The Trip of a Lifetime Part 2

We were in the Marshall Islands for four nights.  When we left Jeff's parents left with us to head to another island.  We got to spend three more nights with them in Oahu.  We left on Wednesday night and got to Hawaii at 3AM on Wednesday morning.  The Marshall Islands are on the other side of the dateline so we got our day back, which was pretty cool.  We were super tired so we just headed to the hotel and slept for a while.  We spent most of that day hanging out.  We went to KMART and bought some floaties to use at the lagoon at the resort.  We stayed at the Ko'Olina Marriot Resort which was super super nice.  When we were at the lagoon we saw a seal come right up onto the shore and lay right down to rest.  Seals in Hawaii are endangered so it's a pretty big fine if you bother them.  This didn't stop any of us from getting a closer look- a distant closer look.  Those things can be pretty mean and they are fast. 

 

Thursday Jeff and his dad went golfing at the air force base.  His dad is a retired colonel in the Air National Guard.  While they played his mom and I went shopping.  We actually only made it to one store- Ross- because it took us so long to drive them to the course so we could have the car and then come back and get ready for the day.  I found some pretty awesome clothes there so it was worth it.  My mother in law is crazy for clothes.  She was trying them on left and right over her clothes right in the middle of the store to save time.  She is a matcher- and I mean everything, even her fingernail polish has to match her outfit.  She found this darling dress but we couldn't find a shirt in the right chartreuse green shade to match it so I bet she never wears it.  If not I'll have to steal it out of her closet when they get back.  We met the boys for lunch when we were done and then came back for more lounging until dinner.

 

Friday we went to the temple in the morning.  I love the Laie temple- it's never crowded so you always get special attention.  Jeff and I got to be the witness couple which never happens and I love to do.  Several of his parents former missionaries met us and went through too.  Afterwards we took them to lunch and then we headed over to the Polynesian Cultural Center.  One of the missionaries works there so he gave us a private tour.  He got us front row seats at all of the exhibits and got Jeff's dad called up to do fun things- that was probably pretty embarrassing to him- but super fun to watch!  We stayed there all day and went to the show at night.  It is a new show since I have been there and it was amazing.  It's called The Breath of Life and it's the story of how life goes round and round.  I loved it. I love the north side of Oahu- it is so green and lush and not at all crowded like Waikiki.

 

Saturday we headed to China Town so we could try to find Ethan an outfit for his Chinese class at school.  They often have performances and he always has to borrow something.  My friend told me that they had gotten one for their son there cheap.  I had no idea big China Town actually was so I thought there would be no way we'd find a shop.  After driving around a bit we finally stopped and ran into a store and asked and to our luck we were only steps away from the marketplace that had tons of shops.  We found the outfit and then headed off to the flea market at the football stadium.  We walked the entire loop looking for some rubber slippers for Jeff and some souvenirs for the kids.  We found what we wanted and then had to hurry off to the airport to catch our flight to Kauai.  We said an emotional goodbye to his parents and then off we went to the final leg of our trip.

The Trip Of A Lifetime Part 1

We recently got back from the other side of heaven.  Jeff and I got to go on the trip of a lifetime to see his parents in the Marshall Islands.  They are serving as the mission presidents there and will be returning in July.  All of Jeff's siblings have had the opportunity to go and it was finally our turn.  We decided to turn it into a 15th wedding anniversary celebration as well(our anniversary isn't until August)and went to Kauai on our way home.  We left on February 28th and spent the night in Oahu Hawaii. 

We were supposed to fly out the next morning at 5AM but our flight was delayed 11 hours so we didn't leave until that evening. We actually arrived in the Marshall Islands on Saturday night because they are on the other side of the international date line.

 

 

 

Unfortunately because it was dark we could not see the island when we flew in.  It is only about 30 miles long and a few hundred feet wide.  This island is an atoll with a lagoon in the middle of it.  His parents live in Long Island in a little complex called LOJKAR. 

 

 

Their house is one of the nicer ones on the island.  In fact I was very surprised to see a vast range of homes.  From grass huts to nice ones like this and even a few bigger.  The homes are all different colors which I loved. 

 

Because of my ever dwindling picture limit I can't post as many different homes as I would like.  Some of the homes are very very humble- cinder block walls, clothes lines out side and tin roofs.  The homes were one of the things I loved most.  I feel like the most important thing you can ever do in life is to take the plot of land God gives you and make it beautiful.  To make the life that you lead one that glorifies our father in heaven. 

 

While there were very dirty and run down parts of the city most of the homes we visited and saw were clean and well kept and beautiful.  They don't have much and I love that.  I loved the simplicity of life.  The women wear the exact same dress called a guam.  Jeff thinks they are the ugliest things ever, but I adored them- again they were simple but beautiful vibrant patterns and they were modest and feminine.  I long for a much much simpler life like theirs.  I hated to leave this place and I missed it so much when we did.   In America we have too much- too many conveniences that have made us selfish and ungrateful and weak.  We live a very pampered life in America and I started to hate it.  But then being in the Marshall Islands and seeing how different it was actually taught me that God puts us where we are for a reason and that we need to learn to live and love and bloom and grow in our own circumstances.   

 

 

The children there are so cute.  They have beautiful dark skin and hair and crazy white teeth.  They are so friendly.  They are so happy.  You will not find a video game in site.  They take what they can find and turn it into the most fun you have ever seen.  I saw three children take a piece of plastic and two sticks and turn it into a sled.  We saw kids kicking around tin cans as a game.  Every day a few would come to the door selling shells to make money for a treat.  They wear uniforms at school which surprised me- but I loved that too.  One girl I met named Nina was so nice and loved coming and talking with us.  She had an infectious laugh.

