Family Trip to Kauai: Part I

I just got back from an amazing family trip to Kauai! The only thing that would have made this trip more enjoyable would be if Josh was able to come (sometimes it's hard to be a working adult)!

I left North Dakota on Thursday, June 13, and headed to Orange County to meet up with my parents and Luke. After they picked me up from the airport we headed to In-n-Out (are you surprised?!) to get dinner before heading back to my parents place.

We got up bright and early the next morning and headed to LAX to catch our 6 hour flight to Kauai.

[We flew over all the other islands of Hawaii on our way to Kauai. Here is Molokai]

After landing we headed to Costco to get lunch and stock up on food.

[Luke and my parents]

[We got plenty of fruit and Maui chips]

After shopping we headed to the northern side of the island to find our condo at The Cliffs at Princeville. I am pretty sure that we had the best condo in the whole area! We were on the top floor, on the corner, overlooking the cliffs! Our balcony was huge and we ended up spending a lot of time out there.

[View from our balcony]

[View of the condo (ours is the top left)]

After getting settled in my dad and Luke went on a little hike. My mom and I stayed behind because we were wearing sandals.  

Next, we went to the St Regis hotel on Hanalei Bay to check out the view. It was gorgeous! 

The next day we headed to Tunnels Beach to go snorkeling. Kauai is not known for their snorkeling and we heard that Tunnels was the best so we decided to check it out.  

[Relaxing on the beach] 

The snorkeling was okay. We saw some fish and some coral but it wasn't much to talk about. But it did feel nice to get into the warm water and swim around for a bit. We got rained on a few times but it's a nice warm rain so we sat through it. Gotta love the north shore!

[Hiking back to the car]

That night Ryan and Missy joined us. They had dropped Brady off at Missy's parents house in the Bay Area before spent a few nights on the Big Island.

100,000 Miles

I bought my X-Terra back in 2004 when she was brand new and only had 17 miles on her.

[Yes, that is me back in 2004 when I worked at the Target Photo Lab in CA during the summer between Freshman and Sophomore year at BYU]

Nine years later we hit the 100K mark. I can't believe it!

Well, I can. When I bought my car I told myself that I would take good care of her (yes, my car is a girl). And I have. I keep her clean (inside and out), I get her fixed when she breaks, and I always get the oil changed on time.

This car is a trooper! She's been through rain, ice, snow, freezing rain, -55 degrees, blizzards, sunshine, crapy dirt roads, and extreme heat. We have never been in an accident or slid off the road. And have never had a flat tire and the only time she decided to break down was when I was traveling alone through Baker, CA (home the the "World Largest Thermometer" and "Gateway to Death Valley") in the summer. Ugh. It was really hot that day.

She has been in 14 states and has only had a run-in with the cops three times: (1) I got a ticket for speeding. But I did traffic school and it's off my record. (2) I got pulled over when I was leaving the bar with two of my buddies. I was the responsible DD. The cop just wanted to make sure I wasn't drinking and driving. I wasn't. I was just making sure my buddies got home safely. No ticket. (3) I got pulled over when I hit the emergency-wake-up-bumps on the side of the road in front of a cop. He pulled me over because he wanted to make sure I was awake and not falling asleep behind the wheel (Utah has a HUGE problem with people driving while drowsy so I understood). I wasn't though. No ticket.

I like my SUV. I really do. Sure she is only a 4-cylinder, no 4-wheel drive, a manual, rear-wheel drive, no cruise control, manual locks and windows, only has two speeds for the windshield wipers, AND has an annoying squeak when it's too hot or cold, BUT I lover her. That's why I call her a girl. She has an attitude sometimes (kinda like her owner).

A lot of people have asked me how I've lived in Utah, Colorado, and North Dakota without 4WD. Honestly, it hasn't been too terrible. But I don't recommend it. At all. Sometimes it's been a real pain. Like when I lived on the bench in SLC and we had a bad storm and my car couldn't make it up the hill to my house so my roommate had to come and get me (and then I traded my car to my parents for a few months so I could travel around with ease in their Titan). Or the few times that I had to park on the street and I got snowed in by a big snow plow (luckily ACE was only a few blocks away so I walked there, bought a shovel, and started digging).

I'm not going to lie. I've been in some pretty nasty snow storms in Utah while I've been on the road. During those storms I wish I had 4WD, but I didn't. So, I just got into the right-hand lane, found some some semi trucks, got behind them, went slow, prayed to God, and followed their tracks. I always made it home safely. 

Side note: During one of the storms I had some nice trucks and SUVs pass me in the left-hand lane. I thought they were crazy for driving so fast during the storm. And they were. Even though they had 4WD I saw them later up the road in the ditch. Just because you have 4WD doesn't mean you are invincible and can drive like a maniac! 

