2012 - A year in review

2012 was a pretty big year for us.  Before I move on to '13, I just wanted to remember some of the best moments of last year.

January:  Such a great month.  We started the month with this... 

The 14th national title for Bama made for a pretty happy husband.  Hopefully we start 2013 the same way! 

Then Pinedo Family came out for a trip in January also.  We went to the pro-bowl with them - so fun!

Maxwell had fun meeting all the pro-bowl cheerleaders

February was another fun month.  My best friend Emilie came out here for a fun trip for two weeks.  We did all sorts of fun things - including swimming with sharks! 

Julie, Erik & Grace also came out to visit in February.  

Poly Cultural Center

March brought Mike home from a mission in Cambodia just in time to celebrate his 30th birthday! 

We were lucky to have Marianne and Jim in town here to welcome Mike home also!

April was the best month of the year for us.  On April 28th we were sealed for time and all eternity in the Bountiful, Utah temple.  It was such a wonderful day and we had support from so many friends and family members... I will never forget it! 

May was back to the island for us!  We moved from our apartment in Waikiki to a much nicer place in Salt Lake/Aiea area.  It has been a lot nicer for Mike to not have to commute through all the traffic to get to base!

Our old place in Waikiki

Our new place in Salt Lake!  

May was spent with friends and enjoying island life!

June was an adventure filled month!  Mike was a groomsman for his buddies wedding in Iowa.  So we got to take a two week trip around the U.S. filled with friends, family, and awesome sightseeing! 

We started with the Vegas temple and Hoover Dam! 

We headed to the midwest for Sam & Rachel's wedding. 

We shot guns and went kayaking in the days before the wedding. 

We also got to spend a day in Nauvoo, Illinois.  My favorite part was seeing the Nauvoo Temple and Carthage Jail.  

We headed up to Minnesota and spent a day with one of my best friends, Morgan.  It was so fun to see her and catch up for a while!

Then it was off to Utah to visit family some more.  

We went to Arizona to see Mike's parents who happened to be there at the time.  On our way we stopped by the Grand Canyon 

We spent a relaxing few days in Prescott with Marianne and Jim.

Then it was back to Vegas to catch out flight home.  But not before stopping at the Stratosphere and riding all the rides! 

July slowed down a little.  I did cross off one major hike from my bucket list - conquered the 'Stairway to Heaven' hike! 

August brought more family out here!  Jana, Greg & the boys were able to make it out here for a fun filled Hawaii trip!  Sadly, Mike was only here for part of it since he had to go to the big island for some training for work (He hiked the Moana Loa volcano)!  We had a blast visiting with family! 

September brought more with it yet another fun visit with the in-laws!  They were busy cruising the world, and we were lucky they got to stop for a day in HAWAII!  So my sweet mom-in-law and I had a wonderful adventure going zip lining in Maui! 

Another fun thing September brought was the discovery of our deep love for shaved ice on the North Shore!  Mike and I like to take trips up their to savor the goodness whenever we can! 

And last, but certainly not least was the Moanalua Ward roadshow.  It was so fun to get to know all the awesome people in our ward, and Mike's part of the skit was probably one of the funniest thing I've ever seen. 

October was back to work for me!  I started working in scheduling for Ho'okele Care at Home.       We also started hanging out with the Garrett's and the Aubrey's a lot this month!  We are so lucky to have great friends out here! 

November was an eventful month.  Mike spent the month in Tarowa for work.  My parents came out to visit and we had a wonderful week together!  I was so happy they were able to come out here! 

December brought with it some new callings for Mike and I!  We had been teaching in the primary... we both got called to be in the Young Women/Young Men's presidencies respectively.  I am so excited about working with the youth!

Mike's buddy Sam also flew out here for a few weeks in December and we had some fun adventures having him here as well! 

Mike's parents caught us one more time in December as they cruised back through...  They came in on a day that Mike was involved with an arrival ceremony of some of the remains they had found in Tarowa.  It was a really touching experience to be a part of! 

"Year's end is neither an ending nor a beginning, but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." -Hal Borland