In other hobby news, I'm taking up gardening

Brian woke me up this morning and pointed next to our bed (which is wear Bella sleeps at the moment). Next to sleeping Bella, Fluffy and Baya were curled up asleep as well. It was one of those "wish I had my camera" moments (which I seem to have a lot).

I finally checked out a book from the Honolulu Public Library system. You have no idea how much it thrilled me.

I got my library card maybe a year ago or so, but had never used it until yesterday. There isn't much to do when your house is clean, everyone is fed and washed, you're over all your favorite websites for the day, and the TV is taken. So I looked up the closest library in proximity to our house. Lucky me, it's right down the street. Like, I could easily walk there if I wanted, which is what I plan to do now when I'm bored (given Bella isn't being her usual mean self). Since I know you are wondering, I checked out Catch-22 and I'm enjoying it so far.

In other hobby news, I'm taking up gardening. So far all I've done is weed the little garden area in the front yard. But I plan on putting in some plants and flowers as soon as I get around to it. And eventually I hope to take a lawnmower to the backyard. I have to drive down to the main residential office to pick one up, which is the only thing keeping my yard from looking halfway decent.

We went to the water park this weekend with Ruby, Gabe, his brother and family, Scott, and we met up with Seitz and his family. Bella had a lot of fun and got a tan. I'm so jealous of my 2 year old. I didn't burn too bad this time though, so something to be thankful for! We're going again on Sunday, and then to Dixie Grill for all you can eat crabs. I love their sweet tea!

My ultrasound appointment is on Friday. I'm sure I'd be excited if we were still waiting to find out what we're having. I had a checkup on Monday and everything looks good so far, although the doctor said I need to gain more weight. I was dreading hearing that because that's what happened with Bella, and I ended up gaining more than I was supposed to. But I'm pretty sure the scale at the doctor's office is off because it said I haven't gained anything in 4 weeks, while the scale at our house says I definitely have. There was about a 5lb difference between our scales, which would mean I'm actually right on track. We will see what happens at the next appointment, but for now I'm taking in all my calories and still moderately working out so I don't accidentally gain more than I need to because of a fluke on their part.

Baby King Leonidas is getting stronger. I feel him punching and kicking harder every day. I imagine he is practicing for his fight against the Persians.

Puppy/Kitty Love

I'm spending a lot of time practicing my skills

My goal of enjoying Hawaii just got a bit more attainable. The portrait studio laid everyone off, so I'm out of a job. However, I did get a call today asking if I would come back. Although the offer is tempting (I loved the work and it was nice having my own money) I've enjoyed my two whole days of unemployment.

Yesterday Cynthia and I celebrated Cinco De Mayo with lunch at Taco Del Mar. Delicioso. Later we stopped by her place to hang out and eat. She was dressed like a cholo. Silly girl. I wouldn't have been able to go had I still had a job because I was working pretty much every night up to the end. There is a lot I will be able to do now with all this time on my hands (for example, update my blog so I can look back and rememember all the good things about living here).

Brian and his friends have been partying, and I am happy to know for a fact that my husband would cross as many miles as he had to just to get to me. Or at least he would try if he were completely wasted.

I finally bought more canvas and paints so Bella could help make artwork for my house, and we could have something to do when there's nothing to do. We made a pretty piece for the downstairs bathroom (which looks really great with the new towels I got), and we are working on something for the living room.

I got a new DSLR from Brian for our anniversary, so I'm spending a lot of time practicing my photography skills so I can get good enough at it to go pro on my own. I'd like to make a little money of my own when we are in Japan, and hopefully I can do that by taking family pictures out there.

Overall the loss of job has been a blessing thus far. I will let you know if I end up going crazy later.

I saw it breakdancing on the ultrasound screen, so it's there for sure

I suck at updates lately. But, see, I have this terrible 2 year old who keeps me busy quite often.

Brian is in Singapore right now enjoying a more beautiful version of Hawaii without all the bums and dry grass/weeds. And it's only his first stop in his trip of all the places I've wanted to visit in my life. Of course, it's for work so it can't all be fun. Meanwhile I'm stuck here at work...not going to museums and being a tourist. I did take Bella to the beach the other day though and we had a good time. She kept trying to run into the ocean. I don't think I look as good running towards the water in a bathing suit as I might have a couple years ago. If I wasn't myself, the sight of me might have made me vomit.

And speaking of vomit, I haven't done any of that this whole pregnancy. In fact, if it weren't for the frequent ER trips we've had to make due to a bleeding scare, I might not believe I was growing a human at all. But I saw it breakdancing on the ultrasound screen, so it's there for sure. Plus I'm getting kind of chunky. I haven't yet gained any weight though. But I am getting fat for sure.

