My Trip to California (Day 1)

Hi everyone,

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend so far. I am posting this from our hotel room in Santa Maria, California! :) My husband and I flew over to meet his family (including his parents and sister's family) and we all planned to meet in Los Angeles and do a road trip to San Fransisco.

Day 1 has been very lovely! We met our family and pretty much laughing and smiling took over. We could not stop sharing stories and I got to meet my nieces and nephew! They have grown... taller and still so cute!! Especially the little one, Nina. After we got picked up from our hotel, we continued our journey by stopping at Simpang Cafe in L.A. for lunch. It is an Indonesian restaurant that is divided into a cafe, restaurant, and little grocery store. The food was so good!!! So many Indonesian food that I have been drooling over for a long time. Get ready for your mouth to be watering... because these pictures speak for themselves.

Our table... but after sitting down for about a minute, we got moved to a different table haha

Indonesian Martabak Manis

Indonesian snacks that we usually get from the fresh market

This is my niece, Nina. She is so cute that I can nom nom her :D

After lunch, we continued driving and guess what!! We drove pass the famous and beautiful Highway 1 :) Aaarrgghhh... coming from a small city with no beach/ocean view (we only have small lakes, ok?) I couldn't stop wowing how beautiful this highway is. I am very envious of those who live very close to this. Pretty much, along this whole highway was ocean view and mountain view with hills covered in big houses. I couldn't get good pictures but at least, some are better than no pictures at all, right? :) But honestly, if I can describe the view in one word, I would say "breathtaking".

This trip will not be the same without this little guy, Schatzi! He is my sister-in-law's yorkie and he is so tiny! Compares to Popo in weight, he is much much lighter haha. He wanted to sit on my lap the whole trip and look at these photos.

We were on this highway for about 3-4 hours until we reached Santa Barbara, California. We stopped at the first church built in the area and it was made for the Native American people. Beautiful building with the view overlooking a park. The weather was perfect :)

Pretty art on the ground in front of the building. Very impressive I must say

The funny thing was, the night before in the hotel room, Andre and I saw an episode of Rachael Ray's trip and she went to Santa Barbara. She recommended this seafood restaurant called, the Brophy Bros and of course we had to go and checked the place out. However, we didn't get to eat here because we had to wait 2 hours for a table and it was already quite late for dinner. 

But the location was so nice to look at... so beautiful...

This completes the end of our day 1. Another hours in the car will be spent well later for our next stop to San Fransisco! YAY!!!! See you all very soon  with more pictures and stories :) 

Have a great Sunday everybody!

xo,

C

1 Year Wedding Anniversary

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, June 24 2012, marked our 1st year of marriage. We both are so blessed to have our lives together as husband and wife and we could not have asked for more. God is so good to us!
Being married to this man makes my life even more complete and filled with full of loves and laughter. I know what I wrote is probably so cheesy but what is love without any cheesiness? 

We celebrated our anniversary with a trip to Chicago! Lucky enough, where we live is only 3.5 hours away by car from Chicago. The city lights, the scrapping tall buildings, the shopping experience, the FOOD make this city one of my favorite to go to! Andre allowed to go shopping... "Window Shopping" it is... but I did a little shopping at H&M and LUSH *my first time purchase in Lush* Hold your horses, I only bought a face mask called Catastrophe Cosmetic, which targeted towards dry, sensitive skin, and prone to redness. And a friend of mind had suggested and loved this bar soap called Honey I Washed the Kids. I love both of these products. The rest I got as samples. *wink*

However, the best part about Chicago is always the food. As soon as we got to the city, we drove to China Town to Joy Yee's Shabu Restaurant. It was my first time and Andre's second time there. Food was so good! It was a different shabu shabu experience for sure. They brought of so many different kinds of seasonings for the sauce and surprisingly, the price was still reasonable.

The yummy shabu shabu that we ate for lunch

Andre's lychee bubble tea and my avocade bubble tea

After we stuffed ourselves with good food, we then continued our journey to the hotel. We stayed in Swissotel, which is located very close to downtown Chicago and the Navy Pier. It was just the perfect location and we got the perfect room! It gives the nicest view of the river and Navy Pier and what tops it off, is the night view!! Apparently during the summer, Chicago treats its people with fireworks every Wednesday night and Saturday night. Well, we happened to be there on a Saturday and with where we were staying, WE GOT THE ROOM to see the fireworks! ^____^v

View #1 the lake and the Navy Pier

Night view of Chicago. Took this while I walked back to the hotel

Boat rides filled with people to see the fireworks

Fireworks in front of the Navy Pier

Good morning Chicago at 5:02 am

With this kind of views, we slept with opened curtains and pretty much admiring how beautiful it was. It was quite something...
I woke up at 5 am to go to the bathroom and my eyes were mesmerized by the view of the Navy Pier. It was slightly cloudy but the sun was peeking through the clouds and it was just so beautiful to look at. I had to take a picture first before I went to the bathroom (hahaha TMI)

I had to take a picture of our wedding anniversary morning in bed :)

And around this time last year when we both said "I do" to each other. The photo was photographed by my sister, Renita Stuart.

We had to end our trip by going to this buffet that Andre's friend had told us. It's called the Royal Buffet and it is located in Schaumburg, IL. OMG!!! So much food... and they are all very good. I could not take a lot of pictures here because I was too excited over the food! But I got one shot. The photo below is deceiving because that's not it... it only shows 1/5 of the whole thing. If you happened to be in Chicago or planning a trip there, go and try this place! 

