Over the river and through the woods...

For the last week Kai and I have been staying at my Grandma's house in Colorado Springs. We planned our trip to coincide with my parents' visit here and managed to convince my sister, Shannon to join us as well. So we've had quite the little family reunion. 

With how much has changed in the last 30 years of my life, it is strangely comforting that my Grandma's house is exactly as I remembered it. Coming here I feel like I've entered a time warp back to my childhood. The smells, sights, and sounds of this house are so familiar. The other day I was giving Kai a bath and instinctively opened the cupboard beneath the sink to find the two plastic boats and rubber shark that I used to play with in the bathtub as far back as I can remember. They were right there on the shelf exactly as I (or one of my cousins more likely) had left them. 

It's been fun to share this world with Kai. As you can imagine, Kai has been spoiled with attention and I have been spoiled with 4 extra set of hands who are more than willing to help with him. We've enjoyed a trip to the zoo, many walks around the neighborhood park, and lots of lingering conversations around the dinner table. 

Weeks like this make me dream of the day when family is across town instead of across the country, but for now we will cherish visits like these.

Here are a few pictures:

And they lived happily ever after...

We  might be a little shy of "ever after," but Yo and I will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary on the 21st. In some ways it's hard to believe it's been that long. To us 5 years still sounds kind of substantial. On the other hand, it's hard to remember ever not being married. Yo and I have navigated so many changes together in those 5 years (moves, career changes, becoming parents, etc.) and with each change our lives have become more and more intertwined until at some point they became inseparable. 

Anniversaries always make me think back to our beginning.

We met at church--in a BYU single's ward. It was the first Sunday of a brand new school year and Yo and his roommates had just moved into the ward. Yo sat by me in a combined Relief Society/Priesthood lesson. It was about fellowship. We joke about how we really took it to heart, but our relationship actually got off to a very slow start and built gradually (at least for a time).

You see, when we first met, I was a notoriously noncommittal, serial dater. I always seemed to have two, or three (sometimes four) guys in the mix. And for a long time Yo wasn't my priority. But that slowly changed when I realized that I let other guys come and go, but always kept coming back to Yo. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

On our first date we went rock climbing up Provo Canyon. It was a beautiful day in September. We sat perched on top of a cliff and talked for hours about our families, interests, philosophies on life, all sorts of things. And on our way home we stopped for beverages at Sonic and talked for a few hours more.

Over the next few months we hung out almost daily at times and then life would get busy and we wouldn't see each other for a while. I found out later that there were a few times when Yo was ready to throw in the towel because he hadn't heard from me or I wasn't returning his calls. And then out of no where I would call him up or ask him to hang out. So he kept sticking it out.

Things started off slowly. We went on dates, but really we became great friends first--playful, flirty friends, but friends. It took us a month or so before we held hands. It wasn't until mid-November that Yo finally mustered up the courage to kiss me. (It was worth the wait!)

All along, my roommates were cheering for Yo. He was always the favorite of the guys that I was hanging out with. After a lot of pressure, they guilted me into having "the talk" with Yo, the dreaded "DTR." They saw Yo as this poor unsuspecting guy who didn't know that he was one of many guys. (Turns out Yo wasn't as naive or monogamous as they thought, but that's another story for another day.)

I worried my roommates were right and I didn't want to hurt (or use) Yo, so I initiated this awkward DTR ("define the relationship"). I was tripping all over my words and talking mostly in code. Long-story-short, I walked away from the conversation thinking that we were a couple. Yo walked away having no idea what we were talking about. I discovered this weeks later when he made some comment about going on a date with another girl, or me going out with another guy. I was surprised, but secretly relieved so I just went along with it. After all, monogamy was scary.

Right before Christmas we were kind of "on-again" after having been "off" for a month or so. (It didn't help that I was cramming for finals.) Christmas break came. Yo went to Norway. I went to Florida. Something changed. I couldn't stop thinking about Yo. My sister called me out on it when he came up in the conversation for what must have been the umpteenth time. And Yo must have been thinking about me, because he emailed me and called me almost once a day. 

So we came back from break and without a DTR we just knew we were a full-on "real couple." From that point on our relationship progressed as smoothly as any in the history of relationships. A month later the "I love yous" came and were quickly followed by a trip to Florida to meet my parents. The topic of marriage naturally became a part of our conversations and suddenly "next winter" became "this summer." He proposed. I said yes. We traveled to Norway. Planned a wedding.And sealed the deal (before God and man). And here we are 5 years later with a family of our own.

