Deer Hunting at KMart

If you have been to KMart lately you might have noticed the mounted deer head for sale for the ridiculus price of 89 dollars! True to Christmas consumer form, this deer has no other purpose but to amuse its owner. The large wall mounted deer head resembles a trophy deer head that you might see in an avid hunter's home, but this deer is special. It is rigged with a motion sensor and as you walk by it will say cute one liner comments or sing a variety of Christmas and Country songs.
I had gone to KMart with a few friends, and one of my friends was taken back in disgust when she saw the talking deer head. Well I noticed a microphone next to the dear and a switch on the dear that indicated Mic. I switched the deer to microphone and taunted my friend by talking through the microphone. (The deer's mouth moved as I talked through the microphone, and my words were blasted through that area of the store.) I said over the microphone, "Hey Aubrie, do you want a BUCK?" and then I laughed really hard.
Well to my good fortune some young kids came by and saw the dear talking (I was hiding down the isle). The deer noticed the kids and said Hello to them. A boy about the age of 10 said his name to the deer, but the deer couldn't quite hear his name and did not respond. So the boy thought he would be cheeky and say, "Hey you idiot deer, cant you even say the name Braden?" Well the deer quickly responded, "Hey Braden, it looks like your the idiot because you are the one talking to a dead deer!" (I was about peeing my pants because by this point I was in hysterics.) The shocked boy ran to his mother and said, "Mom that deer called me an idiot and said my name!" I was laughing so hard, I could hardly breath. I suppose that talking deer could be worth the 89 dollars it cost.

A Santa Story

Henry and I arrived in Utah last week Saturday and then Mark and George arrived on Monday. The weather is much colder here than in Hawaii, but we enjoy spending the holidays with our families.
This week we went to the mall to visit Santa. On the way to visit santa, we stopped at a store with my mom. George had a great time looking around the store and picking out treats that he would like. One of the treats he found was a plastic farm animal that you fill up with candy and then wind up. After you wind up the toy, it will walk and drop out candies. George was emphatic that he buy that toy, but I explained to him that this is the season of giving and not the season of buying everything for yourself. So George sadly left the store and we decided to cheer him up by letting him visit santa.
George and Henry waited patiently in line to visit santa and when it was their turn, they weren't shy at all. They climbed right up on santa's lap. Santa asked George what he wanted for Christmas and George replied, "Chicken Poop!" Santa's face looked really confused and he asked George again what he wanted for Christmas. George replied again, "I want Chicken Poop." Well Mark could see that santa was utterly confused and Mark explained to santa that George meant the Chicken toy that poops out candy as it walks. Obviously that is not a toy that santa makes at his shop.

Packing To Go Home

Today I am packing to go home. Eventhough it is really cold in Utah, and I dislike the cold greatly, it just doesn't seem like Christmas without the bitter cold. We will be staying with my parents through the holidays. It just doesn't seem like Christmas without spending it at home in Pleasant Grove, UT.
Henry and I leave tomorrow evening and Mark and George will come out Sunday...tickets were cheaper that way.
This year we are fortunate to be able to spend Christmas Eve with my cousin Aley, his wife, Sarah and their daughter Audrey. Aley lives in Hawaii, but Sarah's family lives in Utah. They will be staying with Sarah's family over the holidays, but have decided to spend Christmas Eve with the Calabios. We are so excited to come home to visit. If any of you are in Utah during that time, please stop by and say hello!
See you in Utah...

More Family Pictures from Thanksgiving

Auntie Abbie Abbie and Auntie Gail cooking in the kitchen!!!














Me, the boys, Grandma and Auntie Janet at the City of Refuge Ampitheater.





















The boys with cousin Jarom Auna!
















Jarom, Auntie Danelle, Henry, Uncle Aley, and George



















Another picture of Auntie Abbie Abbie and Auntie Gail.

Spending time on the Big Island was such a neat experience. I enjoyed taking pictures of family!

