Have I Ever Mentioned...

...what an incredible view that we have from our house? While looking for a house, we weren't necessarily looking for one with a fantastic view, but it sure has been a nice perk. This past month I have been trying to capture as much as I can of Hawaii with my camera from my back lanai. This first one is a panoramic, with no zoom.

I captured this beautiful sunrise one morning. I just love how the sun streams through the clouds in front of Diamond Head.

This is our view of Diamond Head, Honolulu and Waikiki. On Friday nights during the summer we can watch the fireworks from the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

In this next picture, you can see a little of Pearl Harbor, even though most of it is obscured by the trees.

Here is a better picture of Pearl Harbor taken from our upstairs lanai.

Another gorgeous sunrise.

Even on a yucky day, we are still amazed at the view!

We feel so blessed to have lived in such a beautiful place. As we get ready to move on to Colorado, we will always have a special place in our hearts for Hawaii.

A House is Built with Boards and Beams...

A Home is Built with Love and Dreams.

In the midst of celebrating all of our March birthdays, Chris and I were able to get away for a week to start our house hunting in Colorado Springs. (A big thanks for Grandma Carol for watching the kids for us!) After looking for what seemed like a long time, we found our dream home, and decided to build it. We are beyond excited! It is everything we never knew we always wanted :)

Here I am standing on the lot we chose. In a few short months this is where our house will be standing. 

for any of you that may be interested in the specifics, here is a link to the house we are building :)

http://classichomes.com/floorplanresult.cfm?F_Sqfoot=0&F_series=0&F_bdroom=0&F_btroom=0&F_style=0&F_Model=EA37978E-135A-442B-9C41519F639D0711&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=addtoany

Aloha Kriegers

Meet our dear friends, Bryan and Ellie Krieger. We met this family when we moved to Texas, and we were in the same ward. We instantly hit it off and have remained friends through the years. Bryan had a business trip here on Oahu for 2 weeks, so Ellie came to play too :) Working around Bryan's schedule wasn't too hard. His first day off we took them boating out in K-bay.

Bryan and Corynn trying their hand at kayaking.

Look at this handsome bloke. Even in need of a haircut, he is still a looker :)

Don't forget that sunscreen!

They stayed at the Marriott Ko'Olina Resort, down the hill from our house. They were kind enough to invite us over to play. The kids loved the resort pools, while I loved lounging, and catching up with a dear friend.

On their last day, us girls hiked up to the Makapu'u Lighthouse. The wind was ferocious and the skies a little cloudy, but at least it wasn't hot.

We had our binoculars out, looking for some whales. We saw a few spouts and tail flaps, but nothing too exciting. I guess since it was the end of whale season, we were lucky to even see that much action.

Time flies when having fun with friends. Their trip went by way too fast.

Birthdays, Birthdays, and more Birthdays!

Since 4 of the 5 members of our family have a birthday in March, we are going to lump ALL the birthdays in one post.

Happy Birthday, Chris!

We begin our month of birthdays with Daddy's! Any of you who know Chris, know that he really does not enjoy a big celebration. He is very low key, and enjoys more of a quiet celebration.  

Happy Birthday Masen!

Masen turns 2 years old. Since his birthday fell on a Sunday, we just did a little family party at home.

He loved opening all his little presents. His favorite? The balloon bouquet. He is obsessed over balloons these days. We have to go play with them every time we go to the grocery store :)

When things are a little too quiet, you know this little guy is into something. I found this little mischief maker painting the counter with his cake frosting. Even though I laughed and grabbed the camera, he still knew he was caught :)

Happy Birthday Corynn and Dallin!

This year we combined their birthdays, since they are only 6 days apart. They wanted a party at the Ice Palace, the only ice skating rink on Oahu.

Here is Corynn with a few of her favorite friends Kelly and Emily.

Dallin with his friend MeKail.

Singing Happy Birthday and blowing out candles.

The Great Aloha Run - 2011

I have been looking forward to writing this post for a while now. I should start off by stating that I am NOT athletic in any way. I joke that I am allergic to exercise. When in high school I talked my way out of 2 of the 4 years mandatory P.E. I hate to sweat, and I hate to stink. As I get older though, I have come to discover the benefits of exercise. This past summer I was talking to a friend and mentioned that I would like to start running. She recommended a beginning runners book with a scheduled program. Just what I needed. I committed to this schedule, and decided to RUN my first race - The Great Aloha Run. This run is every Presidents Day in Honolulu, and it goes from the Aloha Tower near downtown, to the Aloha Stadium near Pearl Harbor...8.15 miles. I think it was a little ambitious, but I DID IT!!! I cannot express how proud of myself I am. I know to many, this may be a small thing, but to my little out of shape self, it was a BIG deal. 

Here is my wonderful running companion, Chris. This picture was taken at about 5 a.m. before the race started. 

 I absolutely loved running with my husband. He was just the right person to motivate me to go a little faster. Here we are crossing the finish line together. 

A few weeks after the race we received all the stats from the race. Our time was 1 hr. 35 mins. (I'm still upset about the 5 mins. wasted waiting in line at the porta-potty). I finished in the top 1/3 of women in my age group.

This was such a great experience, both personally and as a couple. I'm not sure I'm ready for a marathon, but you never know...this race proved to me that anything is possible :)

President's Parade

Dallin's school has a fun tradition for President's Day. Each year they choose a few students from each class to represent a President. It is a huge honor, and Dallin was beyond THRILLED to be chosen from his class to represent Herber Hoover, the 31st President of the United States. They are asked to dress like the President would have dressed, then the Presidents and their First Ladies walk through the school in a Parade. After the parade, the school has an assembly where they give interesting facts about each President and First Lady. It is really fun and patriotic. 

Here is Dallin with his (girl)friend, Lauren. She was not HIS First Lady, but they are really good friends.  

Huh?

A friend of mine posted this link on Facebook about a writer obsessed with Mormon housewives' blogs. I found it interesting since I am a housewife who is Mormon, and I also have a blog. Let me know what you think.

Internet Culture: Why I can't stop reading Mormon housewife blogs
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.salon.com%2Flife%2Ffeature%2F2011%2F01%2F15%2Ffeminist_obsessed_with_mormon_blogs&h=01e2f

I actually laughed when I read it. Really? People think Mormon housewives are shiny and happy, with perfect lives, husbands and kids? I admit I know some people who put on this persona, but I hope that anyone who reads MY blog will not be so disillusioned. I am just a normal person, who does normal things. I don't have any extraordinary skills or talents. I am not super opinionated, but I'm also not a pushover. I have good days, and bad days. I believe in accentuating the positive, but that doesn't mean there is no negative. I keep this blog as mostly a family journal, since I have given up on scrapbooking. It is also a great way to keep in touch with distant family and friends (many of whom have given up blogging. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge. I'm getting a little lonely in cyberspace). I guess I can rest assured she wasn't talking about me. I'm just keepin' it real.

And just because I believe no blog post is worth reading without some sort of visual aid, here are some random pictures of my not so perfect life :)
Grandma on the trampoline with her grandkids. Corynn at Bellows beach.Masen trying on Grandpa's cowboy boots. Dallin making a mess of chocolate cake at a luau.Daddy playing around with Masen's pajamas.More chocolate messes.
I love my life, as messy and chaotic as it sometimes is. I am content to be a stay at home mom, and housewife. I tell my husband that being a stay at home mom is monotonous, yet never the same, boring, yet exciting, thankless, yet fulfilling. I consider myself a feminist in that I believe women should pursue whatever they choose. I choose this. It works for me.