"Honor the ones before you."
We were raised to honor the generations before us. And every year, we have the honor to celebrate my grandfather's birthday on Christmas Eve. We had the pleasure of celebrating his 98th birthday tonight. And there was a showing of FOUR generations at his birthday banquet... how delighted my grandfather was. Happy 98th Birthday, Grandfather.
I don't remember a time that our family didn't eat together. Every meal was spent at the dining room table TOGETHER. Many memories, conversations and growth were formed at the dinner table.
And of course, everyone had to have his/her turn to take out our visiting relatives and the rest of the family out to dinner. So, another night out with the family, yeah!
Our family isn't big into receiving gifts, but they are surely big into giving gifts. We were on a mission during our trip to Downtown Disney. My aunts from Vancouver wanted to get specific gifts for their grandchildren from Disnesy, so if you know my family, it was a wrestling match at each store, the champion got to purchase the gifts. At the end of our day, it was one of the most rewarding feeling that you can have... to be filled with the spirit of giving.
"No matter how big our family is or the differences we have,
we stick together, eat together and enjoy each other's company."
I thank each generation within my family for passing this important value on to each of one us! I owe my precious childhood memories and future memories in the making to them.
I love having a big family! My grandfather's younger sister's sons and their wives came to florida for a visit. And when we have family together, what do we do? We eat! So of course, we had a traditional chinese banquet in honor of their visit. Welcome to Florida!
"It isn't about the presents.
It is about the gift of being within each other's presence."
Date: 12/21/2007
I'm blogging backwards a little. I've been in Orlando for almost a week now. While Richard and his dad are scuba diving in Bonaire, located in the Dutch Caribbean; I have been enjoying spending time with my family. After being with my family for a few days, I have consciously noticed wonderful values that my family has always lived by. I've learned it subconsciously as a child, but realizing the values as an adult is uplifting. I guess as a child, it is all you know because you live in it day in and day out. But when you have lived in the world filled with different cultures and experienced other people's way of life, I've realized I have a precious diamond in the rough... my family!
Therefore, I'm starting a new category within my blog, called "Family Values". These postings are in honor of my family.
Be looking for my retro-active blogging with family value inserts.
What a wonderful celebration we had tonight. Congrats to the Surgical Physician Assistant Class of 2007.
Graduation is tomorrow. And we had to have a little pre-celebration. I've been amazed at how close this PA class has been. It is so rare to have people bond so close so fast and for so long. These are definitely friendships that will last thru the years.
Every year, I look forward to my french Christmas card from my cousin. I think it is the coolest.
Cover and cook until you can smell the greens. It should only take about three minutes. A sign of overcooking is when the greens turn yellowish.
Who can you learn to cook from but from the best. So, here we have it, a new series of recipes from my parent's kitchen.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
{This was my first time using the video feature on my compact camera.}
With a relaxing last day, Jenny and I got to enjoy a nice afternoon in downtown Homewood before Jenny left for Seattle. The house seems empty now, I will miss everyone.
The Lam Family,
Thank you for making the trip to Birmingham, Alabama. It was absolutely wonderful having everyone in town for Thanksgiving holiday.
Much Love!
Mom and Dad left this morning, boo-hoo. So, Jenny is the only one left at the house now. So, what do you do when there is only two girlie sisters left? It is shopping time ... yah-hoo. We spent two hours at Anthropologie. What a wonderful place filled with wonderful clothes and houseware. If you ever want some inspiration, it is the perfect place to go.
It was sad to see Jason & Adrian leave tonight, we will miss them. Have safe travels.
We ended the day with the house filled with Christmas beginnings. From decorating the tree, to Elf movie to Polar Express movie. Talk about starting the season with Christmas activites.
What a beauitful day... clear blue skies. We took a field trip to Tannehill Historal State Park to do some crafters shopping and visited the Tannehill Iron Furnances. A beautiful location to take photos of the family.
Enjoy our family picks, click here.
Happy Thanksgiving to All! We are so gratefull for your friendships!
Little Bro, Jason, arrived this morning. And we started the cooking fest this morning. Of course, we started the morning with our traditional Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And then cooking and snacking thru the day.
