Visiting Teaching Convention

If you are not LDS,you probably won't be interested in this post. But if you are, and happen to ever be in charge of a visiting teaching convention, this post is for you. I was part of a 4 person group in charge of this event, and we searched and searched on the web for an idea to copy(none of us really had the best attitude about the whole thing and wanted to put in as little work as possible). We couldn't really find any so we eventually came up with something. The event was last night, and it turned out quite nice. 

We decided to go with an eye exam theme of "Correcting Your Vision...Visiting Teaching with an Eternal Perspective". The invites:

We started off with a pasta bar. We had people sign up to bring cooked pasta, salad, bread sticks, and dessert. The committee was responsible for the sauce. I about went crazy trying to make a chicken alfredo sauce - but it actually turned out edible. And almost enjoyable.

Then we did a questionnaire for each sister to complete. The idea was to get an idea of how well you really know the women you visit. So it had questions like - What are their names? Birthdays? Kid's names? Hobbies? Occupations? Etc. 

Next we watched this movie on our big screen. This was quite a hit.






The rest of the program consisted of some talks and personal experiences. Oh, there was a skit thrown in there, but that was not necessary. To each their own. Anyways, I thought our decorations were super cute. Not my idea or doing, but I did love them. Carrots!!

So now that we have done all the work, you can steal our ideas all you want. That's what the internet is for anyways. So feel free. And can I just shout a "Hallelujah" for this event being over!? I'll have more free time - well - maybe not til after New Beginnings. But it's a start.

Bed(not room) Makeover

This year's Christmas brought us some new and much needed bedding. A few of you mentioned you wanted to see it, so here it is. I'll probably try to find some other pillows that add a bit more color, but here it is currently. I'm also trying to get the rest of the room updated, but that hasn't happened quite yet. Soon enough...

 

Chinese Horoscopes

This weekend Spencer and I went to Barnes and Noble for a little together time. It's one of our favorite date night ideas. Anyways, we came across a Chinese Horoscope book that caught our interest. We read our individual animal horoscopes, and they were both surprisingly extremely accurate. The only problem is when we came across this. I am a Rat, Spencer is a Horse. Read the first paragraph...

I couldn't help but laugh in reading how they worded in it. Instead of saying something like "get along", they went with "get on", which could easily be misread as "get it on".

New Year's Resolutions Down the Drain...or should I say pothole?

This year I made my new year's resolutions. I put a lot of thought into them, and felt like I compiled some really challenging, yet attainable goals. Maybe one day I will share all of them. One of those goals was to run at least 10 miles a week. I got some new running shoes for Christmas, and a new app on my phone to help chart my distance/time/calories. So I was ready to go. Yesterday was my first run of the week. I ran 2 miles on the treadmill in the morning, but then had to cut that short due to time constraints. So last night, I decided to run 2 more miles around the block. Spencer came with me. I was feeling great. It was dark and cool, and I could have gone for a long time. But on the home stretch, as I was beginning to pick up my pace to catch up with Spencer, I ran into a pothole and tumbled to the ground. It must have been quite a site. I think I even let out a grunt as I was falling. The dang hole was hiding in my shadow. Now I am left with a twisted and swollen ankle and new year's resolution that will be put on hold until further notice.

Can you see the swolleness?

New Year's Eve Hawaiian Style

You might be wondering how New Year's Eve could be celebrated differently here in Hawaii. Well, it's not necessarily different, but just a little more extreme. You see, EVERYONE gets fireworks, and since it is Hawaii, and you can see everything, it looks as if the entire sky is being lit up. We went to our friend's house to celebrate with their extended family, and it was amazing what you could see just standing in their driveway. I tried to take a video, and please excuse the motion chaos. And the switch from horizontal to vertical. You'll just have to turn your head. The big ball of explosions that is on the ladder is a Chinese good luck ritual. I noticed that everyone had these tall poles in their yards and was confused them. But what they do is attach a roll of 25,000 firecrackers and everyone lights them at midnight. It's extremely loud, and you are left with a crazy mess on the road, but fun to see. Sadly, this was the last year the fireworks will be legal here. 

 

Koko Head Hike

Spencer and I finally went out and tried the Koko Head hike. It is literally a hike that goes straight up a mountain. There were stairs, but no hand rails. Total there are 1,050 steps for a 1200ft climb. So it was a bit scary to say the least. By the time I was about 3/4 the way up, I had to stop about every 4 steps to take a break and catch my breath. It was tough, but the view on top was beautiful. 

(the drive home has my FAVORITE scenery!)