Another New Adventure??.. Okay Lets Try It Out

Hey fellow bloggers and blog followers! Sorry I've been a bit MIA for the past several months. Bad. I know. There has been a lot going on in this girl's life.
In mid-October, I decided I was not going to extend my lease at 1425 Punahou and was going to instead move to the North Shore. Through dating Nick, my boyfriend for those of you who do not know, I have had the opportunity to experience a side of Oahu that many would only get to indulge in maybe once a month (and not even in the way I had been doing). I loved the idea of waking up in the morning and going for a walk on the beach, or having the sound of the crashing waves put you to sleep. SOOO I decided to once again pack up my things and move.
For a while I had been contemplating quitting my job and finding a job in my field, teaching. Don't get me wrong, I love the family that I worked with and miss them dearly, but I needed to get back into my field. That was step one. Look for a job on the North Shore. Many of you would think this would not be so hard---wrong. Looking for a teaching job on the North Shore is like looking for a job on the North Pole. Okay not that's a bit extreme but you get the picture. I began searching and searching, trying to find the right job that would make me happy. Finally I gave up on the concept of teaching and went back to searching for a nannying job that would suffice until I could find that perfect teaching job. I decided I wanted to focus on the idea of living in North Shore and that the job would come later. (Side note folks: you will be working for the rest of your life-- you will NOT always have the opportunity to live in exciting places. Be happy where you live and the rest will fall into place).
As all of this is occurring, my right hand man--Nick, was asked to go to Australia for 6 weeks. Let's just say I started to panic. Luckily, he let me live in his place for a couple weeks while I got it all figured out. Or at least tried to figure it out.
As the weeks went on, and I searched for a jobs, a few part-time gigs fell into place. And then they started to fall out of place. It came to be the fact that nearly everything I got, in some way, shape or form, began falling apart. This held true so much that I had a live-in position that I was hired for, and was going to go look at my room one day, and on the same day the lady called and said they decided they didn't need anyone until June. AWESOME. That left me nowhere to live and no job, again.
Anywho--flash to today. I am living with Nick in a great area of North Shore--Pupukea--in his place with his roommate. Many of you are thinking, "WOW--they have only been dating so many months though. Don't you think that's a little quick?!" And normally I would be the person stating those facts, but now I get it. I get all you folks that move in together right away. The people I nannied for moved in together after a month. A MONTH! Old Jenna would have tsked tsked them and told them that's a ridiculous thing to do, but the new Jenna gets it. It's the feeling of rightness. It just feels right.
As for the job situation, I have a part-time nannying gig that I have worked a few times. HOWEVER, I am waiting on a call that is supposed to come TODAY about a preschool teaching position that I was interviewed for. I also have an offer to do the web designing for a surf shop.
Again, my life has just become one big adventure.
I used to freak about the unknown
but now
I just enjoy it.


You should try it sometime.. you know the whole not planning and just living thing.

Its great.


Aloha friends and family.
I promise to update sooner.
Love
Jenna

Dont Sweat The Small Stuff Week 3

Well audience, I promised you a weekly mini-version of my own "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff". So here it is; week 3. I hope you were able to use last weeks points to better your life and perhaps make yourself a bit happier :)

Become More Patient

Aww. Patience. Such a simple word. A word that describes an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness orannoyance when confronted with delay.  A word that is used more often than needed.  Be patient--there are only 4 people in front of us in line. Be patient--your acceptance letter will come soon. Be patient--The laundry is almost done. Be patient--He'll marry you someday. 

We're told to constantly be patient, but truly is being told to be patient helping or hindering us. I know for me when a person tells me to be patient all I want to do is get through what I am doing even faster. 

So here's my challenge for you. Instead of being more patient, why don't you start to become more patient.  Now I know that sounds silly, and you're probably thinking Jenna that's the same exact thing, but it's not.  Being patient is a quality that not many hold. Yes, some may be more patient than others, but truly to be full rounded in the patience department is quite near impossible. So in order to become a well rounded individual (that I know we all strive to be) I have come up with some tips on improving one's level of patience. 

1. Create a schedule for yourself and others that will cause there to be no issue of patience. For example. My roommate takes a long time to get ready when we're going out. Usually I get impatient with her and get a little uptight. Instead of getting uptight, what I can do is let her know a particular time that she needs to be ready by that is a few minutes before we truly need to leave. This way I can take my time getting ready and relax so that the rest of my night is stress free. 

2. Take a deep breath. Overcoming patience is all about your attitude towards and about life.  When you start to feel yourself getting edgy from being impatient, take a few deep breaths.  Think of it as a mini yoga lesson without the pretzel moves. Take in those deep breathes and try to clear your mind.

3. Remind yourself that things take time. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were Fred's skills from the Wal-Mart check out aisle. Our society today is built on instant access and instant gratification. This is where we need to flashback to the good ole days when things took months to years to do instead of hours to days. Those things that we hold so precious to our heart as a society; the Sistine Chapel, the Grand Canyon, good wine; took time to make.  

So take a deep breath, and enjoy your time in the check out aisle. Heck maybe your patience will pay off with you being the 10,000th customer and winning yourself a sweet foldable cooler. 

Everyone needs a foldable cooler.

