Happy Birthday To My Mom

Today, my dear, spunky, fun loving mom is celebrating her 74th birthday. So, I am dedicating today's post to my mom. No cards, nothing. It's more of a personal post. :)

Granted, growing up, my mom and I had our differences. Unfortunately for my mom, all her 3 kids have her stubbornness. So, of course, different opinions were plenty around. I also had my moments where I thought my mom was too strict. But now, looking  back, I am beyond thankful for all the discipline my parents taught us. It made me a better person.

She also taught us the value of one's word. She always keep her word. Whether it was a promise to spank us if we keep misbehaving or promise to be help us when we're in trouble, we know she means it. 

How we three turned out, we owed it to my parents. She and my dad truly starts from the very bottom. She never gives up. She supported our family while my dad went back to school to earned his master degree in law. Even though there were time where we barely make it, we never feel poor. My parents showered us with so much love, by making sure they have quality time with us, even when they both work full time.

Especially my mom. We know we can turn to her for anything. And, not just us. Most of our friends that met my mom, many ended up turning to her as well when they  needed advice. As kids, when we tell her we need to talk, she never say she's too busy. She'll stop whatever she's doing and listen. Really listen. A quality that I didn't appreciate till I became an adult myself. Even when I am in trouble, as much as I am scared I'd get disciplined, I'd still want to talk about it with her.

Thinking about it, I think that was one of the best thing she did as a parent. By really listening to us, even when we were just 5 years old asking mundane question, she showed that she valued us as a person. And, she never expected us to just accept her opinion. We were allowed to question her decision, we discuss the why, she taught us to form our own opinion, to be curious, to always want to learn thing.  By valuing our opinion, our curiosity, she earned our trust and that trust is a BIG thing. 

Trust is the foundation for so many things. We wanted to do good, because we don't want to break that trust. When we did something that disappoint her, we learned to own up to it. And, because of that trust, it create a strong family bond that on her own words she said,"I many not be rich, but I have a rich life through my children. I am thankful and proud that literally all 3 of my children consider me as their best friend. And, that all 3 of my children actually like to hang out with me. How many parents can say that?"

I think what's also important was the fact that she never show favoritism that I see happened with so many parents. She valued each of us individually with our own uniqueness. She accepted all our flaws and imperfection and she never compare us or make us feel less. 

And, I am grateful that from early on she taught us compassion and to always remember to look down. This way, we'll always be reminded that there are many people that less fortunate than us. It reminded us to give back when we can, to be grateful for what we have. Two of her advise that I carry with me:  1. Make sure the humanity part of you stay strong 2. God give us dream and he wake us up so we can make that dream come true.  

Well, I could go on and on about my mom. No, she's not perfect. Far from it, as no human is perfect. But, I can honestly say, everything good in me, everything strong in me, including my stubbornness, is because of her. My life is better because of her. I am a better person because of her. I can't imagine life without her.

So, to my mom, thank you for everything. Thank you for all your hard work, your dedication to your family, your  love, support, all the spanking, all the discipline, all the argument, all the lecture because they are simply priceless. I love you beyond words and may all  your wishes come true. Stay spunky!! Love from your one and only daughter, SIL, and grandpuppies Eli, Abby & Clyde. <3

The big 4.0

Well peeps, I am happy to say that I reach 40! Yay, me. I am definitively not one that like to hide my age. I never understand that. For me, every birthday is precious, because it's a moment to appreciate how long I have live on  this earth, that I still get to try new things, enjoy being with my loved ones, visit places I've never been, & just appreciating being alive. Life is a precious thing that we should never ever take for granted.

Me, when I was about 2-3 years old

Since I am entering a new decade, I've been thinking, evaluating things a lot. Just for fun. I want to share 40 random stuff that cross my mind. If you'd interested to read it, great. If not, that's okay, too. This blog is part of my journey.

1. The person that shape my life the most is my mom. No words adequate enough to explain how much she means to me. Pretty much, she's my everything.

2. I met hubby at work & 8 years, 3 companies later, we still work together. We make a good team. We balance each other out. And, he accepts me just the way I am, imperfect & slightly nuts. He's my person.

3. I always look up to my older brother, Jeff. When he risks his job to save a life, he became my hero.

4. My younger brother, Jerry, is only 11 months younger with me, so with him I always feel like almost twins. When he's happy, I am happy. When he's hurt, I feel the hurt double. I usually the one who cry when he's hurt.

My li'l  brother & me.

5. It's been 13 years since my dad passed away & I still miss him. When my dad passed away it was one of the most traumatic moment in my life. Losing loved ones hurt. But, this also the moment that made me see the love that my brothers has for me. Them following  me around so they could catch me if I passed out. I appreciated them so much more after realizing this!

