Cinco de Mayo

Nothing like another day to celebrate this week! It was a smaller production compared to yesterday, but the party spirit was there. My day started with sleeping in and getting a solid 9 hours of sleep! Heaven! Then I had my temple shift, which has to be one of the most special and sacred experiences of my life. After the temple, Bryce came over and we headed downtown for some Mexican food.

We found a place that did not have a 2 hour wait and got good, cheap burritos! The only thing we forgot were our sombrero!

After dinner, we came home and watched some of the Timbers game. Soccer is a good Cinco de Mayo activity! Then we watched Downton Abbey, which is based in England. That is another country so kind of Cinco de Mayo fitting, right??

Happy Birthday My Love

There is something so amazing about birthdays! I love everything about them. So with Bryce's birthday I just couldn't help myself. He gave me a few hints on what he wanted and I took it from there. My favorite part was thinking of presents that would be fun and funny to give him. So let's get unwrapping!

So first, I gave him a penguin pinata filled with his favorite candy, Laffy Taffy! I mean his birthday is one day before Cinco de Mayo, I had to get a pinata! Plus, look at that cute penguin! My heart melted when I saw him.

Next, I got Naked for him! HAHA. I just love that Mighty Mango juice and all the great things you can say about it!

Then I made him keys to my apartment. It is pretty exciting that he will be my roommate next month! Just need to start making some room for his stuff because somehow I have my whole apartment filled!

To continue my funny ways, I gave him 25 quarters to celebrate his quarter of a century birthday! Who doesn't like to have their pockets full of quarters? I was planning on using them to buy ice cream, but he wanted to use them for laundry. Silly, but practical guy!

For his real present, I got him a print of his favorite photography's work. It took me a few weeks to find a good one, but finally Amazon had one! Now just have to wait for it to arrive because online shopping has got to be one of the best teachers of patience!

Finally, I made him a card and wrote a list of the 25 things I love about him. I had to write tiny to get them all to fit, but it was so fun!

After showering him with presents, we went downtown and ate some sushi with our friend Adam. Every time I each sushi, I can't believe how quickly I fill up, which I am sure Bryce loves so he can eat more. We got a good variety and he seemed to enjoy it!

After dinner, we went to this funny little park. When I saw these two trees I saw endless possibilities of cheesy couple poses so we took some!

We then got ice cream! Bryce got buttermilk blackberry and I got cinnamon. It was a great way to top of the meal!

Once we got home, I pretty much crashed! The week had been pretty stressful and I had stayed up until 2AM the night before getting everything ready for the birthday celebration. But it was all worth it. Happy Birthday Bryce!

Birthday Eve

In addition to Bryce finishing his first year of law school (CONGRATS!!), Thursday was Bryce's birthday eve so clearly we had to celebrate! I gave him a list of 24 questions and a card. Then I made him do 24 push-ups.

He is such a stud that I couldn't even get the camera to focus! Also, I was suppose to be counting, but I was too busy with the picture that he ended up doing a few more. Sorry!

He was so sweet and brought me roses! Law school was pretty rough on both of us so we are pretty glad it is summer break now.

Best of Friends

This past weekend, Heidi came and visited me! She is my first visitor since moving to Oregon and I was so excited to see her. It has been so long since I had seen her and life is just better when we are together. So she flew in Thursday evening and it felt like waiting for Christmas morning! It was so exciting. We got back to my place and I showed her all the wedding stuff that I haven't been able to show anyone. Plus, my wedding dress had arrived that day and I was so excited to show her.

We stayed up much too late that night, but luckily work wasn't too bad. I came home during lunch and we just chatted the whole time. Then finally the party really started when work was over! I came home and we decided to get some Indian food for dinner and experience downtown Portland. I took her to my favorite Indian place, Swagat, and it didn't disappoint!

The world is just better when we are together!

After dinner, we went and picked up Bryce and went to Powell's Bookstore.

I loved the bookstore because we found books that had trivia and random questions that we asked each other. Heidi likes both crunchy and creamy peanut butter, but it just depends on what she is eating! It is a fun place to go and not that far from Voodoo Doughnuts, where we also made a visit.

Of course she had to try the bacon maple bar!

So we came home and chatted some more and it was so fun to have a sleepover! We went to bed at a more decent hour, which helped because we got up pretty early on Saturday so we could fit in all the adventures. We first went to the gym to start out the day right. Then we got ready and went to brunch. I bought cinnamon rolls and she got a wrap!

After we went shopping in hope for a good engagement photo outfit, but the stores were against us. There just wasn't anything amazing. We then came home and I spent probably an hour trying on different outfits. Bryce then came over and we took engagement photos. We went to a few parks and downtown, but it was crowded everywhere because of the good weather. Also, I don't really know good places in Portland for pictures.

