tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88859966032661116932024-03-05T02:45:30.673-08:00Q & C : Life's LatestChauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-15561052394237687712011-05-30T21:18:00.000-07:002011-05-30T21:39:36.673-07:00Different expressions of Emmett<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I got this driver cap on sale for $3! He looks so adorable in it!!! I love Emmett's different expressions on his chubby face. Only 5 months old, he already has so much personality.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hJO03q46Xj7kR72AV63BvPPMwtGdYxjlCyFIg0jBZ92aUNbKcSspX7zJNfg1U-K7i2GJsUyGReBTIL2IoehMymUUYVe_PP7I_Eks0yWBG3A1udreSnNCXGJvRzB5589IZrYdNvc4fJE/s1600/IMG_20110524_181436.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hJO03q46Xj7kR72AV63BvPPMwtGdYxjlCyFIg0jBZ92aUNbKcSspX7zJNfg1U-K7i2GJsUyGReBTIL2IoehMymUUYVe_PP7I_Eks0yWBG3A1udreSnNCXGJvRzB5589IZrYdNvc4fJE/s320/IMG_20110524_181436.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612733479268855618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FH_fYqdJ1M7zh3sodcoQTg67cjp_YOEBraRlK8YOeWY2ejV4ZkVlNY-HGJIHQHjv-DIMwCoadCMNwB0mFn7VVmHcv7_ec9xKECY_la5TY5FCzoZ3oM9BrMqBpuIEYwFQkDcmZOdLBGU/s1600/IMG_20110524_181723.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBgnRonZ-u0pjJGRabSXErFKhWQdaoBH6okNhtpJNBOvJ3YP1pZBvEsU4ErJ4q6hYftHp5XBg9wB2dndiniYIPMRzaFHBvC1itSTANZ0qRzqnmXcR5Z3JPx4TZxp1zYV_eqFVimG4CHs/s1600/IMG_20110524_181641.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBgnRonZ-u0pjJGRabSXErFKhWQdaoBH6okNhtpJNBOvJ3YP1pZBvEsU4ErJ4q6hYftHp5XBg9wB2dndiniYIPMRzaFHBvC1itSTANZ0qRzqnmXcR5Z3JPx4TZxp1zYV_eqFVimG4CHs/s320/IMG_20110524_181641.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612732625477718002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhnES6kVENbaVBBa1xr44Hp3kxoupC5RHVUiBeW8FNEjA3RM8uiBblIy4sf4PKgze-OIZ9ME6l0TP8qtf67ueTnegdpa89RTcmzik-d1nfDTgCvmZf7z3Vq8b4N_nKrec_gNYcfuKOb8/s1600/IMG_20110524_181137.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhnES6kVENbaVBBa1xr44Hp3kxoupC5RHVUiBeW8FNEjA3RM8uiBblIy4sf4PKgze-OIZ9ME6l0TP8qtf67ueTnegdpa89RTcmzik-d1nfDTgCvmZf7z3Vq8b4N_nKrec_gNYcfuKOb8/s320/IMG_20110524_181137.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612731896532387026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmHLIEORNq-VRMkPIVuL69b9DTcXrhMT_1U-rWYSG1NKvTRJrPcG_mTklgmjvod1g2mp_p55UHmBaJ4IbZABg5b3wyKIxsIfbXeXYy9q0ES0ZjwsYSOUtYg4sZr7LeQQI1Nw08bzyJOU/s1600/IMG_20110524_180917.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmHLIEORNq-VRMkPIVuL69b9DTcXrhMT_1U-rWYSG1NKvTRJrPcG_mTklgmjvod1g2mp_p55UHmBaJ4IbZABg5b3wyKIxsIfbXeXYy9q0ES0ZjwsYSOUtYg4sZr7LeQQI1Nw08bzyJOU/s320/IMG_20110524_180917.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612731592544357090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtgbkCGl3_t8bADWz4Q7SNtj8N4oG0CNR2w-qJKUa0rc-pI3HAMBuDNz29-J_kftwAc9vPXzVkSSFhB-zD3oEeRlkMphuYanRXBltJfjib3l2O88bVfbF_Zh3Qv6QqZGKtPxt3S0f_As/s1600/IMG_20110524_181039.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtgbkCGl3_t8bADWz4Q7SNtj8N4oG0CNR2w-qJKUa0rc-pI3HAMBuDNz29-J_kftwAc9vPXzVkSSFhB-zD3oEeRlkMphuYanRXBltJfjib3l2O88bVfbF_Zh3Qv6QqZGKtPxt3S0f_As/s320/IMG_20110524_181039.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612731249010575954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYazEXnpXTC7Dl_cdF-MxqV_xN6P-zTrwOY-Qynn9kEetTtq69YLX_c_N06pxCiasVFNN9mDeC59yPc1NJHNn2MXzJAeQF3UUD_G7kvMhZcFWDmYUz-RgrxslBw5cYaQAdSanFtQ9sgIE/s1600/IMG_20110524_181029.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8eyKR_29Apm0X8sRScn7RQ2nOSet_X_ENIMrs4kEi4tW-K-erIEfoZnJtOd2TnwByOsX9_F3pOuS0HieBY4n4OUKBoFMpHfeAoihhqS4fdLlV1zsvyXkwGalj2r4TYjoVkYq4qY8lAU/s1600/IMG_20110524_180842.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8eyKR_29Apm0X8sRScn7RQ2nOSet_X_ENIMrs4kEi4tW-K-erIEfoZnJtOd2TnwByOsX9_F3pOuS0HieBY4n4OUKBoFMpHfeAoihhqS4fdLlV1zsvyXkwGalj2r4TYjoVkYq4qY8lAU/s320/IMG_20110524_180842.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612730882271995970" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRotee7xiwacYmNCzo6s6CowkDrQpTftEqbEjC9jtON8MiI-uCJ4CguMjW0tOx7CrY0Q-uRYpQn3rp9-bmkAMbIkRMLLNBghureJ8-5Z1VcbTlPU0GonJhEMch1aLP6UUfjkT0bjn9SfI/s1600/IMG_20110524_180836.jpg"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FH_fYqdJ1M7zh3sodcoQTg67cjp_YOEBraRlK8YOeWY2ejV4ZkVlNY-HGJIHQHjv-DIMwCoadCMNwB0mFn7VVmHcv7_ec9xKECY_la5TY5FCzoZ3oM9BrMqBpuIEYwFQkDcmZOdLBGU/s1600/IMG_20110524_181723.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FH_fYqdJ1M7zh3sodcoQTg67cjp_YOEBraRlK8YOeWY2ejV4ZkVlNY-HGJIHQHjv-DIMwCoadCMNwB0mFn7VVmHcv7_ec9xKECY_la5TY5FCzoZ3oM9BrMqBpuIEYwFQkDcmZOdLBGU/s320/IMG_20110524_181723.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612732912237866114" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYazEXnpXTC7Dl_cdF-MxqV_xN6P-zTrwOY-Qynn9kEetTtq69YLX_c_N06pxCiasVFNN9mDeC59yPc1NJHNn2MXzJAeQF3UUD_G7kvMhZcFWDmYUz-RgrxslBw5cYaQAdSanFtQ9sgIE/s1600/IMG_20110524_181029.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYazEXnpXTC7Dl_cdF-MxqV_xN6P-zTrwOY-Qynn9kEetTtq69YLX_c_N06pxCiasVFNN9mDeC59yPc1NJHNn2MXzJAeQF3UUD_G7kvMhZcFWDmYUz-RgrxslBw5cYaQAdSanFtQ9sgIE/s320/IMG_20110524_181029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612731095369132658" border="0" /></a>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-11420865523597631352011-05-30T16:38:00.000-07:002011-05-30T16:42:04.381-07:00Happy MorningHere's a video of Emmett laughing this morning. I am going through the camera and will be posting some older pictures and videos soon.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwSUF4fC_L6AO7X-4zD84o2ezMmK91PtmNJOxQSPdsp61RspJbipXaGQmN9Ioa21Af6I5ru50ykxJrldRhttA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-3208331025001546692011-04-19T22:41:00.000-07:002011-04-19T22:42:12.002-07:00Emmett Digs His Name<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwemI5i1td-Bd9dRoRHVpVDSb3CjNZdV7NwkgE7Y6QQJEaSm80Ui4489fmZjxFarl6526on8j6HkARYkg-F_A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Either Emmett really likes his name or he thinks his name is really funny.Quochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477718506952123490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-28513391512542464732011-04-08T21:01:00.001-07:002011-04-12T16:23:43.619-07:00Work and moreI started my new job about 2 weeks ago. It's a smaller clinic (2 providers including myself). It has been a bit stressful, adjusting to the new job and being away from my precious little guy. He's changing so much, and I feel like I'd miss everything. When I was at home, not working, I was feeling so guilty for not being able to provide for our baby. And now I feel guilty being away (and leaving the baby!) most days of the week. It must be part of the mom syndrome! I hope like most things, a routine will form and I will get used to it. Since it's a smaller operation, I don't yet have a medical assistant. Which means, I room my own patients, take vitals, and draw blood as well. I haven't done that in years! All the while, speaking medical Vietnamese! But with practice, everything is getting easier. I successfully drew blood on everyone this past week, and I'm learning all these new Vietnamese words: pancreas, thyroid, prostate... Needless to say, there are more awkward moments, but I find that the Vietnamese patients are more.. um.. patient with me. But once Adventist Health takes over this clinic, there will be more resources and support available. I'm grateful for the organization and their flexibility. So I just have to remember to be flexible myself, at the moment.<br />Baby Emmett laughs, sits up, and tries to roll over now. He's in 6-9 months clothes. And he sleeps through the night! He didn't seem to have much problem with transition to being with a nanny instead of mom and dad all day- with the exception of sleep schedules at the moment. But we're working on that. Being a mom really do test my patience and tendency to have high expectation. He's a champ though. I thank God everyday for blessing us and entrusting us with him.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBpmJGZ7jL4u9EfhlXPmbG92HTbXmARYKwFDdFPeIVp5_knFFe2_nIHnOz9E1J1lvxpevewJLdGytkC-Lz2ypqfuyr__rN6aBqlDxXrbV2PYQ5m9jzn4pKZIkyxmLGIqrzQ9BDqc4Hzg/s1600/PART951302299481661.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSBpmJGZ7jL4u9EfhlXPmbG92HTbXmARYKwFDdFPeIVp5_knFFe2_nIHnOz9E1J1lvxpevewJLdGytkC-Lz2ypqfuyr__rN6aBqlDxXrbV2PYQ5m9jzn4pKZIkyxmLGIqrzQ9BDqc4Hzg/s320/PART951302299481661.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594841498497554450" border="0" /></a>Laughing at Q's office<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3yaGlFVAhIo3dRkBDW2iOZucFHyMvz2MRzWGHwnS1Ee5NOM6cjyzJUt24mjFXPi8CMUTQRyFcewneYjyLC9lfyoW3JPtDapIqO1D0BJoL7oOq8DOGYD7zviO4pMYXO3k8RPG5IWjnPo/s1600/0412111215.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3yaGlFVAhIo3dRkBDW2iOZucFHyMvz2MRzWGHwnS1Ee5NOM6cjyzJUt24mjFXPi8CMUTQRyFcewneYjyLC9lfyoW3JPtDapIqO1D0BJoL7oOq8DOGYD7zviO4pMYXO3k8RPG5IWjnPo/s320/0412111215.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594841452593402450" border="0" /></a>Sitting up in the Bumbo<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkOR1X8vLRwH3rNxiRMLcPTJiE17-OE7tdVqfE5rxR-s4Ushi_kZQus5TRddK3Hb4e7svvErnoD0HWcwAHyCIIVU58D1ZMi1x7QSnC8yzuPCQdVahyphenhyphenGRVTOp3tKa-h0D6n1gvHfdp7u4/s1600/0412111147.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkOR1X8vLRwH3rNxiRMLcPTJiE17-OE7tdVqfE5rxR-s4Ushi_kZQus5TRddK3Hb4e7svvErnoD0HWcwAHyCIIVU58D1ZMi1x7QSnC8yzuPCQdVahyphenhyphenGRVTOp3tKa-h0D6n1gvHfdp7u4/s320/0412111147.