WINTER IN LAIE, HAWAII

Aloha Oe

2009-03-29T22:02:00.000-07:00

After Sacrament meeting this afternoon,

Aloha Oe (the song of farewell) was sang to everyone

who won't be coming back after this semester.

Fresh Hawaiin leis were given to us too.

We're really going to miss Laie,

but our time here has been everything

we could've ever dreamed it would be.

We never thought Hawaii would turn into a place we could call

home away from home.

This semester has been filled with amazing people & experiences.

Even though we miss our families & friends,
We are happy we're not leaving just quite yet.
We still have two weeks left in paradise!

2 on 1

2009-03-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

When Natalie's bike got stolen,

Lindsi and Jamie quickly picked up on how to ride 2 on 1 bike,

so that Natalie could use a bike while riding places together.

Actually it would be better to say...

Lindsi quickly picked up on how to ride 2 on 1 bike,

because Jamie is always the one just hanging out in the back!

Double biking has defintely been a lot more entertaining.

We love our bikes and life is GREAT in Laie!

Prince Kuhio Day

2009-03-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

No school on Thursday ---> BEACH DAY!

Lindsi, Melissa, Jamie, Cristina & Natalie

Cristina relaxing

Hawaii 2009

Melissa, Lindsi, Jamie, Richelle & Natalie

Working out is a necessity

2009-03-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

And it's always better together!

Play in Kaneohe

2009-03-27T02:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to a play at Winward Community College in Kaneohe with some of our friends that go to that school=True

Some of our guy friends asked us to come watch because they said they were going to be a part of the play=True

we made the trip just to see them & give them some support

and we were wondering what part these guys

could possibly have in their school play=True

They did an awesome job & were the stars of the show=False

Well, they fooled us. They weren't even in the play. Tricksters=True

I guess that was their way of making sure we came=True

Here's a couple pictures before we left the house

and a few goofy ones in the car on the way there.

We are having way too much fun together=TRUE!

Typical day at the beach

2009-03-27T02:32:00.001-07:00

Hukilau Cafe

2009-03-14T17:45:00.001-07:00

J.Linn & LJ went to the Hukilau Cafe for breakfast this morning. The cafe is right behind our house. We rolled out of bed (well, Jamie climbed) and decided to just head there in our pj pants. Walking to the cafe was literally the first thing we did when we got out of bed this morning...besides brush our teeth, of course! We were hungry for something other than cereal for breakfast. It was a great way to start off our Saturday. Our breakfasts were SO yummy! As my little brother would say, "It was rey-wee, rey-wee, rey-wee gud!" Translation: It was really, really, really, good!

Lindsi is the worst at deciding what to choose to eat. Jamie's favorite thing to do, when she goes out to eat, is to have her mom choose for her. But since she doesn't have her mom here, she has learned to deal. Somehow, Jamie always picks before Lindsi finally makes a decision!

Friday night Seasider game

2009-03-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

Last night the regional tournament began and we watched the Seasiders beat Humboldt State 98-84. We bought some men's T-shirts at the bookstore to get tickets early so we wouldn't have to wait in any long lines. It was packed! We wish we had taken some pictures at the game, but my camera died. Woops! Well, here's some pictures we took together before the game.

We set the camera timer & put it on the kitchen table and took some crazy pictures. Being goofy is a daily thing in our house. We love laughing at each other & making things more fun.

Natalie and Cristina

Two inseparable cousins

Our good friend Richelle (lives below us) plays on the women's basketball team & they ended their season last week with a win against Hawaii Pacific. The men's team plays Cal State-Dominguez Hills tonight.

We live in Hawaii

2009-03-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

Lots of times through out each week,

we have moments when we just look at each other & say,

"Wow, look around...we live here. We live in Hawaii."

We had a moment like that a few days ago

after we came home from being at the beach,

and there were about 10 towels hanging to dry on our balcony.
Wow, we live in Hawaii!

We have exactly one month left here and we're soaking it all in.

I hate math, but I know this much...

BYU + Hawaii + friends=unforgettable experience.

