Cat and Boo's Extravaganza

Belly Sliding

2012-02-02T21:42:00.000-08:00

Ha Jyn's Birthday weekend

2012-01-31T22:12:00.000-08:00

My little girl is all grown up!

It seems like just yesterday when she did not have any facial hair...

Ha Jyn had a great birthday weekend.

Her true birthday day entailed:

Noodles and Ice cream at her boyfriends house.
This is Jason and Celine's Grandma. She takes such great care of Ha Jyn every time we visit. Ha Jyn is so lucky! Also a huge birthday cookie, because every girl deserves a birthday cookie!

A trip to Monterey's version of a children's museum.

enjoyed some cupcakes with her new friends that we watch a couple nights a week.

On Friday we had a small octopus/ocean themed party.

Here is the ocean I sewed for her. I tried to make it interactive

by making the ocean animals removable.

She likes taking them off and playing with them from time to time.

Octopus food!! We don't really eat hot dogs or cress ant rolls,

but those suckers sure can be manipulated into all sorts of things!

Ice cream cake with Celine and Jason.

She scored some awesome presents from them.

Thanks Celine and Jason!!

Saturday was Whale Fest in Monterey. Perfect timing for a birthday girl who loves the ocean!

Sunday we went back to Ha Jyn's boyfriend's house to celebrate 설날, Korean New Year.

In Korea you celebrate by bowing to your relatives and collecting money.

So if your a kid it is basically one of the most exciting days of the year.

My friend Anna was telling us that it is also a way to find out which relative you are a favorite of (based on how much money you got compared to your siblings).

I wish I could have gotten a picture of all three kids together in their Hanboks.

They all looked adorable!

New Year, New Start

2012-01-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

2011 really did a number on me. I think I aged about 40 years in 2011. Not in a good way of learning life lessons and gaining wisdom, but in a bad way of gaining weight and a grumpier old men- attitude towards life. The first half was pretty great. The last half however, felt like I was being drug behind a truck in a milk chocolate sea of stress, fatigue and anger. Either way New year = New Start!

The top 11 things that happened in 2011 both good and bad in a sort of shabby chronological order are:

1. Our second year as a family. I can't believe Ha Jyn will be turning two in a few weeks!
As queen of our house and ruler of our lives, I have never met anyone who has brought so much happiness to me.

2. I ran the LA marathon. Well jogged the LA Marathon. Great experience all around.

Can't wait to do it again sometime in the future.

3. Boo graduated with his Master's degree from MIIS. Go Boo!! Still proud of you!

4. We moved to San Jose for Boo's new job. The Job did not work out. At the time I was devastated but things turned out for the better.

5. Boo became an American citizen, or as I like to call a Kamerican. (duel Korean and American)

6. During our stay in San Jose Ha Jyn's boyfriend got diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma. Definitely the shock of 2011. We have learned so much from him and his family this year. When I think of a way to explain him I always think of a warrior. Like in the book of Mormon, only stronger. Don't know what we would have done this year without our friends. At one point during our transition between San Jose and moving back to Monterey we and ALL of our stuff stayed at their house. That's true friendship!

7. Our beloved Juny Ju had to leave our family. We think about her often. I hope she is enjoying life and living big with her new family. We missed her during the holidays especially!

8. Boo getting a government job in Monterey. So happy to be back in Monterey. It really feels like home to us!

Picture of Ha Jyn on our trip to Utah before Boo's job started. So glad we went as it would become the last time we saw my Grandma before she passed.

9. My new niece Natalia! She is already a great kid. I am so happy to have her in our family. One of the main perks of 2011 for sure.

10. Going to New York to meet Natalia. Due to the generosity of my sister Ha Jyn and I got to go to New York. We had such a great time with everyone. I loved seeing how much Annika had grown from the last time I saw her.

11. Most recently, the passing of my Grandma.

For 2012 my resolutions are:
1. To be positive. To look at the diet coke bottle as being half full. Instead of looking it as half empty and spending the proceeding hours looking for someone else to blame for making it that way.
2. To not use any plastic grocery bags.
3. To find my youth. By any means possible. (Botox, plastic surgery, pop culture, scriptures, running, cooking healthy, being kind etc,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas and my Own Grandma's funeral

2012-01-03T22:18:00.000-08:00

My Own Grandma passed away on December 22nd, just a few days before Christmas. Even though she was 91 years old it was literally a shock to hear that she had passed. She was in great health when we saw her in October. She took a bad fall on the morning of the 20th I believe. I called her that night and she sounded tired, but she said she was going to be okay. We made plans to talk again on the 26th, the anniversary of my Grandpa's death. Between her fall and the 22nd she was in and out of the hospital due to her oxygen levels. On the 22nd she passed away at her house. I just assumed that she would live forever. When we saw her in October she was as energetic as ever.
Even though I was at her funeral it is hard to believe that she is really gone. I halfway expect that if I called her house right now I would hear her voice on the other end.
My Grandma was always serving other people. She was always cooking and baking food for other people. Just in the four days I was in Utah I heard of several stories from her friends and neighbors about receiving food from my Grandma. The people she spoiled the most were her Grand kids. She knew all of our birthdays, our kids birthdays, our spouses birthdays. She was at every big event in our lives. Its impossible to think of her as gone because she made up such a big part of our lives. Plus I know her personality and she could never leave us. She is watching over us, baking pies for her friends and telling them all about her grand kids. I love you grandma!

Christmas was great and strange. I was all emotional (I am using the word emotional, what I really was was a basket case) about not spending

Christmas with anyone from my family. After my grandma passed I got tickets to fly to Utah the day after Christmas. I got to be with my parents and all my sisters. Something that has not happened for two years.

Ha Jyn and I at Candy Cane lane, Ha Jyn with her advent pictures she colored.

Decorating cookies for Santa on Christmas eve with her boyfriend Jason.

Ha Jyn eating our traditional homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.

Opening her sock and giving her Papa a 보보.

We have a tradition of going for a walk on the beach every Christmas.

