Tuesday, December 31, 2024

December: Christmas Music, Christmas, a trip to Washington and New Years Eve

 December was full of fun concerts, lots of yummy food, visits with family and friends and the wonderful Christmas holiday. We had our twins home from December 7-January 4....almost an entire month! It's getting quite tricky to find gifts for our boys. They are all old enough that toys just won't cut it anymore. I wish we could just give them some money and call it "good" but they do still love the excitement of opening gifts under the tree. Hyrum does a great job every year of coming up with fantastic, practical but also silly gifts. I told him he has to stick around for many more years...our family would be lost without him!


Oma came to Portland for a short visit. We walked around the Portland Audubon Society park.


We went to a "Hawaiian Christmas" concert. It was fun. The singer did a great job and a lot of his songs were accompanied by dancers, so it was really enjoyable.

My front entryway. I bought the Santa just this year to go with the elf...I think it's pretty festive:)

I work with the Activity Day girls for our ward (girls age 8-12) For our December activity we combined with the boys group and we made wood block nativity sets. I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to do this, there was SO much paper to cut out to prep for this activity. I think the kids had fun and they turned out pretty cute but I won't be doing this again any time soon!


We found the best little tree for our Christmas (we went on December 21st and we were so happy the tree farm was still open!)


Did I mention it was an absolutely gorgeous evening. The sunset made the entire hillside glow:)

Katrina and I braved the crowds and went to Tuba Christmas in Portland. Always a fun concert, especially when the rain holds off:)


We took the whole family to see a "Charlie Brown Christmas Live" We thought they would play the movie while the orchestra played the score but instead they had live actors play out the movie while the orchestra played. Not nearly as good as if they had just shown the movie.

We walked down to Pioneer Square after the concert to see the giant Christmas tree all lit up.


Jason just bought his first house and needed some help painting some walls. We all showed up and knocked out the whole house in a few hours. It was the boys first time painting and they all did a great job!




We attended "A Celtic Christmas" and we all agreed this was a wonderful concert. They played Celtic music and had some Celtic dancing but there was also a man from Ireland that told wonderful stories about his childhood growing up...it was a heartwarming event


We enjoyed our Christmas Eve with the Doxey family where we have to perform "talents" to get a special "grab bag" surprise. This year Emerson wrote with his right and left hands (which they looked pretty identical) I performed the Maori "stick game" with Hyrum, Julian and Townsend did a balancing game where they tried to push each other off balance...it was a very fun night.

I went to Midnight Mass at St. Mathews Church in Hillsboro. They didn't have an organ or a great choir so I might try a different church next year.

Christmas kitty waiting for Santa to come

The tree awaits Christmas morning

We have a relaxing morning. The boys don't usually wake up until around 11 and then we have a wonderful breakfast before opening gifts. I like how slow and easy our Christmas mornings are.


The boys posing with the ornaments they got from Grandma and Grandpa Johnson

The aftermath!

Hyrum cooked up an amazing Christmas dinner that we shared with the Doxey family

We are so lucky to live close to the Doxey's so we can share so many wonderful times together.

I took the boys to the mall after Christmas so we could donate with the "Giving Machine" We donated shelter, clothing, migrant legal services and vaccines. I'm glad the boys were eager to donate to those in need.

The weekend after Christmas I drove up to Washington to spend some time with the Christensen family. Their daughter, Maggie, is getting married in May 2025 and she invited me up to go wedding dress shopping with her. I had a blast! It was so wonderful to hang out with this great family and to participate in Maggie's wedding preparations:)

This was my favorite dress she tried on...unfortunately it was $4,000 and she just couldn't bring herself to spend that much money on a dress. But she looked absolutely stunning!

Hanging out with the crazy Christensen crew:)

I requested Aaron's homemade sushi and we had so much fun making it together.

Ready to dig into the sushi feast! The man on the right is Maggie's fiancé, Heller

And on top of being able to hang out with some of my favorite people...their goats had some babies just a few days earlier and I got to snuggle baby goats!  Best trip ever!!

The power went out on New Years Eve around 5:00. We were going to go to Katrina's for our annual party and almost cancelled but we are so glad we made it work. We just ate and played games with lanterns and candles...it was actually quite cozy and memorable


Ringing in the New Year at midnight with some fireworks.  Goodbye 2024!