B,D,K come to Laie

2009-03-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun w/ Brooke, Deb, & Kim around for a few days.

Even though their flight was delayed a few hours

and it was raining the morning they arrived,

they were so easy going & just happy to be in Hawaii!

A few gorgeous scenery pictures from Brooke's camera...

They were here Saturday to Tuesday,

and the days totally flew by!

But we were glad they got to come play even if time felt short.

It was so much fun having friends stay with us.

They slept on an air mattress in the middle of our bedroom,

and we miss their presence already!

We love you B, D, K!

Kona Hawaii Temple

2009-03-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

Natalie took a trip to go to the Kona Temple last weekend

with our good friends, Jordan & Justin.

They flew out super early on Saturday morning,

spent some time in the temple & hung out in Kona for the day.

Check out these handsome guys!

Ok, the truth is--Natalie is the one making them look good ;)

We love these guys

Even though it was just a day,

We missed Natalie while she was gone.

And of course we missed Jordan & Jus too!

But Natalie the most!

Sunday

2009-03-03T17:43:00.001-08:00

Roommates:

Natalie, Cristina, Jamie, Lindsi, & Sydney

Joseph Smith said, "friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism."

We are taught, "Choose your friends wisely. Above all, be a friend of the Savior."

The Savior said, “I will call you friends, for you are my friends” (D&C 93:45).

"His greatest desire for us is to bring us back to our Heavenly Father. And the way for us is clear: develop in our lives, to the degree that we can, the qualities and attributes of our Savior, Jesus Christ."

We are thankful for our church & the way it guides our lives. We find hope & happiness through the things we believe are true.

Ko'loa Gulch Hike

2009-02-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

A couple of guys asked us to go on a hike early Saturday morning.

Answer: YES!

They said it was just a few miles & would take about 2-3 hours.

We were having lots of fun goofing around & chatting while hiking.

We had to hike through tons of rock areas & water.
It wasn't exactly the easiest thing we've ever done!
At this point, we still had good attitudes
& were laughing at each other when we would slip or fall, etc.
We were even talking about the hike,
and how it relates to our lives & the things we believe.
We were in fun & optimistic moods!

After lots of hiking through these rocks,
J.Linn and LJ couldn't keep it in any longer,
"Guys, how much farther!?"
The guys started laughing & told us that the hike=total of 8 miles.
Who knows why they didn't tell us that from the beginning!
Not to mention, it took 2 miles to get the hike starting point,
and 2 miles to walk back home.
Boys will be boys?
YES!
We just weren't expecting it to be that long/take all day,
and we were starting to get super tired & really hungry.

We stopped for a break and thankfully one of the guys had snacks.

We thought the spot we stopped for a break was pretty cool.
There were some small waterfalls around,
and this little "pool" of bright blue water.
Pretty cool stuff!

After hiking, hiking, & more hiking,
We got to the last, biggest, waterfall the boys wanted to get to.
But little did Linds & Jame know,
in order to get there, one must climb up this rock wall by the rope.
It may look easy, but it was really steep/full of sharp rock edges.

The guys were saying stuff like,
"Come on! Are you girls seriously gonna be quitters!"
Surprisingly, Jamie stepped up to try.
She was doubting herself & telling the guys,
"Ropes are for jumping with, not climbing with!"
Lindsi was laughing and shaking her head at Jamie
from the moment she grabbed the rope to give it a shot.

Lindsi calls the picture above: Attempt
And the picture below: Result

Jamie didn't even care that she got soaking wet,
She loved that Lindsi was cracking up at her.
We would've brought our swim suits,
if the guys would've told us there were spots to swim.
But they forgot to mention that as well!

Luckily, even with out climbing up the rock wall
we could still see the big, beautiful waterfall.
We couldn't get a very good picture of it,
but you can sort of see it behind the tree branches & rocks.