This year Ha Jyn was not feeling very well so we

decided to take a drive through Big Sur instead. I am so happy we did because we got to

see a bunch of whales migrating.

Christmas dinner: Garlic roasted fingerling potatoes , crab cakes, green beans,

seafood stuffed portabella mushrooms and wine... I mean sparkling cider.

Boo said it was the best meal he has ever eaten that I have made. He only has to

wait 11 more months to have it again!

The next day Ha Jyn and I flew to Utah.

Ha Jyn and her cousin Annika mastering the piano.

Being a jewelry model for Aunt Carol.

My Aunt Bonnie wearing the pin of shame after making

fun of the broach I made my Grandma a couple years ago.

SHAME on you Aunt Bonnie!! That is a masterpiece!

Ha Jyn and Annika having a blast rolling on the floor together.

My mom and niece Natalia

Modeling the "See I do have a chin" look with my sisters and

my Salt Lake Grandma.

Ha Jyn with Uncle Keef, Annika with her Gramps and Granny.

Shopping with Grandma

Wild plastic chicken sighting at my sister's house.

Dinner with the family on our last night in Utah.

Ha Jyn saying goodbye to Utah.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T15:42:00.000-08:00

Taken today:

This week in photos

2011-12-11T22:42:00.001-08:00

This week was free at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The Aquarium is about a mile away from our house so Ha Jyn and I made sure to hit it up often.

She is OBSESSED with fish and octopus. So the Aquarium is heaven for her.

Celine came with us one day. Celine loved the huge fish and giant octopus.

I love this picture. They both conked out on the way home.

Ha Jyn resting after watching the Penguins swim.

These cracked me up.

The Gingerbread house making party.

Jason and Ha Jyn enjoying a some candy.

Actually it was more like a gingerbread house eating party.

Either way lots of fun and sugar for the kids and adults too.

A little ice cream to top it all off.

Thanksgiving and the pre-christmas festivities

2011-12-04T22:00:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was great. We started it off with a little parade in a big shirt.

And ended it with a ton of great food!

An action shot of Celine and Ha Jyn.

This year I am thankful for:

friends

family

companies that give employees good health care

Jobs

people who give people without jobs, jobs

science

medicine

hope

Monterey is crazy with free holiday activities.

I am slowly morphing into my mother and am taking

Ha Jyn and Boo to all of them

The Monterey tree lighting party.

These days Ha Jyn is crazy over fish and octopus. There was a balloon

man at the party. While most little girls came away with their princess and butterfly

balloons, mine got a giant octopus. It was not a pretty day when her octopus

had to be thrown out.

My noodle Queen

One morning Ha Jyn refused to leave for our run without her purse.

It goes so well with her cow hat!

Yesterday at another free event.

This one included petting zoo, Santa and fair and horse rides.

Ha Jyn was very timid at first with the animals.

But towards the end warmed up to a huge bunny.

Boo preferred the mid-sized bunny, while I loved the tiny chicken.

Ha Jyn and Boo on the horse ride.

A sneak peak at this years Christmas pictures.

We almost got her to look at the camera...almost.

Tonight we walked down to watch the annual Christmas boat parade.

The tiny triangles are actually boats.

The boats were a little far off for Ha Jyn to enjoy.

Boo and I loved it. We decided to make it a tradition and to go next year.

2011-12-03T07:33:00.001-08:00

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Re-crapping my crap goes furniture

2011-12-01T21:31:00.001-08:00

I got really annoyed with the fact NONE of our furniture matched.

All of our furniture is either: given, craig listed or cheap ikea.

Having been out of college for some time I am a little past the mis-matched phase.

Anyways thirty dollars of paint later we have matching furniture.

Ha Jyn's pink and kelli green room.

Our red bedroom

Teal and brown living room.

Not pictured: our matching entertainment center.

This is my color inspiration for the living room.

Time to bring in the Orange!

Now I am working on the wall decor.

I am just to lazy to paint the walls knowing that we will be moving in

a couple years.

Any wall ideas? I am thinking removable wall decals, re-vamped

paintings from thrift stores etc.

New York to see the New Niece Natalia

2011-11-28T23:11:00.001-08:00

Ha Jyn and I got back from our New York trip last week.

Before my new niece was born my sister asked if I would want her to fly

Ha Jyn and I out to meet the new baby. It took half a mili-second to answer.

We had a WONDERFUL time!

Thanks so much to Jenn for flying us out and having such great kids!

I regret that I did not get even one close up of Natalia.

She is a great little baby. Now out of nowhere Ha Jyn will say, "I LOVE Baby Talia."

Ha Jyn loved sharing her toys with Baby Talia and pointing out her eyes, toes and fingers.

I loved holding her and bribing her to let me be her favorite Aunt.

Annika and Ha Jyn pretending to go "night night" together.

Annika Bannanika

The swings at the park right by Jenny's house. I am SO

jealous of all the great playgrounds Annika gets to play on.

Story time with Uncle Destin

Annika and Ha Jyn showing off the new way to eat.

Nap time in Annika's new ride.

I came in one night to find Ha Jyn having fallen asleep with

her sock on her hand.

The babysitting party. Little kid apps with Uncle Justin and Destin working hard to entertain.

Relaxing after the kids went to sleep.

Annika in SoHo

Matching Turkey shirts.

Destin and Ha Jyn after my traditional stop

at the Pearl River Mart.

Saying goodbye to Destin.

Ha Jyn hanging with a new friend at the "meet the Breeds" dog show.

Admiring Annika's new lion.

Prospect Park right before we had to leave.

Napping in the beautiful fall colors.

Trying to exhaust Ha Jyn before our last flight.

Our Utah trip

2011-11-13T23:07:00.001-08:00

Last month we decided to make a trip to

Utah. With Boo's new job just starting we knew that

we would not be able to visit durring the holidays.

Ha Jyn had a blast getting spoiled by relatives

and exploring everyone's toys.

Ha Jyn fell in love with my dad's "Slippery fish".

Slippery fish got his teeth brushed, went on walks, naps

and several sleep over parties. One lucky fish!

