The Parks

Grateful

2011-11-22T01:48:00.000-08:00

I'm so grateful for many, many things.

First and foremost, I'm grateful for the constant peace I have in my soul through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I'm grateful for eternal families and the blessings that come from working hard at and having fun in a marriage.

I'm grateful for the joy I feel when my son is kissing me and laughing with me - I mean full-on LAUGHING - after I get home from work, and the never-ending bliss I feel every moment I am with him.

I'm grateful for a truly patient, kind, compassionate husband who makes me laugh and never makes me cry, who respects the decisions I make, and honors his mother and my parents the same way I honor them, and who has seen me at my best and at my worst and loves me still.

I'm grateful for the unconditional love I have always felt from my parents, who are examples of acceptance, patience, and humility, as well as how/when to laugh and enjoy life and to be a disciple of Christ.

I'm grateful for siblings who love me so much and have done SO SO much for me in my young&dumb years that I will never be able to repay them - ever - for the generosity and support they showed me.

I'm grateful for my beautiful nieces and nephews who are so smart, funny, and loving.

I'm grateful for my in-laws, who love me like I'm one of them, and treat me with such kindness and shower my son (and dog) with so much affection.

I'm grateful for my friends, who have always brought such light, color, vibrance, and love to my life, and have been kind to me and didn't give up on me, even when I showed a lack of gratitude for them.

I'm grateful for my job, and the fulfillment it brings me while I continue to be a working mom. I have meaningful relationships with my colleagues, and they are a much needed support system for a working expat mom in Vietnam.

I'm grateful for our nanny Arlene, who makes it easier for me to go to work in the morning, knowing Jackson is well cared for and that she truly loves Jackson and Baxter and goes to great lengths to protect them and make their days happy and fulfilled. She is truly an Auntie.

I'm grateful for living is this beautiful country, and the incredible people I've met, both local and expat. I've learned much in the way of patience and humility living here.

I'm grateful for my wonderful dog Baxter, who loves us no matter what and has been with us from the beginning of our marriage. He taught me more than I could have ever imagined I could learn from a dog. He is the world's greatest cuddler. :)

I'm grateful for my homeland, the United States of America, and even though it has its fair share of ups and downs, and constant polarizing events, it is still the Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave and I say, and will always say, God Bless America.

I'm sure I have many more things in my mind for which I am grateful, but this is what I can muster up for this Thanksgiving season. Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Church boy
Ditching church to take care of two toddlers (aka: go for a walk)

Jackson not listening to Dad

My Thanksgiving work party - my turkey was the only traditional Thanksgiving dish - we had a Master Chef contest and I won "best dish" :)

Cooking a turkey on our on-the-counter oven (traditional ovens are rare and expensive) - and it worked brilliantly!

Jackson's Vietnam Dol

2011-07-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had Jackson's Dol (Korean 1st birthday party). It was so much fun, and very special because our dear friend Jamie and her friend visited us from the States. Jackson's birthday is July 18, but we needed to do his celebration early since we're heading to the States in less than two weeks. He was SUCH an amazing trooper for his party. Didn't get annoyed once. He's also walking all over the place now, so he was on the move during the party with lots of people to look after him. Our Korean friends helped me dress Jackson in his Hanbok for the Korean "fortune telling" part of the party, and also brought amazing rice cakes as part of the Dol Table. Everyone was so generous with their gifts and love for us and Jackson. We're very blessed to have so many wonderful friends here in Vietnam.

Thanks to my sister-in-law and my friend Carol for giving me ideas for the Korean traditions, and to the caterers for making everything so easy. It was really fun to plan. Johnny made three Korean dishes plus pan chan and we catered the rest. We had around 50 guests. So much fun. Some of these photos were taken by a colleague, so don't mind the date in the right hand corner.

Another Saturday Afternoon

2011-05-09T05:39:00.001-07:00

We went to our neighbor/good friend's house for their son's 1 year bday party. It is SO so hot right now in Vietnam, and poor Jackson gets very sweaty because of his mop of hair, so luckily our friend was able to get some pics of him pre-sweat. He is teething with his fifth tooth, so not much smiling from him that day. :) Another beautiful Saigon Saturday afternoon with my favs. Muah!!

8 Months of Bliss

2011-03-18T00:07:00.000-07:00

Jackson is 8 months today. He is a happy baby, with lots of smiles, laughs, and love to give everyone he meets. I am so blessed to be his mother, and cherish every minute I have with him. When I come home from a long day at the office, and read him the Ear Book (his current fav), he obliges me by laughing hysterically at my attempt to entertain him with my vocal abilities (or lack thereof). His ability to express his love for us and be so happy to see me and Johnny overshadows the stress and anxiety I feel when I'm rushing home to see him. He definitely lets us know in more ways than one that he's a very happy baby.

I'm grateful for you, Jackson Charles Park!

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

2011-02-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Tet! We had a great time with my sister, nephew and parents. We spent the first two days of Tet in Vung Tau, a nearby beachtown, with a local Vietnamese family. It was really fun and special. Will post more pics soon. In the meantime, enjoy pics of Jackson in his first Aodai!

Poor guy was hot and totally done with his Aodai!

Happy Six Months, Jackson!

2011-01-19T22:36:00.001-08:00

Mekong Capital Christmas Party

2010-12-28T17:20:00.000-08:00

My company had a Christmas party last week, and it was so much fun. There was a talent competition, with dancing and singing - they even roped me into singing - and I choreographed a dance for Santa Clause is Coming to Town. My colleagues are very persuasive. My parents and Johnny came with Jackson, and everyone had a great time.

My parents and Jack, with me and my colleague, Trang, who coordinated the party.

Our analyst, Sjoerd, as Santa and Lil' Santa Jack!

Birthday and Jackson's first trim

2010-12-12T06:20:00.001-08:00

We had such a fun weekend. It was my birthday on Saturday, so we had friends over for a birthday/Christmas party. It was so much fun. It's so nice to have my parents here to celebrate the holidays and my birthday. We figured out that they'll be here for all of our birthdays (excluding Jackson's), so we'll have a good time celebrating over the next few months!

Our friends and fam (the party was adults-only, and then Jackson woke up at the end, so he was allowed to join!)

Me and my man!

We've been talking about trimming Jackson's hair for the past few weeks, and tonight we did it! He gets SO hot here, and had quite the rat's tail, so Johnny gave him a trim while still keeping the integrity of his fabulous hair. I'm amazed that we had to get him his first hair trim at 4.5 months. We'll see how many people still mistake him for a girl!

