Friday finally came around, this girl's ready to paint the town!

Anyone else remember that song from The Judds? Regardless, I'm still glad that it's Friday!!

:)
Not really sure what we're getting into this weekend but hopefully it involves some of this:
And, yes this is my own picture not one I found online. It's of the beach that is 2.5 minutes from my house.

and hopefully my weekend will include some of this too, especially since Joe has a three day weekend!! I just love being around this guy, whether we're hanging out, doing dishes, eating, watching a movie - just being together makes me happy!
This one I cannot take credit for. Meg, I stole borrowed this from your Facebook page. Thanks friend! :)

Who knows what else we'll do this weekend - read, go see a play, meet up with new friends, the possibilities are endless! I hope to make the most of it though!

And lastly, just cause this picture cracks me up! Consider it the Friday Funny:
Denali snoozing in Milo's bed! She doesn't even realize it's too small!

Anyway, Happy last day of April!
Enjoy it, friends!

The never-ending battle...and it 'aint for love

My kitchen currently smells *amazing* thanks to this little lovely that I whipped up at 0600:

Say Hello to: Blueberry and Banana Baked Oatmeal - with almonds! Triple yum! I am so seriously impressed with my little Domestic Goddess Self (hah,ha yeah right)! Who ever knew that I would be coherent enough to do anything other than facebook and blog at that time of the morning?!? Well, let's be honest, I probably wouldn't be out of bed at all if it wasn't for Joe getting up so early/the neighbor blaring music with a loud base at o'dark thirty in the morning.... but I digress....
Anyway, this was not part of the regularly scheduled post - just a special addition. So without further adieu - onto the
Regularly

Scheduled

Post

Click on the following picture to read a conversation Joe and I had the other day about Milo-Kitty and Denali dumb butt whoops did I say that out loud? My bad. I really do love the pup honest, she has good intentions and is super friendly. Maybe that's her problem, she's too friendly and scares Milo away. Maybe Milo is the dumb butt - I won't rule that one out yet....
Anyway, I was reading back through this conversation and cracking up, so I figured I'd share it with you! Like I said, click on the picture to make it bigger, it's worth it!

They are, well tolerating each other as best as cats and dogs can I guess. Probably better than expected as Milo hasn't tried to claw Denali and Denali has yet to eat the kitten.


See that look of disdain on Milo's face? If Milo is not hiding under the couch then Denali is literally up Milo's butt I mean trying to be his neighbor. Side-note: I swear Milo is going to be the most gender/name confused kitty ever - Joe and I keep calling him a her and for some reason I call her/him Simon randomly. And I have absolutely no idea where that name came from....
I am bearing quite the battle wounds from these interactions as Milo keeps trying to use me (innocent bystander) as a tree and it doesn't bode well for me. Case in point:

That's enough about the ever-constant Dog vs. Cat battle, onto more important things:

It's Thursday!!

Holy cow, it's Thursday! Where in the world did that time go? I have absolutely no idea! Hope you do something fun on this almost-the-weekend day!

Enjoy it!

The new addition

Meet the newest addition to the Crispin household:

Milo!

At two months old, he's a little tyke but he sure is full on energy! He kept us up most of the night and even though I distinctly remember telling Joe (and Milo) - no kittens in bed, this is what I woke up to:

In the less than 24 hours we've had him, we've learned you cannot leave cereal bowls unattended! Case in point:
And although his name is inspired by this movie:
We will not be adding an "Otis" to the mix!


Photo from here

Andi has an Etsy!

My good friend, Andi, from college has an Etsy page. Go, now and check it out. She is seriously one of the most creative (and hilarious) people I know and I'm so glad she created an Etsy account to showcase her stuff. She can customize and do certain patterns or colors too, so keep that in mind!

Click here!

A good day

A little of this:

+
some of this
+
a lot of this:

+

some unexpected quality time spent with this amazing guy:

=

pretty awesome evening!

It started out a little rough but ended up quite fabulously! Hello, Ruby Tuesdays thanks for the best dinner I've had in a really long time! Add in some good conversation and you've got an A+ evening!
Sadly there was no beach time today, maybe tomorrow though, we'll see!

