Throwback Thursday - Relationship Related

Apparently the hubby and I used to wear friendship bracelets when we were dating - something I had totally forgotten.  I think mine eventually broke or got lost but he dutifully kept his and even wore it during our engagement shoot. 

The friendship bracelets were fitting since our friendship is what led to our relationship and what made pictures like the one above common.  We were comfortable with each other in a way that wasn't common for me in previous relationships and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that our relationship was built on a friendship. 

Moving

Loved these movers we didn't have to pay for.  

We finally moved into our permanent place here in Hawaii.  It meant the last week was spent with limited internet access and lots of unpacking.  But now I am back this week to update you on everything moving and rental related.

First, the move itself.  Here are some of my thoughts and notes on our move: 

Moving is so overrated.  I hate everything about it and if I have to do it one more time within the next year, I just might hurt someone or something. 

Moving, especially the cleaning part of it, always takes ten times longer than you expect.  One should always plan accordingly.   

And guess what happened moving weekend?  Swollen ankles and feet.  After my mom and the hubby freaked out on me about it,  I got put on temporary couch rest and the hubby did most of the rest of the cleaning.  I felt bad the whole time as he slaved away and I rested, but he was much better at the whole cleaning thing that I was anyways.  From the beginning, I was just overwhelmed to the point where I would sit on the coach and stare at the apartment knowing something needed to be done but not sure what to do about it.  I'll just blame it on the pregnancy! 

Next time, I am not going to hesitate hiring someone else to clean.  Professional cleaners never seem worth it until you are actually in the middle of cleaning and than all of a sudden you wonder why cleaners make so little.  Then you forget the whole thing, a year or two later commit to cleaning another place, and it just becomes a viscous cycle.  

Taking apart all the shelving and drawers in a large fridge is much easier than putting them back together.  Especially when a wall makes it impossible to open the fridge door all the way.  Sometimes the hubby should think before he gives me ideas that just end up causing more work for him.  

But man was the fridge sparkling clean, in ways that no one will or can ever appreciate, when I was done with it. 

Best method I've found yet to clean glass and windows: water, dish soap, coffee filters. 

Speaking of which, thank you to who ever saved us by leaving those coffee filters behind.  And thank you Google for the helpful hint.  I even went as far as to make my first purchase of coffee filters this week. 

Magic eraser:  I don't understand you but I love you.  End of story.

My husband is an extremely hard worker, especially when it counts.  Me, not so much. 

To My Best Friend

RIP my dearest Jocelyn.  You gave your best to the battle and fought a much longer and harder fight than you ever should have had to.  You will be greatly missed here on earth and there is now a gaping hole in so many people's lives that nobody else will ever be able to fill.  But I know you have a loving entourage waiting for you in heaven and there is probably a huge welcome home celebration (or maybe a 2nd birthday party) going on right now.  Are there horses up there for you to ride?  I sincerely hope so.  But perhaps the Lord is just going to keep you busy all the time.  He did just receive the loveliest, most humble, kind hearted angel after all.  Why waste your talents? 

Thank you for your patience, for the life lessons you taught me, for the example you were, and for the numerous times you sat and listened to me go off about relatively unimportant things.  I count myself lucky having had the chance to call you my best friend.

I will miss you dearly.  I cry for your families loss, for my loss, and for the trials and heartaches you had to bear while here on earth.  I cry for so many reasons.  But I know you are no longer in pain.  I know you finally have the rest and peace you so desired.  I know I will get to see you again one day.  And for those reasons I am eternally grateful.

Until we meet again my friend! 

Happy Mother's Day

I'm currently 34 weeks pregnant.  So crazy!  It almost feels like the baby could be here any day now but luckily (crossing fingers) we should have a bit more time to move into our permanent place and finish getting ready for his arrival.  So much to do, so little time.

It feels weird celebrating Mother's Day but I know next year it's going to be an even weirder and more wonderful experience.  Life sure does fly by.  I can't mentally get used to it.

I am incredibly grateful for my mom as well as all of the other woman who have influenced me throughout my life.  Motherhood can not be easy (I am slightly...more like incredibly scared) and it takes an incredible amount of sacrifice.  I am glad I have such wonderful role models to look up too.