Smile at Strangers, Look into their Eyes, and Say Hello

I was walking down to the store this weekend with my boyfriend (yes readers I do have a boyfriend, but his true identity will not be revealed for his own safety--for now I will call him Dino) and I observed that every individual we passed he flashed his handsome smile at and said hello. Now this wasn't the type of hello where you glance into the man or woman's eyes quickly, and mumble a "hi". No sir. This was a straight look into the depths of the other person's soul, with a strong and friendly hello, and even sometimes a "how are you today".

As I am admiring yet another thing I enjoy about this man, Dino turns to me, with such a look of concern, and states that people really don't act as friendly as they should anymore. This statement caught me off guard, as I realized that he was 100% right. 

 I continued to lull his statement over and over in my brain as we went to the beach. Yet again, Dino said hello and began to compliment a man on his surf board. When Dino went up to touch and admire the board the man reeled back as if Dino was going to steal his board. Once this man realized that "oh this guy isn't a criminal in boardshorts trying to take my board"  he appreciated the compliment. However, Dino was upset by the way the man reacted to his friendliness. Seeing this all happen before my eyes, I felt a  match of motivation be striked inside of me. A motivation which I hope after reading this point you will share.

I am motivating myself to say hello to every individual I see on the street (unless of course I am in Waikiki and there are thousands of people everywhere). I am going to look them dead in the face, say hello, and smile. I challenge you to do the same. For those of you who are more shy, try to at least smile at every individual you pass. 

Think about it. If we can all start by simply smiling or saying hello to every one we pass perhaps we can create a domino effect and soon everyone will be a little bit more friendly. We can only hope--right?

Once a Week, Write a Heartfelt Letter

Most of you readers out there will immediately blow this point off. You'll look at my request of you and see the ONCE A WEEK part and the WRITE part and automatically think "I don't have time to do that". Think about this people---How many hours a day do you spend watching mind-nummying television shows? Don't worry I'm not pointing fingers as I am probably the worst one due to my job. Now think about whether or not you could replace one of those hours of mindless reality television with writing a letter to your mother, father, brother, sister, husband, boyfriend, grandmother, grandfather, niece, or nephew. 

My roommate, Lauryn, is very good about this. I see her not only write heartfelt letters to others in her life, but letters to herself. Now the letters to herself may be in the form of journal writing, but nonetheless it's a letter to herself. In return of her letter writing to others, I see her receive letters from those she writes. Well this makes me jealous. I know you all, just as I do, love to receive snail mail in that box thing that stands on the side of the road ( I think they call it a mailbox--not an inbox right?!). I mean yes we all receive constant, daily emails in our inbox that may or may not make us happy, but truly does it have the same effect as receiving that tangible item in the mailbox.  I know for me when I get something in the mail, like a nice shirt or fruit snacks from my mother (gotta love Lori Luthro), it makes my day just a tad better. 

Now I'm not saying that emails, or texts of your love and appreciation for someone aren't meaningful. I love sending random emails to people I care about to let them know I am thinking about them. Or a nice text that says that they are the best. I know it makes them smile. However, I bet I could bring a bigger smile to their face if I had sent them a real letter. 

So here is my task for you today. Get off the computer. Pick up that long object that holds ink that they call a pen, and write a letter. I don't care if it's a sweet note to your grandmother, a naughty set of thoughts to your husband, or an in-depth novel to yourself. 

As Nike says and my motto of the day--Just Do It. 

"Dont Sweat the Small Stuff" -Week 2

Well audience, I promised you a weekly mini-version of my own "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff". So here it is; week 2. I hope you were able to use last weeks points to better your life and perhaps make yourself a bit happier :)

Do Something Nice for Someone Else--and Don't Tell Anyone About It

Flashback to the days of your elementary self. You walk into the noisy lunchroom with your Scooby-Doo lunchbox. Frantically you zig zag through the tables to the get to where your friends in their leggings (with the straps under their feet) and jean jackets sit eating their Jiffy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (because this was before anyone had allergies--right?).  You plop down and hurriedly unzip (or flip up the metal lock if you had the metal lunchbox) your lunchbox to see what mom packed. There sitting on top of your lunch is a note from who else? Mommy Dearest of course. Well we all know how it goes, your younger self pushes the note to the side and reaches for your carrots sticks?! Okay Okay, realistically you reach for your pudding cup or Gushers. Mom's note sits stained with grape jelly and chocolate snack-pack, totally disregarded. 

Now flash to today. Picture yourself at lunch. You're either sitting in a noisy student union grabbing Subway before your next class, running down the street to Subway in the 20 minute slot work allots you for lunchtime, or getting a thing of Skittles from the vending machine because work doesn't allow you to take a break at all (this is illegal you must know ). Wouldn't you give anything at this lunchtime moment to be opening up a Scooby-Doo or Power Rangers lunchbox and find a note with X's and O's on it from your boyfriend, hubby, or children.. OR if you're really desperate.. you're roommate (cough cough Lauryn). 