Our Thanksgiving Menu:
My momma and pappa have arrived early this morning. And it has been a full morning/early afternoon of shopping, from the chinese grocery store to the seafood market. Can't have mom and dad visit without cooking some wonderful chinese food. I'm planning on video taping her cooking so that I could have it for future reference. You can only learn from the best to get the best results.
For dinner, we had grilled steak and salmon on cedar blocks... the taste and aroma was wonderful! Thanks Honey, for grilling out in the drizzling rain.
And we ended the night with the typical family activity for all American households... Monopoly. This was mom and dad's first time playing and of course they did wonderful. They came in second and third place, with their real estate skills under their belt. And the winner is our very own Jenny Lam.
Thanksgiving, a time to remember who we are thankful for in our lives. To start off the Thanksgiving week, Adrian & Jenny flew into town. With a family full of excellent chefs, we had to start off their visit with food. So, we had lupper (lunch + supper) at Village Tavern. You may think Jenny had ordered an enormous taco, but it is actually a steak salad in a massive tortilla shell.
Afterwards, a fun trip to Whole Foods to pick up some last minute Thanksgiving items. And after some rest, Adrian and Jenny, master Pizza Artisans are preparing pizza toppings right now in my kitchen. It is so nice to sit back and type this blog as the sweet aroma is traveling into the living room. Well it is time for a late night snack now... yummo!
Stay tune for Day 2, as mom and dad arrives.
I wish I had all morning to take photos. The morning was filled with fog in the air, and as the bold autumn leaves peak thru the fog, it was scenic.
I didn't have the time to take the scenic photos that I wish I could of, but I had a couple of minutes to take some photos in our front yard. Happy Autumn.
Celine Dion appeared on Oprah yesterday. It was a touching, tearful and wonderful show. And yes, I'm a huge Celine Dion fan. Got her albums, saw her in Las Vegas and NOW I'm going to get to see her in concert in January 2009. Yes, it isn't a typo, January 2009. She is coming into town for her Taking Chances tour, which the album was released today. And we have floor seats, eleven rows from the stage... how cool is that.
I love fall in Birmingham! The days have been clear blue, the trees are turning orange, red and yellow, and the weather is perfect. As I drove out of my drive way this morning, the street popped with autumn colors, it reminded me of one of the reasons why Birmingham is such a wonderful place to live. (I'll try to post some fall pictures later.)
I'm so looking foward to my parents, brother, sister and her fiance arriving next week for Thanksgiving. This will be our first get together as a whole. Because everyone lives at seperate corners of the nation, it is rare for us to all get together at once. I'm giddy with joy. Expect to see a ton of photos for Thanksgiving week as I'm learning to use my new camera.
Are lives are blessed with many great friendships; especially the relationships that have lasted thru the many years.
Brent, Renee & Jackson,
Thanks for traveling the distance to spend time with us. It was nice to relax and just be together. We enjoyed having a baby in the house. I can't wait till we have our own. Remember, don't cook bacon when watching the little one... hehe.
Renee,
I look forward to working together on our future projects ;) I'll be praying that God will continue to guide us thru our new business venture.
Click here to see our wonderful weekend.
XOXO,
Jennifer & Richard
What a wonderful birthday weekend. I want to truly thank everyone for the wonderful birthday wishes via e-cards, cards, phone calls, gifts, dinners, lunches, outtings, etc.
It was a wonderful weekend.
Thank you to my wonderful honey for the wonderful Birthday Day on Saturday filled with wonderful food, being out in the beautiful outdoors at Moss Rock Festival, a movie and wonderful gifts.
Thank you Richard, Chris, Reina, Jody and Shana for the great time with our traditional birthday dinner. It felt like forever since we got together and it was nice to catch up this past Friday night at Michael's.
And thank you Melissa for the wonderful lunch at Chez Lulu, gift (which is a cool candle that smells like a burning fireplace with crackling noises... which is perfect for the winter when we are burning our gas fireplace. I just think it is such a "thoughtful" and cool gift.) and it was fun going to the Alabama Craftmen's Festival.
It was a gorgious day to be out on Saturday. Clear skies and 70 degrees. You can't bet that.
We were shocked that Moss Rock Festival turned out to be a great venue. We were expecting something small, but it was huge and filled with some wondeful local artists. I have two new favorite artists:
Photographer: Andrew Hensley, who creates these wonderful mixed media of photography on wood, photography on transparency overlaying a colored photo, etc.
