was located right in the middle of a modern city area and I found it incredible, even though it was pretty small. The site is home to numerous Astrological devices dating to as early as the 15th century!

798 Art District

2011-10-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to go to an amazing area in Beijing called the 798 Art District. It was incredible with hundreds of art galleries and museums and most of them were free. It was also fun to go with Allie and Steve and see another side of Beijing.

More Art gallaries

Bell and Drum Towers and Chinese Yogurt

2011-10-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! I'm back with the last few weeks of our trip to China so expect a lot of posts recapping the final destinations and sights from our final days.

Bell Tower

Michael and I had an afternoon to spare and decided to see the Bell and Drum Towers in the Old part of Beijing. These towers were really amazing and used to notify Beijingers of the time until 1924!

Bell Tower

View of the surrounding Hutongs from the Bell Tower

Funny bathroom sign. I'm so glad that I was able to use a 3-star toilet but to be honest, I didn't really notice much of a difference... LOL!

Staircase up to the Drum tower!! You can't really tell, but it was LONG and STEEP!

Drum performance

We also finally tried the Chinese yogurt we'd been seeing all over town, and it was better than I thought it was going to be. It pretty much tasted like Greek yogurt. What you do is buy the yogurt at a small store and use a straw to drink the yogurt right there. After you finish, you leave the ceramic container and it is recycled for you. I'm glad I tried it at least once, and it was great to sit and enjoy it outside of the Bell and Drum towers, too.

Back in the U. S. of A.!

2011-08-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone~

I am officially back home in Los Angeles. I still have a lot to update on our blog, but since I left my laptop and camera in Beijing with Michael, those last few posts are just going to have to wait. As for being back home, it was a bittersweet experience boarding my plane bound for California. Even though I had a difficult time adjusting to China when I first arrived, I began to absolutely LOVE it. The food, the public transportation, the prices of things... but it is good to be home in the USA.

Things I have to look forward to in September?

1. School starts on Sept. 6th! How lucky and I that I only have 8 students this year. :)
2. Michael comes home on the 14th! I am so excited to see my hubby!
3. My 30th birthday on the 29th... YIKES!!

Weekly Wrap-up In Pictures: Week 6

2011-08-08T23:34:00.000-07:00

Wow! Where has all the time gone! Week 6 has come and gone and I only have 2 weeks left. Check out all the great pics that were taken this past week. :)

Sunday - Cleanup worker's bikes all in a row. This is next to my bus stop.
Monday - We saw Harry Potter while we were here, but I have to say that this is the WORST Harry Potter movie poster I have EVER seen.
Tuesday - Look what I found in my soup! Yes, friends, that IS a chicken foot.
Wednesday - Fancy lunch! Michael's boss treated us to lunch where we had a truly authentic chinese lunch complete with lots of mushrooms, bullfrog and even jellyfish. She also treated us to Transformers 3 and dessert at Coldstone! YUM!
Thursday - LOL! American food festival! Craisins, raisins, Pringles, Quaker Oatmeal, OH MY! Some of then items cost around $17 American dollars!
Friday - I finished my 4 weeks of Mandarin classes! Margherita our teacher is so cute and was such a great instructor.
Saturday - Would anyone like to buy some "ABERCROMBLB AND FITOH" shorts? Didn't think so... LOL! These are for sale at one of the markets near Michael's work.

The Temple of Heaven

2011-08-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

We've had such fun time here in Beijing sightseeing and it has been even more fun since we have been able to sightsee quite a bit with our friends Allie and Steve Tensmeyer. Last weekend we decided to go and see the Temple of Heaven. We had actually tried to see the Temple of Heaven on 2 other occasions, but for some reason we found ourselves unable to leave the Pearl Market shopping area directly across the street... Well, the third time's a charm and we finally made it into the gate of the Temple of Heaven this last attempt. :)

The Temple of Heaven grounds were HUGE and covered quite of bit of area. We were there for a few hours and only managed to see about 1/4 of the grounds, but we made sure to see all of the important buildings which included the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, The Imperial Vault of Heaven, and The Circular Mound Alter.

Some interesting history - "Twice a year the Emperor and all his retinue would move from the Forbidden city through Beijing to encamp within the complex, wearing special robes and abstaining from eating meat. No ordinary Chinese was allowed to view this procession or the following ceremony. In the temple complex the Emperor would personally pray to Heaven for good harvests. The highpoint of the ceremony at the winter solstice as performed by the Emperor on the Earthly Mount. The ceremony had to be perfectly completed; it was widely held that the smallest of mistakes would constitute a bad omen for the whole nation in the coming year."

Most of the buildings at the Temple of Heaven were originally built in the 15th century but due to fire caused by lightening, some have been rebuilt with the most recent being in the late 1800's.

The Temple of Prayer for Good Harvest
Inside the Echo Wall - I love all of the umbrellas being used on a blue-sky day :)
From the Circular Mound Alter looking at some of the grounds
Absolutely amazing!

Confucius Temple

2011-08-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

With Michael working a 9 to 6:30 job and with my tutoring hours only taking up a small amount of my day, I have had some time to really check out some great sites around Beijing on my own. One of the sites I have seen lately, sans Michael, has been the Confucius Temple.

The Confucius Temple grounds were really interesting. Some of the buildings here even date back to the 14th century and the grounds were used to pay respects to Confucius and used as a scholars school of Confucianism until 1911. Confucius was a scholar of the 5th century BC and most of us are familiar with Confucius quotes, even if we weren't aware that that is what they are. Some include "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves," "I hear and I forget. I see and I understand. I do and I remember," and "It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop."

Gate to the hutong that leads to the Confucius Temple.
These are Red Prayer Tablets that are hung outside of the Temple.

Inside of one of the small buildings that commemorate Confucius. The ceilings is amazing!Remember: Confucius say "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do." :)

Weekly Wrap-up In Pictures: Week 5

2011-08-03T00:17:00.000-07:00

We've had an amazing Week! Here are some great pics that I wanted to share.

Sunday - "Something about this dish just doesn't seem appetizing but I can't quite figure out what exactly..."

Monday - Just enjoying another day in a Beijing shopping district. :)

Tuesday - McDonald's doesn't have apple pie, but it does have sweet taro! Wednesday - Another great pic from McDonald's. This is the breakfast rush. Thursday - "Not quite, but nice try..." This was taken at the Wangfujing Bookstore. The English section is minimal, but at least they have one!
Friday - A family of four on a motorcycle. Never thought I would see this, but I see it all over here!
Saturday - Breathtaking scenery atop The Great Wall.5 weeks down, only 3 more to go... I'm feeling a little bittersweet.

A Hike Along the Great Wall

2011-07-31T23:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had an amazing experience. First of all, I never in my life thought I would ever visit China, and secondly, I never would have thought that I would EVER hike the GREAT WALL OF CHINA! To say that it was amazing and wonderful would be an understatement. The scenery was incredible, as well as the weather. It had just rained the day before so the air was pretty cool and breezy and it was a beautiful blue sky day. I was able to take a TON of pictures, 145 in all, and I was really impressed by the fact that I was able to hike as much as I did and enjoy it every step of the way (once we were on the wall.)

A little more about our trip... I had been researching visiting the Great Wall for some time and decided that the JINSHANLING section of the Wall would be the best for us to visit because it is still rugged, which was awesome, and far fewer people visit it, as compared to the BADALING section of the wall that has been restored and is VERY TOURISTY. It was also built about 600 years ago! Allie and Steve Tensmeyer were able to come along with us as well, which made the trip even more fun. We left from Beijing Dongzhimen Station by bus on Saturday morning at 8am and took the 1.5 hour bus ride to Miyun County where we then had to take a "taxi" to the JINSHANLING section of The Wall. I use the term "taxi" lightly because it was pretty much just a guy with a car who negotiated a price with us when we got off the bus... After another hour or so car ride, we came to The Great Wall and we were all blown away! It was amazing. The hike up to The Wall was not enjoyable in the least, but once we were on The Wall, it was an incredible hike. In all, we walked about 15 towers and it took us about 3 hours or so.

After taking numerous photos, drinking lots of water on The Wall and eating fried chicken for lunch, we took our cab ride back to our buss stop, as well as the bus back to Beijing and ended the day with a great Muslim dinner. This was by far one of the most enjoyable experiences that I have had while here in China. As I was telling Michael, "it was my favorite thing that I've done that I never even knew I wanted to do."

Peking Roast Duck

2011-07-29T04:39:00.000-07:00

Ducks Roasting in the Oven. YUM YUM!!

Even before Michael and I came to China I had heard about a famous Chinese dish called Peking Duck or Chinese Roast Duck. Well, Beijing is the birthplace of this dish and I was excited that I was not only going to be able to sample this famous meal, but excited that I would have the chance to try it for the first time here in China where it was invented.

After researching the dish for a few hours and using the internet and a few guidebooks for resources I finally settled on a little restaurant down the street from our apartment. I'm not sure what the Chinese name of the restaurant is, but I love the fact that the only English words outside the restaurant read "BEIJING ROAST DUCK."

We were able to go with Allie and Steve Tensmeyer who we've been able to hang out with here (he happens to be from Cincinnati where we lived for 5 years! Small world!) and the food was amazing! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it and can't wait to go back. Beijing Roast Duck is one of the best Chinese dishes I have had here! Sure beats the BBQ Chicken Feet...

