Wishing you all the best for 2011 !

Hello !

It's the last day of 2010 and I am trying to beat the clock. I haven't had a chance to update this blog for a long time. My excuse of being so busy is becoming overused but it is unfortunately true.

I continue to take pictures to chronicle the events that have happened to us but just have not had the time to organize the pictures and post it in this blog. For those who have a Facebook account, I am more visible there than here.

Anyway, to make up for the 'long silence', I have decided to give you of a synopsis of 2010 for us.

Highlights of 2010

A. Life in Dugway

We moved to the military housing (Dugway Proving Grounds) on Jan 1, 2010. It is quite remote (nearest big store is Walmart Superstore - 55 minutes away from DPG) so most of our weekends were spent going out to the city (e.g. Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, Layton). However, we also spent a lot of time inside the base doing fun stuff like practising baseball, flying Ben's remote control airplane and Angie's kite. We also participated in some of the base-hosted activities like camping and skiing trips. During our stay there, we also tried raising chickens (we're not about to do that again!) and planting veggies (this was a success so we will keep doing it !). 

B. Out of State Trips

2010 was a year of several out of state trips for us. In spring, we flew to San Francisco to go whale watching in Monterey Bay and to visit Papa and participate in the Easter egg hunting party he hosted at his house. Summer, we went to Oregon and Chicago. We attended the reunion of Toukoul Adoptive Families in Portland, Oregon. Then a week after, we went  to Chicago to visit with my relatives. In September, we drove to Denver, Colorado. We spent a few days in Hawaii in the fall. Lastly, we went to Toronto to spend a few days with  Grandma, Aunt Gi, Uncle Jim, Lauren and Jackson.

C. Ben and Angie

It has been a busy year for the kids. We visited the different ski resorts that are within an hour away from Salt Lake City so both of them were able to do a lot of skiing Jan-Mar. They were also able to do a lot of swimming (at the different hotels we stayed at on the weekends that we were out of Dugway). They have not taken formal swimming lessons, though, so that is something to do in 2011. Angie took dance lessons at school and had a recital at end of school. I did a little experiment with Angie's hair (went to a salon and had extensions put on her hair) and I am NOT going to do that again for at least the next 10 years or so !

D. Move to Park City, Utah

We moved out of the military housing and moved to Park City in November. We are currently staying in a partly-furnished condo until we find a permanent place to live (looking for condo or house to buy). Ben and Angie attend a very good school in Park City - Ben is in Jr.-K while Angie is in Preschool and they have adjusted quite well. Matt is keeping himself busy with a full-time winter job at the Deer Valley Ski Resort as he looks for his next job. Am still with Qwest and working from home.



Now, enough of the words, HERE is 2010 in PICTURES ! 

So that's 2010 for us.

We wish you all continued blessings for 2011 ! Have a Happy New Year !

I Heart Faces - Focusing on Angles

This is my entry in this week's I Heart Faces photo challenge.  I was coaching Ben to hug his sister and he did but I guess Angie didn't want to be hugged at this particular moment.  I like the different expression on their faces. Priceless !

Feb 2010 pictures

Hello everybody !

Yes, this blog is still active even if the gaps in between entries are getting wider and wider. Time to blog is a luxury that does not come often nowadays.

I still continue to take pictures but I just don't have that much time to post it.

Anyway, I hope you are all doing good and in the best of health. Ben and Angie are doing very well as you can see in the pictures below.

Both of them are growing fast. Angie celebrated her 3rd birthday (Feb 3) at school. We have brought them 2x to-date this year to go skiing and they like it very much.

Enjoy the pictures and warm regards to all !

Merry Christmas

Hello everyone,

Merry, merry Christmas to all of you!

It's been a long while since I last wrote something on our blog.

Matt moved back to Utah after working on contract in California for close to 5 months. When he came back, he started working at Dugway Proving Grounds in Tooele County. He is currently doing a 2-hour trip each way Mondays to Thursdays.

That is about to change next year. We have found renters for our house in Layton and we will move to housing inside the base as we continue to look for a permanent place to live in.

Things have been quite hectic on our end as we prepare for this move. I'll try to keep you posted but in the meantime, ...

We wish you Peace and Happiness this Christmas!

We miss you all !

"We ♥ Tooshies"

I ♥ Faces Photo Challenge for the week is "We ♥ Tooshies"
Here is my entry.




That's my son Ben, my daughter Angie and their cousin Lily racing towards the opening of the Bouncy Inflatable House in my aunt's yard.

Goodbye Mom/Nana. We love you!

Monday, October 26, 2009 4:05 PM, PDT - Entry at the CaringBridge Site for Mom by my sister-in-law Kelly :

Our loving, caring, beautiful, wonderful mother, nana and friend passed away today at 12:38 p.m. Our grief is great, but we know she is now at peace.

Mom fought a long, hard battle and won in the end. She was surrounded by her loving family and friends in her final days and left us on her terms.



Below are some pictures of Mom. We remember her fondly and we are so grateful for all the love and care she has given us. We will miss you, Mom.

I ♥ Faces - Contemplative

I ♥ Faces Photo Challenge for the week is Contemplative.





This is a picture of my daughter Angela. We were at the park and I had told her that it was time to go home. She wasn't happy about it so she cried and protested. I took this shot after she had calmed down (see dried tears and runny nose). She's a feisty and strong-willed 2 year old so I am sure she was contemplating on what to do next to delay us leaving the park.

I have been a fan of I ♥ Faces for a long time but this is the first time I am entering the weekly contest. Thanks for stopping by.