B is for Bryant...a collection of sorts from the lives of Eric & Kimi

Happy Birthday to my Mom

2011-02-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

I stayed home today because I was sick - what did I do? Coughed a lot, slept and blogged. I also purchased flowers to be delivered to my mom in Bakersfield. I was so sad to not have seen her on her birthday this year. We planned on going home but there was an awful storm headed our way and the 5 North through the grapevine was closed. I really wish there was a way I could bake a cake and send it to her and it not be damaged. Next year is the BIG 6-0 for her! I can't believe she's 59 years young. She looks amazing. I want to age just like her! So I remembered the website classmates.com - and I just subscribed to a 24 hour access and found her yearbook from Delano High. Talk about a blast from the past!

Now of course I had to put a more recent picture of her - she'd be mad at me if I didn't hehe. She just looks so great!

These are the flowers I sent her; she called me this afternoon and said she wasn't expecting such a surprise. I'm sure glad I bought them! Happy 59th Birthday, Mama!

Spring is almost here!

2011-02-28T12:55:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been quite awhile since I've posted - I guess I've been wrapped a lot into Facebook. I guess it would be best to summarize 2010 like this:

How Eric and Kimi spent 2010...

1. Moved to Laguna Niguel *score since so close to the beach*
2. Working at the same company - Southern California Edison. (I will sure miss the days when we spent lunch together, it was a great hubby/wife bonding experience).
3. Showed Mayra & Jose Mission Viejo during 4th of July.
4. Kimi was in TWO weddings - Kim & Daniel's/Millie & Eddie's. Both very beautiful and very hot in weather LOL.
5. Eric received his Associate of Arts degree in Biology from Bakersfield College *WTG Eric!*
6. Quite possibly the best Christmas ever (family and friends were surely missed).
7. Eric officially transferred to Cal State Fullerton *Go Titans!*
8. Survived teaching the Valiant 10 Primary Class...who knew what else we had in stored in 2011.
9. Celebrated the first year as husband and wife; we went to Newport Beach and Balboa Park.
10. Disneyland annual passes... :)

So as we already are in February (last day actually), what have we done so far in 2011?

1. Kimi has managed to become sick at least twice so far. NOT FUN.
2. We have been called to Sunbeams 3...and it's taking every fiber of our being to survive LOL.
3. We are enjoying our 50" plasma TV by watching Greek, Glee and Modern Family.
4. Eric has surprised Kimi by a very romantic music concert at CSUF's Concert Hall for Valentine's.
5. Celebrated Elana's 1st Birthday in a VERY cold, outrageously windy, Bakersfield afternoon.
6. Kimi is in ANOTHER wedding...Amanda and Ron's in late September of this year. LAST ONE, I SWEAR.
7. We plan to take a big trip in May..if all plans go well!

Fall!

2010-11-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

Yay! Fall is finally here...now if I can only figure out how to light our gas fireplace :) Scratch that, I've learned thanks to YouTube, however I am trying to find the faux logs for cheap since they are about $50 at Lowe's. Dislike.

I forgot to post that we went to Vegas this summer - it was BLAZING hot and the traffic was the most horrid thing I've ever experienced. I've learned a few things -

1. I will never live in Vegas, EVER.
2. Even if you're from Bakersfield, Vegas' air feels like a solar flare on your face.
3. I have more fun spending my money on food and shopping than gambling.
4. Even though I am biased, Vegas has some pretty awesome Elvis impersonators.
5. Don't drive to Vegas - or leave on Sunday since you'll be stuck in traffic for 8 hours. I'll fly next time.

One of our favorite places in NYC is found at Caesar's - Serendipity's III. My treat is the Frozen Hot Chocolate - VERY enjoyable in the heat. YUM. Also, Serendipity's has the best sweet potato fries! DOUBLE YUM.

So we went to Downtown Disney early October (eventually we'll get our annual passes). We were hankerin' for some Beignets from the Jazz Kitchen. Mmmm they were so good, I ended up saving my last one for Sunday morning :)

We celebrated our 2nd Halloween together as Mr. & Mrs. Bryant in Laguna Niguel (we surely missed our friends back home, but next year maybe!). We didn't dress up since it was so cold and rainy - but we splurged on a huge pumpkin from the pumpkin patch in Laguna Hills - to our dismay though we never even had a chance to carve it, it decomposed early in our living room. LOL.

Eric started work as a Steam Maintenance Helper at Southern California Edison. It's only temporary, but he's making good money. Unfortunately, he'll soon be on graves and :( Oh well, we're saving up for a new TV and possibly a new car next year. We most likely will spend Thanksgiving here in Laguna, sad since Thanksgiving is one of our most favorite holidays to spend with family. It'll just be this year and next year we'll make sure to make it up. Excited to bake Pumpkin pie and try out some new cookie recipes. I guess I can count my blessings that I won't have to plan to cook as much as I usually do! ;)

June Bloom

2010-06-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, so everyone is talking about "June Bloom". This terminology is NEW to me lol. Wikipedia says it's a So Cal term for a weather pattern that results in overcast skies with cool temperatures. So indeed, it is June Bloom.

