Up at 3:30am to fly out at 6:00am
1st flight was pretty uneventful. Got to Phoenix no problems. Tried sleeping on the plane but with not much luck.
2nd flight was LOOONG. Even though it was long, it too was fairly uneventful except for the lady behind us who had a teenage son that didn’t seem all there yet she just yelled at him when he asked questions.
We arrived at the Honolulu Airport at 11:25am and then proceeded to the ground transportation to find our hotel. We waited a good 20 minutes outside and the temperature and wind couldn’t have been nicer. Once we boarded the bus that was to take us to our hotel we had to make a few more stops around the airport to pick up other passengers. The most memorable was the couple that found out the bus didn’t take them to their destination. The bus driver asked what hotel they were staying at and the lady of the couple said, in a not so nice tone I might add, “We technically aren’t in a hotel, they’re suites!”. After that they somewhat stormed off and it didn’t appear they started their vacation off on the right foot. On the bus ride over to the hotel the bus driver pointed out landmarks, restaurants, and talked about some things to do while we were visiting Hawaii.
We got to our hotel and checked in around 12:30pm Hawaii time, which by the way is 5 hours difference. So it was really 5:30pm Central time. (This comes in to play soon). Once we got to our room which is gorgeous as you can see from the pictures below, we decided we needed to head out to pick up a few toiletries we didn’t attempt to bring on the plane.
We took a walk around and went to an ABC store (which are like a nickel for 2 dozen around here) and got some sunscreen and razors and some postcards. Some of you should be or already may have received them by the time you read this. Then we ventured on to our lunch destination. It was this place called “The Chart House” and it was a little pub style restaurant that had no air conditioning but all the windows were open and it was perfect. Veronica and I had the nacholada which turned out to be this ginormous mixture of nacho toppings and then some chips on the side. It was wonderful.
From there we went back to the room to apply sunscreen, put on swimsuits and head to the beach. Unfortunately we didn’t bring a camera but we will from day 2 on! The beach was fantastic and I’m very excited to take surfing lessons and hang out on the beach more!
At about 7:30pm (Hawaii Time so that’s 12:30pm Central Time) Veronica and I went to this all you can eat SUSHI buffet! It was phenomenal. The sushi was so fresh and there were over 40 varieties to choose from. The best part is you could go back for seconds. Below are some pictures of the food that we ate. And yes Veronica did try some! She’s so good at trying stuff even if she thinks she won’t like it!
Finally about 9:00pm Hawaii Time (that’s 2:00pm Central Time) it was time to go to sleep because really, we’d been up for nearly 24 hours!!!!
I’m writing this at 6:30 AM on day two and feel perfectly refreshed and ready to start a new day and see what lazy adventures arise.
-Sean
We have officially, as of last Saturday, moved into our new house. It was hard work and with the help of our friends and family Veronica and I were able to move all the things we own from Lawrence to Shawnee in less than 12 hours.
Ryan and Tina came out as they had a wedding reception to attend and he lent me his muscle as well as his truck and trailer to pack stuff up. So thanks Ryan and Tina for all your help! Drew provided the real muscle of the group and ended up hurting his back. However, he didn’t injure it lifting any of the heavy ass furniture we own. Nope! He hurt his back testing how tight a ratchet strap was securing stuff on the trailer. It really is the little things. Even when it comes to injuries.
Most of all, we couldn’t have made the move without the help of our loving mothers! Thanks Moms!!! You’re the greatest!
It has been 3 nights at the house and only 2 days, yet we’ve all but got the house set up and organized. Walking in, it would appear that we’ve been there for at least 2-3 weeks. That’s just how we roll thought. Veronica has found homes for all the dishes and I have to ask where things are and where they go when I’m cleaning out the dishwasher. I’ll learn eventually. I have taken on the tasks of installing ceiling fans, putting bedroom furniture together, removing doors where they aren’t needed and doing all the heavy lifting to get things situated.
Now I sit at work anxiously waiting for 5pm so I can head home and do some more projects before the festivities begin. What festivities you ask? Well I’ll tell you! Tony, my great friend from college, who just so happens to be my Best Man in my wedding will be in town tonight. Then on Thursday two of my other great friends come in to town. Kathleen who has been friends with Tony and I for years and basically is the 4th wheel to the ruckus-mobile that is Marc, Tony, Sean and Kathleen. And Marc and his wife Jen will be arriving in Columbia on Thursday evening!
There are only 4 more days until the wonderful day that will be Veronica and I’s wedding! It’s going to be a joyous and God gifted experience and I can’t wait to tell you all about it, unless of course you were there and you’ll have experienced it first hand.
-Sean
P.S. I’m working on getting pictures of the house and will hopefully post them soon. Maybe tonight. No promises though.
This weekend was the first big step in making our new house our new home. Since we bought a house in Johnson County, it was inevitably all beige-y yellow known as Johnson County Beige. The entire interior of the house was this beige color which needed to be changed ASAP.
