Hawaii finale!

So on our last full day, Morgan convinced us to rent some surfboards and hit the waves. He was so excited to go...

He and Tanner were the first out. About ten minutes later Morgan came back with his own personal souvenir...

He stepped on a sea urchin! Lucky for us, there was a girl nearby trained in first aid with a Melaleuca bag and all! He was going to be ok but had to sit out for the rest of the day :(

We all tried our hand at surfing. Tanner, Courtney and I were all able to get up on our knees. The waves were really high so they didn't carry us very far but Nikelle and Rhett were both able to stand so that was really exciting!

Go Rhett! He was so proud :)

There were so many more pictures I wish I could put up! We had such a great time and every time I have to scrape frost off my windshield in the morning I miss it even more. Everyone should get a chance to experience how amazing Hawaii is :)

Hawaii Part 3!

This is ridiculous I know but I'm almost done!

These pictures were from the road to Hana...the longest, windiest, skinniest road around a mountain I've ever been on! Needless to say I got sick but the waterfalls and other sights were worth the drive.

This was called the Three Bears

This is what most of the bridges looked like. Everything was so humid plants grew out of cement and rocks!

The seven sacred pools. They were gorgeous but surprisingly very cold!

We woke up at 3:30 in the morning to make the drive to Haleakala for a gorgeous sunrise! It was about 40 degrees but felt like it was freezing because of the humidity. Despite the cold and the early hours the view really was incredible!

It felt like we were sitting on top of the clouds :)

Hawaii continued!

Ok so I'm embarrasssed at how long it's taken me to finish this post! A little ridiculous I know but here it goes :)



The whole family at Lahaina...this is an ancient wall built for something that I don't remember :) Morgan kept better track of those kinds of things

Walking down a bumpy mountain to our next adventure...

This was one of my favorite things we saw! It was a blowhole and every time a big wave came up it spouted tons of water! The waves were gorgeous and it was a really neat view!

Needless to say...we got pretty close and ended up a little wet :)

The Iao Needle...it was so humid and green! I felt like we stepped into the set of Jurassic Park.

What a cute family :)

Snorkeling!!!! This was definitely the best part of Hawaii! Turtles and fish and coral everywhere!

It was incredible how close we were able to get...we probably looked so funny to them

Me and Morgan! I tried to touch it, then I found out later that it's against the law...oops :)

Well I'm starting to run out of space...more to come!

Hawaii!!!

Well I'm finally sitting down and documenting our trip...sort of. I'm horrible with the names of the places we went, especially when I can't pronounce them in the first place. For those of you who don't know, my parents took our family to Hawaii for our Christmas present. We were gone the week of and the week after Thanksgiving. We left right at the beginning of a huge blizzard so our timing coudn't have been better! Here are a few highlights from our wonderful twelve days in Hawaii!!!


all bundled up and headed to Salt Lake!


when we landed in Hawaii Morgan bought me a lei :) even the airport was pretty and tropical


this was our pool at the condo


we have tons of beach pictures...this is from the first beach we went to. Every day was gorgeous and dusk was even prettier!


I have beautiful sisters :) it was so fun to spend time with them!


I had so much fun with my sweetheart :)


Lahaina...a really cool town with tons of fun shops and touristy things


This tree grew in Lahaina...it looks like multiple trees growing close together but its all one tree. It's amazing!


The vines on the tree would reach the dirt and then grow roots in the ground




climbing down to a blowhole on the northwestern end of the island


it was pretty steep but so worth it when we got to the bottom! I've never seen anything like it

I'm starting to realize how huge this post is going to be...it'll take me a while to get it all on here so this will be the first part...stay tuned for part two!

