Why does December have to be crazy?

December has been one busy month and Christmas is still a few days away.  Somehow, I have been terrible at taking pictures of the events, but here are a few
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When Christmas comes around, Brett breaks out these wolf slippers which always make me laugh hysterically.

Here's our 2012 Pretty Christmas Tree 

(been a Jungle gym for the Sparky and Chip)

Chip helping me wrap

Sparky needed a turn too

I had some sort of flu/stomach virus during the most important week of events.

Luckily, I had these two Siamese look cuddling with me.

December 15-  The Holiday Showcase for Momentum Dance and Performing Arts.  I had kids perform and I was also in two numbers. It was a good time!

December 16-  Brett and I had our 2nd Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party.  It was a fun time with lots of close friends and a few family members.  Too bad I didn't take any pictures!

Since Brett doesn't have his annual pass anymore, I always go with my friend Laura.  While Brett was at YM's and basketball, we went and had a nice Disney date.

I bought this toy last night because these two cats hate feathers!

Jingle Bell Rock/Gangnam Style

Last Saturday night Brett and I had our Church Christmas Party and I was once again in charge of a song and dance routine for the young men and young women.  I was lucky again to have Luisa Rueckert help me with the singing portion while I came up with the choreography.  We used Jingle Bell Rock and cut into the chorus of Gangnam Style.  I loved what we came up with with kids who are not dancers.

Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvmRVOZxBLA&feature=youtu.be

Both Luisa and I were proud of our accomplishment because all we wanted was the youth to have fun.

And guess what?!

They did, Yes!

I received a lot of compliments from parents and other adults that this was the best number of the night which I'm glad the audience enjoyed it.  :)

Grateful for Power

Lately, I've been watching shows like The Walking Dead and Revolution where there are people who defend themselves, survive, and have no power.  Saturday night, Brett and I experienced the latter and thank goodness we didn't have zombies or tyrants after us.

It was two hours before we were to go to our church Christmas Party and it was raining.  I was vacuuming to prepare for guest to come over the next day.  While I was running the vacuum, Brett had plugged in the carpet cleaner in the same light socket.  I had the thought to tell him to wait until I was done, but I decided to let it be since I was about to finish.  30 seconds later, everything turns off!

Brett and I go to our the electricity box, flip some switches, and the power won't turn on.  We go to another box by our garage that has the main circuit and turn that off.  We waited a couple of minutes and  turned the breaker back on.  Basically, the power would not come on with everything we tried to do.

Brett gets on the phone, calls Edison, they tell us to call our home warranty people, we call Home Warranty, and they tell us they will try to find a electrician to come out on a Saturday night.  Well after 90 minutes and our neighbors trying to help us, I made the decision that I needed to save our food because I had responsibilities at the Christmas party.  I grabbed the most important stuff like milk, eggs, egg whites, and chicken and ran over to Michelle Pierce's (our neighbor and a church member) and she graciously helped me out.

We decided to go to the party since the church building is one minute away and await the call from the electrician.  Home Warranty did call us back 20 minutes later and told us that no one would be coming out until possibly tomorrow.  After the party, Brett and I went home, grabbed all our food in the freezer, and drove to his parent's house in Hacienda Heights.

On Sunday, we still did not have power and when I took a shower there wasn't any hot water (terrible).  Brett decided to stay home from church to get an electrician there.  I went to church and while I was there, Brett text me that no one had come yet.  I had heard there was an electrician in our ward, Darryl Outhier, and so I sought him out.  I told him the problem and he said he would come by.

When I came home from church, Darryl was already there with Brett working on the box.  Within 10 minutes, he had turned our power back on after nearly 20 hours without it.  Darryl was our hero on Sunday and Brett and I couldn't be more grateful for him, our neighbors, family, and power.  Crazy!

(And if you are wondering we still haven't heard back from Home Warranty to fix our circuit breaker.)

Thanksgiving 2012

Disclaimer: I didn't take any pictures with my family and I don't get how that happened!

Brett and I went to St. George for Thanksgiving at my parent's house.  We left Tuesday afternoon with two baby kitties.  Now these kitties were not mine, but Brett and I were the deliverers to my nephew Jaden and Brett's uncle Troy.  I was so excited to give my nephew a Siamese cat as his Christmas present.  Let me just say that both kitties LoKey and Buttercup were a hit with my family! :)

Thanksgiving was special this year because all my siblings were actually there. We haven't all been together since Brett and I were married about 20 months ago.

