Not A Gracious Host.....

You may think that I am talking about us going to a party and they weren't very kind, but no...I am talking about a little something I brought back with me from Hawaii. A souvenir that I did not purchase, nor did I ask for, but was thrust upon me due to some sort of unbridled hatred Hawaii has for me.

It all started about 3 years ago when my family took a trip there. When we first got there I had my first body-boarding experience and lets just say that the ten foot waves had no mercy. I was taken down and taken down hard and salt water filled my sinuses. Yep, the next day I woke up with a sinus infection to which I suggested I go to the doctor but was told that we would wait until we got home. So, I spent 6 out of my 7 day trip to Hawaii miserable.

Fast forwarding to a couple days after the Honeymoon. I had been getting the worst migraines the last couple of weeks and a very sensitive neck. So, I went to go visit the ever amazing Dr.Mike Okouchi who did a strength test here and touched my neck there, and he says, "Whoa, your whole body is on lock down....did you get bitten by something?" To which I replied that a couple of mosquito's had bitten me in Hawaii. "Dude, that's not good"

Apparently there was a Japanese mosquito and I was it's Pearl Harbor. It had me in its sights and it left me with a couple of uninvited guests in the form of a parasitic infection. So, he gave me some supplements that started to work almost instantly and now here I am. Why is it that one of my favorite places in the world has it in for me? I guess I may never know....but cheers to Dr. Mike and thank goodness for supplements whose main ingredient is garlic. As my dear wife said, "It is like coming home to an Italian restaurant every night!" Lovely.

Bathroom Toiletries

I am curious; what genius in the pages of history formulated what we know today as "Bathroom toiletries?" Although this post isn't any new information-as a newly married woman, I have come to the stark realization that this world is terribly tilted in an unfavorable direction. How you ask? Examples:



1) THE SHOWER: Why is it that men can purchase their entire showering needs in one bottle? Wash, condition, body, scrub, rinse and done! They don't even need a lufa! I however have 2 shampoo bottles & 2 conditioner (some days you want volume, others you want moisture..switch it up a bit; you know?), 2 bodywashs in differing scents, and 3 different kinds of shaving cream(depending on the area if you catch my drift), 1 razor, 1 lufa, and some cheap soap that was a gift that I don't really use but its in there!



2) THE DRAWER: Contents of my side: hair ties, flat brush, round brush, comb, bobby pins, clips, face wash, face lotion, finger nail clippers, chapstick, stray Q-tips, & 2 toothpaste tubes. (Why I have 2, I don't know, I just realized it the other day). Contents of his side-a razor and more toothpaste (a much smaller tube).



3) THE MEDICINE CABINET: My body spray, eye makeup remover, more perfume, hair smoother cream, delightfully smelly lotion, pills for "girl" needs...and his deodorant.



4) UNDER THE SINK: This is just an array of things that I need and use. MORE lotion (how many bottles do I need?) other "girl" things (you know?), makeup, more soaps, bubble bath stuff, hair dryer, straightener, spare razors, mouthwash...plus a few cleaning supplies. I don't think Mark has a single thing under there.



Which draws me to THIS conclusion-yes I like dressing up, and I don't mind the frills and products that require this feeling. I do however think its funny that the storage needs of a man are a little less...bulky shall we say! Can the corporate offices of "bathroom toiletries" stop creating essential products? Much thanks!

Angels in the Outfield

America's past time! Who doens't like going to a baseball game? Mark had landed a few field tickets for us and some friends to see the Angels play. We were surprised when the weather turned cold after 100+ weather all week, so we froze a little, but enjoyed ourselves none the less.

Mark enjoyed some high quality baseball peanuts. More expensive then they should have been. Both of us had delicious hot dogs, and I got an ICEE just cuz all that advertisements around the stadium said I should. My bad. Grand total baseball meal purchase....$18.00. They don't joke when it comes to food!

We all participated in the ritualistic "crowd wave" which is always amazing to me how it starts and everyone joins in. It went the entire circle of Angels Stadium a few times! Here's to our company Jason and Elsie. Neat friends! We love hanging out with them.

By the 7th inning stretch we were pretty much baseball bored. I think its one of those things that is funner when you're drunk. :) Still, I wanted to go down and do the Angel wing flapping thing from the movie. I'm sure the rest of the crowd would have looked at me strange...sort of like, "this is your first Angels game isn't it." Except for the doobies who have never seen the movie. HaHa.

Lastly, I have our "we were here" picture that didn't turn out well either time. First I have too many chins for comfort but Mark looks amazing. Then our second attempt I fixed the chins but Mark lost the photogenic moment! Whatever.

Yearbook Title

Today we are voting for what we want next year's book title to be. I of course am all about clean lines and timeless themes. These kids don't see that vision.

