Shums

This little piggy...

2009-10-23T12:31:00.002-06:00

A couple weeks ago, Michael decided to get really really sick and within a few days Ben got whatever he had so we took him to the doctors. The doctors tested him for the flu and it came back as Influenza Type "A", which the doctor said was pretty much swine flu. So they were ordered to stay home (Ben got to miss a week of classes) and was told they were contagious for about a week. I was sooo excited when their week was almost up that I hadn't gotten what they did... turns out I was wrong. I got really really sick on the 21st. It hits you like a wall of bricks, I went to work at 6 AM and was totally fine, but at about 7:30AM I had to go home. When I got home I started puking my guts out, I couldn't even hold down water! As it got later, I got worse, so my mom made Michael take me to the doctors. I couldn't even sit up for longer than 5 sec! I felt like I would pass out.
Anyways, the doctor said I was extremely dehydrated, oxygen level was low, and heart rate really high so he admitted me to AF Hospital. The joys of the hospital... the nurses tried to draw my blood and failed miserably! They tried about 10 times before they decided they would wait until I was more hydrated so my blood wasn't so thick and difficult to draw... I felt miserable all night, but finally caught a break later that morning. They finally discharged me the next day and said I probably had the swine flu and some crazy nasty stomach virus. Ugh... all that for nothing... can't wait for my stupid hospital bill!!!

My first IV.... never want to do that again...

My lovely arm, after 10+ pokes from the great nurses of AF Hospital...

New Purchase!!!

2009-09-16T11:28:00.004-06:00

So... Michael and I decided it was time for another new purchase... hehehe. I think we've come to realize that we're quite the shopaholics! :) Anyways, Michael and I decided to buy a camera/videocamera. We just pre-ordered it today and hopefully it will come out soon! Michael said that he wanted to make a movie and this was the camera/videocamera to get... so here we are! We're definitely excited!

Camping Trip #2

2009-09-05T23:34:00.000-06:00

During the Labor Day Weekend, Michael and I decided to go camping again with Ben and Toby. We went up to Hobble Creek and were planning on staying there for a few days, but it started to rain, so in record time, we took down the campsite and headed home... It was still a fun trip, we just wished we could have stayed a little longer! :)

(Pictures coming soon...)

ICL Surgery

2009-08-17T12:57:00.009-06:00

Here are the videos... Not for those with a weak stomach!

Video Part 1:

Video Part 2:

Video Part 3:

Video Part 4:

Michael's New "Haircut"

2009-08-15T23:19:00.001-06:00

Michael and I had a deal... I would get my eye surgery and he would get a new "haircut". Actually, it turned out to be more than just a haircut... it was a whole head shave! I can't believe I let him talk me into this... I'm still getting used to it... kinda reminds me of all the officers I work with... dunno if that's a good thing......

Before.....

During.....

Looks kinda like a cow tongue.... :)

After....

I'm slowly getting used to it.

Eye Surgery

2009-08-11T22:26:00.002-06:00

I'm finally getting my eye surgery done!!! I was sooo excited and nervous, I was up at 5AM... for me that is extremely extremely early!!! So, we go to the doctor's office and the technician pulls Michael and me aside and tells us that my lenses are in California! Somehow, the company that ships and makes these lenses put on the wrong shipping label and sent it to California! I was completely bummed out. Then she went on and said that they are getting a sales rep in California to pick up my lenses and then fly to Salt Lake City on a Delta flight. Well, they didn't arrive in Utah until 3:30PM so I had to go back up to Salt Lake at 4PM for the surgery. By then I was sooo nervous I was shaking! The surgery took about 30 min to an hour and I was out. I felt like crap when I finally got up, but amazingly I was already starting to see!!! I was sooo excited! The surgeon and nurses were all really nice and stayed late to make sure I got my surgery done today and were really good during the entire procedure! They did a few tests to make sure everything was good and then checked my eyes. I was seeing 20/15 just hours after my surgery!!! It was pretty cool, even with astigmatism!

As I laid in bed that night, I started to become really emotional! It was incredible that I could see without glasses or contacts! I haven't been able to do that since I was in the first grade!!! Absolutely incredible. It was a very humbling experience and I'm still trying to get used to it!

Pictures and videos to come soon.....

Summit Park Lot

2009-08-05T08:13:00.001-06:00

A couple weeks ago, Michael found a really cool lot up in Summit Park, Park City. We made an offer, actually we made a few offers, but the seller was really uncooperative and hard to get a hold of that we decided to finally give up and look at other property. We were pretty disappointed, but felt good about our decision.

This would have been the view from the back of our property..... :(

Hanging out while Michael decided to hike down the property

The road up to the lot.

Camping Trip

2009-07-19T08:17:00.004-06:00

After our Indiana trip, we decided to go camping for a few days in the Wasatch National Forest. It was actually a lot more fun than I thought we would have. We got there Friday afternoon and set up camp. Then sort of lounged around the campfire until bedtime! The next day, Michael and Ben wanted to take Toby exploring... so we went around the other campsites with Toby in tow. Michael remembered when reserving our campsite that the Provo River was not supposed to be too far from camp, so we set off looking for it. Toby had a blast! We finally found it and stayed in the river for about an hour before heading back. Then we made and painted some camouflaged dart guns. It's crazy how time flies when you aren't paying attention to it, or don't have a clock to remind you of the time... before we knew it, it was time for dinner and the campfire again! We stayed up playing cards and talking and then left for home the next day. Hopefully, we can do this again sometime this year before the summer's over!

