Top ten things that have happened lately

1. I threw a baby shower for my good friend Chelsey. It was a fun shower. I should say reunion because most of the people were in our ward and now most of us have moved away. Out of the 15 people there 13 of them have kids, and there were at least 8 babies there. Chelsey is due November 7th and I keep hoping he'll be 3 days early and come November 4th. 

2. Ja has started making mini movies for his accounting honors society, BAP. You can check them out on our Web Gallery (the link is on the right side of the blog). He's very creative and everyone loves them. He'll be making a few more soon. The next ones are going to be modeled after the Ali G videos, and the Mac vs. PC commercials.

3. Grandma has been telling us so many stories from her life. Tonight we found out she used to live on an Indian Reservation for a little while. Her and her mom were afraid of the Indians and didn't like being near them. One day Grandma went to the store and there were Indians inside. The Indians knew she was afraid of them so they locked her in a room. She was screaming her head off until her brother came to save her.

4. I'm still working at Costume Craze. It's getting really crazy since October started today. It's not a horrible job yet, most people are still pretty nice and reasonable on the phone. But there are still those crazy maniacs who yell and swear at you.

5. Ja got a calling in the ward, he now plays the piano in Elder's Quorum. He thought he was asked to only play once, then they called him to the calling in Elder's Quorum. He's glad he has an extra week to practice his hymns this week. 

6. The other day Ja was walking home from school and caught Grandma watering the plants outside. He asked her what she was doing, then she dropped the hose and pretended she wasn't doing anything. 

7. I planned a visit back home in November. I somehow had enough points on Southwest to get a free flight, but it had to be used by December 3rd. Since my job is over October 31st I planned a trip after. I'm really excited to go home!

8. Ja has been home so much lately! It's the greatest thing. We actually had time to watch a movie Monday night. This semester is so much more fun than last semester. 

9. Ja has 2 more interviews for a new position he wants at PwC. It's for the People and Change division and he would be doing more advisory than auditing. The first one went well, and the man told him they are trying to hire more BYU students on their team. If he gets this job we wouldn't be moving to Virginia until June, so CA here we come!

10. Last week we enjoyed some free dinners thanks to the PwC. Wednesday we had dinner at the Marriott hotel. It was one of their recruiting dinners and Ja and I felt so great that he was wearing a PwC name tag instead of just a BYU name tag. Thursday a partner from the Washington D.C. office took all the summer interns to Tucano's for dinner. That place is a nice expensive place with really good food so it's nice when someone else pays for it.

And that's it for now! 

It's been awhile

Some of you may be worried about us since we haven't posted anything in awhile. Don't worry anymore, we are doing great. I think Ja has already been home more this semester than all of last year combined. Even though he has 8 more credits this semester than last, the classes are much less involved. I enjoy it very much because now we can have dinner together every night and I don't have to go to bed alone. We have started a work-out routine together as well. We go to BYU to swim Monday and Wednesday nights and we are really liking it. If you want to start swimming make sure and get good goggles, they are very worth it. Speaking of swimming, the life guards had this cartoon on their door and I thought it was pretty funny. 

 I guess he has been fast his whole life. 

We've also had fun trying to use all of the tomatoes and peaches we have. I don't really like tomatoes so it's been difficult to eat them. But we've managed. We have salads often, give some away, and make salsa. The peaches are much easier to eat. They are sooo good. We will be making homemade peach ice cream tomorrow and we've had peaches at dinner quite often. There is no beating home grown fruit and vegetables. The grocery store can't even compare. Grandma Winder has inspired me to do many things and having a garden and some fruit trees is one of them. 

I have really enjoyed not having homework to do. I get home from work at either 5 or 5:30, start on dinner right away, eat, then clean up. I would hate so have to start on homework after all of that. Instead I've been scrapbooking and having fun doing whatever I like. I have videos to share since I have some time on my hands. I think they are genius. You can check them out here on youtube. Until next time, Go Cougars!!

