Typical Brynlee

This is a typical moment in Brynlee's day. Everyday around 12/12:30 no matter what she is doing, she stops and comes to the kitchen table. First she unloads all the playdough out of its' assigned drawer and makes a giant tower, then she knocks it down and builds two smaller ones on the edge of the table. Then she grabs all of her coloring supplies and dumps them out on the table and gets to work creating, all the while she is jabbering away to herself or singing/humming. She takes it all very seriously and goes through a myriad of emotions in the process. Haha and the picture with her head down? That is her eating a crayon and trying to hide it from me- it's part of her routine too. She is in a stage right now where she's pushing boundaries and testing the limits whenever she gets a chance, so this daily routine of hers is a welcome break from all the chaos she's creating the rest of the day. I'm so lucky my camera was close enough to catch her in this moment, it really is Brynlee to a T!

Reflections on Year Five

Anniversary Weekend in Banff

Year FIVE. FIVE? FIVE! We can't believe it's been five years, it seems so long and so short all at the same time.

• This year has been the "sweet spot" in our married life so far. I think it's fair to say that we can "read" each other a lot better now, it's almost instinctive and it helps our everyday run so smoothly when we're on the same page. It's really nice to feel like we ARE on the same page almost all of the time now, and this last year has been a smoother ride because of that. Where I'm weak Steve fills the gap and vice versa, it's a really comfortable place to be. We still have all the usual life stresses, but in our relationship there's a lot less tension than in the earlier years, probably because we are more aware of each others needs now.
• I guess another thing that I've neglected to talk about is how nice it is that Steve is around/available to me and the kids quite a bit. This job of his is really conducive to the kind of life that we envision for our family and it's a huge blessing for all of us to be able to not only exist under the same roof, but enjoy being with each other. Our kids are at an age where we are having a lot of fun with them and even when things aren't going great, or we're stressed or whatever, they are a great distraction from those things and they are still offering us glimpses of the "bigger picture" when we need it.
• Friendships have become a lot more important to us this year. It's been harder for us to be as social as we'd like because so often in the last few years Steve has been away or working late and I've been so tired, but we're starting to recognize that we need the adult interaction too. Anyways, we've made some great friends so far and we've made it a goal to get to know more people this year, and reconnect with some old friends too, so hopefully that helps balance out life a little bit.

We are so grateful for the chance we had to get out of the city and enjoy a weekend of just us. It's amazing how refreshing just those 2 nights away really were. We had the best time hanging out with each other and not feeling torn in different directions. The pace of our days was so relaxed, we literally walked around downtown Banff for a few hours and didn't even realize it until we saw the clock when we got back to our hotel. We chowed down on some decent steak and had Sunday Brunch at the Banff Springs Hotel- the salmon was like butter, it was melt in your mouth delicious. We took a few dips in the spa "hot pool", we really wish that we could've splurged on the couples massage too, but holy heck their prices for that were RIDICULOUS, I'm talking my grocery budget for the month ridiculous! I stocked up on our favorite snacks before we left town and brought some games and we literally would come back from the pool and lounge around with not a care in the world, oh evenings without children how we appreciate you... We had a great time on our Grotto Canyon ice walk on Monday morning, if you've never done one you should! It was a decent hike and you get to walk on the frozen creek and enjoy views that you don't usually get to see. Bonus, we had fresh snow so everything was looking really beautiful that morning, it kept snowing too so we got a real good winter hike experience.
We were fortunate that this weekend was actually our Christmas present from Steve's sister and her husband- they found us a great livingsocial deal- so we got to do the ice walk, which is probably something we would have never thought of doing on our own, or would have had a hard time spending money on, but it was really fun and now that we know that, we'd be inclined to splurge and do it again. It also included some sparkling refreshment from the hotel (we opted out of the wine and instead had some sparkling water with orange juice), 2-for-1 ski rentals, a $20 food voucher for a place downtown, plus the hotel gave us a coupon book with really decent deals in it and there were a lot of little perks at our particular hotel. We learned that these livingsocial deals are actually really worth it and we're hoping to do some more throughout the year. The only downside was that if you stay on the weekend you end up paying a room premium, so an extra $15/nt and then they tax you 11% on the full value of the room you were in, so be aware. It wasn't a crazy amount in the end, but it's nice to have a heads up.
All-in-all we really enjoyed celebrating our anniversary, we usually don't do more than go out for dinner so this was a huge treat for us. We are also lucky to have family so close and willing to step in and help us out with our kids so we can do things like this. It's nice that we don't need to be nervous or worried to leave our kids because there's always someone who loves them and is fully capable of managing their craziness for us for a few days. Thanks family!