Our sweet tent!

Ben grilling some hot dogs.

Toby wishing he could eat the hot dogs...

Spray painting our camouflage dart guns.

Some of the final products...

Guarding camp.

Michael's bow and arrow that he found.....

The campsite was absolutely gorgeous... we were even able to see some moose walking through!

Trip home...

2009-07-14T08:00:00.001-06:00

On our trip home, we decided to stop at Chicago. It was one of our favorite cities by far. Kinda cloudy, but still awesome!

Next Stop: Kansas again.... no pictures needed!

Next Stop: Iowa. We actually hit a HUGE storm coming home through Iowa and Nebraska. It was really cool when the lightening struck... it pretty much lighted up the whole sky! Kinda scary...

Next Stop: Nebraska. It was raining soooo hard, we couldn't take any pictures and we actually had to stop because we could no longer see the road!!! Crazy!

Next Stop: Wyoming. Bleh... no pictures necessary either... nothing too special. Although we were very very excited to see the mountains start to pop up everywhere around us!!!

Overall, it was an awesome trip, but it took us over 37 hours to finally reach our destination! We were sooo glad to be home and in our beds!

Lake Day

2009-07-06T07:57:00.001-06:00

We visited Lake Monroe a couple days before we had to leave. It was pretty fun watching Toby and Lacey duke it out in the water! Toby is quite the little swimmer!

The whole family minus mom.

We had a great time while in Indiana. Michael's family was sure nice to put us up for a couple weeks. It was great spending time with everyone. Aubrey and Evan are growing sooo fast! Although it was really humid, the weather was really nice for the most part!

Toby and Lacey

2009-07-01T08:33:00.004-06:00

Michael's family also owns a dog, a standard poodle, Lacey. While we were there Lacey and Toby had quite the friendship going.... :) At least that's what Lacey thought... She's just a puppy and was always wanting to play with Toby! We finally realized what a patient dog Toby is! :)

Lacey's favorite place to be.... hehehe

They were good friends by the time we left :)

Roadtrip Bloopers

2009-06-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

We were all definitely really tired during the trip.....

Toby was a sweetheart, he slept most of the way there. :)

By far, Toby's favorite place to be while traveling!

Roadtrip Day 1 and 2

2009-06-26T07:09:00.002-06:00

First Stop: Colorado. It was actually gorgeous! We stopped at a rest stop for me and Ben decided to take some pictures!

Next Stop: Kansas. By far our least favorite stop on our way to Indiana.... :)

Yup... still looks the same! :)

Next Stop: Kansas City, Missouri. Actually a really cool city!

Next Stop: St. Louis, Missouri. Our favorite city of the trip. It was really cool, a bit on the humid side... :)

Next Stop: Illinois. I slept the whole way through Illinois... so no pictures! :)

We finally arrived at our destination 31 hours later. Longest trip I have ever been on!!!! We were definitely ready to stop.

Roadtrip!

2009-06-24T09:55:00.003-06:00

Usually every year we take some sort of trip for my birthday. But this year, because I'm getting my eye surgery, we thought in order to save some money we would take a roadtrip to see Michael's family. So we embarked on our journey the morning of the 24th, with Ben and Toby in tow. :) Indiana here we come!!!!!

Our Wonder Dog!

2009-05-30T05:15:00.000-06:00

Toby started playing with a soccer ball... and absolutely loves it!!! He's pretty much flying! :D

His ready stance.

Almost...

Look how far off the ground he is! :)

The soccer ball is pretty deflated....

My favorite: The Wonder Dog!

Happy Birthday Ben and Becky!

2009-05-28T05:20:00.000-06:00

It was Ben and Becky's Birthday this month! Becky on the 15th turning 21, Ben on the 27th turning 15! We don't usually celebrate it... but we had a little bit of strawberry shortcake to celebrate!

Locks of Love

2009-05-25T21:01:00.004-06:00

Almost every year, I cut my hair for locks of love. I figure... since I grow hair like there was no tomorrow, I might as well share with other people. So while my mom was here, I had her chop off my hair!!! :) It's always a little emotional, no matter how many times I've done it. This will be number 7 since I was 17!

Before my haircut and at Becky's Graduation.

After!

Volunteering

2009-05-16T08:11:00.000-06:00

Recently, Michael has started volunteering for the Orem Police Department. He is absolutely loving it!!! He tries to go out as much as possible! I'm soo proud of him!

Looking good in his uniform!

Fam Bam

2009-04-27T17:06:00.000-06:00

For a week, my entire family was able to get together and finally get some pictures! Dad was here for a week, but good ole Mom stayed till the end of May!!! It was wonderful having her around!!! :)

Graduation!!!

2009-04-24T21:01:00.001-06:00

Congratulations Becky!!! She's graduated with college and off to the real world!!! I'm so proud of her!

K9 Demonstration

2009-02-17T16:51:00.001-07:00

Ben got to try on the bite suit and run from our Orem K9s. He had so much fun he wanted to stay in the suit longer! Love the pictures!

Scared for his life! hehe

Shooting Range

2009-02-13T23:58:00.002-07:00

Michael and I had the best treat of our lives, where both our mothers were in town at the same time! So we decided to spice things up a little bit... Since we just got our guns, we decided to go to the shooting range with them...

They were absolutely entertaining to say the least! But we love them lots!