6. I actually love myself more now. I no longer criticizing my myself the way I did when I was in my 20s. I don't beat myself for every failure, every mistake. I try to give myself some slack.

7. I think of my dog Eli as my heart. That li'l boy means the world to me. Heck, even in my dream where we could be devour by alligator (I don't dream often, but when I do it can be wild), I am more concern on how to save him. So, yeah, I love this puppy of mine with all my being.

8. My other baby, Abby, open the world of rescue dogs to me. Because of her, I become very passionate about dog rescue. She open a whole new life purpose for me.

9. My dream retirement life is being able to run a dog sanctuary/rescue, where every dog is welcome & loved. Well, maybe some other critters, too. Sigh, I should have worked at a zoo.

10. My SIL, Gina is the closest I have to a sister. I could talk about everything to her. My fear, my insecurities, etc. She's a good listener.

11. I hope to be able to travel to new place every year. Greece is on my travel bucket list.

12. I always know that when I get to have my own dog, I want a pug. I just do. I am like love, love, loooovvvveeee pug. :)

13. I think watching good crying movies or series (gotta love Grey's Anatomy) is a good way to release stress. I am currently on Grey's binges.

14. I am a late bloomer. I was super shy, awkward & I owe it to my friend Debbie to change me for the better. She's a strong, opinionated person & I learn to speak up for myself because of her. Sometime we butt head, but we don't take our friendship for granted.

15. In my 30's I realized that I actually prefer bright colors over pastel.

16. Last week, I just added blue purple highlights to my hair.

17. I tend to think with my heart, which gets me in trouble sometimes.

18. As I grow older, I appreciated my cousins more now. I realize now that my crazy family is pretty awesome.

19. Growing up, 2 things I prayed for was to get taller and for God to make me less sensitive. Now, I am happy with my height. 5 foot even. That's okay. However, I am still the same sensitive person. I just finally accept that God made me the way I am for a purpose.

20. No, I don't know what that purpose is yet. And, yes, I still cry & feel like throwing up when someone yell at me or being mean to me. So, yeah, no clue why God make me so sensitive. It gave me acid reflux.

21. I am afraid of gecko or lizard. Once, one landed on top of my car and I sat in my car for the longest time to make sure the gecko have a chance to get off before I dare to get out.

22. I am a crier. I cry easily. Now & then, even when I accept it, that prayer to be less sensitive.. yeah, I still pray for that. Being too sensitive is hard.

23. When I get super emotional and can't say things, I would write letters. I do better with putting words in paper.

24. I am very much an introvert.

25. Because of my dad I love the oldies song. I grew up listening to Freddie Fender, Anne Murray, The Beatles, Elvis, etc. We used to call it our breakfast music because we get to listen to this music when my dad took us to school.

26. Because of my mom, I appreciate family picture. My mom always keep albums for each of us. So, my love for scrapbooking come from her.

27. I am not good talking on the phone. Weird to  think as teenager I could gab for hours on the phone. Now, not so much. I prefer talking face to face.

28. I pray that my niece will know me even though I live on the other side of the world.

29. I still have Christmas card that I got from my mom from 1983. It has pictures of deer, bunnies in the forest. I have quite a few of my childhood stuff that's still in good condition.

30. I am always interested in charity work, kids & elderly. I used to write to the UNICEF leader to learn about their program.

31. My younger brother, who's a photographer & graphic designer was the first person that ever said I should go for design school. I thought I wasn't creative enough.

32. Used to ask my mom if I made her proud because I grew up not knowing what I want to be. I have a brother who always know he's going to be a doctor and one that's so good at many fields. All I know I want to help those less fortunate. And, I am thankful that never once my mom compare any of her kids to one another.

33. One advise my mom  gave me that stuck with me is to make sure no matter how successful or how rich you become, always make sure the humanity part of yourself come first.

34. When I was scared and don't think I can go on, the word that gave me strength was my mom's word that I am her daughter and therefore I could do it. I always see my mom as the strongest, wisest person I know.

35. I am thankful for all the blessings I have received. For my life, my family, my babies, my job. I am just plain grateful and thankful.

36. Thanks to my mom & my foster dad, I learned to see the glass half full.

37. I keep debating whether I want to get another dog or not. We have 2 and I keep feeling tempted to grow our family.

38. Right this very moment, I miss my family pretty badly. Living on the other side of t he world from your from your family can feel pretty sucky. Especially during special moment. Last year, was the first time I celebrated my birthday with my whole family in 19 years.

