Lake Tahoe

Two weeks ago, Tim & I headed up to Lake Tahoe for a quick weekend with my family. Tim's brother house-sat and took care of our dogs, so we could enjoy a quick, but much-needed break in beautiful Lake Tahoe. Thanks Nathan! The weather was wonderful, aside from a night of bitter-cold (yes, Tim, I know you think I'm a wimp, but it was COLD for me). Good thing I brought layers of warm clothes! But, the weather during the day was perfect! We joined my mom, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews.

We had a beautiful view way high up in the mountains. Isn't Tahoe pretty?

My brother brought his Wii and hooked it as soon as they arrived. What Tsukamoto/Hahn gathering would be complete without a Wii tournament? I couldn't figure out why my right arm was sore a few days later. Ah, yes! A case of Wii-arm. At least Tim & I remain the champs at tennis. Seriously, we need some better competition! Tim earned a new nickname as "the computer", since he never seems to make any mistakes and always wins.



Here are some pictures from our trip:

Tim on the balcony

Tim & Jenn

Tim & Lisa

Gabriel & Brian

Cristian & Annie

Tim & Jenn

This picture just makes me laugh. Can you tell we got a little restless on the way home?

It was nice to get away, if even for a short trip!

My 2 Scholars

I snapped this the other night as Tim was preparing his lesson for Seminary.

It reminded me of the first day we brought Echo home. I love this picture- Echo looks like a little scholar...

Hmmm... maybe Echo is absorbing something from all of his reading? If only it were that easy!

Girls weekend in Seattle

Super early on Friday morning, I, along with 3 of my friends--Beka, Shauna, and Jaycee-- headed off to Seattle for a fun-filled 36-hour girls trip to Seattle. We left the husbands, kids and/or pets at home. It was just the girls. Thanks to Beka's husband, Bill, who works for Horizon Airlines, we got to fly for practically nothing. Plus, Bill was able to get us upgraded to 1st class on the way there! It was so much fun! We LOVED the perks that come with 1st class- a meal on a 90 minute flight, served on a fancy (and warm) plate with real silverware, a real glass- not plastic, a fancy cloth napkin and placemat, and a yummy breakfast. The other 1st class passengers looked at us like we were crazy, but we were already having the time of our lives and we hadn't even landed in Seattle yet.


We arrived around 8:30am, so we had all day to spend as we pleased. We shopped, ate, laughed so hard we cried, saw the sites, got pedicures, and laughed some more. We laughed so much that when I woke up this morning, my throat actually was a bit sore and I could hardly talk.But, it was SO worth it! The weather was sunny and beautiful. We scored a great deal at The Edgewater, a 4-star hotel, on Priceline. Located right on Elliott Bay, we had an amazing view. Speaking of amazing views, we went to the top of the Space Needle and could see the entire city

At Pike Place with the famous fish-throwers

We love getting pedicures!

Our View from the Space Needle

Late Friday night, we happened to stumble upon a fantastic local Seattle artist, Mycle Wastman. He was playing at the hotel lounge and we all LOVED his music. We were treated to a free concert & had a great time. We were definitely sad to say goodbye to Seattle and come home to the real world. We had so much fun that we decided to make this an annual event. I can't wait for our next girl's weekend. Thanks girls- I had a blast!

Here are some more pictures from our trip:

All of us (Jaycee, Jenn, Shauna & Beka) at the Space Needle

At the hotelHear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil, and um... Jaycee? I'll let you explain this one.

The end of our trip... at the airport

See... I didn't forget about Tim!

Flashback to the 80's

Last night, we went to a surprise 30th birthday party for our friend Bill. Beka decided she wanted Bill's party to have an 80's theme, so we all dug through our closets and hit the thrift stores to find all those hidden gems. Back in the 90's, I had rid my wardrobe of all hideous pieces that even resembled the 80's, so off to the thrift store I went. I was still a child in the 80's, but nevertheless fell victim to the fashion trends that were oh so cool back then. Looking back, I think anyone who lived through the 80's (and has seen pictures of themselves) has asked themselves, "what was I thinking?"


