from a distance

ok, so since justin and i have been married, it seems like we are constantly having to live apart for some amount of time for some reason or another. first was when he had to come up early to start his law school, and i wasn't going to be able to come up until mid september because of my schooling. it was only about a month-ish and we thought that it would be the only time so we could manage just fine. then, the next year, we had to spend the entire summer (may-september) in separate states because our school/work schedules did not match up at all. again though, we thought it would be the last time and we could manage as long as we made a trip out every other week. that plan didn't end up so well, we went the entire month of july without seeing each other. bad idea! but thinking that would be the final time, as i had finally finished my school, we managed. how does it work out though that now, once again, we are living to two different houses during the week while justin works in portland, and i finish up working the school year in eugene for the next 5 weeks? may i just say that i cannot wait until we never have to live apart like this again. it totally sucks. so hopefully, for the last time, i had to say goodbye to the hubby so he can live in a different city.

kelly-isms

-i dont like my face to be hot, it instantly makes me uncomfortable
-my favorite meal is dinner, therefore i usually end up eating way to much
-i dont like to go to the movies during the day, i feel like it wastes precious daylight
-i dont care if people like me, but i want them to think i look good
-i dont consider myself a pessimist, but if you ask about a cup, its half empty
-im a sucker for bright lights and loud noises
-i love a good pb&j
-tv takes up to much of my time
-i am a huge snuggle bug
-i get uncomfortable when people cry
-i dont like the act of getting into the water, but once im in, i love it
-im scarred of tunnels and caves, even if they have been there for millions of years, i think it is all going to cave in on me
-i was born in canada (hold the canuck, jokes please)
-i wish i could live my life on one big traveling adventure
-i have little sympathy for diseases that people bring upon themselves
-i want to fly a fighter jet for the air force
-i can listen to an amazing song over and over again never get sick of it
-i envy the people who can buy whatever they want, whenever they want
-buying something awesome immediately brightens my day
-i think bread and butter is the perfect combination
-i hate ignorance and intolerance
-i wear clothes with the tags still on until i decide if i want to keep them
-dessert should be after every meal
-i struggle with making small talk
-i search through google.earth almost everyday
-i love to drive
-its hard to change my mind once i've decided something, i will go to far lengths to make it happen
-i want to get into yoga and pilates
-i release from stress by getting away from it, like literally leaving the city its in
-i hate when an opportunity is missed
-i have a real appreciation for sunshine and warm weather
-i enjoy hearing useless facts, and usually retain them, however i tease those who pass them out
-i dont really like babies or kids, unless i have some sort of attachment to them
-singing is one of my favorite things to do, but i am terrible
-my husband is one of the smartest people i know
-i like to try new things just to say i did it
-i recommend marriage to everyone
-i dont understand the fascination and necessity some people find in alcohol
-i wish i kept up with more people from my past
-40 hour work weeks are way too long
-waking up in the morning is the worst part of my day
-i love to dance
-i wish i knew how to play the piano
-i love sappy love stories
-scenery is more beautiful when water is involved (i.e. stream, lake, river, ocean, waterfall)
-backpacking should be more of a priority, i love going
-i love beautiful scenery
-sunsets are my favorite time of day
-i have imagined the perfect place to live, but have yet to find it
-i loved my crazy broken childhood, i have no complaints
-i love the uniqueness of each of my family members
-for the longest time i wanted to be a dolphin trainer, part of me still does
-i can not spell very well, although if you have read this blog before, i'm sure you already know that
-spending time with justin is my favorite activity

ABC's

Ok, well since i have now been tagged twice by this, i suppose i can do it. (thanks sheri and lyndsey).