39. The best lessons my parents taught me is to be kind to others, do your best, be fair, be polite, stand for what you believe in & that life is not fair, but you just keep going.

40. I hope I get to live a fulfilling, meaningful life.

Well, that's my 40 rambling. I am a bit of a mess right now, because I always feel a bit sad that I can't be with my family on my birthday. This happens every year. I am looking forward to what the 40s will bring. I hope it's a great one filled with many great things. Like my brother said welcome to club 40! Rock on 40!! :)

Til The Cows Come Home & Italy Part 2

Hi peeps. I have more travel stuff to share, but, before I continue sharing more travel pic, I want to first share a project. This way, if you're not interest in the travel stuff, you don't have to scroll down long. :)

Before I left for my trip, I ordered My Favorite Things The Whole Herd set. As you know, animal stamp set & me is like peanut butter and jelly ( although, surprisingly, I don't do pbj. I do peanut butter with chocolate sprinklers). Hah... So, when I got home, this cuties already waited for me. I love love, love this set.

It's been a while since I do card with stacked animal. I have to say, this sentiment is my favorite from the set. It just sounds fun. :) You can rest assure, I'll be sharing more cards using this set.

Now, let's continue with the travel stuff. For our 2nd stop in Italy,we took the train from Milan to Venice. When we got out from the train station, I kind of pinching myself. Wow, we are actually in Venice. :)

You immediately see the water. And the tourists. This place was crowded! Luckily, our little apartment is located on a more quiet side of Venice. The sidewalk to the right on the pic below was the way to our apartment. As you can see, not too many people.

On the way to our apartment.

Our typical vacation involves lots of walking. We don't really do the lounging kind of thing. I got this from my family. When we vacation, we try to see as many things as possible. So, needless to say, as soon as we checked in, we got ready and started exploring.

Wandering around Venice, you can't help thinking if these walls could talk. Can you just imagine the history, the story behind them? Somehow the cracked wall, the chipped off paint add so much character and artistry to the buildings. I can't help wanting to keep snapping picture.

We didn't get to do the gondola. I asked hubby if it's important to experience it or not, considering the cost. They are not cheap. We both decided, it's not something that's important for us, so we skip it. We use the water bus instead. Much, much cheaper.

Seeing Venice, I could see, why photographers love this place. There's so many hidden and obvious beauty. Makes me wish I have my brother with me, because he sees those hidden thing through his lens.

The entrance at St. Mark

My favorite part, is when we get lost and found the quiet area. I think this is when you get to experience the real Venice. Besides, on the crowded area, whenever you want to take picture, all you got is people. It's hard to capture the beauty of the place when there's too many people.

I shudder to think that this is not even the peak, yet. They said in June or July it's even more crowded. I am like, um... no thank you. Big crowd overwhelm me.

And, in Venice we got our first chance to wash our clothes. Hubby was a bit surprised at first that there's no dryer. Me, I grew up with no dryer. It's normal. Anyway, when we found the place to hang clothes, I do have to wonder, how do the small people do it?

It's out of the window from our bedroom. I couldn't reach it enough where I can pull and move the rope. I could if I climbed on a chair and risk falling out the 3rd floor window. Hah! So, hubby got the job to hang the clothes. And, thank goodness for the translation app on my I-phone. I would have just guess what the word on the washer meant without it.

Laundry day!

As far as food, I personally find the food in Venice a bit disappointing. Except for the 1st night, hubby cooked for dinner instead. So, very thankful that I have a husband who doesn't mind cooking. Especially, since his wife not a cook at all. 

On our 2nd day, we took a  boat tour (again, cheaper than a gondola) and that was awesome. Nothing like seeing Venice from the water way and learning the history of it at the same time.

View of Venice from the boat tour.

For our last day, we took the water bus to visit Murano & Burano. Murano is famous for their glass work. And, yes, they are amazing! Hubby and I are both interested in glass making. We could sit for hours watching them working their magic with the glass.

It's so hard to resist the glass work. So many beautiful ones. What help with our decision was the fact that we each travel with only a carry-on luggage. We know before hand, that with the places we plan to visit, carrying big luggage is not practical. Am actually pretty proud that I packed 12 days worth of clothes in 1 carry-on. :) So, with limited space, we focus only getting a small stuff.

Glass art at Murano

Of course, hubby and I are always on the look out for pug. Well, low & behold, hubby found the 1 store that carry some glass pugs. We didn't see any other store carrying them. So, one tiny glass pug made its way home with us. Yay! :)

From Murano, we hop on to Burano, a place that's famous for its lace work. I was more excited over the colorful houses though. I was like a kid in a candy store. As you know, I love, love, loooveee colors.