Reflections on Year Four

Year Four, the year of ADVENTURES
Steve switched jobs this year and started working for Liberty Security(as previously mentioned). It was a great change of pace for him and his job as a Technician is basically right up his alley. This was an extremely busy year work-wise and so I learned how to do the single-parent thing for weeks and months at a time. Steve learned how awesome his wife is.

• Steve got to spend quite a bit of time in the Maritimes that summer. It was really hard to have him gone so much that year since Brynlee was still so little and Kalea was getting way more mobile, thus I was extremely busy and torn in two directions all day everyday. It was over those months that I really grew to appreciate Steve's presence in our home, you really don't know what you've got until the man is gone for a few months. I was functioning on pure survival mode for those long times apart and then as soon as he'd walk in the door I would bawl my face off for a little bit and then we'd go through adjusting to having Daddy home again. Good times.
• This year was also the year that we got to go try living in Saskatoon, away from all of our family and friends. It was short-lived but we had a really fun time together living in a house that had a HUGE yard, and exploring a new city, and all the perks of living somewhere that was super family friendly. I had a massive kitchen to play in, and I had so much fun trying new recipes, Steve and the girls loved it too, although it didn't really help me in the losing weight department, I gained quite a bit while we were there, oops! It rained tons while we were there and we missed our babysitters, namely Nana and Papa. They did come to visit us though and that was really fun. Anyways, it was fun to have that much time together because we knew once we got back home that Steve wouldn't be around much the rest of the summer, so we savored it.
• ROUTINE: The girls and I had to have a routine while Steve was gone for so long. If I had no routine I have no idea how I would've survived those long stretches of him being away. Bedtime for the girls was my saving grace and I would get so excited for Steve to call at the end of his crazy days to tell me all about them, or about some crazy new word that he heard someone say. It was kind of like dating again in the sense that I really did get giddy as a schoolgirl waiting for him to call and then afterwards I could fall asleep no problem. If he missed calling because he worked so late, this would interrupt my routine and I wouldn't sleep as good- true story. Routines save lives in my world.
• Because of Steve's hard work for Liberty in year four we were able to go to Mexico for a much needed week away from our kids. We went for the first week of January 2011 and it was so much fun to go experience a place that was new to both of us. It was a good way to cap off a very busy year and we were both a bit burnt out, so we got some great relaxation time in that week. It was also fun to meet people who Steve works with and some of the other wives who get to suffer through selling season too, at least I'm not the only one right? We loved that trip and are so happy that we have those memories to enjoy for years to come.

It was a year of learning how to sustain a relationship when the other person was absent, and we had to put a lot more effort into it because we were so far apart. That being said, a lot more effort for us just equated to a lot more communication-again. I would jot things down throughout the day so that Steve would know what crazy thing Kalea did or funny thing she said, or some animal we saw outside, etc... It helped him to feel a bit more attached to what was happening here at home even though he was across the country. The worst part of Steve being away was always the adjustment back to co-parenting, haha. I would have my routine and he would get home and disrupt it completely and I had to learn to step back and let him have his "role" back. I think we are a lot better at that adjustment now, but year four gave us a lot of practice in that area. From this year we also learned that we really don't like to be far apart for very long, the scriptures are true, it's not good for a man or a woman to be alone, we function way better together! Our home is a happier place when we are all in it and the kids do a lot better if they have even just 15mins a day of Daddy-time, so do I!
Year 5 recap after my weekend off!

Reflections on Year Three

Year 3 was the year of CHANGE.

