This Week's Recipe

Announcement!!! Announcement!!! This is CARL!

Some of you, our dear friends, know that my wife is awesome in the kitchen! If you've ever been to our apartment in TVA when we were still in BYU-Hawaii, you've probably tasted some of her delicious labor of love!

In line with sharing, JV has added a page in our blog where she weekly features what she's done special in the kitchen. By just clicking on each featured food's name, you will be directed to a site where she posts some of her recipes.

This week's featured recipe is her version of LUMPIANG SHANGHAI. Check it out!

By the way, each featured recipe is posted on our blog for a week, and then she replaces it with a different one the week after. So you probably should visit her food blog too!

Friends + Food = Fun

Since we've moved to Utah, Carl and I haven't gotten the time to visit and hang-out with friends. We usually spend our weekends doing errands. The only times we had "friend-time" was when we slept over at Jared's (Carl's BYUH room mate) after the New Moon party back in March, and when we attended Music and the Spoken Word couple of weeks ago.

So, Carl and I had a really good time last Saturday when we got the chance to get together with friends and had a potluck at the Catubay's in Daybreak. It was just the perfect timing because friends from Hawaii are either visiting or moving here, just like us. Thanks to Shey's reminder that "we need to hang-out," Jenneth's potluck idea, and ate Lally's warm accommodations - last Saturday's get together was so much fun!

Everyone brought food, and at the end of the night, all the food was almost gone. I guess when someone announces its Videoke time, we all forget there's some more food left!

Thanks everyone for bringing good food and sharing good laughs! Hope we can do it again sometime :)

time to chop that hair

Carl has asked me several times in the past couple of months if I wanted to cut my hair already...and I always had two reasons why it wasn't time to cut it. First, a haircut is not my priority. Second, I need the length to cover my nape during the winter season so i didn't have to buy a scarf. And plus, I like my hair long. The third one wasn't a reason, its just me stating a fact.

But like anything in this world, there comes a point when its just too much -  and yeah, I finally figured my hair got much longer than is convenient. So last Saturday, I bid goodbye to probably 8 inches of hair. The hairdresser actually asked me maybe 3 or 4 times if I was sure I wanted to cut that much... and I, without blinking, said YES, CHOP IT. 

It was my freshman year in high school when I last allowed myself to grow my hair too long, and I remember having to braid it almost everyday just so it would look neat on my face. So when I started resorting to braiding my hair whenever I don't have enough time to fix it - that was it.

My last visit to the hair salon was on Thanksgiving 2008...and after 17 months, I guess it's about time. 

And by the way, I kept the hair that she cut... maybe i'll try to beat my own record!

608 Days, a Postcard and a Cake

Carl and I have been married for 608 days now. Since the day we've been married, we've lived in 3 states, stayed in 4 houses, and bought a $2000 car. Its been a total adventure -  we've had our ups and downs, but somehow through each other's strength and with the Lord's grace, we always pull through.

If I had to go through those 20 months by myself, I might have gone crazy every other 2 months. Haha!! Seriously, the not-so-good times were a lot better because I had Carl. Well, for Carl, he always tells me I'm patient and supportive and amazing... I don't feel like I measure up sometimes... but I do the best I can to be a better wife everyday.

As a gift to Carl, I baked and decorated a cake for him. I am very proud of this cake because it's the first time I am making its kind. I baked the cake and made the fondant last Tuesday. I stored them in the freezer, and worked on it yesterday. It took me maybe 4 hours to finish the whole thing, even though its pretty small. I stored it in the fridge after, even though I know I'm not supposed to - condensation inside the fridge is supposed to make the fondant wet, because I had to keep it from Carl. I intended for it to be a surprise, and Carl was not allowed to open the fridge.

Check out my kitchen to learn more about how I made my 1st fondant cake :)

So anyway, when it was time for Carl to see the cake, he almost didn't want to eat it...he said its too pretty! Well, that's Carl - he always makes me feel good about the things I make. We ate some anyway!!!

He bought me a little postcard of the Laie Hawaii Temple, our special temple. Hawaii is our special place - where it all began 4 years ago. Tomorrow, we'll attend the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in South Jordan to celebrate the spiritual essence of our marriage.

It has been an amazing 20 months - and I won't trade anything for the laughs and tears that had been. I love my husband, and I know he loves me - and that makes life great!

Awesome Moab Weekend!!!

Our Easter Weekend was definitely awesome!!!

This year, we were invited by Mom and Dad Dixon to join their annual family camping trip to Moab. Carl and I were so excited because we've had the thought of going on a camping trip since last summer when we were still living in California.

So last Friday, Klisty and her sons picked us up and we all drove up to Moab.We had tons of fun!!! And that's because Carl and I did something we've never tried before. We enjoyed it a lot, and we were so glad that the weather was very cooperative. 

When we hiked on Saturday, it was the perfect weather to be in the great outdoors. I was physically challenged on some spots during the hike - as I realized how my short legs can not quite reach when I try to pass through. We were so beat and tired, but we enjoyed the thrill and the view of Fiery Furnace at Arches National Park. It was stunningly beautiful out there!!!

Carl was thrilled to drive Brady's Jeep, though I freaked out when I thought Carl panicked. Carl also tried mountain biking with Dad Gary at Slick Rock. 

We also watched as Jeeps and trucks fall in line at Potato Salad Hill and ascend one by one up the boulders. 

On Easter morning, we watched the kids paint their eggs, and later on rolled them on the hill.

 It was such a fun weekend!!!