While in North Dakota I have been able to manage without 4WD by planning my outings properly. If I want to go grocery shopping but there is too much snow on the ground I will just go another day. Also, the town square (where everything is) is on low ground. You can get down there easily, but if the roads are bad it's hard to get out. I found this out the hard way. I went into the town square to go to the Post Office and then I realized that I wouldn't be able to make it out the same way I came in. So, I found another road. This road had a gradual slope (unlike the other steeper roads). It takes me a little longer (like 3 minutes) to get home because it takes me a little out of my way, but I still make it home in one piece! :-)

I think not having 4WD has worked because I don't HAVE to be somewhere or anywhere right now. I'm an unemployed, stay-at-home-girlfriend. I don't have a job that I have to be at everyday, I don't have kids that have to make it to school every day, I don't have any huge responsibilities that require or need me to be somewhere at a specific time. Hopefully, that will all change in the near future. But for now my X-Terra is getting the job done. 

I'm pretty sure that my next car will have 4WD and cruise control. It's just more convenient that way.

Heading to the Gym: Spring Edition

Remember when I posted that picture of me heading to the gym in the winter? Remember how many layers I had to wear just to be able to go outside?!

Well, here is a comparison:

Winter vs Spring

The weather has been so nice lately! It's been so great to walk outside in my shorts, Rainbows, and a tank top without feeling like I wanted to curl up and die! And yes, I do wear my hair in a bun on top of my head. It's just cooler that way :-)

Springtime in Kenmare, ND

Kenmare is an adorable little town with around 1000 residents, four restaurants, a Town Square, and one four-way stop sign intersection. The High School graduating class this year had 12 students (FYI, mine had 918). It is located in the northwest corner of North Dakota along the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge. It can get down to -55 in the winter and gets "really hot" (according to the locals) in the summer, but is gorgeous in the springtime. 

[Kenmare in the middle of the map. Only 23 miles from Saskatchewan]

I like this town. I really do. It is a small town with a small town mentality. This is something that took a little getting use to. One thing I found out is that stores close and open pretty much when they want to. Sure there is a schedule posted on the door, but if the owners kid has a soccer game then they will just shut down so they can go to the game. The locals are all really nice and helpful. I've had to ask for directions a few times and the locals are always more then happy to help me out. I even had one of my headlights go out on my XTerra and I had multiple locals wave me down so that they could let me know. They even told me where to go so I could buy another one so that I didn't get a ticket. So nice!

The town is also very traditional. There is a loud siren in town that goes off everyday at noon, 6:00 PM, and 9:30 PM. Apparently this was used to alert the farmers out in the fields of the time. When you hear the first siren it's time to come in for lunch. The second siren is to let you know that it's dinner time. And the third siren lets you know that it's time to come home for the night. You can imagine how loud it is because it was supposed to be for the guys out in the fields all around town. When I first got here it scared me and I didn't know what was going on. Tornado?!?! But after someone explained it to me I was fine with it and now I kinda like it. And I have heard the tornado siren. They ran a test the other day. It sounds very different from the normal sirens so there won't be any confusion.

Anyways, we are still living in the RV park. It's been nice to not have to move the RV around since we got here. That thing is a beast! In the winter the RV park only has 5 available spots (I think it has to do with the amount of "winterized" water pipes available), but during the spring and summer the rest of the spots open up so there are around 35 total. Since the other spots opened there have been a lot of new people showing up. Most of them have super fancy RVs and Fifth Wheels. AND Josh's Chief has moved into the park and lives just across from us. So far, things have been great. Our neighbors are really nice and people in the park are very courteous. 

[My X Terra, Josh's work truck, the RV, and the rest of the park behind us]

  

The winter spots are the best because we don't have anyone in front of us or behind us. The spots are more spread out so we are not too close to our neighbors. And we are only 20 feet from the Pizza Hub! Best Pizza (and cheesecake) in town :-)

[Josh next to the RV]

Today was gorgeous (it has been raining almost every day since we got back) so Josh and I decided to go for a walk around the Town Square (yes, it is actually a square).

The Square consists of a park with benches and an old Danish Mill. 

Around the Square are a bunch of buildings with various businesses: Drug Store, Post Office, Bank, Hair Salon, etc.  

After walking around the Square, we went for a scenic drive around the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge. It is gorgeous out there!

[One of the lakes with Kenmare in the background]

  

[At the end of our drive we found Josh's pipeline]

It really is beautiful here right now. Sure it is flat with some hills, but it is so green and the lakes are super blue! I hope it continues to be this beautiful in the summer!

