finding hope in change...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

my fiance and dog are so cool

please pray for kenya:

"the world does not need another Bosnia; Africa certainly does not need another Rwanda.

- Ngugi wa Thiong'o
in http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7180946.stm
this is a very moving, emotive article by the author. 

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday and all that jazz!!

pictures from Houston:
the ori-pei--

zake- terrance's restaurant w/ friends:
  
the children of pathways:


it's really texas:

esther and judy and bella:

mike's baby cousin: (he fell asleep on me)

turning 26: (i'm not over the hill, i'm sledding down it w/ jonah!)
 

as 2008 approaches, find out with which candidate you agree with most on issues of economy, health care, energy, immigration and the war:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21116732

it's takes some time and still is only an abbreviated version of their views, but still, it's an easy shortcut to initially see where you fall. 

 MERRY CHRISTMAS from my family to yours!!

pictures from the Biltmore Estate near Asheville, NC.  Where my parents, Mike and I spent Christmas Eve.

my christmas/birthday present from mike is a purse i got to design at lill studio! (http://www.1154lill.com/home/ )
i chose the style and fabric (although mike really chose in the end... i had such a hard time deciding what i liked together!)
here is our masterpiece:

i love it!

i'm such a bah-humbug when it comes to winter, but i had a break from the cold by going to pajaro dunres in california, and when i got back, we got the most beautiful snow!  i still get a bit mesmerized by newly fallen snow. 
pajaro dunes (w/ an unexpected lunch w/ mannam!):



Snow:

all good things must come to an end... after 5 years, mike and i are no longer dating...

we're engaged!!

  
more details to come!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ok, the details:

First, Mike surprised me with a plane ticket to the Bay Area for our 5 year
anniversary:

Then we drove to Napa Valley (which is ridiculously beautiful in the fall):

We picnicked and ate lunch at a winery:

I opened my "gift", the nano, and mike told me to pose with it to
take a picture. As I was posing, I read the back and it said:

I looked at him totally surprised (and a little confused), but then he got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of his pocket:

(the ring is a custom-made, pear-cut candian diamond ring set in recycled white gold... apparently the jeweler mike found is rather socially conscious

and I said yes! woo hoo~

there was a lot more wine to be had:

then we went to visit mannam and stephen in SF where we got
to celebrate and talk about weddings/marriage!   

really, just the best weekend ever....

our cruise to the bahamas:

for more organized pictures, check out jenny's page: http://www.xanga.com/kokiriii