by Melissa Sue Photography

I have an amazing sister-in-law that is a very talented photographer. She was so great to do our engagements and temple pictures and has been so good to take pictures for us at other important events. I don't know if I've expressed to her enough how grateful I am to her for that. So once again, thank you Mel!! I love having all the precious pictures that I have because of you! 

I wanted some updated pictures of us because to be quite honest, its been a while since we've had family pictures and I look completely different. It might be the hair...I'm not quite sure :) So, once again, sweet Mel took the time and talent to take some amazing pictures for us. Enjoy!

and a couple silly ones....

 Thank you Mel! We love the pictures!

Sheesh.

Alright. This is pretty ridiculous. I knew this would happen. I knew that the second I got home I would be too busy to blog…which makes me really sad because although we have been busy with school and work, we have done some really fun things that I wanted to write about! I started a note in my phone that listed all the things I wanted to blog about so that I could do it when I had more time, but that didn’t last too long. Dang. But here is what I do have as a note in my phone:

“Monday night flew home. (Red-eye flights actually aren’t as terrible as I was anticipating. It was nice to have an extra day in Hawaii and then just sleep for most of the flight. AND we didn’t miss any flights! We made it home in a record-setting nine hours.)

Tuesday got home. (My sweet mom surprised me and showed up at the airport to say hello! It was so good to see her and so sweet of her to come. Thank you mom!)

Wednesday went to Lagoon. (So much fun. I’m so glad I made it home for Lagoon day with my family. I was so excited to be able to see Christen and Henry before they left for home. Side note adorable story: While we were at Lagoon I gave Henry $5 for his birthday. We were standing in a gift shop and we looked over and saw Henry handing a giant pencil to the Lagoon worker and digging the $5 out of his pocket to buy the pencil with. So cute! The kid is TWO and he knows that you have to pay for things you want! So cute. Lagoon was a lot of fun and I was so impressed with the kids for being so brave and going on all the big rides. I was expecting to be on little kid rides all day but that was not the case at all.)

Thursday left for Idaho and slept at Grandma Stevens.  (We rode the street bike up and stopped in Logan so that Ry could install a security system in Grandma Stevens house. It was so sweet for her to let us stay the night. She even made us yummy waffles for breakfast. Thank you grandma!)

Friday went four wheeling in St. Charles. (Fun. Always fun.)

Saturday picked millions of raspberries, went boating, and went to the world’s smallest demolition durby. (I now have a million frozen squashed raspberries that I need to make more jam with. Yum! Boating was a blast. I overcame my fear somewhat and went tubing. Dad may have been “nice” to me but I felt like he was going hard! I sure did get a good workout though. The demolition durby was awesome. FOUR cars. Four. Usually there are WAY more! It was still a blast though and I will always love a good demo durby.)

Sunday drove home. (Long ride. Sore butt.)

Monday ran errands and got a hamster. His name is Pepe. (For all of those who are wondering, yes, he is still alive. Although we did have a close call when someone left the cage open. Woops. Good thing we’re smart and put the cage on the ground to see if he would come back at night. He did. And Ry heard him running in his wheel and ran and closed the cage! Close call my friends.)

Tuesday – Friday Ry worked. I did who-knows-what. (This week taught me that I really need to be busy in order to not die of boredom. I guess I should be grateful for school and work.)

Friday visited Emily and her cute new babies. Had a girls night with the Webbs. Played bunco. Lost.

Saturday went dirt biking with pops and Ry. Had a bbq and movie night with Ailin and Jake.

Lupe concert:

2 people I saw pass out.

5 pounds lost by sweating.

1,973 times I checked to make sure my wedding ring was still on my finger.

543 times I checked to make sure my purse was still zipped.

3 times I caught a glimpse of Lupe. Height disadvantage.

0 songs I knew.

2 songs I am now obsessed with.

2 months that my cilia are damaged.

4 hours standing in one spot. Give or take six inches.

7 times my toes got smashed on.

I know I sound like I’m complaining, but I’m not. It was quite the event!

October 5

Lake. Cold! Coat, beanie, wet suits.”

