Our Little Drops of Sunshine

4/29/11

Guess Who's Here...

Mama and Papa are in town - and we are absolutely stoked!!!

4/13/11

Dear San Diego weather, can we take you HOME?

So we headed to San Diego... for a conference (not really for fun in the sun) - but it was an amazing experience. Carl has been involved with the Clinton Global Initiative since 2007. He actually attended the very first CGI-U meeting at Tulane University in Louisiana. He's always encouraged me to apply so we could go together but I wasn't very interested at first. This year, though, I decided I'd check it out.

Clinton Global Initiative 2011, University of California-San Diego

For someone to get into the conference, one should have a commitment for action related to one of CGI's 5 causes. Carl's was poverty alleviation. I decided I wanted to do something about human rights, specifically human trafficking. Our action plans are not yet very solid, but with all the good stuff we learned from CGI-U at University of California-San Diego this year, we'll probably be able to solidify our plans and find a way to make a difference. It was a very enlightening experience, meeting young student leaders and advocates from all across America (and the world) and learning about their advocacies. It personally gave me a lot of insight about working with NGOs and empowering communities and rethinking public policy.

Packing goods at the San Diego Food Bank

Aside from learning all the good stuff, we had some perks too. We met former US President Bill Clinton, who of course, is the founder of CGI. We met and greeted with various experts in the field of urban planning and public policies, and even celebrity advocates like Mandy Moore (Ambassador, Population Service International), Drew Barrymore (Ambassador Against Hunger, UN World Food Programme), and Sean Penn (Founder/CEO, J/P Haitian Relief Organization).

beautiful Sunday sunrise overlooking the San Diego Temple

We stayed at the nearby Sheraton Hotel in La Jolla, which was very close to the San Diego Temple. On our last day in San Diego, Carl and I walked from our hotel to the temple and we felt so good. It was beautiful, magnificent to say the least. The CGI conference was held during the April General Conference weekend, and we were hoping to find time out from the conference to do a session at the Temple... but the conference schedule was so packed - day starts at 7:30 and ends at 8:30 - and we were all shuttled in from the hotel to UCSD. So on Sunday morning, we woke up extra early (like 5:30am) so we could walk to the Temple. It was an amazing sunrise! Of all the good stuff we learned from CGI, I can honestly say that being on holy ground reminded me of all the good things in my life. The temple, more than facts of humanity's need for aid and relief, reminded Carl and I how we could be instruments in the Lord's hands in making a difference in the world.

P.S. And the weather was absolutely gorgeous!!! We heard that while we were soaking lots of sunshine in Southern California, it was snowing like CRAZY in Utah... and so we were extremely glad we were somewhere else that weekend!!!

3/29/11

An Eventful Month of March

There were a lot of beautiful things that happened in March...

We had birthdays, milestones, missions, baptisms, and conference posters to name a few...

March 12th was Mama's 49th birthday - yup, she doesn't look her age at all!

March 22nd was Mara's 19th birthday - this is in fact her last teenage year... :)

March 25th &26th - Yken went to the temple to receive his endowments with Mama and Papa, and it was a very spiritual one. The next day, he entered the MTC in Manila and officially started his 24-month mission. It was a very special day, our hearts are full and we all feel blessed that Yken has made the righteous decision to work on the Lord's sacred errand.

March 27th - Ricky entered the waters of baptism - FINALLY. It was a very beautiful rainy Sunday. It was an amazing feeling. Carl confirmed him the gift of the holy ghost that same day, and the spirit was so strong. It was indeed the right time. We pray that Ricky and ate Lei soon attend the temple together, and will be sealed for time and all eternity

last week of March - Carl and I (mostly I) spend a total of 54 hours at the MFHD Graduate Lab running Structural Equation models for my Mary Lou Fulton Conference project on Asian-White Intimate Relationships. I ate my breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the lab for almost 3 days, and Carl is the most awesome husband one can ever have - he brought me meals, stayed with me at the lab, and stayed up late with me...

2/23/11

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY KEANA LEIROSE

2/16/11

a lovely valentine

"Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred moments so dear

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure, measure a year

"In daylights, in sunsets

In midnights, in cups of coffee,

In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife,

In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure, a year in a life

"How about love...

Measure in love...

Seasons of love..."

February 14th, 2011 - Our 5th Valentine's Day

Carl and I have many special days of love... the day we became a couple (May 15th 2006), the day we became a couple forever (August 9th 2008), and of course - Valentine's Day.

