In and out like a Flash! Good Bye 2007!

Wow! A final post for the year. I can't believe 2008 is practically here already! 2007 is a blur... Is this what happens when we get older? Anyhow, hope everyone has a Happy and Prosperous New Year! I spent the past two days trying to clean but man, I got a lot of crap! Doh! A quiet new year's eve for me. Not out partying like I used to. Heehee! But it's all good cuz after a while being out in the cold crowded streets gets kinda old. Anyhow, 2007 wasn't too bad...no man but that's ok cuz that means I can give you all a big New Year's kiss!

Sad but grateful

I meant to post this a while back. Around Thanksgiving week, my brother and SIL found out that there is something wrong with my new niece/nephew's heart. The heart is not in the right place, it has a single ventricle and all the arteries and veins are messed up. Plus it has no spleen. If it were to survive the pregnancy, it would end up having major surgeries after it's born and be on the list for a new heart (maybe several?). So my brother Frank and my sister in law had to make a really tough decision...to keep the baby or to give it up. They have chosen to give it up...and honestly, I would have done the same thing if I were in their shoes...as hard as it may be. To me, hospital life is just not a life for a child, nor is waiting for a new heart. I am just grateful for the technology that we have now that detects problems so that we are able to make the right decisions for ourselves and our futures.

Meet Sam

I can't believe November is almost over. I guess I better get my once a month post in, right? Heehee. I can't believe Thanksgiving came and went just like that. I spent a week with my friend and family. Got to meet this little guy, Samuel Victor Paat-Stansbury. He's such a sweet little boy but always hungry it seems...must be a boy thing. Those dimples are going to melt some hearts when he gets older, I think. And the post can't be complete without wild child sister, Chloe and drama queen Emilie.

I've been tagged!

Thanks Rachel
Here are the rules which must be posted on your blog if you are tagged:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

7 Random Things...
1. I've been at my Stanford job since I graduated from college. Who would have thought I'd be here 10 years later?
2. I know how to drive a 5 speed car.
3. When I was a little girl, I used to be scared of dogs and cats.
4. When I was a kid, I hated to drink my milk because I thought it smelled like puke.
5. The thought of pregnancy scares the crap out of me but yet, I hope to have a boy and a girl.
6. At one point in my life, I was 100 pounds.
7. I'm actually a shy person.

7 people I tag...
Michelle
Christine
Valerie
Julie
Nichole
Leah
Cathy N

Wedding and Bouquets

I figured I better post something to keep up with my once a month posts... This weekend, my cousin Elaine got married. I will post pictures soon. I started to download onto Shutterfly but I accidently closed it so I don't think it got done. Then I tried to upload it to Flickr and it took me well over my allowed quota that I think I only managed to post a picture of the groom and groomsmen as they watched the bride walked down the aisle. BTW, my father took the picture, not me, so that is why the photographer is in the picture too! I was in the back being guarded by a 6'5 Marine as well, as my cousin Richard. I guess he didn't think the Marine was enough? He hung around me a few times that the photographer thought he was my boyfriend/fiance... uh...ugh? I love my cousin but not in that way. And how come he can't see the family resemblance? Oh, wait, Richard looks more like his dad...so I guess he doesn't have the Shen nose. Anyhow, it was a very nice ceremony and this time I did not catch the bouquet...nor did I attempt to. I figured 2 bouquets is enough... if two wasn't going to get me married, I doubt a third will. I mean seriously, how many bouquets does a girl really need to catch anyhow?

I'm gonna be an AUNT!!!!

I just found out tonight that my brother and sister in law are expecting a bundle of joy in April. I'm so excited!

