the news is out..

I bet you've heard the news.. if not.. here you go. 

Thanks Conor and Jane for making the picture. 

And were off..

Chris and I are officially moved out of our home. I know all I have done is complained about how horrible it is/was but the truth is it's going to be different now. I'm still not sad but it is kind of weird to not be in "our home". 

This is the place where Chris and I, as a couple, grew up. They say the first year is the hardest and boy let me tell you.. it was hard. But with all the hardships and struggles came lots of time to bond with one another, to lean on each other. Yes, I still call mom because boys don't do the "What are you wearing today"? talk, but we really have come to better understand each other. 

It has been a good year.

 A really tough, sometimes awful but good year.

 I am really proud of Chris and how much effort and focus he has put into school. He has done an outstanding job. He has grown so much in the last year.. just with schooling.
I've grown a lot too. I feel like through past experiences I have learned how to handle things better than I would have. I feel like I have a better perspective on life. It's a completely different world out here.. let alone being newly married. I am so dang proud of myself too. I honestly cannot believe I did it. No, I did not run a 5K but in some strange way I feel as though I did.. like I just crossed the finish line and I'm ready to start preparing for the 10K.
This year in Hawaii has been good to us. So thank you Hawaii and the good friends we have made. Thank you sun for always shining and helping me to be grateful for what I have.
Tonight is the night. We will be leaving our little hometown of Laie.
Goodbye Hawaii!
I'm sure we'll be back.

random happy thoughts

These are my random thoughts when I am happy. Beware. :) 

I'm such a happy girl today.. A very happy girl!

I think I could list a thousand reasons to be happy but they might all have to do with seeing family in four stinkin days.

Chris has been studying his heart out while I have been packing the house. Good thing it's not an entire house; just an apartment. I don't think I could a whole house on my own. (I give my mother all the credit in the world for doing it so many times). 

Chris has one more final tomorrow night and then he can finally relax for a while. 

I forgot to tell you about last Sunday.. the Aloha 'oe. 

Here in Hawaii when someone leaves they sing a beautiful Hawaiian song.. I think it's their version of

 "Til We Meet Again".. right Amy? 

It really is something special. 

Everyone who is leaving stands at the front of the chapel after sacrament meeting and everyone stands and sings this song. Then EVERYONE (whether you know them or not) comes through the line to give hugs and say goodbyes. 

Now most of the time, everyone is crying.. but of course.. not me. 

I was so happy to see everyone and give hugs and not terribly sad to leave. 

So while I was laughing and hugging, my poor Chris was pouting.  

Okay not really but he was sad. 

I took it as.. I have learned many lessons and grown up a lot and I am ready for the next adventure. 

Which may be freezing cold but it's about 3000 miles closer to my family. Which to me is more important than the ocean or shrimp trucks or surfing. 

Sunday was special and I really wish it was something we could bring over to the mainland.. but I feel I may be hunted down for it if I did.

Gotta love da locals.

(I have been talking like them lately.. da kine.. brudah..)

I'm very happy.

  Four days you guys!! It's kinda weird to not know my return flight time. I like it though.

 I think the only reason Chris wants to be a doctor is so we can come back here. 

Today he told me that if I died, he would still become a doctor and move out here, then turn into a beach bum and surf all day. Oh he said he would take Kai too. 

Chris really does like helping people.. Just so you know. That's the real reason he wants to be a doctor. 

Anyway.. I am almost home!! I feel my nose frostbitten already. 

YAY!! 

I knew it.

I knew that if I whined and complained something good would come out of it!! 

WE GOT THE HOUSE!!! MY HOUSE!!

I had tried to be nice and say "everything will work out" but then my patience wore out.. so I complained and look what happened. :) 

Okay.. that's not how it really worked.. BUT 

WE GOT THE HOUSE!! 

Wanna see how cute it is?!?

YES! YES! YES!!

warning!! this is a "venting" post

Yes. I am in need of a venting session so if you are in a good mood.. I wouldn't read this. 

And this is my blog so I can vent all I want. 

Chris and I (mostly I) have been looking for an apartment for months now. At first there were a couple places that told me they would call as soon as something opened up. 

So I waited a couple days (I'm not patient) and called back, hoping for a good answer. They had said it was still too early and that they would call me. I was okay with this for about a week and after two weeks of waiting by the phone, I knew this was going to turn into the same chaos we dealt with when moving here. 

We found a really sweet place. The guy called and said he and his wife were moving out and that the place was basically ours if they could find a place. We didn't know if he was going to find another place or not so we just waited on him.. He called and said they found a place so we could move into theirs! We were so overjoyed! We got the application and started filling it out when all of the sudden he called and said his wife didn't like the new place so they weren't going to end up moving. Just perfect. I think I was in a good mood that day so I let it go. I went along with what everyone has been saying to me..

 "Oh it will all work out"

Skip forward a few months and the moving date is creeping up. I start freaking out and now Chris is too. 

So Chris put up a listing for "apartment needed" on BYUI's website. 

A couple days ago we got a call saying they had a 2 bedroom with a washer/dryer.. just everything I had hoped for. They said the rent is $590 a month (which is pocket change for us).. not really. But it really sounded like just the place for us! It was a basement apartment under an adorable old brick home. 

