Category Archives: Life

Christmas Advent Video

Posted in Christmas, Holiday, Life, Seattle, Videos by

Christmas is my favorite time of year and I love all of the different advent activities to do to make the whole month of December feel festive.  For some reason Advent seems to be one of those things that most people just do with kids, but I love finding ways to celebrate my favorite holiday.  🙂  I designed some advent magnets for my scrabble quote board that I love and it was a very meaningful Christmas this year as we tried to find ways to serve to “Light the World.”  I have found that it can be a little difficult to find advent activities for every day that are for adults so if you are like me and looking for inspiration here is a list of the activities we did this year.

Dec 1 – Ward Relief Society Christmas Dinner, the perfect start to the month, hearing about how to make Christ the center of Christmas and “Let Him In”

Dec 2 – Bellevue Festival of the Nativities, this is one of my favorites every year, since I collect nativities from around the world I love seeing hundreds from all over as well as the Christ room beautifully depicting the life of Christ

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Dec 3 – Girls Christmas Craft Night

Dec 4 – Hang ornaments on the tree and watch the 1st Presidency Christmas Devotional

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Dec 5 – Build Christmas Lego’s, it also snowed all this week which was so beautiful, I have really missed the Utah snow

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Jaunita Bay Park Pics – 4 years

Posted in Juanita Bay Park Pictures, Life by

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One of the advantages of getting married in August is that it is almost always guaranteed to have sunny weather, so even though it is hotter than I would like it to be, at least it is always nice enough to take our annual pictures at Juanita Bay Park.  I was so excited when I found these number mugs right before our anniversary last year, I knew they would be perfect for our anniversary pictures.  The 4 was the only one in cobalt blue (one of our wedding colors) so I have been saving them all year.  My dad hasn’t been here for work at all the last few months 😦 so he wasn’t able to take them for us.  However, since one of the features my new camera has is Wifi, which allows me to take pictures from an app on my phone, and I bought a tripod before my trip to Europe, I tried taking them myself this year.  That was a bit challenging, but also nice because I could see what they looked like before and adjust things accordingly.  Maybe next year we will get around to actually paying someone to take them for us…

This really isn’t Vu’s favorite thing to do… but he did really well this year and didn’t complain at all while we were taking them.  As much as he hated doing it.  So thanks for that Vu!  You have a whole year before you have to do it again! 🙂

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(Last years pictures here)

On This Day 4 Years Ago…

Posted in Anniversary, Life by

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We started our forever.

We promised to make each other our first priority.

We committed to support each other in our weaknesses.

We would learn what that actually meant.

We chose to focus on the good instead of the bad.

We promised God would always be at the center of our relationship.

We would learn how vitally important that would be for our forever.

We promised to help each others dreams come true.

We started the process of choosing the happiness of the other over our own.

We would learn that happiness happens together.

We committed to love each other unconditionally.

We would learn that love is a daily choice.

We promised to help each other through the hard times, to hold together and not push apart.

On this day four years ago.

We started our forever.  Together.

Happy Anniversary Vuroom!  Love your guts!  Always!

 Our 3rd anniversary

The End of an Era

Posted in Life by

Today is the first day that I have known Vu of which he has not been a Microsoft employee. If you knew 2006 Vu, this day might have been synonymous with the end of the world a la “Day After Tomorrow.” A day down in the history books. A day you never dreamed was possible, could never happen. Because Vu, he drank the Kool-Aid. He passed out the Kool-Aid. He really loved that Kool-Aid. And Microsoft? They were really good to him in his pursuit of this Kool-Aid.

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Working in SQL server was his dream job. He had a great boss, a great team, great reports and great friends. He worked hard. He worked long. He worked tirelessly. He gave his life, blood and soul to his job. Ok maybe not that last one. But he was extremely dedicated in his work.

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This feels a bit weird, him not being a Microsoft employee. The whole time I have know him I have identified him as a Microsoft employee. We have never met a person that hasn’t heard of Microsoft. There is very limited explanations required when talking to people about what he does.  But all good things come to an end.  And it’s time for him to start moving towards those big dreams that were born when he was getting his MBA.  So thank you Microsoft for giving him 10 good years. Thank you for giving him the opportunity to learn and grow and push his limits. Thank you for giving him skills  to fulfill those dreams. Thank you for all of the opportunities that have lead up to this point. And who knows, maybe we will see you again someday.

