I'm Living in Paradise...

Waimea Bay

Okay so I realized today that I hadn't blogged in forever, but guess what? I have an excuse! Because I'm living in paradise where everything is... let's just say... NOT in the fast lane. No, that's not an excuse for not blogging but still, I would definitely say I now live in "Hawaiian Time." And I'm definitely alright with that :)

So it's time to update everyone (and myself) on what has been going on in my life the last two (almost) months! To begin with, let me just say that I have been loving every minute I've had here. From the start I met so many nice people who are kind and welcoming and just happy people. What an amazing feeling. I've also noticed that no one is judgmental here. Everyone accepts everyone, which is such a breath of fresh air. People here are simply happy, and I love it. That's how it should be.

I also love my ward and my Family Home Evening group, which is such a relief! The culture represented on campus is fascinating. It's such a great experience and eye-opener to be able to interact with people from across the world each and every day. I think it's so awesome that some of my best friends here are from China, Mexico, Pakistan, India, Hawaii, Japan, and Micronesia. I'm so grateful for the friends I have made here- for my FHE family, the girls in the house behind us, my roommates, the boys in the house behind us, and of course the boys in the red houses on beach side. I was instantly friends with all of them and our friendship grows each day. I am also SO grateful to Melany and Adam Lang, who have seriously been so helpful. They do Costco runs for me, or even take me along, and they're always so willing to help me out with anything I need.

I've already completed my first term here! It lasted six weeks, and in it I took History of Civilization to 1500, New Testament 1, and Fitness for Life. And I survived taking all of those courses crammed into those six weeks. As for New Testament- I absolutely loved that class and my teacher Elder Richard Draper was the best teacher I've ever had. He gave such great perspective and I was constantly learning something new and fascinating. He has written many books and articles, so I would suggest you look him up! :) As for History... let me say I'm extremely glad that class is over. I've now started by second term, where I'm taking English 201, New Testament 2, and get this: Achieving Eternal Marriage. HA! Don't worry, I'm not getting married anytime soon ;) Though it will be an interesting class with valuable stuff that I can definitely use for the future- keyword: future.

About three or four weeks after being here, my friends recommended me to their boss at the Alumni Relations Office, and I got the job. It's really a perfect job for me, because it's on my own time and only adds up to about 10 hours per week, so I can keep my grades up. And what I do is pretty cool too- I write articles about Alumni from BYU-Hawaii and what they are doing now. Those articles get sent out in a newsletter each month to over 17,000 people. What an addition to my resume! Don't worry, the articles I write are much more refined and professional than the writing you are seeing here in this blog ;)

Now for the fun stuff! And there's lots of it. I've been hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, swimming with sea turtles, parasailing, and of course I've been to the beach almost every single day :) I've also been able to make lots of trips exploring the island, to Honolulu for shopping and parasailing, to Haleliwa (mostly for "Haleiwa Eats," this amazing thai food place!), and to Waimea Bay where the sun shines the best! It seems like every day is an adventure. Especially when I take the bus... yikes! It's also an adventure when you consider the weather. I swear its less predictable than Reno weather! It will be absolutely gorgeous and sunny outside, and if someone told me it would be down pouring and thundering in less than two minutes, I wouldn't doubt it one second. It changes so fast and so often, but that also makes it more fun. Did I mention I absolutely live each day just to look outside my front window and gaze out at the ocean? Because I most definitely do.

My life has changed so much in the last year. I've learned and grown so much. But one thing I do know as fact after this last year is that Heavenly Father has a PLAN for me and that he will take control and lead and guide me to do whatever I'm supposed to, and to wherever I'm supposed to be. I have learned so much because of the places and people I have been specifically placed by, and for that I cannot even express an inkling of how grateful I am. I have definitely learned to just sit back and let Heavenly Father take the wheel, because He knows so much better than I. So, due to this, I will now be coming home for First Term, which is the end of July to the beginning of September. The idea came out of no where while talking to my mom one day, and from that everything has just worked itself out. It was stressful at first because that meant taking online classes, packing and storing everything, leaving my friends, and selling my housing contract. But, I found perfect online classes and I also realized that my roommate needed housing for first term, so that was easy. Now I will not only be in Reno during my absolute favorite time of the year in Reno, but I will also be home with all of my family and be able to see some of my best friends, save money, and work a little. It will be great!

