Glimpse.

In short, Christmas was good.

I'm so glad I got to see my family and spend it with my sweetheart. 

Man, I was ever so grateful for the taro, sweet potato, kalua pig and potato salad my Mom made.  It warmed my heart so much.

More on Christmas later...

\

Christmas Stockings!

I'm getting more and more excited for Christmas!! Today our Christmas stockings arrived!! Way stoked!

I think they are just so dang cute! My Levi wanted stockings that had Mr. & Mrs. Claus, since his parents had them when he was growing up. In my family, we had the traditional red ones, with our names in glittery cursive. I've gotta say, I really like our new stockings! They're a lot cuter than I was expecting! 

Speaking of stockings, we bought stocking stuffers for my family & Levi's niece. However, we really didn't have any stockings to put all their goodies in! Whoopsy daisy!  I don't know what lead me to Google, this morning.....but this was the finished product tonight: 

It gave me a reason to pull out my Christmas present! My new sewing machine: 

(Not sure if I ever mentioned that? More on that later)

I seriously think those paper bag stockings are super cute, creative & earth friendly! There is something to be said about handmade gifts, at Christmas time. I just love it! I think there's a deeper meaning and more thoughtfulness! I'm grateful for my creative mom who taught me the wonderful talent of sewing! I'll never be able to adequately thank her for that. 

Hope everyone is enjoying this Christmas season!!

The 12.22.13 Blog

*I can't believe that Christmas will be here in just 3 days!!  THREE DAYS!!!  Where has the time gone?!?! Where has this whole year flown off to??  I'm looking forward to Christmas, and then the days following it.  I can't believe it'll be the NEW YEAR next week!! Wow!!  

*I went to my ward today.  I've been avoiding it for the last several weeks, attending any other ward but that one.  It was nice to see some ol' familiar faces.  A couple weeks ago, the Bishop sent me an email to wish me well and see how I was doing.  I told him the reason why I've steered clear of the ward.  I was hurt from stuff a "friend" had said about me.  When the Bishop greeted me at church today, we had only a minute to talk and then he asked me "Have you forgiven that person?"  I wasn't expecting that.  I didn't know what to say!  It gave me a lot to think about on the way home.  I know we're always taught that we should forgive, but sometimes, I think we need to learn how to forgive. {more on that later....}

*So I got Christmas lumpia, today.  Super thoughtful!

*I'm stoked that my niece will be spending the week with us {my sister & I} in the office.  I miss seeing her & her brother (almost) everyday. 

*I watched the Chargers/Raiders game today.  It was a lil hard, but since it's something that Levi enjoys, I need to learn to enjoy it more.  Heaven knows how much he does for me, so it's the very least I could do for him.  Not like we need to do EVERYTHING together, but I sure do enjoy spending so much time with him.  GO BOLTS! {Man, this might be harder than I think.....I just don't like football.}

*Ok....it's gettin' late..... G'nite.

Amazon = Amazing!

I was randomly doing a search on Amazon, to find a panda shirt, instead I found these lil beauties....

I'm not gonna lie, these shirts are so oddly cute, that I actually want them!
Yes, I want them!  And I would want to get them for everyone I know!
Seriously.

I just wonder if they'd wear them....out in public.  Perhaps, I'll wait til it's one of my nephew's birthday.  Yep, that's what I'll do.

#tbt

Tonight, while I was going through my closet, I came across some ol' photos....

I can't believe how time flies by so quickly.  I know this was at an ol' family friend's drive-in and that I use to ride a horse around there.  I don't remember much else, but I'd sure as heck would like to know what the heck is on my sweatshirt!  Strawberry Shortcake, maybe?  
Man, I was a cute kid!

These boots were made for.....me!

Dear Santa,

I want these.

It's not a need, but they sure do look pretty.

Love, 

Ehu

I ducked into Payless on Saturday, and came across these lil beauties.  I jokingly told Levi that I wanted to wear cowboy boots to an upcoming wedding we're to attend, since it sounded like there's a theme.  I didn't think I'd actually come across a pair of boots in my size!!! Seriously, I think they're cute! and oh so random for a Poly girl to wear! 

They remind me a lot of the boots I had as a lil girl.  I remember how much I loved those boots, I wore them all the time.  They were such a hassle to put on and most especially to take off!  I remember when I was in first grade, I'd come home and my Mom would have my brother Wayne pull them off my feet.  I'd have to lay down on the floor, and he'd have to tug at them for a while til they finally came off my feet.  I don't think I enjoyed that part so much, but I do recall wearing those boots ALL the time.  

It's funny the lil memories that come flooding back, just by a pair of shoes......or cowboy boots

Stupid cold.

