Finally getting started

Aloha everyone! I created this blog months ago, when we first moved, but then I of course forgot about it. We've just been having too much fun, and working hard of course. Sam's been in school and I've been working hard at my internship, then teaching violin and viola for the school on the side. You can see all our pictures from past adventures (Kauai at Christmas, Sam's birthday shark dive) on my facebook page.

Things have been going well lately. Our biggest news is that Sam's music was featured on MTV's "Real World" a couple weeks ago! They used one of his songs without the lyrics as background music to some dialogue. We were so excited when we found out! This means that he'll be paid for his music, and he'll likely have music placed in more TV programs in the future. Other than that - I just submitted my application to BYU Provo for their PhD in Counseling Psychology program. I'm expecting to hear back about that soon. Sam met with his academic advisor and found out he can graduate this summer with a new degree they just approved - a Bachelor's in University Studies. He'll be able to use all his random transferred credits, and have a certificate in Entrepreneurship. The plan is of course to move to Utah if I get into the program, and if not, I'll be looking for jobs here in Hawaii, in California, and wherever else they'll take me.

Sam and I have started running again, and I think we'll actually keep it up this year. We're recording our progress on our calendar as we work up to running for longer amounts of time. We met our goal of 30 minutes on Wednesday this week! Woohoo! I was so red, I look like I'd been horribly sunburned. haha Today we went back to running on the beach, as we'd been running on the road for a while. It was so nice to have the variety. We ran barefoot through the sand, water, and on some flat rocks right on the shore. We stopped to watch some fish in a tidepool, then ran back to where we started. There was a dark storm cloud over the ocean, making it look dark and ominous, but the different depths always make for different shades of blue. The beach we went to is pretty secluded, and there are usually only fishermen there, so we were pretty alone.

This was one of those great times where I really felt alive, and in the moment. I've been reminiscing on those times today - playing in a great orchestra, walking to the park with my best friend in high school and swinging on the swings at midnight, driving on the freeway with my windows down during the summer in Utah singing along with my favorite song, exploring different beaches with Sam, having a great breakthrough moment with a client in counseling. I'm so grateful for those times when I can stop and really relish the moment instead of worrying about the future.

What are some of those moments for you?