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594841381755136594" border="0" /></a>Nice and warm for a walk<br /></div>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-51497014450871794632011-03-18T23:13:00.000-07:002011-03-18T23:15:13.558-07:00Emmett Having Fun with Aunty Tina<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx_jM-Y8upUewE397ksQUE_NIyygWyKyyYpH3MvwAKsCctG-1vTQ5QF2426HJT9bhJ491-2zVgNhxvOPwtmwQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Emmett at 12 weeks enjoying time with aunt Tina.Quochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477718506952123490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-16185024834110863752011-03-17T14:05:00.000-07:002011-03-17T14:09:53.195-07:00Dr. SeussStory time fun with Daddy.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwWGsYI74S_Srd31QwxGFLwhEYk37LgSY5W90bvShwMxuyiXM_kE0tseF_GvpYmwHddcjEiR2Dzt_SlBKS-DA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-33324226060958183132011-03-16T20:39:00.000-07:002011-03-16T21:12:45.256-07:00Emmett<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTh9m7vo57oC8_WIi3KnAJb8gPcOL9j_Hn6kbItcld3OyvWynWGLRF5z7nRAkZ1XMlasNmW2o6QxPPULOkg349abojvLAOWxJhxBYxoBSxY9tAR7uk30yTXUpAYE-xIx6hXq863j72o-4/s1600/Le_AMK6298.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTh9m7vo57oC8_WIi3KnAJb8gPcOL9j_Hn6kbItcld3OyvWynWGLRF5z7nRAkZ1XMlasNmW2o6QxPPULOkg349abojvLAOWxJhxBYxoBSxY9tAR7uk30yTXUpAYE-xIx6hXq863j72o-4/s320/Le_AMK6298.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584896865585378386" border="0" /></a><br />Our baby boy is 12 weeks old today. Life is completely different, interesting, exciting and exhausting since he arrived. He's gaining plenty of weight and we're sleeping training at the moment. In the last week, Emmett has slept through the night (meaning 5-6 hours stretch)! There is still one fussy period at around 9 pm but we can deal with that. Looking at him, I really can't believe that he's ours. What a blessing and miracle he is! God is so good to us.Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-33573783425116804402010-12-05T15:06:00.000-08:002010-12-05T15:34:41.572-08:00On AdventI (Chau), think I understand the meaning of the advent season a lot more this year. For generations, the Israelites have been waiting for the Promise, the Messiah, the Christ, who will deliver them. The anticipation and the stories of their past are repeatedly told at each family gathering, at meals. They are reminded time and time again that the Lord is coming. And when He's here, all will be well again. That is the reason why the angels sing and Mary called herself blessed.<br /><br />We are also celebrating advent of another kind. I'm 38 3/7 weeks pregnant today. The little guy is technically cooked, mature and full term. We are just waiting for his arrival. The anticipation has me tickled with excitement and apprehensive with the unknown of it all.<br /><br />This is the 4th year that we are participating in Advent Conspiracy. We are trying to be more purposeful with our resources. Instead of getting caught up in consumerism that occurs around this season, we are joining <a href="http://mosaicportland.org/">our church</a> in using that money in a more meaningful way: building wells in 3rd world countries, serving Portland, Kosovo, and Haiti. <br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LkTyPzRzuwc?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LkTyPzRzuwc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you find much joy during this advent season.Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-4462182601312094262010-09-25T19:26:00.001-07:002010-09-25T20:00:46.878-07:00Rachel's Baby Shower<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:130%;" >Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice.<span style="font-size:100%;"> That's What </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" >Little Girls</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> are Made of.</span></span><br /><br /></div>I had the pleasure of throwing my friend Rachel, her baby shower today. Rache's baby girl is 3 weeks ahead of my little peanut. We are so excited for her arrival!!<br />It has been a while since I did anything crafty, so it was such a blast doing it. The theme was sugar and spice (and everything nice). Therefore, the focus was more on the desserts. But the sandwiches from Meat Cheese Bread were a hit too! I had to thank my patient husband who put up with my insane, detail oriented, OCD craziness at and while planning for this party. I really hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did. Here are a few pictures, recapping the event.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">The inspiration- the cutest cake ever!<br />My friend Krista (who's a pastry chef) did most of the baked goods shown here. Call me if you want her information.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiT8ESLIXqUBi1fwqhbPFGiHUOIHpFL_pjLu3R_qtP3sBDqSmTXXKYBE5FPdno2rmJFeUcoHo2ZJXgAjcQfTJxENQvrR-O6X04M07XwzMSW0p5lv5XDpHGewLpG6z89Oz-E16jKVLvJs/s1600/IMG_4851.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiT8ESLIXqUBi1fwqhbPFGiHUOIHpFL_pjLu3R_qtP3sBDqSmTXXKYBE5FPdno2rmJFeUcoHo2ZJXgAjcQfTJxENQvrR-O6X04M07XwzMSW0p5lv5XDpHGewLpG6z89Oz-E16jKVLvJs/s320/IMG_4851.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521044168034993074" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmGFhpOHlxqqmzQ8x5jDnaORXwY4BGc9jDbCcqSxc-tnNJ7b2Vywj77A0yNeMay1f82lnBEOoipSe33y59_NBgDgiQqCTy9ipAJIugTOf6KfG_BduT8hnadHcorppXgUL7i6T2YFg06I/s1600/IMG_4877.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmGFhpOHlxqqmzQ8x5jDnaORXwY4BGc9jDbCcqSxc-tnNJ7b2Vywj77A0yNeMay1f82lnBEOoipSe33y59_NBgDgiQqCTy9ipAJIugTOf6KfG_BduT8hnadHcorppXgUL7i6T2YFg06I/s320/IMG_4877.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521044509545049842" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-A_CqV1O-HkWZpZU7ivq8FmppSJQ9PYcdbwUO9Rx7Sn2BSSRDNo5by8YnwkikL8U91NQUrUgHq31OI71otP9YTvOP_zkUY9vNZluKtzRjkhJMCq-wLQugxYwGlFUV2LWp3VxW_TkoUI/s1600/IMG_4878.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-A_CqV1O-HkWZpZU7ivq8FmppSJQ9PYcdbwUO9Rx7Sn2BSSRDNo5by8YnwkikL8U91NQUrUgHq31OI71otP9YTvOP_zkUY9vNZluKtzRjkhJMCq-wLQugxYwGlFUV2LWp3VxW_TkoUI/s320/IMG_4878.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521044644613214034" border="0" /></a><br />The top was red velvet and the bottom chocolate. The shoes were made from cupcakes and icing. Adorable!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaHUFu0d5zetrghts1nRRPsZIGO084l93KxHzAaCQuS3_uq_xy4ptGRH5tjyFncg2oqIDxk0869qBjCOxFcPfIWCnO9EbWh3YrUjhYMOELlacR3M8SXI_eoszGNYpLC-Aa5hoe1BnKss/s1600/IMG_4874.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaHUFu0d5zetrghts1nRRPsZIGO084l93KxHzAaCQuS3_uq_xy4ptGRH5tjyFncg2oqIDxk0869qBjCOxFcPfIWCnO9EbWh3YrUjhYMOELlacR3M8SXI_eoszGNYpLC-Aa5hoe1BnKss/s320/IMG_4874.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521044763954118434" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9IprcpFtc7f9k8kMG4sQTOmSkPP0Q-OLeIOVJ7jb9UavXLk7BLpBFYXvrk9_5ixJLIAFYr_E3AGFbjxkdf-P6UXchyvqSM6cG4krec4cfSqjN4c4oEg8npe6tzSD7t8iZlxRSw5Avhg/s1600/IMG_4875.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9IprcpFtc7f9k8kMG4sQTOmSkPP0Q-OLeIOVJ7jb9UavXLk7BLpBFYXvrk9_5ixJLIAFYr_E3AGFbjxkdf-P6UXchyvqSM6cG4krec4cfSqjN4c4oEg8npe6tzSD7t8iZlxRSw5Avhg/s320/IMG_4875.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521044903006870978" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33hdH3uZrPyw8HJYliT6xPW4D0XQu-cwh-uxC289QAFvo8Lt9GoCyCBcUjqMzbR50OlOgQZmp-jP9VCKfZOL71L_DTXyGUTUoHPRornpsa7qnpoWLcXzAUgPs37qq72yh7a8LqAMVTBc/s1600/IMG_4879.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33hdH3uZrPyw8HJYliT6xPW4D0XQu-cwh-uxC289QAFvo8Lt9GoCyCBcUjqMzbR50OlOgQZmp-jP9VCKfZOL71L_DTXyGUTUoHPRornpsa7qnpoWLcXzAUgPs37qq72yh7a8LqAMVTBc/s320/IMG_4879.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521045019147086626" border="0" /></a><br />Onsies sugar cookies, lemon cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries. There were buttered short bread cookies too, but I forgot to take that picture.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNwoy5d8jeeWDgem_AMbVPjccYYWkx43nqA1XPCuH5ljTC-hgmu_srVrPrMsKqzxXOuvkprEeBVBdeIdrmjggQVjAg_1-bLk7nVpgwGKbGApXFNBfpZfGvw4BHZ3iMx5ockGpVz9vxtk/s1600/IMG_4880.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNwoy5d8jeeWDgem_AMbVPjccYYWkx43nqA1XPCuH5ljTC-hgmu_srVrPrMsKqzxXOuvkprEeBVBdeIdrmjggQVjAg_1-bLk7nVpgwGKbGApXFNBfpZfGvw4BHZ3iMx5ockGpVz9vxtk/s320/IMG_4880.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521045177331604674" border="0" /></a>Strawberry, 2%, and chocolate milk<br />We also served Izze sodas and store bought Italian sodas from <a href="http://www.worldmarket.com/">World Market</a>.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uxf3qMlOu5_6tlSCiPv8AyJ4EgKinupsLLp8v41V6g3N0V1xsD7GRhFoNp0Kt_3E2Oi0x5wArPpRt-vhwa2_Z9XwkFbwXHkbv7roaXsRZsE-QI6wehLSdxKcF-_bkHre9Mse5J_MPnU/s1600/IMG_4883.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uxf3qMlOu5_6tlSCiPv8AyJ4EgKinupsLLp8v41V6g3N0V1xsD7GRhFoNp0Kt_3E2Oi0x5wArPpRt-vhwa2_Z9XwkFbwXHkbv7roaXsRZsE-QI6wehLSdxKcF-_bkHre9Mse5J_MPnU/s320/IMG_4883.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521045496185013826" border="0" /></a>I made little place cards and signs to coordinate with the pink and chocolate theme.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfrZ1dmffhBarRwv4w5ci_a8UrAF38KyrX9_9FHMSRBOWwu1piRvjC-V9kZAHbLf_x_4GCC2Nu5MIsBW1lWArvWv3PLppmzSoVGilPVC-Vn79T7P0Q3bs1LbI8VyCnViRGBalZetSMXs/s1600/IMG_4887.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfrZ1dmffhBarRwv4w5ci_a8UrAF38KyrX9_9FHMSRBOWwu1piRvjC-V9kZAHbLf_x_4GCC2Nu5MIsBW1lWArvWv3PLppmzSoVGilPVC-Vn79T7P0Q3bs1LbI8VyCnViRGBalZetSMXs/s320/IMG_4887.