I would say that I am living THE life. I feel more and more blessed each day. Yesterday I was on my walk/jog on the beach and the sunset was so beautiful that I actually laughed out loud to myself! I just honestly couldn't believe that I was there in that moment- thinking to myself, "What the heck am I doing here? What did I do to deserve this kind of amazing life?!"

So next Friday is going to be an extra awesome day, because Amber is coming to visit me!!! I can't believe it's happening, but it is! She will be here for five days, and I'm pretty sure it will be some of the best five days I'll have here- just like when my mom was here. Family is the best! Oh, I forgot to mention that my cousin from my mom's side Kaylani Setoki got back last week, so I'm pretty excited to start making memories with her. Life is so great right now and I can't believe I've already lived in paradise for two months.

Don't get too jealous now.....

Kayaking!

The Tower

PCC Falls Hike

Gorgeous sunrise after a very long night sleeping on the tower..

Parasailing in Honolulu!! SUCH an amazing experience!

PCC World Fireknife Competition

Cannolis for my birthday at Bucca Di Beppo's!

Yes, I'm 20 and I had Funfetti Cake...

Kaylani and Andrea

Rebecca and Alex

So beautiful.

Aloha Laie!

I made it!! I am now here at Brigham Young University Hawaii!! But let's rewind a little, it has been a crazy couple of weeks I must admit!

So on the 10th of April, I flew into Orlando, spent the night with Amber and the kids, and then went to Universal Studios on Monday and got to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!! It was seriously one of the best experiences in my life, which might be kind of sad, but I love Harry Potter so much. It's a little ridiculous. Anyways, we waited in line outside of the park about an hour early and then when it opened we ran all the way across the park until we got to "The Forbidden Journey," the main HP ride. And we didn't have to wait at all, when normally its at least a 45 min wait! The line to get on the ride is inside Hogwarts, and every detail is perfect. You start off in the greenhouses and then move into Dumbledore's office with all of his gadgets and he's standing (as a projection, but very realistic!) talking to you, and then you move into the hallways with all of the talking paintings that look so real it's insane. Then you move into the Gryffindor common room, then to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room where Ron, Harry, and Hermione are, and then back into the hallways until you're at the ride! And I'm just saying it how it is: I've been on many many roller coasters/rides in my life and nothing compares. Nothing. I don't know how they do it, but everything is 3D and so real, but you don't have to wear glasses or anything. It all feels so real. I guess it really was just magical :) So then we got to experience all of the different shops and butterbeer and wands etc. etc. Here are some pics!

Hogsmeade!

Ollivander's where Wyatt was chosen to chose his wand!

Mmmm Honeyduke's....

Butterbeer is so delicious!!

HOGWARTS

We spent the rest of the day in between the two Universal Parks, and then I flew out Tuesday morning and then came home, packed, and flew out for Hawaii early Wednesday morning! I was so exhausted needless to say. But it was totally worth every minute :)

And now for Hawaii.... We got in on Wednesday and then made our way into Laie that afternoon. The first place we went was my house I was signed with. Notice the "was" part.. we got there and it was gross. Not terrible, but not good. The deal breaker was when one of the girls said that she and two other roommates had gotten BED BUGS and that they had scars from them... No thank you! So it was all kind of a mess but ended up being such a blessing because now I'm at this beautiful house on Kamehameha Highway and right across from Hukilau Beach. It's only a year old, so it's it great condition and the landlord is a bit psycho so it's SUPER clean! Which is such a relief. *Ahhhhh serenity* It's about a mile from campus, so that led me to renting a bike, which I love. And so far my roommates are fantastic!

My mom was seriously SUPER MOM the whole time she was here (not that she isn't super mom every second of every day...). We went back and forth to Honolulu and everywhere else gathering all of my supplies and setting up fort. She had so many great ideas and because of her, I felt super prepared and very settled and at peace when it was time for her to go. But don't get me wrong, I didn't want her to go. But, it's time for the little wetty reddy heady to grow up I guess...

