The Porter Page

Christmas Day

2007-12-25T16:16:00.001-10:00

Our wonderful laid back relaxing Christmas Day!

Just hanging out under the Christmas tree in our matching PJ's
Trying to steal a kiss from the dog :-)
Christmas Dinner
My gifts!
Yes folks I got a Kitchen Aid!

My wonderful Hubby

Our Great and Marvelous friends, Aaron and Katie, who chilled out with us. We watched Christmas movies in our PJ's and loved every minute of it!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T00:42:00.000-10:00

We love you and hope you have a blessed Christmas Day!

Thanksgiving's over so....

2007-11-23T19:52:00.001-10:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

GroundGiving Day

2007-11-23T19:03:00.000-10:00

Huh? I know that's what you are thinking reading the title of this post, but hang on you'll soon understand. You know that movie Groundhog day... well I have been experiencing that with the Thanksgiving holiday. It started on Tuesday with the Preschool Thanksgiving meal. All the parents sign up and bring food in for the kids and the staff. Then the kids come in dressed up as Pilgrim's and Indians (I was an Indian Princess) and we eat! I was put in charge of the meal and the clean up... which might not sound too bad but it was tons of work! My plan was to make Tuesday night my pie night, but I was so exhausted when I got home I went straight to bed! Then came Wednesday...it was our Church Prayer Praise and Pie fellowship and since I didn't make my pies the night before I had to make 6 before Church. Why six? Well the ones for Church (which won second place in the contest), one for a single guy who had to work during Thanksgiving, and 3 for our Thanksgiving (Pumpkin, Pumpkin Cream, and Chocolate mint). Then came the actual Thanksgiving day! We had 5 single guys over, so I made all the food and a lot of it! I'll stop for some picture then continue my Groundhog moment. :-)

My table before all the food

All the food, minus the turkey... we fried 2!

More food...

Sam all stuffed and happy

After the meal we watched Home Alone and the guys crashed wherever they could...

Chillin on the couch

Chillin on the floor (Sen do you recognize the Lion!)

:-)

The guys LOVED Magnum... they wanted to steal him and he got so spoiled. Every time I turned around he was being petted, held, or feed!

Sam guarding the door so they don't leave with the dog, lol. :-)

Ok, then on Friday we had the Young Married's over from Church... so more turkey, more food, and more football. Seriously I don't know how I'm still up typing this! It has been such a long couple of weeks, and I am ready for a vacation! :-) Now that that is said I'm going to go shopping! For reals! Pray for me. I hope your holiday was more relaxing than mine, but just as fun. I'm thankful for those of you who faithfully check this blog! Love ya!

Patriotic Pup

2007-11-23T18:52:00.000-10:00

Ok, I know I haven't written in a while but I have been so busy! (I know, I know) So here are a couple of posts to fill you (the one person who reads this) in. For Halloween our community had a doggie coustume party, and they were giving prizes away. So of couse I have been looking for an excuse to dress up Magnum and I jumpped at the chance. I got this little Uncle Sam's hat off the internet and I made Magnum's shirt... and vola! It's patriotic pup! Isn't he so cute!

His little hat

The shirt

And guess what!!! He won a prize! He got the title most patriotic and won a $50 gift citerficate to Pet's Discount. Sam jokingly said Magnum is finally earing his keep. :-)

Magnum and his "treats" he got at the party

My Sweetie!

2007-09-18T20:46:00.000-10:00

Guess who! :-)

Sam at 3 months

2ish

5 years old

I'm not sure about the exact ages (except the first one) because I got these from Sam's grandmother... but aren't they cute!

A Preview

2007-08-29T22:17:00.000-10:00

This is from my cousin Jackie's bridal shower. She is getting married in 2 days!!!! Yeah! :-) It's my mom and Anna...we had a lot of fun that day. I figured I would give a preview of the pictures... more to come!

For Keara!

2007-08-29T21:57:00.000-10:00

So my friend Brooke's son, Luke, turned one yesterday! I volunteered to make the cake for his jungle themed party... so here are the results. :-)

My monkey and tiger (sugar free) cupcakes (even the frosting was reduced sugar)

The end result!

Close up shot... there is a hippo in the river, a money, giraffe, elephant, and lions. The palm trees are pretzel rods and construction paper. :-)

My kitchen when I was through! What a mess!

Me not wanting to clean up! I will cook the whole day and not care, I even enjoy it, but I hate cleaning up after! You can tell by the look on my face huh :-)

For those of you waiting for pictures of out trip, I'm getting to them. I'm waiting for Sam to download some of the pictures from his phone. I've also been working this past week... I've taken a last minute job at the Preschool. So I have been busy! Anyway I will get the pictures posted soon!!!!!! :-)

Sharon's wedding

2007-08-13T22:16:00.000-10:00

sorry having problems w/the computer... will add more later once I figure out the problem!

Heading to Philly!

2007-07-25T06:12:00.000-10:00

Well we are heading to Philadelphia to go to my friend, Sharon's wedding. On the way we stopped off at friends to stay for a couple of nights.

This is a picture of their son Ridan, isn't he cute! Anyway they live by High Point Baptist Church so we might stop through on the back and go to Church with them. So if I know you and you go there... I'll be there this Sunday! :-) Once again I'm on a borrowed computer so I have to go... I just wanted to keep up the updates! :-) Pray for safe travels! We went through 3 rental cars in less than 24 house... so we are on the 4th one now! Great times! :-)

Greetings form the Pitts!

2007-07-22T07:36:00.000-10:00

Ha, I know some of you are going to be like What is she talking about! Sam and I are in Pittsburgh until tomorrow morning. We are enjoying our little family vacation so far. Our trip to get here was quite a story, but since I'm on a borrowed computer I'll save that for later. Here is the preview... a forgotten bag, delayed planes, no sleep, and an upset stomach! I'm sure you are getting a picture by now. :-) I just wanted to do a little update, since I have been accused for not keeping up with my blog! You know who you are. :-) Hopefully, if I can get access to a computer, there will be more to come! Pray for safe travels! Love ya'll! :-)

Slacker

2007-07-19T02:47:00.000-10:00

I know, I know... once again I have slacked off in keeping my blog updated! Bad Christina! (slap on wrist) Well, I have decided to update only to tell you I will be gone for 3 weeks! Sam and I leave tomorrow and head to the Mainland for a busy three weeks. Weekend #1 will be spent in Pittsburgh with Sam's family. His grandparents live there and they are having a family reunion. Weekend #2 my friend Sharon Jordon is getting married in Lansdale and I am in her wedding party. Weekend #3 we will drive to Chicago and attend my family reunion. So in three weeks time we will be seeing all of our family and a lot of my college friends! I'm going to need a vacation from our vacation! I am excited about it and I am actually all packed and ready to go... Sam is the one sleeping and not packed yet. :-) Speaking of sleeping, I should probably get myself to bed too, it's 3 am! In case you were wondering about Magnum he has his 2 favorite uncles (2 single guys from Church) staying over and watching him for us. Pray I come home to a clean house! :-)
I'll be back in three weeks!

June 5, 2007

2007-06-11T01:55:00.000-10:00

For our anniversary Sam took me to John Dominis for dinner. We had a wonderful time and a great view! I can't believe we've been married for three years! It seems like just last year we were married. Sam truly is my best friend and we have so much fun together.

The restaurant was so romantic, it had hanging vines and a wrap around fish pond.

