Incredibly blessed.....

Jerry and I sure have been blessed with wonderful families and are thankful for them in every way :) We really could not ask for better people than who are already in our lives. Jerry has this amazing and strong family who he is very close with and I, have a family that could not be any more supportive and inspirational to me. My Mom is a wonderful lady who is probably the strongest and most determined of any person I have met. She is strong-willed and selfless and would do anything for anyone that was in need. She is truly a hero to me and am blessed she is my Mother! My Dad, well, he is just one plain cool dude! ;) He is a big kid at heart and is someone that I can say anything to. He keeps pushing my brother and I to pursue our dreams and never give up! He is great teacher of the things that he has learned and is truly someone that I love to be around! Oh and he is a great grand-dad to Charlie :) and someday, one to my kids! He has a big heart which has much room for more love. I sure love him and can't wait for him to walk me down the isle in 5 months! I also have a wonderful step-mother, Melinda, who could not be more loving to my brother and I and I am grateful she is in my life.

And lastly, my handsome brother, Brian. He means the world to me and has been an inspiration to me in many ways. He accomplished his dream of being a pilot, which wasn't easy, as well as served our country in the Air Force, and I admire him for that. He is a great father, too, and I love to see him grow in this role each time that I see him. As a kid you never really envision you or your sibling as being a parent, but time goes by and it happens. I am so blessed that we are as close as we are and I thank my parents for that! They have always pushed us to stay in touch and taught us how important it is to be close.

In all, I am incredibly blessed.

Thoughts from today.

So, I left work early yesterday to go do my civic duty and make my voice heard. Well, at least I tried. I know that our country wants change and change is what we deserve, but I am not sure that the right choice was made yesterday... There are SO many people that look to our Presidential leaders for answers on day to day issues. Is this the right person to be questioning? Our fate as a country is not in the hands of any politician but in the hands of our true leader, God. I think some of the world has lost touch with this and it scares me to see think that our children are growing up in this world. I just hope that our new leader takes the right steps to make this country a better place, because that is all that I can ask for. And the rest is God's will.

God bless America!

Halloween weekend!

Dad's pumpkin on the right!
Ok, so, I wish Halloween was like it used to be. Halloween is definately not my favorite Holiday and here's why...1) it is an excuse for people (mostly adults) to act dumb and dress trashy (not my idea of fun) and 2) it isn't the same these days for our kids who do go trick or treating and expect to see most houses willing to pass out candy and make an abundance of comments on their costumes. That is what it is about, right? Dressing up in fun, creative costumes so that you can go out and compare your costume to someone elses and get a little sugar in between. People have become cold and uninterested in interecting with their neighbors. Society has really "screwed up" in a sense, our kids aren't safe roaming the neighborhoods by themselves, or for that matter with their parents. Here is an example; on Friday we were at my Dad's ( yes I had a blast with my family) hanging outside watching all the kids when we see police lights at the end of the street. Just a normal traffic stop, I think not. The guy ended up being arrested while all these families are trick-or-treating. So Sad! When I was little, we would be out gathering candy for hours and hours with no worries at all. Oh how I miss those days and wish that when we take our kids out there that they won't have empty streets. Maybe when we do have kids I will feel different about the whole idea of dressing up and roaming the city but until then, I'll pass.

We did carve a pumpkin this year as we do every year! Those are always fun to do :)

We made it home!!

Twin Falls
7 pools, Hana
Jerry, me, Clarissa, Mark
Sunset

Me at the beach
Jerry and I at the Lu'au



We are finally home in Phoenix but I have to say the trip home was quite an experience. The flight from Kahului, HI started off well but about half way through it there was a medical emergency with one of the other passengers. At first we thought we would have to turn around but fortunately the gentlemen came to and seemed OK to make it LA. Once we landed in LA, the paramedics had to come aboard to assist him before we could get off. Not only were we exhausted from not sleeping but also sick of being cramped in a plane for 5 hours! After we transferred terminals, which took forever, we were able to board our flight to Phoenix. This one was delayed a bit but luckily I fell asleep for a little while. We finally arrived here at about 9:30am, almost 12 hours of traveling and almost no sleep for 24 hours. We were incredibly happy to be safely home.

