K&T Adventure Part 2

Okay so it's been a few posts since I posted about the first part of our summer travels.
So here is the second part! As I've mentioned many times Taylor was born and raised in Hawaii (on Oahu), so frequent trips to Hawaii was just all part of the package deal marrying the handsome guy :). Because of his job, Taylor and I were only able to visit Hawaii for five days during Christmas (we were already engaged, but that was the first time I actually met his family!). Because of that, we wanted to make sure we got more than enough time with his family this summer. After Kane (pronounced "Kahnay"....sorry that's my best shot at explaining that without crazy symbols and such) and Rachel's wedding, we flew out to Hawaii for a monthlong adventure. Before I post pictures, I'll just explain what our trip consisted of so that the pictures all makes sense (it won't hurt my feelings if you just skip to the pictures...there are a LOT of them. I will also bold the main parts of my explanations below that go with the pictures (shoot, is my A.D.D. showing?? :).

• After a day of being on Oahu, we flew first class (for a whole 30 minutes---and just because we flew standby) to the Big Island for a miniature second part of a honeymoon. You see, we got married mid-semester, so we only got a couple days for a honeymoon and then we had to go back to school. This little honeymoon was so much fun and we stayed at the Hilton at Waikaloa Village. It was so nice to have time to relax, swim, snorkel, and enjoy the AMAZING buffet breakfasts there (good thing we didn't stay too long!). 

• My siblings flew in a few days before our Hawaii wedding reception (I say reception because it definitely wasn't just an open house!). Basically all they wanted to do was go to the beach. All day. Every day. My mom later flew out the night before the reception as well :) (she's working with the Especially For Youth program for the LDS church this summer, so she's crazy buzy. I was happy she could come for a few days). 

• On June 22 we had an amazing and beautiful wedding reception. It was so much fun meeting so many kind and generous people who are close to the Hibbs family. Everyone did such an amazing job putting together an amazing night. I was completely surprised when I saw that they really went all out, even for a second reception. My favorite and probably the most heart warming moments of the night was the cutest hula performed by our nieces, Emmie, Peyton, and Kealia.

• Taylor and I took the nieces to go see the new movie Brave. These girls are seriously the cutest girls ever. Since we're nowhere ready to have our own children, I enjoy spending time with our nieces and nephews as much as possible when we visit because I just love kids! The first time I met the girls in December we had a 'girls night' (aka "Uncle Taylor" isn't allowed--according to the girls) and we made 'princess' hair (the girls loved being dolled up). Naturally, we had to do princess hair to go see the movie as well. Later in the trip Taylor and I stopped by the Children's Place to buy one of our nephews a birthday present. I almost died when I saw how inexpensive and cute some of the clothes there were. So, we ended up leaving the store with a birthday present for Kaiakea...as well as three matching swimsuits for the girls. Really, until I have my own little girls, I plan on spending my time spoiling these girls (I love boys, too, but I'm just a little partial to dressing up girls all cute seeing that I'm a really girly girl). 

• Speaking of Kaiakea (OK here's the best I can do: Kyuhkayuh...haha oh gosh), we helped celebrate his first birthday at his first birthday luau! To be honest, when Taylor and I first started dating I did NOT understand the big deal that Hawaiians make about a child's first birthday. What I later learned was that basically, way back when, because people didn't always live very long, many of them didn't even live until their first birthday. Because of this, Hawaiians make first birthdays a very big celebration. I'm not even joking when I say Kaiakea's party was soooo legit. It was complete with awesome decorations, a face-painter, live musicians, a balloon artist, super yummy Hawaiian food, and another adorable hula from our nieces. 

• I spent my first time away from home and immediate family for the Fourth of July. I had a lot of fun experiencing what that holiday is like in Hawaii (it's a little different feel since Hawaii didn't used to be U.S. territory). However, it did really make me appreciate the traditions and celebration in Provo for the Fourth. But we had really good food, spent time with family, and watched the Macy's firework show on TV :). 

