Chapter 7 - 2017

Hi, guys!

I accidentally let my domain expire 😳 Soooo if you're able to see this post, hello!

Here are my July highlights:

• It's wedding season! I got to witness Arienne & Kevin get married as well as Bronica & Matt.
• We hosted a family 4th of July party.
• We got a new bed for our guestroom! We previously just had an air mattress. I haven't really started decorating it yet, but I will soon because my mother-in-law is coming to town!
• Sean and I started a blog together. Please check it out if you haven't gotten the chance to already. I would love to hear feedback! www.themanyadventuresofseanandlin.com
• We went on a family vacation to California.
• As far as movies go, the only one we watched was Spider-Man - Homecoming. It was great!

With Love,

Lin

Chapter 6 - 2017

June came in went in the blink of an eye! I can't believe we're halfway through 2017.

• Went to Charlene's bachelorette party. It was a great and wild time!
• My parents bought us lawn chairs to circle around our firepit that Mark & Vicky got us. It's so nice to relax outside and roast hot dogs and make smores.
• We hosted Father's Day at our house.
• My grandparents and aunt & uncle pitched in to buy us a grill. I WAS SO STOKED! We could only have an electric grill at our condo due to fire code. I longed for the day we could have a real grill. They picked a Char-Broil grill (our favorite grill brand!) that is both gas and charcoal! We have the best of both grilling worlds! 
• My father-in-law chopped off my hair and I LOVE how it looks! It made me feel "summer ready."
• I traveled to Arizona with Sean and my dad for a Velicaria family reunion. It was so much fun and inspiring! I met a lot of family members for the first time. I hope to attend them more often in the future. I'll write a separate post about that trip, as soon as I recap my May Seattle trip. =P

Movies/Shows

• Wonder Woman - Such a good movie! I've been a big fan of Gal Gadot since I first saw her in the Fast & The Furious series. She was ON FIRE in this movie.
• The Mummy - I didn't love the movie, but I didn't hate it either. So in short, I thought it was okay. I like the idea of Dark Universal and can't wait to see what else they'll take out of the vault!
• Cars 3 - Oh my gosh, you guys. It felt closer to the original Cars movie and it made my heart melt. It was about getting older, finding a new purpose, and passing along the torch. Well done, Disney Pixar!
• Doctor Strange - We finally watched this movie! I wish we didn't wait so long to watch it, it was packed with action and has an interesting story line.
• Zoo - I watched this series when it first aired, but lost interest after a few episodes... I decided to pick it back up and it got better! I'm still in the second season.
• Ali Wong - I usually don't watch stand up comedy, but my cousin-in-law recommended to watch Ali Wong on Netflix. SHE IS FREAKIN' HILARIOUS! I've watched the special 3 times now and it still makes me laugh.

Chapter 5 - 2017

May is a blur!

• Rabbit Creek Rifle Range Clean Up Day - Sean and I helped clean the gun range. In return we received complimentary annual passes! We like going to this range because they also have an archery range. 
• Anchorage Market & Festival - One of my favorite summer traditions is going to the downtown weekend market. Sean and I always go on the first day to kick things off. My favorite new item we tried was halibut poppers, aka halibut egg rolls. They were so good!
• My brother got into a motorcycle accident :( I am so thankful to God that he is okay. He is still recovering from his injuries.
• Sean turned 29 & Jenn turned 28
• Fence - Yay for house projects! We now have a fence! Next year we plan to extend our deck and get gutters installed. 
• Seattle - I went to Seattle for the first time! I went down with Vicky and her friends to celebrate her 28th birthday. I'll write a separate blog post about our trip.
• Juneau - I went to Juneau for a workation immediately after Seattle (arrived at 11 pm on Monday night and was back at the airport at 6:30 am to depart for Juneau!). I was there for 2 nights and managed to get some sightseeing in. I went to the Mendenhall Glacier, the Shrine of St Therese, and Sandy Beach. I tried to go to downtown Juneau, but I couldn't find parking and I kid you not - there were so many tourists there it felt like I was driving through the Strip in Las Vegas! Haha. The Disney Wonder arrived at the port a day after I left, so I was a little bummed that I didn't get to see that beautiful ship "home."  