Anyways, we got to spend a lot of time on the beach as well because we came early so we really had relaxation time too! I love going back to Hale'iwa and Waimea, so I'm super glad we got the chance to. I started classes on Monday, the 18th and so far, I'm loving them! All of my teachers seem really cool; we're even farming (score!) in my History class.... should be super fun. The campus is beautiful of course, and I get to ride by the temple every day. And don't forget I get to take walks on the beach in the morning....

Well so far that's my life as a Hawaiian! I just knew everyone wanted pictures and everything so I figured I might as well post while I have time! Of course I'm a little lonely and homesick right now, but I do have to say that this just seems like a great fit for me. I already feel so much better than when I was in Idaho! I know that soon everything will start working out and settling down, but for now, I'm think I'm doing pretty good. Thanks again Mom for all of your help and support, I seriously couldn't have done this without you, no matter what you say ;) So here are some pics of Hawaii, Mahalo!

Hukilau Beach

Rock with a hole from a Tsunami off of Laie Point

Me at Sunset Beach

The beautiful Laie Temple

BYU-Hawaii Campus!

Campus again

My "Bridge House 2"

View from my front deck! Don't mind the power lines...

Me at the beach after my sunset bike ride

Lucky Number 13

Whoa. This is weird. I just realized that in exactly 13 days, I will be leaving on the 13th of April for HAWAII!! Some people may call that bad luck... me, not so much.

So yes, it's true! The time has seriously flown by (like one of those cars that tries to break the sounds barrier and things like that). My last post about leaving was when I was freaking out I only had 47 days until I left... and now, 47 days seems like a lifetime compared to 13. And if we're getting technical here, my last true day in Reno is next saturday, because then next sunday is when I leave for Florida for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! So I leave on sunday and then fly back into Reno on tuesday afternoon, and then leave for Hawaii Wednesday morning...! I keep telling myself I'm crazy for making that last minute trip, but then that seems like exactly the reason I should go ;) Because I love doing crazy things like that.

I'm definitely having mixed feelings about my new life that's starting in less than two weeks. There's definitely excitement about going. I mean, who wouldn't want to live two minutes from the beach and have amazing warm weather and beautiful green landscape to wake up to every day? And I am excited to start learning again and to be in school. I know that seems odd, but I've had a long enough break that I think my brain has turned into a nice warm plate of mashed potatoes... Oh, and there's definitely the clothes that are getting me excited. I've done plenty of shopping recently and let me just say, I'm pretty excited to actually wear summer clothes because I haven't had the chance to in awhile, seeing as I lived in Rexburg for 8 months last year and then came home to fall and winter. And.... I LOVE swimsuits!!

Just as inevitable feelings of excitement are, so are feelings of anxiousness. To be blunt, I'm nervous. Pretty dang nervous. It's going to be like living in another country in so many ways. And don't forget that this might be the last time I live in my house in Reno. I may never come back besides visiting. When I left for Rexburg, I knew that I would be coming back to live here in the fall. Now, my plan is to stay in Hawaii pretty much year round with a few weeks of breaks home. Then who knows what will happen after I graduate and where I'll end up. Not saying that I definitely will not being coming back home, but who knows? Not me. So it's just a lot to soak in. This really is a HUGE change in my life coming up. Coming quickly too. But I was reading my scriptures last night, and one line was all I needed,"Be not afraid and trust in the Lord they God." Sounds good to me.

So I have finally started preparing to leave, seeing as I need to be done by next saturday really because saturday is Nina's baptism and celebration, and I don't want to be packing on my last day. But, I only have two days of work left and then I have all next week to get ready. And this time, I'm not just packing, I'm clearing out my room pretty much. It's been sort of fun though! Let me just say that I am the first to admit that I was a very strange child... though anyone could tell that by looking at my art projects haha. Packing this time is a little different than when I left for BYU-Idaho... I don't need to pack any boots or coats or tights or long sleeves or high heels really, because no one wears them there. But don't worry, I do have two really cute pairs of high heel sandals I just bought :) I don't even have to pack up tubs of tupperware full of cooking supplies or bedding or anything else because I'll just have to buy that when I get to Hawaii. So even if I don't need those things... It's still going to be a challenge trying to fit everything into two, yes TWO, suitcases.