We got a picture of the waterfall from one of the guys' camera.
We'll admit it was pretty awesome,
but we couldn't believe how long we had been hiking!
And still had to hike all the way back!
We kept talking about how sore our bodies were going to be,
but trying not to let the guys here us complain.
Of course, we were having fun, it just wasn't what we had in mind!
Jamie climbing down the top bunk the next morning was a joke!
We were two really sore girls.
Well, we got a dang good work out!

Whenever we do hikes like these,
we are always in awe at the incredible views.
Hawaii is beautiful.

Heres a video Lindsi took during a quick break.
We were cracking up at each other.
Lindsi's commentary during the video is pretty funny.
We couldn't figure out to rotate the video,
so just tilt your head & enjoy!

Red is the color of LOVE

2009-02-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

I loved every part of my Valentines Day package.

I was VERY excited, can you tell?

Thank you Momma!

My favorite part was the card you made with the pic of T&W

I miss my boys.

They would make the best valentines ever!

Lindsi helped me enjoy all the yummy goodies ;)

We hope everyone had a happy Valentines Day.
Our trip to Kauai made for a good V-day for us!

Day 3 in Kauai

2009-02-18T00:31:00.000-08:00

Headed to the beach!

We were so excited about the perfect sunny weather.

Look what was chillin on the shore!

Gabe getting ready to surf.

The guys surfed for hours.

Surfing is so fun to watch!

All of us girls had so much fun swimming

and playing in the waves.

The palm trees never get old.

Done surfing for the day!

We love when Gabe sings for us!

Jamie=MERMAID.

Lindsi and Natalie buried Jamie

and surprised her with a mermaid design.

She loved it!

Pretty good lookin' mermaid if you ask her!

Our trip to Kauai was a blast!
It feels good to be home.
The best part about it is that home is still Hawaii!

Day 2 in Kauai

2009-02-17T22:54:00.000-08:00

Day two= ADVENTURE.

We began hiking around 8 am

Making our way up the trail!

The views were incredible!

The girls!

Jamie, Cristina, Lindsi, Natalie, Nicole, and Brea

Lindsi, Jamie & Natalie

Taylor lookin' like a stud!

Cristina and Gabe taking a break.

Pretty views and pretty Natalie Kay

Nicole and Cristina

Waterfall

Some of the guys hanging out at the top of the waterfall

Jamie surrounded by green!

Headed back down the trail

After the hike, we drove to a few look out points

The way the water blended with the clouds was amazing.

Lindsi Marie and Jamie Linn enjoying life!

We all thought these rock walls were awesome.

At the end of the day, we headed to a beach

Cristina watching the sunset

We loved our day two adventure in Kauai.

Day 1 in Kauai

2009-02-17T20:56:00.000-08:00

Honolulu Airport
5:00 am flight to Kauai!

A few tired girls waiting for their flight.

Nevertheless, excited!

30 minutes later...Welcome to Kauai.

Cristina and Gabe waiting for our ride.

The Garden Island.

It was a must to stop along the side of the road to check a few things out!

The waterfall was absolutely awesome.

Aloha!

Tons of cool artwork all around Hawaii.

We spent the day at the beach!

Meet Jamie's valentine: Mr. tiki man

Leave it to Lindsi...

Later that night, we went to see a few things around town.

One being, the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge!

Lindsi had way too much fun

walking across the rickety and swinging bridge!

We saw another swinging bridge the next day

and took a picture with the day time light.

We had lots of fun on our first day
and were very excited about the next few days ahead!

Sydney's artwork

2009-02-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

Check out Sydney's creation.

The rest of us came home late one night,

and saw this posted on the refrigerator.

We thought it was hilarious!

Left to Right: Sydney, Cristina, Jamie, Natalie, and Lindsi

Cristina's birthday dinner

2009-02-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

Hello birthday girl!
Cristina turned 19 yesterday

Jamie & Lindsi made the crazy birthday banner,
and put notes around the house

Natalie got an adorable hair cut yesterday!
She also got a job this week as a gymnastics coach.
She came straight from work,
and made such a yummy b-day dinner for everyone.
oh my gosh, that girl can really cook!

Sydney made some awesome ice cream cupcakes

The cupcakes were DELCIOUS!