When in Rome do as the Romans do.

When in St. George do as Grandpa does.

Fishing buddies

Pops fly fishing

Boo looking elegant in my sun bonnet.

Ha Jyn loved fishing. Dirt is the best toy ever,

it kept her entertained for at least three hours.

At the pumpkin patch with Aunt Crissy and cousin Maddie.

One good lookin girl!

Cousins!

Playing with her cuz's stuff.

Ha Jyn having a blast playing with necklaces Own Great-Grandma

gave her.

A quick trip to visit Salt Lake Grandma's.

When I was little maybe 4 or so I can remember

playing with a tea set at my Grandma's house.

Life turned a full circle. Not very many places I

love more than my Grandma's house.

Took Alex and Emma on a quick pit stop to

Own Grandma's. They need to quit growing,

they are practically adults now!

On the way home we had a rave with Ha Jyn's toys.

Anything to keep her entertained!

Are you there blog it's me Catherine

2011-11-08T22:18:00.000-08:00

After a whirlwind of a summer a lovely fall has arrived.

So I guess it's time to play catch up.

We are back in Monterey and loving being back.

In the long run Boo losing his job in San Jose was a good thing.

Now he has a job that pays a lot more and with incredible benefits (including health care!)

We have an apartment that is $400 less than our San Jose one, with ocean views and about six blocks away from the ocean. The cherry on top is that we get to be back in the same city as our friends again. Now I just have to decide what I am doing next.

Job? Masters? Babies?
(view from the porch)

Ha Jyn also has a new house. Well had one, her's only lasted about two days.

Jason, Ha Jyn's boyfriend is doing great. He had his surgery and I'm SO

proud of this little guy. The McGrews came over to celebrate Halloween with us.

I stole these pictures off of Anna's blog. Sadly after several drops, baptisms and revivals my phone is

no longer functioning.

Awesome boy in an awesome costume!

Best friends going on a ride

We asked Ha Jyn what she wanted to be for Halloween. She kept replying, "Duck"

We suggested Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster, dinosaur etc. But the only thing she wanted to be was a duck. Luckily while in Utah we found a duck costume for her.

Lately we have been fishing a lot. Ha Jyn LOVES watching fish . I love the ocean

and Boo loves to fish. So we all win. Plus I get to give pointers to Boo that my dad has taught me over the years.

Our catch so far: One octopus.

And a lot of rocks.

Some of the Sea Lions we hear from our house.

A Summer with Celine

2011-09-07T23:32:00.000-07:00

While this summer has had it's hardships there has been some

definite silver linings.

The main one is Ha Jyn getting to spend more time with

her best friend Celine and boyfriend Jason. There are not any people

in this world that Ha Jyn adores more than her "Seen" and "Jeen".

Jason is in the midst's of a battle with a bone cancer called Ewings Sarcoma.

here is a link to learn more about it.

We love Jason, who has been and is an absolute warrior.

An amazing kid, with amazing courage and strength.

Celine hangs out with us when Jason receives his treatments at the hospital.

They entertain each other and me in the process,

making my job a whole lot easier.

Best seats in the house to watch a movie.

Fashion shows

Beach day

Super cloudy beach day = very short beach day.

From time to time they hold hands while in the car.

So cute!

Painting

Eating dirt together

Monkey Pajamas

Painting with pudding

Best Friends

28 is ummmm great?!!

2011-08-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

Looks like 28 is here. 28 seems to be a boring looking number.

Wikipedia has some good things to say about the number 28 here.

I'm not overly excited about 28 the way I was last year at 27.

27 seemed a coming of age number. 28 reminds me of soda gone flat for some reason.

Last year I took up sewing, or I think re-crapping is a better word for it.
I had a lot of fun, although I have yet to master sewing in a straight line I am going to keep
it up and see how it goes.
I picked up sewing last year as a hobby, so I decided that every birthday I am going to "give" myself a new hobby. This year's hobby will be.... dum dh dhaaaaaaa writing!!
I am going to revamp my writing skills. If you are reading this,
you have noticed that I am spelling and grammar impaired, as shown in my specialty run on sentence.
My goal is to write 30 minutes each day. I feel like am not really exciting enough to really keep a journal so thats out of the question. I do like to keep up the blog and use it as a simplified journal of our family.
When Ha Jyn was born I started jotting a few things down every month it was going good, but plateaued at about 5 months. So I will practice my writing on Ha Jyn's book, the blog or elsewhere.
I am really hoping that taking up this hobby will also lead to my obsession of making a closet into my office.

Anyways I had a great birthday yesterday. Ha Jyn and Boo surprised me with a new purse and headband. We went back to the Cheesecake Factory ummm so good and to die for. Literally I might die of diabetic shock if I go back there before my next birthday. Afterwards we finished celebrating by going to a great park in Santa Clara. It was a great day first day of being 28.

Ahhh Boo's an American!!

2011-08-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

Thursday my Boo transformed into an American.

Actually he gets to keep his Korean citizenship.

So without further ado let me present to you:

Yong Boo the Kamarican!!

I was against him becoming a citizen at first, but he wants to work with

the government. With his Masters degree finished it is becoming even more possible.

Most of the jobs he is interested in require citizenship.

So now he can vote and everything! I think he really needs to put on about 20 pounds of

pre-packaged sodium ridden fat to really look like an authentic American.

I told him if he votes for Palin I would personally denounce his citizenship.

Ha Jyn with her Kamarican Papa

Celine applauding her new Kamarican Uncle

These two were hilarious durring the ceremony. Boo had to sit in a

different section so I had them all to myself. The seats in the auditorium were theater seats.

So I put Celine in my lap and plopped Ha Jyn on the chair next to me. I looked over at her

only to realize she was being eaten by the chair. So I tried to balance my foot on the chair while

holding Celine, which worked pretty well. Celine and Ha Jyn decided that right when

the main speaker was giving his, "Today is the best day of your life now that your an

American speech" it would be a good time to have an "ohhhh No!!" shouting contest.

