love to live, live to love

My first little hawaiian pet

2011-01-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

If you know me, you know that I looooove animals and I love having pets. It is very suprising that I hadn't had any pets in Hawaii, after living here over five years. Soooooo, I bought a baby duck, a quackless yellow duckling, to be correct. And I named her Velzy, after my favorite surf spot.(Despite what you may think, having a quackless duck does not mean it doesn't make noise, it actually makes a very high pitched cheep, like a baby chick.)

Velzy was very popular in my house, at first. She was so cute and fluffy and would fall asleep almost immediately when you would hold her in your hand. One of her cutest tricks was when I would run around and she would sprint after me at rocket speed, seriously, she was FAST! After a few days, my roomates may have got a little annoyed at Velzy's cheeping and messiness problem, but I still loved her!

Velzy had a little problem with escaping from her cage. First she ran away to the front of the house and I luckily found her before she ran across Kam highway. Next she ran away down the canal, trying to get the beach of course! Unfortunately, about 3 weeks after I bought Velzy, she ran away for good... I like to think she was found by a very nice family or became and ocean duck though! I can hope anyways (: But anyways, here is a tribute to my first little Hawaiian pet, the cutest little duck ever, VELZY!!!

My Sister is Back!!!!!!!

2011-01-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

Melissa is finally back in Hawaii!!!!!!! Her and Sam moved here and are going to be living in Mililani!! I am so excited I can't even believe it! Melissa and I used to be roomates out here, when I first moved here. We were roomates for a year and a half and some of my favorite memories ever are from that time.

Here are some funny memories from that time:

-Melissa got us both jobs cutting meat at the caf. Cutting raw meat actually happens to be one of my most least favorite thing to do ever, especially meat that is pure fat, which is how they like it in the caf. I still almost gag when I think of that job.. but it was really fun working together.. we would always sneak into the huge refrigerator and eat desserts when no one was looking. They finally started putting up signs not to eat the dessert but I think we still did, oops

-Throwing poppers by people from the roof to scare them and then being chased and caught by the campus police, luckily we were able to escape from them somehow

-Melissa probably won't appreciate this but she used to eat a bean burrito for dinner every night, no matter what. Just tortilla, beans, cheese, and salsa. I told our friends, Brad and Billy, that Melissa LOVED beans and was obsessed with them. The next day they accused her of taking a can of beans from their house, and were serious!

-When I broke up with my first boyfriend I told him it was because I needed to spend more time with my sister. This did not make her or him happy that I said this! but it was true!

-Melissa taught me to surf and helped me pick out my first longboard, which I bought that same day I first went surfing

Well, I have a million other amazing and funny memories from that time, but now I am just SOOOOOO excited that Melissa and Sam are out here again!

Student teaching in Hawaii

2011-01-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

Oh, so I know I haven't posted in FOREVER, but my life has been pretty crazy/busy lately. Not so much now though, so I am going to do my best to catch up on here. Also I have been sick and stuck in bed for almost a week, so my boredom has forced me to blogging.

The craziness in my life began with student teaching. I can now happily say I lived through my student teaching which was the hardest part of my college experience. Before I started student teaching, many people told me it was going to be horrible, and I would cry, and it would be the hardest time ever. Well, they were right! It was 5 months of stress, hard work, and sometimes crying (but not too much). It was also extremely rewarding at times though and the best feeling in the world when I finished!

I student taught Freshmen at J.B. Castle High School, in Kaneohe, HI. Every morning, I would wake up at 6 am, get dressed and ready, and then drive the hour to Kaneohe with my two carpool friends, Kaelee and Andrea. We all student taught at the same school and I don't think I could have gotten through this experience without them! Being able to talk about our experiences, which we had some pretty crazy ones, really made us close.

Once at school, I would head to my classroom, room 37, and meet with my Cooperating Teacher, Shiloh Richardson. I feel extremely blessed for being placed with Shiloh as my CT. She is an incredible teacher and really cares about her students. She was a great help to me and was always willing to do anything she could to help me. She was also very kind and positive and would always cheer me up when I was having a hard day, either with a pep talk or a handful of chocolates.

The students in my classes were in a group called an Academy. They were put in this group because of behavior problems or low test scores from middle school. Because of this, my classes all contained a majority of students with extreme behavior issues. My CT, thought a very good teacher and very sweet, had trouble disciplining the students. Because of this, when I began teaching, I had to get them used to a strict discipline system. Not easy for a classroom full of wild teenagers! Over the months I struggled with this, but was able to develop a system to keep them disciplined.