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521046628034487474" border="0" /></a>Home made garland<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoamYilXxqEudEACTccgs5SB-k-oGYkJyqy_TkPwXcjWgDAjme9y1Q0eaIsrF3jDWJAHuhKZtIbhaD2U8g5RzHfr0nZZ2gmeNm871R5uc22dtH5GuELffy4vJK1V0-YAPm4MrDeg_bFQ/s1600/IMG_4856.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoamYilXxqEudEACTccgs5SB-k-oGYkJyqy_TkPwXcjWgDAjme9y1Q0eaIsrF3jDWJAHuhKZtIbhaD2U8g5RzHfr0nZZ2gmeNm871R5uc22dtH5GuELffy4vJK1V0-YAPm4MrDeg_bFQ/s320/IMG_4856.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521045313156813586" border="0" /></a>Savory foods were ordered from <a href="http://www.meatcheesebread.com/">Meat Cheese Bread</a> in Portland. Gotta thank Q. for picking them up.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Pu2DvroUyban2mnVkVyBplZ-ou-EXXlwyLqmTvd2jdZRYHEXMx9S-8DY5Z-P8WYEt4FUCRBSjl0L-xXaO65k4O6DQUQbFnIxHiul5e8l3X58DvMSoWePUeC3WYVYJU1dxMqABinrF9Q/s1600/IMG_4858.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Pu2DvroUyban2mnVkVyBplZ-ou-EXXlwyLqmTvd2jdZRYHEXMx9S-8DY5Z-P8WYEt4FUCRBSjl0L-xXaO65k4O6DQUQbFnIxHiul5e8l3X58DvMSoWePUeC3WYVYJU1dxMqABinrF9Q/s320/IMG_4858.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521045645914847490" border="0" /></a>Husbands hanging out<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyWKa3RhHpqdRBW_LxR8eBzX7T1gO8w_ZryKE5A1c9vKboxfWOdjy8mNhAIjnJAaDQLohkK5vZFBzH1D8fQl48K7fAtFVMkTzDEpQom5YpDGTrdr3R_VRWDhb9U4byySXpWDiSSpNyqk/s1600/IMG_4860.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyWKa3RhHpqdRBW_LxR8eBzX7T1gO8w_ZryKE5A1c9vKboxfWOdjy8mNhAIjnJAaDQLohkK5vZFBzH1D8fQl48K7fAtFVMkTzDEpQom5YpDGTrdr3R_VRWDhb9U4byySXpWDiSSpNyqk/s320/IMG_4860.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521045742973369426" border="0" /></a>Checking out the food table<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuBGc0Mtvol_R30z8O2o2IIepBTWOyV4kNIIqddlNMdaITSuWDQY6eS-05bimHfdZj2unUn9YFVufLYgwCDx_Fh_RRa45MTq3Xp87GgjNMSs8p4Uf878WpSPgiM3jqdR7YUDHbJZoSTU/s1600/IMG_4870.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuBGc0Mtvol_R30z8O2o2IIepBTWOyV4kNIIqddlNMdaITSuWDQY6eS-05bimHfdZj2unUn9YFVufLYgwCDx_Fh_RRa45MTq3Xp87GgjNMSs8p4Uf878WpSPgiM3jqdR7YUDHbJZoSTU/s320/IMG_4870.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521046364055004738" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-So-waUfDcbS93XKi_4WEq6LbrBR8QxrJLyOJ0RLr1j8L-NormUrKb-Ww2Y0jUF2yLG_Hjlv9hCBHGoUP5Cc8vUq-TCmeawu_PMfmck2uqZ9RKmSrPBw-eSRxuURsKWdVoYO8P410tlE/s1600/IMG_4872.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-So-waUfDcbS93XKi_4WEq6LbrBR8QxrJLyOJ0RLr1j8L-NormUrKb-Ww2Y0jUF2yLG_Hjlv9hCBHGoUP5Cc8vUq-TCmeawu_PMfmck2uqZ9RKmSrPBw-eSRxuURsKWdVoYO8P410tlE/s320/IMG_4872.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521046145029436306" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Cbppt6JqKeIrenz9sKW-OdC-R5x8-ps-HngBumQKEdvst3oIPlJFRYcgpR5bvTfL4gAscGG2kcVXK-5XSe-fmovAY3G2BImObJj0JU0qlsWDJCLW5_ZDkUaXq-R946e7NRQlQuzRhDs/s1600/IMG_4868.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Cbppt6JqKeIrenz9sKW-OdC-R5x8-ps-HngBumQKEdvst3oIPlJFRYcgpR5bvTfL4gAscGG2kcVXK-5XSe-fmovAY3G2BImObJj0JU0qlsWDJCLW5_ZDkUaXq-R946e7NRQlQuzRhDs/s320/IMG_4868.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521046007117538578" border="0" /></a><br />General goofiness and chit chatting. I realized by running around, I didn't get a chance to take any real portraits of the guests or of Rachel herself, aside from the top goofy picture. Sorry Rach!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN1S3CSsl1vgH1hcMgzRj7rnDcczlJak-InKm_t2GrHtKBrhNRsU1BnHJqm0ck_e4eKxJcKJaUDJPRRAvUZLeYtLkbvDVscBJfAywhgSznccKMfAOAChavFfUWqXgXtW7xgTfsaYN3dg/s1600/IMG_4863.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN1S3CSsl1vgH1hcMgzRj7rnDcczlJak-InKm_t2GrHtKBrhNRsU1BnHJqm0ck_e4eKxJcKJaUDJPRRAvUZLeYtLkbvDVscBJfAywhgSznccKMfAOAChavFfUWqXgXtW7xgTfsaYN3dg/s320/IMG_4863.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521045860991445986" border="0" /></a>Rachel's mom practicing with baby Ethan while waiting for Lilly.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Congratulations you guys!! It was really fun putting all this together. Quoc and I are really excited to meet her. Can't wait for our babies to have play dates!<br /><br />Oh and here's a random picture of my sister, who visited last week and helped me make some of the decorations. Thanks, sissy.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKIHmUdwXDUUfXevGo8Vyvbqu9L0ER5W1u_i8j6h09zBcivrdr1Gg5-kL5xcf7LvOlfTODfwxm30RYQw1Z4rfl7tdWZd_uk47T3WbJWBgTeQaSq3jTeeRk64F2VdlmzexgB38rElDn8U/s1600/IMG_4850.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKIHmUdwXDUUfXevGo8Vyvbqu9L0ER5W1u_i8j6h09zBcivrdr1Gg5-kL5xcf7LvOlfTODfwxm30RYQw1Z4rfl7tdWZd_uk47T3WbJWBgTeQaSq3jTeeRk64F2VdlmzexgB38rElDn8U/s320/IMG_4850.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521050420790784962" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-77956610690803065892010-07-28T15:58:00.001-07:002010-07-28T16:33:33.203-07:00Big NewsWhere did the time go? Summer is almost over! If you haven't heard, we're pregnant! We're 20 weeks today. We went for our anatomy survey/ultrasound today. I was holding my breath, as the ultrasonographer scan over his nuchal fold, heart, lips, looking for abnormalities along with him. Everything is normal and great, thank God. I'm just paranoid for nothing. Ah.. the trouble of knowing too much. And oh yes, it's a boy! We're uber excited. I'm feeling kicks and movements- it does feel like there is an alien inside me... odd and wonderful at the same time.<br />Things we did this summer so far: picked berries- a PNW tradition, entertained families of both sides, went to Maui for a conference/vacation and of course lots of hiking. Here are some pictures.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0SLsEsZSEXDYQ5SENyySAosnnByNPSotVChJyBj48E-I3eoNEvK3JsFp9-OV6ra6XBEu4r9eoSwIwIiVTCIK07Pdt-ONzmlt1JJE6nwbczZbhGvsATM8LhyphenhyphenVWRS22KdijFYHpvp2SCt4/s1600/IMG_4181.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0SLsEsZSEXDYQ5SENyySAosnnByNPSotVChJyBj48E-I3eoNEvK3JsFp9-OV6ra6XBEu4r9eoSwIwIiVTCIK07Pdt-ONzmlt1JJE6nwbczZbhGvsATM8LhyphenhyphenVWRS22KdijFYHpvp2SCt4/s320/IMG_4181.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499101413365692482" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikIMdwVkvUdZRSutOODKRLZyJipiQmBzx3C_jPXwNH6acbuPJTXX5wd_p66ocLPf0EBlfTwB0G680yJ8ulSJalOshId3iIOI6bvBe7CmEhsE5r8K5pAWdT5nq5sdSjOyyD3SKvIUkslM/s1600/IMG_4211.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikIMdwVkvUdZRSutOODKRLZyJipiQmBzx3C_jPXwNH6acbuPJTXX5wd_p66ocLPf0EBlfTwB0G680yJ8ulSJalOshId3iIOI6bvBe7CmEhsE5r8K5pAWdT5nq5sdSjOyyD3SKvIUkslM/s320/IMG_4211.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499099565581915634" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFZRmO57fARKwcs5q39MIVl62C5GRJFiH1TQ6gA3dK2LteOoZFpUe-4E5wWZdEo06alXrOby6eOA1PmsWs70KTr-hEAEvqeoZQHVxDIDstWAFlZH5HkZTEDjqM60PIGzvbCX3gytc7u8/s1600/IMG_4248.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFZRmO57fARKwcs5q39MIVl62C5GRJFiH1TQ6gA3dK2LteOoZFpUe-4E5wWZdEo06alXrOby6eOA1PmsWs70KTr-hEAEvqeoZQHVxDIDstWAFlZH5HkZTEDjqM60PIGzvbCX3gytc7u8/s320/IMG_4248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499099068889838930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8afS4fg3g7Kg6yD2xQCnz5-xtwiFXfskZJrl9FJoW6xZhex4pqI0_aGKdFi2Uqabq4xDyM41yvJCEN8HGIJqeuUKNsNQ4nA8h4rdsbq9UyZdFLODiJYEWFYaGNQwY4tvdDHAMcipGDQg/s1600/IMG_4222.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8afS4fg3g7Kg6yD2xQCnz5-xtwiFXfskZJrl9FJoW6xZhex4pqI0_aGKdFi2Uqabq4xDyM41yvJCEN8HGIJqeuUKNsNQ4nA8h4rdsbq9UyZdFLODiJYEWFYaGNQwY4tvdDHAMcipGDQg/s320/IMG_4222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499098883927072418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8bekeoobAYZOUJ7zppwzk-Ufu2hA0PFbNBrwbe8hYjisS6b5XqRVaAGoWej1XoDyxq7XRI_6_Uc8YwhPM2b0pbEkPVF7_tznHGc8PWtJ9qZok4NNapROqisooIl1ouVqM6OiccIFZ4s/s1600/IMG_4149.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8bekeoobAYZOUJ7zppwzk-Ufu2hA0PFbNBrwbe8hYjisS6b5XqRVaAGoWej1XoDyxq7XRI_6_Uc8YwhPM2b0pbEkPVF7_tznHGc8PWtJ9qZok4NNapROqisooIl1ouVqM6OiccIFZ4s/s320/IMG_4149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499098566915324114" border="0" /></a><br />I guess we didn't take that many pictures when the Les were here. Above were just some of the better ones from Sunriver, OR. It was a beautiful house and we had great weather while staying there. Aren't the babies cute?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijuAMh6kFLM5d8FYZGbl2znIPEnXKP-VjsgtkeFYgjN4zDSct1oMmP9i-9syT7iTpMojYNdMwPeL5EkeAMNyHEHhTiS_4NKX-xytUPsAqmRKUQUoOiAKurB8OM_7e0CBaO7JyPus4PpCY/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijuAMh6kFLM5d8FYZGbl2znIPEnXKP-VjsgtkeFYgjN4zDSct1oMmP9i-9syT7iTpMojYNdMwPeL5EkeAMNyHEHhTiS_4NKX-xytUPsAqmRKUQUoOiAKurB8OM_7e0CBaO7JyPus4PpCY/s320/IMG_1144.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499097655915180130" border="0" /></a>Snorkeling in Maui with Mom. Well, I snorkeled. Mom waddled in the water.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptTr0Aio0krf5A7CW1ZpVTHIUdnjta3yyP7aWx5EhkNDKQ27uIgQM7LJDaW7ExpVMYnbPqEBGXhZ5Deq0FlsRRJRwseDM1lt5QQ8wENsoI1OsFLcWFhhpt1JQv8KxnsL16uz8yXn5MHs/s1600/IMG_4767.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptTr0Aio0krf5A7CW1ZpVTHIUdnjta3yyP7aWx5EhkNDKQ27uIgQM7LJDaW7ExpVMYnbPqEBGXhZ5Deq0FlsRRJRwseDM1lt5QQ8wENsoI1OsFLcWFhhpt1JQv8KxnsL16uz8yXn5MHs/s320/IMG_4767.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499098061604842130" border="0" /></a>Here's all of us at the Old Lahaina Luau. More pictures on Facebook. Do you even see my bump?<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />We hope to do more fun things before summer ends. It's so beautiful here this time of year. We also did several hikes but we didn't bring the camera most of the time. Here's a picture of the latest addition- our little guy...