34

Before we talk about me being 34 . . . let us discuss my 33rd year.

It was a fabulous one . . . . a year I discovered a whole lot about myself.

For example . .. . I learned I could move my family to an island in the middle of the ginormous ocean, and be completely content with living in a little condo with geckos and an occasional cockroach. I learned that I could slow down, and to relax a bit. That I could live in slippas and yoga pants and not care that my frizzy hair looks like pubes and my face is riddled with acne (thank you humidity). After all . . . . It's not my looks that define me. It's my character. Of course I have plenty of room for improvement, something I strive for and I take very seriously (lets face it . . . there's not much I take seriously). I want to be better at so many things. I feel like surrounding myself with positive people who inspire and uplift is the key. I have the the most amazing people in my life who exude goodness. I'm so fortunate.

I learned I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to.

Remember this?

Well . . . . I did it. I trained for months with my "Valley Girls". Early mornings, late nights. Lots of sweat. Lots of blisters. Lots of chaffing. The training was awesome. Hitting each milestone was so rewarding and boosted my confidence. The actual marathon was hard. Really hard. I said I wasn't going to do it again. But I was totally joking. I'm AM going to do it again. And probably again and again. Because apparently I am very competitive with my own self. I know I can do better, and push myself harder. And that is exactly what I am going to do.

My 33rd year was awesome.

To celebrate the beginning of my 34th I wanted nothing more than to spend it with my little family doing things that I wanted to do.

I wanted to sleep in. So I did. Until 8. It was glorious.
I wanted to go on a run. Damon came with me. It was fun to chat.
I wanted to go to Walmart. (Some things never change).
I wanted to go to the pool. It never gets old.

Yes . . . . I actually wanted to wash my car on my birthday. It was just that disgusting.

I wanted Taco Bell for dinner. Because I am classy, and we had coupons.

Aaaaaaannnnnnd Yes. I chose Melona Bars over cake, because they are good. Really good.
I had 3.

I suppose I'm pretty easy to please.

Happy 34th Birthday to Me.
The End.

Things That are Awesome: Part III

Halloween

What is so awesome about Halloween?
It's over. That's what.

I hate Halloween. Yah, its fun to dress my family up, but it is my least favorite holiday (sorry Erika). The reason? I love candy. And I have no self control. That is almost a lethal combination. This year I donated all but a small bowl of it to our Bishop's office. Sorry kids. Your mom sucks. But you are so very precious and pretty and you will thank me someday.

My New Job

I know I said I wasn't going to work. I made it 8 months. Its the longest break I've had from working since I was 15. But I like money. And I like to be busy. This job is perfect, because I can work from home, and it just happens to be something I am pretty good at. I work for one of the biggest wedding photography studios on the island. Visionari. They are amazing at what they do. I edit Japanese weddings. FYI . . . . Japanese people love to get married in Hawaii. So there is an abundance of work. Like I said. Perfect job. And I get to look at pretty little Japanese brides all day/night who have flawless skin, along with their Japanese husbands all have better hair than me. Awesome.

Training

I'm still training. I might not be very fast. But I can run far. I've never been in better shape. It's unfortunate my thighs don't show it. Whatevs.
Some things I've learned during all this pavement pounding. . . . . . .

1. Never buy white sports bras. 2. Spandex are amazing. Even on girls with saddlebags. 3. It's okay to talk about poo with your running partners. But only while running. Any other time it's strictly prohibited. 4. I can do really hard things.

3 more weeks, and I'm gonna slay this beast. It's going to be awesome is when this is all over. And what's even more awesome, is that I am going to keep running. Even though I swear I am not. Because everyone needs a complainer in their running club.
(you're welcome Tricia and Shirlyn).

Naughty Lila

You might be wondering why I think Lila being naughty is awesome. I don't. She is hands down my hardest kid. Since birth, she has a very strong personality. Very stubborn and vocal about whatever she is feeling. (Yes I know . . . she gets that from me). So after some troubles at preschool, I think I am finally understanding what works for her and what doesn't. We are really focusing on making good choices. She has consequences when she makes poor choices. And I follow through. (lets just say she HATES naps, and missing out on fun things her sisters get to do). I will not allow her to manipulate me anymore. I figure if I can channel her stubbornness in the right direction now . . . than her strong personality will hopefully be a good thing for her in the long run. So far so good. After some hard work on my part, she has been so much better. I love her to pieces, but this three year old does not run the dad-gum show. I do.
And that's awesome.

