Wow. I was updating my condo blog and I realized I have not written anything on this one since January! Course pretty much anything there is to say is on the condo blog because that has been pretty much the only thing happening in our life, other than Aaron working A LOT!

We did just get back from Washington where we attended the 2010 Knepper Family Reunion. That is my family on my mom's side. We had almost the whole family tree there...my Grandma & Grandpa, 2 aunts & spouses, 6 cousins, my parents, 3 siblings and spouses/girlfriend, and 9 nieces and nephews. Whew! It was a full house. We had so much fun though and when it was over I wished it wasn't. I have an amazing family that is warm, loving, accepting of everyone and loves to eat! My Grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary while we were all together and my parents had their 40th this year. What a legacy. I am so blessed to have their examples to follow-for those that don't have that, its ok- you can borrow mine ;0)

Designer for the Stars! LOL!

The other day at work this girl (lady) comes into the store that looks sooo familiar…I thought that maybe I had helped her before in the store. I was busy with a customer so Patricia my Co-worker helped her and her friend. After awhile Patricia flags me down and says –“They need someone to come to their house and help them place some things. Can you go tonight?”

I was like umm, I’m busy.

And she says “Then tomorrow morning. You can do it tomorrow morning.”

I didn’t know what to say. I haven’t gone to anyone’s home before to help do that. I wasn’t sure if it was okay or not…Nothing like putting me on the spot. And I was trying to help someone else! So I said “okay”

When she left the store I find out who she is- Leslie Mann! From Knocked Up, 40 year old Virgin, etc…LOL! No wonder she looked so familiar! Anyway, Laura (our buyer) and I ended up going to her house that night (I cancelled my plans) to help her decide which pieces she should buy and where she should put them.

We looked at all the things she wanted to get rid of, and the photos of the things she liked in the store and talked about which would look good where. We probably spent a couple hours there that night.

The next day, I got to go on the delivery to her house! We took the things we had talked about and some other things too. We spent a couple hours moving things around- trying this here, and that there. Then the rug people came too and I gave my opinion on which looked good. (I couldn’t help it) It was soooo fun! We brought lamps and some accessories and tried those out too. She has a beautiful condo that has full ocean views. We furnished all 3 bedrooms and some neat pieces in the living room too.

Leslie and her assistant Stacy are super sweet!! We had a great time working with them. Leslie is very relaxed and casual, and very open to all our ideas. She was really grateful for how helpful everyone had been at our store and others. And she loved my dress J

So after moving around all that stuff the delivery guys went home and Leslie says “There is this really cute shop at the resort. Let’s go look and get some wine!” So, of course we said yes. J

We went and browsed around and went to dinner, had some wine. It was so fun! It is easy to forget that she is famous. She asked about our lives and the lifestyle here in Hawaii and whatever. It wasn’t awkward at all, it was great. I didn’t end up getting home till like 9:30!

Doing this sort of thing is definitely one of my favorite activities. Being able to help a great person who is also a celebrity just topped it off. It was a super awesome couple days!

Happy New Year!

Yay! 2010 is here! I feel excited this time about starting a new year. This past year has been so full that I feel ready to continue on into the future, not wishing I had gotten more done the way I have felt before. 

I know for a lot of people 2009 was a really hard year. For us, it was 2008. We kinda started the recession early, with Aaron as a full time student and me in a low paying job, it was really tough. We ended 2008 not knowing what the future would hold. Aaron was finished school but had no job, and we were barely holding on.  2009 was an awesome year of faith, growth and blessings for us. But it started out a bit scary. In January we packed everything up, I quit my job and we moved back to Washington so Aaron could work at his old job until a helicopter position opened up. Most of you know the story... a couple weeks after we got to Washington, we got the call that he got the job! A few weeks later we packed up again and headed back to Hawaii. He started his job as a helicopter instructor in April. I was able to get a job pretty quickly, and it is a great one! A few months later we both got raises. Then Aaron was offered the job as Assistant Chief Pilot for the school. It took some time for the qualifications to catch up, but now he is officially the Assistant Chief with a pay upgrade! At the beginning of the year we had to move out of our apartment and in with our parents. Now we are in process of buying a condo! Last January I hated my job and wasn't doing anything I loved. Now I have started interior design training, and got to do a photo shoot!  The list goes on. 

My faith has been stretched and stretched and stretched some more the last couple years. It felt like some things were impossible and unreachable and yet here we are now, still breathing, still living and living abundantly. I'm grateful for what we have been through because I am so aware of each blessing that comes my way. We have been so blessed this year it is amazing!! 

I know that 2010 is going to be a continuation of the goodness we have experienced in 2009, and I believe that it is going to be beginning (or continuation) for everyone else as well! So happy New Year!

