Emilie turns 31!

My birthday was last Friday and this is my new outfit from Yao (he got me a gift card and I picked out the outfit) and the purse is from Auntie Sarah. Sarah always sends me money for my birthday and it's my tradition to buy myself a new purse with the money. So thank you Aunt Sarah and Yao and Mom (lots of fun new school clothes & a new haircut tomorrow that I'll post later) and the Nelsons, Davis', and Graham for their birthday song renditions. Turning 31 wasn't as fun as turning 30 but how do you top skydiving?

Yao's latest creation

This is what Yao made himself for breakfast this morning: cheerios with orange juice and that's an egg on top. Warmed it all up in the microwave for a couple minutes to cook the egg and ate it! This is maybe THE strangest combination I have seen him eat since he moved here. He did admit that it didn't tast good but that it was good nutritionally so he sacrificed the flavor. Can anyone top that?

Chinese group fun

Yao's group of friends at work got together for a BBQ at Brighton ski resort Saturday night. There were 5 or 6 families and a couple single guys who had served mission in Taiwan. But several other American spouses so the group was a little more diversified than some of the other groups Yao associates with. Mom came too (we had all stayed down in Provo the night before so I could run the Provo River half marathon that morning) and we all had tons of fun. Here are some of the highlights.

Yao put himself in charge of the BBQ (lamb kebobs)

Yao and I at the BBQ

inside the cabin

group picture

one of the guys LOVES to take family pictures, which is why we have pictures at all of yesterdays get together

Boise getaway

We just got back from our three day getaway to Boise and we actually had a lot of fun. They were having the Basque festival this last weekend, which only happens every five years, so that was interesting. We tried some new cuisine. I ran 18 miles along the Boise river on their Greenbelt path Saturday morning and then we floated the river that afternoon. I could definitely live in Boise for all of their running paths, I loved it! And we tried three restaurants Guy Fieri had been and our vote went to Pizzalchik. Sounds weird but it was really good, homemade pizza, chicken and salads. We recommend it and we recommend floating the river.

before we began our river journey

Yao working hard while I worked on my tan

Yao relaxing for .5 seconds

our trip down the river

music in the square downtown during lunch

restaurant in Meridian where Guy Fieri visited-good salmon

Basque festival, Yao tries the solomo sandwich from another Guy Fieri favorite

rice jambalaya thing cooking in a huge pan

eating the rice jambalaya thing in the Basque market