My Glass is now Half Full

My husband tells me sometimes I am too negative. I view it more as being realistic. It's just how I roll. I get stressed out about things I have no control over, or I am really hard on myself because I know I could be doing better. I've been trying to focus and being more positive and enjoying being in the moment. Instead of always wishing time away or wondering where I am going to be in 5 years, I am just trying to slow down and enjoy life. Its too short to be so high strung and worried all the time. Come to find out . . . its actually quite nice. I'm pretty much loving my life right now. I miss my sisters and my mainland girls so very much. But I have made some amazing friends over here. I love how beautiful it is. I realize how fortunate I am to live in such a wonderful place with my little family. Life is good. And that . . . my friends, is awesome.

Training

I started my Saturday morning off at 3:45 am with a large amount of badassery.
Yes. I'm bragging. I'm really proud of myself.
Cheers . . . . . . to walking like a 90 year old for the rest of the weekend and going to bed at 6:00 tonight.
All of this torture just so I can cross running a marathon off my bucket list. I am going to revise my list to more minuscule tasks.

Swearing

I swore I would never marry Damon.

Going on 12 years.

I swore I would never have kids.

Hello my Lovlies.

I swore I would never drive a van.

I love her.

I swore I would never move back to Hawaii.

Best decision EVER.

I sure swear I won't do a lot of things.
Shall I go ahead and swear a little more?
Okay. I will.

I swear I will never go on a Caribbean Cruise with my man and my friends.

I swear I will never run a full marathon.

I swear I will never have an up butt.

Aaaaaaannnnnnnddddd . . . . I solemnly swear I will never be riding around looking super cool in one of these . . . . that I OWN!
Don't worry. I will be wearing a helmet and goggles.

Thirty Four

Big Daddy turned 34 today.

A request for his favorite Hot Sauce was put in a few days ago.

Ask . . . . and ye shall receive.
I'll get you whatever you want for your birthday. As long as I can buy it at Walmart.
And it is less than $3.

Another request was put in for a short sleeved white shirt. Its hot here. So Lila decided that it would be her gift to him.

Edyn and Ava have had his gifts ready for over two weeks. They are real craftsters. They made it themselves.

Its the Empire State Building. Duh.

And, a homemade pouch. Filled with tweezers, teeth flossers, face cleaning pads, q-tips, band aids, and some Japanese rice cookies that the kids won't eat.
They are so very thoughtful. And adorable.

When given the choice between me cooking steak and chocolate haupia pie OR Matsumotos and Sharks Cove Grill . . . . . Daddy chose the latter. Smart guy. Cause I really didn't want to cook steak. And who wouldn't want Matsy's instead of Birthday cake?

My Birthday Boy chowing down steak skewers with curry sauce. If you haven't tried them, you should. Sharks Cove Grill is our favorite.

And tomorrow . . . . . the celebration will continue. As we are going on a dinner cruise and watching Hilton Friday night fireworks . . . . sans children. I love friends who watch my kids for me. And I love Hawaii.

Happy Birthday Damon. You are the best husband I have ever had!

Mugs

I'm pretty photogenic. And I have excellent taste in hair styles.
I have evidence. Behold . . . . . .

"Jail Breaker"

I had just moved home from Hawaii. I had also just found out I was pregnant with my first baby. This was cloud nine time for yours truly. So naturally, I did my hair all "pretty" and put on my best orange shirt to go and get my WA license. I just had to look good in my picture. I think it turned out pretty well . . . . . . that is . . . . if I had just been picked up for a DUI, or perhaps, public indecency. (Actually, I might be a criminal, because I totally weigh more that 140 in this picture. Isn't it obvious? I lied. Total criminal behavior). The only thing missing from this picture is me holding a black rectangular thingy with my inmate number. I had to live with this for three years . . . until I "accidentally" lost it and had to get a new one.

