Aloha!

During the week in Hawaii we were able to see some amazing places as well as relax! Here is an outline of our week.

Tuesday

Pearl Harbor-I had always wanted to visit Pearl Harbor not only because of the history that the harbor holds but also because I feel like I have somewhat of a connection to the event since my grandpa was there the day the Japanese bombed it.





U.S.S. Arizona Memorial





The oil that still leaks up from the U.S.S. Arizona to the ocean's surface after all these years. They estimate oil will continue to leak for another 40 years.














Wednesday

We made a visit to the famous Dole pineapple plantation. We went on a train ride to tour the plantation, ate dole whips (pineapple ice cream), and part of the group walked through the pineapple maze. We even watched a demonstration on how to properly clean and cut a pineapple...who would have known that you need to wash off the acid on the inside of a pineapple before eating it!














Thursday


We woke up early and headed out to Hanauma Bay which is the most popular snorkeling place in Oahu. The bay is a remaining volcanic crater filled with reefs, tropical fish, and sea turtles.





After snorkeling we explored the south east corner of the island where the famous Halona blowhole is located. It was really windy at this part of the island which is why our hair and clothes look crazy in the pictures.











Friday

We spent a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center where we went on a canoe ride, walked around the villages, and ended the day with a laua dinner and show. I had always wanted to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center and was happy to spend the day there with my family.




















Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday


Saturday and Monday we went to North shore beaches (Sunset beach where we met Kona, a dog that adopted us as its family for the day). We also went swimming and played games such as "Snake-in-the-water".










On Sunday we went to church where we actually ran into a former Saratoga ward missionary who is now living in Oahu with his wife and children. After church we made dinner, sang "Happy Father's Day to You!" to all the dads, and took family pictures.







Tuesday was a sad day when we left the island. Oahu will definitely be missed, but we created lots of fun memories that will last forever! Thanks mom and dad for planning such a great family trip!

One more week!

I have one more week of school...ever! This coming week is the last week of student teaching, and then graduation is just around the corner. It seems strange to think I'll actually be done, but when I think about it a little longer I realize I have definitely put in my time and I deserve to be done! I felt like a graduating senior when John and I attended the BYU Senior Grad Night on Friday. We went for free food and entertainment! I just can't wait until next week when I get my diploma. My parents and little brother are coming into town, as well as John's parents and little brother to help us celebrate. It's going to be really fun to have everyone here! Until then...one more week of teaching and John's going to be busy taking finals.

Wedding

We were married on December 26th, 2009 in the Oakland, California LDS Temple. The day was absolutely perfect.





After we came out of the temple, we took all of the traditional family photos.



























That night was the reception and it was beautiful! After searching and searching for a perfect place for a reception during winter, I believe we had found it. We had so much fun talking to friends, dancing, and laughing. Everything was perfect!





Beautiful flower decorations!



The cake!



My family at the reception.



John's family at the reception.




The night was also filled with lots of friends. The "Saratoga Girls" go back as far as we can remember and we love sharing special days with each other.



John and I had our first dance as a married couple. We had planned to dance to "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" by Rod Stewart, but earlier that day my sister, Ashley, and John decided it would be fun to surprise me by turning on "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias, which was the dance John asked me out to at a stake dance back in 2004 when we were sixteen years old. I couldn't stop laughing when I first heard "Hero" over the loud speakers.



I got my very own daddy-daughter dance, and we ended up dancing to "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You".



I also got to dance with my cute grandpa!



I loved watching the little flowergirls run around all night and they loved dancing as well. I couldn't have asked for cuter flowergirls!



The reception was absolutely beautiful and I have my mom and my sister, Stephanie, to thank for it. They planned the whole thing for me while I was out at BYU. I am so grateful for them for the time and energy they put into making my wedding day special and the reception very memorable. Everyone had so much fun, and after a fun day and exciting reception, there were some who just needed to rest!




We spent a few days down in Huntington Beach for our honeymoon. We had perfect weather!



We spent a day at Disneyland and California Adventure!

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After our honeymoon we drove back to Saratoga for New Years and welcomed in 2010. We drove back to Utah and now are in the middle of our winter semester. The semester is going good so far, with John working hard at school while I am teaching a third grade class for my student teaching! We are enjoying every moment of our lives together!

Finals Week

Yes, I'm blogging when I should be studying, but I think I have something called "senioritis"...this week is my last set of finals I will ever take! It's a strange feeling to be finishing up at BYU, but I guess I will still be around school with John having two more years at the Y and I'll be teaching at a Provo school starting the beginning of January. I guess I will never fully escape it! We are excited for this coming week of finals to be over with so we can fly back to California where it is warm and so we can be with family!

Here are some photos from this past weekend!

It snowed a lot, we went to my cousin Paige's apple cider/black tie party, and we finished it all off with some ice skating! It was a fun weekend!

Make a Smilebox collage

19 DAYS TO GO!

Only 19 days to go until we get married! There is still a lot to do before the big day....last minute wedding preparations, finals, and moving out of our apartments. This is going to be a fun month, though, with Christmas, family, and getting married. We are looking forward to all the fun memories that will be created over the Christmas break with our families!