• FINANCIAL PLAN: We learned a lot more about money in this year and after waiting for way too long, we finally consolidated all our debt and got rid of my credit card. We got a fantastic interest rate and have been steadily paying it down ever since- those payments will be finished by the end of this year! Wahoo! If we had only known how much all those stupid "things" we bought in year one would end up costing us, hindsight is 20/20. We learned more about how to live on a budget and I started to budget all of the money we had minus my mat-leave money that would be ending in August, so that it wasn't a huge shock when that money was gone. We were sure grateful to have had it for a full year, if I hadn't had so many hours in '07 I wouldn't have gotten as much in '08/'09, so another hidden blessing along the bumpy way. In the summer we also went from having two vehicles to having one. We kept the truck and then after we had Brynlee, I became obsessed with getting rid of it and getting a car, that was dumb, but we keep learning right? Gong show!
• HOME: In April we found out that we were short-listed for the very desirable co-op that overlooks Fish Creek. We had interviews and all sorts of paperwork to fill out, but we were happy with how much the staff/volunteers involved in the process, cared about our family and seemed to want us in their little community. We found out in May that we had been approved for an end-unit! This was a big deal since we knew that two small kids would not be super quiet and a lot of people who live in the co-op are "sensitive to noise". We moved in at the very end of June and started getting settled. We so appreciated Steve's parents accommodating us for as long as they did and it was actually kind of sad when they came over that moving day night. I'm really lucky that I like my in-laws so much, I literally cried. Pregnancy hormones.
• FAMILY & FIRSTS: That summer we had a lot of family from my McMurray side come visit for our first reunion. It was really fun to have everyone here and we loved showing Kalea off and getting to meet some of the other new additions to the family. It was also fun to have enough floorspace to host some of my cousins, it was fun spending some extra time with them since we're all so spread out now. Kalea also turned one in August of this particular year- too bad she was super sick and we couldn't have the huge party I had envisioned for her especially since all Steve's siblings were actually in town for her birthday this year, that would've been fun. Oh well. We grew to really appreciate our families and that cocoon they provide from the outside world, and in turn started exploring ways that we could help our kids to have those feelings in our home too. Most of Kalea's "firsts" happened in 2009 and we learned how to let her stumble and fall and get back up and to my astonishment, all the falling didn't hold her back from any crazy antics! Steve helped me learn not to be such an uptight first time Mommy and I learned how to relax into the role. 
• JUGGLING ACT: In November 2009 we welcomed Brynlee into our home, what a whirlwind that was. I can only count it as an act of grace that we didn't have a terrible time transitioning from one child to two, Brynlee just eased right in. There were only a few growing pains and Kalea didn't seem very phased by it at all which was a huge lifesaver. Brynlee instantly fell into routine and became my sidekick, she was the kind of baby that makes a person want to have more babies, just SO super easy going, completely predictable schedule wise and happy. I was surprised by how much getting up at night with her didn't bother me, but maybe that's because Kalea was still napping so I was able to find time to do that too. Steve adjusted his volleyball schedule to one night a week and I learned to just take things one day at a time. It was around this time that I was called into the Relief Society Presidency at church and so besides my mom-job, I had some other areas to grow into as well. Anyways, we found this year to be a lot about the kids and serving others than it was about us and that's okay, but not ideal, so our new years resolution that year included more time for just us.
• WORK: In Feb'09 Steve and his boss at the machine shop decided that they should part ways. It was becoming less and less ideal, work had slowed down so much that they were going to 4day work weeks and no overtime allowed, therefore his pay was going down. Luckily Steve was able to start working for our brother in law at Liberty Security almost immediately after his final 2wks machining were finished, and we got a little help from parents in between paycheques- again, we have the best parents. We didn't have a lot of stressful feelings about the change and Steve's health drastically improved once he stopped working there- he was having all sorts of respiratory issues while working there.

Again, I think each year involves a lot of work and this year required a lot of us both. We really began to trust each other more and be more communicative with our needs and our thoughts about all the different choices we had to make. It was also a year of sucking it up- financially- and learning to live off less, which is a hard transition, but it works if you talk about everything all of the time. Forcing conversation about finances has become my specialty, open communication is key especially when you're budgeting down to the last dollar, a slurpee/slushie can disrupt the budget and throw me for a loop, so we came up with other ways to have "fun money" available ie. collecting bottles/cans from our house and both parents houses, yes I forced my parents to let us recycle their bottles that year, it was a first for them, and I appreciated their effort. Can I just add that diapers are way too expensive? They ate up so much of our budget that year- cursed diapers- we sometimes used our bottle money to pay for them, that's when "fun money" becomes "lame-ooooo" but we had to be responsible with it sometimes.
Year Four coming up tomorrow!

