Discovery Street

The Day!

2012-02-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

I'm beyond excited for my friend and neighbor Lindsy. Today they are picking up a 5 month old baby boy through a local foster to adopt agency. It's been a crazy long emotional process for them and it's all happening today! I've been planning her baby shower not knowing if it was going to be for a boy or a girl...I guess we can update a few things for this weekend! I can't wait to meet the little one!

7 Years Sober

2012-02-06T12:03:00.000-08:00

Today marks my husbands 7th year of sobriety. I couldn't be more proud of the person he is today and the people he has impacted and influenced. From the minute he told me on our very first date that he was an alcoholic, until today, I've never doubted or was skeptical of the man he is. I never knew the "old Andy," but his life and experiences have molded him into the most compassionate, humble, and intentional person I've ever known. I'm lucky to call him my husband.

Rough Days

2012-02-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

I'm married to an amazing man. I've been having some really hard days lately...well, weeks actually. My husband is picking up all the slack and hasn't complained once. I don't think I've expressed my gratitude enough, yet he still rubs my back, goes downstairs to grab me a glass of water in the middle of the night, draws me a warm bath, is cooking his own meals, and grocery shopping, and he's tolerating my whining and irritability. If there were a husband of the year award, he'd definitely be the winner.

Death and Taxes

2012-01-30T20:25:00.000-08:00

Is anyone else already worrying about their taxes? (Probably not, I know, I'm weird). Last year was the first year Andy and I filed jointly, but we were traveling around the world and not working, so we weren't too concerned about our taxes. Prior to that I've always been an independent contractor and was able to write of almost everything and always got money back come tax time. This year, I have a W4 (instead of a 1099), we bought a duplex/home, my husband is in ministry and real estate (two complicated jobs to document right?), and all of that leads me to believe that we need to hire a CPA, asap. Anyone know how much a tax guy/gal costs these days?

Something Fresh

2012-01-26T16:09:00.000-08:00

The hubs and I don't own a TV...not because we don't want to, it just hasn't been on the top of our priority list of things we want to spend money on. We do like to crawl into bed with our laptop and watch a few episodes of something on Hulu or Netflix...but we're out of good shows to watch. I need some recommendations. This is what we're caught up on:

Parenthood (our fave)
The Office
Parks and Rec
Up All Night
The New Girl

A side note, we're not into zombies or scary stuff...what are your recommendations?

Big Head

2012-01-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

{Via}

I have a ginormous noggin. I've only once in my life found a pair of sunglasses that fit my head and didn't pinch my temples. They are the ones I'm wearing in my profile pic there to the right. Also, because I'm Asian and my face is flatter than most, sunglasses never rest on my nose, they rest on my cheeks. Sunglasses were just not meant for a face like mine. And the most super annoying thing right now is I can't find those sunglasses (and of course, randomly the sun has been shining a lot here in the Pacific Northwest this winter). And, I can't remember what the brand was, I think I bought them at TJ Maxx. I also ~~can't~~ refuse to spend more than $30 on sunglasses since I've lost every single pair I've ever owned. So, yeah, first world problems I know. I want those sunglasses in the pic...I think those might fit on this big head o' mine.

One Night

2012-01-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

Room Service

This weekend Andy officiated a wedding and as a gift the couple paid for an evening in a fancy hotel with room service. Andy and I have been so non stop busy that we didn't realize how wonderful one single night away from home could be so rejuvenating and so good for our marriage. Even though we were only 45 minutes away, it felt like we could have been half way around the world.

Our two year anniversary is coming up and we decided we're going to get a hotel room and hole up again...maybe for a couple of nights instead of just one.

Snowpocalypse

2012-01-20T05:23:00.000-08:00

Well, the weather reports were true; the city of Tacoma for the most part has been shut down for the past 2 days. The first day of massive snow was actually quite fun. Andy and I went to the park with some friends to play. The park was packed with kids sledding, throwing snowballs and building snowmen. The second day the ice came. Roads shut down, trees were falling down on power lines, power outages left and right...I'm glad I'm content staying in bed all day catching up on Netflix, but I know most people were going stir crazy being stuck inside all day.

A huge branch snapped and fell in our back yard....yikes.

The weather advisory is in affect until 4am...by the time you read this hopefully it will be warming up a bit and people can get out of their driveways. Have a great weekend folks!

