How much do I love?

How much do I love the hot dogs in downtown LA?

Weekend in the snow

So much snow this past weekend in Mammoth, here are some photo highlights:

Convict Lake, home to Liz's new boyfriend

Snow 20!

Angela and I under the Wooly Mammoth

Our mini snow man: Donna, me, Kirsten

The girls: Dani, Jill, Sarah, Kirsten, Donna, Liz, me and Angela

Angela and I on our romantic Gondola ride

Gondola ride up was so pretty, we could see for miles but the way down was so scary. It made us wonder how anyone can ski that going straight down?!


On top of Mammoth Mountain, 30 degrees, 20 milewinds, 11.053 feet. Very, very cold and windy but an amazing view!

Liz and Julianne working on our puzzle, which I believe we never quite finished but a great pastime in the cabin.

The year 2007 has long gone home, it is now 08

Great in 08 is my new motto (okay lame, I know) but it is going to be one great year. This year Huy and I get married, we take our first international trip together (alone) to Thailand and Veitnam, a new home and a husband!
Okay, so I mentioned the marriage thing twice, but hey, I am excited!
This weekend I got a chance to go check out the wedding site and do some final paperwork. It was great to back to see the site again especially in daylight and get pumped! The site looked better than I remember and it was still slightly decorated from a wedding the night before, so the festivity was hanging in the air with the misty fog. This is a picture of the tree that Huy and I say "I do" under.


I made Beth play the part of the bride and stand under the tree for a few pictures, while directing her position I found some leftover rose petals from the night before and Beth couldn't resist in tossing a few in air. Okay, so I made her do that too, but I know she secretly enjoyed it, look at her smile!

After a muddy walk over to the reception tent, we made a new friend. I named him Ben and I wanted to take him home, but it seems that he belonged to someone else. He made the reception site that much more charming, we are so inviting him to the wedding!


Seeing the inside of the tent made this dream of getting married seem like a reality. It looked beautiful. Mind you I have an active imagination, so what you can't see in the picture, I made up to be the most amazing room with candle light, paper lanterns and lots of rannaculus flowers.

To end of the day, Beth and I went to lunch at Wood Ranch BBQ joint, it was one of Huy's favorite restaurants while he was in college at Pepperdine in Malibu. Well, to honor Huy's non-presence at the wedding planning day (because he is off in Germany gallivanting with the boys) we had a scrumptious lunch with out him full of tri tip and mashed potatoes!

Wedding planning has had it's moments, it has been fun, somewhat stressful when trying to make decisions but really it has been fun to dream about the wedding with Huy. Looking at the site only increases my excitement and makes me forget about all the little details left to be done.

Julian Camping Experience, take two

We went camping again this past January in Julian, this time with a few friends. It was a fun weekend of camping out in the freezing cold, fishing, apple pie, home cooked meals over the campfire and some good natured man Olympics--throwing large sticks. Here is the trip in review:

Dani and I relaxing by the lake while the boys fished, not much bitting that day, we all agreed, frozen mackerel is not the best bait choice.

Huy fishing on the cold but sunny Saturday morning.


Dani bundling up! It so cold at night that with my $9.99 special from Big 5 sleeping bag I almost froze to death the first night. Huy is such a gentleman, he took my bag and gave me his zero degree mummy bag. With the boiling hot water in the Nalgene bottle and Huy's bag, the second night was almost warm!

Eating yummy apple pie at the Julian Pie Company, unanimously voted the best place in town to get pie!

A brief tribute to Adam and his man sized appetite:





Adam throwing stick: Video 1
Kenny throwing stick: Video 2
Huy throwing stick: Video 3

H2DO

We got engaged!!

June 30th, 2007

The day started off early in the morning with a breakfast date at Plums with Huy. After we ate, Huy planned on showing something he made for me where we "needed space". Knowing Huy, I thought he had made a kite for me and we needed the space that only the beach could provide. Which is what I thought when he brought me to Newport Beach near 60th st.

