Shoes.

I've been checking blogs like mad lately--usually catching new posts before google reader--pathetic I know. But the thing is no one seems to be updating enough to quench my stay at home all day every day on the computer thirst for new blog posts. (Did you get all that?)

I've decided to take matters into my own hands. So here is a post about my shoes.

I love them.

I like how they have bows--I've recently discovered I have a love for bows.

I bought them at Savers and wasn't too sure about them, but they were, in the end, a good buy.

Recently they have started giving me a blister on my right pinky toe.

Sad.

But still happy about the bows.

Really?

I woke up around noon and checked some blogs. I read one that said Laie was flooding.

I thought to myself, "huh?"

Then I read an emergency email from the school saying that the Stake Center was open as a shelter for students who needed it and the Old Gym was open as a First Aid center for the community.

Also volunteers were needed to help fill sandbags.

Also the graduation banquet is postponed until tomorrow.

Apparently outside my door a major storm raged all night long and left things like this...


and this...

That is my bishop, in a kayak, in the middle of the street.

You can see these pictures and more here.

And then you will have seen as much of the flood as I have.

Drugs?!!

Is anyone in HI going to Wal-Mart or Kaneohe? I really need some pills.

I was running out and feeling much better so I quit taking them - yesterday was one of the yuckiest days of my life. But that is a story for another day, when it won't make me sick to tell it!

Anywhoo, if you or someone you know is leaving Laie I could use some help!

Plenty Mahalo.

Why?

How come no one told me about Dispatch sooner?

Shoots

I have always wondered if, hoped that, and wished upon stars that I could be one of "those" pregnant women. You know, the ones who don't gain ANY weight at all and just get this adorable belly.


Turns out, I am one of those women who actually carry the baby in their thighs instead of their stomach.

I didn't even know there were such women.

ew

Somehow feeling better didn't automatically translate into enthusiasm to clean my house like I was hoping it would.

I'd post a picture but some of you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore.

False.

I am feeling (knock on wood) quite a bit better today

+

Li is on campus all day doing homework
_______________________________________
My house is going to be clean for the first time in weeks.

Busy

I recently went to Iraq in the middle of the night and rescued 3 little girls. Before that I was an Olympic diver with one of my old roommates. Last night I got a new job and as part of my training I had to test the breakfast bar. I ate whole wheat pancakes, french toast sticks, bacon, eggs and fresh pineapple and strawberries. Then I woke up for a second. When I fell back asleep I watched/starred in a full length movie with Tom Hanks and Nicole Kidman.

My sleeping life is SOOO much better than my waking moments. Small wonder I managed to stay asleep until 2:00 in the afternoon!

I'm so hungry

Last night I was sad (again) and I finally burst in to tears and admitted, "I want to go home."

Li, in an effort to calm me down, said, "No. Home is boring. You don't need to see your family."

And through my tears I responded, "Noooo, I just want the food."

He then proceeded to name all the food related perks of being at home while I cried harder and harder. Things like...someone is always going to Wendy's or TacoBell. There are family dinners and birthday parties all the time. I can always count on finding something to eat in one of my Grandma's pantries or even an aunt or uncle if they aren't home. There are restaurants nearby....

And what I REALLY want to eat right now is birthday cake (slash "lard cake") I'm sure someone at home would support me in that craving!

Newsworthy

After a recent midnight dash to the toilet Li asked me why I was sad. Hmmm....good question. Besides the obvious-I hate puking response, why was I sad?

Here's why...
I feel like the world should stop when I have to sprint to the bathroom. I mean, Li does a good job of bringing me water, rubbing my back and seeing if I need anything. Really, I am quite spoiled.

But doesn't it just seem like the WHOLE world should stop? Like news reporters and even the paparazzi should be banging down my door trying to be the first to catch the story of the incredibly selfless woman who is going through all of this trauma just so a new baby can be born?!

I think so.

I guess pregnancy really does prepare you for motherhood....I'm going to go sick the paps on my mommy.

Good news...

Turns out I CAN play an F chord on my guitar. I always thought I couldn't because it always sounded like junk when I tried.

All I had to do was strum one less string.

This opens up a whole new world that was previously slammed shut in my face!

Yippee Skippee!

My first tag!

Yea, somebody tagged me by name. That never happened before!

Basic rules....List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts, and then tag 5 other people. Leave a comment for the people you tag so they know they have been tagged.

3 joys:
Unisom and B6. It seems to be helping and I haven't thrown up since last Friday. (knock on wood)
Going for walks with Li. Such a fun tradition we have started since I've been pregnant.
Li. He puts up with so much and still gives me a foot rub almost every night!

