Our trip on the Gemini....

Since living in Hawaii for almost three years , I really havent "enjoyed" the beautiful island I live on. Of course I have hit the beach and the town and good food and the mall, but now that I am out of school I have accumulated what I call my "BUCKET LIST" for Hawaii. Yesterday was a day that I could cross off one of my bucket list activities. Ev and I headed to Kailua (sounds like its spelt) to one of the prettiest beaches in all of Hawaii. The water was so warm I thought that one too many people had peed in it, but none the less, I loved how warm it was (gross I know)but thats just how warm the water is in Kailua. We rented a Kayak and headed out for three hours to Flat Island and then to Mokulua Island. Both have bird sanctuaries, nesting places, on them, it was pretty cool. The beauty of the water and mountains is always so breathtaking, especially from the being on an island in the middle of the ocean.I feel like I am living in a movie.


We had such a blast. We flipped once, only because when coming to shore we got slammed by a wave. Let me tell you I jumped off so fast, but still hit rock bottom, I had one too many grains of sand in my bottoms, if you know what I mean, but we survived. We ate our PB&J sandwiches and had a blast. The trek coming back from the further island went by super fast we thought, we must be getting good.We were going to go shopping yesterday,but after a lot of kayaking we were pooped and drained from the sun, all we could do was take a trip to Costco so my husband doesn't starve this week. So..I hardly ever sleep in and I think I slept in this morning until 9. We had a great workout. I am so glad we went it was so great! We had such a blast. For those of you who dont know much about kayaking, when you have two people you want to try and be in sync therefore actually moving in the direction of straight and not in a circle, It was fun for Ev and I to be paddling along and then me hitting his paddle, most of the time, because I was so gung ho I was using all my power except I was following through a little too much...so every time I would hit Ev's paddle I would stop and take a break..then we would laugh and then Ev would stop and we would just cruise..It was so fun for us to use so much team work. We kayaked a long ways..even though it didnt look far from the other island, it was so far..haha...but we did it and it was such a great accomplishment!The best part was we would see tourists kayaking and the one in the front would be paddling along and the one is the back would be pretending she was paddling but not doing anything at all, just drinking a soda..we got a kick out of that and had great laughs. It was a great day we had with each other! I love my adventures in Hawaii! I am about to bombard this blog with a ton of pictures from our Kayak adventure on Gemini(the name of our kayak).









ANYONE PLANNING ON A VISIT ANYTIME??? MOM, YOU IN???





The water was so clear we could see the coral we were kayaking over. We saw one turtle and fishies, but no sharks on this adventure...
SEXY FEET WE HAVE, I KNOW =)

sunny.days

I love Saturdays where I can relax with Evy and just enjoy this beautiful place in which we live, Hawaii. I love how everything is beautiful and the thought often scares me that I am surrounded by a body of water, but its a beautiful sight and one that can drive you into deep meditation. The Ocean just seems as though it never ends from these pictures. There is a constant beauty within the ocean and no man could have ever created something so extraordinary.
My Auntie and cousins were here for a visit so we took them out for a great Saturday. The surf report said the water was going to be pretty flat, that a swell would come in later, so we all hopped in the car and headed to Sharks Cove, one of the most popular sights for snorkeling. There is an array of colorful fish and often times there are turtles just swimming around enjoy the water. We saw some pretty cool fish and me telling you doesnt even capture the beauty of the water. The name Sharks Cove isnt given because there are sharks, but because from an aerial view the rocks are in the formation of a shark. This time we were there, we went and looked at the tide pools and fish. We happened also to see a shark! It was a baby white tip shark. I was pretty cool. I have been dropped in a cage where sharks have surrounded me before, but never while snorkeling has the shark been just swimming around. I didnt get a picture under water because I dont have an underwater camera, but here is about what the shark looked like. Heres also a few of what Sharks cove looks like.



Pretty cool aye?? I thought so. After being there a few hours we headed to Laniakea beach, the home of the Honu's(turtles)and Monk Seals. Turtles usually just lounge around and soak up the sun on the North Shore. This time there were three on land and about 8 in the water surfing the waves like on the movie Finding Nemo..Coocoocachoo...Righteous, righteous! Pretty exciting. Here are a few photos:


All in all we had a great day. It was sunny and beautiful and I was so drained I slept like a rock! Often times living here, I see the beauty everyday and sometimes dont get enough of it like I should, work keeps me inside, but now that its Spring time I am making every effort to see the beauty of this island. I have my own bucket list that I have given to Evy so hopefully within the next year I can cross some of those things off before we leave(crossing me fingers).It was a great day!