"Motherly"

At this point I was a mother to Edyn who was 2, and Ava who was 6 months. With two kids, I for sure needed to style my hair in the best "mom do" EVER. It was my 28th birthday the day I got this beauty. So naturally I put on my best mom jeans, along with my brown sweater I wore every single day. No joke. Damon and I spent the afternoon at the DMV. It was super romantic. Clearly this is better than "Jail Breaker." But not by much. And 140? Nope. I lied. Again. :)

"Bed Head"

It sort of looks like I rolled out of bed and went to the Army office to get this picture taken. Oh. Wait. That's because I did. (I'll have you know, that my teeth were indeed brushed). Actually . . . Its something that I do all the time. I wish I could say that I am ashamed of myself. But I'm not. The good news? I do weigh 140 in this picture.

"Bush"

Now that I'm back in Hawaii, and "Motherly" was going to expire, I thought . . ."This is it. This is my chance to right all the wrong ones. I can do this!" So I got up extra early, put in gobs of product. Straightened my hair, put it in curlers, and then curled it with a very hot curling iron, just to make sure it would look good. Not thirty minutes later, it looked like this. (Insert long drawn out sigh here). It's the humidity. There's nothing I can do about it. I hate my hair. Especially in Hawaii. But guess what? To make up for 8 more years of yet another failed attempt . . . I went ahead and put that I weigh 130 . . . . . just for funsies. Because that's atchully how much I want to weigh.

Things That are Awesome: Part II

(again . . . when I say awesome . . . that includes people, places or things).

Hawaiian Drivers

Just another reason to love where I live. I don't think there are very many people on this island who even know what road rage is. Drivers are just so laid back. It's awesome. If you need in . . . they'll let you in. If you need over . . . they'll let you over. They are friendly as can be. All you gotta do is throw a Shaka out your window, and pay it forward.

Boise State
Who would have ever guessed, that when Ricky Ticky Thompson gave Damon this shirt all those years ago that he would actually be a Bronco? That's right. . . . . Damon is a Bronco. He is currently working on his MET from Boise State. Awesome.

Expedia DOT COM!
Let me just tell you what an awesome company Expedia is to work for. Expedia is an AWESOME company to work for. Damon loves his job. He is doing excellent and is enjoying his new position. I love that I don't have to work. It took some getting used to, but its really growing on me. If you are coming to Hawaii (any of the islands) and you want a hassle free trip, Damon is the man you want to talk to.

Books
Now that I have an abundance of time, I have decided to start reading again. I'm about 5-10 years behind in fashion. So why not be 5-10 years behind in reading as well. I decided it was time to jump on the wagon and read Harry Potter. All 7 of them within about 2 months. Awesome.
(I think the movies are NOT awesome. I would watch each movie after I read the book. I don't understand how people can really like the movies if they haven't read the books. There is just WAY too much stuff left out).

4th of July
Yes. I usually BBQ spread eagle. I'm super classy.

A beautiful day at Bellows beach with some GREAT friends.

Topped off with a night at Schofield spending way too much money on hot dogs and cotton candy and watching fireworks.

Cousins and Kauai

I LOVE my cousins. Especially when they come to Kauai, and I hop on a plane and spend the weekend with them sans children.

We took a cruise of the NaPali Coastline. On the way back we were fortunate enough to see this amazing rainbow. I managed to put down my barf bag and snap a few shots. Kauai is AMAZING. I might have to move there someday.

Summer Workshops
I'm a big fan of free entertainment. I'm also a big fan of getting out of my house. When I got a paper home from school towards the end of the year with a list of dates for free summer workshops, you better believe I signed up for all of them. Cool people, fun crafts, and good times. The last workshop we made spam musubi. I'm not a big fan, but apparently my kids are. Awesome.

Blurb

I'm working on making my blog into a book. It's addicting, and quite amusing to go back to when I started and reminisce. I would like to formally apologize for my excessive use of exclamation points in my early blogging years. I must have been really excited back then. I assure you I am WAY less exciting/excited now.