This was me at 5 weeks


And now me at 12 weeks


The bleeding has since stopped thanks to antibiotics. But I am still on some form of "bedrest" trying to take it easy. I'm not able to take pictures at work because it's too much excitement for my body at this time. Instead I am stuck on the sales table. How ironic given the fact that I've avoided it for so long. But it's not so bad anymore. I felt bad at first, trying to get these people to spend so much on pictures. I come from a poor background. But if they didn't want to spend the money they wouldn't do it, so now it's like a game to me to see how much I can sell. Don't get me wrong, I still feel like a douche bag. I'm just doing my job. And I'm doing it well. I went from having the lowest rate of sales and now I have the highest. If I ever do end up doing photography on my own as a side job, I still won't do it for huge profit. I am only a temporary douche bag for Sears Portrait Studio.

My dad was in town for Bella's birthday. Jenni and I got him a ticket out here for that week. I took him to AZ Memorial, Battleship Missouri, USS Bowfin, Dole Plantation, and Germaine's Luau. It was a nice trip. He made breakfast one morning, taught me some old recipes, and did the dishes. I'll have to post photos from his visit later. Brian has my laptop in Singapore right now and all the pictures are on there.

Last week I took Cynthia's maternity pictures. It was my first time doing creative maternity pictures, so I used her as practice and I have to say they turned out really nice. So now I won't be so nervous the next time a pregnant lady comes in.


After we finished the pictures, we went to Cynthia's friend's house. A bunch of ladies were doing a girls night. I almost said no to going because I was really tired. But I'm glad I did. We played "What's Yours Like?" and talked, and ate pigs in a blanket. My only regret of the night was that I didn't grab more pigs in a blanket before we left.

The next night Brian and I went to Pipeline with Gabe and Ruby to see Nick Swardson. Brian and I hadn't been out together without Bella in a long time, so that in itself was nice. And the show was really good, minus the opening act. That guy was horrible and the only thing he really said at all was that Hawaiians need to make more Barack Obamas. I mean, that's not even funny.

Other than seeing a comedy show, the highlite of the night was when (after much coercion from Coralyn) I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. Actually, it was a digital test so it actually said "Pregnant" and that was much more shocking to read than "+"

So now I am 5 weeks pregnant, and not really feeling it at all yet. I don't have any symptoms this early, and I'm hoping that morning sickness will forget me this time around since I got it extra bad the first time. But it usually comes by the 6th week so I will check in then, or not depending on how bad it hits if it does. I have no idea how I will handle Bella, work, and puking all day.

I am determined to not get fat with this pregnancy. I am already doing better since I started eating healthy and working out before conception. The only thing that kind of sucks is I was doing a really intense workout before, and now I'm not sure how much of it I can do since there is a lot of jumping and bouncing. I'm going to try to do it modified today though. I have been walking every day with Bella, and it just does not feel like much of a work out no matter how far we walk.

A little bloated at 4 weeks, my bump:


Brian of course hopes it's a boy, or a grizzly bear. I will be happy either way. It would be nice to have a boy because so many girls have been born to the family. I'm feeling boy this early, but we will see in 15 weeks (given this child cooperates).

"I want to hike Diamond Head...Me too, let's do it tomorrow."

Hooray for something interesting! It has been far too long. Or maybe not. Interesting things have happened, I just haven't been in the mood to write about it.

Anyway, I finally hiked Diamond Head. The other day Coralyn and I decided we wanted to hike. The conversation went something like this: "I want to hike Diamond Head...Me too, let's do it tomorrow." So we did, because if we hadn't done it the next day we probably would have never done it.

I've heard horror stories, but the hike was definitely not as bad as I had thought. The stairs were rough, but I think more so just because they were small and looking at so many stairs kind of confuses your brain. I had to start taking them 2 at a time in some spots just so I didn't trip over myself. We did the grapevine on the way down, which seemed to make it easier.


We got stopped for a photo op with an Asian tourist before hitting the stairs. I thought she was asking us to take a picture of her and her husband, but then she posed with us. That has happened on more than one occasion here.


About an hour or so later, we made it to the top. The view was definitely worth the work.

On the way down, the backs of our feet kept getting caught on the stairs (which is when we decided to grapevine), we stopped to eat our lunch (my sandwich was way better because it wasn't soggy lol), and Coralyn made friends with a bug. When we finished our hike we rewarded ourselves with shaved ice in Watermelon, Pineapple, and Strawberry.


This hike definitely made me feel guilty for staying inside so often. There is so much out there I am missing out on. My new New Year's resolution is to be more adventurous. So weather-permitting, I might go to the beach today. I haven't been in a few months. Kind of ridiculous when the ocean is figuratively in your back yard.

Coralyn and I also signed up for the March of Dimes walk here in April. If anyone at all reads this and wants to donate, you can click the fundraiser badge to find out how:

2008

Is it just me, or does it seem like a year goes by really fast the older you get?

But when I actually stop and think about the journey, it seems like I went through an awful lot between point A to point B, and maybe the year hasn't really gone by that fast. Maybe I was just looking ahead too often to really "Carpe diem." I've always had that problem. I will work harder on the solution this year.

