Chris and Kristen

Brief Update

2011-09-13T20:55:00.001-07:00

I apologize for not having pictures, I rarely read blogs that don't include pictures so if you won't read this, it's cool. Apparently I am similar to a six year old in my need to read things with pictures included.

I am averaging one blog post per month so this may just be it for September. I just wanted to write a few things we have done recently since they will inevitably be forgotten by me and my terrible memory.

The main thing that has changed for me is that I started hair school, or cosmetology to be exact. I have wanted to do this for a couple years but we haven't lived in the same place long enough for me to start. It is about a ten-month program if I go full time and since we are here for a year it works out great. I have a picture of me on my first day of school on my phone but since I don't have internet on my phone I don't know how to get it onto the computer. That will have to be a task for another day. School is from 8-4:30 Tuesday through Saturday and it has been quite the change since I spent the last 2 years basically just hanging out while Chris brought home the bacon. I have really enjoyed it so far.

We were able to spend some time with some of Chris's family up in Santa Barbara. The agenda was jammed packed with activities like going to the beach, the zoo, visiting Lanshe friends from Santa Maria, a beach BBQ, games, and Fiesta. It never seems like we have enough time with Chris's side. You Lanshes should just relocate to one place, preferably in the states, so we can get more face time with everyone.

We started attending the Olivenhain Ward, the ward I grew up in. Which is great and weird at the same time. Great in that I know quite a few people already, but weird that I am now interacting with these people as a married adult instead of as an angsty teenager. I wish i could say that people remember me as a happy and friendly child and teenager, unfortunately I was in a pretty grumpy mood for my four years of high school. When I was growing up in this ward I can't ever remember there being young married couples, however, there are now several couples close to our ages and we have already made friends with a few.

Ummmmm, if I think of anything else I will edit this post but that is all I can think of right now.

PSYCH! (Not the TV Show)

2011-08-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

So remember how three weeks ago we thought we would be spending the next two years in Berkeley for business school? And remember how two weeks ago we thought we would be spending the next two years in Chicago for business school? Well, plans have changed again my friends. We are now going to spend the next year in San Diego and go to Chicago next fall. That is right. Let me tell you how our plans changed so dramatically in such a short time.

We moved in with my parents in June so Chris could start an internship with a private equity firm down here. He planned on just staying for the summer and hoped the few months of experience would be a good addition to his resume (any experience you can get in PE before business school is very helpful). All the while, we were making plans to move to Berkeley in August but Chris was still hoping to be accepted to Wharton or Booth. Two Mondays ago he was rejected from Wharton but the very next day he got in at Booth.

I spent a couple hours mourning over the things I was looking forward to in Berkeley: friends, warm weather, a nice town, San Francisco, and being closer to family. However, it quickly became clear that Chicago was the better choice for Chris so we accepted their invitation.

While this was happening, the bosses at Chris’s internship asked him if he would consider deferring school for a year to continue working for them as a full-time employee. It seemed easy and harmless to fantasize about staying here for a year because the chances of getting a deferral are very slim. Shockingly, Booth agreed to allow the deferral! Before, when I thought there was no way we would actually stay it seemed so perfect, but once they agreed we actually had to really consider if this was a good decision.

You would think since I am the one from San Diego and I am the one with family here I would be the one that was really pushing to stay. Au contraire. My mind was spinning! Mainly, I just wanted to be sure that Chris would be happy at this company for a year and he would not regret putting school off another year. Chris seemed cool as a cucumber through this process and assured me that both options were good, it is not as if we were choosing between bad and good here. In my opinion, the fact that both decisions are good made it that much harder. After Chris reassured me many times that he thought staying here would be beneficial and he would be just as happy going to school next year, my mind was at ease, mostly.

I know some of you might think this decision is crazy since Chris has worked so hard to get into school for two years now, but we have been very prayerful about it and feel this door was opened to us for a reason.

So I will be spending the next year stocking up on my winter gear and enjoying this wonderful weather and time with my family before we head to Chicago next year. If only we could convince my little sister and her husband to live here for a year too!

At the beginning of the year I told Chris my motto for 2011 was going to be, “good things come to those who wait,” and I feel like that has definitely be true in our lives. I also feel like this sudden and extreme change of plans might be a foreshadowing of the rest of our lives. Yikes.

Birthday Time

2011-07-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

Holla! I am 25 now. I had a great birthday this year, especially compared to last year when we had been in Shanghai for about 8 days and...I'll just leave it at that. This time I got to celebrate a few days early with my family, and my bff Shelly, in a combined party with my brother (he turned 29). Chris surprised me with a Kindle! I have been reading books using the Kindle app on my ipod for a while, which has been fine, it just means turning the page much more often so the Kindle has been a great improvement.

On my actual birthday Chris treated me to a fine Italian dinner in downtown Encinitas. After dinner we walked a few blocks to the beach to watch the gorgeous sunset.

This summer has been wonderful. I don't think I'll ever get the chance to spend the summer with my family (unemployed and without kids of my own) again. The days have been filled with swimming, games, food, a little golf, and lots of fun, and there are only a few weeks left before we head off to business school. I don't ever want to leave.

We're Moving! Again.

2011-06-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

In our three and a half years of marriage we have moved four times and in the next few months we will add two more moves to the list. We will move to Encinitas for the summer and move again in the fall for business school.

Details:

Chris's last day at LEK is this Friday. Holla! He just landed a summer internship at a private equity firm in San Diego so we will be living with my parents for two months. Chris got accepted to Haas (Berkeley) for his MBA and is wait-listed at Booth (Chicago) and Wharton (Philadelphia). We are pretty sure we'll be headed to Berkeley for the next two years and I am really excited.

The summer internship starts on Monday, one week. The move will be a gradual one since we are still paying for this apartment and one week is not enough time for me to pack everything.

After our experience in China I have learned to like LA a lot more and I will really miss the friends we have made here. But starting in the fall, if you ever need a place to stay in the San Francisco area give us a call.

Can You Tell?

2011-04-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

That I have lost my enthusiasm for blogging? Truthfully, I just don't feel like I have anything worth putting up here. No kids, I am not doing anything crafty, and I think I have taken a total of 5 pictures since we have been back in the states.

We do have some good news though. Chris got accepted to Berkeley for his MBA! After being wait-listed at Chicago and Wharton we were beginning to think that business school was not meant for us. The idea of not being two hundred thousand dollars in debt starting to become very appealing though.

Even though I haven't been taking pictures we have been doing fun things.

Back in February:

We went to a murder mystery party. It was my first one and I had a great time. Both Chris and I were guilty in the murder. I actually did takes a couple pictures there!
I got called to be the head of the Enrichment committee and Chris is the Ward Speech Festival Specialist. He thought they made up the calling just for him because he likes giving talks so much.

March:

I went to a couple baby showers and we also attended a concert of classical music with my parents.
Our only friends with a house hosted a great barbecue and game night. Thanks Smiths!

April:

I went to some more baby showers
We drove up to Berkeley for Chris's interview and spent the weekend there
Saw the new Jane Eyre movie
Another great barbecue
And we spent Easter weekend with my family. It was the first time everyone was together since we've been back from China and it was fantastic.

We've also had friends over to play Just Dance 2, enjoyed dinner with friends, family has come up to spend time with us, and we've done other things I didn't write down in my calendar.

I am so glad we are back in the states!

Back in the USA and Vietnam in Pictures

2011-01-23T21:17:00.001-08:00

I am really happy to be back! Not that I hated China but we had a layover in Vancouver and when I heard people speaking English in the airport I realized how much I missed home.

We are pretty much unpacked in our new place, though I am not unpacking any of our picture frames or other decorations because I am hoping that this is our year for an MBA and that means we will only be here for 6 months. If Chris gets into school I will be sad to leave here since we have family so close and we have made wonderful friends but I will not miss LEK and I am really looking forward to seeing Chris more often.

This post is actually about our Christmas and New Year's trip to Vietnam with Chris's family. so here it goes.

Here we are in the Ho Chi Minh airport just minutes past midnight on Christmas day.

After a few hours of sleep we piled back into the van to drive to the Cu Chi tunnels (Vietnam War site). Thanks Julie for making it feel at least a little bit like Christmas!

If you don't know about the Cu Chi Tunnels (I had no idea what they were) you should look it up. You will find some pretty wild tunnel pictures and learn the history. We all took turns getting into one of the old entrances to the tunnels...Chris decided he needed to mix things up and go in headfirst.

The kids in another old tunnel entrance.