A- Attached or single: attached, to my secret asian man
B- Best Friend: justin, my mom, sheri, brooke, lynds
C- Cake or Pie: honestly, im not to picky when it comes to desserts. both are great in their own way. a chocolate, cheese or confetti cake, or a razzleberry, peach, strawberry, dutch apple, chocolate silk, banana cream, ect pie. they are all good!
D- Day of Choice: any day but tuesday. thats the only day i start work at 8, and that ruins the whole day.
E- Essential Item: flat iron, computer with internet capabilities, DVR
F- Favorite Color: red
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: either, this is a lame questoin though!
H- Hometown: rancho cucamonga
I -Indulgence(s): Cold Stone, Yummy dinner, blogging
J- January or July: july, hello, no school/work, warm weather, good holidays, no contest!
K-Kids: koda, does she count? we do, however, have all our names picked out
L-Life is incomplete without: my hubby and pup, sunshine, family, friends, vacations, planning for the future
M- Marriage Date: march 26 2005
N- Number of Siblings: 3- danny (25), tommy (17) and courtney (12)
O- Oranges or Apples: both are yummy. i would take strawberry's, raspberry's, pineapple or watermelon over those any day
P- Phobias or Fears: somebody standing over me while i sleep or being outside at night by my self.
Q- Quote(s): "dont worry, be happy."
R- Reason To Smile: no reason not to. everything is great and awesome.
S- Season: summer all the way
T- Tag Five: steph, lisa, megan, piper, christi, clara and kathleen
U- Unknown Fact About Me: i dont like leftovers, unless they are chinese
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: sorry animals, you are just too yummy to stop eating you
W- Worst Habit: cursing when im mad, i know, im trying to quit!
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ummm, another lame question.
Y- Your Favorite Food: Sushi, sweet and sour meatballs, anything my aunt makes, cafe rio pork.
Z- Zodiac: Taurus

new tag

20 Years Ago (March 1988) - yikes, i was 3 years old, we were living in upland california in the house next to the hospital. our house had bars on the windows and was in the bad part of town. i loved doing ballet and tap dancing and from around this time came my notorious cat and pumpkin costumes (ill see if i can find a pic.) i was always playing with my much cooler older brother and thats about all i remember.

10 Years Ago (March 1998) – already talked about in a previous post so ill highlight other areas... i was 12, in 7th grade at summit middle school. played the flute in the band, got cut from the volleyball team, barely made the basketball, but was loving the track team. 800m and long jump were totally my events. still trying desperately to find myself and i think i had about 3 outfits that i seemed to rotate every week (one consisting of the over sized overalls, seriously three people could fit in there with me.) very hard to find clothes that age, rail thin and super tall.

5 Years Ago (March 2003) – i was 17 years old and about to graduate high school. i had the best school schedule, only classes 2-4 period, fifth was yearbook (which had been completed by that time) and sixth was athletics, which once water polo was done, i went home at lunch almost everday(once i could sign myself out). i used to meet my friend sheri at least twice a week for lunch at legends or to her house to watch saved by the bell and the game show network. I was playing club water polo with CHAWP and getting ready for our last go at the junior olympics (we ended up getting 4th). I had just recieved my rejection letter from UCI and told to ignore it, i was still admitted on a polo scholarship. i took a road trip to BYU to visit lyndsey and sami at least once a month with sheri, also stared in/co-founded the band bombdigity, which consisted mostly of band practice in the car, and never took off like it should have.

3 Years Ago ( March 2005) – i was planning my wedding to this wonderful man named justin. i had met him in history class the previous year and had a fun/wild year and a half getting to know him (depends who you talk to). i had just moved to fountain valley/huntington beach area from my true love of newport. my grandfather had just passed away from pnemonia the week before our wedding. i was full swing in the middle of my water polo season at UCI and justin was finishing up his swim team meets. i was crazy in love and busy as could be. i think thats when i started my 20 units a quater so i could graduate in three years. i got my fisrt real job that april as a waitress at SOMA cafe and loved it.

1 Year Ago (March 2007) – we were about to celebrate our 2 year aniversary in eugene oregon, justin was swamped with his first year of law school at the university of oregon, but had just heard back that he had gotten a job in portland as an intern for the summer. i was preparing to go back down to Irvine to finish my bachelors and getting ready for an entire summer without my hubby. we had some awesome friends we played with almost everyday, and were planning to move into a house with the mattice's for the next year to cut the cost of rent we were paying. i had just gotten my dream job at the university and was thrilled with life. we had finally gotten our puppy house trained and i was planning our amazing trip/honeymoon to new zealand as a surprise for justin for our anniversary. i was the secratery in the young womens program in the eugene fifth ward. we had started a weekly girls game night and volleyball at our church building.

So Far This Year (2008) – ive planned some amazing weekend getaways to see all that oregon has to offer, booked tickets to china, cut my hair the shortest it has ever been, held the newest baby to steal my heart, i just got my calling as the laurel advisor in the eugene 3rd ward, and found my new love, our DVR!! i am training for a triathalon in june. i have started reading alot more and skipping all commercials. but it is only march...

