Pew Hoggers

You know who you are. You come to church every Sunday, walk into the chapel, and sit yourself down in the same stinkin' spot every single week. Normally, seats have to have a reserved sign on them in order for a designated group or family to sit there. But you've made your own mark. You have etched your family name into the pew by sitting there week after week, making your silent declaration to the ward that these spots are yours and yours alone. And what's wrong with that? The Andrews sit in their pew every week too, and so do the Kellys and the Lockharts and the Wilsons. You've all been there for gosh, how long has it been, and you all know the lowdown.

Now those new people, well they better get with it quick. If they think they can come in and sit wherever they want, in your spot, well they've got it coming. Because now you're all bent out of shape because your sacred pew has been violated and where else is there for you to go but to also violate the Andrews spot or the Kellys spot or the Lockharts or the Wilsons? Well now everyone is discombobulated because no one explained to the new people that they need to sit in the back on the hard chairs because there aren't any unclaimed pews left! Ugh! This is indeed a crisis, folks! Whatever shall be done with the new people who don't know the rules?

Well, speaking on behalf of all who have yet to etch their own name into a pew, let me suggest that each family or couple try shifting around each week so that no one gets discombobulated in the first place. Pew Hogger - Don't Be One.

New Puppies!

As I mentioned before, my mother is watching our dog, Marley, while we live here in Hawaii. Now this is a pretty good arrangement considering that Mom has Penny so the two keep each other company and are happy enough. I doubt Marley is missing his old masters.

Anyway, Penny went into heat last Fall and with a hot item like Marley around and all that chemistry between them what could they do but heed nature's call? Anyway, one thing led to another and now we have two beautiful little puppies! They are both girls and look like they will turn out to be tricolors like Marley. One was actually born Monday night, January 21st, and the other was born Tuesday morning, January 22nd!

So, here are the little cuties. They kind of look like little rats at first but after a few short weeks they turn into real heartbreakers. They are downright irresistible! I wish I could go out there and pet their cute little selves. We'll see.

A Little Friend

There were some big waves going on this weekend and Nick and I decided we wanted to check it out!

We drove up to Turtle Bay and saw the tumult. It was pretty awesome. We marched out onto a set of tide pools and found a horde of hermit crabs! So, I grabbed a bunch and Nick held them while I took shots.

Or rather, one shot, because my camera ran out of battery! So this is the shot I got - our little friend. They are so cool.

Into the Woods

Happy Civil Rights Day! I guess that is what they are calling it now.

Nick and I took a little hike up a trail near our house. It is a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the scenery, although everything was a bit muddy. We weren't sure how long it is so we ended up turning around rather than making the full loop. We'll have to look that up later.

Here are some shots I took. Each shot cost about 10 mosquito bites. They were having a field day with us. I stopped once to count how many were on my leg and I found 17. Next time, we will be bringing the repellent!

Cindy Crawford Wreck Your Body Workout

Here's the bad news - I have gained weight. Nick put the wedding ring on my finger and suddenly my body exploded. OK maybe that is a bit much but I could definitely afford to shed some pounds. The good news is I am doing something about it. I tried dieting before and, wow, I really hated it. So I figured I would focus on getting in shape instead. With no gym around, I am kind of dependent on workout videos and there are SO many out there. While I am shopping around, I went ahead and got this old Cindy Crawford workout video that I did back when I was about 12 years old. I always loved it and I still do. So it has been fun to workout, sweat, and get sore!

I woke up this morning and just barely moved when I got this charley horse in my calf! Wow! I never ever get those! It was so shocking, I said, "Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!" and Nick was very alarmed and said, "What what what what what?" Luckily, it went away quickly. So I had to look up what causes that and, of course, there are multiple possibilities. But one cause is strenuous exercise. So, thank you Cindy Crawford for the charley horse, and I will see you again on Monday. :D

Ode to Basenjis

I'm not gonna lie. Basenjis are a real pain. For the most part, they lack those very things that make dogs so very lovable. They have very little desire to make you happy. Stealing food from the table when your back is turned is much more rewarding for them than praise. They are also lacking in loyalty. You open up a door and they'll run through it in a flash. Yeah, they will eventually come back home (you hope) but they aren't too concerned about staying by your side. They don't even like water. In fact, that's one way to punish them - throw them in the pool. It's awful for them, just like it would be for a cat. In many ways, owning a Basenji is like having a 2-year old around. You cannot leave them unattended for long or they will undoubtedly find trouble.