Do you think Mom put that note in your lunchbox for just the hell of it? No silly. She did it not only to bring a smile to your face, but to secretly let you know that you bring a smile to her face. I think we all forget that it's these small gestures that not only get the individual we do it for through the day but ourselves. The happier you are and the more you smile, the more endorphins you release into your body. This in turn makes you a healthier individual. Happier=Healthier. Healthier=living longer. So stop thinking for yourself. The  next time you're in the bathroom leave a post-it note for your hubby that states how much you love him or how sexy you think he is, or tell your wife that she is a wonderful mother. 

OR let your roomie know he or she is the best ever!!

By keeping the fact that you did this to yourself, it will be done in pure selflessness versus when you go around telling people making it look like bragging. You don't need to brag about being a good person. If you truly are a good person, people will notice. No need to flaunt it. 

Let Others Have The Glory

It's easy to get caught up in the limelight of life. I mean who doesn't appreciate being the All Star player of the State Championships or scoring the winning goal for the end of the year game. However I believe that sometimes we forget the others involved in the "games of life" that helped get you to that All-Star status or assisted in the end of the year goal.  It's these smaller part people (as we assume they are) that truly should awarded the glory. I challenge you to this: the next time you're getting glorified by others, take a look around you and see was your wing man during the ride. Then I want you to transfer all your glory to those right hand men or women involved

Learn to Live in the Present

My roommate asks me at least once or twice a week how I can be A-Okay with my ex boyfriend having a new girlfriend and be able to not hold a grudge against him for keeping me in a relationship of 5 years for nothing. There are a few things I tell her each time I answer her.
1. I was happy with my ex for those 5 years and wouldn't want to regret that happiness.
2. Regretting that happiness would in turn mean I regret the path that lead me to be the person I am today. The path that lead me to Hawaii and created the person I am today. A better person.
3. My ex tried his hardest to make me happy for those 5 years and became like family to me. I truly would want nothing more than happiness for my family.
4. Last but not least, living in the past and being unhappy about someone else's life is only going to bring me down, and well I don't want to be brought down.


So here's my advice. Let the past be the past. Stop letting the past control the present and possibly the future. If you continue to let the past rule your world you might miss out on what life is presenting you at this very moment. You may bypass that sexy man, that tried to look you in the eyes, but you miss it because you were too busy grumbling about something that happened a year ago. Be happy. Be present.

"Dont Sweat The Small Stuff" Week 1

For the past couple weeks I have been thinking to myself that I need to write a new post. However, telling myself to write a new post is a lot easier said than done. I had no idea what to write about. Do I write about my continuous happiness in Hawaii? Or my interesting scenarios that I've approached while back in Minnesota? Both I could do, but neither were what I wanted to write about. Then I discovered what I wanted to do.

While in Hawaii my sister began reading one of the books off of our classy (ply wood and cinder block made) bookshelves called "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff" by Richard Carlson. Together we read the 100 points/passages of things that you shouldn't "sweat". So crowd.. this is my mini version of the book/lessons of my own on how not to sweat the small things in life. For the next couple weeks I will continuously post new lessons so keep an eye out!

1. Make Peace With Imperfection
I remember growing up as a little girl being told that I was a princess, or that I was pretty or beautiful. This idea then translated over to middle school and high school.. the idea that beauty is only held on the outside. Well FYI readers.. it's not. Beauty is held both inside and out. It is held in your imperfections, and your personal qualities. For example: In Minnesota I would be considered extremely short and out of the norm compared to the towering giants of the Midwest, but in Hawaii I blend in well and (no offense to my taller roommate but she knows) being taller is sometimes looked at as "strange". It also goes along with the idea that being big (besides for health reasons) is disgusting or ugly. In the Hawaiian culture, being a larger man or woman is looked upon as a beauty; something they stride for. Here's a piece of advice. Go find a full length mirror and instead of grabbing your love handles or wiggling the "fat flag" under your arm find something that you love and compliment yourself. Mine might be: Wow Jenna you have great legs or beautiful freckles.
Whatever it is for your, find it, love it, and appreciate it because it's what makes you...well YOU. And YOU are beautiful.. no matter what anyone else says.

2. Let Go of the Idea that Gentle, Relaxed People Can't Be Superachievers
Many of my readers know me on a personal level and for those of you who don't you still know some of my outstanding traits that I hold. One of them, well at least before I moved, was being organized, a bit on the OCD side and well uptight if I must say it. Good thing I moved to the most relaxed state in the U.S. of A. I mean truly~ there's a reason for the term "Hawaiian Time". Living in this great state has made me realize that not everything has to be scheduled and run smoothly. Life is the funnest when there are bumps and no schedule to adhere to. I am one of the few lucky "overachievers" who was able to pull herself out of her comfort OCD zone and be thrown into an opposite atmosphere. By stepping out of this zone and stepping into a relaxed state and more gentle rather than uptight, I have discovered that even though I'm not as organized and staying on a strict schedule, I still have accomplished a lot, and MIGHT..MIGHT.. consider myself still a SUPERACHIEVER! Even though the things I have achieved may not end up in the newspaper or get me a pat on the back, they are personal achievements. Which in all reality are the best achievements... Right?
Sit down and think of one achievement you're proud of that didn't stress you out to reach. An achievement you are proud of that didn't take your whole day, week, life to accomplish.


