Renée and Jaime Lopez

A Few Of My Favorite Things

2011-02-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

Let me just say that I have waited a LONG time to find a liquid eye liner that does not flake off by the end of the day and does NOT have that ridiculous felt tip (it has the brush tip). This is Rimmel London's Glam Eyes liquid eye liner. Only some Walmarts carry it. So far, no other stores sell this in their Rimmel London section. They don't stay on the shelves for long. So I started buying more than 1 at a time. Hands down, this is the best liquid eye liner out there!
I only wear lipstick when I have plenty of time to get ready or am going on a date with my honey. I wanted to find a lip gloss that I can keep in my purse and put on when I feel like I need some lip color instead of using lip stick. This is N.Y.C. lip gloss. They have a variety of colors to choose from and each one only costs around $2.75. Perfect!

And of course, my most favorite thing is Jaime.

An Early Christmas Present

2010-11-29T20:59:00.001-08:00

This is the Canon Power Shot SD1400IS

We needed a new camera for a while now. Our last camera that we bought at the end of 2007 only lasted a little over a year and stopped working. So we had been using an old digital camera that we bought back in 2004.

I wanted a camera that takes high quality pictures and also has video. The reviews are great and it came highly recommended to us. I am very happy with it! This is our combined christmas gift to each other. Now we can finally take pictures that don't look crappy.

A Long Journey That Has Finally Ended

2010-10-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

After seven years, Jaime has finally become a United States citizen. When I first got married I thought Jaime getting citizenship would be as easy as it was portrayed in the movie "Green Card." I think a lot has changed since September 11, 2001. We had to hire an attorney to work on his residency and then had to wait three years in order to apply for citizenship. We applied for Naturalization in July and he had his interview in September. We were expecting to get an answer of approval at the end of the interview and were disappointed when we were told that we might have to wait another 3 months to get an answer if they would approve his citizenship. We just got the letter in the mail last week scheduling his Naturalization Oath Ceremony. Yesterday, October 27th he was sworn in at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
There were 5,298 people that became citizens yesterday with him. They showed a video with the song, "Proud To Be An American." Part way through the song they showed a group of people standing up to take the oath right at the part of the song that says, "So I proudly stand up next to her and defend her still today.." at that point I lost it and started crying.

All the people who were in the military were the first ones to receive their certifates of citizenship. All the guests had to leave while the new citizens picked up their certificates. We anxiously waited down in the lobby area for Jaime to walk down the stairs with his certificate in hand. Jaime got a professional picture taken next to the American flag and the seal of Los Angeles.

The ceremony was scheduled to start at 8:00am so Jaime and I and my parents stayed in hotels that were near the Convention Center the night before. We did not want to be late to the Oath Ceremony. We got their at 7:00 am and the ceremony didn't start until 9:00am due to thousands of people that were checking in. Some people dressed in shorts and flip flops which is very disrespectful and some people showed up an hour late to be sworn in.

We are excited that this long journey is now over. The hard work has definately paid off. Jaime missed the last day to register to vote by 9 days, but he definately looks forward to voting in the next election.

7 Years

2010-08-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

I took a week and a half off from work to celebrate our 7th anniversary. We went to Universal Studios yesterday and had a blast!
We ate dinner at the Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant. The whole day we pigged out on great food! I can't go anywhere without having cotton candy!

My vacation has been filled with great memories with friends and family and it was finished with my best friend Jaime. I truly know him as my best friend. Corny or not, it is the truth and he says the same for me. Our lives together have been an adventure and I can't wait to find out what is in store for our future!

Exercise Regrets

2010-08-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to admit that I have not been going to the gym for a while now (it's been over a year). Don't get me wrong, I do keep busy with day to day things. But, my flabby butt and thighs don't show how active I think I am. So my dear husband encouraged me to start working out with him in the evenings after dinner. So Monday night was my first night working out. Of course I decided to nip it in the butt (literally) and start with all the machines that focus on firming and tightening in my problem areas. The only problem is that I always do too much on the first day back at exercising and these 2 pictures are the source of my current issue...
I can't even sit down right now without holding onto something due to the pain in my inner and outer thighs. I love these machines and know they work miracles, but I can't even fathom using them again soon until all the pain goes away. I think Jaime has enjoyed watching and commentating on me getting up and down like an old woman with arthritis. With all the moans and groans you would think something is seriously wrong with me. So, here's to all you courageous women out there who exercise like a maniac and then feel it the next day(s). I definately understand.