Sometimes bugs just Xross the line....

***WARNING!THIS MAY GROSS YOU OUT OR MAKE YOU SQUIRM***
I have to tell you that bugs/insects are a beautiful gift that our Heavenly Father put on this earth. So many species and so many purposes for each one. I would like to talk about the C-O-C-K-A-R-O-A-C-H. Here are a few fun facts that you prolly never knew or never wanted to know:
*A cockroach can hold it's breath for up to 40 minutes.
*Some female cockroaches mate once and are pregnant for the rest of their lives
*Cockroaches rest for approximately 75% of each day.
*Young cockroaches only need a crack about 0.5mm wide to crawl into your house. Adult males can squeeze into a space of 1.6mm.
*A cockroach can live for up to a month, without its head.
Ever wondered what the supposed purpose of having cockroaches on the planet at all is? Well try this handy example of a coackroaches supposed usefulness:
Crushed cockroaches can be applied to a stinging wound to help relieve the pain (http://www.funfacts.com.au/cockroach-facts/).
I am sure there are a few more reasons as to the purpose that cockroaches serve, but I will tell you why I do NOT see their purpose.Okay, so I have never been afraid of bugs, reptiles, really any animal unless it is very wild and shouldnt be close to me.So the story is I was taking a shower the other day and as I was putting shampoo in my hair I looked up at the shower curtain and saw this:

 

I tried to shower as fast as I could not only because I was thoroughly disgusted and cuz that gross thing wasnt just a normal Roach it was a flying one..and did I mention it was in my shower while I was in there??? Look at all his detail that would freak you out too ..heebgeebeez.. Eww..After I got out I thought,oh Ev is gonna have to get in later too I will just kill the roach..so i got some toilet paper and tried to kill it but then it FLEW at me. I tried to smash it on the wall, it didnt die and tried to fly away again finally I threw it in the toilet and it tried to fly out (new fact to me roaches can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes so drowning him didnt work) But I just FLUSHED him..and that was the end..I have another crazy story that happened to my friend on Saturday. She woke up in the early morning to something in her ear. She called the ambulance because it had dug its way in but she had no idea what it was. She went to the hospital and the doctors kill it in her ear! She had to wait until Monday to go to a specialist and have it removed, it was then she found out that it was a ROACH, about the size of her thumb..I know you are all looking at your thumb right now and cant imagine that happening, but it did, and its real!! Needless to say, we are extra careful around here these parts and the bugs that decide they want to move in and live free of rent! Well thats it..Enough for one night..hope you all are glad you took the time to read my blog and learn about roaches and ponder their purpose. When you find it, please enlighten me, and I might even send you some =)

I thought this quote I found was pretty cool. My Evy is perfect for me!

a.great.day.

I really have no complaints. Life has always been full of blessings and lessons to learn; Heartache and sadness, but on the flip side joy and laughter.Its all about how you look at it.. Today being a day to remember our Mothers and those that have been "Mothers" in our lives, I cant help but be grateful for my Mom, shes a special person.She has had her countless trials, ones she felt she could never endure, yet she has. She has endured many days of motherhood raising 6 crazy kids with their own personalities and many activities, days she felt exhausted and that she could not give anymore, yet she did. She has endured and I admire her for her faith and dedication to her family. She gave everything for her children..and I one of those recipients of her time and support am indeed grateful and blessed to have been born of Goodly parents and a Mother that constantly supported me, even if its not what she felt was best for me, or if it took her some time to come around to the idea.
There is much to be grateful for as I reflect on the many memories that my Mom and I have had together. I am also grateful for my Mo in-law, Lolly, she is much like my Mother and has so much care for her children. She too gives so much for her children. I enjoy being able to spend time with her and am grateful for her loving acceptance as her only son's, the baby of da family, wifey. She is always thinking about Ev and I and what we need and what we could use. She too is a special person in my life and means much to Ev and I. Even though I am not yet a Mother, my hubbs while we were dating last year gave me a card wishing me a happy Mum's day, it was cute. This year though, he upgraded and I got flowers. 12 red roses (maybe thats how many kids we will have and hes thanking me in advance) I love flowers they are so beautiful and bring so much color to my house. I love my husband. He is so thoughtful and it was so nice to wake up and see roses. I also guilted him into making me breakfast because, "I was so STARVING." He's such a good sport and I am not even a Mum yet. It was a happy day!