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpQT7UdM94kr0Dlpy5nPxP7TMbO2T9Rmx4wIL6nhqXXoxj9OBh1-d_9OOTRKgWCyqWh8dfQZEo_d3zvMgPNqBHfuBWGWisDuJieq97hzHOKfcr4QCpaKD3mviDtgsc6WU2dhmerU4g_s/s1600/profile.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpQT7UdM94kr0Dlpy5nPxP7TMbO2T9Rmx4wIL6nhqXXoxj9OBh1-d_9OOTRKgWCyqWh8dfQZEo_d3zvMgPNqBHfuBWGWisDuJieq97hzHOKfcr4QCpaKD3mviDtgsc6WU2dhmerU4g_s/s320/profile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499103744896185058" border="0" /></a><br />Profile picture with the umbilical cord right at his mouth- looks like he's blowing a big bubble.<br /></div></div></div>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-28853616693351408542010-05-13T18:04:00.000-07:002010-05-13T22:38:45.935-07:00EmpanadasHispanic food is one that I have hard time mastering. I've always loved empanadas when offered at restaurants, so I decided to ask my friend Anita to teach me one of her mom's recipes. Here's us making Chilean beef empanadas one Saturday afternoon in my fabulous kitchen :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnc9jMvur6WfxKReq3_boYR2rbAlg0Ri4HPnehhIz3LiEeU1hbu4BzHKSO7BVif501iO31x4hSLEXemnl18VvbSXHVe8bIPvvRlUib5Rnmu2JZqJe4U_BLJVzZDslDPoYR86T6VoBWz4/s1600/IMG_4122.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnc9jMvur6WfxKReq3_boYR2rbAlg0Ri4HPnehhIz3LiEeU1hbu4BzHKSO7BVif501iO31x4hSLEXemnl18VvbSXHVe8bIPvvRlUib5Rnmu2JZqJe4U_BLJVzZDslDPoYR86T6VoBWz4/s320/IMG_4122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470925992435878274" border="0" /></a>The dough is made up of all purpose flour (6 cups), butter (3/4 cup), salt (1 tsp), approx 1 cup of boiling water (adjusted to dough consistency similar to pizza dough). Using a wooden spoon, roughly mix altogether.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPYk99r2K7tg1L0v-OU4-BBoUBOQPDq_3wUUaTQYN9h-TJMGW84FpGPbw0AkK4dPbRRcGlTgnQvobBDT6h9AQjBOKSIEaLraGTjsBBNh8Kq8T_a_jwZI9Q7e68Ejtbj5AvKrz8JFkiFQ/s1600/IMG_4131.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPYk99r2K7tg1L0v-OU4-BBoUBOQPDq_3wUUaTQYN9h-TJMGW84FpGPbw0AkK4dPbRRcGlTgnQvobBDT6h9AQjBOKSIEaLraGTjsBBNh8Kq8T_a_jwZI9Q7e68Ejtbj5AvKrz8JFkiFQ/s320/IMG_4131.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470926139521141826" border="0" /></a>Knead and rolled out thinly- as much as you can.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlTYqlJJjLb-BtWPGvbSEsf3qekQV3nyfaKJ-XBTs9VOVHBx6QBhthIF9nSrCOuKyvjrdXQ-aINZ0MNwLWz1H93bPQOLAsTraemNk7p3NiUKKIF5Iu7Kuj_2uYk9IpQRmLj8b2Gl9uys/s1600/IMG_4136.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlTYqlJJjLb-BtWPGvbSEsf3qekQV3nyfaKJ-XBTs9VOVHBx6QBhthIF9nSrCOuKyvjrdXQ-aINZ0MNwLWz1H93bPQOLAsTraemNk7p3NiUKKIF5Iu7Kuj_2uYk9IpQRmLj8b2Gl9uys/s320/IMG_4136.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470929755505505842" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIlN0JBouVR5myRBpcGxRVksCz1MKukFcrxEwAoXw4YrDLePzs1AnVqXFt8NXokUmv4OeqL03N8u5wMwLEyBMIlvmLQPVhrNLB2NfBMc9xIjRL3ZxCOtgMriFvFH992UzJ3-33d9XYbs/s1600/IMG_4138.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIlN0JBouVR5myRBpcGxRVksCz1MKukFcrxEwAoXw4YrDLePzs1AnVqXFt8NXokUmv4OeqL03N8u5wMwLEyBMIlvmLQPVhrNLB2NfBMc9xIjRL3ZxCOtgMriFvFH992UzJ3-33d9XYbs/s320/IMG_4138.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470926861511469298" border="0" /></a>Filling consists of 1 lb lean ground beef, 1 medium chopped onion, seasoned with 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (for extra kick), and salt, pepper to taste. Cook this on stove top with a few tbsp of olive oil. We also had raisins and pieces of hard boiled eggs before folding the dough.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39J5P3SNYwH9o5yfs8GT-RYU0tOKeMOEsQJItJywAbL_RiC8L6RuMPdSkApRCezeUbMJzgt2iQP9F2cjN2b1fumv7QIqd1HdJLuBmFyag4udgrDa0EZdH3QDilhNPXcbVPfjrR4hPcT8/s1600/IMG_4141.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39J5P3SNYwH9o5yfs8GT-RYU0tOKeMOEsQJItJywAbL_RiC8L6RuMPdSkApRCezeUbMJzgt2iQP9F2cjN2b1fumv7QIqd1HdJLuBmFyag4udgrDa0EZdH3QDilhNPXcbVPfjrR4hPcT8/s320/IMG_4141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470926986953126850" border="0" /></a>Cut with a pizza cutter in half moons, making sure the edges stick (apply water around the edges and press down). Deep fry.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBL3F_io_RJXK6_hSYExU6jibpING9U5D4DSTLvZTGySusjkTJxciSweTIxAb5wk6hoGDiS9BEKqjwx1WU5E5J9K8GWHBKm1cvoWdVWUw6fR7jmAX39Kw2J2cPo9iIKBZmub2Fsg48K2k/s1600/IMG_4142.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBL3F_io_RJXK6_hSYExU6jibpING9U5D4DSTLvZTGySusjkTJxciSweTIxAb5wk6hoGDiS9BEKqjwx1WU5E5J9K8GWHBKm1cvoWdVWUw6fR7jmAX39Kw2J2cPo9iIKBZmub2Fsg48K2k/s320/IMG_4142.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470927115618536882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MQOF7a8ytykbHas_vnKn0QrFXkQx-Uybc0bDg2O1BpQbZ2y6YE35DFWLY_b3I8YhQzQqksVv9eS_2YG4sJ885LzdlR-C7xCSKGuAV8a_zFoe9ESE1IpvYTdBLTIaS8Hhxbw11jrTMeQ/s1600/IMG_4145.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MQOF7a8ytykbHas_vnKn0QrFXkQx-Uybc0bDg2O1BpQbZ2y6YE35DFWLY_b3I8YhQzQqksVv9eS_2YG4sJ885LzdlR-C7xCSKGuAV8a_zFoe9ESE1IpvYTdBLTIaS8Hhxbw11jrTMeQ/s320/IMG_4145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470927310845795090" border="0" /></a><br />Anita among the yummy goodness. Thanks for sharing, lady! Your mom must be so proud. Maybe next time, I'll venture to make arepas... or just stick to tacos and burritos...<br /></div>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-80758230407041681552010-03-08T21:40:00.000-08:002010-03-08T22:10:49.201-08:00House updates & moreIt started with a sink I saw on overstock.com on sale. Then before we know it, we're chiseling out the old, dirty and ruined marble tiles, brass hardware, stained sink and replacing practically the whole thing. Props to Quoc for doing most of hard work. I picked the replacement pieces and painted though. It was a team effort. We're really happy with the result. Below are some before and after pictures.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">Before<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU70N-bCMmFndZyYU-1ehYnOzNeOtvMeEjeRKqZ-fpQcoPySfwKp8bJc9qaBMQ4mEuxWXa8PiOFKjkHd5oV1GNwR_RnK2W9D6ahg-loi7efpQX9AMkGgG5uCg3-9bHkCj4J0V9a69DVQY/s1600-h/IMG_3905.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU70N-bCMmFndZyYU-1ehYnOzNeOtvMeEjeRKqZ-fpQcoPySfwKp8bJc9qaBMQ4mEuxWXa8PiOFKjkHd5oV1GNwR_RnK2W9D6ahg-loi7efpQX9AMkGgG5uCg3-9bHkCj4J0V9a69DVQY/s320/IMG_3905.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446505817791046418" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZLIB-a1eDcStXQry6ytXqFe1QGXdGpdlstoYlJ-DGXS0QLh_C70Y3MJxZjEdkoiVf25jSkaOrfD59Dr-at2Osp5G9Q_8VcyK3DhXfPOQizvzJ5-Rx27bW6hKqDpMLccqYM0vcJJx_9A/s1600-h/IMG_3907.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZLIB-a1eDcStXQry6ytXqFe1QGXdGpdlstoYlJ-DGXS0QLh_C70Y3MJxZjEdkoiVf25jSkaOrfD59Dr-at2Osp5G9Q_8VcyK3DhXfPOQizvzJ5-Rx27bW6hKqDpMLccqYM0vcJJx_9A/s320/IMG_3907.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446506110717225458" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_cDQTkvAXXUCbqjg7aqyqM83zNsbG9CHxBI0dKx6OO9ON5v_ymBhcBDd-GiEQ1KB1Wa2SVBUd_tCTPoQkqoXTpLvfdYChrGf_sVJ5Q0iY8dMhwvFhP9SMkj4UtGDsZj-8o6KqM-92tg/s1600-h/IMG_3911.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_cDQTkvAXXUCbqjg7aqyqM83zNsbG9CHxBI0dKx6OO9ON5v_ymBhcBDd-GiEQ1KB1Wa2SVBUd_tCTPoQkqoXTpLvfdYChrGf_sVJ5Q0iY8dMhwvFhP9SMkj4UtGDsZj-8o6KqM-92tg/s320/IMG_3911.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446506419865131266" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">After<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0T_wk_a7AgyOkcAYvlGFbz0rOC7s3tbOjzPuTRlWeGaZpLilMrldtykAuKsxGwiPZuv1MAHY798wUfCRa3kxX2jjIsaBU65tAcUjfNyYrwRMY7mJs9xLkH8_NJB4idns25ouZbHcRcZ8/s1600-h/IMG_1074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0T_wk_a7AgyOkcAYvlGFbz0rOC7s3tbOjzPuTRlWeGaZpLilMrldtykAuKsxGwiPZuv1MAHY798wUfCRa3kxX2jjIsaBU65tAcUjfNyYrwRMY7mJs9xLkH8_NJB4idns25ouZbHcRcZ8/s320/IMG_1074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446507014504218450" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQCM7BUjqPuhvIw7MSFwWOH9q9evmYFkUki5WRYELm87NAB5W9AEOo1ONPvlYk9hs0Md3Nsc-Miz-fWsTtI-hkba-bcoM3TexEYHA0J5uDHKTWg_ETyQ6a9O0E7q2ouMAddjFzB4gNsg/s1600-h/IMG_1077.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQCM7BUjqPuhvIw7MSFwWOH9q9evmYFkUki5WRYELm87NAB5W9AEOo1ONPvlYk9hs0Md3Nsc-Miz-fWsTtI-hkba-bcoM3TexEYHA0J5uDHKTWg_ETyQ6a9O0E7q2ouMAddjFzB4gNsg/s320/IMG_1077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446507422538186066" border="0" /></a><br />I haven't put up a lot of food pictures lately, but I have been cooking- promise. But I want to share a picture of a meal that Quoc made for Valentine's day. Grilled lobster with lemon and chives glaze, broiled fresh asparagus, orzo and garden salad drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. He doesn't cook often, but usually goes all out when he does. We paired it with Chilean Santa Rita Camenere. Yum! That was a good meal. Coffee ice cream- my favorite- was the dessert.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03uz9B7c3-g4_4-UwxUm0sHO0cMXrcjBIhUZR-gV8gNkHtu-ExK3IC9HjLvlZ70YDgmoo4anTtwev95zh7v700344V_N-BY_HaUR-FZolGSgy8etnjcCcvtoeAMzfjMlAasTFCJV1HgY/s1600-h/IMG_3909.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03uz9B7c3-g4_4-UwxUm0sHO0cMXrcjBIhUZR-gV8gNkHtu-ExK3IC9HjLvlZ70YDgmoo4anTtwev95zh7v700344V_N-BY_HaUR-FZolGSgy8etnjcCcvtoeAMzfjMlAasTFCJV1HgY/s320/IMG_3909.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446508827300605506" border="0" /></a><br />And here's one of mine- pan-seared salmon with capers, grape tomatoes vinaigrette.