Dad's Christmas Trip!

Christmas has come and gone and so has an entire year. It's crazy! My Dad's trip was a lot of fun and very busy busy busy! Since it was his second time (this year) we did a little less touristy things and did more island adventures and just hanging out. Christmas was low key but we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Formaggio in Kailua with a huge bowl of Lobster Mac and Cheese. Can't go wrong there! His trip seemed to end just as fast as it started but it was definitely a fun time and I am glad I wasn't here celebrating Christmas alone!

Here is our 2 week adventure in photos:

Here he is, Mr. Aloha himself.

I made him dress up, however I did not make him purchase.

Dad wanted to see every sunrise on Lanikai. While he made

a valiant effort, a few times that need to enjoy vacation

in bed set in.

However, this was his first of the trip:

Dad's first real experience up on the north shore.

AND his first taste of a Loco Moco, which he loved,

of course. Meet, gravy, egg, rice. Who wouldn't?!

Thank you Ted's Bakery.

Also while up on the North Shore, we ran into

these little guys at Hale'Iwa beach park. It's a little

known secret, mostly just by locals, which means the

beaches aren't crawling with tourist and these dudes can

just relax in the sun.

Apparently 300 feel is the legal limit when it

comes to how close you can stand to the turtles. This was

information I clearly didn't know before hand.

We also consumed several calories during dinners

at the other Ted's... Teddy's Burgers. I think if

they had one of these in Billings, he'd be broke and

800 pounds.

The dream, which we didn't get to last visit, was to

golf in Hawaii, but more importantly, in Hawaii in December.

Royal Hawaiian Golf Course came to the rescue and we

snagged a tee time for one golfer and his personal caddy.

The whole course was absolutely beautiful and while

I didn't care to pick up a club myself, I really enjoyed cruising

around in the cart and seeing the scenery.

(The view from the club house. Truly amazing!)

On Christmas Eve we attended the Sheraton Aloha Bowl

which was Southern Miss vs. Nevada. It was a really

fun game, beautiful weather, and exciting to attend

by second bowl game. After checking out the "selection" of

players, I instantly became a die hard fan for Souther Miss

and what do you know, they won!

Christmas rolled around and while it was quiet and

relaxing for most of the day, I did have to

work that morning. Which wasn't bad because everyone

(mostly) is happy on Christmas day so it was just fun to feel

the Christmas spirit at work. After work, I changed into my

Christmas outfit and set out back down to Kailua where

we did have one gift to open from my sister

Emma and a few other little gifts and cards I received from

family and friends. I will officially have peanut M&M's

to last a life time!

(Christmas tree, Hawaii style!)

Dad had to get his fix at the Turtle Bay pro shop so we

spent some time there. As you can see, we both value golf

very differently :)

We spent one evening enjoying a Luau and Dancing at the

Polynesian Culture Center. I think I have seen their night show

about 15 times now and I swear I could see it 15,000 more.

Before dinner we got to walk around the PCC and

see some of the villages and go on a canoe ride.

He also tried his luck at eating Spam, which is on most menus

here in Hawaii. They love it, and I am honestly not sure

why. Being as picky as he is, I thought for sure he wouldn't

but much to my surprise, he ate his hole meal. He won't

eat Thai food but he loves spam? Ok Dad :)

We did several hikes while he was here, which was awesome

for me because they are on my Hawaii bucket list.

Our first hike was to the Makapuu light house. It's a good

hike, all paved, but a nice incline with amazing

views once you get to the top.

Another hike we did, which was also an incline but not

so leisurely as Makapuu, was the Koko Head hike. It is a

1200 feet rise in elevation, hiking on 1,000 railroad ties,

pretty much straight up. It is an intense hike to say the

least! But after two hours of climbing, stepping, breaking,

drinking, and climbing some more, we made it to the

top and oh my was it worth it! The view of Sandy's, Hawaii Kai,

Hanauma Bay, and Diamond Head were worth the

sweat and pain!

And what better way to end the day than a sunset at

Hawaii Kai.

We did a lot while he was here, but made sure to leave

plenty of time for relaxing and enjoying vacation!

It was a fun trip and I am glad he was able to come one

last time before life takes me somewhere new!

HNL.

This one time, I made SIX trips to the airport in one weekend:

I. Am. Over THIS.

This is my life:

SCHOOL. Shame on me for thinking I could breeze through 17 credits, especially during finals. Holy crud, am I exhausted. It's D-day today, and I only have one final left. It's my statistics final, ironically enough. The class that has given me the most grief all term long! Yes, I should be studying of fit right now by my brain literally hurts. My body hurts, my eye balls hurt. I am running on about 4 hrs max of sleep a night. I almost can't believe it!!! But I am just SO glad it will all be over in just THREE HOURS!!!! It's the final countdown. And I am going to be dragging myself across that finish line with tears of joy in my eyes!!!

Reward? Well, no school for 3 weeks, that much closer to graduating, and my dad gets here on Saturday night! Wait, tomorrow night! It will be a fun 2 weeks :)

Red Raider Nation!