Photos from here, here, and here.

The great living room painting adventure

And, this dear friends, is my idea of painting the living room:
What can I say, there were only two rollers! Since I didn't do the buying, I deem it not my fault. I was considered the "relief" painter and my services were not needed. I've only ever painted one wall in my life and these guys have tons of experience so I'll stick with the pros! It was a smart idea since they had most of the walls painted in an insanely short amount of time! Now onto the after shots (sadly pictures do not do the wall color justice - it is a lovely shade of green but you'll get the general idea):

Both the walls in the picture above are green - not sure why one looks white. It's not promise!

We put up floating shelves and a little wall decor. Got some really cool vases too - they look super sweet when we light the candles in them.
Sorry for the not.so.good photos, it was the best I could do with the little camera - maybe these beauts will make up for it:
Views from the Kailua hike we took today - absolutely stunning!

There may or may not be another little adventure tomorrow, it's still up in the air so we'll see. Either way, I'll keep you posted!

:)

Sunday Funday

Two post in one day? Epic, I know. This however was so momentous, I just had to take a minute to let y'all know! Not really, I wish...but I'm still excited to share with you, nonetheless!
We're going to paint the living room! Shocker, I know. Exactly the news you were hoping for, right? Kind of a really spontaneous decision but as far as spontaneous decisions go it's one that can be easily fixed if it goes awry. So at, two pm Hawaii time, Joe and our neighbor headed to Home Depot for the second time today. The first time they went, they got everything to paint - except the actual paint. Joe and I had picked a color but then he chickened out changed his mind. So with the expert advice of our neighbor (haha he actually had some really good opinions - turns out we have a similar decorating style - who knew?!?), we all (yes the three of us) picked a color we could live with and they are back at the store. I am so ready to break out of this white box - bring on some color! Nothing like waiting until the end of the weekend to start a project. Oh well, should be fun! Here are some befores......

Pretty boring, I know

Yes, Denali and I still hang out, a lot even though her owner's back now. Keeps us both out of trouble.

All the paint swatches the boys picked out. Guess which color we picked?

The boys discussing paint colors and painting techniques. Our neighbor was really pulling for a faux finish sponge paint technique, I told him I'd totally be up for that, in his house.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the (hopefully) finished product.

2>1

"Two are better than one...."
Ecclesiastes 4:9a

I don't know if you've heard the song "Two is better than one" by Boys Like Girls, but it holds special meaning in my life. We heard it on the radio when we were driving to Pinecliff park where we got engaged. It was the first song we danced to as husband and wife at our wedding and to this day if we hear it on the radio, we turn it up and sing along, probably with goofy smiles on our faces.
We also read this passage from Ruth at our wedding. We didn't know beforehand that we were going to do it, but I absolutely loved that the pastor led us in reading this together. And though I may be far from my family, I'm with my husband and that's all that matters.

"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." Ruth 1:16-17.

I love these memories and in the three and a half months that we've been married, their messages ring true now more than ever - two are indeed better than one!
:)

Image by Beth T Photography

The day I learned to waterski.....

It was another gorgeous, sunny, breezy, perfect day so of course I was spending it they way any local would - relaxing and enjoying the beautiful paradise we all know and love- Hawaii. So I decided I would learn to water-ski - how brave of me. I wasn't too hard, after a few tries I was a seasoned pro, see there's even proof:

Ha ha, who I am kidding, that is so not me - my legs are not that long! Those who know and love me best are probably dying right now as they are a 100% certain that I lack the courage and coordination gumption to even attempt such an activity. In my heart of hearts, I know (and so do my dear friends and family), that if I even attempted such a task this would be the result:

And that my friends is a truth-fact.

Regardless, a few weeks ago, I still learned to water-ski, only without water and skis and I was in my backyard. I'm pretty sure when if I ever attempt to actually water-ski that as a result of my expert lessons, I will have more of an advantage. Let me explain.