As for the lei I am wearing, it's my first time receiving one so of course I had to document it.  I know it looks a bit broken but I was actually instructed to cut it in half.  Apparently it is bad luck for a pregnant woman to wear a lei that is a complete circle.  My OCD mocked me a bit but I didn't want to wish any bad luck on myself so I obeyed.

Shout out to my husband.  He cooked me breakfast and dinner (veggie enchiladas) and both were yummy.  Plus he did the dishes.  I felt incredibly spoiled.

To any mothers reading this:  I hope you were spoiled as well, or at least got some time to rest and relax.  You may not always feel amazing and incredible, but I promise you that you are.  Happy Mother's Day!

P.S. It is my best friend Jocelyn's birthday so I wanted to give a shout out to her.  She is such an incredible woman who has had to go through much more than any one person should ever have to go through.  She has been such a blessing to me and I couldn't ask for a better friend.

Klutz

I may have just busted my lip on my computer.  How does any normal person manage to do that?  Oye!  And yes, for some reason I felt the need to blog about it right after it happened.

Just a Few Pictures From Our Sunday Walk

Why do all the good things happen when a camera is unavailable?  Like the guy we saw last week at the park who was chilling with his two leashed goats.  We almost walked by without noticing because dogs are so common in our community but at the last moment I noticed the horns and just stopped in my tracks and stared...and stared...and maybe even dreamed about owning goats of my own.  Luckily the guy didn't seem to care.  Perhaps showing off his goats at the local park is a common past time of his. 

Worst Part of Hawaii

Remember this post from last week?  The one where all I did was complain about my day.  Well...shortly after I posted it, I went down to the kitchen to get a snack.  The hubby was about ready to crawl into bed for the evening but I was hungry and not ready for sleep quite yet.  Well he ended up having to delay sleep a bit because I called for him in a loud and now familiar manner that translates to "Get down here fast. There is a cockroach! Save me!"

There was a hugggeeeee cockroach chilling on the counter.  I went and got my camera to take a picture but it's like he knew what I was about to do and began to run like a bat out of hell all around the counter.  By the time the hubby got downstairs and was ready to kill the thing, the cockroach ran out the way he came in.  Because we always find them in the corner cabinet and they like to run behind the piece of wood forming the back of this particular cabinet, I have concluded there is some sort of opening behind it that allows them to get in from outside.  Oh joy!

For the next few days we were on cockroach watch, just waiting for it to come back.  I would open the cabinet slowly just waiting for it to appear.  I would check the counter as soon as I walked into the kitchen so as to avoid any surprises.  But it never came back.

Until the other night.  K, to be honest, we can't be sure it was the same cockroach but based on size, if it wasn't him, it was a sibling or cousin.  I found him (for some reason I am the one who is lucky enough to find all of these buggers) in our tub which is a first.  Here he is in all his glory:

Once on their backs, they can't change positions and end up dying.  We didn't find this particular cockroach on its back but it's certainly my favorite position to find them in.

Then the hubby says the smartest thing he could say to me:  "Maybe that's why our drain has been a bit clogged these past few days!"  Major gagging and horrible thoughts!!  (But no it isn't why.  I think we have a buildup of sand in our drain that needs to be taken care of.) 

The cockroach met its death thanks to the hubby's shoe and I spent the next 15 minutes trying to forget about the incident so I could sleep without dreaming about ugly creatures trying to kill me.   

This cockroach saga never ends.  Just yesterday we were cleaning up from dinner and lo and behold, right under that special corner cabinet, there was a cockroach on its back.  So the hubby had to save me again.  The cockroach must have accidentally slipped and fallen from the back of the cabinet, landing on our counter legs up making him an easy breezy one to take care of.  Thankfully this didn't occur while I was actually cooking.  Cockroach in rice noodles doesn't sound that delicious to me. 

I told the hubby the other night that every time a cockroach appears its bigger than the last one and soon enough we will be facing a cockroach that is big enough to chase us around.  Freaky! 

P.S. Those flies that made an appearance in the aforementioned post tried to take over our apartment (focusing their attack on our bedroom) that night as well.  I just happen to specialize in massacring flies so their infestation didn't last long.  I don't know if I would say the week looked up after that particular night but at least I was able to be in a negative mood in a fly free environment.  There is a positive to every negative.

Here is to having a much better week!