Yesterday – was tuesday, the bussiest day of the week. i typically work a 9 hour day because we have our department meeting at 8, which are always eventful. i realized when i got home for dinner that we had an empty fridge because i didnt want to buy anything when we were going to be gone for a week, so dinner consisted of egg salad sandwiches (justin wouldnt let me just eat cereal). we both read until about 9:30, then we were hoping to catch some of the open gym volleyball at the rec center, but no one was there, so we opted to take our dog for a run. this was the first time of the year i needed to use my inhaler before we went, i have really bad allergies here and all the greenery gives me asthma when i work out from march through sept.

Today – i slept in till 8, would have been longer if justin didnt get a phone call at that time, i didnt have to be to work till 10, i got my hair chopped off one more time on my lunch hour, did this post, checked out everyones blog, read some of my new book "the kite runner", made a list of everything not to forget for our trip ie. passports!, our firends are coming over for dinner and justin is going to make his yummy curry rice, hang with them a bit, make my hubby laugh, and fight for his attention from koda.

Tomorrow – is thursday. i have work 9-6, and then go home, finish packing for china, drive up to my aunts house just outside of salem (shes taking us to the airport), drop off koda and find someone to pick up our mail for the next week. clean the house cause i hate coming home to it dirty.

This year – is going to be exciting. im going to move to portland for the summer for justins job, becoming an aunt, dance on the great wall of china, adventure through oregon, see NY city and go to a yankee's game, meet some amazing people, and finish it up by moving to australia in july.

i tag steph, sheri, jill, lisa, laura, megan, annie, jake and if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged!

the fam

the aida clan. jared, james, vickie, kelly, justin, and garrett

over christmas break we got a few days to spend with the aida fam in huntington beach. it was good to see everyone and justin was over joyed to have "the brothers" back together again. its a rare sight to have them all together. this is a great group of guys and a wonderful family. i'm blessed to be a part of it. the love in between justins fam is amazing and a true example of unconditional love.

actually tagged this time.. thanks clara!

Tagged by clara
All about my husband and me….

What is his name? Justin Hideki Aida
How long have you been together? we are quickly coming up on our 3 year anniversary (march 26)
How long did you date? we were friends for a year, each dating other people, but after a big crush from him and me finally wise-ing up, we dated for one week before talking about marriage, 2 1/2 months later got engaged, then married 3 months after that.
Who eats more? justin
Who said I love you first? i asked if he would ever stop loving me before he ever said "i love you".
Who is taller? justin- 6'5''
Who is smarter? justin. he is like a sponge, he only needs to hear it once and it is locked in. totally helps with the law school
Who does the laundry? mostly me, but he helps out alot.
Who does the dishes? we lost our good friend the dish washer in the last move, so we try to split them 50/50. i have to give credit, he really helps out with these.
Who sleeps on the right? i do. the left is too close to the wall.
Who pays the bills? i do all money matters. bills, budget, credit, whatever.
Who mows the lawn? we both neglect that. i think we hope it will not grow any more if we just ignore that its there.
Who cooks dinner? I do most of the time. i go through waves of easy quick dinners and more elaborate supper time. currently im in a quick dinner mood.
Who drives when you are together? i do. my lil asian driver "is no good". although he is excellent at driving on the left.
Who is more stubborn? i am, hands down.
Who kissed who first? i kissed him. he was taking his time.
Who asked who out first? i dont know if there was a formal asking out. we had talked about hanging out when he got back from utah, but we were already friends by then so we had "hung out" a bit.
Who proposed? he did. we went to a beautiful lookout over laguna and watched the most beautiful sunset i've seen to this day (shown in the header). he waited till it was completely dark out (working up the nerves/ waiting for everyone else to leave). after we ate at Ruby's. although i must say i had already bought my wedding dress by that point.
Who has more siblings? tied. justin- 3 bro's, kelly- 2 bro's and 1 sis
Who wears the pants? i like to think i have on capris and he has some shorts.

