The Thomas Family

Behind

2011-05-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

Recently, we had some friends invite us over to see some friends who were visiting from Japan. It brought back lots of happy memories.

During easter weekend we went to Arizona and unfortunately lost our car. But we got to see our family, and go to a friends shower. This was at a Thomas easter picnic. audrey-camille fed the ducks with dad.

Petting a lamb at the Easter Pagent

I usually love all things vintage and sweet for little Audrey..but as she was born in the time punk rock tutus -We payed some homage to a present from a friend, and the era of punk princess-the 80's.

Enjoying cousin time with savannah

As the spring weather has finally arrived in Utah, I haven't been wanting to a lot of blogging. I've had spring fever (literally too, my allergies have flared up.) and I just want to go outside. And enjoy all that this sunny weather has to offer. So blogging has become less exciting. Rick thinks its because I havent kept up on my running goal-but I dont mind admitting that I havent been doing as well on that. Running is not that fun when compared to zumba, boxing, biking, swimming, walking, basically anything else. But I am not giving up yet. But mostly I wanted to get some pictures up.

Sew Weekly.

2011-05-02T15:14:00.001-07:00

This girl is awesome!

http://www.sewweekly.com

Goals

2011-04-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

I didnt really set goals for March, except to lose 5 pounds which I did. So for the rest of April my goal is to go running four times a week and do pilates or yoga four times a week. And my next weight loss goal is 3 more inches by the end of May.

lately

2011-04-07T03:57:00.001-07:00

Audrey-Camille modeling her vntage blue dress. I had one just like it at about the same age. A delicious recipe of Anasazi beans and red quinoa salad

Audrey eating a homemade pickle, which she loves!

A bowl of green chili I made for St. Patricks Day.

A cup-pie.

A modeling the shirt our Japanese friend, Megumi, gave her.

Shabby Apple Amalfi Coast Swimsuit Giveaway

2011-04-05T04:13:00.000-07:00

Shabby Apple Amalfi Coast Swimsuit Giveaway oh my goodness, how i love these swimsuits!

Williams-Sonoma Cooking Class on Beans and Grains

2011-03-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was in Williams-Sonoma enjoying all fun new spring gadgets and food ideas when the clerk told me they would be having a cooking class the next morning on grains! WHat? I just had to go. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed. They featured recipes with black quinoa, beluga beans, cranberry beans, and black sticky rice. I will feature some of the recipes on my cooking blog once I try them out at home.
Williams-Sonoma definately overcharges, so look for these fun beans at a bulk bin place such as WholeFoods, Sunflower, WinnCo, Asian Markets, or Sprouts. And finally for anyone interested in finding more bean recipes check out my cooking blog or more importantly this one
And for vegetarians with a sense of humor read this

this weekend

2011-03-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

First we watched this.

It was good, but I found the characters stagnant. Paul schneider had some dimension and did a good job. Alright, but not a BBC masterpiece. Of course, Keats' poetry was lovely, and the english countryside breathtaking.

Then we watched this and loved it! Very heartwarming. And it featured the best music video of our favorite Queen song.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up.

cooking

2011-03-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

this was the most amazing italian dish. broccoli polenta. grilled asparagus, and sauteed mushrooms and spinach with basil. The whole meal had less than 500 calories-and you couldnt tell!

round 2 of bread was better than the 1st. this is whole wheat and super simple. the recipe is on my cooking blog.

A crock pot dream-slow pho.

Complete

2011-03-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

This is my debut loaf of bread from the kitchen Aid. A little crunchy on the outside, but still good.

Audrey-Camille's swimsuit was so cute, I just had to try it on her. It's not even going to fit her until next summer! But she has another cute one for this year.

Been working on little things for my baby, this little clip was one I did the other day

Look at that grin, I could just die.

Day 29-What have you learned? It always take longer to do things than I anticipate. And I have got to do more on my sewing projects.

Day 30-Favorite song-I don't think I have just one favorite song. I like so many. But right now I feel like listening to Otis Redding.

Day 28-one year later...

2011-03-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

This isnt exactly a year ago, but close enough. I am supposed to talk about how I have changed in the last year. Well, obviously I have a little bundle of joy scooting around the house as opposed to being in my belly. I've lost some weight since last year, about 20 pounds, but still not as much as I'd like. Over the last year I've learned all the ins and outs, ups and downs, joys and frustrations of being pregnant, and then having a beautiful little girl. I am loving being a mother, and doing fun little activities with my daughter every day. This is the best job I've ever had.

Day 26 and 27

2011-03-09T03:53:00.000-08:00

I have to double up again. Day 26 was "what do you think of your friends" I thought this was weird, because I obviously like my friends...thats why I choose to hang out with them. But on a more interesting note, last night we went out with some friends bowling-and for the first time since I started bowling I broke a 100. I know this might seem silly, and also like its not that great of a score, but for me it was a big deal.

Day 27-Why are you doing this challenge? I liked having the excuse to blog daily-because it's a fun little record. Also liked having an excuse to keep on my friends blogs-I am not as good about that.

Day 25-Dare I look?

2011-03-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

Today I am supposed to say what you would find in my bag, and the truth is my purse isnt all that clean-it rarely is. I put everything in there! I did clean it out awhile ago, and so its been worse but generally -you'll find,

lip gloss, wallets (i have a few), my insurance card for Audrey-Camille, a bottle, a hand towel/rag for clean-up, a pen, old gift cards, a hard candy, baby nail clippers, my cell, keys, stamps, bills, parking tickets (not mine, ones I give out. Theysay such things as "your car is not nice enough to take up two spots, "the lines are meant as a guide"),spare keys, floss, hair bows, receipts, coupons, reminders, lists, saftey pins, buttons, mints or gum, envelopes, checks, a toy, a teether, baby socks, -as you can see I really need to clean it out again. But I am super excited, because I just got a pattern to make a super baby bag. Here is the inspiration:

This brand is petunia pickle bottom and runs 350 big ones per bag...so I found some similiar fabric, and a pattern that has a similar amount of pockets.

Day 24-letter to my parents and even more pictures of my baby

2011-03-04T04:58:00.000-08:00

Funny. They were just here. If I had time to write them a letter..It probably would have been short and sweet, because thats how I do these kind of things-I would have said...

Mom, Dad-

You guys are awesome. Thanks for raising me. Thanks for having me fourth. I like being in the middle, and independent. Thanks for your support, and care. And thanks for finally get rid of the dogs...oh wait-that must have been my dream last night. Oh well. I love you both!

The Engagement Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

2011-03-04T04:51:00.000-08:00

The Engagement Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

Day 23-working for the happiest place on Earth, and cravings

2011-03-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

First off-let me start by giving a big shout out to my friend Jason Keyser. He helped complete an animated short with the BYU animation program (very prestigious) and I saw it yesterday and it was awesome! I also got to see an animator from Disney who came for the premier and shared with us a Disney short film that hasn't been released yet called Tic Toc tale. And let me tell you that Byu's "Dreamgiver" was not only professional and awesome, it was better than the disney short. I loved it! Its been entered in 6 film festivals. Maybe it will even be entered in next year's Oscars...Good Job Jason on the film, and on your future job on the disney project you got hired for.

Secondly, I found the singing disney doll with my friend's Emily's voice! Good Job Girl! You rock. I will be purchasing that doll for myself since it sings with my best friend's voice.

Thirdly, I promised a picture of my family-so although it wasn't very good because the sun was in our eyes-here it is

Finally, Day 23 is supposed to be about things I crave alot. That's easy. I have cravings every day. Today it was kalamata olives. Mmmm. And I always crave sugar, but I am trying to get over that. But the thing I want every day is a drink other than water. I love diet soda-but I am trying not to drink that because of the sweetener. Lately I've really been liking Zevia soda, which is soda made with stevia- a natural plant that is actually good for you as opposed to aspartame or splenda. I really like the Ginger Rootbeer. I also really enjoy a cup of fresh mint tea with a drop of stevia-or jus plain. I also love carbonation so much-that I am thinking of investing in one of these...

It makes carbonated water of which I would add fruit juice, extracts, lemon wedges, lime wedges, stevia, anything!

Day 22-absolutely nothing.

2011-03-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

Nada. Zilch. Lets face it people, everything about everyone in the world is not entirely unique. So when I saw this day's challenge-my mind went blank. I am supposed to say what makes me different than anyone else. Granted we are all a unique combination of things, but they are all slight variations. However, I love hearing unusual things about people-so that being said...I will try to come up with something interesting...hmmmm...my husband says I am a composed sleeper. I dont really know what that means but I find it odd. Perhaps I keep my mouth closed, perhaps I generally stay in one place, or maybe I seem peaceful, who knows, but its something.
Now here is something I've been thinking about-Have you ever seen a movie star or a character whose entire wardrobe you wish you had? Seriously, in my life a couple of times I've seen someone and thought I could wear anything they wear. I love it all. Granted, some of it may need to be layered for extra coverage, but still. My most recent one is embarrasing-considering her age-and her figure doesnt resemble mine in the slightest-But the character Victoria, from Hot in Cleveland always wears such classic pieces. Things like striped boat neck tops, trouser style slacks, red dresses, things that would look good on most women. Its silly but I like it. My most favorite wardrobe comes from Smallville-I really like Chloe Sullivan's clothing. Not to mention her hairstyles. I would swap clothes with her any day. Also, Lois Lane on that show has some cute outfits too. Dorky, and shallow yes. Oh well.

day 20 & 21

2011-02-28T10:34:00.000-08:00

day 20 seemed weird because it said who do you see yourself marrying... so since I'm already married, I will skip to day 21

Day 21 something that makes you happy...Baby Llamas and more importantly-my new kitchen aid!

Day 19-nicknames

2011-02-27T03:40:00.000-08:00

When I was a baby, my mom called me tweety bird because I had huge eyes, and a little mouth. She later called me tinkerbell for similiar reasons. In junior high, a friend called me Aileena-Katrina because she liked the sound of it. Also, I had a few friends call me Ali for awhile-but never really liked it. In highschool, one friend call me leeney (much to my dismay)

But my favorite was the nickname Rick gave me in highschool which was Stewie, short for my last name. He called me that while we were dating, and even for a little while at the beginning of our marriage.