Before

After

Still a cool hair-do in the front

Photos

2010-11-12T05:31:00.001-08:00

My friend Anika took photos of Jackson and me/Jackson. I really appreciate her doing this, since I don't have any recent "nice" photos of Jackson, and I wanted some to frame and bring to work. Thanks, Anika! The pics are really great and made my day!

Here are some of the photos:

That Parent

2010-11-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

Our friends and neighbors send their kids to the British International School, arguably the best school in Vietnam. I hadn't even thought about school for Jackson, since he's only 3.5 months, but my friends told me about an Infant/Parent class at BIS, so I decided to take J and my dad to check it out. I loved it!! So my parents will take J every Monday, which will be great bonding time for them and alleviate some of my guilt of going back to work. Of course I already love BIS, and plan on sending little J there when he's older. Who doesn't want the best school for their kids? I just never thought I'd be that parent, who is already predetermining where my 3.5 month old will attend school 2 or 3 years from now (yes, they have a toddler program). There is a wait-list to attend BIS, so of course to get him enrolled in the Infant/Parent class gives him a leg-up on all the other kids who will be applying (phew). AND, it's BRITISH, which is important to both me and Johnny (some of you may or may not know that we are Anglophiles (Definition of Anglophile: One who admires England (insert Scotland) and all things English (insert Scottish)). Alas, I'm that parent and am proud to be that parent. As a strong believer that education is everything, my new motto is, when in Vietnam, do as the expats and rich Vietnamese do, send the kids to BIS!

Papa and Jackson

What Better Way to Spend a Saturday Morning...

2010-10-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

I love Saturday mornings. Always have. In Chicago, I would hop in the VW and go grocery shopping (to five different stores, mind you) and listen to Car Talk and other Chicago Public Radio shows. Here in VN, we love going to the Elbow Room for an amazing American breakfast. Today is the first time we've gone since I've been back with Jackson. We dropped Bax off to get groomed and headed for the most amazing buttermilk pancakes in SE Asia. It was delicious, as usual, and it was so fun going to breakfast with Jackson.

My guys

Bax with his new look - fresh from the salon!

Happy Three Months, Jackson!

2010-10-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

Jackson turned 3 months today. We had a great time with Jackson and Baxter this weekend. We relaxed, watched Conference (we are two weeks behind in VN), and ate lots of homemade Kimchi Chigae!! Last night, we gave Jackson a "bower" (mix between a bath and shower since we don't have a tub but have a very handy faucet in the shower perfect for bathing babies), and always love to see the "big hair" after we have toweled him off. He absolutely LOVES it when we sing to him, and we sing to him a LOT. He is the ultimate joy of our lives.

Sleeping Beauties

Big Hair

Slick Hair

Chigae and Spam (no Spam for me, thanks. Chigae - yes, please!!)

I love this boy!!

2010-10-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

Together at last!!

2010-09-30T05:42:00.001-07:00

We are so happy to be together as a family again! Although it was an amazing time in the States, and I appreciate my parents, sister, in-laws, and friends so much, there's nothing quite like having my fantastic hubby and Best Dog Ever in the same house!

My good friend Sibylle and her daughter, Lara, and our other friend's boy Terryn

Home Sweet Home and Happy Two Month Birthday

2010-09-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

I'm home sweet home in Saigon! Jackson was a great baby on the flight - slept pretty much the entire way. A shout out to Baby Bjorn, which saved my sanity.

Jackson and Johnny eating Pho on Jackson's two-month birthday

Baxter cuddling with Jackson our first morning in Saigon

Here are some pics from our Washington visit. We visited our friends Carol and Doug in Olympia and then me and Jackson, my parents and sister visited our best family friends, the Stepans, in Seattle, and then my Uncle Skip, Aunt Sandy, Cousin Lindsay and her daughter in the San Juan Islands. I LOVED the "sweater weather" - Jackson got to wear a hooded sweatshirt! So much fun!

With the fam at a fantastic restaurant in Friday Harbor

Popeye the one-eyed seal

Uncle Skip and Aunt Sandy's yacht

Roche Harbor

Me and my sister on the ferry to San Juan Islands (Friday and Roche Harbors)

My dad and Jackson - he accidentally woke up Jackson - so he was in charge of making peace!

Me and my sister on the Puget Sound

More photos - August at the Moon Homestead

2010-08-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

I am posting more pics of our time at my parents' house during the month of August. We've had several guests (thank you to Kyrie, Sunny, Corene, Karen, Lauren & Dave and Brande & Lanell, for making the trek to visit us at my sister's and parents' houses - you are amazing friends), and have gone on more than one shopping excursion with the baby! Jackson is a lucky boy to have such wonderful grandparents. They have made my recovery, being a new mom, and time away from Johnny so much easier than I could have expected. Thanks, Mom & Dad, for being amazing parents and grandparents!

In honor of Year of the Tiger

Napping with Teresa's quilt - I love that blanket!

Shopping

Go Sox!

Happy Mama

2010-08-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

Jackson has been a delight - I am one happy mama! He just had his one-month birthday, and has gained 3 lbs - yay! I'm also one tired mama, but am so grateful for my parents who have helped me so much. Also, my best friend Sunny visited for a few days and was so helpful. We're still having a blast, but I am so excited to go back to VN and see Johnny and Baxter!

Three Weeks

2010-08-10T06:53:00.001-07:00

Jackson was three weeks on Sunday. We can't wait to get back to Johnny and Baxter in Vietnam, but in the meantime, we are having a great time and appreciate all of the support and help from our family and friends.

Auntie Carrie

Hello, Jackson

2010-08-03T07:44:00.001-07:00

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Jackson Charles Park, born on Sunday, July 18, weighing 7 lbs 8 oz and a length of 20 inches. The entire labor/delivery (emergency c-section) experience was super positive thanks to the amazing nurses, doctors, and my midwife at Pomerene Hospital. Johnny was an incredible labor coach and my mom was the amazing midwife/doula/mom I needed during those 13 (epidural-free) hours of labor. We were truly blessed to have such a memorable, positive experience.

We are in love!!

The early hours of parenthood

He is surely of Moon/Park heritage - this was taken minutes after his birth, and my sister said he was absolutely loving the hair wash.

Proud Papa (Charles) and Nana

Proud Parents and Grandma

More photos to come...