AR15

2009-02-07T14:26:00.001-07:00

Michael has been begging and begging for an assault rifle ever since our Citizen's Academy... so we went in a couple weeks ago to order one from Gunnies, since EVERYTHING was sold out. Well, after much persistence, he got one! :)

He's a little obsessed with it and can't wait to go shooting with it! :)

Our Glocks

2009-01-10T21:16:00.003-07:00

Michael and I finally decided to get our handguns... we realized it was kinda pointless to own a Concealed Firearms Permit without owning any guns. So we went to Gunnies in Orem and each bought a Glock. I got at Glock 23 and Michael got the Glock 22.

Michael's Glock 22

My Glock 23... pretty much the exact same gun as Michael's but smaller!

Side by side...

He was like a 5 year old boy with chocolate... :)

www.hangerbox.com

2008-12-30T02:26:00.003-07:00

Check out http://www.hangerbox.com/! It's a brand new site Michael finished and we're stoked about it! Browse through photos of people showing off their favorite looks! Find out where they bought their look and how much it cost. You can also get involved by uploading your own photos to your online closet and sharing it with others.

Christmas!

2008-12-25T04:30:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!!! We were all very excited for Christmas this year! At first we decided to just do stockings this year... then stocking stuffers slowly turned into bigger gifts that didn't fit in the stocking... :) Anyways, I had to work on Christmas eve, but when I got home at 1AM we opened up our presents!!! :D

Here's our presents

Toby getting ready for Christmas too!

Toby's "Beggin' Strips"

Becky's new flip flops

Becky's new sweatshirt

Michael's "Vegas 2" PS3 Game

Becky's new Palm Phone

Ben's BB Guns

I think Michael was MORE excited than Ben!

Our new Polk surround speakers

My new purse

Ben's new pants

We accidentally got each other the same thing! Poker game sets! :)

Yes we loooove gummy bears!

Michael's new Star Wars 2 & 3 Soundtracks!

Becky's new volleyball

The Dark Knight on BluRay!

Protective Glasses for BB Gun shooting!

$50 each from Becky!!!!!

It was an awesome Christmas!!! It was absolutely a pleasure to be together and open presents together! :) Merry Christmas!

Snow!

2008-12-13T15:24:00.005-07:00

It finally snowed today.. in the middle of December! We actually really enjoyed the late snow, but it was definitely a different experience having Toby around. He loved playing in the snow! We took him out in the afternoon and ran around with him. He was absolutely adorable!!

Toby vs. Ben

He's absolutely adorable!

Playing with Ben in the snow!

Playing in the snow with Toby.

Early Christmas Present

2008-12-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

Michael and I decided as an early Christmas present to ourselves, we would upgrade our home theater. We got a new Panasonic projector and a new Playstation 3. it is awesome! We don't even have the urge to go to the theaters anymore! :)

Here's the projector!

Kind of looks like a cyclops to me...

Our new playstation 3.

The projector shows a 120" screen!

Runaway...

2008-12-04T23:25:00.001-07:00

Toby ran away!!!!! Quite the funny story actually. Last night Michael and Ben put him in his crate for bed and went back in the house, Toby howled and howled for about 15 min then quieted down. Later that night, they took him out to go potty and tried to put him back in his crate, but he was such a nuisance to the neighbors we had to bring him in the house.

Well, in the morning when Ben was taking him out to go potty again they put him back in his crate in the dog house and then went to school. Well he howled for about an hour straight and then it stopped. Michael and I thought he finally decided that no one was coming and he was going back to sleep.

At about 2 PM, when we were on our way to pick Ben up from school, we went outside to bring Toby with us... but he was gone! He had ripped the crate door inside out, pooped in the doghouse, puked by the sliding glass door, and then dug a hole under our fence and ran away! Breaking out of his crate was the last thing we thought he would do, since he was such a timid dog... boy were we wrong! Well, we went and picked Ben up from school, then drove around looking for him. Just as we were stopping to go get lunch, we decided to ask some people that were standing on their porch if they had seen a lost dog... well turns out Toby wandered around until he found the closest person that would give him attention. Poor thing was sooo scared of being alone!! The neighbors were really nice, they sat outside on the porch with Toby, hoping the owners were out looking for him! Thank goodness we found him! We were soooo happy and relieved!

We couldn't believe on the 2nd day we had him... he ran away!!! :) We learned from then on... he was staying IN the house! Although that did not stop him from breaking out of his crate.... he still did, so Michael had to resort to locking the crate!!! He's definitely a handful! Quite the adventure!

Toby!!!

2008-12-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

We finally got a dog! His name is Toby, yellow labrador retriever! We got him from the North Utah Valley Animal Shelter, after weeks of searching for the perfect dog, we found Toby! Ben was sooo excited and sooo happy! Toby is about a year old, very well behaved, and absolutely adorable!!!! :) We love him already!!!!

He looks Chinese... fits right in with the fam!

Isn't he cute?

Ben's Dog House

2008-12-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

So we are getting a dog for Christmas. ( We as in Michael, Ben, and me) So in order to prepare for the dog, we went and bought a crate, collar, leash, brush, shampoo, food bowl, water bowl, and clicker. And Michael and Ben started work on making our green house into a dog house! Our plan is to keep the crate in the dog house and have the dog sleep there at night.

Yay it's done!

Christmas!

2008-11-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

On "Black Friday" I astonishingly tricked Michael and Ben to go shopping with me! We went to Bath and Body Works, their favorite store in the world. Then we went to Walmart... to buy some Christmas presents for family... Turns out we didn't. Instead, spontaneous Michael decided to buy a Christmas tree, decorations, lights, and stockings! Yup.... definitely NOT what I had in mind! :)

Our final product! It's awesome!!! Our first Christmas tree ever!