Tag- Sheri, Lisa and Stephanie and all who stumble upon this.

lunar eclipse

so did everyone catch the lunar eclipse? super cool. it started just after i got off work so i hurried home and got out my camera. i headed to the top of skinners butte, an easy drive in the middle of town, to get the best view not obstructed by trees. there were already tons of people there, but i was able to get these great shots. and a few of eugene by night.
quick question... is the lunar eclipse something that the whole world sees? or is it only a hemisphere thing? any one know?

new years resolution

i know these are supposed to be done around january first, but where does it say you cant change in the middle of february. i've decided i want to read more books. i have never been much of a reader but i thought i would start a new chapter, turn a new page (insert whatever cheesey line you would like). with so many movies based off of the best selling books, i usually end up watching it and then thinking i have no need to read any. well that is all going to change. i joined this online book club, goodreads.com, and have come up with a few goals to help me manage my reading. i am going to finish every book i start (a previous problem, i have little determination to finish something im not liking), and start the next one within a week of finishing another. this will be my goal.

so what i need from you is any recommendations of great books to help get me started and enthused about my new resolution. wish me luck!!

not really tagged.. but doing it anyway

10 years ago:
i was 12 and in the 7th grade at summit middle school (go sharks!). begging my mom to let me shave my legs (the rule was i couldn't till i was 14. ), i had just gotten my ears pierced (another rule that i had to wait till i was twelve), i was spending mondays and tuesday at my dads house, wednesdays and thursdays at my mom's and alternating weekends (talk about the headache of child custody), i had just gotten my first D in school and spent the summer in catholic summer school.

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. do the laundry before my father-in-law comes
2. clean the house
3. blog/email/facebook
4. get my pay check from work, yeah!!!
5. get stamps to mail in the bills

I enjoy:
traveling, playing with my hubby, playing with my puppy, talking to friends, finding old friends on facebook, blogging, shopping, taking pictures, watching movies, DVR, our new tv, baking yummy snacks, hanging out with friends, playing dress-up, cold stone, bepe & gianni's, milk, rootbeer floats, chocolate coverd strawberries, mom's cookies/cinnamon rolls/fondant/ anything else she makes, playing volleyball, coaching water polo, running in the cold, going to the beach, playing on a boat, sleeping in and the list goes on and on...

What would I do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
pay off justins law school loans, complete my around the world trip, buy a house and a land rover, set up savings accounts for my kids, buy a house in new zealand, invest, start the clothing buisness "mattida", shop...alot, and make sure that it will last us the rest of our lives.

3 of my bad habits:
1. arriving late to church
2. working out, then eating ice cream to counter act the working out
3. thinking my way has to be the best way

5 places I have lived:
1. eugene, or
2. rancho cucamonga,ca
3. newport beach, ca
4. huntington beach, ca
5. irvine, ca (im a so-cal girl)

5 jobs that I have had:
1. physical therapy aide at the U of O health center
2. physical therapy aide in huntington beach
3. waitress at soma cafe (now closed, but used to be a really yummy healthy resturant in newport coast)
4. office worker at my dads dr.'s office
5. ... i havent worked at five jobs yet, but i might be coaching high school water polo next year, ill keep you posted

5 things people don't know about me:
1. i was an all-american in water polo in high school
2. i hate my hand writing, HATE it. i would rather chicken peck type something out than have to look back at my hand writing.
3. i love to make lists... seriously, i have one for everything. from where i want to go before i die, to my list of my lifes little pleasures, to what is on my list today.
4. i would love to live internationally for a few years.
5. i have the invisilign retainers to make my teeth straighter.

tribute

Pres. Gordon B. Hinkley

1910-2008

loved + missed

have you ever...

i thought this was interesting considering i have a list of my own of lifes little pleasures. maybe one day ill publish that on the blog... My answers are in red

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive- does a corvette count?

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone

08. Said “I love you’ and meant it

09. Hugged a tree- we are in oregon

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Seen the Northern Lights

14.Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise

15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa-no but i held it to make sure it wouldnt fall all the way over

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby’s diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment- try the middle of relief society spiritual moment

27. Had a food fight

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk

42. Had amazing friends

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44. Watched wild whales

45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing

49. Midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow

56. Alphabetized your CDs

57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sung karaoke

59. Lounged around in bed all day

60. Posed nude in front of strangers

61. Gone scuba diving

62. Kissed in the rain

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theater

66. Visited the Great Wall of China- march 2008

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice

80. Gotten a tattoo- no but i know what i would get if i ever did...

81. Rafted the Snake River

82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”

83. Got flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten shark- cow tongue...

88. Had a one-night stand (mormon... kisses only)

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently- spanglish

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour-RUSH all the way to scotland!!