The huge fish tanks

And the GREAT view of Waikiki. We had a table right by the window and the ocean. Sometimes living in Hawaii does have it's perks :-)

Posing before we left

Aren't we cute!

Sam also got me a fresh lei, and it smelled so wonderful!

That's my wonderful MAN!

3 years!

2007-06-04T15:03:00.000-10:00

TOMORROW IS OUR ANNIVERSARY!!!
Here are some pictures of the weekend we got engaged. :-)

Awe, how sweet is he!

We went to Six Flags to celebrate!

Just us being our goofy selves

The perfect couple! :-)

More to come!

No excuse...well maybe just one :-)

2007-05-24T04:03:00.000-10:00

Ok ok, I feel like I've fallen of the face of the planet! I really don't have an excuse as to why I haven't been keeping up with my blog. Thanks Amanda for telling me to get my butt going again! So what's new with me... Actually a lot has happened and I've been in denial. I'm torn between sharing with "the world" and keeping it all to myself. My mom would tell me not to share my whole life story, but hey my life's an open book. Let's see... I had another miscarriage in January, so that made for some health problems the months after... last Friday I also had some minor surgery done. Which is why it is 4 am and I'm still awake. The healing process has not been as speedy as I hoped. :-( But no worries I'm ok. :-) Let's see what else... Tomorrow night, no wait tonight, is the preschool graduation, so work will officially be over for me. Other than that I lead a very uneventful life. That is the main reason I have failed to keep up with this blog. It's hard to jazz up "woke up, went to work, came home, watched Myth Busters with Sam, went to bed" :-) I know you are so envious of my glamorous lifestyle. Can you tell it's 4 am and I haven't gotten any sleep, oh and I'm on meds? :-) Well I best be going...hopefully I will be better at keep up with my blog, if anyone besides my sister-in-law reads this. :-)

LONG time no post!

2007-03-16T22:19:00.000-10:00

I'm so sorry folks! I'm sure no one even checks this anymore due to my lack of updates. Well life for us has started to get back to normal... whatever that is! It took me a while to get adjusted to Sam being home since I was mentally prepared for him to be gone a year. I know how dare he interrupt my schedule. :-) So here's what you missed.... Sam has been working some late hours, but I can't complain cuz he's home.

We have also been having tons of car troubles. When Sam is not at work he's out working on our cars or someone else's. He's such a sweetie, he can't say no.

I've been working at the Preschool a lot more, so I come home exhausted! There are a set of twin girls who I ADORE! They are identical, a lot of trouble, and look like they could be mine... and act like it too. :-) They remind me of myself at that age. Maybe God is preparing me for something, which I wouldn't mind. I actually want twin girls. :-)

I joined Curves, and I like it a lot better than working out at a regular gym. It's nice that it's only female, and the one I go to is owned by a Christian lady and there are verses on the wall to encourage you daily. Let's see what else.....

I also got my hair cut and highlighted couple weeks ago. Oh and I treated myself and got a pedicure just this afternoon. (red with white flowers on the big toe) I know you wanted to know. :-)

It seems like I should have more to write about since it's been two months...but I guess I lead a boring life. Well, if you still check this site out, thanks for being faithful. If I get any comments, or remember more I'll write more. :-) Love ya'll!

SURPRISE!

2007-01-21T22:41:00.000-10:00

Talk about an answer to prayer... a prayer I wasn't even praying for! Sam is HOME!!! I know, what's up with that?!? We came home Friday night and he's home for good... I hope. :-) Like I said I wasn't even praying for him to come home, I was just praying for his safety and that the year would go by quickly. :-) I guess God had other plans... we still don't know how it all happened. All I can say is PRAISE THE LORD! :-)

Sam walking through the door! Yea!

Hmmm, do we look happy to you? :-)

Magnum was so excited to see Sam, he was at his feet all night long.

Well, that's what's new with us!! There is still a possibility he will have to go in a few months, but we are just enjoying the time God has given us together. Thank you guys for all your prayers, cuz you played a part in his homecoming too!

Happy Holidays

2007-01-08T15:36:00.000-10:00

Sorry folks, I haven't written in a while cuz when Sam was here I was kinda focused on spending time with him before he left... plus we did some traveling and my parents computer only lets me upload pictures some of the time. Enough excuses and on to what you want to know. First we drove to Gatlinburg, TN (by the Smoky mountains) for some alone time. We stayed on Honeymoon Island (pictured below) and it was so beautiful... the town and everything. We had a great time just relaxing. Did I forget to mention the room had a hot tub in it. :-)

From there we drove to see Sam's family in SC and spend Christmas with them. It was nice to see them and I know they were happy to see Sam before he left. We hadn't seen Alex, Sam's nephew, in over a year. He's so cute, as you can tell from his picture. He's wearing the "Santa Hat" used when we passed out gifts Christmas morning. :-)

Amanda Sam's sister is getting to be such a wonderful young lady. She's a blast to hang out with and as you can see Sam still picks on his little sis. It was funny cuz on Christmas day I guess it's a Porter tradition to play Monopoly. I did not play, because of past experiences, but it was fun to watch. :-) Let's just say some pieces went flying at people. ;-)

We left a couple of days later and drove back to my parents house to celebrate a late Christmas and New Year (and my Dad's birthday). Sam got all excited cuz he got to buy fireworks and set them off... the kids also loved it. We also got to take a family picture in front of the new HUGE Christmas tree... It's 12 feet tall! We also took family pictures with Sam's family but I can't find them and I think they accidentally got deleted. So, Amanda if you read this can you send/e-mail me the ones you took? Thanks!

Mom and Anna watching the "show" Sam put on New Year's Eve

Well, that's about it... I leave on Thursday to head back to Hawaii and Sam leaves about that time to Iraq... I'm not gonna lie, this last goodbye was tough, but I hope when I get home I can get into a schedule and not think about it as much. I'm also looking forward to seeing my friends and my little Magnum, of course! So my next post should be from back home! Please keep Sam in you prayers and me as I travel. Love you guys and I'm looking forward to getting home and checking to see how your holiday went.

Beautiful Day!

2006-12-13T11:18:00.000-10:00

I know, I know... You all are thinking does this woman ever stop taking pictures! :-) I can't help it, the kids are so cute and I'm making a scrapbook as their Christmas present. So, I'm giving you a peak at all the pictures... see lucky you! Today was such a beautiful sunny day, so the girls and I went on a walk. (Benjamin was sick, so he stayed home) We had fun, and even sang Christmas carols while we walked. :-)

I wish I had a sister closer to my age growing up, the girls are so close.

Can they BE any cuter?

Blowing dandelions

She's ready for her close up!

(she already has a loose tooth!)

Sitting pretty in the leaves

Football in December

2006-12-12T19:21:00.000-10:00

Sunday was a beautiful day here in Alabama, so we decided to play football in the front yard, after Church.

Anna is wearing her slip, from Church, and flip flops :-)

Benjamin and Miriam were the two main players, and they both are aggressive! I have the pictures to prove it! :-)

If you can't catch the ball, the next best thing is to tackle the other person!

I loved watching their faces! They both are really good.

Princess Anna got tired of playing and made herself a throne on top of the car. As you can see I'm having fun, and keeping busy. I hope your holidays are going well too! I get to see Sam in 9 days! Yea!!!!