Of all the weekends to be lookin' and feelin' like this:

My sweet friend, Maine, was enjoying her wedding celebrations!

With a lot of my favorite people... like Mama McK from Idaho 

Mi amiga, Hermanita.

and Izzy, whom I haven't seen since Spring.  

I'm so bummed I missed it! 

Maine looked so beautiful!

Congratulations to her and her new husband!

Friday the 13th!

Sometimes, it's not so bad when a black cat crosses your path...

These lil beauties arrived today and I couldn't be any happier!! 

I've been wanting T.U.K. Mary Janes for a long while...probably about 3 years now, so to finally find them in my size, in desired style & nice price range ($30 instead of $65) I just had to get them!!

I was worried they wouldn't be my size, width wise, but they're just perfect. 

PERFECT!

I can't wait to wear them with everything!

And to buy more styles, too.

#lucky

 

This is how I looked like at work today.

I was there physically, but mentally I was already dreaming of my bed at home.

Have I mentioned how much I dislike being sick, most especially when I have to go to work? 

But then I came home to a wonderful surprise....

While at work, my sister and I were talking about how much I love lobster bisque. How lucky was I that my Levi surprised me with lobster bisque from Panera Bread, as well as Hawaiian sweet rolls! How did he know?!? I don't think I've ever mentioned how much I love this soup. He even bought me more soup for my lunch tomorrow.

Sigh.

He's just so good to me! Man am I lucky! 

So so so lucky!

Sick Thursday.

*Dude, so I've got a cold.  I can't stand it.  I think I rather have cramps instead.  I just wish more people were conscious of cleaning their hands more, while they're sick.  It would help lessen germs around the workplace.  Dangit!  

*So I had a Dim Sum party with Levi last night.  That man is so much fun!  We thought we'd have a lil mid-week fun over Dim Sum & a Duck Dynasty Christmas marathon....such a great pairing, if you ask me!!  

*Man, I really don't like being sick.  I feel like I should just have a scarlet letter "S" on my chest, so people should be nice & stay away.  Stupid cold.

*I'm so glad to be done Christmas shopping!  Now to tackle Christmas cards..... 

*I'm wearing my "coat coat" inside the office. Yeaaaah, that's what I call my pea coat, from my mission. I'm glad I can still fit in mission clothes. That makes me happy.  Damn, I really hate being sick.

*Tea & soup are my best friends, at work today.

*I'm a baby when I get sick. Seriously, I think I was spoiled growing up.  

*I haven't mentioned much about this past week, at work.  Lemme just say it's been PURE BLISS!!! Seriously, it's been lovely having PEACE and QUIET, here in the office!!! There's a zen feeling, of calmness and a more thought-provoking work feeling.  (Sorry if that doesn't make sense, dang stuffy head)  It's been nice having MotorMouth out on vacation, this week.  I think I've spent more time in the office this week, just cause it's quieter and it feels less chaotic! I. LOVE. IT.!!!

*I don't really have much more to say....   

GRR!!!

Man, I'm not a fan of being a woman today.

I just want to go home, put on my pajamas and call it a day.

I 

hate 

cramps.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

After spending a few hours shopping, Levi and I were able to finish all of our Christmas shopping for our families. I've gotta say that I'm so glad for online shopping! That also helped cut down on some time and money. 

We were able to also buy a tree and ornaments and had a nice time decorating the tree. I've gotta say it's rather beautiful! 

It's so nice spending the Christmas season with Levi, unlike last year, being away from each other for a month. 

Now that the tree's up, here comes my favorite part; listening to Christmas music , gazing at the decorated tree and imaging what Santa has in store for me. :)

More fun with Incredibooth!

In the way of photos & photography, I'd like to think I taught her all she knows....I mean, look at those faces!

#lovemyniece

#incredibooth

I love this photo of us. 

More than anything else, I love making him laugh & smile.

He truly is my bestest of best friends. 

I love him so much.

Happy 14, Sweetheart.

{it's probably my most favoritest app in the history of ever!} 

Memories of Christmas past.

I've been thinking a lot about how joyous and wonderful last Christmas was.  It was heartwarming and full of love.  On Christmas morning, I had everyone I love the most, under one roof.  I truly loved it. 
I loved preparing our lil Christmas tree with handmade ornaments that my Mom & I came up with:

I remember the late nights staying up sewing ornaments together with my Mom.  Sometimes we'd sit in silence, concentrating on the task at hand, and other times we'd have on Hawaiian or Christmas music.  This Christmas, I miss that.  I miss late night sewing sessions with her.  

