Halloween, Arts and Crafts time!!

First...Happy Halloween! Kevin and I didnt dress up this year boo :( Nobody knocked on our door tonight either....sometimes living at the end of the street in the corner kinda stinks...oh well, I will be dressing up next year though!


So for the last few days, you guys have been watching me ramble on about a special "mini project" that Ive been working on! Well..... its finished!!! Im especially proud of this project because its the first thing I have ever stained and refinished! I spent the morning putting the last coat of stain on the project and then Kevin and I went out to lunch. On the way home, we stopped at Home Depot so I could get some paint for the embellishments. Without further ado, I give you the completed mini project! But first, some before and progression pictures!

Before...this is exactly how I bought it. Pretty rough, huh?

After I put on the first color stain...pretty, but not the color I was looking for

The first coat of darker stain that I ended up going with

And now, the finished product!!

Im really happy with how it turned out! The stain is called "Bombay Mahogany" and it matches our cabinetry in our kitchen almost perfectly (it is slightly darker). Kevin really loved it as well! I had alot of fun restoring this key holder and Im excited to hang it up tomorrow! This makes me even more excited to get started on the antique desk. I may go with this color as well for the desk...its so elegant! That project will begin tomorrow after step class :) Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Woodworkin'...

This morning I woke up fairly early to continue working on my mini project. After I gave it a light sanding, I put on a thicker coat of stain to try to get the color I want. So far, its working! While the stain was drying, I headed down to Ben Franklin Crafts in Pearl City to look for some wooden embellishments to place on the mini project. I was really disappointed because they didnt have the items I needed. However, the nice employee at the store told me about another store up the street that would probably have what Im looking for. Its called Craft Supply of Honolulu, and they had exactly what I was looking for! I will be going back soon to get some items for another potential project Im cooking up! The mini project should be done by tomorrow evening, so be on the lookout for pictures!!
Other than that, Kevin spent the majority of the afternoon working on his Betty Jeep down at the auto skills shop. He was down there for so long, he had me bring him some food haha. He sure does love being in the garage, even if its just to change the brakes and oil!!
Tomorrow will probably be similar to today, at least in the morning. After I put the finishing touches on mini project, we may go do something outdoors. Today it was finally nice (yay!) and Im hoping tomorrow is the same!

TGIF

Happy Friday everyone! It was a fairly uneventful Friday. For the like 5th day in a row, it was gloomy and rainy here in Hawaii. However like yesterday, the sun did come out.....at like 5pm. I sure hope we have got a nice day coming soon!!
 I woke up today with a sore hip that wouldnt quit--being sore, that is. So instead of going to the gym this morning, I decided to finish the mini-restaining project Im working on. I let it dry overnight last night, and when I looked at it this morning, I liked it alot but I didnt like the shade of color. I was hoping it would be more of a dark cherry look, instead of a dark walnut. So I went back to walmart and got darker stain. I re-sanded the wood and "started over" with the darker stain. Ive been checking on it throughout the afternoon and it looks pretty good! Im going to add one or two more coats to get the desired shade effect though. I estimate that it will be done by Sunday, because I am going to add some embellishments to it which I need to get at Ben Franklin crafts tomorrow!
After Kevin got home from work, he took a nap while I made marble cupcakes. Super yummy :) We then ventured to Lowes, so that Kevin could pick up some stuff for something he is working on in the garage. Plus, I picked up a couple more brushes for mini project and desk project (which will be complete sometime next week!).
Wow I just realized how late it is!! That would explain the more frequent yawns coming from my end of the couch haha. Tomorrow, we really have nothing planned other than Kevins Betty Jeep projects and the mini wood project. We dont want to make beach plans until we know the weather will start behaving!!
See yall tomorrow!

One week left...

...of my 20's. Yep thats right, exactly one week from tomorrow I will leave my 20's behind and enter into my 30's. Im not that excited about it, simply because this decade went by way too fast and I sort of expected certain things in my life to happen that didnt quite go as planned. I wanted to be married with a degree and at least one child by now. I am married (for the second time) but no kids yet (we're working on it mom, we're working on it!! :) ) and my degree isnt completed yet, which has frustrated me to no end. Sorry for that depressing start, but turning the big three oh has been on my mind alot the last few weeks. I am thinking about compiling a little list of things I should do during my last week of my 20's. Any suggestions? Just a couple of things I cant do:
*go skydiving (as much as I want to do this, Kevin says its too dangerous and could really damage my hip more as well as my back--he never lets me do anything extreme *pout*)
*go bungee jumping (again, stupid hip/back problems)
*island hop--ducket (money) shortage