Though student teaching was harder than I could have imagined, it was also very fun and rewarding and I learned to really love my students. Here are some of my LOVES from student teaching:
-being able to joke around with the students (whenever I was sarcastic they always believed me, which was really funny)
-helping students in class and after school and being able to see how happy they were when they did well
-having students tell me I was their favorite teacher and that they didn't want me to leave
-emails from my students after I left, saying they missed me
-having an awesome CT to work and collaborate with
-being able to talk to my sister, Melissa, for help (she student taught in Waialua)
-going on field trips with the students (on which my students tried to set me up with a military guy.. ha ha)
-hearing the hilarious things the students would say
-getting cards and gifts on my last few days
-helping students feel confident about themselves
-my last day of being observed and having it go well (I danced around in the bathroom that day, I was so happy)
-feeling the accomplishment of finishing student teaching and being able to graduate

I had a lot of awesome students and I feel so grateful that I had the opportunity to get to know them and hopefully help them and make a difference in their lives. Teaching these students taught me how blessed I was in the way that I grew up. I have an amazing family that supports me in all that I do. We have always had a nice home to live in and plenty of food to eat. Many of my students did not have this same experience. So many of my students lived with grandparents or an aunt, or crammed in a home with way too many people. Some didn't have homes to live in. A lot of my students were very poor and didn't have money for food. Many had parents that beat them if they got in trouble. Many students had parents that were into alcohol and drugs. Many had parents that didn't care if they went to school or what they did. Because of these sad environments they were brought up in, these students were rough on the outside. As I got to know them, though, I learned that though they acted tough, they still wanted the same thing as anyone, to be appreciated. I tried, and hopefully succeeded, to help each of my students to feel loved and appreciated. This is what I feel was the most important thing I did during student teaching.

Happy Mothers Day Mom!

2010-05-09T19:59:00.001-07:00

I have the best mom ever. Everyone says this, but I really do! My mom is so sweet and selfless and a great example to me. I want to be just like her. Here are some of my favorite things about my mom:

1. During high school she would wake up at 5am every morning to make breakfast for me. (Not just cereal, but an awesome breakfast)
2. She came to all of my track and cross country meets.
3. She just came and visited me in Hawaii for a week and it was so much fun to hang out with her every day and to be spoiled by her (:
4. She answers the phone any time I call, even if its at 2am (which I sometimes call at accidentally... i forget the time difference)
5. She always wants what is best for me and my sisters and will do anything to help and support up.
6. She always makes the most awesome plans for when me and my sisters come home for Christmas or a holiday.
7. She is the perfect example of someone who loves and serves others.
8. She is really funny and loves to laugh and make jokes.
9. She is so pretty inside and out and looks way younger than her age, I hope I look like that good when I'm a grandma (:
10. SHE IS THE BEST MOM EVER!!!!

I love you mom!!! Thanks for being so awesome!!!!

Love Ashley

I love the weekend!!!!

2010-02-07T23:37:00.000-08:00

This semester my class schedule is pretty crazy. I am taking 18 credits, have 8 classes, and don't get done most days until 3:30, 4:30, or 5. I am also doing observation at Castle High School two days a week for 4 hours each day. It is fun to be able to help in the classroom and teach a little. But anyways, with all of my classes each week is pretty crazy and busy! I definitely don't get to surf every day like I used to. Luckily I have the WEEKEND!!! Every weekend I try to do as many fun thing as possible and forget about all the stress of school!
Last weekend I went surfing Friday and twice Saturday and it was awesome!!! Then at night me and my friends Hailey, Paris, Courtney, Dave, Ashley, and Alden went to town for the Lost Premiere. It was so much fun. They had a red carpet set up and the stars got dropped off in limos and walked down the red carpet. There were a TON of crazy fans. The area around the red carpet was blocked off so people couldn't get to close. One girl jumped up onto the fence yelling, "Hold me up, hold me up!" so that she could take a picture. I just backed away and tried to pretend I hadn't heard her.
They had booths selling food on the beach and I got the most amazing crepe! It was a huge and it was filled with nutella, fresh strawberries and bananas, and whipped creme. I love crepes, especially with nutella and fruit, I wish I could eat them every day!
After we got food we found a seat on the packed beach where the huge screen was set up. Once it got dark, they introduced the stars on a stage and then played the first hour of the season finale. It was really good.