Day 18-plans/dreams

2011-02-26T03:42:00.000-08:00

1.get an undergrad in something health related-check
2.get married-check
3.start a family-check
4. get a masters degree in education for esl or special needs or public health
5. visit Europe-check
6.adopt
7. learn to play the guitar or drums, or both
8. learn to tap dance
9. become a skilled seamstress
10. live abroad-check
11.make my goal weight
12. volunteer in another country, preferably Africa
13.become a little old lady living in a cottage in surrey-this one might be the hardest

Day 17-Freaky Friday

2011-02-25T03:36:00.000-08:00

Today's post is supposed to be about someone I'd switch lives with for a day. I had to think about this one for awhile. Some that crossed my mind were Audrey Hepburn, but Rick said that they needed to be living-so then I thought it would be awesome to be Dame Judy Dench because I think british old ladies are the best of everything. But I thought about it some more and decided I would like to trade places with someone doing relief work in Africa. Its something I've always wanted to do, but it just seems really hard to get all the training, money, shots, and time to do it. So I'd really like to be a doctor in the doctors without borders.

Day 16 Its 4 am I must be lonely...

2011-02-24T04:37:00.000-08:00

Day 16-Post another picture of yourself. Another one! As if there wasn't enough photos of me in the cyber world. I am tired of trying to find the perfect picture. Do I look cute, do I look thin, is it funny-etc. So I just took one with my webcam at 4 am this morning while I was getting ready for my student that I teach on skype. In my pjs, no makeup, and a whole lotta tired! notice the fly away hair-thats my favorite.

Also I watched this film on Netflix last night. Its kind of fun because it was filmed in Utah-I recognized alot of it. And it featured this really cute song I like now called You and I-by Ingrid Michaelson. Its instant watch-for anyone interested.

Day 14 wait for iiiiiiiiiit

2011-02-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

I am supposed to post a family photo, but Rick didn't want to take one yesterday. I could post an old one, but how fun would that be? So I will hold you all in suspense for our photo-when we're all ready- but on to day 15-which is to put your ipod on shuffle and put the ten songs that come one. Only one problem-I share my ipod with Rick. And he listens to a much larger variety than I do, well he at least has more artists on our ipod than I do. On any given day, I can guarantee that I listen to more genres than he does...especially on a weekly basis. Now I could make a playlist of everything I listen to and then hit shuffle-but that could take days-so instead I will list the ten most recent songs I've listened to, bear in mind this is from memory so it may be off. Also-I will only include one song from each band/artist.

This too shall pass-OK Go
Que te pica-for Zumba
I like it-Enrique Iglesias (also for Zumba)
Try a little tenderness-Otis Redding
Tenessee Waltz-Sam Cooke
Miss Sweeney-Weezer
Mad World-Gary Jules
head over heels-tears for fears
When She Believes-Ben Harper
Gone in the Morning-Newton Falkner

8 years

2011-02-22T04:39:00.000-08:00

Today marks 8 years that we've been married, and I could go on and on about why I have such a wonderful husband, and how he does so much for me. But I have so many more years to say all the cliche stuff. Don't get me wrong, He is absolutely deserving of all that praise, but instead I'd like to say 8 unique things about why I am glad he married me.

1)when I asked him if he thought I was a good actress back in sophomore year, my future husband stated, "No, I just thought you were hot." Count on Rick to always be 100% honest. Even if a compliment accidentally turns into an insult. No seriously, I am grateful that he can say whats on his mind

2)While river rafting with some friends in Jackson Hole Wyoming, Rick lost his oar-and when our friend said lets go get it, Rick thought he meant to go after it in the water, and promptly jumped into the snake river. We were all yelling, "Rick, what are you doing!" He is always ready and willing to sacrifice himself for many causes, even when some of them prove to be dangerous.

3)Since being married, Rick has taught himself how to make German pretzels, soap, wooden bowls and spoons, vegan cookies to perfection, to play the guitar, stand on his head and support weight on his knees, read/listen to me and music simultaneously, run a marathon, read over 100 books in one year-not required for school, study latin of his own free will and choice, learn japanese and some spanish, cook vegan orange "chicken", etc. There are so many things-the motivation that Rick has is undeniable. Uncanny even.

4)He is alwasy willing to try new things. Provided it doesn't kill any animals, or hurt the environment. He is adventerous and still caring.

5)He agrees with me that Technology is awesome and scary. We both love and fear it.

6)He will sit through a documentary. He actually loves them more than I do, but I love that he can sit through one with me, instead of asking me when it will be over, and can he play video games.

7)whenever I tell a quiet joke, Rick retells them louder so everyone can hear. And then he credits me with the idea. He is better at delivery, and he always makes me feel funny.

8)Rick always wants to let you have your say, even if he already has something in mind about how you should react, what he wants to do, where the conversation should go etc, he will let you have your say, even ask for it, and listen...then he will say his.

We've had an awesome adventerous 8 years. We've been told we act like 50 year olds, and that we fight like brother and sister. We've been told we're boring and strange, and dorky. We've been told were eccentric, cheesy, silly, annoying, opinionated, over zealous, crazy hippies, and wanderers. I've learned so much from my sweet husband, he has made me improve in so many areas, and appreciate my strengths. Sometimes, we bring out the worst in eachother-all married couples do-but never once have I regretted my decision to spend my life with him. He has always been the person I care about the most. Through all the wonderous crazy things that life has to offer-I am so happy that Rick Thomas has been with me these last 8 years. Happy Anniversary, Honey!

Day 13- your sorry, so sorry.

2011-02-20T07:12:00.000-08:00

Dear BYU counseling psychology program,

I know that the sportsmanlike way of accepting your bad news, is to say ..."Que Sera' But after hearing your rejection letter twice, two years in a row I don't feel very sportsmanlike. I know I should realize life goes on, and things dont always turn out how you plan. I know these things,but I need my reaction. I feel like crying. I want to burn my five year plan. I want to yell out to the universe. Why???? I want to call the director of the program, and say why didnt Rick get in? What is it that you're looking for? I want to toilet paper his house. I want to say, that was a bad decision on your part, buddy! I want to be really angry and punch the wall. But instead, I will bake a batch of cookies, and try to send all the negative thoughts away. I will pray for clarity, and hope that something better will come our way. I will eventually forgive the program, knowing it wasnt personal. But in the meantime, i reserve the right to be upset, let down, frustrated, morose, weeping, lugrubious, troubled, woebegone, in doldrums, glum, languishing, doleful, somber, mournful, dismal, gloomy, and just plain down in the dumps... as well as to eat way beyond a healthy portion of ooey-gooey consolement.

love, Aileena

7 month pictures and everyone else is doing it so why cant we?

2011-02-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

I was taking photos because Audrey-Camille is 7 months old, and also to show off how schwank my husband looked for his BYU grad interview (fingers crossed he gets in) And they both looked so adorable I just had to post them. THere will be a whole album on my facebook if you'd like to see more.

Day 12-How did you hear about blogger and why do you have one. In between Japan and Korea-some good friends were showing us their friend's blog, and I think we all decided to start one. I didn't want to be left empty-handed when I went away again-Being in Japan taught me that sharing photos is alot harder without some form of social network-and thus my blog began. Later I joined facebook. And I figure-if everyone else has a blog about their families and hobbies, why not me too?

Day 11 more friends

2011-02-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

I am supposed to post another picture of me and some friends. Here's the thing...I am not a picture person. Rick takes most of the photos in our family. So I wanted to put many photos up here with some of my greatest friends, but I don't have them. I usually take memory photos. So here are some photos I wish I would have taken-Two weeks ago we had a vegan dinner party with some of our good friends here in Utah-but our camera was broken so I don't have a photo. Also-when I was in Japan my friend Samantha and I went for hot chocolate at Starbucks when she was having a hard day-wish I had a picture of that. We went trick o' treating this year with Rob and Nicolle Bennion and their kids and again-no picture. A little while ago we went to a party for our friend Deron Watanabe and no picture. No picture from my girls day party with Lori or playing bohnanza with our good friends Kris, Aaron, and James. And none from the time Hans and Suzie visited us in Korea. So this will have to suffice for those memories.

I want to go back, and I don't even know how I got off the track.

2011-02-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

So maybe I am a big dork for still having the same favorite music since forever-but what can I say- I am a product of my generation. Minus the hipster fashions, and computer jargon, and well the thing about youth culture is...I don't get it. But I can tell you that whether I am happy, sad, angry, excited, or depressed, you can bet your love handle skinny jeans that I will want to listen to Weezer. Why-well ...they are the best.

Day 9 feeling accomplished

2011-02-15T02:52:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to make a good batch of biscotti-because I love biscotti! So when I realized that day 9 was sharing something you've accomplished in the last few days, I was excited to share that yesterday I made a perfect batch of chocolate hazelnut biscotti. Okay..it wasn't perfect, but it turned out pretty good. The only thing I would do different next time is use chopped hazelnuts instead of whole ones.

p.s.-the picture is not my biscotti, my camera is broken-so I just put a generic photo of biscotti on for looks. But my biscotti did look very similar.

Day 8 short term goals: organize photos-and fit into jeans

2011-02-13T03:54:00.000-08:00

I love short term goals because, the 'challenge' date is in view. This day in the 30 day challenge also said to say when you will accomplish these goals by. Even better. I always have many goals but the two that I am working on this month are:

1)Scrapbooking -I've never been a big "scrapbooker", but I like the idea of having all the photos from something in one place. My goal was to finish Audrey-Camille's baby album, up to date. I am really close to finishing this one. Funny enough....in my life I have started many scrapbooks the only ones completely finished are my highschool album and a joke album I made for our plastic pet turtle-Major TOm

2) losing five more pounds- I have been slowly (extremely slowly) been losing weight since I had Audrey-Camille. I still have 25 pounds I want to lose before she is 18 months. I would like to lose 15 of that before is 1 year old. But before the end of March (my short term goal) I would like to lose 5 pounds. So here is to continued Zumba, kickboxing, pilates, light weight training, and hopefully some yoga.

What I admire most

2011-02-12T08:19:00.001-08:00

Day 7 is posting a picture of someone who has had a major impact on your life.
Perhaps it was because he was prophet during a good portion of my growing years, but no man influenced me more in my optimism than Gordon B Hinckley. He was such a huge inspiration to me in being kind, accepting, non judgemental, and a good spouse. I will always love him and his influence on me-and the rest of the world.