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Annual Juanita Bay Park Pics

Posted in Juanita Bay Park Pictures, Life by

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Around the time we got married, I saw pictures of a couple who took pictures every year around their anniversary at the same location.  I loved this idea and wanted to do it too.  We got our engagement pictures taken at Juanita Bay Park and I loved this park so much.  It is next to the water with lots of trees and boardwalks over the water, all some of my favorite things.  I decided this is where I wanted to take our annual pictures, especially since we already had our first ones.

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My dad was visiting a few weeks before our first anniversary and took the pictures for us.  The second year we planned to go and take them about 5 separate times, but it was a bad time with Vu being really busy with school and work and having some really difficult problems with sleep, so we kept canceling each scheduled time and never did made it out to take them.  However, I have come to the conclusion that whenever I make these kinds of goals and I miss one of the selected times, I don’t want to give up on the goal afterwards.  I just accept that I missed one and move on to the next.

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My dad was in town for work this past week and he kindly took some to commemorate our third year of marriage.

And here are a few of the ones from our first anniversary and engagement as well. Continue reading →

3 Years and Counting

Posted in Anniversary, Life by

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Today is our Anniversary.  Me and Vu.

We have been married for 3 years.

In that time.

We have been to California 3 times.

We have watched 3 chick flics.

We have had dinner at the melting pot 3 times.

Vu has had 3 wedding rings.

We have lived in 3 different zip codes.

We have been to the Emergency room 3 times.

We have gone through 3 different phones.

We have been to 3 new temples together.

Vu got his 3rd degree.

I have learned how to make Vu’s 3 favorite breakfast foods (bacon, sausage and fried eggs) to his picky specifications.

And for 3 years we have been happy that we made the decision to get married to each other!

Keep ’em coming.

Vu is turning 25! (for the 8th year in a row…)

Posted in Birthday, Holiday, Life by

It is Vu’s birthday today.  He thinks he is turning 25.  He is actually turning 32.  Maybe as a birthday present today I will let him think he is 25.  Just for today.  Tomorrow it’s back to 32.  In celebaration of his 25th birthday, here is a list of 10 facts about Vu.

7 things most people who know him already know

1. He is OBSESSED with Star Wars.  Every time I see something Star Wars themed in the store I text him a picture and ask if he wants me to get it.    Sometimes he doesn’t respond before I am ready to check out so I don’t get it.  After which he says: The answer is always yes!  He frequently is given gifts of Star Wars items.  At the beginning of our relationship I was among these gift givers.  Until I realized that everything I gave him he already had 2 of.

Exhibit A: the man cave

Man Cave 4 Square collage

Exhibit b: His Star Wars MBA graduation party

Exhibit c: His collection of Star Wars character sweat shirts and mugs

Star Wars Sweatshirt and Mug

Continue reading →

VU GRADUATED!!!!

Posted in Life by

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I can’t believe we are finally here.  I am so excited to finally be done!  Or more accurately, for Vu to finally be done.  On Sunday night after dinner Vu said, “This is when I would normally start doing homework.”  And he didn’t have to.  It was so nice.  I have so many plans for this summer and fall now that I can actually plan things and have Vu do them with me.   I can’t wait.

When he walked across the stage to get his diploma case he (along with some of his buddies) waved his arms above his sides like an airplane (I just missed it in the picture) to indicate that now that he was finished he is ready to move on to the next stage. Which is to get to the point that he can buy a G6.  If you don’t know, that is a personal jet… so we can fly to our future apartment in Paris… and our island off the coast of Montenegro.  🙂

I am so proud of Vu!  He has worked so hard, learned so much, made great friends, and his big dreams have gotten even bigger and I know that he is going to make them come true!  He is so motivated and talented, I know he can do anything he chooses to do!  So Congratulations Vuroom!  I love your guts!

Sister, Sister

Posted in Life by

I am a twin.  Did you know?  It’s pretty much the best!