3 Fears:
The dark and what might be lurking.
Missing out on something. This has been my biggest fear since I was very small.
Not reaching my potential. I always think I'm supposed to be doing something else.

3 Current obsessions/collections.
Blogging. This might border on addiction.
Reading about pregnancy stuff. Again...addiction?
Finding an obsession...I am a little obsessed with finding a hobby or passion. I don't think I have one, besides blogging which does not count!

3 Surprising facts.
I hardly ever shave. TMI?
I can touch my nose with my tongue. A skill I inherited from my mommy.
I've run 2 marathons. Which you'd find really surprising if you watched me try to run lately.

I tag Mikensi, Jennifer Washburn, Mikki, Alysha and Amelia.

How lame am I?

photo via flickr

It's Friday night and I am home alone watching the Kahuku game.
And loving it.

We have a winner......

and it's Brynne!!!

Congratulations to her and to all of you who entered. Way to be so creative!

And no congrats for me, as this is a really boring post.

Last Chance

The winner of Lisa's amazing card giveaway will be chosen this weekend. So Saturday is your last day to enter. Hurry! And have a happy halloween!

Lucky Day X2

I'm giving you 2 reasons to shout for joy today!

#1 The details of Lisa's card class are finalized!
Wednesday October 29th, from 7:00-8:30 PM.
There is a $10 class fee.
You need to preregister by calling 435.628.4344
or in person at Roberts (720 W Telegraph St
Washington, UT 84780)

I have the supply list if you are interested or you can contact Leese.

#2 Lisa is giving away cards!!!!
This lovely set could be yours--free!
Just leave a comment about something creative you've done recently, and you'll automatically be entered to win.

Oh and if you happened to miss the interview with Lisa you can check it out here.

Desperate?

Li has been so good about this whole pregnancy thing. He is always making me food and making me eat it. Since I pretty much have to force feed myself he'll ask things like, "Did that go down okay?" In fact how well different foods "go down" has become our main topic of conversation.

Today while I was re-watching The Office (once a week for 30 minutes just isn't enough) a commercial came on touting the "drinkability" of Bud Light. Drinkability seemed like such a pleasant word. I thought, "Oh I bet that stuff would go down really nicely."

Then I remembered it was beer. And beer is bad for the baby.

Details?

So I went to the doctor the other day for a UTI, the 2nd love of my life. She prescribed an antibiotic. I asked her if I should take that if there was any chance I was pregnant. She said no and decided to test just in case. The tester lady came in with a slip of paper and it said positive on it. Time pretty much stopped. I was REALLY hoping the little slip of paper would say positive on it, but it's another thing when it actually does say it. Whew.

To answer your questions...

• We are almost 6 weeks along and due sometime around June 12th.

• Right now I think it will be born here in HI, but that may change.

• I am not puking, but almost wish I could. Almost. I feel sick all day long and have to force myself to eat anything. I'm pretty sure I weigh less than what it says on my drivers license.

• We are both stoked about this.

• I think about all the bad things that could happen all day long. Paranoid, would probably be a good word for it.

• Did I mention we are really excited?

This is me pretending to look pregnant. he he he

Does anybody know how to read these things?

Meet the Maven: Lisa Johnson

Today I am adding a new feature to the blog. There are many amazingly talented people around me who are doing incredible things. I want to showcase them and we are going to start with Lisa Christine Hillier Johnson. (Better known as Leese.) She's the one who made the awesome cards on the side of the blog. I first met her when we got stuck in a new period for lunch in middle school. We both looked around and realized that we didn't know anyone. Some how we decided to be friends and we have been ever since. What a lucky day that was for me! And what a lucky day this is for you...you get to meet Lisa, one of the kindest, most genuine people you will ever meet. Who happens to be so good at making cards that she is going to start teaching classes!

Jen: Where can I buy some of your adorable cards?

Leese: You can buy my cards online at www.leese1015.etsy.com or you can contact me directly. I don't do so well with big orders though. I do have a day job, people!

Jen: What is your day job?

Leese: Right now I am the Operations Officer for Town & Country Bank. It's somewhere I never in my life thought I would be. I'm a supervisor and pretty much in charge of the whole deposit side of the bank (which means I do everything that has to deal with your deposits, withdrawals, online banking, ATM/Debit Cards, and so on, and that I don't do loans). One day, though, I hope to completely remove myself, career wise, from banking. My goal is to someday be a freakin' awesome mom who has a successful, creative side job.

Jen: What got you started?
Leese: The reason I made the first few cards is because I had just left a job where I had a lot of customers that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to. I decided to make the cards to tell them why I left and that I had enjoyed helping them over the years. Now I pretty much make them to keep myself this side of Postal. They calm me down, center me, otherwise my right-brained side starts freakin' and it's not pretty. They help me realize that I'm not just "that bank girl". I'm so much more than what most people see and the cards help me show people that.

