Anniversary recap: Hawaii Day 4

Day 4 consisted of hiking the trail to Manoa Falls. Neither one of us had been before, so we were looking forward to it. Each muddy step and near slip was so worth it.

I can't wait to hike the falls again, as well as work up to the other hikes on the island. It's going to be amazing taking in all the breathtaking sites! 

Anniversary recap: Hawaii Days 1-3

My 10-day visit was nothing short of amazing. Mainly due to the fact that I got to see my hubs again after the longest two months ever. I know, two months is nothing and it could have been much worse... I have a new-found appreciation and heightened respect for military families who have to be apart for so long.


My long travel time was well worth it to see my hubby waiting for me. It's the best feeling. He said he was so excited that he was there an hour and a half early. He's so cute!

I got in on a Friday night, two days from our anniversary. He had dinner plans for our anniversary, but he called a few days before I got there to tell me that we weren't going to dinner anymore. We were going to do something else. He also said that it was a surprise and that I would find out on Saturday. Here's the reason why we weren't going to dinner:

See that big white one? Yah, that's mine! I was so stoked and so surprised. I cried. He told me that for our anniversary, we were going to spend the day in Waikiki and he was going to teach me how to surf! Best anniversary ever! So much more memorable than another anniversary dinner. (We got a cheap disposable underwater camera, so I'll have pics once I get those developed)

I got to see family, too! Mudder's cousin, her hubs and daughter have been living in HI for three years now. They were the ones that were gracious enough to house us for two weeks during our last trip and to let the hubby crash for a couple of weeks when he first got there in May. We love them to bits! Even Wishbone, their portly pup.


Stay tuned for more!

Dos!

You can see it all in my face. It was the greatest day ever. And I'm so blessed to be able to spend the rest of my life with the most wonderful man. I love you with all my heart. Today, tomorrow, and always. Happy second anniversary, babe! ♥

EEEK!!

I get to see this handsome face in about 25 hours. I say it again. HOURS. I can hardly contain myself! Oh, yeah. Excited about HI, too. But seriously. My excitement about HI pales in comparison to seeing my hubs again after 2 months. See you soon, babe! I love you!

Happy Fourth!

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Happy and blessed Fourth of July to everyone! Have lots and lots of food and fun! Stay safe. 


♥hazelwea

Let's get "Elevated"!

[Source: Elevated Envelopes by Ephemera]

Get your minds out of the gutter... I'm not trying to convince you to get "high" like that...I'm asking you to join me on a creative high! Come take this challenge with me. It's called "Elevated Envelopes" and it's from Tara over at Ephemera.


What are Elevated Envelopes, you ask? (From Tara's post):

"Wouldn’t it be fun to be pen pals with incredibly creative, talented, smart strangers? That’s The Elevated Envelope in a nutshell. There will be a theme (SUMMERTIME), and you will plan and design a creatively-addressed envelope that embodies that theme to you.  Then you execute it 10-ish times for the people on your list, put something fun inside explaining your concept, and mail it out by the deadline. Those same 10-ish people will send their creations to you as well.  Cool!"

More often than not, I get in a creative rut. I'm really excited to participate in this project. It's like enrolling in a mini art class! So if you love getting creative and receiving pretty snail mail like I do, head on over and sign up by leaving a comment on this post. The deadline to sign up is this coming Friday, July 8. All the details are on there. Hope you'll join me! Maybe we can end up on the same list! 

Sunscreen, my arch nemesis, we meet again!

For those of you who know me IRL, you know that I'm allergic to sunscreen. Yep. Sunscreen. Which poses a problem for me, since I live in FL—the Sunshine State, and I'm about to move to HI, where it's sunny year-round. I used to not be allergic, but it all changed when I hit puberty. Stupid hormone changes didn't just give me acne, it also gave me this allergy. (Mother nature competed the trifecta when she handed me my period, too. Thanks, MN.)


The first time I found this out, I was laying out in my backyard and I slathered on the sunscreen. I took a nap afterwards and I woke up to gigantic welts of hives all over and my face had swollen up so much that even my eyelids were puffy! Not a good look for a teenager. Needless to say, no more sunscreen for me. 


So I've gone without. 


I know. SO BAD! Especially since I love being brown. I feel better when I'm tan. It's in my DNA. I'm just glad I'm not fair-skinned. But seriously. I thought no sunscreen was no big deal. Until my very first trip to HI...

So this was me when I first got there that week. It was our first day and we decided to hike Diamond Head. In the middle of the day. Not a big deal. It wasn't at all humid in HI like it is in FL. (Hiking ANYTHING in the middle of the day in FL constitutes suicide!) So yeah... this was me during the last leg of our week-long trip...

Notice how the tiki and I basically have the same complexion? Yah, that was mainly from the Diamond Head hike. Yep. No sunscreen = terra cotta hazelwea.


So I'm prepping for my trip in two weeks. The hubs already has hiking, snorkeling, beaching and more hiking (Diamond Head again, prob) on our itinerary. Sun, sun, sun, and more sun. Like whoa. But I say, bring it! 'Cause I finally found my saving grace!

Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby, where have you been all my life? (Or at least since my early teens?) I don't even know why I never thought to try out sunscreen for babies before now. So I thank my friend in NC who bought this for her cutie patootie baby and let me test it on myself. No hives for me! And no skin cancer, either. 


Have you ever been allergic to something ordinary, too?

Hello, July! Nice to see you!

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It's July! Why do I love July? Let me count the ways.
1.} Summer is in full swing, which means I'm here, even if it's in my head sometimes! I love the beach.

2.} July is the best of summer and summer means watermelon! I love watermelon. I will gladly consume it in cupcake form as well.

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3.} Fireworks on the Fourth. So pretty!

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4.} Picnics and being outdoors in general. I want to go on more picnics.

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5.} July is the best because I get to celebrate the anniversary of the best day ever with this guy:

Our anniversary is in a couple of weeks. AND two weeks from today, I get to hop on a plane (well, two planes exactly) and I finally get to see this face after two long months. I can't wait!