The colorful Burano

Arent' these houses look so cute and fun? I think it's the location, too. Because, I think if I seen this at other place, I wouldn't have think of them as cute. Sigh... it must be Italy. The atmosphere just make it beautiful. ;)

Well, peeps, that's a pretty long post. I hope you enjoy the post and the pics. The 3rd installment would be all about our favorite place, Cinque Terre. I am looking forward to sharing the place with you. Stay tune and thank you for visiting. Cheers..

Italy Part 1

Hi peeps. Finally, back to normal, to un-scheduled blogging. :) Today, I am sharing about our travel. Besides paper crafting, travel is another passion of mine. I love traveling, I love experiencing other culture, history, etc. Since I was a little kid, I am always especially fascinated with Europe. Something just pull me towards it. But, of course, I also have Australia & New Zealand on my bucket list.

Recently I finally get to check off Italy from my travel bucket list. Of course, we haven't seen all of it, so, there's still excuse to go back. I think, Italy is definitely one of those country that you cannot go just once. :)

I also want to share a little tip to help cut cost for travel. Get a Chase United credit card. My boss taught us this. Using the point we collected, were' able to get our tickets for free, which open our budget for accommodation, food, etc. Another tip, if your travel date can be flexible, pick the date when the mileage award/points are on sale. For example, an international trip normally take 60,000 point, but they're often on sale for only 30,000 point. If you could go during the time when the points are on sale, you can get more out of your points. Hubby and I rarely travel during the peak season to wherever we plan to go to.

Another reason, we use this card, United team up with so many other airlines, so you have lots of choice, you're not limited to just United Airlines.

For our international trip, I really prefer to use airbnb.com to find apartment than to use hotel. For the same price (or more often for cheaper price) you get more room and better deals. Besides, it give you the chance to experience the city from local point of view. Just make sure you pick a place with lots of good review, that way you can be assure that you'll have a good experience. :)

Originally, we plan on fly in to Rome and skip Milan completely. But, during our search for ticket, we found out that we could fly in to Milan for less mileage awards, so we end up starting in Milan and end in Rome.

For this post, I am highlighting our first stop, Milan, where we spent 2 nights. We arrived early afternoon in Milan, took a taxi (and unfortunately, I think we did get scammed by the taxi driver. Note: from the airport, it's cheaper and safer to just book a ride from the airport. You can take metro of course, but when you're jet lag and tired, car ride seems more enticing) and after checking in to our cute little apartment, went straight walking to the Duomo.

In front of the Duomo.

The architecture of this cathedral is simply amazing. You can't help but appreciate the artistry and the many hours that must be spent to create all the sculpture on this cathedral. The only turn off I found is the street vendors that can be very pushy trying to sell you bracelet, selfie stick, what not. 

The day we arrived, it was sprinkling a bit and the stairs/lift to go up was closed. We came back on the 2nd day and luckily it was open and we're able to go up and got this view.

On top of the Duomo.

For our 2nd day, we took a tour that took us to Como, Bellagio and Lugano, Switzerland. Our first stop was Como where we we took a 2 hours boat cruising Lake Como to Bellagio.

Como Cathedral.

What fascinate me about Italy is the mix of the old and new. Love that they preserve the old buildings and you see people still doing the old school stuff. While waiting for our boat, we saw a market where they also provide free stuff for kids and adults alike to play, like below. Simple stuff, but I appreciate the simple stuff. :)

Bottle fishing game at Como market.

Cruising Lake Como was amazing. Too bad we're missing the Wisteria blooming. We could still see some left over here and there, but didn't get to experience the gorgeous, big bloom like you see on travel brochure.

Lake Como

We could see the Alps and it was majestic. Blue water and the Alps, what a combination. We stopped at Bellagio for lunch, before continuing with bus to Lugano, Switzerland. Boy..., this place is dangerous for chocolate lover! I was able to resist the temptation, but I have to snap some pic. This is one of the display at Laderach Chocolatier.

Laderach Chocolatier.

And, let's end this post with my favorite view. We visited Lugano Botanical Garden and we're awarded with this amazing view. This patch of flowers took my breath away. They're so pretty. Combine that with the blue water and the mountain on the background, it's simply pure delight.

I literally, could sit on this very spot for hours.

Lugano Botanical Garden, Switzerland.

Sigh... I wish I live in a place where you have a place to escape and relax with view like this. LOL, when I sent pic of me with flowers to my family, my brother, Jerry pointed out how I was like my mom, we see flowers and we have to take picture. Hah... the girls in our family do love taking picture with flowers.

