our new pride and joy....

Introducing our new camera (Sony NEX-5n to be exact).

Many hours were spent, sweat was shed, and pounds were lost in order to reach our goal prize of this great camera that makes those not skilled in photography take excellent pictures.

Of course using such a sleek piece of art like this take some getting used to, but I am extremely thrilled with some of the pics we have taken already.

the subject of our photos.

Nickname: Monkey

Ben's favorite photo (for some reason :) 

Hanging out with Mr.Talon today. 

just makes my heart melt.

But that's all for now. We are really looking forward to putting our new baby to use this week around the island and on Kauai :) 

Love.

Janell 

when life doesn't go your way...

but it's obviously going "God's way." As if that's supposed to make one feel any better. In the heat of the moment, it doesn't seem to help. But over the course of time, I know it will.

(I know this blog post is more than over due, but its for a few reasons. #1. I had a post written a month ago that took over an hour to write and it got lost when the internet crashed one evening. needless to say, I gave up on posting it for a while. #2. It has taken me a while to organize my thoughts in a way that makes sense to anyone that reads this). 

(but back to the good stuff)...I have decided there are two ways you can respond to life when it doesn't go your way:

You can either become angry, upset, withdrawn, unhappy :(, pessimistic, feel as if you have been wronged by the world, become difficult to be around, and choose to give up (because that is the easy thing -and coward-ish thing to do). I feel that realistically, there is almost no way that you can vere from these feelings, if even for a few hours or days...

OR

You can choose to: not give up and persevere,thank God for trying to teach you something in not letting things "go your way" (not easy to do however in the heat of the moment). I feel like this stage of acceptance comes a bit later down the road, after the anger stage. With spiritual maturity, I feel like one can acheive this stage more quickly over time and not be as "stuck" in the angry stage.

Here's where our biggest struggles have been: Ben being alternate listed at 3 schools (more waiting til the end of summer now and the process of reapplying to more schools -MD/DO/PA has already begun), being content in our work, being so far away from friends and family, waiting for our next move, wanting a house but knowing that we are not ready to settle down (for 5-10 more years realistically), having a severe case of baby fever (when virtually every one of our friends here and back home are having kids of their own- okay maybe this is more of a "janell issue" than a "ben issue"), feeling left out, hoping God reveals his plan for us soon. 

It's one of those things where it seems like everyone else has it "all figured out". They have the family thing, baby thing, house thing, career thing, and contentment thing down pat. (yeah, I may be a bit jealous of all you...) Hear me out though, I am genuinely happy for all of you, I am just waiting for our turn to come. And it's feeling like it never will.

Waiting for a breakthrough, and a push up from the valley to the mountain top. It's been a LONG time coming. Its not as if we are severely unhappy or homesick rather, we are ready (so ready) for God to make a move in our lives, or send a sign that we are doing things according to His will and plans. I get God's trying to teach us a lesson. It seems to be the longest lecture of my life. "Patience, Patience, Patience my dear one."But hope that in the end it makes me a better person and us a better couple.

Today we had a great sermon by Pastor Dan. It was as if the sermon was meant for us (I love it when that happens). He focused on living our life according to God's terms and not our own. Also about realizing when things aren't going our way they are going the way God intended them to. In order to know if we are living life as God would have us, we need to grounded in the word, faithful in prayer, and surrounded by spiritual friends in which we can confide in.

This requires me to become less independent and 

more dependent on God and his plans for my/our life. 

Here is something I found on pinterest the other day that I thought was worth sharing...

 I pray that I can come to know this wholeheartedly sooner than later. Like REALLY know it, not half heartedly. No more questioning why things aren't working out or why God is making us wait for careers, kids, houses, etc... This does not seem like an easy task however. It's going to be easier to write down here than to actually put into action. Of course I still expect rejections or failed plans to cause some twinge of pain but I should be able to more quickly identify it and realize that maybe those plans were not in the right time, place, or situation for them to happen. Maybe God has something even better planned for our lives!  :)

So here's to soaking up the spontaneity and unknown, and basking in the glory of this adventure God has us on!

Until Later,

Janell

Here we are..

So its the end of February already. Where has this year gone??