Some More Pictures

2006-12-12T10:24:00.000-10:00

Anna as a ballerina

Miriam contemplating :-)

Anna putting ornaments on the tree

Anna had a speaking role in the Christmas program... notice the one kid in the background :-)

After Church, showing off their pretty dresses... can you find the picture of me on the tree? (it was when I was younger)

Some Pictures

2006-12-12T09:16:00.000-10:00

Miriam Christmas decorating

My sister is freakishly strong!

Benjamin at the kids Church Christmas preformance.

All us kids

Home for the Holidays

2006-12-08T12:14:00.000-10:00

So, after a long flight, some turbulence, and sickness I finally made it to my parents house! The kids ambushed me at the door, but I loved it. The first day I unpacked and just rested, cuz I had caught a cold/flu bug. I slept for 14 house but woke up feeling better. :-) Which is good cuz the kids have been keeping me busy, and they never want to let me out of their sight. :-) Here are a couple of pictures... I have tons more and it's only been a couple of days... but this computer is only letting me load so many at a time. So there will be more to come!

Miriam and Anna after I did their hair :-)

Benjamin, Miriam, & Anna outside on the back porch... aren't they cute!

Miriam as Rudolf... see the red nose!

Bye Bye Hawaii...

2006-12-05T01:58:00.000-10:00

Hello Alabama!

The next time I post on my blog page, I will be experiencing slightly colder weather. :-) I'm still packing and doing laundry and I think this might be an all nighter. Fun, Fun, Fun!

Less than a week to go!

2006-11-29T12:51:00.000-10:00

Well, I won't be alone for long! Once I get to my parents house it will be mass chaos the whole time I'm there... but I'll love it! :-) I will admit I have been kinda lonely since Sam has been gone. He's my best friend and he understands me and tolerates all my weird moments. The very FEW I have. :-) I am looking forward to seeing my family (Sam's parents are coming over for Christmas too) and seeing Sam. But at the same time I have so much work that needs to be done before I leave! Who's idea was it to rearrange the bedroom right after Sam left... oh yea that was me. :-( Now I have all my clutter in the spare bedroom and some people want to use my house while I'm gone, but I don't think I'll have everything done by then.... OH WELL! Let's see what else is up with me... I am almost 100% better, and off of most of my meds. I'm not sure if I mentioned this but after the surgery I got pneumonia, so my recovery was a little slow. Thank you all for your prayers and wonderful comments. They were such a huge encouragement to me! I'll still keep updating the blog even in Alabama... hopefully I'll have time to write something before I leave. :-) K folks, that's about it. My life is boring, what can I say. :-)

A quick update...

2006-11-14T11:52:00.000-10:00

Sorry all, I don't feel up to a long posting, but I do want to let you know how I am. As you can probably tell I am at home, which is so nice! I went in for the surgery around 10 am, and the last thing I remember was the nurse asking me if I was allergic to any medication... I was out cold! I woke up very groggy, and had a difficult time breathing. They had to keep me on oxygen for a while cuz I would fall asleep and stop breathing... not a good thing! :-) Well, I finally made my way up to the recovery room, still not knowing how my surgery went. I was so blessed to have two of my friends there with me the whole time. Well one of my friends informed me that I had some complications during the surgery. First my urethra was to narrow and they had to dilate it, then they realized the stone had moved from it's original position, and they couldn't reach it. So it had to be blasted with a laser instead of caught and removed. No big deal, right? NOT! This means I have to pass all of the little fragments which is painful, plus I have a stent in to make sure everything flows properly and my kidney doesn't shut down... I'm still in pain, but I guess it could be worse! Anyway, besides the pain, I am doing fine and I am thankful for all your prayers. I was trying to be a good witness to my nurse, but I was so drugged up I think I just mentioned our Church. It really is just all a blur :-) I'll write more later, but I'm kinda on bed rest so I should go lay down. If you called yesterday and I didn't answer, I'm sorry I was probably still in the hospital. I love you all!

I'm still alive :-)

2006-11-10T22:07:00.000-10:00

Ok all, it's been such a long time since I've written an update so here it goes... Sam has been gone for 2 weeks and has started his training in Texas. He is keeping very busy, but we still get to talk for at least 5 minutes every day. Everything with me was pretty normal until this past weekend. It started off with some lower back pain which I though was just sciatica problems... so I went in to the Chiropractor on Monday then had a doctor's appointment afterward. Nothing (the medicine they prescribed) seemed to help. By Tuesday I couldn't walk, sit, use the bathroom, or lay without pain. Sam called later that afternoon and insisted on calling a friend and an ambulance. I said no, and proceeded to have a break down... To make a long story short, He won and I rode up to the ER in an ambulance and spend the next 6 hours up there trying to stop the pain and figure out what was wrong with me. I had a U.T.I, sciatica problems, and a kidney stone. :-) So they sent me home all drugged up, and I spent the night by the toilet... my body did not like the drugs! Anyway the kidney stone is way too large for me to pass, so I am having surgery this Monday to remove it. I've never had surgery before and I'm kinda nervous. Sam can not leave his training, and my mom can't come, so it's definitely going to be a lesson on sole dependence on God. I jokingly told Sam I expected the car to break down once he left, but not me! :-) I would appreciate your prayers, my surgery will be Monday morning and hopefully it will be an out-patient surgery. I hope I didn't forget anything... these med's are making me really loopy! ;-) If anyone wants to come visit, and be my nurse just let me know!

Well Mr. Osborne it may not be kidney stones after all.

A letter from a Soldier to Senetor Kerry

2006-11-06T12:52:00.000-10:00

I am a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. I am currently on my second tour in Iraq, a tour in which I volunteered for. I speak Arabic and Spanish and I plan to tackle Persian Farsi soon. I have a Bachelors and an Associates Degree and between deployments I am pursuing an M.B.A. In college I was a member of several academic honor societies, including the Golden Key Honor Society. I am not unique among the enlisted troops. Many of my enlisted colleagues include lawyers, teachers, mechanics, engineers, musicians and artists just to name a few. You say that your comments were directed towards the President and not us. If we were stupid Senator Kerry, we might have believed you.

I am not a victim of President Bush. I proudly serve him because he is my Commander and Chief. If it was you who was President, I would serve you just as faithfully. I serve America Senator Kerry, and I am also providing a service to the good people of Iraq. I have not terrorized them in the middle of the night, raped them or murdered them as you have accused me of before. I am doing my part to help them rebuild. My role is a simple one, but important. You see Senator Kerry, like it or not, we came here and removed a tyrant (who terrorized Iraqis in the middle of the night, and raped them and murdered them). And we have a responsibility to see to it that another one doesn’t take his place. The people of Iraq are recovering from an abusive relationship with a terrible government and it’s going to take some time to help them recover from that. We can’t treat this conflict like a microwave dinner and throw a temper tantrum because we feel like it’s taking too long.

Senator Kerry, you don’t have to agree with this war. You don’t have to say nice things about those of us who choose to make sacrifices for the rights of every American rather than sit back and simply feel entitled to it. But please Senator Kerry, if you’re going to call me a stupid murdering rapist, stick by what you say. Don’t tell me that I misunderstood or that you would never insult a veteran because you’re one too. Having been there and done that does not give you a free pass to insult me.

My suggestion for you, Senator Kerry, is to remember that your speeches are recorded, and broadcast to us simpletons over here. You may want to write down what you want to say before you say it, maybe have somebody look at it before you say it and tell you what others might hear. Remember that we can’t read your mind, if there are any misinterpretations in what you say, it’s because you didn’t communicate clearly.