My birthday came and went in May - Eric surprised me with a lovely weekend getaway to
Cardiff by the sea. I did not know where we were going until we reached Encinitas - I got off of work late and then we headed south in the lovely Friday traffic. But oh, was it romantic! He reserved a lovely Bed & Breakfast - which was finely named, "Cardiff by the Sea". We were able to pick our themed room; one by one we were led to the available rooms. There was a French Country room, which was not my style lol. We saw the Santa Fe room which donned pieces like Navajo art and a huge jacuzzi in the living room. The room we picked however was the Tommy Bahamas room. We laughed at it because we went to the Bahamas on our Honeymoon and apparently that's what we like. It was a fabulous room with a rain shower and adorable flower sinks. There were mirrors near the bar area and on the ceiling LOL and a nice, big flat screen tv :)We dined at a local Italian restaurant and then adjourned to the hot tub on the roof terrace under the stars. It was honestly the most relaxing, romantic weekend ever! I heart my hubby.

Our laptop crashed and therefore resulting in Eric sulking for awhile - we just received our new computer, hence me having time to blog! We're loving it in South Orange County - many things to see and places to eat. The people here are quite friendly and wonderful; I've made a few friends from Visiting Teaching and glad to be in the Marina Hills Ward.

We're going to the Temple today, the Newport Temple for the first time, too! We originally had set the Newport Temple as our Temple to get sealed in but it was under maintenance. Hindsight I'm so happy that we chose the Los Angeles Temple, it's simply my favorite - even though Oakland comes in close second - has to, that's where he proposed! Anyway, I'm exciting to share these spiritual experiences with my husband and to serve in the church the best way I can.

Today will also consist of cleaning - I'm on a 'purge' attitude. I'm not nesting (even though a baby sounds so good right now) but I'm wanting to clear things in our apartment that aren't needed. Mainly it's my stuff from college and just random stuff from the wedding. Any ideas on how to start this huge project of mine?

Veggie Delights

2010-05-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

So what have we been up to since the last post, honestly a whole lot lol. Primary has been going well, it's a bit overwhelming for me since I've never worked with this age group. I've had either 2-3 year olds or teenagers. Pre-teens are definitely a different breed. I have my work cut out for me. lol.

Kim and Daniel got married last week! It was such a beautiful ceremony and everything went well. I had a great time getting ready with the bridesmaids and all in all it was a wonderful weekend with friends and family.

We went to the San Diego Temple yesterday for a session and it we had a wonderful time. They are currently working on leaks throughout the temple so one of the towers were covered. It was a great time and I cannot wait to go back.

Eric received a Bakersfield College Alumni Association scholarship! I'm so proud of him; with great efforts he was a selected few to receive this award and we greatly appreciate it. He has a Honor Reception that we are invited to attend on Friday, but unfortunately we will not be in Bakersfield. He can use the scholarship either at Saddleback or wherever he transfers (UCI, hopefully?!). Anyway, he has earned this and I'm so proud of him.

So for the month of May (May is the greatest month btw since my birthday is in it), Eric and I have decided to try some new vegetarian dishes. No, do not fear fellow meat-lovers we are not going to the dark side, we just want to try some different dishes and eat a bit healthier since we are getting older *sigh*. Now don't get me wrong, I'll never turn down a good piece of tri-tip or Caribbean Jerk Chicken, but it wouldn't hurt to make some veggie dishes. Wish me luck!

New beginnings....in a different way!

2010-04-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Eric and I received our new callings! Not only did we receive a calling in Primary but a JOINT calling lol. I'm excited to start this new calling but I'm super nervous since I'll be in Primary! I've NEVER been in Primary lol. Lately I've been listening to the songs and memorizing them for the most part, but it'll be different from Young Women's that's for sure.

I'm excited to use my visual aids in teaching, since that's my style. It's the Valiant 10 class with about 5 girls and 1 boy, should be very interesting.

If anyone has any tips on this class or Primary in general, I'd greatly appreciate it. We're teaching in the Primary 6 book: The Old Testament. I always love those stories and better yet the kids won't know them as well as the Book of Mormon stories so that's going to be a relief lol.

April showers...

2010-04-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

So we've moved! We're currently in the beautiful city of Laguna Niguel and enjoying the beach breeze. After many months of prayer, fasting and faith I was hired at Southern California Edison. We quickly jumped on the opportunity to live in a new area and for Eric to continue his education in Southern California.
We love our new apartment, even though it's a downsize from our town-home (we love you Panorama Pines!). We live at Pointe Niguel Apartment Homes now and it's so close to the beach, dining and shopping that we've had our hands full each day with new places to eat and see. Eric will start summer school at Saddleback College to finish up his A.A's in Biology and Spanish and will be soon applying to the universities nearby. He's been searching for laboratory jobs and anything at the hospitals nearby, so hopefully he will find something rewarding here as he did at KMC.

My new job has been keeping me quite busy; I'm in Talent Management with the Staffing Department at Edison and we're recruiting and hiring everyday. It's really rewarding to see someone who has trouble finding a job as I have, gain a great position at Edison. It's extremely fulfilling to know that there are good people around and they care about what they do.

I think our biggest transition, besides being away from my parents is going to a new ward for church. We've met the most amazing people in First Ward and will always love them for what great friends they were and are to us.
We are now in the Marina Hills Ward; which thanks to boundaries is not in the Capristrano Ward like previously thought (which is like 3 miles away). Oh no, Marina Hills Ward is about 10 miles away and is in the most beautiful church building I have ever seen! Two wards meet at the same time, there is Chapel A and Chapel B. It's a highly active ward, full of newly married couples (sweet) and lots...I mean lots of children lol. The people there have been nothing but nice and surprisingly I've been learning in classes hah.

