October '14
Young Women's Retreat
The girls and leaders from our young women's group did a retreat in Sunset at the Krebs' cottage. There were 11 girls who came and it was an excellent experience for each of them and for us as leaders. It was from the 9th to 11th and Terra (our Young Women's Prez) put her whole heart into this! We were able to take the girls to the visitor's center in Laie to learn more about Christ and have scripture study/devotionals with them in the cottage each day. We also had the opportunity to go SUP'ing at Kawela Bay, visit some of the widows in our Branch, and simply play games together like Wits & Wagers and Bananagrams (one of my absolute favorite games).
This retreat was really unique because Terra's husband did an evening presentation on the Color Code Personality Assessment. The parents were invited and able to take the test as well as their daughter. Randy and I both were able to take it and he was able to come listen to Jeremy's presentation. Randy is dominantly white and I am blue. Whites are peacemakers and tend to be logical, objective, and tolerant of others. Blues are loyal and need to be appreciated and are focused on creating strong relationships. It really did help us understand ourselves a little better and one another.
Hospital Happenings
Hoku, Selina and I dressed up for Halloween and the keiki from the preschool came to visit our residents and trick or treat! Hoku and I also had the opportunity to do a site visit with AccesSurf--such a cool nonprofit!
 |
| AccesSurf Site Visit @ White Plains |
 |
| Sophia loves taking selfies :) |
As I have mentioned before I am trying to learn how to surf--I mean I live in Hawaii right?! This month I tried to go a lot more--mainly to Castles (a beginners beach by Kahuku). At first I was soooo scared of going on my own (not because I am the only one in the water because that doesn't really happen at this beach--there are always people there when I go so you are never alone--don't worry) but after about a week of going on my own for about 30 minutes or so each time I became a lot more confident in my abilities. Randy was able to go with me when he was off work and was impressed with my progress which made me feel pretty good. So exciting to see yourself progress at something that used to scare the living daylights out of you!
 |
| Being crazy |
 |
| He makes it look so easy! |
 |
| One of our friends at Castles |
 |
| Party Wave! Randy and Ethan sharing a ride together. |
Happy 2 year anniversary to us!!
On October 27th Randy and I hit the two year mark! Time is seriously flying by it is almost scary. We hiked Crouching Lion in Kaaawa to celebrate and then had lunch together at Kahuku Farms Cafe--I seriously LOVE this place. Randy was so sweet and got me an unlimited one month membership to Crossfit Ko'olau which is run by our friends Micah and Jill. I know this is slightly over dramatic but when Randy gave me the card and gift I just started crying. Randy is a good man and as I opened the card I just felt this huge wave of gratitude and love for him.
 |
| We are 2 years old--some people might even think that literally! |
 |
| Views from Crouching Lion |
 |
| Look how BLUE that water is!! |
 |
| Making memories together :) |
November '14
Thanksgiving at the Aikahi Fire StationRandy was on duty Thanksgiving Day so I drove down to Kailua so we could spend it together. It was my first time at the station and I was able to meet the other fire fighters and Captain Derby. I made pumpkin crunch for dessert and the dinner was delivered to each station so no one really had to cook! Talk about an easy day right!
Health Update
I received my very first MRI scan this month. My endocrinologist wanted to confirm if I did indeed have a tumor. Randy was able to come with me and it made such a difference to have him there. I was pretty nervous but as I was laying down and being slid into the big machine I said a prayer and kept my eyes closed and began to focus on my breath. Eventually I got to the point where I almost took a nap!
For anyone who has had an MRI you know it can be a little intense. Being shoved into a really small space and having this blaring machine make all these random noises can put you on edge initially. Luckily, they give you earplugs so it isn't too bad and you get used to it. I had to try and lay perfectly still so they could get the best quality images of my brain to see if there was in fact a tumor on my pituitary gland.
Once the results came back, my endocrinologist confirmed that I did have a benign tumor on my pituitary gland that was 4 mm in size.
I also had some more blood work done and my results showed that my Prolactin was still high however, it dropped a little--93.5 ng/ml. When I first had it measured in September 2014 it was at 107 ng/ml. For a normal premenopausal woman the range should be around 3.3-26.7 ng/ml.
Now came decision making time. I was told I could take a drug called Bromocriptine (Parlodel) and it would lower my Prolactin levels. However, I just didn't feel very good about taking this medication after reading about the side effects and information on the drug. I read about it from the Mayo Clinic and NIH and a million other sites after asking my doctor all about it and getting the drug info sheet. This drug is also used to treat Parkinson's disease and acromegaly (too much growth hormone).
Also, I had my period (sorry if this is TMI but this is BIG deal for me) on the 17th for about a week! Before this, I had not had a period in over 3 years!!
Anyway, I decided to not take the medication and seek out more holistic approaches to the problem. More on that later!
Crossfit Ko'olau
I officially started crossfit and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! I know it is not for everyone but I love how it makes me feel.
 |
| Small kine :) |
December '14
The Christmas Season
Grateful that my Savior, Jesus Christ, was born!! I love the Christmas season but I think it is important to keep things balanced. I don't mind gift giving I just get bummed when it becomes the focus and pushes out the real reason for celebrating Christmas. Our branch had a cool Christmas program where the primary kids reenacted the Christmas story.
 |
| Our tree--Martha Stewart status |
 |
| Click on the pic to watch an inspiring short Christmas video :) |
 |
| Puaena Point Christmas Day |
 |
| I think this picture is hilarious/chaotic--so much going on! |
 |
| I was nice and let Randy try out my board ;) |
More Surfing
I have officially found my new favorite place to surf--Puaena Point in Haleiwa.
 |
| Lezlie and I sharing a ride |
 |
| This is before I got my new board |
Busy at the hospital
This month has been insanely busy with planning a staff/resident Christmas party, sending off my AMAZING intern Hoku ( I don't really know how I will continue to function without her), doing site visits, and helping with hospital service projects.
 |
| HRTP meeting at Shriners in Honolulu |
 |
| Leadership Beach Cleanup |
 |
| Hoku's last day as our intern :( |
I am working with an amazing woman who knows her stuff and who I really trust--she is friends with my family and has worked with them on their own health issues. Right now I am just filling out assessments, forwarding lab work, and getting ready to officially work with Tracy and I couldn't be happier about it! More updates to come :)
