It's Official...

Well, it's official...I've decided to move to Hawaii! When I saw Amanda in church yesterday and she asked if I was going, I just decided right then that I definitely wanted to go. I am so excited! No more winter, no more snow, just beautiful 80 degree paradise........and bees. I'm not so excited about that part, but I think that I can handle it. I think that I can handle ANYTHING to live in Hawaii for 4-6 months! I leave in just about three weeks! There is so much to do to get ready to go but I know that I can do it.

It's still hard to believe I'm actually going, but my motto in life has always been: "Don't just exist -- live" and that is what I am doing. Jump on every opportunity you have because you rarely regret taking them, it's the missed opportunities of your life that haunt your future. And this is one opportunity that I just could not pass by!

What Have You Done?

Thought this was a fun one...

What Have You Done? To participate, just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done. It's kind of fun!!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does marching band count?)
4. Visited Hawaii (leaving in three weeks to live there...I'm counting it!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (they won't allow you to do this anymore so it's not really a fair choice...but I've been there twice...)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (not the best experience...not recommended!)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (hoping to in Hawaii...but not yet)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (now this one I should have done in Boston...darn it!)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Pacific Ocean.
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

Total: 46/101 Not too bad...but lots left to do!

Hawaii in the winter...hmmmm.....

So today at church I sat next to a girl that I sort of know from school (She graduated a year ahead of me from the interior design program at BYU-Idaho) After Relief Society (which was first) she asked me how the job hunt was going. I told her that it wasn't and she said that she has been having problems as well. Then she said that she found a job in Captain Cook Hawaii (on the big island...google it) breeding queen bees and she was looking for someone to go down with her. (Her family owns a bee business so this wasn't such a stretch for her.) Intrigued, I asked for more details and this is what she told me:

She said that if I went down with her we would live in one of three, newly remodeled, fully furnished, three-bedroom houses on the property (including dishes and bedding). Rent would be $1200 for the entire house, so $600 each if we went down, $400 if we can find another person (Anyone interested? No experience necessary!) Also the owner would provide internet and some sort of car for us to purchase while we are there, then sell back when we leave (to avoid liability issues). The pay is $10 an hour, and we can work as much or as little as we'd like (preferring 40-48 hours a week). But he is very lenient and will let us off when we want to go exploring or take a weekend to go to another island or something. It would only be for 4-6 months, though we could leave earlier if we don't like it, or stay later if we do.

I hardly listened for the rest of church. I just kept thinking about it and if I should do it or not. I know it is weird, being a beekeeper and all, but to live in Hawaii for 6 months, during the rest of the winter, sounds FABULOUS to me! And why not go? I have nothing holding me here. It's basically like what I did in Boston, pick up and move somewhere for four months with nothing but my suitcases....so I know I can do it. It seems to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in Hawaii, enjoying paradise and learning a lot of new things (beekeeping, sailing, diving, etc.) I'm still debating if it's really the right thing to do or not (any opinions and advice are welcome), but my adventurous heart has been longing for something new and this just might be it...

My Birthday Weekend...

So this year there was a theme to my birthday celebrations...and that theme was food. Only my friend Ehu can truly understand what it is like to celebrate your birthday with food, and had I done this all in one day it might have been a repeat of her 23rd birthday...that fateful day on the mission when we ate a weeks worth of food in one day. But luckily for me, my celebrations were spread out over three days. Not only did this make my birthday last much longer than most, but it saved me from an awful stomachache! Here's the run-down on my celebrations:

Thursday Dec 11th:
My actual birthday. My manager ordered in lunch for my coworkers and I from my favorite sandwich place: Gandolphos. She also brought a cheesecake sampler for my birthday cake. The real celebration was that we all got to sit and take a break together, which rarely ever happens around there!


For dinner I had an Enrichment Christmas dinner at church. We had chicken cordon blu, potatoes, salad, and three desserts...YUM!

Saturday Dec 13:
After a long and interesting day (It started with getting ready by flashlight because the electricity was out, and consisted of running from one place to another decorating for a wedding, then a Christmas party, then tearing down the wedding, and delivering a funeral in the middle...) I went to my best friend Kyle's house for my birthday celebration with him. He wouldn't tell me what he had in mind, he just said it would be low-key but he had some things in mind he knew I would like. Boy was he right! After playing a few games on the Wii we went upstairs for dinner and this is what I saw:



The Pie is the BEST pizza in Salt Lake and we eat there literally EVERY time we go down there together. This time he had asked his boyfriend to bring it up with him when he came to visit for the weekend. He also bought our FAVORITE salad dressing from Buddy's in Pocatello and he made me his homemade cheesecake -- the YUMMIEST cheesecake ever (I even like it better than Cheesecake Factory). It was the most delicious meal I could have imagined. Thanks to Kyle and Tory for going to all the trouble to put my favorite foods together in one meal! On top of all this Kyle also bought me a present, beautifully wrapped of course:

It was a sweater from Banana Republic. I NEVER shop at the Banana because I can't afford it, so this was a special gift for me. It is beautiful, and warm, and it fits PERFECTLY. THANK YOU KYLE for being the best friend EVER!

Sunday Dec 14:
I finally had time to celebrate with my family. I wanted to wait until the boys were home from school for Christmas break. We had biscuits and gravy and homemade hash browns for dinner, and then Mississippi Mud Cake for dessert...YUM! I also had presents to open...a shirt from BYU-I that says "Class of 2008" which I was super excited for because I never bought myself anything like that before I left; and two of my favorite movies: Pretty Woman and Drive Me Crazy.

And that was it. Three days of eating and celebrating and I loved every minute of it. Thanks to all who made my birthday so special this year, I hope I can repay the favor some day.

Thank You!

I just wanted to write a short note to thank everyone for the love extended to me on my birthday. Through texts, this blog, facebook and chatting I received over 35 birthday wishes in seven different languages! How lucky am I to know so many wonderful and diverse people? This has been the best birthday I've had in several years. What a wonderful way to jump start what I'm sure will be a fabulous year!

It's my Birthday!

Wow, I need to be better about updating this thing. It's just that my life is so boring I can never think of anything to write about. But tomorrow is something so exciting that I couldn't help but mention it....it's MY BIRTHDAY!!! Most years I'm not too excited about my birthday. Well, secretly I am but on the surface I try not to be because I usually end up disappointed. My birthday is just a bad time of year. Two weeks before Christmas, everyone is partied out from all their holiday parties. It's also right during finals week, so for the 6+ years I was in school no one had time to do anything on my birthday but study. In fact, most people are so busy that even my best friends and family forget to call. I'm also usually depressed about getting another year older, realizing that I am not at all where I thought I would be in my life when I reached this age. But this year, I'm putting all that aside. I'm going to be excited about my birthday. I don't care that I am turning 27, I'm living at home (temporarily), and I'm not dating anyone. It's my special day and I am going to celebrate! I have so much to be thankful for in my life that there is no reason to be sad. I have a best friend who has planned something special for me on Saturday, I have friends at work that are going to buy lunch so we can celebrate, and my family will be getting together Sunday for another party. I have a house to live in, a job to pay the bills, and everyone I know is healthy. I am happy that I have lived another year and look forward to MANY more to come!