When you order Roast Duck the waiter brings you:
1. duck meat
2. duck skin (delicious!)
3. sliced cucumbers
4. sliced spring onions
5. Hoisin sauce
6. sugar

The idea is to layer your duck and toppings in your pancake, roll up and eat. This dish has been prepared since the Imperial Era and is now considered one of China's national foods... or so says Wikipedia. :)

Weekly Wrap-up In Pictures: Week 4

2011-07-22T23:27:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that I have been here for 4 weeks! It amazes me how quickly the time has gone by and how much I have come to really enjoy it here. It has been such a wonderful experience and I am excited about what the next 4 weeks have in store for me and Mike.

Sunday - During the day this is a common sight, especially on weekends. Men and even some women set up tables and play games for hours. At this particular park there were about 6 games of cards or Mahjong going on.
Monday - Michael and his new bike. A friend of ours we met here gave it to Mike because he is moving back to Croatia. This has cut Mike's commute to work down to only 15 minutes.
Tuesday - Tutoring session. I tutor Michael's bosses daughter who is 9-year's-old in English.
Wednesday - enjoying the night air and eating sunflower seeds.
Thursday - one of the smallest cars I have ever seen. It only had 3 wheels!
Friday - FYI - Hooter's girls look cheesy in every country...
Saturday - SO HAPPY TO FIND A MAGAZINE WRITTEN IN ENGLISH!! WHO CARES IF IT IS MONTHS OLD!
4 weeks down, only 4 more to go. I never would have thought I would be this sad about he thought of leaving. I'm glad I still have lots of time to see more of China, though.

Weekly Wrap-up In Pictures: Week 3

2011-07-22T23:06:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind but I want to keep up with my weekly posting of pictures. Here's week 3! Pretty fun in my opinion and it seems to have a food theme to it... :)

Sunday - Famous Peking Roast Duck with the Tensmeyer's. Delicious!!
Monday - 9 Dragons Hostel. They have some of the best burgers here!
Tuesday - Angry Birds EVERYWHERE! They are kinda obsessed here...
Wednesday - 2 super cute kids who wanted to be in a picture with Mike while we were at dinner. The Asians love him here! Mike feels a bit like a celebrity. This is probably the 10th time someone has asked him for a picture, and it hasn't been the last, either. I only get 1/2 as many requests.
Thursday - Yummy Pizza!! Almost tasted American!
Friday - Sporting my knock-off Coach sunglasses in the park.
Saturday - Acupuncture for Fertility. Judging by my expression you would think it was awful bu it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. If you look close enough you can see the needles ALL over my stomach. He used about 15 and even put some in my feet! He also burned incense and herbs over my stomach to "warm" it. Very interesting, but I think I may go back for more... :)

Market Days

2011-07-20T01:20:00.000-07:00

A few posts back I referred a bit to how "western" shops (aka American/European) are not very common here in China. Most of the big cities including Beijing and Shanghai have a few western malls which are decked out with stores such as Coach, BCBG, Uniqlo, Addidas, Steve Madden, Esprit, but most of the shopping is very different. Most "shops" are typically little storefront rooms with a small array of dresses, skirts, shirts, and other various articles, but there are not multiple sizes of each item and usually there is only one. (So, good luck finding something that you 1. like 2. fits and 3. is of decent quality...) Although I haven't shopped around in these stores very often, they are still interesting to look in and browse.

Here is a great shot of some of the stores around the corner from our apartment.

On the other hand, the large multiple-floored markets are a lot of fun to shop in. They have everything from shoes to luggage to pearls and jewels to Chinese fans and kites. It is also funny because shopping at the markets is a lot like shopping at a garage sale when it comes to prices. The idea is to Bargain and BARGAIN HARD! Most of the time the salesperson will give you a ridiculous price to start off with when the actual price is only about 1/5 of what they are asking for. It is pretty fun to bargain but it does get exhausting after about an hour of shopping. I love it because the shopping is even interesting enough for Mike to enjoy! :) One of my favorite purchases here so far was a really cute little "LeSportSac" purse (I say "LeSportSac" but I am about 99% positive that it is a rip-off) that the vendor wanted 580 quai for! That is about $90! I was so proud of myself that I was able to talk her down to 30 quai or about $4.50. It is about as addicting as bidding for an item on Ebay! We've gotten some other really great stuff at these markets like "Tom's" and "Vans" shoes for Mike and a pair of "Crocs" for me.

One thing that I haven't gotten used to yet is shopping at the outdoor food markets. Michael and I stumbled across one and I couldn't believe my eyes! There was so much to look at, so many people shouting and bargaining and so many smells all in one little street market. Here is a little clip and some pictures to give you an idea. I don't think I am ever going to get used to this. I think I will just continue to shop at the "grocery store" near our apartment...

Vendors selling meat at each stall. Now just imagine this place in 95 degree heat in the middle of the day... Not very appetizing...
Fish for sale as well as FROG LEGS (front center)
Turtles for soup, anyone?

Weekly Wrap-up In Pictures: Week 2

2011-07-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

Okay people, I am a little behind here because of some camera issues, but I'm back on track! Week 2 in Beijing consisted of some really great shots! I hope you enjoy! Week 3 and 4 to follow VERY soon!

Monday - Yummy rose/mango tea overlooking the Hutongs

Tuesday - Another "great" smog shot. This was definitely one of the worst smog days here so far.
Wednesday - Ghost Street and all the pretty lanterns. Such a great place for dinner!
Thursday - Koi pond. So many cute little fishies

Friday - Turtles at the market... No, these are not meant to be bought as pets :( The poor little one on the bottom looks like he is pleading with me!
Saturday - This is a common sight. Lots of Chinese men and even women set up game tables and play all night long.
Sunday - Yummy Dinner!! Finally!! It has taken us quite awhile to find great food that we love here. These little buns are A-mazing.

Beihai Park

2011-07-13T09:14:00.001-07:00

With Michael working a 9 to 5 job at an architecture firm, I get a lot of time to explore parts of Beijing. On this particular occasion I decided to take the bus (which has become my major form of transportation) to Beihai park. It is not very far away and it is beautiful. The day that I went was not on a particularly pretty day (more smog! YUCK!) but the park itself was wonderful.

This is called Jade Island and it is in the middle of Beihai Park. It has this huge Gadoba that sits on the center of the island. There are also many other various buildings on the island as well as caves.
One of the many gates that you walk through while in the park. This was one of my favorites.I spent a few hours just sitting on the benches, exploring the grounds and taking in this wonderful little paradise smack dab in the middle of Beijing. It is wonderful to know that such a beautiful park exists here and I hope to go back soon.

4th of July = Fatburger in China

2011-07-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

Since we didn't get to celebrate the 4th of July in the states with all of our fellow Americans, we did the next best thing... We rounded up two more Americans, a Chinese guy, a Croatian, and even a Brit for some dinner at Fatburger.

Unfortunately, for our British friend Johnnie, he didn't know us Americans were celebrating our Independence from England until we all met up, but he was a good sport none-the-less.

Sorry, we didn't get pics of our friends, other than Allie!

BEIJING 2008!

2011-07-13T04:44:00.001-07:00

Okay, okay... maybe we are about 3 years too late for the Olympics here in Beijing, but I thought it was pretty interesting to see where all of the action took place back in the summer of 2008.

It is especially interesting because the area called "Olympic Green" is anything but green, and it is absolutely empty save tourists and vendors selling trinkets.

I was amazed by how huge the area is and how it is so lifeless in a way. Here are some of the pictures we took while we were there. :)

The Bird's Nest. Check out all of that nasty smog! It is disgusting!

Yet another group of Chinese people who want to take a picture with Mike. Maybe we should start charging them... :)

The Watercube. It is really cool and apparently it has water slides in it now! We're hoping to go sometime if it is not too expensive.

You can hardly see the news tower through all that smog!

Well, we may have missed seeing the Beijing Olympics, but it was pretty cool to see some of the amazing architecture built for the occasion close up and not just on TV. It's just too bad that these structures were so lively and amazing 3 years ago, and now they are lifeless. :( Makes a person kinda sad.

Weekly Wrap-up In Pictures

2011-07-05T21:00:00.002-07:00

So, I mentioned before that I wanted to keep a record of our trip in pictures that I would take daily. I thought it would be an interesting idea to take a picture of SOMETHING everyday and I definitely have not run out of fun and amazing things to take pictures of. It has been a pretty fun project so far and I can't wait to continue with this.

My super simple rules are:
1. At least 1 picture everyday
2. It has to be something that I probably wouldn't normally see back in the states.

So, here is my first Weekly Wrap-up in Pictures. P.S. I can't believe I have already been here for an entire week!!!