After the tunnels we drove to Cat Tien National Park where we spent two nights. On one of the days we took a really lovely walk through the forest, complete with leech socks. The surroundings in Cat Tien were beautiful but when you find spiders the size or your hand, lizards, snakes, and scorpions in your room I feel like we invaded Nature's space a little.

Also in Cat Tien we visited a primate rehabilitation center and a bear rehabilitation center.

After Cat Tien we headed to Dalat, this was my favorite place. The city is in the hills and was built up by the French years ago so you get this unique France meets Vietnam environment.

What a hunk! Yes, a hunk.

One of the themes of this trip seemed to be the tour guide telling us how easy our next activity was going to be and then 15k through the mountains later you're thinking I really should have worn something different. We did a bike ride, river rafting, and hiking and all three were significantly more difficult then we were led to believe. BTW, that trip was my first and LAST time river rafting.

On our way from Dalat to Nha Trang we did a downhill bike ride which was amazing! I wish we had time to do a few more of those kind of rides.

Our last city was Nha Trang. Our guide told us they had some of the most beautiful beaches in the world...I think the beaches in southern California are prettier than what we saw, but it was still a good time. We got biked around town, Chris and Josh did Zorbing (one of the funniest things to watch), celebrated New Years by playing board games, and went to Monkey Island. Those monkeys can be terrifying but we befriended this one fellow and he would do some fun tricks for some treats.

PS - I don't know why most of the pictures won't allow you to open and enlarge them, sorry!

Homeward Bound

2011-01-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

We leave for the US in less than 24 hours. Picture us singing "The Final Countdown" from the Rocky soundtrack.

Belated Holiday Greetings

2011-01-02T22:28:00.000-08:00

We spent the holidays with Chris's family in Vietnam. It was a great trip and I'll post more about it soon.

This is us on Christmas day opening our stockings on our van driving from Ho Chi Minh to the Cu Chi Tunnels.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! We are excited to go home in just a few short weeks.

2010-12-15T00:47:00.001-08:00

Thank you for commenting! That post was my second most commented-on post, sweet. It's always nice to see that friends are still reading my blog.

As I said, if I decide to do this haircut it will wait until we are home (January 17) but I'm feeling like chickening out again! We'll just have to see.

On an unrelated note, I can't believe Christmas is next week and I will be in Vietnam for it. Wild! It hasn't felt much like Christmas but then it decided to snow today in Shanghai and I am suddenly in the mood for hot chocolate.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Years!

For Your Consideration

2010-12-07T02:53:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago I got the itch to cut my hair real short but I chickened out. This was largely due to the fact that I do not trust anyone here to do this cut but also just because I am nervous about it. I am getting the itch again. If I decide to go through with this it will have to wait until I am home which will give me ample time to chicken out again.

I am considering something like this. Not the color, just the cut. Could I pull off a do like this? I will take your silence as a "no."

Here's to Three Years

2010-11-24T05:55:00.000-08:00

It has been three blissful years since I married Chris. I often say, "marrying Chris was the easiest decision I ever made," and it was also the best.

Happy anniversary babe, and if you ever wonder how much I love you just remember that I moved to China for you and you'll know it's a lot.

You are THE BEST!

The Philippines, Finally

2010-11-23T04:15:00.000-08:00

The Philippines were wonderful and I am finally making time to document just how wonderful. For your viewing pleasure I have created some picture collages to illustrate to fabulousness that is the Philippines.

In Transit:

-Plane to Manila (a dump of a place) and spent a day there

-Went to see Legend of the Guardians in 3D

-Took a tiny plane to a tiny airport in Palawan

-Took a tiny boat to our resort: Club Paradise

Club Paradise (4 days):

-I got certified for diving

-Island hopping

-Lots of relaxing, snorkeling, and diving

-We were also serenaded every night at dinner by the resort band

Scuba Diving:

-Coolest thing = Cuttlefish (look them up)

-Sea turtles

-Amazing tropical fish

El Rio Y Mar (3 days):

-More amazing island hopping, snorkeling, and diving

-Some seriously huge geckos in our room

Both resorts we stayed at were on very small islands and the resort was the only thing on them. It was an incredible trip filled with sun, swimming, relaxing, and family.

Karaoke in the Park

2010-11-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

When my parents were here we took a walk in one of the parks here and were lucky enough to hear the local talent belting out some tunes. My favorite part is the guy's friend in the background trying to help him keep time.

This is just a short clip of what lasted several minutes.

My Mom is a Winner

2010-11-03T01:58:00.000-07:00

Here in Shanghai when you buy something you can ask for the official receipt, it's called the fapiao. On this fapiao there is a little area you can scratch off and potentially win some cash-money. I get really excited to scratch off the silver coating but I have never won anything but my mom has the magic touch! We went out to dinner and she won 20 RMB off the receipt. The owner of the place said he had never seen anyone win in his four years of owning the place.

Way to go mom!

20 RMB = $2.99 USD

Picture of the Day

2010-11-01T01:08:00.000-07:00

My mom snagged this picture while we were at one of the markets in Shanghai. I was bargaining with the shop owner and this was my dad's response to his asking price.

Philippines Teaser

2010-10-25T02:02:00.000-07:00

I realize we have been home from the Philippines for several weeks now and I haven't blogged about it. I am in the process of getting all the pictures together but just to get you excited here is a little taste of what to expect.

This is my lovely husband trying out a special snorkel mask with ear cups to keep the water out of his poor infected ears.

He is irresistible.

Wish List

2010-09-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

Every few months I get a bad case of the "I hate everything I own" blues. I can't shop to my heart's content and remedy the situation so I just have to wait it out until the storm passes. I typically end up surfing the web and making wish lists of things I like; this may just fuel the fire but I also feel a little better afterward.

I've adopted the belief that my wardrobe can be way more interesting if I just invest in accessories instead of entirely new ensembles IE jewelry, scarves, belts, and hats. So here are some things I've been wishing for.

These next two aren't really accessories but I am still wishing I had some.

I know this has nothing to do with Shanghai but I promise I will have something interesting to post soon as we are going to the Philippines with some of Chris's family in a couple days!

Callings and The Bund

2010-09-06T23:55:00.000-07:00

Quickly, I just want to say that Chris and I both got callings in our branch here and guess what? They are the exact same callings we had in our LA ward. I am teaching Sunbeams and Chris is teaching the Young Men and we are really happy about it.

A couple weekends ago we went to The Bund. FYI: Shanghai is split in two parts by the Yellow River and The Bund is the street that faces the river on our side of town. It's a fun place to walk around for the cool colonial architecture and fabulous view across the river (Pudong).

Pudong

The Bund

Did you know there are A LOT of people in China? Yeah, well there are and it is really fun when you get to walk in a river of Chinese people (see below). The roads to get back to the subway were packed with people and, to make it even more exciting, there were buses and cars trying to drive on the same road. It's also really hot and humid, yummy.

Here is a picture of me just in case you miss my face.

I've adopted the Chinese ways and like to throw up a peace sign for pictures.

And here is a picture of Chris just because he is cute.

PS - Can everyone see my blog header ok?

Sanya, Hainan Company Retreat

2010-08-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

I'm sure some of you are disappointed that I haven't been blogging more regularly seeing as we are in China and probably doing some cool things. But, the truth is that most of the time life is just normal and we are saving all the "cool things" for when we have visitors. We did take a great trip last weekend to Hainan so I thought I would blog about it.

The LEK office in Shanghai does a mandatory retreat every year and we happened to be here for it and I am so glad because it was awesome! Way better than any party the LA office throws (sorry LA LEKers). Everyone from the office took a weekend trip to Hainan, which is a little island south of Hong Kong and similar to Hawaii. The hotel was gorgeous and so was the scenery.

Here we are riding the shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Riding through the towns you could tell they are very rundown but the hotel had everything we needed so there wasn't really a reason to venture out.

There were some seriously heavy rains while we were there but the weather was still warm and we didn't mind it so much.

AND, we took a little trip to the local hospital while we were there. Our first night there Chris woke me up at 4am saying he had been having some serious stomach pains for the last few hours. He decided to see if the pain would subside on its own but in the morning he wasn't feeling any better. We found out there was a nurse on staff at the hotel so she came along with a translator to check him out. We thought it was his appendix and our biggest fear was that it would burst but after some poking and prodding the nurse said it wasn't the appendix and probably not serious but suggested we still go to the hospital.