Since the last post, we have been keeping real busy with work, the holidays,  another med school interview, and hosting my family last week for about 10 days.

Here are some of the highlights:

Our Trip to Lani over Christmas

   

We also enjoyed some great golfing

The Family (Ohana) came to visit us!

we enjoyed many beach days...

and a few adult beverages.

we visited the Big Island

and saw the "black sand beach"

Volcano!

and beautiful waterfalls.

Kona Brewing Co.

                                         

more beach time on Oahu.

 

 some R&R with the family.

Chris and Ollie

But most importantly, we were able to make some amazing memories. We will never forget playing "Ticket to Ride" almost every night, Chris getting sunburned and having "raccoon eyes" because of his sunglasses (see pic above), and getting road raged on the Big Island from a woman twice as big as dad. (Let's just say that she followed us to the rental car drop off, got out of her car, and had some words for my Dad. It was an eventful last experience on the Big Island).

Here's to a great few months! We are nervously and excitedly anticipating what God has in store for us next month. We should be hearing back shortly from all the meds schools Ben interviewed at in March. We hope God lights our path and makes it really clear to us as to where we need to be next. :)

Here's to many many more Adventures to Come...

Janell

The Holidays are Here!

Finally there is a little chill in the air, the tree is up, and my frosted cranberry candle is wafting through our apartment. There is nothing better!

and of course, almond bark pretzels! 

You CANNOT eat just one of those babies.

I love new decorative holiday tins.

our festive little friend poses by the tree.

we hosted a "ugly sweater party". Had a hard time finding a sweater here in Hawaii, but did find an ugly festive shirt with puff paint and beads :) 

What are your favorites this holiday season??

Janell

Countdown to Lanai= 17 days!

Hello Blogger World.

Confession: I have been a bad blogger. I have become one of those who is always looking forward to reading everyone else's new blog posts but doesn't even take time to write my own. I even check my blog lists daily to read about all the new and exciting things in everyone else's lives...

So, in lieu of not posting the past few months, I don't know where to start. Africa trip? Birthdays? School Interviews? Family Visiting?  Kidney Stones??... none seemed like a great attention grabbing topic... So I am just going to fast forward to the present.


We had a busy week of work with Thanksgiving squeezed in the middle. Thursday we were invited over to the Stoker's (our church family) for an amazing meal and time of fellowship. We all had a great time with old and new friends around the table. We played some board games, then I had to head into work. Ben participated in some Black FRIDAY Thursday shopping at Ala Moana. He and his friends enjoyed watching all the crazy shoppers and didn't participate much in the shopping itself.

Last night we had a couple hours off together, so we decided to stay in, order pizza and watch movies. I just love nights of relaxation at home. It was GLORIOUS to say in the least!

This week we are looking forward to picking out our Christmas tree! (yes! we are finally starting our own "Christians Family Traditions" :)  Lights and decorations are already starting to go up all over the island. We have to decorate more here as we don't get the snow to contribute to the holiday feelings. PS. I did purchase a scarf to wear. It's not worn for the chilly temps, rather for fashion (?). I wear it with a short sleeved shirt by the way...

With the Holiday Season here and more to come, I try not to dwell and focus on the fact that we are not in Iowa for the holidays. Rather, we are trying to embrace this time as a couple. Its not easy though, hearing of all the get-togethers, family time, amazing food, and games that are being played. We have come to realize that before our move, we took this "family time" for granted, BIG TIME.  You do NOT realize it until you move away. There no way you can. Seeing our family quite often made it routine. We are thankful for this time away as we have learned to really appreciate our families. (no worries, Mom and Dad. We have plans to move closer to home someday :)


What WE are THANKFUL for this year:

--Our family and dear friends back in Iowa (and the surrounding area). Their love for us makes it all the way to Hawaii... that's how awesome they are!

--For being in this weird, in-between phase of D.I.N.K.S. (Double Income, No Kids).

--Jobs that we enjoy and are challenged in daily (okay, so maybe this is more for Janell than Ben). God willing, Ben will soon be at a better place and will be much much much more challenged.

--For our health.

--Social Media/Technology. such as Facebook, Email, Skype, Cellphones that are readily available and make communication so much easier. Funny how 3,000+ miles away from home doesn't usually feel that far.

