Continuation of SkyDive Hawaii

this is christina but im pretty sure i looked the same

before the jump

after the jump

SkyDive Hawaii 2009

i will post more pictures when i get my phalanges on some

christina, me, alecia, lizzy, kyle, and britnee after the jump

getting suited up

alecia

fingers crossed

before the jump

" To Infinity and Beyond" - Buzz Lightyears

Saturday February 21 was suppose to be our shark cage adventure with the man eaters. the owner called up and said that due to bad weather the trip today would be canceled. all the girls that were suppose to go were ticked, we were expecting something thrilling this weekend and were disappointed. our friend Marisha ,one of the shark members, told us about some byuh students that were going skydiving today "maybe we can just add onto their group". for about an hour we were trying to figure out 1) what to do 2) how many slots were open for skydiving and 3) transportation. some gave up hope but others persevered. we called Skydive Hawaii and asked if we could go today and she said they were booked until tomorrow, we mentioned the byuh group and asked if we could add to that and the lady was like, "oh yes" ha we were in. now we need a ride or we cant go. when we had decided to take the bus a friend called and said he would go and he could drive us. 

before we knew it we were on the road. me, Britnee, Christina, Alicia, Lizzy,and Kyle, the driver, were headed to Haleiwa to go jump out of a plane. when i skydived in utah we had to reserve our spot a week in advanced and had to wait at the place for about 2 hours before we were able to go in the plane, hawaii was a little different.

we arrived at the location and the Chinese lady came out and said "you here to skydive at 2:00?" we acted like we knew what was going on and that we knew the other member of the byuh group haha. i like to say that we pretty much worked the system and rode in on the other groups back with out them even knowing we just used them for their spot. she asked us some questions about the other group like when are they coming... we just made up answers. we were signing away our lives on paper while a safety movie was playing- that no one was watching. we didn't have time to pay because our plane was leaving in 15 minuets. keep in mind this whole operation happened in less then 3 hours. we were starting to get nervous now that the awesome fact of jumping out of a plane was staring us in the face. we were all rushed to the plane being told instructions on the way. i wasn't even fully harnessed up my guy , Peter from germany, was cinching my straps as we hurried to the plane.

we had to squish 14 people into the plane, christina and i were pretty much hanging out the open door. the photographer, Sasha also from germany, kept opening the plexiglass door just to make us scream. a couple of us were freaking out in the plane while our instructors were strapping and cinching our harnesses.it was beautiful to see hawaii from 13,500 feet which was the altitude when they opened the door and christina and her tandem jumped at. i was next, head back, arms crossed,ready to scream, and adrenaline pumping we jumped out of the plane and were falling at 120 mph! it was so AWESOME we did 2 backflips out of the plane and were falling through clouds, which were cold and moist. Peter pulled the chute and we glided back down to earth. this was the most beautiful view of hawaii!!! you could see the reef, waves, secluded beached, gorgeous mountains, and crops below. we spun around in our parachute and had a very soft landing. all the girls were laughing with excitement for our spontaneous achievement, and the fact that we were still breathing!

we payed and watched the video Sasha made of Christina falling out of the plane. we were on our way out when we saw our group arriving haha they had no idea. i still cant believe we pulled this off. everyone was exhausted on the drive home, job well done.

Seussical the Musical

Thursday (19) we made a point of going to Walmart today for one reason HSM3-High School Musical! we couldn't believe it when we saw the dvd glistening from its new release shelf. we immediately watched it when we got home, freaking out every time Troy Bolton graced us with his presence.

Friday ( 20) our ward had a BBQ (chicken, macaroni salad, and brownies) and after went to the school production of Seussical the Musical. everyone was really excited to watch it and when i say everyone i mean the entire island including me. its funny to think that if this were going on in Utah i wouldn't be as inclined to go, but here its like what else are you going to do? the cast members did a suburb job and had me laughing pretty much the entire time! we all loved it!

