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!

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. :):)

Photos from the "Grown A$$ Christmas" party

photo from pinterest

Christmastime is by far my favorite time of the year. This year, we celebrated Christmas with our family in friends in San Diego for a little over a week before we hopped on a Christmas Day flight back up to Portland to celebrate with our family here. Before diving into editing all the other photos, I figured I should edit the photos from the "Grown A$$ Christmas" party first since I know Ryan has beenwaiting ever-so patiently for them.

Upon finishing the edits, I came to two conclusions:

1. I should have sat Ryan down while I was in San Diego to have him teach me how to properly edit photos. I'm tired of being such a n00b.

2. Having a good flash makes ALL the difference.

So many of the photos may have looked okay in the little screen on the camera when we previewed them, but then when I uploaded them, they came out extremely blurry. Well, it was either that or just the fact that Francis got progressively more and more drunk as he kept taking photos. Out of the 50 photos I was able to edit, I only took the first 19. After that, it's a mystery as to whether the photos were taken by Francis, Ryan, or Pete. Sorry there weren't more photos. Our battery died halfway through the night. We thought we were so prepared by bringing our spare battery, but it was already drained before we even used it.

Either way, Pete and I had a great time. Thank you to Mel for planning an awesome party, Virgil and Jay for DJing, and to Laura and John for providing the venue. It had been a long time for Pete and myself to be among all you amazin' San Diegans, and it was such a jolly good time!

I also don't know how to post the photos as a slideshow the same way Ryan does it, but I hope this will suffice until I either a) figure it out myself, b) get fed up and ask Ryan about it, or c) give up and post all the photos on Google+/Facebook instead. I added music though, so turn your speakers on to enjoy a delightful Christmas song by the oh-so-fab She & Him.

Until next time,

p.s. :):)

80 Years Young

Happy birthday to my loving grandmother on what would have been her 80th birthday!

This year has been one of the most exhilarating- albeit stressful- years of my young life. I have learned so much about myself, my partner, and my families. No one warned me prior to my marriage to Pete that you never really stop falling in love. Today, I celebrate my love for my dear late grandmother as well as my 7 months of marriage to my husband.

Through my grandmother, I learned the kind of person I want to become, and because of my husband, I have someone to help me get there. I am not perfect- I never will be- but I have the best people who are perfect for me in my life.

photo via pinterest

Sorry for all the cheesiness. I had a delightful lunch with my Pete today, and I am just feeling really thankful for love.

Until next time,

p.s. :):)

David's visit to Oregon

Pete's youngest brother came up to Oregon for a week to visit and it's only been two days, but we miss him already! The day I picked David up from the airport, we went straight over to First Tech to pick Pete up from work. As soon as Pete came out, I was getting ready to get out to let Pete drive, I realized David had already jumped out of the car, and all I heard was, "Brother!" He ran out to give Pete a big hug. I'll always have a soft spot for David because being the youngest, he was picked on quite a bit, but instead of fighting back, he kind of just took it. He's very thoughtful and I always found him to be more intuitive and wise than others his age. Thanks for visiting us, David! We can't wait to see you again, Little Brother! Here's some pictures of David's visit:

The day after David arrived, we drove out to Gull Point Campground to attend this year's Nguyen Clan Family Reunion. Unfortunately Khiem had to work, so he wasn't able to attend, but everyone had a great time. This photo above was taken on Friday around 7am. The sun was just rising, and Pete, David, and Alan decided to skip rocks on the lake.

Here's David again, barely awake. We had driven out the previous night and didn't arrive on site until 11 or 12, and upon arrival, made a campfire near our tent and stayed up until around 2 in the morning just sitting and talking with our aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Did I mention we drank? Here's a pictures of Kiet and David with a case of overpriced Corona Light Kiet bought from the market near our campsite. Don't worry, Mom, David didn't drink any Corona Light. I can't vouch for the other alcohol though :P

We spent a lot of time with Alan and Darien the week David was here. The weather was so nice, and we initially wanted to take Darien and Khuyen to the zoo, but the discounted zoo day wasn't until the 2nd Tuesday of the month, so we opted for a park with water so the kids can play. Above are photos of David playing soccer with Darien.

Chom Chom was so cute that day! His chicken nugget was soaked and he wouldn't take off his cars hat so naturally it got soaked too. Such a silly stinker.

Pete and I decided to give David a little Portland culture and so we took him to dinner at some food carts. David and I ate a K-burrito at Koi Fusion while Pete made his own mac and cheese bowl from the Mac and Cheese cart. We also tried pulled pork with cole slaw in a waffle cone from the cart next to Pie Spot (sorry, can't remember its name). The next day, we wanted to take David to Pok Pok, but the wait was too long, so we ended up back at the food carts where we tried K-tacos, and pot pie.