We are celebrating Eric's 26th (eek) birthday this weekend since his birthday falls on a Monday. Going up to Bakersfield to see friends and family. We sure miss everyone. We're really glad to be in Laguna but alas, there's no place like home. Until next time...

Lil bugs

2010-02-02T14:58:00.001-08:00

January brought the birth of baby Elana Lilly Quevedo. Amanda and I threw a baby shower for Mayra and were lucky to have it early since baby Elana came a few days in advance! She's such the sweetest little thing and we're so happy to have her in our lives. Such a bundle of joy and she's so funny with her facial expressions and personality. I can't wait until we have one of our own!

Happy New Year

2010-01-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

Cheers to 2010! I hope this year will be a better year. 2009 was good as far as good goes: I mean, we got married, went to the beautiful islands of the Bahamas, snowboarded in Park City and celebrated our first Christmas as husband and wife.
This year hopefully we will be blessed with financial stability and more! What I can say is that I've accomplished many great dishes over the last few months. For Christmas Day dinner I made lobster tail, veggies and mashed potatoes. I thought the lobster tails were going to be so easy; I tried to remove them from their bag and to my surprise I became a bit squeamish! They weren't the beautiful red color as you always see in restaurants and their legs were loose and out there. Looked like a radioactive roach lol. I sucked it up and laid them in about 3/4 cup of boiling water and let them steam for 7-8 minutes. I didn't have metal skewers but I recommend them- that way for asthetic reasons (they curl up a bit if not used).

Anyway, the other new thing I learned was the clarified butter. You know, that yummy liquid butter mixture at the restaurant were you can dip anything into it and it just be delightful? Yeah that. The clarified butter was pretty easy to make; I used 3 sticks of butter (cut into slices) and some lemons, zested. I used my Paula Deen small, heavy saucepan (what other way to melt butter than to give homage to Ms. Deen?!) and let that set under med-low heat. After melted, let it stand and then using a spoon remove the foam on top. Pour butter over lemon zest in a small bowl and discard the milk solids. So what exactly is clarified butter? In simple terms it's the separation of milk solids and water from the butterfat. Which equals YUM.

So on to other lovely things I have made! :D Breakfast is big in the Bryant house, so what better way to kick off a good day with french toast? Well I like to kick things up a notch and found a delightful receipe for Bananas Foster French Toast.
Here's the link...thanks again Ms. Deen Bananas Foster French Toast For Thanksgiving (lol I know these aren't in order) I used the turkey leftovers and made an amazing Turkey Pot Pie. Seriously, Marie Callendar's needs to eat her heart out. Delicious. Craving it right now. Really easy to make, too!

Ingredients

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line bottom of pie pan with crust. In a skillet saute the chopped onion until slightly soft and set aside.
2. Mix together the turkey or chicken, mixed vegetables, onion, soup and milk. Pour into pie crust, cover with top crust and crimp edges.
3. Poke holes in top crust and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

The other night I was craving kabobs; since we don't have a grill really thanks to our porch and the balcony right over it, I found a cool receipe that allowed kabobs to be used in the oven broiler. FYI make sure if you use wooden skewers like I did to soak them under water for at least 30 minutes, otherwise you can find metal skewers at a Bed, Bath and Beyond. Again, I wanted to challenge myself and put a twist to the normal kabob and add a Hoisin glaze (asian in me) with pineapple salsa. Yum! P.S. I used flank steak instead of pork and added some steamed rice!

Ingredients

1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes when slightly frozen
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon chile, minced
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
pepper, to taste
1 small firm fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions
1 Combine hoisin sauce, ketchup, chili,green onion, and ginger; set aside.
2 Season pork cubes with pepper. Thread pork and pineapple onto skewers; grill over direct heat for about 4 minutes, turn and glaze with hoisin mixture. Continue cooking on grill until pork browns, about 8-10 minutes total cooking time.

These are a few of my favorite things...

2009-12-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe how fast time flies! It's the Christmas season. What a joyous occasion to celebrate the Savior's birth with family and friends. I sit here tonight typing while I have our littlest cat, Meiko in my lap. It's times like these that make me happy I'm such a cat person, they really are wonderful creatures.

I haven't posted my latest receipes lately and it's such a bummer! I'll definately have to upload the pics in the next post, quite busy tonight, we are going tree hunting with my parents and then celebrating Rick's 26th birthday. Going to be a fun night...even with the chilly weather!

What I can post are some pictures from the Phi Sigma Sigma Alum Ornament Exchange. It was my first year going (have been an alumna since 2007) and I was very happy I went. Everyone was to bring an ornament of their choice (I bought mine at Pier 1, naturally) and a dish that would be entered in the best food contest. Our exchange was quite fun and entertaining, much stealing ornaments, "oooohs" and "ahhhhs".

I stole my ornament from Kara and felt so bad...but I really wanted them and so glad I took them lol. As for the best food contest, I entered a pampered chef chicken wreath that I have made in the past and it was a sure-fire winner (had to compete with Ashley since she made nutella crepes with strawberries...yum-o!).

All in all it was a fun event and I'm glad I saw some old faces...there was an announcement of a recent engagement and pregnancy (different sisters :D). So much fun!

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November...err 8th :)

2009-11-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

So I'm so happy it's November! My favorite time of the year: fall. Have been cooking/baking up a storm and preparing for Thanksgiving! I've been taking some classes at our local Williams Sonoma store and they're been very fun and helpful. I think I will do brining for the turkey this year; found a lovely apple cider one. Super excited!