3. Develop Your Compassion
We've all met this individual: Man in a gorgeous $2500 Valentino suit, with his Rolex watch, drives by in his Lexus IS 300 and you automatically think "Man that guy has a perfect life." However, when you follow that man home you see that he enters a darkly lit house, turns on the lights, and grabs himself a Jack on the rocks.. and sits alone. If you asked him how he liked his high earning job he would state that he hates it, and then would proceed to tell you in his drunken state that he once had dreams and aspirations to be a chef in a Pizzeria in New Jersey somewhere, and to have a huge Italian family. You look at this sad, pathetic, lonely man and wonder what happened. Yes, he may be able to buy whatever he wants, and has success to show for his hard working, but does he have a family or kids or that Pizzeria in New Jersey. Nope. You want to know what happened? He lost his compassion for those things to dollar signs. We see this happen everyday, and yet no one really tries to stop this viscous cycle. What happened to living life based off your compassions and feelings? What happened to following the love of your life because you don't want to know what life would be without her instead of staying because it's the "right" thing to do career-wise? What happened to trying and possibly failing to start up a restaurant because it's just what you want to do?
Do yourself a favor. Think of one thing that your compassionate about and make a pact to yourself that you will never let that compassion go (unless needed obviously).



I know some of my audience members that read my blog, and I love you very much, but along with myself,need to try to abide by the points stated above. If I've learned anything from moving to Hawaii it's that life is short and that it's better to be optimistic and happy rather than pessimistic and upset. Let go of the petty things in life and enjoy what the world has to offer.  (And believe me there is much to be offered)

Aloha Friends and Family,
Jenna

"If this is just the beginning, my life's gonna be beautiful."

These last 2 weeks have been the biggest breakthrough points for me thus far. I have truly grown as an individual, mentally/emotionally. I have let the past, that stood in my way, become the past and have decided that the future, and my well being and happiness, are all that matter to and for me.

The biggest success, or so I thought, in the recreation of myself was moving to Hawaii. However, it wasn't until these past 2 weeks that I realize that by moving here, yes I made a huge step for myself, but I wasn't truly embracing my destiny here in Hawaii. I have realized that to truly fulfill my destiny and time in Hawaii, I need to put myself out there.

That was is why I joined Plenty Of Fish. Now as many of you who have used POF know it is a website that people hugely use as a way to hook up with others their age. However, that was not what myself, and my roommate wanted to use it for. We wanted to meet friends. We each met a handful of people and discovered that through this strange new world of online friendship/relationships/hookups that there are fun people to meet. I have now made some good guy friends.

Not only only have I made friends through POF but I have begun to focus on friendships that were in my life but not as significant as they are now. I am happy to say that I am getting closer to my roommates everyday and they have become my new Hawaiian family. Not only that, but Fanchon, one of my old roommates, has become one of my good friends. I have discovered through all this that I don't need a large quantity of friends but that really I just need some good friends that possess great qualities and have my back.

Speaking of having my back, I want to thank my Theta sisters for having my back through my ups and downs here in Hawaii with a particular individual. Thank you Ashley Gunderson for loving me and being willing to take down my enemies (literally ha). I have found that no matter the distance or time lapsed that I can always count on my Theta sisters to be there for you. I love you girls and miss 2500 University more and more everyday.

I am going to dive head first into my life in Hawaii. I am going to take chances I wouldn't normally take, I am going to become a stronger person, and I am going to love myself and my life. As I begin this journey I am going to participate in everything possible that Hawaii is going to/has to offer me. Watch for my bucket list to see what I check off as I go through this adventure. I hope all of you continue to follow along with me as I become a better person.

Thank you to my friends and family for always being there for me and loving me unconditionally. I couldn't be the person I am today without you.

Miss you all,
Jenna

Please Forward To The Address of 1425 Punahou Drive

So the month of May flew into my life at a frightening speed. I have only been here 3 months but I feel that the days and weeks go by so fast. Matt and I FINALLY got to move into our place on the 15th and I fall in love with it everyday. I bought my queen sized mattress (first big girl bed ever!) on Craigslist and it just happened to be that the girlfriend/boyfriend who were selling it to me were moving back to the Mainland that same day. They still had a ton of stuff in their place so later I called them and asked if I could have it. Needless to say and thanks to this lovely couple from Oregon, I got a queen sized bed, 2 end tables, coffee table, kitchen table with 4 chairs, toaster, and couch for $100.00. Man I love Craigslist. Even though we don't have a ton in there the place feels like home. All we really need are decorative and some things for the dining room, oh and a tv ha.
Luckily we had that furniture or it would have been a real bummer when Caitlin, Melissa, and Cassie came. I had a great time with the girls here and miss them already. That has been the hardest thing here is not having a big group of girlfriends and guyfriends, but hopefully that will change in the next several weeks.
Lauryn and I are participating in a book club with Fanchon, Bryon's roommate. I am very excited. I have always wanted to be in a book club. Not sure if that makes me nerdy or intellectual. I didn't have a chance to read their first book with the girls being here but the second one, which we start this week, I already bought and are ready to read: The Secret Life Of Bees!
Work has been good but I am getting antsy to get back into the classroom. I just need to keep reminding myself that I came here to enjoy my youth and that I don't need to rush into a career.
There isn't much more to talk about,sorry for the lack of details and interesting things.