The View From The Hike

Crouching Tiger Hike

look how high up we are

Bo tried to put me on his shoulders... no way jose was that going to happen, just look at my face

it was beautiful

a cliff face

this was one risky part, you cant really see but its a shear drop off on either side, look at the houses all the way down, wow

Kahana Bay

Kahana Bay

Kaaawa.... no i didnt spell that wrong

Britnee and i

me, britnee, bo, ashley, and bryan

Crouching Tiger

Monday 16th (presidents day) i went on a hike with a group of friends (David, Bo, Britnee, Bryan, and Ashley). the trail was off the side of the road and could only be found by someone who knew where to look, i believe it was called crouching tiger. it was a vertical hike 97.2% of the way, hiking is a lot harder than running ha which means i was dying. when we reached a clearing the wind was blowing so hard that you had to watch your step or you might just get swept off the mountain. i felt like i was on LOST, climbing the mountain trying to look for a signal. i don't know if i can explain the sheer danger-ness of this hike ,but at particular spots the trail was only as wide as your feet with drop offs on either side, don't forget the wind. other times we were on our hands and knees climbing the rock face in attempts to follow the path. "if my dad knew what i was doing he would shoot me so i would die by his hand and not the mountain". i survived and it was worth it, the view was amazing! i could see the valley and reefs that surround this beautiful island. we also saw a whale coming up for air, shooting water out of its blow hole not far off the reef. coming down my legs felt like jello, i thought at times i was just going to jiggle off the mountain side.

at 6:00pm i headed over with Hayley Brady to the leadership Q&A session given by sister Sheri Dew. i love her! she was so awesome and has a funny sense of humor. it was funny because she would say all these important things, which to her she's heard so many times that its really second nature, but to everyone in the audience, who is hurriedly scribbling down every word, is just blown away by her knowledge and skill to convey things so simply.

that night we were invited to our friend Davids house for dinner and a movie. once again its nice to have a home cooked meal especially with root beer floats as dessert!

Valentines Day

its been tradition for Sarah and I to go to Maglebys Fresh every valentines at 6 in the morning "we gotta beat the rush, you'll thank me later". since thats a utah original and doesn't exist in hawaii i had to improvise, introducing Hukialu Cafe. this famous cafe houses the original banana pancakes, featured in the hit single "banana pancakes" sung by jack johnson. we woke up at 7am and walked over with some girl friends. Britnee, Christina, Alecia, Lizzy, Hayley, and i all had a wonderful breakfast. the pancakes were the size and density of a pie, dont worry i ate every bite! it was so good to consume food that wasnt conceived in a cafeteria!!! 

sunday we made dinner for crystal and britnee. taco salad was on the menu and let me tell you how good it was to a) eat green leafy goodness b) cook ground beef c) chips and salsa were involved (comfort food) and d) grilled ONIONS! ha i love onions. i love hanging out at their house, its nice to get away from campus and hang out in their bungalow on the beach.

banana pancakes

sunday hang out

banana pancakes 

Hawaii 5-O

our Hale 204C nice and clean

we weren't sure if the car could handle 4 boards on its back

the three amigos (christina, me, Britnee) 

Surfing USA

Thursday were cleaning check... we passed, but with a warning. apparently my "bed cover" isnt really a bed cover but a bed protector aka a fitted plastic sheet used for small children when they have nightmares and wet the bed haha. next wall-mart trip i have to get a real bed cover or i'll get fined.

today was a WINDY Friday. our friend Britnee called and asked if we wanted to go surfing? we thought why not? its Friday the 13th and the wind has hurricane like force so lets not be superstitious. i felt like a local ditching school to go surfing (i didn't ditch class by the way). the wind was so fierce that you had to hold onto the board with all your might just in attempts to walk down the beach and refrain from smacking the other person with your 6 foot long board. there were 4 of us, 3 girls and David, Christina and i were laughing/screaming trying not fall over due to the wind. the water was really choppy but we still went out. we played out in the surf for about 2 hours and had some good laughs, especially when someone would just fall off their board trying to paddle out, or when they got hammered by a wave. i was sore after just 5 minuets ha its been awhile since those muscles have been used. i got up a few times and was so excited that i would cheer for myself then fall off from throwing of my own equilibrium. 

to add to the happiness of today i got an 82% on my Mormonism and world religions test! and for dinner they served chocolate fondue. i do have major bruising on my rib cage and hip bones from the surfboard, no pain no gain- go hard or go home!