I hope you all had a lovely weekend as we did and I wanted to thank my husband for his awesomeness and his awkwardness... I love you so much and thank you for a wonderful weekend getaway :) 

It's Monday... and I am Blogging Again!

Hey everyone! I know... I am a really bad blogger~ I have not updated for over a year (eeekkkk, sorry)
But... so many things have happened through out this year and it is that moment when you think to yourself "Oh man...time flies too fast!".

Therefore, I really think I need to start blogging just so I can put all memories together for the future being. Our 1st year wedding anniversary is coming up! I have been married to the most wonderful man for almost a year! That just makes me all giddy and excited and happy and... rainbowy... *I am super excited*

So many things to add on to what had happened this year... but truly hands down, one of the most exciting things that happened is Popo Caramel, our Shihtzu Poodle mixed that we got in KansasCity! He is unexpected but so worth it!!! 

The picture below was taken after he had his 1st grooming experience... I think he was only 3.5 months. He's so cute and very smart! He can do so many tricks already! *I am a proud momma*

Popo's newest trick in June 2012

Time really flies guys... It makes me realize that documenting those little things or big ones really matter. I would like to someday go back to this blog and read what milestones/everyday-life-events that have made me who I am. 

I know I said this to myself every time I write a blog post, but... I really hope I am getting better at updating this. I hope you have a wonderful day and make your day a little brighter by smiling ;-)

x Cyn

A statement that goes along the way...

Hey hey... It's Tuesday and I have no class! However, I have a pile of laundry waiting  (which is halfway in the process as I'm writing this) and I need to clean the apartment. *big sigh* I guess I am looking at house chores differently now because I feel as it is a stress-reliever and the outcome it great and satisfying! Ha! See how marriage life has changed me to a better one LOL :D

This morning as I browsed around my phone and checked out one of my subscriptions, Brit Morin as she shares a statement by Jacqueline Novogratz. I am so honored to be sharing this with you as this opens up my mind and heart to overcome my fears of starting something new. I need to hold on to this statement and remember it everyday.

"A wise CEO of a heathcare company gave me advice I'll never forget. 'Just start. Don't wait for perfection. Just start and let the work teach you. No one expects you to get it right in the very beginning and you'll learn more from your mistakes than you will from your early successes anyway. So, stop worrying so much and just look at your best bets and go.'"

Brit Bohnet Morin is an ex-googler and now a CEO of her own company, Brit Creative Living. I have always been admired by her work and creativity and her posts on tumblr are always fascinating and good, fun, and tech-knowledgeable.
I can't wait until Brit releases more about her company! Check our her website!

I am living my life and taking each step with passion and faith. I encounter problems and issues in regular basis but I knew that there will always be stones, dirt and pebbles along the way. I realize that I need to stay focus and fearless to overcome them because in the end, I know I learn much more from my mistakes and how I overcome those fears. Success does not come easy. I hope I can be successful in my own life.

I hope everyone is having a great day! Stay safe and be thankful :)

Thursday in the Fall

Hello all,

I love seeing the color of the leaves changing... the color is so beautiful and it makes me happy :) *Except from the part that the weather is going to get colder boo...* ppfffttttt
Anyway, the driveway where we live has some trees that have different colors from golden yellow to burgundy red! SO PRETTY!
Fall is probably my favorite season. The weather is just perfect, not too cold and not too hot. However, we are having a summer-like weather this week and I don't mind at all with that :)
And fall fashion... hello layers! :)

But anyway, I got a bit off of the topic there... hubby and I went for a little walk to Palisades-Kepler State Park. We enjoyed the scenery and it is so pretty! When we drove pass the driveway to the river, I couldn't stop saying "oh wow.... " because the trees were just gorgeous with colors. I have never been obsessed with trees... except in the Fall *hahaha* ^0^

I love the reflection of the sky on the water~

I love this shot! The duckies were also enjoying some autumn river time :) cute cute~

Hahaha... This one is so funny! Hubby tries to look tough and serious about the Warning sign =P

When we drove out of the park, we spot a Pumpkin Patch!!! I've never been to one and I am excited that there is one close to where we live :) It is so cute, pumpkins were everywhere! 

I can't believe tomorrow is Friday! This week has gone so fast... it's crazy! This weekend, we are going out of town to attend hubby's niece's birthday! We're so excited because we haven't seen her for a long time! I love family time :) I hope everyone have a great weekend!
Stay safe~

RIP Steve Jobs

I dedicate this post to one of the greatest innovators in our era.
The world is going to miss you, Steve Jobs. Hubby and I are saddened and felt the loss of your presence. You are that big!! Thank you for making a change in this world. You are one of the heroes in my life. You are such an inspiration to the world. You will be missed.

{Apple.com}

Future Dog in the Family

Hello all,

I hope you are having a great weekend as much as I do! Today has been a little busy in the afternoon as we were helping our brother-in-law with his business exhibition in down town where he lives. But anyway, the main point I am posting this blog at 2:28 a.m is because hubby and I might have found the dog of our future! 

We couldn't take our eyes away from him and he was just so cute and awesome!
We hope that one day... someday in the future we would find one like him. 

This dog's name is Buddha and he is a mix of bichon+shihtzu and awesomeness. He was definitely the center of the attention all afternoon as it showed from his bravery trying to fight bigger dogs, whenever he saw one. He was such a show off (hahaha)

Anyway, I should head to bed like right now :P Have an awesome Sunday!