Apple

2008-11-16T23:57:00.000-07:00

Of course when Michael found out we were staying in Cupertino, he wanted to find "1 Infinite Loop". For those that are apple fans.... you know what I'm talking about. Right before we left to go home, we stopped at the apple headquarters and HAD to take some pictures to prove we were there.

Apparently the sign wasn't enough, Michael wanted to go into the building.... it was a Sunday, so naturally it was closed. So instead he took pictures of the visitor center from outside the visitor center......

"One Infinite Loop"

Downtown San Francisco Trip

2008-11-16T03:50:00.001-07:00

Since we drove all the way to San Jose, and drove all the way to San Francisco to drop my parents off at the airport, we decided to make the trip even better and see downtown San Fran while we were at it! It was awesome! We went on the curviest, steepest road we could find, Lombard St, and then went to the light house where we saw the Bay Bridge from across the bay!

This was after we went into the self cleaning automagic robotic bathrooms! They were crazy!!!!

The Self Cleaning Automagic Robotic Bathroom!

Family Dinner

2008-11-16T01:42:00.000-07:00

After the funeral, my parents treated us to dinner at a Chinese buffet. Lots of seafood for Michael!

Don't try to hide dad, you're definitely pigging out!

Ben, did you eat too much?!?! You look sleepy.....

Looks like a guilty face to me Mom!

Becky did you eat something nasty?

Dig Michael Dig!!!

It was great to be able to see my parents! I wish it were under better circumstances, but grateful nonetheless! :)

Grandma's Funeral

2008-11-15T21:55:00.007-07:00

It was a beautiful day and an even more beautiful funeral. Perfect for a wonderful woman that touched so many people's lives. We so a lot of family members we haven't seen in years, and ward members that were in our Chinese branch 8 years ago. It was great to see everyone and see that my grandmother had so many people that cared and loved her.

Before the Funeral

Loading Grandma in

The Pallbearers

Her Children

Her posterity

We miss you grandma! You will always be in our hearts and prayers! Love you!

A Life Well Lived

2008-11-07T22:27:00.004-07:00

Since I have been working late, I've been sleeping late. The last thing I wanted was to hear my phone go off. But it did. On Friday afternoon, Becky (my sister) called and said that our grandmother passed away early this morning. I was extremely surprised! She had been doing sooo well, this was last thing I expected. Ben and I were just talking the night before about the days she would spend over while Mom and Dad were away, and the crazy things she would pull.

We had lots of pot lucks when we lived in San Jose with the Chinese branch. Well, at one of the pot lucks, my grandma decided she wanted a goose for dinner the next evening, so she started chasing after the geese. It was quite the sight!!! And incredibly, she was able to catch one of them!!! I was astonished and quite amazed! :) She was a crazy and very energetic woman. I looooved her lemon pies and apparently every ward she has every been a part of, love her cooking too! She was always either busy in the kitchen making Chinese desserts or knitting a new sweater, cardigan, or scarf for someone.

A year or two ago she got pneumonia and was hospitalized for a while, but that didn't stop her from what she loved. She insisted she was okay and continued to serve those around her, may it be through her knitting, her jewelry making, or cooking; she was always eager to be a part of someone else's life, and to help make someone's day a little brighter. I love my grandmother and will never forget her loving compassion or her selfless service. It was definitely a life very well lived, and a legacy that will live on forever. Miss you grandma!

For my fellow dispatchers!

2008-11-06T03:29:00.006-07:00

You know you are a dispatcher when . . . .

1] You've ever had the urge to answer the phone by saying "Your local 411"

2] You applaud the dispatcher who was on the news last year for his comment to the unruly child's mother "Do you want us to come over and shoot him?"

3] You have the bladder capacity of five people.

4] You believe that 50% of people are a waste of good air.

5] Your idea of a good time is taking a good domestic call, an armed robbery or calling a pursuit.

6] You get excited and call every other dispatcher you know when you hear the state police screw up on the radio.

7] You conduct a criminal record check on the parents of your children's friends, whom ever you're currently dating or anyone who is nice to you.

8] You believe in the aerial spraying of Prozac and birth control pills.

9] You disbelieve 90% of what you hear on the other end of the phone.

10] You have your weekends off planned for a year.

11] You pray for your relief to come in five minutes early because you have to go potty soooo bad.

12] You believe the government should require a permit to reproduce.

13] You refer to your favorite restaurant by the "nearest cross streets" to which it's located.

14] You have ever wanted to hold a seminar entitled: "Suicide...don't call me, just do it."

15] Your job description includes baby sitting the city (or county).

16] You ever had to put the phone on hold before you begin laughing uncontrollably.

17] You have ever been unable to dispatch officers on a call because the caller's name or the call itself is so ridiculous that you can't keep from laughing.

18] You think caffeine should be available in IV form.

19] You believe an officer is a hero only when he brings you in a 44oz. cappuccino.

20] People call you all hours of the night to ask you directions to strange places...and you know where they're located.

21] You claim to be a "communications officer" because it just sounds so much more important than a "dispatcher."

22] You get on the air to tell an officer to call your cell phone so that you're not being recorded when you warn him/her about the Tom Adam Robert David (TARD) they're about to encounter.

23] You do not see daylight from November until May.

24] You've ever referred to Tuesday as "my weekend", or "this is my Friday".

25] You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, "Boy, it sure is quiet tonight."

26] You find humor in other people's stupidity.