Painter: Sandra Meyer, who knows how to use her colors.
 Ideal Street |  Andrew Hensley |
Have a safe trick or treating adventure tonite. I'll be home passing out candy to all the cutie gobblins and ghosts.
Yeah... I've been dreaming of a DSLR camera for a couple of years. And now my dream has come true. I love my camera!!!!!!
Nikon D40x with a 18-135mm lens
While working hard for a Oct. 1 deadline, a co-worker gave me some animal crackers to brighten up my day. To my surprise... "Go Alabama!".
I'm not a Alabama fan, but it was just too cute.
It was refreshing to be with dear friends after being sick for the entire weekend. The Liveoaks invited us and the McDonald family over for some great steaks and potatoes and some great fellowship. I had to post this cute picture of the little princesses playing dress-up.
Since we were in South Florida, we had to take pictures on the beach, like my parents did when they first moved to Florida.
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It has been a whirlwind going on this adventurous tour of interviews. We've been able to explore the beauty and great finds of Florida and Cincinnati, OH.
Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati is the best place that we have visited within these past several days. Talk about history... this city is full of history, beauty, character and hospitality. We would love to come back for a little getaway. And it is a must to stay at The Clifton House. We have stayed at lot of B&B, and this is by far our favorite. Nancy & Gus, the inn keeper and the restoration specialist, had renovated this beautiful 1900 house into a gorgeous B&B. Our room was fit for a king and queen. My favorite was the bathroom, with all its original features. If you do stay at the Clifton House, the Tuxedo room is my favorite. And the innkeeper are the most friendly, creative and relaxed innkeepers that you will ever fine. On the last night, we got to enjoy some wine and brownies with them and a guest on the porch, and then they invited us to have dinner with them in their huge kitchen... veggie burgers and locally grown sweet corn on the cob. (Can you tell that I loved the corn?). I could go on and on about the Clifton House, but too keep it short, they are the best! P.S. They have a wonderful chef, Heather, that creates the most delicious, creative and gourmet breakfasts.
Since we were in Cincinnati, we had to meet up with some great friends for a day of fun. While the guys went to Kings Island, the gals went to a movie and cheesecake. It was a fun day!
Cool Finds in Cincinnati, OH:
Cool Finds in Florida:
The Making of the Paper Flowers
by Jenny Lam
As the lead flower harvester for the “florists” at They’re Beautiful!, I thought I’d share with you how the flowers were made.
To get some basic understanding of what it’s like to be a florist, I spent half a day job-shadowing Nisha Kelem, owner of Seattle’s Fleurish. We met early one weekday at the wholesale flower market where I observed Nisha and her team meticulously selecting ingredients for the day’s orders. They gathered an array of flowers, foliage, containers and interesting things such as long stem artichokes, pincushion flowers and tea leaves. We went back to her very chic Capitol Hill boutique, unloaded the van, and Nisha and her team began arranging straight away. What was really interesting to watch was that every arrangement I saw being created was truly unique. That said, there is quality and a touch that Fleurish has about their bouquets. They all seem to be so well-balanced, tightly structured in form, yet totally visually compelling through usage of interesting flowers/foliage selections. Although each arrangement I saw that morning was very different, there was an overall signature touch about them.
That really got us thinking about how to render the flowers for They’re Beautiful!. Just because the flowers are virtual didn’t mean we had to create them from scratch with pixels. We were looking for a style that was different and special; something that was more than a generic illustration. We decided on paper as our primary medium and headed straight away to Paper Zone where I was like a kid in a candy store.
Materials:
Tools:
Above are some “behind-the-scenes” shots of how I made the flowers. Some notes on what you’re looking at:
For the last few weeks, I've had the pleasure of working with Monique and Vanessa on The Scrap Etc. 2008 event's website. It has been a blast and inspirational. As the days have gone by, I wish more and more that the event is sooner. Well, I'll definitely be looking forward to April 2008. Enjoy the website!
My sister's firm, Jackson Fish Market, launched their first Jackson Fish “Experience”. It’s their first small step in creating high quality branded online software experiences. Go and visit They're Beautiful and send you're loved ones a beautiful boutique of online flowers.