I definitely have "the greatest adventure," (picture Tyler singing The Hobbit song), ahead of me! It will be such a blast! I really hope that I like it and that I make great friends and have good roommates, (which I forgot to mention, that I'm no longer rooming with my friend from Idaho because she had the nerve to go off and get engaged...), and that I love my program etc, etc. I will definitely try my darndest to like it, because I feel like anyone could be happy anywhere if they just try. But hopefully I won't have to try to hard, I don't think I will :) I'll try to get one more post in before I leave, but if not, ALLOOOOOHA!

Bay Area Trip 2011!

I had been in Reno way. too. long. So a trip to San Francisco and Stinson Beach is just what the doctor ordered! Luckily I didn't have work one monday, so my mom and I left after church a couple sundays ago and spent the night in Vacaville, then when to San Francisco in the morning and Stinson Beach in the afternoon. I've been a lot of places, but these are some of my favorite places in the world. And the weather this weekend was the best weather I have ever seen in the bay area! Bright, beautiful blue skies and NO wind. So it was just perfect. I love that we live so close so that we can do these kind of trips! Here are a few pics just to make you jealous :)

Have to be a Tree Hugger when you're in San Francisco

The water reflections were gorgeous.

Yes, you could actually see San Fran from the other side

Love that bridge.

Ahhhh, Stinson Beach. Pure bliss.

My fave.

47...

Yes it's true, only 47 days until I leave for Hawaii!! Wow it really is coming so quickly it's insane! I'm so very excited, but it still seems so surreal. But as I sit here in my house closed in by the blizzard outside, I'm soaking it in because I know for three more years I won't really get to experience snow. Poor me... I'll just have to go to the beach everyday to make myself feel better I guess :)

Time for some great news though! A few weeks ago, my friend Lauren from BYU-Idaho called me and said her older sister Alyssa got accepted to BYU-Hawaii for the Spring Term. So of course that made me super excited right off the bat! THEN two or three sundays ago Alyssa texted me and asked if there were any spots left in the house I'm signed for... so I texted my landlord... and Alyssa is now my roommate!! Not only is she signed for that house, but we are going to be sharing a room! I love Alyssa so much because she's always laughing or smiling and so outgoing so it's going to be such a blast living with her! And now I know I'll have at least one guaranteed friend once I get there ;) And of course it's a huge relief not having to worry about getting a psycho roommate.

So that seriously made my life a zillion times better, I'm so blessed. Everything for Hawaii is really just falling into place. Next Monday I get to register for classes, which won't be too hard seeing as I'm only taking two (because of the six week term) but I think that will be a really nice transition for me. So that's the news for Hawaii. I still can't believe I leave in 47 days.

As for other updates, work is... still work. We recently fired two girls and seeing as I'm not in school, I picked up the extra hours. But in the end it will all be worth it so I can go to Hawaii and spend all the money I made! :) But, I did finally get time off from work! I've been trying for months to just get 4 days off so that I could make one last trip to Logan and possibly Rexburg, and I finally got the time off during UNR and TMCC's spring break! So on March 12th I get to head up to Logan to visit Blake and Christine and Sam and Isaac and I am SO excited! I loved living with them and visiting them (quite regularly) while at school. I miss them so much so I'm really looking forward to seeing them.

Speaking of trips... how does The Wizarding World of Harry Potter sound? Yes please! It's confirmed: one of my life dreams is going to actually happen. Quickly, but happening. SPOILER ALERT: Amber's kids don't know anything about this, so don't say anything!! It's going to be a fantastic surprise! So, Amber was originally going to take the kids to Disneyland over their spring break for the time she had them, but then Leif said he was wanting to take them to DisneyWorld and Universal Studios in Florida. So then Leif told Amber he would pay for the flights over and everything and that they could just trade off in the middle of the week! So then, Amber told me she had a free ticket from rewards, and that if I wanted, I could use the ticket and go with them! Of course I would love to go because Harry Potter was involved. Only problem was that they are leaving on April 10th, and when do I leave for Hawaii? That's right, April 13th. So that was a little problematic but Amber told me that they would go to the Harry Potter theme park first thing on Monday. So I thought, well, it's one of my dreams to go there, and I've never been to Florida, so what the heck?! So, I'm doing it! It's going to be insane but I'm flying out Sunday the 10th, going to Harry Potter on Monday, then flying back Tuesday morning and then leaving for Hawaii on Wednesday morning! Good thing I love, love, love traveling and airports and flying and the whole package :) Again, this IS A SURPRISE for the kids, so shhhhhh!