Well, peeps, hope you enjoy today's post. I'll be back tomorrow with a fun card and more travel stuff. Eventhough it's not card related, I hope you still enjoy the post. Thank you for stopping by here.

Just For My Mom

Today is my dear mom special day as she's celebrating turning 73. For those who have followed my blog for a while, you know how close I am with my family and how much I look up  to my mom.

Growing up, just like any family, my mom and I went trough that period where we couldn't quite understand each other. I am very much a softie, super sensitive, struggling with a major case of shyness. My mom, the opposite. She's strong, level headed, confident. Pretty much the kind of woman I hope to grow up to be. 

One of my tutor used to say, "When your mom walk into a room, you could feel she radiates intelligence, strength." I tend to think with my heart. She's much, much more level headed. So, yeah... we went through a few rough patch.

My mom doesn't have a college degree, but most people who have met or work with her thought she had engineering degree. What they don't realize was that she educate herself constantly just  by reading and asking question. She worked for company that make heavy machinery & she learned everything about it. She read about current stuff constantly. From Times magazine to Newsweek, etc. None of the girlie woman magazine for her. That's me. She could talk about everything from politics to flower, etc. Except sport. Hah...

Today, as I am getting close to 40 (still a few more months left) I cannot be more thankful for my mom. She taught me so much and every strong part of me comes from her. She always there for me as I went through the up and down of life. She cried and ache for me when I went through difficult period, she keep pushing me to get up and be strong. I am where I am today because of her faith in me.

To my mom, I just want to say....

Supplies (all from i {heart} papers): Wplus9 Pretty Peonies set,
Pretty Peonies dies, Simple Stories Vintage Bliss 6x6 paper pad,
Avery Elle ink pads

Happy birthday and thank you for being my mom. Thank you for lending me your strength when I was weak, for your wisdom when I need guidance, for pushing me & give me tough love when I need it. Thank you for showing me it's okay to be different as long as I am being a kind human being. Most of all for always loving me & being there for me even when I was being stubborn & for teaching me about love & family. I love you. And as what a lot of people say: you're one cool, rock 'n roll mom/grandma! So, may you rock 73! xoxo

Paper Crafts Reflection Time

Let me just warn you right away. This is going to be a long post. Lots of personal feeling here. By now, I am sure many of you my fellow card maker have heard the news that Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking is closing down. February 2015 will be their last issue.

When I found out this afternoon, I was speechless. I was like, no it couldn't be!! It's a joke! I mean, this is what in my opinion is the best card making magazine out there. They are one of the reason I like to make cards. They make me challenge myself to create better, to be more creative and they gave me the confidence that I needed when I started my creative journey.

I used to think I wasn't creative enough. My younger brother said once that he thinks I should pursue career in graphic design and I balked at the idea, because I didn't think I was creative enough. But, when I made it to Paper Crafts Gallery Idol back in 2010 and soon after have my cards accepted regularly for publication and made it to other PC contest, I finally see what  my brother sees in me.

Then, I met the PC  team. They are so warm, encouraging & so positive. Susan, always the cheerleader, help me believe in myself. I am so grateful that I get to hang out with some of them at CHA. These moments are short, but I cherish them. Most of all what Paper Crafts means to me beside being an amazing creative outlet: they means friendship.

Because of PC, I got interested to attend CHA and that has opened so many friendship doors that I otherwise would have missed. Priceless, priceless memory. Lots of amazing girls that I just adore. Many I met and many I have not, but feels like I  know them through blogging, chatting online, etc.

                                                

This pic below was from one of the most memorable night at CHA for me. We all just kicking it back, laughing hard, sharing story. This was the CHA that brought some amazing girls to my path, who become so dear to me.

I honestly have no idea where my post going with this. I feel such loss. I know, some people will probably just say, oh it just a magazine. But to me, they are more than that. They are friends, amazing people. My heart hurt for the people that loss their job. My heart also hurt for the loss that our community is now experience.

All I can say is that I hope the friendship I gained through the door that PC opened, will continue to flourish despite this setback. I plan on maintaining the friendship and I pray that all the PC team will find new jobs. 

With that in mind, I want to share this card that was accepted for Card Creations Vol. 13 that now we sadly won't see. 

We all, at one point of our lives facing changes, the unknown. I know I did and will face more as it is part of live. Each time, I got scared. And, my mom always said have faith that things will work out the way they should be.

Tonight I mourned my loss, our loss. It's okay to mourn. Any loss is hard to accept. Sometime they are hard to digest. But, like I told Susan, sometimes bad thing must happen, so bigger, better thing could happen. We just have to allow faith to be our guide...

