Spam Musubis and Island Park

This past week has been CRAZY! Waiaka and I have been so busy. 

On Wednesday, Waiaka had to prepare for his Polynesian Culture Association party which was happening on Thursday, so he had his vice-presidents over to help with that. We went to the store and bought all the ingredients for spam musubi. If you haven't had it, it is kind of like sushi. It is rice and spam wrapped in seaweed. Don't be afraid of spam, its good! So we spent a few hours with his vice-presidents over working on making them but they had somewhere else to be so they left before we could even start wrapping them. Right after they left, Waiaka started feeling like he was getting the flu, so it was up to me to make all the musubis! I was kind of nervous, considering native Polynesians were going to be eating them, but I got pretty good at making them! It was a fun experience and Waiaka was sad he couldn't help. But he was cheering me on the whole time, telling me that I was doing a good job.

Spam musubis and fruit with li hing mui on it

Thursday was the Polynesian Culture Association party! It was the first one of the semester and we had a great turn-out! Everyone is really excited for the meetings to learn native dances, songs. and recipes. I am excited to go too so I can learn more about my husband's culture! Waiaka is a great president and everyone loves him (not like I'm surprised about that!).

What a hot president! ;)

On Friday, Waiaka came home from school pretty late because he had a bunch of tests and studying to do. When he got home we relaxed for a little bit, then we went to my cousin Cassie's house. She and her husband Drew invited us over for dinner and a scary movie. We ate chicken enchiladas and I made my fruit salad. After dinner we watched "House at the end of the street". It was my first time watching it and it was pretty freaky! I highly recommend it if you're looking for a good thriller. We always love spending time with them because they are not only good friends but also family! And they have a cute puppy, Loki!

On Saturday, we both got up early (boooo). I headed to Idaho Falls to help a friend pick out a wedding dress and Waiaka went to the library to do some more studying. It was really fun for me to go wedding dress shopping again because it brought back so many memories of preparing for my own wedding. The whole day the girls I was with kept asking about my wedding and reception and it was so fun to share those experiences with them (since I didn't know them back when we got married). I so wish I could relive my wedding day! It was the best day ever! When I came home, I powered through some homework and Waiaka came home. Around 5 we went up to Island Park with a group of friends. Our friend Shane has a cabin up there that is super nice and relaxing to be at. It is always nice to get away, even if it is just for a few hours. We all made dinner together and then we played some games. We made some dessert and then just all relaxed and talked. It was so nice to not have to worry about work or school and just enjoy ourselves.

Natalie, Mallory, me and Taylor.

Waiaka, Shane, and Adam. So serious.

Today (Oct.12) is our 6 month anniversary! I love being married to Waiaka. He lights up my life and I could not picture my life without him. These past 6 months have easily been the best months of my life and I can not wait to spend eternity with him. 

Thanks for reading! We love you all and hope you have an awesome week!

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General Conference Weekend!

Every April and October, our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) has something called General Conference. It is a time where all the members come together to listen to the words of the leaders of our church. It is such an inspirational and inspired time. There are two sessions on Saturday and two on Sunday. Growing up in Chicago, I've never had the chance to attend the sessions in person in Salt Lake City. Waiaka has been a few times before, but we haven't gone together yet. Well this past conference was the 4th and 5th of this month and we got tickets! I was so excited to finally attend this meeting in person. We had tickets for the Saturday morning session and Sunday afternoon. 

We drove down to Utah Friday afternoon and went straight to Provo for Waiaka's mission reunion. Unfortunately, the traffic was so absurd that we barely made it for the end of his reunion. We still had the chance to talk to some of his friends and his mission president and his wife, so it was still worth the trip. Afterwards, we met up with our friends Shane and Elise at In-N-Out burger. I always try to make it to In-N-Out when I'm in Utah because they don't have one in Idaho and it is one of my favorite places to eat. Afterwards, we went to my grandparents house because they were kind enough to let us stay with them.

This is the conference center!

The next morning we woke up early to get ready to drive to Salt Lake City to go to the first session of conference. After we parked, we walked over to Temple Square. It was our first time back since we got married there, so it was fun to be by the temple and reflect on that amazing day. We had to wait in line to get in for about 15 minutes but after impatiently waiting we got into our seats. We were on the balcony level which is kind of far from the speakers, but just being in the same building as such inspired men and women made my heart feel full. It was amazing to see and hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in person; they are such a talented choir. The talks were inspirational and the Spirit was so strong. 


After the first session, we went to lunch with Shane and Elise and then headed back to my grandparents' home to watch the second session. It was equally as amazing as the first! Once the second session was over, Shane and Elise left and Waiaka and I worked on homework (fun, right?). Once that was finally done, we met up with my cousins, Rachel and Erin. They go to school at BYU in Provo and it was so nice to see them since I hadn't since the wedding. We met at Culvers which is a restaurant we always eat at back home. It made me kind of homesick, but it was a fun time. 

The next day, we woke up and watched the Sunday morning session of conference. I made some cookies and other treats and we ate them during conference so we wouldn't fall asleep. Between sessions, we made some lunch. Then we watched the second session at my grandparents instead of at the conference center. After the second session, I took a long nap! When I woke up, we started packing up and getting ready to leave. My grandparents worked as ushers at the conference center the whole weekend so we didn't get to see much of them. We waited to leave until they came home on Sunday night and we went to Applebees with them for dinner. It was so fun to finally see them and spend some time with them. They are the sweetest.

After such an exciting weekend, we drove back up to Rexburg. I loved attending General Conference and watching it from my grandparents' house. I felt very uplifted and edified. I encourage you all to check out the conference talks! You can find them at www.lds.org. I love being a member of my church and if you have any questions about it, let Waiaka and I know. 

Thanks for reading! We love you.

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