My Family

My family is very small... there are only three of us since I'm an only child!!

My parents are amazing people. They have worked so hard their whole lives to give me the very best. We do not always see eye to eye on things. College really opened my eyes to many issues and I'm probably more of a feminist than they would like. However, I have major respect for them.

The Tran's moved from Vietnam to Texas in 1979 with no money, knowing little English, and already pregnant with their first child. That seems like a pretty scary situation to me. I never understood exactly how poor we were until later in life because I always had more than I needed. I never wanted for anything including a full college education. I can only hope that I'll be as great of a parent as they have been to me.

My mom - Beautiful, great cook, amazing strength
My mother is a "balls to the wall" type of lady. She doesn't mess around. My mother is very strict and all though I hated it growing up I can now appreciate those standards. I, too, can be very blunt, straight-foward, and hyper organized. These skills have greatly helped me in my career.

My dad - kind, gentle, quiet
My dad is the epitome of constant love and support. He is very quiet, but when he speaks one should listen. No one has as much as patience as he does and he puts up with a lot of crap from me and my mom. We are very close because growing up he was always home from work right after I got out of school. My mother would work late hours, so dad and I would eat dinner together. He made sure I did my homework and took a bath. He is the reason I know any Vietnamese at all. We would have "Asian school" after regular school. I put up a lot of resistance in learning these things, but now I'm grateful because I can communicate with many of my family members who only speak 1 language. It also comes in handy when I go to the Asian nail salon or grocery store. Most people think I can't understand them, but I absolutely know what they're saying. I enjoy hearing them debate whether I'm Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, or Japanese (since I don't have typical Vietnamese features). Thanks, dad, for giving me the skill to eavesdrop on conversations :)

In less than a month, I'll have a new family - a husband and two step children. It's so interesting to watch them interact together. This instant family will be a big change, but I can't wait to be married.

My friends

I have the BEST friends in the whole wide world! These friends have been around a long time and stayed by me through my many ups and downs. I'm so grateful God blessed me with these wonderful people - especially since I don't have brothers and sisters.

Sandra - my long lost sister, sister from another mother, fellow brownie.
Oh Sandra Dee is the funniest person I know. She makes me laugh uncontrollably - the kind of laughter that makes you think you might have just wet your pants!


Ashley - my maid of honor, fellow lover of all things organized, the girl I've always wanted to be.
Ashley has seen me come into my own. She's held my hand through every scary moment. After every break up, she's let me cry on her shoulder and find the shattered pieces of my heart. She supports me through EVERYTHING - no question about it.


Marcy - my personal stalker.
Marcy has an amazing amount of wit and a great heart. I call her my personal stalker because no matter where I move, she always manages to find me. She's the only person I can be truly honest with because I know she will NEVER ever judge me. We have the type of relationship where we could say really hurtful things to each other and it wouldn't actually hurt because we know there are only good intentions at heart.

Britney - Calm, cool, and collected.
Brit and I were roommates in college. Although I do not get to see her often, I think of her practically every day. She is poised and always seems to have it together. She is the BEST mommy - hands down. I learn new stuff from her every day and if I can just be half as good of a mom as she is then I'll be happy. You should read her blog! Her kids are so cute and funny. They are the type of kids that make you want to have 10 more if you could guarantee they would be just like hers.

I could keep writing and writing about my friends b/c they are all so great so... to be continued.

CMT Crossroads

I love CMT Crossroads, but haven't watched it in a long time because I haven't had cable in about six years. What a great surprise when I discovered today that John Mayer and Keith Urban recently performed together on this great show! I have been a fan of these guys for about ten years. Doesn't hurt that they're not bad to look at either. ;)

Check it out!

http://www.cmt.com/videos/john-mayer-and-keith-urban-cmt-crossroads/1641891/full-episode.jhtml

My name

My name.... it's a doozy.

I have hated my name my whole life. Particularly because kids made fun of me for it growing up. I hated the first day of school b/c no one in my class could spell it correctly. None of the teachers could say it correctly.

Phuong-Uyen Dao Tran

See? It's so long that there aren't enough boxes on a standardized test for me to write it all out.

I go by 'Uyen' only.

The cool thing about my name is that I'm named after a mythical bird - one used in Vietnamese fairy tales. Phuong means phoenix. My middle name, Dao, is my mom's maiden name. Dao means peach.

My mother wanted to name me Tu Uyen, which I really hate.

Thank you, Daddy, for saving me with your suggestion.

5 fun facts

1. I love dogs!
...Especially the ones with long bodies and short legs such as dachshunds, corgie's, and basset hounds. Have you ever seen a dachshund puppy? They are sooo cute! This is my baby Tony Montana when he was 6 months old. Look at those sweet eyes!


2. I'm getting married in 38 days! This pic is from the night we got engaged. I am so lucky to have a man who accepts me exactly the way I am.

3. I think of myself as being Southern before I think of myself as being Asian.
I grew up with a wonderful "adopted" family who accepted me and my family as their own. My favorite things about the south: Southern hospitality, sweet tea, dry rub ribs, corn bread, and the craziness around high school football.

4. I can out eat anyone at Babe's Chicken Dinner House.
Connected to my love of southern comfort foods, Babe's is my favorite restaurant in the North Texas area. They only serve fried chicken, chicken tenders, smoked chicken, chicken fried steak, fried fish, and pot roast. Top it off with homemade coconut cream pie! I'm getting hungry...

5. I've lost 20 lbs in the last 6 months.
Thanks to avoiding places like Babe's and getting my butt to the gym, I have managed to lose all the weight I gained during college. I actually like working out because of my fun but strict trainer, Nora! Check out her website and let her help you meet your weight goals. http://deltafitnm.com/Home_Page.html

The only constant thing is change.

Wow, life seems to be moving faster than ever!

I have been blessed with the most amazing life and I fear I might forget some of it!

Let's see what the journey will be like with a new house, new husband, new children, and so much more.

I'll start with a 30 day blog challenge that I read about.

And.... we're off!