My Birthday

I had an amazing birthday, thanks to my friends in Hawaii! I was so excited to see them all at my dinner: Michelle, Melissa, Amanda, Lisa & Chris. We all went to The Shack in Kailua. My husband would be jealous, because he loves their buffalo wings! After dinner, we all went to Amanda's house... they had the house decorated already! The girls even made me a birthday cake! It was the sweetest most thoughtful birthday night. I love them all so much! It's hard to believe that my life has changed so much within a year. I'm married, I'm pregnant, I'm living in Hawaii again... it's so crazy how life can change so fast! I feel so incredibly blessed right now. I miss my husband & I'm so ready for his return. Well... the birthday girl is tired... again. Goodnight & thank ya'll for an awesome birthday! Thanks to my family for the phone calls & cards & to my husband for the sweet gifts & phone calls! xoxo

BABY HALL!!!

Doug left me a nice present before he left!!! Yes, after trying for several months... I'm pregnant! I went to the hospital, don't be alarmed... everything is okay! But while I was there they did my first ultrasound. It was an amazing experience that I wish Doug could have experienced with me. He will be home in a few more weeks & we are both really excited for my next ultrasound! I keep praying that I will have a good pregnancy & a healthy baby. I'm only 5 weeks & 1 day pregnant right now. The baby should have a heart beat in the next week or two =).

It has been awhile...

I can't believe I haven't updated this since Christmas! Wow! Well things have been very busy & somewhat chaotic here on the island. Doug has been gone on and off since I moved here & will be on the mainland for another month =(. I miss him like crazy! Life has been like a rollercoaster, but we've made so many good memories along the way. Some really fun things that we have done are: Kayaking @ Kailua Beach, Going to the Shack w/ our friends again, paintball, & a photoshoot w/ 2 beautiful horses @ North Shore. Other than that, we have watched 2 full seasons of Friday Night Lights (looking forward to the 3rd season!), I've convinced him to run with me outside (he's hard to keep up with), and we've just spent alot of one on one time together. Since we've been apart again, we have both started working out again & eating really healthy. I'm actually starting to love doing cardio! I used to HATE it, but I'm getting great results from it & it also gives me so much energy. The gym is seeming less and less like a chore, I actually look forward to working out. What counts the most is the diet part though... 85% of your healthdepends on it, the rest is exercise. Even if you look skinny on the outside, it doesn't mean you're skinny on the inside =). Doug is really busy with the Marine Corps... so we have been trying to make the most of the time we do get to spend together. I'm going to start my new job in the near future & hope to be enrolled in school again by this summer. I have made some really good friends here in Hawaii, which has made military life easier to deal with. It's nice to be around girls that are going through the same thing at the same time. I love them all! I've learned so much in the last few months... And I feel as if this sums it up...

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's desire.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your sorrow,
if you have been opened by life's betrayals,
or have become shriveled and closed for the fear of future pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain,
mine or your own,
without moving to hide it, fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy,
mine or your own,
if you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic,
or to remember the limitations of human beings.

It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling me is true.
I want to know if you disappoint another to be true to yourself,
if you can bear the accusations of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty,
even when it is not pretty every day,
and if you can source your life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure,
yours or mine,
and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver moon "Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair,
weary and bruised to the bone,
and do what needs to be done for the children.


It doesn't interest me who you are now or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments
Your life is not a coincidence, it is a reflection of you.

- Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Our First Christmas

Doug and I just shared our very first Christmas together! This was the first Christmas we have ever been away from our families on the mainland. Although we missed our families very much, it truly felt like we were beginning our own family and our own holiday traditions. Doug & I couldn't wait until Christmas to open our gifts from each other! We opened them about 5 days before Christmas haha! But we really enjoyed celebrating early together. On Christmas day, we spent time with our friends in Hawaii. We had an awesome cookout on the beach. I made lots of appetizers & dessert for everybody & it was all eaten very quickly! I guess I'm getting better at this cooking thing haha! Now that the year is ending, I must say that I am beyond blessed! I am so happy to be here with my hubby!

We are TOGETHER!

I have been in Hawaii with my husband for 2 weeks now and I am beyond blessed to be here by his side. Even the boring things like grocery shopping are now fun =). I have a new appreciation for my husband... He has worked 15 days straight and by Friday... it will be 20 days without a single day off. He wakes up at approximately 4.30am every morning. I get up at about 5 or 5.30am to drop him off at base. I get to come home and go back to sleep for an hour or two while he's already working. He sometimes doesn't finish work until 10pm. Yet, he always has a smile on his face when I come to pick him up. There are days that they tell him he's about to be released, so I come to get him... and he has to work another 3 hours or more. This weekend he is in the field and it has been pouring rain almost constantly here. I'm ready for him to get home. I hate being in our home without him. Last night was the first night I had to be away from him since we've lived together. I stayed up most of the night... I couldn't sleep. I missed him more than I think I ever have... and that's a lot! Needless to say, we are more than ready for his leave that begins on Friday. The only pro to him being gone is that I've gotten most of my Christmas shopping done! I can't wait for Christmas morning to see his reaction! I love him so much. We've lived together two weeks, and I find myself learning new things about him. He is the most amazing man & I'm so very grateful for him.

As most of you know, our reception is cancelled. Not because we are having troubles... like some have asked lol! We are more than amazing! We would just like to wait for warmer weather so more of our friends and family can attend. So this means we will be spending the holidays in Hawaii. I'm very happy to be spending our very first Christmas here with just the two of us, although we will miss our families on the mainland very much!

I started my new job last week. I'm working part time on TumbleBus Hawaii. It's a mobile gym that travels to different pre-schools and daycares. It's so much fun and stress free! I'm hoping to get another part time job as a cheerleading coach soon. I'm just waiting to find a gym or school that will fit what I'm looking for. It only took me a week for me to realize that the first gym I got hired at wasn't for me at all. I'm glad that I left sooner than later!

Well, we hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a safe & happy New Year! May God bless you all this holiday season!