Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Recaps and Highlights!

I've been a bbbaaaaaaddd blogger! Sowwies!
I'm on vacation/have been completely absorbed by family in the land of San Diego...oops!


Our flight from Seattle to San Diego was straight out of a horror story, and one of the worst traveling experiences ever, almost as bad as our crazy trip to D.C. but I guess it all turned out okay in the end (I don't feel like re-telling it now, maybe some other time, haha)


But anyway, here's a quick recap of my Christmas...


Dec. 24, 2009 Christmas Eve:
9am Breakfast made by Chris (my brother-in-law) Esh...homestyle potatoes, poached eggs, & english muffins [dddeeelliiiccciiiooouuussss!]

12pm Lunch at Chilies with Kyle's grand-pa, mommy, Kaleb, Uncle Steve, Trevor, & Trevor's friend

2pm Last minute shopping at Mission Valley

4pm Early dinner at Kyle's Auntie B's house with B, Uncle Bob, the cousins & girlfriends, mommy & brother

6pm Dinner with my family at my parent's house, followed by playing the Wii and wrapping presents

12am Midnight Mass, and then home again to sleep!



December 25th, 2009 Christmas Day:
9am Kyle's Mom's house for present opening! [She got me a lovely ivory sweater and some pretty black earrings, in addition to the mass amounts of candy in the little stocking she got me, and some fuzzy socks from his grandma!]

12pm Back to my house for more present opening! [I got lots of long sleeve shirts, sweaters, a jacket, an ansel adams book, a necklace, oh, and a DSLR (!!!!! I know, right?!) from Kyle!!]

4pm Early Dinner at Kyle's Grandmother's house with Uncle Dean & his sons, Kyle's mommy & Kaleb, and of course Roy.

5pm Dinner at the Esh house (Chris' family) for the rest of the night.

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So basically, Christmas was spent running around, haha, hectic but fun. :)


Some other highlights:
Seeing Sarah Dozier the first Friday we were in SD :) I didn't get to see her for an extraordinary long time, just a few hours, but it was so very well worth it! We made bread sticks for lunch and caught up on life, which was wonderful!

Seeing Claire Friday night :) She had crazy stories from England, we even got to Skype with her BF which was nice! We played some games, Michael was also there, he even watched us play a round of beer pong (we lost horribly to Team Matt(s) because they...they're...just too good...) It was a fun little get-together :)

Helping my mom build the guest bed was fun (hah) it was last Sunday when the Chargers were playing, so in order to avoid traffic, we went to the Costco by Grossmont Center...but they didn't have the mattress in the right size! So we ended up driving to the Mission Valley one, and making it JUST in time! They literally shut the front door as my mom ran in at 5:59pm. Later that night we went to Sipz with Sondra, hehe :D

Dinner at Sultan Banoo ...great Persian food in University Heights! nom nom nom!

Playing with my DSLR! I've been taking amazing pictures :D

Watching Avatar! The movie was amazing, we saw it in 3-D and made it JUST in time! Highly Recommended!

Family Game Night was also fun! We played Scattergories! Haha...my family's a little too competitive, but we all had fun in the end :)

Monday, December 14, 2009

Avoidance

 I am avoiding studying for my finals...luckily there are only 2 left...unluckily, I lack the motivation to crack open the books and try to learn. Sigh...this always happens, I enjoy learning, and I usually like my classes, however, the last week or two is just dreadful because I'm so full to the brim with stuff I've learned, and it's at this point my apathy and impatience kicks in. 

I'd rather just eat my home made cookies and watch Christmas movies.

On the same note of avoidance, I'm awfully indecisive about what to get Kyle for Christmas...I've got a few present ideas, two of them that I'm really between...one of them being ridiculous/funny/kind of a joke/practical...and the other being something he's mentioned he likes/would want/useful/I think he'd really enjoy having. Sigh...or I could just get him a bunch of small things, there are a handful of movies I know he'd enjoy having...or I could get him a signed copy of a first edition book by his favorite author. There are endless possibilities! The worst part being that he's the person who's opinion I rely on on a daily basis! I just want to ask him what he'd rather me get him, because in the end, I just want to make him happy! Sigh...

Aside from this being the most stressful of the presents I'm thinking about getting people...I've still got quite a bit of shopping to do...and I guess I'm just going to have to do that when I get into San Diego, I'm not really sure how we're going to pack all the presents we've already gotten plus clothes! haha...The bright side is I bought a few things online, and just had them shipped to my parent's house :)

I really can't wait to be back in San Diego! All my best friends will be home, and it's been forever since I've seen the extra important ones (Sarah!! Claire! Sanya!) so I will be tackling them the second I get a chance! I love the holiday season! And spending time with all the people I care about! :) Linda and Chris are managing to make it down for Christmas after all, so I'm incredibly excited to see them too! (The slight downside being that the only reason they're coming down is because Linda doesn't have to work the day after Christmas because she lost her job...however, she hated her boss and has been planning on leaving for quite some time now! So good for her! Now she can find a job she really enjoys where they really appreciate her!)

I've fallen into a weird sleeping pattern, slightly off than my normal sleeping pattern...it's kind of weird/upsetting...the problem, I think, is that for the past 2 weeks or so I've had coffee everyday because we bought awesome cinnamon bun dairy free creamer (which I'm addicted to)...but the past few days I've been too lazy to make coffee, so I think I'm a little out of sync. Sigh...anyway, I should try to sleep. Today is Kyle and I's 18 month anniversary, lol, so I'm going to surprise him with a nice dinner, and a little present :)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies!


