ChRistMas...

....is my favorite Story


...is Love, Peace, Joy, Noel


...is FaMiLy

...is FrieNds


...is definitely watching my all time favorite church classic


...is seeing the Lights on Temple Square....wondrous.


...is seeing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concerts... An all time favorite each year.


...is Listening to MoTab Christmas Music to bring in the Christmas Spirit. LOOOOOOOOve this album.


...is seeing Sissel perform...I swear I heard an Angel sing.


...is hearing French horns in the music


...is hearing all those classic Christmas songs that never get old



...is Mariah Carey's 1994 Christmas Album that I could listen to over and over during the holidays


...is all about the Holiday Classics that you couldn't wait to see as a kid


...isn't Christmas without Elf. Loooooove.


....and it isn't Christmas without that feel good Last Holiday story. Love.


...isn't about the Grinch, but about the song...(which Mariah Carey helped write mmmmhmmmm)..."WheRe Are YoU ChRiSTmAS"


...is standing at the top of a snow capped mountain with your board and dreaming about the fun ride down...minus the Christmas crowd.


...is snowflakes (paper or real)....falling in the lamp lit street on a quiet evening


...is a tree of lights in your home and sleeping by it each night


...is all those yummy treats you get from everyone!


...is a Christmas card


...or two


...is a feeling

I am loving the Christmas Spirit this year...and all of these things are just another reason why. Love and Miss you All. Merry Christmas!

Sun Bei Bei & Church...

This is Sun Bei Bei. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints almost 70 years ago and is still so passionate about the gospel. He inspires.

My favorite things about Sun Bei Bei
1. His shuffle walk.
2. He knows where Samoa is and has a buddy from there.
3. He always has fiber crackers, chips, chocolate, nuts, or some kind of treat in his black bag for you.
3. He insists you eat it and will say, "Come on, don't be shy".
4. He will be speaking in Chinese during testimony meeting and will suddenly switch over to English and bust out in Song.
5. He will sing the WHOLE SONG...NOT just ONE verse.

Today he sang, "Silent NIght" and his version of "radiant beam from heaven's star"....is a classic.

Amongst other things...Today- I was late to church...shoot sometimes you're late. So I hung out in the library looking for some lesson materials...then Sun Bei Bei walked in with his mini raido with earphones in hand. Then he asked me to open the windows (so his little radio could get some reception), and he gave me the other half of his earphones to listen to...Billy Grahm.

I held the radio close to the sunlit window in one hand and an earphone up to my ear in the other while he sat in his chair and I on the footstool. Sometimes you hang out in the library with your favorite grandpa, next to the sunlit window, listening to Billy Grahm...ahhh the adventures. I love Sun Bei Bei and you would too...wish you could just simply meet him.

Treats in a bag

Going in for the reach...you never know if it will be fiber crackers or chocolate.

Ahhh good. Today it's chocolate.


"Come on, don't be shy ...eat it."

Star Party 2008

"Want to camping?", they asked.
"Sure!"
"It is mmmm... I don't know how say...He Wan SaN...3 tall mountain in Taiwan."
"Cool! Let's go!"
So you take a bus with a bunch of kids, parents, and their teachers just 3 hours north and hit 14.


He Huan ShAN


Shan (Mountain). Third tallest Mountain in Taiwan


Unload from the bus and walk to your campsite.


Ummm that's cool. What is that?


Yup it's a greenhouse type dealio. It's also where you'll be sleeping for the night.


Alrighty then...let's set up camp. cha

The Greenhouse in effect...








Camping is good in this hood...


Ms. Chen and her daughter Debby (my neighbors/Landlord). We're tight.


Our camping neighbors.


Star Party 2008


There were so many amazingly huge telescopes&things....people with their laptops and high tech stuff....


But honestly, the best view of the stars could be seen from this homemade telescope....from Lan Tan Elementary School. I lined up at least 3 times to see the stars from this one.


Lan Tan Elementary group


Star Party peeps waiting, hoping, wishing for their lucky number to be called out for an awesome prize....


This was my lucky number (san-jiu-qi). Not.


Ah well this girl was lucky in love...


okay I know the picture should be about the moment...and for me the moment was about...that ring. check out the ring...hilair. Although the night before there was another engagement and the dude set up a slide show showing them at the star party since 2005 and then there were fireworks! What the engagment! It was sweet enough to make one shed a tear or two.


Alas I was lucky to see such beauty...