Movies

• Guardians of the Galaxy was AWESOME!
• Baywatch was funny. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either.
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was okay. I think I had too high of expectations.

Chapter 4 - 2017

And just like that, April is over!

madebyadventureLin - I've posted a few times about my side hustle already, but here are my official stats: I opened on April 1, made my first sale on April 20, sold 9 signs total, and made $113! My goals for this month (May) is to increase my Etsy listings to 40 and sell 10 signs.

Lipsense - I've been on the lookout for long lasting lipstick for a while now. I always get so paranoid about lipstick in my teeth. I tried Cover Girl's Outlast and that did not last more than 30 minutes for me. I tried Make Up Forever with better results, but I still felt like I had to be careful while eating and it only lasted 2 or 3 hours top before I needed to reapply. I also tried ColourPop, which I really liked, but it isn't 100% transfer-proof. After hesitating for a while on Lipsense, I finally dived in since one of my good friends started selling it. I quickly became a believer! Yesterday I had Goddess on from 6:30 am - 10:30 pm and it still looked great after touching up once and reapplying gloss a few times throughout the day. Impressive. So far I have 3 colors - Goddess (fave so far), Purple Reign, and Bella. I have 2 more shades on the way, Caramel Apple & Sassy Z, and I can't wait to try those out.

The Fate of the Furious - The only movie we wanted to watch in April was The Fate of the Furious. I loved it! The story line of the series has gotten so over the top and cheesy and unbelievable, but I freakin' indulge in it. I love the cast and the movies always have a great sense of humor and tons of action in it.

May is such a crazy and busy month for me, but I am enjoying it all. My May agenda - lots of work obligations, birthdays galore (Jenn, Sean, Vicky), the downtown market, Mother's Day, Seattle trip, Juneau workation, and tons of MOVIES I want to see (Guardians of the Galaxy, Pirates of the Caribbean, Wonder Woman, Baywatch)!

Chapter 3 - 2017

Whoa, there goes 1st quarter of 2017! Crazy how fast time flies!

March was full of DIY projects...

• I went to 2 Michaels workshops. The first one was how to make large paper flowers and the second one was how to transfer phrases/images to wood.
• I went to a DIH workshop at Home Depot with a few of my coworkers. We ate dinner at Spenard Roadhouse and then made Vertical Herb Gardens.
• I made my first floral arrangement and styled our coffee table.
• I started using my Cricut again and now I've been obsessed with making signs.

Other memories...

• The official Disney Cruise Line Instagram used one of my pictures!
• Went on a lunch date with Lonetta at Chair 5 in Girdwood. Lunch was delish, it was truly an adventure getting to Girdwood though! It was chilly in Anchorage, but it was nice and clear. We drove through a snow storm to get to Girdwood though and we were fearing for our lives! Thankfully driving back into town wasn't too crazy.
• Celebrated Ederlee's 30th birthday at CamTu's house.

Shows / Movies...

• Time After Time - This show is so good! It's about Jack the Ripper stepping into a time machine and comes into present day New York. H.G. Wells follows him.
• Kong: Skull Island - The main reason why I wanted to watch this was because I miss Hawaiian scenery and they filmed part of the movie at Kualoa Ranch. I thought it was good, there was a lot of action. My favorite part was when Samuel L Jackson said, "Hold on to your butts" which I thought was funny because he said the same line in Jurassic Park!
• Beauty & The Beast - Well done! Some of my childhood questions were FINALLY answered! I won't say what they are just in case you haven't seen the movie yet.

Chapter 2 - 2017

February 2017 Memories 

Valentine's Day Celebrations - On the Saturday before Valentine's Day, Sean and I went to Allure Day Spa for 80 minute massages. It was wonderful. Thankfully we still had a balance on the gift card that we won from KTUU last year. Afterwards we ate at Simon & Seaforts for a romantic dinner. We received several gift cards for Christmas so it was nice not have to spend a ton of money on dinner.

