North Shore Swim

Saturday Matty and i competed participated in the first of four swim events this summer! You can look  up our times even :) it's official!
But first our morning went like this: We woke up at 7:00am and he asked "Do you want to do it?" (in my head) for the past month and a half! (Reality) "If you want to." this went on for about 20 minutes (because i feel like sometimes i drag him into things he doesn't want to do and half way through he probably thinks "And how did i end up here??" so i try and let him take some initiative) by 7:30 we jumped out of bed having come to the conclusion we're doing it and really had to haul to get there and sign up by 8:30. At the little grass area across from Sunset Beach there were two tents that had Check In and Sign Up. We got in line, registered, got our ankle timers, and got numbered (651 & 652). Then we thankfully found a parking spot semi near by and walked back to the beach where at least 400 other people were waiting. They didn't put out the starting buoys till right before the men were to start and Matty looked at it and said "That's as far out as we swam at Hukilau.." (the beach by us that has a buoy roughly 600 meters out) The men got a 5 minute start and then the ladies headed out to the starting line. It was so funny to see bright pink(the free caps) and an array of other bright colored swim caps all bobbing around in the water waiting for the start horn! Matty and i were both surprised to see all the crevasses in the reef and how shallow it was in some (most) spots! He even found a turtle that he pointed out to me! :) As we swam through the finish line at Pipeline we (Matty) were determine to beat this lady who kicked me almost every time i turned around to see where he was during the swim. i felt like i was back in a water polo game! She even had her full body jump suit thing going..
  Also keep in mind this is the same beach in the winter!
All the volunteers and sponsors were lovely with the fruit and salads (need to go to Aloha Salads!) and other various post-race snacks! We got our shirts, that we will wear with pride now! And headed back on the sand to our car (i think my legs hurt more from walking in the dry sand than they ever did during the race! Probably b/c they never hurt while swimming..)

that's one of the bright orange start buoys on the beach 

Nails!

I had to think about something else.. So every nail is a different color & design!

i'm taking a personal day..

So that means there's been quite an influx of "pins" on my Pinterest account, hits on food blogs are going through the roof, and i also found this little gem of advice from a blog i found. i came across it (and you might have too "50 Habits of Thin People" post on Pinterest. Some funny, some dumb) i kept scrolling and found this post that claims Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living. My thoughts on these

1.Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. - Well ain't that the truth! No one ever got to the top of Everest and said "That was a cake walk! Let's do it again!" i think also about the great LOVE part, i'm so grateful to know that Matty and i love each other so much and it's only getting stronger with each day. That's not to say every day is a breeze, just that we fill our "love bank" with deposits often so when there is a withdraw it's not so bad.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson. How do i even add to that? What comes to my mind is my total and complete despise towards the saying "Everything happens for a reason!" (and to people who over use it)

NO DUH bad things happen! That doesn't mean there's a "reason" for it! No, you didn't drop the Thanksgiving pie for a "reason"! No, you did not break your leg for a reason! No, one of my best friends didn't just die for a REASON! Bad things happen to every one, whether it be a terrible accident, or karma, or just a bad day. Every experience we have in this life is a lesson and it's how you deal with it that makes you and me who we are. Also i believe after we have gone through the refiners fire of life lessons i think we come to a better understanding of who are friends are.

3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all your actions. i know self being first is no coincidence. If you have no self respect/worth/esteem not only are you cheating yourself but others can see it too. My mom was always a HUGE help in nurturing my little self esteem growing up! She would also point out to me that when someone did something to get me down they hadn't grown into their self esteem yet and thought by bringing me down it would bring them up. i think those who still need to learn self respect will (with luck) learn at the same time that it doesn't have to be "I win, you lose" over everything.

Lovely Matty got an audiobook for us to listen to called The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work (here) and what amazing points he brings up! i'm not even half way through but i really enjoy listening to his studies and advice. One thing that is mentioned and makes me sad (it's also talked about in the book Blink) is how destructive having contempt in a marriage is. Putting someone below yourself is so harmful and never leads to any good. Respect for others is essential in life, yes that means the garbage man, bus driver, or DMV worker ;) 

Responsibility for ALL your actions means owning up and apologizing for them even when the sour taste is almost unbearable. It goes away in time

(that's my wedding ring. And a lemon. sour, get it?
No, there's not the "i married a lemon" underlying theme in this picture. Matty LOVES my lemon cake!)

