Things That are Awesome: Another Installment

A New Look

 Unless you are blind, you've probably noticed I changed the look and layout of my blog.  I figured five years of one boring background was enough.  So I changed it to a different boring background.  Enjoy.  

Me  

I ran another Marathon. It was  50 times more awesome than the Honolulu marathon. About 26,000 less people, and a beautiful course along the North Shore of Oahu. If you are a "Lost"  fan this is the marathon for you, as you run by all sorts of places where it was filmed. 

I was less physically prepared for this one due to lack of time and injuries, however, I was more mentally prepared. 

I did  really well til about mile 18, when I couldn't keep up with Tricia and Shirlyn anymore. But I didn't give up. I kept running. Talking to myself really helped (I didn't bring any music . . . . it was sort of awesome).  If you were anywhere near me you might of heard, "You got this girl.  You are so awesome. You can do this.  You are so strong. Don't give up. Tricia and Shirlyn have really nice butts (remember how they were in front of me).  I should stop eating so much so mine will look that good.  Don't give up girl.  Only 6 more miles. You got this. You got this. That's right girl. "  Repeat that over and over for the last 8 miles.  Apparently it worked. I shaved about 15 minutes off my last marathon time.  I didn't break down crying 4 times either. Aaaaaaaaannnnnnnd at the end, I didn't swear I would never run a marathon again . . . . because I know I will.

 December 9th to be exact. I'm gonna slay it.  Cause I am a beast.

  (I have to run at least 3. One for each of my girls).

I love these girls. I don't know what I would do with out them.

Cousin Becca

 We love Cousin Becca. She is so fun. And cute. And kind. Come back Becca . . . . I promise we will make good shrimp next time!

Uncle Darrin

 Uncle Darrin Rocks.  We love him.  He is quite the adventurous guy. There is a lot to do on Oahu, and he managed to get so much done, AND him and Damon took a weekend trip to Maui. Lucky boys. Thanks Lenore and Sean for you hospitality! We owe you. BIG TIME.   

We can't wait for Darrin to come back. Make it snappy brother. 

 Jason and Dana

Some of our greatest friends from our BYUH days . . . . and they have remained very dear to us. They just left. Not awesome. We love them.  They are just great people.  I hope all the peer pressuring I was doing while they were here, will actually get them to move back.  A girl can dream can't she?

Who goes to Ted's Bakery, Malaekahana, Matsumotos, Chuns, and Pizza Bobs all in one day?  

We do.
Hardcore I tell you.  What a fantastic time we had with these peeps. 

Maholo to the Widings for spoiling us rotten.
 I  hold you responsible for my three pound weight gain.  Curse you. 

And as I type this . . . . my girls are sobbing. They have a really hard time when our visitors leave. They are so tender hearted.  It's really sweet.

 (They don't get that from me).

We love having people come to Hotel Fairchild. It might be a .5 star (not to be confused with 5 star), but I can make some mean tacos, and you can use my beach towels.  I'll even wash them for you. . . . . but the dryer is still broken so I'll have to hang dry them and they will be all sorts of crunchy at first. My apologies. 

Trip to WA

We are coming. June 19 thru July 25. We will be in the TC for the majority of the time, but plan on spending some time in other fun places too.  This is what needs to be accomplished during my 5 weeks on the mainland : 

*Fun with Sisters and Brother.

*Fun with Cousins.

*Fun with Friends.

*Eating. A LOT.

*Sleeping. A LOT.

*Running. A Little.

*Holding and snuggling lots of babies, and then giving them back to their mommies.

*Accepting any/all girl summer hand-me-downs (sizes 10, 8, 6). Yes.  I have no shame. 

*Yoga Hut (I am going to force myself to like Yoga).

*Fairchild Cinemas .. . . . Oh how I've missed you. 

*Some tile job on my Bekie's house. Apparently she wants mediocre work done. You got it sister.

*Wearing as little clothes as possible (get your mind out of the gutter, I mean my swim suit).

I'm sure my list will expand. But mostly we're going to try to keep it simple. 

We are REALLY looking forward to this.  

Piano

One of my jobs at church is to play the piano in RS.  Slight problem though. . . .   I left my piano at home with my sister.  So you can only imagine how horrid I sound trying to bust out songs I haven't played for years. A few months ago, this cute little lady came up and offered me her piano.  I didn't even know what to say. . . . . so naturally I said YES. She is so nice . . . . . . or maybe she was just sick of hearing my many mistakes. Perhaps it was a mixture of both.  Either way . . . AWESOME.

I vow to practice now.  And in the fall, my girlies will begin piano lessons.   

Hopefully they will be better than me.  That shouldn't be hard. 

Behold . . . . . . 