I'm working again

After 4 1/2 months of unemployment I am finally working again. Kelly Services actually called me with work that I wouldn't mind doing. I'll be doing customer service for an online company called Costume Craze. They sell all sorts of costumes and, of course, Halloween is their busy time. So 4 of us were hired to help with all the calls that customer's have about shipping, sizing, etc. It's not that great of a job, but it's full-time and even if it's horrible at least it's only until Halloween. Today was my first day of training and listening to real calls. It's funny how costumes attract a certain personality type, a little weird type. You can just imagine who is really buying the sexy school girl outfits, and no it's not Britney Spears. I bet I'll have some good laughs with this job. They do have 1000's of costumes of all types so if you need any, you know who to call. They ship all over the world in case you need it. 

For those of you who didn't know...

Ja was offered a job at PwC in the Washington Metro area. We were really excited to get the offer and look forward to going back to Virginia!

The Drive from Virginia to Utah

On August 25th we started our drive back to Utah. Our drive was much shorter home than on our way out to VA. We were told that we should eat at Cracker Barrel on our trip, so we did, everyday. We went once, had a great meal then said we would continue to eat at Cracker Barrel until we had a bad meal. We were still eating there on the last day. It's a great thing those restaurants are all over the country. Check here to see where the closest location is to you!

 Our first sight seeing stop was at Adam-ondi-Aham in Missouri. This is the view from there. 

From there we drove to Far West, MO and saw the temple site there. The 4 corner stones were laid but that was all. Each corner stone was laid in representation of either the lesser priesthood, the higher priesthood, the First Presidency, and the High Council. Here is a picture of the temple site and one corner stone. 

On our way down to Independence, MO we stopped at Haun's Mill and David Whitmer's grave site, and Liberty Jail. Liberty Jail was very humbling because you can see the horrible place Joseph Smith and others had to live. The men couldn't stand up straight because the ceiling was so low. It was cold and dark, and the men were given contaminated food to eat. We didn't take any pictures but you can see one here.

In Independence we visited the Visitor's Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We also visited the site of the future Independence, Missouri temple. 

Our next fun stop was in Amarillo, Texas. We didn't know it would be fun until we went out to dinner at a Texas steak house. We couldn't help ourselves and had to take a picture of the outside. 

Inside there were all sorts of stuffed animal heads, steer horns, and lots of cowboy hats. All the waiters and waitresses wore cowboy gear. There were 3 old men walking from table to table singing and playing the guitar, fiddle, and stand-up bass. It was so funny. We loved eating there. Oh, and the food was pretty good too.  

Our next scheduled fun stop was the Grand Canyon. We were both blown away by the natural beauty of the canyon. We had just been touring beautiful man-made buildings in Europe, so it was amazing to see something so beautiful God created. We loved the warm clean air, the lack of any noise, and the smell of dirt and pine trees. We drove in right before sunset and took some great pictures.

The next morning we got up early and toured more of the South Rim. We saw what we could then decided to go back to the Grand Canyon when we would hike down to the bottom and raft down the river.

We drove through Page, Arizona and Ja just had to touch Lake Powell, the lake of his childhood. So we stopped in for lunch and Ja got in the water. 

From  there it was onward to Provo! We were getting so anxious to get to our final destination and to stop driving! We made it into Provo with no harm or accident for the whole summer. With all the driving and flying we did, we are really lucky. We are excited to spend the next 4 months in Provo until we are off again! 

Our Europe Trip

I wanted to let everyone know that our pictures of our Europe trip are posted here. I have each country in a different section. I'll write more about the trip later when I have more time. We had a great time seeing all the sights, and eating great food. 

More of Stacie & Randy

Here is a picture of Stacie & Randy walking out of the temple. Don't they look so happy?

Here is their cake which I thought was awesome. 

 A few pictures for those interested...

Bluhd

Here is a funny video my friend had on her blog that I wanted to share. Little kids are so cute!