This year, we had our Valentine's date early (for practical reasons such as avoiding too many people and very long lines) - and we had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack in Sandy. Carl and I love seafood, and as much as we wanted to dine somewhere in Park City, we wouldn't trade good seafood with (expensive) fancy ambience. It was so worth it... the tunes of "eat at joe's" kept playing on Carl's head!

On V-day itself, I prepared a sort of fancy dinner for us at home... and we surprised each other with our gifts. Carl brought home a beautiful bouquet and chocolate truffles, and he also gave me a very very comfy pair of PJs and a framed plaque that says "I always keep falling in love with you!" My gift for him was a chrome watch from Fossil which I think he really liked.

We had a beautiful dinner in candle light and every time I'd bring out the next course, Carl would say, "wag na muna kasi matatapos na ang dinner pag kinain na natin." Yup - he didn't want it to end!

Valentine's Dinner Menu

Appetizer
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Baked Porcinis stuffed with crabs and cream cheese and topped with parmigiano reggiano
Salad
Baby Spinach and Cranberries with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Fresh baby spinach, dried cranberries, and almond served with tangy raspberry vinaigrette
Soup
Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Entree`
Tapas and Scallops
Beef tapas and pan-seared scallops served with greens and Spanish rice

Dessert
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

It was our longest dinner so far, and one of the best we've had!

Happy Valentines day everyone - Keep spreading the love!

1/27/11

ELDER MALIG

This is my big little brother, Yken

Today is his 21st Birthday!

Today, he also got his mission call...

...and he will be serving for 24 months in the PHILIPPINES BUTUAN MISSION

We love you dear brother!!! We know you've been preparing for this all your life! We are proud of you!!!

1/3/11

The year that was - and our New Years Roadtrip to Southern California

Its quite interesting to think that we did the exact opposite for New Years 2010. We were still living then in Southern California, and we took a road trip to Las Vegas all the way to Utah. It was a very memorable one, and that road trip was very humbling. Both Carl and I were jobless and all we had were each other, and wonderful family and friends. I will never forget what our very good friend Liz said as we welcomed 2010 in flamboyant Las Vegas. She said, "2010 is going to be an awesome year!"

For many reasons, she was right. By the end of February 2010, Carl and I found ourselves packing our things and moving north to Utah - Carl was offered a job with the LDS Church Headquarters, and I was eventually admitted to BYU's graduate program. It was quite a year - and we had so many things to be grateful for. It was quite an adventure too. I had to take an emergency trip to the Philippines to renew my student visa. While I had the opportunity to spend time with family back home, Carl and I missed each others' birthdays and 2nd anniversary. When I came back, we had the opportunity to celebrate all three wonderful occasions.

The rest of the year flew by so fast... and next thing we knew, the snow has come and we were putting up our Christmas tree and Carl has learned to snowboard.

Taking the road trip to Southern California was an emotional one for me, but above and beyond that, it was a celebration of everything 2010 has blessed us with - family, friends, and countless blessings from the Lord!

STOP OVER: Circus Circus in Las Vegas, NV

DESTINATION: Disneyland in Anaheim, CA

QUICK STOP: Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA

A TASTE OF HOME: Jollibee in Las Vegas, NV

___oo00000oo___

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2011 IS GOING TO BE AWESOME TOO!!!

12/28/10

ITS CHRISTMAS MORNING

This year, we got to have NOCHE BUENA twice!!!

We were at the Catubays in South Jordan with some friends for a hearty pot luck noche buena! There was an abundance of great food, and we had to be careful not get too full because we still have something for ourselves at home!

"early" Noche Buena at the Catubays in South Jordan

We were back at our humble Wymount apartment in Provo at around 10pm. We have some pizza and soda and stuff, like a midnight snack sort of noche buena part 2! we also exchanged gifts, which was really fun. I got a vanilla cinnamon scented candle from Jasmine and Carl got an emergency car kit from Scott. Carl gave Norman new bath towels, and I gave Scott a Japan Mission t-shirt. Of course, we gave little Keana a very cute sweater dress from Gymboree!!! The Milburys had to be home too, so they went ahead a little after midnight... but the rest of us watched SALT (and that movie is now on Carl's favorite movies list).

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

With love from the extended Canlas family

But our favorite part was CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!

Carl opening his humongous gift!!!

Opening the FedEx surprise :)

12/20/10

winter winter wonderland?

Winter has officially come - which means SNOW has touched the ground. This is our first REAL winter, and we tried our best to prepare for it - sweaters and jackets and coats, and snow boots, and lots of blankets! And we had to "winterize" our car too :)