  . . . . . my Hawaii Piano.  She sure is fancy.  

Thank you Lois!

Facebook

Sometimes Facebook bothers me.  Probably because I lack self control and waste a lot of precious time on it.  But for the most part, I think it is really awesome.  It has brought me closer to family and friends. It has been so great connect and  reconnect with so many people.  I am not much of a phone talker. I kind of despise it actually.  So its nice to be able to chat with people, send private messages, or have fun conversations for all the world to see if I want. What's also great about it, is that I don't have to be friends with people I don't want to be friends with.  And . . . . people who annoy me, I just go ahead and hide them so my news feed isn't riddled with  ridiculousness.  Although .. . .  I'm sure it works both ways . . . . . . because I can be totally ridiculous at times. So hide away . . . . . I'll never know ;)
 

Choffy

 (yes, I will shamelessly promote myself)

 

I have decided to become a distributor.  Simply because I love it.  I want to marry it.  

If something were to ever happen to Damon . . . . I probably would. 

I'm not out to make a ton of money.  I just want to be able to support my habit.  And what a good habit it is . . . . . .  because its good for you. So if you want to try it let me know, I can send you a sample.  If you have tried it, and you like it and want to order some . . . . feel free. 

Just click here and order away!

That sure is a lot of awesomeness in one post.  You're welcome.

I'm a Hypocrite

I hate Chuck E. Cheese. With a passion.  

 I would rather punch myself in the face (or worse) then go there.  

 I went against everything I believe in, and took my kids not once, but twice (the last two Saturdays)  to this horrid place for their friends birthday parties.

 

Ava informed me that she wants her 8th birthday to be at Chuck E. Cheese.

 I said yes.

 I deserve a medal. 

(Honestly . . .  It wasn't that bad, and it made them happy. I felt a little less selfish, so it was actually pretty awesome).

Please Tell Me I'm Not the Only One . . . . . .

I feel like I have a few good qualities.

I can function well in social settings.
(except when I say dumb things).

I am a hard worker.
(however, that becomes questionable after 10pm nowadays).

I am confident in myself.
(most of the time. but around mile 23 of a marathon I may cry due to lack of confidence).

I don't really pay much attention to what people think of me.
(although some might consider this a bad quality).

I am usually kind to others.
(unless you piss me off by being stupid, rude or judgmental).

I would list some more, but I'm stumped, so that must be all.
Whatevs.

Now . . . . . lets talk about something I suck at. Big Time.
Being a Mom.
Its one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life . . . . . and I've done a lot of hard things. Some days (actually, lots of days) I consider myself an epic failure.
With a Big. Fat. Capital F.

I'm not going to get into the dirty details. Lets just say that the last few days have rough. There has been some severe lecturing, and a little crying involved. . . . . . by me, not the children.
You know it's bad if I cry. That just doesn't happen very often.

I have great little girls. They are beautiful, inside and out. I love them dearly. I know they love me. But they are kids. Very strong willed kids. And they act like very strong willed kids.

The problem here is me. Dangit.
(I really want to say Damnit, but that would be inappropriate).

I know I can do hard things. Even if I get through most of those hard things with mediocrity. But I don't want to be a mediocre mother. So I suppose its time to undo myself from the fetal position, put down the animal cookies, and get to work. Cause I signed up for this. I'm not a quitter. There's too much riding on this. Their futures . . . . . at this point in their lives, are in my hands. And that is a great responsibility. One I don't take lightly.

Nine

Edyn turned 9 today.

My biggest girl is getting so BIG. . . . .

. . . . and more and more beautiful every day.

She is amazing. She is kind, responsible, and thoughtful. She is honest, and has integrity. I am so proud of the little woman she is becoming.
Edyn is THEEEEE biggest Bethany Hamilton fan you will ever find. She loves to surf. She scored her very own surfboard and rashgaurd for her special day.
(And I will continue to pray that she doesn't get her arm eaten by a shark).

She love her baby cousin that is here visiting. Who wouldn't? Look at that cute baby face!

For her birthday, she needed to go out and catch some waves. Daddy is such a good coach.

And Tio and Tia are the best cheerleaders ever.


Happy Birthday to my Sweet Beadsa.
I love you!
You. Are. Awesome.

Four

Tootsies turned 4 today.

She informed me a while back that she doesn't want to be called Tootsies anymore. Or Toots. Or Tootahs. She is getting way too big. It makes me sad. She told me I have to call her Lila now. Which is okay I guess, seeing as how it is her name and all.
Sigh.

I love her.

Anyone who knows her, knows that she is one of a kind. . . . . and you also understand the reason for my insanity, for about 90% of it is because of this sassy, stubborn, smart, clever, witty, cute, sometimes sweet, little blond girl. . . . . who is my very last baby :).

