As of late in early February.

Hair Cut.

My hair was getting too long.  I needed it cut and trimmed up.  It feels so much lighter and cooler.  Thank goodness.  I figured a nice trim before the funeral would be nice. 

Celebratory dinner.

Went out to dinner with my sister and nephew after a funeral viewing, last night.  It was a very delicious Chinese dinner.  I'd like to think it was a lil celebratory dinner for me.  :)

Relief Society Night.

Tuesday evening was my ward's Relief Society activity night.  It was so nice to get to know some of the sisters in my ward.  There was so much laughing! I loved it!

Mission Beach Day.

I had a half day certificate from work, so I took Tuesday afternoon off and headed to the beach.  I haven't been to the beach (in swim clothes) since August 2014. Oh man, it was spectacularly wonderful afternoon.  I LOVED IT!!! I can't wait to get back to the beach.  It also helped that the weather was oh so lovely. 

Awesomeness.

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THE BEACH!!!

Valentine's Day wreath.

I had to update our door's wreath. I seriously love our burlap wreath and being able to update it with the seasons & holidays.

Korean BBQ.

Last Friday, I went to Korean BBQ with two of my colleagues and their partners. It was so much fun and full of delicious, scrumptious food!! I can't wait to go again with my Levi. I think he'll enjoy it!

That's it for now....gotta run to an appointment.

Oh April! Surprise, you're already here?!

Wow, it's already April?!?! CRAZY, how fast time flies!! 
It was General Conference weekend. I'm not the biggest fan of watching it.  However, I did watch the Sunday afternoon session.  It was really good and, as always, I enjoyed the choir. That's always my favorite part of General Conference...that and the Prophet's closing remarks.

I've been spending a lot of time with my sister's family and thoroughly enjoying it. Oh I love them so! I especially love taking photos of my very photogenic nephew & niece.  The light, on Sunday, was exceptionally wonderful! Loved it!

I'm so glad that they're such happy and willing subjects! It makes it so much more fun to photograph them!  They've always been that way, and I'm grateful!!  

I've been juicing A LOT more lately. Oh I love it!! It's so much fun!! And so dang tasty!! I LOVE fresh juice!! It makes me think twice about what I put in my body. 

On Monday, I went biking with my niece & two cousins. Oh man, my niece is a riot! I love that girl!!  She's seriously so funny!! I had fun with her and I was SO proud of her biking the 20 miles round trip!! No complaints or anything!!  She was quite the trooper! She's never biked long of a stretch before and she was fast too!! That's my girl! :) I can't wait to bike with her again!

Alrighty, I'm off to run an errand.....but man, am I itching to go for a bike ride!! I seriously love biking!! Especially biking the Strand!  On the Strand, you have the SD Bay on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. Seriously, it's beautiful! While I was out and about yesterday, I came across a bike path in Chula Vista and I started to get giddy with anticipation!!  I NEED to try it out!


Oh yeah, I came across two pretty patterns yesterday. One's for a dress and the other's for a trippy bohemian top! I can't wait to make 'em. Before then, I've got a pretty sundress pattern that I wanna try out for my niece.  I love sewing! Well, I love creating!  Can I just say how much my creativity thrives in fabric stores and any other arts & crafts stores?! When my niece and I last walked on the beach, we came across several cool shells with holes in them. Luckily, I had them in my purse yesterday and bought some silk cord to string them up as necklaces. I gave them to her yesterday and she loved them. I'll take a picture of them and post them a lil later. 2 cool & unique necklaces for the low low price of 39 cents! Love 'em! Ahhhhh, I just wanna create something NOW!!!

Ok, but right now I really have to run an errand.... kinda near the beach.....hmmmmmmmmm.....

Happy Wednesday-ing! :)

Sunday's Sunset!

Gorgeous, right?

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE living in San Diego, near the beach?

I LOOOOOOOOVE IT!!



This little girl....

She has my heart! I love her dearly!

Spent a very pleasant day, walking the beach & collecting shells with my niece.

Half-birthday.

Last night, I was suppose to go to back to Houston's beach with my friend Tat. I wanted to try taking more night photos again, with a tripod.  I was texting with Houston before I left my house, so I casually mentioned what my plans were. He jokingly said that maybe he would stalk me down. At the last minute, Tat cancelled but I still wanted to go shoot photos.
As I started to walk on the beach, by myself, he was there! My heart was so happy! Partly because I've missed him...and also because I didn't want to go out on the beach, alone, in the dark.

