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Monday, January 3, 2011

My last full day in America...

Today was such a fun day!  Around 9am, Amy, my dad, and I all headed over to the neighborhood donut shop for our yearly father - daughter donut filled breakfast tradition!  For the past 7 years, I have ordered the same thing - a gigantic cinnamon roll!

Last year we started the tradition of taking a picture together, with Singh, the owner!

After stuffing my face with a cinnamon roll (uuuggghhhh, tasted delicious, but am having regrets now!) I took Aaron over to New Hope Gymnastics, where I spent most of my childhood!  I was a gymnast for 12 years and couldn't pass up showing Aaron my 2nd childhood home!

My friend Ami, who's the preschool director for the gym, was working this morning, and let Aaron and I have free reign of the place!  Thank you, thank you, thank you Ami!   Aaron won't stop talking about how fun it was!

Aaron was a little timid at first, but within minutes, he became like a little boy in a candy shop, hanging on ropes, and playing all over the gym!

Check out that move!  Only the strongest of the strongest men can hold that pose!  :)

He's a natural!  He executed the "iron cross" with perfect form on his first attempt!!  (wink wink)

Once I got him to finally jump into the pit, he couldn't stop!

This was my 2nd attempt at a trick!   My first attempt was a back handspring, which ended up being a bit of a crash and burn!   Remember, it's been about 15 years since I've done this stuff!


We had so much fun playing around in the gym, jumping in the pit, playing on the trampoline, and laughing until our tummies hurt!  Here are some special videos for your enjoyment!  :)

This is Aaron's special blue ball routine! ***


Tah dah!  

Mine wasn't quite as exciting as Aaron's, so I'd recommend watching it in fast forward!  It's much more impressive that way!  :)

This was my 1st attempt at a "layout" in probably 15 years!

Aaron and I choreographed a special rhythmic gymnastics routine at the end of our playtime!

All good things must come to an end... more so this time because our bodies just couldn't handle any more tumbling, jumping, or laughing!

So, we drove back home and picked up my sister and mom for a shopping spree at South Coast Plaza, the highest grossing mall in the United States!   My mom and I left with bags galore from H&M, Banana Republic and Sephora, while Amy and Aaron walked out empty handed!   Not sure who was the winner in this situation, but I like to think it was my mom and I who are, now, more fashionable than ever!

My sisters birthday is the day after Christmas, so tonight, we had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant in Fountain Valley to celebrate her turning 34!

Happy 34th!

Happy 34th!

My dad comes here a lot, so when the food was served, he taught us all how to flavor our soups with the side dishes provided!  My sister, Aaron and I thought this was great, considering the 3 of us have all spent ample time traveling Asia, but that our dad was the one who taught us how to fix Vietnamese food!  So awesome!

The owner was so nice and brought out a shaved ice and fruit desert for Amy!

When we got home from dinner, my dad asked if anyone would like to watch a movie (which usually means one of 2 movies: Top Gun or Tombstone!)  haha

Aaron said, "sure" so my dad said "Okay, I'll go check and see what DVD's we have" and went into his office.  He yelled from his office, "Okay, we have Top Gun and Tombstone!"  hahaha!  So predictable

Aaron voted for Tombstone, so my dad brought out the VCR tape, which has probably been played 100 times in this house over the past 17 years!   So funny!  My sister and I are buying him the DVD next year!  (Sorry for ruining the surprise dad!  Try to forget by next Christmas, okay?!) 

We're heading over to the airport tomorrow morning, to catch our flight over to Tokyo and then back to Busan, South Korea to start our 3rd year of teaching...  This has been such a great trip, and even greater because I got to share it with my love!   

As the folks of Aaron's hometown would say, "See ya'll next year!"

Visits with my 2nd family, plus Taco Bell... mmm!

Before I moved to Arizona, back in 2003, I was really involved at a great church in Fountain Valley!  I had spent a lot of mornings, and nights there in ministry with the high school youth group, worship group, and college group!  I even spent my 21st birthday at the high school youth group, as a leader, celebrating with a big COSTCO cake after the service!   That should give you a good idea of just how much time I spent there!

Anyhow, my mom, dad, Aaron and I all went to the Sunday morning service!  It was so nice to be back!  My good friend Ami was leading with her amazing son Nile, who I've watched grow up into a ridiculously awesome musician and singer!  It was so fun to be back and to get to introduce Aaron to everyone! :)

Gary and Ami were my biggest mentors as a high schooler and college student!  They are two of my favorite people in the world.  I always feel at home when I'm around these two!

Laurel and Al are Gary's parents, and my "2nd" grandparents!  I love, love, love Laurel!  She hugs me and never lets go, and cries every year when she sees me, which makes me feel like a million bucks!

After church I drove Aaron around the OC before going to my friend's Kari and Scott's house for lunch! 
This is us in Scott's recording studio at the house...

I've known Kari and Scott for about 12 years, and consider them some of my best friends!  Kari was also one of my biggest mentors growing up!  Scott is a music producer and put me on his first album entitled POP!  He got the CD out and played it for Aaron.  I was really embarrassed to say the least, since Aaron had never heard me sing before, much less on a CD, by myself!

A couple minutes after we got there, there was a knock at the front door, and to my surprise, one of my old friends Judy and her husband Michael showed up to surprise me!

These are, by far, the most energetic and funny women I know!  To have them together in the same room was so much fun for me!  (As a side note: Watch for Kari on the next Amazing Race!  It's not a done deal that she'll be on the show, but I KNOW they'll pick her!)

After saying goodbye to everyone, Aaron and I did a little seed shopping at the local OSH hardware store!  Aaron is big into gardening!  His facial expression is his way of over compensating for the fact that he's holding vegetable and flower seeds!  What a schmooch!

Aaron and my dad had planned to go golfing while we were in town, but unfortunately rain was in the forecast, so they played on the wii instead!  What handsome guys!

Aaron and I had a daddy - daughter (plus boyfriend) date at Taco Bell!

 Aahhh, Taco Bell, how I've missed your delicious tacos!

When we got home from dinner, we were looking through my dad's closet and found this old painting of my mom, that my dad had painted while he was living in Korea back in 1972.  My mom hates it, but we think it's awesome!  My sister said she thinks it looks like one of the paintings from the Haunted House, which made me like it even more!  She was quite the blonde bomb shell though, wasn't she?!

 We ended the night with some good ol' fashioned Hoppy TV time in the family room!  It's good to be home and to have my two favorite guys hanging out together! :)