In other news, my best friend, Neneng, is expecting baby boy end of October/early Nov. Unfortunately I just found out that she's been ordered on bed rest till the baby is born. Her pregnancies have always been a bit high risk but the last one has been doing very well till this last trimester. All of sudden her body has been in pain, burning feeling and also going numb. Drs aren't sure what is going on and suspect the baby might be on a nerve or something that is causing this numb/painful sensation. She's been ordered to do nothing but rest and lay on her left side at least three times a day for an hour. But it's been really hard for her to do nothing because she also has a 18 month old and a 5 year old. The 5 year old is my goddaughter and has been pretty helpful but the baby has been feeling a bit needy and doesn't understand why mommy can't pick her up. So if you can keep her in your thoughts for a healthy baby, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Look who is Five

Emilie turns 5 today. Happy Birthday little lady! I will be celebrating with her and her friends this weekend. So I will post pictures later. She started kindergarten a few weeks ago. How exciting! And I got a chance to talk to her about it.

Me: Do you like kindergarten?
Em: Yeah.
Me: What do you do in kindergarten?
Em: I learned how to spell apple.
Me: Oh. How do you spell apple?
Em: I forgot.
Me: You forgot?
Em: Yeah. Here Chloe, say hi. (she was trying to get Chloe to say hi to me. Chloe wasn't feeling well that day...had a fever. And somehow they ended up hanging up on me.)

Meeting Rachel

This Sunday I got to meet Rachel from Wisconsin. She and I have been chatting via email for a couple years but have never met in person until now. We met through a circle journal group. Anyhow, I drove to Scotts Valley to pick her and her friend Kelli up and took them Scrapbook U, Joann's, and Scrapbook Island. We had lunch at Claim Jumpers, which was yum! I think Rachel and Kelli loved Scrapbook U... They got quite a few goodies there. Damage was done at Joann's too since a lot of the stuff there was 40% off. Plus I remembered to print 40% off coupons for everyone too. I'll insert photos soon...once I find the USB cable to my camera! Click on Rachel to see more photos too. I hope Rachel enjoys her trip out here and that she'll come to visit more often. There's a few other places I would like to take her to and a few other yummy places to check out. So....Rachel, how do like them artichokes? Hehe!

Another thing I haven't done in a long time was drive Highway 17. Somehow Sundays now have quite a bit of traffic now. I don't remember all that traffic on Sundays! After college, I went back a few times but once all my friends and roomies graduated, I haven't been back to visit. I'm now kickin myself for not going to Taqueria Vallarta after dropping Rachel and Kelli off in Scotts Valley. I would brought them with me but I think they might have still been full from lunch and Kelli needed to get back to check on her hubby since he was just getting better. Anyways, Taqueria Vallarta was the place to go for a good burrito and melon drink if you're ever in the Santa Cruz area. Oh and Pink Godzilla for sushi. Yum!

Somehow...

it is August already. Now, how did that happen? Not much going on with me besides work. I went with some friends to Penn Valley. One of my scrapping buddies, Kelle, invited us to spend a few days at a gorgeous house in Penn Valley to scrapbook. Pictures of the house are posted on Flickr, along with some beautiful sunsets and my buddies, the goats. A very fun time with lots of laughs. Still playing with my camera and learning it. Still haven't quite taken it out of auto mode yet.

Happy Birthday Cindy!

Oy! I completely missed blogging in June. Can't believe we're already well into July. So, what have I been up to? Hmm...well, my cousin Tammy and her boyfriend, Andrew, came to visit. Took them to Napa for a bit of wine tasting. Since I was driving, I let them do the drinking. That same weekend Tammy was here, Emilie had her dance recital. Had to go see her perform... she was cute though she did spend the first two dances waving and looking for us. Hahaha! She even had mommy text message us to tell daddy, chloe and Auntie Jean to move to the front so she could see us and yell out her name. Unfortunately Auntie Jean and Daddy were too busy trying to entertain Miss Chloe at the same time. I would have taken pictures but photography was not allowed. I was so tempted to with my d80. But I did get a couple shots of Emilie prior to the recital. Now, I still don't know where she learns her poses from. I really just wanted a decent picture of her looking into the camera but alas, her "modeling" shots was all I got.