I'll come up with better things to do discuss next time ;)

Aloha,
Jenna

"It's sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life, starts with goodbye"

This past week has been a really big week on learning life's lessons, and I've been learning them in a hard way. For those of you that don't know, Bryon and I broke up. We actually broke up in January, but many of you I was afraid to tell because I wasn't sure what you would think about the fact I was still moving out to Hawaii. Moving out to Hawaii, after breaking up, I knew was going to be a growing experience for me in so many ways. I knew it would be hard but Bryon and I really wanted to do the whole friends route--best friends even. I mean after 5 years of putting yourself into a relationship the last thing you want is to just walk away. Bryon just was not sure I was the one but that was okay with me. I knew that I wanted him to be happy because he's like family to me. I mean that's what you always want for the person you love--right? Complete happiness even if it means you yourself has to put your feelings to the side. However I guess our friendship was unable to be black and white as I would have liked it to be. A few things went down this week and now I'm not sure where I stand. Within this whole week I have found out who my true friends are, and have discovered that I need to start looking out for myself. See I hadn't been doing that since Bryon and I started to date. I wanted him to be happy all the time even if that meant that my feelings were pushed aside. Now I am starting to realize that I deserve to be happy, to be treated like a person that is good inside and out, to be loved, and be respected. I just want to thank all of you that have had my back and have helped me come to the realization that I am a deserving person of love and good friendship. I am now realizing that I need to say goodbye to my old life, except of those few individuals who have my back all the time, and become the person I am meant to be. I know I can be strong and can do this but it will take time. I hope that all of you that care will be there for me (and I know you will ). I do not blame Bryon for this bump in my journey, I do not regret a single day or moment with him. We have had many memories, both good and bad, who have helped me become the person I am today. I will always love him dearly and hope that he is happy in all aspects of his life--including love.
Love you all,
Aloha,
Jenna

I know there's a blue horizon, Somewhere up ahead, just waiting for me,
Getting there means leaving things behind,Sometimes life's so bitter sweet.--Carrie Underwood

My Bucket List To Before I die.. or At Least Until I Leave This Great Island

*If highlighted it means I have accomplished the task :) *

1. Go camping at Mokuleia
2. Learn to surf and be able to go surfing on my own time and board
3. Own a surf board
4. Eat at Kahuku Shrimp Truck
5. Attempt Haiku Stairs (and not get caught)
6. Go to Waimea Falls Park
7. Jump off the rocks and swim at Sharks Cove
8. Hike Lyon Arboretum
9. Do a sunset/booze cruise
10. Hike Aiea Heights Loop
11. Hike Koko Head
12. Watching a movie at Sunset on the Beach at Kapahulu Pier
13. Take ukulele lessons
14. Go to the Honolulu Zoo
15. Go to the Waikiki Aquarium
16. Learn to kite surf
17. Learn how to make a lei
18. Do the Nature Trails of Oahu which including a hike, bike, and sail day set
19. Horseback ride on the beach
20. Ride on an outrigger canoe
21. Explore the Makapuu Point Lighthouse Trail
22. Scuba Dive
23. Attend a Luau
24. Eat at at least 20 different great restaurants
1. Gyu Kaku
2. 
   
25. Visit Dole Plantation and have a pineapple smoothie
26. Visit at least one of the other islands (preferably Maui and then if I have enough money Big Island)
27. Hike at least one trail a week
1. Lyon Arboretum
2. Manoa Falls
3. Aiea Loop
4. Koko Head
5. Mariners Ridge
6. Makapu'u Point
7. Manana Trail
8. Maunawili Falls
9. Moleka & Ualakaa Trails
10. Sacred Falls
11. Waahila Trail
12. Waimano Trail
13. Palolo Falls
28. Parasail in the Pacific Ocean (Parasailed in Atlantic Ocean)
29. Kayak 
30. Learn Japanese (or at least many main phrases)
31. Be able to use chop sticks as well as I can a fork/spoon
32. Know and understand the Hawaiian language
33. Learn about the history of the Hawaiian Islands (and in more detail Oahu)

Pictures to prove that I actually did/do what I say.. I know some of you people question ;)

                    Mariners Ridge Hike

                            Luau

This place will do.. yes it will do indeed :)