I hung out with the girls on Thursday night at Amanda's new house and we ended up visiting a new place, Cafe Crepes. Ordered this delicious nutella w/ bananas crepe and I just had to re-create it. I made it the next morning for Eric. It's a surefire win! Changed the receipe with adding a whipped cream glaze...for added effect.

I have also been working on our second bedroom, the den, or as Eric likes to call it "The Man Cave". Trying my hardest to make sure it doesn't look that way. Things have been coming together nicely, however apprehensive to set everything up since we plan to move wherever/whenever I land a job. Hate moving lol. Trying my hardest not to think about it. Nothing is set in stone, but I have been applying not out of town. Hopefully our prayers will be answered shortly!

October so far...

2009-10-20T23:54:00.000-07:00

I was meaning to write a blog earlier this weekend but life happened :) Saturday morning I made Eric his favorite, Baked Apple Pancakes. I found the receipe in my Bon Appetit cookbook and fell in love. It's so yummy and so fun to make!

We had a very busy Sunday; went to Church, had grandma and grandpa Bryant over for pie and Kim and Daniel for dinner. For dinner I made margherita pizza and it was delicious! Next time though I'm going to transfer the dough directly onto the oven rack rather my pampered chef pizza stone. It was crispy...but not crispy enough ;) We enjoyed such a wonderful day but it ended up being so late for Eric to start on his homework.

Thursday of that same week, Eric started his internship at Kern Medical Center as a Research Assistant. I was really proud that he went for the position and there was a high volume of applicants. He was of select few. His job consists of doing respiratory research on patients, elbow constraints and SIDS research. He works in the ER and seems to be enjoying it all...even with doctors to my surprise. Friday he worked until midnight and I had to take a picture of him; his silly labcoat was the hardest to find in town considering many guys has his size. Who would have thought? I was a bit upset that the labcoat I bought for him last Christmas was too long from the hospital's standards, oh well he uses it for lab at school anyway.

I've been researching more about the CBEST and substitute teaching; while I've had preschool experience it's nothing like I would be doing for BCSD. I received an impression today while visiting the temple that I should try to do that for now. It's been rough on us, especially since this is our first year of marriage me not working. While I love the duties of being a housewife/homemaker, I want it to be on my terms. I miss work! Can you believe it? I miss being productive and being socially active in the workplace. Luckily I've been keeping myself busy with my church calling, volunteering any chance I can get and hanging out with good friends. The Lord has greatly blessed us and he keeps our heads held high during these rough times. I keep on telling Eric we should start a family with all my time off :) hahah that won't be discussed until next year. Oh well!

Oh, I almost forgot! We were BOO-ED last night while spending FHE at the West's (AND celebrating J's 19th!). It was super fun and we played the most outrageous game, "Bite the Bag". Instaneously laughter. We enjoyed our phantom goodies as well and thank you to whoever you are!

All I Want For Christmas

2009-10-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

I know it's a bit premature, however I tend to forget these things and when mom asks, "What do you want for Christmas?" I can now refer to this!

This summer I went to go see Julie & Julia with my mom; I really want to read the book now and I think I may just pick that up today since today is such a wonderful day to curl up next to a good book. I've always been a fan of Julia Child; my mom used to watch her on the tele *yes I am going to use that word!* and I foundly remember this stalky, tall woman bumbling around the kitchen and drinking lots of wine. lol. Wonderful childhood, right? I remember those memories of tv, shopping and cooking. What else is life about? :)

Anyway, the movie was quite spendid and I never understood why I didn't have Julia's cookbook. So that is all I want for Christmas, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking Box Set if possible. Thanks, Santa.

P.S. Tonight for dinner: Artichoke Chicken and Rice

1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts halves
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups converted rice
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper or pimiento
4 green onions, chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (use bouillon, canned, or base)
1 can cream of celery soup, low fat
1 can artichokes, quartered and drained

Preparation:
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Combine flour, cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture then brown in the hot oil. Transfer chicken to the slow cooker. In the hot skillet, saute bell pepper, green onions, and mushrooms for about 2 minutes; add chicken broth and soup, stirring to combine thoroughly; pour over chicken. Stir in rice and artichokes; cover and cook for 5 to 6 hours on low. Serves 6.

The Married Life

2009-10-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

We are married!!! It's been awhile since I have blogged, and oh have I missed it! I hardly doubt anyone reads my thoughts, but it's nice for me to have this posted and it gives me something to do while taking a break from searching for a job. Alas, I am still unemployed. It's been a blessing in disguise however, I have been quite the Suzy Homemaker if I do say so myself :) I have been making meals ever since we got back from our Honeymoon and I can brag that I have not duplicated one yet!

Last night we had shrimp with fetticine alfredo....with pumpkin whoopie cookies and pumpkin pie. Yes, lots to eat for breaking our fast lol. I think I'll post as much as I can with what is for dinner. I have been on my facebook, but this is nice, too. Possibly an electronic cookbook. hah.

We're Getting Married!

2009-07-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since the last post! Eric proposed when we went to The City (SF), well actually in Oakland at the Temple! Since then it's been a whirlwind of dates, meetings, online ideas, invitations, planning, preparing and craziness. 27 days to go and certaintly counting!!