This past weekend was way fun also. On Friday I went surfing at Puena Point with one of my friends. It took like half an hour to paddle out because the waves were breaking everywhere. Once we got way out there, we realized the waves were pretty big! It was fun though, so we surfed until dark. When we got home we went to a movie showing at the school.

After the movie my friend Ka'eo came over and we went to a dance at the school. It was fun, usually I hate dances, but all of my roomates were there too and we all just danced crazy and had fun.

Saturday was the perfect beach day. It was so nice and sunny and there was no wind. Ka'eo came back over and we got some longboards, shortboards, and skim boards and headed to Castles with Courtney, Dave, and Paris. Ka'eo is an awesome skim boarder, so he taught us all how to skim board. I wish I could do tricks like him, but skim boarding is way hard!!! It was fun to learn and watch how its done though! Then we went surfing for a while.

After Castles we came home and had lunch. Then we headed to Baggers to meet some friends. The guys all surfed there. The waves were HUGE! Me and the other girls all hung out on the beach playing in the waves and getting some sun. We stayed until almost dark and then headed home. At home on of my roomates, Ashley, had gotten engaged!!!!! so we had a little party for her and Alden. We got some pizza and made cupcakes. Then we pretty much all passed out because we were so tired .

Today is Sunday and it has been such a nice day. Church was really good, i love my ward!
I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place surrounded by such amazing people and good examples. I really feel blessed for my friends this semester. They are all such good examples to me and so fun to be around. I have the best roomates ever and it is so fun just talking with them and all going to the beach. I love BYUH and I know that it is the chance of a lifetime to go to school here. I am just so thankful to my Heavenly Father for all of these things and for all of the blessings He has given me.

Surf Competitions and Injuries

2010-02-01T00:17:00.000-08:00

At the end of winter semester I had a little surfing accident. I've been surfing in Hawaii for 4 1/2 years and never gotten any serious injuries before. But then, I got hurt at Castles! I've never gotten hurt on the north shore and I got hurt at Castles (the safest place to surf in hawaii)! Anyways, I was with my friends Dan and Jess. We had been out for about 1/2 an hour. I caught a wave and got up, then after I jumped off my board, it hit wave behind me, flew up, and hit me on the head. It hit me pretty hard, so I reached up and felt the top of my head. Then I looked at my hand and it was covered in blood. Luckily Jess was right by me, so I told her to get Dan and paddle in because I hurt my head. Then I caught a wave in to shore and walked to the dry sand. By the time I walked from the water to the dry sand, I was completely covered in blood. I am SO grossed out by blood so I was kind of freaking out.

My friends came in and helped me wash off at the beach showers. They wrapped a towel around my head and we sped to Kahuku hospital. (It is just a minute away from Castles). We got the hospital and headed in. I only had my swim suit on with Dan's flannel shirt on top and no shoes. The people at the emergency room rushed me in and had me lie down on a bed. Dan tried to call and get a hold of my family, but I didn't have my phone and couldn't remember any phone numbers. (He accidentally called Jess's mom on her phone and told her that her daughter had had an surfing accident. When Jess's mom asked which daughter, he said Ashley and she told him she didn't have a daughter named ashley (: )

The nurses tried to get my head to stop bleeding while they waited for the doctor. They used a TON of towels and tried to get it to stop for about 2 hours, but it just wouldn't stop. Then the doctor came in. He said that my head wouldn't stop bleeding, so they would just start giving me stitches. He gave me some shots in my head and i HATE shots more than anything ever! I can't even hear people talk about getting a shot or it makes me queasy! Then he started to clean my head a little bit. After he realized that it was me, and I found out it was my friend's cousin and he had given me a ride to the airport before! He said he couldn't recognize me at first because my hair was all red! He said the board had burst a blood vessel (gross) Anyways, then he gave me 8 stitches. After that, the nurses helped me wash my hair and then wrapped a TURBAN on my head! A turban that i had to wear for the next 24 hours! After we left the hospital (3 1/2 hours later) we went to Kahuku Grill for hamburgers and then went home. Bad news was I had to keep the stitches in for 3 weeks and couldn't get them out until the day I was leaving to AZ for Christmas. No surfing for a month ): !!!!