Wanting A Change

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

My hair has been long, straight and parted on the side my entire life (minus the bad perm in elementary school and chopping it all off in college). I had bangs when I was 5...and I think I want them again. The problem, I have a short forehead and a really round face (which bangs are not recommended). But I might do it anyway.

Do you have bangs? Love em? Hate em? Input?

The Weather Outside is Frightful

2012-01-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

The PNW is bracing for epic winter storm that is supposed to hit today. The build up to it hasn't been horrible though...and Augustus seems to absolutely love it.

Celebrity Sightings

2012-01-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

Andy and I were in Seattle for a conference and when we walked out into the lobby of our hotel, guess who we see??

Craig Robinson, or Darrel from "The Office."

I used to live in LA and would see celebrities all the time, but it's been awhile and Andy and I acted like two sixteen year old girls when we spotted him. Andy and some friends actually chased him down in the parking lot to take a picture, I sheepishly came out 5 minutes later and was trying to play it cool, but I was a total star struck nerd. He was kind enough to let us take pictures with him.

Yeah...it was a good day.

Jesus > Religion

2012-01-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

I am a Christian, but I'm not religious. This is what I mean.

Pretend that it's the Weekend Now

2012-01-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

Can't you see that it's just raining
Ain't no need to go outside...
But baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you this
Song is meant to keep ya
From doing what you're supposed to
Like waking up too early
Maybe we can sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now

-Jack Johnson

My husband and I look at weekends differently. For me weekends are for getting all the junk that piled up during the week done. For Andy it's all about sleeping in and relaxing. Almost every Saturday morning he has to persuade me to stay in bed just a little longer. Not this weekend. I had nothing on the agenda, the laundry, cleaning, dog, life for that matter could all wait. Man, the rewards of waiting were sweet. Banana pancakes, eggs and bacon? Yes please. I think I'll be repeating this next weekend thankyouverymuch.

A Scary Day

2012-01-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

I failed to mention that our New Year's Eve could have been horrible...because it actually started out that way. On the morning of New Year's Eve our sweet little Augustus had a seizure. We didn't realize it was a seizure when it was happening; Gus's body kept slamming itself against the floor, he was yelping and his body was horribly contorted. It appeared he stopped breathing and Andy gave him doggie CPR...then he vomited, a lot, and out popped a whole macadamia nut. Ugh, I felt like a horrible dog owner, he had gotten into a box of dark chocolate covered macadamia nuts the night before (both are highly toxic to dogs). Fortunately he was himself just an hour later; tail wagging and hyper as usual. But ever since he's gotten the doggie royal treatment and has been spoiled rotten. I haven't really left his side since the incident. I love that pup.

Ringing in the New Year

2012-01-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I'm getting old, but staying up all night in a sparkly dress and high heels for New Year's Eve just doesn't sound fun anymore. Hanging out with friends in stretchy pants and slippers sounds much more appealing--and that's just what we did. We gorged on completely unhealthy food, hung out with friends (and about 8 dogs), and celebrated New Years on East Coast time, and were in bed by midnight West Coast time.

Have you tried pistachios and cranberries rolled in goat cheese? Do it, today.

They boys lit fireworks in the back yard.

Yup, this is my kind of New Year's Eve Celebration.

Hope your 2012 has started off wonderfully!

2011 Year in Review

2011-12-30T09:53:00.000-08:00

Wow...I can't believe the year is almost over; 2011 was a big year for Andy and I. Here are the highlights:

This is how it started in January.

In February we celebrated our first anniversary.

In March I was struggling with finding balance.

In April we celebrated Easter with friends and I shared my testimony.

In May we started house hunting and put our first bid on a house...which we didn't get.

In June we put an offer on another house...

July was jam packed. I went back to San Diego to visit my girlfriends;

went camping with friends;

and had some much needed r&r.

August was crazy...we got the keys to our new home.

We started painting the day we moved in.

We dealt with our first homeowner issue.

We find out apparently my husband is a carpenter and he builds our dining room table.

In September we become DIY "experts" and updated our kitchen.

And redid our floors.

We also decide to expand our family.

I decide this is the month I learn to be crafty.

In October my husband wow's me again with his craftsmanship and builds "built in" bookshelves.

I wow myself with my craftiness.

In November, Andy and I hosted a Thanksgiving Feast!

In December we did a DIY Christmas card photo shoot.

