Gratitude, Running, and Holiday Magic: Our Thanksgiving and Christmas Season

We had some time off work right before Thanksgiving, so we weren’t too concerned about the holiday itself. Gavin and I both ate the usual cafeteria food that day and worked away at the Sheraton. However, that evening, I went to my friend Hannah’s house where a group of friends had gathered for dinner. We dined in her beautiful new backyard, and everyone brought something to contribute. I did miss Gavin, though—he and Logan’s wife, Courtney, were the only ones not there. But despite that, we still had so much to be grateful for this season. We truly can count our blessings.

Gavin’s Marathon

Gavin has been training hard for the Honolulu Marathon since June, with a dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon one day. He was incredibly dedicated to his long runs, and I don’t think he missed a single one. I would accompany him to the golf course, where I’d run or walk while he did his laps back and forth. I’d cheer him on with water, snacks, and plenty of high-fives—always reminding him, “You’ve got this!”

We were lucky enough to score a hotel right by the start line through Marriott. We stayed at the Sheraton Waikiki in town and were even upgraded to an oceanfront room! Wahoo! The view was absolutely breathtaking. This trip was super relaxing for me, especially since I wasn’t the one running. The night before the race, we ordered take-out from the Cheesecake factory and enjoyed it in our hotel room. The next morning, we were up at 4 a.m. to head to the start line.

I couldn’t believe how many people were gathered there—there were an estimated 35,000 runners! It was a bit of a standstill just trying to walk to the start line. Once Gavin joined the crowd, I lost him pretty quickly. But I stayed behind to cheer on all the runners, which took about 40 minutes as they passed through the start. It was incredible to see so many people running with determination. I smiled when I saw a fellow spectator proudly waving his Mickey hands at all the runners. My mom would have done that. 

I was tracking Gavin through the race app and getting updates on his estimated finish time. When I saw him cross the finish line, I cheered as loud as I could. He looked absolutely exhausted, the most tired I’ve ever seen him after a race. But he gave it his all. As soon as he took off his shoes, I saw that all eight of his toenails were black... He’ll definitely be losing those, but he made it through the race!

Afterward, Gavin spent the rest of the day in bed while I went out to get him some food. He watched football and ate take-out all day. Honestly, I don’t think he was disappointed.

That evening, I went to a beach graduation celebration for my friends Sarah and Anna, who both graduated with their master’s degrees and are now doctors! They had the cutest picnic set-up on the beach, and it was so fun to see everyone and celebrate their achievements. We had Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour playing in the background—it was bittersweet since it was her last show. I also got to meet Jansen's third baby boy Lono he is a precious soul straight from heaven. 

Holiday Celebrations

Gavin and I celebrated the holidays just the two of us this year. We went to his work Christmas party, where Chelsea and I wore matching Folklore cardigans. It was fun to be with the other managers I felt like I was part of the team since I know everyone at work so well. I kept forgetting that I was technically a guest!

We also went camping with our friends Anita and Chase on Christmas Adam. We headed to Polihale, and it was absolutely beautiful. We found the best camping spot right on the beach, and the day was filled with relaxation—reading, flying kites, napping, playing KanJam, roasting hot dogs, and playing games under the stars. It was the most magical start to Christmas Eve we could have asked for. Gavin even slept under the stars, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many in my life. Being surrounded by God’s creations on Christmas was a reminder of how much there is to be thankful for.

On Christmas day we had dinner with our friends at Chase and Anitas. We all dressed up and grilled stakes it was a feast for all.  

Christmas Day

The next day, Gavin and I celebrated Christmas together. We opened our gifts, then had an amazing beach day at Shipwreck Beach. Afterward, we came home, played Dad’s game Queen of Hearts, and made homemade pasta. We finished the evening enjoying our Christmas treats. The house felt like Christmas we had our gifts lying around and our favorite food in the fridge. I wouldn't have had chritmas any other way this season. 

This holiday season, we have so much to rejoice in and be grateful for: good health, great jobs, amazing friends, travel opportunities, church callings, happiness, and most importantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ. We feel incredibly blessed. And it all points back to our Savior—because of Him, life is full of goodness and more.

So, here's to 2024! 

Birthday Trip to Los Angels

Since football season started, we thought it would be fun to attend an NFL game together. We decided on the Chargers game on Gavin's birthday at Sofi Stadium. Our trip began with a red-eye flight from Lihue to LA, where Mya picked us up and drove us straight to Universal Studios. We were fresh off the plane with no sleep, but excited to have something to keep us busy.

It had been years since any of us had been to Universal. I want to say I was in third grade the last time I visited, and Gavin thinks he might have been younger. So, this was basically a first-time experience for all of us. We opted for the early access pass so we could hit all the major attractions. Little did we know, Universal Studios wasn’t that busy, and a regular pass would have sufficed. We were all given "First Visit" pins that we wore proudly on our chests throughout the day. Mya made sure to puff her shoulder out that was displaing her pin when she saw workers to see if the pin came with any extra special privileges. No luck!  

