Thanks Mom and Dad

It is no surprise. I cannot wait to be a mommy. When I was younger I always thought I would start having kids around the age of 25. Well, 25 came and went. And now that we are getting married we get the "when are you going to start having babies?" question all the time. We know we'll have our little family when the time is right.

On Monday as I welcomed my 28th birthday I couldn't help but think about how 28 years ago my parents became parents. I can only imagine how they felt bringing me into the world and how that first year must have been for them as new parents.

This past year seems like everyone around me was having babies and it has been the year where I have been surrounded by babies. In February I started nannying for my boss's 4 month old. I watch her at the office 3 days a week. I really enjoy watching her and I've learned a lot about babies. It has been fun watching her grow and develop. But the best part is how it's given me a glimpse into what it's like to have a little baby to care for and look after. It's not always easy, it takes a lot of patience (especially teething babies) but when they look at you and smile it is heart melting.
I now have a much deeper appreciation for my parents and all parents and I can only imagine that appreciation growing when I have my own babies.

I love you mom and dad!

Koko Head

We finally hiked Koko Head.

1050 steps pretty much straight up a side of the mountain.

When we lived in Hawaii Kai we were really close to Koko Head 

and we would see people hiking up and say, "we should do that".

Half way up the incline increases to about 80%.

And the steps are unevenly spaced which made coming down a bit difficult. 

The view was amazing and once we were at the top we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. 

Crossing the bridge which was a little creepy

Loved the view

Zach wasn't really feeling it

1000 steps 50 more to go

Panoramic view 

We made it!

Looking down from the top

Maui

First off...

Today marks 100 days until we say, "I Do!" I cannot wait!!!

Over the weekend we went to Maui, thanks to Zach's parents. 

His brother Jonathan, sister-in-law, Polin, and nephew, Noah were there visiting with Polin's family 

and we got to meet up with them and meet baby Noah. 

We were really surprised by how big, spread out, and country the island of Maui is.

It has a totally different feel than Oahu and we really liked it. 

We wanted to see the seven sacred pools so we drove towards Hana, little did we know how remote that side of the island is. We had no cell phone reception so we were unable to use the GPS, there were no signs to let us know where we were, and the road was so narrow. I know I annoyed Zach by yelling, "Babe" around every turn. But it was crazy not being able to see if a car was coming right towards us. There were parts with signs warning to honk around turns. 

But it was a beautiful drive with very diverse climates. 

Parts of the drive looked like how I envision Ireland. 

Along the drive we found a little black sandy beach. 

And we found a beautiful waterfall, which we stopped and walked up to. 

Since we had been driving for quite some time and we didn't know how much farther the pools were we decided to turn around and check out the lavender farm. 

It was so nice to spend time with Jonathan and family.

We loved meeting and holding baby Noah. 

We also loved spending time by the pool and going down the water slide.

The resorts on Maui are nothing like Waikiki, we were blown away by how uncrowded the resort was. 

We're thankful for the opportunity to explore another Hawaiian island. 

Zach and I really enjoyed spending time together too! 

We have been talking about how much we want to see a black sandy beach 

so we were excited to find this one. 

This waterfall was just along the side of the road.

The lavender farm was neat, we really enjoyed looking at all the plants and flowers and smelling the fresh lavender. 

We shared a lavender scone that was delicious. 

Noah didn't know what to think of Zach's beard, he kept pulling on it, which was really funny. 

 He has the cutest smile! 

We even got to see some penguins. 

In Need of Change

Lately I have been feeling blah.
This blahness is not a depressed feeling.
It's not an unhappy with life feeling.
It's a feeling that I need change in my life.
There are certain aspects in my life that I want and need to change.
I feel like there is this heavy weight on me.
This weight that is forcing me to realize I have to do what makes me happy.
I have to do what I enjoy.
Lately I have had very little time to really stop and enjoy life.
I am so caught up in the daily grind.
And it is draining.
If there is one thing I've learned recently it's that life is way too short.
It's too short to spend 10 hours a day in a office.
It's too short to not spend time at the beach.
It's too short to not spend more time with my love.
It's too short to not see family and close friends.
It's too short to not love what you do everyday.