Now for todays events....Im embarrassed...alot. I went to zumba class this morning and was having a great time, until I pivoted wrong and my hip popped. It hurt really bad and I had to leave class not even 15 minutes after it started. Plus since I abruptly stopped working out, I got super nauseous. I dont ever walk out on a class, even if I dont like it I stay until the end. Today I just couldnt go on and I was embarrassed!Im really mad at my hip right now, grrrr. Oh well, since I was on post, I went ahead and picked up my prescription I called in a couple of days ago, and wandered over to the thrift store! Originally I was looking for a bookshelf we could use downstairs, but I didnt find one I liked. I did find another item though, that I took home and restained. Ive got one more coat to put on it in the morning, then I will show you guys before and after pictures! Its something we need for our house, and its a suprise for Kevin so I will make the big reveal tomorrow as to exactly what it is!! Oh, and the thrift store gave me a special shopping bag to use on future trips to save money on stuff I purchase there! Bonus--in the bag, I found a copy of the spouses newsletter, which gave me info on joining the spouses club here in Hawaii! Im super excited about this because I really need to make some friends out here!!
After Kevin got home from work, we went to 4 Wheel Parts (his favorite store--he even had a shopping list lol!) to order some things for Betty Jeep. After that it was off to the store to get some garlic bread to accompany tonights dinner-yummy! Then we spent the rest of our evening glued to a program on the History Channel! Tomorrow, Im going to try and go back to the gym, but Im going to take it easy to prevent agitating my hip. See yall tomorrow!!

I applied for a job today!! Its on post and lets hope I get it :)
Other than that...today was nothing to write home about haha. I had a plan for this morning, but thanks to my legs still being sore from step class and walking all day yesterday, it fell through. I was going to go to the gym and attend kickboxing class, or at the very least step class this afternoon, but alas, I did not make it this week. So I continued tidying up the house instead until Kevin got home for lunch. After Kevin went back to work, I headed down to the PX to pick up some stuff he asked for. I also picked up a couple of expansion packs for the Sims 2 game on my computer! That game is very addictive, so I have to monitor my time on it haha.
The weather today was gloomy--again!!! Not cool, Hawaii, the car needs to be washed and your rainy skies are thwarting my plans!! I will give the sun credit though...it at least made a valiant effort to poke through the gray clouds! I dont know if this happens to yall, but gloomy skies make me sleepy and I tend to drag butt all day long! Tomorrow is another day though, and Im feeling better muscle wise tonight, so *determined face* I WILL be attending the gym tomorrow morning!! Even if its gloomy, the gym should kickstart my day!

*Sigh*

What a challenging day! First off, it was raining with gray skies all day long. What a mood buster! Plus side to that: I saw like 8 different rainbows today! The day started off early--Kevin had a doctor appointment at Tripler this morning and I went with him. It took us 35 minutes to get off post and we live walking distance to the gate. Then, when we finally get to Tripler, we discovered for ourselves what everyone gripes about... the parking! This parking will drive the most sane person to looney land! The building is like 7 floors and the parking lot is smaller than Wal-Marts. Yeah, it will make you pull your hair out. When we finally got a parking spot (at the bottom of the hill), the rain pouring down. Yay! So by the time we got in the building, we were both soaked to the bone.....lame. Thank goodness it didnt take us long to find our department!
Now for the challenging part-- after speaking to the doctor, we learned that Kevin will have to have surgery soon. This is a surgery he has had before, but this time they will be taking out the rest of his para thyroid glands in his neck. Unfortunately, it is a necessary surgery, and according to the doctor, it will be fairly soon. He has to undergo alot of tests between now and the actual surgery, so the next few months will be extremely busy for us! Plus, if we cannot find a good enough doctor on island, we may be traveling to Maryland for the surgery. Im really worried and scared for him :( I will keep you all updated on this particular situation as it develops.
I myself was supposed to have a doctor appt this afternoon, but I kind of had to reschedule it (TMI as to why...lets just say its a girl thing). I did get the grocery store run done this afternoon though!! Tomorrow will hopefully be better, I plan to go to the gym in the morning and organize some more stuff in the house! Good night folks!

Step class, and cleaning!

This morning I did what Ive been wanting to do since we got here-- I went to step class!! It wore me out too!! I knew almost all of the moves, but there were a few new ones, and the instructor is really cool! After step class, I headed home to start Project Spiffy House. I have literally spent all day doing laundry, sweeping and swiffering the floors, vaccuuming, ant killing, cleaning the bathrooms, organizing, and I managed to bake chocolate chip oatmeal cookies! When Kevin got off work, I helped him put the winter top and the doors back onn Betty Jeep. Yes, I know Hawaii doesnt really experience winter, put there is a "rainy season" here (which apparently just started) and Kevin doesnt want to drive home in a wet seat every day. It was gloomy, gloomy, gloomy out all day long. Not even sure I saw the sunshine to be honest! Well, maybe I did on my way to step class this morning, but on my way back home it was raining. Heres hoping for a nicer day tomorrow!
Ah, speaking of tomorrow, we have a long day planned. In the early part of the day Im joining Kevin at his doctors appointment, then I have to be at my own appointment in the afternoon. Im not a fan of doc office visits, but both of our visits should be positive! Im exhausted, so Im going to bed...more tomorrow!

