My christmas gift to all...A new post ;)

Hi all!!
I am so sorry I haven't written in such a long time, but don't worry I am alive and things are still going fabtastic in H-town :) Lots has been going on! 
Kandi and Bill were in town so I went to dinner with them to celebrate Bill birthday and catch-up...it was so good seeing them! I wish I could have seen Karly and Kyle, sounds like they are doing great and growing up so fast. I can't believe Kyle is driving!! If they are reading this I love you both and miss you!!
My parents also came to visit, which was awesome. Sunday they cooked a big Thanksgiving dinner for my friends and I and it was spectacular! :) All who know me know my love for thanksgiving and it didn't disappoint! I felt so bad I had to work most of the time they were here, but luckily they are pretty self-sufficient and kept themselves entertained:) I did take one day off and we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) for my mom's birthday (30th of course ;)) and my friend Mon totally hooked us up! He works there so he gave us a VIP tour of all the villages and back stage at the evening  show. That was about the only day we took pictures, my bad! Here they are:

Some other highlights of the trip included a University of Hawaii (UH) basketball game, the swap meet, and that is all I can remember right now haha. Honestly the whole trip went by way too fast and it is all a blur now!

I am still busy with the calling as FHE coordinator and am even more stressed since my partner got deployed to Iraq and I am flying solo! Luckily things have been working out great and we are having a lot of fun. We have written holiday letters to the troops, gone to a UH basketball game, decorated gingerbread houses, and gone on a trolley ride to look at the Christmas lights. Here are some pics of the branch:

Now what you all have been waiting for...pics from the shark encounter! Saturday morning we got up early and went over to the North Shore to catch a boat that took us out about 3 miles and dumped us into the ocean with sharks. Ok we had a cage to swim in and snorkel masks so I never felt I was in danger. We saw some awesome 10-12 ft. sharks that would come right up to the side of the cage and blink at us haha. Oh and I have to tell this story for Renae cuz she will freak! While we were in the cage swimming the water was really rough and we were getting thrown around pretty good. Well Jon got sick and threw up. Oh my gosh I flipped! We were snorkeling around and I could see it in the water so I jumped up and wanted to get out, but the cage had drifted about 10 ft. from the boat so I was trapped in the cage swimming in puke! Granted it was the ocean so it diluted pretty quickly but it was super nasty nonetheless! Happy ending though, we got back on the boat and they had a hot shower waiting for us...Hallelujah!!! On the way back in we saw a bunch of spinner dolphins that kept jumping up and doing tricks next to the boat , soo cool! And we also saw a whale! Totally worth every penny!

Lastly here is a compilation of some random stuff that has happened in the last month and a half:
Finally got the pics scanned from the Haunted Lagoon at PCC.
I got free tickets to the Symphony from a girl in the branch that play the violin for them and got to meet Bela Fleck, 18 time Grammy winning banjo player...Yee haw :) Really he is awesome though!
Also got free tickets to the Marine Forces Band concert and got to meet singer Anita Hall and Jake Shimabukuru, ukulele genius!! Seriously if you have never heard or seen him you-tube him, he will knock your socks off! And he is super super nice!
I found my favorite beach so far called Lanikai Beach...stunningly beautiful, soft sand, not very crowded, and some shade. Who could ask for more!
I got caught in a terenchal downpour coming home from mini golf one night-literally clear sky one second then snap a bucket of water thrown on my head. Surprisingly refreshing :)
I made festive crafts with my Kindergarten group...I promise it is work :)
And last but not least I finally tried SPAM and eggs from McDonalds. My review...not inedible, not incredible :)

Love you all so much and am sooo sad I won't be home for Christmas!! But, I will see the Robinson's in a week so I can handle it :) Best wishes to all and Mele kalikimaka!!!