We always love having Kyle's company

I guess we're hanging out with the right guys!

Roommates '09
Happy Birthday Cristina!

Valentines cupcakes!

2009-02-13T14:34:00.001-08:00

Aloha Stadium Swap Meet

2009-02-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

We got up early this morning, put on our bathing suits, packed a bag, and about 20 minutes later we were out the door around 8:15 to catch a bus to Honolulu for the day.

Two cousins ready to get their Saturday started!

The bus always provides for some intense enetertainment. Today, as we passed a jail, the man sitting on the left pointed & said, "I use to live there for a year! Free rent, free food! But you have to wear uniforms! You can stay there too, if you want! Free rent!! Just punch a cop or something like that!" He grinned a big toothless smile & busted up laughing at himself. Then he told us he's glad he doesn't have to live there anymore, because he likes his current place much better--under a bridge. And letting us know, "under a bridge, still free rent!" This is only one conversation out of the 30 minutes next to him. We couldn't move to another spot because the bus was so packed. Oh goodness! Only the first few minutes were entertaining. Before we got off the bus, he let us know there would be a party tonight in Waikiki. He said, "lots of celebrities will be there! I know most of them. I'm friends with celebrities!" Well, we made it to Honolulu safely & we declined the offer to party it up in Waikiki! Of course!

We wanted to go to a beach today too, but the swap meet shopping kept us plenty busy!

Lindsi being an awesome big sister & checking out the goods for Halli girl! There were lots of things like these little jerseys making Jamie miss her little brothers, Trey and Warren.

This next pic of Lindsi is posted just for the Wilton family,

hooray for HAT DAYS!

Hawaii is too fun.

The shaved ice rocked!

Proverbs 16:20, "Happy is he who trust in the Lord."

There was a kick off to the Pro Bowl this afternoon and we could hear the National Anthem as we were walking around and Lindsi said, "Jamie, stop! Do you hear who that is? That is David Archuleta!!" She wanted to go beyond the gate to go see for herself. She was freaking out & called her mom--a big David Archuleta fan! We found out that infact Lindsi was right. David Archuleta was in Honolulu today singing the National Anthem!

We stayed outside all day and by the time we were headed back home, it was getting dark. Both of our cell phones died sometime during the day & little did we know, our roommates were at home wondering if we were okay. They thought we were only going to be gone a couple of hours, so when it started to get late & both of our phones were dead, they began to really worry. Alright, worry would be an understatement. They freaked out! Not mentioning any names, but one of them called the cops! When we got home, we felt bad, but we couldn't help but laugh. But hey, it's nice to know that we have true friends that care about us and are watching out for us. Anyway, we all had an awesome Saturday doing different things in HAWAII!

Valentines package from Cristina's mom!

2009-02-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

Lindsi was so excited to read the note,

"Lindsi, enjoy the york peppermint patties!"

THANK YOU!
We hope you all have a good Valentines Day!

Dinner guests

2009-02-06T21:15:00.001-08:00

The best thing about having these guys over

for dinner last Sunday was that they did all the dishes!

Just teasing ;) we love these guys!

BYU-Hawaii's talent night

2009-02-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

It didn't take very much convincing to get Jamie

to be a part of the show!
Jamie did her jump rope routine

to the techno version of "Listen to your Heart"

Ever since the age of 6,

Jamie has loved to share her world of

competitive jump rope through performing.
Here are some of Jamie's favorite pictures from the night!

Games, games, games!

2009-02-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

We love having friends over for game nights!

Saturday evening

2009-01-25T01:08:00.000-08:00

On the way to our friends house tonight,

we stopped to take some pictures at the entrance to campus.

Adventure in Kualoa

2009-01-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

After a good work out at the gym on Friday,

Jamie's brother's mission companion, Luke

called to invite us on an adventure.

Lindsi & Jamie decided they were in!
But didn't realize what they were getting themselves into.

We hiked for about 15 minutes up a mountain in the dark.
They were taking us to check out some bunkers used in WWII.
Thankfully, a few of the guys brought small flash lights.
Luke opening the entrance...

