That First Wonderful Evening...

He mad me go parasailing during that first week we were together...

Tom's mom is making us a scrapbook as part of our wedding present, and in an email she recently sent, this is what she asked:

"ok having a scrapbooking brain phart and I need your help I need your first thoughts when you first actually met Tom I sent the same request to him ."

Dinner at my parents house...

I really enjoyed recalling that first intense night when we met in person, and thought I would share it with you all. Here's what I wrote back:

Do you mean first thoughts like the first time he came to Hawaii? There were a few instances of “first thoughts”. There was when I saw him come down the escalator in the airport toward the baggage claim , and I knew immediately that it was him. I felt my face flush red immediately, my heart rate increased by a good 40 bpms and my stomach was doing flips. I could not believe that after months and months of intense “virtual” contact that we were going to finally get to “meet” each other. I saw his goofy smile (and noticed his awful Patriots hat – don’t tell him that) as he walked toward me and I remember thinking – “oh good, he’s really tall.” We’d talked endlessly about what we would do when we first met each other and I think we both had these visions of grandeur – hearing the heavens open and the chorus of angels, feeling the world stop spinning for that moment in time and him sweeping me off my feet. Instead, there was a nervous, but long and warm hug, while I began to giggle like a school girl ( I do that when I’m nervous – notice the pictures from the night of the engagement). I remember loving that he gave good hugs. A wimpy hug is about as impressive as the “dead-fish handshake”.
Later that night, after he’d checked in to the Hale Koa, we stopped over at my the restaurant where my friend was a server, The Yard House. We held hands as we walked over and I loved how big his hands were! Our conversation flowed so easily – and we both had these silly smiles plastered on our faces and could not stop staring at each other. At one point – I think while we waited for our dinner, he had put his arm around me and I just kept thinking, “man this feels SO right.” There’s always that chance that things would have been overtly awkward and that the spark would not have been there but that was far from the truth. It felt good. It felt true. And it felt right. I was extremely comfortable with him – I was still nervous of course. Wondering if I was making a good impression – if he liked me as much as I knew I liked him. The night ended blissfully and I could hardly force myself to leave him that night. I remember my mom asking me the next morning, “so….do we like him?” And I answered (gushed, really) “ I DO!! I REALLY DO!!!”

Paradise Cove Luau

Holy Moly Matrimony!

Wow! I knew I hadn't blogged in a long time, but I didn't realize exactly HOW long it had been! Almost a month now! The past 30 days have been nothing short of hectic. Last I had posted, Tia was due for another surgery. Well on the day she had surgery, Jonah was set up to spend the night with Noni (my grandmother, his great-grandmother), and the two girls would be with us. Jonah had a fever on Monday, but one thing you learn with having children is that they get sick. A LOT. We didnt' think much of it.

Tuesday morning, I got a call from my mom. She had gone to drop clothes off for Jonah and knew immediately that something was wrong. He couldn't walk. He couldn't stand or speak. Something was very wrong. They took him to the emergency room and it was determined that he had ataxia of the limbs and most often, this was due to an infection or swelling on the brain. This would also explain his speech being effected.

Over the next few days, with Tia trying to recover in the hospital, unable to be with her baby boy, Jonah underwent mulitple tests including a spinal tap, an MRI, and a CAT scan. No cause was ever fully determined, although the tests did reveal that there was no swelling on the brain, which can lead to really severe defects. He spent almost a full week in the hospital, and was released when he was able to keep food down. Tia, upon being released from her stay in the hospital, went straight to where Jonah was being kept and spent the remainder of his stay there with him and Dave. What a trooper - but really, wouldn't you do the same? What has been amazing, though, has been his speedy recovery. The doctors had warned that this could take up to a year to clear itself up. Jonah could barely walk and sit up. He could only speak a little and still had to eat laying down.

Within a week of being home, he had practically done a 180 degree turn! He was sitting up, walking with help, talking, and had the appetite of a horse! He has since continued to improve and is almost back to complete "normal". We all know that the Lord has had his hands around little Jonah and his entire family, and its nothing short of amazing what the power of prayer and the blessings of Savior can accomplish. We do like to joke, though, that given Jonah's genetics, we're aren't surprised with the speed of his recovery. A baby that crawled too early, walked too early, talked too early - did everything far too early - and is clearly a genius, would only be expected to make this kind of headway. Tia chalks it up to Dave's "crazy genes". We really are grateful that the Lord has put the sparkle back into Jonah's eyes.