Sean sent me flowers on Valentine's Day (even though I told him not to). I didn't tell him where I was working so they ended up at my usual office instead of where I was at. At least my coworkers got to enjoy them for a couple days! They still looked lovely when I finally saw them in person and brought them home. :) For dinner we ordered carry-out from Sushi Ya.

Home Gym - We started to put together our little home gym! We were thinking of getting a treadmill, but the only kind I knew I wanted was a Life Fitness. A super high end model that I've only seen at resorts while on vacation. We did some research and yeah, $8,000 for a treadmill is definitely not a reasonable or affordable purchase. We looked at several other treadmills in person, but nothing popped out at me. Instead we ordered a Bowflex Treadclimber TC100! I saw it in commercials often and I was always curious about the machine. I also liked that it didn't take up as much space like a treadmill does. It took about 2 hours to put it together and we love it so far!

Other

• Sean and I went ice fishing for the first time! We attended James' birthday. Unfortunately we didn't catch anything, but it was fun nonetheless.
• We celebrated my brother's 35th birthday at Sea Galley.
• I went to Tamara's baby shower.

Movies

• Fifty Shades Darker - I wish it was a little longer because some parts of the movie felt rushed. I really liked the movie though. One thing is for sure, Christian Grey needs to hire a better security team. Lol!
• Newsies - I have an affinity for Broadway shows, especially for Disney ones. I hope to see this live in person someday! I need to watch the movie version too.
• Batman Lego Movie - Funny! 
 

With love,
Lin

Chapter 1 - 2017

The first month of 2017 flew by us already! I hope your first month of the year was amazing.

• Rang in the new year with my family. On New Year's day, Sean and I met up with our friends for a late Friendsmas gathering. We went to Double Shovel Cider Company and enjoyed some delicious drinks. The Sugarhouse Waffles food truck was conveniently parked there, so we got to indulge in some sugary goodness. We ended up going to CamTu's house to continue our event. We did a gift exchange and I snagged some Lush goodies. I made fun of Sean for buying a big 25 pound bag of Jasmine rice from Costco to bring to the exchange, but it ended up being a hot item! Hahaha. Sean snagged Olaf. He handsomely chills in our living room, hehe.
• We put away all of our Christmas decorations on January 7. I like leaving ours up until at least the Epiphany. The "12 Days of Christmas" starts on Christmas day, and I enjoy coming to a cheery and bright home... Especially during Alaska's darkest months.
• I got to hang out with my best friend (since 7th grade!), Claire. We hardly get to see each other, but when we do it feels like the good old days. She gave me an art piece by Noah that I was dying to have! It's Mickey & Minnie on the beach. 
• Sean and I went to Alaska Dispatch News' first "Best of Alaska" event. It was really neat! It kind of reminded me of the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. We got "passports" and sampled food and drinks from different eateries. I hope they do the event next year again.
• January was the best birthday month ever. I know some people were probably confused by all my random birthday posts long before my birthday, but I started celebrating early since I wasn't going to be in town on my actual birthday. And lets face it - turning 30 is a big event that is meant to be celebrated ostentatiously. 
• My awesome coworkers decorated my wall space and got me a Starbucks gift card.
•  I had a birthday party at home with my closest friends. Sean got me a strawberry cake from Charlie's Bakery for dessert and it was absolutely divine. 
• We went on a 2 week Disney World & Disney Cruise adventure that I can't wait to start writing about.

Movies

La La Land - I loved this movie! I wish the ending was a little different, but I may be one of the few people that feels this way since I haven't heard anyone mention the same thought. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are amazing. They are one of those movie couples that I wish were together in real life, haha!

There were other movies I really wanted to see, like Hidden Figures, but we didn't get around to seeing them since January was so hectic and we were gone half the month. I look forward to seeing them later.  