Potomac River

Let's say you want to rent a canoe and travel down the Potomac River, can you do it here? Of course you can! And it's really easy. Ja and I drove about 15 minutes away to a little dock on the river, told them we wanted a canoe they gave us one, then we were off. We paddled (Ja did most of the work paddling. I paddled too, but he is much stronger.) We were having a great time enjoying the water when, just around the river bend, there was the Washington Monument. It was really cool! Once again I forgot my camera so we'll have to do it again so we can take pictures. That experience made me more excited to live in this area.

Apartment shopping has also made me more excited to come back here and live. I was a little weary of moving into another apartment, but here they are so much better than in Provo! They actually have square footage. I don't think our apartment in Provo would make it on the scale. Apartments also have dishwashers, washer and dryers, pools, fitness centers, balcony's, and walk-in closets. I'm excited for all of those things. I checked out 16 apartments in the area and made up my final 4 list. Ja hasn't seen any so we will pick "the one" later. Hopefully "the one" is available when we need it. 

1. The Ashby at McLean. Floorplan E. $1464/month. It's wouldn't be renovated, so the kitchen wouldn't be as nice as in the pictures, but it's still nice. The hallways don't stink like most places I went. 

2. Tysons Glen Apartments. The Dogwood floorplan. $1480/month. This one is renovated so the kitchen is as nice as the pictures. It has a spot for washing your car too. I thought that was an added bonus. The staff was really nice here. 

3. Fairfield Crossing. The Birch, Red Oak, or Oak floorplans. $1415-1505. This apartment is the farthest away to Tysons Corner which is why we would be able to afford a two bedroom. The W/D is in the kitchen which is a little weird. Multiple huge closets. They pay gas for cooking and hot water and sewage, but we pay $15/month for trash so it equals out. 

4. Peachtree of McLean. The 960 sp ft. floorplan.$1610/month. This one is too expensive for us, but I really liked it so I kept it on the list. I couldn't stand to throw it out. The staff was nice, the amenities are really nice, the kitchen is nice, and it has a breakfast room. But we probably won't be moving here.

Take a look if you're bored and give us your feedback!

Guns, Bells, Bikes, and Food

Top 10 things that happened lately:

1. On Saturday Ja took a 55 mile bike ride down to Mount Vernon. He wasn't planning on going that far, but got halfway and talked himself into it. He's been wanting to make that ride all summer so I'm glad he did because our time here is almost over. 

2. I've started looking for apartments in the area. It's making me more excited to live here. Every apartment has a dishwasher, most have washer/dryer in the apartment, all have some kind of outdoor living space, and much more space than we had in Provo. Now if we can talk PwC into paying Ja enough so we can live here...

3. Saturday night Ja and I went to Arlington Cemetery. We talked the mile and a half uphill very quickly to see the next Changing of the Guard ceremony. I couldn't understand anything that was being said because it was in military commands but it was still cool. I have no idea why the tomb of the unknown soldier is protected that like. Does anyone know?

4. Brigham called his dad a bad parent. To see the story click here.

5. After the Cemetery we walked over to the Carillon Bell Tower for a little concert. In the summer, every Saturday night a different person plays the bells. On those nights you can walk to the top of the tower and see the person playing the bells. It's an amazing view from the top. The park ranger said it's the best view of DC because there's no line like there is at the Washington Monument. There is also a huge lawn around it so it would make a great place to have a picnic. We climbed to the top and were really glad we did. You can see the Potomac, Washington monument, Capital, and everything in between. The Arlington Cemetery is on your right side too. Jacob and Brigham were able to play a bell. The guy playing the bells was really nice. He even knew about the bell tower at BYU. The bell tower was a gift from the Netherlands to show their friendship. It's a hidden jewel in DC.

6. We watched Mission Impossible III and I had to leave for few minutes because it was too intense. I felt like I could never breathe. Now Greg isn't going to let me forget that I left. 

