BYUH

Right before we headed up to Laie, we went to church at a beautiful tabernacle in Honolulu that was built before WWII. Basically everyone we met was a visitor! It was really cool though--mostly because they had awesome trees that you could swing from haha....

not going to lie, my calves look pretty good lol

After our adventures at church we started driving up the coast towards Laie.

There were lots of stops with lots of tourists.

We saw the windward (?) side which had the "blow hole", and just pretty big waves.

We drove up to Laie after church on Sunday.

The "storm" (not really a storm compared to KC) Darby was still passing by, so everything looked sad and rainy and depressing. As in Seattle depressing. Haha I swear I could never ever live in Washington--I'd be depressed all the time!

Anyways, things were not looking good. Everyone from the city said it was "REALLY country" which scared me, and the city was awful too so I had no clue what the heck I was going to do for 8 months.

Monday came around, and we did our first  day of confined dives for scuba diving certification. It was exhausting, and boring, and painful since we had to get salt water in our eyes and nose.

After, I had check-in for BYUH. I met some people in line. I mostly just talked to a guy named Ethan from California (everyone is from California). 

We started moving into our dorms, and I soon found out that I'm the "messy" roommate lol

Later, we met up with Aubrey and her mom and tried out 7 Brothers Burger's.

So. Good.

Different day I had North Shore Tacos, but it's almost exactly like Cafe Rio!

Later, we went to the Dole Plantation and tried their food, but mostly their ice-cream!

Not going to lie, I've probably already gained 15 pounds haha! Every lunch and dinner I have ice cream, and I am excited to go to the "Seasider" (basically BYU creamery) and get acai bowls and smoothies and ice cream haha

Don't worry all that food was on different days. I've had lots of orientation stuff in between them. And it's cool because everyone actually goes to it! They aren't like "too cool" to go. 

I've met sooooo many people I can't remember anyone's names haha. I do have a main group of people that I hang out with though. I remember most of ^ their ^ names. We have all gone night swimming together a couple nights! And....swimming in the day too. Taking full advantage of living by a beach haha. 

I met a few of my closer friends through Ethan at breakfast:

London

Reed

David

Ben

Lauren

Jackie

And then we just get together with even more people and our group has become huge now! It's so weird because it feels like EFY. It's like everyone is trying to make tons of friends and then we are going to leave--but really we are just going to start school. It's the weirdest feeling ever.

(Not actually in that picture because me and two friends left like 5 minutes before they took it!)

Talked my advisor and finally switched my schedule to take harder classes. Kinda stressed about Physics 2, apparently that class and Book of Mormon are intense. I'm also taking photography "online", so I am taking 17 credits. Trying to get a job--maybe. It would need to be easy and not give too many hours.

Waikiki/Honolulu

The first 3 days we spent on the south of the island at the Hilton Waikiki resort.

We stayed on the top floor which was super cool because we got a great view:

but.....it also meant we had to walk far and ride the elevator for a long time.

First world problems, I know.

We looked up tons overviews for different hole-in-the-wall Hawaiian restaurants, and found one called "Ono". Afterwards a mediocre dinner from a supposedly great restaurant, we realized that many stores and shops all have the same name.

 Shave Ice Sundaes

Leonardo's = must have

"Malcasadas" or Portuguese Donuts

lol at all the people recording the firework show

Pearl Harbor memorial:

JOYS OF FLYING

The journey to get here has been crazy.

The day we were supposed to leave, I noticed that the news said that Southwest was having problems with their website. 

Hopeful that it wouldn't affect us we set off to the airport.

When we got there, the check-in luggage line was long.

I tried to get my boarding pass at a kiosk and it said our flight was cancelled.

Apparently everyone's flights were cancelled, hence the long line.

Once we got pretty close to the front, we realized that my dad could have gone in the short frequent flier line (don't know what it is called). 

So we got in that line and they said we could be put on the next flight--leaving in 30 minutes.

The security line was non-existent.

But apparently you can't use your temporary license in the security line?

SOME ONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW THAT MAKES SENSE!!!!! 

If I go to the DMV to get my license renewed because it is expired and they give me a new temporary license to use until my permanent one comes in the mail, what am I supposed to use?