Anyways, after we got my favorite kind of pizza and we came home to rest! Of course, we talked more, but we were exhausted! We went to bed at 10:30pm....are we getting old?! Sunday, we woke up and talked lots more. Seriously, Heidi is the best person to talk to and I never like when we have to stop. Unfortunately, we had to so we could get ready for church. Luckily, while we did our hair and make-up, we could keep talking!

Then church was really good. The talks and lessons were especially good and Heidi was able to meet a lot of people. Finally, faces with all those names! After church, we went the temple, which was just beautiful and the sky was so blue! It made the temple look so white.

Aren't we just so springy bright!

We then went to the Moses' for dinner. They had prepared a feast and there were about 15 other people from the ward there. I was very excited for Heidi to be there and get to know these people who I have been friends with since moving to Oregon. We then came home and talked more! As the night got later and later, I became more and more sad that our time together was going to be ending. It just is never long enough. Monday, I woke up and went to work, but only for a few hours and then I took Heidi to the airport. I either wanted her flight to be canceled or for me to fit in the luggage!

I don't think I have ever left the airport so close to tears! I have always been very blessed in the friend department and Heidi is no exception! She always inspires me to be better and everything is more fun with her! I just always want more Heidi time because she is the best.

April 9th

April 9th has become one of my favorite days of the years. First, it is my dad's birthday. He is my hero. I remember when I was only five years old going to bed saying I wanted to be an engineer when I grew up just like my dad. He is kind, funny, smart, and very dedicated to our family and faith.

This day is also special because I got my Patriarchal blessing 12 years ago. It has become one of my greatest treasures from the Lord. I am constantly amazed by the words and inspiration that come from it and how the Lord uses it to teach me.

Then 2 years ago on this day, I went through the temple for the first time. It was one of the best days of my life as I learned more about the Gospel and God. I have tried to go at least once a week since that day because I can feel the power and protection when I attend.

And now the temple has become even more significant to me because I have been given the opportunity to serve as a worker. For the past two months, I have worked the Saturday mid-day shift. Sometimes it feels like a burden and I never know how I am going to get anything done, but the Lord is so good to me and every time my shift ends, I realize there is no other place I would rather be.

The temple is such an amazing place to find love and peace. It really is a piece of heaven on earth and the Spirit is so strong in its walls. It is such a privilege and a great responsibility to do the work of the Lord, but I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to serve.

The Lord is so merciful especially when we trust Him. He gives so abundantly and loves so completely. I am always overwhelmed with how patient He is with me and then blesses me for my tiniest efforts. And then knowing that my efforts would never be enough and I would make mistakes, He gave His Son. I am so grateful for my Savior and Redeemer.

And then two months from this day, I will be marrying Bryce! He is so smart and funny. He is very kind, loving, and thoughtful. He has a strong testimony of the Gospel and values the importance of family. Even when we first started dating, he would talk about how he wanted to raise his kids (I didn't know guys even thought about that). He loves to think about things from different perspectives (definitely the lawyer type!)  and will share his thoughts with me. He isn't much of a night person, but maybe he can help me become a better morning person.

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter! Today was a beautiful Easter Sunday with lots of sunshine. The Easter bunny visited and left Bryce a basket of goodies....gum, Cadbury mini eggs, and Cadbury creme eggs. That bunny sure knows exactly what I like!

Then church today was really good with a special sacrament program with beautiful music and really good talks. I love talking of Christ and learning of Christ. I know that he is my Savior and Redeemer. I am so grateful for His sacrifice and His love for me. He lives!

After church, while dinner was cooking, we went on a walk because it was so nice outside. You have to take advantage of good weather!

Hello Popcorn!

Love spring and all the blooming trees.

We asked a nice lady to take our picture because you have to take a couple picture on Easter.

Such a cute couple in our Easter outfits! Also, please notice Bryce's tie with pink and white stripes! I gave it to him. I got it in Europe back on my study abroad in 2007.

After our walk, we ran into my neighbors and it was so fun seeing their three little girls in their Easter dresses.

I made a ham dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy and a salad. We even had some sparkling cider. The gravy wasn't quite right and how I remembered it....will need to work on that, but it was a yummy meal that definitely filled us right up!

California Adventure

This past week, I went to Los Angeles for work to do client training and it was a great trip! I was a little worried about the additional stress it would cause but it actually was a great stress reliever.