--For the cooler, brisk weather (yes, its all relative I know...)

--Ollie. for his obsession with us- okay, mainly Janell, personality, and cuddling on the couch after a couple night shifts.

--For already having our Christmas Cards printed and in hand... I am on top of it this year, I tell ya.

--For finally feeling like we are "settled" here after a year of not feeling that way. Funny how quickly that happens when you buy your own furniture and bring your dishes from home. :)

--For our small group and the solid relationships we have be able to form. God knew we needed that.

--Financial Stability. To be able to spend money on each other and be able to buy gifts for family and friends.

--Baking. One of my favorite hobbies. Subsequently, Ben enjoys eating :)

--Our iTunes filling up with Christmas jingles from: Mariah Carey, Michael Buble, Mannheim Steamroller. I am finding the classics we grew up with are the BEST.

--Our Marriage. for the process of continuing to grow closer as one.

--First Prez. such an awesome church and place to be challenged/grow in your faith.

--For the beauty of Hawaii and to have been given the opportunity to live here and call this place our home.

--Hope in the future. As we have NO idea where God wants us or what we will be doing next year, we are  encouraged that He's got it all figured out for us. No planning needed on our end, even though we may try.

--For God. who loves us and blesses beyond measure and reason.


Happy Holidays- 

the Christians

Summer Shenanigans.

So summer in Hawaii has finally arrived! As many of you just read that,  you may be feeling shocked that I dared to write that sentence. What can I say though? You can feel the 5 degree difference from Winter to Summer... :) Sorta.

So as I typed the word shenanigans, I wondered "what does that word really mean?" According to my handy dandy Google Search Dictionary:  

Shenanigans are silly or high spirited behavior. 

Even the word "mischief" is used in some dictionaries... hmm.

Well I don't really think we are up to too much mischief over here on the island, but we are enjoying   the "high" God's creation gives us every. single. day.

So here are our shenanigans:

We decided to hike KOKO HEAD CRATER. I (Janell) have wanted to do this hike for some time. Ben needed some convincing. but we finally just decided to do it! lets just say the some 1,048 steps (but who's counting anyway) lead us to some of the most breathtaking views.

 

 

  

...see, I told ya. 

 

...at the top!

 

 

Here's a photo I took walking back from the dog park at sunset.

 

We spent our 4th of July at where else... da Beach!

 

 we came across this little fella...

 

A Honu! (sea turtle)

  

Yum, Spam Musubi!

 

 What is Spam Musubi you may ask? -- The Hawaiian version of a cold cut sandwich.

 

(thanks google for the better image)

Its a piece of spam, sandwiched in between white rice, wrapped in seaweed. It's served at room temperature.

May sound disgusting, (and you may have just thrown up in your mouth a little bit) but you cannot judge it before trying it. I'm here to tell you that first hand

Well, if that didn't get the tastebuds jumping, this should.

mmmm...Malasadas! :)

 These warm pieces of heaven are sold around the island out of these trucks.

We were lucky to be shopping for Ben's Africa trip and were a shopping stupor when we stumbled upon this truck in the parking lot. 

For the record: the debate is over. "original" is the best.

 

God's Covenant

 

(I took this photo on my way to work. God knew I needed this before a long night shift.)

 

I ran a race in a grass skirt.... we knew it was only time.

 

 

We enjoyed a lovely evening at Roy's (a hawaiian fusion restaurant) with our friends mid-week.

 

Sheena and I

 

There's some of what we have been up to lately. We have also been busy keeping busy with the usual (work, youth group activities, small group). 

Ben has been extra busy plugging away at the Med School Applications and preparing for his trip to Africa in two weeks. GULP!...We just pray that GOD continues to prepare him for this awesome opportunity. We only can imagine how much God is gonna rock his world over there in Swaziland!

We are looking forward to the next two months as Brent and Michelle will be visiting us here in August and we are planning on doing some island hopping. Destination: Maui. 

God has blessed us so richly here in Hawaii. We literally thank God over and over every day with all He has given us. We are also so thankful for our wonderful family and friends back at home reading this. You are in our thoughts and prayers often!

Aloha and God Bless,

Janell