Day 6 favorite superhero

2011-02-11T04:35:00.000-08:00

I know quite a few superheroes now. When I was first married, I thought Rick was kind of silly, and a little dorky when it came to comic books-but over time and thanks to Hollywood I've gained an appreciation for the archetypes that superheroes represent. People love to see that good triumphs-and that somehow we have powers beyond ourselves to help others. With that said, even before I really knew very much about super heroes Batman was and still is my favorite. I think its awesome that all his "powers" come from intense training, and extremely expensive high tech gadgets. Plus, his suit does stuff. I mean who doesn't want a grappling hook belt? With that said I should give honorable mention to the ninja turtles who are just plain awesome, and Black Widow-who has the coolest girl superhero name.

Day 5- a picture of somewhere you've been

2011-02-09T13:04:00.001-08:00

This picture was taken at a Buddhist temple complex in Korea. We went for the weekend to learn more about korean culture, buddhist life, and meditation. But most importantly, I played jump rope with a female buddhist monk.

Day 4-A habit you wish you didn't have

2011-02-09T00:19:00.000-08:00

I put the first three days of this 30 day blog challenge on Facebook, but then I learned how to put a link to direct my friends here. Yay! So I will continue the 30 day challenge here...on my actual blog.

A habit I wish I didn't have...hmmm-where do I begin. There is no way I have just one. So in no particular order-and certainly not limited to-I wish that I didn't

1)like to shop so much

2)eat sweets so often

3)forget to drink water (seriously-I forget all the time-and then I am dying of thirst and wondering why I have a headache)

4)get my feelings hurt so easily by my husband. Its not that he's mean-he isn't I am just super sensitive to him only. Everyone else's comments I am a wall of stone.

5)chip my nail polish so quickly. Its like clockwork; within a few hours of applying polish + no chip top coat, I chip it somehow-Result-my nails never look good. And I love pedicures too!

6)be so judgemental of my family members. I love my family with all my heart-so of course my expectations of them are high. I often get disappointed or hurt by decisions they make-but I really shouldn't. We're all human. And they are my best friends-truly.

7)care so much about my weight. I know I should just be happy with being healthy. But I just really want to make my goal weight-Don't all females?

newborn baby shots...finally! and 6 months

2011-02-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

It only took me 6 months to get these baby photos up...but at least the 6months are on time. also notice the photo corners. Yep...from her scrapbook. This is a big deal....it takes me forever to scrapbook.

Isnt she the cutest? I think so.

more photos

2011-02-05T00:36:00.000-08:00

cousins

2011-02-02T04:12:00.000-08:00

this isnt new. its from october, when Audrey-Camille and I went down to Arizona to visit. Here she is with her cousin Savanah who was born just two days after her.

From Christmas

2011-01-30T06:31:00.000-08:00

christmas presents are always delicious.

todays photo

2011-01-28T17:08:00.000-08:00

So behind

2011-01-27T11:57:00.001-08:00

My daughter is 6 months old, and I am painfully behind in just about everything. Except Taxes. I got those done this week! So I am going to post (or at least try to post) a new picture of Audrey-Camille every day for those that care...i.e. Mom, sisters, friends, people who blogstalk my adorable baby.

p.s.-My camera is broken :( So this is a phone picture.

A Halloween Saga

2010-10-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

When Rick and I got married, we went to Disneyland for part of our honeymoon and got a silly photo done on star tours as Han Solo and Princess leia. I thought it would be so cute for a baby to be an ewok, so I made RIck promise that when we had a baby that we would be those three characters. And I have to say, 7 years later, it was an awesome idea.

Pirates

2010-10-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

While at Disneyland I made sure my daughter rode the two most important rides...The Haunted Mansion, and my personal favorite-pirates of the carribean. This is what she looked like when we went on it, first thing in the morning. It was also the last ride we went on, and she slept all the way through it.

All sorts of things

2010-10-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to Arizona to visit family. Audrey-Camille had so much fun meeting her aunts and uncles and cousins. And a special treat, she got to meet great Grandma Harris on Rick's side. We also went to Disneyland, but we didn't get to go with Dad because he had to work and came with his students the next day. But we met Rick at the gate before heading home and got a picture in front of Disneyland. p.s. I thought my brother's hair rocked in this photo

9 weeks and getting so big!

2010-09-30T13:35:00.001-07:00

No impact.....

2010-09-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Back in August, we had the bright idea that we should not make trash for a year. We got all prepared for such a year by watching "No Impact Man," examining where our trash comes from, and how we can cut back, and learning skills. But as it is, its quite a comittment. We're a little scared to say "one year." So, instead, we're going with three months. We're going to try to go without garbage for 3 months. If that works, we'll go another three......we'll see how long we can go. Along with producing no trash, we're also cutting way back on our driving (we've become addicted since we got our car) as well as cutting back on movie/TV watching. We've prepped by learning to make soap, almond milk, etc. I'm not sure where our tofu will come from. That's the last hurdle. Grrr... Why am I blogging about it? Cause I think we're pretty much the best, and want to brag about how awesome we are. Just kidding. I'm blogging about it, cause we could use moral support from friends and family. It's going to be a definate adjustment, and I know that positive reinforcement from friends and family can help us to get where we want. So here are our rules.

- Make no purchases of any products that have disposable packaging (especially non-recycleable).
- Make no purchases of anything that is, by nature, immediately disposable.
- If necessary, we can make limited purchase of things that come in packaging that are easily recycled and reused.
- Drive only in emergencies, as well as our Disneyland trip in October (been planned for a year)
- Compost all food garbage - to cut down on waste.
- Treats and junk food are okay once a week, as long as they are A) vegan, and B) made by us.
- No eating at restraunts at all.

By these lifestyle changes, we hope to have a few results:
1) Live an environmentally friendly life
2) Teach our daughter good habits
3) Become more healthy
4) Make more productive use of our time
5) Stick it to the Man

So, check in with us from time to time to ask us how we are doing. We started yesterday - September 7. We'll go to December 7th. Wish us luck!

Audrey-Camille is 4 weeks old!

2010-08-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

I know that 4 weeks isn't a milestone or anything, but it is amazong how quickly time flies. My little baby is already a month. And I keep thinking in 5 months more she will be sitting up, eating solids, and getting that much closer to being a teenager! okay, so that's a little much-but seriously time flies, and they grow so fast. p.s. the dress I put her in is from the Korean collection at tea clothing-and it is actually for 6-12 months. but I couldn't resist...I just love the print.

Audrey-Camille is here!

2010-08-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

I went into labor Monday around 11:00 am. There was just a contraction here and there, I didn't even realize it was the real thing. Then at around noon they got painful (the contractions) I called Rick, and we got to the hospital at around 1/1:30 and I thought I was going to die because it seemed way too painful for early labor-but then it went quickly and at 5:45 I had little Audrey-Camille. She was 7 pounds 2 ounces-and the best present ever! Now we are home, enjoying every minute with our little daughter, and being super grateful to be together.

Sweet Pea Patterns Guest Giveaway

2010-07-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

Sweet Pea Patterns Guest Giveaway

I love baby shoes, so why not make them. I totally want to win this pattern

No baby yet, but progress on the house among other things....

2010-07-22T19:31:00.001-07:00

I really wanted a rocking chair, so I purchased this one from DI for 15 dollars. But it didn't really match the baby's room, and I have time on my hands.. so I repaired the broken arm rest, painted it black, and recovered the cushions. Now it matches beautifully. (Shhh. just don't look closely at the sewing job.)

As promised, pictures of the house are coming. The nursery is basically done so here are some pictures of that.

Also, in addition-here is the adorable bouncer that my mother-in-law gave me-recovered in a purple asian print along with matching covered diaper changing pad. The precious moments is the original covering.

36 weeks pics, a new lamp, and my adorable kermit

2010-07-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

Rick and I saw this lamp at shopko when it was on sale for 40.00 dollars. We wanted it but decided to wait. Then last week they had sale and it went on clearance for $17.99!!!That's right look at the original price on the tag..179.99-we paid ten percent of the original price. Man, Im glad we waited.

Rick liked this picture because it shows of our new bookshelf, and he thought it really showed just how big little Audrey-Camille is getting.

I like these two pictures because they show off just how excited we are-we are just counting down the days. Hopefully she comes soon!

35 weeks and growing...

2010-06-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

I know Rick isn't getting any bigger (sometimes I wish he had put on some weight.. I feel huge:) But isn't he so cute. This is him at his place of employment-Nomen Global where he is education director! Go Rick.
I liked the other pictures better, but Rick thinks this one truly shows off just how big our baby is getting. Notice my lovely purple undershirt and stretchy leggings.

Its only a matter of time now, and thank goodness...its getting hot! And I am not sleeping so great at night. You really understand what they mean by those last weeks are so uncomfortable (understatement if you ask me)

I have made... yogurt!

2010-06-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

I feel like Tom Hanks on the island in castaway-when he beats his chest and says I have made fire! I know yogurt isn't all that difficult-but it just seemed so elusive..but with my new 5 dollar yogurt maker from DI and a candy thermomoter-I made delcious yogurt. The simple recipe is on my cooking blog.

also...I received this car seat from a generous giveaway on craigslist-but it had a horrible cover...but thanks to a kind friend who gave me a seat cover for my baby shower and my sewing machine...I made it look brand new!

awesome things

2010-06-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

Alright, I am using my blog to put in a plug for my other blogs-only because I am posting more on the other two than I have in awhile. My ecoblog has been recently updated, and I am particularly excited about all the things I've been buying second-hand and also my remakes, refurbishes. Secondly, I've been cooking like crazy (amazing what you can do, when you don't work) so I am posting more delicious recipes all the time on my cooking blog. Finally, this blog should be featuring a pic of me soon being huge...and hopefully pics of my apt which is slowly coming together. So check it out!