In all honesty I'm not very excited about 2025. For one, Donald Trump was elected as President AGAIN even though he is a liar, criminal, cheat and all around terrible person. Who knows what insane and crazy things will happen this year just because our country is led by a complete idiot!! I'm also a bit sad because Julian will be leaving us for a year to study abroad in Japan. I am beyond excited for him to have this experience but I can't help but feel a little sad at the same time that my baby boy is going to be gone. I hope that in December 2025 I will have wonderful things to remember...but looking ahead I fear 2025 will be a bum year!

Saturday, December 14, 2024

Oahu, Hawaii

Hyrum and I went to Oahu for his medical conference this year. I had only been to Oahu twice and really didn't remember much about what there was to do so it was kind of fun and exciting to explore a "new" island. My good friend, Becky Platt, and her great family live in Oahu...stationed there with the Army...so it was doubly awesome to go to Oahu because I got to hang out with my friend!  She showed us around to all her favorite hikes and we got to hang out and play games. We stayed at the Disney resort, Aulani, which was pretty nice. Hyrum and I aren't huge Disney fans but this was where his medical conference was so it's where we stayed. The resort DID have a pretty great beach and it was nice to just order drinks to be delivered to you right on the beach! Hyrum didn't go to many of the conference lectures but he did spend a few hours each day in lectures. But mostly we just played, ate fish tacos and relaxed at the beach!

At our resort on day one...soaking in some Hawaiian sun

Virgin pina colada? Sure, don't mind if I do:)

Exploring some cool lava rocks and tide pools...

...of course I slipped and cut my toe on a sharp rock on Day 1! Luckily I had a doctor with me. He put pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding then scrubbed most of the blood off my foot with wet sand.

We met up with the Platt's at Wahiawa Botanical Gardens. They were just coming from church which is why they are so dressed up. L-R: Connor, me, Becky and Cael

Becky showing off her mad ukulele skills:)

We went for a fun, short hike on the Kolekole trail to an amazing lookout. This hike is on the Army base so most people don't have access to it. What a great little treasure to have right in your backyard!

The "sacrifice" stone. This was just off the trail on our hike. Ancient Hawaiian's would sacrifice people using this stone. Someone would kneel on the backside of the stone then rest their head in the trough at the top and that way when their head was chopped off all the blood would then run down the "drain" to be collected. Kind of cool but also pretty creepy.

The first of the trail is pretty steep but then it flattens out before too long

What an amazing view at the end of the hike!

We met up with Ben Platt for a short minute. He was actually doing "training" all week and wasn't even home but we stole him for a few hours here and there during the week. We have so many great memories with this fun couple from our time in Germany together.

Kayaking the Anahulu river near Hale'iwa. Becky was able to borrow a kayak and some paddle boards so we could adventure down the river. It was a beautiful and relaxing paddle. We even saw a sea turtle floating by in the river!

Becky under the rainbow bridge

Becky's niece, Tessa, joined with us for the paddle

Enjoying a yummy açaí treat after our adventure.

Becky and Tess had to go but Hyrum and I enjoyed wandering around Hale'iwa together. We got some yummy food at 7 Brothers and then found some gelato.  I love wandering around shops but I don't necessarily need to buy anything.

Hyrum remembered a cool old banyan tree near Turtle Bay from our previous trip to Oahu so we went to check it out. Unfortunately it is not doing so well these days, they think it might be some sort of bug that is killing it. Still enjoyed our nice walk through the forest to get to it.

Having fun at Turtle Bay

We stopped at Ted's bakery for some yummy haupia pie to share with the Platt's

Playing games...having fun!

We spent an entire day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Such a fun place to explore and enjoy learning about different people from all around the Pacific. My favorite is always the New Zealand show!

Playing the Maori "stick game" from New Zealand. I grew up playing this because my dad served his mission in New Zealand...so I'm pretty much a rock star at this game 😜

Hyrum got called out of the audience to help with a drum demonstration. He really hates being the center of attention but he was a pretty good sport:)

They gave him a cool hat for helping out:)

We got cool warrior tattoos...

...and learned some spear throwing skills.  I was completely terrible at this!

We took a fun boat ride through all the different "islands" at the PCC

These guys make it look so easy to climb a coconut tree!