Bellows beach and some sightseeing!

Today Kevin and I got up early and headed out to Bellows beach. The drive over there is about 45 minutes or so, as its on the eastern coast of Oahu. Its about 15-20 minutes north of Hanauma Bay, where we went snorkeling a few weeks ago :) The beach was really windy today, and it was sunny, then a band of dark gray clouds would pass over, then sunny again, then gray clouds. We didnt spend alot of time at the beach itself, because the water was really choppy and of course the gray clouds. A few pictures of the beach!

After we left the beach, we decided to do a little sightseeing on the way back. We made several stops along the coastline, and took some more pictures...and a video!!

This was taken from a pier...the rocks are probably 10+ feet down from the surface of the water

And now for the video!

I couldnt get a picture of the sea turtle, so I decided to take a video when he resurfaced! Hope yall like it!!

Here are a few more pics...these were taken at Halona Blowhole, just north of Waikiki

You can see Lanai in the front, Maui is behind it

And now, a bonus video!!

 I can look at the ocean all day long. It never gets old! :) After we were done being cheesy tourists, we stopped for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings in Waikiki then headed home so Kevin could put the fender back on Betty Jeep. I ended up helping him for most of it and it was actually fun!! I had a great day hanging with my love, and a good dinner. Now we are headed to bed for the evening. Tomorrow I have a whole list of things I want to get done, starting with Step class!!! Im also going to start the job hunt, so wish me luck! Ive got a couple places I want to apply to. See you guys tomorrow!!

Not one of our best days in Hawaii...

Today we had plans to go to the beach, but for reasons I will not speak of here, we did not go. Actually, we didnt leave the house at all today until this afternoon when we went to Lowes (yes again...Kevin loves that store) and the pet store. We decided to reschedule our beach visit for tomorrow morning though. Dont worry, mom, all is well :)
In other news, Kevin and I have noticed Wyatt is getting sick almost everytime he eats, so Im going to schedule a vet appt with him next week. We are thinking that he has acid reflux and developed a sensitive stomach to the food we feed him. Poor little dude, I hope we can get some definite answers from the doctor. I hate to see my babies not feeling well :(
On Monday, Im officially starting the process of finding a job. Originally, I was going to go for part time, but it would be best if I try full time for a while so we can pay the credit card off faster and chisel away at the amount due on the S.S.Sebring. Plus we are saving for a spectacular first anniversary trip!! I sure hope I find something I like :)
More tomorrow, its going to be a better day!

Workin at the car wash!....

This morning Kevin woke me up and said he was going to work shortly. He wasnt in uniform though, so I said it must be casual Friday down at the hangar, awesome! Well, it wasnt, but the company was having a car wash to raise money for fun company events and what not. I thought it would be cool to go down there and hang out with Kevin for the day. I actually ended up helping out and it was really fun! There were alot of people out there having a great time, and the higher ranks even came through and got their cars washed as well. There was a great customer turnout and the company raised over 1300  bucks :) Plus we got to meet the new company commander and the new 1st Sgt (whos from Hampton Roads, like me!!), and they seem really cool. After the car wash, Kevin and I wandered over to Lowes to get some stuff, and then to the auto parts store to get the stuff to change the oil and the brakes on Betty Jeep. Now we are back at home, and I will be fixing dinner shortly. I decided to write a little (well, alot) early today because I want to eat dinner and watch some movies with Kevin. Besides, we are going to bed early tonight because we are having a beach day tomorrow!!! We were going to do that last Sunday, but we wanted to make sure I didnt have an ear infection, so we didnt go. We havent been to the beach in like 3 or 4 weeks, so Im suffering from withdrawals haha. More tomorrow evening + pictures! I wanted to take pictures today, but I forgot my camera. Too bad, because there was this one guy who was dancing around and singing into the hose--classic awesomeness :) See yall tomorrow!!

Blech...

I didnt sleep well last night...felt nauseous all night and I had insomnia-yuck. When I woke up this morning, I felt okay for a little while, but then I had that icky, tired, nauseous feeling the rest of the afternoon. No, Im not preggo (we wish!!). I was insanely unproductive today, as I spent most of the day on the couch underneath the blankets :( Eh, I blame it on the off and on gloominess that was today in the Aloha state. Theres not much to say about todays activities, sorry guys! The highlight of my day literally was finding and playing Sims 2 on my computer. Yes folks, this is what I do when I dont feel well. Tomorrow is another day though, and Im going to head to bed early tonight so I can catch up on the stuff I wanted to do today. See yall tomorrow!! :)

Desk Project, and other things...