Weekend Fun

2010-06-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had lots of visitors and it was so fun. Thanks to Mom and Dad Stewart for bringing our things and dropping them off. Plus we got to see Melinda, and Amelia and all the their kids. Little Ammon was running around in his sneakers and diaper and I couldn't resist snapping a photo. Plus we got to go check out Amelia's in-laws new pizza place... "Incredible Pizza" its like a theme park of a pizza place. Its in Draper for any families living in Utah looking for a family outing. Finally-Sunday was Rick's birthday which was lots of fun too. We made vegan cookies, brownies, and even a vegan ice cream cake. Here is a pic of Rick enjoying his cake. He is 29 now, and I am so happy that I got to spend the last 7 birthdays with him. Happy Birthday sweetie! And thanks to our friends who stopped by to say Hello and wish him the best.

33 weeks

2010-06-04T20:43:00.001-07:00

Very pregnant and hiking

2010-06-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

Here I am at almost 8 months, and hiking (or nature walking) on Bridal Veil Falls trail. I walked almost 7 miles that day. My ankles got a little swollen, but I enjoyed it, and I felt proud...now I know some women who marathon and do other crazy cool stuff during their pregnancy, but Im just glad I workout out most days, and keep my house somewhat orderly.

30 weeks

2010-05-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Well folks... as you can see both me and the baby are getting very big. But that means were getting closer to delivery. I am very happy to be settled in my new apt in provo. Thanks to my sweet husband for making it so nice. I will post pics of it as soon as I get evrything put away...which may be awhile.

More pictures

2010-03-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

This is a more recent pregnant picture taken 2 weeks ago.

This was my first attempt at floral arranging. Not bad huh. It was a gift for my in-laws 50th.

Rick and I celebrated his parents' 50th wedding Anniversary and reunion last week. We all had to wear different colors for the family picture. We got nominated to wear pink.

Pregnant picture

2010-03-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of being able to have a baby. I am much less a fan of taking photos and blogging. But I have had enough requests that I will post a few. This is me at four months. (Right now I am five.)

Cherry Pop Refashion Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-03-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

Cherry Pop Refashion Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!
oooh red.

Our news

2010-02-23T16:33:00.000-08:00

So after my mom told me she broke my news to the world twice on facebook, I figured I better catch up with whats been going on. So here are 30 things I haven't posted in the cyber communication world, although by now, I am sure everyone knows.

1) Moved from Korea to Arizona
2)Rick started a psycology program with Saybrook
3)Rick got a job with Anasazi
4) After way too many months I got a job with Anthropologie
5) I'm pregnant
6) I snuck away to Disneyland twice in October.
7)Aileena Celebrated 27 years of life and Rick celebrated 28.
8) I finally got a job with MPS and GPS districts as a substitute teacher
9)My twin brothers went on a mission to Peru
10) We moved in with my family
11)I swore off facebook
12)I decided I hate blogging almost as much as I hate facebook
13) I also decided I wouldn't quit either for good, because I know people want to hear what's going on
14)Rick quit his program at Saybrook and applied to BYU's doctoral program for Counseling/Psycology
15)Rick promises to quit his job every time he comes home because he misses seeing his wife and seeing her get more and more pregnant.
16)Mom and Dad Thomas celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Feb 12th
17) I became obssessed with gardening and planted a flower and vegetable garden in my parents backyard. And I love it!
18) Rick learned how to make authentic german pretzels with lye and everything!
19)I had the chance to teach special education, and think I found my calling. I want to eventually be qualified to teach special Ed or ESl. Who would have thought??
20)Gained 15 pregnancy pounds already!! Oh no.
21)Rick got invited to BYU for an interview
22) Took a lightning trip to Provo to get an interview and hang out.
23)Saw some friends in Provo. (We had a blast Jason, Jeanette, Suzie, Rus, Tara, Brian, Tasha, Greg, and Jenny-So good to see you all)
24) Realized we might be crazy because we are considering moving back to Provo now, and having a future pet... (Two things we swore we'd never do-although I think on the pet-I'll just ask to walk Momo since he is cutest thing on the planet.)
25)Saw a million movies-Seriously-thanks for all the movie passes family!
26) Celebrated 7 years of marriage on the 22nd. It goes by soooo fast.
27)Found out we are having a girl.
28) Rick found out he is an alternate for the program...keep us in your prayers-We really want to get in.
29) Started looking for apartments-Are we nuts? Most likely.
30)Realized we are grateful to be alive, to have each other, to have a healthy baby on the way, and the strength to live one day at a time, because I can honestly say- I don't know what tomorrow holds.

Dress Design for Shabby Apple

2009-11-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

I bought a dress from a company a few months ago, and absolutely love it!!! Its feminine, its decent, and I feel so lovely when I wear it. So when I found out that the company was having an amateur dress design contest I had to enter. So here is my design design for Shabby Apple dresses

I am not a designer by any means-but I love soft, feminine dresses that are both beautiful and practical. This dress was designed with multiple female figures in mind, to be flattering for all the lovely ladies of the world.

this is an amateur sketch-but use your imagination and read on- envision the beauty as I explain the inspiration and dynamics of this garden party dress.

The Inspiration-
Everything in my wardrobe is inspired by beauty from the past. When I saw this picture in the Instyle Magazine I thought, if I tweak a few hemlines, add some detail, and think vintage I could create a dress as lovely as Audrey Hepburn herself.

I liked the sleeve on the original dress that was the inspiration, but it needed more. So I designed the slit in the sleeve with antique blue lace peering out. And a blue satin button at the slit. This made it ultra feminine and sweet. I finished up with an extended hemline to the knee with vintage lace peeking out just like the sleeve, and a row of all satin buttons down the back. But not to worry, they are just for looks, as they secretly conceal a zipper.

I wanted a lower neckline (just enough to show the collar bone) with some added detail. The neckline on this white dress was perfect.

The slight tucks around the neckline give it texture and depth. But the skirt was too fitted. I wanted a flowy skirt. One that gave room and freedom. One that felt as free as the Spring. so I cut out this example. And I love the waistline details!

The fabric:
I saw the black and white print on the dress in the magazine and thought about how much I love french toile...

But the black and white wasn't springy enough. So I thought about the old saying something borrowed...something blue. And voila! I had it... it had to be made in a soft light blue, all cotton, blue french toile. And so my idea is complete. A dress that shows off things like pretty forearms, delicate collar bones, and slender ankles, and is feminine, lovely, and free, and is machine washable. Can it get any better? Only if you are wearing it in the park or a garden party: I give you Le Robe Du Jardin- a dress ispired by all things french, feminine, and free.

Painfully Behind

2009-10-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to state how behind I am in updating anything in my life. But here are some things I've been up to in the last two months...
Baking, and Cooking-Experimenting and 4 new cookbooks!
Cleaning!!! I am now the Stewart Home Housekeeper
Missing Rick-He has been at Anasazi, Grad School, visiting family, and doing school work. I appreciate the time we get to spend together
Hanging out with my family-shopping trips with Melinda, eating chocolate together, talking with brothers and sisters, breakfast trips with my brothers, game nights, a weekend trip for Tommy's birthday to Disneyland, and working on the house together.
Working-I am working part time at Anthropologie, seeking subsitute teaching opportunities, and applying for Teach For America.

the good photographer

2009-09-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

My husband is a pretty fantastic photographer in my opinion. He manages to catch nature in its simple and miraculous beauty. I really love this photo of the Temple and Utah sunset. It's so lovely. Thank goodness he carries the camera, and not me.

Grateful for today..

2009-08-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ever since I've come home-there has been a general gloom all around me. I feel it when I go inside the stores, when I come home, and when I walk outside. I don't know if its this recession that we are in, if people are losing faith in each other, or if its simply because our way of living has caught up to us (the way america spends) But whatever the reason I try to just breathe-to see people as people and not objects-to feel-to be-to hear God and nature and consider the things that I do have... Here are some things I am very grateful for:
1.solace
2.peace
3.understanding friends
4.prayer
5.and inherent goodness

I feel that as we look for the good in others we will find it, and while doing that we will find it in ourselves.

Catching Up with the Summer #7-Wyoming

2009-08-23T11:14:00.001-07:00

there are few things in this life that are better than the great outdoors, and family together time. I am so grateful that I got to have both in Wyoming.

Catching Up with the Summer #6-Utah

2009-08-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

Two fanatastic things happened in Utah. We got to visit all of old buddies, and I found the money I thought I'd lost! That's right-all $1200 tucked safely away in a book.

I think it is hilarious how our friends Jason and Jeneatte punished their dog for tipping over the trash-they put him in the garbage can for a few minutes to think about what'd he done. Look-doesn't he seem sorry.

Catching Up with the Summer #5-New York

2009-08-17T21:02:00.001-07:00

New York is...food, architecture, people, parks, entertainment, art, friends, awesome apartments, walking, beautiful, chocolate, shopping, interesting, eclectic, and fun. We loved it!

Catching Up with the Summer #4-Flight to New York

2009-08-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

We had an inexpensive flight from Barcelona to New York-but we had a ten hour layover in Dublin. Normally, we would have gone sight seeing-but we got into Dublin at midnight. So-we asked the airport employees what we should do-and they suggested we hang out on the mezzanine. So we walked upstairs and found a large food court with people sprawled out all over the floor, benches, and chairs; snoozing. So we looked around for a place to camp-when we saw the big over sized chairs at the Starbucks-and hardly any other people. So we booked it over there, pushed their chairs together and made camp. Surprisingly, we were fairly comfortable and got a few hours of sleep. But next time I'm in Ireland I hope I get to see more than the inside of a food court.

More Barcelona Pictures

2009-08-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

Barcelona

2009-07-31T21:58:00.001-07:00

Barcelona is like a giant outdoor art museum. I can honestly say, that I gained a true appreciation for modern art here. I also gained respect for their outdoor markets here. I've always loved buying things in outside, but in Barcelona it was mind blowing!!! We ate like kings -buying things like fruit salad with mango, dragonfruit, and papaya. We bought baskets of berries with all the normal ones we see plus lignon berries, elder berries, goose berries, and many more. I was in heaven. We ate organic vegetarian food-spanish style. The food and art is truly another world experience. I will post more pictures later-but here are a few.