Jaime's 31st Birthday

2010-07-04T20:31:00.001-07:00

Jaime ran out of his favorite cologne, Chrome about a year ago. I love the way it smells and to me that's the way I remember Jaime by it's specific scent. He has used it since before we met. So I got it for him for his present.
It came with a "gift with purchase," a game set. Which actually ended up being a really nice one.

Jaime looooves Tiramisu! So for as his birthday cake I made it with pero instead, which is similar to postum, but better and tastes just like coffee. It turned out great!

We went over to my sister, Jessica's house and shared it with her and her family for dessert. I had made it once before and altered the recipe to make it taste better.

Jaime turned 31 on June 27th. On Saturday June 26th he wanted to go to Dave & Busters for his birthday. They didn't take reservations so we went to Rain Forrest Cafe for dinner instead. It was great and they accomodated our group of 17.
The food was excellent and the majority of everyone that was invited showed up.
After dinner we then went to Dave & Busters. One of my friend's said, it is just like Chuck E Cheese, but for adults. Thanks to everyone who came. It was great to see so many people that we haven't seen in a while!

Jaime, I am glad you had a great birthday weekend and here's to many more!!!!

Update

2010-04-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have posted anything. I just didn't feel I had anything to post about!!! Things have definately changed. We have had so many blessings that have poured down on us. First, Jaime's mom got married the end of March to a wonderful man who she and Jaime have known for years. Then my sister Jessica and her husband Peter gave us their car when they bought a van for their growing family. We have been sharing one car for over a year and a half. Then a week after we got back from Utah from the wedding, Jaime found out that he got a job and he starts tomorrow. There have been so many people to thank for their prayers and encouragement. Life is great and there is nothing else to say!!!

Christmas

2009-12-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

Wow... it is already Christmas time already!!! This year will be a more quiet Christmas. My parent's are in Oklahoma visiting my sister's, Erica and Kristen and their families. Jessica and I were just planning on getting together if my Aunt and Grandma were going to be out of town but they aren't. So it will be good to see everyone in San Diego on Christmas day.
I am grateful for my family and friend's and love celebrating the birth of the Savior each year. Christmas reminds me of every blessing I have and how much more will come. I am blessed yo have a job and live in a great Nation. Even though the whole world is struggling with this bad economy, I know we as a Nation can pull through this and rise above again!!!
Encourage each other to stay positive and motivated!!! Merry Christmas everybody!!!

Blogger Glitch Fixed

2009-11-09T22:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't technically been slacking. My blog posts would not update on my friend's blogs. Anyways with the help from my sister Kristen I figured out where I needed to get the answers from.

My Blog Is Not Updating

2009-11-04T19:47:00.000-08:00

I posted what we did for Halloween and noticed that it was not showing that we updated our blog. So this is a trial blog to see if the settings I changed fixed it.

Halloween

2009-11-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

We went to Bates Nut Farm during the day, I thought they would still have all their carnival stuff to do, but they are getting ready for Christmas and was already cleaning up on before Halloween was over. It was still fun to go and was a hot day.

Jaime's costume tuned out so good.

Ethan was a cute little dragon.

Tyler was firefighter.

Peter the pirate

Jessica

After spending some time at Jessica's house, Jaime and I went to Melissa and Tommy's house for their Halloween party.

Those were some crazy zebra contacts.

Kristin, Melissa and I

Sisters

We had a great time on Halloween. I haven't dressed up for Halloween in a long time.

6th Wedding Anniversary

2009-08-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

It has been six years since Jaime and I tied the knott and we are loving it. We try and do something every year to celebrate our anniversary so this year we went Kayaking and snorkeling in La Jolla. We had a blast!!!
Jaime couldn't contain his excitement.

We kayaked and snorkeled by these caves and saw one leopard shark.

This picture was after we finished kayaking. We have kayaked once before in Monterrey, but it was not as fun as there in La Jolla.