Remember this dog?
Well, it turns out her name is Layla and the body that is attached to that dog-head is ginormous!! She seriously has probably 50 pounds on me. While that may look like a little hole that her head is peering through, the lovely Layla somehow managed to squeeze herself through and into our backyard -she came charging out of that hole like a bull! I lept out of my chair and she slammed her whole body into me. I was desperately trying to keep her away from Denali since I didn't know how either of them would react and the last thing I wanted on my hands was a dog-fight. I grabbed Layla's collar with both hands and proceeded to be drug throughout my entire yard (which is half-grass and half top-soil). I look down and dirt is flying around me just like water would if I was water-skiing. My flip flops were gone, my hair was no longer in a ponytail and this dog is flinging me around like it is nothing. I am screaming "Layla, no!" in my biggest bully voice but it is not working. Denali is just hanging out in the corner like nothing is happening. Finally her owner comes outside and takes the dog back to her rightful home. I go inside and see that I am completely covered in mud and there are sweat streaks running down the mud-trails on my face. There is mud covering both my legs that managed to go up my shorts.... I was literally a hot mess. What a way to meet the neighbors!
This happened a few weeks ago and I never posted about it cause frankly, I forgot, until last night when we had a similar repeat incident. We (Joe, our neighbor, Denali and I) were hanging out on our back porch when all of the sudden you-know-who pops under the fence - fortunately Joe took care of restraining Layla and our neighbor rushed Denali inside. My job: get Joe a leash, so he could walk to dog back over to the neighbors. I sincerely failed in my mission when I managed to hit Joe in the head with the metal clip-part of the leash when I flung it to him.... go me. You can just call me Grace.


Photos from here and here.

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday, I am super thankful for all of my blogger friends. I learn so much from the different blogs I read and I love the fact that it's like a community. Today, I'm especially thankful for G.I. Joe's Wife (who I will hopefully get to meet soon) and A Southern Belle & Her Officer (who I wish I could meet, we have a lot of similar interests)! These lovely ladies were kind enough to give me the following blog awards. I was pretty excited especially since in my family we're known for having a "curse" - we *never* win anything (or so it seems). But I'm married now, so maybe the "curse has been broken?!? Either way I was pretty excited - I may be behind the eight ball in posting them but it really made my day and I thank you both so much! If you have never read these blogs - go now and check them out!

I received the Beautiful Blogger award from G.I. Joe's Wife!!

The rules:

1. Thank the wonderful person who gave you this award.
2. List 7 things about yourself that your readers wouldn't know otherwise.
3. Pass this award on to bloggers you’ve recently discovered and whom you think are fantastic.
4. Contact said bloggers and let them know you've given them an award!

So, without further adieu, here are my 7 random things:
1. I was a huge Sesame street fan when I was a kid
2. My initials are ABC (they were before I got married too!)
3. I studied abroad for a semester in Spain - it was one of the coolest experiences of my life!
4. When I was sixteen, I broke my foot/toe and my foot/toe has never been the same since.
5. I ran a half marathon - never in a million years did I EVER think I would do that but I did and sadly have run very few days since
6. I've been skydiving - once again something I never thought I would do. It was an incredible experience but I will never do it again - that's a once in a lifetime thing!
7. I hate wearing my glasses and prefer to have my hair straight. Joe likes my glasses and loves it when I wear my hair curly - go figure! Fortunately (for both of us), Hawaii has the perfect climate so I can wear my hair curly every day and it doesn't look too weird.

And, I received this beauty from A Southern Belle & Her Officer!!

The Rules:
1. Thank the person you received the award from.
2. Name 10 things that make you happy.
3. Pass it on and contact the lucky winners!

10 Things that make me happy are...

1. Watching Army Wives (I loved this show before I ever became an Army wife).

2. Geocaching with my husband!

3. Being a newlywed!

4. Reading

5. Mail: e-mail or snail-mail, I'm not picky!

6. Um, hello my awesome friends!

7. When I try a new recipe and it turns out awesome!

8. Skype: I love being able to "see" my family and friends when I am talking to them!

9. Hiking/being in nature

10. Ice cream and M&M's (had to throw that in there)

There are so many blogs that I love and that I would love to give the awards to but I always have such a hard time picking and I never know if they would want their link posted for all to see. So, if you're reading this and are a follower, feel free to consider yourself awarded. If you want, you can even leave a comment and let us know you've accepted so others can check out your blog.

