Banh mi, yes please!

During the holidays, we went to get banh mi sandwiches at a place called Oh Mai.  Mmmm... So good!  I highly recommend it if you're in the mood in Salt Lake City.

These sandwiches were so good that Diana's sister bought two!  The bread is delicious, the veggies are freshly pickled, and the meat is very flavorful.  I recommend the honey-glazed pork, but they have a lot of varieties to choose from, including beef galbi and vegan.  Prices range from $4-5.  Also, their spring rolls are super cheap! like $2.00 for two!

Two locations: 3425 S. State Street in SLC, and 6093 S. Highland Drive, Holladay.

Happy eating! ^^

Coupon-ing

One of our New Year's goal is to be financially wiser. David is starting Medical School this year and the financial burden suddenly hit the both of us. If we do not become financially literate and wise, we might be in a lot of trouble during David's Med School years. We've been doing okay since our marriage but we decided to be stricter with ourselves and save, save and save!

Before marrying David, I was not as financially determined. Being single, I didn't feel the need to be so hard on myself. And while dating David, I spent a lot to seduce him with my looks (ahem) and impress him with my cooking skills. I've always kept a balance book and was excellent writing in it but it didn't do much when it came to being financially savvy.

Well, marriage has done some miracles. I still struggle from time to time. When I walk into Sephora or spot See's candy.I have to remind myself of my marital status and our goal to become financially secure. Ahhh.. 

We've only just begun-creating a budget, checking out Finance books from the library, joining blogs and such but it's been good so far. David is Finance-crazy these days and I hope I can as well. We want to hurry and get out of student debt and build our net worth. We still have a long ways to go but I'm excited for our journey together! 

My hubs is so handsome!

P.S- check out hubby's blog  COUGAR PREMED

Holiday Fun

A few photos of our first Christmas and New Years (as a married couple) together-

The best part of Christmas-got to Skype with my dear bro who is currently serving
an LDS mission in England. It was David's first time to actually meet him face to face
(well, over Skype). I can't wait for them to meet.

***LADIES -Isn't my brother sooo handsome??  (He's single ladies!! ahem) ***

I will probably regret this but Black Ops 2 was the only thing
I could think of that would make David happy. I also got him the Bourne Trilogy and Taken!
(Dearest David, one day, your PS3 will be gone. I hope you'll still love me).

Our stocking were filled with candy & chocolate! Yummm!
And no, David did not get me anything dirrty. We didn't want to spend extra
money on packaging so we used some leftovers from my Bridal Shower.

Chocolate from England my great bro sent!!
David was the happiest as he always tells me European chocolate is the best.
David really likes this one particular chocolate bar and practically begs me
 not to finish it off. (He knows I am the queen of chocolate!!)
 He told me I could eat the rest if I saved him that particular bar.
Let the negotiating begin!! 

Dinner at Loren and Janet's  with the Zemps.
OMG, we ate soooo much. My first time meeting Uncle John.
We received wonderful presents. So grateful hubby has a ton of aunts and uncles!!

New Years Eve at Alex's! He made amazing food. Can you tell we got pretty chunky during the holiday season?
Hence, both of our New Year's resolution- LOSE WEIGHT!!!
Honestly, we received tons of chocolate so I might have to push mine off till Chinese New Years.
Afterall, I did marry a Chinese guy so wouldn't that make more sense? lol

The holiday seasons were so fun. It was definitely different now that we are a married couple. During the holiday seasons, we both gained a little bit of weight and spent a little more than necessary. It was worth it. 

But as we've encountered the new year, 2013, we both made some goals- spiritual, financial and physical.They seem a bit challenging but it feels good to share common goals with your spouse. 

Although a bit late, I just want to thank my dear family, my friends, my amazing husband, and my Heavenly Father for such an amazing year. Twenty twelve has been such a blessing. It was an end to the days as a young single adult, an end to the days of being a college student. But, it was also the beginning of my new journey as a wife and a professional in the workforce. I know 2013 will be even better!! Cheers! 

Two Little Piggies

David here.  Christmas is the time of the year where it's socially acceptable to eat a lot of sweets. I mean, if someone gives you a box of cupcakes wishing you happiness and joy, isn't it just rude to not eat them? Here are some of the goodies we got over the past week (along with the cookies we made earlier):

Oh, but that's not all...

That's right, the Santa is filled with CANDY!!! We got that at a ward white elephant gift exchange. Once Diana saw that the Santa was filled with candy, she begged me to steal it for her. So, instead of stealing a cool board game, I got the Santa. I must say, it does seem to give our house some extra holiday cheer. And, its rotundity and jolly smile only helps us feel better as we munch on all of our goodies. Maybe this is why most new year resolutions involve weight loss...

Also, in preparation for Christmas, we got a Christmas tree! We only have a few decorations, but this one is my favorite:

It pretty much sums up how I feel about our first Christmas together. :)

TwentyTwelve

Twenty twelve, coming to an end. Let's have moment to reflect back on 2012.
For me, I have more of a content and grateful heart than a regretful one, which is not common.

List of things that made twenty twelve so great..

• . Finally, a BYU grad! Took me so L-O-N-G but I made it!!