Well it's been a while since I have updated this things but life has been busy.
To start off the ended of March ended with a bang, and brought in the new month of April with some new friends, and some interesting memories. 
Deja, Courtney and Lindsay, three friends of Bryon and his best friend Steve (Deja being his girlfriend) came to visit. Needless to say I had prejudgements before meeting them based on things people had told me and things I had experience myself. However, I was determined to go into the situation with a clean slate and wanted to meet Courtney and Lindsay for the first time. Once Bryon FINALLY let me meet and hang out with them we all seemed to hit it off wonderfully.  After spending hours on the beach and drinking at Dukes, during which the girls each got a surf lesson from Bryon, the girls and I decided to do dinner and drinks. I went home, got ready and then met up with them at their hotel from pre-dinner cocktails. After the cocktails we headed to Doraku Sushi where I had the most amazing sushi I've had thus far (this is counting Kona my absolute FAVORITE place for sushi--however this place was not as cheap as Kona). As we were paying our bill and ready to head out the door, an older man named Steve came and sat down by us. He proceeded to ask us if we wanted to join a large table of Marine Corps guys for drinks. Obviously we didn't turn that offer down. The men were about to be shipped off to Afghanistan and were set in FULL PARTY MODE--which in the end benefited us as they paid for all of our drinks. The night didn't end quite the way I was expecting or wanted it to, but it was still quite enjoyable and I DEFINITELY felt it the next day. 
After Deja and Lindsay left a couple days later, Courtney, Bryon and I hung out. One of the nights we made Courtney dinner after having a few drinks at Dukes. The next day we hit up the beach and took Courtney to one of our favorite restaurants, Gyu Kaku. I absolutely fell in love with this girl. She is such a sweetheart, and basically my twin. Bryon had warned both of us that we are exactly alike, and man were we ever. I hope that girl moves out here or that I live close to her one day because she was FAB-U-LOUS!!

Meeting new friends in March only inspired a theme in April. I finally got to meet Matt, my future roommate to our amazing apartment which you'll read about in a bit. Matt is a great great guy. I am so blessed to have met him. He reminds me exactly of Bryon's first and best roommate in college, Zac Jahn. He is laid back, funny, fun, and the sweetest person ever! I met him through Lauryn, my other roommate, who I actually met off Craigslist (Gotta love Craigslist). Matt and I have had the opportunity to get to know each other and we have a ton in common. This will be great when we finally live together. The other day we went to Sucker Punch together. If you haven't seen this movie I suggest seeing it. It's a little weird but really good! Besides Matt, I will be living with a girl named Lauryn who is moving from CA in a month. She is a teacher as well and seems like a lot of fun! She is also bringing her dog Bentley with her.

Now onto the apartment. As of Sunday, Matt, Lauryn, and I have a new(well really old) apartment. It's FANTASTIC!! Matt and I went to check out this place on Saturday and instantly fell in love with it. Its a 5th floor penthouse on a 5 floor condominium.  When you walk in you realize that the whole place, besides the bedrooms, is hardwood floors. There are these neat wooden cutouts everywhere that shows its age but gives great character to the place(see pictures). There are 3 bedrooms all of which have built in shelving and drawers. The master bedroom, Matt's room, is HUGE and leads out to the lanai (porch). There is one bathroom that has a pink bathtub (once again showing its age) but has a brand new toilet and has plenty of space. The kitchen has all the amenities it needs including a washer and dryer, dishwasher, brand new fridge, stove and oven. The kitchen also has a second door that opens to the hallway that walks up to our front door.  This hallway is basically private as we and one other tenant are the only people that live on the floor, and overlooks the mountains. Having this second doorway lets in a lot of sunshine and a nice breeze. 

My favorite spot in the whole apartment is the family room with its big glass windows and screens that lead out to the massive lanai. I will be spending a great deal of time out there. I talked to a guy already about getting a grill, and so now all we need is a good patio table and chairs for all of our outside meals we'll be having together!

Well that's a bit of what's going on. Look for my other post that discusses my Hawaiian Bucket List that I want to accomplish while I am here (which is still an undetermined time line). 

Love and Miss all of you, 

Aloha

Jenna

It's Been A While... So Here's Catch Up Time For All You Followers

 Since I've last blogged a lot has happened. The great holiday of gingers all over the world, a.k.a, St. Patty's Day occurred. Bryon, Sasha and I attended the Honolulu gathering of such holiday--Murphy's Block Party. This consisted of a beer garden like atmosphere, lots of beer, hard alcohol, crazy dressed people, and girls promoting alcohol who were barely dressed in anything. None the less it was fun, but expensive. While there we indulged on delicious Fish N' Chips and beers. Unfortunately Bryon had to work so we left earlier than necessary to get St. Patty's Day crazy but it was fun nonetheless.

While in Hawaii I have picked up many hobbies.

My first, of many hobbies I have picked up is apartment hunting. Man, let me tell you, this is one hard hobby to get into. So far I have looked at 2 rooms/houses. Don't get me wrong, I love living with Bryon and his roommates and partaking in drunken games of Apples to Apples, but I want to be able to spread my wings and make my own friends. Well this seems to be harder than it appears.  The first place I went to was extremely nice. It was a brand new house with many roommates and in a good price range. However, the roommates didn't speak a lot of English, were mostly boys, and seemed a bit scared of a mainland girl like myself. Not only that but the room I would be living in had no windows, was smaller than Bryon's closet, and didn't include a closet. Last, but not least, I was unable to have family come stay which for me is a huge determining factor in picking a place. 

The second place was an apartment under a Japanese family that would involve me living in a cement style room, which no guests allowed, and my roommate was a 50 year old ESL teacher.

Hmmm... I'm starting to see a pattern. Part of me wants to enroll in some classes at the University of Hawaii and live in the dorms again, or even start college over again (which I miss immensely).