We finally got our deck built. We love it. Can't wait for the deck to be stained and furnished. We love our deck!
It is amazing to see how time flies by. My not-so-little cousin, Lily, is married. I remember the days when she and my little sister were playing with barbie dolls.
Please send your wishes to Mike & Lily within the comment section of this post. Here are some of her beautiful wedding pictures.
Best wishes Mike & Lily!
During Christmas break, my sister and I purchased some Foot Petals in Orlando. This morning, I finally pulled them out and sticked the Tip Toes pads into my high-heels and they are heavenly. If you have high-heels that a little loose or need some foot protection or need some slip guard, Foot Petals are totally worth the money.
Update: Special promotional code: "2002". This promotional code entitles you and anyone who uses it to 20% off of their Footpetals.com purchase.
Charles Kristopher Maday
April 9th, 2007 at 7:09 a.m.
7lb. 1oz.
19.5 inches
April 11, 2007 at 6:54 p.m.
10lb. 9oz.
Beatrice Clare Devine
April 14, 2007 at 11:30 a.m.
8lb. 4 oz.
20.75 inches
I've been wanting to blog my Scrap ETC. event experience for some time. But I got distracted by a few things. But I'm back. : )
I truly want to thank Monique for the wonderful weekend. Just like last year's event, I was inspired and motivated by many of the speakers. As many of you remember, this Unwritten Journal blog was inspired from that very event. And it led me along a wonderful path of wonderful experiences, growth and learning opportunities.
This year, Monique did it again by inviting some wonderful speakers... Stacy Julian, Robin Johnson and Allison Tyler Jones; and some wonderful artists... Kristina Contes & Jenni Bowlin. I've learned so much from each speaker and could go on and on about what I've walked away with, but unfortunately, I don't have time to post all my thoughts and feelings within this posting. So, you will have to see my upcoming posts for more details.
There is one special person I truly want to thank you for letting God use her to impact others ... THANK YOU Stacy for your ScrapHappy class. You have helped me discover my theme for this year ... "LiveHappy". Even thru life events, you were able to impact me and others to be more than we are, to be a light in this world. May you be blessed 10 times over for the blessing you gave us!
To all my blog readers:
Come back as I continue to blog what I've learned and am applying to my life from the ScrapHappy class.
Well, if you haven't heard thru the media, my little sis has entered in a new chapter in her life...
Startup lands another Microsoft veteran
By Todd Bishop, P-I Reporter of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A small Seattle startup company has burnished its Microsoft pedigree with the addition of a key member of the Windows Vista design team as a co-owner.
Jenny Lam, formerly the Windows User Experience creative director, confirmed Monday that she had left the company to join former Microsoft managers Hillel Cooperman and Walter Smith in a new software venture called Jackson Fish Market.
Separately, a former group marketing manager for Windows Vista, Brian Marr, has left to become managing director at Seattle-based marketing agency Wexley School for Girls.
Marr, 31, oversaw viral marketing efforts for Windows Vista, including the elaborate Vanishing Point promotional game. He spoke highly of Microsoft Corp. and said he wanted to work in a leadership position at a smaller company. The difficult commute between Seattle and Redmond was a major factor, he said.
Microsoft has seen a number of high-profile executives and employees leave following Windows Vista's release. The departure of talented workers is a concern for any company, but it's also natural for employees to seek out new things after completing a big product such as Windows Vista, said Matt Rosoff, an analyst at research firm Directions on Microsoft in Kirkland.
"Microsoft is always going to have that tension as they get larger and larger," Rosoff said, calling it a fact of life at a large company. "There are always going to be some people who want to try something new, to go to a place where they will have an easier time making a splash."
Lam, 32, played a significant role in the design of features such as the Windows Vista "Start" button, Flip 3D window switching and screen savers. Lam, who had worked at Microsoft for six years, described her departure as amicable.
"It was difficult because I love the company a lot," she said of her decision. "I'm really proud of the work that the design team has done there together, especially in Vista. ... Vista was a really big accomplishment, and I was just looking for a change."
Cooperman, 38, who left Microsoft in November, described Lam as a "rock star" in the field. Cooperman and Lam worked together when he was a product unit manager overseeing Windows Vista's user interface.
Other Links:
Thank you Stacy Julian for posting this video on your site. It helps us all grow in our perspective.