Anyhow, today is my college roommate, Cindy's, birthday. Happy Birthday girlfriend! And to have it on a Friday too!

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by my CKU buddy Juls. HI Juls! Ok, hmm... 10 weird things about me...

1. I don't like bananas in smoothies but I don't mind eating bananas,as long as they aren't mushy ripe.
2. I love to eat tomatoes but can't drink it like v8 or Bloody Mary's.
3. Besides turning bright red when I drink, sometimes I will have weird reactions like my feet will itch.
4. I run the other way if I hear or see someone get sick. I guess there's not chance of me being a nurse or doctor at this point, right? And to my friends like to drink til they're silly drunk, sorry, you're on your own!
5. I like to learn but hate to study and take tests.
6. I'm 32 and still single. And the funny thing is, several people that read my hand has so far predicted correctly. Now if they can only tell me how close I am to finding my prince...
7. Horror movies put me to sleep.
8. I don't like roller coasters. The upside down ones scare me...probably because I think it'll make me sick. (see #4).
9. I can't wear animal hair type clothing, like wool, cashmere, angora, as much as I would love to, they make me itch like crazy.
10. I don't like my feet at all. They are small and wide. Not a good combo.

Wheeewww! Coming up with 10 weird things about me was actually kinda hard. Now who to tag... how about Rachel and Christine? Need to find some more blogging friends.

Happy Birthday to...

my housemate from college, Esther! Her birthday was May 8th. Hope you had a great birthday Esther. Birthday remembrance to Jocelyn (in the American culture, she's my 2nd cousin, in the Chinese culture, she's my niece) on May 1st. She would have been 12 years old this year. She passed away from a brain tumor on April 15th five years ago....2 weeks before her 7th birthday. You're in my heart always. And finally, Happy BIRTHday to Carolyn Liau. My cousin Sandra and her husband, Roger, welcomed their little girl into the world at 11:59pm on Saturday, May 5th. Haven't been able to get complete details yet as they were still in the hospital when I briefly got to chat with Sandra a few days ago. The baby has jaundice and at the time I called, they were getting a lesson on feeding. Hopefully they will send pictures soon because I can't wait to see what she looks like. Sandra and I grew up together the first couple years of our lives. She's like my little sister so to speak.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

She's ready

I guess I should post a picture of this diva too. She's going to be five in September. Time has seriously flown by. The first time I met her was when she was five months old. Mom says she scored 94 on her kindergarten assessment test that I guess is given in pre-school to determine how well the child will do in kindergarten. It was one of the top two scores in her class. So from her score, she's definitely ready...but are we ready?

Chicken wings and whip cream

is the way to celebrate. Doesn't matter that all eyes are on you. It's just you, non dairy whip cream and a chicken wing. Now that's the way to celebrate! So loving my camera... I got some great shots of this kid! Mom and Dad were really pleased with how well the pictures came out. Though I can't seem to take it out of of Auto. If I put it on a different setting, the pictures don't come out as well. This kid is just too fast. Believe me when I say she's not posing for the camera...because she's really not. I was just lucky I hit the button in time to catch that smile! Always on the go! And she really walks too! Not like her sister who still trips over her own feet! I think she's going to be the athlete of the clan. She loves swimming too...even if the water is 65 degrees! Oh, she was so mad at mom for not letting her go to the deep end. She's not crying to get out, she screaming to go further. She also kept trying to put her face in the water. She's also gonna be a great pianist and dancer. The girl loves music and will start to dance the sound of music.

Ali Edwards

As promised, some Ali pictures...

Look who's one!

Happy Birthday Chloe! Man, I can't believe she turned one today. I can't wait to see her in two weeks. Mom moved her birthday party to the 10th instead of next week. Can't wait to see how much more she's grown. Mom says she started walking a few weeks after I saw her last month and she seems to have a shoe fetish as she likes to bring you shoes. Heehee!