Thank you Jennifer, Susan, Stacey, Holly, and everyone at PC for the fun journey, for the friendship, support and joy you have brought us paper crafters. Just thank you. <3

Ollie, A Year Later

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my baby girl, Ollie went across the rainbow bridge. And, yes, we still miss her. There's time where hubby and I would reminisce about her.

Ollie was my first dog that really mine. I grew up with dogs and when I decided to have a dog, I always know I wanted a pug. I don't know why, I just know I want pug. Never even own one. I did my research, learn about them as much as I can. I wanted to be a responsible dog owner as I view having a dog as a lifetime commitment.

With her, I learned about being a mom. From cleaning up pee, poop, butt, taking care of her when she's sick, etc. Trust me, I was a squeamish girl when it came to cleaning up nasty stuff. You should see my face when I had to pick up poop the first time. LOL. Soon, I didn't even blink an eye. ;)

3 years after I got Ollie, I got Milo. My 2 pugs save my life. I went through some dark period and the thing that keep me going was my pugs. They were my life line. Sadly, I lost Milo when he ran away and to this day it was one regret in my life. I failed at keeping him safe. My heart still aching every time I think of him.

Losing him, definitely make me even more protective of Ollie and all my dogs that come after Milo. Ollie was feisty, bossy, loving. She was my strong girl. Late 2012 Ollie started having some health issue, but her tail still wagging and full of life.

By October 2013, she was getting worse and we finally came to the point where we had to make that decision that none of us as animal lover want to make. I prayed as we let her go that Milo, Hank, Nick, Becky, Barney all the dogs that our family used to have were welcoming her and keeping her company. I like to think my dad is waiting for her as well and maybe now she's keeping him company.

In remembrance of Ollie, I want to share this card.

Ollie, you'll always be in our hearts. Each dog in our life has special spot in my heart. I hope she knows how much I miss and love her. A year later and you're still my baby girl, Ollie. Always...

Fun Get Together

You know what I love about this card making hobby? Plenty. From the many fabulous stamp sets to the pretty papers to the satisfaction of creating something. But, what I absolutely love is the friends I met through it.

Seriously, I'd have missed on so many good friends if I haven't been involve in card making. One of those friend is Tiffany Johnson, who I absolutely adore. She's down to earth, laid back, open, thoughtful, simply put my kind of gal. And, the kind of friend who'd rive 6 hours just to hangout with me! I love this girl.

We spent Thursday evening just catching up and Friday morning we started our day with a trip to JoAnn. Latisha Yoast supposed to come and join us, but couldn't make it, so, for fun we decided to surprise her with a flat Latisha and she accompany us on our CKC adventure. :)

Flat Tisha joining us for a ride to JoAnn. 

I got such a kick when I saw that when I try to tag Tiffany on my FB pic, the suggestion that came up were my mom's name, my name and my brother's name. Apparently FB think we look alike and so does her kids! A couple time they mistaken my pic as hers. That's how we end up calling each other twinsie. :)                            

After shopping at JoAnn we went for brunch and then off to CKC Houston where we did some shopping and met up with the girls from Reverse Confetti! They're so fun to hang out with. I am so thrilled to finally meet them. They're all so sweet & nice.

Stacey Schafer, Jennifer del Muro, Tiffany, me & Amy Kolling.

After the convention, we all went out for dinner and hanged out. I love that they all dog lovers like me. Hah... We exchanged dog story and just chat, chat, chat. It truly was a fabulous day. LOL, Tiffany and I were pretty much crashed by the time we got back home.

We already planning for our next get together! :)

What?? You're looking for card? Yes, I have that, too. :) I didn't forget. Today marks the new challenge from Riley & Company. This time the challenge is to create outdoor/summer sport card. Well, when I made my card, I didn't get the sport part, I just thought we have to make summery card. But, then again, juggling is kind of a sport, right?

I love how happy and cheerful this card looks. Don't you agree that this card has such a happy look? I think this would make a perfect birthday card for any kids. Will you join us for the challenge? You can enter the challenge HERE.

Well, that's it for me for now. Thank you for swinging by here.

Family Visit Part 2

Hi everyone. I'm back with the 2nd installment of my family trip. But, before I share more pics, let me share a card first for those who just interested in card. :) 

After a few weeks of not crafting, I do feel a bit rusty. But, I did manage to finish a card for the latest Riley & Company challenge. This time the challenge is to create summer related card. Well, for me, summer means bright colors. So, for my card, my only focus is to use bright colors and I made this simple card.

To play along simply go to Riley & Company blog. You have 2 weeks to play along.