In the late afternoon we hung out on these rocks and relaxed a little before we went to dinner. We really enjoyed our 14 hour day in La Jolla. We have been there so many times but never had as much fun as we did on our anniversary. Thanks Jaime to all those wonderfull years spent together and many more to come! I love you.

As an anniversary gift, Jaime's mom, Reina took us to San Pedro on Saturday. We had great food and saw many cargo ships entering and leaving the harbor.

This was just one of the ships we saw. There was also Nissan and Gold Energy.
If you haven't been there, you pick out the food you want and then take it to their kitchen to be cooked. We had shrimp, lobster, veggies, potatoes, garlic bread and tortillas.

This is the "after pictue."

Reina had a guy sing to Jaime and I.

Santa Monica and Venice Beach

2009-08-12T10:53:00.001-07:00

I am taking a couple weeks off for our 6th anniversary and we decided that we will go on a lot of day trips. On Monday we went to the Santa Monica Pier and then walked a mile down to Venice Beach which is also known as "Muscle Beach." We had a great time looking at all the different people there.

There are so many different kinds of street entertainers that are just trying to make a living.

Jaime decided he would try out some of the equipment on the beach.

Jaime has a huge bruise on the inside of his leg from that rope.

This guy was wearing a manequins torso and would flash people as they walked buy.

A couple weeks ago on TV we watched a show about the top 10 Beach Bars and Cafe's around the world and one was there in Venice Beach and we found it and had dinner there. It was pretty good.

People there are way into Bob Marley. His music and his look were everywhere.

A man was selling Reggae Nursery rhymes.

I have never seen so many places that tried to sell Marijuana for "Medicinal Purposes." They would invite every pedestrian to see the "doctor." Some vendors sold bongs and there would be a sign right next to it saying" for tobacco use only," Jaime said yeah right. A man even told us that we could use it for "herbal remedies." I guess they get very creative in their verbage. The crazy thing is, is that there are 2 police stations right on the beach.

We walked back to the Santa Monica Pier right before the sunset.

They day was a blast and Jaime and I enjoyed a lot of laughs, great food and a lot of exercise.

Zion National Park

2009-08-08T08:58:00.001-07:00

Jaime and his 2 friend's Mark and Jacob when to Zion National Park a couple weekends ago. Jaime took a lot of pictures and they all look amazing. They went on 2 different "day hikes." One lasted about 7 hours which consisted of hiking through a lagoon and up crazy, steep mountain sides.
And they're off!

Jaime was taking a breather.

Notice all the chains to keep them from falling off.

A lady who was hiking by herself freaked out at this point and turn around and went back.

There's a tiny red road at the bottom.

Jaime's so photogenic.

They hiked up that crevice in the background.

That is probably one thing I cannot do if I went hiking on that trail.

Jacob did not really drink that nasty water.

Even though if was warm outside during their trip, the water is extremely cold all year round due to the water run off from the ice on the mountains.

Jaime had a blast on this trip and was glad that his friend's invited him to go. He wants me to go with him later on.

Our Friend's Wedding

2009-07-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Our friend Kenny Hansen got married last Saturday, July 11. I've known him since middle school and Jaime met him through me and our friend's Melissa and Tommy.
Jaime and Kenny enjoyed a quick dance.

This is Melissa, her sister Ashley, Tommy's cousin's wife Monique and Me.

Tommy and Melissa

I was trying to take a nice picture of Jaime and I and I guess he couldn't stop making funny faces.

Finally, a decent picture without any nose flaring.

I've never seen groomsmen wear bright pink before. There's a first for everything.

Guess Who Turned 30?

2009-06-28T15:18:00.001-07:00

Jaime's 30th birthday was yesterday. He still looks younger than I am. I met Jaime when he was 22. I made a red velvet cake for his birthday. We went to a wedding last month and had that type of cake there and loved it. I found the recipe online and it seemed pretty easy to make.

Jaime is a great blessing in my life and I am excited to celebrate everyday with him. I look forward to many more birthdays together.