Reflections on Year Two

Year Two

• BALANCE: We decided we should have some fun before bringing a child into the world, so we started enjoying each others' company a bit more. This meant that Steve would only play volleyball twice a week and I would try to be more productive with my free time- this makes for a husband who actually wants to spend time with his wife. Haha. I may have been a bit spoiled in our dating relationship, so it was shocking when he didn't want to work long hours at a hard labor job and come home and do laundry and vacuum and cook dinner and clean the bathroom and be super loving/kind etc... I get it now :) We made a point of trying new places to eat and going for walks and just spending more time with each other, which made for more communicating, which makes for better married life. I guess we were two very independent people pre-marriage? Haha
• PERSPECTIVE: We gained a whole lot of perspective during this year. We started planning for Kalea to arrive, and realized that we had totally screwed ourselves over financially in that first year. That was a real fun wake-up call. Then our rent got jacked up. Then we realized that we couldn't afford for Steve to do the semester he needed to keep up the education part of his machining apprenticeship because I would be on maternity leave and, unlike most employers who take part in apprenticeship placements, Steve's refused to help out financially so that he could finish the schooling that he needed for his ticket. So in a grand attempt at grown up thinking, we put our name on a list at a housing co-op so that we could have cheaper rent and get our debts paid down faster, so then maybe we could afford to do the important stuff, like school. Then we had Kalea and I obsessed over making her tiny room in our apartment perfect. HA. Then we gave our notice to the apartment that we were moving because we heard back from the co-op that they had a place for us, then we went and looked at it and it was not in very great condition and we couldn't live there with a baby with it being so bad. So we turned it down. But the apartment building had already found a renter for our place. So now we had a baby and no place to live, so we moved in with Steve's parents! What we thought would only be a few months turned into 8, but luckily we got along pretty good, and they vacationed a few times in that period and we house-sat for some friends for a few weeks, so it wasn't quite as crazy as it could've been. Kalea was super lucky to get to have that much time with Steve's parents and I was lucky to have so much help with baby Kalea. I actually kind of miss walking into the bathroom every Tuesday morning to find the glass cleaner and other cleaning supplies ready for "marathon morning of clean", it was actually fun cleaning with somebody else. I also miss the dishwasher...
• EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED: Right around our 2nd anniversary Kalea was at the age where we were really having a lot of fun together, she was portable and she was always happy to smile and giggle and coo at strangers. She was magnetic and as such Steve and I loved to be together with her, we have loved marriage more since we've had kids, maybe because we bond over the misery of some of the "joys" of parenting? We definitely have a lot more to talk about at the end of the day than we used to! It was also around that time that I began to be suspicious about some things, like how I was always super tired. Also, I was doing an Abs/Buns class at our community center and I was finding that it was taking me a few days to recover from each class, which was strange because it was difficult but not crazy intense and I had been fine besides the first few weeks when I was getting used to the burn. Then there was this time that Steve's mom cooked us these pasta nests with sauce and I woofed it down and found myself running to the bathroom before it even hit my stomach. So I went to the doctor that week and found out Brynlee was on her way. LOL We definitely weren't planning on having another baby, but we were still somewhat excited about it. It's a good thing that we had applied for a "large 3 bedroom townhouse" and not the small 3 or 2 bedroom. 
• PRAYERS GET ANSWERED: I might have been a bit of a stress case at the end of year 2. I was already planning to go back to work since we had help with Kalea and yet I was super hesitant about it. I kept feeling torn and unsure and a lot of the time I felt like I had zero answers for anything. The day that I had my back-to-work meeting was the day that I found out I was pregnant. Knowing how stressful my job had become while I was pregnant with Kalea, I wasn't real excited about the thought of going back while pregnant with #2, so I decided that I'd take the next 8mths to get as much 1on1 time with Kalea before we rocked her world. Everyone had an opinion about that, but besides missing out on the extra money, I can't say that I really regret that choice. I think it was important for my mental health not to go back to an unhealthy work environment while dealing with pregnancy hormones and guilty mom syndrome, and I feel like Kalea got the attention that she deserved from her Mom- even if some days I just laid on the couch and watched her play. Steve worked really hard this year and he worked as much overtime as his boss would let him so that the pinch wasn't so bad. He also got two raises in year 2- almost unheard of at this shop. He got one right after we had Kalea and then a bonus that Christmas and another little raise around our anniversary. That was a huge answer to prayer when we had no idea how we were going to afford 2 kids and make our debt payments and keep a roof over our own heads.