In 2008 I learned things are not always what they seem. It's easier to just let go of the past and hurt feelings than it is to struggle with the memories every day. You can not control a persons actions or emotions, and you have to just brush it off when they upset you. When you get the urge to do something like tell an old friend hello, you should do it because you might not get the chance to say goodbye. Sometimes resolutions are hard to keep because you have changed as a person, and those things are no longer important to you. It's ok, move on.

So in a whirlwind, my life experiences of the year have included:

-Moving from Shafter to Mililani, and then from Mililani to Pearl City. I love this house.

-Brian was promoted.

-Bella's 1st birthday party, in our tiny condo, with about 15 people crammed in. I found out I am really good at making Blue's Clues birthday cakes!

-Found a church that I love.

-Mom and Jaycee came on a spur of the moment visit (mom: "What would you think if I flew out tomorrow?" me: "I think that would be flippin sweet!").

-I swam with and kissed a dolphin, and I liked it.

-Countless trips to Dole Plantation.

-Peed in the woods for the first time while camping at Bellows.

-My first real Valentines Day "together" with Brian.

-First trip to the waterpark.

-Urban Outfitters obsession began.

-Two year anniversary at the Top of Waikiki.

-Got a job.

-Got boobs.

-Survived paranoia, and stopped fighting with my husband so much.

-Took in my sister for a couple months while my mom was finding herself.

-Signed up for school again...and then didn't...again.

-Said a sad farewell to an old frenemy.

-Turned 21, and enjoyed my first legal ladies nights.

-Finally got new furniture, and I love it!

-Found out we move to Japan in October 2009.

New movies I remember seeing in theaters: Cloverfield, 27 Dresses, The Incredible Hulk, Step Brothers, Pineapple Express, Twilight, Iron Man.

For my resolutions, see the previous post.

Sayonara 2008! You've been decent to me, but it's time to move on.

To Do: 2009

This year I am going to make superficial resolutions. But I think I deserve it. This year, along with my resolutions to finish the laundry, lose the final few ounces of baby fat and eat salad for every meal; no dessert, and to clean the random junk out of my nightstand so it can hold my Jack Kerouac novels and my favorite issues of Glamour magazine, I plan on indulging in my guilty pleasures and NOT feeling guilty about it.

I will force myself to buy myself at least two or three expensive items that will last me a while and make me feel like an adult, whether it be designer jeans, a new handbag, sunglasses, or shoes, or an overpriced makeup brush.

I will embrace my love for really bad reality tv and cheesy chick flicks.

I will shake it to Beyonce songs.

I will have a spa day with a full massage, and get pedicures regularly (or at least take really long bubble baths).

I will learn Japanese because I want to, not because I have to.

I will remember to use my Crest White Strips, tweeze my eyebrows, and color my roots. I will get my sexy back this year.

Of course this is all subject to change.

Walmart Conspiracy

How do I manage to spend so much money at Wal-Mart? Those "always low prices" ALWAYS make me buy more than I intended.

Where else can you buy a sports bra, Yo Gabba Gabba dvd, and milk all in the same place? And I almost bought a plant. I don't need a plant, but I saw it at the entrance advertised for only $7, and suddenly I wanted a plant. The only thing that stopped me from getting it was that I wouldn't be able to explain to my husband that I went to Wal-Mart for cupcake mix and came back with a potted plant.

So what did I end up with after passing up the shrubbery at the entrance? Seven items around $12 or less, and none of them cupcake mix.

The Discrimination of Guinness

For years now I have been planning on claiming a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for most elbow licks in 1 minute. I figured it would be a fairly simple gain since licking your elbow is supposed to be impossible (although I do know one person other than me who can do it as well). So I logged onto the website to find out how. I was imagining simple fame. I decided, even if I never go back to school and graduate with multiple degrees in law and medicine my family can still be proud of me. I might never cure cancer, but I could set a world record.

I went through all the trouble of filling out my information (wondered if the site was legit as there were many words misspelled, then realized Guinness is based in London and figured they must spell more words than "colour" different) and verified my email address to register with the site.

The next step was to a page asking "is it a record?" where I would decide that my proposed record was based on the fact that I "possess a unique talent or are the only person to be able to do something." Upon clicking that link, I was brought to this:

All our world records are based on a quantifiable element, such as speed, length, monetary value, etc. However, uniqueness is not something that can be quantified and for this reason having a unique talent is not in itself a record. However, if your talent is interesting or exciting and can be easily quantified in some way, we may consider it for recognition in a new world record category.

Similarly, the fact that you are the only person to do something, or to have done something, is not a record in itself. A record is, by definition, an achievement that can be exceeded or broken. However, if you are the only person who is able to do something it is impossible for someone else to challenge (i.e. break) your achievement.

Examples of proposals we do not accept:
Elbow licking
Staring at the sun
Double jointed fingers

Wouldn't that be the case? So now I will never cure cancer, and I will never set a world record recognized by Guinness for most elbow licks. I'm a big fat failure.