So I'd thought I'd petition the world. Take the poll and see what you'd think is the best yearbook title. :)

And for your comic fancy-the students had the choice to write down several Title ideas on the white board. Gerald writes "Blue Jeans". Kenny who is standing by responds with a questioned face..."Blue Jeans? Whats' that? This isn't sisterhood of the travelling pants!" Oh how I laughed!

Being Particular

As some of you may know, I really enjoy grocery shopping. I don't know why, I can't explain it, but it is really great! Since the move I haven't been able to find my perfect grocery establishment and its a little sad--I'm border-line frustrated. Henry's has fabulous produce and we'll continue to shop there for that goodness. Vons is a store I enjoy shopping at, slightly overpriced but not out of control. Plus I LOVE their french bread so that's a huge selling point. HOWEVER, the Vons by our house is poorly stocked. Their produce section appears to be a joke. I think perhaps the space is too big so they spread everything out. It just makes it look really empty. Often times I can't find exactly what I'm looking for. It just feels sort of Ghetto. Then there is the glorious Ralphs. Its right around the corner from the apartment. The downside is that their prices are so outrageous that I can barely feel justified shopping there.

So-the moral of the story: a boring post to let the world know that I wish I could go to my amazing Super W or the WinCo in Chino. Amazing stores of shoppingness.

The end

Fun New Gift

See what my husband bought me shortly after our return from Hawaii? A NEW iPod Nano. Super neat.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit behind in the music world. That should translate into A LOT! So, with my new toy, I've been transferring all my CD files into I-tunes. This has turned into quite the time consuming feat but one that will be well worth it!

I'm super excited to be a little more in with the times.

A Myriad of Pictures

These are a few of the pictures David took at the wedding. We haven't seen the professional ones yet, but these are certainly amazing!

Back 2 Life

We both started back at work yesterday. Its not so bad. Copious piles of "need to do" since our 2 week absence but well worth the vacation!

Kaylinn returned to the classroom to the best Welcome Back poster ever made. The students say they spent 2 days on the project. (Wow-guess I should have planned more) If a camera had been taken to school, then the photo would be posted. Perhaps on Monday. We also have new phones. Oooh-snazzy. They have voice mail which is new and improved on our campus. Delightful!

Mark returned to work down 4 colleagues in his department; which makes an interesting feat for scheduling. Disney is trying to fill the holes but seems to be loosing faster then they are gaining.

We are still trying to arrange the apartment to fit our liking. Things need to hung on our bare walls and the spare room has turned into a large storage space. That also needs to be cleaned out. But most of the gifts have a home and we are beginning to settle in.

The Wedding Video

My brother Tom did a phenomenal job on the wedding video...though this isn't the best quality in the world, it deserves to be shown to the world.

Hawaii or Bust

Two Days after the wedding, Mark and I were off to our Honeymoon in the beautiful state of Hawaii. Our flight was slightly delayed which made the whole trip to our destination a little over 12 hours. HOLY LONG! But, alas, we finally made it! Now, most of the Honeymoon surprise had leaked out over the course of our engagement so the ultimate surprise was where we were staying. Mark had rented a house on the beach! Three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and our OWN PRIVATE BEACH. Don't be jealous...okay, maybe you should be. Here is a view from the bedroom, Mark literally lying in our bed. *Please note Mark's foot!*

Of course since we were right on the beach, we enjoyed the most beautiful sunrises. And with the rooster that was right next door waking us up at 3AM every morning, we never missed it. Wonderful!

Our trip was filled with a myriad of good things. Of course the typical trendy tourist spots. The PCC was amazing with the Dinner and Show in the evening. Pearl Harbor is unbeatable and the historian in me couldn't read enough! (Even though I did fall asleep in the movie...sad! In my favor, the narrator was a bit monotone). We hit up the Valley of the Temples where this Buddhist Temple is open to the public. Pretty sure we hit up the MacDonald's across the street for some Chocolate Shake/McFlurry goodness following this picture!

The North Shore is famous for its Shaved Ice and no one can do it Matsimotos...or so they say. Really adventurous people get it with the ice cream and the beans. Yes my friends, beans with your shaved ice. Our personal opinion, medium. I wasn't a huge fan, Mark thought it was okay. I blame it on the fact that I didn't get my "favorite". Cherry is favorite. But if they don't have cherry, then grape cuz Grape is favorite too. :)


We also took some time to see the coast. The weather wasn't what we hoped Hawaii would provide, but it was still warm. Too cold to swim but warm enough to wear shorts and tee-shirts.

Our last stop that was probably my favorite was the 'Iolani Palace. Once the residence of the King and Queen of Hawaii. Again, I am such a history fan, it just was so interesting to see the throne room, and the dining room and think that people actually lived here. The audio was a tad slow in some parts, but overall, a highly enjoyable experience.

We got back just in time for our Orem Reception and see a few pictures from the wedding that our family members have taken. I'm anxious to see them, as I'm sure most of you are! We'll get those up soon I'm sure!