The highlight was seeing Skyfall!  My family and I are big James Bond Fans and it is tradition to always see the Bond at Thanksgiving time.  I loved the movie for three reasons...
1) The original Aston Martin from Goldfinger
2)  It was filmed in Europe!  Seeing Istanbul and London and saying I know exactly where they are was thrilling.  I also loved the Scotland part of the movie.
3) Because it is James Bond!

Brett and I left really early Sunday morning and made it back with no problems and no traffic.

Thanksgiving is such a great way to kick off the holidays!

USC Tradition with the Pearce's

Last weekend, Brett and I went to the USC game against ASU with Jordan, Becca, and Becca's brother, Jacob.  This was our third year going to a game with them and we had a lot of fun as usual.  Unfortunately, we were missing Jason who has been seriously MIA from hanging out with any of us the last 8 months.  Jason, we miss you!

I've seen a lot of college bands and I think USC has the best

Song Girls

(They helped dull the pain from the annoying Asians around us who only knew the "F" bomb.  Sorry people, but talking like that is not classy! Props to Becca for yelling at them!)

A pretty good shot from section 15 in the student section

*we forgot to get a picture of the 5 of us :(

Larry Slotkin's Funeral

This past weekend Brett and I attended Larry Slotkin's funeral (my Aunt Debi's father).  My Dad and Aunt Lori came into town and so the four of us went to Costa Mesa to go support Debi, Amanda, and her family. I had known Larry for years from the many combined family gatherings, so I felt it was important to be there and represent.
This was the first Jewish funeral I have ever attended and I was very interested to see how it differed from a Christian funeral that I am familiar with.  The funeral was a very nice tribute and celebration to Larry.  Everyone that spoke did a nice job in sharing many memories of Larry.  My cousin Amanda had put together a little power point of all these pictures which was very nice to see.  She even added Frank Sinatra in the background because he would play Sinatra all the time.  At the end the 23rd Psalms was said followed by a prayer in Kaddish.
After the funeral and graveside, we went to the Slotkin residence and had a nice catered meal from Larry's favorite Italian restaurant.  The food was really good and the dessert was even better.  Even though funerals are a sad time, it's always nice to catch up with everyone and celebrate the life of that individual.  I would also like to add that I admire my Aunt Debi who was seriously the rock for her family during the final days of Larry.  She is a fantastic and lovely person!

Dad, Aunt Lori, and Uncle Jerry 

Someone thought we were models

My cousin Amanda and her beau Corby

My Aunt Debi with the flowers from the Carpenter family.

 

Feeling Crafty with Pumpkins

I was feeling crafty this last weekend so I took on a project that I was excited about.

Before

After 

(They came out so cute!)

The Gummy has left CA

My paternal grandmother aka "Gummy" Ruth Carpenter, left her house in Yorba Linda after nearly 50 years to go move to Utah a couple of weeks ago.  She will be 90 at the end of November and because she is slowing down, her 4 kids decided it was time to move her to my Aunt Dona's and to sell the house.
I must say that it was a bittersweet moment because I've had many memories in that house over the last 25 years.  It's where I spent a lot of time with Papa and Gummy as a child, it's where we always had family gatherings on holidays, it's where I actually lived for 18 months after college, and it's also a reminder of the "falling out" that has strained my relationship with Gummy.
The last month, my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Debi have been cleaning out the house like crazy to prepare for the move.  It wasn't easy for them due to how difficult and demanding Gummy is.  There were a lot of family heirlooms that they were trying to save after Gummy kept giving them to this lady who thinks she is related to us.  It was a lot of drama, but my grandmother likes to do that.
I do feel grateful and because I was given the piano, the patio furniture and a bedroom set for my spare bedroom.  This bedroom set was a huge blessing especially the dressers because Brett and I were overflowing with just the one dresser that we have.  I also really love having a piano again so I can actually play.

The piano

Dressers

On Monday, I went to the house for one last time to pick something up.  I walked through the bare house and started to become emotional.  I'm going to miss this house!  But then I laughed!  Brett and I noticed a box with her pots and pans and we found the pot we burned that created such drama.  We took it home and plan on giving it to her as a Christmas present. ;)

4751 Lavell Dr. Yorba Linda, CA

Sparky's 1st Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday, Sparky!

This past Wednesday, Sept. 12, Sparky, my beautiful Blue Point Siamese, turned one!  It seems like I just brought him home, but that was almost a year ago. Where did the time go?! All I can say is Brett and I love Sparky a lot.  He is the best cat ever and we have really cherished the memories with him so far.  He is a lover and big time "mama's boy."

Here's some facts about Sparky and why we love him.