Apparently I was supposed to bring the old expired one. Why. How the heck was I supposed to know that?? That doesn't make sense at all. But apparently you can't use the temporary one because you can just print it out which I understand, but if I am supposed to use that as a drivers license, why wouldn't the airport or DMV tell me to keep the old one with me too?

Ugh. So basically a really rude old lady made me get a full pat down and they went through my whole suitcase. 

I was the last one on the plane to Oakland, California.

Once we arrived in Oakland, we passed line after line of people who's flights had been cancelled and they were trying to figure out what to do. We went to the nearest gate that had a plane leaving to Seattle and my dad smooth talked him into letting us just jump on the plane whilst writing our names on a piece of paper. Kind of sketchy now that I think about it. If we had crashed they honestly probably wouldn't have known we were on the plane. 

Once in Seattle we checked the luggage claims for our bags that we were supposed to check on with Delta for our flight to Honolulu. Well....they bags never showed up. 

Since it was 1 in the morning and our flight was at 8 in the morning, we tried to catch up on some sleep. I've honestly always wanted to sleep in an airport like while I'm backpacking or something. I'll save you a crappy night of sleep--it sucked. I slept for probably an hour total because the bright lights remained on, the chairs all had armrests separating them, and there are cleaning crews at night that will vacuum right by your head (that is on the grimy floor of course). We later saw a couple that actually knew what they were doing because they had like a whole air mattress down and blankets.

Oh yeah, it's also freezing in airports.

Well good news, we make it to Hawaii--sans luggage--but we made it.

We try calling for 3 days to get our luggage and finally get a call that it is on a plane and will arrive Saturday afternoon.

We go to the airport and see them coming out of the luggage carousel and round the corner, but as we are taking the first two off the third one disappeared.

At this point I was really upset. 

If someone just stole half my stuff I was about to fight them for it haha

I walked around and checked out everyone else's bags. I walked up and down the street. I was about to go crazy. It had taken so long to get all that stuff back and I knew the airport wouldn't cover stolen luggage since it had already come out of their possession.

Finally my mom found it. Apparently they were supposed to have been flagged and a worker took one of them off to save for us. So it wasn't stolen--thank goodness. 

Now the biggest challenge is getting all out suitcases to fit in our little Elantra....

Peace out Hy Vee

Guess what today was....my last day at Hy Vee for at least 8 months. Maybe forever. I don't know man. It treated me pretty well, and I saved a lot of the money I got there, so what more can I ask for?

Peace out Hy Vee.

EIGHTEEN

Why I was excited for turning 18:

1. New License (my new picture is actually really bad compared to the one I had before lol oops)
2. Can now set up an Airbnb account
3. Can now set up a Couch Surfing account
4. Can now buy Lottery Tickets (andddd I didn't win anything. dang it.)
5. New Camera (thanks parents !!!!!)
6. PADI Scuba Certification (thanks parents !!!!!)
7. Went out to breakfast at Ginger Sues

COW APPRECIATION DAY

BEST DAY EVER!!!

I really will do pretty much anything for food. It's actually depressing really. Fortunately this year I was actually in town--last year we were 1 hour away and at youth conference, year before we were in Utah (?), year before that we were moving, AND I recruited these cuties to come with me! We both got the ultimate spicy chicken sandwich, shared fries, and got drinks, and she got a happy meal. It brings back good memories of all the free food days we went to last year.

Ayla's face in this picture cracks me up haha. The lady who took our picture let her hold her stuffed cow and Ayla did NOT want to hold it, but we didn't realize that till after! And of course my face is peeling like crazyyyy and Benny's hair just got cut short for his mission so it's going crazy too haha! Even with all that going on though, this is probably one of my favorite pictures ever.

Retro Bowl

Some people think I'm good at a lot of things. That is only because I focus on my talents. 

Wonder why I don't post about soccer or painting or keeping my room clean?

Nothing special to share.

Want to know another thing I really really suck at?

BOWLING.

(fortunately Benny sucks pretty bad too though)

Extra points for creativity though right?

I won 2 of the 3 games.

I averaged 82 points, Benny averaged 91....

Our averages didn't even break one hundred haha!