Good luck to you Senator Kerry, if nothing else it’s always entertaining to watch you try and climb out of the holes that you constantly dig for yourself.

Sincerely,
Somebody who is watching his daughter grow up in photographs so that you can have the right to say whatever you want about him.

One More Day...

2006-10-26T22:51:00.000-10:00

Well it's Thursday night... late, and I only have one more day with my hubby. :-( He leaves early Saturday morning and we probably will just stay up all Friday night since Sam hasn't even packed yet. Although he really doesn't have to pack much, he can't take any "extras" at this time so I'll have to bring the rest of it when I see him at Christmas. Speaking of that, I bought round trip tickets to Huntsville for only $405! It came out to $480 with taxes, but still a great deal considering I'm flying through the holiday seasons! I'm glad because it is one less thing to worry about. I can honestly say that through all of this mess, God has been showing himself good in our lives. I was really struggling with the whole situation, but Sunday was a turning point for me. Our Pastor preached two messages that I know were meant for me. If you are going through hard times, I highly recommend listening to these two messages; "Earthquakes in our life" and "Are You In A Spiritual Drought?"
All that to say, Thank you all for your prayers, phone calls, and support, and I look forward to sharing how God uses these circumstances in both of our lives. Love you all!

An EARLY Christmas Gift

2006-10-24T12:22:00.000-10:00

I have such a sweet husband! Sam went to the Build-a-Bear workshop and made me a teddy bear to have while he is away. He picked out the bear and his uniform, made his own special voice recording, and named him Sammy! I am so blessed to have a man who is trying to make this deployment as easy for me as possible, and who understands my impractical sensitive side. :-) What makes this even more special is Sam took time out of his busy schedule and made the time to do this for me. I better stop before I get all emotional. :-) So this is Sammy, my little Iraqi bear!

Sammy, wearing Sam's dogtags

Doesn't he kinda look like Sam?

Shhh! Don't tell Sam!

Just a quick Update

2006-10-23T13:06:00.000-10:00

Well, we have been leading a very hectic life these past couple of days. We have been running around trying to get all these last minute things done. Sam leaves in 5 days, he actually leaves early, early Saturday morning. I had a rough day yesterday, because it was his last Sunday at Church and a lot of people were saying good-bye to him...ANYWAY I will be fine. Ok, we are off to another appointment, so bye for now.

Awesome Video

2006-10-17T19:27:00.000-10:00

A friend of mine, who's husband is in Iraq, sent me this awesome video. I actually made it through the whole thing without crying! It's a miracle! :-) It's a little lengthy, so make sure you have the time to watch it all.

EARTHQUAKE!

2006-10-16T15:31:00.000-10:00

So Sam and I were awoken at 7:08 on Sunday morning, not by the sound of our alarm clock but by our bed shaking violently. We both just looked at each other and were like, "Is this an earthquake?" Well, it stopped shaking and we went back to bed! Hey, I'm not very bright in the mornings! Well, then we experienced another one, and this time Sam got up and went outside to investigate, and when he returned inside the power went out. So we just kinda sat there and I got up and started making some calls. I was supposed to sing that morning, so I wanted to know if we were still having Church. Ok how ironic is this... the song that I picked out 2 weeks ago was Till the Storm Passes Over. I kid you not! Anyway, we found out that we were still going to have Church, despite the lack of power, so I started to "get ready". Do you know how hard it is to tame curly, poofy hair with no electrical products! So I opted to a headband, and threw the rest of it up. I figured, Hey the power's out, no one will really see me. :-) By this time it was raining tons, and we make it to Church fine even with no working traffic lights. So, we had church, both morning and evening services, by flashlight and candle light. Sounds fun huh... well it would have been if it wasn't so incredibly HOT and MUGGY! I don't think anyone read the bulletin; they were just used as fans! Now I know some of you have to deal with snow already, well we had the opposite. Extreme heat, and no AC! Anyway we survived, nothing of ours was damaged, and we finally got power, and AC (PTL!), at 3AM! Needless to say I did not sleep well, I'm a snuggler (with the blankets!) and that was totally out of the question last night. :-) I know some of you tried to call, but all the phone lines were packed and it was hard for people to get through, so I'm letting you know we're ok! I got some pictures for our local newspaper, and I thought you guys might want to see them. Enjoy!

"THE 6.6-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE RATTLED HAWAII JUST BEFORE 7:08 A.M. YESTERDAY, FOLLOWED BY A SECOND, 5.8 TEMBLOR AND DOZENS OF AFTERSHOCKS. THIS SEISMOGRAM WAS TAKEN AT THE "STEAM CRACKS" SEISMOMETER AT HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK"

~The Honolulu Star Bulletin

Some of the major damage included a 10- by 30-foot section of a highway that collapsed

And combined with all the rain, it also caused some land slides

All About Us... It's about time we had some fun!

2006-10-13T19:48:00.000-10:00

Here are several things you've probably never wondered about me, but can find out anyway--I got this from a friends blog. If you'd like to play along, cut and paste the following list to your blog and bold the things you've done. It's a lot of fun - I've laughed and laughed thinking about all the fun I've had!! If you join in, please leave a comment letting me know I should visit your blog and view your list. Just so you know. If it's something I did it will be in Red, Sam's will be in Blue, and if it's something we both did it will be in Green... got that all? :-)

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with wild dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone

08. Said “I love you” and meant it

09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby’s diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment – who hasn’t?

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk

42. Had amazing friends

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44. Watched wild whales

45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing

49. Midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow

56. Alphabetized your CDs

57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sung karaoke

59. Lounged around in bed all day

60. Played Touch Football

61. Gone scuba diving

62. Kissed in the rain

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theater

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice

80. Gotten a tattoo

81. Rafted the Snake River

82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”

83. Got flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten shark

88. Kissed on the first date

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived

105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane

109. Touched a stingray

110. Broken someone’s heart

111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a T.V. game show

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on an African photo safari

115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states

124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi

128. Had your picture in the newspaper

129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school

131. Parasailed

132. Touched a cockroach

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes

134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey

135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

137. Skipped all your school reunions

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

139. Been elected to public office

140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair

146. Dyed your hair

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone’s life.

Who knew we had so much in common :-)

Decision Made!

2006-10-12T17:20:00.000-10:00

Well, Sam and I have finally come to a decision. (with two weeks to spare!) I am going to stay in Hawaii, while he is in Iraq. There were a lot of things that we had to consider, but basically it came down to my health problems and all the time and money we have spent to "fix" me. :-) It would be hard to pick up and go and have to start all over in a year. Also, if I moved to Alabama I would have my family, but no friends. Here I have a group of military wives who know, and have experienced what I will be going through. Plus I think my mom and sisters will come stay with me during the summer. :-) There are also other factors that may have influenced our decision...

Hello! Move to the mainland during winter or stay in sunny Hawaii.... hmmm...tough decision :-)

My comfy living room and red couches!

We also finally got our dinning room set up... I guess it was just a bunch of little things, and not really having peace about moving. So there you have it. We will be in Hawaii for the next three years... feel free to plan a visit! I could use the company! :-) Thank you all for your prayers and comments. I have such wonderful friends all around the world and I am blessed. Sam leaves in 2 weeks and 2 days, and we found out his job is going to be more dangerous than we thought. I'm not sure if I should share more over the internet, but just keep him in your prayers. His training is going to be pretty intense. It's funny, because Sam basically is going through Army boot camp, and has to learn all their core values and beliefs... it's like he'll be in two branches of the Military. :-) Anyway, I'll keep you all updated!

