Playing catch up-May 2010

I fell off the edge of the blogging world but I am back, or I just got the motivation to sit in front of a computer screen after doing it for 8 hours already for my job.

We'll go back to May! Which I am pretty sure was uneventful OTHER than the barrage of events we celebrated with my sister. In April, they celebrate my nephew's birthday, my brother-in-law's birthday, their wedding anniversary and at the beginning of May is my sister's birthday. So we attended several birthday parties during this time.

On a more exciting front (for us at least), we did plan a 3-day weekend to Vegas, as per our annual ritual. This time we stayed off the strip, J.W. Marriott, and frequented the strip only once. Although we do go every year we try to switch it up every time. We apparently didn't find much worth photographing so our pictures are few..

Our typical shot outside of the Bellagio..

My favorite part of Las Vegas, the Bellagio Conservatory-this snell is made of flowers!The view from our hotel balcony...

How well do you know your city?

Justin and I, thoroughly enjoying the warm weather as of late, decided to go for a Sunday evening drive yesterday. We have lived in Pleasant Grove for 9 months now. I was initially quite drawn to the small town, country feeling with all the amenities I need close at hand. The library was cute and quaint. The local grocery store and (Justin's favorite store ever) Walgreens are just a stone's throw away. We have the Strawberry Days rodeo ground literally just down the road (can't wait for that this summer). I have recently become a member of the Pleasant Grove rec center which is a lovely facility. All in all I love the charm that Pleasant Grove offers and I love living here (for right now at least).

Here are some of the beautiful sights my city offers:

Oahu vacation part 2

(If you consider the first post part 1..)

It has been over two weeks since we have been back from Hawaii, that is, I suppose plenty of time to get settled into the regular routine of life. Can I just say that it seems like a dream that we even went there in the first place. It was this long anticipated, off-in-the-distance type happening then all of a sudden it is quickly diminishing into the dusty corners of my memory. I hope I can relive the amazing day-to-day ventures as I post!

The first day (Thursday, March 25th) we flew into Honolulu. After meeting up with mom and dad Blackham at the airport we drove into Waikiki, we're we stayed the first night. (We have pictures from our first night on Justin's laptop...which is with him at school tonight...so those pictures will be coming!) We ate dinner right below our hotel, which was also in this very quaint outdoor shopping area. During dinner, since the restaurant had no doors and no glass (just open air construction), we enjoyed the nice, warm breeze of Hawaii. After dinner we walked around downtown then headed to Waikiki beach in just enough time to see the beautiful sunset. We were all exhausted that night and in bed by 8pm (12pm Utah time).

The next morning our 2nd day in Hawaii (Friday) I woke up at 3:30am precisely, surprisingly well-rested and ready to start my day, despite the extremely dark night that was still hanging sleepily over Hawaii. I eventually stirred enough that I woke up Justin. By 4am he was putting the finishing touches on a last minute homework assignment and I was watching a show with Jessica Simpson on tv. At the first break of light we got dressed and roamed the hotel, scouting out where our buffet breakfast was. We decided to eat rather early. Here I got my first taste of the famous Hawaiian pineapple I was dying to eat. It was yuumm! Other events from this morning... getting in a good workout at the hotel gym (the only workout of the trip mind you.), putting on our swimsuits (first time I donned a bathing suit in nearly a year it felt like...yikes!) and hitting the Waikiki beach at 9 o'clock in the morning. It was warm enough to enjoy the sun but I wasn't as brave as Justin, who delved right into the beautiful water. After hitting the beach we took a drive up the East side of the island. We passed by Haunama Bay, the blowhole (not sure if there is a more precise term for that site or not..), and saw some absolutely breathtaking beaches & mountains. Later this day we finally headed west to our amazing resort, Ko Olina. We got to check-in to our room and get settled in for a wonderful 7 day retreat.

Day 1 at Ko Olina (Saturday): Justin and I were absolutely determined to get in some sun. BUT before we could do this we decided we really should make our way back to Haunama Bay for the best snorkeling on the island. (Again, those pictures are sadly only on Justin's laptop right now). Although it was chilly at 7 o'clock in the morning, the water was pretty calm and there weren't too many people at the bay just yet. So after letting our bodies slowly and almost painfully aclimate to the water, we were able to enjoy the tropical fish and coral reef. After Haunama Bay we went back to Ko Olina and became beach bums. It was great.