Next time we definitely need bumpers.

Drive-In

It's been almost a whole year since I've gone to the drive-ins. This time my whole family decided to go which was a great idea because none of my brothers had gone before! I guess I just took it for granted that I've experienced a lot of things. (Well...that also kind of started once I got my license and could drive anywhere I wanted. So glad I don't have to go back to the days of asking my mom to drive me to friends' houses and movies and stores ((even though I still occasionally ask to go to the store with my mom because I don't have to pay for gas or any of the stuff we get haha)). 

Anyways, we went to see Finding Dory and Independence Day. 

Independence day was so boring I fell asleep and then came home early lol, but Finding Dory was good! 

I feel like I have seen so many movies this summer. Like so many! 

Because 1. I never really watched tons beforehand so I had to catch up 2. Benny's family buys pretty much every single movie that comes out which makes it really easy to watch every movie I've been wanting to see but didn't want to rent 3. Benny loves going out to the movies, and if he wants someone to come with him then obviously I'm going to be willing.

I can't wait till i'm old and rich.

PLAN: rent a truck for one night and put down a blow up mattress and bring the blue bag of popcorn that you buy at Costco and I can't remember the name...but it's a mix of cheddar and caramel--and stop at QT right before to get drinks (like we usually do lol) and bring lots of blankets and go in like the Fall so it gets chilly and there aren't mosquitos. 

Boom. Perfectly planned. 

And I'll take my little kids and they will fall asleep during the second movie. 

Lol I told my family I couldn't wait to have kids to dress them up as cows and take them to Chick-fil-a and that is 110% true. 

I don't want to deal with the crying or pooping or laundry or schedules, but I want to take them to do fun stuff with me because 

1. they are usually free anyways/don't eat a lot

2. they make your pictures way cuter 

3. you can get away with doing lots of stuff that is weird for a 20-30 year old to do, but add a kid and bam you are an amazing parent. 

Going to Kaleidoscope as a 20 year old? Nope. Add a kid? Perfectly acceptable.

 Children's museums? 

Riding camels at the zoo? 

Play on the playground? 

Go to a bouncy house? 

I mean yeah I can do all of those, but if you take a kid it makes you 50 times cooler.

Wow I just got on so many different tangents. Oh well man.

Go to a drive in.

Go see Finding Dory.

I'm out.

Currently

For our 8 month anniversary we went to Ixtapa.

It's Benny's favorite Mexican place, and I have to admit, the chicken I got was really good!

It really doesn't feel like 8 months though. It feels like so much longer. 

Went to Burger King for the thousandth (and thousandth and oneth) time.

It really is our go to place now.

andddd that's how my goal to eat healthy and get skinny for Hawaii is going.....

We tried the new "Mac n' Cheetos". Not as good as I was expecting. I heard they were better with ranch though, so I should probably try that. Buttt I probably won't because I'm so content with chicken nuggets. Yummmm oh goodness they are delicious lol

casually crops myself out because I look really ugly

Lastly, snapchat filters.

That's all there is to my summer.

I don't even send the pictures to anyone or put them on my story. 

I just enjoy the filters.

Especially when you can take them with friends!

Benny's favorite filter is definitely the puppy face. He loves it. Obviously.

YOU DONT EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW HARD IT WAS TO TAKE THIS PICTURE.

That's Benny's arm holding her head because it took like a million years to take it. She hates me now.

KC Zoo

SECOND time going to the zoo this year!

That's a huge record.

Usually we don't really go to the zoo anyways--or just the little kids go, but we had a free pass because we live in one of the counties that pay extra taxes (which really doesn't make ANY sense, because the two counties that pay extra are the ones that are each like 30-45 minutes away...?). 

Usually I actually probably wouldn't have gone but I'm only going to be here for like two more weeks and I need to do everything!!! Haha that's exactly how last year was too. 

 \

NEW BUCKET LIST ITEM: 

pet/hold a penguin

Bucket list item 2: ride an elephant

3: feed a giraffe (preferably here. seriously watch the video. MAGICAL)

Omaha zoo was amazing because of the stingrays, this one was great because KANGAROOS.

Casually playing on the monkey playground.....

Swag.