Veronica and I made a plan of attack to get the entire first floor (Great room and Office) painted in one weekend. That doesn’t sound like a lot until you actually get after it. Our great room, as we like to call it, consists of the kitchen, dining area, and living room so it’s an expansive room.
Friday after work Veronica drove straight out to the house and I met her there after work. From about 4pm to 11pm we washed, taped, spackled, demoed chair rails, laid down paper and got the space ready for painting on Saturday.
6-23-09
So as things have been CRAZY around here (and the house) we haven’t been able to start a post let alone finish this one. That’s why this is a bit of a two parter.
We have nearly finished painting all the spaces of the house that we wanted to change. We only have two small walls in the master suite to finish on Sunday. Once that is done we are getting carpet installed in the house to just help with that overall fresh and clean feeling of the house. Also it will help it make the house feel more like OUR house as opposed to a house we just bought and live in.
Also last week we got our new refrigerator and washer and dryer. The refrigerator works wonderfully and I can’t wait to store more than just water in it. We haven’t been able to try the new washer and dryer out but they sure do look pretty!
One unexpected expense that Veronica and I were able to avoid (thanks to Veronica’s excellent shopping skills) was blinds. They are entirely more expensive than they need to be and caught both her and I off guard. We were able to order all new blinds for the house for insanely less than we originally thought. Thanks JC Penney online! Our blinds should be in sometime next week and then we’ll have to have a session of installing them. That will definitely help out the look as well as our poor A/C in this 104 heat.
On top of all the house stuff that Veronica and I are trying to get situated before July 11th (move in!) we are trying to get our wedding stuff on lock down and ready for July 18th! I know that I’m SUPER excited as Veronica and I just went to my friend Drew’s wedding and it was super fun and super great to see how happy it made them. I just keep putting myself in that situation and can’t even imagine how elated I’m going to be.
So for the next 3 weekends we’ll be here there and everywhere trying to get the house and wedding done and to a place where we can enjoy it all!
So until next time, which will hopefully be sooner than this post was, enjoy!
Sean
Se
an and I completed our first 5K on Saturday, and it was not an easy one. We finished the Hospital Hill 5K in 33 minutes. The course was said by many to be one of the toughest 5K courses around. The first mile was an easy slight uphill which we spent dodging people who were going slower than us while trying not to get run into by those flying past us.
The second mile was the killer. For a good third of a mile we were jogging uphill, not uphill like your driveway, uphill like Mount Everest. The grade slowly increased until I thought I was climbing a wall instead of jogging up a hill. Sean and I were determined to run this whole race so although our pace slowed we did not walk – like so many of those around us – and we finally reached the top of the hill. We easily picked up the pace for the last mile and a half downhill. We passed the finish line and it was a great feeling! Even though it was hard, we are definitely going to do again next year. We hope to shave off a few minutes though!
- Veronica
This weekend was the first one that we have owned our house and we decided to do a little improvement. The first of the three tasks that we actually tackled was to install new locks on the house.
The first lock we changed was the garage door entry door. That went quite smoothly for not having attempted the lock changing things. The next door was the front door which includes the deadbolt. That proved to be a bit more challenging than the first one. The deadbolt still has some tweaking to get it to be perfectly fit. It does it’s job though and that’s what matters. Here is me sitting in the front door just after everything was installed.
After changing the locks we swapped out the thermostat that was in the house with a new programmable thermostat. Hopefully once we are in the house it will keep us comfortable as well as keep our bills a little lower.
Finally, we decided that we wanted to get paint samples and paint them on the walls to see what we like. We went to the Home Depot along with Lindsey and picked up our samples. I will keep the colors a surprise until we get them on the walls and things are all settled there.
I had a little bit of a rough day at work today. I will spare you the details. I called Sean the second I got in my car to vent about how frustrated I was. He listened, commiserated with me and I felt much better.
Knowing the I had had a rough Friday, he surprised me by coming home with flowers!!! He arranged them in the vase and everything. I just had to share.
- Veronica
A
s my lovely fiance mentioned in the previous post, we just bought a house! Thank you very much! We are both super excited about our new aquisition and the ideas are already brewing on how we want to mold it into our own home.
First and foremost we wanted to feel more secure and seeing as how the previous owner had rented the house for a year we thought we’d get new locks for the house. So this evening we ventured out to Home Depot in search of new locks.
Judging by the picture at the left, we were successful. This Sunday, the day (I just read this and realized my mistake) after our 5k (Hospital Hill Run), we will be venturing over to our house and installing new locks. I’m sure we will post how that adventure goes.
-Sean
In an effort to keep Starbucks costs low and keep myself motivated by Friday, I have gotten into the routine of getting a venti skinny latte every Friday on my way to work. Today was one of those days.