So the speaker would say, "Today is a day you will remember the rest of your life", silence and next

a loud "ohh noo!!" from one of them, fallowed by a louder "Oh noo!!" by the other one.

I was trying not to laugh while shoving raisins in their mouths, but it was pretty funny.

I have never been a huge fan of America, but I was really happy for all the people

who became citizens. I hope that in one way or another it enriches their lives. I feel like American culture is pretty bland next to Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Korean etc., But I am really happy to

have more flavor in America. I know I am preaching, but I think that citizenship should be

an easier thing to come by. That is what America is specialized in right? The whole, "great american melting pot" concept? Well I think it's time to make the pot bigger, thats all.

To celebrate I busted out the scarves. Ha Jyn is a total girly-girl. She loves

accessories and for me to paint her toe nails. Yesterday she got a hold of my sports bra and put it around her head walking around saying, "pretty!! pretty!"

Anyways when I was a kid me Grandma had a scarf drawer that gave me hours of entertainment.

Looks like Ha Jyn and Celine are the same way.

Next we went to the mall where Celine's Grandma treated us to an

awesome dinner at Heaven.. The Cheesecake Factory. I had never been there,

but anything that loads chocolate on top of chocolate usually passes in my book.

The girls also got to play in the mall playground. Ha Jyn seriously sat on this fish for a good five minutes. These days she loves the song, "Slippery fish" so maybe thats why.

Adieu to our Juny Ju.....

2011-08-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

This decision has not come easy at all.

Simply put Pre- Ha Jyn Juny and Post- Ha Jyn Juny

are two different dogs. Or maybe we are different parents to Juny.

Either way it just sucks. But when it comes down to it,

I love Juny. But I love Ha Jyn more.

I feel like I have failed Juny. If we had

been better trainers or put her in an how-not-to-be-aggressive-towards-unpredictable-toddlers

obedience class it would not have to come down to this.

She has never bit Ha Jyn, but has aggressively snapped at her with her

teeth showing and her hair raised.

For me it was not a question of if, but of when.

On the bright side we randomly found a good home for her.

We go on walks every night and I run or walk with her in the mornings.

On one of our walks we ran into a woman who has a Jindo that could be Juny's twin.

We explained how we were contemplating what to do with Juny. That was a couple weeks ago.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was jogging with Juny and ran into Yoon Hee, the woman with the matching Jindo. She told me about her Mother-in-law who's son just moved back to Korea and now she lives in a huge house with just her daughter. The mother-in-law loves Yoon Hee's Jindo. Yoon Hee mentioned us and our dog Juny. Anyways yesterday she asked me if I would be interested in giving Juny to her Mother-in-law. It seems like a great solution. Juny does not end up in some shelter. But I know the heartache is not going to stop soon. Juny has been a loyal running partner, she has made us active because of having to walk with her, she helped me so much when I was lonely in Korea. She's family.... With big sharp teeth.

After we got Juny in Yoon Hee's car and got back into the house my first
thought was, "Oh I have to be careful not to let Juny out when I open the door."
By the time I set foot inside our apartment. I lost it. Juny was a huge part of our
everyday routine. I felt really safe running with her early morning or late at night.
At the same time we knew it was inevitable. She has a great new home and a yard to run around in.
But knowing that does not make it any easier.
oh this apartment/heart feels empty =(

a song for my Ha Jyn..

2011-08-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

The bright beautiful light to this otherwise hard/depressing summer.

Why I hated July....

2011-08-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

The entire reason that we moved to San Jose was for Boo's job.

In the interview Boo got the impression that it was going to

be a great job with great people to work with.

Fast forward one month later to find it was anything but. Instead it was

an incredibly tense, stressful and unfulfilling job. After Boo finished his

5th week of work his boss decided to not fire, but "let him go".

Apparently "let go" is different from "fired". However, for us they are

both synonymous with, "being screwed over".

He was "let go" because his boss said he was not a good fit for the

office. The office, slightly bigger than an outhouse containing the

boss, one other person and Boo.

Can you smell the bitterness oozing off of me?!

So after this bomb fell on us we came up with a plan A, Plan B and Plan C.

There have been good things that came from Boo's being set free.

We have cut everything back in our spending. We were not big spenders

anyways, but you know I guess spending the bare minimum can

be liberating. We also have spent a lot of time pondering out next steps... that can be good right?

Most of all we have been able to spend more time with our friends in Monterey.

That is definitely the difference between a super bitter, betty ford clinic-bound me and

the me I am right now.

I am a big believer in the, "everything happens for a reason" policy. However, when I am really

bitter I have a short term memory for that policy. I think sometimes things have to

get worse to get better. Yesterday was our worse day yet. We had mailed our rent

check to San Jose while staying with our friends, Anna and Scott in Monterey. Almost two weeks later, yesterday we get a call from the property manager saying we had a three day eviction notice!
Ahhh holy crap-my-pants stress! We told him we mailed the rent because we were out of town.

Which was the truth, but I am sure to that guy it just sounded bizarre. So we had to run around, panic stricken and luckily got a new rent check to him. Now the question is where in the world is the first rent check? Stuck in some postal sorting machine?

Anyways crises over, rent is paid. But that 4hr possible eviction trauma made us

come up with a plan D.

As of now I will help watch our friends kids durring the day and Boo will work at a

Sushi restaurant durring the night, job searching durring the day. We are giving the American job search

until the end of September. Between now and September we will get our passports and Visas ready to

move to Korea. So if a job comes up in America then great, if not we go to Korea. I teach English in Korea and Boo finds a job in his field there. Yeah for plan D!!

As far as I know, between our July, our friends July and some family member's craptastic July

this is the only good thing that happend last month!

From the Mouth of Ha Jyn

2011-08-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

Meet "Ta Jee" as she likes to call herself.

