Here Comes the Sun

 {note to self}

*as of late i cannot get the saying "the greatest fear of all is the fear of the unknown." i constantly catch myself thinking about it. i recently watched an excerpt from a documentary "180 degrees south" where one of the characters said that during an interview. the film is about these guys making their way down to Patagonia via the PanAm Highway in the 60's...that should clarify his words. they were embarking on this amazing journey, one unknown to most everyone. i just relate to this adage right now. i just carry so many worries around. i worry where we'll live. i worry when i'll find a better job. i worry if i can even get good grades. i just worry. but just the other day while texting my sister in law i shot this little thought over "have faith, not fear." why would i have the gall to tell her this when i can't even follow my own advice?! it's good, old fashion preaching to the choir syndrome! while i fear our future and worry my life away i have to wonder, where's my faith? i have such a hard time with this though. i feel like one can still worry a little bit...and still have faith. right?

*my two best friends in the whole wide world are my denim girls: ashbabe & jessbabe. love them both. interestingly enough i have met the hawaiian versions of these girls...and then some. my neighbor ashley oborn has been one of my dear friends from the beginning. then there's jess wright who works at the mahinalani gift shop with me. ironically enough they are both from sacramento and have crossed paths before without even knowing it. these two girls have been my sanity and they make my life fun. and there's more...julie tilton aka martha stewart in the making! julie just plain inspires me to be a better wife, homemaker, student and woman! these ladies make me feel loved, there are my temporary family. i love talking story with each and every one...i am so blessed that i have found three girls that i can truly be myself around. good friends are hard to come by.

*the Laie temple is currently open to the public before the dedication on Nov 21. tommy and i have had the opportunity to volunteer with cleaning and ushering. our cleaning assignment was memorable to say the least...we cleaned beneath the baptismal font where the oxen stand. i never thought i'd be nose to nose with one of those guys, let alone twelve! it was amazing. we were on our hands and knees washing the steps and wiping away any possible traces of dust. i love being of service, especially in the temple. we still have not gone on our very own tour, but we are planning on it. i simply cannot wait to have the Laie temple up and running. to think that Laie has been without their temple for over two years! it's unimaginable. i especially love the Laie temple because it so closely resembles the Mesa temple.

*i wish i would take advantage of the nature around me! i was talking to jesse {my bro} recently and he asked how often i get to the beach...i sadly reported maybe once a month, if not that then once a week. of course i go out back, but we rarely ever go spend the whole day at the beach. other than checking out some of the North Shore beaches we really haven't ventured out. we've hit up Waimea, Sunset, Shark's Cove, Meleakahana and Turtle Beach. We did hike Maunawili Falls in Kailua, but that's it! It is really hard to plan awesome day trips because I work almost every Saturday...I hope we can plan more adventures next semester.

*ACAI BOWLS! enough said. i have been thoroughly addicted to these decadent frozen delights. we first discovered acai bowls at Food Fest. it's a frozen smoothie of berries topped with bananas, granola and honey. i crave acai bowls daily and it's hard for me not to act on my cravings. the most convenient place to get them in Laie is Angel's...where they also have acai smoothies. for now i am bigger fan of the acai smoothie because it's way more portable and still delicious! {thank you jess for indirectly introducing me to the acai smoothie} it's SO huge, it takes me about 30 min to finish one. our friends tell us to go down to Kava Roots by Shark's Cove. i guess the acai bowls are even more amazing there...can't wait!

*i also want to report on some clever halloween costumes we saw this year: a pothead {a girl with a huge pot on her head}, brawny man, a tree, white trash, hammerhead shark, robot, a newsie, P90X enthusiast, and the usual. i didn't really have the resources to get into the Halloween spirit this year. I dressed up as "Flo" the Progressive girl and then as Jason Kidd {former Suns player} bc we have an old jersey. i was wiling to be anything just as long as i didn't have to wear my PCC uniform!

*speaking of holidays...we are already trying to plan our little make shift Thanksgiving celebration with some friends of ours. i totally offered to cook the turkey {at someone else's house who actually owns an oven}! i used to love Thanksgiving, but i think my love was lost once my parents sold their house--it just has never felt the same since. SOOOO this year i hope to bring it back in a big way. i love to cook and i love the fall and i love giving thanks. Hawaii Thanksgiving 2010! {ps fall really doesn't exist in hawaii--sad} i've already been thinking of menu items: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, fresh green beans, homemade rolls, my mom's famous orange and cranberry sauce and some pumpkiny dessert with nutmeg-like seasonings. i know this will all change because we'll have to accommodate everyone's nostalgic taste buds, but a girl can dream...

*all of this holiday talk made me miss getting Christmas hot chocolate with ashley & jessica at the neighborhood starbucks {ashley loves their holiday cups & sleeves}. if our weekends were a little slower than we'd like we'd grab a cup of cocoa and chat our worries away...love those days.

this is enough for tonight. it's nice to empty my thoughts...for now.

p.s. photo updates of Navy May: