HeAtHeR bRoWn

You read about Kailua Village in "downtown" Kona in my Hawaii post. There are quite a few art galleries along the way. We went into one and I fell in love...

With Heather Brown. I absolutely LOVE her paintings. She does all of her paintings on an eco friendly sugar cane paper. Awesome.

Here are a few of her paintings. I love the vibrant colors. The thick lines. The "piecy" look.

I love the look of the differnt birds bunched together

 I think this is so cute. The birds. The couple.

                  Wouldn't this be perfect for Christmas time? I love the way she does birds.

                                           These Plumerias are beautiful in this painting.

                                               I will get my hands on the painting below. Trust me.

That's Heather Brown for you. She also has some beautiful paintings of the sunset and the ocean. Heather Brown also does designs on t-shirts, bags, iPhone covers, and even surf boards. Maybe I'll get a paddle board and have her design on it?

Aw. Love them.

KoNa, HaWaIi

ALOHA! Nic and I headed to the Big Island for a week with my parents (January 14 - 21). 

This was Nic's first time to Hawaii...EVER.

Day 1. We arrived in Kona, Hawaii. We watched the sunset poolside and enjoyed a delicious dinner there.

 Day 2. We went to church (of course). The ward choir sang "I Am a Child of God" in Hawaiian - it was beauitful.

We then headed to an amazing beach: Hapuna Beach.

 We enjoyed a delicious dinner in our condo. Unfortunately there was a bit of a grill accident.

No worries though - no one got hurt. My dad only fried his hair a little bit. The steaks turned out delicious!

 Day 3. We went to a gray sand beach: Hookena Beach. We did a bit of snorkeling.

There were a lot of Spinner Dolphins jumpin' and splashin' around. 

 We headed to what I call "downtown" Kona to Kailua Village. Lots of restaurants and shops on Ali'i Drive (Ali'i means chief in Hawaiian). We had dinner at LuLu's and watched a beautiful sunset.

 There is the one and ONLY place to get a true shaved ice (NOT  a snow cone). I remember this place from when I went with my family quite a few years back. It's delish. 

Nic's first experience with shaved ice: Rootbeer and Dreamsicle. 

 Yummy Watermelon.

 Day 4. The resort we stayed at was called Hali'i Kai. There were lots of other places to stay around, but in the midst there was the Kings and Queens shopping areas. The type of shopping at Kings was Tiffanys, Louis Vuitton, etc. We had a relaxing time at the pool.

 My parents celebrated their 33rd anniversary - woo hoo! We went out to dinner at Ruth's Chris (yummy steakhouse).

 Day 5. McDonald's in Hawaii has a traditional breakfast: rice, eggs and Spam (yes that's right). My parents love to eat at McDonald's and love the Spam.

We had to try it out.

 It was surprisingly really good and naturally GF. :) Maybe it was good because I was sitting in Hawaii? Whatever the reason, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 Off to another beach (it had a really long Hawaiian name that I can't remember). More snorkeling. Work it Nic!

 My dad, Nic and I tried paddle boarding. Paddle boarding is standing a larger than normal surf board with one paddle. It's harder then it looks. 

 That evening we headed to Kailua Village and ate at Bongo Ben's. Nic also bought me a beautiful Plumeria necklace with earrings. Love them.

Day 6. Nic and my dad headed out on wave runners while my mom and I did a little shopping and...more shaved ice! (Once you try it you'll want it everyday, trust me)

 We stopped at a flea market.

 And met Bruno the rooster. He had a girlfriend: Brownie the chicken.

 We stopped by the Kona Hawaii temple. Such a beautiful place.

 We watched the sunset at Hapuna Beach. Nic and I attempted to do some boogy boarding but the waves were GINORMOUS.

Day 7. More time at the pool.

 I have always wanted to ride in a helicopter - it's on my bucket list. I got to cross this one off!

 We took a beautiful ride to some valleys on the Big Island. In the distance (below) there is a snow capped mountain. The Big Island is the only island in Hawaii that gets snow. 

 Stunning ride.

 There was one other guy that rode with us. We had a great time!

 Back to Hapuna Beach to watch the sunset. Nic and I also got to "swim" with Manarays. We were out in the ocean and lo and behold, there they were. They were no more then 10 feet in front of us. 

 <3

 Sunsets on the beach never get old.

 Yay.

 That night we had dinner poolside and...more shaved ice! (I know you're jealous ;)

Day 8. This was truly a day of mourning as we did not want to leave. This is the condo we stayed at. Beautiful resort.

 Our beloved front door. haha

 This was our sweet ride during the week. It has a soft top that you can pull down. :)

 We headed to a national historic park. 

 One last trip to the Scandinavian Shaved Ice.

 It was then time for our goodbyes. :'( 

Wow. What an amazing time we had with my parents.