To get to the top of the mountain=climb ladders built inside.
Jamie=terrified.

There were about 5-7 sets of these ladders/platforms.

Lindsi was being so brave.

And comforting Jamie,

who was almost in tears!

Typical.

Check out the art work all over the walls!

Looks like Lindsi's dad's doofus cartoons would fit right in!

While the rest of the group went exploring more,
going higher on the mountain & crossing scary ledges,
Jamie & Lindsi were content taking fun pics with the crazy walls.

Look what Luke was trying to pull in the next picture!

Ok, it was just a joke ;)

He said, "Lets take this one for Bullock."

Bullock=Jamie's brother (Bryant)

Luke=Bryant's companion from the MTC.

Lindsi, stay away from the ledge!

Check out the lights shining in the distance,

those would be cars on the highway below us.

On our way back down...
Down is right!

Jamie was just as terrified on the way back down.
Just like her dad, she's not a fan of heights!

After going up the mountain,
we hiked a little futher & found a run down museum
displaying posters of movies that were filmed on this mountain.

My camera battery died during the last part of our adventure,
but we got a picture of the "Mighty Joe Young" display.
Some of the other movies included,
"George of the Jungle" & "Jurassic Park."

Well, we know who to call if we ever need another adventure!

Sunday

2009-01-18T21:13:00.000-08:00

This is the church building on campus.

Each day, We feel thankful to be a part of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Seasiders win!

2009-01-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

Roommates '09
Natalie, Cristina, Lindsi, Sydney, and Jamie
We're having a blast together.

Roommates & Kyle.
Kyle is a local who lives a few houses away from us.

When he looked at this picture,

he said "you guys make me look good."

So, on that note--we think he's pretty cool!

He is as tall as he looks; 6 foot 9!
Lucas is from Brazil.

He plays for the basketball team.

He asked Jamie for a starburst in class. She told him,

"if you score 20 points in the game this weekend!"

Well, that was easily done! He had an awesome game.

Jamie went to the vending machine,

gave him an entire pack after the game

and told him that starbursts from her MUST be good luck!

Baller in Portugese=boliero!!

Free ice-cream when the Seasiders score 100 points!
The crowd was going crazy when the team had 90 points

with just a few minutes left in the game.

Lindsi & Jamie took some bike pictures on their way home.

Inbetween these two pictures, Jamie fell off her bike.
Maybe she'll think more about keeping her feet on the pedals!
Atleast it wasn't like her little brother Trey's bike crash in '08.
She wouldn't have been as brave as Trey was in the ER!

Cristina & Sydney.

Cristina & Gabe.
Gabe is from Brazil.
He is a favorite to have around our place!

Lindsi & Jamie.

We're having tons of fun together.
Seasiders won 104-67!

Package for Lindsi from Mom

2009-01-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

Lindsi has anxiously been waiting for this package!

When we got home from the beach on Saturday afternoon,

there was a note letting her know that she missed the mail

& needs to pick up her package at the post office.

She quickly biked to the post office, but they were already closed.

On her way home, she found the mail man

& asked if there was any way she could get her package.

He told her she would now have to wait until Tuesday,

because Monday is a holiday.

She must've pulled a sad face,

because what came next out of his mouth was,

"meet me at the post office at 5:30."

Lindsi with her big package!

Of course she couldn't get through the package
without opening some of her favorite snacks.

Every roommate can testify that Lindsi is a york addict.

The shelves are stocked!

BIKES!

2009-01-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

We did so much walking our first week here.

Back & forth from campus, to the beach, grocery store, etc.

It got so tiring and hot walking in the sunny weather.
Of course, we've loved the Hawaii sun since the day we arrived!

But we didn't like sweating between every where we had to be.

So when all the other girls in our house arrived,

and had bikes parked below the house,

Jamie, Lindsi, & Natalie wanted their own.

We waited a few days to figure out

what kind of bikes we wanted & where the best prices were.

Last Saturday, we took a bus ride to Honolulu.

We purchased beach cruisers on clearance at Walmart!

