Christmas in Hawaii

This will be James and I's first Christmas together in Hawaii!  We are excited to have a realxing break from work and school, and the stress of traveling during the Holidays.  We will however miss our family, and the snow.  But we have been making plenty of efforts to try to feel the Holiday spirit as hard as it is here in sunny paradise.  Also, Here are some Pictures of our new home!  We love it, but we don't love the lizards, gecko's, serious abundance of milipedes and occasional centipedes that came along with it.  Oh and lets not forget the roaches!  Who could forget them and there visits at 1am!  We do prefer living on the 1st floor though.  And James is loving the extra space of the newly discovered attic.

The lights James put up!

Our Tree

Our dining area, we have nice big windows now too, that let in trade winds.

Kitchen looks almost identicle to the old one.  Except....

Now we have a dishwasher!  My most favorite item in the house.

And the Living room. 

We are happy to be here and are adjusting to the culture and differences of living in the Jungle.  Despite how much I complain about it.  We really are grateful to be here.

Fall

It is almost fall, and i love fall. Fall is Hawaii is different than Michigan or Idaho. Obviously the leaves don't change and there really isn't anything to harvest, but it does get a degree or two colder. I miss the Fall seasons that i had in Michigan, there really is nothing like it. Let me paint you a picture:
I will start with my Mom...my Mom loves the season changes and she loves Fall a lot, and she would get excited for the changes, she would bake apple pies, and Cream of Broccoli soup, and we would drink cocoa and rake leaves, and go pick out pumpkins. One year we even canned peaches-a memory I love. The thing is with my Mom is she is a wonderful person she is cozy and smells good, and she is an excellent cook and she always is there for her children first no matter what and she listens and she loves her children more than anything ever! My Mom has sacrificed so much for her kids, that is a whole seperate blog in itself. But I guess what I am trying to say is that all my fond memories of Fall include my Mom, who is amazing.
So the leaves would change and Michigan would be gorgeous because of all the colors from all the maple and other hardwood trees. I would often take walks to Log lake Park and just look at the trees, It looked like it was on Fire because is was so orange and red and yellow. It was the most beautiful spot in all the world, and I have been to a lot of places that are pretty. But simple little Log lake Park tops the list. Michigan cools down nicely for fall, just enough so that in the mornings you can hear the grass cruch from the frost outside. Fuzzy sweaters and Light Jackets were brought out and the shorts and flip flops put away till next spring.
My siblings and I always looked forward to the Fall for Football season because as my brothers got into High School they would play. It was always fun to go and cheer them on, not that my friends and i did a lot of cheering-I mainly would go find friends and try to find some boy i was stupid enough to like. Kayla was in Marching band and she was always occupied with that, but I would always stop to watch her perform. It was especially cool when she became drum major and would lead the Band. Band was something she loved and she was passionate about. I am glad she stuck with it and loved it. I think as kids grow up it is no longer cool to be in band so they drop out of it, regardless of wether they actually like it or not. I am proud of her for sticking with something she loved even when it wasn't the "Cool" thing to do.
My senior year I started driving my car in the Fall. I don't think any one actually understands how much I love that car-except maybe my dad-maybe. Driving the "Beast" was so amazing, it was exciting and liberating and...i just can't explain it, there really aren't words. It was red, fast, made people looks because it was brilliant, it was my first car, i spent all 5000 dollars on it. Not too many people buy their first car. I really took advantage of the Fall when I had the beast. Every morning almost I would go in late to school-I didn't have a 1st hour, so I could go in late anyways-but I always went speeding down Loglake road and had the heat balsting! Up until i moved to Hawaii I was ALWAYS cold! So i loved to blast the heat in my car-even if it did get a bit too warm. Then I would stop at northland and get a chocolate milk and a doughnut. Not just any doughnut but a cream filled one with the yellow orange and red Autumn sprinkles. I stayed pretty thin senior year-I am still amazed at how. I cant eat like that now!
There was of course Halloween where i went trick or treating well into my middle school years-but then again so did my brother brandon who was a senior in high School. He made us run from house to house so as to get the most candy possible. The last year i went trick or treating as a pumpkin-a PUMPKIN! i was in 7th grade! My dad made me. I was so embarassed. Not to mention I had just started my first period, and hadn't told anyone yet-I was embarassed about that stuff, and my brother was making run from house to house-all I could think about was man I hope I dont get a big stain on this stupid pumpkin costume! Good times! I love Michigan and I miss the memories that go along with it. Sometimes I wish i could go back and things would be the way they were before i left, but because of how fast my families lives have changed-they just can't!
They say you can't go home again, and I know that, but i am still trying to find home. Fall just makes me miss what used to be home even more than usuall.
Last night i got out my Fall decorations and put them up around the house, it makes my house feel a tad cozier. I need to bake something-that is what my family did. James doesn't really understant that biological connection i have to baking and holidays. I tell him well it is because it isn't a family tradition you have always had. In Michigan we bake! It is what we do to celebrate.
During this season I am greatful for my family I have the best family in the world-each person holds a special spot in my Heart. Someday I hope we can all be together again and enjoy the fall season like we used to.

Inspired!

I have been inspired! I am starting this blog not because it is the new thing, or even because almost every other LDS person I know has one(althought they are slight contributing factors). Nope. I am starting it becauseI just watched the movie "Julie and Julia" it was somehow incredibly inspiring to me-in ways I am still discovering. As I was watching the movie I could not help but notice how incredibly alike my life was with Julias. I am certainly not an excellent chef or even a good one at that, but I can relate on totally different levels. Like being in a new area(even though I have lived in hawaii I still feel like a stranger) and being bored and her passion for food and even how her and her husband interact and such a loving bond. I am not sure why it has inspired me to write a blog, but I think I was just more impressed with the way she used her time, and how she adapted and ughhh I just LOVED the movie-it is in my top three favorites.
I love the era it took place in and how women were accepted as curvier (or at least American Women) and I loved how her husband loved her and even just how they played-he reminded me sooo much of James. I want to be able to cook well, I have always enjoyed cooking, and trying new recipes, I like that women can stay at home and care for their families.
One thing I think I need to take more pride in is the fact that I want to be a stay at home mom and that it is something I look forward to. I am completely aware that I am young-even more so here in Hawaii where it is looked at as unacceptable-but I do take pride in my career choice, even though it isn't a very common one outside of Idaho and Utah. It is hard to get lost in the culture here-it even exists at church-people get married later and often I am afraid to tell people that at the end of the day I really just have an incredible desire to be a housewife and a mother. However there is beauty in that career, it certainly isn't easy, and the shifts will be long, but the rewards will be greater than we can imagine.
So somehow this is supposed to explain my inspiration from the movie "Julie and Julia." I am not sure if it does-but the movie has changed my view of the importance of cooking and being happy and making the best of the situations we are blessed with.