one year ago today...

A year ago I packed up my life and temporarily said good-bye to some of my favorite things in California.....my family (parents + 2 brothers), the cutest grandparents, my aunts + uncles + cousins, my Godparents, my friends and roommates, APU, Inn-n-out, Crestview, the shopping malls, Disneyland, Carne Asada burritos, Tijuana, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Bonfires at Corona Del Mar, Camp Ronald McDonald Camp sessions, laying in the shade by the pool with Kelly, going to Chapel with the gang, doing the wanda dance.....a chapter in my life had come to an end and a new one began....What in Massachusetts would become the things I love and cherish?

One year later and I can say that I have loved every challenge, opportunity and memory from being in Plymouth.

Here are some of the highlights of the year in chronological order:

1. Moving into my apartment and meeting my roommate, Jenny.

2. Dan, a friend from APU, came to visit me my first weekend in Plymouth! We went to the beach and had a relaxing time! I am so glad I met this guy in my last year at APU. He made Senior Seminar a class to remember.

Dave Gable (a fellow Kiwanian) and his wife, Millicent came to Boston for a visit and the 4 of us went to Park St. Church and then ate at the Cheers Restaurant. : )

3. Then Randall and Joyce (friends from APU) stopped to visit good ol' Plymouth. We had a great time catching up on our time spent overseas.

4. David, my boss, bought me an IPhone! woOhoo!

5. Taking a little break and going to NYC with Peggy Campbell, Jan Waggoner and Phil Brazell (Friends from APU). I am not sure any vacation can top this adventure we had.

6. My first Fall! Me, David, Peter, and Steve (co-workers) explored Cornish, NH (home of J.D. Salinger) and Woodstock, VT. It was such a great trip! I love fall foliage!

7. Philadelphia Love! I ventured to Philly to see Sara (my college roommate) and Mr. Barack Obama. It was soooo good to see Sara again!!

* My roommate, Christina, from Boston lives outside Philly with her husband. I am so glad I got to see her!

*On this same trip, I visited Grace and her baby, Olivia. Grace was my Bible Study teacher when I first became a Christian in 9th grade. Wow!

8. Nicole Chin, friend from APU, came and visited me! It was so nice to spend some quality time with this girl! She's my Asian sistah from APU!

9. November--(first time home since the move) My mom's birthday and my cousin, Lina, married the wonderful Denny. It was a beautiful wedding!

*Brittany Sheldon and Blake Heal got married on the same day and so Phil, Lisa and I went together! It was definitely an APU reunion!

10. On my way back to Boston, Megan came to visit me during Thanksgiving! We had such a blast doing the Pilgrim Walk on Thanksgiving and going to the Plimoth Plantation.

*On black Friday, Megan and I went to NYC for the day and did some shopping!

11. Christmas vacation came and I got to spend 2 weeks with loved ones. For Christmas, I went to Las Vegas with the family, then afterwards hung out with family, h.s. friends, and college friends. We made amazing memories at the beach and went to Disneyland to celebrate Kristine's birthday. I took a boat ride around Newport Beach with Phil and the Campbell clan. It was a jammed pack 2 weeks!

*New Year's with the Lizarraga family. The best New Year's of my life! I hope we can do it again!

*I even made a pit stop to Houston, TX to send some relatives love! : ) This was the greatest vacation ever!

12. When I arrived back to Boston, I was welcomed with love from Ben Helms (APU Brother) and Emily Tiller (roommate from Boston). It was just so refreshing coming back to Massachusetts and being with these two friends!

13. Valentine's Day and Sara Juell's Birthday (Roommate from college) came to visit me with her fiance, Noah (my college RA). It was such a fun weekend of exploring P-town and Boston. You can always expect some kind of inappropriate or randomness when you're with Sara. She makes me look so incredibly normal. I love it!

13. Wild nights at Hanabi dancing to Ken Monteiro's Band -- Too Loud. Good times!

14. Sara Strawhun (College Roommate) finally came to visit me. She came to see me right around my birthday. I enjoyed being a crazy weirdo with her. We decided to drink a Sam Adams beer across from his grave. I can't wait to go to Miami with this girl soon!