The hotel generously provided another employee to come with us to the hospital and we're so glad they did because there is no way we could have figured this place out on our own. It's hard to tell in this picture but the hospital was ummmm, not clean, I'll just say that. And not private either; in this room where Chris was examined there were at least 5 other people just waiting their turn.

This doctor also agreed that it wasn't his appendix but rather his intestine was inflamed and he suggested an infusion. They LOVE infusions at this place! When we walked upstairs there were rooms full of people hooked up to IV's just hanging out getting medicated. We weren't comfortable with this suggestion and we requested pills instead. Chris was feeling much better by the time we left the hospital but the real magic happened when we got back to the hotel and Chris saw a soccer ball. He started playing soccer as if he hadn't been in any sort of pain for the last 12 hours...strange how that happened.

Thankfully, we got to enjoy the rest of our trip without anymore hiccups. It was fabulous and I'm ready for another vacation like that.

So here is a weird China thing. We tried to watch some TV while it was raining and discovered that the government had canceled entertainment for the day in memory of those killed by the mudslide. The mudslide was a tragic event but it was still strange to us that the government had the power to cancel TV.

Say Hello To My Little Friend

2010-07-29T01:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Gus, our tiny new addition. Getting a cat was not part of our China plan so let me explain how this tiny guy came into our lives.

On Tuesday night Chris and I were walking home from dinner when we saw this tiny kitty run from one bush to another. I have a MAJOR soft-spot for animals so I immediately tried to catch him but to no avail. My heart ached as we walked away and I could hear his tiny cries. Wednesday night when I was walking to meet Chris for dinner I heard a kitty meowing right in the same area as the night before. I thought this must be fate and set out to rescue him.

He was hiding in a long stretch of bushes along a busy street and I began crawling around in the dark trying to find him. I spotted him several times but couldn't catch him and people were staring but I didn't care. I soon had a group of people helping me catch him and we finally succeeded! I think most of them were so helpful because they thought it was my own cat I had lost instead of a stray. Anyways, he was terrified and clawed/bit my hand pretty good until I put him in my purse and carried him to the pet shop around the corner. Seriously, it is right around the corner from where I found him and from where we live, how fortuitous! Chris left work to help me at the pet shop and after a flea bath and buying a few essentials we took the kitty home.

He is a major scaredy cat but we are warming him up to us slowly. The petshop people said he can't be more than 2 months old but there is no way to know for sure.

I'm glad to have a little friend with me in China.
Welcome to the family little Gus.

A Stroll Through the Park

2010-07-27T01:47:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday we went to Century Park with Deborah and Stephen Skokos and Jodi and Taylor Sparks. It is a lovely park and rather large! It made me feel like I wasn't in Shanghai and I am great with that. We rented bikes and separated into groups to ride around and see the sites.

The girl bike was significantly slower so the boys quickly pulled ahead but about 10 minutes into the ride we caught up due to a flat tire on the boy's bike. They claim it happened while riding on the designated road but I have my suspicions since we saw them riding on some landscaping a few minutes prior.

Since it was a hot day and walking the bike back to the rental place seemed like an insurmountable task we lent our bike to the boys so they could bring it back like this.

Once they exchanged the bike the ladies wanted to have a try on the three-seater and we took off without looking back. The three-seater was way better than the side-by-side one! Sorry fellas for leaving you in the dust.

Part of the park had a water fountain you could run around in and it wasn't a surprise that the boys wanted to have a go.

Unfortunately the fun had to end in bloodshed after Taylor did a nosedive and sliced his chin open. The split chin resulted in a several hour adventure trying to use superglue to fix it. We have some pretty graphic pictures but I refrained from posting them except this one. This was taken mid-fiasco when superglue and paper towel made contact. And here is a link to Taylor and Jodi's blog in case you want to take a closer look at the wound.
http://ask-a-scientist.blogspot.com/2010/07/very-bad-day-for-my-face.html

The superglue actually worked in the end and we all had a great time at the park!

Yuyuan, Lotus Garden, Acrobats, and Game Night

2010-07-18T03:47:00.000-07:00

We have actually done a few fun things! Last weekend we walked around Yuyuan which has a bunch of shops and a garden. Since it was night we skipped the garden but we walked around the shops and took some pictures with Haibao. He is the character created for The World Expo and he is everywhere here!

I am so grateful there are actually a few ladies here that I have become friends with and we have done several lunch dates. On Thursday a couple of us had lunch and attempted to see the Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum but it's closed for a few weeks. Whoops. But it was in a nice area with a lotus garden so we took a few pictures.

On Friday we went to see the Shanghai Acrobats with Jeremy and Mallory and it was pretty sweet! It was a little like Cirque but shorter and the acrobatics were more impressive. Fun!

Saturday night we hosted a little game night. I know, we love our games. We had a blast with everyone and I will be so sad when these people head back to the states.

Optimus Prime

2010-07-07T02:43:00.000-07:00

Those of you that are familiar with Transformers may be wondering why I would be blogging about such a thing. But just look at the similarities in these two pictures..

Optimus Prime Me

Do you see it?
Take a closer look at what my new swim cap has written on the side.

Now you must see it!

Our apartment complex here has a pretty sweet clubhouse including karaoke rooms, a gym, squash courts, billiards, ping-pong, and a giant lap pool. Swimming sounds like a dream in the hot and humid weather here so I have decided to add it to my workout regimen. The rules for pool usage are written in Chinese but they have kindly included pictures for us foreigners and I can at least gather that a swim cap is required; hence the new Optimus Prime swim cap.

I was at the supermarket today and I thought I should at least check what they had in the swimming department and it was slim-pickins' as far as caps go. But I have no idea where a sporting goods store is and I don't want to spend a lot of money so I grabbed myself this little Optimus Prime beauty of a cap. I'm pretty pleased with my purchase.

PS - I know the picture of me is pretty great with just the swim cap and goggles but for some reason the gold chain I am sporting makes it ten times cooler.

Alive in China

2010-07-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

In case you were wondering, we are alive. We have found a place to live and are just getting settled. I just got a VPN today which allows me to access websites other than gmail and people.com, YES! There will be cooler posts about things we do here but like I said, we are still just getting settled.

I live in China, I never thought I would, but here I am and I haven't had any emotional breakdowns.

2010-06-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Just a few words about my sweet grandma Rane. She passed away last night but was very ready to go. I am so grateful I got to see her just days ago when I was in Utah.

It's been a rough year for grandparents; Chris lost both his grandpas and now my last grandparent. We miss them all and love them. I have more to say but I will leave it at that.

Utah Trip

2010-06-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

Last week I made a quick trip to Utah. The main purpose of the trip was a bridal shower for my friend and old roommate Katie since I'll be in China for the wedding. Luckily, almost all my college friends are still in Utah so I got to see most of them!

Brunch with Wendy.

Wendy I'm glad you think I am so funny but I'm pretty sure the only one.
And I'm so sad you couldn't be there Rachel! Hope you're feeling better.

Breakfast with Cheather.

You are so smiley and I love it!

Lunch with Laurie and Nick.
Thanks for hanging with me and letting me crash at your place!

And here's the lovely soon-to-be bride Katie!
I really wish I could be there for the wedding.

Breakfast with my old co-worker Amanda.
Don't forget you are going to visit me in China!

Here are just a few of the pictures from the bridal shower. I got to help plan the whole thing and I think it turned out great! Thanks to everyone that came and if you want pictures just email me.

PS - I had totally forgotten how much white trash there is in Utah! It's just a bunch of freaks here in LA.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a little belated post about a great Memorial Day weekend.

Saturday morning our friends Nate and Abby Locke hosted a "Goodbye" picnic for us with our ward friends. So fun! The weather was beautiful and it made me wish we had done this more often before now. Thanks to everyone that came! It really was perfect because the Rich's and the Funk's are both moving out of the ward too so it was a good last hoorah.

We'll miss you Jordan, Becca, Derek, Krista, Lindsi, Josh, Nicolle, Chris, Rachel, Rick, LaDon, Jamie, Brian, Ali, Abby, Nate, Ryan, and Courtney!

We'll miss other people too :) those are just the ones pictured.

Thanks to the party planners the Lockes!

Monday we headed to the beach for some long-awaited time in the sun. Thanks Megan for snagging this picture! Although it wasn't ideal beach weather and the water was frigid I will definitely miss my days on the LA beaches.

To Grandmother's House We Go

2010-05-29T14:35:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday we went up to visit Grandma Winner in Santa Barbara and it was great fun! We went to Color Me Mine downtown and painted some pottery. It reminded me of dates back in college, although no one actually took me on a date there. We also had fun visiting with uncle Mike but didn't manage to snap a picture of him.

