"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