I miss sewing ornaments for a Christmas tree.  I don't know how to describe the beauty of homemade Christmas ornaments.  I see burlap Christmas ornaments and wish I could make them with her, but I think I'll just wait til next year when I have a sewing machine of my own.  
As I've been reflecting back to last Christmas, it made me miss having all my nephews & niece together.  I wondered how my oldest two nephews would spend their Christmas away from home, living on their own. 
It made me miss them more. 
Then I received the wonderful news that my oldest two nephews would be home for a visit.  That cheered my heart so much! I miss having them all under one roof.  I can't wait to see this again;

 These boys...I love them so much!! Them, along with their sister, are the joy strings of my heart.  
This is just what I need to make this Christmas so much better (than it already is, thanks to Santa Levi---more on that later)

As of late in late November 2013....

(Typed on Friday, Nov. 29)

Thanksgiving 2013

*Yesterday was Thanksgiving and man, was it OH. SO. DELICIOUS.!!!  I spent it with Levi and had so much fun!!  I'm so glad that he can cook and that he does it so well! Man, I'm so lucky!! I LOVE me some yams & marshmallows! OH YEAH!!! I've gotta say, Thanksgiving food is my fave!   Growing up, we didn't really eat traditional Thanksgiving food.  I think we'd have a Turkey, but we always made something Tongan or Hawaiian to go along with it.  Not too sure why, but man, I love me some Thanksgiving goodness!

*Levi and I went to Wal Mart on Thanksgiving night.  Man....I don't like shopping and this was kinda chaotic!  TONS of people!  I'm so thankful for online shopping!

*I didn't get to bed til almost 2am, this morning....only to wake up about 3 hours later.  Kinda brutal, I'm not gonna lie. Going in early to work didn't sound so smart anymore, when you're actually doing it.  Rough, I tell ya!  Then I worked a 12.5 hour shift to finish up on inventory...brutal. Luckily, I wasn't sleepy, but it sure was a very long day.

*I had a healthy serving of Humble Pie today, at work.  MotorMouth helped me out with an Excel formula that made my work A LOT easier!  Man, I was not ready for that! The rest of the evening was pleasant, which was nice.  

*Levi's Christmas gift came today and I'm glad he's so stoked for his Xbox One.  He actually let me play a lil and it was kinda fun.  I'm not really a fan of Call of Duty: Ghosts, as for Zoo Tycoon, that's a different story.....for later.

Sometimes, apples are blue.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty ecstatic for my new phone to arrive this week!!!

I've been needing a new phone for a while, but I'm glad Santa Levi got me this new lil gem.  It'll arrive at my work, on Wednesday.  Looking back at last week, when Levi was anxiously awaiting his Xbox One, his excitement and daily tracking of his gift makes total sense.  
I've been wanting an Apple for a while, not for any hipster reason, but only for the InstaBooth app. 
Yep, an app.
I go crazy every time I hang with Hermanita, cause all I ever want to do is take InstaBooth pics!! It's pretty odd, I know, but I just have a thing for photo booths!! So much fun and a throwback to my pre-teen years!  
Anyways....so just 2 more days and I'll have this lil beauty and in my hot lil' hands!

The Robertsons.

I don't know how it happened...but I seriously love this show!  Duck Dynasty, I just can't get enough of it!!  

I feel like Phil & Kay could be my parents, especially in the above episode!

There's just so many great episodes! I die laughing, all the time!!  

I thought this was some sort of back hills family that just hunted ducks.  Well, I wasn't too far off in thinking that, but most of them work together at the family business making duck calls.  They are all so funny! I don't know who I enjoy most; Jase or Uncle Si.  It's a toss up! Oh man....I just can't stop laughing! ENJOY!

Life & Death.

This past week, I've been thinking a lot about my ol' stake president and Runia, who passed away the week before.  He was a guy from my mission in New Jersey. I didn't know him all too well, but he was always so nice and cheerful about the Gospel.  Such a great spirit!  I couldn't believe that one of my fellow missionaries had died, so soon! He was married with four young children.  A life gone too soon.
Earlier this week, I also found out that my choir friends' baby girl unexpectedly passed away from SIDS. I just couldn't believe it, yet another death.  I was feeling sad and heavyhearted.  It helps me realize that life is a lot more precious than we think, that those we love can be gone in an instant--no matter the age.  
While my heart was grieved with such sadness, I felt like the clouds started to part when I received word that a dear friend gave birth to a long awaited baby girl.  I could feel the tears well up in my eyes because just over a year ago, she lost her first baby daughter the day after she was born.  I was (and still am) very ecstatic for her and her lil family.  What a joy & a blessing!
Life comes and goes....  but I'm grateful for the Plan of Salvation, to know that there's more {much, much more!} after this life.  What a blessing and comfort in times of loss.  So grateful...so, so grateful.

Baked.