Saturday -
Our hotel, the Beijing Hutong Furon Hotel. Notice the girl in the bottom left corner wearing her influenza mask. This is pretty common here. Also note how grey the sky is in ALL of the pictures. The smog is terrible here. It really is a rare sight to see the sun on a blue sky day. I haven't even seen one yet.
Sunday -
a typical Hutong in Beijing. These are alleys with entrances to courtyard houses. Unfortunately, they are so old and rundown that most of them are literally falling apart. This hutong was right around the corner from our hotel room.
Monday -
Just a random goose walking around in front of a restaurant. I assumed that they we advertising that's evenings dinner course...
Tuesday -
Market window promoting their American soft drink choices. Which by the way, only cost about 40cents each.
Wednesday -
Lunch, including my Liver and Onion Cheetos, Strawberry milk that had weird little yogurt bits in it and chocolate cookies that tasted like fish. YUCK!!
Thursday -
The Apple Store at the Village Mall. Once again, notice the smog. This was taken at about 2:30 in the afternoon.Friday -
Michael enjoying some really delicious churros with ice cream and chocolate syrup
Well, hope you are starting to sense what life is like for us here. :)

Name that Product...

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

So here is a little game I would like to call "Name That Product!" (cue cheesy game show tune...) IT is actually really exciting to see American products here! Unfortunately, they do not always taste the same as they did in the states, for example, I had no idea that the Cheeto's I had bought were Liver and Onion flavor until after I ate my first cheeto... :(

What I would like to do is post some American products that are sold here in China and see if anyone can guess what they actually are. Some are MUCH easier than others. So, for my first installment of Name That Product" I would like to post what Mike and I ate for breakfast this morning. Good luck!

P.S. These are the backs of two separate boxes. The fronts were just way too easy! :)

Lama Temple

2011-07-05T20:59:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday when we went to church we met a really great couple, Steve and Allie Tensmeyer. It is actually really funny because Steve is from Cincinnati, where we lived for 5 years. He was only his mission for the last 2 years that we lived there, so we never really met him but we knew his family! Such a small world.

Anyway, after church we hung out with them and went to visit the Lama Temple, a Buddhist Temple here in Beijing. It was so amazing and you could smell the burning of incense all over the grounds. It houses many different temple buildings at one location and even houses a Buddha statue carved from one single piece of sandalwood that measures 76 feet high! It was incredible! Unfortunately, they don't allow you to take photos inside the temples so I didn't get a picture of that. The sign actually reads "No burning of incense or film inside the temple". LOL... Definitely not the first or the last funny sign we will read in China...

Motorbike Ride

2011-07-05T20:58:00.002-07:00

I arrived on a Friday night and by Saturday afternoon I was already seeing parts of Beijing that I never would have expected. We had been looking for an apartment and met up with a guy to visit one. To get us to the apartment we wanted to view, he called a friend and they both drove us to the apartment as passengers on their motorbikes. I found it pretty funny that after being in China for only about 15 hours I was already hitched up on the back of a motorbike driven by some Chinese guy in some of the craziest driving I have ever seen. I just had to take some movie footage. Unfortunately, the clip doesn't do it justice, but you can somewhat understand how I was feeling. I had to keep looking back to make sure that Michael was still behind me on the other motorbike with the other Chinese man!

Apartments

2011-07-05T20:58:00.001-07:00

So, Michael and I have had a pretty hard time trying to find housing here in Beijing that wasn't:
A. crappy and rundown
B. perfect but expensive
C. completely out of the area or
D. dirty (and I mean filthy dirty!)

Luckily, we found something that suits our needs. It is not exactly what we were hoping for, but we knew we had to compromise is some areas to get what we wanted in others. So, here is a description of our living arrangements. We share a 2-bedroom apartment with another couple. She is from Spain and speaks English, Spanish and Chinese. He is from China and speaks Chinese and Spanish. Michael, luckily, speaks Spanish so he can communicate with both of them, but since I don't speak Chinese or Spanish I can't even communicate with the boyfriend with anything other than hand signals... Anyway, we have our own room which is made up of some 1o-year-old Ikea furniture and has an air-conditioner!! HALLELUYAH!! We share the bathroom and kitchen and living room. They are nice, but unfortunately not the cleanest people in the world, which means I don't think I am going to be using the kitchen much... Anyway it is close to Mike's work, it's right next to the subway and really close to a market. All in all, it is a good apartment for 2 months. I sure miss sleeping on a super-soft American made mattress. The ones here are sooooo hard. At least we have some really soft pillows. :)

Sanlitun Soho (A.K.A. Michael's workplace)

2011-07-05T20:57:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to send a picture of the area where Mike works. It's known as Sanlitun Soho and it is a pretty happening area of town with a lot of stores and restaurants right across the street, such as McDonald's (which has a very limited menu), an Adidas store, Esprit, Steve Madden, Apple, etc. It is really pricey though and it is really interesting to see such a western shopping area in Beijing. (Meaning American/English or Developed in contrast to the typical Chinese style shops. More on the differences in a later post...)

Anyway for anyone interested, this is a picture of Michael"s office complex. It is pretty cool. His building behind the orange one just to the right. :)

Tokyo, BABY!

2011-07-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Japanese Sunrise from the airplane

Arriving in Tokyo with all my bags in tow...

After booking my flight to Beijing at a GREAT rate, I quickly noticed that there was a little hiccup in my smooth travels to China... a 15 hour layover in Tokyo with a change of airports! Yes, I said AIRPORTS! Apparently, this is pretty common but learning that I had to find my own way across the city of Tokyo on my own was not the most exciting news. Luckily, I discovered that a friend of mine that I had grown up with in Florida now lives in Tokyo! Isn't that amazing!

Cristina was wonderful and met me bright and early on Friday morning at the airport at 6am. (She had to leave her apartment at 4am to get there in time for my arrival.) We had a really fun time getting lost on the subway, eating ice cream out of a vending machine, walking around the Harajuku fashion district and visiting different gardens, temples and markets.

Gate to the Meiji Shrine

Barrels of Sake at the Meiji Shrine

Harajuku district of Tokyo - very interesting clothing here...

LUNCH!! SOOO YUMMY!!

Asakusa Temple and it's surrounding market

I made it through Tokyo in a day, but sadly my backpack didn't. All around my 15 hours in Tokyo were great! Thanks so much Cristina for being so awesome!

NEW POSTS!!

2011-07-01T01:50:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to check out our blog

tobeijingandback.blogspot.com

We've got lots of new posts added!!!

Hope ya'll are all doing GREAT!

Introducing...

2011-06-21T17:35:00.001-07:00

Here it is boys and girls and readers of all ages... Our Beijing Blog! I decided to make our summer in China a separate blog to keep track of my posts and make it a little easier to organize once I decided to turn it into a book using Blurb. :)

Don't forget to follow it!! And here's hoping that I'll be able to post in Beijing.

The blog is

tobeijingandback.blogspot.com

Happy Reading!!

All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready to Go...

2011-06-21T17:15:00.001-07:00

Well friends, only a little over 24 hours before I board that plan to Beijing. I can't get over how excited, scared, anxious and downright FREAKED OUT I am at the fact that I am going to be living in China for the summer.

I have been moved out of my apartment for the past week and 1/2 but I still feel like I have a lot to do before I go... Mainly working a few hours tomorrow morning, getting my bags all completely packed, as well as mentally preparing myself for the adventure of a lifetime. Oh, and I have to deal with a little car trouble that happened on the school parking lot where I work... I'm not going to get too into it, but it involved my bumper, the parking lot security gate and a few tears on my part. Luckily, I wasn't in the car and no one was hurt, but to say the least, this was DEFINITELY NOT something I wanted to have to deal with 2 days before I leave for CHINA!

If you have any last minute advice, I would LOVE to hear it. Even some travel tips on how to try and get a good amount of sleep on a coach seat while flying across the International dateline. :)

One thing I regret? I was hoping to get there and have a few words in Mandarin memorized but that didn't happen... Maybe on the 13 hour plane ride over? Hmmm...

CHINA!!

2011-06-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

By the way... Have you seen how many days I have left until China?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

I can't believe it!!! I also can't wait to see my hubby!

NEW KICKS

2011-06-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

I LOVE my navy blue Toms. It takes all I can to not wear them everyday because I don't want them to wear out too quickly (which is what I've heard can be a big problem with them.) They are so comfortable and I love them so much that I decided to buy another pair so that I could have two AWESOME pairs of shoes to wear this whole summer in China. Well, I had my heart set on these little cuties but unfortunately they sold out on Toms.com after only 3 days!!

I had a pair in my "basket" but waited 4 hours too long and they were snatched out by the time I got home and was ready to buy them! This definitely did not make me happy and neither did driving around to 6 different stores in L.A. trying to find them! My happy ending to the story came when I decided to go ahead and try KITSON on Robertson (frequented by the likes of Lauren Conrad, Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton). Guess what?!?! My light pink linen Toms were right at the front door! Score!!! I was so excited and I can't wait to wear them in Beijing. I deserved these little puppies and I already LOVE them as much as my navy blue ones. Just thought I would share my little story of triumph and glee. :) (By the way, if anyone is interested most styles are sold in Nordstrom, and even Whole Foods. Just don't expect to find every style.)

I just wish they still made these adorable kicks!

How sweet are my students?!

2011-06-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

This past school year has been pretty difficult with surgery back in March that completely threw a wrench into my lesson plans. It was wonderful to know that I had some REALLY sweet students who were cute enough to make this adorable little sign before I took 2 1/2 weeks off for surgery and recovery. :) It's been hanging in my apartment to help remind me about how great I have it when it comes to my job. Yes, there are many things that stress me out and it is NOT EASY teaching English and History to 7th Graders, but there are some days that I just feel so blessed. The day they gave me this was one of them.