7. Friday night we enjoyed Bumbleberry Swirl custard from Nielson's Custard. That place is sooo good. 

8. Sunday was Heather's b-day so we had dinner with everyone. It was such a great dinner. Heather made a delicious paella, Trevor made a really really good angel food cake, Holly made a great Spanish Tortilla. 

9. I learned that my mother-in-law got so tired of her rowdy kids one day that she checked into a hotel for a night. I'm sure my mom thought about doing that with us too. 

10. My good friend April had her twin girls! She went from one kid to three in no time. 

This is Ja's last week in his internship. On Friday we should receive the information that will help us plan the next few years of our life!

Randy's & Stacie's Wedding

On July 19, 2008 my sister was married to Randy. They got married in the Newport Beach temple on a beautiful day. Ja was able to make it to California for the wedding, which I was very happy to have him back with me. Jill, Danielle, and I were the bridesmaids and we got to wear pretty pink dresses. After looking at the pictures I realized that we all did look nice in that color pink. Here is the only picture we have on our camera worth sharing of the temple, so it's a good think I really like the picture. 

The luncheon was at Island's in Newport. We had a good lunch visiting with people. 

The reception was at Randy's house and it was a really fun party.

 It's stressful planning a party and setting up for it, but everything looked great. The food was good and the cake was awesome. It was a "Stacie cake." It was an "Ace of Cakes" style wedding cake- if you've ever seen that show. It had pink and orange fondant on it

 and the cake layers were leaning in different directions. We all had a great time visiting with old friends and family. Here is Randy checking out the music before the Reception.

Ja and I had the pleasure of taking the newly weds to the airport so they could leave for their honeymoon. (No, it wasn't awkward at all.) Stacie didn't know where she was going on the honeymoon, and neither did any of us. I found out that they are now in Mexico enjoying the sunny beaches. Ja and I left the next morning for Virginia with our nephew Luc. It was a good flight on Jetblue. I was exhausted from all the festivities and slept in until 10:30 the next day. 

I had a lot of fun spending all that time with my family. We miss them all and look forward to seeing them again. I'm really looking forward to being in Provo with Stacie and Randy in the fall! I finally get to live by some of my family!

My trip home to California

Since my sister was getting married I decided to go home a week before the wedding and help with wedding plans. I was really glad I was able to go home because I had a really fun time. I was able to spend a lot of time with the whole family, and even Randy's family too. While most of my time was spent doing wedding things I was able to get a few fun things in too. 

Stacie went through the temple for the first time on Friday so a lot of our family was able to be there with her. A lot of Randy's family was there too. It was really nice to be there with everyone. I had a lot of family support when I went through for the first time, but I was so overwhelmed that I didn't appreciate it, but now I am glad to have family that love and support me. Stacie, Randy, my mom, and I went to the temple again on Saturday so Stacie could feel more comfortable going on her own.

On Monday Stacie and I were treated to our first ever professional massages. It was fun to walk around a day spa in a robe. We put our feet in the hot tub, felt like we were suffocating in the steam room and enjoyed a 50 minute body massage. I definitely recommend it!

Then on Wednesday Stacie and Randy went to San Diego for the day so Kenny, Jill and I decided to have some fun of our own. We went down to trusted Newport Beach. We brought crab catching things so Kenny could catch crabs on the rocks. He's really good at catching the little things and was a favorite among the little kids.

 So many kids came over to our hole in the sand admiring the crabs. After Kenny took the crabs back to their home, he decided he wanted the little kids to bury him in the hole. That was a funny sight to see as well. Some of the kids were betting on how long it would take Kenny to get out of the hole.

While we were on the rocks someone put a starfish in our bucket. We didn't want to pry the starfish off the rocks because it's mean, but since someone did it already we had to take a picture with the little guy. There were quite a few starfish that day and sea urchins. 