Having bikes is worth every penny spent.

Black beach cruiser for Natalie.

Red for Jamie & blue for Lindsi.
We lock our bikes on this grocery cart under our house.
We heard buying bike locks is a must.
A local told us,
"One time I didn't lock up my bike & the next morning it was gone.
I saw a homeless man riding around on it a week later.
It was spray painted another color. Lock up your bikes!"

We finally took some pictures with our bikes
on the way to classes this morning.

We always have fun riding to campus together.
Having our bikes makes going to class fun!

We caught Cristina on her way home during her break.
Cristina is our roommate from North Carolina.
She graduated in '07 & this is her third semester here.
We already love her!

We'll be selling the bikes at the end of semester,
but for now we're having way too much fun.

Campus is surrounded by Palm trees.

One of the MANY bike racks on campus.

We love BYU-Hawaii.

It's Winter?

2009-01-14T23:21:00.000-08:00

We've been hanging out at beaches every day!
After all of our homework is done, of course ;)

Balcony view last Saturday afternoon

2009-01-14T22:48:00.000-08:00

"Life is like a rainbow.
You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear."

Seasiders basketball

2009-01-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

Jamie, Lindsi, Natalie, & Sydney.

Sydney is our roomate from LA. She's been here for two years.

Seasiders won 83-69!

Primer dia de escuela!

2009-01-08T22:56:00.000-08:00

Lindsi is a total babe!

Natalie is a total babe!

Jamie is a total babe?

Classes start today

2009-01-07T02:03:00.001-08:00

Brigham Young University Hawaii

Catching crabs

2009-01-07T01:07:00.000-08:00

Nothing new to Natalie,

but Lindsi was being brave.

Jamie was not being brave.

She refused to hold one.
She touched one though!
Empty handed...

Natalie was having a blast.
She caught a crab with legs as long as our fingers,
and the crab pinched her. Her finger started bleeding.
While she didn't even care,
that was Jamie's way of creating further excuses to not hold one.

Racing the crabs.

Jamie with one of her brother's mission companions.
They recognized each other right away.
It took them a few minutes to figure out
why they looked familiar to each other but once they knew,
Jamie called her brother and as a joke said,
"Guess who I'm walking on the beach,
under the stars,
and holding hands with?
Your companion from the MTC!"
Bryant thought that was pretty funny.

We had a fun & adventurous night!

Windy Sunday afternoon at Hukilau

2009-01-06T01:55:00.000-08:00

The views are incredible.

The next two pictures of Lindsi are hilarious.

Do you think Natalie use to be a gymnast?
Answer: yes.

Jamie convinced Lindsi to eat something else for lunch.

More pictures of Hukilau.

Hukilau at night

2009-01-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

The license plates are so fun.

This sign is right outside our house.

Hukilau Beach

Jamie Linn

Natalie Kay

Lindsi Marie

We asked some random man to take a picture of us together.

He snapped one.

Then two.

Then three.

Then more.

After the man took the first picture,

someone else walked up & asked us a question

and the man kept taking pictures of us while we were talking.

Number of pictures taken by random man: 16

We counted.

We asked for a picture, not 16.

Oh well! Here are just a few.

The Bus

2009-01-03T04:05:00.000-08:00

We are just a few blocks from the nearest grocery store, Foodland.

Foodland=outrageously expensive.

For example, a gallon of milk is $7.

We decided to take a trip to the nearest Walmart.

The bus stop is right across the street from our house.

We met this local at the bus stop.

He answered tons of our questions & knew right away we were new BYU-H students.

Check out his tatoo of the Hawaiin Islands!

We see crazy tatoo's every day here.

When we asked him his name,

he turned around & had it tatooed on his back.

Meet Kalej.

Bus route to Walmart: 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Cost: $2.00
The prices were worth the trip!
Plus it was fun being on "The Bus" checking out the state of Hawaii.
After we were done in Walmart,
we condensed everything into less amounts of bags.
We double bagged & headed back to the bus stop.
This time the bus stop wasn't right across the street.
We felt like everyone was looking at us like we were crazy tourists, but we didn't care!

