April 4, 2012

Herzlich Willkommen!



Pete and I have had kind of a rough few weeks, and so last Saturday, we decided to take a mini road trip/vacation/getaway just for the day. We, along with our cousins, drove 5 hours North and East to get to Leavenworth, WA, a city resembling a Bavarian village. Pete's dad recently accepted a job that is sending him to Germany for three months, so we thought it'd be fun to catch a glimpse of what he might be experiencing overseas. It was so much fun, and it makes me feel so happy and blessed to have such supportive, loving, and goofy people in my life.

Enjoy the photos:


Our cousins, Robert and Linda aka Anh Gau Gummy and Chi Thuy


Love of my life and his goofy smile.










Sophisticated Hippies!!





The boys made our cousin Kathy try an extremely spicy salsa at one of the shops, and that ^ was her reaction.







There are many more photos on my google+ account. If we aren't in each others' circles, just search my email address and you should be able to find me. Also, if you happen to be in Portland, and don't know what to do with your day, hop into your car and drive 5 hours Northeast to Leavenworth, WA. It was a very much needed mini road trip/vacation/getaway and we had such a lovely time.


So much love from us to you.

p.s. :):)

April 1, 2012

January 11, 2012

Happy birthday, Kiet!

As this has already been an extremely long week, I will make this a quick post.

(photo taken by Alan Ma)

HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY, GUPPY!


January 3, 2012

2012 already?!

photo via el em bee

Hello to a new year!! 2011 has come and gone, and I feel as though the older I become, the faster time tends to fly. Luckily, I have the best people in my life to keep me grounded. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd float away to La La Land. 2011 was full of unforgettable moments, and I am so grateful and fortunate to and for all my loved ones- especially my Hubs! Favorite part about 2011? Well, that's obvious, isn't it?

PETE AND I GOT MARRIED!


I've been terrible about keep up with posting on our blog, but I've made a new year's resolution to post at least once a week from now on. I had a few pressing topics I wanted to bring up, but with my schedule, I wasn't able to make time to just sit and write. Aside from writing more, I have a few other resolutions I'd like to share:

- I know it's cliche to have a weight loss resolution, but I want to make it so that in addition to doing cardio 3 times a week, I want to take at least one class a week at the gym. I only pay $20 a year for my membership, and I sometimes use that as an excuse to not feel guilty for not going as often as I would if I paid $20 a month, but this needs to change- pronto! You guys can hold me accountable to this!!

- What a nice segue to my next resolution: I need to stop making excuses. There are so many things I want to do more of, but because of how crazy and hectic my schedule can get, I always find a reason to avoid doing them. That being said, I want to take the camera out at least once a month to just simply take pictures. You're probably thinking, "Once a month? That's not often at all and it shouldn't be that hard!" Well, between schoolwork, house hunting, family time, and husband time, I hardly have time to read let alone go for a leisure stroll with the camera. Besides, these are my resolutions, and I'm just being real.

- I'd like to keep in better touch with my friends. After college, my friends and I kind of went our separate ways. The three musketeers have even managed to be in three separate states! Phone calls, snail mail, texts, emails, skype dates, etc- whatever it takes. I need to keep in better touch.

- Random resolution, but I'd like to discover one new thing about Portland each month. Perhaps a blog post topic each month?

and finally...

- Laugh more. Learn more. Live more. Love more. One of my uncles likes to tease me about laughing too much, and it always makes me laugh even more. I love to laugh. I love to learn. I love to live. And I love to love. Why not do more of what you love?

To conclude my very first post of 2012, I'd like to showcase my favorite photo from Christmas of 2011:


This photo is of my 8-year-old brother, Khuyen, and was taken by our dear friend, Alan Ma. Khuyen was opening a gift (which I chose, by the way) from our parents, and his reaction just warms my heart. I know Christmas isn't about gifts, but if you just saw this picture without knowing anything about it, you'd assume Khuyen had just received a Nintendo 3DS or something. Well, he did receive a 3DS from our parents, but in this photo, what he got so excited about was the newest book to his favorite series, How to Train a Dragon. A book!! I don't know a ton of 8-year-olds, but I doubt you'd get this kind of reaction from just any kid. Alas, my baby brother is a true nerd. So stinkin' sweet.

Anyhow, Pete and I wish you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas as well as a truly happy new year. Tomorrow, I'll post a slideshow up of our Christmases in San Diego as well as in Portland.


All our love,
p.s. :):)