Here's Pete and David checking out The Pie Spot.

Pete ordering mac and cheese while David was still contemplating his dish.

Beer in mason jars!! I have to say, though, I wasn't a huge fan of their blonde ale. Poor Pete had to finish the rest for me because he is so against wasting beer. It was so bad/he was so full that he was REALLY close to dumping it out. Being the trooper he is, he ended up downing it all. That's my husband. :)

Marionberry Ice for dessert from Oregon Ice.

Then it was time for David to go back to Sunny San Diego. After more food carts, we all took David out to the airport to see him off.

I know Pete really needed this, so I'm glad you were able to visit us. Now he'll have to wait a few more months until he has someone to play 2k11 with him. WE MISS YOU, LITTLE BROTHER!

Love,

p.s. :):)

Over 3 months of marriage?!

photo from pinterest

Pete and I have been married for a little over 3 months now, and finally, I have the time to sit down and write a post. I know not very many people are keeping up with our blog anymore now that our wedding is over, but for anyone who's still here, welcome and sorry for the delay in posts! Here are the two most frequently asked questions we've been receiving as of late:

"How's married life?"

Truth is, it's pretty spectacular when you're sharing your life with a partner who complements (and compliments) you in every way. Pete and I still can't get over how opposite we are, but as much of a challenge it can be, it also keeps things interesting and fun. The latest challenge has been our search for our first home. I am alllll about the vintage/rustic aka "old" styles whereas Pete is very drawn to the modern and contemporary aka "new." The day we got married, my dad said a phrase in Vietnamese about marriage being about compromise. He was right, but no one ever says anything about HOW to reach a compromise! Thus, our home search often becomes stagnant as we get frustrated and end up taking a break. Now, given outside circumstances, it seems best we rent a home for now. Besides, we're not entirely sure which city we'd like to settle down- look out SD, we might be coming back your way!

"When will there be kids?"

Though our parents would LOVE grandchildren, Pete and I are not ready for children of our own just yet. We haven't traveled enough, played enough, or indulged enough to have children. When you have kids, your world changes COMPLETELY and there's no room for you to put yourself or your partner at the top of your priorities. There's no gallivanting without any worries, and that's why we've opted to wait. If it happens sooner than expected, that's just something we'll handle when the time comes, but as of now, we're enjoying so much this experience of simply being married. Marriage is far from easy, and we've seen relationships fall apart because of a lack of a strong foundation and commitment. We want to build up our relationship so that when children enter the picture, we'll be able to raise them in a healthy environment.

All in all, life has been pretty stellar. Once we find a new home or when summer is over and we have less activities and events to attend, we'll definitely have more time to update. Know that we're thinking about you, and that we are so lucky to have you in our lives. Also, the two wedding photos we posted are just teasers. We want Pete's parents to be able to see all the pictures before we show more. In the meantime, here are a few photos of what we've been up to the past couple months.

Soon after our wedding, Pete's youngest brother, David, graduated high school. We weren't able to attend, but we were definitely there in spirit.

My youngest brother, Khuyen, was baptized, received his first communion, and graduated from cub scouts in the same month.

Pete and I took a weekend road trip down to San Luis Obispo, CA for his brother's college graduation.

My cousin Branden married his long-time love, Jennifer on June 25, 2011. We didn't get a picture with the bride and groom, but we got one of just us! My ao dai was made by Hoang Yen Ao Dai. If you're looking for someone to make an ao dai for you, she's the one to see.

My younger brother, Kiet, had his LDAC Commencement Ceremony at Fort Lewis up in Tacoma, WA. That same weekend, we stopped by my aunt's house to visit my cousin for her birthday.

Our family reunion was from July 28-31. I have more photos posted up on my facebook account. Here's one of my favorites. Bac Lac, who doesn't know how to swim, getting revenge on Kiet who splashed her when she and Di Lan were trying to canoe.

We went clamming for the first time, and Pete taught Khuyen how to ride a bike.

Lastly, Pete and I have been continuing our tradition of Friday night date nights and one of my favorites was when we visited the Rose Garden in the west hills of Portland. I don't love roses, but boy do I love Portland. Check out the pic of Pete using the children's step for the water fountain. He's so special :)

p.s. :):)

GRADUATION DAY!

Congratulations, to our little brother, DAVID HAN TRAN, on his graduation from high school today! We are so proud of you, and we are so excited to see where this path takes you! Here's one of my favorite photos of you, David Duck aka Cheats:

We're so sorry for not being able to attend your ceremony, but know that we are there in spirit and would have killed a beaver (Go Ducks!) to be there. I blame Pete, but you know how it is. We love you so much, Little One. Congratulations on an outstanding achievement! 2nd in your class! HOLLA!

Love,

To To and Chi Hai!