Follow Me, Follow Me, FOLLOW ME! :)

2011-05-31T23:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys, why don't you follow me?
Just click over there.
<-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It will help me keep in touch with everyone while I am in China. Update on that later, but I won't have access to Facebook. BOO!!

Beach Days and Memorial Day

2011-05-31T22:40:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I love living in L.A. yet? Well, I do! One reason is because I am so close to the beach. I don't go nearly as often as I should or as often as I want to, but when I actually do get a chance to go I really LOVE it. These first few pics are from a couple of weeks ago and it was the first time I was able to really make it out this Spring.

If you look close, you can see the Santa Monica Pier in the background.

Another great trip to the beach took place yesterday on Memorial Day. Rachel and I decided to go to the beach and take advantage of the Awesome weather that we had. She had the great idea to ride our bikes to Santa Monica and I am so glad that we did because once we got there we discovered that parking cost $25!!CRAZY!! It was a great ride over (about 12.5 miles round-trip) down Venice Blvd, past Venice Beach and down the boardwalk to Santa Monica.

Patriot kites. They were HUGE, even though they looked really small in the picture.Unfortunately I got a flat tire on the way back. Luckily int was only about 2 blocks from my apartment. :(

How could you not love this little guy!

2011-05-31T22:02:00.001-07:00

Introducing - Maxwell Trevor Erickson!

I had a great 2 week break back in April and I just HAD to go visit my new little nephew in Bountiful, Utah. I am sooooo in love with this little guy and couldn't stop loving on him every minute I was there. His name is Maxwell Trevor Erickson. Isn't he the sweetest little thing in the whole world!?

Tish and Max Proud Pappa!
Tish reading Max one of his favorite books Max the Minnow, cute huh?
We also had a great time sewing some table runners and this adorable height chart! It was pretty difficult to make and I actually had to HAND STITCH the measurements along the side, but I would love to make another one of these in the future.
One of the only pictures I was able to get with the two of us and the poor little guy wasn't too happy at the time. :( He was still so cute, even when he was crying!
I am so proud of you, Tish and Trevor, and I can't wait to see you guys again soon and see how much this little guy has grown!

While in Bountiful I was also able to get together with some of my best friends from high school, Brooke, Martha and Melinda! It was so good to see these girls. We've pretty much made it a tradition to get together every time I am in town. This is pretty much the 10th Annual Girls Get-together, but don't ask me why we've never taken a picture of this before...
I also made it to Provo and got a chance to visit with my mom, go wedding dress shopping with my sister, Kristi, and go to dinner with my brother Steve and his wife Stacey who are expecting a little girl this summer! So many nieces and nephews. Overall, this was a wonderful break from teaching and I loved having the opportunity to visit Utah.

The Excitement is Building!

2011-05-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

An Homage to Julia Child

2011-05-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

Living in Los Angeles for the past 2 years has proved to be amazing! I've really enjoyed all of the gorgeous weather, the sunshine, the beach and all of the things to do here but, unfortunately every once in a while work gets overwhelming and the traffic gives me a migraine. Luckily, thanks to some great friends I've met here, every once in a while I'm able to just enjoy myself and have fun. This past February when both Heather and I were feeling particularly antsy to do something interesting and different, she had a great idea to have a Julia Child Cooking Day. We chose 4 super delicious recipes from her cook book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Some of the recipes included Leek and Potato Soup, Beef Bourguigon, and Cherry Clafouti for dessert.

We literally spent an entire Saturday shopping, prepping and cooking, but it was all worth it! Especially the Beef Bourguigon, which took 5 hours all on its own! Annie made it just in time to help finish making dessert and help us eat up our yummy 3 course dinner. :) The boys enjoyed it soooo much that they continued to talk about "that one dinner" for weeks. Here are some of our really great cooking pics!

Thanks Julia, we couldn't have done it without you!

This is an apron that one of my very first students gave me!

Yay for Annie!

Our yummy soup with un-sweetened whipped cream.

The boys repaid us by cleaning the kitchen. Gotta love 'em!

This was so much fun and such a great way to do something different and even de-stress. We've already decided that we will have to have Julia Child Cooking Day every 3-4 months or so, and I can't wait for our next meal! :)

New Girl: Fall 2011 on Fox

2011-05-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I am sooooo excited about this new series that starts in the fall!!! I absolutely LOVE Zooey Deschanel. I can't wait for her to star in her own television series. Yay~!

Our Cat is Crazy!

2011-05-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Madame Tussaud and Jules Cobb

2011-05-11T23:34:00.000-07:00

I told you I was REALLY behind on all of my posts for the last year, and this one is no exception.

Back a year ago this past February my brother and his girlfriend at the time came out to LA to visit. (He actually proposed on this trip and they were married last June...) We had a really great time seeing all the sites including going to Caffe Primo on Sunset, visiting Grauman's Chinese Theater and visiting Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. It was surprisingly fun and even a little creepy! It was fun having family out here and we'd like to extend and invitation to anyone else who would like to come and visit us here in Los Angeles. :)

Oh, this is just me and Justin Timberlake. No big deal.

I L-O-V-E Audrey Hepburn. P.S. I really miss my long hair. :(

My brother Steve making Jim Carrey laugh.

Grauman's Chinese Theater

And for anyone else who is a fan... The Real Estate office of Jules Cobb on Cougar Town. I am a pretty big fan of the show and I came across this when a friend of mine and I went to the movie. It was literally right next to the movie theater. I love living in LA because you never know what/who you are going to come across.

Disneyland!!

2011-05-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, this trip was A LONG time ago, but I wanted to share it.

Michael's niece Kaitlyn had a cheerleading competition about a year ago and her parents and a few siblings came along to enjoy Disneyland. Being that Anaheim is less than an hour away, Michael and I took a trip over and had a blast staying with Richard and Terry and their kids in a great condo within walking distance to the park!!

I love Disneyland and would get season passes if I could, but since Michael isn't such a huge fan, I really have no reason to go. (Even though I did go by myself right after we moved here to LA. You can read about that here.)

Luckily, MIchael will do anything as long as family is in town, even go to the most magical place on earth. :)

We spent two whole days at the park and I pretty much rode on every single ride that I could. Even the kiddie rides like Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland and especially Peter Pan. (Thanks Tyler and Jordan for tagging along with me.)

On the last day before we left, we went to Denny's and afterward said our goodbye's before heading back home.

We had such a great time, even though we missed Stacie and Becky not being there as well!! But I'm sure they are having a blast, as they are at Disney World right now in Orlando!

We ate dinner one night at Johnnie Rockets and chowed down on some yummy burgers. This is Tyler REALLY enjoying his. :)

Michael and I just before seeing the fireworks. They were really great!

Oh, and thanks Grizzly Bear Rapids for making me walk around for two hours looking like I had peed my pants...

A Much Belated Update! ( A.K.A. The Bike)

2011-05-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, this post is about 8 months late, but I wanted to put up the pictures from my 29th Birthday and the AWESOME gift that Michael got for me!! Referring back to THIS POST, you may recall my wanting a new bike to ride around LA. Well, here it is! These pics are from my birthday party back in September, and although I don't ride my bike as much as I wish I would, I LOVE it!

Sporting my new bike!!

All the girls - me, Heather, Rachel, Sarah, Hope and Annie! Love these girls!!

Somehow, all the guys managed to guys managed to stay out of all the pictures...

I also recently got the other birthday gift that I wanted from THIS POST. A new pair of TOMS shoes, and they are soooo comfortable and what's even better, I can wear them at work to teach in! These were from my mom and I LOVE them almost as much as my bike.

Summer Plan...

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

I've looked back over my blog and it struck me that I've hardly posted more than couple posts over the past 8 months or so! I am so disappointed with myself mainly because my blogs are my outlet as well as my way of journaling the most interesting events in our life, but I'm also disappointed that it has become apparent that my teaching job has completely dominated my life!! How upsetting this realization is to me!

But the bright side to this rant is that I actually have something pretty worthwhile and important to blog about in the hopes that it will also kick my butt back into the blogging world.

Well, here's the big news (no we're not pregnant...) we're moving to BEIJING, CHINA for the SUMMER!! YIPEEEEE!!!!

The facts are that Michael has the summer off before his last year at UCLA in Architecture Grad School and it is really important for him to work this summer at a really great firm that will not only look good on his resume, but also help him in his efforts to find a great job after graduation. Originally, Michael was thinking about going on his own, but then he presented me with the idea to go with him and there really wasn't a way that we could deny this amazing opportunity!! I mean, come on, really!?! Say no to a summer in China!?

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things that I am worried about, such as the complete culture shock, a completely new country, food, language, way of living and not to mention the fact that Michael will be working and I will have to find ways to fill my days, but I am so excited for this life-changing event!

I can't even express how overwhelmed, excited, nervous, scared, curious, happy I am about this decision that we've made but I know that it is the right decision and that we will have a wonderful time even though I am sure there will be some pretty interesting things to blog about here.

Thanks for listening to my rant and if you have any advice, words of encouragement or anything else that may help, I would LOVE to hear it!!

Coming soon - A recap of all the great things that have been going on here in LA for us since last September or so. See, I told you I was really behind in my posting!!! :)

Just a few pics of the sights that I am really excited to see:

The Watercube and the Bird's Nest built for the 2008 Olympics

The beautiful gardens as well as the Forbidden City

The Great Wall of China

In honor of...