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxawdP2MONzvTySOkSORu73geInfAByz7m5xqSCu9NAJQVHDBsaJRBt__SlLMlU6MtqaFVeFIQfrCJqIe3crRY-sb7NkoO3hKAZn5_5IatbUx6MoH_qqQNeyEmjiDsYPPTNh6zHLksPno/s1600-h/IMG_3915.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxawdP2MONzvTySOkSORu73geInfAByz7m5xqSCu9NAJQVHDBsaJRBt__SlLMlU6MtqaFVeFIQfrCJqIe3crRY-sb7NkoO3hKAZn5_5IatbUx6MoH_qqQNeyEmjiDsYPPTNh6zHLksPno/s320/IMG_3915.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446511702994853026" border="0" /></a><br />I also recently went to visit my friend Kim in Phoenix, and had so much fun taking care of her 6 week-old baby girl. Here's Isabella Faith Mah. Isn't she precious?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZHVesa3bcXktcrzR9mIKEPlat9TZ78eouq3I2zDXm3uWkJHOtB_GXM91lU1ihnBxGSobre_6H6dYxRJyVZQhTKBJmHpk_VJvdRENcDdRFxhV_3iYmcLGXeU_HWH3ipAT7eXiE5deQvs/s1600-h/IMG_3988.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZHVesa3bcXktcrzR9mIKEPlat9TZ78eouq3I2zDXm3uWkJHOtB_GXM91lU1ihnBxGSobre_6H6dYxRJyVZQhTKBJmHpk_VJvdRENcDdRFxhV_3iYmcLGXeU_HWH3ipAT7eXiE5deQvs/s320/IMG_3988.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446510654414649842" border="0" /></a><br />And here are some random hiking pictures @ Angel's Rest and Hoyt Arboretum<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mX2CjTEktClURVtW5t6xkkqecX38r3UmknQlsQe9ON47pWXLZW4WTxlSmapcNwiU7fLjfd0TibluKwNBYjz8Jmhi4X0-zKpMtWahGeFPKdGuz_uuMFnJrlq_ww9UZdnWgmniFrZM750/s1600-h/IMG_1056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mX2CjTEktClURVtW5t6xkkqecX38r3UmknQlsQe9ON47pWXLZW4WTxlSmapcNwiU7fLjfd0TibluKwNBYjz8Jmhi4X0-zKpMtWahGeFPKdGuz_uuMFnJrlq_ww9UZdnWgmniFrZM750/s320/IMG_1056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446510932760099730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYVgYoCBHI8JOrpmplHZ59-rzeBG3L6MdRtrTXsGKOByrENMwSuuzRDk2Sql79ghPIrTMPq6dNTuhIWQrMxRf1C-C9DRKRSF3_n2xGthqQvjkSWv5T_n_h-5sjsitrHNBQ9D1Wby5wNE/s1600-h/IMG_1062.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYVgYoCBHI8JOrpmplHZ59-rzeBG3L6MdRtrTXsGKOByrENMwSuuzRDk2Sql79ghPIrTMPq6dNTuhIWQrMxRf1C-C9DRKRSF3_n2xGthqQvjkSWv5T_n_h-5sjsitrHNBQ9D1Wby5wNE/s320/IMG_1062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446511072310886226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3YfRyNXvOZ5XaEPrrG9PibOg4ltfh3chGVf811ZZ7EqSAgZBpO57v6UIES_JHBnZjvPU0IKuqhPbbOvpSn-1sYsx6gxqfGw0cQrLfamu-wnzvd45tDeRIoPYAluaYwCn8cNXacKdPxU/s1600-h/IMG_1070.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3YfRyNXvOZ5XaEPrrG9PibOg4ltfh3chGVf811ZZ7EqSAgZBpO57v6UIES_JHBnZjvPU0IKuqhPbbOvpSn-1sYsx6gxqfGw0cQrLfamu-wnzvd45tDeRIoPYAluaYwCn8cNXacKdPxU/s320/IMG_1070.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446511278747024354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXR4yVLmPNStt-9j9uJs6QydgSRmn33GbzkH7vfA87bjK9ZFJw6oB_AqZJ5hJlsKDC_FcWo0rLjZe2yjjs4XV6MgudhTBdivBaaYRSvOl2UaaIEO3iCyjDg_6aItL0UkSmjHGEQf9UxIE/s1600-h/IMG_1063.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXR4yVLmPNStt-9j9uJs6QydgSRmn33GbzkH7vfA87bjK9ZFJw6oB_AqZJ5hJlsKDC_FcWo0rLjZe2yjjs4XV6MgudhTBdivBaaYRSvOl2UaaIEO3iCyjDg_6aItL0UkSmjHGEQf9UxIE/s320/IMG_1063.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446511575061864514" border="0" /></a>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-68870819250648213612010-01-13T19:48:00.000-08:002010-01-13T20:12:12.706-08:00HaitiDevastating news about Haiti yesterday onto today...<br /><br />10 miles outside of Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti, an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude hit, crumpling much of the city's buildings and structures, leaving thousands dead, wounded, and without shelter, food or medical care. <br /><br />I watched the pictures in horror, fighting back tears the whole time, wishing I can be there among the volunteers, instead of here. My clinic day just became futile; patients' complaints felt irrelevant. Good news (small but made a huge difference) came about mid day. Pastor Delamy, who is our Haitian compassionate leader and gentle minister and his family are safe. Communication are still erratic. I can imagine- it wasn't great before the disaster hit. I can't imagine what it must be for the volunteers, for my dear friends, Joe and Linda, who will be flying there tomorrow night. <br /><br />Haiti is a country of trials. Its people has been through slavery, wars, conflicts, internal and external, robbed of a normal way of life, surviving on foreign aid as its government seems to be helpless and/or dysfunctional. When I was there in March, I saw need- so much need. How much more can a nation of people handle? <br /><br />However, I must believe that God is still in control. That He alone holds the future, ours, and my friends, the people of Haiti, as He has always been a faithful, good, and loving God. I can only hope that there is good in all of this.. chaos, destruction and turmoil. All I can do now is pray, since I can't be down there, for peace, safety and for my own sanity. <br /><br />If you want to donate money, please go to <a href="http://www.medicalteams.org/sf/home/Haiti_Earthquake.aspx">medical team international's website</a>. <br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lCUZ3AR_k5B-lvxNnIq9nA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfP2Z3Bvd4fcGZJBFLffAzTJzbPc-gVzmxyPCl7vn7T8vqePCShveskDlePqqKaZ71UeL_W4Flnt8n06dtgU3ohrkVnD7VgnE6kLnMnXxy_MklDwsmK8342voEirCQGhhMOokD2XyTbQ/s144/IMG_0273.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/DrChau811/ChauS2009HaitiTrip?feat=embedwebsite">Chau's 2009 Haiti Trip</a></td></tr></table>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-64850752415761629932009-12-31T11:36:00.000-08:002009-12-31T12:45:43.966-08:00New beginnings<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOuXfV0Y0F2axrDmth5h9EW-FRZpmM6fC9kgkmf6YVtbLwq6h1EFTRkWPL7JahCLLwRERYAtgPGvqC00KmLbmIlZLCAPm4q824fMHLLtfJ3zR5bAGDQMZqaRerszQp03ixfr6zhEi1bo/s1600-h/quoc+chau+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOuXfV0Y0F2axrDmth5h9EW-FRZpmM6fC9kgkmf6YVtbLwq6h1EFTRkWPL7JahCLLwRERYAtgPGvqC00KmLbmIlZLCAPm4q824fMHLLtfJ3zR5bAGDQMZqaRerszQp03ixfr6zhEi1bo/s320/quoc+chau+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421491921659636210" border="0" /></a><br />Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!<br /><br /></div>We've officially moved in for approximately 1 week now. I unpacked the last box today!! It has been quite a flurry of activities- mostly just boring unpacking and organizing. It has been tremendously helpful to have my sister here, visiting. She's proven surprisingly, to be quite useful! :) She's always been "lil sis" to me (as she is 5 years younger), and it's a joy to finally see her grown into her own self. And more than ever, we can share more of ourselves equally. We painted Quoc's entertainment room from peach to warm nutmeg.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjqAJ3WvehMHenzl7yYxeKngDhYTgpg6Itr_D9Fnh0RvPIAP_CAcUemVrU35fLyfpvNHz6ugqRfzJ_n2qm8FCLCHY6viF8TJ8Pv4IwJ2-WN1gJU_ipF2Lg0igLViinyZ9Ve0f83pp1ak/s1600-h/IMG_3719.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjqAJ3WvehMHenzl7yYxeKngDhYTgpg6Itr_D9Fnh0RvPIAP_CAcUemVrU35fLyfpvNHz6ugqRfzJ_n2qm8FCLCHY6viF8TJ8Pv4IwJ2-WN1gJU_ipF2Lg0igLViinyZ9Ve0f83pp1ak/s320/IMG_3719.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421491594202127218" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vy73XXV8IMAYdFSoPtv2vNgCeIWdM4Tu7hn8M7JPaJkxYjk65krUapEYVBh9KIgtvsg03DgShH2OdD8F_ahBCvfxN6__Z0Qh_Vjaslqv6ukrbRWvaKLnz3RJUnIHnpKb5070_0E0f-4/s1600-h/IMG_3715.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vy73XXV8IMAYdFSoPtv2vNgCeIWdM4Tu7hn8M7JPaJkxYjk65krUapEYVBh9KIgtvsg03DgShH2OdD8F_ahBCvfxN6__Z0Qh_Vjaslqv6ukrbRWvaKLnz3RJUnIHnpKb5070_0E0f-4/s320/IMG_3715.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421491187610429650" border="0" /></a>Furniture are still lacking, but it's finally starting to feel like home. My favorite part of the house is the kitchen. The previous owner was a part time caterer, so I'm in cooking heaven! We eventually will put in a hood over the gas stove, as most Asian recipes require high heat. As things are organized, I will put more pictures up. Here's just a preview of my beloved kitchen.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_c8bpedrEJpiwz6KTcVYWhxJVy3YG6T8ScyfCwik93NHOJwKqOKjFqhkGPGkMu4aQtUb2IaAG46BPV4hkZkptfBRWYh4bEgND6g7zBsSMJGpAmGlz1W7zp2HAOlwrtKBbVTW4ThLPRI/s1600-h/IMG_3845.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_c8bpedrEJpiwz6KTcVYWhxJVy3YG6T8ScyfCwik93NHOJwKqOKjFqhkGPGkMu4aQtUb2IaAG46BPV4hkZkptfBRWYh4bEgND6g7zBsSMJGpAmGlz1W7zp2HAOlwrtKBbVTW4ThLPRI/s320/IMG_3845.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421494214497849922" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7mYHmG0AdWUmkUpuJ-YvQ1H6SZdF40ExsNTYk9ZTtrm1pTdzd9sVLaQ8CoBn202tZFyUvZfKUpQm1lbS_cw2VXvpffHk94nGj_PE24wJUjfyM8KwoWBWaWvzH5sTWE6zl52Q81hinrs/s1600-h/IMG_3844.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7mYHmG0AdWUmkUpuJ-YvQ1H6SZdF40ExsNTYk9ZTtrm1pTdzd9sVLaQ8CoBn202tZFyUvZfKUpQm1lbS_cw2VXvpffHk94nGj_PE24wJUjfyM8KwoWBWaWvzH5sTWE6zl52Q81hinrs/s320/IMG_3844.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421494114411295570" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrF2bPmfqHrVBlNfK0lIwZ6G6omNQKRNgycVblXj5kEeZ9d-uST2Ggb46vzde9UxTifPVBh8FcZEO1xeXeFwPse3eEAeitccOuifxrpWzErOu6I0G2r30IhO8v7kVKhyphenhyphen9KE3ZSflQgWB0/s1600-h/IMG_3843.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrF2bPmfqHrVBlNfK0lIwZ6G6omNQKRNgycVblXj5kEeZ9d-uST2Ggb46vzde9UxTifPVBh8FcZEO1xeXeFwPse3eEAeitccOuifxrpWzErOu6I0G2r30IhO8v7kVKhyphenhyphen9KE3ZSflQgWB0/s320/IMG_3843.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421494016269681330" border="0" /></a>Sorry the lighting is poor.