The Platt's couldn't stay for the luau but Hyrum and I enjoyed a wonderful buffet dinner and fun show. I loved the pina colada they serve in the fresh pineapple!

We watched the evening show which features amazing fire stick dancing but we weren't allowed to take photos. Overall it was a really fun day at the PCC.

Any day is a good day when you start off at the beach!

The tacos and sushi at T8ste buds in Waianae were amazing! I will definitely be going back if I'm ever in Oahu again!

We drove to the end of the island and had fun playing in Yokohama Bay. The waves were pretty rough but it was nice to cool off a bit.

We explored around the Ku'ilioloa Heiau. It's so neat that a piece of ancient Hawaiian history is preserved to explore.

Attempting to hike the Pu'u O Hulu trail or "pink pillbox" before the sun sets. This was 3/4 mile hike with 600 feet elevation gain. So when I say we hiked up this hill...we really hiked UP the hill. It was crazy steep!

Really cool tree on the trail. It looked like something from Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones.

Already dying and I'm only half way there!

Made it to the "pink pillbox"...

...just in time for the sunset:) I was very proud of myself!

I like to start my day with some delicious spam musubi! Hyrum thinks I'm crazy but I love how salty and flavorful it is!

Becky took us on one of her favorite hikes, the 'Aiea Loop Trail. This was about a 5 mile trail but mostly flat. I loved that most of it was in the forest so it wasn't too hot. We also got some amazing views along the hike.

I loved how you could see the highway cutting right through the landscape. What an amazing engineering feat to link both sides of the island.


Along the trail there is a plane wreckage from a military plane that crashed into the side of the mountain in  1944 due to bad weather and visibility issues.

I absolutely loved this hike through the forest.

After the hike I needed some hot malasadas from Leonards bakery:)

We explored the "mermaid caves" but decided not to go inside the underground cave. The ocean was very rough bringing lots of water into the underground caves and I was also worried that once I dropped into the cave I might not be able to get out again. This is something I think my boys would love to explore on a calmer day.

Another beautiful Hawaiian sunset to close out our day

For dinner we got pizza from Best Side Pies. I'm including this in my blog so I can remember them because this pizza was delicious and I want to eat it every day next time I'm in Oahu!

We got up bright and early for our reservation at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. We had come here snorkeling and really enjoyed it so we wanted to check it out again. Sadly I'm no good with snorkeling if the water is at all choppy so I only went out once for about 30 minutes but Hyrum had a fine morning snorkeling and exploring the bay.

We stopped by the Halona Blow Hole and the choppy, big waves made for some spectacular "eruptions"

More beautiful views of turquoise water

Waimanalo Bay State Park. Voted one of the best beaches in Hawaii. The sand goes on forever and with the beautiful, rocky mountains in the distance it really is a pretty beach...

...You walk through this cool, scraggly forest to get to the beach, which adds to it's unique beauty

You can't have a trip to Hawaii without seeing lots of chickens.  I love the little babies:)

Some of my favorite fish tacos on Maui are from Paia fish market so I was very excited to find they had one in Oahu as well!

We explored around the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens. They were closing soon so we had to rush around a bit but I would love to come back to explore some time. There were many trails down to a man made lake and all around the forest. 

This lake was built to help control flooding but it certainly is beautiful and the wildlife seem to enjoy it.

We saw many cool plants and trees


You can drive about a mile into the garden and you end at a beautiful viewpoint of these mountains

After the gardens we drove to the Kaneohe pass. It was VERY windy up there but what an amazing view!

After our fun day of exploring we went back to the Platt's house for some yummy soup and more games with the family. I wish I would have gotten a photo of when we left. All the family came out on their front steps and sand "Aloha Oe" (a traditional Hawaiian farewell song) it was very sweet 💕

One more photo from our balcony as we got ready to check out of the hotel and head home.

Hawaii is always a wonderful place to visit and explore. What makes it even better is when you can visit with friends. We certainly had a blast hanging out with the Platt family! This trip was one of the most relaxing times we have spent in Hawaii. We usually don't spend much time at the beaches just reading and enjoying floating around in the water but this time we really took advantage of being in a resort right on the ocean with beach chairs and towels set up and just inviting you to sit and relax:)