The Toad and Other Events

Cake Mix Cookies!!! and Lost is a great combination (today wednesday) 

our friend Marisha gave us leis randomly 

our toad

our friends Alecia and Lizzy in their new snorkeling gear 

This is what you do in Hawaii hand shake

Acai Bowls video from last week

"Baby I Love You! Will You Please Smile For Me?"

so Monday... what a day! first it started off David Archuleta's surprise performance at the PCC (Polynesian cultural center), i wasn't able to see the performance but Christina was there to document it for me.

at 7:00p we headed Alecia's birthday party ,in the lounge, consisting of ice cream and cake. next we were walked to foodland for some groceries, when 2 huge toads jumped in our way and made us scream. we caught one and attempted to kiss it, neither of us had the guts to kiss it so my prince will have to wait. the toad was really soft and squishy! and its little fingers were funny.

on our way back from foodland we saw some guys we didn't know and said hi them. one of them came up to us and was like hey you don't remember me my name is Danielle. he gave us a side kiss (he's from Brazil) this whole time i thought Christina knew him but she had never met or seen him before. he was acting like we were old friends ha. i asked him if he knew how to surf and he said "every one in Brazil is pro surf" so i told him he should teach us how to pro surf! he kissed me on the cheek again for a goodbye then kissed me on the LIPS ahhh. then he went for Christina haha but she knew what was coming, it was a surprise attack for me. we walked home laughing so hard our sides hurt, "we're going to get mono"!!

then for FHE we had our valentines party and played the game "baby, i love you will you please smile for me?". everyone gets in a circle and has a serious look on their face, the object of the game is to make your victim smile. the person in the middle goes up to a member in the circle and says "baby, i love you will you please smile for me" and if that person doesn't crack a smile they have to say "baby, you know how much i love you, but i cant smile for you". i had already lost the game before it had begun, i was smiling and laughing. it was a really fun game and every one was laughing really hard, especially when a guy would choose a guy and make him smile by being seductive!

usually i dislike Mondays.... but this one was an exception

Food Fest 2009

christina, me, britnee, and crystal

our chinese friends who served us SPICY cuisine 

swollen lips from the hotness of the kebob 

the perpetrator: the spicy kebob

our food fest tickets

This Weekend, January 6-7 2009

this weekend was fun. on Friday night we went over to a friend of Hayleys house and made muddy buddies. it didnt look like we were making them right until we put powdered sugar all over them and mixed it up in a plastic bag. i had never tried this delicious treat but i LOVED IT!

Saturday Christina, Britnee, Cody,and I went to try the acai bowls that we have heard so much about. we found them in this cute little shack next to the local foodland, grocery store. they taste like a smoothie with granola, honey, and bananas on top! after our mid-morning snack we went to Waimea Bay Beach. it was so much fun! the waves were so big and strong we actually weren't allowed to swim in the water without flippers on but technically we weren't swimming. we played in the waves for hours and literally had buckets of sand in our swim suites from being pummeled by the waves.

Britnee stayed at the beach with some friends while Cody, Christina, and I continued our adventure to Haleiwa on the bus. we were hungry from playing in the waves so we got pizza at Pizza Bobs! its been over a month since we've had pizza ha. we walked around and went in some surf shops then hopped back on the bus.

that night was foodfest. BYUH every year holds a foodfest which ethnic clubs on campus make and sell food and other activities are available as well. it was really fun! we went to the Fijian club and had a really good curry chicken wrap! then went to the Chinese club for spicy chicken kebobs with a vegetable bowl! it was so lively and full of locals and students. if BYUH puts on any event (like a talent show, play, or foodfest) everyone comes, from all over. with our last 8 tickets (50 cents each) we went to the Tahitian tent for crepes. 

we had a lot of laughs with friends as well as great food this week!

Waimea Beach, Haleiwa, and Acai Bowls

Big Foots Flip Flops

first pizza in a month!

 

the waves made SAND-wiches out of us 

Christina, Britnee, and Me

Waimea Beach

Cody, Christina, and Me... squished 

Yummy Acai Bowls