2011-04-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

In honor of the 119th anniversary of the Ice Cream Sundae, I think I need to celebrate with one of these...

Eye Spy...

2011-03-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

Just a few of the people I've seen since we've moved here...

David Arquette at Jo-Ann Fabrics. No, Seriously...

Jason Bateman at Caffe Primo with my sis Dee Ann.

Ian Gomez at the Grove Park (of Felicity and Cougar Town)

Christian Bale at Trader Joe's

Chevy Chase at Maggiano's

It's been pretty fun living in L.A. :)

7 years and counting...

2011-03-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

Michael and I celebrated our 7th Wedding Anniversary on the 11th! It's amazing to look back and see all that we have gone through including 5 years in Cincinnati, Oh finishing our undergrad degrees and almost 2 years here in LA. We've had a wonderful, fun, exciting, past 7 years and I can't wait for many more to come.

Happy Anniversary, Michael! I love you!

Robot Repair

2011-03-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Michael and I had a really great night Friday because we were able to go to our friend's office party for the company Robot Repair. It was one of the most fun parties we've been to in a long time!! They had the Kogi Truck rented for our enjoyment as well as a DJ, a "Time Machine", and even a Karaoke RV called the RVIP!! So much fun!! Here are a few shots from the event.

The R-V-I-P!!

Karaoke Baby!!

Wow, That picture looks just like me and Heather... :)

Dancin' away the night in a confetti snowstorm!

Yeah Heather! Such a great friend!

The Big 3-0!!

2011-02-15T00:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful husband a girl could ask for!

And Happy Birthday to Tish, Mike's twin sister. She's an amazing sister-in-law and an even better friend! Love you!!

Bicycle, Bicycle (I want to ride my Bicycle...)

2010-09-22T17:22:00.001-07:00

I am really excited that for my upcoming birthday, Michael wants to purchase a bike for me! I have been kinda obsessed with bicycles for the past few months and I've been looking around at a few options. I love, love, love the beach cruiser type bikes like these from velorbis.com.

Aren't they awesome! Unfortunately, these versions cost much more than Michael or I are willing to spend on a bike so I believe we may be searching for a great Schwinn version on Craigslist for the next couple of weeks. Wish me luck that I can find a great bicycle to ride around West LA.

Inspiration

2010-09-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

Michael and I are very excited about our upcoming move in a couple of weeks into the UCLA Grad Student Housing, otherwise known as "the village." After living in a studio for the past year with IKEA furniture, I am beyond thrilled to upgrade to a 2 bedroom - 1 bathroom! I have so many plans for all the extra space we are going to have!

I absolutely LOVE design shows and design blogs and I'm glad I'll get to decorate a bit again (because, c'mon, there is no way to decorate a studio without it looking too cluttered.) With the help of some great blogs such as designspongeonline.com, I now have some great inspiration for a very relaxing apartment decorated with cool and bright colors. The following are some of my favorite looks.

I just love the "organized clutter of the next picture! I looks like the perfect place to sit and read a book, and if my studio had this much charm I wouldn't want a 2 bedroom, but alas, it does not.

I love the "beachside meets urban-oasis" look with dark woods, bright colors and metals mixed in, and I'm even contemplating painting a few walls in the apartment a cool gray color such as this... What do you think? Yea, or nay? By the way, did I mention how excited I am to add some color to bare white walls, again! I've been living in a white box for far too long. :)

Yosemite National Park

2010-08-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Wherever Michael and I have lived, we've tried to take road trips to nearby destinations so that not only can we take vacations but also experience what each part of the country has to offer. Living in LA has been great. We've been to Big Sur for our anniversary this past year, which was amazing, and now we can check Yosemite off of our list.

We had the opportunity to go with some friends from our ward, Rachel and Austin Robinson and we had such a great time!!! We left Wednesday after Michael finished work and after taking the past two days to plan and buy supplies, we headed north for our 5.5 hour car trip up to Yosemite. We arrived at our first campground stop just south of the park entrance at midnight where we set up our tent in close to 20 minutes, changed, brushed our teeth and slept for 5 hours before packing up our belongings to head into the park and hopefully snag a spot in one of the few and always full campgrounds. After getting to Bridalveil campground we were able to get an awesome campsite from some people who were leaving, which was very lucky on our part!

After setting up camp we took a nap for a couple of hours and then headed out for our hike to Vernal and Nevada waterfalls.

It was such a spectacular hike! I was dead tired almost the entire way up (at one point we had to climb some 1,500+ stairs to reach the first waterfall, as well as another 1,500+ to reach the second, and if you look closely in the next pic, you can see the stairs at the bottom) but the scenery was to die for and the waterfalls were so majestic that the hike was beyond worth it.

At one point at the top we decided to go swimming in the FREEZING cold water. It was so refreshing after the difficult hike up, but I was only able to stand it for about 10 minutes before I had to get out. What was so cool about it was that it was at the very top of the waterfall! This next picture is of where we went swimming in the the calm area at the top. So, fun!

This was the edge of the waterfall. Such a gorgeous view!

The hike down was tolerable and we really enjoyed the day.

We all ended it with getting back to camp and cooking in the campfire the hobo dinners that Rachel, Austin and I prepared the day before. Michael did a great job cooking them and they ended up being so yummy, especially since we were so hungry. We really had a great time relaxing around the campfire eating s'mores and drinking hot chocolate, even though Rachel and I were kinda freaked out about the possibility of a bear walking into our camp!! That night we were all so exhausted that we actually slept pretty well, even though it was beyond FREEZING cold outside!

The next morning we decided to take a drive to Glacier point to see Half-dome from a distance as well as the waterfalls that we had hiked the day before.

Afterward we took a leisurely hike to Taft Point and the Fissures which was absolutely beautiful! We were in awe at the sheer cliffs that the trail ended at and we had a great lunch near the edge of one of the cliffs.

Afterward we decided to make a stop to see the Sequoia grove before leaving the park. The trees were amazing and absolutely gigantic!

All in all we had a really amazing trip, even though we got a flat tire about 200 miles from LA and had to drive the rest of the way home on a spare at 55 miles per hour because all of the tire stores were closed. We arrived home Friday night close to midnight, but we really had such a great road trip with the Robinson's and Michael and I can't wait to go back to Yosemite.

Beach, Bonfires and S'mores!

2010-08-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

Yeah for the beach! I have really had a great summer and now that it is winding down I am trying to fill it with as many activities as possible before I have to start teaching in about 3 weeks. One great summer activity Michael and I were recently able to attend was a bonfire headed up by our good friends the Robinson's.

Thanks so much, Austin for snagging the fire-pit at 11:30 on a Saturday so that we could all show up at 6pm to roast hotdogs and s'mores!

Everyone standing around waiting to roast some hotdogs!

Michael showing off some mad skills for the Kimballs

What an awesome group of people! I really love our LA friends!

It was really a fun time and there were lots of friends in attendance. I can't wait to enjoy another bonfire, and hopefully we can squeeze one in again soon! Next up, Yosemite this coming weekend!

For me?!

2010-08-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

Even though my birthday is about 6 weeks away, I still have to drop hints to my husband wherever I can...

"Don't forget honey, I wear an 8 1/2."

2010-08-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

Last night Michael and I, plus a few couples from our ward were able to take advantage of Mormon night at the Dodgers Stadium. Yes, they really had this... unfortunately the Dodger's lost 0-5 to the Padres but we still had fun, nonetheless. Here are a few great shots at Dodger Stadium.

Michael and me, enjoying the game! Thanks Cassie, for the great Dodger's T-Shirt!

Just a few of us girls! Kylie, Keylee, Rachel, me, Cheryl and Hope.

I just had to add this video too, as you can see, Michael was REALLY enjoying the game.

PIONEER DAY!

2010-08-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Our Church Stake throws a really great Pioneer Day Picnic each year and thanks to the Johnsons from our ward who were in charge of it this year, it turned out to be a lot of fun! Other than the fact that I thought someone stole my camera,* Michael and I really enjoyed hanging out with some friends, eating lots of desserts, playing a nice game of tug-o-war, and bingo. It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day in LA and we are so happy to be living here with such great people and amazing weather.

*My camera went missing halfway through the night but after many announcements and lots of searching someone told me I should check the trash. Hmmm... well, there it was! In the dumpster of the church.

Yea! For Pioneer Day! I made the banner for the event. Isn't it cute?! And Yes, that is the LA temple in the background. Our Church building is on the same block as the temple with some church owned ball fields in between.

Hope and I waiting to get some yummy grub

Playing some Pioneer Day Bingo!

Can you believe this near blackout win!! I was so bummed that I didn't get Blackout Bingo first!

After the picnic we stayed for a couple of hours to help clean up the field and dismantle the various booths for the event. It was worth the extra work because with the help of one of the grounds keepers we managed to climb all the way up to the top of the church steeple to see this amazing view. It was pretty cool.

Faded Paper Figures

2010-07-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of fun and exciting things to do in LA and one of the most recent exciting events was being able to go see our friends Heather and Kale perform with their band, FADED PAPER FIGURES, live at Spaceland this past Thursday night. We had so much fun and got to meet up with some of our other friends there to see the show. I really love their albums and they've actually had 3 or 4 or their songs play on some previous episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Heather does an amazing job singing and Kael rocks out on the Guitar.