The wedding is less than a month away (August 8th!) and we couldn't be happier. Yesterday was my bridal shower and a beautiful one I might add. I am so grateful for my wonderful friends and family; they really did "shower" me with gifts! My bridesmaids were amazing and made everything so beautiful. I especially loved my cake!

Lots of family and friends attended; we received so many gifts, it's such a blessing. Our first home may be little but it will be ours. I'm really excited in decorating! Mom and dad got us our front load washer and dryer! Super excited to have those in full swing. We are truly blessed.

We're almost done finalizing things...we got all the big things done, just now the zillion little ones. Hopefully things go according to plan and at the end of the day what matters most is that Eric and I will be sealed for time and all eternity! I cannot be happier than to marry this boy, I've already invested in waterproof makeup for the sealing. I practically bawled my eyes out when he proposed so I'm praying that I am sentimental come sealing time, but not a waterfall lol.

I started a website for our wedding, just some info for guests who have lost their invite, have forgotten to RSVP and needs reminding, etc. I hope everyone can come celebrate our love!

http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/pwp2/view/MemberPage.aspx?coupleId=9492304883891093

Memorial Day Fun

2009-05-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Even though I am not currently working, it was nice to observe a holiday :)

We ended up having a day full of fatty foods and swimming. Although I didn't get any pics of us in the pool...we're not exactly 5 years old anymore with such wonderful bodies, I was still able to get the sun I needed. LOL. The day consisted of turkey burgers (yum), a taco bar, homemade rootbeer (yes, a first for me) and homemade cinnamon rolls (told you it was a fatty foods day. Thanks, Rebecca).

All in all it was a wonderful day spent. Today I'm packing and planning for our trip to San Francisco. I am super excited for it, heard it was super cold. Time to bundle up in May. My 25th Birthday is this Saturday and I'm not too excited for it; I just want presents :D We're going to visit the Oakland Temple and hopefully do 2 of my family names!

I had a job interview last Friday after the week in Utah (I did a turnaround coming from Utah that Thursday night to Downey, CA around midnight...SUPER FUN.) The interview was in Newport Beach for the City of Newport as a HR Specialist. Why did I interview for an out of town job? Well, I simply can't find anything in town for HR. No one is hiring ironically for a HR Specialist in Recruiting. *sigh*. There are a lot of factors in play if I accept the job. I basically have to pray a lot for my answer on what step to take next in this chapter. Wish me luck...and pray! :)

It's hot as Hades

2009-05-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

So last week, and into this week I've been ill. Wednesday night at 11:30 pm is when it actually started. My stomach hurt so bad and I was throwing up every 15 minutes until 3 am-ish. This continued each day; I was so nauseous and could not hold down even a sip of water. What did/do I have? Some crazy stomach flu that has adapted to my body apparently.

Today is not so bad, but I'm extremely sensitve to everything I eat and very tired. Eric's grandma, Nina Jorgensen passed away last week and tomorrow is her viewing and service at 9 am at the A Street Building. We were fortunate to see her a lot the past couple of weeks with Cory's homecoming and such. Eric and I visited her at the hospital twice and dropped by some yellow roses. I am happy that she is finally without pain and can be with Grandpa Jorgensen. She was a wonderful woman and fun to talk with; she'll be missed but we'll meet again :) We're going to Utah on Tuesday for the actual burial and I'm hoping I can make the car ride since we are no longer flying. I hope my stomach will be ok by then; been on a light solid/liquid diet the passed few days. Cannot tell you how much I crave burgers, pizza, sweets!

Speaking of sweets, yesterday (and today but it's the Sabbath) was Dewar's 100th anniversary. They celebrated with an all day event of games, prizes and free samples of their 8 new flavors of chews just for the event; they are peanut butter & jelly, pistachio, carmel pistachio, vanilla, roasted pecan, hot chili, george's special and grape. Of course we ended up getting pistachio (the best flavor in the world).
It was SUPER hot and I'm used to the heat (hey I've been in Arizona when it was 114 degrees at 11 pm!). But the air was more than humid, it felt like we were in an oven. I couldn't breathe!! Luckily Rebecca and her family were kind enough for me and eric to take a dip in the pool afterwards :)

I made these cute little candy bags for the YW today with my lesson on Reaching Out to Others. It says " A little spoonful of patience helps every friendship grow".

Utah...again!

2009-05-08T10:40:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Rebecca and I (oh and plus Mateo, too) went to Spanish Fork, Utah to do some "special" shopping. The drive there is something I've never experienced and I can say it wasn't that bad! I luckily had a great driver and a little entertainer in the back seat to keep me busy and not go insane.

Driving through the canyon was fun and passing Las Vegas made me want to stop for some amazing buffet food (next time around). We stopped in St. George to see the temple since I remind you once again I have not driven to Utah before. The St. George temple is SO beautiful. I love the style of architecture and the presence it gives; very different from many of the newer temples.

After St. George we jumped right back in the car to continue our way to Spanish Fork. When we arrived in town, the moutains still had lots of snow! It was such a beautiful place; I can see why people decide to live there. It's only about 20 minutes to Provo and Orem; I could live there :) hah.

Anyway, we had a great time shopping: Rebecca is super woman and such a great friend. We had wonderful taco soup from her Aunt (so good!) and they were gracious enough for us to stay there for the weekend.