I know God is trying to strengthen both me and Sam during this process, and even though this was a surprise to us, it wasn't to God.

Sudden Changes

2006-10-03T19:35:00.000-10:00

Well, here is the news. We just found out that Sam has to go to Iraq for over a year. He leaves the end of October for 2 months of training. He only gets a couple of days off for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then he leaves in January. So I've spent the whole afternoon in denial and crying, of course. It also doesn't help that Sam had duty today and I found out over the phone, and won't actually see him until tomorrow. So I know it sounds like I'm complaining... and I probably am. I guess with Sam being in the Navy and on shore duty, I never prepared myself for him having to go. I would love your prayers, not only for his safety but for my attitude as well. I know in my head that God had a plan and His timing is prefect, but I am having a difficult time truly accepting that. I know I am not the first wife to have her husband sent to Iraq on such short notice, but it's like all I can think about is me... so selfish huh. Just one more thing to work on. Grrrrr! Alright folks I am going to end my pitty part now, hopefully by the time of my next post I will be in a better attitude. G'night...

Peanut Butter and Rootbeer

2006-09-21T22:53:00.000-10:00

Who needs TV when you got a dog for entertainment! The other night we had a blast with an empty peanut butter jar and Magnum.

He kept rolling the jar around trying to get to all the good stuff.

He's a smart one! He used his paw to hold the jar down and keep it from rolling too much. I don't have a picture of this, but he would gently bite the lip of the jar and carry it to his pillow so it didn't roll around as much. It was too funny!

You can see his tongue!

This picture cracks me up! He's got his WHOLE face in there!

He licked the jar clean! It's funny to see how he couldn't reach the very bottom.

He needed some IBC rootbeer to wash it all down.

What a FUNNY dog we have!

*for those concerned about our dog, we really didn't give him rootbeer. No pets were harmed during this photo shoot*

Some of my Favorite people

2006-09-15T17:29:00.000-10:00

Here are some pictures we took a year ago, when we went to the mainland to visit our families. Here we are in Chicago, visiting my family and seeing the sights. We walked around downtown, and tried to go to the zoo, but it was closed. I should also mention that it was COLD! Definitely not weather we are used to. :-) Anyway, my little sisters just love Sam, as you can see. Every time I call home, my family's like "When is Sam coming to visit?" Nothing about me, or how they want me to visit... just Sam (and the dog). No wonder I have a complex. :-)

Sam & Miriam

Sam & Anna

So, there are other issues weighing on my heart, but I think I will save that for another day. If you think about it, please pray for me I have been going through a lot lately, health wise. I'm too chicken to share it with everyone online... since it is kinda personal. I don't mind sharing. I've let go of my pride and I want people to pray for me, so if you know me and want more details give me a call or e-mail me. Thanks guys. I love you!

Remembering 9-11

2006-09-09T23:05:00.000-10:00

UNITED WE STAND

By Christy Porche

We see the flag
waving in the air,
we dread that September day
and think of that great scare.

We see the planes hit
everyone starts to cry,
who’s doing this
terrible thing and why?

Remembering where it once stood,
well now it's Ground Zero,
wondering about the people
who went down as a hero.

As we are praying
here hand-in-hand,
there’s one thing to be said,
“UNITED WE STAND!”

Just so you know...

2006-08-29T22:59:00.000-10:00

Ok! I know there are some of you who think I have just dropped of the face of the earth, but I haven't... just been in and out of the Hospital since the 20th. (mostly in) I'm ok, I actually wasn't in for me. A good friend of mine, Brooke, was 29 weeks (7 months) pregnant and started to go into pre-term labor. Yeah, scary. Well, the good news is that she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy boy on the 28th. (which was just 30 weeks into her pregnancy) He only weighed 4lb and was 17 inches long. It was such a trying yet wonderful experience. I got to be with her when she gave birth, and I was with her just about every day (and night) she was in the hospital (Her husband is deployed to Iraq). It's a really long story, so I won't share everything, but God is so good and He has such perfect timing. We were all prepared for Luke to have lung problems, but he came out crying and he's breathing on his own. He still has some problems, but they should all get better as he gets older and gains weight. I was just there today and I got to see him again in the NICU. It's so funny I had started reading to him while he was still in mom's tummy, and I think he recognized my voice. This is the third birth I have seen... and not one of those has been my own. It's kinda like that saying, always a bridesmaid, never a bride... Wow! I really must really be sleep deprived, I'm starting not to make sense! I just have to say one more thing. I have the GREATEST husband. Throughout all of this he was so understanding. There were nights I would come home late, or not at all, and every time I asked him if I should come home or not stay he told me to stay with Brooke. Maybe he just needed a break from me :-) Anyway I really haven't gotten much sleep, but I just wanted to let you know what has been up with me. Here are some pictures of Luke and Brooke. Maybe I'll write more about the whole 8 days later... on a clear mind. Night!

Brooke and Luke Patrick Saltsman

He is so Precious!

Our Little Man

2006-08-17T19:25:00.000-10:00

We bought Magnum a new bed/couch today. I felt bad because we used to let him have free roam over the house, and he LOVED sleeping on the couch! Well, we decided to stop that bad habit, and since then he has been moping around the house, looking up longingly at the couch. :-) But we solved the problem, he now has his own space and as you can see from the pictures... he loves it. :-) Parenting is so hard, and we don't even have kids yet!

Awe, he so cute curled up in his little ball :-)

Just chillin'

He's going, going....

gone!

No more paparazzi please!

As you can probably tell, nothing very exciting has been happening with me which is why my blog entries are about my dog, and 80's fashion style. Hopefully, I will have more to report on soon before I bore ya'll to death!

Can you guess what era I grew up in?

2006-08-10T20:55:00.000-10:00

I was cleaning out my bedroom today and I came across a photo album my mom made for me while I was in the Girl Scouts. :-) Yah, I know I can just hear your comments... Anyway here are some pictures that bring back some fashion memories. Trust me these are not the worst of the pictures.

Here I am bowling in the "outfit"

Just about all of my shirts had some form of puff-paint on them. Don't you love the splatter technique :-)

Gotta love the bright pink leggings... I had them in all sorts of bright colors

This was a tame sock day... I would wear two pairs (both bright colors) and alternate them... for some of you there is no need to explain

The bangs! I used to spend hours on them, and would cry if they didn't turn out big enough... sad huh (notice the leggings again, and my brother in the background)

The bright pink sunglasses

And no look would be complete without the fanny-pack! Hey, at least I matched :-) All I have to say is I know I wasn't the only one who dressed like this... so there! :-)

My Birthday

2006-08-07T22:14:00.000-10:00

Ok all you faithful readers, here is what my birthday was like. First of all, I got lots of phone calls the whole weekend (thanks guys) and lots of singing. :-) But my friend Jen, wins the prize, I'm not sure what prize, but she wins. She called my cell phone at 3AM! 3AM folks! So first my phone rings then the voice mail alarm rings, but by that time I was already awake! It's ok Jen I still love you. :-) Continuing the story... Well, as you know my birthday was on a Sunday, which for Sam and myself tend to be busy with Church. We woke up early and went to the early service stayed through the middle of the second service (we are both in choir) and then came home, ate lunch, and then called my family. Then like the old foggie I've become, Sam and I went and took a nap. :-) Oh yeah, this is exciting stuff huh. Then we woke up, went to choir practice, then a teachers meeting, then the evening service. During the evening service Sam was acting all suspicious, and he said "his stomach was hurting"... yeah right! So, he was practically gone the whole service, and I sat there knowing something was going on. :-) After Church I got "kidnapped" and taken out to dinner at the Spaghetti Factory, and waiting there for me were flowers from Sam. :-) I know how sweet. You might think, that's not that great, but wait... there's more. (I actually knew about this second part which took place Monday) Sam had made plans for me to visit a spa! Yeah, I know! Anyway, I was a little nervous about the whole thing, since I had never been to one of these. I went to this place called MYOSPA, and got the Head-to-Toe package...2 hours and 10 minutes of pampering! Let me just tell you what I got done...