My second hobby that I am trying to pick up is that of the famous Hawaiian sport---surfing. Bryon and I went out yesterday, and I was determined to stand on at least 2 waves. Well apparently yesterday was a horrible day to attempt such a thing. The tide was  extremely low and there was coral everywhere. However Bry and I adventured out in the the choppy waters (due to the fact that it was VERY windy). What ended up happening, in all reality, was Bryon and I got all the way out to where we needed to be and ended up being pushed, from huge waves, in a massive patch of coral. This ended up giving me, and Bry as well,  a slight heart/panic attack. We finally got out of the coral, after being pushed against it several times, and nicking our boards and selves.  After that I was to tired to even attempt the real surfing part. BUT I WILL DO IT! I am very determined to make surfing my new arms workout plan.

My third hobby involves a peanut, who continues to grow EVERYDAY, named Liam. This hobby of course is my new line of employment, nannying. Now many of you are probably wondering why, after 4.5 years of schooling and getting my teaching degree, I am nannying. Well here's the breakdown of it all. Nanny is tax free, cash every time I get paid, and if I ever decided to move back in the next couple months it is easy to get out of. However, if I decide to stay past August, which at the moment is looking promising, I will apply for my Hawaii license and take all the necessary tests.

Anyway, back to Liam. Liam is a one month baby boy who "belong" to Wendy and Chris, my employers. He is a peanut who keeps growing length-wise everyday. I have worked with him 4 times, or about 20 hours. I will be doing random days until the first week of April, when they both go back to work and I will begin full time care. I am extremely excited, as Liam is a pretty good baby, Chris and Wendy are the nicest individuals (from Wisconsin--Midwestern raised ;) ) and their house is gorgeous with gorgeous views.

Well there is a bit of a catch up session for all of you that follow me--Thank you by the way. I am heading out the door to celebrate my birthday--all of which was planned by Bryon. Hopefully he can pull of a great Golden Birthday ;)   I have faith that he can..but still wish my best friends and family were here to celebrate. Love and miss you all!

Aloha,

Jenna

Getting into the Hawaiian Cultural Spirit

Well it's been a few days since I've last updated you, but I have been pretty busy. After the tsunami hit I got back to regular ole life. This consisted of hanging out with some new friends I had made. Remember Sasha, the girl I had met on the plane, well she called me up on Friday and asked if I wanted to attend a small potluck with some of her friends that she had met on meetup.com. Meetup.com is a social website that allows people to get together and do the things that they enjoy. I decided to sign up and meet some people through the All Things Oahu site. Hopefully it works. Anyway I agreed to go the potluck, grabbed some BBQ chips and a cheap bottle of wine from Wal-Mart, and headed over. Just an FYI, when going to a Hawaiian potluck you can never fail when you bring sushi. Apparently BBQ chips are more of a picnic party favor. I met a few people and we enjoyed eating food and drinking extremely strong drinks.
On Saturday it was the Honolulu Festival.  The Honolulu Festival is a weekend long celebration that brings all the different cultures in Honolulu together to celebrate. It includes a variety of performances, events, and exhibits. Usually it would be jam packed with different groups, but since many of the performers were from Japan they were unable to come. However Bryon, Cody, Fanchon and I still enjoyed walking the aisles of gifts and trinkets, getting yummy food, and watching a couple performances. That night Cody, Cameron, Bryon and I went to a place they call Suicides. They surfed and I layed out. It was a great place with no tourists! Cam, Bryon and I went to the Shack that night and watched a well known Hawaiian band, Kolohe Kai.
Yesterday I went and saw baby Liam! Baby Liam is the 1 month old baby boy that I will be nannying for starting today! He is such a peanut! I chatted with his parents for a while and then Bryon and I headed to the beach again. After that we ran around town trying to get Bryon a new phone--which I am so jealous of. I only have to wait until June to get a new phone.. oh well I guess my free one will be okay for now.
Missing everyone like crazy!
Aloha,
Jenna

Get To Higher Ground.. Repeat Get To Higher Ground

Yesterday was a crazy day if I should say so. I started my day off with nothing out of the norm. Watched some television with Cameron and Cody. Apparently Dr. Oz and the Nate Berkus Show are all the rave to watch out here. When they both proceeded to go off and do their own things I got down to work with what I wanted to do with my day (since I don't have a car quite yet or the hang of riding a moped down).  The first on my list was a run which in turn ended up being a hike up the hills of Bryon's neighborhood. I then layed out for a while and proceeded to burn my knee caps and my neck. Surprise, Surprise. I then read a bit of my book, Left Behind.After all this I started to unpack my many suitcases. I quickly got bored with that and began watching American Idol. 

After American Idol I went to bed. That is when the craziness began. I woke up around 11:00 pm to sirens going off. Now my first  thought when sirens go off is TORNADO. But obvious the great state of Hawaii does not have tornadoes, so I figured I should probably figure out what was going on. I went out to the family room where Cody informed me that not only was that the 3rd time the sirens had gone off (opps) but that it was a tsunami alert. Instantly I begin to panic and try to figure out where Bryon is since he was flying. I call him and find out that apparently, since we're mountain side and highly elevated, that we are in a safety zone. He then tells me that the airport is being shut down due to the fact that it is below sea level. He comes home and we watch the action outside on the lanai. The action ended up being pretty dead considering the waves ended up only being 3 feet high, and didn't do any damage (luckily!)  So there we have it. I have no been involved in snowstorms, hailstorms, tornadoes, and now a tsunami. Now all I need to go through are earthquakes and hurricanes. Hopefully I can put off those Mother Nature forces for a while.