<br /><br /></div>During my sister's stay, we had the first snow fall. She of course, was ecstatic! We had to run outside to do a photoshoot in front of the new house. It was loads of fun, and the neighborhood looks beautiful in the snow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcahrKzho4qXyMlONg8Ap4-rrs3rgBnwH6vLMrXCK28OraJBAF1Jg860RtNagyq3IcIMZyGNIO3ENra_lP39SS0Wp0zRevY35VCHMcqxmDv0GTq8_h9RCraUBxC2Cj-rljNlUV3xf1sM/s1600-h/IMG_3790.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcahrKzho4qXyMlONg8Ap4-rrs3rgBnwH6vLMrXCK28OraJBAF1Jg860RtNagyq3IcIMZyGNIO3ENra_lP39SS0Wp0zRevY35VCHMcqxmDv0GTq8_h9RCraUBxC2Cj-rljNlUV3xf1sM/s320/IMG_3790.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421490641701161282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-D0ib_uNgiqAtIXnzugsR-pwW_F-wH4QexkAF0OWQmjd2BehMax_bHQr28TCqZRUvDEbzsKSyVxZy4fAH6hWG8f3u2PJVC4tQiXHxLBcnrmhhdrlIP3B7ICIOVkrJ5QTjPfvPCCOzvg/s1600-h/IMG_3784.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-D0ib_uNgiqAtIXnzugsR-pwW_F-wH4QexkAF0OWQmjd2BehMax_bHQr28TCqZRUvDEbzsKSyVxZy4fAH6hWG8f3u2PJVC4tQiXHxLBcnrmhhdrlIP3B7ICIOVkrJ5QTjPfvPCCOzvg/s320/IMG_3784.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421490386540667202" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Y8sgTMe8c1TRa8RekI5j_qYtLDV3PyuOGsIO1U5gBlwh9gf4yPguTcpsI54ktZEdo4VDeTtrTig-ifB0jA0lFTA8IbAQmv-sEBAhvsk2qHtCzZpnQCqmtX32H3Bk_OJhQJoM67sdZCA/s1600-h/IMG_3769.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Y8sgTMe8c1TRa8RekI5j_qYtLDV3PyuOGsIO1U5gBlwh9gf4yPguTcpsI54ktZEdo4VDeTtrTig-ifB0jA0lFTA8IbAQmv-sEBAhvsk2qHtCzZpnQCqmtX32H3Bk_OJhQJoM67sdZCA/s320/IMG_3769.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421490528907261730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVyhqED2uTt7zEOcTzR6Rw4D_HpYRtFVZGJZw0tIwsn4NgU8YhXxY4JtCz1jJ4Zvj1TpaVy6IfHmiahFBdQCBWj4YZLT3uKIa3-p14vIxEPdGHWfOZ0o8aLaih4QVx2QQoFaDlMjiay8/s1600-h/IMG_3813.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVyhqED2uTt7zEOcTzR6Rw4D_HpYRtFVZGJZw0tIwsn4NgU8YhXxY4JtCz1jJ4Zvj1TpaVy6IfHmiahFBdQCBWj4YZLT3uKIa3-p14vIxEPdGHWfOZ0o8aLaih4QVx2QQoFaDlMjiay8/s320/IMG_3813.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421491022563403730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tRViT12e6c4poo3_jJP5RvrPp4bMOZ-J8krJ6wcGZkIAExwVRHiOyqSfax2XjUi2Rr67CQFAcnhUo3bim8nEy5XIro5ylcSZwcHis7BUwGH9PMrtx_lKAuOeU-FY4lmTzQH2mmXl6wg/s1600-h/IMG_3828.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tRViT12e6c4poo3_jJP5RvrPp4bMOZ-J8krJ6wcGZkIAExwVRHiOyqSfax2XjUi2Rr67CQFAcnhUo3bim8nEy5XIro5ylcSZwcHis7BUwGH9PMrtx_lKAuOeU-FY4lmTzQH2mmXl6wg/s320/IMG_3828.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421490794725758962" border="0" /></a><br />And here's another few of us trying cross country skiing in Sun River during Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun as the snow/conditions were perfect, and I think we found our new snow sport!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs098.snc3/16535_170674267254_517312254_2400488_8305328_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 604px; height: 453px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs098.snc3/16535_170674267254_517312254_2400488_8305328_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs098.snc3/16535_170674287254_517312254_2400489_3315941_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 604px; height: 453px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs098.snc3/16535_170674287254_517312254_2400489_3315941_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />We did not have much of a Christmas this year. Mainly, it's because of the move, and lack of decorations. Our official move in date was the 20th, and with boxes laying around for the duration, we did not have the energy to find garlands, tinsels and ornaments, let alone go chop down our tree. We did squeeze time in to get some Christmas cards, but did not have time to send all of them out. So we're sorry if you're getting yours after New Year.<br /><br />Until next time. Have a safe and fun New Year celebration! Think of us as we probably will be cleaning and organizing...Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-55416832303583903232009-11-17T13:52:00.001-08:002009-11-17T19:08:33.956-08:00ObsessionsLast week, I picked up the Twilight Saga from a friend, and devoured all 4 books in 5 short days. I surprised myself- shocked(!) that the hysteria that swept all readers of <a href="http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/">Stephenie Meyer</a>'s series applied to me too. So several thoughts, as I pondered why....<br /><br />1. Romance: the books centered around this passionate, deep, intense, impossible love story that rings true and relates to a profound desire that most women have- to be wanted and loved completely (shown between Edward and Bella). Apparently, I am one of those women. It's fantasy, true, but is it a crime to wish, and long to be known in that way?<br /><br />2. Hobby: reading used to be one of my favorite pastimes. Ever since I was little, I'd go through volumes of books, magazines, journals in my free time, escaping and dreaming, sneaking books to bed, reading late into the night by the hallway's light so my mom would not know that I'm still awake. I remember, in college, people who visited my bookshelf would ask if I'm a lit/English major. Medical school and residency interrupted that and other hobbies, replacing it with medical journal reading and studying. I'd feel guilty if I pick up a nonfiction instead of JAMA (Journal of American Medical Association). So there was a hiatus of 7 or so years- how did I do that? Hmph! Therefore, I assume when I picked up this series, I was making up for lost time.<br /><br />3. Obsessions: I never thought of myself as the obsessive type; however, I must have some OCD trait to be (and survive) in my profession. Because I read continually with such..er.. ferocity last week, the characters were very real to me. I thought about them as real persons (props to Meyer for excellent character development), and continued to analyze about their reactions if such and such was to happen. Was it just this series? No...it happened before, in a subtler way. I remember reading all of John Irving books starting with A Prayer for Owen Meany to The Fourth Hand in a span of a few months. And there was my first favorites- The Bronte sisters, and Shakespeare plays and Hemingway's complete work. Hm... there <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> a pattern! Are all obsessions bad? Should I allow myself this one OCD trait? Until the next book... I'm taking suggestions :)<br /><br />On another note, we are moving forward with buying a house in Washington. If every goes smoothly, we will be in the new house before Christmas! Will post pictures when we move in.Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-12723102248855169952009-11-03T16:47:00.001-08:002009-11-03T16:59:54.064-08:00New endeavoursToday, I went to <a href="www.newheights.org/info/clinic">New Heights Clinic</a> for orientation. It's been 3 years since I worked here last. Then, as a resident, and now, as the nurses say, a real doctor! The clinic is sponsored by New Heights church and staffed with Christian volunteers. And I'm proud to say that I'm their newest member. It serves the uninsured of Clark County and even Portlanders as well. I'll be spending Tuesday mornings there- excited to see how God will work through me.<br /><br />A pot of Bun Bo Hue (Hue-Style Spicy Beef Noodles) is simmering downstairs, but I don't think we'll be eating it tonight, since I started it too late. Instead we'll be eating leftovers from my Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) and Tom Rang Muoi (Shrimp fried with salt) that I made earlier today, which was excellent, btw. See picture below.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV08ol2GKroNJWy08VHcQ0Hgr4Tori97mL6T6OlgZ64-P6UVJWU9gXPJv3y7_GeLQ54jRDjmRJaXucub5DMr6FsQBzwtWg1YtnHhkzDvmA9jxQm6j5kd-5Bs4hJzrpEwceMmytBvBiDiM/s1600-h/IMG_3710.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV08ol2GKroNJWy08VHcQ0Hgr4Tori97mL6T6OlgZ64-P6UVJWU9gXPJv3y7_GeLQ54jRDjmRJaXucub5DMr6FsQBzwtWg1YtnHhkzDvmA9jxQm6j5kd-5Bs4hJzrpEwceMmytBvBiDiM/s320/IMG_3710.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400045998622776274" border="0" /></a><br />On another note, I met the instructor of my Spin class today. She called me "kiddo". Really? Hmph... don't really want to start wearing makeup to the gym! Guess I should enjoy it while it lasts.Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-3978533739442029342009-10-26T20:13:00.001-07:002009-10-26T20:26:15.553-07:00Angel's Rest and Oregon's FallOn Saturday, the sun was out, and it was dry all day. We took that opportunity to try a new hike. Angel's Rest is so close to town, and had amazing colors. It's now one of my favorite hike. It was so pretty that I hardly noticed that it was uphill all the way!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqScfS_W5k9taqAhKWg0jb1URTwkFXUVFAxdvbXmYDHAFSTYW2ju5zP-inD0PF4QWYOT7GhM1WxTjoO5JtY_iNfk4tsFtTvu3eqEaoc4bd76p85_VVL2evKUFHqnNSHUS_1ZDi2Wc6Fc/s1600-h/IMG_3660.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqScfS_W5k9taqAhKWg0jb1URTwkFXUVFAxdvbXmYDHAFSTYW2ju5zP-inD0PF4QWYOT7GhM1WxTjoO5JtY_iNfk4tsFtTvu3eqEaoc4bd76p85_VVL2evKUFHqnNSHUS_1ZDi2Wc6Fc/s320/IMG_3660.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397113820892911170" border="0" /></a>Leaves-lined path<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExp0B72J5nyFPbIBdTeeqMviGPl-E_l8DEz27HnO1N4bg_otgv0kEYCJ_z48BohrCejyfEDPPtFGhgx56mUKpCzdy5zgKu1kvZb3-E8tErEFTx56ABQraZctYnTr9V8e3WGxVSeX9Ge8/s1600-h/IMG_3649.