Due anyday...Amish Country

2010-07-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

I'm due tomorrow, July 14, so Johnny and I made a quick get-away trip to Holmes County, Ohio, 40 minutes south of my sister's house. Holmes County is Amish Country, and no doubt the most beautiful part of Ohio. My parents and I would take trips to Holmes County when I was a child, and I always loved it. The scenary is gorgeous, and the food is amazing. The food is locally grown, grass-fed, free-range, all the good stuff, so every meal is fresh and amazing. I'm delivering the baby in a hospital in Holmes County, and am so excited about it. The hospital serves mostly the Amish/Mennonite populations and is beautiful and well-equipped, and their philosophy on birth is right up my alley. Plus my mom's good friend is my midwife, so I'm all set! We're excited for our first baby to arrive, and are grateful for him to be born in such a special place.

Johnny was soaking up the peace and quiet of Holmes County - Saigon couldn't be more opposite!

Yep, anyday...
Such a great pre-baby trip!

Ohio Shower

2010-06-27T20:10:00.001-07:00

My best friends from childhood threw me a fantastic baby shower in Ohio. Not only am I blessed with these lifelong friends, but also their mothers! My mom brought the most delicious cake and my sis was there, too, being her super cool self. There were so many wonderful people at my shower - perfect day!

My cute mom and sis

The girls

Chicago/Ohio Bound

2010-05-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

I leave for the States in less than two weeks! I can't believe it! I look forward to seeing everyone again and of course having the baby in July. :)

My co-workers threw me a fantastic surprise baby shower, even though in Vietnamese culture it's very uncommon to have showers/parties before the baby is born. I'm so grateful and blessed to have such a wonderful job and people who have supported me and Johnny throughout our transition to living in HCMC.

Cutting the cake - they had me make a wish - super cute

Group shot - they insisted on holding the dirty nappies (the melted chocolate bar game - they had never heard of it before and thought it was hilarious). Also, note the TV on the left - our HN team joined the festivities via video conference - also super cute!

Me and Hue Dung - my Chief Accountant - she's my right-hand woman in the Finance Dept and the one who lured me to the surprise party

Baxter Prepping and 28 Weeks

2010-04-24T06:27:00.001-07:00

Like the two of us, Baxter is excited to greet the boy. Here he is testing
the baby's new hat to make sure it's warm enough. He agreed it meets industry standards.

Also, here is the belly at 28 weeks.

Hello, Hong Kong

2010-03-23T05:49:00.001-07:00

We visited Hong Kong last weekend, and like our first visit two years ago, it was fantastic! The main purpose was to go to the temple and distribution center, but managed to shop (love Marks and Spencer, bless the UK) and eat a lot of Western food. Oh, and Dim Sum. Yum. It was a fantastic and productive weekend.

Hong Kong Temple

23 Weeks

Dim Sum AND Sweet and Sour Pork! We went to a "local" place (no tourists to be seen), and it was fantastic.

It's a Boy!!

2010-02-24T05:43:00.001-08:00

So in the Year of the Tiger, we're having a little tiger boy!! We're excited (especially Johnny, if any of you have had conversations with him about carrying on the Park name), and everything looks on track for the July arrival!

The Bump

2010-02-14T02:10:00.000-08:00

This is a quick post while we compile larger posts of Johnny's visit to the Nike Factory and our Tet Holiday in Mui Ne (wow - Tet is so much fun!). We've been asked by many-a-friends with whom we don't Skype (or often enough) for a peek at the "bump" - so without further ado, heeereee's Baby!

18 Weeks

After our Tet holiday, we'll visit our doc to find out the gender. Stay tuned for more!

Week 46ish - Holidays

2010-01-19T03:05:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010!
It's been awhile since we've updated our blog. Our first Holiday season in Vietnam went well. We were pleasantly surprised at how decked out the city was during Christmas-time. It was easy for us to find decorations, trimmings and even every luxury hotel in the city had a Christmas Day dinner with traditional Christmas fare and more.

We missed the cold and snow, but managed to get into the Christmas spirit just fine. We even put up a small tree (fake) in our flat. As it turned out, Ho Chi Minh City is insanely festive...

The downtown district would get jam packed w/mopeds, pedestrians and taxis.
It was a zoo every night... all for the lights

Dong Khoi Street is lit up for blocks and blocks

On Christmas Eve, I got pretty sick & just slept. Poor Betsye and Bax sat around all day & watched bootleg seasons of CSI-Las Vegas and LOST. We however had already bought $$$ tickets to the Sheraton Hotel's grand buffet dinner for the 25th. So around 6:30 pm, we were the first to arrive for our lavish Christmas meal.

Betsye & the Ghost of Christmas Flu
We both looked forward to a delicious "Western" feast

This was just a fraction of the dessert bar! Betsye was pleased

The Park's & the Sheraton Snowman

Betsye, Baxter and I also kept busy this season by helping with our local church Christmas program. Betsye sang in the choir (some in Viet), and Bax & I helped create the set (from scratch). It took several weeks but it was a lot of fun spending time with the Elders and the Senior missionary couple from Utah.

All from massive, blank pieces of cardboard.
Elder & Sister Jackson have the magic touch!

Bax was our back-up plan for a paint brush

Pictured: Elder/Sister Jackson, Elder Nguyen, Elder Dinh.

The Viet-missionaries were blown away by Pizza Hut! They would probably die if they ate a true Chicago deep-dish pie. . . a large pizza here is 12" inches.

"So far away"

Baxter trying to blend in as the black sheep

Final product. If you squint, you can see Betsye in the choir - center, back row

Betsye, Bax and I are very excited for the New Year and all the hard work, fun and surprises that are in store. Particularly, a new addition to the Park clan in July. So, we wish much health and happiness to you and your families in 2010.

Parents Visit

2009-11-21T04:27:00.000-08:00

My parents visited us for 2 weeks in November. We visited Hanoi and Halong Bay and also toured Saigon. It was so much fun - and my parents loved everything there is to love about Vietnam. From food to culture to scenary, we had a fantastic time. Baxter was so happy to see my parents - he wouldn't leave my dad's side the entire visit! We are so grateful to them for making the trip so soon after our move and we can't wait for their next visit!

Johnny and my dad after a walk to the market - awesome fruit

Baxter glued to my dad the night they arrived

In front of the HCMC Opera House

Halong Bay
Fishing village - Halong Bay
Our cruise "junk" in Halong Bay - The Jasmine

There are over 1,600 islands in Halong Bay

On a hike on one of the islands

One of many cruise "junks" in Halong Bay - a popular way to visit the islands

View from the top of the caves

The caves in one of the islands

Johnny looking both handsome and bored during the cave tour - it was a cheesy tour, but I liked it!

So many great views from our junk

We hiked the top of this island - it looks small, but it was steep!

