Merry Christmas!

Christmas is my favorite time of the year, however, not for the same reasons that it is for others.  I love the Christmas season because I love the acts of service that go along with it.  My favorite thing to do at Christmas time is to serve others anonymously.  This has been a tradition in my family growing up that I have really grown to love.  This year I was able to participate in sub for Santa program at work.  I was assigned a 3 1/2 year old boy to provide Christmas for.  Reading his list of wants and needs was very touching and really made me realize just how much I have to be grateful for.  All this child wanted for Christmas was a ball, a toy car, and coloring books and crayons.  His needs were a coat, shoes, pants, and shirts.  I was able to purchase all of these things for this child so that he would have a nice Christmas and have the basic necessities that most of us take for granted.

This sub for Santa program is done through Utah Central Credit Union and the company I work for goes every year and gets several ornaments off of the tree.  This year our company provided Christmas for 32 children in need.  There was a story on KSL about the children receiving their Christmas presents that made me very happy that I was able to provide what I did.  You can watch the story at http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13684184.

I hope that all of you have a very Merry Christmas and remember the true reason that we celebrate this wonderful holiday.  Don't get caught up in the gifts and packages but remember that it is about our Savior.  I am truly grateful for my Savior and for His willingness to suffer for me so that I may return to live with my Heavenly Father.  I am thankful to all of my family and friends for the love and support that they have provided me with throughout this year.  I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful Christmas!!

Hawaii = Paradise

I am now home from my amazing Hawaii vacation.  I absolutely loved Hawaii and told my mom that I wasn't going to come home.  We stayed on the island of Oahu for an entire week.  The temperature was in the 80's the entire time and we really enjoyed the heat.  Here is a little bit of what we did and some pictures to go along with it.

On Friday we picked up our rental car and decided to take a drive all the way around the island.  We were in awe of how green everything was and just the sheer beauty of the island.  It really is magnificent to see.  We did end up at Waikiki Beach, so the pictures below here are of our trip around the island, ending at Waikiki Beach.

On Saturday we wanted to hit up the beach.  On our way to the beach we stopped at Matsumotos on the North Shore and had a shaved ice with ice cream.  It was awesome!!!  We then went to Hukilau Beach, however it wasn't the cleanest beach ever, so we decided not to stay.  We ended up going to the Waimea Valley Botanical Gardens, which was beautiful.  It poured on us while we were there, but luckily we were in our swimming suits so it wasn't a big deal.

On Sunday we attended the Singles Ward in Wahiawa.  They were the most welcoming people I have ever met.  I don't even feel that welcome in my own ward.  They even invited us to stay for their "Break the Fast".  After church we then went for a drive and went out to the Ko'Olina Resort.  We were told that the Black Pearl was docked there due to the building of a new Disney Resort there.  So we went and checked it out.

On Monday we went to the temple open house and then spent the rest of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  The night show there is amazing, it was really good.  Also the food at the luau was delicious.  After the show we were trying to find an old friend of mine and one of the dancers took us back stage to see what we could find out.  It was really cool to see back there.  We didn't end up finding my friend, but I did get to talk to him on the phone a couple of times.

On Tuesday we went to the Dole Plantation and took the ride on the train and did the garden tour.  We also ate lunch there, which was divine!!  We had Kalua Pork with BBQ Sauce and Pineapple.  Afterwards we went back to Ko'Olina and spent the rest of the day on the beach.  It was a beautiful day and we very much enjoyed our time on the beach without being rained on for once.

On Wednesday we got up early to go to Pearl Harbor and then we went to the Swap Meet.  It was a lot of fun, however I did get a little bit of heat stroke, which sucked, but we still had a lot of fun.  The feeling at Pearl Harbor is seriously amazing, I couldn't believe it.  It is really cool, it is as if you are standing on hallowed ground.

Hawaii was great and I am so glad that I got to go.  I also got to stay with my amazing relatives which I love so much.  I am so greatful to you for letting us stay at your house.  Your kids are adorable and I miss them already.  I hope you get to come up soon so we can see you again.  Here are a couple pictures of the kids and an awesome video of them jamming out in the car.