Shenzhen: The Great and Spacious Building

12 May 2008

Abby and Anne didn't have school this day so we went back to Shenzhen to pick up clothes and what not. This means that I had to get another Chinese Visa so that I could cross the border into Shenzhen. I did and that was a new fun experience. We found out when we got there that there wasn't enough material for my dress so I made the trip for really no purpose and wasted one of the entries I was allowed on my Visa. Boo.

So then we had to find new fabric in "The Great and Spacious Building" as Mom likes to call it. It is quite the place too. Lots of stores for everything imaginable. And if there's a store for dance shoes here, you can bet that there's another dance shoes place somewhere close by. The shoes will be priced differently at each place so you might get a better deal at Store A for black shoes, but a GREAT deal at Store B for green shoes. You really have to look around to find the best price.

And all the while you're looking for the best priced shoes you're getting harassed by every store worker you pass. "Missy, missy" they'll say, and try to show you what they offer: a manicure for 10 HKD, designer bags, watches, movies. You name it. "Missy, Missy!" Yeah, I never want to hear that word again after going to Shenzhen.

This time Abby and I got boyfriends. These two guys were harassing us outside as we were walking in and then found us again after lunch and started talking to us. I didn't realize they were the same harassers and the second time, when they started to make normal conversation, I politely responded back. Until he wouldn't leave me alone! Then Anne and I looked at each other and started busting out the espanol! That's right, we had a simple conversation in Spanish together and eventually the boy left to go harass someone else.

The trick to getting through crazy sellers safely? Speak Spanish or French or a different language that they might not know. They give up pressuring you much more quickly.

So... It's been awhile

I know I don't have a lot of readers, but that's mostly my fault because I haven't blogged in almost two years. However, I feel that this must change. See, I read many people's blogs, with or without their knowledge, and I feel that they add a lot to the world. So, for that reason, I have decided to give blogging another try. That, and - let's be honest - I have a lot more time on my hands now than I did while I was in school.

So here we go. I'm starting up my blog and it's going to be great.

Vernal Reception

12 July 2008

Cami's second reception was held in Vernal, where Kemish is from. The decorations were great and the night was a lot of fun. They had the same sort of festivities at this reception that they did at the Sandy reception, only this time we stood in her line for a shorter time. Yahoo!

Some pictures of the joyous event.

The car...

Kemish's cousin and best man got the car pretty well. The cousins went a little crazy and threw confetti in the car...coming from someone who has been on the bad end of a confetti prank (Thanks again oh so much for that Luke) not the greatest idea...

Mari and Kaylee = CRAZY

9 July 2008

Who would have known that a deck of cards could entertain 2 girls in their 20s for hours? We sure didn't, but I guess anything is possible after midnight.

Mari came home from work right after I got back from a fun night at Annika's. We chatted for a few minutes and got ready for bed. Then I suggested that we play a game. So Mari got out her Pirates of the Carribean cards and we played a bunch of games: L.A. Speed, regular speed, Old Maid, maybe "Go Fish", and ERS.

We played a guessing game as well. We took just one turn cutting the deck three times and then the other had to guess how many cards were in each pile. You were only allowed to look at them and couldn't touch them at all. I thought I did pretty well. The farthest that I was off was three cards. I thought that was great.

WRONG. Mari was the PRO at that game. She guessed every single pile correctly! And she took half the time that I did. Boo. I don't like losing and she totall swamped me. That could be why we only played that once...

The last game we played is the game where you put a card face out on your forehead and try to guess what your number is before the other players. We had a lot of fun with that. More fun that you'd think actually. The first round went on forever because Mari forgot that there is a number 10 card. She would guess every suit, every card, except for ten. It was hilarious. We were laughing really hard.

The second round was really fast. I asked Mari if my card was a spade, she said yes. I asked Mari if it was a queen. She said no. Then I asked Mari if my card was a king and she said yes. This means that I guessed correctly. Unless your partner is LYING to you! Then you think you're just a really good guesser, but really you're way wrong. Yup, Mari LIED. My card was the 3 of hearts; she said it was the King of Spades. She's a punk.

Girl's Night

7 July 2008

Abby and Anne decided to stay down in Provo with me at Mari's apartment and we had a blast.

We started off going shopping with Mari and picked up some food for dinner and the ingredients to make Muddy Buddies - YUM! Mari is FHE group leader so she and I went to FHE while Abby and Anne watched dinner. It was a little crazy for a little while there, but dinner turned out fantastic and the muddy buddies were, of course, amazing.

We decided to be really random and went and played volleyball after a little while. We played for a long time, and I still maintain that Abby and I won. Fair and Square.

Sandy Reception

5 July 2008

Cami and Kemish had their Sandy reception at my Uncle John and Aunt Elaine's backyard. They have a beautiful backyard and an amazing view.

Cami and Kemish asked Dad to do a ring ceremony for them before the reception began so her friends from high school could be part of the days festivities, too.

Cami had us stand in a line for the first two hours (maybe only an hour and a half). It was a lot of fun to see family, of course, and it was great to see friends we hadn't seen in a while.

Then the fun started. Cami and Kemish danced, Cami and Dad danced and Kemish sang to Cami He sang Josh Groban's "In Her Eyes" and it was fantastic. Good job Kemish! Then they cut they cake, she threw (a.k.a LAUNCHED) her bouquet (Grandma Holyoak caught it after hitting dad right in the chest. Dad was IN BACK of all the girls waiting for the bouquet), Kemish threw the garder, Kemish threw the garder, Kemish threw the garder - I don't know how long that went on. Cami was over zealous in her throw and Kemish couldn't get it past it two feet. Eventually he made it like three feet and my 9 year old cousing Griffin ran and picked it up.

The night ended late, after cleaning up and opening presents. Then I played chauffer and took Lauren and Katherine to their hotel, and Cami and Kemish to their hotel. It was a long trip - who knew there were 2 exits to Redwood road off of 215? Boo on THAT.

All in all it was a fun night and a great day for a wedding. Congrats to Cami and Kemish and getting sealed together forever!

Cami and Kemish Get Married!

5 July 2008

After a late night talking to Cami, we also had an early morning. Mari came over at some time that I can't remember (but I was still asleep) and did Cami's hair. She then proceeded to do MY hair - and by doing my hair I mean that she pretty much dumped the bottle of hairspray on my hair. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but coming from someone who doesn't use hairspray...it was a lot. But my hair actually turned out okay, so I can forgive Mari for her hairspraying craze.

Cami looked beautiful and Kemish was quite handsome. They were both in love and happy to be married.

It was the perfect day. The sun was shinning (I actually got a small sunburn by the end of the day's festivities) and there were no clouds in sight. Enjoy the pictures from the Temple!