Ingredients:
1/2 cup of margarine (or butter)
1 cup of peanut butter (I did half chunky half creamy)
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
2 eggs (or the equivalent in egg replacers) 
2 tablespoons water
2-3 tablespoons soymilk or milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup of flour 
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
chocolate chips (i didn't measure, I just eyeballed it)

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the water, soymilk, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Add chocolate chips. Drop the 
  3. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Baby It's Cold Outside...



BBrrrr...it's been record lows the past few days up here in the Emerald City. There's ice on the ground, and a snow storm heading towards us this weekend!

It's a good thing our heater doesn't work...oh wait. hah, sigh...on the bright side, if we close the bathroom door&bedroom door, the central part of our apartment stays a lot warmer! The downside being going to the bathroom is like going to the bathroom in your refrigerator. And we've been avoiding the arctic circle (the bedroom) and sleeping out here on the sofa bed because it's warm from us sitting on it all day, and this is where the warm blankets are.

I think I'm going to bake cookies to warm up the house and add a bit of delicious joy into our lives, hehe! :) I've been bent on baking ever since some neighbors came and borrowed some flour & sugar from us yesterday...Kyle answered the door in pink flannel PJs (hahaha, his pjs were dirty, so I let him borrow mine) they were 2 teenage girls, hahaha :D don't tell him I told you about that...but anyway, I'm going to go bake up a storm! I'll post pictures of the creations later :)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Getting into the Holiday Spirit!


We bought our little Christmas tree on Sunday and got it all dolled up in ornaments and bows...and our initial ornaments at the top :)

It's really been feeling like winter-time up here! It's been in/around 20-30 degrees the past few days...and on our walk to the grocery store this morning, there was frost on the grass and all the puddles were frozen! It is chilly!! Brrr...
But we keep warm, drinking warm apple cider, hot teas, silk nog, and coffee [with holiday flavored creamers like cinnamon bun & carmel apple & peppermint] :)

We went Christmas shopping yesterday, and I bought a few gifts! Today I sent out some holiday cards to friends and family :)

I love this season!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Jamie Bean and Drew Drop

I didn't mention an important part of my trip to San Diego in my other post, so here's a little secret for you: there are two little boys who stole my heart well over a year ago, and still have a giant hunk of it to this day...the secret is that I hope they keep it forever.


Jamie Bean and Drew Drop I call them affectionately...they are the most darling, trouble-making, intelligent little boys I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I hope we'll always stay friends...and to be quite honest, being around them makes me want to have baby boys...though I know I'd love baby girls too...haha.


Though their professions change often, last time I saw them, they were mutants, they are now currently spies, well, Drew was a cowboy spy...they'll always be my 'lil monsters :)

Saturday, December 5, 2009

In need of Inspiration

I'm currently suffering from a lack of inspiration. I don't really know what triggered it, but I just realized that I am quite restless. I need to do something...make something...feel something. But I don't know what.

I'm just aimlessly wandering around in an empty room, and I don't know how long I've been here.
I think the remedy is going out and stretching my legs...it's a nice sunny day out, though still a bit chilly, 32 degrees or so. 


Maybe what I need is snow!




I know the mountains are full of snow right now...wouldn't that be refreshing? That sounds nice, doesn't it? A day in the snow :)


I just need to get out of this funk. It drifts in and out of my days, and I can't pin point it's source. I'm happy with where I live, who I'm living with (who I love dearly!)...what I eat...I think it's what I do to be honest. This whole not working thing/lack of productivity is really getting to me. I actually look forward to doing work for school...or cleaning! Sigh. I guess that's the problem. Trying to find a job while having made promises to go home for the holidays is tough work. No one wants someone who immediately wants loads of time off...especially because most people are hiring FOR the holidays! I'll feel better once I have work to do :)



Maybe I'll busy myself with a bit of creativity... but for that I need to buy a hot glue gun! And some string...

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane

I'm currently flying through the skies at an altitude of 38014 feet with 411 miles to travel. I hate to sound like an ad, but I am currently loving Virgin America Airline. Their free wifi and interactive built-in screens is way too cool. Our flight from San Diego to San Francisco was a couple of episodes of South Park and some snippets of CNN during commercials. The seats are comfortable, the lights are blue/purple which provide enough light to see and aren't over bearing. I like this. Now if only they served a snack of some sort, they'd be perfect! Peanuts, Pretzels, I don't really care, just something to munch on...


I'm currently over stuffed, so I don't really mind, my stomach actually kind of hurts, but it might just be the food baby kicking :/ I had an egg salad sandwhich and some hummus and pita for dinner, and half of a giant chocolate chip cookie for dessert. I am stuffed to the brim!


On the bright side, I stumbled across the 500 days of Summer soundtrack, and found out that She & Him cover "Please, Please, Please Let me Get What I Want" and it's very well done: Zooey's voice is pleasant, the guitars and music are well done! :) It made me smile quite a bit, and reminded me of Sanya, who I unfortunately didn't see during this break :( However, we've made plans to reunite over Winter break, which is good, 'cause I miss that little Cambodian!


So, I've been a bad blogger because we've been in San Diego the past few days, and quite busy! Our Thanksgivings were good (for the most part)! I made 2 delicious Vegetable Pot Pies, one as a contribution to Kyle's Mom's Thanksgiving, and the other to my Mom's! We went over to Kyle's relatively early, though we might have been 30 minutes late...maybe. This is the first Thanksgiving that I realized that most other families have Thanksgiving pretty early, my family, however, is lucky if we eat around 6pm! Though the norm is around 8pm! We saw relatives from both of our families, and there was a lot of Wii playing, as well as a lot of the same questions. "How's Seattle?!" "Do you like it?" "Does it rain a lot?" "Do you have jobs yet?" "How's school going?" I should have thought ahead and made note cards with the frequently asked questions and their answers and passed them around the table! haha :)