Now, back to my family visit. The main purpose of our trip to Indonesia was for me to meet my niece, Shakira who was born in December 2012. I honestly wanted to be there for her birth. You see, she is the first baby in the Wirianta's family. My mom's first and only grandchild. So, yep, she's a BIG deal. :)

All this time, my family makes sure I don't feel left out by sending pictures of Shakira regularly. And, my mom always try to Skype with me when she stays over at my brother's place so I could see Shakira and she could see me. 

Seriously, I have waited for this moment like forever!! And, when I saw her, I can't quite describe it. It just feels like I am flooded with love. I looked at her and I am like in awe. Wow, this is part of my li'l brother. To see my li'l brother as a dad is also very heart warming. 

This first pics are of my mom with my niece. I just love seeing my mom's smile on this pics. She just glow whenever she's with my niece. This li'l girl means the world to her.

Play time with Oma.

Considering her mom is a singer, this girl definitely got rhythms. She loves music and she loves to dance. She's cute, sweet, spunky, stubborn (hm... this is family trait from both her mom and her dad), curious & so  much more.

Now, this look on the pic below, totally my brothers' look.  The way her eyes looking up, her expression looks just like both my older and younger brother when they're being silly. It's amazing to see how depends on the angle she can look like any one of us. I can't get enough of her!!

Now, here's the happy auntie!! Can you see how big my smile? She completely captures my heart. I love everything about her. I want to kiss that face all the time!!

This girl likes her space though. You can't hug her when she doesn't feel like it. But, when she does, oh my word, it's the sweetest hug ever. One time, I feel like I was on top of the world when she let me take her out of the swimming pool and she just want to cuddle. And, normally when someone take her out of the pool, she'd cry because she's mad. LOL, she loves playing in the water. But, she didn't even made a noise when I carry her. She just hugged me. And, that made me feel very special. ;)

I don't have kids of my own, so all my love goes to her. I am happy being an auntie. I am happy at the joy she brought to our family. And, yes, it made saying goodbye so much harder. Heck, I started crying thinking of saying bye to her, while I was still there and still had a few days left.

Selfie time!!

It really does make my heart ache when I think of her and missing her. I had a video of her saying bye bye and I kept replaying that whenever I want to hear her voice. Yep, even typing this post I cry just thinking about her.

Here's one of my favorite picture with her. It's not the best picture composition wise (there's a darn box messing up the pic), but it's the moment that I love. I love the way she looked at me on this pic and it looks as if we're trying to do the John Travolta's move from Stayin' Alive. I just feel we connected at this moment. :)

Sigh... I wish I live closer to her. I'd love to baby sit and be the cool & fun auntie to her. I pray for this li'l girl every night. I pray that even though I live far away, she'll know me and know that she is loved.

Okay, the water work really start in earnest. I better stop my post or I couldn't stop crying from missing her. Thank you for letting me share my love for my niece here. Next segment, I'll share about my birthday. It's a big deal because the last time I celebrate my birthday with my whole family has been over 20 years ago!! See you on the next post.

Family Time Part 1

Hi peeps. I finally get to organize our family vacation pics. I want to share some pics here on my blog as for me, this blog is more than just a crafty blog. This blog also my way to keep in touch with my family that's spread all over the world.

If you have followed my blog for a while, you know that I treasure my family above everything else. I am very blessed that I have a close family. Being able to come home and spend time with them is something that I am very grateful for. It feels so good to wake up in the morning and see faces of the people that you grew up with. I love that I can hug them in person, chatted for hours, catching up, etc. Simply enjoying the little things in life.

This trip was also hubby 1st time to visit my home country, so we all decided to vacation together in Bali so we can all hang out and spend time together. We started our across the globe trip on Thursday morning. Roughly 25 hours flight from Houston to Jakarta via Tokyo. And, yeah, this is usually where I try to catch up on my  movies. ;) Here's part 1 of our family vacation.

My SIL always got me flowers when I come home.
This year it's in a form of rose cupcakes.

We did spend one day in Jakarta as we want to show hubby a bit of the city where my family live. It's nice to finally able to share with him the home that I always come home to. And, of course, my  brother never fail to take me out to the best food in town. This place called Rasane is my favorite seafood restaurant. They have amazing seafood. One thing about Indonesia food, we use lots of spices. So, when you eat our food, it's like yummy party in your mouth!

Indonesia has some of the best seafood! Here, grilled crab
wrapped in banana leaves & grilled shrimp. They tasted amazing!

We arrived midnight on Friday, spent Saturday in Jakarta and off to Bali on Sunday. My rented a place at Abi Bali Resort in Jimbaran. It's pretty cool place that divided into section. Our section has 4 rooms (2 downstairs, 2 upstairs) with family room in the middle and our own swimming pool.