We started with the Mario Kart ride, which was fun, but honestly, a bit overrated. We were also pretty disappointed that the Jurassic Park ride was closed, as that was the one we were most excited about. On the bright side, we loved the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! We indulged in Butterbeer and rode Hagrid’s coaster over and over, trying to time exactly how long the ride was but the ride kept stopping. I think our final time was a 27-second ride! We also went on the castle ride several times, though by the end, I was getting a bit sick from the constant motion.

Most of the rides were 3D or 4D experiences, requiring glasses and involving lots of screens. After a while, they started to blend together. I think I prefer a good old-fashioned roller coaster instead.

The day ended with the WaterWorld show, which was actually my favorite part of the park! It was pretty chilly by the time the show started, so we made sure to sit in a non-wet zone. We couldn’t help but laugh at the Mario mushroom hats everyone was wearing. They were so dorky—and almost everyone had one. They cost around $40 each, and we couldn’t figure out when someone would ever wear that again! We couldn’t stop talking about it. The WaterWorld show was full of epic stunts, and the crew members had no mercy on the people sitting in the wet zone. They were literally dumping buckets of water on them! I was glad we lined up early to avoid that. Afterward, we had a delicious dinner at Olive Garden, enjoying the endless soup, salad, and breadsticks.

The next day started early because we were heading to Disneyland! Gavin and I decided to take public transportation to save some money, so we had to wake up super early to catch the 5:30 AM metro. It was totally worth it because we got to relax and bypass traffic—though it took about the same amount of time as driving would have.

We met Dart and Acacia at California Adventure. It had been a long time since we’d been to this park as well, so there was a lot to explore. The Guardians of the Galaxy ride was a hit, but we couldn’t stop talking about the Spider-Man ride. It was an interactive experience where you used your arms to sling webs at spiders. The ride is on a metal track, and the whole time, your stats are being tracked to make sure you’re keeping up. My arms were literally shaking after every ride, but it was totally worth it—I beat Gavin every single time!

We snacked on churros, popcorn, garlic cheese bread, beignts and other park food, and had an absolute blast, staying in the park until midnight—16 hours in total! Thanks to Mya’s Disney skills and her friend, we were able to skip several lines and go on everything we wanted. We also loved seeing Ari run around Disney. He was so mesmerized by the lights and music.

That night, we stayed at a hotel right near Disney, which was such a good call since we were all exhausted. The lady at the check-in desk must have recognized us as employees, because she upgraded us to a suite and gave us free parking, so Mya could join us. It was the perfect end to an amazing day. Or as I usually say BEST DAY!

The next day, we did a little shopping and relaxed before Gavin and I started our two-hour public transport journey to the Dolby Theater to see Avatar: The Last Airbender in concert. We arrived with plenty of time before the show, and I thought maybe we’d be the only ones there. We enjoyed some ice cream and wacky street performers before heading into the theater. It was fun to see some guests dressed as characters from the show, though we couldn’t imagine spending $75 on a long-sleeve T-shirt just to wear it for one event.

The concert itself was honestly incredible. The live music was beautiful, especially the soprano singer who was absolutely killing it. I wanted to put my fist in the air every time she sang. I was worried by the size of the orchestra because of its small size, but I was totally wrong.. The music filled the entire space, and as we listened, they played scenes from the show on the big screen. The audience was so into it—cheering, booing, and even crying during the emotional scenes. It by far exceeded my expectations, and I’m so glad we went!

The next day, we headed to San Diego with Loana, Bob, Mya, and Gus. We spent some time with family at the park, Gavin went golfing, and I wandered around some thrift stores with Loana. We also got to see Wicked, which was amazing. I was worried the music wouldn’t be as good as the CD I’ve fallen in love with, but it was even better live. Gavin, on the other hand, slept through most of it!

For Gavin’s actual 28th birthday, we started the day at Denny’s. Dart even ordered a full meal for himself and baby Ari—though I’m pretty sure he just wanted the second meal for himself! When we arrived at Sofi Stadium, thousands of fans who had been tailgating all day were already buzzing with excitement and bad energy. We watched a man calling himself “Joe Dreams” sing into a microphone, serenading random passersby with lines like, “Hey, you with the purse, are you living Joe dreams?” He was so sincere it was almost hilarious.

Sofi Stadium was, without a doubt, the best stadium I’ve ever been to. The place is enormous, and the screens that wrap around the top are insane. Our seats were pretty high up, but honestly, there’s not a bad view in the whole stadium. I kept picturing what it must have been like when Taylor Swift performed there!

The game started off great. We were all cheering, enjoying the atmosphere, but by the second half, things took a turn. Sadly, the Chargers lost. But hey, that’s how it goes as a fan—you never know what’s going to happen. Despite the loss, we had an amazing time. The crowd, the concessions (which I thought were very reasonably priced compared to Hawaii!), the cheering, the players, the halftime show (actually we thought Mexican music was horrible)—it was all part of the experience. No regrets! Happy 28th birthday Gavin! I love that Gavin is authentically himself everywhere he goes. He has the biggest heart and is always going with the flow. He makes the world a better place by just being it.