When I think of the 80's, I think big and dramatic. Big hair, dramatic make-up, and unflattering clothes. I had so much fun browsing the thrift store, finding my totally 80's pieces. I found Tim a Member's Only jacket. Yep, that's right, Tim was an official member last night! That, along with his stonewashed jeans with the pantlegs rolled up- he was styling.




Me, on the other hand, decided to channel Jennifer Beals in Flashdance. Oh, how rad I must have looked in my oversized sweatshirt with the oh too big neckline, stonewashed denim skirt, leggings, and legwarmers. The big hair and way-too-much 80's makeup was a pretty funny sight.




Here are some other pictures from our flashback to the 80's:

The 80's girls... how cute would we have been 25 years ago? I love how even little Jada got into the 80's spirit!

Not to be outdone, the guys came through looking true to form Hard to believe, but my hair was actually bigger at the start of the night!Bill & Beka
That's a lot of candles Bill!

Hope you had a great birthday Bill. We all had fun!

1930's test

Don't know what this means about me... Old fashioned? I guess Jenn and I were meant to be. Good in the 30's or the 21st century. Seminary starts tomorrow... Gotta go to bed.

74 As a 1930s husband, I am Superior Take the test!

1930's Quiz

This was an actual quiz from the 1930's. Apparently, a wife if expected to "Keep self dainty, perfumed, and feminine". Really? When I'm at home, I'm all about kicking off my shoes, throwing on some comfy clothes and putting my hair up. At least Tim is all about comfort too- he lives in his basketball shorts & t-shirt... and neither of us could care less! I would have had a tough time in the 30's! Good thing it's 2008!

76 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take'>http://www.magatsu.net/maritaltest/">Take the test!

I won! That was easy!

As most of you know I work for the corporate division of Staples, the best office supply company on the planet. I have been working REALLY HARD lately and putting in more hours than normal. Things are crazy busy for me at work, but it's all good stuff! As anyone in Sales knows, the more you put in, the more you get in return. In addition to the increase of business I have been experiencing, the greatness just keeps coming! All my hard work is paying off! Literally. It seems I have been winning contests left & right! Last month I won a $500 bonus and the month before that a $350 gift card to Raley's- all for doing things I do on a regular basis-- things that are part of my job! I received a phone call this morning informing me that I won a LAPTOP... for FREE! I even get to pick out the one I want! Tim got a new laptop for his birthday and we have been talking about replacing our desktop computer for a little while now. It is old and super slow. I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore. We'll each have our own! Woo-hoo! Thanks Staples!

Where's my copy of Breaking Dawn? No one really knows...

Like many of you, I have been anxiously awaiting for my copy of Breaking Dawn to arrive in my mailbox today. I re-read the other 3 books of the 4 book Twilight series) so that I would be completely refreshed and ready to dig in to Breaking Dawn today. To my dismay, it was not waiting for me in my mailbox with the rest of today's mail. So, I hopped online to track the package on the USPS website. It said my package was undeliverable. So, I called them. No help there either. After a LONG time on the phone with the postal service & Overstock (where I pre-ordered the book), they basically told me that the driver couldn't read my address and sent my book back to Overstock. So, now I have to wait another WEEK (at best) to receive it, possibly longer depending on the processing time. SO, if you were one of the fortunate ones to receive your book today along with the rest of the world, PLEASE don't tell me what happens. I'll be ready to chat about it after you've likely read it the second time around...

Happy Birthday Tim!

Happy Birthday Tim! I can't imagine life without you...

Here are some of my favorite things about you (in no particular order):

1. You make me laugh every single day.


2. You put up with and understand my numerous "Friends" references, and have even gotten pretty good at it yourself. Ikea? Yep, you are probably the only other person besides me that finds that funny.