I know I have the power to change what is not serving me.
I just have to dig deep and find the will, courage, and strength to go get what I want.

Engagement Photos

We talked about it and decided it was more important to hire a professional photographer to do our wedding pictures instead of our engagement pictures. So with the help of our roommate, Sam she used our camera to take our engagement photos.
We actually had a plan to go to Kualoa Ranch and then to the beach to take pictures. But on our President's Day holiday it was rainy and overcast. So we ventured over to Moanalua Gardens, which one of Zach's co-workers recommended to him. That was our only day off together where we could take pictures so we figured even if it was raining hopefully we would be blocked by the trees. It turned out to be perfect! There was no rain (just mud) and the sun started to peek through the clouds.
We didn't really know how to pose...I wanted us to have fun with it and we did.  Sam did a wonderful job, we got some great photos! After the gardens we decided to drive up to Tantalus to see if there were any good photo taking spots but it was still a bit too cloudy.

Once the rainy season is over I hope we can find a day to go to Kualoa Ranch and to the beach to take  a few more photos.

Zach's Hair

For as long as I have known Zach he has always gone back and forth between growing out his hair, beard, or mustache. He'd start to grow his hair out to see how long he could get it but would always end up cutting it before it would start to lay down. 
For the past 21 months he grew his hair out...

His stages were the curly top poofball. The almost long enough to pull it into a ponytail. And the shoulder length sufer look, which I really liked when he wore a hat! 

When we started planning our wedding the hair topic came up and we came to an agreement, either long hair and clean shaving or short hair and a beard. The choice was Zach's and he choose the beard. 

He wanted to make sure his hair was long enough to donate, which it was well over 10 inches long. So on Valentines night we went to the barber shop and he said goodbye to his long curly locks. 

Every time he grew his hair out I told him I wanted to straighten it. Well, I finally got the chance to! 

This is the Zach remember when we first started dating. 

So now he is working on growing out his beard...let's hope it looks good for the wedding! 

Yoga and Wedding

We have been busy...Zach has been busy with school, work, and the gym. I've been busy with work and yoga. And we've both been busy with wedding planning {there's so much to plan and think about!}

I completed the first 2 (out of 5) modules in the yoga teacher training and I definitely learned a lot in a month's time. I felt like a sponge trying to absorb all that I could and I let myself be okay with not fully understanding everything, I know it will all come in time.  It wasn't just doing yoga poses 5 days a week for a month. It was learning the correct alignment of poses, along with observing our bodies in postures, and recognizing and feeling the ever slightest adjustments of our muscles, heads, joints, ribs, and breath. We started learning about the history and philosophy of yoga; which the philosophy of yoga is something all of its own and quite a deep topic. We also started learning about meditation and the language of Sanskrit. Meditation is hard. It's really difficult to sit still with your eyes closed and just let your thoughts pass. It is something I need to work on and make time for.

Girls at work have been asking me when I was going to start teaching them, so the other day after work 4 of us stayed and I taught my first ever yoga class. It was fun! And the girls seemed to really enjoy it. They want to make this a weekly occurrence, which I think would be a great help for me to become comfortable with teaching.

I start module 3 on Wednesday and I'm super excited for it. The next 3 modules (February, March, and April)  include training for 5 days straight for 7 hours each day and we will be focusing more on sequencing a class. I'm hoping more things will start to click and I'll understand how to better prepare and design a class.

In wedding planning news...
I bought my dress!  A few of my co-workers went with me 3 separate times to try on dresses (they are the best) and I'm so grateful I had them there to help me out.

These ladies are the best! 

If you don't know yet, I am the most indecisive person. It is difficult for me to make decisions.  And I am not one of those girls who has pictured my wedding dress since I was 10 years old. I just wanted something flattering and not too expensive and that's what I got. When I was wearing the dress the other night in he bridal shop all I kept thinking was, "I can't wait to marry Zach". I had that moment where nothing else matters except I am marrying the love of my life!

We have the food caterer booked. We are both really excited for the food option we have chosen.

We went the other day to look at wedding rings and I have picked mine out. Now Zach just has to choose one.

On Monday we are going to take our engagement photos so hopefully we'll have invitations sent out soon.

Things are falling into place!