To start this off; I am NOT a baker. Baking isn't something I particularly enjoy.  My sister's always been the baker, so when she whips up the most incredible brownies, banana bread, cookies, etc, from scratch--I'd rather eat the goodies, than even try to compete with her skills!  Besides, the last few times that I've baked, I somehow burn myself.  NOT FUN.  I rather cook because I like seeing/tasting results immediately.  

A few weeks ago, I came across a great recipe on my favorite blog and thought I could try it.  Well last night, after a few days of having brown bananas, I thought I would finally try it---you know, baking.  

I've gotta say, the results were AMAZING!!! For such an easy recipe, it tasted SOOOOOOOOOOO YUMMY!!!  

 

When I got home from work today, this is all that was left....

Glad to know that I wasn't the only one that thought it tasted amazing! ;)

Definitely add the chocolate chips!! Oh man, you will thank yourself (and me, too!) that you did! I never had it in banana bread before, but man, I plan on including it from now on! I'm not gonna lie when I say that I'll most likely be making this banana bread very, VERY soon!!

Julian!

This past weekend, Levi and I headed up to Julian  It's about a 50 mile trip up the mountain.  I haven't been to Julian since I was a teenager, and in that time I totally forgot about how windy the road is on the way to Julian  Oh man, I should have taken a Dramamine!  I'm so glad Levi drove.
Anywhooo, we got up to Julian and walked around, checking out all the lil shops on Main Street.

 We were also able to get some great shots of the fall foliage....

It was so wonderful to see the beautiful colors that Autumn has to offer!  It makes me long for the east coast!!  I miss it so much! I miss seeing so many trees with red, orange and yellow leaves!  I'm so glad I can get a lil piece of New Jersey, here in San Diego!
We walked around and took more photos! I love going on photo adventures with Levi.

 Julian's such a quaint lil town that sometimes it's hard to believe that it exists here in San Diego.  I love being able to go from the ocean to the mountain in just under 60 miles.
To complete our lil Julian adventure, we had to eat some yummy apple pie, of course! Julian's known for their apples, apple pies & apple cider!  Oh man! We hit up Julian Pie Co. and that windy trip up the mountain was all worth it!

 I ordered the Caramel Dutch Apple Pie with Cinnamon Ice Cream! Oh man---AMAZINGLY DELISH!!! I seriously LOVED IT!!!!!!  Levi ordered the Dutch Apple Pie w/ Vanilla Ice Cream, and we both had the Hot Caramel Apple Cider (which was HEAVENLY!!!!!)
All in all, it was a lot of fun and I always love any reason I have to pull out my pea coat! It was a bit chilly up in there, about 55 degrees! Wowzers!  But I loved it though! Thanks for the great idea, Levi!

Aloha 'Oe Pres. Clove

Today, my heart is comforted by the words of a church hymn.....

Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord.
Thou sendest blessings from above
Through words and deeds of those who love.

What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christ-like friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

When such a friend from us departs
We hold forever in our hearts
A sweet and hallowed memory,
Bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee.


For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior's name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise thy goodness Lord above.

I found out this morning that my ol' stake president, Ric passed away.  I wish I had written him a note like I wanted to, a couple months ago.  I learned so much from him!  I enjoyed every single time he would speak at stake conferences.  I LOVED IT!! I was always captivated every time he spoke.  I will miss his infectious smile and the Christ-like love that he had for everyone.  
I know that many lives, especially those in the Chula Vista Stake, have been changed for good just by knowing this good man.  As it says in Matthew 7:20, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them",  I know he was a good man, because of the children he had.  Two of his five children, are my friends and they are such kind, thoughtful & intelligent people.  
Pres. Clove will forever have a special place in my heart and I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to know him.  

Aloha 'Oe, Pres. Clove...until we meet again.

Who says San Diego doesn't have seasons?!

Julian, California

I think this photo would say otherwise. 

Julian's probably one of my new favorite Fall places (besides the east coast, of course!) 

Dia de los Muertos.

Dia de los Muertos is one of my favorite holidays.  My sister & I try to celebrate it down in Old Town, by checking out the exhibits and eating at one of the many great eateries.  This year, her two youngest kids came along, as well as Levi.  

We ate at Berta's Latin American Restaurant.  To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of it.  I ordered a Columbian dish, but I think my palate is use to Mexican food.  I'm way ok with that!
We walked around Old Town and bought a few trinkets...and lost a some, too.
   

I love Sugar Skulls!  I like to think I have a collection, but I have 2 so far. While walking around, I don't know how/where I lost one of my earrings.  I'm way bummed about that! Especially since they were a gift, from Ame. Dangit.  

I really enjoyed looking at some of the displays, especially those created from rice, beans, kernels & saw dust.  How beautiful and creative!! It was a nice night out celebrating Dia de los Muertos.