Chapter 12 - 2016

I'm so late with this post! I was going to start writing January's, but then I realized that I never wrote one for December. So lets test my memory. :)

• Sean and I went to my company's holiday party at the Dena'ina Center. The company that I work for throw biannual holidays parties. On years we don't have a holiday party, we get an extra 8 hours of PTO. So for 2017, I'm pretty excited for an extra day off. We ate delicious food, mingled, took pictures, and then dipped out. We actually ended up doing some Christmas shopping afterward at Nordstrom Rack and Sears! We looked pretty dapper while shopping in our holiday outfits, haha.
• Sean and I hosted Christmas. 
• We had our first house guest! Sean's little sister, Raini, came up from college and stayed with us a while.
• For New Year's Eve we went to one of Sean's bosses house and then ended the evening at my aunt's house.

Movies

• Rogue 1

Chapter 11 - 2016

Oh my goodness, I just realized that I never wrote a Month in Review for November! I love November because it's the start of the holiday season.

• We held our Housewarming Party mid-November.
• I enjoyed a lovely breakfast with Andi, Vicky, and Pennie at South. On the same day I met up with Amanda for Paint Nite at Fat Ptarmigan. We painted sea turtles... I suck at painting animals! I love how the background turned out, but I think my sea turtles actually look like birds swimming. Haha.
• Home Depot DIY Workshops - I remember one day I scrolled through Instagram and a free workshop class popped up at Home Depot. I thought it looked fun and interesting, so I signed up on a whim. I went with Sean and Vicky and we learned how to make a Christmas Tree Holiday Pallet Decoration. I later learned that it was a "Do It Herself" workshop and they do it the 3rd Thursday of every month. They include the material and also let you use their tools. It sparked a newfound hobby for me! That same weekend Kathy and I attended a DIY workshop. A craftsman met us and he showed us how to make a DIY Holiday Stocking Holder. Since we attended the workshop we were eligible for a discount to purchase our materials to make our own. I love how mine turned out! I'm actually using mine as a coat rack and I'm also in the process of making a taller one so I can put it in our bedroom to hang robes and clothes.
• We booked our FastPasses for Disney World!
• We hosted Thanksgiving at our house. It was awesome, especially since it was our first time hosting for a holiday. We had so much food! Sean and I made bacon wrapped smokies, ham, a cheese fondue skillet dip, a green bean casserole, and a keilbasa sausage with cheese platter. My family brought everything else - turkey, lumpia, pancit, mashed potatoes, and a few other dishes.
• My 4.5 day Thanksgiving weekend was great. I did lots of relaxing and lots of shopping, mostly of which was done online. My favorite Black Friday/Cyber Monday finds - network printer, wireless bluetooth speakers, tools from Lowes (I got a sander and we got a new drill since our old one was nearly dying), clothes from Torrid.

 Movies

• Moana - I patiently waited for this movie for what seemed like forever! It did not disappoint :)

Chapter 10 - 2016

Hello, November!

October was wonderful. My favorite part about October is that it's the gateway to the holiday season. From the start of fall season, to Halloween, and now we're continuing on to Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays.

• Sean and I became dog parents! We adopted a basset hound and her name is Lucy. She's 6.5 years old and has a great temperament.
• Amanda and I had a friendcation at Alyeska Resort. We got off work a few hours early, drove out to Girdwood, had lunch on top of the mountain, dinner at Double Musky, and relaxed in the hot tub. It was so nice to unwind and get some girlfriend time in!
• Sean, my mom, Jenn, and I went to go see Disney In Concert: A Silly Symphony Celebration. It was such a cool experience to watch old Disney cartoons and to listen to it with live music. After the concert we met up with Mark, Vicky, and Noah and ate a yummy dinner at Fat Ptarmigan.
• We were able to book our Disney Cruise Port Adventures (bka excursions)... I was able to book us a cabana on Disney's Castaway Cay island! This is an October highlight because they are so hard to book. I felt like such a champion when the confirmation screen popped up. My 30th birthday is going to be so awesome!
• We continue to slowly get settled into our new home. I fall in love with it more and more as each day passes.
• Sean and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in Vegas. I can't wait to recap our trip!