3 Generations of Twins

(3 generations of twins: my mom’s mom, Gertrude, and her twin sister, my Great Aunt Shirley, my mom’s twin sisters, my Aunt Marty and Aunt Patty, and my mom’s twin daughter’s, me and Rachel)

Yesterday was a monumental day in the life of a twin.  It was the day that my twin sister, Rachel, abandoned me and moved to Boston.  For the first time in our lives we will be permanently living in different locations.  (We were apart twice in college when we did study abroad programs and I went to Paris and the next year she went to Washington D.C. but they were just 4 month’s each).  And Boston and Seattle?  On OPPOSITE sides of the country!?!  Sad, sad day!!!

So in honor of this catastrophic monumental day, here is, in my professional opinion, why being a twin is the best.

1. Even if I instigated 100% of the trouble (which admittedly there wasn’t a lot of) I only received 50% of the blame.  (And let’s be honest, I was always the instigator.  And yet everyone always believed me when I said it was her… mwhahaha).

2. Only a twin would be asked if I ever woke up and thought that I was my sister… come on people…I mean do you ever wake up and think that you are Brad Pitt?  Ok, well some people maybe do…

Oh and just to clarify, if I don’t want to take a test or go out with a particular guy, then neither does she… so no we never switched places.

3. We can read each others thoughts.  Ok not really.  But we do know each other so well that in many situations we can communicate with just a look because we know how the other would be thinking in that situation.   But this can happen with anyone that spends a lot of time with another person and talks a lot about what they think.

4.  Rarely does a day go by that we don’t text, talk on the phone or hang out.  (sidenote: After we had been married for about a year Vu confessed that before we got married he read a book about how to be married to a twin.  The answer: don’t try to understand it and don’t get in between it!)

5.  You have someone who shares your obsessions: waterfalls, lighthouses, bridges, rain, excel spreadsheet goal lists (but really her obsession with this one is much greater than mine), making things out of wood, photography, reading, traveling, maps, cooking, etc…

6. When we get in a fight, we are pretty much back to normal five minutes later.

7. I have a permanent best friend, travel buddy, confidant, and someone to go to things with.

8.  I hate driving and since we do/did so much together I rarely have/had to drive (I didn’t get my license until I was 17 and had to renew my driver’s permit 3 times because once Rachel got her license I saw no need to have my own).

9.  We can call each other with the intention of talking for 5 minutes and end up talking for 2 1/2 hours.

10.  I know that no matter what happens in my life, I will always have someone that will be there for me!  God knew what he was doing when he gave us each other!

And so, a picture ode to being a twin.  Because this is a hard day.

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Awww, precious!   Anyone want to see if they can tell which is which in all of these pics? (Mom you are excluded, you too Chani)  But I mean it is obvious isn’t it?

Becky and Rachel (6) Continue reading →

Things I want to Remember: full time crafter and MBA student

Posted in Life by

I have noticed a pattern in life.  There are many different phases and stages and being a sentimental person I frequently look back on these different phases with nostalgia, remembering my favorite moments and the small things that made me happy, that created an atmosphere that made this stage unique and enjoyable and special.  I am always a little bit sad when a stage in my life ends, even when I am excited about the next one, or even when that time has been a difficult one.  There are always beautiful moments that will never exist again.  I don’t want to forget those things.  I want to hold onto them.  They may not seem very significant.  But they make up my life and they are special to me.  And I never want to lose them.

This past stage we have been in for the last year and half with Vu in grad school and me being a “full time crafter” has been pretty quiet, kind of uneventful.  At least for me.  Vu has been very busy with work and school.  But right now, from this stage in my life, these are things that I want to always remember.IMG_2072

-Quiet afternoons sitting in the living room, listening to the rain or enjoying the sunlight streaming in through the windows, reading a book/studying French/brainstorming décor ideas

-seeing how dedicated Vu is to school and work, seeing how hard he works

-being able to try out new, time intensive recipes

-laughing with Rachel as we relive our youth playing Mario Brothers 3 on the Nintendo (thanks Christian for finding it for us)

Continue reading →