I got a few pics and enjoyed the company, immensely. On the way back, I almost stepped on:

Crazy, right?!?! Ewww, scary! Makes me think twice about walking on the beach, in the dark!  It was so dark out there, that I only made out the figure and didn't know what it was until I viewed the picture on my camera.  It didn't dawn on me, until I was home, uploading the pictures, that maybe I should have tried to scoop it up with my slippers and thrown it back in. 
All in all, this was probably my most favorite half-birthday to date! I've got Houston to thank for that :)

Farmers Market

Today was my second time going to a Farmers Market, but the first time going to the one in Imperial Beach.  Can I just say, I'm starting to LOVE IB like it's my second home. I've been spending A LOT more time down there and it's just wonderful!  It was delightful walking around with Houston and checkin' out the shops.  So cool!  I ate a Gyro (yes, again) and man, I think I was Greek in another life!  Houston bought me a Nutella Crepe, since he lost a bet we had this week. It was a very legit Crepe, because the man who made it was from France! DELICOUS! Walked around more and then bought more fruits to juice back at Houston's.  I'm pretty obsessed with fresh juice, as of late! Love it! Especially since I don't have to do it because Houston's so nice to do it for me! Spent the evening talking and listening to Jack Johnson on Pandora, again.  I can't wait til next Friday.....but until then, I get to see Houston several more times! Can't wait! :)

Weekend Recap: B-day Party & stuff...

"B-day Party"

Just some of my favorite photos from my belated birthday & farewell party given by The D's.

 

 

It was a very lovely evening and more than I could have ever ask for!  It was thoughtful and kind on so many levels! I felt so loved and appreciated.  I hope I have given that same gift to all those in attendance.  I've been blessed beyond measure with the world's greatest friends!  The appetizers were d'lish! The food & dessert were exceptional! And the company was fantastic!  I LOVED it all!! And to think I was dreading this birthday.  So much celebrating all month long!  
My cup runneth over! ♥


"& stuff..."
Saturday night, I went out to dinner with Ras & his friend, Kobe. It was fun! We had La Bella's pizza, which was surprisingly good! I usually have their Manicotti, so it was a nice change up.  We hung out in Chula Vista for a bit, then ended up cruisin' to Imperial Beach. We're currently experiencing a "Red Tide" which creates glowing waves (Bioluminescence).  It was fun and so relaxing! I LOOOOOOOOVE the beach!! It was fun watching Kobe's reaction to the waves and movements of the water. 
For those who've never witnessed such a phenomenon: 

It's quite a sight to see!! I LOVE it!  We watched it off the IB pier so it was cool to see the actions of dolphins and fishes.  Any movement in the water, would have bright blue illuminating around it.  There were dolphins chasing schools of fish and anytime they'd start to scatter, it would look like fireworks!!! Seriously, exactly like fireworks in the water!!! It was way AWESOME!! 

Yet another reason why I LOVE living in San Diego!! 

Sunsets with Mr. Red.....

Hung out with Mr. Red at the beach last night, during sunset.  It was so lovely.  

The sunset was so beautiful.  I couldn't help but want to take a picture of it.  The first picture was without a flash because I thought I could capture the red sky.  Not so much.... just blurriness. 

 But then I got exactly what I wanted.... this is the sunset that we were blessed to see.
I love the red sky! This is EXACTLY what my name is.
"Ehulani" translated from Hawaiian means, "red mist of heaven (sky)"  

I LOVE watching the sunset at the beach!

One of the MANY perks of living in San Diego.

I LOVE 4th of July!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the 4th of July!!! Independence Day is my FAVORITE holiday!!!! Lots of my friends ask me why.  Several think that Christmas should be someone's favorite holiday.  It's not mine, in fact, I can't stand Christmas.  But that's a topic for another day.

Why I L♥VE Independence Day:

• I LOVE America.  I love what it is and what it stands for. I am patriotic.  I vote. I support our troops.  I am grateful for the freedoms it has grated me. I truly love it here.
• My family always spends it at the beach--all day.  We BBQ, surf, play in the water, play games, eat all day, sit out, relax, talk, watch fireworks and just enjoy each other's company.  
• It doesn't require gifts.  It's summertime.  And still involves food.  AWESOME!!
• F-I-R-E-W-O-R-K-S!!!!!!!  Need I say more?! I LOVE fireworks!!! I feel like a lil kid when I watch them.  I'm still in awe of them and just the magnitude of their display.  Sparklers are FUN too!
• I MUST hear Ray Charles' version of "America the Beautiful".  The day doesn't feel complete until I hear this song. 

Those are my top reasons why I LOVE the 4th of July.  One year, I had to spend a good portion of the holiday in Tijuana, Mexico.  It was so trippy being in another country on Independence day.  However, there were still red, white & blue banners and decorations up.  I was kinda glad, but a lil sad because Mexico didn't have to do it--yet they did.  It made me happy.  Once I got back over the border, I was so thrilled to be an American, in America celebrating it's birthday! I LOVE AMERICA!!