Once we arrived to our house, Jerry and I crashed for a few hours before going to pick up Charlie from my Dad's. It was good to see him after 10 days of being without him :( He seemed happy to see Jerry and I. Unfortunately, after we took Charlie home I had to go to the urgent care to assess my ankle situation. I had a cut on my heel from some shoes that I wore and somehow it got infected and made my ankle swell. I am guessing that swimming in the ocean is what caused the infection...1 shot in my rear and a bottle of antibiotics, I hope to be on the way to recovery even though it is still painful.

So in all, we are glad to be home and getting things back to normal. I have to start up with the wedding planning again as we are right about 6 months out! YAY!

Aloha from Maui...

Well, we have been here in Maui now for over a week and it is coming to an end. What a remarkable time we have had with our good friends. We started our time off with some relaxation and browsing around Lahaina, which is just south of where we are staying. Luckily enough we were able to stay with our friends in their family's' condo here on Maui. It is right in between the Ritz and Lahaina, a perfect location.

The Tuesday after we arrived we shopped on Front St. and ate at Cheeseburgers in Paradise....we were told that it would be AMAZING...and much to our surprise it was just OK. At least we checked out this famous place!

The next day we went on the famous drive to Hana via the Hana highway and an escalade that we rented. I must say that the scenery is unbelievable but the drive was way too long. We saw the many waterfalls and hiked into some of the landscape to explore and find more waterfalls. Once we reached Hana, we saw the 7 pools which took my breath away. Unfortunately the pools were too full to swim in but what we did get was some great photos of the pools and the ocean. It is neat to see the fresh water meet the salt water!

On Friday the 17th we hung at the beach with all the people here for the wedding and during the evening we took in the Old Lahaina Lu'au. What a time that was. Free Mai Tai's and drinks for all! Oh and there was food too ;). We got some great photos of all of us and saw some traditional Hawaii dancing and singing. What a great time we had!

Melissa and Ryan said I Do on the 18th with a beautiful ceremony on the beach in Kapalua followed by the most wonderful and intimate dinner at the Ritz Carlton. It was quite the wedding and we couldn't have asked for a better group of people to share this time with, which included my brother and sister-in-law!! Jerry and I were honored to be included in the wedding party too.

The day following the wedding was spent relaxing at the beach with the newly weds followed by dinner in Lahaina on Front Street. We had an interesting experience while in the restaurant, which I will not name, that required us to be moved tables ;) The food was good but the service was horrible!

On Monday the 20th we got our selves out of bed at 4:45am to start our trek to Kihei, which is an hour south of Lahaina. (Of course we had to stop at Starbucks first!) This is where we chartered a private boat for 14 of us which took us out to the Island of Molokini. Some of us snorkeled while the others scuba dived, some for the first time. We saw some neat fish snorkeling while the divers saw sharks, eels and octopus!! No turtles though... :(

Tuesday the 21st was spent in Lahaina shopping again and taking in the hot sun. Just winding down from our great trip and getting ready to leave today at 9pm for a red eye flight back to LA! We should arrive home in Phoenix early tomorrow morning!

Aloha for now from Maui!! I'm off to snorkel one more time and try to see one of the amazing sea turtles before we leave :-D

3 days and counting!

We are just a few days away from our vacation to Hawaii. This has a been a CrAZy week for me and I am not ready for the trip, but hopefully this weekend will be calm enough for me to get organized.

As for the the wedding, I have finally booked a photographer and a DJ!! I feel as though I can relax a little more now that those are taken care of. At least now I don't have to worry about it on my vacation! We are just under 6 months away from the big day and there is SO much more for me to do but I am excited for what is to come :)

Hawaii is right around the corner!!

So, we met with a photographer yesterday and loved what he had to say! We are really excited and I think Jerry is getting more used to the idea that the wedding is so close. YAY! He seemed really excited after the meeting and it made me smile even more than I already was. Jerry is really getting into the planning and wants to be a part of all the small details which makes me really happy :) Once we book the photographer we get to do an engagement photo session which I am really looking forward to! I love to have pictures taken :)

In other news, we are getting ready to leave for Hawaii on Monday the 13th for our good friends wedding. Jerry is the best man and I am a bridesmaid. We are really looking forward to spending time with good friends and more importantly, my brother and sister-in-law are coming too. Brian is in the wedding as well. I can't wait to see them and spend time with them as we miss them so much. Unfortunatley, we will not be able to see my nephew as he will be kept company by my mom for the week. My Mom is very excited to go see him and spend some quality time with him, and of course, I am jealous she gets the one-on-one time with him!