Last night, the famous Kahuku Red Raiders battled the Punahou Buffandblues at the Aloha Stadium and after an on-the-edge-of-your-seat, nail biting war...they conquered. It was such an awesome experience to be a part of! The game was intense, the fans were out of control with pride and spirit for Kahuku...It was truly an experience I will never forget!! Our side of the stadium was a sea of loud, rowdy, red wearing fans...full of cheers, chants, chops, and even a mass flash mob. The win was just the tip of the ice berg in a all night series of rallies, parties, and celebrations. After the traditional school songs and Haka, fans and players alike made the long and noisy trek back up to the north shore. We got to Kahuku around 1am and was greeted with a sea of red...in the streets, on the sidewalks, on rooftops, on hoods of cars, backs of trucks, tops of fences...the road was inhabited with people rather than cars...and happiness, joy, and celebration were in the air! Horns were honking, music blaring, bells ringing, fire engine sirens blowing, fireworks flying...it was truly a spectacle to behold!! I am so lucky to be a part of this amazing North Shore Ohana!! I realize I am just another white girl implant from the mainland but these locals have welcomed me up here with open arms and especially on that night...we were all Red Raiders!! These people celebrate, mourn, rejoice, love, cry, and laugh together as a community. They are all they have on this small little island and I am so grateful to be a part of that love!!!

The honking has subsided, less are wearing red shirts today...but that excitement and sense of pride and accomplishment is still in the air! Go Kahuku...RR4L!!!

Happy giving-of-thanks day!

"This time last year, everything was do different..."

And I wouldn't change it for the world. This Thanksgiving (and every day of my life) I am so eternally grateful for the seemingly ENDLESS amounts of blessings and love that are poured out from the Lord in my behalf. I have an amazing family, incredible friends, this beautiful island, happiness, joy, and love in my life and I couldn't be more grateful. No, life isn't perfect. There have been ups and downs, bumps and bruises, but without all that, I wouldn't be able to live in the sunshine and peace of today. I love my life, I am grateful for all that has been and all that is to come. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

♥Remember to hug the ones you love!

I wish it were't true...

...but it is. It so so so so so so so is true.

...so so so so so so so so so so...

Purrrrdy nails!

OKAY...I am obsessed with the website www.pinterest.com and don't act like you aren't either. (if you haven't heard of it...GO...well, only go if you have time to waste and you like pretty things). I don't have time to waste but I somehow find it :) But that is besides the point...

OKAY, so pinterest.

Pinterest has brought to me a world of ideas and crafty things I want to try but there are a few problems involved with that:

1. There just simply aren't the resources up here on the North Shore (i.e. craft stores, sewing space, etc.) for me to accomplish such tasks.

2. I just don't have the time!

Therefor, I do what I can...which is...paint my fingernails. Ok, that's not all I do but it's all I have taken a picture of. Please disregard my A. chubby fingers/hands, B. poorly manicured fingernails, C. not pretty nail beds/cuticles, and D. poorly painted lines. I never said I was a professional...only that it is fun!!!

What does Pinterest have to do with my nail polish? Well of course I got the idea from that perfectly wonderful website and I tried it out...I don't think I did too bad considering I am not a nail enthusiast, I have a shaky hand, and I tend to veer away from all things "girly"....

SO here is the photo that I saw online:

AND here is what I did for myself:

Not to bad for a little island girl like myself! ;)

(an honorable mention: colors thanks to Zoe Pappas and sparkles thanks to Victoria Mueller. Much Mahalos!)

Meleana Lynn Sheffet.

THIS posting is over due. WELL over due. But technically...it's not. Because she was well under due. Let's start at the beginning... I found myself under a tent of one of the many t-shirt stands at the Swap Meet. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and pull it out only to read a text saying "Emily is in the hospital. Things are good. Say a prayer for her and Meleana." To try and describe the size of the lump that immediately welled up in my throat would be pointless because I am not sure I can accurately describe it. I found tears running down my cheeks and I knew instantly the only thing I could do, being that I was so far away, was plead to my Heavenly Father that my friend Emily and her unborn baby would be ok. So I did just that. I am sure many swapping onlookers probably thought I was crazy. The next minutes seemed like hours until I received the next text saying, "Emily is going into have a c-section and baby is coming now!" As it turned out, after hours of concern, days spent in the NICU, several post birth trips to the emergency room, blood clots, breathing problems, etc., etc., I have a very healthy friend who now has a very healthy little baby girl. I couldn't be more happy for Emily and Seni!! I am only sad that I am not there to be a part of such an amazing time in my friends life. I want nothing more than to hold that little critter and make sure she knows that Auntie Erika loves her the most :) SO until that day comes when I can squeeze her and hold her and love all over her, I will just have to pacify my needs and wants with cute adorable pictures of her on my phone, on Facebook, and during our Skype sessions :)

So here she is, my little niece, Meleana Lynn Sheffet, born October 12, 2011 at 6:30pm (6 weeks early!), 3 lbs 13 oz, 17 inches long:

If she only knew how much I love her already!!!!