27] You have microwaved the same meal more than three times in order to eat warm food because everyone in the city seems to know when you're trying to eat.

28] The better you are at your job, the more you get complained on.

29] You want the social security number and finger prints of anyone interested in your younger sibling.

30] You have a bumper sticker that says "I love Cops" or "Dispatchers tell cops where to go."

31] Boredom at work causes you to keep a mentally handicapped person on the phone for hours just to listen to their stories.

32] You have ever given back a plate over the radio that returns to"Seymour Wehner" or "Sharon Peters" because the officers think it's funny to hear you say dirty words on the air.

Seattle Day 2

2008-10-26T22:03:00.003-06:00

Our last day in Seattle, we went to the Space Needle, the Science Fiction Museum, Experience the Music Project aka "the blob", and the IMAX theater at the Pacific Science Center to watch The Dark Knight! Possibly one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life! It was absolutely incredible and mind blowing to see the movie at the IMAX! Our home theater is pretty dang good, but it was definitely a different experience at the IMAX!!! I highly recommend The Dark Knight at an IMAX theater!

Space Needle!

View from the top of the Space Needle!

"The Blob" from the Space Needle.

Entrance to the Science Fiction Museum. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside... :)

Experience the Music Project.

There weren't any flat walls inside the museum!

Definitely intense architecture!

My Birthday and Seattle!

2008-10-25T23:34:00.002-06:00

For my Birthday, we decided to go to Seattle and get a hotel! Seattle is completely different than Portland! It is definitely a big city feel, the skyline was absolutely amazing!

Here's Seattle as we approach it!

And closer....

Here we are!

This is the restaurant that we had dinner at!

View from our seats at the restaurant.

The Oyster Bar.

We were told we had to try the oysters, since this is one of the best oyster bars around! I didn't like it a lot, but Michael really enjoyed them!

Michael's Halibut and Shrimp.

My Alder Planked King Salmon

Michael's granny apple dessert.

My creme brulee.

Michael liked it a little too much! :)

Apparently me too... :x)

Space Needle at night!

Oregon Trip Day 5

2008-10-24T23:03:00.003-06:00

Mount St. Helen, I had no idea what was so special about this mountain until our visit. May 18, 1980 Mount St. Helen erupted and the eruption was captured on video! We went to the visitor center and watched a few movies about the eruption and how one volcano changed the world, over a million people's lives, and the topography of the land. It was absolutely incredible!

The Mount St. Helen Visitor Center.

This is the Spirit Lake Memorial Bridge. Spirit Lake was a tourist spot before Mount St. Helen erupted. It was a good size lake where tourist would go out on boats, most of the time rented from Harry Truman, and see the gorgeous views of the mountain. After the eruption of Mount St. Helen, the lake was no more, it was buried under along with the only resident who refused to evacuate, Harry Truman. The Volcano all but erased Spirit lake from the maps and created two other lakes in the area. It was absolutely incredible!

The path of destruction.

The explosion took out trees from the stumps, some were broken off from its roots and left laying next to the stump. The force was traveling at about 300 mph at 640 degree fahrenheit!

Oregon Trip Day 4

2008-10-23T20:40:00.003-06:00

Day 4 was our museum day. We started out with the World forestry Center Discovery Museum, then we went to Portland's Japanese Garden (amazingly beautiful!), and then we ended with the International Rose Test Garden.

Here's Michael trying to look like he knows what he's doing. :)

Climbing up to the entrance of the Japanese Garden.

I loved the Garden. It was sooo beautiful!

We decided when we build our home, our backyard is going to be an asian garden.

I love the cherry blossoms there. Definitely a must have at our home.

The car my godmother lent us. It was awesome! It had a nav and everything!

Here's the Rose Test Garden where they test over 10 million roses for commercial use!

Oregon Trip Day 3

2008-10-22T22:23:00.004-06:00

Beach day! Kind of... we drove to the beach... but it was too cold to get out and walk on the beach... It was once again a gorgeous day. I would have never believed that oregon rained 80% of the year from the looks of our vacation!

Here's the drive to the oceanside! Once again, beautiful!

Part of the beach view.

Bridge... there were sooo many bridges all over Oregon!

Here we are at the entrance to the Oregon Coast Aquarium at Newport.

The Jellyfish.

One of my favorites! The Japanese Spider King Crab! They were awesome!

The seals and sea lion. We got to see them feed it and train.

Shark!

Yes, we look a little tired...

The absolutely cute sea otter... until they started feeding him. They're kind of feisty!

The coastline on our way to Tillamook!

Another...

And another...

And more...

Here is the view from Cape Meares at Tillamook.

We were lucky to see the sunset from the coast.

Gorgeous!

My favorite!

Oregon Trip Day 2

2008-10-21T23:50:00.005-06:00

Day 2 was quite the exciting day for us. We started out the morning with a nice drive through Lake Oswego, the city just south of Portland and where we were staying at. The roads were absolutely a treat to drive on... no potholes!

Absolutely gorgeous roads... and it has its own scenery!

This was the road up to Crown Point Viewpoint!

Here is the view from Crown Point.

Another view.

Here we are at the lookout point.

And another view... it was pretty cool!

After Crown Point Viewpoint we drove up to the Multnomah Falls, the second largest water fall in the United States. One of the top five in the world! It was absolutely gorgeous and the weather was perfect!

Here is the fall!

And another...

Yes... it was a little chilly. :)

Isn't he cute?

It was an absolute treat to get a chance to see the falls!