Powerful.Prayer.and.Pray.With.Power

I love the words and analogy of Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. First let me define a tumbler-The part in a lock that releases the bolt when moved by a key- Ok, now you are ready. He explained the role of prayer like this: “Petitioning in prayer has taught me, again and again, that the vault of heaven with all its blessings is to be opened only by a combination lock(think about a locker lock or a bike lock) One tumbler falls when there is faith; a second when there is personal righteousness; the third and final tumbler falls only when what is sought is, in God’s judgment—not ours—right for us. Sometimes we pound on the vault door for something we want very much and wonder why the door does not open. We would be very spoiled children if that vault door opened any more easily than it does. I can tell, looking back, that God truly loves me by inventorying the petitions He has refused to grant me. Our rejected petitions tell us much about ourselves but also much about our flawless Father.”
Our talk in Sacrament meeting was on Powerful Prayer(strength in numbers, fasting, deep..etc) and then a twist on that, Praying with Power(faith, hope, charity, willingness, Thy Will Be Done..etc) Its such an AWE-INSPIRING act of faith we take to petition with the Lord. To know that a loving Heavenly Father and Brother Jesus Christ are listening and wanting so very much to help, to make everything okay...I am indeed grateful for my testimony of Prayer and that when we pray with power and are a powerful prayer we will be heard and answers will come. What are your insights?

beach.fun--Time well Spent--

Have you seen the commercial for this yet???? Well I think they run it every minute because I was destined to try it. I went to the store and just wanted yeno a small can or bottle, but of course they didn't have that, they just had a 12 pack...I had to cringe because I do not normally buy soda, bad soda, bad soda, but I had no other choice. Not to mention it was on sale for a whopping $6.29, yes I know I splurged for a 12 pack of soda and that was on sale...I told Evan it was on sale... I said I would share if he didnt hassle me for spending that much..and of course he agreed..The soda was good..im not sure about the whole "ANTIOXIDANT" thing its preaching but it was good...maybe if its on sale for a NORMAL price I might buy it again...
Usually once a month we make a Costco trip and buy meat and bread and things we can freeze because its so much cheaper to do it that way, then to buy food from the local super market because everything is so much more expensive..just everything...so anyways we bought one of the roasted chickens for dinner since it would be like 7 when we got home and it was like $4.99. So we get home and I had to finish up some things, but Evan put the chicken in the microwave to heat it back up a little. I got out two plates and I got a fork to start pulling the meat off the chicken. Well Evan decides that a neither a fork nor a plate are needed..haha..I just let him be... And gave him a hard time for being so hungry and this is the face he gave me...and the chicken well..thats what was left when I got to him..A wing gone and half of the chickens body...


Today was such a beautiful day! I wish everyday were like today, except I would probably never want to be working. Ev grew up in Hawaii and he has never been a huge, "lets go to the beach!!" kinda guy. Im not sure why, but he just isnt. He has no problem going he just doesnt care to spend forever sun bathing as much as I like.. He prefers to stay white..hehe. I tell him, "oh but babe I need to get my Vitamin D, I just need to!! So I threaten, "I guess I will just go ..ALL ALONE.."and hes like no I am going to come..So we got to the beach and we had so much fun. he showed me how to make sand balls (instead of snow balls). It sounds easy, but its a process to get the sand to harden enough that it wont crack. It was fun! We built a sand wall and just watched the waves crash and then the water would stretch out to our wall and our wall would WIN. Then we would have to patch it up a little, we even made a mote. Everytime the water would hit our wall, we would find another way to try and defeat it! Im not sure why we do the things we do, like spend an hour at the beach building a sand wall, just to see if the water was strong enough to break it down..but looking back at today it was just fun to see how long our wall lasted, which got me thinking. Just like the LDS commercials always emphasize, "Family, isnt it about TIME?" I think that time really is about what effort we put forth. Time is about building a relationship. I mean Ev is the type of person that doesnt like to do very many things alone. He will, but if he has a choice he would probably choose to have someone help. If I ask him to take out the trash, or rotate the laundry at the wash room, he says cant we do it together? Can you please come with me? Its just the time we spend walking the 5 minutes together that we just talk and do things together. Its been an eye opener to me, just because if I need something done,I, like my Mother, just do it, which isnt a bad thing, but just think about it. If you found something that you tend to do by yourself and ask for someone to help you do it, thats time and memories that you are building. I remember growing up, my mom being at all my track meets and sporting events and at the end of the day everyone else having to ride home on the bus, while I got to ride home with my Mom-Time well Spent-I remember spending the night at my sisters house so excited because we were going to go to yard sales and clean up the yard together with my brothers the next day-Time well Spent- I remember going to Seminary every morning with Josh and being so happy to ride together knowing that after wards we would go to Del Taco and get a breakfast burrito (I never had to pay) and sit in the car while he copied his friends Chemistry homework-Time well Spent- I love that time is of the essence. If each of us took 5-10 minutes of time to help others or spend it with family, I really think it would be well spent. I dunno just a thought...anyways it was a fun day..good times...