As all good vacations come to an end we headed home. The drive back was going pretty fast and we were making good time until we saw a sign that informed us of Hwy 58 being closed. Apparently there was a problem with the high winds and a windmill had wonderfully been projected off into the road. So instead of bearing some shards of metal into the car we were forced to take a detour. As going against my good judgement I didn't listen to the GPS (hey sometimes those little buggers are incorrect!) and listened to a certain someone instead *cough* not anyone in the car. We ended up going through Santa Clarita and headed back down the grapevine (I swear no trip of mine is ever without the grapevine!). This made our trip over 1 1/2 longer than expected.

All in all it was a super fun trip and I'm glad we went. Next time, if anyone has to take a detour from the 58, remember to take the 138 Avenue D...that will cut you across into Gorman and skipping the 5 North COMPLETELY. :)

Baptism

2009-04-09T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today is the 4th year anniversary of my baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I cannot believe it has been 4 years since that day! Time has flown by. I am grateful for the gospel and the blessings I receive each day.

My faith is strong and steadfast, but I still have more progress to reach. I thank my Heavenly Father each day for my testimony and for the power of the Holy Ghost. Amazing how the spirit talks to us when we are prepared and listening. I have been going through a rollercoaster lately this year and I believe because of my faith it has kept me not only afloat, but able to bounce back.

I have happy it is Easter weekend; reflecting more of the our Savior, Jesus Christ has been extremely rewarding. I am eternally grateful for his precious gift, his atonement. Because of him, I know things are going to be great.

New Calling

2009-03-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I was called to the Miamaid Advisor in Young Women's. I am very excited for this calling; I can only recalling once ever going to YW when I was 16 with a friend. I converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when I was 20 (4 years this April!). I never got to experience mutual or girls' camp.
I remember when Eric used to go to mutual or when Jessica went to girls' camp; I wished I could be part of it. Now I will live vicariously through these YM lol. I am really happy to be in First Ward and all the blessings that it has brought me. The support from my ward family is amazing and I really feel confident in myself with the gospel.
I have so many ideas to bring to YM; I want to make our own little blog for the girls. They have Mormal *lol such a funny name* coming up and we're going to do make-up day and all that fun girl stuff. It makes me happy since I never had any sisters; again, living vicariously through them.
I had a hard time falling asleep last night, went to be past midnight. I'm only praying that today will be a good day considering the odds are against me: it's Monday, I had less than 8 hours of sleep, it's new employee orientation. I better get going if I want to get to work early and start on some stuff before 8.

Anniversary

2009-03-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

Saturday, the 21st was our 10th year anniversary; insanity. We have yet to be married but have been together for 10 years; to me that is an accomplishment. We've exercised our faith in the gospel and in each other that I am comforted to know the next 10 years will be a new adventure of wonder and fun.
We celebrated by have Dim Sum in Chinatown with my mom and my Aunt Jennie; I absolutely love Dim Sum. We went to my favorite place, The Empress Pavillion in downtown Chinatown. Dim Sum is a Chinese traditonal breakfast which is literally translated as "touch the heart". It is usually served from early morning to early afternoon. The dishes are in small portions and are served by waitresses pushing carts. Once a waitress approaches your table and you see something you like, you order the dish by them stamping a card. Dim Sum is super yummy and all I wanted for course was my Shu Mai :) D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! Just looking at the pictures my mouth is watering :D
Afterwards of an amazing lunch, we went to Chinatown for a bit since my mom and Aunt have never been there together. It was nice to walk around and enjoy the day together. I like to do many things with the both of them considering they hardly get to see each other because of the distance; making new memories with my family is what I am trying to do more frequently. It makes me feel good and I love experiencing new things and showing them what I've discovered.
Eric and I later went to the Diamond District in downtown L.A.; yay :D Later we enjoyed a nice Italian dinner at one of my favorite spots in Sherman Oaks, Pomodoro. We had tickets to go see Lisa Hannigan in West Hollywood and we were both super excited. With the prominent gay atmosphere in West Hollywood, the show was at the Troubadour, which is right in between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. The show ended up not starting until 9 p.m.; which wasn't what we had orginally thought. The opener was Lisa's guitarist, Gavin Glass. He was such a wonderful singer and I really enjoyed his music. Lisa herself was amazing and Eric and I are now bonafide fans. The show ended after midnight and we were both exhausted; we still had to go back to Downey and get my mom who was at my Aunt's. We didn't get home until almost 3; I practically zoned out during Stake Conference, which I'm not too proud of. We had a fun time though!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T16:07:00.001-08:00

So this Valentine's we (me and eric) were really busy with work and school that we didn't plan anything super special. Our anniversary (don't ask how long lol) is next week and we usually do something during then rather on Valentine's because of how crazy people are in Bakersfield with restaurants.

Eric surprised me with an amazing bouquet of roses and stargazing lilies at work and then took me to lunch on Friday to the Guild House. On actual Valentine's we got together to make dinner at my apartment and just have a nice, quiet night in.

Eric made me a wonderful card (as long as I have a card I am happy) that included a poem from my favorite poet, Pablo Neruda. I made him a card as well; it was a "love story" book of our lives and it included pictures.

We made Fettucine with cream sauce (anything that has pasta and cream I'll eat!). The cream was comprised of bacon (yes!), green onions, fresh basil, and cream (duh). DELICIOUS!! We poured Cherry 7Up in wine glasses and toasted (well we forgot that) to us. I also made for dessert his favorite, Snickerdoodles, but I was so busy cleaning that I forgot to check on them; needless to say some were more browned than others :D They were still good! I'm glad I still had my milk/white chocolate covered strawberries as a back up. All in all it was a very romantic and lovely evening; and I wouldn't have asked for anything more!