After seeing Multnomah Falls, we drove to the Bonneville Dam to see the salmon hatchery and the sturgeons. Before the trip... I had no idea what a sturgeon was, I was in for quite the surprise!

This is where they hatch and breed the baby salmon.

Head of a sturgeon!

This thing was huge! It said they can get up to 20 feet!!!

They kind of look like sharks.

This is where they fed and grew the salmon before they started their swim upstream.

Here is where they simulated a swim "up stream"... it was pretty amazing at how strong the salmon were and how far they could jump out of the water!

When we were finished at the Bonneville Dam, we drove up the loop to see Mount Hood. It was gorgeous!!! We were so excited to see the peak of the mountain as we were turning the bend!

I couldn't believe how much snow they have already gotten here!

The Timberline Lodge, where we went up to see the sunset.

It was an amazing day, I was completely exhausted afterwards, but was waaay excited for the adventures of tomorrow!

Oregon Trip Day 1

2008-10-20T22:42:00.003-06:00

For my birthday trip this year, Michael and I decided to check out Oregon and Washington (since we were considering Oregon or Washington as possible future places to move to). We got there Monday 10-20 at about 12PM. My godmother came and picked us up and we went out to lunch and drove around Portland. I have to say, I was very surprised at how gorgeous Portland was. The last time I was here was about 10 years ago, so I was genuinely surprised at how beautiful and green the city was. We went to the river that runs right by downtown Portland, the Willamette River. There was a little walkway and we walked down the harbor and then drove around downtown and the Pearl District.

Here is the boat harbor on the Willamette River.

Here we are atop a roof in the Pearl District of Portland.

"Eights" Tag

2008-10-16T00:16:00.002-06:00

8 SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH
* The Office
* Grey's Anatomy
* Brothers & Sisters
* Ugly Betty
* Life
* Knight Rider
* Who's Line is it
* Desperate Housewives

8 PLACES I LOVE TO EAT AT
* Carabba's
* Z Tejas
* Costa Vida
* Nicoitalia
* Chef's Table
* Zupas
* Kneaders
* Noodles and Company

8 THINGS THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY
* I went to work
* I caught up on my TV Shows
* I called in Ben's dentist appointment
* I asked Michael to pick up my glasses
* I slept in
* I got a real nice neck massage, compliments of Michael
* I started a list of things to bring for our trip
* I thought about how I didn't want to work today

8 THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO
* My Birthday
* Our Oregon Trip
* Christmas
* Changing shifts at work
* Mom coming home to visit
* Not having to work for a week and a half
* Getting off work
* The Office on Thursday

8 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THE FALL
* The changing leaves
* The upcoming holidays
* New episodes of The Office
* Drinking hot chocolate with marshmellows
* Snuggling
* My birthday
* Christmas shoppig
* Birthday trips!

8 THINGS ON MY WISHLIST
* An ideal day at work....
* The Porsche paid off
* Nice massage and spa day
* Not having to answer dumb 911 calls
* A new projector
* A private jet... hehehe
* An Aston Martin Vanquish
* Long life with my hubby

Utah Symphony!

2008-09-14T15:15:00.002-06:00

The season finally started again!!! We were feeling deprived and uncultured for a while there, but yesterday was the first of the season for the Utah Symphony. It was the Ode to Joy concert and it was Fantastic!!! We went to Z Tejas for dinner first, and I must say they are absolutely delicious! Their corn bread and chips and salsa is to die for! Then we went over to the Salt Palace to park and walk over to Abravanel Hall. The first half of the concert was a Piano Concerto and the pianist was absolutely amazing, the symphony was incredible, and Keith Lockhart was sweating profusely. hehe. The second half was even better, it was the symphony of Ode to Joy. The symphony had invited guest singers to sing the solo parts, and they blew me away. The tenor was absolutely amazing, he had quite the lungs and a wonderful voice. The baritone had quite the range, the alto was awesome, and the soprano was crazy! It was quite the treat to hear them. Overall, it was a very impressive performance! I'm so excited for the rest of the season to come!!! :D

Citizen's Academy

2008-09-05T00:38:00.002-06:00

We got to go to Citizen's Academy again tonight, it was our Medical night... which means we had a barbeque with the fire guys, and yes they can definitely cook a mean meal! :) Then we had an intro to the Ambulance, and how they strap patients into the gurney. Then they surprised us by flying a Life Flight helicopter down for us, and we got to check that out. It was pretty cool, really tight quarters but absolutely amazing what they can do in the helicopter. The pilot was absolutely incredible, he landed the bird like placing china on the kitchen table. It was an incredibly soft landing! Then we were able to go on a ride along with the rescues. It was a 16 year old female unconscious, poss concussion from a soccer game. Michael absolutely loved it! We watched them strap her in, rode on the ambulance down to the hospital, and went in with the paramedics as they checked her in to the ER. It was pretty cool, the paramedic on the ride over took about 5 tubes of blood from the patient while we were driving! I couldn't believe he even got the needle in, the ride was soo bumpy! :D Pictures are pending...

iPhone!