"Hey, honey, are you going to get up soon?", Kevin said. "Yeah, what time is it?", I replied (thinking that its probably like 6 something). "Its quarter after 8 honey." "Crap!!!! Im supposed to be at the gym in 15 minutes, there goes that...." Yeah, thats how my morning started. I didnt remember Kevin leaving for PT this morning, so I thought he was leaving when in fact he was coming home. Dag nab it! Messed my morning alll up. Blah, whatever. Darn you snooze button that I hit by habit now!!!!!!!
So in my last post I mentioned that Im refinishing a desk. This (I found out) is an antique desk from the 60's so Im really excited to sand it down and fix it up. I went back to Lowes today to get some better sandpaper, as well as a list of other stuff for Kevin. No problem! Plus, I got a call from my brother while I was there, and he gave me some great advice on how to get that desk looking pretty! After Lowes, I grabbed some Starbucks and headed on home to begin work on that desk. I have most of the top sanded, but its going to take longer than I thought! Im going to try and spend some good time on it tomorrow, as for once I really dont have anywhere to go! I wasnt able to work on it long today, as we had guests over for dinner (yay!) and I had to go on post to get our luau tickets for my birthday (double YAY!), as well as make another commissary run. Plus, I found out that Pro Bowl tickets go on sale the day after my birthday, so I will be in line for those!! Wooo Football!!!
In other news, Kevin had a doc appt for his pesky hip bothering him lately and now he doesnt have to do PT for a couple weeks til they can figure out whats wrong. That would be awesome, except for the fact he still has to show up for PT at o'my god its early. I really hope its not something that would lead to surgery, because I know first hand that surgery isnt a fun time. Ever.  Poor guy :( I will keep yall updated on that one.
Lets see what else? Oh, we have new neighbors!!! Yay! The guy introduced himself this morning as Kevin was leaving. I havent met his wife yet, but Im pretty darn excited, I love meeting new folks!!
Tomorrow will be very uneventful (as far as I know). I am going to drag my butt to the gym in the morning, and work on the desk after that. Exciting times :) Once Im done with the desk, I will post before, during, and after photos :) Night yall!!

The workout routine has started!!

Yay!! So I finally got back in the gym this morning! And I made it before 830am too! Too bad I was on the phone with the stupid bank and the hotel we stayed at before we got housing so it was more like quarter til 9 before I got in there >:( That hotel really made me angry. See, they took out DOUBLE what they were supposed to from our account. Then they dilly dallyed around getting it re-credited. Thankfully, the bank was more helpful than the hotel, so we have our money back :)
The only bummer is that I made it in time for group cycling (which I really wanted to try), but I had to call the bank back at 9, so I didnt want to just leave class. Plus, the instructor totally plays 80's music :D I did get a fabulous workout in though!! Other than that, it was a productive day!! I broke down all of the boxes we had on the back porch, went grocery shopping, cleaned the house, and got started on refinishing an old desk we have. Im not sure I bought the right sandpaper for it though, so off to lowes I go tomorrow!!
After a wonderful chili dinner prepared by awesome husband, Im exhausted---Ive gotta get used to waking up early again :P Gym again in the am tomorrow! Night all :)

Lunes

Today was productive, but uneventful. I got up this morning and started my day by making out a list of things I needed to get done. The laundry is almost done (minus a smaaaaaallll load of whites), I did my shopping, cleaned the house, made dinner, and managed to get some relaxation time in this evening! I also picked up the stuff to sand down and stain an old desk of mine! Im excited to get started on that project :) I decided not to go to the gym this evening, because I really wanted to get the laundry done and the house cleaned. Plus I was out a little more than I wanted to be this afternoon (oops!). I know, excuses, excuses! Gah, I really am going to get back into my gym routine, I promise!! Somehow, Ive lost 3lbs in the last week though!! I will say Ive busted my tail to eat healthy during this whole move process, so that may be why I really havent gained :)
Tomorrow Im going to try and find a great craft store that sells scrapbooking supplies. Ive been wanting to do a wedding scrapbook as well as a scrapbook for our time in Hawaii, so wish me luck at finding some good stuff!! I may actually make it to the gym tomorrow too, double wish me luck on that haha ;)
Either way, I.am.going.to.get.up.early. I refuse to sleep in any longer!!! I told Kevin to wake me up at any cost tomorrow morning when he does :) Hope everyone has a great week!!