Here we are showing off our amazing pottery painting skills!

I really will miss being so close to Grandma Winner. But we will be back again next year at least for a little while.

Family Fun in LA

2010-05-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we had a family day in LA. Scott, Lacy and the girls came up just to visit us! We went to The Getty and enjoyed our own picnic on the lawn and walked around the museum for a while.

Diane, Dave and Andrew, and my parents were in LA for other family events so we met up with them for some tasty dinner at Cafe Rio. I didn't take any pictures of that but it was really fun to have you all up here!

Doggy Woes

2010-04-20T18:59:00.001-07:00

This is Milo and Grady.

The 2 most needy dogs in the world.

I normally just walk them during the week but their owners needed a pet-sitter for a week and we obliged. These dogs had to be by one of us at all times. If you leave the room they follow. When I closed the door to the bathroom so I could do my business without four doggy eyes staring at me they would immediately start whining and pawing at the door. Let me pee in peace!

They normally sleep with their owners in bed but we would not permit that so they slept in the other room and we slept with earplugs and sometimes a pillow over our heads to drown out the whining and barking. The first morning there I woke up to find dog business all over the floor, awesome.

Before this adventure Chris and I already agreed not to have a dog unless we have a yard and these dogs are a confirmation of why dogs in an apartment is a bad idea. A VERY BAD IDEA.

We're Moving

2010-04-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

Yes my friends, we are moving to China, specifically Shanghai (on the east coast of the map). In the past I have been fairly vocal about not wanting to move to this very country, but things happen and my heart has been softened. I'm still extremely nervous and I have no idea what I will do with myself while we're there but we will figure it out.

We are doing a "swap" meaning Chris will still be working for LEK just in their Shanghai office. We will be downtown in an area called Pushi (pictured below) and right across the river is Pudong (also pictured below), which to me looks like something straight out of the Jetsons. The swap will last at least 6 months but we are hoping to extend it to 9 months. Chris would really love to live in Asia long-term and this seems like a great way to warm me up to the idea.

I have so many things running through my brain! What to do before we leave? What will it be like when we are there? Will I love it? I hope so.

I'll update the blog when we have more details but we will be leaving sometime at the end of June.

A Major Bump in the Road

2010-03-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Things have not gone according to plan. In my opinion, we have just experienced our first life-plan-glitch. We didn't get into Chicago for Business School (or any other school). When we found out I spent most of the morning crying and Chris spent the day frustrated and mad.

I KNOW something will work out for us and I KNOW Heavenly Father knows what is best. As much as being in limbo stinks what stinks even more is seeing your husband work 60-80 hour weeks and still manage to work incredibly hard to submit stellar applications for B-school only to get denied...and now I am getting misty again. That is definitely what is hardest for me.

We are considering several other options, and we'll see what happens. I sincerely appreciate you friends and family for the well wishes and the good thoughts sent our way.

To Chris (who hardly ever reads this blog), you are a rock star! Everyday, not some days but everyday, I am inspired and grateful for your hard work. Something wonderful will happen for us and I will always be next to you, working hard to make that happen. I love you.

Kristen

Weekend 3.19.2010 and Emergency Preparedness

2010-03-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

My parents came up from San Diego on Saturday to spend the day with us, YAY! We walked on the boardwalk, hung out, and ate at Cafe 50's. We'd never eaten there before and I don't know if we will again but it was fun to try once. The food is just mediocre but the atmosphere is fun. We had a great time mom and dad, we'll see you over Conference weekend!

Something else I wanted to mention was emergency preparedness. About a week and a half ago I felt prompted to get a 72-hour kit in order for Chris and me. I wrote a note on the white board to remind myself but didn't do anything else about it. This Sunday the topic for Sacrament meeting was Emergency Preparedness and I immediately remembered that prompting. I decided I had better heed this prompting instead of letting that note just sit on the white board.

For FHE on Monday Chris and I spent some time researching different kits and whether to prepare one ourselves or buy a ready-made one. We opted for ready-made and found a great 2-person kit on sale. We haven't received it in the mail yet but my mind is already at ease knowing I have done something to prepare.

You should too, that's all.

Weekend Fun 3.12.2010

2010-03-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

I know I am late in posting this but we had a fun-filled weekend a bit ago and I wanted to share. The Lymans invited us to the newly opened Cafe Rio for a tasty meal. You could tell the majority of people in there were LDS but if you want proof then you should know that we saw the Richs and Lockes from our ward, the Lymans saw friends there, and Andrew saw friends there! We had a great time.

We had some Pantages gift certificates that we wanted to use so we went and saw CATS on Saturday. It was not good. There is no plot, it is just a compilation of songs about cats. I thought maybe some cool dancing would be a redeeming factor but there wasn't even that. Oh well, it was still really fun to have a night out with Chris.

We also had a fun Sunday night with the MacDonalds! Thanks for inviting us over for dinner and to make fun of the worst movie ever: Plan 9 From Outer Space. Seriously, the worst movie, we have laughed about that movie several times since then.

PS - Note in the above picture how my arm is around Chris. I tend to do this in a lot of pictures and it always looks bad! I need to stop that immediately.

The Help

2010-03-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

I read this book a few months back and LOVED it. I am not a tough critic but this book was really great. Especially for those readers who are looking for a very PG book, I would highly recommend this.

Well, they are making this into a movie! I have mixed emotions but I am mainly excited. Movies are never as good as the book but I am optimistic about it.

Read it, it's good!

Chicago in February

2010-02-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

We had a great time in Chicago! The best part: Chris interviewed at BOOTH. He did his very best and felt that it went well, all we can do now is hope and wait. We would love Chicago to be our home for two years.

Here we are at the Museum of Science and Industry

"The Giant Bean"

Skating in the city!

Cheese and caramel popcorn = a delicious Chicago treat!

Mardee and Spencer you guys are the best! Thanks for letting us invade your apartment and shuttling us to and from the airport. We had a blast with you!

Preparing for Chicago

2010-02-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

Last year we were in snowy Utah for Valentine's Day and this year we will be in freezing Chicago. Thanks Mardee and Spencer for allowing us to stay with you and cramp your style on Valentine's Day!

Chris is interviewing for business school with BOOTH on Tuesday! Having interviewed with one other school and not getting in we are trying not to get our hopes up. It is not required that you interview in Chicago but I think Chris is convinced that it will help his case. Since I have never been to Chicago it's hard for me to get really excited about the idea of living there, although I only hear wonderful things about it. Maybe visiting in the middle of winter was the choicest of times but at least I'll get to see what it would be like. Look at those temperatures!

In honor of visiting Chicago, and because we will most likely be living somewhere with an actual winter next year, I bought my first pair of boots! My ideal boot is a black riding style boot but they tend to cost much more than I am willing to spend. I am really happy with these ones though; real leather and $100 is pretty good.

Work-Free Weekend

2010-02-09T23:11:00.001-08:00

Chris has had to work the last few Saturdays and he thought he was going to again last weekend, but we were pleasantly surprised by a weekend free of work. We mainly relaxed but decided to visit The Getty to see a Rembrandt exhibition. The Getty is wonderful! Chris especially loves the view. This picture would look much better if it was during the day but when parking is free after 5:30pm and you are trying to be frugal this is what you get.

These last two pictures are from Christmas, I just loaded them on the computer and had a good laugh. My family plays Christmas carols on these chimes and it is always entertaining if not pleasant to the ears.

Jealous

2010-01-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

There are a few blogs I read written by women that are insanely creative. They do incredibly artistic and beautiful things just for fun, for others, for their spouses, etc. I am so jealous and it makes me a little sick looking at how incredible they are. That's all.

I Have a Job

2010-01-21T16:50:00.000-08:00

I have been unemployed since March of 2009 after being laid off. I did some school and temp jobs but I generally felt unhappy working as a temporary receptionist answering phones that rang about 3 times a day. I kind of gave up on job hunting although I was still using two employment agencies, but I recommitted myself after Christmas to finding a job.

I applied to many jobs on Craigslist and never had any luck until this week. I applied, got a call a couple hours later, interviewed a few hours later, and met with a client the next day.

Ladies and gentlewomen (I don't know if there are any guys that read this) I am now a

dog-walker.

That's right, a dog-walker. The money isn't great considering it isn't an all day gig but I am really enjoying it and I would take this over being a receptionist any day.