Movies

• Keeping Up With The Joneses - OMG, I thought this movie was hilarious! It's one of my favorite movies I've seen this year.

Chapter 9 - 2016

September came and went in the blink of an eye. I can't believe we're here in October already! September was honestly a blur for me. So much happened, and I'm having a hard time trying to recall all the little details.

Four big things happened:

1. We moved into our new home on September 12! We were able to do early occupancy as part of our contract. Due to work obligations, I didn't get out of the office until after 5 pm each day. Moving after work is so stressful. I wish I could have taken a few days off dedicated to moving and getting settled in. Thankfully we had 6 days to get everything moved out of the condo so during the week we just moved the essentials and then Sean's friends helped move the rest of our stuff on the weekend.
2. We went to Hawaii! I went from September 18 - 24, and then Sean met up with my family and I midway through the trip.
3. We closed on the sale of our condo on September 22.
4. We closed on our new house on September 26.

I know what you're probably thinking - Who the hell travels while they're trying to sell and buy a new home?! We had our Hawaii trip planned since January/February, we didn't even think about selling our condo or buying a new house until April/May, and we didn't think it would take long to sell our condo. I am a firm believer that God's timing is perfect. Even though life was chaotic and insane for a few weeks, everything worked out the way it was supposed to!

It was also nice that we were officially in our condo 6 years (September 20 marked the day). I'll never forget the last time I walked in there, it didn't hit me that it was the last goodbye until I closed the door to our unit. Then I started ugly crying, LOL. Thank you for the memories. We're still working on unpacking and getting settled in our new home. I can't wait to start blogging about the whole experience. There's still so many other posts I need to catch up on!

Chapter 8 - 2016

WOW, I can't believe we're here in September already! Hello, fall. Hello, PSL, sweater weather, chilly evenings, crunchy leaves, and Halloween. Many may call Thanksgiving part of fall, but I've always thought of it as a winter holiday since there's usually already snow by that holiday. Perks of living in Alaska, LOL. August was full of adventure and surprises. It was an awesome month!
 
August 2016 Memories

• Seward Day Trip - On the first weekend of August, Sean and I went on a little adventure. We drove down to Seward and had lunch at Resurrection Lodge and then hiked Exit Glacier. I've seen Exit Glacier before, but from far away. We hiked up to the viewing point and I was so proud of myself! There were times when I thought I wasn't going to make it up, but Sean kept encouraging me. The view was spectacular, yet at the same time it made me sad realizing how quickly it's receding. After our hike, Sean and I had dinner at Ray's Waterfront. We got there at the perfect time before it got super busy. Food was delish!
• Thunderbird Falls - On the second weekend of August, Sean and I were itching to go on another adventure. It was my FIRST time doing the hike! I'm pretty sure every other Alaskan has done this hike multiple times. I'm so out of shape, I kept repeating to myself, "How the hell is this considered an easy trail?!" LOL. It was short trail, but to me it felt like a lot of uphill. I can't wait to go back again and try the other route and get a closer view of the waterfall.
• Home Updates - We received and accepted an offer on August 15! I was so happy and relieved! We are hoping the buyers will close on our condo on September 23 and we'll be able to close on our house shortly after. I'll write a separate blog post about our lengthy home buying adventure.
• Trail of Blue Ice - On the third weekend of August, we were going to go to Winner's Creek in Girdwood for the first time, but the Blueberry Festival was going on and it was CRAZY busy. So we decided to eat lunch at Chair 5 and walked along the Trail of Blue Ice instead.
• Alaska State Fair - The last weekend of August started on a Thursday for a nice 4 day weekend. One of my favorite traditions with my family is to go to the Fair on opening day. Admission is only $2 and it's less busy since it's not a weekend. It was POURING rain for several hours, so I was a little miserable at times. The sun peaked out in the afternoon though and then it was hot! Some of the yummy food I ate - pork chop on a stick, cheese curds, shroomies, seafood bisque, fried shrimp, pancit (my family always brings a big batch to snack on, LOL), steamer clams, Soda Jerk, and Dippin' Dots.
• World Wide Marriage Encounter - I looked forward to this for over a year! It was an amazing, spiritual, and loving journey. I will have to write a separate blog post about our experience. I am so happy we got to attend.

