Our Next Adventure

I figure that since we went to Oregon for an internship (well, that's why Michael went), that I should let you all know the outcome! Not only did we have a LOT of fun in Oregon this summer. But we came away with 2 really awesome things

A JOB... AND A BABY.

Yep :) We'll talk first about the one we all want to talk about. BABY! Michael and I are expecting our first baby on March 8th, 2012. I will be 14 weeks on Tuesday. We are truly THRILLED. We feel so blessed. Really. There aren't words for how truly blessed we feel. We feel like we can't be thankful enough. I had my first prenatal appointment in Oregon and it was wonderful. We had our second prenatal appointment just yesterday here in Utah and all went well. We heard our precious babe's heartbeat and that always makes it feel so very real. Doctor says everything looks good. I am feeling great. I really have nothing to complain about. I've been VERY tired. And I eat all day long. Other than that, I'm very lucky. We are reading and learning and so excited for this experience!

Job. Michael had a great experience at Moss Adams. He enjoyed it there and they enjoyed him. I'm so proud of him and so very, very grateful. They invited him back next summer 2012 for another internship, and then offered him a job for after he graduates with his masters degree in 2013. After a lot of prayer, thought, and research we both feel very good about this decision. We've signed the papers and will be moving to Eugene in 2013 :). We are so excited!

I kind of feel weird sharing all of this, but I just wanted to update you all. Thank you for all of your support, advice, and kind words. We appreciate SO much the support of our loved ones. Like I said, we are so grateful and feel so blessed and we know just where these blessings are coming from.

Our Week in Paradise...Hawaii!

It was truly as magical as everyone says it is. I feel like it was more magical than I can really express to you. The minute we got on the plane, I was SO excited and we both already felt like we were in paradise. The weather was absolute perfection. It would rain for about 20 min. a day. And then it would be about 85-90 with a breeze. PERFECT for beach! I was most excited to see the water and it DID.NOT.DISAPPOINT. Swimming in the ocean never got old. I just kept looking out at the water and thinking... I'm swimming in the ocean!!!! And I'm not cold!!! And I can see straight to the bottom! I can see fish at my feet!! It was amazing! And these are no Oregon rainbow trout. I'm talking bright purple and yellow and pink FISH!

I could go on forever. To warn you, I posted a LOT of pictures. I just figured I'd go through it day by day kind of for my own record and for anyone who wants to see what bliss looks like :)

Spending that week with Michael after a year of him working his tail off, was absolutely wonderful. We're always here, there and everywhere... just like everyone is. It felt so good to do WHATEVER WE WANT. Nobody to please, no obligations. Just absolute heaven. Oh, and Hawaii makes you love your spouse even more. It really does. It has magic powers. He was totally romantic and was full of surprises the whole week. I felt so so so lucky. Even more lucky than I do on a daily basis.

Day 1: Dole Plantation, Laie Temple, and we wasted NO TIME getting our bums in the water! Pineapple ice cream is what they serve in Heaven, I'm pretty sure.

Day 2: I spent the morning sitting on this GORGEOUS beach (turtle bay), watching Michael like a kid in a candy shop looking for fish in the water. Then we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. AWESOME!

Day 3: Pearl Harbor, and Waikiki. I'm so glad we checked out Pearl Harbor. It was really cool to see the Arizona and think about what happened there. Not to mention it was beautiful. The wind as you can tell, was strong! We rode this aweseommmme water tricycle thing INTO THE OCEAN!

Day 4: This day was one of my favorites. It was lounge on the beach day. We checked out a couple of different beaches, hit up Motsumotos, and Michael surprised me with a massage at a local place. It was fabulous!

Day 5: Kayaking in Kailua! Emily told me this was a must-do and she was 100% correct! It was my favorite activity! We took a kayak... into the ocean! Way far out! We went to other little islands and it was freaky. I was constantly afraid of falling over and getting eaten by a shark, but it was exhilarating and so fun!

Day 6: Last day on Oahu. We hiked up to Waimea falls. It felt like a fairy dream land. Look at that waterfall. We swam in it and it was so fun! Then we went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. I LOVE SNORKELING!!! Those fish are crazy!!! They don't even care that you're watching them! They were BEAUTIFUL!

Day 7: Off to Maui! We explored this BEAUTIFUL island with the incredible accurate map provided to us by Cameron & Virginia. I ate the best meal of MY LIFE here at Kimo's with the most beautiful view.

Day 8: Play on the beach in Maui day! We enjoyed this beach SOOO MUCH. I mean look at it. It was like a swimming pool. It was amazing. We only left it to eat. And Michael found a sweet starfish!!

Day 9: Bye Bye Hawaii. It was heartbreaking to leave. Our resort in Maui was beautiful. We don't know where else in the world we want to vacation. Hawaii topped all of our expectations!

We feel sooooooooo lucky to have had the chance to go. Who knows when we'll get such a fancy vacation again. It feels like a dream now. And it was the greatest dream ever. There is nobody I would have rather gone to Hawaii with. Thanks for surviving that post!