Jen: What do you like to do when you aren't making cards?
Leese: I love to hang out with my HOT husband! I love to go to the Movies! I like to see friends and family when I can. I love certain TV shows; The Office, Big Bang Theory, Supernatural, Biggest Loser, (don't bother me when those are on). Last but not least I love to take pictures! Hopefully a hobby that will turn into a career someday.



Jen: So it's true that you are a photographer too?

Leese: Yepper! At least an "aspiring" photographer. I've done family pictures, senior pictures for a friend, and some baby photography. I'm trying to expand my non-human portfolio too. I have a great picture of a cow.

Jen: What would you do if you won a million dollars?

Leese: Buy a house, get a puppy, quit my job, have some kids, totally pursue my photography. All in that order. I can't have kids till I have a puppy and I can't have a puppy until I can have a house. It makes sense to me, it doesn't have to make sense to anyone else. But if you want me to attempt to explain it, just let me know.

This one's for Alysha.

See how much fun we have in nursery.
Aren't you glad you stopped by?

Have you ever seen these websites where you can predict what your kids will look like?
Apparently Li and I are going to adopt.

huh?

they are closing my temple for a year and a half. did you even know they could do that? i didn't.

Proverbial dinner

I love this proverb so much I hung it on our wall.

"Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fattened ox and hatred therewith."

Just as an FYI...half a loaf of french bread and a large chunk of butter right before bed is NOT a good dinner. Nor is it a good idea. And love won't change that fact.

Oh no!

Li just came home and said that our other moped isn't working right. You know what this means right?

We can't go to campus to watch The Office!!!

Does anybody know how to fix it? Or want to come get us to watch it at your house? :)

Chef Li

Have you ever seen a prettier dinner?
This was Li's creation and it tasted every bit as yummy as it is beautiful!

I ate the whole thing with chopsticks...I think I'm turning Japanese.

First and foremost...

THE OFFICE IS BACK ON TONIGHT!!!!

I'm pretty excited.

Artsy

find more comics like this one here

I have decided to unleash my right brain. It has been locked up for way too long. I started carrying a book with me to write down all my ideas and my camera to record inspiration. Li told me that most of art is just convincing other people that it's art. I may not be good at art, but I'm pretty good at convincing!

I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Longish, but oh so good!

Here's a little story from devotional yesterday. Elder Kieth R. Edwards from the Second Quorum of the Seventy spoke. He was sharp, witty and very thought provoking.

"Some time ago I was interviewing a young missionary who had been in the field for about 3 months. He indicated that he wanted to go home. As I made inquiry he explained that things had really gone sour for him. The first challenge was adjusting to the funny food he was having to eat. I asked if that was the only reason why he wanted to go home. He explained that that indignity was followed by jet lag and a cold.

I then asked, "Is there anything else?" He said that his companion didn't think the way he did and was hard to get along with and hard to understand.

My response again was, "Is there anything else?" He answered that he was miffed that his language skills didn't come faster and that it was hard to understand the people.

Finally he shared the "coup de grace" -- he got a "Dear John" from his girl friend back home.

I asked him, "Which of these problems that you have had was a surprise to God?" He seemed startled and asked me what I meant.

I said, "Do you believe in an omniscient (all-knowing) God?"

He stammered for a second and replied, "yes."

Then I asked, "So if you believe in an omniscient - all-knowing - God, did He know that you were going to have all of these problems before you came into the mission field?"

He answered, "well, I guess so." I then said something that really caught him off guard. I said, "He must really hate you!"

After he got over the shock, he smiled and said, "No. Father in Heaven loves me."

I then asked him the question that he was now waiting for: "If God knew that you were going to have all this torment before you came into the mission field, and if He doesn't hate you, why would He allow all these things happen to you?"

Again, he smiled and suggested, "maybe I'm supposed to learn something."

His challenge was that he wanted the lesson without paying the price. He wanted faith, but did not want to act or persist or endure. Faith is an "action word."

Click here to read the rest. (Or you can watch it--way more powerful that way.)
Only 11 more days until General Conference!

Here is something I think is funny...

Last week I went to campus to meet Li for devotional. (One of the perks of being unemployable.) I found this cool spot in the parking lot and thought to myself, "That looks like it was made for mopeds." I promptly parked.



After devotional I got to thinking and told Li that maybe I wasn't supposed to park where I did. He asked where I parked and I told him it was between two handicapped spots. He agreed that I shouldn't park there. But I was still confused and asked what the spot in the middle with the cool diagonal lines was for.

He laughed and informed me that it is for the people with handicaps to get out of their cars. Hmmm. What didn't I think of that?