Catching Up with the Summer #3-Perpignan-Barcelona

2009-07-28T14:40:00.001-07:00

Every trip must have some hiccups. Our major disaster happpened the day we left for Perpignan. In our hotel in Carcassonne we realized that the 1190.00 US dollars that I put away for safe keeping was missing. We tore through our suitcases-we searched the room high and low-but it was gone-and there was nothing we could do. We thought about cancelling the rest of our trip-but we decided to be gypsies and continue on. Life is short and we hadn't worked all those months to give up now. So we headed to train station when I realized we had purchased a train ticket to Perpignan twice. Once in Korea on the internet four months earlier, and once the day before. We tried to get a refund-but the train station told us they could only refund us 25 percent of the original tickets-so we took it and hopped on our train to Perpignan. When we arrived at the train station there- We realized we had way too much luggage and many hours before our bus arrived. It was hot and muggy-and the area around the train station was kind of "seedy" as Rick would say. So we headed to the the post office with our 5 pieces of luggage-and just started unpacking trying to find anything we could send home. The nice french lady behind the desk looked bewildered and slightly perturbed at the two american spread out all with clothing, trinkets, and luggage all over orderly floor. I tried to explain in my best (horrible) french that we were sending a box home, and how much did it cost. Eventually we were able to send a box home for 30 euros with no return address, and no insurance-hey-You can't take it with you-and at this point losing worldly belongings seemed like no big deal. Off we headed to the bus stop with one brief stop to majestically chuck a piece of large blue luggage into a dumpster "Darjeeling Limited" style. That was so liberating. And then we waited, and we waited, and we waited. Countless tourists past us up-and still no bus. 20 minutes after our bus was supposed to have arrived-we realized it wasn't coming-so We headed to the train station to buy yet another train ticket to Barcelona. The next available train was completely booked so we had to take the later train which meant we had to hang out in Perpignan for an additional 5 hours. And so we bought the tickets, and slumped back into some smelly sweaty benches. When we finally got to Barcelona-we paid for a taxi to our bed and breakfast which was absolutely beautiful. We were really grateful to have a nice, lemon verbena scented room in the center of Barcelona.

Catching Up with the Summer #2-Carcassonne

2009-07-22T15:52:00.001-07:00

Carcassonne France, the Medieval City. What a cool experience this was. We were fortunate enough to find a beautiful B&B that was within walking distance from the City - The walk was through a beautiful Grape Vineyard coming up on the back of the City. It was about a mile and a half walk one-way. The owner of the B&B made fantastic breakfasts that set us up for the whole day! We explored the city, which was a truly fascinating sight - Carcassonne was a huge fortress in the era of the Crusades. It was in ruins until some rich guy decided to rebuild it - and what an amazing Job they've done - dozens of enormous towers, a double wall around the city and the castle, the central fortress was impenetrable, and the Cathedral of the city is great. Of course the inside of the city is largely a Renaissance Festival-style tourist trap, but it had lots of good food - we finally settled on a place for dinner with a great outdoor view of the sunset, and delicious vegetarian options. Ratatouille...mmmmmmm... The actual modern town of Carcassonne was pretty cool too, and we had some fun exploring it and shopping at the little markets. All in all, this was a great couple of days.

Catching Up with the Summer #1-Toulouse

2009-07-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

We've been on a journey since June 27th when we left Seoul. That day we had an 11 hour flight to Munich. We had a one hour layover there where we found it necessary to purchase a German style pretzel and a delicious bar of blood orange dark chocolate-because we know whats most important to a culture... food. Then we flew the last hour to Toulouse, France. We lugged our heavy five bags of luggage to our hotel on foot. We stayed in a tiny place. Then the next day we took all our luggage down to the train station and put it in huge lockers and went and saw the city. We were sure to purchase french cheeses and bread, and chocolate. And we dined at the number one rated organic food and juice bar in the city-La maison du fruits. And man- was it delicious. Our favorite sights were the city's architecture and a little city park that had beautiful gardens, statues, and lots of birds.

Not blogging...

2009-06-18T14:08:00.001-07:00

I didn't feel like blogging-but here are some pictures...

The DMZ

2009-06-07T02:01:00.000-07:00

We decided that since we were living in Korea, that we should make it to the Demilitarized Zone at least once. There are trips that go into North Korea-but they had been cancelled for the year due to North Korea's Hostile actions of late (and the cost was very high anyways). We got to travel through a tunnel designed by the North Koreans (and taken over by the south) to invade Seoul. We went to Peace Memorial Bridge, where the hostages of the North had been let free during the war, and we went to an observation outpost where we could see over clearly to the North. THe Mountians and Forest were beautiful, trees not realizing that there was a line of demarkation. At that post, we saw very clearly, through binoculars, a propaganda villiage that had been built by the North to show the world how happy and productive thier towns were. It recently has been converted to a base, and the houses into soldiers barracks. There at this spot were two giant flag poles, far in the distance, facing each other like titanic sentinals - South Korea's Flag facing off against North Korea's flag (slightly taller). It was rather strange to actually look out into the distance, because the clostest building was an observational outpost where North Korean Military was looking at US with Binoculars. A strange and haunting experience. It was, by no means fun or entertaining, but it drove home the foolishness of war and the imaginariness of politics. For the Mountians on the other side, and the enormous blowing cloud head that they held up had no inclination of war or peace, of North or South. The most fascenating thing about the line between the two warring states was that - there was no line.

My 100th post.

2009-05-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

100 posts. 100 things about me. Warning-you may find this incredibly long and dull. But if you have the lack of things to do and want to read on-please enjoy what took several months to put togther-and 26 years to figure out about myself...

1. I spent every summer since birth to age 19 in Wyoming. With the exception of one summer I lived with Emily. I love it there, its really beautiful. I've spent a few summers there since 19, and I miss it
2. I love the color purple. No really- it's kind of freaky.

3. I think Disneyland is my favorite state in the United States. I've been to Tokyo Disneyland too.
4. Rick was my first kiss... technically.
5. I got married at age 20.
6. I love to dance. I can't really do anything like tap or jazz I just like to turn on some cool beats and jam out. But as a child I took ballet, tap, gymnastics, and tumbling.
7. I took 4 years of french. I am not fluent, but I can say a few things-I study every now and again.
8. I lived in Japan for a year, and didn't learn Japanese. Not really, anyways- just some essential words. I lived in Korea for one year, and learned even less Korean-but I did learn spanish.
9. I can't study for longer than about 20 minutes at a time. I get antsy. I might be borderline ADD. Or at least super fidgety.
10. I love long walks. I walked for 4 hours once just to get some fresh air. Usually my walks only last about an hour though, they are refreshing.
11. I treat daily naps like vitamins. They are essential. I believe a 20 minute rest every day is vital to my sanity.
12.I have a really long torso. it makes my appendix scar really long, jean shopping impossible, and movie theaters-continuous kicks to the back of my chair.
13.I used to tell my mom how much I hated blush and pink-now I own both and proudly wear them. Ooooh, maybe thirty isn't so far away.
14. I hate going to the dentist. Hate it! Ironically though, I am obsessed with brushing my teeth. I almost always have floss and a toothbrush with me.
15. I love the rain. Even better than sunsets. Rain storms are out of this world.
16. My natural hair color is mousy brown and its my favorite, long and thick. But s, I think I am the only one to prefer it the natural way. But I do love trying new colors just for fun. I've had like 5 different haircolors since I got married.
17. My favorite band is Weezer and has been since I was 15 followed by the cranberries (since third grade.) As if you didn't know this already. And they are playing in Korea after I leave-WAH!
18. I like Mandy Moore's new stuff and am not afraid to admit it.
19 I also like to shop and wish I didn't.
20. I love to camp so much. Sometimes I set my tent up in my front room and roast marshmellows over a candle.
21. I like writing letters better than emails or blogs. I try and write one every few months to somebody. Just to be contradictory though, I like ecards because they don't kill trees.
22. I hate cell phones. I like that people can't get a hold of me whenever. Besides I love phones with cords.
23. I hate lucky charms marshmellows, ever since I was a kid-the sound the crunch into the marshmellow made, makes me cringe.
24. I find it very strange that certain people I've known hate fruit. How do you hate fruit?a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZGU-QhGnSvc/SiOv8Xk4j9I/AAAAAAAAAoA/Tw1sqlp64Eg/s1600-h/IMG_1261.jpg">

25. I blow peeps up in the microwave every Easter. Its not as sedistic as it sounds, I just like watching the marshmellows get really big-its tradition.
26.I really like perfume. It makes me feel old fashioned. One of my favorites is Pink from Victoria Secret because Rick gave it to me when we were engaged. I especially like getting free testers at the mall.
27. When I was a teenager I think I had this subconcious connection to movies because every time I went to see a movie to "get over a boy" his name always appeared somewhere in the film. For example, when I went to see The Mummy after I realized Rick wasn't really interested in me and Brendan Frasier clearly was, his character name was Rick, and one of the other characters was named Benny which was of course the name of Rick's character in Guys and Dolls (the play we were both in at the time). Okay, so I didn't really believe that, but it happened all the time, Emily can back me up on this.
28.I want to live in Europe. I'd really like a cottage in the English country side.
29.This summer I am visiting Spain, France, NYC, UT, WY, ID and a bunch of different friends in one glorious month!
30.I've sold sno cones before, in a "sno shack"

31.I've also sold Navajo tacos at a county fair.
32.Cooking and Baking are a true hobby for me-Its kind of an artistic release when I create in the kitchen.
33. I have no drawing capacity whatsoever. I don't even draw decent stick people.
34.I don't like white socks.
35.I celebrate Lent, passover, Hanukah, and a few other holidays for religous reasons in addition to the traditional Christmas, and Easter.