• Among all these significant events, Taylor and I got to spend a lot of quality time with his family. We also did some snorkeling (per my request. I looooove snorkeling!), lots of swimming, lots of laying out and getting a healthy tan (I won't lie, this was probably the first summer that I was responsible and used sufficient sunscreen). Oh, and, of course, we spent a lot of time eating some great food(which I'm now paying for at the gym :).  

First Days

We spent some time at the pool by my MIL's house

This is Kealia :) 

"Uncle Taylor" with Peyton

This is Emmie

Here we have Kealia's brother Kaiakea 

Now before you get all judgy thinking we're drowning the child, this boy LOVES water. Notice his smile. He thinks that going under and out of water all the time is hilarious. I wish you could hear his cute laugh. He loves being splashed, thinks its hilarious when water gets in his mouth and eyes, and anything/everything else that most kids his age probably hate in the water. He is such a water boy. 

I love watching Taylor with his nieces. When we were dating he told me the only people I really needed to impress were his nieces, haha :). 

Love this photo! 

Big Island 

So excited to fly First Class for my first time!

When I was little I used to watch old "Brady Bunch" episodes. In the episode where they go to Hawaii I gained the false perception that EVERY plane that flies to Hawaii lets you off by having you walk right off the plane down the stairs. Hence, I was very excited when we actually got to do that when we landed on the Big Island. 

The resort had so many pools and waterslides. It was so fun! 

I was like a giddy child as we watched people get lessons with dolphins. We contemplated doing this, but thought we'd save our $400 and doing something else for half an hour. (Yes, really. $200 (with a discount) for only 30 minutes!). 

This is why I love him :) 

Shows how cultured I am. I thought these real flamingos were fake. Don't worry, I didn't ever think the fake ones in the back were real :). 

I love that they had random hot tubs here and there among all the pools. 

Awkward photo. But whatevs. Just keeping it real. 

SIBLING TIME

Lydia (18), Chris (16), and Andrea (13) added a lot of fun and energy to our week. We missed our oldest sibling Nicole, though! She and her husband are living in PA for the summer while he has an internship (he's in law school at UT during the year). *Note: Taylor isn't in the water in these pictures because the poor guy got ear infections in *both* ears and was told he couldn't swim. He was still a trooper and took us to many beaches and chilled while we swam. 

We got a little crazy/hyper and took these random/ "ship wreck"-inspired photos (if you know my siblings these won't surprise you):

Andrea just made her school's cheer team, and obviously loves it: 

My Mowgli hair at its best. 

Chris sometimes has a short attention span. He got bored at one of the beaches really quickly one day so Taylor, being unable to swim, took it upon himself to entertain Chris. Guess it worked! 

Once my mom joined us we went on a FOUR A.M. hike to watch the sun rise. Although it was rainy that day (hence, not much of a sunrise), we had lots of fun.

Being a dancer, I have a large collection of random socks. And I love them. Don't judge. :)

WE MISSED YOU NICOLE!!

HAWAII RECEPTION:

A few months before our Hawaii reception, the chapel in Kaneohe (the original location for our reception) was having work done on the roof when a REALLY bad storm hit. Family, friends, and ward members worked SO hard to put this reception together half an hour away from the original location. It was so pretty! 

My mother-in-law surprised us with this cake topper. It's a glass Provo Temple :) 

Meet Uncle Ronnie. The cutest little man ever. He's actually Taylor's great-uncle, but we just call him Uncle. He and Noelle here are best buddies. Literally. The girl loves him. Noelle is Emmie and Peyton's sister. 

This is my sister-in-law Trisha. And this is Noelle's famous smile. When she sees the light of a camera (before the flash goes off) she automatically makes this face! 

And here are our other nephews Zack (left) and Anson (right) with the girls. They are such energetic and active little boys. They looked so cute in their Sunday best! 

I told you this thing was legit. We cut the cake and had another "first" dance! 

Thought I'd change up the shoes to fit the occasion. Excuse my ugly feet. 

Grandma!!! I love this lady. 

My mother-in-law and me. 

I gave up trying to manage my hair in the humidity of Hawaii. Taylor's cousin's mom did a great job on it I thought! 

(This butterfly was my Grandma's)

{Beach time before my family left}

Kaiakea and Noelle had their first Cheeto experience. They LOVED them. It was so funny to watch. 