Yup. That’s what I have in my phone! I think that most of it is self-explanatory…except for October 5^th…which was quite hilarious J Ry and I bought a couple lake toys and we decided to ditch school one *sunny* day to take them down to the lake. The funny thing is…no matter how bright that sun is, that has hardly any bearing on how warm it actually is. It was frigid. I’m starting to think that 9 o’clock in the morning is cold no matter what time of year it is. Anyways, I’ll get to the point because heaven knows I do not have time to write and write and write as much as I would love to. SO…we went to the lake, it was freezing cold. I was waiting for Ry on the dock and he comes walking down wearing a half wet suit that is WAY too small for him, a coat, a beanie, and gloves. I was confused as to whether we were going to the lake or to play in the snow! 

Anywhoo….that’s what October 5^th was.

So there are a FEW things that we have done! I’m so sad I’ve done such a terrible job at blogging.

Last semester was a good one. One of the easier ones for me, but unfortunately one of the busier ones for Ry. That’s okay though. He earned a whopping $7 per “A”…AND, he got straight A’s!! That’s right, I snatched a smart one!

The end of last semester was an exciting one for me. It meant that I could take the dreaded test and start working as an RN. One month after graduation and that dreaded test is STILL lingering…torturing me. If anyone reads this, a prayer would be much appreciated! To celebrate surviving the nursing program, we had a pinning ceremony. Kind of like graduation…but just for the students in my class. Thank you to my sweet sister-in-law, Mel, I have pictures to remember this big day.

I want to thank all my friends and family who have been so supportive! You guys rock. I know I’ve been busy and missed important events or just disappeared for weeks on end, but I want you all to know that I appreciate you and love you all so much! (…and miss you!!)

Three weeks of Christmas break seemed to fly by, but it was a nice break. I was able to manipulate my work schedule to have a lot of days off in a row for Christmas and for our Anniversary, which was so nice. Ry was even able to get a week off and we celebrated our 2^nd Anniversary by going to Idaho and going snowmobiling and just RELAXING. It was the best. Thank you mom and dad for a great weekend!

Here is my cheesy blurp because I’m a terrible wife and totally forgot to write a card for Ry for our anniversary…Ry, I love you more than words can express and I am beyond grateful that you are mine FOREVER! I love everything about you and I’m so excited to live life with you and raise a family with you someday (someday does NOT mean in 7 years mister). You’re going to be the quirkiest and BEST dad ever and I’m so excited for that! You have opened my eyes to so many things and have given me the privilege to meet so many wonderful people. Thank you for being the greatest example to me and to everyone around you. You are the most kind, forgiving, considerate, loving, trustworthy, reliable, selfless person I know and I hope that your good example rubs off more on me. You are always serving and giving and it humbles me. You don’t want people to know how you help them, which sometimes kills me because I want everyone to know how pure and GOOD you are. Thank you for always forgiving and forgetting when I do something mean, bratty, or dumb and for always loving me and being willing to hold me when I’m down. I find such comfort in knowing that you are always there for me when I feel that nobody else is. You know me and you know how to make me smile when all I want to do is cry. Thank you for showing me how to live. You’ve showed me that life is SO much more than work. That life is about relationships and memories. Thank you for giving me opportunities to learn something new, even when it means you have to go slow and wait for me. I love you for all your funny little habits – like not putting cups upside-down in the cupboard because you’d rather rinse dust out of your cup than lick the bottom of the cupboard, like licking the top of the toothpaste (and every condiment) so that the lid doesn’t get sticky, taking a bajillion vitamins, criticizing the heck out of movies, making the bed with one pillow in the middle of the bed for your knees, eating a bowl of cereal while you drive to school, and even having me fold your socks in half in a pair rather than rolling them together :) You make me smile Ry guy. I love when you are joking around with someone and they have no idea. I love that I can expect what’s coming (usually) because I know you. I’m so excited to keep getting to know you! I love learning new things about you and about your childhood and about what made you become the man that I am so hopelessly head over heels for. Happy Anniversary love, and here’s to MANY more to come!!

ps: Mel recently took pictures of Ry and I...but I have terrible internet and it took like an hour for the pictures above to load. So...I will put some of those up as soon as I can get access to fast internet!

