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Monday November 11, 2013. 

The 3rd of July

No, this isn't a post from Matt and Lisa =) This is how I got to spend my 3rd of July. I got to witness a milestone, Cora's first time using chopsticks! That bean never stood a chance.

1. Take Sunglasses   2. Put Sunglasses on   3. Model for the Camera   4. Enjoy!

3rd of July Fireworks. The "We Can't Afford to Have it On The 4th" alternative you've been waiting for!

Thanks for the visit Lisa, Matt, and Cora! Also, thanks for the housewarming gifts. The orange cream soda, kona shortbread cookies, and half of the chocolate covered fruit have mysteriously disappeared already.

Internet meme: Grumpy Cat!

Thankfully, a grumpy Kim is rare these days.

March Photo a week: Feeling sporty

I ran today! Didn't feel like dying like I sometimes do (so out of shape) but that's probably because the weather was cool today and I ate part of a power bar first. (Like most things, I will slowly but surely finish this challenge!)

Lisa's April Photos =)

Week 1:  Nostalgic photo

Kimono time =)  And just for fun, Cora in the same kimono at 18 months.

Week 2:  The best thing you ate this week

I haven't had In-N-Out in a very, very, very long time.  So while not very fancy, it was very delicious treat =).

Week 3:  Complementary Colors

Red and Green was all I thought about for many, many, months =).  

Week 4:  Self Portrait

While I don't know if sushi and coffee would taste yummy together, I do know that both are delicious!

Lisa's March photos

March Week 1:  Feeling Sporty

Zumba for the home body =)  While it's not as fun as going to the live classes, it is more accessible when I can't leave the house.

March Week 2:  Internet Meme

I went for the older school internet meme =)

March Week 3:  Fruitful Day

We found this beauty at the Farmer's Market this weekend.  Apparently it's a Korean melon or Yellow melon (so says my internet search).  The woman at the market called it a watermelon.  It tastes like a crunchy cantaloupe, yum!! 

March Week 4:  Game for the Game

While we haven't had much time for games lately, this is a staple when we choose to squeeze in something competitive. =)  I like Phase 10 because I'm usually lucky and get all the good cards!

June Challenge =)

June week 1:  A word or words that express your emotion
June week 2:  From behind
June week 3:  Childhood memory
June week 4:  Summer - In honor of the summer solstice this week, shoot something that makes you think of summer =)
June week 5:  Flashback Mokroopal photo =) {you can never have enough of those!!}

May Week Two: Mom!

Although it was taken during a sad time for the family, still a favorite of mine. We are in Seattle, WA.

Ice

Ice COLD!

Fire

Fire to keep us warm under the Jordan sky.

Red

These lovely ladybugs were found in the Bellagio gardens.

February Week One: Incognito!

I've had this green wig since two years ago when I thought I would wear it for St. Patty's day. Finally came into good use!

January Week Five: The Perfect Day

My idea of the perfect day is one where I feel content and at peace. Truthfully, it's been a long time since I've felt like that. On this day, I went to LA to see my third or fourth showing of the musical, American Idiot. While the show was awesome (as always), that wasn't why that day was so great.

While I waited for the show to start, I bought lunch and enjoyed my downtime in the courtyard of the theater. My lunch was a bomb ass mushroom quesadilla, which I completely devoured and washed down with some beer. The weather was your typical awesome LA spring day--warm sun and cool breeze. And to top off the ambiance, random people were playing music on a piano that was left in the square for just that purpose. Listening to the music, savoring my food, and enjoying the sun... I remember feeling... Man, life can't get any better. Maybe life doesn't, but even if that's the case, I'll take it.

May Week One: The Avocado!

This is one of my favorite food pictures actually. :)

This is the dragonball appetizer from Katsu Sushi in San Diego. Inside there's a giant ball of spicy tuna - it was yummy!! :)

April Week Four: Self portrait without a picture of yourself

A stack of papers, red pen, a plush stomach, cold & flu microbes & a pair of Toms. :)

If I could have put a piece of bacon in the picture, I would have...but I probably would have eaten it before I took the picture. :)

April Week Three: Complementary Colors

Purple nails & a yellow design for my manicure today with Lisa :)

Lost and not found

I don't suppose any of you guys have pictures from the time we went to SF in 2005? I just spent the last two hours going through all my pictures (digital and hard copy) to no avail. Sigh. STILL ANGRY THAT MY PREVIOUS LAPTOP WAS STOLEN WHY COULDN'T THE BASTARD THIEF AT LEAST LEAVE A FLASH DRIVE OF ALL MY PICTURES RAH.