On deck of The Jasmine

It was chilly, but the fresh air was so nice after the craziness of Saigon and Hanoi

At a Buddhist temple (pagoda) in Hanoi

City Diner and our first Vietnamese Wedding

2009-11-03T04:24:00.000-08:00

So we heard of a great American diner not too far from our apartment where Westerners can get a good burger or breakfast. We decided to check it out. We originally were going for an omelet or french toast, but ended up getting a burger and a Reuben. Needless to say, we haven't eaten that much since we left Chicago. It's hard to express in words what it means to find a really good Western eatery in Saigon. It's important, almost necessary, for us to eat Western every now and then, to have a good burger and fries fix. And then we're good for another month or so. Did I say yum?

Johnny's burger: "The King" (as in Elvis)

Awaiting the Reuben

My coworker, Hoa, invited us to her wedding reception. Apparently in Vietnamese tradition, the actually wedding ceremony is small and quick, and the reception is a huge party with a lot of people. I was expecting traditional Vietnamese dress for the bride and groom, but actually, they only wear the traditional dress for the engagement party, which is a big deal and very ceremonial. Nonetheless, Hoa looked gorgeous and so happy! The food was so amazing that I even ate chicken!

Enjoying the day.

Me and my coworker Ha

Johnny and I in front of the pool - the tables surrounded the pool. It was so hot, but it rained for awhile, which helped, and the hotel had lots of misters.

Me, Hoa, and Ha

District 9, Lotte Mart, Church

2009-10-20T04:06:00.000-07:00

Just a little over two months since we've moved to HCMC and we're really loving it here. Every weekend, we explore a new district, new mega grocery store (yes, we're still nerdy foodies), or visit friends in other districts. Below are photos of the past few weekends. The common thread between all of our weekend explorations is the taxi. We never get bored riding in the taxi - there is always something (or many things) to look at out the window. Even our ride to and from church every week gives us plenty to observe and we try not to take anything for granted. We continue to be in awe at the constant, never slowing, never ceasing, hustle and bustle of this city. Some of the pics were taken on our IPhones, so some are smaller than others.

Johnny and I after dinner at our friends, the Szvoboda's. They live in a compound on a golf course in District 9. The first time we visited them, Sibylle, the mom, made authentic Hungarian goulash for us, and this time when we visited, I made them homemade lasagna. They have 9 kids, 6 currently at home. We love going to their house because a) and most important, there is always good food and great company b) there's plenty of space for Baxter to run off-leash c)they love Baxter . They are truly an amazing family and we love hanging out with them.

Johnny cutting some of the younger boys' hair. It was a flashback to Chicago 7th days, when some of the Young Men would come to our apt for a hair cut roughly every six weeks. Some things never change!
The lake at the compound where my friend Sibylle and I take Bax for a walk.

Sibylle w/Bax.

Baxter on our walk - he's a free man and runs around like crazy.

A pretty creek behind the villas.
Me, Sibylle, and her youngest, Laura - the three blondes in the branch!

Johnny in front of Lotte Mart/Lotte Cinema. This is a huge mall in District 7 with a fantastic grocery store full of Korean goods. We stocked up!Me on the fabulous walkway-escalator. We were on our way to the top level where amazing food court Korean food was waiting for us.

MSG, anyone? Yes, an ENTIRE aisle dedicated to MSG. It kind of gave me the weeby jeebies. This is pretty common in most grocery stores here. Last Saturday, we found the equivalent to Costco, it's called Metro Cash and Carry, needless to say, we were in heaven! Their MSG aisle was massive and also gave me the creeps. Maybe I'm missing something? Maybe MSG is just fine and not that big of a deal? Well, as long as I don't know it's in my delicious bowl of Pho or Bom Bo Hue, I don't care.

Johnny bowing to the ultra-fresh panchan (Korean side dishes). We bought a LOT and had to literally stuff them in our teeny fridge.

This nice Lotte lady in the produce section is cutting and packaging the stinky Durian for the customers. Fantastic! I'm buying packaged for sure. Hacking into the frozen Durian (Durians are best eaten frozen) in your kitchen is more trouble than it's worth. Unless it's with my mother-in-law. She makes it into a party!In front of our church. It's in a villa in District 2, or Anh Phu District. The church building is a beautiful house, and it's very large. I'm really impressed with how they converted it for church use. It's like it was meant to be! There is a guard 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Front of the church building.

The First Grooming

2009-10-05T05:32:00.000-07:00

This past Friday night, we tried our hand at grooming Baxter for the first time.

It started out really well, and then Johnny let me have a try at cutting Bax's legs. I tend to get a little scissor happy, which is why I wanted to avoid participating in the actual grooming. I was just fine coddling Bax. I saw some longer pieces of fur, and mentioned to Johnny that maybe I could help with the trim. Much to Johnny's dismay, I started cutting too much fur on his left leg and couldn't stop. I felt like Edward Scissorhands. I was reminded of a time my freshman year of college when my friend asked me to give her a "trim," and I ended up butchering her hair - she was so sad. And thus it was with Bax's first groom. It started out as an innocent attempt to trim his legs, and then, it happened. I cut his skin at the elbow. Poor guy. He took it well, and of course I immediately blamed Johnny for letting me have the scissors. I don't know why. Probably guilt. Anyway, we took him to the vet Saturday morning and he is fine - no stitches needed. Bax is seriously an incredible dog. So patient and forgiving. Well, we'll see how he reacts at grooming session #2.

Bangkok Dangerous

2009-09-28T00:27:00.000-07:00

Week 4
Bangkok is such a massive city! With 8 million people, it's clean, orderly, exotic and exciting to explore.

Bangkok is only a 1-hour flight from HCMC. Although Betsye was there for business (training meetings for 14 hours per day), Baxter and I took advantage of the time to sight see and get lost.

Betsye had training at the All Seasons Hotel, which is in the heart of the city. Here is a general map of Bangkok...
The food in Thailand is sensational. The fresh herbs, spices and flavors cannot compare to anything found in Chicago. Whether you're ordering street food from vendors, eating at top-class Thai restaurants or sending for room service, the "eats" are out of this world!

BBQ chicken, beef and other?!?

This vendor meant business. He was located steps from the rail station
and had a slew of people standing around eating his humble cuisine. Mmm mm good and all for $2 for 2 skewers!

Thailand is the land of temples. With Buddhism as it's dominant religion, Buddah statues, shrines, temples and architecture dot the rivers and land. There's also an amazing unsaid love and reverence for the Thai Royal Family. Pictures of the King & Queen are found in parks, on buildings-government and private, public spaces, shopping plazas, etc.

As a matter of fact, when I was at the Chatachuk market (day 3), the Thai national anthem was broadcast over the p.a. speakers and literally everyone stopped in their tracks & stood solemnly still until it finished (everyone except tourists like me - about one minute into the anthem, we quickly figured out we weren't in the twilight zone).