Yo and I laugh about how we, of all people, became this Utah cliche--meeting in a singles ward, dating a few months, getting married within the year. We are not those people (or so we like to think). But with Yo, I just knew it was "right." He was the right guy. It was right the time. We were in the right place. The Lord has His hand in this thing. And so it wasn't scary at all.

Every relationship has it's bumps, and ours has been no exception, but we have been so blessed in love. I am just as confident today as I was five years ago that Yo is the best possible man for me. He has taught me so much about patience, selflessness, loyalty, humility, and forgiveness. He truly serves me every day and would sacrifice his own happiness to make me happy. And he is every bit as good of a father as he is a husband. Yo made me into a one man woman and I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else. Thanks for the last 5 years Yo and I'm looking forward to the next 50. Love you!

Like Father, Like Son

My wonderful Father-in-Law sent me some priceless pictures of Yo as a baby. I had so much fun looking through them and comparing him at different ages to Kai. No one can deny that Kai is his father's son. I like to think that Kai has a little bit of me in him, too, but some of his more striking features (like his beautiful blue eyes) are definitely his Pappa's. If Kai grows up to be half as handsome as his Pappa or Bestafar (Norwegian for Grandpa) he is one lucky boy.

What do you think? See the similarities?

I finally have permission to tell you...

...Yo got a new job! (Admit it, you thought I was going to say I was pregnant, didn't you?)

A few months ago Yo was contacted by the Associate Executive Director at the Classic Residences by Hyatt in Palo Alto regarding an open position there for a Healthcare Administrator. Classic Residences is basically the end all, be all of senior communities (or "CCRCs" - Continuous Care Residential Communities).

The property in Palo Alto offers independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care in this luxury setting that looks more like a 5-star hotel than a senior complex. Just look at these pictures!

As gorgeous as these pictures are, they simply do not do this property justice.

Anyway, Yo began the interview process for this position back in April. As excited as he was about the opportunity (this is basically a Nursing Home Administrator's dream job) he kept telling himself that it was a long shot because Classic Residences was looking for someone with 10 years (+) experience and a graduate degree. Yo has a little less than 2 years of experience and a bachelors degree. But after each interview he came home feeling like he had totally nailed it.

First he met with the Executive Director and Director of Human Resources. A few weeks later he met with 12 or so key personnel who make-up the property's Cabinet. A week or so later he had the first of many phone conferences with top executives at the Corporate Office in Chicago. He was then asked to participate in a Gallup Interview--a 90 minute-long phone interview to assess his leadership qualities and potential.  He endured a few more phone interviews from the corporate office before he was finally notified that he would not be offered the position because he didn't have enough experience...after two and a half months.

He was disappointed. I was disappointed. But we got over it pretty quickly. We knew it was a long shot in the first place. And we also had decided that if this job didn't pan out, we would focus on relocating to Florida where my family lives. So for the last several weeks Yo's been networking like crazy with Florida-based companies.

He got really excited a few weeks ago when he was contacted by the Regional VP from Life Care Centers another high-end CCRC that is one of the Hyatt's main competitors asking if he could meet up with her while she was in San Francisco for a business trip.

On the day of his interview, low and behold, the Associate ED from the Hyatt contacted Yo to tell him that they wanted to offer him the job at the Hyatt if he was still interested. Despite his lack of experience, Yo was the standout applicant among many who had been interviewed for the position. After a few more days of figuring out the particulars of his employment, Yo accepted the position.

Friday night we met up with the Associate Director, Jason, and his wife to celebrate. Appropriately enough, we went to the Classic Residences in Palo Alto for dinner. The food was to die for. I can't believe that the residents of the Hyatt get to eat like that every day. We then got a tour of the facility. It was my first time being there. I seriously could not get over how nice it was. More than that, I was pretty awe struck by the residents themselves. They are doctors, business owners, celebrities' parents, retired diplomats and politicians. I could spend weeks just talking to them about their lives and all they've seen and accomplished.

I am so proud of my husband for landing this job. It is seriously the opportunity of a lifetime and will open so many doors for him in his career.

I guess this also means that I know where we'll be for the next few years which is something that I haven't been able to say for a while. So everyone go ahead and buy your tickets to come and see us!

8 Months Old

Kai turned 8 months old on the 7th. Yo and I can't get over how much he's grown and changed in the last month. He is getting in his two top teeth, crawling everywhere, and out-growing a new size of clothes every other week. People keep telling us to wait, because it will only get more fun as Kai gets older, but we are really enjoying the stage that he's at right now. I still can't believe how much love one little person can bring into your life. Here's some recent pictures of our not-so-little bundle of joy. Happy 8-months, Kai!