I can finally put all my hours of watching The Dog Whisperer to use. If you know someone that needs a dog-walker in LA you know who to call.

Marvin Ray Winner

2010-01-13T17:36:00.001-08:00

We love you Grandpa Winner and you will be sorely missed.

I Wish I Was Craftier

2010-01-07T16:23:00.000-08:00

I really admire people that see an opportunity to be creative on a regular basis. I'm not one of those people so I need to praise myself for making these pillow covers for our newish couch. Black and white are a fairly prominent theme in our place.

The End of '09

2010-01-07T16:01:00.001-08:00

Again, I apologize for being lazy about blogging. I just wanted to recap the end of 2009 mainly to keep a record of what we've been doing.

We had a really fun time spending Christmas with my family and celebrating my little sister's wedding! Laurie looked beautiful and the reception was a great success; I have to point out the reception because my sister, Diane, and I planned it.

I didn't actually take pictures during Christmas but I'm trying to bribe my sisters into giving me some of theirs. In the meantime here are some different pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Here is a picture of the happy couple, I just laugh every time I look at this one.

Then we celebrated New Year's with Chris's family in Santa Barbara at his Grandparent's house. We stayed up playing games and trying out Ken's new Wii ad Wii Fit. We continued the celebrations with an early birthday party for Chris. No cake, just some Lemon Meringue (a favorite of his).

As a kid I remember after I opened all my presents I would either call my friends or chat online and compare my spoils. Did anyone else do that or was I just really into receiving gifts?

Happy Two Years!

2009-11-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

You might remember that we celebrated our anniversary at Disneyland last year? Well, we thought it was such a great way to celebrate that we did it again. I think this year was much better though since we paced ourselves and lasted much longer.

This year we even went to California adventure to ride a couple rides. Upon recommendation we rode California Screamin and Soaring Over California and both were really really fun!

Here we are in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, we got engaged on the real one.

These truly have been the best two years of my life and I am so grateful for Chris. We are two peas in a happy pod. I love you Chris and can’t wait for the many years to come with you!

***Sorry for the not centered posts, blogger is being really weird and not letting me center anything.

A Little Bit of October & November

2009-11-25T11:03:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a while ago but Chris really wanted me to post about it, probably so you could see him wearing the Beckham jersey I made for him. Yes, we were the Beckhams. We had a nice Halloween evening sampling soups with friends and hanging out.

A couple weekends ago Chris and I both had colds, not fun, especially for Chris since he worked so hard that week and then was rewarded by being sick all weekend. I just laughed when I realized what my nightstand looked like. Thankfully, we are all better and can celebrate Thanksgiving without coughing and runny noses.

Here are our gummy vitamins after Chris used the toaster-oven and forgot to move them off the top of it. The gummies on the left didn't handle the heat so well and neither did the jar on the right!

We got to see Kooza, the latest Cirque du Soleil, last week and it was great! Thanks Julie and Ken for those tickets we really appreciate it. Chris worked really late all that week so it was the only time I saw him. The show was really amazing and I really wasn't expecting to like it that much.

The Beach and Aquarium

2009-11-04T13:54:00.001-08:00

There are some things about LA that I don’t love but one thing that is incredible is the weather. I went to the beach and the Long Beach Aquarium in October and loved the beautiful weather. I enjoyed the beach with Jamie and baby Ally and our out of town friends Andrea and baby Jamison. The water was freezing but both kiddos couldn’t get enough of it.

On Halloween day we joined Shelly and Josh at the Long Beach Aquarium. Thanks Shelly for the free tickets! We are so cheap these days I don’t know if we would have gone otherwise. Chris and I really enjoyed it and highly recommend the aquarium; it’s only a half hour away! Again, the weather was perfect.

Here is Chris trying to trick the Lorikeet into thinking Chris had food for him. The birds were only friendly if you bought nectar to feed them and I don’t think Chris was the first person to try and trick those birds.

We got to pet sting ray and sharks, it was pretty sweet. Chris is making friends with the cute Harbor Seal. The seals and sea lions were so cute; I really wanted to take one home.

Star fish and Jellies, oh so pretty.

Finally, the New Couch

2009-11-03T20:55:00.001-08:00

Several months ago Chris and I went to a silent auction put on by a scout in our ward. I'll admit there were some pretty rockin' things donated by members of the ward. I took a couple laps around the room to see if there was anything I was willing to spend money on (we are poor, especially since I haven't been working for several months) but nothing caught my eye. Thankfully, Chris noticed a very choice item that was up for auction; a custom couch for only $350! We had been putting away a little bit of money every month into "the couch fund," one time we even got up to $600 but then I wanted to take photography classes so I spent it on a new camera…I kind of regret that decision. Anyways, we definitely had enough in "the couch fund" to at least make the minimum bid. I am so glad no one else in the ward had their eyes on a new couch!

I spent a couple weeks looking at couch designs I liked and fabrics and we finally settled on one. Once it was ordered It took a little longer than expected, okay A HECK OF A LOT longer than expected, but we finally got our couch! Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome although it is larger than anticipated. Because our front door is positioned in a pretty tight area the couch had to come through the balcony window which was easy since we live on the first floor, I'm just hoping the size isn't a problem for any of our future apartments.

I was thrilled to say "peace out" to our old couch that was generously donated by my parents. While this couch was comfortable it had definitely seen better days, about 15 years ago. I had to roll my eyes when Chris was hesitant to get rid of that couch.

Just giving our couch one last sit, notice the lovely original floral print underneath. I didn't remember we had to put the couch in front of our building until 12:30am so we got out of bed and carried it out as quietly as possible.

Our new couch! It's an awesome faux suede that has a tiny bit of texture and I really love it. Chris had to warm up to the new couch by lying on it for several hours straight. I've ordered new throw pillows and I'm excited to see how they look.

Did I mention that the couch was supposed to arrive on Tuesday afternoon so we had the old couch picked up around then but the new one didn't come until Saturday? Really cool.

What We've Been Doing

2009-10-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago we hiked up Temescal Canyon and this is the evidence. It was a fun easy hike and we actually took advantage of an evening when Chris got home early from work.

My best friend Shelly participated in a triathlon and we went to support her. Unfortunately we only saw her for about 2 minutes before she ran into the water and then we had to go to church, but way to go Shelly!

My best friend from college and her husband were in town for a wedding and we got to spend time with them, yay! Notice how awesome the weather was at the beach that day.

Chris's friend Nate and his family were in town and we had them over for dinner and some games. It was great to see all of you!

We went to Texas, my first time there, for a wedding. Chris's high school friend, Brian, got married and Chris was lucky enough to be a groomsman. The wedding was beautiful despite some heavy rains.

Congratulations Brian and Liz!

I Know, I am Totally Lame

2009-09-24T20:39:00.001-07:00

I have been bad about blogging but I don't feel like I have anything to blog about. This is just a post to put something new on the blog. I have become a major TV lover...but I have also been reading a lot so there is some balance in my life. Here are my shows for the fall.

Community

And there are a few more I am ashamed to mention.

I have recently read these books

I am currently reading

And I'm about to read this

Washington

2009-08-25T19:39:00.001-07:00

We got to spend some time in Washington with Chris's family and we had loads of fun. The main event was camping in Fort Spokane. I think most people know that I am not fond of camping but I still had fun and it was just nice to spend the week with family. Here are some things we did and things we saw

When the sun was out it was really hot but once the clouds came I had to get bundled up! Luckily the water was pretty warm so I actually got in.

Fishing, I did not take part in this.

Playing Mexican Train at night. I don't know what Joshua is doing.

We're just hanging out in our tent waiting for the rain to pass. There was some incredible thunder, I loved it!

And when we weren't camping we were finding Banana Slugs, going to the Ballard Locks, going to tide-pools, and checking out the lucky pig at Pike's market.

We had a really great time and we miss all you Lanshes and Bredensteiners already!

Hairs Cut

2009-08-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

I had the most wonderful hair-stylist when I lived in Utah. Since living in LA I haven't found anyone that I love quite as much, or if I like them they are too expensive for me. My bangs are covering my eyes and I am in desperate need of a haircut!

Does anyone have someone they love in the LA area? How much do they charge for just a cut?

4th of July and Birthday

2009-07-07T19:15:00.001-07:00

The holiday weekend was tons of fun! Every time the whole family gets together it always ends too soon and I get a little sad that next Fall we will be moving away. I'll just enjoy living close to them while I can.