Luckily there were a ton of SURF COMPETITIONS to watch and also I had to study for finals. I went to all of the Vans Triple Crown surf competitions. The best was the Pipeline Masters, of course!! Also, I went to the EDDIE AIKAU surf competition!!!! (It was actually the day after my surf accident, so I had to put a hat over my big turban head! Anyways, the competition was AMAZING!!!!! Everyone from our school ditched class to see it. The Eddie as a surf competition at Waimea that only happens when the waves get 20 feet or larger( which is really 40 feet waves from the front). I went to the comp early with some friends, we had to park about a mile away because the roads were packed. Then we ran to Waimea and found a spot on the sand to watch. After awhile I met up with my friend Dan and we walked down to the rocks, right next to where the waves were breaking. It was SO awesome to watch from there because we were right next to the surfers!!!! I could have stayed and watched forever! I love living in Hawaii!!

Big Island Trip

2010-01-31T15:39:00.000-08:00

At the end of winter semester 2009 I went to the Big Island with some friends. It was just a three day trip, but we did a lot. We went to the temple to do baptisms with our ward, went on some beautiful hikes, swam at a black sand beach, had some awesome food- Make Your Own Roll sushi and delicious thai (i can't remember the name of the restaurant), saw waterfalls, went to the volcano, and drove around the entire island. It was an awesome trip! I have always wanted to go to the Big Island and I was so glad to be able to go. It is so beautiful there and has such a variety of landscapes. When we were driving, it looked like we were in a different country every few minutes. Here are some pics from the trip.

fall semester

2009-10-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend was really fun. Friday I had school, catered, went to the beach with friends, and hung out with alex. Saturday I went into town w/ alex and we went on a sailboat ride. It was SO fun! I love sailing!! I don't have the pics from it yet, but I will post them once I do. Then at night we went to foodfest, which is my favorite school activity ever! The clubs at our school each have a booth where they sell food. Since our school has people from so many different countries, the food is very different and SO good! We got roti w/ chicken and potato curry from the Fijian club. Then we had crepes w/ ice cream, strawberries, bananas, and whipped cream for dessert. It was amazing! While we were eating, there was a reggae band playing that was really good. I am so thankful to live in Hawaii and to go to such an awesome school. It is the best school ever! I love being able to meet, be friends with, and learn from people from all around the world. I am so blessed!

Here are a few pictures of my car and bike in Hawaii. I just got this car a few days ago and now I have to sell old rusty ): Even though everyone makes fun of it, I love this car and it has been the perfect north shore car for 2 years! Unfortunately, it has also been unregistered and unable to pass the safety check for 2 years. Maybe this is because the windshield wipers don't work, so I have to pull over and wait or stick my head out the window to see whenever it rains (which is at least once a day). Or maybe because the hood is held down by a bungee-cord. These are just a few of the quirks of the car. Anyways, I have been pulled over by cops at least 10 times and never gotten a ticket, until a week ago, so I had to find something new. Old rusty has driven me to north shore a million times in the past two year and has been filled with tons of friends, sur

fboards, and sand and it will be sad to say goodbye to my first hawaii car!!

I also posted some pictures of my bike. The first one is before I painted it and the second one is after.

at waimea w/ alex (last week)

new car
new and old car
Before:
After:

back on the island

2009-09-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

I got back to Hawaii Monday afternoon! The first thing I did when I got back was go surfing!!! My friend Drew and I went out to goats. It is a long paddle out there and my arms were definitely not ready to paddle that far! I had to hold on to Drew's leash part of the time so he could pull me out there! Once we got out there it was so much fun! It felt so good to be back out in the water.

The other days I have been here I have gone surfing everyday, relaxed at the beach a ton, met up with friends, and gone to the school to get my classes and books figured out. Yesterday my friend Lindsey and I rode bikes down to the north shore. It only took us about an hour to get down there. We have done this a few times, when there are no waves to surf. When we got down there we hung out at Sunset. Then we got acai bowls at Kava Roots. So good!! Then we rode down to Keiki's and hung out on the beach and played in the shore break. It was so much fun! I love being able to hang out at the beach all day long. It is good to be back here. The only thing I miss is my family. They are taking my sister, Brittany, to BYU-Idaho right now and I really wish that I could be with them...

last days of work

2009-08-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my last day of work nannying for one of the families I work for. After I got home I was just thinking about how blessed I have been with work this summer. Every summer I come home with about $5 left in my bank account. Then each summer, I work as much as I possibly can and say a lot of prayers that I will be able to earn enough money. Somehow I always make the exact amount of money I need to pay for school, housing, food, etc. I am so thankful for this and know that it is an answer to my prayers.