Photo a week: Bird's eye view

Going back to the fourth week of January (man time flies) here is a view from a bridge between two buildings at the Brewery Art Walk in LA this past weekend.

Look at those tiny people!

May Photo Challenge

I'm way behind on my photos, but I can't leave y'all hanging so here's the May photo ops!

May 4th - Pay a tribute to the wonder that is...the avocado! Show how much you love (or hate) it by snapping your favorite avocado preparation!
May 11th - Mom! Post a photo of your mom and describe what it means to you.
May 18th - Opposites attract. Incorporate two opposing/contrasting things in one shot.
May 25th - Levitation. Like a jump shot, but you gotta make it look like you're levitating and not just in mid-jump. It's actually quite hard to do because your natural inclination is to make an excited face and tense up your limbs! Check this out for some inspiration!

Have fun!

April Week Two: The best thing you ate this week

Been a bit stressed with so much work lately so chose to eat at Park Ave. with Kim this week - a treat for working so hard.

Seared ahi w/arugula & cucumbers to start, ribeye steak w/ string beans & twice baked potato for main course and cheesecake flan for dessert. Yum. :)

April Week One: A throwback or nostalgic photo

Obviously since we are getting older, there are more and more photos that make us feel...old. =)  I have a couple of photos I decided to post.  This first one would be the original MoKroopaLs with the shirts we made for ourselves.  I know I don't have mine anymore but perhaps some of you still have yours.

 

This second photo is just of me when I was little.  Actually, you can see my sister in red standing behind me and behind her is my youngest uncle.  This was when my family lived in Illinois - we moved to California when I was about 4 years old.  When I look at this photo now, it doesn't seem like I could ever be that young but I see a lot of myself in this little girl.

And, as just a side note: My grandpa is in an assisted living facility and my mom has been visiting him every week.  Yesterday she said they talked about his family and how he grew up in Vietnam.  It turns out that my great grandfather was a teacher and that several of my grandfather's siblings were also teachers.  They even opened a school in North Vietnam but when the country split & people fled to the south, they were drafted and unable to teach anymore.  My grandfather told my mom that he was so proud that I was a teacher because that spirit of helping others reminds him of his family in Vietnam...and I am also very proud of my teaching heritage.  Here's a picture of my grandparents when they first came to America (I think this was in Ohio?) and our family today.

March Week Four: I'm game for the game

Cooking Mama for iPhone is not something I am good at - the touch screen is not sensitive/fast enough!

March Week Three: Have a fruitful day

Strawberries - it still counts if the fruit is on top of a cupcake.

April Photo Challenge :)

Yay! Hope everyone participates! I have a new camera (well, it's in transit) & am excited to try it out. :)

Week 1 (April 6th): A throwback or nostalgic photo
Week 2 (April 13th): The best thing you ate this week
Week 3 (April 20th): Complementary colors (opposites on the color wheel: red & green, blue & orange or purple & yellow)
Week 4 (April 27th): Self-portrait without using a picture of yourself [item(s) that make us think of you]

March Week Two: Gangnam style, Harlem shake or other Internet meme

I didn't want to do the gangnam style dance or the Harlem shake - so we ate here instead. :)

February Photo Challenge

I was at a mustache and hat party during my college years. Do you know who it is?

Red Toms...and an array of well love cat toys.

Fire for my fabric burn test.

Paper snowflake (i.e. ice it its most beautiful and organized form).

March Week One: Feeling Sporty

Every Monday is turbo kickboxing day :)

Photo of the Week Catch-up

Incognito

Hiding in plain sight.  Can't find me, can you?

Red

Since I'm stuck on a NASA theme, check out the coolest piece of schwag I got on this trip:

This is just like tags put on real spacecraft to be removed before it takes off.

Fire/Smoke

A picture of Cora's fireplace that never gets used.  Except for one day that was captured in this clearly not photoshopped image. 

Snow/Ice

We took a trip to Norcal, and temps dropped well below freezing overnight.  Here's a shot of the railroad ties in front of my Mom's house.  My brothers & I used to get a running start, jump on these icy beasts, and slide down like you were skiing!

Lisa's February Photos =)

Ok...I finally finished! =)


Week 1:  Incognito

Incognito Mode =)

Week 2:  Red

A special Valentine's delivery =)

Week 3:  Fire/Smoke

All that's left is a trail of smoke...and that "birthday candle" smell that never translates well in photos ;).

Week 4:  Snow/Ice

This was Cora's first time playing in the "snow".  It was artificially made for Lake Foresters. =)

This is the magic of Yosemite in the springtime.  We woke up to a snowy morning surprise.  We hadn't even brushed out teeth yet because we (I) were sooooo excited to play in the falling snow =).