The actual gift was a DVD slide show that he had made of our pictures from the past year of us dating, it was our story set to our favorite music. Each picture brought back a memory of good times on road trips, silly times making our own corny music videos and happy times of holidays with family.

After watching the slide show on Huy's laptop, he pulled out a Bible from his backpack and wanted to read a passage to me. Huy read from John 13 on the night of the Last Supper when Jesus washed the disciples feet. After reading it, Huy asked if he could wash my feet as a symbol and comittment of him serving me in our relationship. Huy pulled out a little plastic lunch box, the kind you take to work, and poured water into the makeshift basin. As he washed my feet, Huy affirmed me in the intentionality we have made in creating a wonderful, loving and serving relationship. And also in the area of ministry with my small group, encouraging other women to develop and grow their walk in Jesus.

Once Huy made that great posture of his heart towards me, he pulled out the Bible again and told me he had another gift for me. As he opened the Bible, he began to rise to one knee and pulled out the ribbon bookmark that had a beautiful diamond ring tied to it. He then asked me to marry him!


At that point I just lost it. I started crying and asking lame questions like "do my parents know?" and "are there other people here that know, don't we need witnesses?!" Huy patiently explained that he had been planning this day for over the past two months. He had secretly met with my parents to ask for my hand, drove all the way to Bakersfield for that one! Had recruited multiple friends to help him pick the perfect ring for me. Which he did an amazing job at, I love, love the ring he chose to symbolize his love and commitment for me!


Huy gave me the Bible that he had read from, it was a gift to me with my new name engraved on it. Next, he gave another little book that had the whole day outlined for me. First I was off to the spa for a whole body massage, next my good friend Luisa picked me up and Huy had paid for mani's and pedi's together! Then, even after that, Luisa took me dress shopping for a new dress for that evening, Huy even included a little cash in the book for me to buy the dress! He thought of everything.


The last part of the book was what we were to do that evening. Huy picked me up at my house, after I got ready and we headed to Hollywood. Where Huy took me to dinner at a new restraunt called The Geisha House. I had to pull the engaged card there because our hostess wanted to seat us at a table next another couple. Being as our special night, I requesting a "private table" and the lovely hostess gave us the entire upstairs to ourselves!


The meal was great and we toasted to sake wine, named the "Happy Bride". We moved a little further down Hollywood Blvd to the Pantages Theater where we got to see the musical "Wicked" and from amazing seats in the seventh row. The show was great and it was wonderful to get all dressed up to go to dinner and the theater!


To end the evening, Huy took me to our favorite park bench in Corona Del mar, overlooking the ocean, where we had first held hands and proposed to me again under the moonlight. I was a little shocked the first time, so I made Huy do it again in the original place he intended to propose. He was champ and did the whole thing again. I loved how we started the day and ended the day with a wonderful moment.

With the moon shining over us, we know we had spent a day that neither of us will forget. Filled with tears, laughter, nervousness, excitement and joy, we made the biggest step in our lives so far. I couldn't be happier....to have shared it with anyone other than Huy Do.

New Job

I got a new job this month. I am really excited to finally leave Guess after 4 1/2 years and finally join the Anthropolgie team. I had interviewed for over 6 months and finally was offered the store at the Irvine Spectrum mall as a Visual Manager.

Check out the website at http://www.anthropologie.com for what the store looks like!


I start in June!

Day Hike

Saturday the 14th.

A really cheap date.

It seems like every time Saturday the 14th rolls around we are on some adventure. Last time that particular day rolled around last October we were in Lake Mojave renting a patio boat to surprise our Fuel friends on a Mariners Houseboat trip. Today we spent the day on our least expensive dates, for only $5 we went for a day hike.

We drove out to Trabuco Canyon in the hills, my favorite hiking area in all of OC. We took the side road for only off road vehicles to get to the hiking trail. After bumping around for about 20 minutes we ended up at the trail head. We hiked up the hill for about 4o min till we got to one of the only water falls in all of Orange County, Holy Jim Falls. One of my favorite days because it was just Huy, me and the camera enjoying the afternoon sun.