This summer I have had the best jobs. I nannied for one family with a little girl and a 8 week old baby boy 2 days a week, nannied for my usual family with a cute little boy and girl 3 days a week, and taught a yoga class every saturday at Pure Fitness. I feel so blessed to have had so many awesome jobs this summer. Also, the families that I work for are seriously the nicest, most generous families ever. They are always giving me gifts, taking me out to lunch, and giving me money to help with college. I could not have had better people to work for. I have also loved teaching a yoga class again. I'm going to miss it when I'm in Hawaii...but it will be nice to have a break from work. I am looking forward to my 2 week break in Hawaii before classes start!!!

I have REALLY missed this.

And ESPECIALLY this! I cannot wait to go surfing in hawaii again!!!

cooking

2009-08-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

This summer I have been cooking as much as I can. Everything is so expensive in Hawaii that I just end up eating the same cheap meals every since day (granola for breakfast, peanut butter sandwich for lunch and tortellini for dinner- every single day for 9 months!) Whenever I am in Arizona it is so weird to go into a grocery store and see how cheap everything is. Like $2 for a gallon of milk that would be $8 in Hawaii! I always go crazy and want to buy everything until my mom reminds me that these prices are normal for Arizona. But anyways, I've been cooking dinner at least once a week this summer and I've found some really good recipes. My favorite is for the BBQ chicken pizza from California Pizza Kitchen... so good! I have a week and a half more until I go back to my sandwiches and plain pasta...

BBQ chicken pizza

Parmesan Eggplant Ravioli

sunshine

2009-08-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Right now I am still in Arizona for the summer working as a nanny and yoga instructor. I go back to Hawaii in three weeks... crazy! The summer always starts out slow and then goes by incredibly fast. So since I haven't posted in forever here are some of the highlights of my summer:

*sleepovers with my little sisters
*So You Think You Can Dance parties at my sister Brooke's house
*playing with my little nephews
*being able to hang out with melissa in st. george
*going on bike rides with my mom
*swimming once or twice a day
*California trips! surfing and watching the U.S. open
*going sailing
*mexico
*movie nights
*shopping trips and goint out to eat
*making dinner for my family
*playing guitar
*family reunions
*road trips!

This summer has been really fun. I have missed Hawaii a ton, but I am SO thankful that I have been able to spend the summer at home. I have loved being able to spend so much time with my family. I feel so blessed to have so many fun sisters, they are my best friends! I am also so thankful for my awesome mom and dad! I love my family SO much, they are the BEST!!!

Here are some pictures from my summer (sorry they are all mixed up)....

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well, this is late, but I just wanted to put up a Father's Day post about my dad. He is awesome! He works so hard for our family. I know it must be hard to take care of five girls, but he does a great job. Since we were little he has let our family go on trips to our favorite place, Hawaii. It is always so much fun and I have so many fun memories from those trips! Now I am so thankful when he brings my little sisters there to visit while I am going to school out there. I am so thankful for my dad. He is a hard worker, goes to church and fulfills his callings, does service, has a fun sense of humor, and he is a GREAT dad!!!

Hawaii and Arizona

2009-05-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not very good at posting on this blog, but now that I'm back in Arizona I finally I have time. Here a some of my favorite pictures from Winter Semester. It was a crazy, busy, awesome semester! Me and my best friends Sam and Katie had some of the most awesome things happen. At Waimea, we got to paddle out on the lifeguard rescue board (thanks to our lifeguard friend, Johnny) where a ton of spinner dolphins were. It was SO amazing, they were swimming and jumping five feet away from us!!! That was the coolest thing I have EVER done! We also had a ton of amazing surfing days including one of the best days ever at V-land! Me and Sam surfed until we were the only ones out and it was pitch dark! That is my favorite thing ever to do! The three of us also went to my favorite place ever, Waialua bakery a million times. And guess what... that is where I met Judge, the most awesome guy ever (: We got to hang out a ton my last two weeks, so that was really fun. We surfed and snorkeled for shells and hung out as much as possible on the beach! I also hung out a lot with one of my best friends, Lindsey my last week. On my last Saturday we rode bikes from Laie to Sharks Cove. We got acai and stopped at all of our favorite beaches. It was so fun!! Now I'm back in Arizona for the summer to work. It is really hard to leave everyone and Hawaii, but in three months I will be back there. It is really good to be able to see my family here. I miss them a ton when I am in Hawaii. They are the most awesome family. I don't have any pictures of being home yet, but we have had a lot of fun. It has been so fun to talk to my mom a ton, hang out with all of my sisters, and see my cute little nephews. I just wish all of my family could move to Hawaii and then everything would be perfect!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

2009-04-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

My mom is the best mom ever! She is the nicest, prettiest, most fun mom ever and I am SO grateful for her! I always want to be just like her! Here are a few of my favorite memories with my mom:

*When I was in high school I had seminary at 5:45 am. She would wake up every morning to make me breakfast. She did this for all of my sisters too! I really appreciated it and I loved being able to talk to her every morning.