Sonnet LXXXI:

Rest with your dream inside my dream

Pablo Neruda

Already, you are mine.

Rest with your dream inside my dream.
Love, grief, labour, must sleep now.

Night revolves on invisible wheels and joined to me

you are pure as sleeping amber.
No one else will sleep with my dream, love.
You will go we will go joined by the waters of time.
No other one will travel the shadows with me,
only you, eternal nature, eternal sun, eternal moon.

Family

2009-01-31T23:13:00.001-08:00

Today Eric and I went down to LA to see parts of my family. It was Christopher's 1st Birthday and my what a day he had! Christopher is my cousin Laura's son from my mom's side of the family. I am happy that I was able to share some time with family considering we're all not too far away from one another. Coralynne (daughter of my other cousin, Lisa) has gotten more and more beautiful each time I see her. She has a baby brother, Kai on the way (due April 12th) and has a lot to learn about sharing; she took it hard when everyone wanted to place their attention on Christopher when she wanted him all to herself.

Christopher has been walking since the end of the October of last year, so he has a huge running start from all his other friends! It was a beautiful day in LA; 85 degrees! So nice to get away from the cold in Bakersfield (who knew?!). Chris had a great time playing/eating his birthday cake. I'm sure glad he liked what his Auntie Kimi bought him, a T-REX from Build-A-Bear!

The drive there and back wasn't bad at all; too bad Eric always falls asleep on the car ride home...

UTAH!

2009-01-19T17:55:00.000-08:00

So I finally went to Utah! The pictures I took (all 246 of them) cannot grasp how beautiful Salt Lake City is. I had an amazing time and Eric and I ate such great food! It was so amazing to finally be in that wonderful city. We ended up seeing Elder Hales off the street and we were too amazed to say hi ):

I was really happy to finally see the temple up close, see the Visitor's center, Conference Center, etc. We got to see the Tabernacle choir practice and I enjoyed watching the films on Joseph Smith and The Testaments. We walked around SO much and used the Trax system every day.

I found a great breakfast spot from the internet called The Park Cafe. SUPER amazing breakfast. I'm still drooling over it. We visited Brigham Young's house and the restaurant called The Lion House. The sassparilla was super good and the rolls there were so fluffy :D

As you can tell, we like to eat. I made my very first snow angel in front of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and we had a snowball fight together on one of the last nights there. That Saturday we flew back home but before that we walked around Temple Square one last time; I counted about 11 brides that day. LOL. Maybe I'll refrain from dreaming our temple wedding there...haha. I cannot wait to go back though; the city is very peaceful and I bet conference will be an even more amazing adventure!

Salt Lake City Pix

kitties

2008-12-02T20:48:00.000-08:00

So while everyone else is popping out babies, I am finding cats. Now after adopting Rick & Rebecca's cat, Pickles, a few weeks later Meiko came up to me outside. He's an adorable siamese mix, a breed I've always wanted. He's such a funny character, hence the name from the raccoon from Pochahontas (thanks, Jenna!). This week his new thing is playing fetch. Yes, playing fetch. I'll throw him a stick toy and he brings it back. No matter where I throw it, the kitchen, up the stairs, he always seems to bring it back. He thinks he's a puppy.

Below are pictures of Pickles and Meiko.

SLC

2008-11-15T11:51:00.000-08:00

So for Christmas Eric surprised me with plane tickets to Salt Lake City! I'm super excited. I've never been and have always wanted to go. Sure beats the forever road trip (even though it would have been cool to experience that). We're going December 17th-20th (doesn't seem like many days but we didn't want to travel on Sunday and I didn't want to take all my PTO).

We got a cool hotel across the street from Temple Square. I cannot want to see all the wonderful things: SLC Temple, Tabernacle, Brigham Young's home, etc. We really wanted to visit BYU, but that's about 45 minutes away. I don't want to rent a car, even though I get a pretty good discount from work. I'd rather save our money on food and Christmas presents. I will probably mail all the stuff I buy back to Bakersfield because of the lame charges on extra baggage now with airlines.

We really wanted to wait for this trip AFTER we were married, but Eric had planned it for this year. Hopefully within the next year I can finally same I'm engaged. Practically everyone I know is getting engaged, it's that time now. We're all growing up! I can't wait for that day for us to come.

Back to Utah...I have no idea what to pack. I get cold here in California when it's 68 degrees outside. lol I have some pretty good jackets, but I do need new boots. I hope it snows; Temple Square is going to be so beautiful!

twilight

2008-10-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

So starting this thing up again; the summer ran by me pretty quickly. Been all over Southern California the past few months. I've come accquainted very well with Hilton hotels lol.

Enough about work. Rebecca got me addicted to Twilight. Now I know I'm way behind in the trend of this series, so bear with me. I ended up finishing all 4 books in under 2 weeks (was pretty easy considering I had down time from office to office in the hotel room).

It's honestly one of my favorite books. Thanks, Rebecca :) It's so addicting, that I've given Mayra a copy of it for her birthday, it's all I talk about (yeah I even mentioned to Eric that it would be a cool anime), and I am going bizerk waiting for the movie to come in December. It's hard to picture the actors chosen in the movie though. I totally thought Edward a different way; however Robert Pattinson I would think would do a good job. I totally would have casted Bella differently. Ellen Page. Hands down. Who knows. The book is a total chick book, complete with romance and suspense intertwined. Enough about the book, I'm driving myself crazy just thinking about it. I'll talk more of it later.