36.I don't really enjoy taking pictures on vacation. I want to vacate not scrapbook!
37.I love awkward things like llamas, and ducks.Probably reminds me of me.
38.I've tried keeping a dream journal, but I don't really like it. I like that dreams are fleeting. I like having a mysterious side of me, that even I don't understand.
39.I have single-handedly morphed my husband into an early bird. He falls asleep every night by ten-something he swore he'd never do. Currently is 9:55 pm and he is fast asleep.
40. Rick and I have been told that we are old people because of our sleeping and waking habits (asleep by 10 awake at 5), the music we like, and the books we read. We've been told this by friends, people older than us, and complete strangers.
41. Rick and I really want to adopt some day.
42. The first thing Rick thought about me (in a play on stage) was "man, I want to kiss that girl.." and he was holding his girlfriend's hand at the time. Ah yes, my plan worked.
43.Rick and I picked out children's names when we were dating. They have changed a bit since then, but the funny part is-we still don't have kids...yet.
44.We've lived in AZ, UT, WY, Japan, and Korea since we've been married-and plan on living in other places too...where in the world will we be next?...Arizona.
45.In college I tried to scare my best friend Emily after seeing What Lies Beneath, and my plan backfired because she asked me to sleep with her in her bedroom because she was scared (we were only 19, and I was living with their family that summer)and she woke me up at 3 am to sing her a song because she couldn't sleep...true story.
46.Ok Em-now that you are ready to kill me its only fair I tell an embarrasing one about myself, I was watching a movie by myself 2 summers ago when Rick was out of town (Disturbia) and it scared me a little so I called Emily for comfort (I don't think she knew). Word to the wise-do not watch movies about psycho serial killers in suburban America when you are by yourself in suburbia.
47.I've taught ESL for three years, and English wasn't particularly my best subject.
48.I had an English Teacher in 8th grade that was dislexic, and failed college English. But he got me more interested in English than any teacher has since.
49.I donated a box of over 100 Frankenstein Books to Mesa High English Department-why did I have that many?...well its a short boring story.
50.The best neighbors I've ever had were the Keysers. Man they were like family-except they didn't drive me nuts. I miss that apartment.

51.I pretty much hate all the poetry I've ever written.
52.I don't watch much TV in the states, but when I am in Asia I watch a ton!. For some reason I saw the majority of these shows in Korea and Japan-Alias, Battlestar galactica, Pushing Daisies, 30 Rock, The Office, Smallville, Scrubs, Heroes, Chuck, and a little of Ugly Betty.
53.I enjoy having a job and I've worked just about every kind of job you can think of. Housekeeping, daycare, food service, life guarding, teaching, secretarial, call centers, retail, and the list goes on...
54.Back in high school I borrowed a friend's shorts for some good old irrigation football-I liked them so much I just "forgot" to give them back. I still have them...Wayne Stoddard-where ever you are-thanks for the awesome running shorts.
55. Whenever I meet new people-I break the ice by asking what hollywood "characters" or actors they are attracted too. Harmless and shallow? Yes. Telling...Yes. Seriously I've had people tell me that Harvey Keital is hot! And Allan Cumming sexual. It's so funny to know what people think. Beauty truly is relative I guess. My weird one is Jeff Goldblum, what can I say...He was hot in Jurassic park and Independence Day.
56. I had a summer fling when I was 16. Not a big deal I know-but for those who know how I was in highschool-know that I didn't date anyone-so the fact that I changed my rules for a cute boy in Wyoming -is funny. Truth be told, it was totally shallow-I knew I didn't have to get serious with him, and I didn't find him all that interesting-just really attractive and fun to go water skiing, bridge jumping, hiking, and river rafting with. That was a fun two weeks.
57.The thing I miss the most about being a teenager is the friendships. I am always wondering about people-and wishing we could run into one another.
58. I love the bizarre alter world movies and novels about the young girl who creates another reality to deal with her "facing womanhood" issues-hence I love Labrynth, Mirrormask, Alice in Wonderland, OZ, Pan's labrynth (although this one also depresses me). I went through puberty early-and also enjoyed making up stories in my head.
59.I think Pineapple is the best food ever.
60. I've had my wisdom teeth out twice. You can read about it on facebook page in a note entitled "The year 17 came back to haunt me"
61.I have a quote of the day on this blog that not one person has mentioned. I mostly do it for myself-I just thought it was funny that no one noticed it up in the upper right hand corner for the last ten months.
63.I secretly wish I could have twins.
64.I have cliff dived off a 60 foot cliff. It was exhilarating, scary, and once was enough.
65.I am a complete hypocrite when it comes to drinks. I think high calorie drinks are silly because you could eat whole foods and get more fiber and more nutrients. And diet drinks might possibly be harmful to your health and the production of them is harmful to the environment. But I love smoothies, hot chocolate, pure cane sugar rootbeer, and have a diet soda from time to time. I'll give the last one up some day.
66.I love hot chocolate so much I bought a hot chocolate recipe book.
67. I used to use people's showers, or sleep in their hammocks, or on their lawn-when no one who lived there knew about it. It just seemed funny when I was a teen. My favorite was when Lance, Erica, Raymond, and me jumped into Val Vista lakes, snuck into some random party unnocticed, and then all came out of the bathroom soaking wet. Man-we got some funny looks.
68.I've never been downhill skiing before-I am scared of it.
69.For some reason, I want to try sky diving-this makes no sense after what I said in 68.
70.I love vegetables! Really, really love them. My family honestly used to fight over them at the dinner table. Rick will attest to this-he's seen us all try and get brussel sprouts before they were all gone. My mom, always told us what treats they were, and we grew up thinking it.
71.It bugs me when people say they hate vegetables. I get why-but I don't. I mean our diet is supposed to be at least 80 percent plant based. And no, I do not count corn flakes, or packaged chips, cookies, and such things as plant based simply because they have some form of corn or wheat in them.
72.I love my bike. It's blue. Its grandpa-ish. WE were made for each other.
73.I've gotten one speeding ticket in my life. It was in Japan. It was 6 km over the limit (yes that's less than 6 miles). And it was 150 dollars.
74.I've always wanted to be a nurse and I don't. The thought of helping others makes me so happy. The thought of blood, needles, and the ER make me woozy. And the thought of the american healthcare system makes me sick. WE'll.
75. My career goal is to help out an NPO or NGO someday.
76. I wanted to learn drums in the 6th grade, but my mom talked me into trying the flute first. I basically hated that, dropped it after a year, and never learned either. Failure.
77.I like the sun and getting a tan. I hate the thought of skin cancer. What do I do? Oh the dilemma!
78. I had my appendix out at age 11 by an old crochety doctor who was also a cow doctor in middle of nowhere Wyoming. The result-a hideous scar that's ridiculously long-and looks like someone took a butcher knife to me. Maybe I'll write a thriller loosely based on that surgery someday...
79.If I had to pick my favorite nail polish color or at least -the one I always choose to wear it would be OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark. It's so rich, and mysterious. Wishful thinking I guess.

80.I had an awesome aunt that talked to her pictures, gave us granny underwear in the droves that never fit (like 5 sizes to big), and kept candy around for decades. She wore wigs that she kept on faceless heads. Those things scared me to death! They reminded me of the heads on Return to Oz. I love her and miss her so much. She was always an adventure.
81.I was in a commercial once.
82.I think cinnamon is the best spice that ever happened. If the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon, you can be assured I'll put at least two.
83. I have really small ears. I had a boy yell in my ears once because he assumed my hearing wasn't very good on account of their size.
84. I also have small nostrils-while we were dating Rick asked me, "how do you pick your nose?"
85. My all-time favorite Disney movie is Robin Hood. "I like him, Hiss, he has style."
86. My favorite thing about Rick is that he is one of the most caring people I know. He cares about stuff and people.
87.If you'd have asked me where I'd be now, ten years ago-I would have never believed if you told me Korea, without a house-without a car. But I am really happy with the person I've become, and I love where I am in life-thank goodness life doesn't always turn out the way you planned.
88.I like wearing unique things together. I wouldn't say I mismatch-but sometimes I put unusual outfits together. I like to say-I have global style.

89.I seem to attract strange compliments like-"you look much prettier today" "your nose is so cute I want to bite it off" "you have a ghetto booty, in a good sense" "you have the style, right?" "I could never wear that...but it looks good on you" "you should have daughters" "you don't care what people think about you, huh?" "you're not fat anymore!" "you look nice today, what's the occasion?" "you're so awesome, I wish you were a man."
90. Potted food meat produt boggles my mind.
91. I love Jane Austen (uninteresting) but Pride and Prejudice is not my favorite novel by her which I believe is unusual for a girl.
92.I LOVE herbal tea. At home I usually have twenty different varieties.
93.I think imaginary numbers don't really exist. If they wanted them to exist they should have named them dimension X numbers, or anti-numbers. Not imaginary.
94. favorite toy-Ninja Turtle pizza shooter-turtle power!
95.Sometimes I turn around and look at the light really fast to see if I can catch it behaving like particles-but those waves are just to darn fast.
96. I've faithfully kept a journal since I was 11 years old.
97.I don't want to own a house a car. I'm not saying I never will-I just don't like the idea of being tied to those things. Owning them makes me feel owned.
98. I am eight pounds away from my goal weight. I know its not a big deal-but it's been a lot of work-and I've made it to my lowest weight that I've been in my 20's.
99. I still own a dress from 8th grade. I really should get rid of it.
100.I am truly not a competitive person. Example-Bowling is one of my favorite sports and I've never broke 100.

Teacher's Day

2009-05-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

Many of the holidays we celebrate in the United States are celebrated in Korea. And its interesting to me that of the ones we have in common they make the biggest deal out of Teacher's Day. Seriously, we've gotten a few gifts here and there on Christmas, Valentines, and their version of Thanksgiving. But nothing could have prepared us for the avalanche of gifts that came on May 15th. The teachers received about 10 or more cakes collectively. We received fruit baskets, pizza, and ice cream cake, cookies, bread, and tea. Individually we got all sorts of gifts from lotion, handkerchiefs, and passport holders, to dior makeup and bottles of wine. It was absolutely crazy! But it was nice to have so many parents think about us. My personal favorites were the notes that I got from a few of the kids. One student told me- "you are pretty because you are kind" and another told me I'd really helped her improve.

Spring Picnic

2009-05-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last week we got to do something that I think all elementaries should do-we went on a school spring picnic. We got to do this with our schools in Japan, and it was just as fun. Its a chance to get out of the classroom and play with your kids. I loved it. And the moms were nice enough to pack a really nice lunch for all the teachers. So we got surprised with kim bap (like a california roll), bottles of black bean tea, tons of fresh fruit (apples, melon, kiwi, pineapple, strawberries, and american grapes and cherries!), and fresh vegetables, and lots of little treats. We had so much fun-and this park was particularly cool because it had a bunch of local artist sculptures. This will make next month's trip to the police station seem boring.