After our nature drive we went to a BBQ at Suzi and Clay's place (Josh's mom and her boyfriend). Clay is a southern boy who really knows how to BBQ! He made us a delicious prime rib today that was melt-in-your-mouth amazing! I think I can really get use to this kind of southern cooking :-)

On the drive home we saw a full double rainbow! I was so excited! But then I got scared because there were some really strange looking clouds heading our way (Tornado?!?!) and we saw lightning! Eek! Of course, I couldn't get a good picture of it and I didn't want to stop and take a picture because of the weather, BUT trust me, it was vibrant and gorgeous!

I think Spring is finally here!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Two months! The Spring Thaw Break was two months long! Two months TO THE DAY! Can you tell how I am feeling right now?! Can you tell by my exclamation points and question marks?! Of course not! Am I angry? Am I sad? Am I laughing hysterically?! Am I crying?! Am I glad it's over? Am I glad it happened?! Yes to all.

The Break came for us after only 3 months of solid work. When I say "solid work" I mean that Josh only got 6 days off for those 3 months of work. So, 3 months of work and then 2 months off. Can you imagine the stress? The stress of not knowing when the work would start back up? The stress of knowing that we may have to move again (FYI: Moving is expensive. It cost us about $4500 to move to ND and get settled in)? The stress that we may not have enough in savings to cover our bills? Well, I knew all of this before Josh even got into Pipeline work. I was an Archaeologist remember? This is the lifestyle I was use to. Feast or Famine. Always on the road. Totally unpredictable. Full of BS.

I've always been good with my money. I was taught by my parents (a banker and a mom) how to manage my money. Hell, I had a checking account when I was 13! I learned how to live according to how much I was making and to prepare for the future. Ever since I was a young adult I had a savings account. It wasn't anything special, but it was a place to keep my money just in case things got hard and my checking account ran low. I got my first credit card in 2008 (my second one in 2011) and I told myself that I would never miss a payment. NEVER. And I haven't. When things got tight I would budget my money and make sure that I never spent more then I had. 

I'm so glad that I was taught how to take care of myself and live off of what I made. Thanks mom and dad! Seriously, my parents rock!

So, when Josh got his job in Colorado and I moved away with him, we knew that he would make the money and that I would manage it. Done and done.

Because of my training and my knowledge of Pipeline work, I was able to save us plenty of money for the famine/Spring Thaw Break that we knew was coming.

Honestly, I am proud of us. Because of my budgeting, we were able to save up enough money so that if the Break went through August (4 months) we would still be fine. I know that Josh got frustrated with me sometimes. If there was a charge on one of the credit cards that I wasn't expecting you better believe I was calling or texting him to find out what was going on (I check our accounts twice a day so nothing gets by me). It's not like I was a total penny-pincher. We still went out to dinner, saw movies, and ate real food (no Top Ramen for us), but we limited our spending of luxury items. I guess one rule that I live by is: "Just because you have it, doesn't mean you have to spend it."

I think I got really frustrated when I heard of a lot of guys coming back to work after the Break who were broke. Like really broke. They had to borrow money from each other. Some of these guys are making high 6 figures. Where did the money go? Yes, I understand that some of them have families and other expenses, but when you show up to work with a new truck and ATV and have no money left over, don't expect sympathy from me. You're an adult and you should know better.

Geeze. I should teach a class to these guys :-)

Anyways, after two months, two awesome months full of adventure, Josh is back to work! The break was great. We got to see tons of family and friends, Josh got his NACE 2, and we went on an epic road trip, but it is nice to get back to life and back to reality (see what I did there?!). 

Oh and just in case you were wondering, I leave in one week for the "2013 Neilson Family Kauai Trip!" I'm so excited!

Homemade Sushi Night

Josh and I LOVE sushi... well, good sushi. You gotta have good sushi people. Not that crap you buy pre-made at the grocery store. I mean authentic sushi!

Anyways, I always wanted to do a homemade sushi night for date night ever since I found out that it's not too hard and that it is a lot of fun! Plus, it's on my 30 before 30 list so I had to do it again!

You have to have the right ingredients and tools in order to make sushi. Of course, we didn't have any of them, so we made a quick trip to Minot to go shopping. After going to three different stores, we finally had all that we needed.

[Sushi rice, mayo, sriracha sauce, wasabi, cucumber, crab, jalapenos, avocados, a rolling mat, tuna, nori, soy sauce, and a Youtube video showing us how to properly roll sushi]

We decided not to take any chances so we cut and seared the tuna.

Next, we made the rice and cut up all the fish and veggies.

After everything was prepared we made the first roll. 

Round 1 was kinda a fail. The rice got burnt (I followed the instructions I swear!), the roll was smushed (we didn't have the rolling technique down yet), and I spilled too much spicy mayo on my roll. It still tasted okay.

Round 2 went a lot better! We made a new batch of rice and Josh mastered the rolling technique! 

  

Perfection! 

The next few rolls were amazing! 

Josh was very pleased with himself! 

  

It was a very fun and delicious date night with my handsome man! We will definitely have to do this again!