We did so many wonderful things and made some great memories (BEAT IT!). You won't understand that one. haha Not to mention everything we did, but the whales were so active the whole week we were there. We also got to see some sea turtles. Needless to say, it was a fab trip.

Mahalo mom and dad for a wonderful week in Hawaii!

Aloha.

We are back from our week long vacation to Kona, Hawaii (big island).

We went with my parents.

Such an amazing time! This was Nic's first time to Hawaii.

I can't wait to post pictures of all of the fun we had - I even crossed a few things off my Bucket List. :)

It's back to work and snow for us...

2012 nEw YeAr LeTtEr

2011. Done and done. This is the Christmas “card” the Phair Family is sending out this year – a “letter” on their blog. Time just ran away from them. They kept busy, in a good way of course! (You can read how the Phair Family got to this point by reading 2010’s letter.)

Nic continues work at Klamath Insurance Center and is busy heading up the commercial side of the business. He is always out and about going from one business to another. Allison continues her work at Sky Lakes Medical Center as a Discharge Planner. The winter season is the hospital’s busiest time of the year – isn’t it that way for everyone? The Elders Quorum continues in good hands with Nic as the president. It sure keeps him busy. Allison still remains in Primary, however as the secretary in the Primary Presidency. She doesn’t know if she could ever leave “her” kids. She is still the Ward Choir director and completed her second Christmas program with success.

Last year’s letter left at the point of the adoption process through LDS Family Services. They started the process, but as time went on Nic and Allison both got the impression that they needed to stop. Their case manager was very understanding of this decision. He sees so many couples go through what they have been and are going through. Nic and Allison both felt like they needed more time for their emotions to settle. They re-evaluated in September and still felt like it wasn’t their time yet. In the mean time they bought a house. This wasn’t their plan, but they have learned that life doesn’t always go according to plan. Things happen for a reason.

Nic and Allison found a 4 bedroom, 2 ½ bath, 2500 square foot home – built in 1995 . It has an oversized 2-car garage with a backyard. They couldn’t pass it up and knew it was their future home the minute they saw it. They put in an offer in April and closed in October. They look forward to raising their kids in this home.

Even though adoption wasn’t for them this past year, they did adopt a harrier “child” to their family: Harrison Phair. He’s a career changed Guide Dog, Black Lab. A family they knew was raising him to be a Guide Dog, but unfortunately failed due to a barking “problem” (he barks at low, unfamiliar noises). He turned 1 on November 21st. They are happy to have him as part of their family. Harrison is very well trained. Minus the walking on four legs and the black hair, he is very much like a toddler.

Nic and Allison celebrated their 3 year anniversary on December 27. Three years already? Wow (in a good way). Time flies. They are happily married and look forward to 2012 and the new adventures it will bring to their family. Nic and Allison hope you have been blessed this past year and may the upcoming year bring joy to you and yours.

*I apologize for this post*

The Downsies: feeling down and you just can't beat it.

Have you ever experienced "the downsies"?

I don't know what is going on, but I have been stuck in "the downsies" for a few days now.

It's not like I have this horrible life - I am a very blessed person.

I have also been very anxious - rapid heartbeat. What do I have to be so down and anxious about? Nothing. So what is going on?

If you have ever experience "the downsies," what are your suggestion and getting out?

MeRrY cHrIsTmAs

We hosted Christmas Eve dinner at our house with Nic's parents and his brother (Craig) and family.  I couldn't wait to be the hostess at our new house. The tables all set and ready to go:

 How cute is this face?!

 I love my boy

 Everyone...almost, before dinner. L to R front row: Christa, Kole, Chase, Krew. L to R back row: Craig, Molly, Nic, Bob, Rita.

 Yours truly and Neeko

 The extent of Christmas decorations in our house was the wreath on my front door. No tree. No nothing. Thankfully my parents let us borrow their fake tree which definitely helped add some Christmas spirit in our home.

 The candles are lit. The drinks are poured. Let's eat!

 After dinner, we discussed the Nativity. Each kid opened a "present" (AKA pieces to the nativitiy) and then we discussed each piece. 

 Christmas Eve wouldn't be Christmas Eve without opening some presents

 My FIL hanging himself with the new tie we got him. He must have really liked it. haha

 My MIL Rita with her new scarf. (I was tempted to keep it for myself)

 We got Craig and Molly a frame that said something about Family on it. Super cute.

 This is who I like to call Harrison's foster mom, Jeanette. She raised Harrison and then we adopted him. She and her kids raise Guide Dogs. We got her a picture frame (included with a picture of Harrison) so she can put pictures of all of the Guide Dogs she raise. :) We wouldn't have our little guy without her.

Sunday was absolutely wonderful. I was in charge of the Sacrament meeting program and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. 

We headed up to my parent's house after church. Ate more food and opened up some presents. 

We hope you all had a Merry, Merry one as we did.