Andy built another amazing table.

And as you've read recently, we spent a beautiful holiday in Flagstaff, AZ with my in-laws.

2011 is going to be hard to beat...but I have a feeling 2012 is going to be full of surprises.

Are you ready for the New Year?

Merry & Bright

2011-12-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

The holidays were a magical time. Andy and I flew to Flagstaff and enjoyed a beautiful white Christmas. (Can you see the snow in the background? And isn't that a beautiful tree?). The three days leading up to Christmas was, full of food, napping, fam time and cards. Did I mention the food?

A perfect flip of the pancake...yeah...we get excited about the little things.

Christmas Eve tradition is nachos!

We decided we needed to take a walk around the block to make us feel better about how much we ate.

The Taylor's don't mess when it comes to cards!

Hope your holidays were merry and bright!

Playing Tag

2011-12-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

I'm responding to a tag from Lindsy at LMR Photography. Thanks for the blog love!

Rules:
1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
5. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.

11 Things About Me:

1. I'm half Caucasian, half Korean.

2. My favorite event so far this year was the day I rescued my dog, Augustus.

3. I love hot sauce on everything...except dessert.

4. I'm an introvert by nature.

5. I can't sing, at all.

6. I wish I could sing.

7. I want to learn to sew.

8. I want to take a photography class.

9. I was 31 when I met my husband.

10. I usually drive in silence.

11. I wish I could turn blogging into my job.

11 Questions Lindsy asked me:

1. What was the best vacation you ever went on?

It was my honeymoon...6 months of traveling throughout Central America & SE Asia.

2. What is your favorite thing to eat late at night?

Lucky Charms.

3. Who was your favorite band when you were in junior high?

Poison or Def Leopard....tough call.

4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Santa Cruz, California

5. Favorite TV shows right now?

Parenthood

6. If you could re-paint your house, what color would you choose?

I really like the current color, gray.

7. How many best friends do you have?

Two

8. Describe your 'go-to' feel-good outfit.

Jeans, T-shirt, Rainbow flip flops

9. Who have you known longest in your life (besides family)?

Not sure?

10. What's one thing you're a super-nerd about?

Blogs and blogging, I love it!

11. I'm making you spend $10,000 - what would you do with it?

This looks good no?

Ok...You're Questions:

1. Introvert or Extravert?

2. Who is your celebrity look a like?

3. If you had to live one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?

4. What's your favorite holiday and why?

5. Favorite book or movie?

6. What are your top 3 favorite blogs?

7. What are you great at?

8. If you could choose between a personal chef or housekeeper, which would you choose?

9. How long could you go without your phone?

10. How many bones have you broken?

11. Are you on twitter? What is your handle?

Tag: Shannon, Faith, Jes, Cory, Heather, Calista

Ok...well, 6 will have to do! Merry Christmas peeps.

This Can't Be Topped

2011-12-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

When I checked the mail last night, I had no idea what was about to happen. I opened an envelope that brought me back in time and filled me with such joy, words cannot express how touched I was. See, the thing is, my family is not very close knit. My dad was in the military and we've never lived near relatives. I've met my aunts, uncles and grandparents less than a handful of times; I have a half sister who lives in New Orleans who visited a few times as a child, and as adults we've seen each other a handful of times. My moms family is all in Korea with the exception of 2 of my cousins who I've met once. Facebook keeps us tied together as adults, but it really saddens me not really knowing my family or their history.

When I saw the envelope in the mail from my grandfather, I suspected the obligatory Christmas card; when I opened it, well, it was so much more. He included a scattered history of photos of my father and pictures I've never seen of me as a child. I poured over the photos as tears streamed down my face...I can't quite explain the feeling, but my heart felt like it was going to burst from such a thoughtful gesture--and I felt that much more connected to my dad and grandfather.

The note with the photos from Grandpa.

Images of my father as a child...no photo shop here...real images from the 50's and 60's!

Photos of me as a child.

I absolutely love this photo...me and dad at the zoo.

Well, good luck one-upping grandpa folks.

Progressive Dinner

2011-12-19T13:08:00.000-08:00

Our little church held it's first holiday soiree; we did a progressive dinner and it was so much fun! We had 3 different hosts in different locations prepare 1) drinks and appetizers 2) the main meal and 3) desserts. We kept it simple and had a chance to get to know each other better by sharing our highs and lows of the year, our hopes for 2012 and then some how we got onto embarrassing stories of our pasts.

