Craigslist is my friend...

In the process of moving out my wish/need list has been growing.  We needed a fridge, I needed a bed, we needed a TV etc. etc.  I found it all on this wonderful little site...you may have heard of it...craigslist.  It's seriously the best!  For under $200 I got all of the above mentioned items, which left me a few dollars for buying some home decor items (not the top of the line that I WISH I could afford, but it works for now).  The saying is really true : one man's trash is another man's treasure. 

A time of transition part two

Being now employed I have the income (barely) to afford to live on my own. I just happened to have a friend who was moving on her own to a little house out in the country in Blackfoot and she was looking for a roommate. Because the house is old and out of the way the rent is only $400 a month, so I told her I would do it! We helped her move last Monday and Tuesday we moved some of my stuff in. However, I was not planning on officially moving in until we got A) a refrigerator (the house has a washer and dryer but no fridge...) and B) internet (we all know I can't live without that)! Then Wednesday morning happened. It was my second morning that week to have to go to work without a shower because there were FOUR of us trying to get ready at the same time, and we only have one bathroom. Thinking of my bathroom at the little house, shared by only two, was enough to convince me to move in right then and there. That afternoon we took over the majority of the rest of my stuff and I've been living there ever since. (With the exception of my coming home to use the internet of course!)

The house is old but charming and I've had a blast attempting to decorate on a VERY small budget. We still don't have a fridge, just one of those tiny ones to hold us over, and I've been sleeping on an air mattress on the floor, but it feels so good to finally be living on my own again that it doesn't matter.

Pics of the house to follow!

A time of transition part one...

Amongst all my Halloween building, decorating, and partying I was also blessed to find a job. I had actually interviewed with this company months ago, but due to a previous commitment to BYU-Idaho they had to accept a student looking for an internship instead. Meanwhile I heard of an opening for a secretary position at a local insurance firm and I had interviewed with them. I was waiting to hear back from the insurance company when I got a call from this company, RFinity, a start-up technology company in Idaho Falls. Aaron, the CEO, said that the girl they had hired was leaving to take a full-time position elsewhere and he was wondering if I was available to take the job. I told him I had interviewed for a full time job in Blackfoot and I was waiting to hear back. Well, two days later the insurance company informed me they were going to wait to hire until the first of the year, so I called Aaron back and here I am. The job is only part time, but it pays very well...to the point where I will be making the same paycheck that I made at Floral Art, but I'll be working half the hours. Sounds good to me right? It is a very easy job and I love being in Idaho Falls again. Thank goodness for patience and I thank Heavenly Father for giving me this opportunity. I don't think I could've squeaked by another month with no income!

Step back in time...

For my Halloween costume I decided to be a 1920's Flapper girl. I was inspired by Charleston week on Dancing With the Stars. The women all looked so cute I just knew that was what I wanted to be. I spent HOURS online trying to find a costume that I could afford. Finally, just five days before my first Halloween party (I went to three this year) I found it. Thanks to a great seller on Ebay who shipped it out right away, it arrived on time.

To make the outfit complete I asked my hairdresser friend to do my hair in finger waves, authentic to the hairstyles of the 1920's. I have no idea why they still teach this technique in beauty school, but I am seriously glad they do! She did an AMAZING job and I got comments about my hair at all three parties. It was seriously the best costume I have had in years! Here's the finished result:

 

 

 

Vampire Coffin

As Halloween neared my best friend and I decided to throw a Halloween party. We'd been talking about it for months but we never really got around to planning it. He was busy with school so I got assigned the task of decorations, most specifically, I had to build a vampire coffin. As I mentioned in my previous post I am not a carpenter at all, but I do enjoy playing with power tools so I thought I'd give it at try. Luckily my other friend was willing to come and help me and between the two of us we somehow figured it out. We had no plans so everything was guesswork, and I will say the angles don't exactly match up, but after about ten hours of work we did end up with a finished product that got the point across.

 

 

 

 

 

The living dead...

Ok I know that I am a serious slacker when it comes to updating this blog. Originally I stopped posting because my life was so boring there was nothing to post about. For the last month there has been plenty to post about but no time! So I will try to do some update blogs and then attempt to keep up on it from here....attempt being the key word!

First of all...Halloween. It is my FAVORITE holiday of all time! I posted an entire blog about how much I love it last year. It's just so fun to be able to do things that are so out of the norm - decorate with tombstones and skeletons, pay to get scared at haunted attractions, dress in a costume and be -- for one day -- whomever you want to be. Believe me, it's not just a kid's holiday!