Memorial Day Weekend and Mini Family Reunion

2009-06-06T21:06:00.001-07:00

My grandma and Aunt decided to visit us in May from Maine. Erica and Kristen then decided to come over with their families from Oklahoma so they could see them and us as well. It was a busy week for me when they came. I had my Spanish final and it was the last week of the best special of the year and my work, but we partied so much to make up for the hectic week. I haven't had that much fun in a while. I hadn't seen my grandma since Kristen and Jason got married and my Aunt since before I got married.
Here is Jason, my Aunt Barbara, my grandma and Kristen at Jessica's Park in front of her house on Memorial Day. We had a BBQ and eveyone was able to see Jessica's and Peter's new house while they were visiting.

My niece, Madi was having a great time with her cousins playing in the sand.

Tyler and Ethan playing with their digging toys at the park.

My mom, Eliza and Madi.

Even Ethan attempted to play Football.

Not only did the little kids enjoy the park but Jaime was able to show off his skills on the equipment.

His feet are so close to the sand. But he made it across.

Andrew woke up from his nap and came out to play with everyone.

Tyler is a dare devil when he plays.

Ethan was so excited to have Aunt Kristen slide down with him.

My dad took family pictures of everone on Sunday since we were all together in one State.

Jaime and I.

Kristen and Jason.

Jessica, Peter, Ethan and Tyler.

On that Sunday we invited my dad's cousin and his daughter who live in Carlsbad to dinner, so they could see my grandma and Aunt while they were in town.

Jaime says that Eliza is the most melow baby he has seen and I have to agree. We think all our nieces and nephews are so adorable. We went to Torrey Pines Beach on that Saturday, which is the best beach is San Diego.

Eliza and mommy strolling down the beach.

My dad's mom and my mom.

Andrew will be 4 in October.

Madi's dad says she is my "mini me." Madi just turned 6 in April.

I hardly recognized Eliza was I saw her. Her hair was dark brown when she was a newborn last July.

Tyler just turned 4 in May.

2 Days Off

2009-04-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

I took 2 days off on Monday and Tuesday, since I couldn't get my birthday off later on in April. Jaime and I decided to go to Balboa Park and tour the USS Midway in San Diego. I have always seen that carrier there in the harbor but have never gone on it. It took us 3 hours and we still didn't get to see everything on the ship. It was fun to have a great Easter Sunday and then not have to work the next 2 days. Here are a few pictures on the USS Midway. Some of the styles of planes that are on this carriers were used in the movie "Top Gun." And the picture of the python is a pet someone brought to Balboa Park.

Jaime's New Truck

2009-01-31T21:35:00.001-08:00

Jaime started driving on his own on January 16. He is now in Texas and should be coming home soon. He was actually able to drive it home one day from Fontana to pick up some paperwork for a clase he needed to take. It was great to get a tour of his truck. It is his home away from home.

2009-01-17T00:37:00.001-08:00

2009-01-16T23:52:00.001-08:00

New Years 2009

2009-01-03T21:45:00.001-08:00

We spent this New Years at our friends, Melissa and Tommy Midkiff's house. Melissa's birthday is on new years and she throws a party every year.

The picture below is of me, Melissa and my other friend Kristin Huinker. I have know Kristin since elementary school and Melissa since Middle school.

The picture to the right is Jaime doing his "dolphin dance." Isn't he so cute?

Reunion

2008-12-28T21:01:00.000-08:00

Last August Robert and Aubrey Leong came to visit from Utah and Jessica and Jeremiah Wilson had the great idea to have a lot of our friends from the singles branch meet for lunch. We had a great time catching up on what everyone has been doing. I haven't seen a lot of them for over a year. Before Rob and Aub left to go back to Utah we were able to meet up again. It was fun to see everyone.

The Best Christmas Present

2008-12-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

Jaime got home on December 6th from being gone for over 7 weeks doing on the job training for Swift Trucking. He got his commercial drivers license in October and has been driving cross country. Jaime loves his job but I am selfish enough to say that I am glad he is home for the holidays. He is officially done with training and will get his own truck after the New Year. Jaime has had some of the craziest experiences so far and I know it is just the beginning. While Jaime was gone I kept busy with work, school, spending time with family and friends and attempted to work out in the evenings but that has since stopped.