Anyways, that's my life! It's definitely going to be picking up in excitement and intensity in the next couple of weeks! I love my life and I'm so blessed in every single way. <3

P.S. Lauren, I see no reason at all for you NOT to just happen to make a trip down to Florida conveniently on April 10th or 11th. We'd just be too close to handle. Think about it :)

Can you say Hale?

Okay, okay, I'll tell you what Hale is since you've probably been dying to know. It's pronounced like "holly" and in Hawaiian it means... HOUSE!

Yes, it's confirmed! I am now signed in contract for a student house in Hawaii! And be warned: you may get a little jealous after hearing about it :) It is a half a mile from campus, but all flat so my cousin Kylee (who was SO kind to go check it out for me!) said it was about a 5 or 6 minute walk. She said it was probably the nicest student housing she's been to there.... so phew! I was so nervous because I have heard so many horror stories about students thinking they're getting nice housing and then they arrive and have to find somewhere else to live in 2 days. So glad that's not me!

Anyways, back to bragging. I will live in the room with a bunk bed, but I get the full sized bed on the bottom- oh yeah! Then the Foodland Supermarket is only a couple streets over, about a 5 minute walk. And now, the best part yet, are you ready for it? I am 3 minutes or less from the BEACH! Say alooooha to jogs on the beach, studying on the beach (well, attempt at studying...), and beautiful breath-taking sunsets every. single. night. Pure bliss.

As you can tell, I am extremely excited to start this new adventure! I have started to figure out all my classes and now I have housing, so everything is started to work itself out. I am so extremely blessed to have this opportunity to go and I can't wait for it to get started!

Here is a link for pics of my housing (but I'm not sure it will work since technically you're supposed to be signed in as a student): http://offcampushousing.byuh.edu/node/1916

And if that one doesn't work, or if it does, take a peek at the satellite view on GoogleMaps! The address is 55-422 Iosepa St, Laie, HI 96762, USA

Aloooooha!

Okay so I received THE email last night. It reads:

"Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected for admission beginning Spring 2011. You have shown that you are academically prepared, and also committed to upholding the high standards of the university."

Oh thank heavens! Well, I wanted to get in for January, (add in a very long exasperated sigh..), but I guess that's not the way it's supposed to be. Let me tell you... this has definitely been a trial of patience. And obviously I wasn't do very well with having patience because it kept taking longer and longer and longer and it seemed like it was never going to end! I kept telling myself to not worry and that everything with just play out the way it's supposed to. HA! Like that happened-me, not worry? Yeah right.

But one of the first things I thought was at least it's not for Fall Semester... It's not like I'm just dying to get out of Reno. It's really not bad here; I have a great job and now I can work four more months and make more money for school! It's just hard having no friends. The people in my life, make my life. If that makes sense. My friends are everything. The people I am close to in life are the people that support me and comfort me and simply make me happy. So it's just hard not having very many of those friends around. Especially when the friends that are left in Reno don't necessarily do things I would like to participate in on the weekends, if you catch my drift. So April, please come soon!!

Now I have decisions to make. Lots. Do I take classes at UNR for a semester, do I take online classes from Hawaii (which, by the way, I would have to decide and register and pay for by next week), or do I just wait for Hawaii and just keep working? Originally I also thought of returning back to BYU-Idaho for a semester and use my scholarship, but the only reason I would do that would be so that I could be with my friends up there haha. I don't think that will work out because Hawaii won't tell me what classes to take so I don't want to waste money taking classes that might not transfer.

After Christmas I have decided that I'm going to take some kind of break. It might only be for a week but I hope to visit San Francisco, Logan, and Rexburg, ambitious I know. But as lazy as it sounds, I feel like I need a break. Not for the resting purpose, well, maybe for that, but mostly just for a little bit of change. So hopefully that works out! I am loving this whole blog thing and I love that you guys love it too. Ciao!