Hawaii Bachelorette Party

Last night my girls threw me the best bachelorette party ever!  Let me start from the beginning...

First, my friend Nat picked me up and took me into Waikiki to meet up with all the girls.  Then we got on a trolley for the Screamer! a speed boat ride at Kewalo Basin. 

The girls, Nat and Glo

Ready to get wet on the screamer??

We started up front!  Woo HOOOO!

WOO HOO!  We survived the Screamer!  :) 

After we drove around and relived my life in stages, we ended up here.  Portlock has the most amazing views and a sunset candel lit dinner was in the mix!

Check out the white tablecloth, LED candles, white homemade poms, and a spread of food that would make anyone hungry!  You girls are AWESOME!

Me in my new veil and outfit from the girls.  :)  Notice the star on my shirt, my favorite!

Pasta salad with pesto, strawberry and almond salad, and french bread with balsamic vinegar and oil.  Champagne and sodas and of course CHOCOLATE CAKE!

Thank you for the most thoughtful and amazing DAY!  We even ended the night at my favorite bar in Waikiki- NASHVILLE.  For a night of country music dancing and crazy times.  Me loves!

Free Wedding Invitations

Too bad my wedding is coming up in about 9 days, because this invitation being offered at Wedding Chicks website is incredible!  You can customize the text and colors to whatever you want.

Click here to download.

You could use this for your bridal shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, or the actual wedding.  The words are all fully customizable, so get on it and make yourself something cute and free for your special day!

I love... MOSS!

I love moss. I love stumbling upon it when I hike, finding it along the road, and I love what these etsy sellers have done with it.  Why do I love moss?  It is vibrantly colored, soft, lush, and full of life.  Yet so simple and it grows everywhere.

Photo and Terrarium from here.

A live moss pendant!  Who doesn't want this??  Photo and pendant can be found here.

Perfect for the outdoor ceremony...  Photo and ring bearer pillow HERE.

This wreath would look good all year long... Find it here.

The perfect gift for the girl who has everything.  They make earrings too.  Go check it out!

In case you don't want to make your own moss pommanders... go pick these up.  I will be posting a tutorial on these in a few weeks, so don't go anywhere!

Last but not least.  This little canoe is creative, functional, and beautiful.  Stunning.  Get one here.

Shark in Kaneohe Bay!

I went kayaking yesterday in Kaneohe Bay with my brother.  We walked down the hill with the kayaks from my parents house, about a 7 minute walk, and launched our kayaks.  It was a beautiful day.  Amazingly beautiful, slightly windy, but for the bay, it was a great day.

We started on the far right side of this picture and made our way across the bay.  At about the halfway point to Coconut Island, I felt a bump  I got a little jumpy, I told myself maybe it was nothing, just me slapping my paddle on the side of my boat.  Yeah, thats it.  

I tried to concentrate on how much fun I was having.  How lucky I was to be on the water... You know, the usual. :)

About 5 minutes later, my brother saw a huge shark 2 feet behind his kayak.  What??!!  I was FaReaKing out.  Yeah, so was he. We got together and paddled as fast as we could towards Coconut Island.  The little island in the bay.  At least the shallow reef would give us a better view of what was below us/behind us.  Then we calmed down, and sprinted across the deep water between the island and the pier and docked our kayaks on a rocky beach.

When Ryan looked behind him and saw a huge fin and tail end of a gray shark thrashing in the water, I am pretty sure we both had a huge RUSH of adrenaline.  I thought one of us was going to get knocked out and then we'd really be in trouble.  We both just wanted to get out of the water, and away from the shark.  Thank goodness for the reef around Coconut Island and the little pier less than a few minutes away.  We made it out Cody picked us up and drove us back to our house so we could get a car to throw our kayaks on.  Next time I go in the bay, I will be thinking of this, and of what is around me! I feel like a wuss but I am glad we didn't have anything worse happen.

Wahiawa Pineapple Run 2011

I did the Pineapple Run in Wahiawa last weekend and it was great fun!  I ran with a my friend Melissa and my mom.  Well, my mom kicked our butts by 2 minutes, but we ran the first half together.  :)  I hadn't been running much, but we made our best time yet!

Oh, I forgot to mention we ran as gnomes!  :)  

This run takes you through Wahiawa and winds on country roads near the pineapple fields.  You aren't exactly running right next to them, but they aren't far away.  :)  I was somehow picturing running through them....  That would have been a red dirt mess.