Aloha to my friends and family,

Prayers to the people of Japan,

Jenna

*Picture shown below: All my clothes and suitcases all over Bryons room.

*Picture: Tons of boats were in the water last night and today due to the fact that the boaters didn't want their boats to get wrecked in their slips.

Food Will Be My Only Expense....I Hope?!

Yesterday was my first day as a (nearly) permanent resident of Honolulu, HI. My day started at the early time of 6am.  Bryon and I ran around the city doing various errands which started at Target.  Normally it would take 15 to 20 minutes (without traffic) to get to Target--a little different for you Midwesterners who have one on every corner--however Bryon missed our exit and we proceeded to drive around for 30 extra minutes trying to figure out how to get back to where we started. Eventually we found it..after both of us were extremely irritated. At Target I managed to spend a good $80 on shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, and food. Yes ladies and gentlemen food is very expensive in Hawaii, so if you ever visit or plan on living here make sure you can handle the idea of shopping for food at Wal-Mart or Target.
After we finished our grocery shopping, and managed to make it home in the allotted time it should take, we unpacked the groceries and ran more errands. This time we ran to Sports Authority and Wal-Mart. I'm searching for those weighted bars that you find at the gym. Can't seem to find one, so I'm going to have to find another way to workout my arms and legs.
Which brings me to my next topic. Weight Loss. Today is my first day of getting in shape and eating healthier. At this time in my life I am at heavy set weight of 118 pounds. My goal is to get down to 105 pounds. Bryon and I did the calculations last night, and it looks as though I will be cutting down my calorie intake to 1237 calories a day. This is tied in with the assumption that I will only work out 1-3 days a week. Right now I plan on running 3-5 days a week but well see once I start work if that pans out. I have broken my workout plan into 4 goal areas. My first goal will occur on April 7th and that will be to get down to 114 pounds, 2nd goal is May 5th to get down to 110, 3rd goal is June 2nd to get down to 106 and then my final goal--June 9th is to get down to 105. That is 13 weeks of weight loss. We'll see if it happens.
Well I'm off to have my first run in my Hawaiian history. And yes it's at 7am as I have been up since 5:30 this morning. But that's mostly due to the fact that I fell asleep at 6pm last night. Wow I'm lame.

Aloha friends and family,
Jenna

The Dreaded Art of Flying

If I wasn't distraught enough, with leaving behind friends and family, at least I could count on the various U.S. I traveled through to get me to the level of distraught I needed to be on.  It all started with the Lindbergh terminal in MSP. Not only was I unable to park at the main terminal, but I had to be Light Railed and trammed to the ticketing area, which in total took an extra hour of my time. Luckily, my brilliant mother decided we should go early, since we both knew I was going to have to unpack my knowlying too heavy of checked suitcases I was bringing.
 I finally get to the Delta ticket counter and it won't let me check in.  I am finally told by an agent, who I waited for 15 minutes to help me, that I am actually flying Alaskan Airlines (although my ticket said Delta).  I get in line with Alaskan, check in, and OF COURSE my baggage is a good 9 pounds over. (Sorry heating pad, comfy Theta sweatpants, and brown zip-up for discarding you into my SHIP ME TO HAWAII box). When all and all was done, my mother pointed out that I never handed the lady a credit card, so as such, I did not pay for my luggage (The only upside to this whole adventure).
It is now time to board the plane. Now other times I have traveled, specifically to Hawaii before, I have had the luxury of sitting either on the outside of the seating arrangements, or with a seat between myself at the window person.  That was not my luck today. I got placed in the last row, in between 2 massive guys.  However it was a blessing in disguise as I quite enjoyed the company of these 2 such men.  They were two men named Brian and Joe, one working as a part-time 10th grade teacher and the other working part-time at unknown, traveling to Skagway, Alaska to play a gig.  Joe was the drummer of their band, which I unfortunately did not catch the name of, as Brian was the guitarist.  The other member of their band lived in or near Skagway.  The plane ride went fairly fast as the 3 of us discussed politics, religion, finanical burdens of the U.S., movies, television shows, and our lives.
In Seattle the 3 of us said our goodbyes and good lucks as we wandered off to our designated terminals.  I grabbed a bite to eat from a delicious Italian bistro in the Seattle Airport Food Court, and began to make my way towards S6--my departure gate.  However, what I didn't know was that I would have to go down several sets of escalators and board a train to get to said S6.  I arrived, after 20 minutes of walking and traveling, to S6 and enjoyed my meal while starring at a set of mountains (don't get many views like that in MN). I eventually boarded the plane, and readied myself for the 6 hour flight. While doing so, my seat buddy, who later I would discovered was named Sasha, came upon me. We both got comfortable in our seats and immediately hit it off. We found we had many interests in common, like that of Twilight, Harry Potter, hiking, and movies.  We talked the whole time on the 6 hour flight, with the exception of an hour and half break to watch Narnia......

 and I officially made my first friend in Hawaii.

Maybe God really did want me to take this adventure after all.....

Aloha,
Jenna