Seriously some of the BEST days EVER!!!

I think I've struck gold!! SERIOUSLY!! I've been having the BEST days lately!!!  I couldn't feel MORE blessed right now!! I LOVE it and I'm GRATEFUL!!

Friday: I got to hang out with my niece all day. It was so much fun!! We did some shopping and ran some errands.  Had lunch at our favorite spot and had a lil mini-Twilight Zone marathon.  (I think she was disappointed when it had NOTHING to do with vampires & werewolves)  We also watched "The Last Song" and had a junk food fest! FUN!!! I love moments like that.  Especially since she's growing up so quickly.  She's such a FUN girl to be around.  I've been blessed with the BEST niece!!

Saturday: Made about 4 dozen Cinnamon rolls, for the men at church for Father's Day, with Mama McK.  I  LOVE being in the kitchen with her! I will miss her more than I can ever express, once they go home from their mission this coming Monday.  I had dinner with my family and cousins who are in town from American Samoa.  It was just like ol' times.  

BBQ Ribeye steaks + Jack Johnson tunes = AWESOME family dinners!

Sunday: I look forward to church. I LOVE ANY opportunity I get to see my friends!! I love them all dearly! I'm BLESSED with the best!!  Seriously, I get so giddy on Saturday night because I get to spend quality time with my dearest friends.  They're practically like family!!  Had dinner that night with JUST my family and that was a beautiful blessing.  We had stuffed Salmon from Costco--OH I LOVE THOSE!!! And I made Mango cobbler for dessert.  FOOD COMA!!  It was cool just hangin' out with my family.  I love them. 

Monday: 

BEST. BEACH. DAY. EVERRRRRR.!!!!!!!! A few minutes after I woke up, Captain text me to see what I was doing for the day. I had a whole 'to-do list' of emails I needed to send and homework I needed to work on.  I told him that and he said, 'homework's overrated, come to the beach with me'.  HELL YEAH!!  When a HOT Fireman friend says 'go to the beach'--YOU GO!!! We spent the day at the beach, laying out & talking. It was SO relaxing!! I was SO nervous because I've never been to the beach with a guy before. Of course I've gone with a guy, who I happened to be dating or in a relationship with....this was different. Man, I was nervous because he works out and it DEFINITELY shows! So I wasn't sure what to wear and for the first time ever, I did my hair and make up just to go to the beach--SO WEIRD! But so worth it! Anyways, it was R.E.L.A.X.I.N.G.!!! He's a very easy guy to talk with.  It was comfortable and extremely enjoyable!!  Plus, I scored an AWESOME TAN!! OH YEAH BABY!!!  

Later that night, we went to a friend's home to have a BBQ farewell for the McK's and another family who is moving from the ward (congregation).  SO MUCH FUN!!  Everyone should have a zip line--HILLAAARRIIIOUUUUSSSS!!!!!!!  It was a fun time together with the ward family! 

Tuesday: CC went to the temple yesterday for the first time. She's preparing to go on her mission to Denver, Spanish speaking.  It was such a beautiful blessing to be there in the temple, with loved ones. I had a goal of going to the temple with Mama McK before her mission ended. I'm SO GRATEFUL that I had that wonderful opportunity last night.  I forgot how much I missed the temple and all those marvelous sisters that I had to blessing of serving with on Saturday afternoons.  It was a longing like I haven't felt for a while. I miss each of those sisters, they were like gems in a crown.  As we were leaving, I happened to see one of them who was also attending the temple last night. Oh it was divine to have that chance meeting. I was afraid she wasn't going to recognize me since my hair was A LOT shorter.  SHE DID!! It made me so happy! It was like old times.  SO BLESSED!!

Wednesday: My friend Joy drew this picture of me today! LOVE IT!!  Especially since the hair TOTALLY looks like me!!! Makes me crack up and smile!! 

THEN! I got a package in the mail!! Hermanita sent me earrings from New Mexico.  The white ones are mine and the other are for CC.  She actually sent me another one as well.  They have hummingbirds on them with dangly beads! I'll take a picture of them later.  I LOVE em!!! The most PERFECT gift for me are earrings!! I LOOOOOOOVE earrings!! I could wear them 24/7! Plus I love the stories behind jewelry!  I asked Mr. Red to pick me up some earrings while he's out on deployment in the South Pacific.  I CAN'T WAIT!!!  He'll be home in about 5.5 weeks!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CANNOT WAIT!!!  Oh I've missed my dear friend!!! And then about 2 weeks after that, SimiSimSim comes home from Fiji!!! Oh I've missed that kid so much!!!  

I FEEL SO AWESOMELY BLESSED...I mean, AWESOMELY SPOILED!!!

