Wednesday, November 30, 2011

.:Thanksgiving Weight:.

An average American gains 9 pounds during the holidays! Yikes!

I gained 5 pounds after the long weekend of eating and drinking. It's been 3 days after the festivities have been over, I am still not satisfied with how much I have not lost yet. Boy! If it's hard already for me, being pretty healthy, eating and exercising, it must be extremely hard for other people.
I need to get back to original weight or even a few pounds less so that it won't be so terrible after the the Christmas and NYE's celebrations.

I am THANKFUL for great friends and family.
I love my family! I am thankful for my wonderful fiance.
He is the sunshine in my life and makes me extremely happy.


‎'For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.'


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My Thankful Dress

My very first turkey. Of course, Asian Style.

Just like my chicken!
Garlic, onion, lemon grass, oyster sauce, fish sauce

Broil to brown, cook 4 hours in 350 degrees

Friday, November 11, 2011

.:Thinking about the Wedding:.

        Since the proposal, I have been thinking about the wedding alot! I have even starting researching even though we decided not to plan yet until after the holidays. I am excited yet I want to know how realistic it is to have a nice affordable wedding. I do not want to have a half-lame wedding (I use "lame" to describe alot of things that I don't like or care for)."  I can already start to see why people say it's overwhelming or why brides transform into "Bride-zillas." There is alot of options, alot of everything out there. The wedding industry is huge! And couples spend ALOT of money on their weddings. Everything adds up!
       I want to be reasonable about it all. In the midst of all this, I need to remember that this is about us. It's about celebrating our love with the most important people in our lives. This is why I want a small intimate wedding; maybe 50 people. One that will be about us. One filled with good food and drinks. One with lots of smiles, laughter and dancing. One that will celebrate who we are and our love. Small intimate weddings are hard to have in the Hmong culture. Hmong parents generally want to invite the whole clan, everyone from church, your cousin's cousin's kids... and so on. I can't have this. I have made it clear to my family that this can't happen for me, especially when thousands of dollars are involved. Plus, he is not Hmong. Simple as that.
      The Date? I have no idea. I know that it will have to be in the summertime because I do not want to start off the school year planning a wedding and using all my vacation days... this just isn't going to work. We have two friends getting married August 5th and August 16th, so July? That will leave us with 7 months to plan. I know this can be done and done well. But the date may change depending upon the venue, so it is open for discussion.

A couple of wants:
-I want the ceremony outside.
-I want Asian Food and Alcohol at the reception.
-I want lots of desserts; cake, cheesecakes, cupcakes and chocolates.
-I think the color scheme is Red and White. Debating about adding Green too.
-I have found a dress! And a Maid of Honor. The flowergirl is my niece.


-My friend is a pastor and can marry us! :)
-My friend's husband can DJ.
-I have a couple of friends who can take nice pictures!
-Two great friends who can share our love story of when we met.
-Probably will hire a friend to help me wedding plan.
-Everyone to have a good time!

**** I wish I can cater my own wedding! I would have all my favorites!!
Appetizers: Springrolls and Wings
Main Dish: Thit Kho over Rice, Curry, Bahn Cuon and Pad Thai
Dessert: the 4 C's = cake, cheesecakes, cupcakes and chocolates

      We have even discussed skipping all the hassle and settling for city hall. But we'll see. Either way, I am excited to spend the rest of my life with the most wonderful man in the world. God has truly blessed me!!

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We love noodles! We would eat if everyday, if we could. If it was zero calories! Here is a simple pho soup dish we made on the fly with whatever ingredients we had in the fridge. That is how you know you can cook, when you make random things and it taste great! This turned out absolutely delicious! He is a pho-snob and he loved it!

Soak the rice noodles in warm water.

Water, pho beef paste & herbs, shrimp, baked chicken drumsticks, chili oil and garlic salt.

Garnish with fried onions and lettuce.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

.:I'm Engaged!!:.

October 22, 2011


Duong and I had lunch at Keefer Court, where the best Chinese noodle wonton soup is. After we finished our soup, we also had pastries. I left the table to put more quarters in the meter. While I was out, Duong swapped the fortune cookies the waitress gave us with the ones he ordered online in early October. He had ordered customized fortune cookies online, written "MorChia, Will you marry me." I  came back to the table ready to go home. But he said for us to stay a bit longer for our stomachs to settle down and to open our fortune cookies. I told him that I didn't want to open mine because I still have mine from the day before from having lunch with the girls. I  usually don't eat the cookie so I didn't want to waste it. He insisted that I open it, so we can share our fortunes. "Okay, fine." I opened the cookie and my first thought was, "It has my name on it. OMG! OMG!" I was so surprised and overly excited!!! I looked over at Duong. He turned on the song "Marry Me," by Train on his phone and he got down on one his knee. He said, "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" He pulled out a wooden box and opened it. Inside was the most beautiful princess cut ring I have ever seen. It was so gorgeous.... And of course, I said, "Yes!"




I have known for a while now that he is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. We met in April of 2009 in Philly and we have been inseparable since then. He moved to MN in Jan of 2010 and it has been great living together. Being with Duong, I have learned what real love is. Real love is easy. We (girls) are taught that love is hard and that we always need to be working at it. But Duong and I get along so well. It's easy to love him, to smile everyday and to talk to him. I am a better person now because he helps me to stay positive, to smile more and to simply just be happy. I am healthier on many different levels (physically, mentally and emotionally) as a person; A healthy relationship should help you blossom and find happiness. I cannot wait to retell our love story at our wedding!


His favorite quote:

"Happiness is possible right now. Always remember that. When you push it back until later, it’ll never come. When you learn to be happy now, it’ll always be here."



We decided that we are not going to make any definite plans until after the holidays. The holidays can be so stressful so we want to wait and give this wedding more thought. There are a few questions up for debate... from what I have seen my friends gone through or not gone through, I have alot on my mind.


I want to have a destination wedding... but it's so expensive for the little amount of people that can come. But it's my dream wedding..... I also have to consider my mother's condition and if she is willing to travel that many hours... And it's nerve racking to plan oversea.. What to do? City Hall and travel the world... or buy a house? 


"Marry Me," by Train


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We use FISH SAUCE for marinating!!!


We bake enough chicken to last the whole week. A good way to save time and energy. It's good for dieting because you eat that instead of picking up fast food or snacking while you wait for dinner to be ready.


this along with fish sauce, garlic, lemon grass and sugar.
 Cover it, and refrigerate/marinade for 12+ hours
Mix and rub into the chicken.
Cook for 45-50 mins in 350 degrees.
Skin should be browned and crispy!!