Tears, regrets, and memories

Well it's been just over one week since I came home from work to my husband crying. I knew it had to be bad because I rarely see him emotional like that. He barely got the words out that Abby had been hit before I started sobbing. While he was working out in the yard, she had gotten into the road and was hit by a car. The person didn't even have the decency to let someone know. Morgan had to find out from his mom who saw her in the road on her way into the house. We were both devastated. Morgan especially, since she was his dream dog. He adored her! After the emotions calmed we talked about how lucky we were to have her as a part of our lives, even for a short time. She made us so happy and everyone in both of our families loved her. She had such a funny personality but was always more than willing to sit on my lap and comfort me after a rough day at work. I felt like she could tell when I was struggling. It's amazing how attached we can become to pets, how much they feel like a part of the family. I've never believed in coincidences; I always felt like everything happens for a reason. There was a reason it worked out at just the right time for us to move to a house in the country where we could finally have a dog, to find a breeder so close to home, and to find the money for a puppy all at the same time. Raising her brought Morgan and I together, and as sad as it was, so did losing her. We learned about each other, how we cope, and how we heal. My biggest regret was not spending as much time with her as I should have. Some days when I was running late, I rushed my time with her and would get frustrated when she didn't listen. When I'd get to work and find muddy paw prints all over my pants, I would be irritated. Now it makes me smile. I loved how when we got her out of her pen, she'd pee and run at the same time because she was so excited to be out and playing with us. I loved watching Morgan play with her in his parents yard, running around and being goofy. He's spin her around, let her climb all over him, laughing the whole time. I loved her puppy-breath "kisses" and the way she'd jump around Bobby (their cat), trying to get her to play. Bobby would swat at her, she'd back off for about two seconds, and then try it all over again. Even when she was naughty, she was still funny. The way she'd have a mouse or a shoe in her mouth, stop when you called her name, and then take off in the other direction because she knew she was in trouble. We have so many special memories with Abby and she'll always have a place in our hearts. Our experience with Abby made the closing quote from Marley and Me really hit home: "A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water log stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if your rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?" We're so grateful for Abby and the joy she was in our lives.

Our little puppy is growing up!

Well here are some recent pictures of Abby. She's getting so big! Only 14 weeks old and she's already almost too heavy to pick up! She's definatly a puppy though...catching mice, eating flowers, and running everywhere! But she's learned "come" and she's learning how to sit (which is very exciting!) Abby is very entertaining. She loves to play with Bobby, Morgan's parent's cat, but I don't think Bobby is a huge fan haha. We also learned that sugar does just about the same thing to her as it does to little kids. One day we were in the shop working on her doghouse (Morgan is amazing!) and I decided to let her try some cream soda. I put a tiny bit in my hand and she licked it up. At first she kind of snorted because of the fizz, but then she licked my hand dry. Next thing I know she's running in circles around her house until she ran into a table! She looked a little dazed and then started jumping around and biting the electrical cords. It was so funny! I never really had a dog growing up so I've loved her right from the beginning. I'm also excited for our kids to be able to grow up with a dog. She's already a special part of our family :)


Playing with Bobby...pretty sure she got a smack on the nose soon after


Dancing with Morgan :)




"Morgan's girls" as he calls us :)


The only time she holds still is when you hold her. She's very much a snuggler and loves giving "kisses"


Isn't he handsome!


How can you not love that face???

Needless to say we adore our little girl :)

Long overdue

I know it's been a while but just so you know we're in our house and loving it! It's an old house...about 90 years actually, and it comes with all the surprises you'd expect from a little old house... random flooding in the laundry room, a funny smell in the basement (thank goodness for candles!!!) very few electrical outlets in very inconvenient locations, and doors and cupboards that don't close because they've been painted white about 36 times. But I'm learning to love and laugh at the quirks. I'm still working on pictures so those will be coming soon. We just recarpeted one of the rooms because the previous tenants apparently thought that dogs and carpet went well together (gross). Needless to say we got that carpet out pretty quick, so I'm still working on unpacking a few boxes but other than that we're pretty settled. It has a nice sized yard for Abby and the best part is...we don't hear people all around us all the time! We're so happy to be back in a house with a kitchen Morgan and I can be in at the same time.
Work is keeping me busy but I'm so happy to be back doing what I love, spending time with these wonderful kids! I get to go to Kindergarten with a sweet boy who calls me "Miss Lauren" and is very attentive of the other children, especially when someone gets hurt. Then three days a week after school, I work at the center with a nine-year-old boy who has Down's syndrome and has a smile that melts my heart. Don't get me wrong, he can be naughty, but when he's happy, it doesn't matter that just twenty minutes ago he slapped me in the face. He loves playing Shrek on the computer and bouncing a big exercise ball around. He thinks it's hilarious when I pretend to sneeze and if you want to see the cutest thing in the world, watch him sing "the puppy song". You'll want to take him home too! Like any job, it's not always easy but every once in a while those special kids say or do something that makes it all worth it.
Lesson of the day: life is tough. Sometimes things work out the way you want and sometimes you have those days where everything goes exactly opposite of the way you wanted. But I'm learning (slowly) that the way we react is what makes the big difference. Relationships aren't easy because they aren't based on one person and what they want. Sometimes two people need different things at the same time and they need to learn to be aware of the other person. But there's no feeling quite like the joy that comes with forgiving, kissing and making up. I don't know what I would do without my wonderful husband, who's more patient with me than I thought possible and who makes me feel like I really am special. I'm so grateful that my time with him isn't limited to this life only. We have forever to learn and grow and become better together.