Pre-run.  Getting our gnome on...

We were the only ones in costume.  Huh.  Didn't everyone else get the memo?  Pineapple Run, in costume this year??

We got a free pineapple after we finished the run.  They were so yummy!  Each person got a pineapple and a t-shirt for participating.  Best prize yet!

If you ran and are looking for results, click here:: http://www.timelinehawaii.com/2011_races.htm

Engagement Photos

The other day I had my hair and makeup trial and I used that blam look for my engagement pictures.  My brother and his girlfriend helped us out and took our photos at our favorite beach  Lanikai!

We went to 3 different spots along Lanikai and came out with 600 something pictures.  I picked about 100 of them that I LOVE, which is pretty amazing.

I can't thank them enough for taking such beautiful pictures, although the white sand and blue water didn't hurt.  :)

We had to make up our own poses and we brought a few props, but it was fun!  And... we got so many great shots of the Windward Side.

We started at a little beach in front of the twin islands, then went a few blocks down to the long stretch of Lanikai, then to the tide pools right around the corner, then we got shave ice at Kailua Beach Park right next door and enjoyed the "woodsy" scenery.

Gotta have the props...

Boo wind, I wanted to sport my love banner!

Much Aloha... Thank you so much guys for taking our pictures!  I can highly recommend them for anyone else looking for great photos on a budget.  They take exceptional pics!

ONE MONTH TO GO!

Goodbye My CIVIC

In February I got into a little fender bender.  Just a little one, but it completely totaled my car.  A few weeks ago my insurance came to tow her away.   :(  I was so in love with my little car and it was perfect to me.  Even if it leaked when it rained, had a window that didn't roll down, and was a little creaky.  I miss you ol' CIVIC...

Kind of looks like a slug bug..

BOOO Volvo SUV

Goodbye my civic, goodbye my friend...

Mauli Ola Surf Day in Hawaii

Mauli Ola is having a surf day this month in Waikiki!  If you have cystic fibrosis and want to participate, go to their website and register!  If you would like to help, you can donate and become and member to contribute to their cause!

To learn more go to www.mauliola.org.  

Wedding Projects and a Day FULL of hard work!

Today was a great day spent with a eggstra special friend.  ;)  We worked on a wedding project for a good 6 hours perhaps.  It was intense, it was discouraging, and then... the light at the end of the tunnel.  It was an awesome feeling to be done for the day.  What were we working on??  You will just have to wait to see!

Hmm... spray paint... big box.  SMILES...

Nat working on her frame and wishing it was a cereal box tiara.

Showing off the frame.  Hello!

Yes, it is a few hours later and we are still painting!  What fun...

Now for the light at the end of the tunnel part.  Almost finished for the day.

Smoothing out our burlap and loving my new sticky burlap fingers.  Why didn't I do this sooner?  I love hours of sticky hairy fingers!

Thank you so much Nat for hanging in there and seeing the job through.  I can't wait to do the fun part! Like tiaras, decorations, and such!  Enjoy the photos and happy guessing!

Wedding Countdown

We are getting married in less than 2 months!  Holy cow... that went fast.  We had a year to plan and it flew by.  I have changed my mind on everything about 100 times, picked new things to love, new styles, colors, ideas...  Thanks for sticking with me babe, I know our house is a wedding planning whirlwind, with pictures and ribbon and hot glue all over!  It will all be worth it though and I can't wait to have a crazy good wedding filled with friends and family and fooooood!

These pictures are from a great weekend in Haleiwa with my family.  Who doesn't love a stay-cation!?

Paper Mache Easter Eggs!

Looking for something fun to make for Easter?  (or anytime!)  Check out this tutorial on egg piñatas at NOT MARTHA.  I want to try this with brown, green, and red tissue paper for my bridal shower... MOM!  Start saving tissue paper and balloons...   :)  They could easily pass for something woodlandy. I love it and can't wait to try this!

Great Strides Walk Honolulu 2011

Join the Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis this year in Honolulu.  May 28th from 8:30 until 12:30 in Kapiolani Park.  Last year, everyone checked in and then we all walked around the park and there were photos set up with stories about CF patients.  It is a great way to show your support! 

To register, go to cff.org, search for Hawaii, and click register.

This years walk is about 2 miles around the park and could really use your support!  Can't come out and walk?  You can also donate at cff.org.  Great Strides is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundations largest fundraiser, and anything you can donate is used to help find  a cure.

To read more about Great Strides and Cystic Fibrosis, click here.