Make sure you come back tomorrow for the Friday Funny!

Monday Mantra

Because it is still Monday in Hawaii....
My mantra for the day:

Those who mind don’t matter, & those who matter don’t mind
(I've been saying this ALL day in the hopes that the real meaning will sink into my thick head - seems I never learn).

comes from this poem - the last stanza is my fav.




PS: I know the photo is slightly random but I wanted a pretty photo and this one fit the bill. It's from our hike two weekends ago! So gorgeous!

Cheque leque pankeque

Pancake breakfast
Made by me
Cooked by hubs
Enjoyed by both
even though it made us late for church
Totally worth it!

*not pictured: us in our pjs

Who in their right mind

would vacuum at 6 o'clock in the morning? My neighbor, that's who! I've been up for an hour and a half so I don't really mind, I just think it's funny that I am hearing a vacuum cleaner run amidst the birds singing outside my window. The sun is barely up after all! I'm not really even sure what she is vacuuming - we don't have wall to wall carpeting here (it is so not practical in Hawaii), maybe she has a boatload of area rugs, who knows?!? Clean on neighbor-lady, clean-on - and when you're done at your place, feel free to stop by mine, I won't mind, promise! :)
I need some suggestions on what to do today - with a car that's out of commission and no M&Ms or ice-cream to keep me sane - I will def need something to occupy my time! And I don't really want to spend my whole day doing this:

Yes, that's me - sitting on my couch- picture my lovely little computer in my hands, facebooking, blogging, g-chatting away....

I'm thinking I might bake some cookies (gotta get my chocolate fix, lol!) and might take a little bike ride. It's been crazy- hot here though, so we'll see! All I know is, I definitely will not be cleaning, that's what neighbors are for! ;)
Just kidding folks, not about not cleaning (that is so not on my list of things to do today) but about having my neighbor do it for me, I would never do that!

Happy Thursday!

:)

Just as I am Easter Sunday

Another edition of Just as I am - Easter Sunday version:

Easter Sunday Attire!

At church today, we sat behind a family visiting from Maryland - how cool is that?!?
Enjoy your day!
:)

Happy Easter!!

The first Easter I was old enough to hunt eggs, my dad went out and hid them. When my mom, dad and I went to find the eggs, we had a really tough time because all the eggs were missing - every last one! Turns out, the neighbors dog went along and snacked on all the eggs (and we weren't the only household that was hit) - let's just say that was one sick puppy!
Later we moved to a farm, not a traditional farm, we didn't grow crops or raise animals but we lived on a lot of land. I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world (and would move back in a heartbeat if I could but that's another post). In my family, we love holidays - the perfect excuse to have a great time dyeing eggs and getting all the family together for dinner. Every year we dyed Easter Eggs and one particular year, my brother and I set out, baskets in hand, to do the finding. With lots of land comes lots of hiding places - we looked everywhere and hunted eggs like crazy. Well, we came back with the biggest egg ever, it was so cool! We were so excited, my parents not so much. Lo and behold, this was an egg that our dog had brought up from the pond - it was a goose egg! It was huge and of course we had to put it back but it was still a pretty cool find!
I never realized dogs played such a role in my Easter memories until typing up this post. I guess this year will follow suit as we are still dog-sitting and dealing with annoying interesting habits of this dog (eating mud and smearing it on our furniture, running through our screen door....) This video is pretty cute though, they were cracking me up!

Here are some other things that remind me of Easter and they don't have to do with dyeing Easter Eggs or dogs.....

Check out this post for a link to one of my favorite songs. I also love "In Christ Alone" especially this verse:
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
We always used to sing these in college, I miss hearing the chapel filled with all the voices singing - I haven't sung these in a church since, I'm kind of hoping we sing them tomorrow. We'll see....

I saw a similar version of this video when I attended a church in Maryland. It moved me to tears then and still does to this day. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link.



I hope you have a wonderful Easter and take time to reflect on this day. We can celebrate because we know where our hope comes from - may we take a hold of true abundant life in Jesus Christ because of his amazing sacrifice for sinners like me.

Have a great day - whether you're hanging with family, hunting for Easter Eggs or just hanging out - enjoy!