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExp0B72J5nyFPbIBdTeeqMviGPl-E_l8DEz27HnO1N4bg_otgv0kEYCJ_z48BohrCejyfEDPPtFGhgx56mUKpCzdy5zgKu1kvZb3-E8tErEFTx56ABQraZctYnTr9V8e3WGxVSeX9Ge8/s320/IMG_3649.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397114297778756578" border="0" /></a>Creek & mini waterfall<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTxacNxHhl65221NpsxmPCs38Nw7tNrnBoN2f4o6UpFV4HNBzLQEsKPl133UAG2H-XK6FQ-VNUow8e_GixipNiofVyNjBl_fIHrBHoonmQClsA-0HrcfLV5hjecZuNfKhSjgHZhoMAzU/s1600-h/IMG_3666.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTxacNxHhl65221NpsxmPCs38Nw7tNrnBoN2f4o6UpFV4HNBzLQEsKPl133UAG2H-XK6FQ-VNUow8e_GixipNiofVyNjBl_fIHrBHoonmQClsA-0HrcfLV5hjecZuNfKhSjgHZhoMAzU/s320/IMG_3666.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397114798805647410" border="0" /></a>Shiny/sweating on the way up. The mighty Columbia in the background.<br /><br /></div>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-57972631852058336262009-10-20T22:57:00.001-07:002009-10-20T23:10:00.327-07:00Crock-pot #2Chicken tortilla soup (sans tortilla) was excellent today. This is giving me great hope that this crock pot thing is going to work out! Maybe I just had bad recipes in the years before. Forgot to take a picture before dinner so there's none to post. Sorry. It tasted really authentic even without cilantro (ran out and the ones in the herb garden died/burned when it was too hot last month), avocado (left out on the counter too long) or sour cream (didn't buy) or tortilla (cutting down on carbs). Imagine what it could be with all the fixings! Thanks Sherri for the recipe.<br /><br />Tried spinning (gym resistance biking) today and it was a great work out! Note to Julie- this will be something I'm doing for exercising in the winter. I'm embarrassed to say that at one point, I even got slightly light-headed. Maybe because I didn't eat much for breakfast. Will change that next time. I'm just excited to find something active that I'll enjoy throughout the gray season.<br /><br />My goal this week is James 3:9-10. It seems like I need a daily reminder. Until next time.Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-60717702987702020022009-10-13T16:02:00.000-07:002009-10-13T16:14:05.030-07:00Tuesday once moreThe weather suddenly got cold and rainy almost over night. We pulled out our down comforter, sweaters and wool socks (I know, I go a bit overboard sometimes). Fall always remind me of stew or something simmering all day. So, braving that world once again, I took out the crock pot. Now you may think that crock pot-ing is easy, cheater way to cook. But for me, I've always managed to burn, ruin and destroy all recipes tried, no matter how fool-proofed the authors/reviews say. Well, I really only tried twice but failed both times. Got discouraged and stowed the crock pot away for good. Now what possessed me to try it again? Maybe the thought of cooking after a long 8 hours of work is tiring or just wanting fall comfort food. I'm trying my hands at pulled pork! 4 out of 8 hours into the process and no burnt smell yet. I'm crossing my fingers. If it works, I may try to chicken tortilla soup next time. In the meantime, I made Vietnamese Lotus Stem Salad with Chicken to hold myself over. Plus, it's pretty to look at and yummy to eat!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpD19TG4jE0dLSs9tjT33UwCtBNigUKHsUZ3M4S6H_weQz_-79xVAwyuBlaShf9ikt4dM04YsO7rrgk43qmdeX_Qa6Q7Dxi5sDLJkhkdmjHyUyN8EYsV9_OlOd-mlmu8ucRiRKoxNO8i8/s1600-h/IMG_3606.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpD19TG4jE0dLSs9tjT33UwCtBNigUKHsUZ3M4S6H_weQz_-79xVAwyuBlaShf9ikt4dM04YsO7rrgk43qmdeX_Qa6Q7Dxi5sDLJkhkdmjHyUyN8EYsV9_OlOd-mlmu8ucRiRKoxNO8i8/s320/IMG_3606.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392224086279045378" border="0" /></a></div>Quochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477718506952123490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-37778080450249226882009-10-07T19:10:00.001-07:002009-10-07T19:11:45.360-07:00Today's Dinner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdokYGmTjkD4gO4ObaCctcAVHsXrzneOsoHkHWm66meAHF2anUvAA5Mdz1QNFrga3dqo6-aWSiX9C-Sacbbx9BTsFB6R8hz52gWvslYlDaRJl6-T7xGhC9uyWMNK_q_StABpv_3TaN100/s1600-h/IMG_3514.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdokYGmTjkD4gO4ObaCctcAVHsXrzneOsoHkHWm66meAHF2anUvAA5Mdz1QNFrga3dqo6-aWSiX9C-Sacbbx9BTsFB6R8hz52gWvslYlDaRJl6-T7xGhC9uyWMNK_q_StABpv_3TaN100/s320/IMG_3514.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390046049349731938" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Tortilla Espanola with aioli. Easy and delicious!<br /></div>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-69390873657369813632009-10-06T16:33:00.000-07:002009-10-06T18:54:13.748-07:00Tuesdays in the KitchenAs you may know, I have Tuesdays off. In the past month or so, I've used this time to catch up on sleep, run errands, go to the dentists, etc. Now that all major chores that require daytime, working hour presence are done, I find myself looking for a meaningful project. And since we're selling the house, I can make too big of a mess on crafts, etc. Two weeks ago, I wandered onto a <a href="http://holybasil.wordpress.com/">Holy Basil</a> food blog and now am hooked. Christine (the author) is a brilliant cook (chef? I'm not sure if she is a chef by profession). I'm overjoyed to find recipes such as Bo Kho (Vietnamese beef stew), Ca Kho To (catfish in caramel stew sauce), Bun Bo Hue, and various goi (Vietnamese salads). For so long, I've tried to replicate my mom's cooking but never could. You see, my mom, like most moms, don't measure. Tough luck for me.<br /><br />So the project: to make something yummy every Tuesday, preferably Vietnamese food- to get back to my roots, to get to know and cook the food of my childhood, of which my husband craves for. No doubt, there will probably be an occasional Italian or American dish because to me, they're easier to make. And I will try to post pictures of the dishes. So far, I've made Pho and Ca Kho To in the last two Tuesdays. (No pictures, sorry. The project wasn't realized at the time.) And today, I made this- Cucumber Salad with Shrimp and Shredded Chicken.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfL_UrB-8PnRHgfrDmYf43p2BKe880JASngbJeubjchalU1chDITpsdb45wntiBevI7adpVLCUQ_cykpifA8FI-prccrEq_bijaQaZ8VmyfYtgdG7O-55HTePVt9YAIAii5EQUKuWqvMo/s1600-h/IMG_3501.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfL_UrB-8PnRHgfrDmYf43p2BKe880JASngbJeubjchalU1chDITpsdb45wntiBevI7adpVLCUQ_cykpifA8FI-prccrEq_bijaQaZ8VmyfYtgdG7O-55HTePVt9YAIAii5EQUKuWqvMo/s320/IMG_3501.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389636478270501634" border="0" /></a>Yum!<br /></div>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-30812507201055694192009-10-01T14:51:00.001-07:002009-10-01T15:13:47.711-07:00OctoberOctober? Already? Where did the summer go?<br /><br />I'm settling into the new clinic. Routine is good, I think. Patient panel building is slow, but I'm making progress I think. One of the best things about this so far, is that I can do as much OMT (osteopathic manipulative treatment) as I want. I need to keep it up to retain the skill. The organization is being very supportive and even getting me a new OMT counterstrain table in the new year!<br /><br />We're moving to the 'Couv (Vancouver, WA- for out of state readers). Sad, but true. My job is in Battle Ground, and it simply makes more sense to us. Our current house is on the market and we hope to move in the winter. We'll still continue to go to the same church and do the things we love in Portland. After all, it's only 10-15 mins away!<br /><br />Pulling out my sweater from the winter clothes box this morning, I'm reminded that fall is here. Although I love fall and fall colors, I'm reminded that we need to be stratigizing for ways to be active in the upcoming colder months. Sadly, we may have to put our mountain bikes away soon, and go back to the gym. I may take up swimming. There's always P90x, but we like to be outside, and will probably miss summer a lot. Would love your suggestions.Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-63260806398700603252009-09-29T19:13:00.000-07:002009-09-29T20:28:26.864-07:00Johnny & Kelly's WeddingWe went to San Diego to attend one of Quoc's oldest friend- Johnny's wedding. It was in La Jolla and the weather was perfect. So much fun catching up with friends we haven't seen in a while. Everyone seems to be attached (finally!) or pregnant or more children. Time certainly flies by quickly; I feel so old hearing stories about kids we knew now in college and dating! We stayed at Quoc's brother's apartment, which gave us all a chance to catch up-- trying to convince them to move to Portland, as they would fit in and love it here. The weekend was full of good food, friends and family. We visited some old favorites as well as new ones to eat. I certainly had my share of yummy carbs, so I have to work hard this week to burn it off!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMy8yeZI39BGamD0CH8DoDNgekgRjd-H0uTeua7SpbtTB2wfR1Rm4p8FFcvSHVr7x5E9ojiIYQEx2UaS90VjB9Ek0ZDw1gVpZoXBo3h8m_ZL2653i9ERhoMx4WY-ldZKBXRawLuEx4ws/s1600-h/IMG_3327.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMy8yeZI39BGamD0CH8DoDNgekgRjd-H0uTeua7SpbtTB2wfR1Rm4p8FFcvSHVr7x5E9ojiIYQEx2UaS90VjB9Ek0ZDw1gVpZoXBo3h8m_ZL2653i9ERhoMx4WY-ldZKBXRawLuEx4ws/s320/IMG_3327.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387082125758226786" border="0" /></a>Here comes Kelly (the bride)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQH4ynKjNYzo40jwL2bWec80Oiqy3hwRkx99VQGMwQW8mLbTsUdouIg47KMpPL3cX6saZqNBFV_gz8o2B76AE9DOgQIHs11EWn_GK78-QE1z_FdpfQ-DAqnpNitq1hpwp9piMR7lP6mwQ/s1600-h/IMG_3361.