Day 2 at Ko Olina (Sunday): We went to sacrament meeting and sunday school in a nearby ward this morning. It was a very neat experience to meet the members in Hawaii. After church we went to Pearl Harbor. We took the tour boat over to the sunken Arizona. The wind was quite blustery that day so the choppy water made the visibility low of the ship. We were able to see the oil that was rising to the top of the water still from the sunken ship. It is amazing that still after nearly 70 years there is still oil being released.

Day 3 at Ko Olina (Monday): This may very well be one of my favorite days in Oahu. We decided to drive up H-1 to the northern side of the island. We went to Waimea Falls and hiked through beautiful botanical gardens (dream of walking through a tropical rainforest: check). After Waimea falls we went to what we thought was Sunset beach and enjoyed some pretty incredible waves. After finding out we were actually at Pipeline beach it all made sense. After this we went by this little area that is known for sea turtle spottings. Did we ever spot some sea turtles! There were 3 adult turtles resting on the beach, one baby turtle venturing from the waves up to the adults and too many turtles actually riding the waves than I was able to count. It was such a neat experience!

Day 4 at Ko Olina (Tuesday): Another beautiful beach day for me and Justin. About this time I was really seeking my teeth into The Last Song by Nick Sparks (compliments of Heather). I have never found reading and relaxing on a beach to be very easy because I usually get too warm too quickly. Not the case in Hawaii! The constant breeze kept me at a very relaxing temperature! I was in my 7th heaven, reading a good read on the beaches in Hawaii.... (now the daydreaming is setting in..). That night we attended Fia! Fia! the luau put on by the Marriott resort. Entertaining=check, good food=check, inspires me to be a hula dancer=check. It was a very fun evening!

Day 5 at Ko Olina (Wednesday): Justin and I decided to hit the beach for a few hours this morning. After which we headed up by ourselves to Laie. We first stopped by the Dole Plantation, well their gift shop at least. Which is their gift shop is any indication of the rest of the property we really should have stayed longer. But we had to get up to the PCC. Two miraculous things happened on our way into the PCC and while we were in there. 1: I saw a bird of paradise growing out in nature! wow! 2: I had a plumeria lei made right in front of me, just for me and wow-it smelled incredible!! (dream of wearing a real flower lei: check). We walked through the different villages before having dinner and attending the show that evening. Though I was quite chilly it was a very fun evening.

Day 6 at Ko Olina (Thursday): The panic and dread starts to set in. The natural panic and dread that occurs towards the end of every vacation. We really wanted to soak up the sun this day. We rented a cabana on the lagoon and decided we would make the most of the day. I was able to finish my book and also actually made it into the water...which was a surprisingly rare occurance for me. The water was still gorgeous, despite it's chilliness. That evening we all boarded the Star of Honolulu for a sunset cruise. This cruise also holds one of my favorite memories from the trip... seeing 4 whales, super close to our boat, breaching, slapping their fins and altogether creating a miraculous show for me, and me alone. Just kidding, there were other people enjoying the show as well but I won't lie when I felt like the whales knew how badly I wanted to see them and they made an extra special showing on my last night in Hawaii. :-)

Day 7 at Ko Olina (Friday): Early check out, boo. Not the hotel's fault however, it was our fault for booking such an early flight. Then after flying for a day, we land back in Utah. For better or worse. I will say it was a very unfriendly welcome being hit by such cold night air after spending a week in the most beautiful place with the most perfect breeze.

I can't wait to go back someday! Again for the pictures, click on the link in the post below!

O'ahu vacation

ALOHA!


We're bbbaccckkk! (unfortunately!!!!!)

We had a wonderful time in O'ahu! We were able to visit it to every place we wanted to go and still soak up some of that beautiful Hawaiian sunshine! (Yes, in case you were wondering, the sun is better in Hawaii) :-).

Once we recover from being jet-lagged and get back into our boring routine I'll give you the run down of our daily activities.

Until then you can enjoy all of the MANY pictures we took while there, hope you have a few hours to go through all of our pictures ;-) I always think that a good tan and lots of pictures are the best souvenirs from a trip.

