I'm Fun

We went on an afternoon cruise on the West side yesterday. I'm afraid of the ocean. However, I am supposed to be fun now, so instead of sitting on the boat and watching everyone else have fun, I got in. That's right. I got in the ocean, and I snorkeled for the first time in my life. It felt like I was on Fear Factor. And losing. But I did it. And I didn't die.

I'm fun. Totally fun.

I'll be on Kauai for the next week NOT being lame. I'll be having fun. Lots of it.

I've Been Busy

Very busy.

With visitors.

I'll have you know, the last BYU vs. UH game I went to (10 years ago), I was afraid for my life. I was very reluctant to go to this one, but since the Kennewick people were on island and all the cool people were going to be there, I decided to take one for the team and go . . . . seeing as how I am cool. Can't you tell by looking at my hair?

Some more Kennewick people. I love them. And I love the shrimp tacos, spam macadamia nuts, and gum they hooked us up with. Nicholls rock.

Two of my favorite ladies. They love my kids.They love me. I love them. They are both great examples to me. And they are both from Kennewick. Do you see a pattern here? (Most Kennewick people are awesome. Not all of them, but most). Actually, its just the Tri Cities in general. Good place. Good people. I miss it. But I'm here to stay in Hawaii for a good long time. And perfectly happy with that. Just keep coming to visit peeps. Even if you aren't from the TC..... you are still so very welcome at Hotel Fairchild.

It's sort of like they should be your kids Mamo. They sure look like you. And sobbed when you left. So you should just come back.

Projects

My room used to have gold walls. It was lovely, but I just got so tired of everyone thinking I was rich when they came over. I mean . . . . gold walls? Doesn't that just scream, "I'm in the 1%?" As beautiful as they were, I just can't have that. So, for my birthday, I went ahead and bought myself a 5 gallon bucket of paint, and painted two bedrooms in our condo. A nice neutral color, that screams, "I'm one of the 99%." I feel so much more comfortable now.

Here are pics of the guest room. I'm not done decorating it, but its a start. I don't have any pictures of my room, because I'm not done yet. Just because I start things, doesn't mean I finish them in a timely manner. This is why I rarely ever do projects.

Holidays

Thank you Erika and Josh, for the Amazing Advent Calender. It made it feel like Christmas. It made us happy. And it made us love you even more than we already do. . . . . if that is even possible.

Thank you Momo and Pappy, for the Christmas pajamas. They are getting good use!

I just adore these little ladies. More than I could ever express. They are awesome. Especially when they are sleeping.

Thank you Gramma Sharon for the goggles. No more red eyes after long days of swimming.

Thank you myself for the Choffy. I love and adore your delicious taste, and that you are so good for me. Aaaaaannnnnnd . . . . . You're welcome for the beautiful photo of me fresh out of bed with my Hawaii hair. Its hard to be this pretty, but someone has to do it.

Thank you Shirlyn and Deven, for hanging out with us on Christmas. We had a blast and i think Christmas tacos should be a tradition every year. Turkey is so out.

12th Anniversary
We celebrated our 12th Anniversary on the Star of Honolulu dinner cruise. I'm not used to such fancy stuff. I think I used the right forks. And I didn't get sea sick, so the night was pretty successful. Oh . . . and it also helps that I have a really good husband. Who puts up with my love of yoga pants, irrational behavior, and unkempt hair. He's a keeper.

Thank you Loder's and Cox's for the good times on New Years. Who knew Damon had such sweet moves?

I love when the holidays are over. I love starting fresh. I have decided that 2012 is going to be a really, really good year for me. Physically, mentally, spiritually, and financially. My resolutions for 2012 are:

1. Self control. Not to try and have self control, but to actually have it. To stop doing things that are wrong, and start doing things that are right. To tell myself "no," or better yet . . . . . , "yes, why not, go for it, you can do anything you put your mind to."

2. Be fun. I'm boring. I let my husband do all the playing. Especially with my kids. It's like I'm a 90 year old, watching him play with them all the time. Not gonna happen anymore. I'm going to swim with them. I'm going to play cards, and have fashion shows. I'm going to dance awkwardly (because that is how I dance). And I'm going to go down the slides at the water park. That's right. FUN.

I'll have you know, I went down 3 slides yesterday. Fun.

No more excuses. No more being lazy. No more putting things off. This is my year.
And while we are on the subject of my year, might I just add that I have signed up for 2 marathons, 2 half marathons, an 8 miler, and hope to sign up for a couple more halfs. I guess I'm a runner now. My goal is 1200 miles in 12 months. Minimum. Anything over that makes me super awesome.


Hau’oli Makahiki Hou 2012, from our family to yours!

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.