 

 

On Sunday we went to church.  It was a meeting just like our own.  It was testimony meeting.  The elders tried to translate for us but they were pretty new so we didn't really understand too much.  I could feel the spirit so strong.  Everyone I met had the biggest smile ever.  They were all enamoured with Jeff's braces and could not stop talking about them.  I didn't want to leave it felt so nice to be there.  Sharon and I got to go on splits with the missionaries one night and we met a man named James who's whole family is active except for him.  I felt so strongly to tell him that before I my in-law's got called to be here I hadn't even heard of the Marshall Islands.  I didn't know they or he even existed but that God knew and that he had sent us there for him.  To share our his love for James.  It was one of the best experiences of my life.  If God remembers his people even in the middle of the Pacific then of course he knows each and everyone of us too.

 

 

Some of the things we did were visit the local pizza joint Chit Chat- the pizza was actually not bad.

 

We also went to a small island off the coast called Eneko.  The beaches in Majuro are not nice at all.  People use them as a bathroom and they are rocky and disgusting.  In Eneko it is a whole different story.  Gorgeous sandy beaches where we got to snorkel and kayak.  The water is incredibly warm and the colorful fish were amazing.  On the boat ride there there were three families that had adopted babies and were waiting to be approved to take them back to the US.  That was Jeff's favorite place we went.

 

 

 We also went from end to end of the island.  Laura was my favorite part because it is so so lush and green and away from the dirty city.  The homes were the most colorful here.  We collected sea shells at the beach.

 

This store made us laugh.  If you read the sign it is a video rental, restaurant, store and laundromat all rolled into one.  But that's not all it is also a gas station.  See that bottle and funnel on the bench on the left- yep you can even buy gas here.

It was very common to see graves in people backyards.  All over in fact and they are raised up off the ground.

 

 Here is a typical beach- so dirty and uninviting.

 

 

This is the mission home.  This is a place that I never dreamed I would get to see.  I loved everything about it.  The weather was perfect for me, the ocean is gorgeous, the people are kind and loving.  It is truly a wonderful place.  I don't know that I could live there forever because I love to explore too much and it is such a small place, but I would go there again in a heart beat.  I am so grateful to Jeff's parents for helping us get there and giving us this trip of a life time.

Little Holidays

My friend Lindsey decided her family was not only going to celebrate the big holidays this year, but the little ones as well.  There is nothing I love more than random made up holidays so I jumped on the band wagon.  We missed the first few months and we're starting here:

April 9th: Name Yourself Day
April 20th: Look-Alike Day
April 22nd: Earth Day
April 26th: Hug a Friend Day
May 5th: Cinco de Mayo
May 11th: Eat What You Want Day
May 16th: Love a Tree Day
June 1st: Donut Day
June 7th: National Chocolate Ice Cream Day
June 11th: Hug Day
June 17th: Eat Your Veggies Day
June 22nd: National Eclair Day
July 1st: Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day
July 7th: National Macaroni Day
July 13th: National French Fries Day
July 20th: National Lollipop Day
July 21st: National Ice Cream Day
July 30th: National Cheesecake Day
August 3rd: National Watermelon Day
August 6th: National Wiggle Your Toes Day
August 13th: National Left-handed Day
August 16th: National Tell a Joke Day
August 26th: National Dog Day
September 9th: Teddy Bear Day
September 12th: Chocolate Milkshake Day
September 19th: Talk Like a Pirate Day
October and November: Surprisingly, these months didn't really have any great little holidays.
December 4th: National Cookie Day
December 13th: National Cocoa Day

Promises to Myself

I am having problems posting pictures on this blog because I am over my limit.  While I look into this problem I decided to go through the million drafts that I have started and post a few.  Here is one:

You know the old adage "If you always do what you've always done, You'll always get what you've always got."  Well I decided that I don't want to keep getting the same result for certain aspects of my life, so I have decided to make some promises to myself and keep them. 

1. I will only wear clothes that are comfortable and that actually fit me.  I have a closet full of clothes that I have inherited from other people and that are not made for my body- too tight, too short, too big, etc. 
2.  I will not answer the phone for at least an hour after my kids come home from school.  It starts ringing immediately and doesn't allow us to decompress and regroup after they come home.
3. I will not be tempted to check my email until the kids are either at school or in bed.
4.  I will watch my children sleep for at least a few minutes each night.  My friend says "The days are long, but the years are short."  Nothing can make up for a harrowing day like watching your children sleep.  Knowing that even if only for a moment all is well in the world.
5. I will read my scriptures every day.  Our ward once participated in a special R.E.D. week- which stands for Read Every Day.  It really made me think about the level of commitment I have to the gospel and the excuses I make for not keeping the covenants I have made to my Heavenly Father. 
6. I will make dinner every night for my family.  Dinner time is my sanctuary with my family.  I really don't love to cook because I can't handle being on my feet that long with out feeling super tired- but sitting down together, just our little family- for just a little while is wonderful.  Plus I like my husband to come home and know that no matter what kind of day he has had there will be a hot meal waiting for him.
7. I will not worry one more bit about things I can't control.  Especially other peoples choices and problems.
8. I will make sure my husband and kids know with 100% certainty that they are my number one priority even if that means I have to say "NO" in other aspects of my life.
9. I will not go to bed without cleaning up the kitchen no matter what- waking up to a clean kitchen makes for a great day.
10. I will play music and dance every day.