The tenants and the landlord called many times just to tell us about it. The only thing bad about it was that the upstairs tenants "are really loud". My thinking was "Oh honey you have no idea what we are use to.. six newborns and three toddlers. I can handle noisy college kids"

We called the landlord to tell her we wanted the place and she had us call the tenants one more time just to see if we really wanted it and if we were really committed. 

We called and the tenant just made it sound more perfect. 

We called the landlord back asking for the application. 

She sent it. We filled it out. 

She called Chris while he was in class 

"Hey Chris.. 

I have some bad news, the tenants upstairs had asked for it first. Sorry I forgot.

But I told them I need an answer by tomorrow morning so I will get back to you." 

Just what we needed to hear. How do you forget such important news?

Three in the afternoon rolls around and no call. Chris called and no answer. 

I told him he needed to call because if I did, it might get ugly. 

It felt like she was holding this delicious Chocolate Haupia Pie right in front of my face saying

 "Want it? Want it? Okay you can have it! You can! Here you go.. 

Oh man.. just kidding. I ate it" 

Who does that?! 

We are still homeless. 

This is just me venting, meaning I cannot take another 

"Oh, it's fine, everything will work out".

I can't stand when people say that. It's only the people who have a home. 

So unless your homeless.. don't you dare say that. 

All I need is to be hugged. 

Oh the joys of growing up. 

And don't say "It gets harder" or "Ya tell me about it"

 because I will!! 

Just frustrated. 

 Us on our first flight over.. excited and happy because we 

knew we had a home waiting for us.

This is us.. so happy... in our home.

holy moley!!

Growing up I was taught to clean up after myself. I'm not saying I always did it. Considering my home now would look like a barn if I didn't. Not saying that Chris doesn't pick up after himself because he does.. when he has time..which is not often. Poor guy barely has time to pee. 

This rule was always enforced in our home growing up. I think I learned it best when we had to move. I cannot even count how many times we had moved when I was a kid. Mesquite is the longest we stayed in one city. (A whopping eight years was it?) I think I'm making my family sound like we got kicked out of these places.. That's not the case. My dad just kept getting cooler and better job offers so we moved. Which I honestly loved. I feel like I've seen the world, well the entire country at least. 

So back to keeping my house clean. 

Chris and I have searching for months for a home in Rexburg. The time is getting closer to move in date and we still don't have a place. It's been hard but we have thought a lot about it. When Chris applied to get in to school he was accepted in less than 12 hours, so we think Heavenly Father is going to make us work for a house. :) 

We keep getting emails and have actually found a few places. Now this is where the title and the talk about cleaning comes in. 

When we were young, we knew that when it was time to move we needed to make the house look immaculate. It was almost fun, showing off our house like a prized pig. :) 

I thought I should share some examples of pictures we have been sent of the homes that people want us to rent from. I think sometimes I forget not everyone was raised in my home. 

The bathroom floor

The floor in the master bedroom

The nursery? Storage room?

 Lots of counter space, including crumbs from breakfast, notice the washer/dryer added for counter space?

Does this make you want to live here?

Have I made my point? Now, do not mistake me, I am not saying that I, in any way am too good for these places. I am just saying that you'd think if someone needs you to move in, you'd clean and take the best pictures you can. That's all. Holy moley!!

Days like this

Sometimes I get in these, "I can fix any problem and solve any question" moods. I feel like I secretly wear a giant "S" under my clothes. Today would happen to be that day. No particular fix or problem; just a mood I'm sure I got from my headstrong grandmother. 

I saw a video I'm sure many of you have seen already. It has been on facebook all week and I have been to busy to watch it. So here it is. This kid has his head on straight. Don't worry it's perfectly approved for the adult audience. 

Sex. 

I don't even need to be blunt and honest because he says it all for me. 

Let me know what ya think!

aloha 'oe hawaii!

I never thought this day would come. Never in million years.
Ha You thought I was going to say "I'm going to miss Hawaii" didn't you?
Nope.
I never thought I'd get off this beautiful piece of land.
Yes, I will admit there are a few things I will miss, but Hawaii as a whole.. maybe someday..
I think I figured out over the 14 months we've been here, that I'm not the sand in my everywhere, "what's your's is mine" type a girl.
What will I miss?
-Being able to fit in because I look so brown
-That most people here will lend you just about anything any time
-Real palm trees (I'm use to the Vegas ones)
-Picking fruit from just about every plant we can find
-Driving up the North Shore and singing Jack Johnson as loud as we can
-Being called Auntie by the most beautiful children
-The ohana I have here
-Being hit in the back by sea turtles
-Getting stung, bitten, and hissed at by creepy creatures
-The crystal clear water
-Watching Chris spend time with the other love of his life.. surfing
-Snorkelling with all sorts of marine life
-Receiving packages from lovely mothers and family
-Being a part of such a diverse ward and community
-The chickens haha
-Teaching our Primary class
-Summer nights
-Having a bbq every night in the summer
-Watching the 4th of July fireworks out in the dark ocean on a surfboard
-Being within two minutes of the Temple

Farewell Hawaii. You will be missed (by Chris) haha
Just kidding.. I might end up missing you too.