Beautiful temples everywhere!!

Day Two: I took the metra-rail to the Chao Phraya River. The weather was so hot and humid, so I thought it would ideal for a river boat tour.

There were only four of us on the tiny boat (which moved freakishly fast). But we
managed to stop mid-river to find a floating 7-Eleven store... Thai style!

More temples. And kids playing in the river...

In addition to roaming the streets of Bankgok, I was told the "must-see" person (for men) in all the city is Sam Gulati. Gulati Fashions is a world renown tailor shop with 40+ years of experience making suits for Heads-of-State, global dignitaries, General Authorities, VIPs in the business world, including Joey Burton, and now me.

It was quite the experience and the suits and shirts are stunning.
If you're in the region, it's definitely worth the visit.

Day Three: The same friend, Joey from Chicago, recommended the Chatuchak market. This is one of largest outdoor markets in Asia. It's absolutely insane and orderly. You can buy silverware, artwork, furniture, clothing, puppies/snakes/scorpions, and everything else under the sun.

Rows and rows of animals... all shapes and forms.

In addition to the list of things to buy, food was in abundance. One of my favorites... shrimp tum-yum, peanut-garlic basil pork!

The other dish belonged to guy next to me

Also in abundance at the Chatachuk market was entertainment in all forms. Crowds and crowds of tourists and locals attend the market every Saturday and Sunday from sunrise to sunset.

Yeeeeee ha!

Here we see Thai cowboys playing blue grass music. It was strange but it sounded great!

World Renown Spinner

This guy is famous (you can tell by the newspaper cut-out next to the cans of condensed milk). He stands with scalding Thai cream coffee and literally spins around pouring the lava into a separate container. That's some S-K-I-L-L! Can't forget about dessert. Fresh coconut shavings mixed into fresh cream & ice, followed by a little flag and coconut juice.

LTD... Living the Dream, one bite at a time!

Day Four: Final day. No more training for Bets but she had a plane to catch. We didn't have much time that afternoon, but we managed to squeeze in a Big Mac. Not that Bets can remember the last time she had a McD's meal, but there she was, in Bangkok, enjoying her burger & fries. Unfortunately (or fortunately), there is no McDonald's in Vietnam. There's not much of any fast food other than KFC/Pizza Hut. We haven't tried them yet since there are so many amazing eateries in HCMC.

Thank goodness for quality control and global standardization. The fries were spot on!

So the customary sign for "thank you" in Thailand consists of the "wai". You place your hands together towards your chin and bow, followed by saying, "khub-kun", which means "thank you". It's so universal and natural to do when you're there... Even Ronald does it!

"Khub-kun" everyone!!

Weeks 2 & 3

2009-09-25T01:46:00.000-07:00

So, after being (very) sick for two weeks and traveling to Bangkok for four days for work, we're finally able to update our blog! I'm not gonna lie, it was realllly rough the first few weeks. Being sick in a (very) foreign country is no picnic. Luckily, friends from church recommended some excellent international medical clinics and Johnny took great care of me. I'm so blessed to have such an incredible husband! I am feeling back to myself and am enjoying work and living here with Johnny and Baxter. Johnny will post a blog on Bangkok, as he was able to have fun and explore while I was tucked away in a conference room for 14 hours/day!

We have been asked to post pictures of our new place and neighborhood. As I mentioned in our last post, housing is very expensive. We were staying at Norfolk Mansion (which we can see from our new apartment), which was fairly pricey, so we wanted to find a temporary apartment for about six months until Johnny's company finalizes their business license. After about four days of looking, and three brokers later, we found this 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment . William, our broker, helped fix up our place - apparently our landlord thought the apartment was just fine with holes in the wall, gaps in the sink/tubs, and gaudy wooden paneling/decor. We saw "potential" and decided to take things into our own hands.

We have a corner unit on the 4th floor, so we have great views from our bedroom window. This is our street view.

The living room - we haven't really decorated yet.

Master bedroom - my favorite part is the built-in desk.

Bedroom #2 and Johnny's closet. :) Yes, we have to use both bedrooms to fit all of our clothes.

Our washer is in the kitchen. Very standard in apartments here. William built this great counter which covers the washer, so we just have to open the hatch when we want to use it. Not that we ever use it, since our apartment is "serviced," which means there's a maid who comes three times a week to do our laundry and clean.

The kitchen with our itty-bitty fridge. No wasted food in the Park home.

Another view of the living room and our tiny TV. We moved the bigger TV into our bedroom. We have a LOT of windows - I love the sunlight.

In the elevator.

Our apartment is kitty-corner to the neighborhood Pizza Hut. We haven't tried it yet. :)

Our street looking left. Very busy - always wakes me up when I walk to work.

There are tons of restaurants on our street. We will never go hungry!

Apparently, there is only one Irish pub in all of HCMC, and it happens to be directly across the street from our apartment, it's called Sheridan's. We haven't tried it out yet.

The front of our apartment building. Next door (to the right) is an amazing Pho restaurant. We've eaten dinner there a few times: two soups and shrimp spring rolls for $6 total!

Week 1

2009-08-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Saigon (or HCMC, whichever you prefer) last Monday night. My company car picked us up from the airport and took us to our temporary apartment. Baxter did absolutely incredible on the long flight and was his old self the minute we stepped off the plane. He was the hit in the Tokyo and Saigon airports! It's nice having kids or pets with you - I think it really does soften people's hearts and win brownie points. As for our first week in VN, it is definitely a different experience moving somewhere compared to visiting. We were prepared for certain things, for instance:

The CONSTANT stares (a white girl and Asian guy, who would've thought? A poodle wearing rubber footies, seriously??)
The insane traffic (honking, swirving, acting "cool" whilst crossing the street)
The pollution (I bought a face mask yesterday for my morning 30 min walks with Bax)

Certain things we had only heard about, but not prepared for, such as censorship on TV. One morning last week, Johnny was watching a program on National Geographic about the Vietnam War and sure enough, the minute the program started talking about North Vietnam, the television blacked out. Actually, it was more of a multi-colored still-frame, but still. And not for five minutes, or even fifteen minutes, for the rest of the program. Weird. Another thing we weren't prepared for was apartment hunting. Ay ay ay. That was exausting. We worked with three different brokers who showed us many kinds of apartments located in Districts 1 and 3 (the equivalent to South Loop and West Loop). The rent here is RIDICULOUS - very expensive, so it's hard to justify certain apartments when we have been spoiled by the South Loop and Chicago in general for so long. At any rate, we found a place just a 1/2 block from my work and in the heart of the city. Perfect location, although the apartment itself will take some getting used to. It's not horrible, but it's hard to please spoiled Chicagoans. :) The place is clean, fairly big, and priced well for the size and location. Our third broker, William, helped us find the apartment, and is going to help us touch it up. He took us around to find the best-priced couch and bedding, and introduced us to the Co-Op (a MUCH insane-er version of Walmart). We are so grateful for his help - truly the right person at the right time. Below are a few pics. I will post more later this week once I consolidate IPhone photos. :)

Awesome sushi and fish - of course we include food in our blog photos!

