Sunny going to Toronto, Canada

Sunny is leaving Jonathan in California to attend the funeral of cousin Ming Shin who passed away this past weekend.  Sunny will be in Canada Friday-Saturday.  Unfortunately, Jonathan cannot attend because his passport is stuck in the Brazilian consulate.

Remembering cousin Ming Shin, 1978-2008

Sunny's cousin, Ming Shing, passed away this weekend after struggling with TB and cancer.

Sunny and Jonathan are planning to attend his funeral in Toronto, Canada this coming Saturday.

In the picture above, Jonathan is standing right behind Ming (wearing a necktie).  We enjoyed a pretty close association with Ming during the summer of 2007 that we spent in China and Hong Kong.  Ming exemplified kindness, thoughtfulness, and he was always willing to help anyone in need.  I always admired his genuine concern for other people.  We will miss him very much.  Our prayers are with his parents.

Spain's Electoral disappointment: PSOE wins

Jonathan is bummed that the Spanish Socialists won the national election: 4 more years of Pres. Zapatero.  For the latest election results, click here.

Disneyland: Downtown Disney

This Saturday while Jonathan worked hard on school work, Sunny went to the beach for a massage.... then  in the evening we went to Downtown Disney for dinner at the House of Blues, and then went shopping!  Very fun evening spent with relatives who live in the region.

Relatives visiting, school, gastronomy, etc.

This weekend we attended a performance of the BYU Young Ambassadors, who are on tour in California right now.  They performed at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, a gorgeous venue for the arts!!  Downtown Long Beach is a lovely place; it's always a treat to visit there.

Also, Jonathan's aunts Bonnie and Linda came to visit their Aunt Rachel in Burbank, so we all got together on Sunday evening for dinner and a nice big family visit.

This evening, we took the missionaries out to eat Korean food at a restaurant on Sepulveda - super authentic, and delicious.  We love Korean BBQ - cooking it yourself, etc.  The elders enjoyed Korean food for the first time!

Jonathan is way busy with school and other projects, and Sunny is preparing for a bunch of travels.

For more pictures of recent days/weeks: click HERE.

Hollywood, UCLA, the Getty, parties, Chinese New Year, etc.

Our good friend/brother Carlos is with us this weekend.  He really wanted to escape Utah's weather, so he is in luck....  We're having a great time with him here... but there is definitely not enough time to enjoy everything there is to see and do in Los Angeles and its region! :) He'll have to return many times yet.  Enjoy the photos of this weekend at the following links:

Click here for pictures of our niece's birthday party this weekend.

For pictures of Chinese New Year party at the LDS Church, click here and here.

Carlos and Jonathan do Palos Verdes in L.A. Photos here.

Around UCLA, the Getty Center in L.A.: photos here.

Photos of Long Beach and Hollywood HERE.

Pictures/Update of the past few days . . .

Hello!

We want to share some pictures with you.  These pictures are of recent events and activities. :)

We were in Utah for the baby blessing of Jonathan's cousin, Melissa. The snow led to a cancellation of church services, so it was done at her parents' home. Here are pictures from that event.

For more pictures of what we did over last weekend in Utah, please see this album.

Also in Utah, President Hinckley's memorial services. Jonathan and his sister and parents participated in the cane salute on South Temple following the funeral.  Click here.

Our Chinese New Year celebrations began this year with the Torrance Chamber of Commerce celebration.  Click here for pics.

SUPER TUESDAY - We voted, and had a party at our house, and enjoyed good food.  Click here.

President Hinckley remembered

We received word of President Hinckley's passing last night during a family dinner at Sunny's parents' home.  

Please visit Jonathan's blog "Who Are Mormons?" to read more about President Hinckley's passing and public legacy.

Minnesota

Minnesota is the coldest place on Earth! We were there for a few days over the weekend with our sister-in-law Katie and her daughter, Ariana (pictured below).

We had a great time braving the subzero temperatures. :)  Also, see more pictures here.

Minneapolis

Ariana Chen, our niece, at the restaurant Basil's in downtown Minneapolis

Visiting with Jonathan's high school friend, Cynthia, and her husband, jared. they live in St. Paul

Brasilauto

Umm... okay....

Chinese Acrobats in Pasadena

We had front row tickets to a big performance of the Chinese National Acrobatic Troupe. They are considered the best team in China, and are now on a world tour to promote the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where they will also perform. We went with Sunny's parents to the Civic Theatre in Pasadena.

The performers did amazing tricks, stunts, jumps, twists, falls, spins, etc. WOW! After having seen so many people doing such unconventional and surprising acrobatic moves, the next time we see Cirque du Soleil, we may end up disappointed.

You can see several more photos at this site.

Hurrah for 2008!

We are so excited for this entering year. 2007 was wonderful and we have been blessed with so much. In 2007, we were fortunate to visit a wide variety of places around the globe. 

We ushered in the New Year on Jan. 1. 2007 in São Paulo, Brazil, with friends from Jonathan's mission there. Then we traveled to the Amazon, and then to Rio de Janeiro. Since that time, we've been blessed to travel to Monterey in northern California; and Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Taipei (Sunny showed Jonathan around her mission), Tokyo, and Seoul in Asia. We even crossed the border into North Korea! We ventured to beloved Spain where we toured Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Alicante, and Valencia, with a personal expert tour guide. :)  We also spent time in Toronto, Canada; and Honolulu, Hawaii. In addition to this, we spent about 3 months living in Hong Kong where Jonathan & Sunny worked.  Jonathan started grad school at UCLA, while Sunny got settled in her new office where she keeps very busy.  

As we reflect on 2007 (our first whole year of wedded bliss): airports, eating, gaining weight, new niece and nephew, etc., our most exciting experience has been the whole marriage thing - lots of fun together. (how cute!)  We even got to show each other around our mission areas. Anyway, we are looking forward to 2008 and spending time with family and friends. 

the peninsula branch Christmas Party

John was Santa.... I think I broke his leg.

Christmas in Hawaii

with BYU friends, Maggie & Nate and their son, who now live in Honolulu.

Group shot before leaving Hawaii.

If you follow the links I posted in a previous post, you'll see many more photos.

We're back from Hawaii!

For a few photos from the trip, please click here!

We loved the weather and food in Hawaii.

Also, I have posted more pictures from the Polynesian Cultural Center.

We would have liked to stay longer. 

sunny and department dances for all to see in San Pedro

Sunny choreographed and organized her department's performance at the annual holiday dinner gala. it was a mix of dances from Janet jackson, Nirvana, and Grease. The event was held at a hotel on the harbor in San Pedro.

Crème de la Crêpe

Please visit the new California Foodie blog. I started this recently to document the foods we enjoy in L.A. and beyond. It is nothing too serious.... I just posted on this great new French restaurant in Hermosa Beach... a lovely place with charm, and they cook with lots of cheese and butter!

great weather in Redondo Beach

The other day I took these while stopped at a red light on my way to the gym. We live about 2 miles from this spot in Redondo Beach, on the edge of the sea. Beautiful area and great weather.

Oakland, California - meetings, rain

My only picture from my quick trip to the Bay area.... this is aunt Marian in the heavy rain in Oakland, following a nice breakfast at the Rockridge Café. :)

Jonathan was in Oakland for meetings at the University of California headquarters.