Her hobbies include:

"coco" (coloring)

"walk walk" (going outside for a walk)

"eww ewww" (farting)

"sesame" (watching Sesame Street)

"Book" (reading)

"outside" (playing on the balcony)

(Ha Jyn, or I mean Ta Gee with her prizes she won

from completing her 1st summer reading program)

She loves her best friend "Seen" (Celine)

as well as her boyfriend "Jeen" or sometimes called "Jace" (Jason)

Other favorite people include: "Papa", "Mama", "Juny", "Gober" (Grover from

Sesame Street) "Bebe" (her baby), "Baaa", (her lamb puppet) "foggy" her plastic frog

"Caa" Her car toy.

Her favorite foods incude:

"Blue" Blueberries

"Flowers" Strawberries

"water" watermelon

"Nanas" Bananas

"Rays" Raisins

"Bapple" Apples

"Pishies" Gold fish crackers

"Sear"Cereal

"Chee" Cheese

"milk milk" Milk

"Waa waa" Water

She hates it when her rice is "tot" (hot) or when her fruit

is "coe" (cold).

Her real favorite foods are rice, seaweed and tofu. But she

has not named them anything yet, probably because when she sees them

she just says over and over, "I wan more! I wan more!"

(working very hard at her free music and movement class

with the glasses she refused to let me take off)

Her favorite songs are:

"Bus" Wheels on the bus

"twink" Twinkel, Twinkel

"walk walk" A Sesame street song with three dancing pigs

"bubble" B is for Bubble

"cookie" C is for cookie

I love this phase where everyday she says new things. I want her

to stay at this stage forever so she never figures out how to talk back.

Melting in San Jose and other pictures

2011-06-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

So far San Jose is great,

great when our apartment is not feeling like death.

Temperature-wise it is not all that bad. Today was

about 94, but I swear it was 104 inside. I thought Ha Jyn and I were going to die

today. She took 4 baths. Only our bathtub has no drain stopper so I had to give her a bath while my foot was over a washcloth that was stopping the drain.

We spent yesterday walking around a mall and buying nothing,

today we went to the library and the goodwill (and bought nothing).

We are going to get an air-con early

next month.

I was researching ways to keep the apartment cool and came across this:

A bowl on a stool in front of a fan. I like to call it

electrocuting 101. I am over paranoid/ clumsy so this did not last long

before I gave it the ax.

In other news Ha Jyn gave herself

a hummus hand scrub..

We spent Sunday hanging up pictures and

we are now officially all unpacked and ready to conquer!

I was way impressed that Ha Jyn's wall decals survived the move.

I wanted to create a reading nook in her room so she can

feel like she has a comfortable reading space.

We downsized by at least 100sq ft. Thankfully our apartment has great storage.

I am trying to convince Boo that we need to clean out the closet

in the front entrance and make it my office. I am actually obsessed with the idea.

I could close it up whenever I wanted and it would free up some floor

space and it would be awesome.

Ohh yeah and we met Obama! He really loves

San Jose..even better than Chicago.

We spent Saturday walking around

Downtown San Jose. They have this Tech Museum that

I want to take Ha Jyn to. This is a ginormous version of those

gumball machines you see from time to time. Only this one was

using pool balls.

Our local Library is awesome. Libraries are always the

first place I find when I move to a new area.

The Library has a weekly story/music/playing with toys/ learning activities-time.

It is for kids 1-3 and it is called Lapsit story time.

Last week they had story time, a couple musical numbers, played with toys and has stations that taught them about textures.

At this station Ha Jyn got to plant parsley seeds and play in the dirt.

She was NOT happy when it was time to leave.

We now have a balcony. Ha Jyn loves to hang outside here.

When the weather is nice we eat snack out there together.

All the sudden she realized that she has

stuffed animals. She loves her bear Gomi and

her dogs Cupcake and Snoopy the best.

Happy day after Father's day!

2011-06-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of great men who are fathers in my life.

All of them funny, charming and as loving as a person

can stand to be.

My Grandpas. I have a lot of great memories with my Gramps. He had a way

making everyone comfortable and laughing. My Salt Lake Grandpa died when I was

two, but his last words were, "oh shit!" so from that fact alone

I think we would have been pretty close.

Boo's Uncle (more of a father to him than his real one)

Boo of course!

I love this picture of them together because

it shows how much fun the two of them always have together.

I am always impressed with Boo's fathering skills since his father was

not the best.

I on the other hand do have the best!

Thanks to Pops for all the softball games he diligently went to, to

see his daughter sit on the bench.

Happy Fathers day- after to all the fathers in my life.

Great News!!!

2011-05-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Boo got the job!!
Boo got the job!!

Boo got the job!!!

Boo got the job!!

We will know tomorrow when they want Boo to

start. The job is in Mountain View so we will

probably end up in the San Jose or Santa Clara area.

I am so excited I feel like I can breathe with full lung capacity again!!

Ha Jyn ate *100 pancakes to celebrate!

(* 100 meaning 1/4 of a pancake)

On Saturday we found out that there was a Korean

Buddhist temple right in Carmel Valley so we had

to go investigate. The swing, drum and minnow pond were

a huge hit!

Boo's Graduation

2011-05-28T22:00:00.001-07:00

One week ago today Boo graduated!

He had two interviews this week in Mountain view, Ca.

We are crossing out fingers that it will pan out to be a job for Boo.

Both interviews went really well and we find out on Monday if he got the

job he really wants or not. I am starting to see the light at the end

of this long winding dark tunnel called grad school.

We celebrated by going on a day trip to San Francisco with my

parents who came to Monterey for his graduation.

My parents were in their early 20's the last time

either of them visited San Francisco.

Here they are back in San Francisco 80 years later!

Boo with his catch of the day!

Gramps, Boo, Ha Jyn and the golden gate bridge.

Boo's graduation was awesome. It was a nice bright sunny day, which

are hard to come by in Monterey. Aaron Williams, the director

of the Peace Corps came and talked.

Here he is with some of his classmates.

Boo opted to wear his Hanbok for the ceremony.

Ha Jyn wanted to match her Papa so she wore

her's as well.

She was a little more interested in the

flowers in the grass than in the speakers.

For only being here for three days we were able

to pack in a lot of things.