3. You do the ironing- and never complain.


4. You pick up after the dogs and never ask me to do it instead.


5. You always wash my car for me without me ever having to ask.


6. You rub my shoulders every morning when I am getting ready for work- just because.


7. You always fulfil your church callings and then some.


8. You always support me and my decisions, no matter how crazy they may be.


9. You are willing to try anything I cook- and eat every bite, no matter what it is.


10. You are the best husband and friend I could ever ask for!

And a few of my favorite memories- so far... (once again, in no particular order):

1. The time we left the play during intermission and didn't realize there was still another act. We had no idea how it ended!


2. The time we drove home from Ikea with the bed frame on top of the car. My fingers were freezing. That was um... interesting.


3. The time you sanded the wall so our TV would fit because you just had to get that thing to fit that night.


4. Staying up all night painting our new house. Do you remember how exhausted we were?


5. Moving the treadmill and elliptical upstairs on our own. I was convinced we were going to get trapped on the stairs with the heavy machines crushing us, or the dogs. I'm so glad we survived that! And, yes... we did it all by ourselves!


6. Assembling the basketball hoop in the garage in the freezing cold. How many hundreds of unlabeled parts were there? And the awful instructions? But we did it, and we only ended up with a few extra parts. If only we knew where they were now. The rim is a little crooked.


7. Getting engaged- You caught me way off guard!


8. Getting married- Best day ever!


9. Dropping the top layer of our wedding cake in front of the Sheraton after our wedding reception. We were covered in cake and couldn't stop laughing! I'm so glad I had already changed out of my wedding dress!


10. Our cruise to the Carribbean- what a great honeymoon!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday! I love you!

4th of July

We had a relaxing 4th of July. How nice! We started the day out by taking the dogs to the dog park. I recently found out there is a new dog park only a few minutes from our house. There are even seperate areas for small & big dogs. We were a little worried at how Echo & Bandit would behave. Would they be the "bad dogs" that tried to take the other dogs' toys, or the ones that everyone thought were just plain crazy? We were pleasantly surprised to find out that they LOVE the dog park & were so good! They ran and played their little hearts out. They even played nicely with the other dogs. Sure, they marked on every square inch of the garbage cans and fence, but hey- so were all the other dogs, and I can only imagine how many different scents there were for them to cover up! Once the smoke clears and gets cooler than 90 degrees at 8:00pm, we'll be back for more fun!

Echo & Bandit- exhausted after a fun day at the dog park!

After the dog park, we joined my family for swimming (and food, of course!). We had lots of fun, and were all dead tired at the end of the night.

Here's a picture of Cristian enjoying the waterfall.

Having fun in the pool...

To top the day off, we get a full fireworks show every 4thof July right from our bedroom window! We have no idea where they are coming from (maybe the river or old town?), but a great display nontheless. We enjoyed it!

Dinner & a show

My stepmom got tickets to the Music Circus through work so we were able to go see The Sound of Music last week. First, we met Beka & Bill at The Melting Pot for a fun fondue dinner and then enjoyed the show!

Bring on the fondue!

The amazing cast of The Sound of Music. While they were all super talented, cute little Greta stole the show in my opinon. She had to be the cutest thing ever...
Just us...
Bill & Beka
Jenn, Tim, Bill & Beka having fun during intermission

We all had a great night. What a great way to start our 3-day weekend!

Natomas Crime Spree

So, many of you in Northern California have heard about the recent crime spree in Natomas. Tim and I heard about the actual spree yesterday (Monday). From June 1 to June 24 there have been 15 home invasions and 14 street robberies in our neighborhood. I have always felt our neighborhood was fairly safe, and while I have always been a bit paranoid about safety, I have felt comfortable taking the dogs for a walk, leaving for work in the morning and returning in the evening with all being just as I left it. We have a security company that patrols the neighborhood 24-hours, so that makes me feel good too.