*Also in high school, she would let me ditch class so that I could have a break. We would go out to lunch and shopping. It was so fun!

*Every summer, she plans tons of fun trips and activities for our family to do.

*Last semester her and my dad came to Hawaii for vacation. My dad was working at a convention for a few of the days, so I came into town to hang out with my mom. It was so fun to have a little vacation and be able to spend time with her. We went to the beach, went shopping, went out to eat, went on a sailboat ride, and visited my dad at his convention. It was so much fun! They stayed a week and we all hung out on the north shore for a few days after my dad was done working. It was awesome!

*My mom still tucks me in at night when I am home(: I love having time to talk with just me and her every night. I miss that when I am away at college!

*She talks to me on the phone all the time. Sometimes I call way late at night (because of the time difference) and she will still talk to me as long as I need for. I really appreciate that.

Well, I could write a million other things, really! I love my mom SO much and am SO thankful for her. I hope you have an AWESOME birthday mom!!! I love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA!

2009-03-04T01:11:00.001-08:00

March 4th is my sister, Melissa's birthday!! She is such an awesome person and I am SO glad she is my sister (: A few years ago, we were lucky enough to be roomates for a year and a half in hawaii. It was one of the most fun times of my life! Over this time we have a lot of fun and crazy memories. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. One Saturday we biked all the way from Laie to Haleiwa and back on beach cruisers. We stopped at all of our favorite beaches and places and took lots of pictures. Unfortunately, one of our tires popped and our friend, Nate, had to pick us up on the way back. We were both actually glad though because we were SO tired!

2. Before I even got to Hawaii Melissa told me that she had gotten both of us a job already.... cutting meat in the cafeteria. For those of you who don't know, I hate cutting raw meat. I will do it, but it really grosses me out. Even though I was grossed out the whole time, it was so fun for us to be able to work together. A ton of our funniest memories come from working in the caf. (sneaking desserts, Melissa telling Leva I loved to cut onions so that I had to cut them every time, Melis eating all the eggs and dropping the machine (: ha ha!)

3. We had a few classes together, basketball and volleyball. We were both horrible at volleyball, especially me, and would hit the ball totally out of control over and over again.

4. Once one of us starts laughing, we can't stop. One time we both started laughing out of control for no reason during a prayer at an enrichment activity. We were laughing so hard our eyes were watering. After the prayer, everyone was asking if we were okay and what was wrong. Embarrassing!

These are just a few of my favorite memories with Melissa. I am so glad that she is my sister, she is so fun and awesome and pretty! Happy Birthday Melissa!!! I love you and I miss you tons!!

kahana bay

2009-03-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Saturday was one of the most fun days ever! Me, Sam, and Katie had heard it might be breaking at Kahana Bay. I think that Kahana Bay is one of the prettiest place on Oahu. It is surrounded by huge mountains and waves only break there a few times a year. We drove down there and the waves were PERFECT! We had brought huge longboards, so we grabbed them and paddled out. It was so much fun! We paddled way out to the edge of the bay and then rode waves all the way into the shore, like 1/4 of a mile long!!! Besides us, there were about 20 locals that were all really nice. The waves were breaking across the whole bay, so we all just kept catching wave after wave. After about two hours, we couldn't paddle any more and we were completely numb (it was freezing cold and windy), so we paddled in. It was one of my favorite surfing days ever!

valentines day!

2009-02-15T23:24:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had an awesome Valentines Day! I love holidays and it is nice to have a holiday to be able to show your friends and family that you love and care about them. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family. I love them all so much and I am glad that we are all so close to each other. I am also so thankful to have so many awesome friends.

My Valentines Day was really fun. Me and Jake hung out all day. We watched the sunrise on the Point at 5:30am!! Very early! Actually, we met at 5:30 because that is when Jake guessed the sun rose at, I had no idea. It actually didn't come up until like 6:30 or 7! Then I made banana pancakes for breakfast. Mmm! The rest of the day we went to Haleiwa with Jake's family to look at shops. Then he surfed at the beach park by Pipeline and I watched and took some pictures. I wish I had brought my board because it was pretty small... good for me. I got some cool pictures though. The sky was really pretty because it was raining over par

t of the ocean and clear over part. When it started to get late, we headed back. At night we just relaxed. We got taco bell and watched a movie. It was a really fun day!