Shows & Movies

• Suicide Squad - I'm more of a Marvel fan, so I didn't really know what my expectations were supposed to be. They weren't that high, LOL. I personally liked it, though I felt like they packed too much in a short period of time so there wasn't enough character development for a lot of the characters.
• Pete's Dragon - I think this is one of my favorite movies that I've seen this year! It was so beautifully done, I loved it so much.
• Sausage Party - I thought this started off hilarious and then it quickly went down hill.
• Stranger Things - Major props to Netflix for creating this awesome series! I look forward to the second season.
• Power - I'm all caught up and DAMN, it's a good season!
• Agents of Shield -  I finally got around to season 3 via Netflix. It was a jam packed season! Lot's of twists and turns, I'm excited that I'm able to watch season 4 with the rest of the SHIELD fans now that I'm all caught up.

Chapter 7 - 2016

July 2016 Memories

• We booked our Disney World Dining Reservations! I'm really stocked about trying out Morimoto in Disney Springs, Skipper's Canteen for lunch, and Be Our Guest for dinner.
• I've met/exceeded my FitBit goal (10,000 steps) every single day since July 2nd! I've also stopped drinking canned energy drinks (like Red Bulls and Rockstars) and I don't drink soda as often. I try to walk as often as I can at work, and then Sean and I usually go to the park in the evening. We're trying to take advantage of walking outside during the summer while we still have daylight before winter comes!
• Pokemon Go - Yes, this had to be on my list of memories! I liked Pokemon when I was younger, but I wasn't obsessed with it like my sister was. I wouldn't say I'm addicted to it like some other people are, but it is definitely fun to get caught up in the phenomenon with everyone else.
• HR Department Day - was at the Alaska Zoo. Good food and good times with coworkers!
• Dentist Visit - I had a cavity filled... It was the first one I had in like 6 years so I figured it was worth mentioning. LOL
• My girlfriends, Nikki and Rhema, came to town! Nikki stayed with me while she was here. It was so nice to hangout with all the girls again. From lunch table conversations at East High School to dinner conversations at Glacier Brewhouse, I love all the memories we've had together in between. Most of my friends in high school graduated in 2006 (I graduated in 2005) and I didn't go to my reunion, so it was cool that I got to celebrate theirs with them. The weekend was a blast and I'll cherish it for the rest of my life! 

Shows & Movies

• The Intern - I didn't have an interest in watching it, but my sister insisted that we did. I really liked it a lot. Anne Hathaway does not age at all!
• The Man in the Iron Mask - Can you believe it was my first time watching this movie?!
• Stranger Things - I watched one episode and knew I was going to be hooked on it! It kind of reminds me of Tales from the Crypt/Are You Afraid of the Dark/Stephen King all wrapped in one.
• BFG - I was a little surprised this movie didn't do so well at the box office. 
• Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates - Oh my gosh, this movie was stupidly funny. I enjoyed it a lot! Especially since some of the filming was done at my favorite spot on Oahu (aside from Aulani, of course), Kualoa Ranch. It makes me so excited about our upcoming trip.
• The Secret Life of Pets - I thought this movie had some funny parts, but I think I was expecting it to be better than it actually was.

