I have been so blessed with a number of sizable donations on my behalf to Special Olympics Hawaii. [In fact, a woman I've never even met donated $100!!] I appreciate all the support and woke up to this on Friday morning:
As promised, here are pictures. :)
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| "holding" Mama's towel. |
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| Check out that chick! |
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| Running from the pool. Honestly, it was SO FREAKING COLD. |
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| I assume the horrific temperature was a result of all the ice... including the bit left in my hair. |
The event was so well-planned and awesome. Despite the day being slightly overcast and chilly, the turnout was great and there were over 125 jumpers! Thanks to all those that thought of me as I plunged!
After the fundraiser, we went to the Harbor Pub & Pizza, for which I have a groupon for. $2 paid for $25 in food? Yes, please. Though it was a strange, little grunge of a place, the pizza was delicious.
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| Oh, tomato and basil, we are best friends. |
I will have you notice Ellie's costume change. Let's just say that she's not great with keeping an outfit clean... or dry.
***So that Andrew cannot embarrass me with inaccurate retellings of this story, I will share it now. This is how I won Worst Mom of the Year 2011: Ellie was fussy and ready for a feeding... I grabbed a packet of formula, poured it in the bottle, and dug around for a water bottle. After realizing that I had forgotten one, I looked for a glass of water and noticed Andrew's clear liquid drink. He was in the restroom, and being the ever patient woman that I am [not], I decided to just pour from his cup. I shook it and started to feed. Ellie seemed sort of confused and I just blew it off, thinking it was the coldness of the water... No. Nuh uh. Not the problem. The problem, that Andrew explained as he arrived from the bathroom and Ellie was rounding out her first ounce, was that his clear liquid was Sprite. Yes. I fed Ellie an ounce of Sprite mixed with Enfamil Soy. La la la. Soooo awesome. :(
After winning Worst Mom of the Year, we drove up-island to get showers, take a quick nap, and relax before our Sunset Cruise! We left the harbor at 5:30 and sailed for about 90 minutes... honestly, it was incredibly relaxing and Ellie was thrilled to sail around and see all the new faces. I think the sailboat had a total of 8 other people... so peaceful, calm, and needed.
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| Very concerned while leaving the dock... |
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| Seriously. Who else gets to sail at sunset with their adorable family IN HAWAII?! :) |
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| Diamond Head. |
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| If I had a sailboat, I'd have pink sails. |
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| Diamond Head again. |
While we sailed, we spotted 4 or 5 whales about 200 yards off the boat. I think it was then that I realized how truly incredible my life is...
[Warning: This part will be religious.] Wow. How awesome is it to live on Heavenly Father's creation? Sometimes we get so wrapped up with how WE are Heavenly Father's masterpiece, but my goodness. This world is so outrageously beautiful and maybe His true work is around us. I imagine that He sits in Heaven and watches the sunset everyday, searching for the green flash, and pondering how wonderful life [both on Earth and eternally] really is. I am so grateful to live in Hawaii and have the opportunity to meditate on His true intentions. Honestly, why would He create Hawaii if He weren't somewhat of an artist himself?
[Warning: This part will be part-motivational, part-preaching.] Yesterday, I watched whales in Hawaii. I watched huge, beautiful whale tails flop in-and-out of the water, on a sailboat with pink sails, next to my husband and daughter, in Hawaii at sunset. I spend most of my life enjoying baby sounds and taking pictures of innocence that I can't even hope to fully capture. Aside from Andrew's deployment, my life is as ideal as it gets. Sure, that sounds boastful, but more honestly... I want the same for you. Friends, if you aren't watching whales in Hawaii, make a change. If you aren't seeing something beautiful in a place you love, do something about it. Please. The peace that I've found and the true tender bliss that I have is available to everyone... just look!
Okay! Back on track! A quote that I enjoyed from our cruise yesterday, "If you're on a motorboat, you're going somewhere. If you're on a sailboat, you're already there." Ahhh. Happiness is wonderful. While on the trip, a noticed a little grey friend on Andrew's head....
Make that TWO little grey friends. I guess having a daughter is already starting to wear on the old guy. :)
After we docked in Waikiki, we were starved and grabbed some Chili's. [Erin, I know it's not "real" food, but their chips and salsa are totally bangin'!]
At this point, Ellie was unhappy with the course of her day... very little freedom and NO Naked Baby Time. Uh oh. She fussed through dinner and we wrapped up as quickly as possible to get her to bed. Andrew laid her down on our bed to change her diaper and she fell asleep immediately. :)
Talk about being the sweetest baby to ever live, right?!
On a side note. Homelessness in Hawaii is an epidemic... I guess the economy, extra cost of living, and large number of state parks is too much to handle. Many have suggested a private beach for them, outside the eyes of Waikiki, but everything is more in-process than anything. Until then, this is a common sight in downtown Honolulu.
When we finally settled into bed, I did a little catch-up work and watched Miley Cyrus on SNL. My goodness, she was horrible! But, what can you expect from someone who willingly changed their name to MILEY? Oh, well.
****But! [And this is the best part of the entire day!!] Before I went to sleep, Andrew handed me a small box with a NEW WEDDING BAND. Say whaaaa?! Basically, Andrew proposed to me the day he graduated Basic Training with a ring his younger brother, Brooke, had picked out. When we were married, we were too poor to afford a band and so I stuck with the engagement ring. Now, I love this ring, but I do too much gross babying to wear it all the time... and I am frantic about losing a diamond. With our 2-year anniversary approaching and my pleadings for a band becoming unbearable, I guess he decided to spring on a new one for me. ;)
I know, I'm a lucky gal.
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