He Kept His Promise

Living with my mom for the past four years has been more than wonderful. She's naturally a caretaker so we were, of course, comfortable and well taken care of. However, when we began to think about having a baby, Reza told me that we first need a place of our own to call home, a place where we can prepare for our hopeful first baby next year. And he has been absolutely determined to keep his promise and began house-hunting a few months ago.

And now, it's official! I am super excited to share a peek of our new full-of-characters-Spanish-style home:


It's been a busy, but exciting, time and we have been having so much fun cleaning, painting and picking out furniture. I promise to share more photos when the interior is not looking less like a construction zone. :-)

Many Many Thanks!

This starting holiday season actually feels like a holiday season. I am, for once, excited to see the early Christmas lights going up around the neighborhood and to be a part of initial rush at the shopping centers. The recent cool fog also makes it feel even more like Christmas here in LA.

This Thanksgiving, I am incredibly thankful for all the great things that had been brought to me - especially for my absolutely-the-best husband, our new baby Rocky, our new homely home, and the list goes on...And I am eternally thankful to be here on this earth as healthy and happy as I am.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Phillip & Maggie - Wedding

They met, fell in love and had TWO weddings (one in Vietnam for their parents and one here for the rest of the extended family). They're so sweet and so in love:


She, who doesn't drink, took a few toasts of Cognac for him and ended up a little more than tipsy by the end of the night. Thereafter the table toastings, there were definitely more passionate kisses happening:


It was such a fun night:


Me & Reza:


Congratulations, Phillip and Maggie, once again! And thank you for having us. We had a fantastic time. Let's do it again ;-) JK.

Happy Birthday to Me!

It was low-key, sweet and romantic. It was exactly what I asked for. Unlike last year with a three-day celebration with friends and family, this year I just wanted to be with Reza. The highlight of the quiet day was getting the perfect birthday cake in bed and blowing out those candles with the help of my lil' Rocky. The rest of the day was being with my wonderful husband who made me feel incredibly special and loved. It was truly a perfect birthday. I couldn't have asked for a better one. Thank you, honey, for making my day. :-)


To my awesome family and friends, thank you for all your sweet birthday wishes. :-)

A Very Belated Birthday

His birthday celebration was over a month late.
He was over an hour late showing up to his own party.
And he got a cake on a chair.

It was good times. ;-)

Happy New Year, Saman! (Inside joke. Please do not inquire. LOL)

The Day Before Halloween

Around Halloween time, when our neighbors begin to decorate their front lawns, when our friends begin to seek out the best costumes to wear to their crazy Halloween parties or to go Trick or Treat-ing, I begin to feel melancholy. For the past four years, we have stayed in for Halloween.

Four years ago, I lost my father the day before Halloween. I have come to accept that he's gone, but as every Halloween passes, and as the fact that he's been gone becomes more real, I miss him more and more.

Today is his 4th memorial. As we prepare for his offerings, I know he's smiling upon us as I know he does every moment of everyday.

Dad, I love you always.

The Cutest Dogs!

Have I told you that we have the world's cutest dogs???

Sometimes, they would do the cutest and funniest things that make me oh-so warm in the heart.

One of those things is riding along with us in the car. They would stick their heads out the windows with the winds gliding against their wet snouts watching cars passing by. It's almost like they're "cruising" down the road.

I love this photo of Rocky hanging on my shoulder falling asleep, while Snowball is enjoying every bit of the ride:

Not just yet

Ni, are you pregnant???

I have been asked this question multiple times this past month. It doesn't bother me. In fact, it makes me smile with love. It's so awesome that everyone would like to see us having a little Reza or a little Ni. Trust me, I can't wait either.

However, I am not pregnant. Not yet. Really. :)

Yes, it's apparent that I have gained a little weight, but I'm just fattening myself up in preparation for the right time. Let's hope I won't overdo it. And yes, I am glowing like a prego lady, but I don't know why. It could be the prenatals that I'm taking or simply that I'm just... in love. Technically, it's been only five months, so we're still newlyweds. ;)

With that, I promise that I would tell you as soon as we have the good news. Please, though, don't hold your breath. :)

The Best Chicken Koobideh!

We went to the Persian Harvest Festival in Costa Mesa yesterday. After the long drive from the Valley, we were all dying of hunger. As soon as we got there, we ran straight to the food stands and ordered some Kabobs. My chicken koobideh was so yummy that I pretty much inhaled the whole thing. And I can never do that with the usually large Persian food portions. It was so good, I'm drooling now writing about it. And the rest of the night was all about the corn of the cobs, ice cream and live music.

For Your Eyes Only

For those who haven't seen our engagement and wedding photos, here are the links to the slideshows:

Engagement

Wedding

Our photographer was Jasmine Star who did an AWESOME job. We couldn't have asked for a better and sweeter photographer.

And for those who have already seen the photos, I hope you enjoy looking at them again. :-)

New Babygirl In The Family

Congrats to my uncle Minh and aunt Kim who just had their second baby on Oct 8, 2007. Their beautiful babygirl - Thien Thy - came 7lbs 7oz, 19 inches, and looks just like her papi.