As for a wedding update, the latest thing I've accomplished is getting the invitations out. FINALLY. It took over 50 hours of work - with the help of my nephew, Jonathan, and my niece, Jessica, and the design genius of my sister, Tia. Here are some pictures of how they turned out:

The outside cover

Close-up of the monogram

The open invitation

Wording....I loooove the font our names are in!

The invitation and inserts.

All in all, I am super happy with the way they turned out. I didn't know that the black from the envelope would bleed onto the white paper and was dissappointed to find out the hard way that this happened. I've e-mailed the company and haven't heard anything back yet. I don't know what they could do, really, but we'll see. My next big project is completing 16 108" table runners!

Stamps, Travels and Surgery

There's not too much on the home front to report - just little tidbits. Some good, some not so good. I survived the two weeks that my parents were gone on the mainland - it is really hard to work full time, be a mom to three and run a household with 6 dogs! But we did it - with much help from my brother and nephew. It was actually quite enjoyable despite that hard work. I am closer to finishing the invitations - not done - but closer. One more large hurdle involving the addressing and then some more simple construction and voila! We will have invitations. We wanted to go with some really cool personalized postage but its gonna end up costing an arm and a leg. The selections on the USPS website are slightly less than impressive...but I can't justify spending $1.00 on a $0.61 stamp! It would have been awesome though...

Also, I got the go ahead from my mom to extend the honeymoon....I'M GOING TO NORTH CAROLINA!!! We return from Kauai on Friday evening, then will be at home and fly out to NC on Monday evening! I am so stoked!!! She agreed to keep Bella as well and that is so awesome!!! It will be really hard being away from her that long - I feel bad enough having her at school and then dragging her to the gym for another hour and a half. I am thrilled to no end to have that extra time with my new husbad though!

Speaking of the gym, I've lost 4 pounds and that blows my mind! I think switching a few things up has really helped. Going from just jogging to interval training on the treadmill and throwing in some weight training has been great. I love being sore - it makes me feel like I put in a good effort at the gym. Also, eating more frequent, small meals is definitely boosting my metabolism and my energy! And I've been less moody- which is good for everyone! It is so easy to just not eat, but my eyes are being opened to how that is so much worse in the long run for a lot of reasons.

I learned yesterday that my sister has another hernia in her abdomen and is going to have another surgery to correct that. My heart goes out to her cause I know this is the worst timing. Not that theres ever "good timing" for a hernia. She has a lot going on and a lot of people depending on her. Please pray for her and her family. And Tia- you know I got your back girl. Whatever you need don't hesitate to say it!

Good News, Bad News

I got a call early this morning from my mom - who, with my dad is travelling on the mainland. They found the "house of their dreams", made an offer on it and settled today. I am so happy for them. I really am. They had intentions on building from the ground up on a huge parcel of land that they've owned for a number of years in Angel Fire - but slowly the Lords plan for them began to unfold as contractors fell through, construction pricing sky rocketed and through one event after another, they were pushed in the direction of buying a home that was already built. Through much planning and preparation they narrowed their list of homes to look at during their trip down to...oh a mere 20 or so. Needless to say, when they saw this home - newly constructed and never lived in, they fell in love. It had all the amenities they were looking for and it was very much a "perfect fit". And they got it.
While on one hand I am overjoyed for them because I know this is something they've wanted for a long time, on the other hand I am completely torn up and am crying on the inside (which with me, eventually becomes crying on the outside...). I am to be married on September 19th, 2009 to the man of my dreams. He happens to be in the army, stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. he is due to get out of the army in March of 2011. Since he was just PCS'd a few months ago, Fort Bragg is where he will stay for that time. My parents intend to begin the moving process in April of 2010. I guess in some distant pipe dream I had envisioned there being some way that upon completion of Bella's first year of preschool I could somehow move to North Carolina to be with my husband for the next 9 months while he completed his time serving in the army. Then we would both make the move back to Hawaii to settle down and really start our life together. I had never figured out exactly how it would have been possible, I just knew that living without my husband for 18 months after we were married would be like death. So now, being told that it virtually won't be possible for me to spend any extended length of time with him in North Carolina - well it just sucks, to put it simply. It sounds odd, but part of me hopes that he gets deployed. His job is with support and not actually combat, so his safety overseas is less of an issue than it is for others. But having him deployed, knowing I can't be with him because of his work would make it easier than knowing he is simply in another state and I can't be with him because I have to be here in Hawaii with the house and my brother. I don't think I can explain it easily and I'm probably not making much sense - its just that this situation is difficult and I'm not looking forward to it in the least bit.
I know the Lord has something in store for Tom and I and we just need to be open and receptive to hear and feel His guidance during this time but I know it won't be easy. I'm worried. I'm scared. I'm stressed. I'm saddened. I miss Tom. More so at times like this because all you want is to be held and told that everything will work out.