Does anyone out there in the blogosphere want to hire me?
I'm really good at lots of things and people usually like me.

Just letting you know that I'm available.

Tonight's the night

Guess what comes back tonight.....

(the answer was HEROES.)

But if you missed it you can still get caught up here.

Happy fall to you too.

We don't really have seasons here in Laie. But I guess the weather wanted to mix things up a bit so we could pretend it was fall here too. We got rain dumped on us this morning!

Which is only really unfortunate because Li's moped decided it wanted to hang out at the temple for a bit and refused to start when he came out Saturday afternoon. We smooshed onto my moped to go to campus this morning (in the pouring rain) only to discover that she was out of gas.

Doesn't life just make you giggle?

And the best part of my day is that I am currently filling out a job application to work at BYUH food services.

(this is my mad face)

Edited to inform you that: Food services won't even take me!

And now the moment you've all been waiting for....

WE GOT MOPEDS!!!

We love them so much. We no longer spend hours waiting for the bus. We can make plans with friends and be at their house in 10 minutes instead of an hour and a half. We don't have to hitchhike to church anymore. Life is great, all because of our new wheels!!

(P.S. I totally did not mean to drag that out so long but Li wouldn't let me post it until I had a good picture.)

Oh boy.

We have some big news coming soon. Really big.
(PS Li's not pregnant and neither am I.)

Reincarnation

I think we shouldn't have killed the roach. I'm pretty sure he came back to haunt me in the form of a mouse. Suffice it to say lunchtime found me standing on a chair reaching for my phone to call Li. Only to hear that he wouldn't be home for 3 hours and I was on my own.

Just me and the roach-turned mouse.

Ugh.

an additon to our family

This is who came to Family Home Evening tonight....


Jen

Li

and this little guy.

Actually he was GINORMOUS.

Happy Sunday Morning

These words...

Because you are so valuable, some of your trials may be severe. You need never be discouraged or afraid. The way through difficulties has always been prepared for you, and you will find it if you exercise faith.

are true.

For more go here.

I shouldn't complain about waiting for the bus...

I realize that not everyone has such an amazing view while they wait for the bus.
Still I can't wait until we get mopeds!

ChaChaCha

If you haven't heard of ChaCha yet check them out here. Or just text a question to 242242. And yes, I did apply to be a guide. So yes, after I pass my tests, I will be one the people answering all the questions.

Although I think it would be funnier if I just got the message in my inbox inviting me to be a ChaCha guide and I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about!

This little message in my inbox made my day....

Congratulations! You are invited to become a ChaCha Guide!

Sissy pants

All summer long I BEGGED Li to lift weights with me this semester. He was not very receptive to my pleadings. Then he found out he had to take fitness for living and the other day he informed me that he was going the gym in the morning. I wasn't invited. Que raiva! (funny that my anger just expressed itself in Portuguese!) Turns out he was kidding. And as you can see from this video, this is no laughing matter!!

Okay on second thought it's actually quite funny how pathetically weak I am.
(Li would like me to add that this was not where we went to workout.)

Miracle #2

My dad doesn't smile in pictures.

But on our last day in Utah Li made Kalua Pig.

Still haven't found what I'm looking for.

This one time Li lost his sock. Then he pinned the other one on the wall and offered a million dollars to whoever found its missing partner.


I'm still looking for that lost sock.

Huuuhh.....Li just informed me that I already found the sock. I guess I'm still looking for my one million dollars.

aloha 'oe

We miss you guys!!

yep.

So our summer didn't turn out anything like we planned. But it was glorious. Here are a few highlights...

Li got to see his mommy. And his dad. And all of his brothers and sisters.
(who are scattered all over the usa.)

I got my hair chopped!

We went to Jackson Hole.

And Yellowstone.

And we wakeboarded.


Plus we also went to San Diego, hiked the Narrows, partied in Provo and lots more fun things. Somehow we managed to not take very many pictures this summer. Ooops!

Now we are back in paradise and I must say it is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. There are almost 4 miles between us and campus. 4 miles that involve a big hill, scrounging for change for a bus, generally a long wait for the bus, the actual bus ride and then another 1/2 mile walk to actually get there. Hopefully we can remedy this situation quickly!

But things are actually going really well. We've been able to spend lots of time with friends, we like our new house and our new neighbors. And we are having fun laughing at some silly adventures together.

help?

Is anyone out there in Hawaii and able to pick us up from the airport Monday morning?

on the road...

On our way from Florida to Utah we saw lots of funny things. Like this place called South of the Border. Words can't explain. These pictures really can't either, but take a look at them and then let your imagination go wild. And then next time you are between North and South Carolina and you see the billboards, stop. You won't regret it!!



If for nothing else, at least go for the free golf.