I took my dad deer hunting... well okay not really.

But we did run into some very people friendly deer.

went out to breakfast with friends.

Had story time with Gramps

Drove through Big Sur and hiked around Point Lobos.

On our way home from San Francisco we

stopped in at a Korean BBQ buffet.

Ha Jyn had a great time

My Mom was in hell

While Boo was in heaven!

We had a great time celebrating Boo's graduation.

It marks the end of a two year long roller coaster ride for Boo.

Filled with papers, projects, translations, diapers, bottles and Sushi.

We will always love Monterey because it gave us our Ha Jyn,

but it is hopefully time to say goodbye and move on.

Monday cannot come fast enough!!

Last Weekend

2011-05-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend marked the first weekend in over a year

that Boo did not have to work.

So we partied hard with...

Sunsets at Asilomar

The Magic Carpet ride in Pacific Grove...

the last 5 minutes of a kite festival in Marina

Gilroy Gardens in Gilroy

Celine's Mom and Dad hooked us up with a

free pass.

All the rides are little kid friendly.

Ha Jyn had a great time.

Boo on the other hand was sick so

we did not last as long as we wanted to.

I wish I took pictures of the rides themselves. They are way cute.

All of them are in the shapes on fruits or vegetables.

This one was a worm that went around an apple core.

Celine Steering with her feet.

They both look very serious in this picture,

but I swear they were having a good time!

Ha Jyn and her Papa on the train.

Catching up....

2011-05-09T18:52:00.001-07:00

Boo is in the home run stretch of his

graduate program. (can I hear a hallelujah?)

I have been busy with work, the eternal combat with my

body fat and hang in with my girl Ha Jyn.

Lately lots has been going on.

Boo and I celebrated our four year anniversary.

Ohh to be that young again.....

actually when I see this picture all I can think is,

"whaaaa I want to move back to Hawaii!!!"

well that and that I love Boo more now than I did four years ago.

Celine and Ha Jyn hanging out in Hanboks.

This was for the church's international night.

They basically upstaged everyone else, not that I am biased

or anything. Boo and I won a gift certificate to Jose's Bar and grill

so drinks on the church I guess!!

More likely super nachos on the church.

After her 5Th ear infection in 15 months

Ha Jyn is going to have to get tubes!

Boooooooooooooooooo!!!
With the exception of ear infections she has been

really healthy. So hopefully the tubes remedy the ear infections.

Her ear Dr. thinks that her verbal skills will also improve with the tubes.

The way he explained it was that Ha Jyn has been wearing Ear plugs for the past

15 months. The surgery is small and will be about 15 min long.

We are just waiting for insurance to approve it and than she will get her tubes.

We have had to rearrange once again as

Ha Jyn has taken a liking to climbing.

I have a new goal to take Ha Jyn to the

beach at least once a week. I want her to

love the pacific as much as I do.

Boo turned 33 this year!!

Ha Jyn and Boo brunching at a Juny friendly restaurant.

My Mom is cooler than your's!

2011-05-07T23:56:00.001-07:00

Here are a few reasons why......

Love ya Mamasita!!

Happy Mother's day!

The Easter post

2011-04-29T06:19:00.001-07:00

It was great to celebrate Easter this year with Ha Jyn.

This was her first holiday in which she really noticed it was different

from any other day.

She woke up way early and opened her Easter eggs.

She loved playing with her new toys.

I stayed up until 2 in the morning but was able to finish

Ha Jyn and I's Easter dresses.

Her dress was an old one of mine that

I altered. It turned out way crooked, but Ha Jyn

did not seem to mind.

Later in the day we went over to Ha Jyn's

Boyfriend and Best friend's house to celebrate some more.

This year's Easter egg hunt was very complicated!

Our dancing queen!

2011-04-23T00:25:00.001-07:00

Dummmm da dahhhhhhh the walker herself

2011-04-05T06:58:00.001-07:00

It only took me three years to get this to download!!

Space

2011-03-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Growing up I have always had my own room.

But I have moved around from dorm rooms,

to missionary apartments. From married housing in Hawaii to

our Korean apartment. From our Monterey house to our apartment now.

Now my sense of space has changed.

I love the idea of living in small spaces.

When I was a kid I remember clearing out the closet floor and making

a pretend tiny house inside. I have come to realize that for me less is more.

However my wardrobe begs to differ.

I love moving every few years because it is a great way to shed

all the crap you don't need to lug around.

I found this post from a lady who lived in a one

bedroom apartment in nob hill in San Francisco.

Her boy's bedroom was actually a closet in their living room.

I have posted this before, but it amazes me!

Leather Love

2011-03-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

When we were in LA I bought a $5 ginormous

grab bag of fabric.

Among other things were tiny scraps of leather.

I thought of making a leather mini skirt for church

or maybe leather pants for my grandma but came up with this instead.

When cereal boxes meet leather....

I have had this square fabric frame forever but never

could find a print I wanted to frame.

I love this print, but lost half of my brain cells

framing it.

This is my next big adventure. Yikes.

So far no injuries, so far.

In other news Ha Jyn and Juny are starting to bond.

Which also is mysteriously congruent to Ha Jyn

having learned how to share her food with Juny.

Ha Jyn is way into stacking now.

Everything gets stacked. She has had

this toy for a long time. It is a great toy. When she

was tiny she loved the flashing lights, when she got bigger she loved the

cause and effect aspect of it and now she is learning her stacking and size difference.

A+ for Ha Jyn!

When disaster strikes....

My new haircut.

I don't like because it reminds me of them.

It has been raining all day.

Perfect day to be a puppy again!

LA is for lovers

2011-03-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

LA was great! We had a great short trip.

The main reason that we went was for the LA Marathon.

The Marathon was an amazing day for me. It was pouring windy hard rain the

entire time. But it was so much fun. I ran at about a 13:40 pace per/minute.

Not fast at all. Next time to improve my time I want to:

1. Train better. ( I trained pretty consistent until I started my new job,

that's when it all hit the fan.)

