IDP Christmas Party

(Arlene, Nikki, Millie and I-these girls are our clinic coordinators and they schedule all the patients for our students)

Last night was my work Christmas party...and let me just say Jared and I had a blast!!! I work in the International Dentist Program (IDP) at Loma Linda University Dental School and our department is so fun. Our students are dentists in foreign countries and in order to get their DDS in the states, they have to complete a 2 year program, like IDP. I work administratively in the deparment. So last night we had our Christmas party at Dr. Mitchell's house...you should have seen the food from all over the world there...the amount of languages spoken in side conversations...the diversity in the house...and yet the sense of total "family." All together we have 44 students, and about 15 faculty and staff members and we all love to be together to enjoy some down time to relax and not have to worry about school and the pressures that come with being a dental student. I love my job...and most of all I love the people that I work with.

Dr. Sofia and I (She is one of our faculty members...originally from Mexico)

This was the highlight of the "white elephant" gift exchange we had...a stuffed Santa on a reindeer that would sing and then do flips.

Crowded into the living room for the gift exchange

Down stairs we had Rock Band going. I had never done this before, but I decided to get in there and I performed "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. Made a fool of myself, but had fun doing it.

Several of our students...from Nicaragua, India, Honduras, Syria and the Phillipines.

Dr. Rana Skaf and I (she is a student from Syria)

Early Christmas with the Adams

Last weekend the Adams came down to celebrate an early Christmas with Nate, Jared, Kim and myself. The pictures here are when we went to the Getty Villa Museum right out by the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu. The museum featured Roman and Greek culture/artifacts...it was really interesting. After Kim got off work Saturday night we all had a delicious dinner at a place called Pane y Vino (authentic Italian...even our waitress spoke Italian) on Sunset Blvd and then stayed the night at a hotel. Sunday we all went to Reality LA for church, had lunch and then took off for Loma Linda to show Juan and Debbie our life out here. We all had a great time! It was a quick trip, but the time with family was very meaningful and special. Kim, I apologize we never got any pictures after Saturday night with you in them...I guess we were too busy enjoying our time! :)

What's a Saturday without a coffee?

Sunset from the PCH as we were leaving for dinner. Isn't this beautiful!!!

Thanksgiving 2008 - Las Vegas!

This year we took a 3 & 1/2 hour road trip to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving to be with Mom and Dad Mitchell who just moved to Vegas this summer. It had been several months since we had all been together and it was such a blessing to all spend quality time together, full of laughter and joy! Here's dad carving the turkey...16 pounds of it.

My personal favorite, pumpkin pie.

Wednesday night we had a little dance party as a family...would you believe it lasted over an hour? :) Nate DJ'ed and all of us busted some serious moves.

Does the whole world have Costco rolls at their Thanksgiving table...they are the best!

The star of the show...the cook.

The day after Thanksgiving we did the Las Vegas Strip with Mom and Dad- our first time ever. It was so amazing. Once it got dark, and the lights lit up it was a sight to see!

Dinner at the Planet Hollywood casino.

The water symphony show at the Bellagio- this was incredible!

Here we are outside the Venetian- this casino/hotel was our favorite. Inside you feel like you are literally walking in a palazzo in Italy.

Paris...in Vegas...at night.

Posing with Caesar himself.

Inside the Bellagio was this amazing atrium decorated for Thanksgiving- all the flowers you see behind us are real.

Laguna Beach

We decided to be spontaneous today since the weather forcast said 85 and sunny, so we took a drive out to Laguna Beach and cruised down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). It was a gorgeous day to say the least and I couldn't have spent a day any better than with my love, on a beach, with not a care in the world. (Mom and Krystn you'll be happy to hear that :) ) Laguna Beach is amazing- very OC "glamorous," but we northwesterner's brought our own flavor to the beach city...grabbed a Starbucks first thing, and sat on the beach with our cell phones turned off!

Now that the holidays are just around the corner, we find ourselves laughing sometimes at how different it still feels to live in Southern California. It still feels like summer, and yet it's holiday season already. Here's So. Cal Christmas decorating...a nice wreath on the lifeguard tower.

He's always known how to enjoy God's beauty...

Another example...beach + a hot Americano...seems so odd but a reality today. :)

Fresh off the Farm Harvest Party

For Halloween we went out to LA for Nate and Kim's 2nd Annual Harvest Party. This year's theme was "Fresh off the Farm," and just about everyone looked like they had just come straight from the barn. It was a group of people from Reality LA (Nate and Kim's church), having some wholesome fun, while enjoying Texan-style bowls of chili and dern good cornbread. We met a lot of really cool people and enjoyed our time with family. We'll definitely be attending the 3rd annual party next year!