2008-09-04T17:05:00.000-06:00

So... we finally got an iPhone!!!!! I'm sooooooo excited! It's probably the coolest thing I've ever owned! I can't believe how fast and how easy it is to use. I can do pretty much anything on the go and never get lost again on vacation! :D I got a 16GB white one with a clear case and Michael got a 16GB Black one with a geek case! ;) And I must say the apple store is one of the coolest stores to shop at, the customer service was awesome, it was quick, easy, and painless! Highly recommend the apple store for all your apple needs! ;)

Doggy Bite

2008-08-28T23:13:00.002-06:00

Michael and I have been going to Orem's Citizen's Academy for the past couple of weeks. Citizen's Academy is a program Orem has set up for its citizens, where we go 3 hours each week and basically do and learn what the officers do. We went to the shooting range once and shot all the guns the police use, we did a building search and arrested a suspect, we learned how the detectives lure in online predators, the list goes on... this week we got a K-9 Demonstration. Our Orem K-9 Officers put us in Dog Bite Suits and basically let the K-9 chase us in the suits! It was pretty awesome! I got pulled down twice by Zorro, it was incredible how strong and fast they were! Michael was a little better, he was able to keep standing and basically swing the dog around while it clung on to Michael's arm! The dogs were sooo smart! They listened to the commands, knew when to stop or go or watch the suspect. It was absolutely amazing how well trained the K-9 were! We'll post some pictures as soon as we get them from the Sergeant!

Playing the bass... my way

2008-08-26T00:35:00.008-06:00

Today Michael showed me how to play a song on the electric bass... but because my fingers were too short and totally not used to playing the bass, I decided to alter it so that it was easier for me to play... :D It didn't turn out as good as I imagined it would be, I still ended up getting blisters on my fingers! :(

And yes... I look like a complete idiot!

'bout me

2008-08-19T22:56:00.001-06:00

All about me, from A to Z

A-- Attached or Single? Attached

B-- Best Friend? Michael, world's best husband

C-- Cake or Pie? Depends on the day...

D-- Day of Choice? When I'm not working...

E-- Essential Item? Phone, laptop, husband

F-- Favorite Color? Pink and blue

G-- Gummy Bears or Worms? Gummy Bears

H-- Hometown? Provo, UT

I-- Indulgence(s) Shopping and occasionally white chocolate

J-- January or July? July

K-- Kids? Not yet

L-- Life is incomplete without? My family, travel

M-- Marriage Date? March 15, 2006

N-- Number of siblings? 2, Becky and Benjamin

O-- Oranges or Apples? Apples but orange juice

P-- Phobias or fears? Height

Q- Quotes? "It wasn't me!"

R-- Reason to Smile? I'm married to the most wonderful guy in the world!

S-- Season? Utah Spring, California Summer

T-- Tag 5 People?

U-- Unknown Fact? I can sleep for more than 12 hours a day... especially if I work graveyards!

V-- Very Favorite Store? Depends on what I'm shopping for...

W-- Worst Habit? Procrastination

X-- X-ray or ultrasound? X-ray. Ultrasounds kinda hurt... and I can't really hold that much pee in my bladder!!!

Y-- Your favorite food? Calamari and French Fries

Z-- Zodiac? Scorpio

Primary Trafalga Party

2008-08-12T22:19:00.003-06:00

For our annual Primary Class Party, Michael and i took the kids to Trafalga. We teach the 10, 11, 12 year old boys. There were about 8 of them and together we played miniature golf, drove the go carts, some went batting at the batting cages, and some played arcade games. The kids were all pretty good and had lots of fun! :D

March to the Go Carts!

The Kids waiting for the Go Carts.

What are you looking at? :)

We caught ya.... what are you doing Jon Jon?

Mom, Dad, and Ben Return!

2008-07-23T22:37:00.003-06:00

Yay! Mom, Dad, and Ben got home today!!! It's been forever since I'd seen them!! It's always good to have them home. Ben is staying here for good, Michael and I are going to be his legal guardians while he goes to school here and Mom and Dad go back to China to fulfill their church calling. It's kinda crazy.... not having kids and then becoming the parent of a 13 year old.... :D Hopefully it all works out for the best! It's still pretty exciting to have everyone home again!!!!

Chinese Outfits

2008-07-07T22:00:00.001-06:00

When we were in China, we bought a couple of Chinese outfits for Aubrey and Evan, and Riley and Tyler. They were incredibly cute with them on! :D

For some reason... Dad looks kinda asian!

Grandma's 90th Birthday and Lauritzen Reunion

2008-07-05T23:46:00.001-06:00

This year was Grandma Laurtizen's 90th birthday!!! Go Grandma! We're aiming for the 95th and 100th birthday now! We had a Lauritzen family reunion to celebrate Grandma's birthday. Almost every single one of Grandma's posterity was there! It was absolutely incredible! Michael and I enjoyed seeing all the cousins and catching up with everyone. Grandma's birthday dinner was very memorable. A lot of the grandchildren went up and did a little diddy for Grandma. This is a very talented family and everyone is sooo blessed. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!

Breakfast on the first day of the reunion.

Yes, we played fuseball during the reunion.... we got to know each other really well.... :D

Waiting for Grandma's Birthday dinner to start!

Ben's Birthday!

2008-05-18T13:16:00.000-06:00

Since we were in Shanghai, we decided to celebrate Ben's birthday early! We had a really yummy cake we bought around the corner, and gave Ben his present... which was to fly to China to visit him! :D Hope he had a good one... the big 1 4!

Happy Birthday Ben!

CHEESE!

The Lion Forest

2008-05-17T23:45:00.001-06:00

The Lion Forest was extremely awesome! It's the home of a government official back in the day, and he had stones and rocks brought it that were formed into different shapes, with different caves and tunnels to walk through. Ben got lost while we were there and Michael had to go back and look for him! :D It was incredible!