Maui ♥

Dear Kihei, Maui,

I MISS YOU!!!! It's been a couple years since I last saw you and it's not intentional, at all!! I miss you so much!! I'm so cold and would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be laying on a beach, especially on Kamaole beach...my fave. Life is so crazy/hectic right now and soon it'll be beyond stressful. No bueno. :( Oh what I would give to be laying on the warm sand and swimming in your delightful ocean....

Kihei, I miss you!

Love & Aloha,

-ehu

Glitter in the Air....

"Have you ever fed a lover with just your hands?

Close your eyes and trust it, just trust it.

Have you ever thrown a fist full of glitter in the air?"

"Have you ever wished for an endless night?

Lassoed the moon and the stars and pulled that rope tight.

Have you ever held your breath and asked yourself

Will it ever get better than tonight?"

Gosh, I L♥VE that song by Pink!! It makes me miss being in love, and everything that leads up to it.... the flirting, the anticipation, the first kiss..... I just miss it all ♥♥

I feel like I haven't blogged lately, so here we go..........

*I like being 30. It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I feel like a full fledged adult now...well, sorta. So I guess I feel like a half-fledged adult. Hopefully that changes soon!


*I got to spend the morning in Coronado....I LOVE LOVE LOVE that place!! It's like a different world whenever I go there. I would LOOOOOOOOVE to live there someday. There's just something so magical about it.

*Ate brunch at the beach and it was stupendous! Having the waves crash right in front of me, the cool salty air blowing in my hair as I watched dolphins jump in the beautiful blue ocean was just amazing. There were HOT surfers walking with their surfboards and a lovely lil old couple walking hand in hand...it was sweet to see. I love the beach. I feel so tremendously blessed to live near the ocean.

*Let's see...what else? I'm done with Camp. I think I'm merely an acquaintance at church, nothing more. He's pretty to look at, but really that's it. There's more fish in the sea, but I think I'm done fishing for now. The good ol' fishing pole is going away for a season.

*Can I just say, I love my YSA ward?! I really do, I love my friends there. I love the silence of Sacrament meeting. I love going to Institute. I love the McKenzies (who run the Institute). I love the activities and being so active. I love it all. One thing that would make it better is if Elder Lomu was already back from his mish so we could go to these activities together. I love going with Bubba, but it'd be cooler to have him here too.

*Happy ALOHA Friday!

New Year's Day 2010...probably the VERY best day I've had in a VERY LONG time. I spent NYE with my best friend, Bugs--had pizza and [tried to] watch a couple chick flicks. It was fun just being with her. Since there were crazy drivers on the road I decided to just spend the night at her house. (Gosh I'm grateful for my UBER COMFY Queen size bed). For lunch we went to Bugs' parents house where we had THE BEST homemade Menudo & Tamales. Good food and great company. It was such a relaxing afternoon! And the weather...oh the weather was so beautiful! It must have been 70 degrees!! Hung out on the patio swing having great conversations with her family. It was simply perfect! We later left to the mall to do a lil 'after Christmas' shopping. Found my perfect purple purse! And the sunset that day was amazingly beautiful!! Luckily Bugs and I caught the tail end of that sunset down at the beach. The weather was still very warm-AMAZING weather day!! That evening I had a date with someone I've known for the last 8 years. TOTALLY cute and has such a great, fun personality. I had to drive but that's okay...one day my niece will be able to drive us to the movies. I had the wonderful opportunity of hanging out with my niece and going to any movie of her choice. Chipmunks 2 isn't so bad...the headache I had before the movie didn't get any worse, so that's a good sign, right? All in all I've gotta say, it was a magnificent day!

You have no idea....

I CANNOT wait til the 4th of July!!! It is seriously my favorite holiday! (yes, even more than Christmas!). I love it! I love everything about it, especially for it's historical meaning. We're so blessed to live in a great country. Every year, I HAVE to hear "America the Beautiful" sung by Ray Charles--that completes my 4th of July.

The 4th of July, to me, means hanging out with my family and close loved ones at the beach ALL day [which beach? I'm not sure this year], BBQ'in DELICIOUS food, surfing/bodyboarding, playing games, singing along to the ukelele, watching fireworks and my personal favorite--getting a tan!....it's about spending quality time with one another.

Aside from the religious meaning of Christmas, the reasons why I think 4th of July is WAAAAAY better than Christmas are:

1. No stress about gift giving!!

2. You can't go broke. If you do, I'm not too sure HOW you could.

3. It's a warm summer day, spent outside and you end up with a tan.

4. Still has fantastic food--in which the men get to prepare most of it, unlike Christmas when a woman's slaving away in the kitchen.

5. FIREWORKS!!

I can't wait!! Plus it's a 3 day weekend!! HELLO--AWESOME all around!! I can't wait to see out of town family too!! AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! I hope this week flies by!!