Recently the Dillons down the street from my house remodeled and opened a Starbucks inside. The first couple times I went they did not have a clue what they were doing! The first time Sean and I went, there was just a single guy working and it took him about an hour to make 2 lattes. The next time I went, this older lady with a lazy eye was doing math by hand on a post-it to make sure she used my gift card right while the girl making my drink was flipping through the pages of her little drink book trying to figure out what to put in it!
I didn’t lose faith though. I kept going back. So this morning, I walked in running a few minutes later than I wished and there were five people standing in line. I thought for sure I would never get out of there. However, the rookie Starbucks got me through the line and with my drink in about 5 minutes. It was a really pleasant experience!
Veronica
We had some technical difficulties getting the pictures off the camera so it is not until tonight that we can announce that we are officially homeowners!!! Sean and I signed and signed and signed… and then signed somemore yesterday afternoon. We now have the keys to our very own home.
We have really really been looking forward to having our own home. Our apartments have been great for the time being, but daily we are frustrated. Just about a minutes ago I had to go back to my apartment to get brown sugar and then not a minute before that Sean had gone back over there to get the camera. Needless to say, we are very excited to have all of our things in one spot. Oh and it will be nice to have Sean around too.
We still have 6 weeks until we get married, so that will give us some time to make any changes to the house before we move in. I see some painting in our future! I just can’t wait to make it my own.. I mean our own.
- Veronica
Veronica and I just recently discovered, or rediscovered if you will, the goodness that is Angel Food Cake. We had bought a cake at Dillon’s to have with the strawberries that are oh-so-delicious and some cool whip to top it off. After eating it over the weekend Veronica broke open the “Joy of Cooking” and investigated how to make her own Angel Food Cake.
Fast forward to the following day and after a trip to the grocery store we had all the necessary ingredients to formulate our own cake. Veronica slaved away in the kitchen as I slaved over the grill making “Huli Huli” chicken. (Something I learned to love living in Hawaii) When my chicken was finished grilling I came upstairs and Veronica had the cake in the oven! We ate dinner to pass the time and then when the cake was done we had to wait, AGAIN!
Fast forward 1.5 hours and it was finally time to witness the final cooled, de-panned, goodness that was Veronica’s 1st Angel Food Cake. As you can see from the picture it was in fact a “picture perfect” angel food cake. (Pun intended)
I assure you, it tastes as good as it looks and we’re both ecstatic that such a great treat is not too difficult to make!
-Sean
I
have been very open that seafood is not my thing. My mom is to fault for this, even she will admit it. I didn’t grow up eating seafood, and I don’t know a thing about. Flip to my husband-to-be, Sean. He grew up eating any and every kind of seafood. For the few years he lived in Hawaii, he lived on the stuff. So being the loving and open fiancee that I am, we are having shrimp tonight for dinner.
I want to like seafood. It is just a total unknown to me. He is cooking it up now as I write this. I must say it smells pretty delicious… still not sure if I will like it. It might take some getting used to. And so, I am now off to dinner. Wish me luck!
We got inspired to listen to and try to decide on some music for the wedding. Sean has more music than any normal human being can listen to so we have been sorting through it tonight. We have come to a few conclusions but still have a lot of listening to do.
Deciding on music inspired Sean to play a little diddy on the keyboard…
Just a regular Tuesday night.
-Veronica
Sean and I signed up to run the Hospital Hill 5K on June 6th. My friend Lauren invited us, and we decided that it would be a good reason to get ourselves in shape. I have to say that we have really worked hard to get ready for this one. We did the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure 5K last Fall and just kind of winged it. We started running more consistently about 3 or 4 weeks ago.
We consistenly run about 2 miles, but this past weekend we ran a little over 3 miles Saturday and Sunday! The weather couldn’t have been any nicer and the sun was out! It was really great. We have a few different areas we run near our house – just sidewalks. There is not anything quite as nice as the MKT around here.
We bought new running shoes at this really great place in Lawrence. The guys at the running shop fit us for the shoes based on our stride and whatnot. Sean was most excited to get his new shoes!!! They are a pretty snazzy copper color. I was told that I needed an entire size bigger than I have been wearing. I haven’t had any problems other than catching my toes a few times as my legs get tired and I don’t pick up my feet.
My goal is to just run the entire race. From what I have heard the hill is pretty brutal and its near the end of the run. I guess we will just have to wait and see. I have really just enjoyed training for it so far. We are planning a 2 mile run today after work.
- Veronica
Well it is officially official, we sent our invitations out yesterday (As Veronica is demonstrating above). We are both very excited for how they turned out as well as when we will receive our first response card.
Sending invitations is definitely one of the biggest steps it seems. It’s somewhat the time that you really are getting married. This is the point when you’ve sent something to friends and family that say “We are getting married” please join us. Up until this point it hasn’t seemed as official for some reason but now it’s is.
I’m getting very excited have friends and family around to celebrate this occasion as well as just be together to have a good time.
More to come.
-Sean