If anyone is interested they are touring right now and are going to be playing in Logan, Utah and Provo as well, in the next couple of weeks. Check them out! They are really great!

Kimber, me and Brit in front of the marquis

Book Club

2010-07-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

So, a few girls that I am friends with in my ward were talking about how fun it would be to start up a book club. I love to read and think it would be a great chance to get together with some of the girls in the ward and talk about some really great novels and/or memoirs, etc. I'm wondering if anyone has some great suggestions for books to read that are "church" appropriate and also interesting and entertaining to read. If you have any suggestions, let me know please! We're hoping to get something started in September. :) Thanks for your help!

Baby Blankets

2010-07-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am sharing with you a couple of the baby blankets I have made for some of my friends here in LA. Like I said, we have about 1 to 2 babies born into our ward each month so I have been very busy making blankets and unfortunately have not been able to take pictures of each and every one that I make, but at least I got some pictures of my favorites so far.

This one was for little baby Beck and I absolutely love the way it came out!

I think this one that I made for little baby Blackburn has probably been my favorite so far and I think it turned out great! I was afraid that the polka dot theme was going to be a little much (the light pink fabric is even polka dot!) but I love the finished product. :)

In all the blankets only take me about 6-7 hours to make a piece with the cutting taking the most time! Oh, how I love my rotary cutter and self-healing mat. My squares are measured at 5.5 inches and the rows are 7x7 to make the full quilt.

Well, I have my fabric picked out for the next few blankets that I'm going to make, here's hoping that I get to actually make one for me in the future!

Sewing Sensation

2010-07-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

For my birthday last year Michael went with me to pick out my present from Target, a brand new Brother Sewing Machine. I had never really sewed in the past other than in 7th grade Home Ec when I made a pillow, or the very few times my mother tried to teach me, but I have recently developed a lot of interest in learning how to sew.

I have to say that now that I have the hang of it, I absolutely love it! I really enjoy making baby blankets, and since there are about 1-2 babies born in my ward each month (yes, each MONTH) I've kept myself pretty busy, and I hope to get pictures on here of some of the blankets I have made in the past.

I was inspired by my friend Tiffani, and ideally what I wanted to do was work on a project each week, not only sewing but all sorts of projects, and post about them on my blog. Unfortunately my computer is not happy with my crafty ambitions and no longer lets me upload pictures unless I copy from a CD. This means that I have to take a trip to CVS, but I am able to make it there only every so often. I wish I didn't have close to 800 pictures waiting to be put on CD!

Anyway, here is one of my first attempts using a pattern and it was very frustrated but I love making purses now. If anyone is interested this is Simplicity Pattern #2685.

Work in Progress

Finished Project

In all the purse took me about 5-6 hours and only cost me $8.00 thanks to some really great coupons from Joann Fabrics. I have to say that my first attempt at sewing was a success even though it had it's many frustrating moments.

Who Says You Can't Teach Creativity?

2010-07-15T13:01:00.001-07:00

If one of my students was this funny and creative I just might have to give them an A! Just another reason why I love failblog.org and teaching. You never know that those kids are going to come up with.

Hair today, gone tomorrow...

2010-07-11T00:33:00.000-07:00

So, I chopped off about 8" of hair a couple of months ago and I am just now getting around to blogging about it. After 4 years of growing my hair out non-stop, ever since I had a horror story involving a stylist who thought a bob would be more suiting on me than the picture of the adorable shoulder-length do I gave them, I finally pulled myself together and cut some serious inches of my hair and dyed it a rich chocolate brown to boot. I love the new style. It makes me feel like one less blonde in California and I love being able to use a lot less shampoo and conditioner than I did before now. I'm so glad I have a great hair-stylist friend in my church ward here in LA. Thanks Kelli!

The before, this picture was taken when I went to Burbank to visit with an old friend Rachelle from Cincinnati and was taken around May.

The after, just a few weeks ago at my 'lil brother's wedding. Pardon the cookie, but this was the only picture could get to load. :)

Ode to a Novel...

2010-06-27T23:13:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE to read and I am so thankful that I met and married someone who also has a love for books, as I do. Not only do I love to read, but I often read a couple of books at a time as well as listen to a book on CD in my car to make my 30 minute commute to and from work much more enjoyable.

Because it is officially summer and recommendations abound, I thought I would throw my two cents into the ring and offer up some of my favorite books for the reading pleasure of others. These are the top TEN books I have read this past year, but by no means are these my favorite books of all time, because that would be a whole different post. Let me know if any of you have read these titles and also what you thought of them. Thanks!

#10 Atonement - I especially recommend this novel if you have NEVER seen the movie.

#9 Year of Wonders

#8 Catching Fire - 2nd novel in the Hunger Games trilogy

#7 Life of Pi

#6 The Time-Traveler's Wife

#5 Hunger Games - such a page-turner, I think I read this book and it's second in the series in 3 days

# 4 Charlie and The Chocolate Factory - Oh, how I love Roald Dahl!

#3 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

#2 The Road - another page-turner! So incredibly well-written and I can't wait to read other books by Cormac McCarthy

#1 To Kill a Mockingbird*

By the way, I highly recommend the website Shelfari.com. I love keeping up with all the books that I read on it as well as keeping track of those that I want to read in the future. It has great features and allows you to add your virtual bookshelf to your blog as well as "friend" others on the site to keep up with great book recommendations. If you join, you will have to "friend" me on it. Happy Reading!

*Definitely now one of my favorite books of all-time

My Little Brother's Gotten Hitched!

2010-06-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

This post is to congratulate my little brother Stephen and his new bride Stacie on their wedding. I was able to make the trip to Provo, Utah the weekend of the 12th and I had such a wonderful time with my family! Michael's niece was married in SLC the same day so he was able to make the trip as well but DROVE to Utah last minute!

We had almost everyone there, which consisted of me and Michael, my parents, 6 of my siblings, 4 of their spouses and 10 of their children, all in one house for the weekend. Due to the fact that my computer still will not allow me to upload pictures, (hence the few and far between posts I've added to my blog) I've borrowed a few from family! Thanks Kristi and Christine.

Stephen and Stacie - Manti Temple

Michael and me at the Temple waiting for the newly married couple!

All but one the sisters with Dad

Stephen and Stacie's departure after the reception!

Congratulations Stephen and Stacie! We are so excited for you and wish you many wonderful years of happiness!

I also have to congratulate Michael's niece and her husband on their marriage as well. Becky and Jarom were married in the Salt Lake City Temple on the same day and will be moving to Pensacola, Florida soon. We are so happy for you two! YAY for weddings!

Talented Los Angeles

2010-06-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

America's Got Talent aired this week and although I'm not typically a viewer of the program me and a couple of the girls who live in my building got tickets to the show when they filmed here in Los Angeles. The show took place at the Orpheum theater downtown back at the end of March and the show was really fun to watch and the theater was truly beautiful. I had a lot of fun and describe the show as a very entertaining talent show with some amazing performers mixed into the bunch. A couple of my favorites were a cute little mormon girl from BYU who plays the violin to pop music while dancing and this guy.

Like I said, it was a lot of fun to watch and I love taking advantage of such awesome shows. I now have on my list Dancing with the Stars, American Idol and America's Got Talent. And did I mention these shows are all for free? Now I just need to add some late night comedy shows such as Craig Ferguson (and Craig Kilborn!! Oh, how I've missed you) to my list. Oh, and it won't be complete until I've attended So You Think You Can Dance. I love living in L.A.

Blackberries

2010-05-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

I bought some beautiful blackberries today from the market and I couldn't wait to take them home. I must admit that upon arrival at my apartment I proceeded to eat half a carton of them while standing in front of the open refrigerator. I was taken back to my hometown of Tallahassee walking through the woods around our house in High Grove picking wild blackberries and arguing with my older brother and sister about who's just had the sweetest one, or who's found and eaten the most.

I love things that take me back to being a child, especially when it had to do with my old home. Another fond memory was of swimming in the pool all day long on the 4th of July and eating watermelon just after my dad sliced it and spitting the seeds as far as I could and lighting sparklers once it was dark enough. I practically lived in my bathing suit as child and I really miss those carefree southern days in the sun.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

2010-05-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday my friend Cassie and I decided to make a yummy and unique treat for a Stampin' Up! get together that I planned. After looking through a couple of cookbooks, such as Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, and also a few blogs, we decided on these very pretty and somewhat simple Pink Lemonade cupcakes from the blog Cast Sugar. They turned out great, although I would recommend sticking to the recipe when it comes to the amount of lemonade concentrate you add to the buttercream frosting, we went a bit crazy and ours came out a tad too tart! But still very yummy!!

I hope you enjoy them. They were so pretty with the pink frosting and hot pink sugar.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

Pinch salt

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 egg whites

1/3 c. thawed frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate

1/4 c. buttermilk

2 or more drops red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with liners.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites and lemonade concentrate. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until just smooth. Add just enough food coloring to turn the batter a light shade of pink.

Scoop batter into liners (fill about three-fourths full). Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting (see below).

Lemonade Buttercream:

3 c. + 3 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

1/8 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. pink lemonade concentrate

Red food coloring

Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, lemon juice concentrate, and a few drops of food coloring to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the buttercream is fluffy and uniformly pink. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

Gently Down the Stream...