Here's Thy and her brother Thien bonding just minutes after she arrived:


Aren't they just so adorable?!?!? (Photos were taken by their father)

The Untold Story of Witches of Oz

If you loved the WIZARD OF OZ movie, you'll love WICKED the musical play. Reza and I know of the Wizard of Oz and its characters, but both of us have never seen the movie (I know!!!). However, we LOVED the play and the music. It was awesome! We got discounted seats with a large group of friends (some of whom, by the way, fell asleep. I know!!!).

On a different note, I want to tell Reza that I love him for going to plays with me and enjoy them as much as I do. ;-) You rock!

PS: Sorry, no photos from the play night at The Pantages Theater. I know!!!

Behind the Lens

The rewards of being a photographer are endless. But, sometimes, I don't get to be in the group photos with everyone else. :-(

Here's a photo from our friend Farshid's housewarming party over the weekend. Where am I, you might ask? Yes, right behind the lens.

Indie Rock Fest

We tagged along with our friends Ria and Jed to the First Annual LA4real Indie Rock Fest 2007 at the Highlands in Hollywood last night. A percentage of the tickets sold is donated to the Make-A-Wish foundation. It was fun, but I hope we didn't damage our eardrums.

Kim Kline was one of the bands performed:

A New Chapter: maybe a baby?

Last night, while nibbling on some dinner, I casually mentioned to Reza that I will start taking prenatal vitamins. With casualness, I meant not looking into his eyes or waiting for an agreement. We have talked about and agreed on having a baby in a couple of years when we are settled with our little dream house and stable careers. But for a few months now, my maternal instincts have been kicking in like crazy, and I have dropped hints here and there. But Reza always had a good way of saying no without physically saying no. He would smile, look away and change the subject. Or he would talk about our two adorable dogs who are keeping us busy or that we should do more traveling. And honestly, I didn't expect last night to be any different.

However, last night, to my surprise, he uttered those words, I think that would be a great idea. My head spang to his direction like a new spring to make sure those words were his. For all that I know, it could have been one of our male neighboring fellas at the restaurant talking aloud. With uncertainty, I said, What? and he turned to me with a big grin and said it again, I think that would be a great idea.

So there you have it. We're going to try for a baby - soon. I am ecstatic!

I don't have a photo of me jumping off the walls, but what's a photo blog without a photo? So here is one of my handsome hubby - a promising father:

Evalina

She's smart.
She's beautiful.
She's funny.
And she loves everyone!

We all love her, too, especially on her birthday!

Happy Birthday, Lina!



Singing the birthday song to the birthday girl :-)

Ahhh...Home Sweet Home

We're back from our one-week-Northern-California road trip.

It was beyond awesome! Kudos to my hubby who drove all the 1500 miles while I caught those beauty zzz's and who was thoroughly entertained by my silly dances in the car when I was awake, hehehe.

So, we started out in beautiful Monterey/Pacific Cove:
(We actually started out in Visalia, but it was all hard-sweaty-labor of moving a HUMONGOUS sofa lounge chair into Saman's new apartment ;-]. Thanks [anyways..lol], Saman, for having us and taking us out for Carrow's.)





Then we wandered up to foggy San Francisco:





Then to Reno/Lake Tahoe:




And finally, we met up with the family in Yosemite:


Our hike in Sequioia Grove:



A classic pose from Niosha, my 'lil sis in law (She's the WILD one, can't you tell?):


Our hike to Bridalveil Fall:



Water break for our widdle Rocky



A big thank you to my Edalat family for doing this pose for me :-) and spending your Labor Day weekend with us. Oh, and Rock says thanks to his aunts and uncles for taking him out for walks in the morning. He had lots of fun! ;-)

A man's love for Hawaiin shirts

Once in a while, I am fortunate to meet people with them big old hearts - you know, the ones that do more than pumping blood into ventricles.

Tuesday was one of those whiles. Reza and I were hanging out at the Balboa Lake with our dogs. There were two beautiful trumpeter swans who were hanging out near us, but staying closer to a man in a Hawaiin shirt fishing near the water. They didn't let anyone near but him. They even let him pet them while they played with his fishing permit hanging around his neck. We were amazed at their interactions because these swans would chase down anyone who tried to come near them for a closer look (I was one of them).

The simple truth was that he feeds them. Everyday, he comes to the park, and the two swans would find him from wherever they might be in the park to eat and hang out while he fishes. But what amazed me was his reason for wearing Hawaiin shirts. "I love Hawaiin shirts. I get them at Thrift stores, you know, Goodwills, for 3 dollars each and they last me forever, and I get to buy these swans some food every week. I get them those 50 pounder bags every 10 days or so, you know. Oh, I named this one, Thelma and this one, Louise."

At the end of the afternoon, the man packed up to leave and the swans followed him to his car as if wanting to come home with him. I don't blame them. After a few minutes talking to him, I, too, fell in love with him.

I love taking pictures of my dogs!

People love taking pictures of their babies. I mean, you photograph the things you love most, right?
Well, I love taking pictures of my dogs, Snowball and Rock. They're so adorable even when they're so lazy, napping and yawning away...




Snowball hates the camera. He turns away as soon as he sees the camera...And since his hair has been cut short, he LOVES to sunbathe in the backyard.




I don't have kids yet, but I got these two cuties, so you'll probably see a lot more photos of them.