Chapter 6 -2016

June 2016 Memories

•  My cousin, Alaska, came home! Yes, her name is Alaska! Hehehe. She lives in Arizona now, but I keep trying to convince her to move back up here with her family. 
• We had a team day at work where we got to do orienteering and a murder mystery. Both activities were so much fun! I think I did orienteering when I was in elementary or in middle school. I wasn't sure what to expect since it has been so long, but my team did awesome! We were the first to find all the markers.
• We booked our Disney World reservations for January! (See previous post)
• Sean and I put an offer on a house. I'm not trying to get too excited yet - we're still patiently waiting for someone to fall in love with our condo and buy it!
• Social events - I went to Amanda's baby shower, I enjoyed dinner with my girlfriends at Simon & Seaforts

Movies

• I took my whole family to watch Finding Dory on opening night! I didn't love it as much as I loved the first one, but it was still entertaining. My inner 16 year old was happy with all the nostalgia.
• Sean and I watched Central Intelligence a few days after Finding Dory. OMG, I was not expecting it to be as funny as it was! The Rock and Kevin Hart make an awesome team.
• Sean and I also watched Independence Day: Resurgence. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. 

Books Read

• None 

Chapter 5 - 2016

 May 2016 Memories

Holy Cannoli! We're already midway through June and I'm finally getting around to writing this post. May was a crazy busy month!

• We officially listed our condo on the market! We're patiently waiting for offers to roll in.
• I did "A Getaway" painting for Paint Nite with Jenn, Bronica, and Jamie. Jenn and I did it the SAME night that we were leaving for vacation! Thankfully we had everything packed and ready to go!
• Disneyland, Universal Studios, Disney Cruise, and Vancouver, BC! This vacation was full of many first experiences. Ate at Carthay Circle Restaurant in Disneyland, sailed on the Disney Wonder, went to San Francisco, went to Vancouver, rode on the subway, etc.! I can't wait to recap this vacation in detail for a later post. :) 
• I had my annual review at work. I can't believe I've been in this department for 4 years now!
• Social events - I hosted a "Disney planning meeting" at my place, I went to Genevieve's going away dinner at Glacier Brewhouse, I went to Ren's baptism (and I am a ninang, aka a godmother!)

Movies 

• Captain America: Civil War

Books

• I started reading "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" by Marie Kondo. I haven't finished it yet, so far I have a love/hate relationship with this book.

Chapter 4 - 2016

April 2016 Memories

• The big highlight of April is that we officially started house shopping! It's so crazy how things quickly snowballed into reality. It was literally just a thought and some daydreaming early April, and now we're really doing it. It's such an exciting yet stressful process, especially since we also need to sell our current home. We looked at a total of 15 houses in person over the span of just a week and a half. We have a few that we really love, and some that we thought were going to be great but the pictures were so deceiving. Haha.
• I went to three Paint Nites - "Nature's Nightlight" with Bronica and Dawn, "The Daisies and the Love Bug" with Bronica, and "Japanese Sakura Valley" with Jenn, Boom, and Brenna.
• I did my first volunteer shindig of the year! I volunteered through Junior Achievement at Abbott Loop Elementary. Bronica and I got to hang out with a bunch of kindergarteners. Abbott Loop Elementary hold a special place in my heart since that is where I went to school when I was a kid. I felt like I stepped into a time travel machine because everything looked the same. I look forward to volunteer with Junior Achievement again in the future. Kindergarteners are the sweetest! I would love to teach kids someday.
• Some social events - Spent the day with Bronica to paint at her house and also had dinner at Texas Roadhouse with her family, I went to Ashlee's baby shower, I went to Kham & Jesse's baby shower, and I spent the night at Lonetta's new house in Wasilla

Movies/Shows Seen

• Jungle Book
• I got all caught up on Game of Thrones, so I was able to watch Season 6 premiere right on schedule!
• Rush Hour (theshow) - OMG. I didn't know what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised how much I am in love with it! If you didn't know already, Rush Hour is one of my favorite movies. I love how they transitioned it into a show and the actors are awesome.

Books Read

• None

Chapter 3 - 2016

March 2016 Memories

I was pretty busy this month because of college life. I looked at my Instagram and all the pictures I've posted this month were one of three things: 1. Food, 2. Paintings, 3. Planner Stuff. Haha, I guess you can say that they are what kept my sanity intact.