To start the weekend Chris and I had our "engagement" photos taken by my talented sister and sister-in-law, Diane and Lacy. If you want to look at more pictures by Diane you can find them here. We had some fun and escaped with minor injuries (Lacy got stung by a bee!).

We planned to have my brother-in-law's family over for a 4th of July pool party and BBQ but the morning of we found out that one of the Jones family had the swine flu! So it was just the Ranes swimming and eating way too much food. My BFF Shelly spent the weekend with us too and she found out her twin brother had Swine Flu on the same day! Then I found out that Ron Weasley had Swine flu! I know, crazy.

On Sunday we had a combined birthday party for Scott, me, and Talie (June 30, July 6, July 12). Thanks for making my favorite cake Dad and for the waffle iron mom! I've been itching for a waffle iron since Chris and I got married.

We played games, swam, ate, and had a great time all weekend. The boys played golf on Friday and Chris managed to hit someone with his golf ball and nearly hit a ball into someone's house through an open window. It was a very eventful round of golf.

On my actual birthday, Chris managed to get off work early enough to take me to a delicious dinner and spend the evening with me. My birthday present this year was me getting to shop, shop, shop and then Chris got to decide what I kept. I made out like a theif in the shoe department and also got nice pair of jeans and a shirt.

2009-06-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, the music legend has died. I remember listening to the Jackson 5 when I was really young and never stopped loving his music. If I could see any concert ever I would pick Michael Jackson back when he was in his prime.

2009-06-18T22:45:00.001-07:00

How did my favorite dance end up in the bottom? What is wrong with you voters!? How could you not put Phillip and Jeanine in the bottom. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

SYTYCD Predictions

2009-06-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Week 2:
I am just going to make some predictions about who will be in the bottom tonight.

1. Phillip and Jeanine: Tango.
This was one of the most painfully bad dances I've seen on the show. Mary said she thought Jeanine kept in character but I felt like her "seductive" face was a little scary.

2. Jason & Caitlin: Hip Hop
This was just ok and the judges didn't seem to like it. I hope they don't leave because I absolutely loved their Bollywood number last week.

3. I can't decide on a third because I felt like there were several mediocre dances.

These were my 2 favorites from this week.

Brandon and Janette: Disco

They had so much energy it was incredible! I'm glad Lil C finally admitted that Brandon is good.

Max and Kayla: Pop Jazz
I love this kind of funky character dance and I think they did it very very well. I couldn't get over how terrible Max's outfit was, it made him look so feminine, blah!

I found myself disagreeing with the judges a lot last night. For example, I thought Evan and Randi did the Jive really well but Mary and Nigel didn't seem to think so. Also, I thought Melissa was boring in her Jazz dance with Ade but the judges thought she did great. Whatev, we'll see how people voted tonight!

Babies & Hikes

2009-06-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I went to a baby shower brunch hosted by Erinn for our friend Megan. Everything looked and tasted great! I think one of the best parts about baby showers is seeing all the cute tiny baby clothes, seriously, so tiny!

Then we met up with our friends Ryan, Rachel, and baby Bennett, for some hiking in Malibu. I'm not physically fit but I felt confident that I could handle the hike considering Rachel did with a baby strapped to her. What a trooper. We ended up on the wrong hiking trail but it was really fun and we are excited to do more hiking this summer.

Is It Just Me

2009-06-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

Or is Mia Michaels a lot grumpier this season? I feel like she used to be much nicer and pick a couple people as her favorites but this year she doesn't seem to be wowed by anyone.

Regardless of her lack of enthusiasm I am loving the "Broadway Brothers," Evan and Ryan Kasprzak, but I know they will only accept one of them. They are great dancers and their personalities are a wonderful bonus.

I can't wait for the top 20 to perform next week, yippee!

Date Weekend

2009-06-01T10:04:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was delightful. On Friday we planned on seeing Star Trek with our friends, the Dins, but Josh ended up having to work late. Bummer! We couldn't see it on Saturday so we just turned Friday into a date night. We grabbed some dinner and Chris wanted to go into the theater a half hour early to get good seats. I didn't want to sit in the theater that long so I grabbed some much needed things at Sephora. By the time I got in the theater there were still only about 20 people there, haha. Good thing Chris was in there so early. We both really liked it. Ladies, if your husband wants to see this and you don't I would reconsider, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I haven't heard a single bad thing about it.

Saturday Chris woke up early to play some tennis with work friends and I met him later to play a quick game. After I spent a few hours on homework we made a trip to the temple and headed straight to Stake Conference. After conference we ordered some pizza and rented Australia for an at-home date night. Australia was just ok, not good enough that I will watch it again but still entertaining.

Sunday we borrowed Heavyweights from the Smiths (thanks guys!) because Chris had never seen this little gem. My best friend Shelly came over too and we again enjoyed dinner and a movie. This weekend was perfect because the next two weekends Chris's brother, Zach, will be here and the following weekend Chris's friend, Adam, will be here. We are excited to see both of them but it was great to have time to ourselves this weekend.

My Favorite Time of Year

2009-05-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

This really is my favorite time of year and a lot of it has to do with the best show on TV: So You Think You Can Dance! The season premiere is this Thursday and I am so pleased. Now that Biggest Loser is over (I didn't really care who won that show once the awesome Tongans got voted off) I have another reality show to watch.

Once the top 20 dancers are chosen I am planning a little SYTYCD party so let me know if you like this show and I will definitely put you on the VIP list.

A Favorite

2009-05-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, my sister, Diane, introduced our family to the book The Lesson: A Fable for Our Time written by Carol Lynn Pearson. It is a 32 page story that quickly became a favorite and I still cannot get through it without crying. Without giving too much away I will just the book is basically about love.

When I was a senior in High School my best friend Shelly and I decided to give this book to our English teacher, Mr. Leal, as a parting/birthday gift. Our teacher was known for being a little gruff and sarcastic. We thought, or at least I thought, it would be a little comical giving our slightly ornery teacher a book about love. He ins't a really mean guy but he certainly isn't the friendliest person I've met. On our last day of class after 1st period, the rumors started flying that Mr. Leal had actually cried in class. This was absolutely unheard of! When I asked a friend what had caused him to cry he said, "he read some book to us and he started to cry while he read it." Lo and behold it was The Lesson that he read and had started the crying. He read it to our class as well but managed to hold back the tears the second go-around.

After that little story I just want to say that this is a wonderful little book that I hope to read often in my own family and I encourage anyone else to do the same.

Whoops!

2009-05-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

So, normally when I update our blog layout I remember to make a list of the sites/blogs listed on our blog but I forgot this time. I tried to track down as many blog addresses as I could find but if yours doesn't appear on the sidebar please leave a comment so I can add your blog and simultaneously look more popular.

Thanks!

I Have Nothing to Blog About

2009-05-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

I am still jobless. However, I am currently doing my first all-day temp job...receptionist, again. Is there just a shortage of receptionists out there, or maybe a high turnover rate because those are the only jobs that become available. I agreed to temp as a receptionist but I will not do it full-time. At least that is what I am saying now, we'll see if I become so desperate that I change my mind.

Since I am unemployed I do a lot of TV watching and a lot of hoping that the day will be warm enough so I can go to the beach. Oh, and I also search for jobs on a daily basis. Of course, the temperatures rise to perfect beach weather and then I get a temp job. Luckily, I went to the beach yesterday to get my fix.

At my temp job the phone rings approximately once every 15 minutes and the AC is blowing hard right on my neck, brrrrrr. The job is down the street from our apartment about a half mile away so I am considering driving home and walking back from lunch so I get in some walking time. I will also make sure to bring a scarf back with me.

Dentist Help

2009-04-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

I loath going to the dentist but it's that time and I am asking for some suggestions. Chris and I went to a dentist about 6 months ago but the cleanliness of the office was a little alarming. Does anyone have a dentist in the area they like? PLEASE, let me know!

Thanks!

Mesa Trip

2009-04-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is late in posting but we had a great time with Scott, Lacy, Talie, and Peyton over Conference weekend. We spent most of the time inside watching Conference but we did manage to take a quick dip in the jacuzzi. I am so bad at taking pictures but here are some that Chris managed to take.

Any family resemblance?

We had fun with cousins while the boys went to Priesthood.

Take a look at these cuties!

Thanks for having us for the weekend, I hope it won't be long before we see you again.

YES! I Have Been Waiting for This!

2009-04-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

Project Runway will be airing this summer! The show has been in limbo because of some legal disputes regarding what station it will air on. This summer it will be showing on Lifetime instead of Bravo. This is probably the best thing that ever happened to Lifetime.