Easter.together

This was our first Easter married and everywhere I was, so was my Easter bunny. Now my Easter bunny came a little early (if you read previous blogs), but the night before Easter I was yet to get Evan anything for Easter and since he was with me everyday up to that, he wouldnt let me..stinker..We stayed in Honolulu at the parentals house and went to church with them. But the Easter bunny, must be something like the tooth fairy and Santa Claus because that bunny found us at the parentals and dropped off Easter baskets, it was so sweet.Thank you Easter bunny. Later that night we went to a family dinner at Auntie Nancy and Uncle Bill's home.We missed everyone that was not there from the family, but we had fun with family and friends that was there. Ev and I were asked to make a dessert. I told Ev he should make his cheesecake, since he loves it so much. So he did and I had the idea of making a strawberry glaze, with fresh strawberries we just bought. We did good. Everything turned out good, except next time we wont put make the glaze in advance because it gets jelly like and you are suppose to let it set on the cheesecake, so we will do that next time but we did good and Ev's cake turned out good.

a.happy.meal.

I work from home and I start work at 7am (usually). Right off the bat I am super busy since California time is 3 hours ahead of me and everyone is already up working. So Evan got up about 8am and I was like, "Babe, can you make me some eggs, Im starving.." So he was like, okay, what kind I said Scrambled and he said ok. So I continued working and then he brought me my breakfast. I took a picture because it was so cute.
Salsa for the eyes and an omelet for the smile...oh I got toast for the ears a little later...Evan has been off all week from school for his Spring break and so I was like, your turn to cook. Usually he helps me cook anyways. He will chop up anything or grate anything, you just gotta give him the directions and hell do it, hes very helpful like that. So his idea of dinner all week was Taco Bell one day, McDonalds the next, and L&L the following..haha..ya right! So he would look in the fridge and say I dont know what to make...what do you want to eat...(same question I ask him when I make dinner) Well I said, "Whatever you want to make Babe, I will eat whatever" (his typical response) I just have to say he did a good job. I helped him like he helps me and did as directed. We ate leftovers one day, He made wontons the next, we ate Taco Bell the next, and he made Meatball sandwiches with french bread (he homemade the sauce, we had pre-cooked meatballs from Costco, and he cut the bread) He did so good and I think he wants to go back to being the behind the scenes guy and just be given directions and not have to think of what to make every night for dinner. What a sweet guy!

free is free, right?

So if anyone knows my family, we like to get a good deal..My Dad and Sister are the wheel n' dealers in our family and well I have always just grown up looking for garage sale/yard sale signs and spending time having our own sales, you find some of the best things for so cheap and you get to bargain a deal. The best part is the person having the sale just wants to get rid of the stuff and make some $$Cash$$ in the process. So if you shoot a price out lower what they were asking and they say No , usually you just walk away, say thank you, and count down 5..4..3..2..1 and they are like,"ok Ill sell it to you.." SCORE! Here at BYU Hawaii there are always people moving out and graduating around December (end of the Fall semester), April (end of Winter semester), and June (end of Spring term and graduation). Now, married students have made Hawaii their home in TVA (temple View Apartments) Because of this, they tend to accumulate a ton of things that they do not want to have to ship or cannot pack. By the end of any of the moving times noted above, the trash cans are full and the "freebie pin" in the TVA office is jam packed with clothes, tables, books, toys...etc. The phrase "Another persons trash is another persons treasure" is very applicable in this situation. As Ev and I were walking to the mailbox we couldn't help but notice how full the dumpsters were! Exhibit A see below:

Notice how everything does NOT fit in the trash can? Now this is just in one of the sides our buildings rubbish cans. I didnt take inventory on the rest of the TVA apartments nor did I go shopping/dumpster diving even though it was free. I am trying to store as little as possible in our apartment so that I do not have to add to this madness when we end up leaving, even though I probably will. Free is free, right? Notice below how Person A and her children are taking advantage of the FREE items. (No names or identities are being disclosed on this blog) =)

While the clothes are in the wash...