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQH4ynKjNYzo40jwL2bWec80Oiqy3hwRkx99VQGMwQW8mLbTsUdouIg47KMpPL3cX6saZqNBFV_gz8o2B76AE9DOgQIHs11EWn_GK78-QE1z_FdpfQ-DAqnpNitq1hpwp9piMR7lP6mwQ/s320/IMG_3361.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387082684278891634" border="0" /></a>Sand ceremony<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijvfleAxBtp98xHvgtGuk5wzWMNbotlMSeliVDGqEAsJRT7H83acT3eXDq1JBKwAmMDgY_JxaE6L4aUXfnTmCY7mrYLe9h8HK-JVGPFPz2XXGGT3V57bowjwl0SKXC_tQH9r3jFNDOUE/s1600-h/IMG_3381.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijvfleAxBtp98xHvgtGuk5wzWMNbotlMSeliVDGqEAsJRT7H83acT3eXDq1JBKwAmMDgY_JxaE6L4aUXfnTmCY7mrYLe9h8HK-JVGPFPz2XXGGT3V57bowjwl0SKXC_tQH9r3jFNDOUE/s320/IMG_3381.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387083412093237634" border="0" /></a>The kiss<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-MwZF2tnVgLyZKf1XGpQgNQsp3N6J4QM9yo70VUElRrmeOEABNmkuM6gZbSdQrbT151jTWiPdw5xlGQm3GQWo3tIsvX2cUj1lAvzcgwiNrKmswjWoUiMtt_fpy5fQMBDoHI3v0eaNuc/s1600-h/IMG_3390.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-MwZF2tnVgLyZKf1XGpQgNQsp3N6J4QM9yo70VUElRrmeOEABNmkuM6gZbSdQrbT151jTWiPdw5xlGQm3GQWo3tIsvX2cUj1lAvzcgwiNrKmswjWoUiMtt_fpy5fQMBDoHI3v0eaNuc/s320/IMG_3390.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387084190816901826" border="0" /></a>Friends<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJ_qW3teDbj59j_c5nHmrIS8rnYhgx2Zg9LG3kS08BFIloEs2ZjBeVSdcE25n7vwSY7La-lkXyH_dZ014eB160mKR5gXUfCecTbLXNy-Pq_H28f0DLASsaGz4u-CSqXS32nK0jpra3Ao/s1600-h/IMG_3337.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJ_qW3teDbj59j_c5nHmrIS8rnYhgx2Zg9LG3kS08BFIloEs2ZjBeVSdcE25n7vwSY7La-lkXyH_dZ014eB160mKR5gXUfCecTbLXNy-Pq_H28f0DLASsaGz4u-CSqXS32nK0jpra3Ao/s200/IMG_3337.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387085258743669474" border="0" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJDqBz9aIiKsvLRSz2gqxHtwWyVWn8NtXG7sLS66X0UMM9jyDSK-nAG_k9FCemeIxhysE_JWFOuGiRlML9ychO-b7V-NKwcmX9LzGFNw72aMPYgK_uwJlwPbQ4ImrO0USGm9dPGuy1JE/s1600-h/IMG_3407.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJDqBz9aIiKsvLRSz2gqxHtwWyVWn8NtXG7sLS66X0UMM9jyDSK-nAG_k9FCemeIxhysE_JWFOuGiRlML9ychO-b7V-NKwcmX9LzGFNw72aMPYgK_uwJlwPbQ4ImrO0USGm9dPGuy1JE/s200/IMG_3407.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387085267845115602" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uVxc1mrCUlB9JQ1ahGeEiX4F6JXdtTKTCwKRMquijtPnsqbyq0dNdut4OtHbFDm7FL77zi0V6rfGJMcRPs4OhQ5V0UdaLxls-9nYhxQ_PSsUpgn_WhzFrSGDQAjVe4z7_icspmgxxlg/s1600-h/IMG_3413.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uVxc1mrCUlB9JQ1ahGeEiX4F6JXdtTKTCwKRMquijtPnsqbyq0dNdut4OtHbFDm7FL77zi0V6rfGJMcRPs4OhQ5V0UdaLxls-9nYhxQ_PSsUpgn_WhzFrSGDQAjVe4z7_icspmgxxlg/s200/IMG_3413.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387085279667654722" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuL81MBHNF3qM5lMtE4c4PtAJ7zTC1f1uazw8XeNCVyAaKSPyKLku4qM7g4ZCPDjQ8YHyrDzfC4Nh3xV61x2kv23l20ObtudL-cHzXV6-6Yywu8sgGqx94GrS0_43m8UWIwm0VLK7qOk/s1600-h/IMG_3436.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuL81MBHNF3qM5lMtE4c4PtAJ7zTC1f1uazw8XeNCVyAaKSPyKLku4qM7g4ZCPDjQ8YHyrDzfC4Nh3xV61x2kv23l20ObtudL-cHzXV6-6Yywu8sgGqx94GrS0_43m8UWIwm0VLK7qOk/s200/IMG_3436.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387087560279605298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjDH39Jcs9gQfvCnY7fsoiXx8u_sidU4wNrNfJQDsTDdNzCwKYeSKEBa0sKrrUA5l8XRE1Kf6AUzKteaLirtgptTnmuh8T8G-KLQZ4KQkdyspszbRU6YyrUw1orTLPm28rVUsPEvOaDQ/s1600-h/IMG_3484.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjDH39Jcs9gQfvCnY7fsoiXx8u_sidU4wNrNfJQDsTDdNzCwKYeSKEBa0sKrrUA5l8XRE1Kf6AUzKteaLirtgptTnmuh8T8G-KLQZ4KQkdyspszbRU6YyrUw1orTLPm28rVUsPEvOaDQ/s200/IMG_3484.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387087547687122514" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXA8boZifOGmU7SxWCig2-g6yy4G2s7OXF6F4jeb9CA2Jlxhabz4lK9tEzRpmnF6bTDWrWq9ktwIKOpTcZS1D6fvL_6wVCvAP1wDSJbt-3N1rAJQDh3uTSvl9GQbvxnChUxNjIYSnxlU/s1600-h/IMG_3465.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXA8boZifOGmU7SxWCig2-g6yy4G2s7OXF6F4jeb9CA2Jlxhabz4lK9tEzRpmnF6bTDWrWq9ktwIKOpTcZS1D6fvL_6wVCvAP1wDSJbt-3N1rAJQDh3uTSvl9GQbvxnChUxNjIYSnxlU/s200/IMG_3465.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387087571936951154" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">And here's one of baby Florence.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHQqfb4a2OzcVgwHNi1PfnEu2Bl5JPK_sXChlLNwptAonSghnyxVg3zKQyJ74uLH_MTPrnPUuf9c1xhtidZt6IZZ4jCywxXTmx8p3K38Q9HnAfH1ACJwtFLXjF7NNYPsOrSu25BDNQa4/s1600-h/IMG_3498.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHQqfb4a2OzcVgwHNi1PfnEu2Bl5JPK_sXChlLNwptAonSghnyxVg3zKQyJ74uLH_MTPrnPUuf9c1xhtidZt6IZZ4jCywxXTmx8p3K38Q9HnAfH1ACJwtFLXjF7NNYPsOrSu25BDNQa4/s320/IMG_3498.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387096760033055106" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-85405878229967269182009-09-29T18:09:00.000-07:002009-09-29T18:40:36.656-07:00Vashon IslandOver Labor Day weekend, we went to Vashon Island with the Sherwood Les and Sterretts for a bit of R & R. The house we rented was right on the water, and we had gorgeous view of the Sound from the big windows in the living room. My favorite part was the pool and ping pong table, where we had several Les vs. Les challenges- so much fun that we must have space for one in the next house. Outside the house grew several apples and plum trees as well as multitudes of blackberry bushes. We picked enough fruits for ice cream and homemade pies. On Saturday, my sister-in-law cajoled me into a 3 hour walk with her (she's training for the Portland marathon this weekend). Oh man, I was sore for the rest of the weekend. Here are some fun pictures of the kiddos.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RBN8JSkr8p-0qHtu_6yyqXycjr9LdqYv40JMuIQTO8pFHYkuQ2w1-rlcGeQ8N_XyNvQds6mUU8gZ_JUcai1CeRgzw4UI0xeYWdj7USHN4y9dWM1o7m61Al9Lt93UFFpPtj_zd9_qXlM/s1600-h/IMG_3170.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RBN8JSkr8p-0qHtu_6yyqXycjr9LdqYv40JMuIQTO8pFHYkuQ2w1-rlcGeQ8N_XyNvQds6mUU8gZ_JUcai1CeRgzw4UI0xeYWdj7USHN4y9dWM1o7m61Al9Lt93UFFpPtj_zd9_qXlM/s320/IMG_3170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387064914490234130" border="0" /></a>Just cute as a button<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluVFY8bh8n9vt3RkkQZyVvAtMwty0PgblDXUxWv7VFE7cRFyH67cw8E-nhFCkVvyjfYp0GwZCQooEdlqGOvLosqvl_drGUToqAt9_icc5Xbk7TbEZgQlG9qdUvDrMPXdb_MkT4PKmDyY/s1600-h/IMG_3257.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluVFY8bh8n9vt3RkkQZyVvAtMwty0PgblDXUxWv7VFE7cRFyH67cw8E-nhFCkVvyjfYp0GwZCQooEdlqGOvLosqvl_drGUToqAt9_icc5Xbk7TbEZgQlG9qdUvDrMPXdb_MkT4PKmDyY/s320/IMG_3257.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387065699077354722" border="0" /></a>Drew in the kayak, soaking wet from throwing rocks into the water.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Uk3OKEjUbIwIA34FMo0eW9Y53wX7vE8NfX7bEV3gs0iryJxFNk5eMO9W8Xjp1JUCAOy22TAwGhDmvCJGs_orkPAG6WReRCyrmcWV235OZsWFeZKYLilMxvIqCugcR8vL3h9C-aXYdUc/s1600-h/IMG_3182.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Uk3OKEjUbIwIA34FMo0eW9Y53wX7vE8NfX7bEV3gs0iryJxFNk5eMO9W8Xjp1JUCAOy22TAwGhDmvCJGs_orkPAG6WReRCyrmcWV235OZsWFeZKYLilMxvIqCugcR8vL3h9C-aXYdUc/s320/IMG_3182.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387066314856272514" border="0" /></a>Hey! stop taking so many pictures of me, co Chau! :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXycepDKU5Le4A7LDR3wuHplLgwW_YEe3RgnvCGxfXclg3LDghY7vqQRr_V8la4F6PoF4F4JoHpWGVKnt51cUj9bvWF1TE532D58nk4dqRB3LlqhePa-oYIJ7nYXGAKZTJ3bitAAxlh5c/s1600-h/IMG_3269.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXycepDKU5Le4A7LDR3wuHplLgwW_YEe3RgnvCGxfXclg3LDghY7vqQRr_V8la4F6PoF4F4JoHpWGVKnt51cUj9bvWF1TE532D58nk4dqRB3LlqhePa-oYIJ7nYXGAKZTJ3bitAAxlh5c/s320/IMG_3269.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387067005447762018" border="0" /></a>Le brothers kayaking<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWB9u0t36D2xe79FWUFo-aeDY7cI2hNeWJkS1FfeZ_A7IGTnoiTMHvN5Rr7QAJSLZy_wmlCfczR-4C3VUk9aQiIoYWdA6bkv_-y5tgov3Uwntko9N1NU63R5j1rMrPy7neiRVsO0PrtA/s1600-h/IMG_3310.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWB9u0t36D2xe79FWUFo-aeDY7cI2hNeWJkS1FfeZ_A7IGTnoiTMHvN5Rr7QAJSLZy_wmlCfczR-4C3VUk9aQiIoYWdA6bkv_-y5tgov3Uwntko9N1NU63R5j1rMrPy7neiRVsO0PrtA/s320/IMG_3310.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387068969100670098" border="0" /></a>I like this picture of Mr. Sterrett hard at work.<br /></div>Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8885996603266111693.post-16686337284801178002009-09-01T22:44:00.000-07:002009-09-01T22:54:32.530-07:004 Day Work WeekReally? You want my opinion? My thoughts on processes, how I'd like things done? You want to pay me how much to work less than I've been working for the last 3 years? And 4 day work week? Is this real life? Lord, You are so good to me.<br /><br />I have nothing to complain about lately... so refreshing! Current situation is just too sweet. I feel I can finally breathe, take it easy, do things my way. Clinic is slow but good and necessary for starters, and I feel like we're in transition again, but this time, it's a good one.<br /><br />With a bit more free time now, I've been able to be more active, more frequently, as an effort to shed some poundage gained from the aforementioned gelato binge in Europe. It's working, slowly, with the combination of eating better, P90X, mountain biking, tennis and gym- good old fashion way. <br /><br />This weekend, we're heading to Vashon Island in the Puget Sound near Seattle with the Sherwood Les and Sterrett. Will hope to have amazing weather and pictures to share!<br /><br />Counting my blessing...Chauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13263030789484619389noreply@blogger.com1