•  Found a job in the tough job market! -Thank you Heavenly Father and my parents pushed my siblings and I to become fluent in both English and Korean. My language skills have never failed me in the job market.

•  Started building my "net worth" by funding a $avings account that I cannot touch for a few years with a good interest rate -This is a BIG wow for me as I am notorious for my bad spending habits. Oh, what miracles a marriage creates. Again, I thank my dear hubby for being such a great example.

• Hubby has been accepted to a few Medical Schools -We know we're going somewhere next year.

• Got my driver's license!!--- -- Muhahahah :p I got it a few days before my dad came. I knew he was going to kill me if I didn't have tangible evidence. I pushed it off for two years and at the age of twenty six, I got it! :D :D

• Not even one SVT (Supra-ventricular tachycardia) attack! -Since the day I was born,  I had these attacks at least once a month. After my ablation last year, I have not had once since. Twenty twelve is the only year I have not had one. And the chances of it reoccurring are very slim. Did I mention David (at that time, a friend) gave me a blessing before I had my ablation? A blessing given by my true love sure created a miracle! 

Firefly Portraiture

• Last but not least, I married the love of my life for time and all eternity. None of my accomplishments can be compared to the happiest, holiest, and most sacred day I had on 8.4.2012 by marrying David Li Teh Eng. To be sealed to this wonderful man was the biggest event and blessing of my life. I believe David will always remain to be the best thing that has ever happened to me. Just the fact that David became my husband makes my twenty twelve the best year. He is the apple to my pie, the straw to my berry. The love of my life, the happy to my ending .

Firefly Portraiture

sUgAr, SpIcE &MaRRiAgE

Yesterday, from the minute I woke up, I craved sugar cookies. Not just any ordinary sugar cookie, but cookies that my friend Char made almost a year and a half ago. All day long, I thought about those cookies.

So, after digging through a year's worth of e-mails, I found the recipe and went on a mad hunt to buy ingredients! I even texted David during work to inform him our FHE activity- sugar cookies.

David got off late so dinner was later than usual. We still had a few tasks to complete before going to bed but I NEEDED MY COOKIES! Therefore, we made these, baked these, frosted these, and ate these all within two hours. 

Was so anxious to make them, lined up all the ingredients,
and admired them while waiting for the husband to get off work!

The first bite I took, "C-RRRRUNCJ," I was in heaven. Exactly what I remembered-the slight taste of almond with the soft powdered sugar completing these cookies.. Mmm!  I polished off four cookies the moment we were done frosting them. heehee. What a great day,right? Whilst feeling like a complete glutton, I yank my head to look at David, anticipating that he too, like I, will be crying with sweet joy! WRONG!
 ....He looked so sad. Turns out he dislikes crunchy cookies whereas I HATE soft cookies. He took a bite or two of them but shook his head with disapproval. Once again, I learned a crucial lesson about marriage from such a small mistake. My way isn't always his way...

Forgot to buy a rolling pin but we were creative!
 Used the butter spray! Worked like magic!! :D

So silly I learned this lesson from our baking activity today. But, I went to bed with lots of thoughts. 

How selfish I was.. Turns out David doesn't even like sugar cookies. But, David, my awesome husband knew how much I wanted these. So, for the two hours we were laboring away, he kept his mouth shut and played along with me. How foolishly oblivious I was.. Even when I suggested that we leave in the cookies for an extra two more minutes so they would be crsip and crunchy, he did as I desired. 

Yet again, I learn my husband's example. I vowed that I would try harder to put him before myself. His happiness needs to come before mine. Next time, I promise we will bake up some soft chocolate chip cookies, my dear David's favorite but my least.  Sigh..We are so different but I guess that's what makes marriage so great! Balancing each other out.

P.S., Our two moms that are most likely the only readers, I am grossed out by my gluttony too. I promise, no more dessert for us this week! :D

 What are some small but mindful things you do for a better marriage? 

12.10.2012

Sorry, I've been kind of lazy so I've been putting off updating my blog for almost three weeks.

My precious pink Dell laptop's cracked screen was another contributing factor. And my crazy work schedule! I thought 8AM classes were absolutely horrid but that was complete heaven compared to my 6am shift. I miss being a student. Sigh..

We have been good. Both are terribly busy with working full time jobs. We only get to spend maybe three hours together on the weekdays since our schedules are slightly different. And, we have so many errands to run on the weekends so it's been challenging. 

Here are some pictures that we took during the past three crazy weeks. I don't remember the exact dates but here we go!!

Tempe date and dinner at Rumbi.

The husband and raw fish bibimpab! (Hweh duppab) 

Uncle Michael and Aunt Don treated us out to Sweet Tomatoes! 

. 

Celebrated my sister's birthday in Provo. 

I took David out to see James Bond since he was craving a guy  movie.
We never go to expensive movies but poor guy is married to the girliest girl ever..lol.
I thought I'd be generous and treat him out! 

Now that I have a laptop that is working (thanks to my awesome hubby), I promise I will be better at updating my blog! 

Are you excited for Christmas? What are some things you're planning on doing? 

This is the first Christmas Davie and I will spend together as a married couple and I am extremely excited!