How hilarious is this towel/cover-up???

BRAVE {and "Princess Hair"}

The Matching Suits

I just couldn't help myself! 

*Girls Night*

This time we decided to build a fort to sleep under. We watched a movie while simultaneously playing barbies, painting nails, and drawing. It's possible, trust me! #longbutfunnight

Kaiakea's First Birthday Luau

The Fourth of July

Sometimes my husband is really good at homemaker-type things. I guess growing up with all sisters has taught him a thing or two! 

My first bundt cake I've ever made. This was my second try of the day. We won't talk about what the first one turned out like haha. But I was so proud of the second one! #thankyoupinterest

Well guys, that's it. That's what we were doing in Hawaii for a month. 

And now for some

{BLOOPERS}

Not only did we get to go to Kane and Rachel's California reception, but we also got to go to their Hawaii reception, too. They had this AMAZING live entertainment group called "A Touch of Gold". They were top of the line with their singing, dancing, and especially their humiliation. The group went around and would pick women out to sing to. They targeted Grandma and I think they loved how embarrassed she was so they spent some extra time with her, making sure they flirted, teased, and hit on her just for some extra discomfort. You see Grandma doesn't really like to show much affection or anything, so this much attention and such really embarrassed her! We all got a kick out of it. The best part was when I found out that she was mad at me because she thought I had put them up to it (I had teased that she was next after they picked on the first lady). So funny! 

Hair. Let's just say that my hair does not like the heat, humidity, and wind. Considering that Hawaii has a lot of all of those, I just lost it one car ride. Took these gems while trying to make the best of my unmanageable mane.

Awkw@rd 

???

{Name Change! Kelsey B. Nielsen Hibbs}

{Some Goodies}

I took this photo on the way to our reception because it was probably one of the few times I felt that I looked civilized/put together considering the activities our trip consisted of. Yay for makeup and jewelry!

One Sunday Emmie and Peyton wore their plastic dress-up jewelry to church. Now there's some bling! So cute. 

{MY FAVORITE}

I saw this picture every time we went to Grandma's house. I just love this picture of Taylor. I seriously hope our kids look something like this. Love his little mouth and little {big} ears!!!

Well guys, there's some more pictures for ya! And that's all. 

Comfy Comfy's & Mowgli hair {updates}

Hey everyone, I'm working on posting the rest of our summer trip, my birthday, etc. For today, however, I just have some quick catching up to do. Taylor just got a job doing security at the MTC (Missionary Training Center for LDS missionaries :), and I just had an interview for a new job today, but I won't hear back for a few weeks. We'll see! Today I bought a pattern for a quilt so that I can make use of all the scraps I have from different sewing projects. I sure hope it actually turns out. We'll see how that goes! I'm also working on some cute drapes for our living room. I am having a hard time knowing what to do now that we're not traveling like crazy, but it's nice to have some time to catch up on cleaning, laundry, and especially crafts!

Hopefully soon (ish) I'll be able to show you a picture of a lovely quilt made out of allll these scraps.

Real quick. Yesterday was July 24. We had a lot of fun at the Orem Owlz game with friends. I wasn't able to see fireworks live (we watched them on TV haha) for the fourth of July, so when I found out there would be fireworks after the Owlz game, we just had to go. 

 There was some wind and rain, which inspired some cozy male bonding {above}, as well as a makeshift tent with an extra blanket we had {below}.

This is Andrea and Bo. They are some of my best friends. And oh, so cute together :)