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Ha!

Oh let us all just sit for a minute and think about the things we wished for as kids, or in high school. If you really got 1,000,000 candies on Halloween? Becky can you imagine what it would have been like if i went to Prom with HSB?? Hahaha (He was the best looking guy on the surf team but that's about all i can vouch for..) Prom was SO fun though and would not have been the same with a different date.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. How's that saying go? It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission 

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship. I think we have all seen this happen. May i also add Don't let dispute ruin families, either our own or loved ones. 

My brother Troy and i in Tobago. My brother Ian's caption:

 "

Pretty normal situation: Paige-cracking up. Troy-guilty and/or somewhat confused. BUT he does represent the Pasadena rock scene in foreign lands quite professionally"

 

Troy is hands down the winner for most arguments in my life. As of now i think he leads by a few thousand. i'm sure one of my kids will give him a run for his money, but be warned child - i learned from the best! Thankfully we either resolve it or get over it. i mean, we both made it off Mt. Fuji in one piece. i was pretty sure i was going to kill Deet, not the typhoon.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. Goes back to the principle of respect. It doesn't matter if you have respect for the other person on this, i think your self respect goes up when you take ownership of your actions. If you have made the mistake it is your responsibility to fix it and yours alone

8. Spend some time alone every day. i think this is not as important for some as it is for others. For me i would say every other day. (this "me time" is be my workout time) some day i will master this pose!

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values. So much change is happening in our young lives right now i can't imagine trying to turn my back on it! 

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. Truth! i have nothing more to say :)
Except maybe to add a favorite quote - "A closed mouth gathers no foot"

11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
i hope to never live with regret, only happy memories

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. Matty and i talked about this SO much when we were dating! i want our children to know they are always loved and welcome at home and never feel the need to go else where for security. In addition i want my kid's friends to be able to come to our home and feel the love and comfort we share
i want a porch on the front of my house

and let's be honest, where is the most time spent? So i better have an awesome kitchen!

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past. Another key point mentioned in the book (see number 3). This is sadly something i have witnessed from my parents, of how hurtful and pointless it is. What's done is done and let the water go under the bridge 

14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality. i love the truth in this! Aunt Colleen - i will always heat up the milk for good mashed potatoes. Dee, ian, Greg, Beck, and KMurph - the best friends are those who listen. Dad - photography. Mom - how to love others and be selfless 

15. Be gentle with the earth. My Grammie taught me this! Leave a place cleaner than you found it! -Pick up the trash! it might not be yours but the earth is ours-

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. Next stop Kauai! We leave July 10th
We will return and report on this every year till we die
  Coming up! 

         

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.  In all honesty i do not understand this yet. i can speculate, but that's about it.

 18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. The good and the bad. Was it all worth it?

Matty Graduated!

On April 14th Matt walked in BYU-Hawaii's graduation! We were all so proud of him

My Mom, Grammie & Poppa (her parents), Matt's Mom, Chad, Matt's Dad and Jacque all came to share this special time with us. We got a lot in during their short visit! Of course we made the visit to Cinnamon's for breakfast, went to the Dole plantation (i had to work..): swam at Makapuu, and went to the temple.

After graduation

 At the Laie Temple

April 17th

Shaved ice taste test!

We got both Aoki's and Matsumoto's and the winner is..

Matsumoto's!!! 

Not only do they have a much wider range of flavors, the ice maker gets the shaved goodness to the consistency of fresh fallen snow rather than a slushy mess. A note about Aoki's though - it looks beautiful!

Oh heavens! This is my Momma (Kathleen)

and those are the most exquisite, fluffy, pancakes i have ever eaten! They call them Guava Chiffon Pancakes. i call them true love (Errr. Ummm No, Matty i meant you!)