• I participated in 3 Paint Nites! "Bougainvilleas & the Tranquil Bridge" with Bronica, "Serene Sea Turtle" with Bronica, Amanda, Keith, and Thomas, and " Sunset at Morro Rock" with Bronica and Amanda.
• I invested in painting supplies from Michael's since they had an awesome sale going on. I've been dedicating my Friday evenings to watching TV shows and painting.
• I upgraded my FitBit from The One to The Blaze! I was very anti wrist pedometers, but I was won over by The Blaze. I didn't want a wrist FitBit for the longest time because I thought they looked too chunky and that they would clash with outfits. I still have my One as a backup. I do really like the heart rate monitor and that I can easily see incoming text messages.
• I started my spring cleaning. Tried some new techniques... My favorite - using baking soda / water / vinegar to clean the oven!
• I sold my first item on eBay! It was a highly coveted washi tape set from Michaels.
• I finished my Organizational Behavior class with an A!

Movies/Shows Seen

• Zootopia - It was such a good movie! I loved every minute of it.
• Batman Vs Superman - I didn't really have any expectations set for the film, since I'm more of a Marvel fan. I am happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised! BTW, Wonder Woman is freakin' HOT.
• Game of Thrones - I tried watching the first episode several times over the past few years, but I would always get distracted and would turn it off. I finally forced myself to watch a full episode and now I'm hooked. I'm currently on Season 3, episode 4. I'm sure I'll be caught up soon enough and will be able to watch season 6 with the rest of the world.

Books Read

• Another month without reading a book for fun :(

Chapter 2 - 2016

February 2016 Memories

February, thank you for being so good to me! I thought February was going to be uneventful for the most part... I was pleasantly surprised. :)

• I started my Organizational Behavior class. I was kind of intimidated by the idea of tackling a 300 level course, but so far it's been a breeze! I'm so close to finishing my AA in Business Administration.
• This year's Valentine's celebrations: Sean and I were on a local news station for a Valentine's Day special, watched Deadpool, ate dinner at Sullivan's, and ate brunch at Ginger (See Valentine's 2016 post).
• I did 4 Paint Nite events! I painted a Puffin with Amanda, Mt Kilimanjaro & Elephants with Amanda, Sailor's Pink Light with Genevieve, and Prayer Flags with Jenn and Vicky.
• This month's monthly date with my girlfriends was at Texas Roadhouse.
• I completed a survey on Facebook for a local business and won an Orbit Key Finder. I hope this lucky streak never ends!
• Sean and I stayed at the Hotel Captain Cook for the first time. I've always wanted to stay there. We made use of our Allure Day Spa gift card and enjoyed 80 minute massages. We had an awesome view of the Fur Rondy fireworks from our hotel room, which was a romantic surprise. We saw Recycled Percussion at the Performing Arts Center and they were awesome! They kind of remind me of a mixture of Buckets N Boards and Stomp.

Movies/Shows Seen

• Deadpool 

Books Read

• None, focused reading books for school. 

Chapter 1 - 2016

January 2016 Memories

• First Paint Nite of the year! Amanda and I painted a whale
• Received beautiful birthday flowers at work from Sean
• At work I was second place for writing a paper on the importance of good attendance in the work place. I won an iPad Air 2!
• I spent my 29th birthday in Hawaii
• Went to a new island for the first time, the beautiful island of Kauai. Favorite memories on Kauai:
• Allerton Garden
• Waimea Canyon
• Kalalau Lookout
• Favorite memories on Oahu:
• Staying at our "third" home for the first time, Aulani
• Couples massage at Laniwai Spa
• Stargazing experience with an astronomer. We saw the Orion nebula and the Andromeda galaxy!
• Kualoa Ranch
• Movie Sites Tour 
• 1 Hour ATV Tour
• Jungle Expedition Tour

Movies/Shows Seen

• Daddy's Home at Century 16
• Started to watch Crazy Ex Girlfriend

Books Read

• The Selection
• The Elite (both by Kiera Cass)