Sigh...A Bit of Bad News

2009-04-01T14:59:00.001-07:00

Some people already know but I wanted to let everyone know that last week I lost my job. Sad day. The company I worked for isn't doing well and some people had to be let go and my boss felt like having a personal assistant (me) was a luxury he should do without since other people were losing their jobs. Ethically, I agree with him but it sure stinks for me.

My job was a wonderful blessing for a year and we are grateful for it. I am pretty positive I will never make that much money again but I am on the hunt for a new job.

If anyone knows of someone that needs a personal/executive assistant in the area then let me know...because I am a great one! I would also be a nanny but I don't have any experience other than my calling as the Sunbeam teacher.

Home Improvements

2009-03-30T11:55:00.001-07:00

I have been meaning to post these for a while but I am just getting around to it. In our last place I didn't feel compelled to make many improvements because I just didn't like the place. However, in our new place I have been busy making little changes that I think are quite nice. So, for your viewing pleasure here are the changes I have made.

Before:

After:

Kitchen Shelves 1:

Kitchen Shelf 2:

Notice the painted wall. I love it. We used the same color on another wall that is not pictured and it is so nice to look at a colored wall instead of white all the time. Chris actually admitted how much he liked it despite his initial opposition to painting.

Honey

2009-03-19T14:26:00.001-07:00

I don't have many pet peeves but one of them definitely is when a stranger calls me "honey," "sweetheart," or anything of that nature. I was just on the phone with a lady from a plumbing company and she called me "honey." UHG!

Those types of words are strictly reserved for my husband and family.

Soccer Champs!

2009-03-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

Chris has been playing once a week in a soccer league and last night was their "championship" game. They played one game at 7:00pm and won 4-0 and played another game at 8:00pm and won 5-3 (I think?). Hooray for the soccer champs!

They were awarded T-shirts and an offer to play in the upper division league...but they decided they prefer the lower division they are currently in.

None of these people read my blog so I don't feel bad for posting this sweet sweaty picture of them after their great win!

Flashback

2009-03-17T15:53:00.001-07:00

I happened to be browsing Forever21 online and spotted this little number. Oh my! This brings me back to 3rd grade when my friends actually wore these things. I never wore one, I was more into the spandex shorts with shirts so big it looks like your aren't wearing shorts look.

GMAT Nerves

2009-03-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Chris is taking the GMAT this Saturday and every time I think about it I get crazy nervous. He has definitely put in the work in order to do well but you never know what could happen. Don't get me wrong, I am confident in the man's abilities but this is a very important test. He can always take it again if he wants to do better but considering we just dropped $250 for this test I really hope he does great the first time.

Remember I said that Chris's company is making people take two months off unpaid? Well, his first month is ending this week and he returns to work on Monday. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see him so much! I come home everyday to him diligently studying and I try to leave him alone for a couple more hours so he can continue doing so, but man, I love seeing him so often. I have been spoiled the last 4 weeks but that additional paycheck will be great!

Moving

2009-03-09T15:50:00.001-07:00

So, we moved...all the way down the block. Yes, we packed up our stuff and moved down the street. We basically did it for me. I was tired of having a disgusting kitchen, loud neighbors, a tiny closet, a leaky ceiling, and 50 visible layers of paint on the walls. The new place isn't any bigger but I love it because the kitchen is much much brighter, we have a great closet, the bathroom isn't connected to our bedroom, I haven't heard a peep from our neighbors, and the building is a heck of a lot nicer than our old place.

I did not do well capturing the chaos that took place while moving but I took some pictures that show a small part of the mess. These pictures were taken after we spent the day trying to put things in their place but there was still stuff everywhere. Notice the paint on the kitchen wall, we also painted a wall in the living room and I love it!

I still have a lot of odds and ends to figure out and shelves to put up but it has come a long way from this. I will post pictures when everything is in its place.

PS-Thank you to everyone who helped us move! It was funny to see out stuff being walked down the street but hey, it was a quick move.

Crazy About Decals

2009-02-23T15:44:00.000-08:00

This week will be spent moving into our new apartment. Since our new place is on the same block as our current residence most of the move will be gradual as we take a few boxes over everyday. While I am at work I can't help but think about organizing and decorating the new apartment. The two criteria are: 1. I don't want to spend a lot of money and 2. I don't want it to be time consuming since we will only be here until next Fall.

I am seriously considering doing a wall decal because they are great and most of them are easy to remove when needed. These are a couple that I think are cute. If you can't tell I tend to gravitate toward a nature theme.

Found here.

Just Finished...

2009-02-23T15:28:00.000-08:00

I think everyone knows that my days at work are mainly spent watching movies from Netflix or TV episodes on Hulu.com but I am determined to do more reading since I have the time. I desperately wish I was that person that loved reading classic literature but I am not. Maybe someday I will read so many classic books that they will become my favorites but not today. I just finished reading Confessions of a Shopaholic and I am very pleased. It is a quick and fun read and I wanted to read it before I see the movie. Whoever hasn't seen it yet and wants to let me know, it'll be a date.

My next read is Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I found it based on the "Customers who bought this item also bought" feature on Amazon after I read The Glass Castle. I read The Glass Castle last year and I really really enjoyed it so hopefully Amazon shoppers won't lead me astray with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

Chris and I watched Rabbit-Proof Fence last night and we both really liked it. I love Netflixs!

Back From Vacation

2009-02-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how lame I am, I didn't take any pictures while I was in Utah! I thought, "I will take pictures with all the friends I see," but I couldn't remember to actually do that when I was visiting friends. Oh well, it was a great weekend.

We stayed with our friends Spencer and Andrea, thanks again guys and we loved meeting Jameson. Saturday we had breakfast and lunch with different friends and had a blast. Late Saturday afternoon we went to the Jordan River temple. Chris and I were both amazed at how packed that temple was. There are so many temples in Utah and still this place was hopping. Come on southern California, get your act together.

For our Valentine's day dinner we went to Noodles & Company, I love this place. I used to eat there all the time when I worked at Nordstrom but we don't have one in LA. We like Noodles so much we went there a 2nd time on Monday. Yummy!

We also spent a lovely evening with my grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousin in Salt Lake City. Being in their house always reminds me of coming up almost every winter as a kid to go skiing or snowboarding and we would make igloos in their backyard.

It was a really wonderful trip. I am sad I didn't get to see everyone I wanted but I know we will be in Utah again.

Celebrity Siting

2009-02-12T21:28:00.000-08:00

I was at the mall tonight and I saw Adam Sandler. I am never one to stare or ask a celebrity for an autograph but I have to admit it is really sweet seeing them in real life. I have to do a double-take when I see them; I see them but my mind doesn't really register who it is for a couple seconds.

Utah, Here We Come!

2009-02-12T09:28:00.001-08:00

Friday night we are flying to Utah just to spend the weekend visiting friends and family. I am pretty much the only one of my college friends that doesn't live in Utah anymore (I know there are a precious few that have escaped like me) while most of Chris's friends have already moved away. Essentially, this trip is for me; yay! I can't wait to see everyone and I am trying my hardest to make sure I do get to see everyone.

While I am thrilled to see all my friends and family, I am not as thrilled about the weather forecast. Cold, cold, and cold. Tonight my mission is to find some gloves for the trip but that might prove to be impossible since I am in LA. If I fail I will have to think of some ingenious way to keep my hands warm...or just buy gloves in Utah.

Finally She Gets the Boot!

2009-02-05T11:36:00.001-08:00

Rarely do I wish for someone to get kicked off The Biggest Loser. In fact, I am usually crying no matter who gets voted off. But for weeks I have been wishing for Joelle to get voted off. The girl just doesn't care enough or try enough and it is so frustrating to know that so many people would have done anything to be on the show and she takes it for granted. I feel especially bad for her teammate, Carla. Carla is hard-working, enthusiastic, and motivated and it was sad to see her go just because her teammate is lame. After losing 0 lbs. this week Joelle and Carla were voted off The Ranch and as a result, they didn't speak to each other for months.

Hasta la vista Joelle.

Silver Lining

2009-02-04T09:45:00.000-08:00

We have been virtually unaffected by the terrible economy...until yesterday when Chris was informed that everyone in his office is required to take 2 months of unpaid time off. If the situation doesn't improve after 6 months then the layoffs will begin.

This makes me think how grateful I am:

for my job.
that we have enough money saved to handle this.