To celebrate, we had a wild party at the pool, with 6 other birthday girls.

Happy Birthday to Bekie, Violet, Kerilyn, Tricia, Edyn, Lila, and Gracie!

After the Rager, it was present time.
At our house . . . . when you are 4, you get to open your presents in your undies.

Happy Birthday to my Lila.
(Not Tootsies)
I love you!

Things That are Awesome: Part IV

My Dryer Broke

Not Awesome.
Let me introduce you to my new dryer.
I've been forced to go green.
But guess what?
My utility bill, which is usually around $300-$350 a month, was only $209 this month.
I'm just gonna go ahead and leave my dryer broken.
Good thing I have plenty of sunshine up in here. And I can now support my Choffy habit with my extra $. Now that's what I call winning.
Awesome.

Josh

Erika

Kauai.
With Josh and Erika.
There is something so great about this picture.
No kids.
Soooooooooo awesome I can't even express it in words.

We stayed in the most amazing places. Kiahuna Plantation for three nights and Wyndham Resort for the next three. We sat and watched whales playing for hours. Awesome.
It was sort of depressing to come home to our dumpy condo.

Probably the most beautiful place on earth, and I am lucky enough to live a 25 minute plane ride away from it.

Damon and Josh took a helicopter ride around the island.
Erika and I wanted to live, so we went shopping and got pedicures instead. We'll just live vicariously through the pictures Damon took.

We did, however, get to see this with our very own eyes. The Napali Coastline.
This picture was taken from the cruise we went on. Captain Andy's Southern Star. If you go to Kauai, this is one thing you MUST do. They are amazing. The staff is exceptional, the catamaran is awesome, we saw tons of whales and dolphins, and the food was great (although we were too sick to eat it on the cruise, but they did bag it up for Erika and I to eat at home).
PS. Please take 2 non drowsy Dramamine an hour before you go. You will not regret it.

Take note of my ginger ale in one hand, and barf bag in the other. The ocean and me just don't go well together. I think this will be my last boat ride along the Napali coast. Good thing I've seen it twice now. It is worth it.

I had to be pushed a couple of times, but zip-lining is fun stuff.


I had fun. I did things that I wouldn't normally do.

Except here. I was being lame watching everyone else play in the waterfall. Because I don't like to be cold. And the water was freezing. And I was wearing a sweet outfit that included aqua sox, and needed to stay in it as long as possible.

Friends


Friends who will watch your kids for you while you party for a week on another island. Friends who you trust, so you don't have to worry. Friends who your kids love and feel comfortable with. Friends who will fulfill your little girls surfing dreams and teach them to surf. Friends who will take your kids AND their kids to the water park all day. Thank you so much Uncle Jason, Aunty Tricia, Uncle Deven, and Aunty Shirlyn.
We LOVE you!

Visitors
We love Donald and Lisa!

They came for four days and we hung out at Malaekahana last Saturday with them. There were tons of people there. We plopped ourselves down where we could find some spare sand. One thing led to another and like usual, Lila was playing with everyone around us. Then Ava joined in. There were some really nice surfer dudes who were playing with them. Lila asked one of the guys to bury them in the sand. He asked me if it was okay. I said, "Do you like how I'm just laying here while you play with my kids?" He laughed and said something about how moms need breaks and he enjoys it. Guess who that guy was? Kelly Slater. Yes. The famous Pro Surfer Kelly Slater. And a bunch of his friends. I didn't ask for picture. I didn't even let on that I knew it was him. He is HOT and he is awesome. He would have to be to put up with Lila for a couple of hours. She tends to be a bit overwhelming.

I might not have a picture of him, but these are his footprints. He was teasing the girls saying he was going to step on them. What a fun guy. I like famous people who are nice.
Awesome.

That's about all the awesomeness I can fit in this post.
Peace out. Happy Sunday.

My Kid Rocks

There 's just so much I could say about this little note I found yesterday.

But I'll keep it short and sweet.

Edyn. Is. Awesome.

Don't mess with her. And for sure . . . . don't tell her she thinks she is perfect. Or she will let you have it in a handwritten note (although this dude didn't actually get this note, because I told her she shouldn't be passing notes at school because its inappropriate and her teacher is kind of a witch and she doesn't want to get in trouble, and that she needs to ignore him because the only reason he keeps telling her she thinks she is perfect is because he has a crush on her because she is cute and smart . . . . . . . . but not perfect. Because NO ONE is perfect).

I love a chick who can stand up for herself.
Rock on Edyn.
And its okay if you don't spell things right all the time.
We are picking up what you are putting down.

(I spent the afternoon laughing my arse off over this).I still don't like this mom-edyn