So this year I decided to up the decorations a notch. Last year I had a small graveyard in my front yard. This year I wanted to expand and have a fence going all around it. However, the fences I found were all about 18" tall, made of plastic, and EXPENSIVE so I began looking online. I found an easy to follow tutorial explaining exactly how to make your own fence using pvc pipe and 1x2 pieces of lumber. I'm not exactly handy, past carpentry projects have turned out...well...a little less than perfect, but this seemed so easy I thought I'd give it a try.

First step, purchasing the materials and fitting 10' lengths of PVC and 8' lengths of lumber into my car...

Cutting everything. I love power tools!!

Spraying all the pieces black. I went through eight cans of black spray paint on this project!

11 hours later...the finished product.

 

 

Yes it took forever but I think it turned out SO AWESOME! The pieces fit into our attic and can be used again next year. And it was a bit expensive, with all the paint and screws I probably paid about $75, but to me the result is absolutely worth it!

Bonus Pic: My ghost tree from the other side of the yard:  I just love Halloween!!!

Time of My Life

Last night was one of the funnest nights I have had in a really long time. I met up with some friends from church and we went out for dinner at Red Robin. I'd never been before and I think it is one of my new favorite burger places. It was DELICIOUS!

After dinner we headed over to the David Cook concert. People had been standing in line since 11:30 AM so arriving at 6:15 we were expecting to be pretty far back in line, but the auditorium is so small it really doesn't matter where you end up sitting, you'll still get a good seat. Well we ended up on the 12th row, which wasn't bad at all!

Before the concert even started I saw an old friend of mine that I haven't seen in four or five years. It was a blast to catch up with him!

The concert was amazing! I wasn't a fan of the opening band but once David came on I was LOVING it! Only two things could've made it better. First of all, he wore this stupid beanie the whole time, which he totally could have done without, and second he didn't sing Permanent which is my FAVORITE of his songs. But it was still amazing!

After the concert we hung around outside hoping to get an autograph. We didn't have to wait more than a half hour before he came out. He went right down the line and we got to meet him and get his signature on the merchandise we had purchased. It was just the PERFECT end to the night!

Shot through the heart...

Ok not really. That Bon Jovi song just popped into my head when I was thinking about what to title this, I have no idea why.

Yesterday for our branch activity we went skeet shooting. The last time I shot a gun was probably 12 years ago when we went skeet shooting for a mutual activity, so I wasn't expecting to be good. And I wasn't. My first round I shot four and missed all four. Next round, only shot one, and missed. I was happy with that, at least I took the chance to try it right?



Well when things slowed down the girls convinced me to give it one more shot. I shot one and missed....typical. Then, I shot and a miracle happened...I hit it! I actually hit a moving target with a heavy rifle! For me, that is a big achievement, so I ended the night on a high note....by missing one more time. It was a really enjoyable night though and I'm really glad I kept trying. Practice makes perfect right?

Get ready to laugh...

Tonight I went to see my cousin's improv group perform at the Virginia Theater in Shelley, Idaho. I was first of all excited to see the inside of the theater. I went through when it was "haunted" around Halloween and got to see snippets of the gorgeous old tin ceiling and ornate crown molding but I wanted to see it all in person. Second I was excited to get out of the house and do something in Idaho that wasn't movies or bowling. Third, and most important, I was excited to see my cousin perform and hopefully have some good laughs. Lucky for me, all of those things happened! The show was great we had some good laughs and good audience participation. If anyone wants to check them out they are performing again tomorrow night (Saturday) at 7:30 at the Virginia Theater. It costs $7 to get in and I think it is worth it! They are also performing next month in Blackfoot at the Nuart Theater. I'll keep you posted on times.

P.S. Their logo is posted above. The name is Improv Underground...get it? Haha. I thought it was pretty clever.

Visit to Twin

Today Kyle and I went to Twin Falls to visit our friend Kayla and her adorable children, MaKayla (age 5) and Brenix (age 3).
As soon as we walked in the door Brenix latched onto Kyle, it was so adorable!

MaKayla was equally friendly with both of us and friendly she was! We went shopping at Costco and Target (and she was the one shopping, not her mother!) and then spent the afternoon at home watching movies and having tickle fights.