Budget Zoo

2009-05-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

On one of our favorite TV shows, a character refers to the Pet Store as "the Budget Zoo" - - well, we found a Budget Zoo here - it is Seoul Grand Park Zoo - and it cost all of about $2.50 to get in. It's size and animal species were FAR better and broader than the Phoenix Zoo, and, like everything else in Asia, it was clean, well kept and very humane. It was located at the base of some BEAUTIFUL green mountians. It had everything from my favorite animal - llamas, to Rick's favorite (for some unknown reason) capybaras. 5 species of Bear, every kind of big cat, and pretty much everything else you could ask for from a zoo! And even a beautiful Orchid filled botanical garden. There was also lots of healthy animal/people interaction - for instance the baby lion picture was taken without a zoom. What a lucky accident we found this! - More pictures later

Milk Weed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-05-12T03:47:00.000-07:00

Milk Weed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Some more Pics of the Beautiful Bukansan Mountians

2009-05-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

These mountians make Seoul so unique - the city literally comes right to their feet - and they are amazing. We really enjoyed our hike there last week. Its serene and supprisingly well maintained, besides being the worlds most visited national park. Its dotted with beautiful, and ancient temples, castles, and fortress walls, and one could literally wander for days through the winding trails. If you ever go to Seoul, this is highly recommended.

hiking and more spring photos

2009-05-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

Swanki Hats GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-05-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Swanki Hats GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-05-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

just some more pictures from a couple of weekends ago.

more pictures

2009-04-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

Pleated Petal Tank ANTHROPOLIFICATION GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-04-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

Pleated Petal Tank ANTHROPOLIFICATION GIVEAWAY!!!!

Spring, Spring, Spring

2009-04-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Now that the sun is shining, and the flowers blooming I haven't been doing much blogging-because I've been outside playing. I find every chance I can get to get outside. So the last couple weekends we've been hiking, nature walking, shopping, and enjoying the great outdoors. More pictures tomorrow.

A really late post

2009-04-11T00:37:00.000-07:00

Rachel tagged me forever ago with a 6 things I really like-so I decided I do it.

Here are 6 things I really like right now.

1)Having a quote for every day-chosen by myself. Has anyone even noticed?

2)Spring plants in my house, outside of my house, in the mountains, in the parks...

3)watching an episode of scrubs or Chuck at the end of a long day.

4)getting the motivation to run for 8 or more miles in the morning.

5)coming up with a really great recipe

6)getting Letters, and emails, and hearing from old friends.

Feeding the fish

2009-03-22T01:32:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed feeding ducks and other pond dwelling animals in the spring. This weekend we came up with a whole new way to "feed the fish". We went to a spa where they have a little treatment called Dr.Fish. you stick your feet in a bathtub full of hungry little fish, and they come eat the dead skin off your feet. Disgusting? I thought so at the beginning-but then Rick warmed me up to the idea, and I finally tried it. It felt really weird. (You can tell how much it tickled by the picture of Rick's face when he first stuck his feet in.) But it sure made me feel cool about my vegetarianism...not only do we not eat fish-we feed them too!

Paper Crane Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-15T00:46:00.000-07:00

Paper Crane Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-03-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

So, As you know, We are primarily Kindergarten teachers - which really can be alot of fun. We love working with the kids an helping them. And they are SO smart. We teach classes that, in the states would be 5 year olds, and 6 year olds. So our boss wanted to show off how amazing her school is, so she had us put on this ridiculous, full blown graduation ceremony - it included two musicals the kids had to act in (they had to learn the songs, dances and lines), memorized science project presentations, 3-4 more musical numbers, tributes, and the actual ceremony. It was kind of ridiculous. Aileena and I thought, there is no way a bunch of 5-6 year old kids will be able to memorize all this stuff - and in English none the less! But they did - it was a lot of work, and really taxing, but in the end, the kids all memorized it and put on this huge production - and they did great. Granted, we, along with our other two English co-workers, did all of the grunt work (for instance, I had to write and make the posters for every one of their presentations - in their own voice, write the 5 year old's play, and direct it - Aileena did pretty much all the coreography and made the costumes for the 5 year old's play). It was so tiring - in addition to two straight months of rehearsals every day (with five year olds), we had to write the musicals, make the costumes, choreograph the songs....I hope I never have to do something like that again. Here are some pics of our little Einsteins at work. These are pics I took - but for lots of pics that one of the kids dad (who is a professional Photographer) took, go to this link - they are way cuter and show the day in full - just click on the caption of each photo to open a complete album. Here is Aileena applying makeup to some of the younger ones back stage before they go on.

These are two of my kids on stage doing their presentations on their countries - New Zealand and Mexico respectively.
These are the younger kids in costume waiting to go on stage and do "Scary Monster - a play written by yours truly (which truly sucked) but they were sure cute - dressed as baby forest creatures - and two scary monsters.
This is the Wizard of Oz play - the costumes were rented and they were truly awful - but the kids did a good job.
Munchkins
Tin Man (don't ask me what's up with that white furry trim)
One of our Hedgehogs
Rabbits
A Bird and Chipmunk.
And these are why we love our Job - some of our adorable kids in costume

MA in Psychology: Jungian Emphasis

2009-03-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Not news to those of you who read this blog, but I'll put it here for posterity's sake - we found out on Saturday morning (after a very long taxing wait) that we got accepted to Saybrook Graduate school for the M.A. in Psychology with a Jungian emphasis. I took a kind of stupid gamble and only applied to one school because, frankly, it was the only one I really, really wanted to go to. I really wanted a Jungian emphasis, and I really wanted a school that was holistic and integrative. Also, it was important for us both to spend at least this next year in Mesa. Saybrook fit the bill nicely. It has a unique style - most of it is online (which you can take at your own pace) but it has monthly required seminars in San Francisco on campus. It is accredited and well respected. The non-emphasis portion is basically a "design it yourself" degree so you can make sure to include all the requirements for license in the state you want to practice in. I haven't decided if I want to practice somewhere or just move straight into a doctorate program - probably I want to go to a doctorate program. In addition to practicing as a psychologist, I really want to teach at a University. Because of the unique set up of the program, I'll be able to hold a job while in school (which was another must for me, with the economy like it is) and hopefully we'll even be able to have a baby this year.

About Jungian Psychology: Jung was one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century - he came up with the theory of types, (introverted/extroverted, etc). And all those typology tests (like meyers-briggs and the color test) were based on his work. Along (but somewhat in opposition to) Freud, he defined the field of Depth Psychology. Most important for him was his concepts of Archetypes and the Collective unconscious - basically a belief that the human psyche is made up of our conscious elements as well as our unconscious elements - and that a large portion of our unconscious elements are these eternal archetypes that are shared by every human being - basically you could say they are "eternal truths" that are common to everyone. Each "Archetype" is a part of our psyche, and in order to become a psychologically complete person, one needs to bring together all aspects of one's psyche. - conscious and unconscious, dark and light, manifest and represed, male and female, etc. One needs to bring all of them together. Jung was the first modern psychologist to make the claim that the human psyche was, by nature, religious, and he famously stated, "No patient I've ever treated has been healed without coming to a religious attitude about life." For him which religion wasn't important - in fact he spoke rather harshly about Dogma and Ecclesiastical authority - what was important is that people realized the religious/mysterious/illogical nature of their souls, and came to terms with that. His work was very influential not only to psychology, but also to art history, mythological studies(Joseph Campbell), religious studies, history, philosophy, etc. Because of this wide range of influence, my previous studies in history, mythology, religious studies and philosophy are all good prep-work to get into this field. His therapy (and modern Jungian therapy) included dream recording/interpretation, art therapy (such as sand tray, painting, etc) and other creative methods of therapy. Here is the wikipedia link for more basic info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_jung

Before there were Blogs...

2009-02-28T00:02:00.000-08:00

...And other magic type technologies that have taken over the planet. Now, I am not shunning the technilogical world. I will gladly admit how wonderful its made my life. But as a child of the generation that sees the latest and greatest magically appear before they can blink an eye, its fun to reminisce about the days before there were blogs. There was...

1.Only one way to avoid people-try not to run into them. Now you have to avoid them on facebook, your cell phone, your 3 emails, your texts, blackberry or palm pilot, your blog, ....

2.People couldn't get a hold of you anywhere you were.

3.you received letters. Like hard copies.

4.When you saw someone talking to an imaginary person, you could safely assume they were crazy.

5.We talked in full sentences instead of emoticons and acronyms

6. you had that cool cord to play with while talking on the phone

7. When you asked for a person's number they wrote it down on a scrap of a paper

8.people ordered pizza on the phone

9.people owned lots of different kinds of board games

10.People could only brag about themselves and their kids in an annual Christmas letter, or at social events.

11.Nine year olds asked for the coolest new toy instead of the newest cellphone or video game.

12.People doodled on notepads when they were bored as opposed to texting or checking email.

13.Junk mail only showed up in your physical mailbox.

14.You could watch people gaze out a bus window, or get lost in thoughts at the park-instead of wondering how to surgically remove their cellphones from their ears and hands.

15.Annoying ringtones didn't exist.

16.Chain letters were something we did in elementary as a joke.

17.People carried around cash.

18.People made plans in advance. Like, "let's have lunch next Thursday at noon."

19.Children still needed their parents help for homework. Now they spend their homework time teaching Mom and Dad had to use some new electronic device.

20.You didn't have to be told before every meeting, and movie, and church gathering, and school event, and so on,- to please turn off your cell phone.

Ash Wednesday: The Start of Lent

2009-02-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

Well, Marti Gras is over, and today is the beginning of Lent - at least in Korea. Historically, Lent was a season of fasting - for a few reasons
1) to commemorate Christ's 40 day fast
2) to purify the soul in preparation for Easter celebrations
3) to ration food through the last month of winter as we are awaiting the arrival of the first spring crop. - so that we don't' starve.

All good reasons, in my opinion - therefore, I encourage you to think about, what will you give up for lent?

My personal goal is to stop saying negative things about others. I do this a lot - I'm always saying rude things about other people behind their backs - I need to get rid of that nasty little habit -and I figure this is just as good an excuse as any. I have a few more that I'm going to work on in addition.

I love the concept of spiritually preparing for the Easter season - we have this huge buildup to the Christmas Holiday, celebrated with Advent, but nothing to get us spiritually prepared for Easter. If Christmas is the time of giving and brotherly love, then Easter is the time of introspection, contemplation, and personal examination.