Here's a view of our section. That's the family. The close door is the door to our room. The other room is above and across from our room. The shape of the section is circular. I love renting place that's more like home that hotel, because it allow us to gather. If we had stay at a hotel, once you done from sightseeing then you just stuck in your room. This way, we can hang out.

This is the view of our bathroom. I want to share this pic, because it's a very typical Bali style to have outdoor shower. Yep,  you read it right. Where the shower is, it's open to the sky. And, of course they designed everything in such a way that there's no peeping from anywhere. :) There's something relaxing to shower under nature. I find it peaceful & put me in meditative, calm state. If you have a chance to go to Bali, you'll find many places have this.

Here's the pool. Very tropical, yes?

One of the many beach in Bali. This one we access while waiting for our lunch. The restaurant has a short path to the beach.

At one of the beach at Nusa Dua. This one by Bebek Bengil.

Bali is a very artistic island. You will find many Batik art, wood carving, stone carving, silver art, painting, etc. A visit to Bali is not quite complete without visiting some of the art place. Here's pics I took at the batik place. Batik is a traditional Indonesian fabric. They can be made by hand painting or stamping using bees wax. Hand painted batik fabric could easily take 1 month to complete. They trace or draw the pattern with wax, then dyed it with various colors.

As you can imagine, we did lots of eating. Well, it's actually normal amount. Lunch and dinner, except they're food that we don't normally can find in the States. LOL,  you can take the girl out of Indonesia, but you can't take the Indonesia out of the girl. I will always think Indonesia food is the best. They're just so rich in flavor. And, hubby get to learn to eat Indonesian style. I always say, the best Indonesian food best enjoy by eating with fingers. No utensils needed.

View of the rice field at Bebek Bengil Tepi Sawah. To eat your lunch with this kind of view is awesome. I mean, I can't help but appreciating nature more when I am in Bali.

Bali is the only island in Indonesia where the majority are Hindu and you'll find many temples on this beautiful island. They have a pretty simple way of living. They believe in starting the day by offering thanks to the Gods and end it the same way. I wish we had more time to visit some of the temples, but hubby really only get to go for 10 days and  that including flying time. So, pretty much 3 days gone for flying and only 7 days for sightseeing. And, trust me, the jet lag is hard on the body.

Another must see place when you go to Bali is Tanah Lot. This place offers beautiful view and during low tide you could actually walk to the temple you see behind us on the pic. Unfortunately, when we came it was high tide, so we couldn't walk across.

Now, Bali without some water time wouldn't be right. Hubby never did parasailing, so we definitely did that and we get to try this ride called Fly Fish. This pic below showed hubby and I, right before we took off. So, basically we lay on this raft and hold on to the tube rope by our shoulders. The guy sitting in between us control the raft, so it wouldn't turn over during the flight. He basically hold on to a rope and jump side to side to keep the raft balance. 

Fly Fish. Off we go!!

No seat belt or anything like that. When we did this, I looked at hubby and said, this ride would never ever be available in the States. It'll be lawsuit waiting to happen. ;) Once you land back down, then you can ride the boat like as if you ride a horse and being pulled by the boat. Exhilarating both ways!

Anyway, I think we have enough pictures for today. Next, family pictures!! I am in love with my niece. So, yeah bragging auntie moment coming up! Happy Sunday.

Wishing I Could Be There

Today, my big brother, Jeff is celebrating his 44th birthday. If you've been following my blog for a while, you know how much I love and admire my brothers.

 

Growing up, yes, like any family, we argued, got irritated with each other, etc., yet, I always have tremendous respect from him. Whenever we have serious talk, getting advise from him could make me cry (I know it sounds silly and of course, I don't let him know that I wanted to cry, although probably it's written all over my face). 

 

He's quiet and I didn't even realize his silly side till we're all grown up. I think to a lot of people they view him as a serious person. When he bust the move on my younger brother's wedding, a lot of people were surprise that he got skill. LOL. 

 

Besides my parents, my brothers are the two people I look up to for so many reasons. Last year, Jeff showed me how sometime you have to make risky decision and take a chance in order to do what's right. You can read it all on this post titled, "Saving A Life". He makes me feel so proud. So very proud.

 

Today, I am celebrating this wonderful person and I so wish I could be there to celebrate with him and my whole family.

 

 

 

To Jeff, happy birthday and thank you for everything. I love you and thankful to have you as my big brother. I wish I could be there to wish you happy birthday in person, but for now, I hope through this blog post you know that I celebrate you. Love, your li'l sister. :)