2010-04-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

This is why I like the website engrish.com, otherwise known as the website that compiles funny interpretations of the english language from other languages. This is definitely one of my favorites.

Oh, Tallahassee!

2010-04-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

The latest post on Design Sponge makes me nostalgic for my hometown of Tallahassee, Florida. I miss so many things about my childhood and where I lived until I was 17-years-old, so I was very excited to see that the d*s city guide series has come out with a great Tallahassee, Florida guide and I absolutely love the guide cover with the capitol buildings. I would love to frame it!

The d*s city guide series also has a great guide to Cincinnati, Ohio, where Michael and I lived for 5 years, as well as great destinations such as Savannah, Georgia, Paris France, and Dublin, Ireland. Just go to http://www.designspongeonline.com/ and check the city guides on the left-hand side.

I think it's high time I travel back to my hometown of Tallahassee, Florida. I really miss where I grew up.

Toy Story 3

2010-04-27T11:28:00.001-07:00

Pixar is not only amazing for the sheer volume of quality movies it puts out (The Incredibles and Toy Story are my favorites) but also for how creative they are in "re-introducing" to the general public a particular toy from the 80's that never even existed only for the sake of Toy Story 3's release. This is great and it really reminds me of how fun the toys were back in the decade of which I grew up. Enjoy the Commercial and all its 80's glory and get yourself prepared for Disney Pixar's Toy Story 3.

It's show time...

2010-04-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

One perk of living in Los Angeles is having the ability to be part of the show taping process and being within a few miles of all the major tv broadcasting channels such as NBC, FOX, CBS, ABC, you name it, I've had some really fun experiences. Tickets are actually pretty easy to come by if you want to sit through a taping of Doctor Phil or Disney's Sonny with a Chance, but neither of these interest me. I'm still waiting for my tickets to the Ellen Degeneres show and American Idol, which have huge wait lists for both! Think at least 9 month!!

So you can see how excited I was to find out last minute that I got tickets to "Dancing with the Stars for tonight's results show! I can't wait. Unfortunately, no one who lives around me in LA can make it, only *those who live in other cities wish they could be here. So, this means that I will be attending a taping of DWTS all by my lonesome. Luckily I found out that the LA library branch just a couple of blocks away from where the tv studio is (and did I mention a couple of blocks from where I work) happens to finally have the novel **CATCHING FIRE in for me to pick up. So, at least I have a great book to read while standing in line by myself.

So, keep an eye out for me on the results show tonight of DWTS. I'm giddy about seeing my BF Evan Lysacek... and I'm intrigued to see exactly what the bachelor, Jake Pavelka, saw in Vienna... Blah!

And a side note. You'll have to look for me as well on the episode of America's Got Talent in June when they came to Los Angeles. I actually went to the show taping back in the beginning of March but they don't premiere the show until June. THAT was a really fun show to attend and I can't wait to get some more show tickets in the future for some more amazing shows. :)

*I'm thinking of Dee Ann, Kimberly, Heather and of course you Grandma!!

** CATCHING FIRE is the sequel to the amazing novel THE HUNGER GAMES. If you haven't read it yet you're missing out!! It's truly a wonderful book.

A few of my favorite things...

2010-04-12T20:25:00.001-07:00

These are a few of my favorite things:

Santa Monica Beach on a beautiful sunny day. Last Thursday happened to be one of them. Perfection.

Trader Joe's Orange Chicken. Yum.

Watching Evan Lysacek on Dancing with the Stars. Because watching him win gold in the Olympics wasn't enough. :)

Instant Motivation

2010-04-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

I love this calendar and can't wait to make one for myself! Isn't it great?! It instantly motivates me to become more crafty.

Here a few great websites that I love right now.

http://jenduncan.typepad.com/

http://www.modabakeshop.com/

EARTHQUAKE!!!

2010-04-04T22:37:00.001-07:00

I felt my first Earthquake today! Michael and I were watching some television when I felt like the futon was rocking and asked him if he was shaking his foot or rocking the bed and he very calmly replied, "no, that's an earthquake." To which I promptly freaked out! I've never felt an earthquake before and it was definitely a strange experience.

After noticing that the futon rocking I noticed that the vertical blinds were moving back and forth and I got the strange sensation that I was on a boat rocking back and forth. I've always heard that to those experiencing an earthquake it feels like it lasts for minutes when it is only a few seconds and it really did feel as though it was lasting quite some time, even though it was only about 20-30 seconds. Nonetheless, it was strange and left me a feeling a little disoriented and actually a little bit nauseated.

Apparently, it was caused by a 7.2 magnitude quake that hit Mexico some 200 miles away and we felt the rolling of the quake but not the jerky, shaking motions that others closer to the fault line felt. This definitely makes me want to go tomorrow and stock up on a few 72-hour kits for the future.

2010-03-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with stop motion videos right now. Here are a couple of my favorites. I hope you enjoy!

Earth Hour 2010

2010-03-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

The countdown is on for Earth Hour 2010. Please join me in the efforts of preserving our beautiful world by participating in this hour long event and making a statement by turning off your lights and other plugged -in electronics on Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 PM local time.

Visit the website for more information at MyEarthHour.org to learn all about the efforts being made to spread the word. This started out as a small hour long event in Sydney, Australia and has become something worldwide in only 3 short years and that is truly Amazing!

Last year consisted of me reading a book by candlelight (which was actually very nice) and I may have a repeat of that again this year... or maybe a candlelit dinner with the husband. :)

SAVE THE PEAK!

2010-03-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

There's nothing I love more than classic americana. It makes me heartsick when I see a rusted and abandoned Drive-In movie screen or a 1950's gas station with boarded up windows

, so when I found out that the mountain peak next to the Hollywood sign is in danger of being developed into "prime real estate apartment complexes" it made me feel sick. If you are interested in learning about the SAVE THE PEAK FOUNDATION, than you need to read all about the efforts being taken to buy the peak and preserve a piece of classic americana from property owners in Chicago. Yes, Chicago! So, read all about the Foundation and donate if you can!

I love seeing the Hollywood sign every time I drive into Hollywood for work and would hate to see it spoiled by giant apartment buildings.

Ode to Design Sponge

2010-03-14T17:41:00.001-07:00

I love the Design Sponge Online website and all that it has to offer. I can't get enough of the recipes, DIY projects and such. I have been so inspired! (I seriously could lose a few hours a day on there, and practically feel no remorse.)

I've started a new section of my blog to the right where I highlight a great craft found on the internet, many with tutorials, and I've decided to post those that I either am working on that week or just love and hope to work on the in future. This week I've posted the tutorial on a Hidden Jewelry Case.

I'm not sure when I am going to get to this next project but I hope to soon! I just wanted to share it will all of you because it is so creative and pretty, not to mention smart and in my case will clear the jewelry clutter and confine it to a nice place. I've also thought about mounting a small mirror to the back of the painting/picture as well.

Enjoy, and don't forget to take a look through the Design Spong e Online website. You won't regret it, I promise!!

The future of Pizza boxes -

2010-03-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

I want to know why we haven't been using these before now. Not that I eat a whole lot of delivery pizza, but nonetheless...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQBjJjpkjl0&feature=fvst

Happy Anniversary!!

2010-03-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

For the past 6 years I have been married to the most amazing man.

Here's to another 66 (at least)!

Happy Anniversary, Michael.

Valentine's, Birthdays and an Engagement, oh my!

2010-02-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

First, I have to start off by giving a big "Happy Birthday" shout-out to such a great husband. Michael turned 29 yesterday on the 15th and we celebrated by having a very delicious dinner at our friend Eric's house in Santa Monica. And since Michael has a twin, I want to be sure to send a "Happy Birthday" gretting to the best sister-in-law in the world, Tish.

YEAH!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU GUYS!!!

As for Valentine's day, we simply went to church and took a nap and gave each other our presents, a rose and chocolates for me and some more chocolates for Michael. Also, my brother and his girlfriend (who happens to now be his fiance) came to LA to spend some time at Disneyland and stayed with us for a few days. Because she is a super-fanatic about Disneyland, he proposed to her during the fireworks on the 12th. Congratulations! And we can't wait to have you in the family Stacie!

Well, since we still don't have a way to upload pictures and now we have very limited internet access (our computer broke) I haven't been updating more than every few months. As soon as I'm able to I am going to do my top moments of the past few months. We've done a lot of great stuff, but I don't really care to post without pictures, and that's why you have not heard of any of it. So, look for my TOP MOMENTS LIST soon!

Would you like fries with that?

2010-01-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

Granted, the weather in California is beautiful and I have loved living here in LA with it's abundance of sunshine, warm breezes and palm trees, but this week it has rained and rained and rained non-stop. I feel a little spoiled when I get annoyed by rain now, but I have to go off a little bit and vent my frustration over the fact that there are FOUR, count them, FOUR Chase Bank branches within a 2 mile radius of my house BUT not a single one has a drive-thru window! Yes, the weather is conducive to walking the 20 feet into the building of the local bank but lately it has not been, and as anyone who knows LA traffic and parking, you can never find a place to temporarily park your car so you can make the 5 minute errand into the bank. And no, I would not like to park my car valet to deposit my check. Any money I have I don't want to unnecessarily give it away before I even make it into the bank. With that said, I've loved wearing flip-flops in January, rolling down my windows the windows the week before Christmas and wearing a t-shirt when I go on walks. Okay. I'm done.