I think in year 2 we learned a lot about just how much married people need to rely on each other and trust in Heavenly Father. We found it a lot easier to feel like we were getting answers when we were more open with and kind to each other. We weren't perfect and we didn't always agree with each other 100%, but I think with Kalea's birth, we really learned what we were made of as a couple. Seeing Steve as a Dad confirmed to me that I had really made the most awesome choice for my kids and myself. His level of involvement is impressive and I knew he'd be like that I just didn't expect that he would be so willing in all areas. In year 2 we kind of proved ourselves to each other, like "Ha, I laugh in the face of living with your parents!" and "Well, ha, I laugh in the face of 2a.m. feedings and diaper changes in the dark!" it was almost a bit of a competition at who could out-do the other and it was a good time.
Stay tuned, exciting yr.3 is next!

Reflections on Year One

Steve and I are coming up on 5yrs of marriage in a week, so I thought maybe I'd write some insightful and inspiring things about our time together thus far. LOL Just kidding, kind of. I thought it might be a good idea to share different thoughts that we've had about each year so far, if only for my own entertainment and record keeping purposes, since most everything I write in my actual journal has much more to do with raising kids than my musings on marriage.

Year One

• I asked Steve what word he would use to describe year one, he said SELFISH. I fully agree. We were super selfish not only in the choices we made together (stupid stupid truck buying) but also individually. We had super high expectations of each other that we didn't really communicate about in a mature or super loving way. We were always butting heads on every minor detail of every minor and major thing. Neither one of us was too keen to give in very quickly and it made for some stress, but we have since figured out how to be a lot less selfish and communicate better.
• I think I might use the word LONELY to describe year one. That's depressing. Sorry, it just was. We were both working and he was playing lots of volleyball, to I think avoid my particular brand of crazy, and sometimes it felt like we were just roommates. It was also lonely in the sense that I'm a pretty straight shooter when it comes to talking about issues when they arise, and Steve, not so much. So a lot of the time things were left really open-ended and it was lonely having nobody to talk to about it.  I felt disconnected from him and from the people around me and from myself- scary lonely place. Now we talk lots about lots, I don't mind waiting a bit for Steve to gather his own thoughts about something and he doesn't mind letting me just have my moment when an issue arises. I also have figured out how to talk to other people about stuff without revealing every detail of what's going on with Steve and I. I really wouldn't want people talking about the details, and I try not to get too caught up in other people's details if I can avoid it.
• We agree that the term COMPROMISE is also appropriate. There was a lot of that happening that year, and we learned a lot from having to lower some expectations and work together to figure out what was going to work best for our relationship. Compromise in our marriage though, only works when we're both on board 100%, so it's still a constant process, but far less painful now than year one.
• EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER could also describe year one. There were super happy moments and super unhappy ones. There was the mix of work/school/home life stresses that just complicated all the major stuff that was going on and it was not the smoothest ride that year.
• Probably the best part of  year one was finding out we were adding to the family. We gained some much needed perspective when we found out Kalea would be joining us, and we started working on a lot of things right away so she wouldn't find herself in the middle of a huge mess when she arrived. That was a huge blessing. I was also super sick for the first 20wks of that pregnancy, which meant I had a lot less energy to argue anything, so Steve was able to have a bit of a break from "the crazy" and he took really great care of poor sick pregnant me. Then he had his tonsils removed and we both were super sick and had to take care of each other a bit more and we bonded. Once we started to be a little more SELF-LESS we started to like each other a lot more again. Haha, lesson learned. No amount of praying together or reading scriptures helped our cause, it was the actual "doing of the word" and serving each other that saved us that year and has kept us on a pretty even keel ever since.

When people say "The first year is the hardest", they're right. It really was. But ultimately it was the most important for us because we learned a lot of those foundational things that we've heard you need to make the subsequent years successful. The list above is fairly short, we learned a whole bunch, but in the interest of not getting too personal or over-sharing, you get the short list. I never understood what people meant when they talked about "marriage is work", I was all caught up in the "put on a happy face" facade of what marriage looked like. I get the work part now, it's constant, it doesn't stop and it probably never will. Thank goodness. Happy bubbles are great, but I like things to be a little messy, and my marriage is a little messy. I like it and looking back on year one now, I'm a lot more grateful for it than I ever thought I would be. Thanks year one, you didn't totally suck after all!