Being strategic about how to carry the 24 pack of water.

Jamie got all of her things into four bags.
Four heavy bags!

The backpack full of water bottles didn't stay on Lj's back for long.
We ended up spliting up the water bottles between our bags.
We actually got pretty creative about all of this.

Here is "The Bus"

The last 20 minutes of our bus ride, there were only about 5 passengers. We were sitting near the front of the bus & an older man a few seats behind us abruptly asked us, "How long have you girls been Mormon?" We weren't even talking about anything church related, so we were a little surprised. He looked tired & all he had with him was a garbage bag. He looked homeless. We replied, "Our whole lives!" He told us that he had always heard that Mormons are from the devil. J.Linn looked at him and in a goofy tone said, "No, no, no. Look at me, come on! Do I look like I'm from the devil!?" He thought it was funny. He told us that he went to the visitor center at the temple & met a really cute sister missionary there. He said, "I told her--I'll get baptized if you're still single!" We were laughing at him & then he said, "She just dissapeared after I said that! Just walked away!" Maybe she was a little frightened by his appearance or the way he was approaching her. He told us he stayed & watched the Jospeh Smith movie & that he was really inspired. He said he went back and watched it again & again. He said, "I never thought I would become a mormon, but I might. I might join the Mormon church!" He told us that he is homeless & can't be baptized until he has an address. He said that the missionaries are willing to help him find a job & get back on his feet. He said he has had help from a lot of other Christian churches and has heard many bad things about the Mormon church. He was cracking up as he told us, "I went back to one of those churches & told them--the Mormons are better than you! They don't persecute others. They are more Christ-like. I found out what they believe & they are not of the devil. In fact, I might be a Mormon!" In the midst of our conversation, Natalie noticed that we passed our bus stop. Luckily, we were only a stop or two past it. We got off & told the man, "The church is true!"

Casa de Chicas

2009-01-03T01:46:00.001-08:00

Name: Casa de Chias

Color: bright blue

ONLY IN HAWAII!

The house is three floors.

Two girls live on the top floor.

Five girls live on the middle floor.

We live on the middle floor.

Three girls live on the bottom floor.

Stairs inside doorway to our floor.

Overlooking Hukilau Beach

Our room!
View of Natalie's side.
Bunk beds: Jamie is on top bunk; Lindsi is on bottom bunk.

Thanks Kelly for the "Beach" sign decoration!
We haven't officially decided where to put it up yet.

Closet door mirrors.
Natalie Kay, Jamie Linn, & Lindsi Marie.

Bathroom pictures.

Bamboo tree tile design.
Better yet, Palm trees out the window.

Zoomed in view of the temple from our bedroom window.

We love the place so far,
besides the fact that the neighbors have a dog that

barks & whimpers all night.
J.Linn & LJ are not fans of dogs.
We should tally tomorrow night the amount of times we wake up.
Although that won't be happening
because we will be buying ear plugs TODAY.
Or to save us a few dollars,
Natalie has already offered to shoot the dog.
Just kidding!

Seattle to Laie

2009-01-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

On our way!

Here are some pictures from the last hour of the seven hour flight.

We had three seats for the two of us.
Total sleeping time:

J.Linn=five hours.
LJ=zero hours.

Aloha!
Honolulu Airport.

We loved signs like these.

A man near us offered to help lift our luggage off the baggage claim belt when he noticed our big suitcases. He made a comment like, "women & vacations! They always have too much luggage." We proudly replied, "We just moved here. We live here!"

Seconds before stepping outside,
Voice message from J.Linn's Momma:
"Aloha. I can see the plane tracking online, it says you've landed.
Welcome to 70 degrees and sunshine!"

We waited two hours at the airport for the BYU-Hawaii shuttle.

We ate lunch and walked around.

Waiting two hours for a ride has never been more enjoyable!

We landed at 1:00 and the shuttle arrived at 3:00.

We drove from Honolulu to Laie

with lots of girls who made us miss our cousin, Elsie Pulupuna!