S/A

My mom's sister recently passed away. She needed to go to Tennessee to be with her siblings and so I drove down to dog/housesit for her. It was very nice to have absolute peace and quiet for a week, and to get some snuggle time with my Ethan!

Little Gus

 Ethan and his Papa (my brother, David)

Maggie's sweet kitty

Maggie swears he is a sweetheart - but these photos prove differently. 

I sat down next to him and snapped this pic of him yawning. 

The next pic shows how he felt about the intrusion. 

I got bit right after.

The Pants

Tim has some new joggers - he didn't love the color of them, so he asked if I would bleach them. I said no and he evidently didn't like that answer - he took it upon himself to get the job done. I found these on his bathroom floor - he had used a spray bottle of bathroom cleaner with bleach. The whole upstairs smelled of that bleach for days!

Bob's

Everyone knows that I love living in small town Forney - one of the reasons is this place right here - I LOVE snow cones - especially Tigers Blood with EXTRA EXTRA BLOOD!!!

Tim hates going to get them for me, but he does it every time anyway! 

Ethan

I just love when I get texts with pics of my favorite baby boy!

Stephanie and Ethan Marquis

Bored and Bothered

Everytime I set up a backdrop for client headshots, I ask Tim or Charlie to let me snap a few shots so that I can make sure my lights are working properly before the client arrives - This day, Tim and Charlie both sat in. They both look completely bored and bothered by my request!

First Days

So, Maggie has been a resident of the Aloha state for almost 2 weeks now - she is still adjusting, but likes it so far!

Everyone keeps asking her "How is Paradise?"

Unfortunately, actually living in paradise still requires her to do school work, laundry, wash dishes etc - so while it is beautiful there - the reality is that she has an almost overwhelming amount of work to handle every day. She is also pretty sure that riding a bike everywhere might actually be the death of her! 

However, she HAS managed to meet several new friends and is taking full advantage of her free time!

Here are a few pics I have received in the last two weeks ---  

This was sent the day after I left her - notice she is NOT riding her bike?
 She and a housemate HITCHHIKED to the beach. YEP - I said hitchhiked!
She has since done it again and I am mortified!

Some new friends after a Chalk dance on campus! When she sent the photo at first, I didn't realize why she looked so pale - then she said Chalk and it made more sense!

No school on MLK day meant a hike up Kailua. They made it up to the bunkers.

Maggie is in purple tank - the rest of the people are housemates and new friends who also attend BYUH

ALOHA!

  Once again - I have lost my girl to school. This time, I may not get her back because she has traded Virginia snow for the beach - she is now living in La'ie Hawaii!!!

I was lucky enough to be able to spend four days there helping her settle in. We stayed at Disney's Aulani Resort. We spent the first day getting everything squared away at BYU, the last day getting her into her house, and the time in between was spent visiting some of the beautiful places that Oahu has to offer!

Let me say - I have never had a big desire to go to Hawaii. (I know - I'm probably the only person who has ever felt that way!) After spending a few days there, I can now say that I was stupid. Hawaii is hands down, the most wonderful place I have ever been!

Tommy and I had an opportunity to move there this summer and we passed on that - what a mistake we made! I am fully prepared to sell everything I own and move there NOW!! 

I am thrilled that Maggie is taking her opportunity and following her sense of adventure! She is a smart girl!

It is a really hard thing - to leave my girl in a place that is so foreign to all that she knows - I pray that she will be safe and watched over, and have the time of her life!

Maggie and I had lunch at P.F. Changs a few days before our trip - I guess fortune cookies REALLY DO know what's up!

arriving on BYUH campus

 BYUH campus

walking out onto her balcony for the first time!

tacked above the kitchen sink - funny!

the courtyard in front of her house - and our rental car for the week (also happens to be the vehicle Maggie wants!)

at the Dole Plantation not far from school - best pineapple juice ever!

a quick beach selfie!

our dinner view before the Aulani Hula show - it was 78 degrees - 7:00pm - in January!

Hawaiian pizza for lunch!

leaving the hotel - headed for school (note how studious she is with her backpack!)

the view from her balcony - this is what she will see every single day!!
she will be sharing a room with one girl - the house will have 10 girls total

headed up the street to her house

steps down to the first floor of her house - she is in a third floor bedroom

Her cherry red transportation for the next several months!

I seriously can't get over the fact that she will get an education with this to distract her each day! 

a satellite photo of the places she will be day in and day out.
school - lower left
her home - on the point - upper right

a pic on the porch just before I had to drive away. she was smiling - i was sobbing!

the view out of her window - my drivers side view was the pacific ocean!

dozens of these shacks and food trucks line the coast line leading up to her school - more shrimp and snow cones than you could ever dream of!

On the beach on the North Shore
It was super cool to see all of the surfers - riding waves that are actually big enough!