-Beautiful eyes
-Very gentle
-Loves playing with straws (specifically In 'N Out) and Q-tips.
-Still loves stealing my make-up brushes.
-Goes ape crazy over salmon
-Uses the trash can to get on the fridge door and then proceeds to the top of the fridge
-sits on your shoulder (loves to be high)
-chases demons
-lays like a sphinx or poses majestically
-plays fetch with his paint roller
-follows me around like a dog
-loves his little brother Chip.

The list could go on, but I think these are his finest qualities and why we love him!
Happy Birthday Sparky!

4-5 weeks old

He loved to snuggle

Tucking him in after he had his shots

One of my favorite pictures ever!

Loves Chip

Andrew & Lisa's Wedding in Cabo San Lucas

Last weekend Brett and I went to Cabo San Lucas to attend Andrew and Lisa's wedding.  Andrew is one of Brett's best friends from high school.  They were also teammates on the Los Altos basketball team.  Andrew and Lisa were engaged back in February and had told us they were having a destination wedding.  So, we left Thursday for Cabo with our friends Alan and Brenda and stayed at the Las Cascades Resort.

Friday was the big day so we spent the morning swimming in the ocean and hanging out at the pool.  In the late afternoon, we headed to Sunset Beach which is part of the Pueblo Bonito Resort.  It was hot and windy, but it was such a beautiful place especially with the huge waves crashing onto the beach.  The ceremony was really nice and both the Bride and Groom looked fabulous.  The reception was at the Sky View Lounge? which is at the top of the resort.  We had an excellent meal and had fabulous company.  There was an open bar, but since Brett and I don't drink due to our LDS beliefs, we took advantage of a lot of Mock-tails and Shirley Temples.  Pretty refreshing!

At the reception!

With Brenda and Alan

 (we never got a picture with Andrew and Lisa)

Girls wore purple

We got apple juice and everyone else had tequila.

They had a DJ, so of course I was going to go and dance. I even incorporated some of my Zumba moves which seemed to be a hit. I was able to get Brett out on the dance floor and he just cracks me up!  It was a lot of fun!

On Saturday, the four of us went and got a couple's massage for a really great price with tip and tax included.  I love massages!  We ate a nice breakfast at the resort with Beatrice (Andrews' mom), hung out at the beach, took a trip to the Lover's Beach and the Arch, and then later went to find some good street tacos.  These tacos were delicious!  

On Sunday, we ate breakfast, packed up, and then left for the airport.  We were a little sad that it was time to go home, but it was time.  Overall, it was a great little mini vacation with great memories and bonding time with Alan and Brenda.  Thank you to Andrew and Lisa for inviting us and a big Congrats on getting married! :)

P.S.  Check out the best shower curtain ever! haha!

Meet Chip!

Remember when I babysat Sparky's three little brothers for two weeks?  Well during that time I was getting attached to all three, but there was one little Chocolate Point Siamese that caught my eye...

Meet Chip

Such a diva

Chip loves Sparky

Sleeping on Careesa

Brett and I really love Chip!  We made the decision to get another cat because Sparky was getting lazy and needed some Siamese companionship. With me teaching dance three nights a week and Brett busy finishing up his MBA, this was essential for Sparky's sake.  Chip is such a nice kitty and fits right into our home.  He is loving with his purrs and quite vocal when upset or just because.  He is funny in his own way just like Sparky. The best part is Sparky and Chip love each other.  Whenever Chip sees Sparky he just purrs and purrs which is very comforting.  Unfortunately, Chip still tries to nurse off of Sparky (poor Sparky).  Anyway, we are so happy to have Chip around and life is good!

Leaving Belize August 18, 2012

Overall, I think Belize was a wonderful vacation and I would go again in a heart beat.  My favorite part of the whole trip was swimming with the manatees and snorkeling near Caye Caulker.  I did a lot of things that I was scared of and overcame those fears.  It's very important to Brett and I to have life experiences and we feel that traveling is one way for us to grow as a family unit.  I really enjoyed having most of my side of the family with us to share these moments.  It's really fun to keep building relationships and memories with those you love.  As for me, I always can't wait for the next vacation or adventure.  Stay tuned! :)

This was hanging in our cabana.  Perfect image!

 

Belize Day 7 August 17, 2012

 With our last official full day, we decided to snorkeling at Shark Ray Alley.  For the first part of the snorkeling, we swam for an hour near the reef and saw all these huge fish, coral, a cave, and a nurse shark.  It was a lot of fun and enjoyable.  We then went to Shark Ray Alley to see the Nurse Sharks and more Sting Rays nearby.  I was more freaked out this time because there were more sharks.  In my head I kept hearing the Jaws theme, but I survived!  It was truly another great adventure!