Friday I got to take an Ali Edwards class. She said this will be the last time she'll be teaching at LSS for a while. She will be focusing more time at home to be with her son, Simon, who is autistic. She wanted a more structured life style for him and I can understand. My friend, Chloe and Emilie's mom, is a special ed teacher and she has mentioned to me that a lot of her kids don't deal with change well. She had to move to two different classrooms/schools this year and so she had to really plan out how to make the transitions easy on them. Anyhow, Ali's class was really good. She gave away some great prizes even though I didn't win one this time. She gave out Technique Tuesday alphabet sets and another one of her favorites, Cat's life or Cat's press (it had Cat in it). She was also very attentive and made sure everything was good. Much better then Donna's. Her kits were much better prepared...as I think she did them herself and if you were missing anything, she got it to you right away. I wish I could have done Saturday's classes and the crop but I was busy working at my LSS. The project we made was a very cute little chipboard book from Maya Road and we used Heidi Swapp mask and UTEE...very cool...as I did buy a bottle or two of that stuff thinking I would use it with my melting pot. At least now I have found another use for it. Need to seriously try to use all my supplies! I'll have to download my pictures from my camera and post again.

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's the year of the Pig. Hope you all have a prosperous year!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope everyone is out celebrating with their sweetie. I don't have one this year but that's ok. Maybe next year. Ha!

Many birthday buddies this month too... so Happy birthday to you all! And this one is going to be one soon!

Donna Downey

This weekend Donna Downey was in town to teach at Young Play Memories scrapbook store. I was able to take Saturday off so Leilani and I signed up for two of her classes. This was the first time I've been to this scrapbook store and man, was it huge! The classroom was upstairs and can hold up to a 100 ladies! Imagine that! They had a decent selection of stuff to choose from so Leilani and I didn't exactly go home empty handed. We tried to be good and mainly just got stuff that Monica doesn't carry at Scrapbook U. I think I was just overwhelmed by the sheer size of the store. It even had a coffee area near the front. Not sure how that part worked since we didn't see anybody sit down for coffee. Heehee. Anyhow, I'd post my projects but one of them was a book binding one and that did not get completed. I was missing the chipboard for my covers so I had to wait for them to cut it and then to punch holes took me a while... my Japanese screw punch definitely got a work out during that class. The other projects just need a few of the inside pages done. They didn't have enough eyelets to attach these tabby things so I need to look for my huge eyelet stash. No biggie. Anyhow, here's a group shot of Michelle Rout, Veronica Leggett, Leilani Karellas, Donna and me (with no makeup...blah!). Donna thought Leilani and I were sisters and couldn't get over our height.

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a great start to the new year. I got to spend my New Years with this darling. She recognized me right away, gave me a big smile and actually came to me!!! You see, I was the only other person besides mommy, daddy, and grandma that she would let hold her. Other family and friends that she hasn't seen on a daily basis got rejected by Miss Chloe. Anyhow, she's got on a wig that Mommy got for Daddy's surprise birthday party but we forgot to give it to daddy to wear. I say it looks pretty good on her. Heehee. This shot was taken with my new camera, a Nikon d80. It was in auto mode though. It's kind of hard to have it in manual mode with a baby...especially this one...she's a mover. So definitely no time for any adjustments. But I'm so loving my new camera. I wish I was able to get more shots of the kids but with other family visiting and all that was going on, it was kind of hard. Plus Miss Chloe has been sick and is just getting over her cold. Now the rest of the family is getting sick, including Auntie Jean. In fact, daddy was pretty sick two days before the party and we were trying to think of back up plans. Luckily for us, he was feeling a bit better Saturday morning and went to see a movie with a friend while we frantically cleaned and decorated the house. Sorry about squishing the two pictures together. I was trying to separate the two but Blogger is not letting me. Ok, need to hit the hay because someone needs to go to work in the morning. Blah!