On Thursday Stacie, Jill, Mom, and I all went to get pedicures and manicures for the wedding. That was fun to be with them all. We all looked very fancy afterwards, Stacie being the fanciest of all. After that we went to the park with the Olsons, Williams, and G&G Seymour for pie. We were celebrating Grandpa's birthday the next day. 

Friday was spent trying to get last minute things done for the wedding. There was a little problem with the centerpiece flowers but a good friend came over to save the day. All was well with the centerpieces and they turned out beautifully. 

Where we should live poll

Four of you said Arlington, is that because that's the only place you've heard of? Three of you said other but I've only gotten one suggestion for Cambodia. Can you guess who that's from? I'm waiting for the other two suggestions...

Caleb's Bedroom

Caleb, who is a boy, was living in a bright pink bedroom. Ja and I knew our nephew couldn't be living in a pink world anymore so we decided we would paint it while Greg & Holly were on vacation for a week. While Ja was at work I got to work. It took me three days to finish the project. Holly talked about painting the room a light green so I had that for direction. There is a band of cork board on one wall so I decided to incorporate that by painting it blue and having a blue band all around the room. Here is a picture of the pink.

Now it's primered.

Here's the blue band. I should have painted everything green and then painted the blue on top. Now I know for next time. 

Finished product. 

Holly was really surprised to see the room. Over her vacation she had a dream we painted her house. I thought that was a little scary. I was worried she wouldn't like the outcome, but she did. Caleb crawled up the stairs to his room so I take that as him liking it too. I was really glad I could do this for them.  

Independence Day 2008

I really enjoy the 4th of July so I wanted to spend it doing something worthwhile. I thought it would be fun to go to the National Mall to see the firework show. We heard you had to get there early to pick out a good spot to sit. We didn't really know what early meant. It opens at 10 a.m. so does that mean we have to get there at 9 a.m.? Or is 5 p.m. early enough? We ended getting there at around noon and it seemed really crowded because a parade was about to start. We were a little worried at the large mass of people. It was misleading though because as soon as we made it to the Washington Monument there was no one there! We decided to sit on the top of the hill in front of the Washington, facing Lincoln. 

The clouds disappeared right when we arrived so we were really hot. We laid on our blankets for awhile, Ja even fell asleep. I think he was dreaming about chickens. We played a few games of cards to pass the time.

We were so hot we almost called it quits and went home. We decided that it would be all right to leave our blankets and find shade since there was hardly anyone there. Once we found shade and ice cream we felt much better. We poured water on our heads and feet. I wanted to pour some on my back but the water came out faster than I thought so it looked like I sweated all down my back. I was pretty embarrassed. It started to rain pretty hard so we were really cooled down by that. Ja was getting soaked because I was using the only umbrella. A nice guy next to us let Ja borrow one of his. I was glad the guy did because I was starting to feel guilty.

We were joined by some family friends from CA; Don, Gretta, and Lilyanna. A few hours later were were joined by Trevor, Heather & fam, friends from the ward, and eventually Matt & Cassidy. Here is our group. 

It rained a few more times unfortunately. Trevor brought a little tent that most of the kids found shelter in. The rest of us fended for ourselves under umbrellas. Luc was playing in Trevor's hiking backpack and said he was a hot dog. I asked him to make a hot dog face and this is what I got.  

I was really glad the firework show still happened even through the sprinkling rain. It was a really good show. They had some of the coolest fireworks I've ever seen. Here are a few pictues that turned out. 

Getting home was the hardest part because 1,000's of people are all trying to get home on the metro. We went to our stop but it was absolutely packed and no one was moving. Jen, from our group, decided we should go one stop further away from where we got off. This was genius because we walked right on the metro and even got to sit down. I think that is the secret to getting home. 

Overall we had a fun time. We didn't need to get there any earlier than 4 p.m., you could even come at 5 and still get a good spot. Oh well, Ja and I spent some quality time together. We say this was a one time event, but we said that about the Rose Parade and we've gone 4 times now. At least we know what to expect next time.