Hawaii

2009-02-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

Hi! Sorry, I haven't posted in FOREVER! So I thought I'd post a few pics I took the last Friday. It was the most awesome day, just like every day here! Me and jake went surfing at Turtle Bay and the waves were really fun. There was a kids competition going on there the next day, so there were like 20 little boys and girls out there who were AMAZING! After surfing a few hours, we got one of my favorite things, Acai. I could live off of this! For any of you who don't know, an Acai bowl is a smoothie made with Acai, a berry from the Amazon, and then topped with granola and honey. We ate acai by sharks cove and it was so pretty! Then Jake surfed at Sunset while I took pictures. My friends Sam and Amy were driving by and saw me, so they came to hang out on the beach with me. On the way back home, we snuck into the Turtle Bay hot tubs and didn't even get kicked out. It was an awesome Friday! I feel so, so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. I love everything about Hawaii and I want to live here forever! Every day is so awesome! I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to be where I am right now.

a visit from my parents!

2008-11-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

Last week my mom and dad came to visit. My dad was here for a business trip, working in town, so they stayed down there for a few days. Then when he finished working they stayed over on the north shore for a few more days. It was so much fun to be able to hang out with them! Their first night here, my friend, Drew, drove me down to town at 10pm. I got to the hotel at around 11 and showed up at their hotel! The next two days I ditched my classes and stayed in town. My dad was still working, but me and my mom had so much fun! On the first day we looked at shops on the strip and hung out on the beach. At lunchtime we met my dad at the convention center he was working at. He had time for a lunch break, so he got us into the convention. He works as a communication engineer, dealing with computers for Best Western hotels. Every year they have a huge convention in a different part of the country. It was really fun walking around the center and seeing everything there. They had a lunch there and it was amazing! They had flown over a special chef from New York to fix the food and it was definetly worth it! They had really healty sandwiches and salad and also a lot of curry and Indian food. After lunch we hung out at the beach more and went to the hot tubs! Then we had dinner at Dukes, with hula pie for dessert. If you have never had this, you have to try it, its amazing- a HUGE piece of ice cream pie on oreo crust with hot fudge, macadamia nuts, and whipped cream! Sorry to go on and on about all this food, but it was really fun to eat out places, because I am used to having the same exact meals (usually pasta and sauce or quesedillas) for two weeks in a row! The next day me and my mom went on a sailboat ride and it was SO fun! I got soaked! The rest of the day we hung out at the beach. Then we had dinner at Macaroni Grill. It was so fun to spend time with my mom, she is the best! At night, my dad dropped me off in Laie, so that I could go to my 7am class in the morning. They switched to a condo at turtle bay in the morning, so the rest of the trip we hung out on the north shore, my favorite! The next few days we went to Waimea, Sunset, Turtle Beach and a few other beaches. We ate at all of our favorite places on the north shore, got shave ice, and relaxed at the condo. On Sunday, my mom and dad made a big dinner for some of my friends and roomates. On their last morning, we went to Hukilau Cafe for breakfast. Afterwards, it was time for them to drop me off, so they could go to the airport. It was really sad to see them go. I am so glad that they were able to come down here though. I feel so blessed that I have such an awesome mom and dad and so blessed that they are able to visit. I miss them and love them so much! Here are a few pics of me and my mom. I don't have any with my dad, because those are all on my mom's camera.

i got tagged...

2008-10-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, Sorry it has been FOREVER since I posted... (: My friend Dan tagged me and I'm supposed to list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts, and then tag 5 other people. So here they are:

3 Joys:
1. My family- I am so thankful for the awesome family that I have. It is so much fun hanging out with all of my sisters and my mom and dad. We have so much fun together. My favorite memories are trips to Hawaii and California, just hanging out at the beach and playing in the water all day long. We all have the same sense of humor, so it is so fun when we are all together just laughing about random jokes.
2. Friends- I have so many awesome friends that I am so thankful for. Going to school in Hawaii, it is fun being able to have friends from all around the world. It is sad when people leave, but I feel blessed to know so many awesome people. I love my frineds that I can just sit around with and have deep talks with, but then laugh about dumb stuff too!
3. The Ocean/ Beach- It has been such an awesome opportunity for me to go to school in Hawaii these past three years. I have always loved the ocean, but living in Hawaii has made it such a big part of who I am. I love waking up in the morning and hearing the waves crashing. I love love love surfing!! I love running on the beach and jumping in the water afterwards. Pretty much I just love the ocean and never want to live anywhere far from it ever again!