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived

105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane

109. Petted a stingray

110. Broken someone’s heart

111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a T.V. game show- concert tickets on the radio?

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on an African photo safari

115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

117. Eaten onions that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon- and jet skiied up it also

122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states

124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi

128. Had your picture in the newspaper-the day i was born

129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school

131. Parasailed

132. Petted a cockroach

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes

134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey

135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

137. Skipped all your school reunions

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

139. Been elected to public office

140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair

146. Dyed your hair

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone’s life

home sweet home

so last night we finally arrived back home to our little house in eugene. it was truely like a shock wave as we entered the freezing cold home that we were no longer on our grand adventure. with the temp being around 32 degrees, our days lounging in the tropical sun were over. we are now back to big coats, lots of layers and the heater on 100% of the time. as hard as it was to sit in the cold house, it was good to be back. we missed our routine and everything we have grown to enjoy in this town. it is good to be back.

a sweet note

I love you babe, I can't wait to see you for lunch. I have so much fun with you.

j

this is what makes my day. a sweet note from my hubby reminds me why i love him so much. when we were in college we used to leave notes on each others cars when we would find it in the parking lot. now we have resorted to emails as we are both on the computer all day. oh how i love the ways he lets me know i am his one and only.

just what i needed

I got this quote the other day in relief society and it really hit me hard. The teacher started off the meeting saying she put 10 quotes into this box and she was confident that we would all get the one we needed. As i sat smug in the back thinking "how do you know what i need to hear right now, i dont even know who you are," the box got passed to me. This is the quote that came out.

"Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. Your character will grow; your faith will increase. There is a relationship between those two: the greateryour faith, the stronger your character; and increased character enhances your ability to exercise even greater faith." -Elder Richard G Scott, Using the Supernal gift of prayer, Ensign, May 2007.

It really touched me because of all the struggles we have had these past few months. With everything that has been going on, justins job, my job, our new ward, ect. we have had a really hard time staying optimistic. I realized that even though no one here may know what I need, God uses them to answers my prayers. This womans lesson, although I have no idea who she is, was what I needed to hear. I needed to know that this was one of those things I needed to be greatful for instead of letting it drag us down. It taught me to be patient, have faith and it will all work out in the end.

reunited at last

so the hardest part of this summer adventure is over. the whole month we didnt get to see each other has come to an end. justin has joined me in sunny CA for the next 2 weeks. we have no plans other than the beach (we have already been four times!) and relaxing. its nice to have the fam back together again.

updates

so justin and i are still in seperate worlds. i am in the land of sunny so cal, and he is in the mood swinging portland. with days of 100 degree weather, followed by rain, it cant make up its mind. lately he has been working for the law firm Dunn Karney during the week, and with his free time either playing volleyball, swimming or fishing with my uncle on the ocean. just last week they racked in a ton of good sea food, catching like 18 crabs and 7 salmon (now thats a fresh feast).



i on the other hand have been going to school two days a week, and on the off days, trying to fill the time so i dont go insane with boredom. so far i have been to two optionectics seminars (for options trading), a concert, and the beach. its been nice to see everyone and hang out with my family and be back in the land that i love.

half way down

so justin and i are about half way done with this crazy summer we got going on. its hard to believe that we have been doing this whole living apart thing for 2 months now. and believe me its alot harder than it sounded. i thought all the time would fly by, and although it hasnt been to bad, i still do not recommend trying it. i love my husband more than anything, but not being with him makes me feel like we are in two seperate worlds, which is not a good feeling. but needless to say, the count down is now on for when the day comes i get to see him again.

tribute

so this past year was so much fun, but it wouldn't have been the same if it weren't for our great friends. we were blessed to have met the Starkey's and mattices who helped make this transition to oregon so much easier. so this is a tribute to them and all the fun we had. we will do this top five style:

5. Volleyball- with the help of a few regulars, we got a good turnout for volleyball games every tuesday night at the church. with it raining so much, we needed to find some fun activities to do indoors, and volleyball became our escape. with justins jump serves, ryans big blocks, brians miralce hits, brookes clap before the serve, clara's ability to hit the ball in the right direction after a while, and kelly's hand-eye-jump-spike coordination (actually lack there of) we had quite the games. it turned out to be the perfect release .