2. Have a more reliable i-pod. (I had a play list set up for when I was exhausted to pump me up.

But my i-pod only lasted for about the first three hours.

I LOVED the course.

It went through China town, the walk of fame as well as rodeo drive and went right in front of

the LDS temple.

It started at dodger stadium and ended at the Santa Monica Pier.

It was like taking a running tour of LA.

The last four miles were the hardest. It was mostly downhill, but the roads were starting to flood. So we were running in huge puddles. Also the wind really picked up and was pushing against me. At one point I started to walk,

but soon realized it was to painful to walk in that kind of weather.

Afterwards it was pure chaos trying to find Boo and Ha Jyn. I was so cold and tired

and if I had not found them I had plans to curl up and cry in the middle of the street.

It took me a long time to warm up. I later found out that over a thousand runners were

treated for hypothermia.

The best part by far was when Boo and Ha Jyn

surprised me at mile 18.

The first night we got there as a tad rough

for Ha Jyn. Hence the family morning nap the next day.

My mom and her friend went to Disney Land. We were able to

meet up for Lunch.

This is at the Fashion Institute campus.

They had an amazing store where you can buy

clothes that the students made for $1. I had a really good time there!

We than walked down to the Fashion District.

You can never go wrong with Orange sequins, much less

an entire row of sequins.

I read about this store on a sewing blog I fallow.

You can rummage through the boxes and buy

fabric by the pound. I could have stayed there all day.

In Boo's opinion I did stay there all day!

My new favorite picture of myself. I real stunner,

actually Arnold contacted me and asked if he could make

Billboards out of this!

Me and My gal enjoying the view of LA from Dodger Stadium.

At the Marathon Expo.

Yumm Gelato.

At the temple.

Ha Jyn loved to see the temple!

Hanging out with a Sister missionary in the

visitor's center.

A shopping mall in Korea Town.

It was crazy, like actually being in Korea.

Giving Shopee, the Jindo at the B&B we stayed at

a big kiss.

We went to the walk of fame just as the press was setting up

for Brian Adams and Wayne Gretzky's star inductions.

Getting fresh with Norma Jean!

I went here when I was a kid and loved it. I had to drag

Boo to see it too. Some of my favorites.

I like this one because the cast of Harry Potter put their wand imprints on here

as well.

Nothing like a van convertible! When class meets

trash!

Running for a cause

2011-03-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

The LA Marathon is right around

the corner.

Other participants and I are attempting to raise money for

Aide Relief in Japan through the Red Cross.

My goal is to reach $400 by next Sunday.

Here is the link of where one could make donations.

Any amount small, smaller or even medium sized are MUCH appreciated!

Lots of love, Sushi and Sashimi to Japan and it's wonderful people.

Dr. Seuss Ha Jyn style

2011-03-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

Ha Jyn got to go a Dr. Seuss party at the Elementary

school with the family that takes care of her while I am at work.

She scored this cool hat and three new books.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Celine and Ha Jyn wore their matching dresses

on Sunday.

Only they both skipped out on naps, so they weren't

exactly photogenic!

Ha Jyn gets stir crazy at church so

I started taking Ha Jyn into nursery. The cutoff

is 18 months, so I just stay in the nursery with her the whole time.

She loves hanging with the big kids!

Even with the race coming up,

on Saturday I could not fight the temptation

to ditch running and go out to breakfast with

Boo and Ha Jyn.

She drove us to the restaurant.

Ha Jyn getting attacked by Barney!!

Great deal!! 0% off, but only some stuff.

A blog with my sisters

2011-03-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

My Sisters and I are starting a blog together.

I will give you a hint of what it contains:

It is in it's infancy stages, but hopefully it will blossom

into a heavy set gal!

Here is the link to the blog.

Accessorize yourself!!

2011-02-21T23:05:00.000-08:00

President's Day was pretty uneventful.

Boo still had class at MIIS and tons of homework.

The highlight was

going to Costco....

I know you are stewing with jealousy for my exciting life...

But in other news I finished Sewing Ha Jyn's dress!

My friend Anna, (also the Mother of Ha Jyn's boyfriend

and best friend) found a really cute pattern and bought material and

even cut out the pattern so that Celine and Ha Jyn can have matching dresses!

It was fun to sew and I learned some new techniques.

I only messed up about 1,000 times, but it was still fun.

I can't wait to see them in their matching dresses!

Ha Jyn loves to accessorize!

She loves to play with my accessories.

I think it's time for her to get her ears pierced,

but her Papa begs to differ.

She even knew that her yogurt was a complimentary color with her

pink shirt. That's why it is all over her shirt.

Smart girl!

Miss.Independent

2011-02-15T21:55:00.001-08:00

Ha Jyn has declared independence from her

parentals lately. It has been both good and bad.

Ha Jyn and I were in the process of weening. We were down to

about two feedings (0ne at morning one at night). Suddenly about two Sundays ago

she weened herself. She wanted nothing to do with it. I must say I am LOVING it!!

After 9 months of pregnancy and 12 months of breastfeeding I FINALLY have my

body back!! (Not in the fitness sense.... I still look like I ate a semi filled with See's candy)

On the bad side, she insists on feeding herself. That in and of it self is not bad, lets just say

Ha Jyn is a little more messy these days.

As seen with her squash and noodles.

In other news: We finally got Ha Jyn her own bookshelf.

One thing I love about our apartment is that all of Ha Jyn's

stuff has a space. One thing I hate is that when trying to change the light bulb, the

entire light fixture fell out of the ceiling.

My new favorite game when I come home is to see

who Ha Jyn has put in her bus for the day.

Yesterdays bus ride included: 4 people, dogs, cats, a frog, a

brownie and a puzzle piece.

Boo's schedule changed so he now has Sunday's off.

Last Sunday we celebrated by

taking a long pre-church walk.

It resulted in in-church naps.

During this time of year new birds come out.

I don't know the name of this bird, but they are really

fun to watch.

The weather has been so beautiful lately.

Only today and yesterday did the torrential Monterey fog

come back.

Scuba divers. I want to join them someday.