I did it!

So yesterday I acted on a whim! I got into my car after work to zip over to Bella's school to pick her up. Before I turned the key in the ignition, I dialed the number for the 24-Hour Fitness thats literally 3 minutes from my house. I asked to schedule an appointment to sign up for a membership and was asked if I could come that day! I said yes, that I could be there in an hour and a half. At 5:30pm, I walked through the double doors and in just one hour, walked out with a month-to-month one-club membership and a personal trainer. I need someone to kick my butt into gear and hopefully thats what I'll get! I meet with her for the first time on Saturday at 4pm! There is a child-care area that is $3.50 per visit or unlimited for $30/month. Not bad at all! There are tons of awesome classes - zumba, salsa, yoga, spinning, abs, kick boxing, step aerobics and more! I am stoked, excited and motivated! Once my sister moves up to central oahu, we can start going together (hint, hint Lord). Thats something we are praying hard about! I'm gonna keep a food journal for the rest of the week to show my trainer on Saturday (she's gonna break down the meal planning too). I can't decide if I should go work out before Saturday or not. I don't really know what to do. It's been 10 years since I've been in a gym that size and its pretty overwhelming and intimidating. I should just bite the bullet and go...

Starting the week off on the right foot! Or the left...

On some mondays I feel completely deflated - on others, fully motivated. This monday it is the latter. I have to get everything back on track and start working toward some huge goals that I've been toying with since...oh...christmas!
My wedding is officially 96 days, 7 hours and 20 minutes away and there is much to be done! First and foremost I want to drop 25 pounds before the wedding. Not only do I have a goal of 25 pounds but I'd like to beat that goal and surpass it. Twenty-five pounds over 13.72 weeks is only 1.86 pounds per week. One can safely lose 2 pounds per week while dieting, and that would put me at a total loss of 27.44 pounds by the wedding. How cool would that be?! I look at the engagement photos Tom and I had done a few weeks ago and while some of them are amazing - others I am...well..less than thrilled with. Especially the ones that show the chunky-monkey-vagina-arms. You women know what I'm talking about! So I want to do this. I have to do this. I am considering joining up at the 24-hour fitness thats near my house. I enjoy running outdoors - but even taking 5 classes a week and the monthly fee is worth it! Not to mention all of the equipment. I want to look into how much a personal trainer would be...
Next is sticking to my proposed budget every month, which I have actually been really successful at for the past few months. With Bella in school now I have to be extra careful cause that jazz is EXPENSIVE.
The last thing I really want to take hold of is organizing my DIY list for the wedding. I am crazy, psychotic, uber-controlling, whatever you want to call it - but I really do enjoy doing this stuff myself (and with the help of my sister anyways). Here is a partial list:

• Invitations (175 of them...)
• Ring bearer pillow
• Flower girl baskets (2)
• Table runners for the 60" rounds (14)
• Table runners for the head table, cake table and registration tables
• Wedding card box
• Parasol (for photos)
• Red Carnation Pomanders (12)
• Red Rhinestone Hair pieces for flower girls
• Black satin belts for flower girl dresses
• Guest book - with pictures
• Seating cards in miniature frames
• Table numbers
• Wedding Programs
• Menus for each seat
• Wedding camera cards (2 per table)
• "Reserved" signs (i.e. "Mother of the Bride", "Best Man", "Bride", "Groom", etc)
• Damask wraps for bridesmaids bouquets (4)
• Damask wraps for arbor (2)
• Assembly for 150 cake favors: box assembly, 150 satin ribbons cut to length, 150 2" circular monogram stickers, 150 gold cake bottoms covered with silver origami paper (gold doesn't match ;) )
• Cake table letters (a surprise for Tom)
  

Off the top of my head thats all I can think of right now. But I will show pictures updating my progress as we go along. Its slightly intimidating but with diligence, patience and lots of prayer I know it will all get done! Hehehe and lots of visits from my sister (Dave's off for summer break - yay!!!) Here are some pictures relating to the wedding:

We are doing a damask design theme in black and ivory, with different shades of red, both shown above. I do have one project from the list above completed and it is the ring bearer pillow:

All that needs to be added is the satin ribbon and fake rings!