I am still nervous and concerned but I know we are prepared. I was also bummed about the thought of not getting this great apartment we found on Saturday. I have spent a lot of time the last few weeks finding vacancies and making appointments to look at them. I have been thoroughly unimpressed until Saturday, when we found this great apartment on the same block we already live on. The apartment isn't any bigger than our current place but it is significantly nicer and is only $55 more per month! Given the current circumstance I didn't know if we would still take the apartment but after some discussion we still feel good about moving.

HERE IS THE SILVER LIVING: Chris will actually study for the GMAT. I have been bugging Chris about this for months and this time off will actually give him the chance to study for and take the GMAT. Two months is more than enough time so I am hoping he will also accomplish a lot of his application processes for business school during that time.

Birthday Fun!

2009-01-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

Chris's birthday was pretty low key since Chris had been working so late all week. He opened a couple presents, we went to dinner, and watched part of a movie. All I wanted was to spend time with him and we did just that. Little did he know I had planned a surprise party for him on Saturday! See pictures below.

It took me a while to come up with a plan to get him out of the house but I told him I needed him to go to the grocery store while I cleaned up the house because we were having friends over on Sunday. I needed him to go at a specific time because we were going to a movie. Well, we weren't going to a movie and we weren't having friends over on Sunday. We would have loved to have more people but our apartment can only accommodate so many. I just invited Chris's friends from work and they legitimately scared him when he came home. Thank you guys for coming! Chris and I had a great time.

Where's My Food?

2009-01-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

Friday, I bought all this food for lunches that I keep at my work and when I arrived today it was almost completely gone. Turns out my boss's son and I have similar taste. He ate all my food!

BOO!

27 Years Old

2009-01-16T09:19:00.001-08:00

BOOOO on ABC!

2009-01-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

I am so disappointed that my favorite new show has been canceled! I just love the quirky and unique style of Pushing Daisies and it is not at all trashy, which is difficult to find these days. *Sigh, I am so sad to say adieu to the pie maker and the rest of the Pushing Daisies cast.

I Wish...

2008-12-19T11:01:00.001-08:00

So Incredible

2008-12-17T14:16:00.000-08:00

I didn't watch the entire season of The Biggest Loser but I am always so impressed and inspired but what these people do. Looking at their before and after pictures is really unbelievable. Michelle was named the winner of The Biggest Loser, which I am happy about, I was rooting for her. Congratulations to her!

Late Anniversary Update

2008-12-09T09:25:00.001-08:00

Chris and I had our 1 year anniversary a couple weeks ago and it was magical. We planned a trip to Disneyland to celebrate and it was a great day to go. We went the Monday before Thanksgiving and had great weather and short lines. I can't remember the last time I went to Disneyland but we get to go again in a couple weeks with Chris's family.

I have heard some people say the first year of marriage is the hardest but Chris and I agree that our first year was wonderful. I am very grateful to have found the man that became my best friend and to be married to him. The first year went so fast and I am excited for everyday in our future.

Holidays

2008-12-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend was a blast! I love spending time with family and it is especially fun now that there are little kids involved. We attempted to take some family pictures but I think next time we better try during the day when there is more light.

2008-12-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

Today I love

These wall stickers would be just perfect for a kids room. How cute!

have a better look

These little fishies with bubbles would also be great in a kids room.

looky here

even better when it's big

Another Good One

2008-11-26T15:37:00.000-08:00

I just watched this one today and I really liked it.

Movies

2008-11-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

I just signed up for Netflix and the boss man is out of town, which means I have been a movie-watching machine. This week I have watched The Jane Austen Book Club, Remains of the Day, To Catch a Thief, and Bella. Most of these are from the "Watch Instantly" feature of Netflix, which means there is a limited selection. I loved Bella and To Catch a Thief and I highly recommend them.

Next on the list is Young @ Heart. I really wanted to see this in theaters but it never happened; I can't wait to see this one!

Don't Worry, I'm Not Tagging You

2008-10-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

6 TV shows I like to watch:

Pushing Daisies
The Biggest Loser
House
Project Runway
The Office
Top Design

6 Restaurants I enjoy:

Western Bagel
Noodles & Co.
Red Robin
Papa John’s
Pomodoro
Pretty much any Italian restaurant

6 Things that Happened Today:

Chris kissed me goodbye at 6:50 am! We normally leave together at 8:45 am.
Got breakfast at Western Bagel
Watched part of 30 Rock online
Browsed many, many blogs
Got paid
Thought about how much I used to love dressing up for Halloween.

6 Things I am looking forward to:

11.24.08 The 1-year anniversary of being married to my best friend. And we’re going to Disneyland!
11.27.08 Thanksgiving. I actually don’t like Thanksgiving but I get to see all my family and it’s my mom’s birthday.
Christmas! I am already singing Christmas songs and I have been thinking of Christmas gifts for a few weeks. I get to see my family again and we get to see Chris’s family.
The day we don’t pay an outrageous amount of money to live in a one-bedroom apartment.
Graduating from BYU. Taking two classes a term at UCLA is slow going.
Getting my hair cut.

6 Things on my Wish List:

New couches
A gym membership. I know, I know, I am not the gym type but my muscles are starting to atrophy because I sit all day.
For Chris not to work so much.
A backyard. Only because Chris says we can get a dog when we have a backyard.
For Prop 8 to pass.
New slippers.

6 People to tag:

I am not tagging anyone but if you would like to do this I would love to read it.

If Only

2008-10-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

Can you say "CUTE!" This dress is on Modcloth and costs more than I am willing to pay but it is so adorable. And I am loving this shoe by Marc Jacobs.

Baby Dreams

2008-10-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

Last week I got in on a little Bunco action with some ladies from the ward and around the area. Maybe there is something in the water here but the women in my ward are baby making machines! Good for them, but I am not ready for that yet and I definitely feel like the odd one out. There was so much talk about babies while we played Bunco that I ended up having a nightmare that I had unexpectedly gotten pregnant! I awoke from my dream feeling panicked and confused, but rest assured, there is no bun in this oven.

I like babies and I am excited to have a family, someday. For now, I just like thinking about what I will name my kids. This site is full of interesting names so check it out.

nameberry

I Am Loving...

2008-10-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

The John Adams mini-series and the TV show, Pushing Daisies.

I recently finished listening/reading Johns Adams by David McCullough and I heard such great reviews about this mini-series so I decided to invest some time into watching it. It is great! Although I wasn't totally convinced of the love between Abigail and John that was so emphasized in the book, I still thought it was great and would recommend it to others.

Pushing Daisies was scheduled to air last year but got postponed due to the writer's strike. I just started watching and I am loving it. There is an abundance of crime/mystery/suspense shows out there but this is an uplifting quirky version that is quite unique. If you haven't seen it you should try it once and maybe read a synopsis beforehand because there is a lot of plot that's been covered in previous episodes.

Too Funny

2008-10-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

Favorite Line

2008-10-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I winner I agree with. Pretty much every year when I watch the Project Runway finale I am always baffled when they announce the winner. This year I totally agree with the decision. I like Leanne's designs as well as her personality; she is such a goof! At one point in the show I laughed out loud because of what Leanne said. Since People magazine counted it as one of their favorite quotations of the week I thought I would share it too.

After winner Project Runway, Leanne says, "drinks are on this brother!" Haha, I think that is so funny! Way to go Leanne!

Dreaming of a Winter Coat

2008-10-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

So it doesn't get very cold here; in fact, it was in the upper 80s yesterday. But I really like winter coats and a girl can dream. If it did get colder here and I was willing to fork out the money then I would consider buying any of these coats.

Every winter I dream of having a cream winter coat; they are so classy! I also love the big buttons coming up the side instead of the center.

I am always drawn to red coats and the double-breasted buttons.

I just love how cute and feminine this coat is.

Then again, I love the boyish quality in this coat. Good thing I don't actually have to choose.

Visitors

2008-10-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my father-in-law came for a visit. Since Chris's family doesn't live nearby it is always a treat to see them. We also had my parents visit on Saturday. I brainstormed a couple ideas that would be parent-friendly and inexpensive so we decided to go to the Getty Villa. If you haven't gone and you are in the area I would highly recommend it. Admission is free but parking is $10/car. It is really beautiful and you can take little tours guided by a docent. Saturday was pretty overcast, which was nice for walking around but not great for taking pictures of the pretty landscape.

There was a kid's room where you can color on vases and trace on paper vases. They asked me to take a survey about the room and all the questions asked "were your kids...entertained, did they learn, etc." That survey and the height of the chairs made me think that room was not meant for people my age. But it was fun!