3 Fears:
1. Sharks!- I am really scared of sharks. I have never actually seen a big one in the ocean, only a small reef shark, but I have been out surfing a few times when people have seen them and it freaks me out!!! It isn't enough to keep me out of the water, but my worst fear is being attacked by a shark.
2. Cockaroaches- Okay, these are a little bit less dangerous than sharks, but they still scare me a ton. The roaches out here are mutants, and they grow to be HUGE! A few days ago a monster one was flying around in my room and I just screamed and ran out until some guy came and killed it. My roomies always know when I see a roach because I can't help but scream.
3. Getting Old- Sorry to copy you Dan, but this is one of my fears too. I don't want to get old and not be able to do all of the things that I love to do now.

3 Current Obsessions/ Collections:
1. Sea glass- I love sea glass! It is just pieces of glass that get foggy and rounded from the ocean, but it is so pretty. I am always collecting it to decorate things with.
2. Lost- I am obsessed with the tv show Lost. I usually don't get into tv shows, but this is one show that is addicting!
3. the ocean- I know I already put this, but it is something I am obsessed with. I have to go out to the beach at least once a day and am out there every second that I can in the day!

3 Facts:
1. my favorite animal is a sea turtle
2. i broke my leg on the trampoline when i was four
3. i love COOKIES!!!

K, I tag: Brooke, Brittany, Ally, Mom, and Chelse. (:

I'm Back!

2008-09-12T02:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while since i've posted anything. I am back in Hawaii now! It feels so good to be back here. I do miss my family tons though. They are so awesome and we had so much fun this summer!

Since I have been back, things have been really good. I have all new roomies in my house. They are all really nice and fun. But anyways, lately I have been busy with classes, work, and surfing. Here is my typical schedule: I have class until noon, then I do some homework and have lunch. Then I usually go surfing for about three hours, then running on the beach. After that I have dinner and go off to the library until late! It is busy, but the perfect schedule!

Yesteday seemed like a looong day at first, but it turned out to be really fun! I'm working for catering again this year, it is an awesome job! Yesterday I had to work for a few hours catering an event by myself, since eveyone else had class. I was carrying a huge tray with a lot of dirty plates, food, and silverware on it. I was trying to open a door with my foot and I finally got through it when one of the cooks, who was behind the door, and me collided. Everything went everywhere and it was so noisy! Then I had to rush out and bring eveyone their desserts. They were all asking me if everything was okay and being so nice!

Then after work one of my friends, Poppy, came over to fix my bike. I found an old beach cruiser and it is almost ready to ride, it just needs a few things fixed! Then we went surfing at goats with a few other people. It was so nice and beautiful out in the water.

I feel so blessed to be able to live in such a beautiful and spiritual place. Every day, I have so many opportunities to feel the Spirit and see the influence of the Lord in my life. I am just so greatful for my life!

After we all paddled in, it was pretty dark. When we tried to drive out of the park, we realized we had been locked in by a gate. So, we had to call 911 and the police came and let us out. We didn't get home until about 8:00. I had to go to the library and then back to work at nine, so I ate dinner and then rushed off to the school.

It was a busy day, but so much fun! I love living here in Hawaii!

First blog!

2008-08-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

Hi! Well, this is my first blog! I thought it would be fun to keep in touch with family and friends with this. Right now I am home for the summer, working in Arizona. I go back to Hawaii in 2 weeks to start school again. It has been really fun to spend time with my family here in HOT arizona! I will miss them a ton! I am also really excited to go back to Hawaii though. I have been dying to go surfing, run on the beach, and see everyone there. But anyways, it has been a good summer. I got to go to a big family reunion in snowflake with my family. I went on a trip to Rocky Point, Mexico with my friend Sarah. I have also been able to spend a lot of time with my family here. I am so glad that I have such fun sisters and family to hang out with. My summer jobs have been really good this year. I am a nanny for two families, one family with a little boy and girl and one family with three boys and one girl. It is really fun. I pretty much just hang out with the kids and take them swimming and to do other fun activities. I also teach two yoga classes every saturday. That has been so awesome because I love yoga and have always wanted to teach it. Well, that is my summer in a paragraph. I'll be more specific next time I post! Here are some pics from this summer!

*love to live, live to love*