This is a picture of part of the spa

I began with the Aromatherapy Footbath (which was wonderful!) and a reflexology treatment followed by the Peppermint Leg Rub (I love the smell of peppermint!)

Then I got a 45 minute body massage, then a Fresh Papaya Peel & Facial Massage, and finally, the Essential Scalp Treatment (which was another peppermint and lavender oil mixture... sooo nice!)

When I first got there I was all tense, but by the end... I was a pile of peppermint mush. I was definitely feeling good, and wishing money wasn't an issue so I could do that every week. :-) I know life is rough. All that to say I had a lovely birthday! Thanks again to everyone who called, left messages, and sent cards. I love you all, and I'm so thankful for the family and friends God has given me.

BINGO!

2006-08-04T14:48:00.000-10:00

Last night Sam and I were invited to play Bingo by First Command, they are a financial planning company, anyway we were allowed to bring guests so I invited my friends Abby (whose husband was on duty) and Brooke (who just dropped off her husband at the airport... he will be in Iraq for a year, so if you think about it pray for her and her baby). Back to the story... So we get there and there are only two other couples! So we eat, talk about money, and then start the games. We played 7 games, which meant 7 prizes... Our table won 5 out of the 7! Here is my play by play... first game: prize $20 Block Buster Card, won my the couple in the middle table; second game: prize two 50 minute massages, won by Abby; third game: prize a Waterford vase, won by me :-); then there was a brief intermission; fourth game: prize wine from the Big Island Brewery , won my me but since we don't drink I tried to give it away to the couple who hadn't won anything yet, but they didn't drink either so the couple in the middle wanted it so I was just going to give it to them, but they wanted me to have the Block Buster card... so we traded. :-) On to the fifth game: prize a $100 California Pizza Kitchen Gift Certificate, won by Abby but since the pregnant lady (Brooke) was drooling over it she gave it to her, but we are planning share it :-); sixth game: prize a Wyland framed picture, won by the couple who hadn't won anything yet (which is good cuz I was starting to feel bad); Last game: prize a portable DVD player with an extra screen, to which I told Sam he HAD to win it! We played black-out for the last game, so it took a while and as we were getting to the end I had two left, Brooke had one left, Abby had 3, and Sam had like 7. Now the whole time we were playing, I was telling Sam he better win this or else he was sleeping on the couch (for those of you who don't know me, I was just kidding) well, Sam came from behind and won! I was so excited! So we went home carrying all our winnings. I love Bingo! Now I am sitting here at the computer alternating between writing this blog and making cookies. I know I'm so domestic :-) Oh I know some of you are wondering, the cookies are chocolate chip, Sam's favorite. I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I'll let you know how my (birthday) weekend goes. I have a confession to make... I am so hard to surprise. I've already spoiled Sam's birthday surprise for me. I can't help it, I'm a good guesser and I know when he's lying to me. But I'll keep the surprise to myself and tell you all about it later. :-) Bingo!

Fridge Magnets! Leave a message!

2006-07-20T19:53:00.000-10:00

Sorry I took the fridge down, cuz some people were leaving rather rude remarks. Sorry all! I'll try to post some other fun stuff later. We took Magnum to the dog beach today... He hated it! I don't know what's up with our dog, he hates the water. It was so funny to watch him try to run across the beach after a wave went by, so he wouldn't get wet. :-) He's been having a rough couple of weeks. He got fleas, and because of that we haven't been letting him on the bed or couch until they are all gone. Anyway I guess he thinks we are punishing him, so he's been all mean and unbearable. You would think, he's just a dog... he'll get over it, but he hasn't yet! We would end up with the overly sensitive, water hating dog. :-) We will try the beach again... maybe he'll get used to it. Anyway, have a great weekend everyone!

My Birthday Countdown

2006-07-20T19:43:00.000-10:00

What Leading Lady Am I?

2006-07-20T15:42:00.000-10:00

You scored as Anastasia. At some points in time you feel as if you are very lost and don't know where you belong. However, you later discover that you are very important. You'd give up whatever it takes in order to be with the one that you love.

Anastasia

70%

Mulan

65%

Belle

55%

Ariel

55%

Pocahontas

40%

Aurora

35%

Jasmine

25%

Cinderella

10%

What Leading Lady Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

I'm back!

2006-07-11T14:28:00.000-10:00

I know, I know! I've been a HUGE slacker! I'm sorry! This past week our Church had revival services with Rich Tozer, so that left little time for blogging. Before I get into the "girls night", I'll let you know what we did for the fourth of July. Our day started off with a Church picnic, at our housing community center... which ment Sam and I had to be up early and at the center to make sure everything was set up (which it wasn't). The picnic was fun and we had a great time. After the food we had a revival service, and then cleaned up. I then went home and made chocolate chip cookies for a neighbor, who just had the cutest baby girl, and Sam went to the Church to drop off chairs. By the time Sam got home and we got back from our neighbors house it was almost 4. I say that because Sam and I were asked to babysitting for a couple who's anniversary is the 4th of July... talk about your "independence"day. :-) Anyway, they have three kids a 13 year old boy, 7 year old girl, and a 1 year old boy (who they adopted from Japan). Once the kids were dropped off we watched Madagascar, went to the park, made leis (from my plumeria tree), then we were off to see the fireworks. First, we loaded up the car (my dad's old grey beater, which we found out is NOT a family car) with a blanket, diaper bag, cooler, three kids, two adults and Magnum. Then it was off to Pizza Hut to pick up dinner, and then on to Ford Island to have our second picnic of the day and watch the fireworks. It really was so much fun, sitting in the dark, eating pizza and watching the fireworks with our three kids. :-) And that was just one day... now on to the girls night!

We were at the Princess Sheraton Hotel in downtown Waikiki We were up on the 29th floor, the very top floor, but what a view!

~ The Girls ~

Abby, Brooke (with baby Luke), April, and Me

Our friend April was leaving the Island so we decided to get together for one last girls night. I will spare you all the girl talk and other crazy things we might have done. :-) I will tell you this we went out to the Cheese Cake Factory for dinner, stayed up late, went searching through the hotel to find an ice machine that worked, played truth or dare (yeah, I know we're adults), and went swimming at the pool. We had a such good time, and it was so hard to see her go... :-( but such is the military life. Well, this is one long blog so I will end it now.