4. so to also pass the time and do it indoors, we had these themed nights. now let me explain. we used to have family dinners several times a week together and after a while they needed some spicing up. so we would dress up often. some of the highlights are our super hero camp fire night. one weekend we had wanted to go camping and eat tinfoil dinners, but of course it was raining. so we relocated to our living room. with plans to set up our tent inside and have a big sleep over, we also decided it would be appropriate for our inner super hero to come out. so thats exactly what happened. another great night was our adult prom. our church sponsored a modest prom for all the kids in the area to come and enjoy if they didn't want to go to their schools. so since they had the gym all decorated nicely for the kids, they opened it up to the adults the night before. so of course any excuse to play dress up we took advantage of. we got all dolled up in our all black outfits and went to a fun night of dancing and laughing.

3. so coming in at number three would have to be our fun sayings. we had so many inside jokes and fun sayings that would stir up a ton of laughs and memories every time. a few of the best are: said "Draw up my plans" heard "drop my pants", "is no good" in thick japanese accent, SHHWWEEEETIE, "PRRRFFFF", Brooke's sound effects- *Frink*, Pachow pachow, wapaw, "I will bring wood!"-brooke, "Thank you or coming to my party, may i please have your money now"-brooke, "your chizzled abs wont help you now"-brian about ryan, "lets all get naked and spank brooke"-brian, "roasty toasty"-kelly, "that's nice"- kelly, "all day baby! all day!"- kelly, "asians smell like incense and rice"- kelly, "eh hoser", "ya mon" is apparently what the canadians say...right brooke.

2. so for my number two spot, i am going to have to give it our adventures. the best part of oregon is when the weather permitted us to go enjoy the all this state has to offer. we had bonfire at the florence coast complete with tinfoil dinners, a burnt peach cobbler in the dutch oven, and a photo shoot. a weekend spent camping in silver falls state park (see previous blog). temple trips with every intention to going inside, but for one reason or another it happened to be closed. so we would go to cheesecake factory instead. on beautiful day with all the boys busy with their school, football, or building a model, the girls took the opportunity to head to the beach. we had fun in florence, getting the best ice cream at bj's ice cream parlor, and then heading to the beach to check out the tide pools. girls game night also became a weekly event were we would get together and play an arousing game of settlers of catan or ticket to ride. typically with janyse winning, however, an occasional upset would make our night. for justin, my little surfer boy, if we ever got a chance to head out to winchester bay, we took it. knowing how stressful law school can be, he needed to release by riding some waves. now the coast up here is not at all like the one back home, as in it is rarely sunny and always cold. so instead of laying out on a towel, i would be bundled up in a blanket watching him be corralled by the sea lions. so we found this good little restaurant in Winchester bay that has the best milkshakes in Oregon, and we would stop every time for lunch.

1. and for number one... i would have to say our birthday parties were the best!! we had one that fell every month from january to july, so we did them up big. for justins in january we all got dressed up in 70's attire from the local vintage store and headed out to dinner. then we headed up to my aunts house for some delicious bbq ribs and football. for brians in march we celebrated on st. patricks day and took full advantage of it. we got dressed up in all green, ate green breakfast (complete with green milk), and went rollerskating. for kelly's in april and brookes in may, we combined the two and went to a club dancing. we were some of the first ones in there and had the whole floor to our selves, which is just the way we like it. for ryan's in june, we had a big steak dinner on brians handy bbq and went to the movies. since clara's birthday is in july and we were all going to be gone, we had hers the night before ryans and made it a surprise game night with the frerichs for one last time. i have to say, these were some of the best birthdays.

so thanks to our friends, this year will be one for the record books. we had the funnest year, and it wouldnt have been possible had it not been for them. thank guys.

california here i come

so the big move finally happened. i am down in cali soaking up the sun and the smog. its nice waking up every morning knowing the sun is out so it will be a very warm day! as for justin, he must still play the guessing game with the weather in portland. I always knew i loved so cal, and now i remember why. the family and good food make it my paradise (though chicken makes it a close second while staying with her, she knows the way to my heart with her delicious cooking). oh how i love la la land.

this week

i love the smell of: the earth after fresh rain
i love the taste of: cheesecake from the cheesecake factory
i love the feel of: the spirit as i sit in the temple
i love the sight of: my puppy as she snuggles up to me to fall asleep
i love the sound of: friends laughing