Tiger Hill

2008-05-17T23:28:00.002-06:00

Tiger Hill is where one of the Chinese Emperor was buried. Kinda like the Chinese "Leaning Tower of Pisa". They believe the tower will fall to the ground in a decade or two. Still pretty cool though!

The Humble Administrator's Garden

2008-05-17T22:22:00.000-06:00

I can't believe this was someone's garden! It was HUGE!!! Absolutely gorgeous... but HUGE! Michael got some crazy ideas as to how he wants our house built.... :D

West Lake

2008-05-16T17:12:00.005-06:00

We also went to the West Lake. It was absolutely incredibly walking through it at night after a huge meal. The next day, we went and got a ride in one of the hand rowed boats and took it around the entire lake!

Thousand Island Lake

2008-05-15T23:05:00.000-06:00

Thousand Island Lake was gorgeous! The water was incredibly blue and the islands were soooo green! I could definitely get used to this! :D It was beautiful, and it was nice and cool that day so we were able to get on a small tour ship and cruise around the lake!

The Maglev

2008-05-14T11:59:00.001-06:00

When in Shanghai... you better ride the Maglev. The fastest train in Shanghai! It was pretty incredible... but it was very very short.

Waiting in line for the Maglev

On the train waiting for it to go!

Yes, it says 431 km/hr

Getting off...

A Township on Water

2008-05-13T23:40:00.002-06:00

This was a crazy city... it was built completely on water. There were a lot of old traditional houses here too! Michael absolutely loved it here!

The three of us on a bridge overlooking the town.

A view of the town

In front of one of the first Post Office in China

We had to travel in the boats to get to different parts of the city. It was pretty awesome!

A view of the town!

Mother's Day in China

2008-05-11T19:34:00.001-06:00

Happy Mother's Day! The three of us, Michael, Ben, and I, went looking for a flower shop to buy flowers for Mom on Mother's Day. It took forever, but we finally found one. Hope it was a good one Mom!

Shanghai

2008-05-10T20:23:00.001-06:00

To Shanghai! Michael enjoyed Shanghai more, he said it was because Shanghai was a lot more interesting and the people were friendlier, and we were in the comfort of our own home.

Condos in the area where Mom and Dad live.

Streets of Shanghai from our home.

More pictures from our home on the 11th floor!

Mom and me in the house.

Walking down the street to go shopping!

Night Market

2008-05-08T23:18:00.001-06:00

While we were there, Dad insisted that Michael see the night market... It was definitely a surprise for him! It wasn't anything like the night markets in Taiwan. hehehe

Yes it was raw! Squid, scorpion, fish, meatballs, shrimp, meat, pretty much anything you can think of!

They cooked it after you buy it!

Great Wall

2008-05-07T20:03:00.002-06:00

We were able to go to the Great Wall while in Beijing. It was absolutely incredible! I went about 7 years ago... and it was definitely not what I remembered! It is crazy what the Chinese were able to accomplish! The wall was massive and it took forever just to walk up to a tower! Mom and I stopped at the first tower, Dad and Michael got to the second, Ben was the only one to make it to the very top tower!

Ben and I at the first tower! Yay, it took forever!

Mom and Dad at the first tower.

The Great Wall of China... at least a small portion of it! :)

The steps were incredibly uneven... it was tiring trying to climb up just one tower!

Dad and Michael at the second tower... yes Michael was about to puke.

That was literally how we were walking, more like climbing, down the Great Wall. I had to sit and pull myself down a couple of times, because the steps were about 2 feet apart!

Yay! We finally made it down! It was harder climbing down the going up!

Our momento to show we were actually there!

Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

2008-05-06T22:29:00.001-06:00

Tiananmen Square was across the street from the Forbidden City. Never knew that. The Forbidden City was awesome!!! I can't believe the emperors used to live here! It was pretty cool!

Tiananmen Square from the entrance to the Forbidden City

Tiananmen Square

Entrance to the Forbidden City

2nd Entrance into the Forbidden City... there were like 8 different entrances to the inner court!

The back entrance to the Forbidden City

Inside the Forbidden City.

Emperor's Seat

Emperor's personal private garden

The architecture was pretty cool!

Stairs leading to different rooms of the Forbidden City

China!!!!

2008-05-05T19:47:00.002-06:00

We're in China!!! It took pretty much 24 hours to get here, but here we are! :D We arrived in Beijing and met up with my brother, Ben... and went to the apartment we are staying in.

Our apartment in Beijing... it was a friend's house, and he let us crash there for a couple of days!

Ben trying to find out where to go for dinner.

Streets of Beijing

On our way to dinner on the first day!

A vegetable market on our way to dinner.

Beijing Public Telephones... definitely not like the ones we have here in the states...

Our first taxi ride in China.

2 Year Anniversary

2008-03-15T22:58:00.003-06:00

For our 2 Year Anniversary, Michael took us out to the Chef's Table. It was absolutely delicious!!! I absolutely LOVE their creme brulee... mmmmm... :D I look forward to it each year... somehow we have accidentally made it a yearly tradition!

That's Michael getting excited on our way over to Chef's Table!

mmmmmmm.....

That's Michael's steak!! Yummy!

Cheese!

We tried to take a picture of ourself.... didn't work out too well!

Michael's Begger's Apple Purse... or something like that.

It was a perfect anniversary!!! It's been an awesome 2 years... it's gone by soooo fast! Still love him!

Fallen

2008-01-01T19:29:00.005-07:00

So... I have finally fallen to the evils of blogger. Here I am blogging... yes, unbelievable. But to my defense, it is for me to somehow remember all the good times I have with Michael and our family and friends!