Nursery Patrol

2006-06-28T14:27:00.000-10:00

Sam and I had nursery duty a couple Sunday's ago, and as you can see Sam has as much fun as the kids do! I must say, he does make a good looking cop! :-) He's gonna be a great dad, because he's just a big kid stuck in a man's body... reminds me of my dad! You probably won't hear from me till Saturday, cuz a good friend of mine is leaving the island so we are having a girls night at the Princess Hotel in downtown Waikiki. Wahoo! Don't worry we behave ourselves. All of our husbands are in the Navy and at one point they were all out to sea at once, so we called ourselves the single wives. It was so nice to have people to hang out with on those lonely nights, and it was also nice to have someone who understood what you were going through. I'll try to remember to take some pictures and post them later. :-)

Mi Abuelo (Grandfather)

2006-06-25T22:57:00.000-10:00

My Mom and her Dad
He loves to fish!
The big catch

HOW TO TELL IF YOU'RE DRIVING TOO FAST

2006-06-23T22:49:00.000-10:00

Isn't this too funny! Look at the scratches on the seat, and the poor dogs face! :-)

You have to click on the picture to make it larger, so you can get the full effect.

Legacy of Princesses

2006-06-22T13:26:00.000-10:00

My Mom made me this costume... I loved it!

Anna & Miriam

Miriam as Sleeping Beauty

Anna as Snow White (she's my mini me)

As you can see royalty runs in the family. I bet you guys didn't know Sam married a princess. :-) Mom the girls are beautiful and I enjoy getting all these pictures, keep 'em coming!

Random thoughts at 1 AM

2006-06-21T01:17:00.000-10:00

So, I have been having problems with sleeping. I can be dead tired, but as soon as I get into the bed I just toss and turn and I can't seem to fall asleep. It is so frustrating ! So since I can't sleep, I write. :-) Aren't you all lucky. So here is my day... I went to the chiropractor, went to the commissary (sorry Dad I forgot the toothpicks), and we went to Wal-mart. Thankfully there were no flying beanbag chairs. :-) Then after dinner we took Magnum on a walk, hoping that would help me sleep... no such luck.
Also, I helped Sam study for his interviews tomorrow. He was nominated for Sailor of the quarter, which is kinda like employee of the month but much better. I guess each division nominates someone for position and then they all have to meet with the "big wigs" and they quiz them on everything from Naval history to stuff they learned in boot camp. It's really intense. We went over this list of questions for a couple of hours. So if you think about it PRAY for him! I'll let you know how it goes.
I'm sitting trying to decide if I'm tired enough to actually fall asleep, it's going on 2 am. I think I'll try. Good-night (hopefully)!

Silliness at Wal-mart

2006-06-18T13:15:00.000-10:00

When we were in mainland last fall, one of our stops was to visit Sam's family in SC. One night we took Amanda (Sam's sister) out for some quality time together. As you can see below they got themselves into trouble. It's not her fault though, she was influenced by her older brother. :-) Sam and Amanda decided that they were going to "test" out these bean-bag chairs. So they go the the very far end of the isle and then start running! Then they dive, and slide the rest of the way to the other end. Of course I remained the mature one... I only took pictures. :-) Ah yes, those are some good memories. Love ya Amanda!

He's how old?

Amanda's turn... check out the look on her face

At some point Amanda fell backwards in her chair and couldn't get up. :-)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

2006-06-17T11:13:00.000-10:00

Christina with her Papi~ 1987
Sam with his father~ 2005

Sam and I just wanted to give tribute to our fathers, and to let them know we love them! A father is the one who is the leader of a family, and we feel like both of our fathers led our family in the most important way, spiritually. So thank you both for being Godly men.

Love,

Sam & Christina

Like Father like Son

2006-06-17T10:56:00.000-10:00

The picture on the bottom is a picture of my dad in the fourth grade... and on the top is my brother Benjamin who is in the fourth grade. The resemblance amazing, isn't it! My little brother is growing up so quickly. Before I know it he'll be a teenager! A teenager who looks and acts like my father... Scary! :-)

My Family!

2006-06-16T13:52:00.000-10:00

My Dad, Anna, Mom, Benjamin, & Miriam
Anna, Benjamin, & Miriam at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago

Well, my family went online last night and checked out all my pictures. Miriam was upset that I had no pictures of her on my blog. So Miriam here you go! I just love the bottom picture of the kids at he zoo. In my head I can just hear what each one is saying. Benjamin has got that "Whoa" look on his face, Anna is like "I wanna touch... Daddy get it for me", and Miriam is just spazing out, like normal! I wonder where she gets that from? :-) I'm sorry I missed out on it. Well, it's the weekend and I am so ready for it! I hope everyone's weekend goes well, and I'd love to hear about it. Much love to you all!

Talk about a BIG dog!

2006-06-15T15:02:00.000-10:00

This is not a dog it's a horse! I don't remember when I first came across this picture, but it was a while ago. This here is Gibson. He's a three year old Harlequin Great Dane (not a Dalmatian, even though he looks like one) and he holds the record of being the tallest dog in the world. He's as tall as an NBA player! Ellen is 5'7½" and as you can see he's way taller! Just thought this was interesting and I wanted to pass it on. It's amazing what you can learn from the internet! :-)

Sweet Pea

2006-06-13T20:56:00.000-10:00

So I've been on an e-bay kick recently, and I found the nursery set I EVENTUALLY want. No this is not my way of telling you guys anything. :-) It's called Sweet Pea from the Grow collection. Isn't it too cute! I love it because it can go for either a girl or a boy. I'm trying to buy small pieces here and there so, when we do start a family I won't be trying to buy all my stuff at once. So if anyone sees this bedding lying around for cheap, let me know! Well, that's all for tonight. I'm going to go cuddle with my husband now. He's on the couch watching Friends. :-) Bye!

Sam's special day

2006-06-12T20:39:00.000-10:00

The Birthday Boy!
The cake (actually it's a big brownie... Sam's favorite)

So today was the big day, Sam's birthday! I asked him last night what he wanted for dinner, and his choice... Shepherd's Pie. Now I've never made it before, so I called some friends and went online and found my recipe. According to Sam it was great,(his words not mine!) so that's what I'm going with. :-) We had ourselves a nice quite evening, because Sam has to work tomorrow. So no partying late for us! :-)

Thanks for the e-mail Yesenia and thanks to my family for calling and singing to Sam. He really enjoyed it. :-)

June 12, 2006

2006-06-11T21:48:00.000-10:00

Here he is... my birthday boy! I just wanted to take a moment to say I have such a wonderful husband. I am so blessed to have him in my life. Now, I'm not saying everything is always perfect, but he sure knows how to make me laugh. Plus, he is so handy around the house. My dad will attest to that, he is always asking when Sam is coming over... not me, just Sam. (I try not to get to bitter about that) I'm just glad they love him as much (or more) as they love me. Anyway...

Happy 26th Birthday Sam!!!!

Reminiscing

2006-06-10T15:43:00.000-10:00

I was looking through some old pictures our church has on its database, and I found this picture of Sam and Anna. (I guess I’m in it too, but I don’t count since I’m not looking at the camera) I think this picture was taken the summer of 2003. Sam and I were “just friends” at this time. (Really, no matter what my Mom says) We were not dating yet, but we did spend a lot of time hanging out together. My friend Keiki had a job that left her with little time to hang out with me, and Sam was just wanting some of my Mother’s food. If you’ve had any of her cooking then you know I’m not kidding. I always joked around with Sam and said he only married me cuz he thought I could cook like my Mom. :-) ANYWAY! It just blows me away to see how tiny Anna was. Time has just flown by! She is growing into such a beautiful young girl. I miss all my siblings very much. It’s so hard for me; especially when I think about the fact that I’m missing them grow up. If I had the money I would try to be there every summer, but alas God has not overly blessed us in that department. So, I guess I have to settle for phone calls, sporadic as they may be, and pictures sent to me via e-mail or my phone. My mom would say it’s my fault because I’m the one who decided to get married… both her and my dad wanted to keep me until I was 35. :-) Well, that’s all for today, thanks for visiting!