Change & No Small Miracles

We had some great changes last week at church. I should preface by saying that in our church we don't have paid clergy or anything of that nature, all callings are issued by inspiration and accepted on a volunteer basis, and some take up a lot of time and others not so much, but all are important. We also don't believe in having aspirations to be in a certain position, we believe that our Bishop receives inspiration and revelation from Heavenly Father in regards to who should fill these positions in our particular congregation, that holds true for our church on local, national and international levels. It's kind of an organizational miracle, and it's part of what makes us unique.
Anyways, when Steve and I were first married I was put to work in the Young Women's program for girls 12-18, specifically I taught the 12-13yr old girls each Sunday or every other Sunday. I was also involved in helping coordinate their goals for completing "Personal Progress"- a program designed to help them gain practical skills and develop their talents, it was a blessing to be involved with these girls, now most of those 12yr old girls are DRIVING their parents' mini-vans, scary...That lasted for 2ish years and then I was asked to be in the presidency of our ward(congregation) Relief Society,  for women 18yrs+. We don't aspire to callings, but it was pretty overwhelming to be asked to serve in this capacity as a fairly young person. I mean, I was 25 with 2 very small girls, feeling like I had very little to offer, being asked to help minister to 130+ women, most of whom were more seasoned and experienced than I. What I quickly came to realize was that this calling was more for me than for them. I have learned so much from the strength of these women, from serving alongside them these past few years. I feel like everyone has added so much to my life experience that words can't really do them justice. This has been such a huge blessing in my life and my family's life and I feel so grateful to have a Heavenly Father who would give me such a great opportunity to learn and grow, and feel more a part of our church community. It's true, those first few years with the Young Women's were great, but I felt like everyone knew Steve because he grew up here and I was just "Steve's wife" which is totally fine with me now, but back then it felt like there was no way for me to break out of that label, so I felt a bit like an outsider.
The responsibilities I've had in Relief Society have really helped shove me into the circle a bit, and that's good because sometimes I don't put myself out there enough. I had the great opportunity of teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ on a very regular basis, and increasing my love for Him through serving the sisters in our ward. I've learned so much, not just on a spiritual level, but practical things too. I've had the opportunity to visit with sisters I might not have had the chance to, I learned to crochet, and strangely enough which batting is best for which kind of quilt... I learned to "be prepared" to teach, when teachers don't show up or call the night before to say they're sick or out of town. I've learned that people don't generally put their hurts on display and to be much more careful about passing certain judgements on anyone, or speaking my opinions too pointedly. I've learned that the best way to feel apart of something is to jump in and get your feet wet, the best way to get to know and love people is to serve them, and the best way to grow closer to the Savior is not just to feel good about what He's done for me, but to go out and do something for someone else that He would want me to- even when I feel inadequate or just don't feel like it. Nothing changes a bad day or crappy attitude faster than service to others- and it doesn't even have to be big thing. I've also learned that we are more than equipped with the tools that we need to do things that seem really hard. We weren't sent here to fail and we have a Heavenly Father who really knows and loves us collectively and individually, and when we need to learn something, He provides a way for us to learn it, whether we want to or not.
I feel like my family has benefited in the biggest way, because this calling has really helped me through all this learning to be a Mom stuff. It is not super easy, but I found women who I can relate to and look up to- besides the awesome Mothers in my own family- and I was able to learn how to relax into my role. That's been huge because I was trying to do it all at one point and failing miserably, and as much as Steve was a huge help during that time, I really needed some "motherly advice" from someone who knew what it was like, and I got it. Huge blessing. It also gave me something to focus on, outside of my own family and I think everyone needs that, whether it be a job, volunteering in the community, or what have you, it's great to have somewhere else to focus some attention and feel like you're contributing. And now somebody else gets the opportunity to grow and learn in that and a host of other things, and I'm super excited for them. As for me, I'm feeling like I can be happy with the contributions I've made, and grateful for the contributions others have made to me, and excited to see what's next.

In completely unrelated news, have you all been captivated by the Canadians who were rescued by a container ship off the coast of Hilo, Hawaii? Haha, yeah, um we definitely have, Steve was invited to go on that trip! Obviously, for the purpose of work and making a living, it wasn't really something that was feasible for us, so he stayed home and we've been watching the facebook updates all month. It's a huge blessing that our friends are all safe and sound, and were able to make contact with the right people to get themselves rescued. Another evidence that Heavenly Father watches over His children and that all the little things can indeed add up to make a really HUGE difference in whether or not a story ends up happy or devastating.