Our Week With Lil' B

Last week Ry and I got to have Brandon come visit us for a little bit. Because he was here we wanted to do a lot of fun things in the mornings, so we definitely had a busy and fun week!

Saturday

Brandon got here Saturday night and Ry did not want to waste any time. We got home and put a little bit of food in him and then went shell hunting. We found a few cool ones :) they always end up being my most favorite souvenir. I don't have any pictures of them, but I have about a bajillion tiny ones and a good amount of big ones we're bringing home!

Sunday

Sunday we went to our family ward despite Lil B’s insisting that we should go to the singles ward. Sorry bud! Church was really good that week, so I’m glad we went to our ward!

Anywhoo, Sunday we just kind of hung around and showed B a few of the lagoons by our place and then barbequed hamburgers for dinner. With grilled pineapple of course! Mmm. 

We got pictures of B on his camera...and we got pictures of me and Ry on our camera...but we didn't get pictures of all of us on anyone's camera! Oops!

Monday

The adventures really began Monday morning. Waking Lil’ B up wasn’t too terrible, since it was 11am Utah time haha. We first headed to the Maunawilli waterfall hike. The hike went a lot better this year for me…I didn’t fall in any rivers and managed to fall only one time. Success! I got some fun videos of the boys jumping off the cliff.

Ry and B hanging out

This sign always makes me a little nervous to get in the water :) …but it never seems to stop us. Please note that this picture was taken AFTER the hike. 

After Maunawilli we cruised over to our favorite boogie boarding beach – Sherwood. I think B loved it too! We ended up going back again before he left for home. We got to play there for about an hour before we had to leave to get our banana macadamia nut pancakes from the famous Boots and Kimos. Mmm!

Tuesday

Tuesday we decided to take B to (in my opinion the best beach ever) Nanakuli. I didn’t get pictures of us there that day, but Ry and I went again this week and I got some fun videos of Ry skimming and goofing around…so I feel it appropriate to show you these so you can see why I love Nanakuli so dearly.

I do have to say though, that it also can be the most terrifying beach ever. When we went this week the waves were absolutely ginormous. They would hit the beach and then cause a wave to shoot back towards the ocean and then crash into another wave to make a gigantic wave…bah. So scary!

I stayed out of the water and watched most of the time until I got brave enough to go play in it when it calmed down – unfortunately I didn’t get out before a set came in and swam helplessly with Ryan by my side trying to keep me from having a panic attack so I wouldn’t drown. The videos don’t do justice.  I do have to add…you know it’s a rough wave day at the beach when the second you show up the lifeguard hops on his four-wheeler and comes to ask you if you’ve ever been to this beach before. Because you’re white. Gotta love it :)

Regardless, any day at Nanakuli is a good day.

After Nanaku we stopped at what we lovingly call the “turtle beach”. It’s a little lagoon in Ko’Olina that has definitely earned its name. Every time we go there is at least one turtle, and often there are two or three. When we go there we pick seaweed off the rocks and hand feed the turtles. Unfortunately the awesome pictures and videos are on Brandon’s camera. Hopefully I will get to update the blog with them soon!

Wednesday

Wednesday was a very good day. We woke up early and drove to Laie to go to the temple. Beautiful. We were especially excited to go because last year when we lived here the temple was closed for reconstruction. AND, when we went to visit the temple grounds last year Ry had thrown up in the car a couple times and I was super mad that the drivers did not turn around…so it was good to go back when everyone was feeling good and happy and we got to do a session, which is always extremely uplifting and rejuvenating. I love the temple!

After we did a session we walked around the temple grounds and across the street to temple beach. It is such a pretty beach! Ry and I had stopped by there last year at night so it was fun to see is during the day.

After temple beach we started to head home. We did make a couple picture stops and stopped in Haleiwa for lunch at a yummy burger joint that Ry loves.  

 Perfect day!

Thursday

Thursday was our Waikiki day. We did this a couple times last year and loved it so we wanted to make sure B got to do it too! B, Ry, and T-Rah each rented a board. Ry and I learned that it’s best to have someone off a board to help the others catch the waves :) We also learned that is can be dangerous.

This was 100% my fault. I do realize that. Ry warned me multiple times to make sure that the rope wasn’t caught around my ankle or arm. Oops! The crappy thing is…Tarah would have caught the wave had my arm not stopped her board. Dang.