This past weekend was exhausting. I got home from my day trip to Girls Camp Saturday morning around 2am. Just after getting ready and laying my head on my ever so comfy pillow, I realized that I needed to send in some reports for work. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night. I was dragging all day Saturday and attempted to run errands and keep up with my normal Saturday pace to get as much done as I can. Tim literally had to drag me along on our errands. We helped chaperone the youth dance that night and had to do some household chores once we got home. Once again, we got to bed later than I would have hoped.

Just before 5:00am, we were all (Echo & Bandit too) jolted out of bed when our house alarm went off... loud. I looked next to me and we were all laying in bed. No one opened a door by mistake. Tim & Echo ran downstairs. Luckily, no one made it into our house, but our sliding glass door was slightly open. We think the latch must not have "caught" and locked properly. Thank goodness for our alarm! It scared off whoever was there!

I checked our bedroom windows, which give us a view of the entire backyard (and most of our neighbor's backyards too), but saw no one. Poor Bandit was scared senseless, as he has never heard the alarm sound before and, after peeing on the carpet (I really couldn't get mad at him for it this time) curled up in a ball on our bed and waited for everything to get back to normal. He kept looking up at me with his big scared puppy-dog eyes.

It's scary to think that had we not had our alarm, someone would have been inside our home with a gun (all of the other home invasions and robberies involved guns). I'm grateful that we are all ok, but realize that there are more precautions we can take to keep our family and homes safe. In my household, we will no longer put off getting a motion-detector light in our backyard. We will be adding an additional lock to our front door (we currently only have one deadbolt and that's it- not like most houses that have a key lock and a deadbolt). Gone are the days of opening the downstairs windows and sliding glass door in the morning to cool the house down while we are getting ready for work upstairs. And, I just ordered a key remote to our alarm so that when we leave in the morning we can set our alarm on "no-delay" so that it sounds instantly if someone tries to break in (as of right now, it will only beep for 30-60 seconds and then will sound if the code is not entered).

Tim and I have been talking about other ways to keep us safe and won't be stalling on getting them done. This has been a real eye-opener for us. Most of the criminals have been caught, but there are still more out there. There will always be someone out there willing to break and enter, harm, and take what isn't theirs. We hope you all stay safe and are aware of what is going on in your neighborhood!

Girls Camp

It's been such a busy week. Work has been crazy (all good, just crazy busy), and there just doesn't seem to be enough time to get everything done. I guess that's pretty normal though. I was able to go up to the last night of Girl's Camp yesterday and had such a good time. Jaycee and I drove up around 3:00pm and got back home around 2:00am. The YW were having such a great time and are so much fun to be around. Great job Beka & Princess-You two were great Camp Directors!

Dalicia & Annie (2 of our YCLs) explaining our next challenge...

Me, trying to figure out how to do the challenge... Lola & Dalicia scarfing down the YUMMY dessert Sister Christensen made for us...
Annie posing for the camera...

Sara, Rachel & Emily before dinner...
Claiming the coveted Capers Award Friday night!
Bishop Christensen all decked out in his army gear...

Since Friday night is Bishop's night, we go to see lots of great (&hilarious) performances.

Last week at Enrichment night, we had a talent show. The YW presidency performed a waterless synchronized swimming bit we came up with. It was such a big hit, the YW decided to use it as their talent for Girls Camp. Here's the video...

Another great year of camp!

1st chapter of Breaking Dawn

For all you fellow readers of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series who haven't read the first chapter of the 4th (and final) book in the series, Breaking Dawn, found in the re-released version of Eclipse, here you go: http://laei.bloxode.com/2206759,breaking-dawn-first-chapter.html . You have to scroll down a bit to get to the first chapter, but I assure you, it's there. Breaking Dawn's release date is August 2, 2008!

Seminary is Over!!!

So, it's all finished! At least for the summer. I decided I want to do it again next year. It's been such a great experience for me learning the Old Testament better. The New Testament is coming up and it's time to get a head start over the summer. So if you have any suggestions for me or cool object lessons let me know.

I can't believe it, but I'm excited about being able to stay up past 10:30 without any ill effects the next day!