They really are more of a dessert than a breakfast food but i'm not complaining!  

Cute little pineapples at the Dole Plantation

We ate at Ola's at Turtle Bay after the graduation

So much more i have to keep up on! i mean how is it JUNE already!?

Pinterest stuff

Here's a few things i want to have a place for other than on a "board" that i may not look at again for a long time.
Hahahahahaha! How did we not have this sign when we had (the best dog) Cinnamon?! -need to do a post about her-
Dad probably scared off more people than she ever did

i want to find this bathroom door!

Amen.

i like it.

Without really having the words to answer the question Troy asked me years ago -"Why do girls even paint their nails?"

i guess variety, a change, occasionally boredom perhaps? 

Little giraffe needs some spice just like girls 

Art i want to recreate 

Yes.

indeed.

May i please keep an open mind when viewing things

-And Finally-

i want another dog!

and time to read

And a big blanket to wrap up in and hot chocolate and at least 2 days with nothing planned

March? Really??

i do not understand how it is already the second week of March..! it really makes me wonder what we're doing with our lives; then i think "Oh yeah! School, work, church - repeat-" i got called into the Relief Society (which for those of you who aren't Mormon, it means i'm doing a lot of extra activities for all the ladies and it can be time consuming) Thankfully i'm just on the sub list for Gunstock (the pool) and i've been able to get to the gym, swim or in some way work out for the last week and a half! Feels so much better to be active again. i did this work out because of the rain (Oh yeah - it rained for at least 5 days straight! Apartments & classes flooded, classes were cancelled, and the field by our house turned into a knee deep lake!) My legs were not functioning for a few days. But hopefully it pays off and i don't end up with this mind set (or if i do i won't feel so bad:)

Which leads me to my next thing... i caved. Uuuuuuhg and got an invite for Pinterest. Naturally the one that is bursting at the seams is my desserts board. I've also successfully taught myself via YouTube how to french-fishtail braid on myself. In a close second is Dream Home, and third is NAiLS! So with that i've did this! (masking tape). And i was sooo happy because i don't really use this blue anymore but i felt paired with the coral color i could rein it in

And i was quite happy for a few days before they started chipping. Even though i'm still only in my 20's i don't feel like i can pull off the bright turquoise blues anymore   :'( i feel like after girls get to 16 or so it becomes really gaudy and tacky - this is not to say that i've resigned myself, or any lady over the age of 20 to merely pinks & reds! Oh Please! NO i dare say break out the purples, sparkles, and greens! But do it with poise please? Pastels or something for everyday wear unless there's a design to it, then i feel like if a grandma had neon green moons with light pink nails Dang! she would be my idol! My next try will be WaTeRcOoOoLor Nails! -More to come on this later- 

For now

Goodnight!

xo

Paige

Back in full swing

With both of us working and going to school it feels like Matty and i don't see each other until 10:30p.m. or so every night and then for just a few seconds in the morning... I'm going to say just a few reasons why i love Matty so much
1. He is so good at listening to me (even when i know he doesn't want to) i am so grateful for that
2. Matty is SO smart and tries really hard in school and i know it's because he wants to learn all he can so he can get a good job and support our family.
3. The other day he did the laundry. Enough said. (no, not the first time just a nice surprise when i came home from work)
4. We don't argue. i know there's a we in that sentence but i come from a family of professional arguers (not really, only one cousin is a lawyer but many of us are really good at it) so i think if i married someone who also has that background it would not be good.. I'm writing this because currently our neighbors are really going at it. again. and i'm glad that that's not how our home is. This isn't to say that Matty and i aren't opinionated people or that we always agree on everything, but we try not to escalate problems. We talk things through or realize it's not all that important after all and let go of time we disagree.
i love you Matty.

ps- i think this will be my last session teaching swim lessons up at Gunstock Ranch. After 5 years of teaching (4 year round) i think i have come to the point where i am getting burnt out. Hopefully i can help out by subbing up there but i don't want classes of my own anymore.. However i'll miss riding my bike home and seeing this

-still open for private lessons- :)