Tis the Season

Its been a little while since I shared my thoughts with you. I don’t have internet at home, so that makes it a bit tricky.

I have had so many ups and downs in the last month or so. The “trying of my faith” I guess.

It started on an up, I read this book by Napoleon Hill at little bit ago called ‘Think & Grow Rich’- a good title for a good book. My boss’s wife Jan told me it changed her life, so I thought that was too good to pass up! I definitely recommend it. I‘m on my way through it for the second time with the ‘action pack’ that I discovered once I got to the end of the book :) The book talks about the power of thought and declaration and making your desires your reality. It is really awesome!

But you know how you can get all pumped up when you read a good book or hear a good message?- you feel like you can overcome anything (which we can) but then reality hits and you forget all that good stuff and get wrapped up in what you see around you. At least that’s how it has been for me. The last few weeks I have been stressing and worrying and trying really hard not to do either of those things. Finally, the moment came when I was able to say to myself (and mean it) “There is nothing I can do but wait, so I am going to enjoy myself in the meantime.” I decided not to put Christmas on hold just because we are maybe moving maybe not, or because we are leaving on Christmas Eve, or because it is more practical to not spend money on a tree. I am celebrating Christmas! This is the first year in Hawaii that Christmas feels like Christmas. There is that lilt in the air that makes everything seem suspenseful and fun, the weather is cooler (it helps that I work in AC), and I get to look forward to family and friends. I decorated at work, decorated at church, decorated at home! There are Christmas parties to go to and plays to perform, and presents to buy!

It comes down to truly trusting that God always has my best interest at heart, and His timing is better than mine, and don’t sweat the small stuff. I am shifting my thoughts to what I can control rather than what I can’t, and I’m enjoying myself along the way.

IRONMAN- not the movie

Every year in October one of the most inspirational events happens in Kona. The Ironman World Championship. 

"Tens-of-thousands of triathletes try to get one of those coveted Ironman spots every year. Only 1,800 succeeded. That means 1,800 "lucky" people get to test themselves on one of the biggest challenges the sports world has to offer ... 2.4-miles of swimming through tough ocean waves,, 112-miles of biking, and a 26.2-mile marathon run over challenging lava-covered terrain." (From ironman website)

For volunteers, one of the main things is working the aid stations. There is food, drinks, and ice stations set up every few miles for athletes to grab what they need as they race. 

After work on Saturday October 10th Aaron and I went to help out at the aid station our church runs. The event starts at 7 am. The best of the best take about 8 hours to complete the race, so those people were long gone by the time we got there at 7pm. But that is where the beauty of it comes in. 

We stood by the edge of the road shouting "Cola! Cola" to the racers as they came by. It is kinda funny to put into words, but seeing these people give everything they've got to complete this thing was cool, but what I really loved was the experience of handing of a cup of coke to them. Almost every cup was a special experience. Okay you can laugh, but seriously. These athletes came running by SMILING!  and thanking us for being there. The looked so grateful to have that cup and to have our cheers of support spurring them on that it made tears prick my eyes. 

And that is just the beginning. The true story really begins at the very end. The very last contestant. The race cut off is at midnight. That is when they stop counting. At our station they still have 5 miles to go, so time is of the essence. 

We had just ushered through the winner of the "Biggest Loser" Tv show. He had a whole crew come ahead of him and tell us exactly what he needed, lots of noise, 3 cups of coke, a bucket of ice over his head etc. We were ready for him. We lined up chanting his name, "Hoover! Hoover! Hoover!" He got ice dumped over his head, a bottle of coke and kept on running. After that everyone was like whew alright almost time to come home. 

Then we hear "Wait there is one more! His name is Jason!" 

So we get ready, we get a chair, get our drinks food, and here he comes out of the darkness, barely moving along. His coach is right at his side. We had a chair because Jason is an amputee. He lost is right hand and his left leg from the knee down. He was exhausted. We gave him everything we had - dumped water over him, gave him food, water and he got up and kept going and so did we. A bunch of us kept going, bringing water and encouragement as he ran. He kept going and going little by little working his way toward the finish line. We stayed with him cheering him on, telling him he could do it, telling him he is an Ironman. For 2 1/2 miles we kept going until the medics stopped us. They checked his pulse and asked him some questions which he answered quickly and correctly, but as he started to run, his body gave out and collapsed. He just couldn't get up. They loaded him up on the stretcher and put him in the medic van. He didn't make it this year. But I think what he did for us was so much better. 

There is nothing that compares to seeing someone face an obstacle like that. We all love those stories of people overcoming because it reminds us that there is hope for us too. Jason will be an inspiration to each of us that ran for years to come because of the purpose and dedication that he showed. He never quit. He kept going until his body gave out on him. But his mind never stopped. 