Lakers game tomorrow. Can't believe it's already October. Can't believe it's already 1 year since I went to the last game. Time flies. I still get older lol.

Being MOH

2008-09-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

This was my first time being Maid of Honor; I've been a bridesmaid before but my how MOH is so important in the bride's intrical part of a successful wedding!
Jessica surprised me by asking me to be her MOH which I happily accepted. Her and William's ceremony was off the Shell Beach cliffs at the Margo Dodd park. What a beautiful destination wedding! Not too far away from all us So. Cal'ers but just enough to enjoy the beautiful beach weather :D
Jessica looked so beautiful; her and her charming prince I know will be very happy with each other. I'm very happy that they have found one another and are so much in love.

today

2008-08-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

Haven't written anything in quite awhile. Been traveling so much and been on the road for the most part. Been also living a lot out of my luggage and the hotel room. Pretty comfortable with the hotel room and watching Sex and the City while away.

I've also been reading a lot into the scriptures. Collecting books that the past prophets have written on gospel questions and the Plan of Salvation. Digging deep into the scriptures is pretty heavy. I feel I don't have enough time in the day to read everything; to encompass everything, absorb it, and contain it. Everything is becoming quite clear as I prepare myself to enter the temple. Sooner than later I hope.

I've been quite tired. I hope I'm not coming down with anything. I find myself quite uneasy just being at home. I'm used to doing something the last 8 weeks that I am anxious! Southern California is quite interesting; even though I've been to these cities before, I always tend to find something new. It's becoming easier now going through the grapvine and the 405 South. I do wish to move though. But I really cannot part myself with the cheaper cost of living and always thinking in the back of my mind how much I would be saving by staying in Kern County.

Who knows what is to come next. I've been making sure all my ducks are in a row for me to move ahead. Planning takes time and sometimes responsiblity comes with a price.

Enough about that. Sex and the City is on. Peace.

packing

2008-06-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

This part of my life is called "packing" lol. So I've decided to take only a carry-on to San Francisco. I've packed all my work clothes and the hiking clothes since we will be on a "team-building" nature hike....i'm actually quite excited about it. Airline passengers may now carry only one bag plus one smaller, personal-type item onboard the airplane. SO...that leaves me with my carry-on and somehow bringing my laptop...don't know what I doing yet with that!

Eric's mom will be bringing him and my other luggage...the actual luggage that we will have to go through baggage check or whatever. I'm going to have to swap some things and manuever like none other. It's about 50 degrees tomorrow in San Fran...while Philly and NYC 80 degrees with t-storms. Not my ideal weather, but it's now or never.

I love how the TSA explains what we can bring on our carry-on. It's quite informative. I've got it all packed for SF, now onto Philly/NYC. The hotels over there are SO expensive right now. We're going to try doing a hostel. I'm a little hestitant to be going down that road, but like I said, the hotel prices are expensive right now. I know we can knock out all the sights we want to see in a day, but who really wants to do that? What i'm most excited about (besides going to Strawberry Fields and Tiffany's!) is eating the PIZZA! Super stoked...that a maybe an ice cream at Serendipity's. Either way I gotta get to finishing the packing....atm i'm getting my MP3 player all set for the bus down to LAX (did not want to leave my car at the LAX garage for 10 days!) This should be an adventure. Wish me luck!

new

2008-06-01T08:56:00.001-07:00

So i've decided to start a blog; I've done a few in the past, but this I hope will be an easier way at times to jot down my memories and thoughts than my journal since I don't always have it handy.

I celebrated my 24th Birthday on Friday. A good number of my great friends dined with me at Sorella's. My dish was excellent, but I'm not sure about everyone else. You just have to know what to order there. Being 24 is ok for now. I'm still in the 18-24 category; only Angela has told me that 24-25 were good years for her, so here's hoping. 23 was a great year.

A lot of things happened that year; I went to the temple, moved with amanda, gained a better relationship with eric, and got promoted to Regional. But i'm excited what this year has to offer me; hopefully not a move to LA quite yet with my position. I thought I was ready and good for it since I had been applying for the Northern California position. But as the days went on, I was so anxious and my stomach was in knots due to the thought of leaving my family and eric. I know it would only be temporary before eric woud eventually move to LA for school, but the thought that I couldn't see him everyday was very upsetting. Who knows, we're young and don't have any kids (duh, we're not married yet!) this is the time to be traveling and on to new adventures.

Speaking of traveling, my position requires to me to travel a lot. I don't mind that, but it has interferred with my Philadelphia/NY trip. Eric and I had to reschedule a couple of days later, which then rippled into paying more for our flights. It was really cheap roundtrip, too. About $252....it now ended up being $300 or so. Way bummed out about that. I'm flying out to San Francisco on monday evening and then returning to LA on Thursday; then meeting up with eric at LAX to fly out to Philadelphia that same day. Insaneness. I packed my MP3 player, some books, and the scriptures. I'm debating whether or not to bring my laptop. It would be very useful in the hotel room. These are pictures of the Sir Francis Drake. I'm super excited to be staying there! The room looks so amazing...it's GREEN!

I have more to write, but I gotta get going to church. Today Baby Henry, Jocelyn's baby is getting his blessing. How awesome the church is...more on that later!