P.S. I'm waiting to get my camera back from my parents house (I left it there over X-MAS break) and I haven't wanted to post anything because I wanted to give visuals. Anyway, keep your eyes peeled for a top 10 list of things that have happened with the Smith family since, say about October.

Cards Galore...

2009-11-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

So, in anticipation of Christmas in a little over a month I've keep myself pretty busy making Holiday cards and I thought I would share some of my creations with everyone. I've decided to sell a few of my Christmas cards in a box set of 9, that includes 3 each of the 3 following cards.

- 3 Christmas Snowman Cards -

- 3 Snowflake Cards - and

- 3 Christmas Truck Cards -, nine cards altogether for $1o.

I love creating cards using StampinUp! and these are high quality inks and stamps used here, and they are absolutely adorable.

Also, as an added bonus I'm going to do a little giveaway that will end in about a week, Monday the 30th of November. For each box set of cards purchased I am going to give away an additional 4 Birthday cards. So, all you have to do is buy a box set and you can possibly receive 4 free birthday cards with your order. ALSO, just for blogging about my cards on your blog I will do another random giveaway for two free Birthday cards (just be sure to leave me a comment in this post with a link to your blog so I can check it out.) So, buy a box set and you can possibly receive 4 free cards, and simply blog about my Cards and you can possibly receive 2 free cards. Wow!! That's a lot of cards!!

So, remember, the giveaway's end next Monday night, the 30th at midnight, but card purchases can be made right up until Christmas, and there is no limit to the amount of cards that you buy. I hope you enjoy!!

I can take payment through Paypal or you can simply email me about payment at jayna119@gmail.com. Thanks!

*Cards do not include envelopes. :)

Cupcake? What's that?

2009-11-06T15:47:00.001-08:00

Okay, I am a little obsessed with cupcakes right now. I love the fact that they are adorable, yummy, little treats in a petite size. Today after work I celebrated the landing of another morning part-time job with a cupcake from Buttercake Bakery here in LA. Delicious! I had the sprinkled chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting and of course I had to get a coconut cupcake for Michael to enjoy later. My favorite cupcakes are from Magnolia Bakery in New York City, but Buttercake is a very close second and only .4 miles away, not 3,000.

Assorted Cupcakes from Buttercake Bakery

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween, mostly because I love the fall and I love candy. I also love watching Spriket24 videos on Youtube.com. Karen Alloy is pretty funny and I've decided to give you a taste of what her humor is all about. Also she's had a couple of Emmy Nominations and even won one for her video 2012. Happy Halloween and stay clear of those zombies!!

Rude Neighbor...

2009-10-30T02:38:00.003-07:00

Hello inconsiderate neighbor,

I come to you from the (un)comforts of my desk chair with a message. For the sake of those who share walls with you, please refrain from blaring your dance party music throughout the night. I know that your neighbors sleeping on a weeknight is obviously the least of your concerns right now, what, with the singing to Beyonce at the top of your lungs thinking your all booty-licious too, but some of us enjoy the wee small hour of 3:00am and all that R.E.M. sleep has to offer.

Signing off in the hopes that I can still salvage some of the remaining nighttime with my head sandwiched between two pillows for the small amount of muffling it affords me from the words of "Umbrella."

Sincerely,

Your kind neighbor who does nothing but smile and open the door to your constant drunken knocking at midnight just to pet my cats, while I roll my eyes behind your back.

Halloween isn't Halloween without Candy Corn!

2009-10-29T18:34:00.001-07:00

Since Michael and I have moved into an apartment with a security door we don't plan on having any trick-or-treaters this year, but what is Halloween (BOO!) without sneaking some of the candy meant for those doorbell ringers. Well, to satiate my sweet tooth this year I decided to limit myself to cheap candy that is still festive and I decided on these yummies, Brach's Milk Maid Caramel Candy Corn. I enjoy candy corn anyway but I've discovered that these are delicious, even more so than normal candy corn. Their only 88cents at Rite Aid so you should try them. The only problem is that since they aren't individually wrapped I just keep eating away at them. I think I need to go and buy another bag... and I've just discovered that they also make Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn and Caramel Apple Candy Corn. YUM YUM!

Glamerican Idol

2009-10-27T20:00:00.005-07:00

Was it Adam's idea to channel 1972 broadway vibes of Xanadu for his cover? I think so.

Oh, Adam Lambert. You're so pretty... (Note the sarcasm).

I actually detested every performance by Adam Lambert on American Idol. Don't even get me started...

Cross Country Move/Road Trip: Part 4

2009-10-16T19:17:00.004-07:00

Okay boys and girls, I think it's about time we wrapped this up, because honestly, I'm getting tired of posting about our move! :)

Michael and I stayed in Ogden with my sister Dee Ann and her family for a couple nights and we had a great time since some of my other family members came to visit including my sister Kristi, my two nieces Aubree and Jessica, and Jessica's husband Leard, as well as my brother Steve and his girlfriend Stacy. We had a fun night eating cupcakes and playing games. Dee Ann insisted on my putting on my glasses because I couldn't see the cards very well while we were playing. JK!

From there we went to my parent's house to stay with my best friend Martha (who happens to be house-sitting for my parent's while they are on their mission.) While in Bountiful I got to have a great girls dinner with some old high school girlfriends, Martha, Brooke, Heather, and Melinda, as well as get together at my fav sister-in-law Tish's house where Michael's mom was able to come as well.

After leaving Bountiful we stopped in Provo to have dinner with Steve and Stacy at Guru's (love that place!) and then we made the 4 hour drive down to Hurricane, Utah to stay and visit Zion National Park. It was absolutely beautiful. I had never been so Michael and I decided to hike the Narrows. It was AMAZING!! The Narrows are a skinny river-like part of Zion that cuts through these amazing cliffs.

You pretty much walk through the river the entire time and at one point you have to walk in water up to your waist.

It was so much fun and Michael and I had such an awesome time there, even though it wore us out pretty quickly, Michael even fell asleep on the tram back to the parking lot... :)

From Zion we drove the final few hours to Los Angeles our new home! This picture is of Michael's car somewhere in California! I still can't believe his car made it the entire way! Notice that it has no front bumper. That is the least of it's problems...

So, in all we drove a total of 2,917 miles through 14 states. It was an amazing trip and we had so much fun! Let's just hope that in 3 years when Michael is done with his Master's at UCLA we don't decide to move to Boston Massachusetts or something like that!!

Cross Country Move/Road Trip: Part 3

2009-10-13T14:49:00.007-07:00

Ready for the next installment? Because I am!

After leaving the Muldowney's home in Sheridan, Wyoming we drove through Yellowstone National Park. It was beautiful and we wished we had more time to spend since there was so much to see and because it is such a large Park. In the few hours we managed to get up close and personal with a couple of different Bison, one was simply walking down the street next to us. Unfortunately, even though I got it on video, the computer isn't allowing me to upload it.

We also made it in time to see Old Faithful erupt, walk around some bubbling and boiling hot springs and wind our way around the Yellowstone lake on our drive. It was such a beautiful park and it was worth driving through on our way to Idaho Falls to stay with one of my sisters and her family.

Some of my favorite pictures are the ones I've posted. It was really pretty to see how Old Faithful would create its own rainbow from its spray and how high it could reach. Although Michael fell asleep on the bench waiting for it to erupt he still enjoyed it once it did.

Some of these last pictures were from the hot springs and how much steam the produced. We saw them pretty late in the day so we weren't able to see all of the beautiful colors that they produce in the water, but they were still beautiful and interesting all the same.

I though this poster was funny. They had it up all over the hot springs area. Notice the sister freaked out and the father walking away oblivious to the son/boy scout walking in the hot springs! It was pretty funny to me.

After leaving the park we drove a few hours to Idaho Falls to stay with my sister Sheri and her family. They took us out to dinner that night which was great because we were famished from all of our driving and sight-seeing that day. The following day we were supposed to drive down to Ogden, Utah to stay with my other sister Dee Ann and her family but we had little bit of a "cat disappearing act" that caused us a delay. Apparently, after I loaded up the car and put the two cats in, Sadie, the fluffy one, decided to hide under the driver's seat for about 3 hours. We thought she had jumped out of the car while I had the door open so after searching for her all over Sheri's yard I sat down in the driveway with the car in view and I see her pop up in the window. We only got to Dee Ann's house about 4 hours after we originally planned to! Sorry Dee Ann!

Well, I'm tired out from blogging. More in Part 4!

Cross Country Move/Road Trip: Part 2

2009-10-10T21:54:00.005-07:00

More from our Move! After leaving Devil's Tower, we had the opportunity to stay with some of our great friends the Muldowney's in Sheridan, Wyoming. We had such a wonderful time relaxing for a couple of nights with them playing games, eating their yummy cooking and hanging out with their two sons. They have an adorable family and one of their sons, Isaac, heard Michael call me honey when we first got to their home so for the remainder of our stay he called me "honey." That and uncle Jayna. He was so cute! Anne made some of the most amazing desserts, and while we were there we had a nice day of walking to the post office and spending time in the backyard while Michael took a painting lesson from Ryan at the college where he teaches. Here a couple of pictures from our stay. We didn't take many but thanks Ann for the ones you sent.