March 2024

Jane has really enjoyed soccer this season. Her team, Myna Birds, is really good! It is with the AYSO, so the scored is not kept at games. But we are pretty sure they have never lost a game (maybe a tie?). Look at the beautiful background we get to sit in while we watch her play!

Hanging out with some of my co-workers from MIS Hawaii.

Hanging out at Kahanamoku Beach with Kristi! My girls absolutely love that they have an auntie here.

I LOVE this picture of Kate with all her freckles! Pretty sure she did get in the water with Koko and Jesse. 

Jane and her friend Jordana. We are so lucky she lives just a few houses down from us!

Egg drop: Third grade rite of passage. Jane worked really hard on this project and her egg was successfully dropped without breaking!

Kate with some of her good friends from school posing right next to her.

Checking out Sweetland Farm in Waialua. They had 2-week-old goats! The goat cheese and gelato were super yummy.

Completing the pineapple maze at the Dole Plantation. Trying to check off some of the touristy things so we know what to tell our guests when they visit. 

Bryan left for Washington D.C. to complete Iron Major Week. And what a perfect time to go- cherry blossom seasons! Unfortunately, this was during the girls' spring break, and I was in charge of trying to make it fun and memorable while still working...yikes! 

One day we hiked the Koko Head Botanical Garden with friends. 

Another day we hike the Aiea Loop trail with Howie.

Another day we went to the mall and tried out the Razor park.

During the end of our Spring Break, Kim and her younger kids came to visit. The first day of their arrival, I lost the keys to the Jeep and had a little panic attack. Turns out, they were inside the piano! We finally made it to Kailua beach and forgot all about the crazy morning. 

Electric Beach: So much fun for the adults and kids. We saw monk seals, sea turtles, and dolphins!

Bellows: A necessary stop as Kim and I both grew up boogie boarding on this beach for 6 years!

Another necessary stop.

 

Happy 2014

January has been super, crazy busy! Here's what we've been up to.

This might be a little sad, but Bryan and I finally went out on a date.  It was a double date, but yeah, we did it.  I guess we've been busy with work and building a house and having a baby. We went to brunch with our neighbors at a little gem of a restaurant in Leesville.

We were mad at the US Mail because they made us put our mailbox on the street instead of on our house like everyone else in the neighborhood.  When Bryan cut down one of the trees, we decided to make a "custom" mailbox. We finally fixed it. 

I was admitted to a hospital in Houston and so glad to see Bryan and Kate the next morning.  It was scary being all alone, without family. Just glad everything went well.   

 Kate has become our little climber.  I've caught her on ladders, buckets, and the arm of the rocking chair.

 We traveled down to Baton Rouge with our neighbors for the Louisiana 1/2 Marathon. Only Bryan could participate, as I was recovering from surgery.  We went to the zoo, which was Kate's first time seeing all the animals.  The weather was perfect!

 Bryan crossed the finish line in 1 hour 43 minutes??,... his goal was under 1 hour 45 minutes, so he did great!

 State Capital. This is where the Louisiana Marathon started and finished.

 Our first snow in Louisiana. Crazy!!

 Since I haven't been to work for the past 2 weeks, I was able to complete a much needed project.  I used Annie Sloan chalk paint and wax and a special brush- it turned out super cute!

What we've been up to...

This past month has been a little chaotic.  We had to move out of our rental at the end of September, but the house Bryan has been working on wasn't exactly livable (no flushing toilets or running water). My good friend Casey let us stay at her place, she's deployed and had a fully furnished apartment- THANK GOODNESS! Oh by the way, Bryan had to go to the field at the end of September too, so it was imperative that we move out early and get me situated somewhere livable.  Anyways, 3 weeks later (October 12) we finally move into our little house flipper.  Bryan is still in the process of putting things together, but there is running water, flushing toilet, and refrigerator.  The basics.  

I don't have good pictures yet of the before and after, but here is some pictures that I pulled from my phone. 

 Granite counter tops- Black Pearl- with under mounted sinks int he kitchen and two bathrooms.  LOVE THEM!

 Some of the siding.  Still have to complete the triangle on top, put on some shutters, and get some grass to grow.

 Kate has not swallowed any nails or screws that we know of,...she is loving to explore in daddy's tool boxes though!

 We put porcelain tile everywhere, except the bedrooms.  Nice for clean up and easy maintenance for a rental.  

 Kate enjoying her new bathtub.  Really slippery because its so new and clean! Oh, and look at those razor sharp bottom teeth!

While Bryan was in the field, I was involved in the Fall Fest for our FRG group.  We raised $100 throwing rings on pumpkin steams.  Pretty fun!

We've been pretty busy.  Pictures to come when I get the chance.  

Sewing

One of my goals this year is to learn how to sew. I want to complete 8 projects by the end of the year. I started out with an easy church bag. I didn't realize how small measurements were and so it is a little too small to be a good church bag (it really only fits my primary piano book). My next endeavor was a skirt. I saw it on pinterest and had to complete it. This one involved pleats and a zipper!

Don't mind me, it's pretty late at night...

Nailed it?

Jesus

My mom gave me a cross stitch project to keep me occupied while away from family and given me something to do in my free time. I do enjoy arts and crafts. Little did I know how long this project would take me. I started in March 2010 before I was suppose to deploy to Iraq. The tour ended up being cancelled, so I continued working on this project. I called the project "Jesus" or "I am going to be working on Jesus". I know this may be a little blasphemous, but everyone knew exactly what I was talking about- my cross stitch project of Jesus. I took a 5 month break when I went to the critical care course in Washington state. I was too busy to work on anything but school work. One of my top goals for 2011 was to complete this project; so I kicked my butt into gear during the summer/fall and worked on it as much as I could on my days off from work. I finished the gosh darn thing on the 22 November 2011! Hallelujah! It took me 20 months to finish this "little" project. I thought I took more pictures of the progression, but I didn't. You can still see the progress throughout the months as you scroll down.










I will be giving this picture of Jesus Christ to my parents for Christmas, so shhh don't tell!

Fabric Headboard

This is my first (that I can remember) Do-It-Yourself project. I've seen a bunch of great results from others' blogs and DIY websites and really wanted to do my very own home decorating project. The website I copied was herecomesgina.com

I had a hard time picking out a fabric I really wanted. I wanted something feminine, but not too feminine. Mostly floral. I also wanted something to match the comforter we already owned... it's some kind of purple. Then I wanted to incorporate some greens because I love greens. Well, I thought the fabric I bought had a olive green (it does look like it), but it is really tan. The fabric is beige with dark brown, tan, and some kind of fuchsia. Bryan wanted me to paint the headboard because we bought really cheap plywood and it definitely had the potential for slivers. Plus, it makes the back look a little less "home-made"?
This picture makes the headboard look extra big. I am not sure yet on the height I want. You can either secure it to the wall like a picture frame, make legs with 2x4's, or use 2x4's to screw into a bed frame.

Now all I need is to find fabric for pillows. My sister offered to help me with this project. I have left over fabric (1 yard) for some fun pillows or art on the wall, but not sure what to do style wise. I was thinking big fuchsia pillows with some olive greens or dark brown pillows with small accents from the headboard fabric? Somebody help me! Kim?