Diamond Head

Back in December we went to hike Diamand Head with Scott and Ashlyn. There was a beautiful view from the top. Afterwards we ate some yummy burgers at a place called Kua'aina Sandwich in Ward Centers. I felt touristy but there is a fun atmosphere in Waikiki/Honolulu.

Waikiki Beach

Rainbows are everywhere in Hawaii.

Going down these 99 steps was the easy part except that my legs were jello by this time.

Game Night

Saturday our ward had a game night on campus for winning the Turkey Bowl in November. There was bowling, pool, ping pong, air hockey, karaoke, and guitar hero. These are some of the good friends we've made here.

Larissa and Ryan Chase
Mike Denning and Rob playing guitar hero
Rose Bradfield and me playing guitar hero
Spencer and Amberly Duncan & Scott and Ashlyn Bigler
Rose and me bowling
Us
Mary and Shane Boyd
Matt, Miha, and Asher

crazy Rose
Leah and Taylor Stimmel
Derek and Hillary Williams
Mike and Chelsea Denning

Christmas Vacation Blog?!

Yes, I know it has been forever since I posted. This will be quick. For Christmas break we flew in to Salt Lake and got to attend a temple session in the SLC temple for the first time. It was beautiful and a neat experience. A few days after being in Rexburg we drove down to Smithfield to see all of my family. It was the first time we were all together since Kim's wedding in 2002! We had a pre-Christmas celebration late at night when Mom, Dad, Anna, and Will finally made it to Grandma's after a long trip across the country. It was fun to all be together and open gifts. We spent the rest of the time in Rexburg except for one more trip down to Utah to take family pictures. We had a fun time seeing all our family members. We even got to see Rob's grandma and grandpa Joe in the Phoenix airport during our layover home. We miss everyone but we have lots of photos to look at.

Hukilau Beach

Thursday we went with our friends Matthew and Jessica Hyde to Hukilau Beach. They moved back to the mainland yesterday so it was nice to spend one last time with them. Rob and Matthew boogie-boarded for a while. I got wiped-out within 5 minutes so I got out of the water. After they swam, we built a sand castle. Then we husked and cracked open a coconut they found on the beach. It was tasty. We saw a huge sea turtle, probably 4 ft. long, swimming in the water. Sorry no pictures. It was a fun day but really windy and it kept raining off and on.

This is one of my favorite beaches to go to by myself. It's close and it's usually pretty warm and calm.
Look what the humidity and ocean water does to my hair. POOF!Matthew trying to ride a wave.
Our castle was complete with tennis courts, secret tunnels, an outdoor pool, movie theater with stadium seating, a mote, and a look-out spot.

Coconuts are hard work to eat but they are worth it to me. Rob says he likes the processed, shredded, sugar-coated coconut better.

Pronounciation

Have you heard the joke where you have someone spell and say a word several times such as "milk" and then ask them what cows drink and they're supposed to say "milk" instead of "water"? I substituted this week in a 5th grade class in Kailua for 2 days. On Wednesday a girl came up to me and asked me to spell "fort" 4 times, say it 3 times, spell it 2 times, and say it once more. Then she asked, "What do you eat soup with?" I don't know about you, but by 5th grade I knew fork was spelled with a k.


That class also pronounced all their 3's as "free." A different 5th grade class I was in on Friday pronounced their 3's as "tree."


And according to pronounciation here, one of Santa's reindeer is named "Cupit." When the Kupuna asked a boy to name one of the reindeer and he said "Cupid," Auntie Kai started laughing and thought it was cute that he pronounced it with a "d" instead of a "t." I was the one that was really laughing though.

Little Women

Lately I have been reading Little Women. It is a good book and actually makes it feel more wintry here, even though I take it to the beach to read. I like to compare the girls in the book to my sisters and me. I know Louisa would be Jo because she loves to write and be creative and do things spontaneously. Kim would be Beth because she loves music and is (or used to be) quiet, sweet, and helpful :). I would probably be Amy because I was always worried about my nose, clothes, and looks and used to being a little spoiled. That leaves Anna as Meg since she is the oldest sister. Of course our mom is as wonderful as "Marmee." I'm about halfway through the book. I watched the movie a long time ago but have forgotten what happens.

Happy Birthday!

Today is Rob's 29th birthday. What did he decide to do to celebrate? Homework. Like usual. After we eat his favorite meal (beef stroganoff) he'll open presents and eat the Snickers ice cream sandwiches we bought and then we'll watch a movie-our favorite way to chill and relax. We thought about going to the beach today but it was raining. Thanks everyone for the calls and cards. Here are some pictures of the birthday boy. So handsome!