Happy Lent

Six Years with Stewie.

2009-02-22T13:04:00.000-08:00

This isn't a "one-up" or a "cheap second" - - I had the idea separately, but Aileena beat me to it. So I decided to do it on the day that our anniversary is in the states.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart. I'm amazed that it’s been six years already. Six scrumptious, splendid years of unspeakable splendor. I can't tell you, Stew, how stoked I was to marry you, and how special our lives have been so far.... (Side note, do any of you have any idea how hard this "s" alliteration is? Aileena is much better with words than I am!!!!)

So here's a scanty series of six stupendous aspects of our serendipitous state of matrimony. (whew!)

1) Spontaneous - It is so nice to have a girl that is literally up for anything. I'm very meticulous - given the opportunity, I'd plan anything and everything down to the last second - Aileena, on the other hand, is spontaneous - she'll happily do an about face on a pinhead, and she has some crazy ideas that lead to unspeakable adventure - we compliment each other and help each other. I know her spontaneity has added spice and unlimited excitement to what, if left to me, would have been a rather mundane life.

2) Spirited - Aileena had a spirit that can't be held down! She has passions, goals, and desires, and she is always working to achieve them. She will remain perpetually young and exciting, because she has a love for people and a love for life that won't quit. Mom Stewart said to us, "you've managed to remain newly-weds for six years!" - this is true, and it's happened because of Aileena's vivacious, sparkling outlook. It’s really a love for life in all its variety. That has led to an adventurous spirit that wants to experience life - taste all the food that she can taste, see all the sights, bask in all the aromas, and hear all the beautiful sounds that can be perceived. She loves the world and loves living in it.

3) Stalwart - For all her spontaneity, she's also unmoving. She made most of her life decisions, developed her point of view, and had strong opinions as a child that are largely unchanged to this day. She has a strong spiritual identity, and a strong physical presence. She came into this world with a highly developed, beautiful spirit, and has maintained and straightened it over the course of her life. I don't know how well I'm getting this across, but this is probably the most amazing aspect of her personality

4) Stunning - Aileena swears that she will never be "exotic" (which has always been her life's secret desire) - but I don't believe her. She's exotic and cute at the same time. The word to best describe her is “lovely”- she is a lovely person, a beautiful, unique, talented person inside and out. She's always developing her talents, old and new. She's never seen herself as an artist, but you should see what she can do with hair, make-up or food. It seems everything she touches turns into a gourmet masterpiece. She's amazing. And she continually gets more beautiful inside and out. She has a drive to develop her talents, to strengthen her strengths and conquer her weaknesses that is truly admirable. I don't care what color her hair is (which is an ever shifting thing in our lives), what style of clothes she is into, or what shoes she has on - she's one sexy, stunningly beautiful woman.

5) Sweet - I know, this is obvious, but I couldn't paint her personality without this one very special word. She is, in every sense of the meaning, sweet. She is kind and approachable. She is empathetic and loving. She is self-sacrificing and has a strong desire to serve. She truly cares about others, and is there for people. When I'm sick, she cares for me. When someone is sad, she's comforting - she's a sweet, kind hearted angel. Also, she has a sweet-tooth! - Man, this girl loves Chocolate - and not just any chocolate - the good stuff - she is always looking for the next gourmet chocolate experience to try.

6) Side-splittingly hilarious - Yesterday, Aileena commented on my sense of humor - well that was generous of her. I'm not very funny by nature - but being married to her for six years has brought out the best in me in more ways than one. And let me tell you - this girl is FUNNY - I mean hilarious - she has some of the funniest stories and anecdotes. She always finds the humor in life. And she'll do the most outrageously zany stuff - you'll wonder, where did you come from? One minute dance parties are a regular thing in our house. She takes musical comedic appreciation to the next level. And she has the beautiful Stewart trait of laughing at her stories while she's getting them out.

I truly believe that heaven is what you make of life here and now - and Aileena is a heavenly being. She lives in a nearly constant "high," experiencing things with her positive attitude and beautiful wit that most people really don't experience. She is the most wonderful spouse someone could have - and really the biggest blessing I could ever comprehend having. I love her - I love you sweetheart. I'm so glad I went to that play so many years ago and "thought you were hot." You were then, and you are now –an amazing and beautiful person, and I am so blessed to share this path with you. Happy Anniversary.

6 splendid years together!

2009-02-21T19:43:00.001-08:00

Today is our 6 year anniversary. (Its tomorrow in the states) And while my husband is out I wanted to say what a lucky gal I am to have snagged the snazziest guy I know for six superb years. He makes my life so much more meaningful and magic in so many ways. But since I don't have much time until he comes back-and its our 6th-I will thank the Lord for these six special qualities my super spouse has.

1) sense of humor- this was at the top of my "What I want to marry" list and the man just keeps getting funnier! We never stop laughing-and its the best medicine for any stressful situation. Seriously, ask him for a pun-he's always loaded.

2)sweet- My man is secure in his manhood-and still super sensitive. He understands when I freak out or have bad days. He always compliments me, even when i don't deserve it.He always up to watch my kind of movies. And he even suggested we read Sense and Sensability because its by my favorite author! How lucky can a girl get?

3)Supportive- No dream of mine is too big for Rick. He always says yes. He loves to cheer me on! He wants to be my coach, my therapist, my mentor, anything he can to help me achieve. He inspires me everyday to be a better person. Grad School-bring it on he says. Weight Loss-You can do it! He cheers. Save the planet-Let's do it together-He responds. Honestly-it amazes me what he thinks I'm capable of-There is no one more suited to helping me achieve my potential on this earth than him. May I do the same for him!

4) Spend Savvy-This man knows how to bargain and save money better than anyone. I let him be in charge for groceries for the month of Febrauary, and he successfully spent only 20 dollars a week on the two of us! Impossible! But not for him. He can save better than me (I splurged on a anniversary trip to Seoul with him). But beyond that, he's still willing to let me control the finances and helps me spend less simply by being a good example. he never chastises me-and I am the better for it. Thank you sweetheart.

5)Sexy-I know this one is totally shallow. But my husband is super handsome. He grew his hair out at my request- and has dealt with the scrutiny ever since. Be quiet you all-I think he looks fantastic! But more than that he is a beautiful human being inside and out and gets more and more attractive as we spend more of our life together. And being completely shallow-he's got some nice abs and biceps too.

6)Smart-Sometimes I feel dumb being in his presence because this man absorbs knowledge like a sponge! But he never says anything condescending to me. In fact, just the opposite. He is constantly building me up-telling me how much I have to offer. He reads like a computer disc. He conquers about 20 books a month. And he is amazing at remembering it all. May he pass all this intelligence on to our kiddies.

I love you sweetheart! Thanks for choosing me to be your wife, and for continually choosing me every day!!!

Share the love

2009-02-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

We love our earth! Its given us so much. We want to give back. And we're asking all our friends to look at our economic blog. We want your feedback, input, and ideas! Honestly-we want your opinions, and things you are doing-because then we can do more together. We are a global community-so lets work togther. Please check it out, and leave your ideas;) www.ecofamily365.blogspot.com There is a link to it on the right side of this labeled our eco blog.

Everything Old Becomes New again...

2009-02-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

So my friend Lachelle gave me this really cool beanie that was crocheted and fleece lined. I wore it lots this winter season, and it started becoming dirty, so I realized it was time to wash it. I guess they should have printed on the inside that it was hand wash only, because when It came out of the dryer it looked horrible. The two pieces were all skiwumpus(as my grandma used to say). I could have taken it apart and resewn it togther, but I decided to reivent it. I am really trying to use old things in new ways-so I decided to turn it into a purse. I had given Rick some treats for a holiday here, and the box had come wrapped with a teddy bear and pink ribbon. I reused the bear for a Christmas project, and saved the ribbon. I found the ribbon, and threaded it through the crocheted part of the beanie, and voila! A new purse in about 2 minutes. I really like it too. It goes with everything, and its small. I think I might even add some old beads to it when I get home. And speaking of trying to be environmentally concious, check out our "green" blog. http://ecofamily365.blogspot.com/

Indian Food and Ice Skating

2009-02-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had a 4 day weekend for Chinese New Year. We went to Seoul and went to our favorite Indian food restaurant here. And then we saw ice skating down town. Rick really wanted to go, but I was reluctant. I've only been one other time in my life in Salt Lake when Rick and I were engaged. But he coaxed me into it, and I didn't fall down once! And I really enjoyed myself. Plus it only cost 1 dollar for skates and everything! Rick was skating alot faster and trying tricks, so he fell down once-but is was only his second time too.

This is me concentrating very hard on the task at hand, and Rick being a goofball. Usually its the other way around, unless it involves something where I might fall on my butt.

chocolates, flowers, and books...

2009-01-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite dates is going to a bookstore. My 16 year old self might have thought that was lame, but honestly in the last few years Rick and I have really enjoyed going to Barnes and Noble or Borders-and just browsing through books and magazines. There are books on everything these days!!! Its true that you can get most of the information on the internet anymore. but there is something to be said for holding a tangible book in your hands and smelling its pages. Not to mention when you go to a bookstore you find things you would never think to look for on the internet, like World's Coolest Tree Houses- Really Cool places to travel and volunteer, and cookbooks dedicated solely to the magnificance of mushrooms. In Seoul we have found a a real gem of a bookstore-and have been known to spend over 3 hours there-Kyobo bookstore. How we love thee. Honestly the foreign section is pretty big-but it goes further than that-the selction is amazing!! Maybe the best I've ever seen-and believe me I've looked...in several places around the world. They keep their inventory low-keeping only 2 or 3 copies of each book-but the things you can find! Yesterday, we spent the day reading travel books, a book on chocolate, a book on interior design in London, France, and India, a book on simple party planning, several books the pathway to peace, a book on Buddhist philosophy, a map of Barcelona, a book about eco fashion, a book on style in the 1950s, an icon book on Audrey Hepburn and one on Ingrid Bergman, a book about movie making, one about the history of shoes, and a dictionary of vegetables. And that was just this trip-I never cease to be amazed at the wealth of knowledge out there and most of its free. We would make the hour trip out to Seoul, and the hour trip back just to go to the bookstore. Maybe Lincoln was on to something, walking all that way for a simple book.