Johnny is H-A-P-P-Y (and sooo handsome!).

Me donning the new face mask - the stares were in abundance!

This is a high-end mall in District 7 - an up and coming area. District 7 is about 30 minutes from the city center. It's like a suburb.

Ho Chi Minh City or Bust!

2009-06-30T10:29:00.001-07:00

I can't believe we have not posted in almost six months! Very sad indeed. The biggest news by far is that Johnny, Baxter, and I are relocating to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam! One day in March, Johnny turned to me and said, "I think we should look into Vietnam as our next career step." And "look into" we did! Heavenly Father sure makes things fall into place when it is the right thing to do (and when it is an overwhelming decision to make)! We are extremely grateful for the many opportunities we have been given and are looking forward to this next chapter in our lives. Our unofficial move date is August 20. More details to come (I promise I will keep our blog updated!).

We have a post from last year when we visited Vietnam for the first time, but here are some pictures of what we (and our visitors) should expect as everyday life. We're super excited!

Coffee Bean is one of my favorite places in LA (see the LA girls' trip post) and they have one in HCMC!! I was super excited when I spotted it last month when we were there. I had to get a chocolate iced blended right away!

The Fall

2009-01-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

Some highlights from our Fall: my Ohio girls Kyrie (plus Cash) and Corene (minus Kelly, although we missed her very much) came for a visit; Johnny took my dad for sailing lessons; and we went to our dear friend Trent's wedding and were able to spend quality time with some our beloved friends (JJ, La, Dave, Amelia, Jamers, Marge, Sarah and hubby Chris).

Warmth amidst the Cold

2009-01-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to the amazing warmth of the Caymans. It was an amazing time of lounging on the beach, swimming in impeccably clear water, snorkeling for sting rays, kayaking, eating amazing fish and jerk-chicken, and just plain old relaxing. We loved every minute of it, and highly recommend the Caymans as a true island get-away.

Summer Fun

2008-10-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry we have not posted in awhile. This blog is dedicated to our Chicago summer concerts. You'll notice the common theme among our two concerts is the "concert t-shirt." For some reason, we decided the most "concert-y" t-shirts we own happen to be the ones we wore to both Coldplay and Wilco. I think this clearly shows the rarity of our rock concert attendance. Nonetheless, it felt really nice to spend a few hours with some of our favorite musicians.

Coldplay
Johnny's sister and her husband took us to a Coldplay concert to thank us for our help with their wedding. I was interested to see them in concert, but was by no means a huge fan. I was pleasantly surprised - Coldplay puts on a fabulous show. We had a great time - thanks, Jade and Steve!

Wilco
One of my favorite bands is Wilco. Our friends, Karen and Jim, went with us to see Wilco at Lallapolooza. It was a fantastic concert, although we felt like old fogies at the festival. :) Still, it was worth it. Wilco put on an amazing show.

Baxter's Playdates

2008-07-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do with Baxter is take to him on Friday mornings to his playdate with his buddies, Annie and Otto. Once Bax realizes we are walking in the direction of Annie's, he literally starts dragging me to her building! I let him off-leash in the elevator, and once we arrive to Annie's floor, Bax is greeted by Otto and Annie, where they proceed to fly down the hall together (leaving me in the dust) and play for the remainder of the morning. Baxter also stayed with Annie while we were in Wyoming, and video #2 shows him having a blast, most assuredly not missing his mom and dad in the least! I'm so happy Annie's dad Doug has recorded and posted some of their rough-housing on youtube.

Wyoming

2008-07-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

We went to Wyoming with the Moon family. It was a fun-filled, driving extravaganza. We visited: our old stomping grounds in Laramie (go Pokes!), Jackson Lake Lodge to celebrate my parents' 45th wedding anniversary (they met and got engaged at JLL), Yellowstone to scope out some bears, and Cody to visit my best friend, Sunny and her family. We also visited some Mormon history sights. My mom's great-great and great-grandmothers were in the Willie handcart company and made the arduous trek across Wyoming, so we wanted to pay our respects at Rock Creek.

My sis and her family climbing boulders at Kirt Goudy Park, just outside of Laramie. My parents' friends, the Stepans', built a beautiful, "green" house for their retirement years. This is the view from their house. Besides visiting with great friends and family, the highlight of my visit to the Stepans' was Joseph and Marybeth's incredible Assyrian dinner our first night at their home. I was SO happy because when I was growing up, we always had dinner with the Stepans', and sometimes the meals would include amazing Assyrian dishes. I was so hoping they would be up for the 3-day preparation - no one makes dolma like Joseph!!

Everyday was absolutely beautiful in Wyoming. Perfect weather. Wyoming mornings are my favorite time. This is from one of the decks at the Stepans' - the most amazing views.

Rock Creek Hollow - an important Willie Handcart Company sight. Thirteen members of the company died here, just before they were rescued by Brigham Young & crew.

My cute nieces and nephews. They are so smart and funny. We loved spending quality time with them.

My wonderful brother and sister. I couldn't ask for better siblings.

The whole Moon clan at Jackson Lake Lodge.

The Park's minus Baxter.

The boys on their horses. Cowboys, indeed!

The ladies of Yellowstone. My sister was dead-set on finding a bear. Not only did she see three bears, but we had elk grazing right in front of our cabins, moose, bison, and lots of geyser sightings!

The men of Yellowstone. I know, tough guys.

My best friend Sunny and her family met us in Yellowstone. Her son, Kash, is the cutest boy - looks just like his mom!

Me, Sunny, and Kali at their house in Cody.

Sunny's husband, Randy, was kind enough to take the guys shooting. Note: my dad is holding the gun, but opted out of actually shooting one. The rest of the guys (Johnny being the most enthusiastic) were happy to go shoot guns in Cody, Wyoming!

Who Let the Dawgs Out?

2008-07-09T13:03:00.001-07:00

This is gang intimidation.

Baxter has play-dates on a regular basis. When these 3 get together, it's a mad house. Pictured: Annie, Baxter, Otto... the alkaline trio.