They are both incredibly energetic kids, and we had a blast with them, but by the end of the day we were both exhausted!

I have a new respect for Kayla, and all the moms out there, who find ways to entertain their energetic children day after day. I'm not sure how they do it, but they are amazing!

On the road again..

Well after a short two weeks at home I am on the road again, traveling with my family to Georgia to visit my mom's family. We left last Wednesday and spent four days on the road, stopping in Nebraska, St. Louis (where we attended my cousin's wedding), Kentucky and finally arriving in Georgia. The trip was long but with five drivers we each only had to drive three or four hours at a time, which made it bearable. We also got to see some interesting things along the way and we definitely had plenty of "bonding" time! Here's a photo album of the pics of what I've been up to for the last week. I'll hopefully update it as we go along, but no promises!!

New Hair!

What I should be blogging about is my last few weeks in Hawaii, since Kyle came to visit and we had a BLAST! But I'm still sorting through the pictures (I'm trying to print them before Saturday because Walgreens is having a sale) so that will have to wait. For now I just want to show off my new hair!



What do you think? It's been quite a while since I've had it short, and I'm not sure it's ever been THIS short. It's also never been this dark, but with my Hawaiian tan I think it looks ok. I'm still getting used to it but in general I think it's pretty cute. It was time for a change! Thanks Amy, for sharing your stylist! She's amazing!

I'm in love...

Today was the single most amazing day I've ever had in Hawaii! We woke to sunny CLEAR skies which is unusual around here. Not a cloud or any vog in sight. So we hurried down to Kealakekua Bay to go snorkeling. We headed out into the bay and before long we were surrounded by dolphins! At least twenty would come up out of the water or jump all around our kayak. It was amazing! We watched until we lost them and then we finished kayaking to the Captain Cook monument. We got out and did some snorkeling around the reef. We saw so many gorgeous, colorful fish! Then I notced the dolphins were back and decided that I really wanted to go swim with them. It was quite a swim to get out to where they were, and Kyle elected to not join me on my crazy pursuit, but I am so glad I went! The dolphins were literally close enough to touch! Several other snorkelers and I just swam with them in the bay, following them underwater until they came up for air. They even started showing off, jumping and spinning out of the water. It was litteraly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Such a fabulous experience!

We kayaked out of the bay and then headed for the beach. On the way we stopped at Patz Pies, my FAVORITE little pizza stand on the island. We had the top down on the convertible (Kyle splurged with the rental) and were jamming out the whole way. We spent the entire afternoon on a beautiful white sand beach, soaking up the sun and playing in the waves. We watched the sun set over the water and it was breathtaking. Then we went to my favorite diner, Chubby's for some burgers and garlic fries. We finished off the night by enjoying the stars, so bright in the clear night sky. Today was the day I truly fell in love with Hawaii, it's a shame I only have a week left to enjoy it!

If you want to see pictures click here

Our New Pet

The other day we came home from work to an infestation. Ok, infestation might be a bit too strong of a word, but we did have a giant spider and a giant roach both in the bathroom, and this adorable tiny gecko on our living room wall. Luckily we got rid of the spider and the roach but the gecko has stayed. It's like our little pet, wandering around the living room as it pleases, and we always stop and watch because he is just so cute! Don't you agree?

What I Hate About Hawaii:

My roommate Amy did an amazing album on Facebook similar to the "What I Love" album, but this one is "What I Hate". She highlighted all of our least favorite parts of the job, and living on the island. Check it out here!

The only thing she didn't include was this:


Wild roosters that roam around outside your house and crow at 4:30 in the morning...every morning! Thank goodness for earplugs...

What I love

My friend had a fun idea to make an album on facebook of photos that represent you. Who you are, what you love. I had a really good time trying to think of what quirky things I could represent in photos. I'm just getting started but here's what I have so far...check it out!