Yeah! Our first anniversary card

2006-06-09T15:51:00.000-10:00

So this is our first anniversary card (sent through the mail system) from my cousin Yesenia. (My parents forgot!) Her and her family live in Chicago (go Sox's! That's for you Sen) and we love going to visit them.
I was so worried when I first took Sam to meet them cuz in case you hadn't noticed he's a white boy. :-) But my family loves him (and not just because he's handy around the house), which was such a HUGE blessing. I love all my family and I love that we are so close even though we are far apart. We are a typical Latino family... you know big, loud, and tons of fun! :-) And Sam fits right in. So to my family far away, we love you and think about you often. I am so thankful for my wonderful cousins (and their great kids), my wonderful grandparents, and my WONDERFUL Titi Annie. I miss you all!

ps. I also have to give a special thanks to Yesenia for the card, and also for being one of the only ones to make comments on our blog. It just makes my day hearing from you! (really) Thanks Hun!

Sweetheart's

2006-06-07T22:55:00.000-10:00

So on top of the boat trip Sam also got me a sweetheart ring. It's two hearts joined together. (I know too mushy) His heart is alexandrite on of his birthstone (pearls are also for June, but that's not very masculine) and my heart is peridot. I always hated my birthstone, because it's such an icky green color... but this one's not bad. I like my gift, I'm not complaining! :-)
Well, for those who are wondering, my sunburn is healing quite nicely. I should be pealing any day now! Hopefully I will be able to sleep on my back tonight. The last couple of nights were not fun for either of us. And speaking of sleep, I better get to bed! I am working at the Church this week. Good-night!

A Day On The Boat

2006-06-06T10:09:00.000-10:00

Ok, I guess I should tell all of you about our boating excursion yesterday. :-) For our anniversary Sam got his boating license and took me to the Sand Bar in Kaneohe Bay. Also called Ahu o Laka or "The Sand Bar". This famous area of fine white sand near the center of the bay emerges during low tide, making a unique playground. It's like a beach in the middle of the ocean! It is 60 ft thick and 1.2 mi long. It is about 1 mile offshore. (For those of you who like details) Often, on weekends, boats line up on the downwind side of this bar. Since it was a Monday, we practically had the whole area to ourselves. When we first arrived at 8:30 in the morning, the tide was in, meaning two to three feet of water covered all the sand. We tried to take Magnum out in the water with us (on the boogie board) but he hated the water! He got so scared, and kept swimming back to the boat. So we let him get back into the boat, and Sam and I went exploring. We are only a few feet from the boat when my leg starts stinging. I stopped and asked Sam to look at it but he said nothing was there. So we kept on walking, but after a while I was like, THIS REALLY HURTS!!! So we head back to the boat and on the way we see the cause of my problem... a Portuguese Man-o-war! If you don't know what they are check this link out.(http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/portugue.html)
So we get back on the boat and pull up anchor and find ourselves a different spot to snorkel in. While snorkeling we saw tons of sea turtles and beautiful fish. The pictures I put up yesterday were from the digital camera, but we also had an underwater camera with us. Hopefully, I'll get those pictures developed soon cuz I think we have some shots of the turtles. So, we were out on the boat all day, from 8:30am to 4:30 pm. Sam and I both put on sunblock, but we both got burnt to a crisp! I have never been burnt this bad in my life! I am so miserable. I think all the getting in and out of the water washed away all our WATERPROOF sun block. I oughta sue. :-) Other than getting extra crispy, we had such a great time. So now when you guys come visit us (that's an open invitation to everyone) we have some place cool to take you. Now I'm off to put more aloe on my sunburn. (if you have any suggestions please let me know!) Love you all!

Anniversary Pictures

2006-06-05T21:27:00.000-10:00

Captain Sam
beautiful view!
This is where we were, out there in the water
Magnum gives "driving" a try
Me before I got burnt!
Our pooped out pup
China man's hat
Sam fell when trying to pull the anchor up, and fell on the coral... Ouch!
The island where they filmed Gilligan's Island
Sam being Sam

Bobble Heads

2006-06-04T15:27:00.000-10:00

The top one is the final product, and no that's not marker I etched it all into the wood. Cool huh! The bottom one is the rough draft

So our Pastor at Ohana has this thing... He married us 2 years ago and he doesn't "charge" anything for officiating the ceremony. Well, except for this; his thing is that for every year we are HAPPILY married Sam must pay him a dollar for each year. So come Monday we owe him 2 dollars. Well this year Sam and I came up with our own unique way of paying him back. :-) We took 50 cent rolls and made Sam, Christina, and Magnum bobble heads. Now if you're looking at the picture you might think we are 50 cents short, but we're not! See there are Quarters behind our faces to help support them, and actually Magnum has an extra penny supporting his head. Sam said that's cuz we had a very good year. So here's the run down...
Piece of wood- 45 cents
Change, super glue, and pictures- $7.50
The look on our Pastor's face- PRICELESS!

Magnum

2006-06-02T20:08:00.000-10:00

he's got a big head, and a small body... but he's cute!

For those of you who didn't know about Magnum, here is his "story". We adopted him the beginning of April. It was like a movie. (dramatic pause, que the music) Sam wanted to take me to the Humane Society. (It was raining tons!) We were going on 41 days of straight rain, worse than Noah! But that's another long story. So there we are, standing in front of all these cages, soaking wet despite an umbrella. Yes, it was a sight to see. All the dogs were soaking wet, and most were hiding in the back of the kennels where it was dry. But not this little guy, he saw Sam and came running to him, and Sam was like "I want that one" but I was not really feeling it. (cuz you know I was expecting love at first sight) But Sam was adamant about seeing him. So we took him out of the kennel to look at him, and dried him off a little. It was interesting cuz the areas they normally set aside for the "meet and greet" were outside in the rain, so we were stuck in this little bitty room. :-) Anyway, as he (the dog) started drying off and getting used to us, I fell in love (Sam already knew he wanted him) and we took him home that very day! Yeah, totally not ready for a dog but we didn't want him stuck there in the rain for another night. He is such our baby now! He is so good, and his personality is too funny! He's like a little person. I know I keep rambling on about him, but he's like my baby now. :-) He want nameless for a few days, because Sam wanted his to have the right name. He's a small dog, Welsh Corgi, and Sam wanted a manly name to counter that. We tried all sorts of names to see how he would react to them, (think Dodge, Stubby, SnickerDoodle... you get the idea) but we finally settled on Magnum... not Magnum PI, more like Dodge Magnum (the car). See he's so Sam's dog! Well, there you have it, that's how we acquired the newest member to the Porter family.

The Porter's

2006-06-02T14:10:00.000-10:00

Welcome family and friends! Sam and I decided this would be a fun way to keep in touch and to share some pictures of us. I hope to hear from you all soon. :-)
This Monday we will be celebrating our 2 year anniversary! I can't believe how fast the time flown by. Thankfully Sam will have leave for two days, so we won't have an experience like last years anniversary. (he was on the submarine, deep in the water) I'm not sure what we will be doing because Sam has been very secretive about the whole thing. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Love you!
Sam, Christina, & Magnum