Yesterday was also an important day in my life---not having anything to do with pioneers, though. A year ago yesterday, Taylor came over to my apartment to do 'laundry'. His apartment didn't have a washer and dryer, so I would often let him use my apartment's. While yes, he did do laundry that day, soon after he arrived I found that he had an alternative motive. My young girl (ha ha, okay it was only a year ago, but 'young girl' makes it sound more romantic) dream of having Taylor come and confess his love for me came true! Although, he didn't tell me he loved me (obviously, that'd be a little bit creep status----too fast), and he didn't exactly tell me his feelings in a traditional way. You see, I often joke about my appearance when my hair is unkempt and a little crazy for whatever reason. I did this a lot during SOAR because we didn't always have time to get as 'ready' as we'd like because we had early mornings and late nights as counselors. During my freshman year of college I earned the nickname Mowgli (yes, as in the little orphaned, shirtless boy in the Jungle Book) because I used to dance with my hair down in class (when my hair was not as long as it is now) and it would get messy. Hence, I looked like a little boy who climbed trees with messy hair and sang about the 'bare necessities' of life with a large, friendly bear. Anyway, the other important information for this story is that if you know me you know (if you don't, you know now) that I love my 'comfy comfy's'. AKA sweats. My sophomore year of college I was dancing ALL the time at school so when I got home nothing sounded better than putting on a very large pair of sweats and just being 'comfy'. However, the name 'comfy comfy's' was a better name to me than just 'comfy'. 

Me wearing some comfy comfy's {above} and an example of Mowgli hair {below}

                                    {This was on a hike up the 'Y' mountain during SOAR}

 

So instead of telling me, "Kelsey, I like you. I want to date you." Taylor told me--as he referred to me in third person-- that he liked a girl who rocked Mowgli hair and who liked to wear comfy comfy's. And it's all history after that. 

It's just crazy to think how life can be so different after only a year. A year ago I would never had thought that on July 25, 2012--one year later-- I'd be sitting in my apartment {one that I share with a boy instead of the usual girls I lived with}, blogging about my married life adventures, and taking care of wife duties. While I may not have expect these things to happen, I sure am glad that they did. And that's all. :) 

The miracle of 'today'

Hey friends.

So here I am trying to be productive and do all our laundry that reeks of campfire from our recent family reunion.. Just as I was about to turn off the TV, a story on KSL Studio 5 came on and it almost had me in tears {lately I've been good at almost crying but not losing it when something is sad or inspiring}. The story was about a four-year-old boy named Cooper who was accidentally backed over by a car in his own driveway.

This post isn't meant to be about depressing and sad tragedies, but more about what I have been reminded of by them. Taylor and I were only gone for about a month visiting family. In that one month we heard of four different people who were tragically and unexpectedly killed in an accident of some sort. We didn't know any of them personally, but three out of the four were either relatives, friends, or siblings of people we know. Each time we heard the news I was reminded of the blessing that being alive is.

These were four people under the age of 45 who probably thought they'd live a long life.

These stories reminded me of and made me want to share about how grateful I am for the people and things that Heavenly Father gave me and continues to give me to have the most beautiful life. These stories also reminded me of how precious life really is. Something that I learned, that luckily I've been able to remember and try to practice daily, from my father's premature death almost five years ago is to be grateful for every single day that we live and for each day we have with our friends and loved ones.

Tomorrow is the five-year anniversary of my father's passing. I have absolutely no doubt that his passing was part of Heavenly Father's plan. I had heard a story once when I was young about two brothers who got in a big fight over something very little and went to bed mad at each other. The next morning one of the brothers didn't wake up. He had died in his sleep from some kind of brain problem {sorry that I don't remember exactly what or have the correct terminology}. Ever since then I tried to make it a habit to always tell my family I loved them when I went to bed or when we parted ways. The last time I saw my dad was five years ago as I said goodbye to him before the rest of my family was leaving somewhere. He gave me a hug and a kiss and told me he loved me. I don't know why, but I felt like I should just give him one more hug 'goodbye'...just in case. I am so grateful that I listened to that small voice and feeling because I can still distinctly remember my last works and hug to him here on Earth.

Life really is such a precious gift. Since my husband is from Hawaii, and I from Utah, people always ask if we're going to live there one day and tell me how awesome it is that my husband is from such an exotic place. It was then that I realized that it really doesn't matter to me where we end up, but more about who we're surrounded by---such as our loved ones and friends.