Adventures with Booch

Since arriving in Hawaii our only transportation has been a company car that we can only borrow a couple of days a week. Hearing our plight, our coworker was generous enough to let us borrow one of her three cars. It's 23 years old, paint peeling, transmission problems...but it runs, and for that we are grateful! The car's name is Booch (the name carved on the dashboard cover when our coworker bought it) and since our first day with him he has been an adventure! The very first night we drove it 10 miles or so to McDonalds and when we came out, it wouldn't start. Amy had the magic touch (she claims they have a special bond since they were born the same year) and got it going again. Then we couldn't get it to go into reverse. These are the things we expect every time we drive him! Yesterday we decided to go farther than we have gone past Kona to the Waikoloa shore. As we were walking down the shore access path we ended up going right behind the Hilton hotel. There, in front of us, were hundreds of beach chairs, most of them empty, in front of a gorgeous pool. Since it was extremely windy that day and we didn't want to get pelted with sand all day, we decided to lay out there instead. It was heaven! The chairs were so much better than lying flat on the sand and the wind cooled us enough that we were able to get quite a bit of sun. Here are some pics of the hotel:


When we had enough sun (too much in some places) we went to Macaroni Grill for a late lunch / early dinner and then did some shopping. Finally, we were exhausted and decided to head home. Just as we pulled out onto the highway Amanda pushed the gas and we heard the transmission slip out of gear. Suddenly she was pushing the gas and going nowhere, so she pulled over. We tried to get Booch to shift, we checked the transmission fluid, but to no avail. We were stuck about 45 minutes from home. We called our supervisor at work, and his girlfriend but neither of them answered their phones. We ended up calling Jake, another supervisor and our neighbor here. He was kind enough to drive all the way out to where we were, and use his AAA membership for a free tow. We were very grateful that he was so willing to help us, as the tow would have cost over $200 otherwise! Thank goodness for good people everywhere!

Now Booch is RIP on the company property, until my coworker fixes the transmission or decides to scrap the car. Though we were only with him a short while we will always remember the adventures we had with him, especially this last one!

Site seeing on the Big Island

As I said in my last post there hasn't been a lot of time for site seeing, but we have managed to squeeze in a few sites:

A few weeks ago we drove down to see the volcano (which looks amazingly like Craters of the Moon...not really worth the drive!) On the way we stopped at a black sand beach. It was beautiful but VERY windy! Here are a few pictures of the beach:













The volcano was not too exciting. A new hole has opened up with lava just 700 feet below the surface so they have closed down most of the road around the rim. We were able to see the crater from the original 1959 eruption that lasted for weeks, and a lava tube.












On the way home we ate here:


The food wasn't amazing but at least we can say that we have been as far south in the USA as we can go!

Ups and Downs of Paradise

Wow has it really been over a month since my last post? I guess time just flies when you are having fun. Or working like crazy! The reality is that we have been working six to seven days a week which doesn't leave a lot of time for playing...which means I don't take many pictures...which means I don't have anything to post! This is going to be random but here is a sampling of my life in Hawaii so far:

First of all, as I said, I've been working. And a direct result of working with bees: bee stings. I go through weeks with no stings and then the bees will be angry at me or something because I will get stung a lot. And although the initial sting does hurt pretty bad the worst part for me is the swelling, redness, and itching that happens for at least two days afterward. Here is just one of my many injuries:

My right hand is what my hand is SUPPOSED to look like. You can see knuckles and veins and everything. My left hand is what happens when you get stung on your knuckle. I was so swollen I couldn't even close my hand all the way! I guess it's all part of the job!

Another benefit to Hawaii: the free food!
Yes, this picture is of an avocado. They grow EVERYWHERE this large and beautiful and you can pick and eat as many as you'd like! We also have a pitcher of freshly-squeezed tangelo juice in our fridge which we picked for free. I'm going to hate paying for all of this when I get home!

One downside to Hawaii is the amount of bugs, especially SPIDERS. Everyone that knows me knows that I HATE spiders, and here they are literally everywhere. Spider webs block us from walking into our front yard. They will spin them in our pathway during the day while we are at work. They are everywhere and they are disgusting, but here is a picture anyway!


Hawaii may have a lot of bugs but it is a direct result of it's gorgeous weather, which I can't complain about at all! Another result of the warmth is the vegetation. Plants just sprout out of EVERYWHERE here without any encouragement. It is lush and green and gorgeous!

This is Amanda on the highway we live on. This is what most of the island is like. Lava rock wall on one side of the road (with the rest of the island going sharply up from there) and a steep drop-off on the other side (going down toward the ocean). You basically need a 4x4 to drive here! But at least you have beautiful scenery!

These flowers just grow cascading over the road. There are pink, purple, and orange varieties and they are just beautiful! My poor photography doesn't do them justice!

So overall, Hawaii is interesting, different, and definitely beautiful! With all it's ups and downs I've been glad to have the opportunity to experience it...and I promise to try to post more often!