That being said, I am often reminded of ther positive qualities. One which is very unique is that they DO NOT bark! Interestingly, Basenji owners are often very excited when their dog does make a quick bark or a howl. But for the most part, we like our quiet companion.

Last night, probably around 3 am, our nextdoor neighbor's dog, who is some PitBull mix, started barking... and never stopped. I had opened the window before going to bed to enjoy the nice island breeze coming in. After the dog went on and on, I finally closed the window and covered my head with a pillow. This morning, a Humane Society truck came down our tiny little lane and went to their house. Someone must have finally gotten tired of the dog (actually there are two), and I must say, I am glad they came. Dogs bark but it is rude to not quiet them. But then, Basenji owners never have to deal with that in the first place.

... well, most of the time. Unless you own my dog, Marley, who is such a baby that he cannot be left alone without making a huge fuss all day long and then the neighbors call the police on my poor mother who is watching him. *sigh* Basenjis: painfully cute; painfully annoying.

I'm Sorry. Blogging is not an option.

I just can't post, OK! I have NO LIFE! Or, rather, my life completely revolves around all the work I have this semester. So, I will see you in December when it is ALL OVER!

Here We Are in Hawaii!

Well, as usual, some time has passed since I have been able to post. In my defense, however, I have had quite a whirlwind of events. The entire summer was filled with travel, school, work, and everything associated with moving oversees. After a vacation in my home state of California, we arrived here in Hawaii last Monday and have been running around like crazy trying to set everything in order.

We knew we wanted to enjoy the island life in a convertible. We were lucky enough to find a 2004 Chrysler Sebring with very low miles and at a very good price. Now we only await the arrival of my Honda Civic and we'll have our transportation in order.

Finding a place to live has proved challenging. It'd be nice to save money and also nice to find a place which would allow us to bring our dog, Marley, over here. We have been looking in one particular area which is very central between Nick's work and my school but the pickins have been slim, especially with our criteria. We do have a very good prospect in the works but are waiting to hear if we will be chosen. It is a high stress situation to be living in a hotel an hour away from school with the burden of house hunting upon your shoulders but I have been a good girl in keeping up with school work as best I can and making sure to get a good night's rest.

I am taking six classes at BYU Hawaii. It's a fun place to be, but I feel very old here. I swear I am the school matriarch even though I am only 25. Unfortunately, I am not too thrilled with many of my classes but I expect to do well. I have a ton of reading and writing to do so it will keep me busy. As we have no printer (all our stuff is being shipped here and will not arrive until October), Nick and I have been frequenting the BYU library for our school needs and here I sit.

Well, I need to get back to my homework. Until next time...

Nick at Night

Time: 12:00 am
Place: Nick and Andrea's bedroom

Nick and Andrea: (both asleep)

Nick: "Whoa!" (nudges Andrea)

Nick: (nudges Andrea again)

Andrea: "What?" (sits up)

Nick: "Look." (points to end of bed)

Andrea: (confused) "What am I looking at?"

Nick: "Sponge Bob."

Andrea: (................)

Andrea: "Hmm, I guess I don't see him."

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, it's my birthday today. I had planned to throw myself a big party but as this week is midterm week, that put a lot of stress on my already stressful plate. So I opted to cancel the party and have a stress-free birthday instead. Unfortunately, that took all the anticipation and excitement out of my birthday so I lacked that usual euphoria which accompanies this special day. Nevertheless, all I really wanted was a day without anything going wrong - no cars breaking down, no physical injuries, etc. So, I got what I wanted - today has been a perfectly normal, perfectly fine day.

The big present was from my wonderful husband, Nick, who spent a small fortune on a very nice, very compact Canon video camera. It was definitely what I wanted and I am very excited to use it. So, stay tuned for some videos! I plan to use the camera to keep people updated on what is happening in our lives, especially as we move to the faraway island of Hawaii, assuming I figure out how to use it, of course.