Our first stop was hosted by Libby; she set up a cute little "make your own" gingerbread house station...loved this!

Then on to the main meal which was delish!

And finally relaxing at the end of the evening with cream puffs and coffee.

Hope your holiday gatherings are warm and cozy!

Need A Place to Stay?

2011-12-15T20:58:00.001-08:00

Have you heard of Airbnb? It's the coolest! We have some friends who use it to rent out rooms in their house to folks traveling to and through Tacoma. But it's a great resource if you're traveling anywhere! Since our exchange student just left to Japan, we have an empty room just waiting to be used, so we decided to post it. And how spectacular is this? They send a professional photographer to your place to photograph it for free if you request it. (No, they are not paying me). I think I'm just excited to have beautiful photographs of my home! Here are a few more:

You can check out all the images here.

So the most crazy cool part of deciding to do this was meeting the photographer who came to take the pics. Turns out him and his wife (who are also fairly recent newlyweds), did the same thing we did after we got married. They sold everything and traveled for 6 months and they started an uber nifty blog too! Turns out we have mucho in common...so after the holidays we're gonna hang out! I love new friends!

The Secret is Out

2011-12-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

Ok...I'm just gonna come out with it. Andy and I have been trying to get pregnant. (Surprise!) For any of you who know me in real life, I know this is shocking news. I've always wanted to have kids (via adoption), but never, not once, have I ever had the desire to be pregnant. Something changed 6 months ago, (the proverbial ticking clock I guess?) It's a strange feeling of failure (I know it's not) every month to look at a little white stick and only see one line.

I do really, really, really want to have a baby, but not so much that I'll do everything possible to get pregnant. I know myself, and I know I'd turn into an obsessive robot if I tried to time everything perfectly. I'm trying to have fun and relax, and not get too bummed out as each month passes. I feel fortunate however to have a peace about the outcome; if I can't get pregnant, I'm ok with it. We still very much have the desire to adopt and will probably start that process soon...I know God has put that desire in our hearts for a reason and regardless, we plan to adopt. It's strange though, perhaps just coincidence...but once we started trying, it seemed that everyone around me started having their babies or I got news that another friend was pregnant. And even weirder, all the commercials we watched on Hulu were pregnancy test ads--how did they know???

I know six months is not a long time, I know my feelings are normal; I think I just wanted to dialogue with others who may be going through the same thing...because I have yet to meet a woman my age who doesn't have children. (Which seems strange to me living on the West coast...has no one else met and married in their 30's?).

The Table that Love Built

2011-12-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

Remember the DIY farm house table that Andy built for me? Well, since then Andy has built and sold 7 more on Craigslist. He's honed in his craft and actually built a more beautiful table for our dining room. This one is well over 100 pounds, sturdier and he built in leaves for when we have lots of guests. Here is the final masterpiece.

He carved our initials on the bottom beam. *Squeal!* I love him.

Japanese Food Stuffs

2011-12-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

It's the last week our foreign exchange student is with us. She insisted on cooking Andy and I a Japanese meal (nope, not sushi), rather three dishes that I couldn't pronounce if I tried.

Yup...that is a ketchup heart with our initial. Don't be jealous of the ketchup heart.

And the awkward family photo with the obligatory peace sign.

It was a great 3 months...we're looking forward to the next student that gets placed with us!

DIY Christmas Photo Shoot

2011-12-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

I couldn't wait to snap photos for our Christmas card. The tricky part was getting all the elements to come together at once. From trying to figure out the camera's self timer, focusing, dashing to get in place, getting the dog to look at the camera, and figure out the right lighting, it was a comedy of errors caught on film (that we had to take over a course of 2 days--Oh my sweet, patient husband). We simply sat in front one of the walls in our bedroom, wrapped some Christmas lights around ourselves, put reindeer antlers on Augustus, and rested our camera on our nightstand to keep it still. I have a DSLR camera that I don't really know how to use it...so I adjusted the ISO and aperture a million times (as you can tell from the various lighting in the photos below). You can also use a regular digital camera, which I did for our DIY engagement photos. For your viewing pleasure--the mini version of the unedited photos:

And the winner (after editing):

After all the hassle, it was totally worth it. I love the image we got!

Are you doing photo Christmas cards?