Quality time w/grandma...
Baxter loves my mom... and mom loves Baxter. They often chill out and play Super Mario Bros.

Cute as a Button...

2008-07-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

We recently hung out with our friends, the Ahn's. I met Gregorio, Soyun and Melon 4 years ago at one of their "rave parties" (Melon is the cute little button in the background). They kept me up the whole night w/their loud music but we still managed to become the best of friends... even though they love Betsye more. Bottoms up!!

4th of July

2008-07-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

This year we had a very quiet and uneventful 4th. The in-laws came into town and we had a BBQ. It's not everyday that Betsye bites into a brat/polish dog... It must be the 4th of July.

Youth Conference

2008-07-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Johnny and I went to Nauvoo, Illinois, for Youth Conference. We drove down with our friend, Jamie. It was a really good time, especially because we had our own car and didn't have to ride on the bus with the kids. On our way down, we had the opportunity to witness the areas surrounding the Mississippi River devastated by the flood. Johnny and a state trooper were figuring out an alternate route to Nauvoo, as the Mississippi had flooded 4 miles from the usual water's edge and the road leading to Nauvoo was now a small pond. There were actually some really great moments on this trip - being with the youth, having time to contemplate the beginnings of our Church, going to the Nauvoo temple. I think one of my favorite parts of the trip was when we were waiting to watch the Restoration movie at the visitor's center (and had WAY too much time on our hands for the amount of kids we had), and a sister missionary literally gathered all our (C7) young men, gave them a pep talk on "going on a mission," and then proceeded to have them sing I am a Child of God right there in the middle of the visitor's center. It was fabulous. All of the boys singing a church song in front of everyone. Priceless.

Beautiful - Inside and Out

2008-07-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

All I can say is, my Aunts and Cousins (the Mai family) in Vietnam are some of the most beautiful people, inside and out, I have ever met. I am planning to enlarge and frame the two Aunts, pictured below. This is Yi Oopt, which means Youngest Aunt (my mother-in-law is the oldest sibling, so it's in order of birth, with Yi Oopt being the youngest of the bunch). Yi Oopt is so humble and giving and very hard-working. Always working.This is Yi Sow at the outdoor market in Phun Hiep. Yi Sow means Aunt #6. She's so kind and good - cares about everyone. I could tell right away when I first looked into her eyes that she was an incredible person with a very big heart.This is Cousin Na (her nickname is Na, don't know her formal name). She is close in age to Johnny and me, and we connected with her right away. She was so nice and helpful - a very skilled negotiator! We actually email with her and her younger sister. They are currently learning English and their emails are so cute!

We love the Mai family!

Vietnam and Hong Kong

2008-06-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from our Vietnam-Hong Kong trip. This will be an unusually long post, so hopefully you will enjoy.

Vietnam
We started our trip by going to Vietnam to visit my mother-in-law's family and the village where she grew up. We had no idea what to expect, nor did we want to have expectations. I must say, it was a trip of a lifetime. Not only is Vietnam an amazing, beautiful place, but meeting Johnny's family made the trip much more meaningful.

This is the round-about at Ben Than Market. Everywhere in Saigon are scooters zipping every which direction and there is a specific way you have to cross the street, as no one "stops" or "yields" for pedestrians. You walk slowly but diliberately across the street, and the scooters will "slow down" or avoid crashing into you. Very fun indeed.

Notre Dame Cathedral - it was closed off to the public, but we enjoyed the exterior and walking the grounds. It was hot and sweaty!
Johnny on the rooftop of Independence Palace. There was no air conditioning in the entire place - hence Johnny's glistening face!

On our way down from the rooftop to the lower level. aka the "basement." Note the expression on my face. I was pretty skeptical of the whole place. The "basement" was eery - with decision-making rooms and maps from the Vietnam-war era. Overall, I liked the rooftop the best. They even had a dance floor!

Johnny and I went to the airport to meet my mother and father-in-law(Jacklin and Doug), and while we were looking at the flight schedule, a huge group of people approached us - our aunts, uncles, and cousins! The most incredible part about meeting the family was how we felt an instant connection to all of them. Above, the family in Jacklin and Doug's hotel lobby.

The Sofitel had the BEST breakfast buffet EVER. Johnny was so happy to wake up every morning and go gorge!

Everyone sits on the little plastic stools or squats on the sidewalk. They are either making or eating food. The smells were so overwhelming the first day, but we got used to it. So we met the family in Bin Wai to travel together to Can Tho and Phun Hiep. We ended up in a 15 passenger van with no air conditioning - it was QUITE the adventure. The 6 hour ride down to Can Tho was full of trucks, scooters, and bicycles. Needless to say, there is no such thing as emissions testing, and we proceded to enhale large quanties of exhaust for 6 straight hours. Although it was crazy, Johnny and I on more than one occasion turned to each other and smiled - we were loving every minute of the journey.

Can Tho - the city we stayed in while visiting the family in a nearby village called Phun Hiep. Can Tho is located in the Mekong Delta.

Random family of three. This is very common - we saw many families of four with babies.

The view of the neighborhood from the roof of our Aunt's house.

On our way to the market - notice on either side of the path are people's homes. No one has doors - so you can see right into people's lives. No privacy whatsoever.

The locals rarely, if ever, encounter white folks like me and Doug, so people were coming out of the woodworks to watch us. I love this picture.

The market of Phun Hiep. Jacklin loves this market - she bought pounds of fresh and exotic fruit.

Johnny with our youngest cousins, Huy and Jin. Very cute kids - they kept speaking Vietnamese to me, like somehow I would miraculously understand them. I kept having to call Johnny over to interpret. Super cute.
An amazingly delicious dinner. We had fresh shrimp (heads on - and I didn't know they had legs!) and wonderful soup, warm Pepsi, and an incredible night of talking and expressing our love for each other. Too much to tell in this blog, but it was an experience we'll always cherish.

Peace out. The cousins walking us to our taxi. Our visit to Phun Hiep has come to an end.

Walking around Can Tho before making our return trip to Saigon.

Hong Kong
We loved Hong Kong. The night we arrived, we made our way to Victoria Peak. It was here we realized how beautiful Hong Kong truly is. Hong Kong at night from Victoria Peak.On our way to the Kowloon Ferry. Initially, we thought it would be easy enough to walk to the ferry, but the closer we got, the further away it was. We finally found a cute red cab to take us! Ode to Coke: we got through the hot, sweaty, pollution-filled Vietnam and Hong Kong days with our beloved Coke and Diet Coke. I know what you're thinking - we're addicts - but listen, neither Johnny nor I are addicted, there is something about cracking open an ice-cold Coke after an exhausting and endless hunt for the Kowloon Ferry that just makes everything okay. Thank you, Coca Cola.