Monday, I left bright and early and slept for most of the flight. Once we got there, we got the rental car and headed to the hotel. It was actually the same hotel I stayed at when I went to LA for training working with KPMG, but this time I got a room to myself with a big king bed! It also had a great view of the pool and I loved the big windows letting in all the sunshine.

We then went to the hospital and finally got the right training room where we met the two coordinators. It was so fun to finally have a face with the voice! The first day was pretty long especially since I had only had about 4 hours of sleep and no food all day! So one of the coordinator recommended Umami Burger, a hip hamburger place close by and so we went there. I got a Greek burger and sweet potato fries that were delicious. Then I also got dessert that was good, but more sugar and fat than I have had in a long time....and I thought LA was all about healthy eating!

After dinner, we got back to the hotel and I took a nap. Well, Bryce called me 10 minutes into my nap so we chatted for a little bit and then I took a nap until 9:30pm. I got up for an hour to finish some work and then went to bed.

Tuesday, started off with a buffet breakfast at the hotel. Good thing I wasn't paying because the hotel didn't have complimentary breakfast and my breakfast ended up being $28! Of course, the bacon was amazing and I ate lots. I also got french toast and fruit. I wasn't going to starve two days in a row. So then we drove to the hospital which is located in Hollywood. I loved seeing the Hollywood sign!

Day two of training went well and I was able to do some of it. We finished around 3:30 and headed back to the hotel.

So the miracle of the whole trip was that I found my wedding dress online a few weeks back. I ordered it and everything, but then a few days later they told me that they couldn't get my size in time for the wedding. However, they had the dress in a size smaller that might work. Well, of course doing everything online and over the phone made me nervous to go with a smaller size and I didn't want to have a ton of alterations. Well, the store ended up being in Orange County which was only an hour away from the hotel! I talked to my coworker and the store and was able to arrange to go down to the store.

So Tuesday, I headed out at 4:30 braving the LA traffic to see if I could get my wedding dress. The traffic was as bad as every says it is because it took me two hours to get there! My foot was hurting by the end. Anyways, the store is actually at this lady's house who sells modest dresses. It was pretty amazing. And the best part was the smaller dress size fit! So got that all taken care of and clearly the Lord is helping me out! So grateful for miracles! And the drive home only took an hour even with a wrong turn and going down a super scary road where the Lord gave me another miracle of all green lights!

Wednesday, I was starting to get tired, but training was going well. It was another full day and I had some other work meeting throughout the day so I was glad when it was quitting time. We went back to the hotel and decided we needed to find a fun restaurant for dinner. We drove around downtown for a little bit not really finding anything, but then on this random road we smelled something amazing! It was called  Blue Cow, kind of a hipster vibe for the financial district. We went all out for the meal! We started with Crudite (Japanese cucumber, baby carrots, Belgian endive, red peppers & crostini
with walnut hummus, romesco & tzatziki) and Country Fried Chicken Rolls. Then I got a Roasted Beets & Not Burrata Salad (AMAZING!!!!! I want some right now). And for dinner I got a French dip sandwich, which was good, but I was so full I could only eat half of it. Of course, I found room for dessert and we got this amazing gooey cake! Next time, I would just get the salad and dessert! Every bite was heavenly.

So then Thursday was our last full day of training. I skipped breakfast because I definitely did not wake up hungry. Then tried some Mexican for lunch, which wasn't too bad. The coordinators also wanted us to try a little bit of LA and got us Sprinkles Cupcakes, which were very good!

After training, we drove around Hollywood and Beverly Hills for really two reasons:

1. I wanted to see someone famous! Don't even worry I spent a good hour googling where famous live and hang out. HAHA! But we did not see anyone famous during our drive.

2. I wanted to see the nice parts of LA because it is a pretty ugly and dirty city from what I can tell. Of course, if I could bundle of their weather I would in a heart beat. The sun and blue skies were just amazing. It was in the 70s and I could just feel my skin itching for some color!

After exploring the nice parts of LA, we decided we should drive down to Disneyland. It took an hour with traffic so we got there around 9pm so we decided it wasn't worth going into the park. So we hung out and got dinner in Downtown Disney. It still had a magical feel about it and I had amazing sweet potatoes with my salmon dinner!

 

Friday, was a very quick day with a few hours of training in the morning and then we headed to LAX for our flight. This was my last chance to see someone famous! Well, I wasn't disappointed when the Chivas USA soccer team was on my flight! And I sat in between two players...James Riley and Rauwshan McKenzie!! They were very nice and I asked them ridiculous questions. Lucky for them though, I was also very tired so I slept for most of the flight.

So I got back to Portland and luckily it was sunny here and so much pretty with all the spring blossoms! Just need the weather to stay sunny and be in the 70s.....