Click on me!


Mahalo!

You're INVITED!

Mark your calendars: March 19th, 2010 at 7pm. You've invited to a HUGE celebration for....

Justin!

That's right, Justin is turning 29 on this exact day (it's a Friday, in case you're wondering....). This isn't going to be a surprise party...as little as Justin reads this blog I think it might still spoil it if it were a surprise. But nonetheless, it's going to be fun!

We've booked the gym and theater at Pinnacle (big building off I-15 in Orem, across from UVU). We've got it from afternoon till close...whenever that is.

So we'll watch a movie or you can play basketball or video games, eat food and enjoy celebrating Justin's last birthday before he enters his third decade.

If you want further instructions on how to get there let me know, feel free to call! We look forward to seeing everyone who can come :-) Oh and if you are more of a friend of mine than Justin's, don't hesitate to come! I probably haven't seen you recently enough and would love to hang out!! :-)

Wasting time....

Just a quick post to say hi everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend and that this week brings good things to you! This Monday was what can be expected of a Monday, I'm tired, somewhat cranky (especially in the morning, ask Justin!) and too crazy at work. I worked out this evening and Justin is still up at school and probably won't be getting home till around 11:30.

We have both been working out at least 2x a week with a trainer and trying to eat better. We've both seem some fluctuation in our weight but probably a consistent 2-4 lbs have been lost. We've also been measuring ourselves. We have only had two measurements but we've lost up to a 1/2'' in some areas. I'll keep you posted on our continuing effort! If you have any great diet or workout tips please leave them in a comment!

Hasta Luego!

My amazing Valentine

I know I have been horrible at blogging lately! Life really has slowed down for us (me at least!) so the only reasons I haven't been blogging (not that it really matters other than for self-justification) is 1) evenings are more tied up with working out (& American Idol!) 2) ever since we got our computer it isn't as convenient as using the laptop on the couch...strange that way isn't it? 3) Justin is usually on the computer in the evenings and 4)....I'm not sure if there are many other excuses right off the top of my head. But things are going very good for us! Here's a little glimpse into what transpired over our 3-day Valentine's weekend!

Justin gave me the charge to plan our Valentine's weekend. We knew we wanted to do something a little more than usual because we've been seeing each other not as much as we'd like to! So I planned a *surprise* one-night trip in SLC at our typical hotel. It was comprised of:


An itinerary in my card to give a little more insight of our weekend:

A very cozy stay here:

A dinner for two here:
Our special treatment was his (massage) and her (facial) spa pampering from here:




Followed by a matinee of this show:



After spending most of the day in SLC we headed home and this was the surprise from Justin to me (my Valentine really is the best isn't he??)
At first I wasn't thrilled at the idea of being the romantic one, planning the surprise Valentine's soiree but when we were actually doing the things I planned and Justin was not knowing what to expect but loving it, it made it all worth it. It is only our 3rd Valentines day together but each one keeps getting better and better.

Sunday we spent at church and then with my sister-thanks again for having us up! On a side note since we have church at 1pm on Sunday we have a pretty free morning to finally prepare a yummy breakfast (this is the only day we take time to do this!) We decided on eggs, bacon and blueberry muffins. My honey-bunny likes to makes his bacon (he LOVES his bacon) and will usually also do our eggs. After I saw what he was doing with his eggs I glady decided to scramble my own eggs. Take a look at his plate vs. mine.

An egg poached in bacon grease smothered in butter-flavored syrup:





My humble scrambled eggs:


What are your thoughts, which way would you prefer to eat your eggs? I told Justin if he keeps making his eggs that way then this may have been our last Valentines day together (and no I am not going to leave him over the eggs but I fear it may make him leave me!). just kidding of course.... he doesn't eat that way on a regular basis-thank goodness!

Monday was wonderful, Justin didn't really have to do any school work so he ran errands with me! I know that sounds like a totally mundane and boring thing but it really is so much fun with Justin. We stop at places we shouldn't and buy things we probably could do without but I love spending time with him no matter what it is. Thanks honey for a fantastic weekend!

And on another *really* high note....only 36 days until Hawaii!! WOOOHHOOOO!