My Birthday Wish

My friend in Washington has concert tickets to see three of my favorite artists -Train, Matt Kearney, and Andy Grammer- the weekend before my 18th birthday. But I don't have enough money to pay for airfare back to the mainland.

All I want for my birthday/Christmas is to be able to go to this concert with my friend.

I am trying to raise money to do this. I need about $500. PLEASE help me by donating to my Birthday Wish Fund through the Paypal button below. Every little bit counts; even small $5-10 donations help and are greatly appreciated.

Please help me have the best birthday ever. It's my 18th. Once in a lifetime. Why not?

Photography

New hobby. So great.

The Help

I know I am a little behind the times here, but I saw this movie for the first time on Monday night.

It's amazing. Seriously. But it is awful to see people treating each other like that. I don't think I have ever before watched a singular movie where I wanted to punch so many different people in the face. I mean, we are all children of God here, right? Right. So let's be considerate. (And not actually punch people in the face.)

Forget Me Not

For Christmas, my mama gave me a tiny grow your own forget-me-not flower kit because of this wonderful talk by Dieter F. Uchdorf.

(Don't tell anyone, but he is one of my favorite current General Authorities =] )

"You are not forgotten...wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love...God loves you because you are His child. He loves you even though at times you may feel lonely or make mistakes...

You are closer to heaven than you suppose. You are destined for more than you can possibly imagine...

There is something inspiring and sublime about the little forget-me-not flower. I hope it will be a symbol of the little things that make your lives joyful and sweet. Please never forget that you must be patient and compassionate with yourselves, that some sacrifices are better than others, that you need not wait for a golden ticket to be happy. Please never forget that the “why” of the gospel of Jesus Christ will inspire and uplift you. And never forget that your Heavenly Father knows, loves, and cherishes you."

     - Dieter F. Uchdorf

Underwater Adventures

I got a  new camera for Christmas. Supposedly it is waterproof.

So I decided to test that, while it was still under warranty. Last week my mom, sister, and I went snorkeling, and tried underwater photography. Surprisingly, it worked! Here are some pictures of our adventure. Isn't the ocean a marvelous place?

Cake is Always Great

I intended to write some lovely, meaningful, spiritual Christmas post, but obviously that did not happen. So let's just move on shall we?

I made this cake last night. It is truly amazing. Just don't bother trying to zest the tangerines. It's ridiculous. Use orange zest. Orange liqueur can be substituted with orange extract, 2 teaspoons. Also, when you glaze it make sure your glaze is nice and thick and the cake is actually cool, otherwise it will just run off and not look as pretty. =]

Tangerine Cake with Citrus Glaze

Photo-Op

Tuesday, Mom and I drove down to Kona, and stopped to enjoy the view from the K-Mart parking lot.

Yes, that is the ocean.

Shaka!

See the temple?

There it is!

Hawai'i 101

Here is some basic info about Hawaii for you!

First off, I live in Hawaii, the state, on Hawaii, The Big Island. Subtle but distinct difference. There are eight islands.

I live in Waimea. (Northern bit of the island. Right in the middle.) It's chilly, windy and rainy. Typically about 15 degrees colder, more or less, than the coast. Hour drive to Kona (West coast. middle).

Hawaiian Language-

Aloha- Pretty much anything positive. Greetings, love....all that jazz.

Mahalo- Thank you

'ohana- family. Like Lilo & Stitch

keiki- children

honu- sea turtle

Mele Kalikimaka- Merry Christmas!

It is custom to remove your shoes before you enter someone's house.

Adults are more often referred to by children as Auntie or Uncle, rather than Mr. or Mrs.. The receptionist at my school is Auntie Lani, and the custodian, who I love very dearly, is Uncle Hapi.

POG

Passion Orange Guava Juice. It's pretty much everywhere. And it's to die for. Seriously, go buy some right now. Most grocery stores carry it.

Shaka - pretty much an "all good" greeting gesture. You might think you're being insulted, but you're not. You will see it everywhere.

Another traditional greeting/farewell/thanksgiving gesture is a hug and kiss on the cheek.


Flip-flop sandals are called slippers. Or slippahs, if you want to sound authentic and cool.

That's it for now! Any questions?

So. Much. Sugar!

Monday it finally started to feel like Christmas. With the weather here feeling more like spring, it's been weird. But then mom and I had a day of Christmas goodie making mania. After a quick stop at the grocery store, we put in our happy Christmas CD's and baked allllll day!

Grand total-
almond roca toffee
minty chocolate crinkle cookies
orange rolls!
pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting
rosettes
pretzel hugs
wasail
tacos- for lunch
my favorite sausage rice casserole- for dinner

All in our absolutely TINY lil kitchen!

Then we went caroling in Waikoloa with some families from church, and brought a bunch of goodies to share. It was fun.

Write a Friend Month

First off-
I apologize (again) for lack of postage. I think I am just gonna apologize in advance.
Also, this technology thing has been holding a grudge against me or something, because it hasn't let me comment ON MY OWN POSTS! It was angrymaking. So if I didn't reply, it wasn't my fault. I tried. The computer wouldn't let me.

Now! On to new stuff.

According to the calendar in my classroom, December is Write a Friend Month.
I quite enjoy that, as I am missing my friends very very much. Also, it is Christmas! And I think writing and sending letters is especially appropriate during this season. It is what I try to do, instead of spending money on worldly presents. It is more meaningful. But that is a topic for another time. Maybe a talk in church next week actually...

Anyway.
I would like to issue a challenge: Write your friends! Handwritten notes and letters are the best, but if you know you probably won't do that, at least send emails! Or however else you message!

Let people know how much you love and appreciate them. It really means a lot to hear from your friends. You never know who is needing a boost. Why not give it to them?