15. Ashley McCarthy and I went to see Britney Spears in concert at the Garden in the 5th row. It was absolutely amazing! It was soo good that I am going again in a couple of weeks with Jess Horton. Only this time, I'll be on the floor. : )

16. Kristine Arquero (My H.S. BFF) stopped by Boston for a few short days and we got to get together for delicious italian food in the North End. I can't wait to visit you in NYC.

17. Easter Weekend! My two brothers came to visit their big sister. I had a great time with my brothers. We ate a ton of food, went to the movies, shopped and just relaxed. I love you guys!!

18. Trish and Taylor-- seriously my other half. No one will ever understand my goofiness and my lack of movie knowledge like Threesh. I have been friends with this crazy girl since the 7th grade and I have some of my best memories growing up with her. Trish-- As we get older, some obsessions never change. Thanks for keeping me true to my roots and fetishes. haha

19. Vietnamese Alliance Church-- This church has shaped me in more ways than I can even count. The selflessness, the support, the generosity of those in this church is astounding. Every time I am with this group, I feel at home. God has blessed me so much in bringing me to this church. I am so thankful for the friends I have here. Here is some of the group at the beach on Cape Cod.

20. This same group did "Walk for Hunger" in Boston and walked 15 miles (I think). We did an awesome thing for a great cause.

21. Mother's Day Weekend-- I flew home and surprised my Mom for Mother's Day. She was really shocked! The long flights were so worth surprising my Mom and family. My Mom and Dad were so helpful in helping me to move to Massachusetts so without hesitation I booked a flight home to spend some time with my Mama.

22. A friend of mine, Melissa, whom I met on the first day I moved to Plymouth, got married. An Tran, a friend from church, came as my date to the wedding and was just so charming, I couldn't resist him. He later became my boyfriend. Isn't he just so stinkin' cute?!

24. Best Buddies Hyannis Port Challenge was by far the hardest physical activity I have ever done. Without the encouragement of my teammates and David, I would have never made it! This was one of the most rewarding events I have ever participated in! I hope to do it again next year!

*Thanks to friends and family, I raised over $2,500 for Best Buddies International and got my picture taken with Chair of the event, Tom Brady of the N.E. Patriots.

25. Producers Guild of America Conference in Los Angeles. Part of the team flew to LA for a little adventure. Here we were on the Red Carpet at Paramount Studios Kick-off Party for the conference.

*Since I was already at home, I stayed a little bit longer and hung out with friends and family. It was also my brother Alex's birthday. : )

26. From LA, I flew to Redding to be in Sara and Noah's wedding. What a wedding. It was so relaxing and fun being with Sara and the wedding party. It was such an honor being a part of her wedding. I can't believe I cried so much!

27. After being away for so long, my boyfriend, An missed me so much that we went and spent time in Newport, RI. I'd say it was his favorite trip ever. ; ) It wasn't the greatest trip, but it was very memorable.

28. The next wedding...Kelly Fladager and Chris Teitzel got married! This wedding was packed with excitement. We partied and celebrated this union from the moment we all landed in Seattle to the second we left. Seeing Kelly in her dress left me speechless. She was a beautiful bride. : )

29. 4th of July in DC with An and his family. When I think of the weekend trip to Washington DC, I think of laughter, music, and banh bot loc. : ) I had more fun than I thought possible. I really enjoy every moment with him and his family and can't wait for what the future holds.

*Me and An sat in front of the Washington Monument watching fireworks. I love fireworks!

This has been a snapshot of the past year of living on the East Coast and my adventures around the country. God is good and he continues to stretch me everyday. He is and has been so faithful.

My verse of the year was Isaiah 26:3-4 "You keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

Stepping out in faith and trusting God and moving 3,000 miles away from my former home has led me to who I am today. : ) Trusting God has been the best thing I have ever done and I will continue to do so the rest of my days.

I hope to update again soon. : )