View of Hong Kong from the Kowloon side. Isn't Johnny the handsomest??
The happy Park's after a day of successful shopping in Kowloon. The Jade Market (thanks, Dicy) was a huge success and highlight. We totally understand why people love to shop in Hong Kong. We went to the Levels that night for dinner at an amazing Middle Eastern restaurant and flew back to the States the next day. It was an amazing trip, and we plan to visit Vietnam and the family in the future. I loved traveling with Johnny - he is very entertaining and laid back - the perfect traveling companion!

LA with the Girls

2008-04-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

So last weekend we Chicago girls went to visit Marjorie in LA. These are my girlfriends from grad school. Jacky's at Google, Lisa at University Club and Marjorie works for Warner Chappell and plays in a band, Moving Picture Show. I am so proud of their accomplishments - truly three of the most incredible friends a girl could ever wish for! This was our third annual girls weekend in LA. So much fun and much needed - the weather was 90 degrees the entire time. Hooray! We had a blast. Thanks, Marge, for hosting us!

The beach in Malibu.

Fabulous Marge. Seriously, she's the best hostess.

A seal! We were so happy!

Shopping and eating at The Grove. We also spent a lot of time on Melrose. We love shopping in LA!

Yummy "iced blendeds" from The Coffee Bean. Mine was "pure chocolate" - more like "pure heaven!"

Marge lives in West Hollywood, right down the street from the Laugh Factory. We've never been!

Sushi Night

Da Bulls

2008-03-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

How bout' them Bulls... 81 - 103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Highlights of the game include.... 1) Brad and I poaching for courtside seats, only to be shunned by a little old, afro-american lady and the crowd scoffing at us. 2) Yet another little old, jewish lady in a leather Bulls' jacket, yelling at the officials and players on both Spurs and Bulls. Did I mention she had a heavy yiddish accent. Very cute and very entertaining. 3) Star siting includes: Eva Langoria, Nelly (andalay, andalay, mama eeyah... wat's happenin now), Jimmy Johnson (coach of the Dallas Cowboys), Usher. 4) Although not part of the game, Brad and I hit up a 24 taco joint in Pilsen... mmm tasty.

All and all, a very fun outing w/my high powered, entrepreneurial lawyer friend Brad (ladies, he's single). Go Jazz!

I love it when...

2008-03-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

...my friends love my dog!! My friend Chrissy came over the other night with her son, Joshua, to take a walk with Baxter. This week is Josh's spring break, and when Chrissy asked for his spring break "to do" list, Number 1 on his list was to walk Baxter. We took the usual Park family walk to the lake and Field Museum. Chrissy and I chatted while Josh and Bax played and ran on the front lawn. Josh was so good and patient with Bax - I know he will be a superb dog owner someday!

I have come to realize that Baxter is the communal pet among the petless population, especially my friends w/children that have yet to commit to a dog of their own. I love sharing Bax with others, especially children, as it seems to be in their very nature to love and take care of animals. I think this is why I love children so much, they have not yet been inundated with the inconveniences of animals - smelly or clean, hairy or neat, good or bad- kids will totally love them forever. I especially love to watch the toddlers' fascination with Baxter - they just can't get enough - it's the best! I am constantly amazed at the happiness and joy Baxter - and all animals - bring to people's lives. Again and always, we love you, Baxter!

Holmes County

2008-03-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago, we met my parents in Shipshewana, Indiana. It is home to an Amish community, and having grown up in Ohio, I was naturally elated to spend a blissful weekend among the Amish. Although we enjoyed plenty of homecooked Amish food and charming buggies, Shipshewana did not hold a candle to Holmes County in Ohio. If you are looking for a weekend road trip, or ever find yourself in Ohio, I highly recommend Holmes County. In addition to the picturesque scenery, the tourist will find a plethera of incredible Amish restaurants, furniture stores, mercantiles, and more. In the mercantiles, you will find some of the finest homemade jams and spices east of the Mississippi. I have a particular affinity for the Amish people, as they have always been so welcoming and accomodating to the tourists. One summer, my family and I stayed for a long weekend at a B&B in one of Holmes County's small towns and visited a family friend who teaches at an Amish grade school. We were able to spend some time with the children, and they sang us Amish Christian songs and we sang them a few interactive primary songs - they were so adorable and sweet! Truly a memorable experience.

Holmes County is at its best in the Spring and Fall.

http://www.visitamishcountry.com/

Kauai

2008-02-29T14:11:00.000-08:00

Although Johnny and I love, love, LOVE Chicago, we also LOVE Hawaii, in particular, Kauai. We dream of wearing flip-flops, t-shirts, and eating plate lunches with Bax on the beach. Johnny is a natural local boy, as his sisters both went to BYU-Hawaii and he spent the better part of his adolescent summers on the North Shore of Oahu. Plus, he looks so fab in flip flops and board shorts!

Baxter

2008-02-29T12:09:00.001-08:00

It is only appropriate to begin our blog experience with an ode to our shih-poo, Baxter. Baxter joined our family in March of 2006, just two months after we were married. Johnny had been wanting a dog for awhile, and I was resistent because of how much work it is to raise a dog, especially from baby-dog to adult-dog. So the Friday of St. Patty's Day weekend, we decided to visit Johnny's parents in the 'burbs. We noticed a puppy store in downtown Arlington Heights and decided to go "look". At this point, Johnny was set on a Westie, so we put a puppy Westie in the little dog run with us, and the puppy went crazy - running circles around us! Needless to say, the Westie idea was no more. I continued to walk around the store and came to a plexi-glass window of shih-poo and cocker-poo puppie. One was black, the other blonde. The black shih-poo came to the plexi-glass and was vyying for my attention. I placed my hand on the glass and, no joke, little Bax put his paw on my hand! That was the moment I fell in love with him. So we took him out of his cage and held him (he had just arrived the night before and we were the first people to hold him). I looked at Johnny and said, "he is the one - I want him!" Thirty minutes and many $$$ later, we were driving back to the city with a tiny, black, fabulous puppy! The next 2-4 weeks were a blur. We decided to crate-train Bax, thus, we didn't get much sleep the first month. The training got easier, and luckily, Baxter is very smart and learned from his mistakes fairly quickly.

Baxter has been such a blessing in our lives, and has brought us much joy and fulfillment. He is so sweet and kind and so much fun. Everyday he amazes us with his intelligence, playfullness, and gentle, caring nature. We love you, Baxter!