A couple of weeks ago I convinced Evan that while our laundry was on the washing cycle that we should go hit up the beach so we did just to hang out somewhere besides in the house. So we did and it was so nice to have my feet in the sand. Now mind you we live like a hop skip and a jump from the water,but with work and school we get busy and dont get to enjoy the beach as much as we would like. We just sat and smelt the ocean breeze. I walked in the water a little bit but it was too cold to just hope right in, sad to say. We drew in the sand and just enjoyed time being together even if it was just a trip to the beach. Here's our fun:

small actions.equals.BIG HEARTS

I just want to say that if my family would have warned Evan that I was such a crazy sleeper, he might have seconded guessed the whole marriage thing =) just kidding..no really I feel bad for the guy..I toss and turn, I elbow him in the face, I give him a knee in the back quite often, not to mention I steal the covers and he sleeps with the fan on so he gets really cold. I grind my teeth once in a while, sprawl out comfortably..what can I say? I start out sleeping on my side, sharing the covers and respecting his space, but I guess, in an unconscious state I forget that whole respect thing I cant help it...So the whole point in documenting my terrible sleeping patterns , there is a point..I woke up in the middle of the night and saw that our jalousies(windows) were open. I got up cuz I had to make a run to the john and came back and was a little weirded out. I actually got scared..to think that someone outside could open them up and just stare at us all night..I was scared, which doesnt usually happen. I woke Ev up and asked him if he opened them, he said no. I thought, maybe I did it while I was sleeping? Then Ev said, "I dont think so, I would have heard you." So I was still pretty freaked out and Ev knew it, but I eventually fell back asleep. When I woke up about an 1.5 hour later for work, Ev was awake. He got up and was like Im tired. I said oh why, he said,"I didnt want to fall back asleep knowing that you were so scared, so I stayed up until you got up for work so that I knew we were safe." I wanted to just give him the biggest hug, but at the time he was in the john and so you know I refrained..I cant help but tear up every time I repeat that experience in my mind. I just think, WOW I married such a amazing person that loves me so much, that he would give up his favorite thing, sleeping, just so I could feel safe and be safe. Later that day Evan checked from the outside of the window if anyone could just open it up but pulling up the jalousies, but without breaking it wasn't possible. So going back to my crazy sleeping patterns, it must have been me, but I am grateful for this experience anyways, it will always be one I cherish. As most of you know I take care of a little girl three times a week, just for a few hours. Her name is Naomi and she has grown up so much since I have been watching her the last year. She is my little buddy. We have so much fun. Yesterday, her mom dropped her off and said,"here's the diapers, she hasn't gone the bathroom all day so...good luck." I smiled and said woo-hoo. So we were just hanging out we went to the beach and had a good time watching the water (too cold to get in). So we came home and we were coloring and laughing and all the sudden I smelt a stinky. So I asked her if she went poopy, and she no. So then I checked and she was right..then about 10 minutes I see this face grunting...she walks over to me and says,"I poopy" haha I was like oh yes you are...So I changed the stinky and found a way to decrease the amount of stink...See exhibit A below:

Making a diaper stink proof (just dont smell too close)

the little things in life

What a fun week it has been. I really love being in Hawaii. Often the weather cant make itself up, but honestly I am not complaining because well I love it here. So being married is so much fun. I think I have my most fun when Evan and I are joking and just laughing about random things. I think by far one of the funniest happenings was when we came home from church on Sunday and we had been at a ward fireside so we were out later so we finally get home and I flip off my shoes and so does Ev. He first does it and it lands on top of the stove then he does the next shoe he flick off and it ends up in the TOILET!! what are the odds. I mean I guess our apartment isnt that big, but geez its not that small either... This was definitely a picture moment. Dont mind the fact that my toilet is on my blog...
So we watched the movie Marley & Me last night and I am so glad we didnt actually pay money to watch that in the movie theatre. It had a nice cute theme of the "family animal" and how attached families get to animals but ehh I wouldnt buy the movie...Before Evan brought home the movie (because I wanted to see it) he brought in a surprise, but told me I had to close my eyes. So I did and he was hiding it from me..He tells me I can open my eyes and then says ,"now dont go looking for anything". I was like "okay, I wont". About 15 minutes later he says, "so do you want to know what your surprise is?" I said ,"well if you want to tell me sure." He said," Your not going to go looking for it?" I laughed and said,"Its your surprise I can wait until you give it to me." About 30 minutes later he says," I Cant Take it anymore, you can have your surprise." I got up on the chair and got down my surprise, He had gotten me an Easter basket full of candy! He said," I couldnt help it! The thought of all that candy sitting up there for that long! I couldnt help it!" Oh my husband it the sweetest guy. He is just so cute.

I also cut my hair to my shoulders. Its fun and easy and light. I dont have a picture so you will just have to wait till I take one =) Remember todays a good day!