I didn’t get pictures of us with the surfboards (of course), but here are a few Tarah and me with our matching sunglasses!

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3!

Surfing was definitely fun. I got up and rode a few waves all the way in!!

Friday

Friday we kind of slept in and didn’t make a huge effort to wake up early or drive anywhere far to do anything. And it was perfect. We all needed some sleep. We stayed close to home and went spear fishing at we so lovingly call “hidden beach” or “tree beach”. 

A while ago Ry had bought a waterproof bag meant for cameras or phones. Ry decided to use it when we went spear fishing. I’m not going to lie, I was skeptical about the zip lock-looking bag that Ryan was putting his phone into…but it worked great and kept his phone dry! Ry definitely got some awesome pictures and videos!

Can you see the eel?

Saturday 

 Brandon took the bus to Waikiki and Ry and I worked.

Sunday

Church, lounge, and barbeque!

Monday
Sherwood again in the morning and B left that night.


What a great week!

Dolphin Searching "Take 2"

If you've read my blog for a little while, you'll know that dolphin searching "Take 1" did not go so well for us. It resulted in us swimming across a huge bay and begging a tour boat to take us half way back so we didn't have to make that treacherous swim again. If you need a little refresher, please refer to the picture below.

Yes, we swam all the way to that little white dot at the top of the picture searching the water for dolphins that we thought we saw from a mile away. I've circled it in red for your convenience. 


We were utterly disappointed that we missed our one and only chance to swim with dolphins. Our dreams were crushed...


...for a short time until we heard that there were dolphins at Electric Beach! This was such a surprise for us. Last year we lived about five minutes away from Electric Beach and went there very often and had NO idea that dolphins are there frequently. How we never knew beats me. 


I am happy to say that our crushed dreams were uncrushed and we did finally get to swim with dolphins. 

It was SO cool! Some days I'm a little sad that we don't have a waterproof camera. That day would be one of them. The picture above is pretty much what we got to see though, and it was really neat. We swam with them for an hour or so and watched them jump out of the water and spin and play with each other. Absolutely loved it. 


Dolphin searching take 2 was definitely a success. 

The Great Debate

Last week I had a great debate going on inside my head…

                      THIS                    or                    THIS                                                               

                                                       

Last week for an outing our boss took the company sky diving. I have to be honest, I had the hardest time deciding whether or not I wanted to go. Not because I didn’t have a blast when I went last year, but because I have been before and I could have quite the shopping spree instead.

When I told Ry that I was thinking about going shopping instead of sky diving he told me that our grandchildren would be disappointed in me. He said that they would say, “Grandma, how come grandpa went skydiving so many times and you only went once?”

Todd, in my defense replied that our grandchildren would look at pictures of us and say, “Grandma, your clothes are sooooo cool!” He may or may not have said this sarcastically, I can’t be sure.

Ryan retaliated by saying that our grandchildren would say, “Grandma, you have a LOT of clothes you need to take to the D.I. Can we use some for our Halloween costumes?” Rude.

So long story short I debated about it for days. The morning of I still didn’t know. I had decided that whether or not I was going to jump I still wanted to go watch Ry. So I woke up, got ready, made sure I had tennis shoes on, and got in the car. By the time we got to the north shore I had made my decision. 

I did it! I jumped out of an airplane at 14,200 feet!  Last year we jumped at about 10,000 feet so the free fall this year was quite a bit longer. It was amazing. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty scared this time for some reason!  The airplane ride up seemed to take for-freaking-ever and they opened the side door and I was scared I was going to fall out…kind of ironic, huh?  I think my tandem guy could tell I was scared when I gripped the bench we were sitting on.

My tandem, aka Jo, and I jumped first. According to Ryan I looked pretty dang worried when I looked back at him one last time before I more or less fell out of the airplane.

It was amazing. I can’t even describe the beautiful view I saw or the feeling of free falling. I absolutely loooooooved it and I’m SO happy that I went. Ultimately, I chose sky diving over shopping because I knew I would end up regretting it.

Here are some of our fun pictures from that morning!

I guess my grandchildren won’t be disappointed in me after all.