Happy Birthday Momma

Yesterday was my Mama's Birthday. I love her muchly. She is super awesome. So fun and silly and kind. Impatient with my baking, she always wants to get it done and eaten as fast as possible. Sun-loving. Sings hymns in church even when she knows she isn't on the right pitch. Adventurous biker chick. Makes me lunch. She is just wonderful. One of my heroes.
So Mama, I love you! Happy Birthday! Thanks for all you do.

Distractions

Sorry for my lack of postage. It's been a stressful, emotional, rather unhappy week. Lots of new things happening.

Also, I have been gladly distracted by a book!

Inheritance, by Christopher Paolini!

It is quite exciting. And an excellent distraction from loneliness, stress, school, etc. Plus, I am right in the middle of the epic battle.

So I will blog later. I am going to go read some more.

You should to, instead of being annoyed with me for not posting.

teehee

Meet Milo

This is my fuzzy stuffed turtle, Milo. I hug him when I miss my friends or am sad. He is my friend when I don't have any here to help me. We snuggle. It's nice.

My best friend gave him to me before I left. I love them both very much.

Aren't they so silly? :)



Anybody else have a sentimental attachment to a stuffed animal?

Watch out Robin Hood

Archery has become one of my favorite hobbies. I have always loved it, but was never really able to practice it except at Girls Camp over the summer.

Until now.
There is an archery range here. I love it. It is open twice a week and I go whenever I can. I am actually pretty good. My parents even got me my own bow for my birthday. She is absolutely gorgeous (I will post a picture if somebody requests it). Beautiful mint green vintage wood recurve. 30 pound draw weight.

I love it so much.

I AM SEVENTEEN!

I was sixteen, going on seventeen...
But today is my birthday!
That's right, the world has dealt with me, rather successfully it seems, for seventeen years.

Personally, I'm quite impressed.

Do The Puyallup!

Last Tuesday I went to the Puyallup Fair for the first time ever. It was quite exciting. My mom, siblings, and bestfriend Mr. D came with me.

We saw all the animals, including the giant draft horses that scared Mr. D. I watched him eat a giant (Seriously, it was HUGE!) Earthquake Burger. We tried on funny hats. Saw interesting people. Watched the funniest magic show EVER. Skipped around. Bought a bakers dozen of AMAZING Fair Scones.

Had an all around great time. Our cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing. Should I upload a few pictures?
Anybody else have some fun stories from the Fair?

Exploring the iPad!

I am updating my blog on an iPad! I am at my friend's house playing with this cool technology, it is very exciting! I am not very technology literate, so I am very impressed with myself right now. It is quite fun!

Food, Music, and Dishes

I have been spending quite a bit of time in my kitchen recently. The baking bug got me, so last weekend I made Chooloate-Chip Strawberry Muffins, and a loaf of amazing Cheese and Herb Pull-Apart Bread. It was stunningly delicious.

All this baking means I have been doing extra dishes. I don't mind. Whenever I am in the kitchen I turn the radio up loud and sing along. If I am in a good mood I dance, too. That is why I volunteer to do dishes, especially alone. It's relaxing and fun with my music. (I'm a big music person, if you haven't noticed).

My parents out of town this weekend, so I get even more kitchen time; cooking so my younger siblings don't starve.

Better Bloggers

Since I have been bad at blogging recently, I wanted to share with you some other blogs I love (that are hopefully better updaters than I am).

The first is I[heart]YouFiveElephants, made by my lovely friends Miss K and Miss T. They so cute it's almost criminal. Curious about the blog name? Ask them about it sometime, it's a sweet story.

The next is The Best of Gluten-Free, by my dear Miss C. I joke that she is basically allergic to the world (it's almost true), including wheat. However, she loves to bake and cook, and has become a gluten-free chef extraordinaire. I love visiting her. The darling always has good food for me, she is going to make me fat!

Finally, we have Dear Bro Jo. It is all about dating and relationship advice. Miss B introduced  me to this blog, and its pretty nifty.

What are some of your other favorite blogs?

How about a Happy List?

Thank you very much to the lovely Miss T, who left me some advice! Honestly, when I saw I had a comment, for the first time in  a very long time, I freaked out a little inside. I love hearing from you guys.

So, part of Miss T's idea was a happy list. I can do that! Today's Happy List will be rather general...and probably random. Oh well. Here we go!
In no particular order, my first...

HAPPY LIST!

1. My Friends
I have some pretty awesome friends. They are amazing, and have some mad skills. Sometimes they surprise me and bring me cookies (how sweet!), or sing to/with me (we do that alot), or randomly start dancing (yeah...that's usually me). They help me, and I do what I can to help them. They make me happy.

1. Love Songs
I am a sucker for love songs. Any cute, sweet song really. Miss B has told me this again, and again. What can I say? They are just so cute! I think I will be posting another song list soon. They make me happy.

1. Books
I am very much a nerdy reader. And I love it! Currently I am reading the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. They are reeeally good. It's fun to get a lost in another world. It makes me happy.

1. Rain
I love rain. Some of my friends think is it dreary, but I think it is refreshing! Rain is just so calming. It smells clean and fresh, hearing it all around is rhythmic, and feels rather isolating. It is so beautiful. I like to make a big mug of my signature hot chocolate, curl up on the couch with it and a warm blankie, and just watch the rain over the trees in my backyard. It makes me happy.

1. Warm Clothes Just Out of the Dryer
Maybe it's because I just pulled a load of laundry out of the dryer, but don't you love those clean warm clothes? Sometimes my mom will dump a bunch on my siblings and I. It's so fun! Plus they are great for curling up and watching the rain... ;). It makes me happy.

Well, I think that is all for today! Hope you enjoy my rambling as much as I do!
What sort of things make you happy?