Enjoying the ocean

I love sunny Monterey

Ha Jyn got her first haircut on Saturday.

I like to call it the Justina Bieber.

Oh well this too shall grow out!

Ha Jyn and a Hanbok

2011-02-11T22:07:00.000-08:00

We got our family pictures taken in honor of

Ha Jyn turning One. Yong Ha's family sent

Ha Jyn a Hanbok for her birthday. So we

had our pictures taken in our Hanbok's.

As it's tradition in Korea for babies to wear

Hanboks on their first birthday.

Boo's boss gave this outfit to Ha Jyn.

I am in love with it!

My flower girl!

My favorite

The nice thing about Hanbok's are that

they hide your figure. Unfortunately when they

catch a little bit of wind they can also make you look

a little like a semi truck!

It was a tad windy and at this point Ha Jyn was tired.

Luckily we were able to get a few family pictures where I look

semi-normal.

Either way we are so happy to have family pictures now.

Especially that Ha Jyn was able to keep a Korean tradition.

Cha cha changes!

2011-02-05T21:15:00.000-08:00

Lots of things are changing around here.

Ha Jyn loves to stand and walks holding on to the wall

or furniture whenever she can.

Monday I start a new job. It is a full time position

as a behavioral technician at a local school.

I have very mixed feelings about it.

It is a great opportunity for me. On the one hand,

I can't wait to learn more

about behavior analysis and modification. I love working

with Special Needs kids and find it really rewarding.

But on the other hand, I am going to miss being with my Squirmy and

watching all the funny, cute new things she does everyday.

For the past couple of months I have been working part time, but I

think working full time is going to be a huge change for us.

I am really anxious to start and see how things will work out.

Ha Jyn in her new Monkey Jammies.

She now plays standing up the

majority of the time.

She practically broke speed limits

pushing this car around!

I hope squirmy stays this happy when

after I start my job!

In reality I think she will do great, it will just be

me who has the separation anxiety!

Where's Boo? (Where's Waldo Korean edition)

2011-01-31T21:40:00.000-08:00

Boo has about ten pictures of his entire childhood.

I finally got around to scanning some of them in.

He looks like a boy version of Ha Jyn to me!

Hopefully next time we are in Korea I can

find some more pictures of him.

Boo is the youngest in the stripped shirt.

Yong Mun is in the suit, Yong Gil has the tie on and

Yong Ha has the light t-shirt on standing next to Boo.

Boo with his Uncle in Ha Dong.

I miss him and his wife.

Boo and Yong Ha

Boo on his cousin's (I think its his cousin) Shoulder's

Playing in the Bamboo forest.

Boo thought it was haunted when he was little.

He is the shortest one in the front.

Mother-in-Law's baptism

Boo with a neighbor friend and his brother

Playing in the school yard with friends

Gotta love the glasses!

Enjoying watermelon with the family.

This is one of the two pictures of Boo's dad that he has.

My favorite picture of Boo with his brothers.

Boo's family with the bishop and missionaries that taught

Boo's mom. Boo can hardly contain his happiness in this picture!

Back when Boo was in a boy band!

The Korean version of nsync!

This was when he was in middle school.

Don't you dig his suit coat?

At the World Cup stadium in Seoul

My sweet Mother in Law

Military Boo.

Can you find him?

How about here?

$5 dollars if you can find him in this one!

Project revamp: recrapping my crap

2011-01-28T20:43:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid I remember my teachers at school

and church using felt boards. For whatever reason I was always

the kid that could be bribed with the reward of putting the pictures on the felt board.

An empty wall in Ha Jyn's play room was begging to be covered. So I attempted to

make felt boards for her.

I saw a tutorial on fabric ABC's and wanted to make them for Ha Jyn.

Instead of using quilt batting for the middle and felt for the backing, I used my fat

clothes. Now that they are in alphabet shapes I can't get that fat again........right?

Lately Ha Jyn has been really interested in the T.V.

Probably because she can touch the T.V. now. Luckily we only get

about six channels so her T.V. shows are limited to those on PBS.

We are going to try and coordinate the letter of the day on Sesame Street

to the letter of the day in her play room. I'm not sure, but I think that I have

a lot of cutting and laminating in my future.

More crap re-crapped.

These are all a dollar flowers taken apart

and then sewn back together to make

hair flowers for Ha Jyn.

I bragged to Boo that I could make one for under forty cents.

Boo's response, "Wow those actually cost money?" Ouch to my ego!!

In other news, Ha Jyn has a new throne!

Our $20 umbrella stroller.

We have a really nice jogging stroller that my family

gave us when Ha Jyn was born. Lately she likes

this cheap o one better.

We also went to Red Lobster this week.

I think it should be re-named "Yellow Butter"

At least Ha Jyn had a good time coloring.

Happy Birthday, Happy and healthy!

2011-01-24T20:59:00.000-08:00

This was Ha Jyn on her birthday as well as her third day of

fever and ear infection. It broke my heart that she was so miserable,

especially on her birthday. After a change in antibiotics the next day she finally broke her

fever. But on the day of her party she had a bad reaction to the second antibiotic and

broke out in a rash. I would say that now about 95% back to her normal self.

Saturday, feeling much better.

Boo's awesome classmates who brought

Ha Jyn a princess cake.

Ha Jyn and her best buddy Celine.

Her Pal Leslie

Her friend Matthew.

Tradition in Korea is to lay out several items and have the one year old

baby crawl to the item that will foretell their future. Ha Jyn crawled directly over

to a small statue of Korean man. I guess that means she will be able to control

men from the palm of her hand? Not bad!

Confused why she finally gets to eat Chocolate.

Yumm!

All tuckered out after the party was over.

The weather was so great we could not pass out a chance to go to the beach.

Relaxing after a long day of partying.

Discovering sand.

Ha Jyn's boyfriend enjoying a run on the beach.

Anna and I with the girls.

Boo giving Ha Jyn birthday soup. ( seaweed soup)

Excited to open her birthday gifts from Gramps and

Granny J.