I think that is one of the beautiful things about humanity, what we can give each other. Giving is rarely one way. I give a cup of coke, they give me a smile. We both get something meaningful. I give a couple miles of running (in flip flops I might add) and he gives inspiration and joy. It is true that the more you give the more you receive. 

What I have learned...

I have been feeling reflective lately. I can tell I am leaving one season and moving onto the next. It feels like for the past couple years I have been living in the first part of Cinderella- hard work. rough living conditions, and an evil boss. Fortunately even Cinderella had friends that loved her and she could look out her window and dream. 

The last two years have been tough. We gave up all security- Our home, our friends, our jobs, our family, our church, our cars- everything. We came to Hawaii to pursue a dream. To choose our destiny. We came with 2 bags each and no where to live. We came because we knew this was for us. For 2 years we lived off one small income, in one very small apartment, worked at a job I didn't like and on and on. There were many times I desperately wanted to pack up and fly home. There were times I just didn't know how to be happy. But I learned. I learned how to be strong, how to be happy, how to sacrifice. We kept believing and we kept dreaming. 

And now we are leaving that season behind us. Somehow, someway. I can't see all the pieces. I don't know how, but it is a new season for us. We are coming to the fairy tale part. Things are changing. We are connected, we are seen for who we are, we are doing things we love. We still don't have any of the things that usually represent success, but what we do have is Faith. We know God will provide for all our needs. We know that we can love each other and support each other through hard times. 

I am grateful for that. I am grateful for the journey. I am grateful because we did it, because I am stronger now than I was 2 1/2 years ago. If we had stayed in our comfortable bubble I wouldn't know what I know now. Maybe I would worry about the economy, or if we can make it, or maybe I would think it really matters what I own, or where I live. Dreams mean sacrifice. Sacrifice means everything.

From the "One Minute Millionaire"

..."you get to decide whether these facts make you a victim or a victor. And right now you are acting like a victim. "

"But I AM a victim!"

"Missy everyone of us is a victim of something, but some people don't act like victims. I have a friend who's a quadriplegic. Do you know what he does for a living? He draws cartoons with a pen he holds between his teeth.

...My friend is not a victim, he is a victor. A victim blames, a victor learns."

What I have learned:

-That being with the people you love is more valuable than anything

-That I need to be consistent with money- take care of what needs done

-It is okay to wait for things I want

-I am strong. I can live in difficult circumstances and be happy.

-God is my source. My strength, my provider, my protector.

8 Years!

8 Years! I have really been looking forward to this anniversary. 8 years on the 8th. 8 is my favorite number... on top of that it is the first time we have gotten more that one day off together in months- and 3 days at that! It worked out that Labor Day weekend was the same as our anniversary. I normally have Sundays and Tuesdays off, so with Monday being a holiday= 3 days! The weekend started pretty normal except that everything seemed a lot more fun since I knew we were on vacation and best of all I didn't know the plans. I love surprises! Sunday night Aaron said we needed to get our rest because we had a full day ahead of us. So Monday morning we got up and Aaron told me what to wear and what to pack. We went for breakfast at McDonald's then to Borders where he told me to pick out any book (eeee!) Then we hit the road. We went up to Hawi, a little town on the very top of the island. My favorite outlet store is supposed to be there, but we discovered when we got there it had closed down.  :( But no matter, we went for lunch at the best sandwich shop EVER (I normally don't even like sandwiches) 

and then browsed the other shops.

 I got a really cool pair of earrings. Then we got in the car and Aaron said I got to choose my adventure. He had 2 hiking options planned. I chose the Waipio Valley rim. So we headed off. It was a bit of a guessing game because the guide book doesn't actually tell you how to get there. We found our own way though. It was awesome. On our way back it started down-pouring!  Brrr! We got back to the car wet and muddy and tired- meaning the hike was great. 

I didn't know where we were going next, but I rode along contentedly until we arrived at the Hapuna Prince Hotel - a beautiful hotel next to one of the best beaches on the island!! When we checked we got an upgrade to a partial ocean view room. 

We cleaned up, dressed up and went to dinner. Yum! From there we went down to the beach and relaxed in the lawn chairs listening to the waves and star gazing. Sigh. 

I had mentioned to Aaron months before that my idea of a perfect day would be to go on a hike then stay at a nice hotel, he remembered and gave it to me!

The next day we chilled by the pool till we had to check out then we headed off to do whatever we felt like. We bought me a canvas, (yeah! my first one in forever) then went to some shops in the resort area and drove around some neighborhoods. That night we went to dinner by the ocean and had a beautiful sunset. It was a great weekend. I was super sad to have it end...I'm already looking forward to next year.