I recently read a book {if you know me well then I should explain that yes I did read and enjoy a book {for some reason I really have never been a big reader. I think I have too much A.D.D. to sit and read for too long. But I obviously love writing!}}. This book is called Heaven is Here. It's written by Stephanie Nielson, a plane-crash survivor and writer of the blog http://nieniedialogues.com/. I read this book right after I had experienced some extremely painful back problems, some of which I am still struggling with. At the time I was so focused on how hard my life was {embarrassing to say out loud, but who likes fake people right? ...Just being honest}. Anyway, I was unable to really do anything physical at all. As I read this book I realized that even though I couldn't do many things I loved or was used to doing at the time {my dancing career is basically over as far as I know now}, I still had so many other blessings in life. I'm not here to preach to anyone, but if you're looking for a good read, or if you're feeling down about life, you should read this book.

After reading this book, I was able to put my trial of back problems into perspective. Just like Stephanie, even though my body isn't perfect, I am alive. I have tried to keep this in mind any time I start complaining about things in my life that might not be perfect.

Each time I hear of the unexpected passing of someone I am again reminded of how grateful I am to be alive. I am so grateful for my husband Taylor. He makes me laugh and smile every day. I am grateful for my body, even in its imperfections. I am so grateful every morning that I wake up and realize that Heavenly Father has given me another day to live and make a difference in my life, and hopefully in the lives of others. Every day the fact that I am able to say the word 'today' I realize that 'today' is a miracle because it's another day that Heavenly Father has given me.


As I was writing this post I heard on the news of two more deaths on the news, and found out about one more death of a friend's father. It really is crazy how fast life can be taken, which is why 'today' is a miracle. And that's all.


***I mentioned at the beginning of this post about a little boy Cooper who was accidentally killed. Here is the beautiful video they showed on the news segment. Cooper's family is holding the annual 'Cooper's Run' next Saturday, July 28th. If you're interested, I saw the family talking about it and it really is a good cause. The money from registering for the 5k run goes toward a scholarship they have created in Cooper's name. They even said if you don't register but still want to go you can. They just want support. After the 5k they also have a 'fun run/walk' for kids, teens, adults, everyone! Click here for more information.


Have a beautiful 'today' everyone!

Liebster Blog Award

Dear 'I Just Like the "B"' readers,

I welcome you to the Liebster Blog Award ceremony....hope you're dressed for the occasion. :)

My adorable friend Katie over at ktandcamsmith awarded me the Liebster blog award. I feel so special. Really. Haha. I love to write and share fun things, so I'm glad at least one person other than myself enjoys it as well :)

{no this is not an award ceremony for myself...it's just how this got started. Don't judge, just keep reading}

In German, Liebster means {beloved, dearest, or favorite}.

Katie is an amazing dancer, good friend, and just so fun to be around. She's also hilarious. Thanks, Katie, for the award!

I have awarded the following people this award:

1. Nicole Nielsen Ellsworth, my older sister. She's so good at documenting her life and especially sharing pictures. She's the best traveler I know, and quite domestic. She always has something fun and new to look at on her blog. Click here to check out her blog!

2. Audrey Pedersen over at her blog  also gets this award. She has the most adorable child ever! Audrey gave birth to sweet Darbi {see below} extremely premature and I've been amazed to watch how well Audrey and her husband Clint have done to raise such an amazing child regardless of a rough beginning. Audrey is the cutest scrapbooker, crafter, styler, etc. Check her blog out!

3. Kelsie Stuart and her cute blog are also receiving this award. Kelsie and I were roommates before I got married. Kelsie is sooo crafty and is a great writer. Go read and follow!

4. Brielle Story over at Story's From the Crypt was an easy candidate for this award. Brielle and her husband spent a few months living in a morg. Literally. She shared some pretty interesting stories and experiences during that time.  I'll just leave it at that so you're forced to go read!

5. Last but not least, I give this award to my cute friend Katie Ashby over at her blog . As I was trying to figure out who to give the last spot to, I read her most recent post and I just love how honest she is. Plus she always has fun new crafts, recipes, etc. Go read and follow!

In order to accept the award: 

1. Link back to the person who gave it to you. Make sure you are a

 follower of the person who gave you the award.

2. Post the award to your blog.

3. Give the award to at least 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers.

4. Leave a comment on the 5 blogs to let them know that they have 

been offered this award.