Christmas Shopping

As many of you may well know, I am an avid yard saler. And lucky for me, I live in a world of year round yardsales! This last weekend we tried to get the boys in the Christmas spirt by giving them each a dollar and we sent them off to buy Chirstmas presents for each other. They were really excited about the venture and each one set off to find a treasure. Yes, they found lots of interesting odds and ends treasure, but neither one of them wanted to buy it for the other one. "I want this for me," they cried. In the midst of my frustration, I was reminded of the time I bought some candy for (I think) Nikki. I wrapped the candies in a purple and white bandana and then wrapped the present. As Christmas drew closer, I realized that I wanted the gift for me and I would daily poke at the gift. The hole I poked grew bigger until I was able to sneak out some of the candy. I can't remember all of the details, but I remember Nikki getting upset because I ate almost her entire gift. After that my memories are vague and all mesh together into an eating wonderland...but I do remember getting in trouble. Ahh...such fond memories of Christmas.

When it rains it pours...

Most of us know the old adage, "When it rains it pours," well I recently had an unpleasant run-in with the phrase. The week before Thanksgiving I got a blister on the back of my heel because I was wearing a pair of shoes that were a bit tight. After a day or so, the blister popped and then became infected because my running shoes irratated area. The area swelled up and was tender, but after a few days of just wearing slippers and using neosporin, my heel healed.
Then a few days after Thanksgiving break, I started feeling achey. My aches and pains turned into a terrible case of fever, aches, sore throat and just being uncomfortable. In fact, my fever got so high last Friday, that the principal of my school sent me home. After a few days of staying home, and resting I started to feel better.
Unfortunately that only lasted about 24 hours. A day later I started feeling feverish again! Within the next few days my fever was accompanied with extreme nausea and aches and pains. I went from a severe cold to what I thought was the stomach flu. I was nauseated for this entire week. I decided if it didn't pass by the end of the week I would see the doctor.
On Thursday, I awoke with the same symptoms and to my surprise, the sore I had on the back of my foot from three weeks earlier was red, swollen and irritated. As the day progressed my sore more than tripled in size and took on a yellowish tint. By the time school ended, my sister Rachel helped me realize I needed to see the doctor.
I was able to list off to the doctor my list of afflictions from the last few weeks. He gave me a look like, "and your only coming to me now" which I then explained that I didn't think anything was more than a little virus. Well he had to use liquid freeze to "numb" up my foot...which didn't actually numb anything but it felt extremely uncomfortable being poured over my entire foot. He then sliced open my heel wound and was shocked when only blood and lots of it came gushing out. He said he had expected to see puss, but was going to do a culture. In addition to the culture, the nurse took a blood test. The nurse also had a difficult time finding my vein, so after she poked my left side she had to poke my right side. After the blood test, I was given a flu shot in my right arm and my foot was bandaged up and I was prescribed an antibiotic. Then I had to wrestle down both of my boys so they could have their flu shots. After that ordeal, I had to hop to my car with two screaming boys behind me.
I feel much better today even though I had to get a Hep B shot in my other arm today because they are required at my school to get and today so happens to be the one day that the nurse from the district would come to give them.
So today I went back to the doctor and he told me that I have one of the nastiest staff infections he has seen in a long time and it is traveling in my blood system and that is why I have been nauseated, not because of the flu!
After being sliced open and poked in a variety of places with different needles you might understand better why I dislike going to the doctor.

Happy Holidays

Oh the weather outside is Delightful,
And the waves are such a sightful.
And since this is just an Island so,
There's no place to go, to go, to go

It doesn't show signs of getting colder
It's so hot you can still burn your shoulders
At 80 Degees it will never dip Below
and There's no place to go, to go, to go

When it finally turns to night
You'll hear the sound of the Palm Trees Sway
But if your clothes are feeling tight
Keep the Poi Bread and Mochi Away!!!

The Tourists are still out lying
on the beach before they are goodbying
But as long as I love Hawaii so,
There's no place I'll go, I'll go, I'll go!

(Except for Utah for Christmas. See you Then)

Tutu Calabio

We flew to Kona, on the Big Island (Hawaii) a few days before Thanksgiving. While there we stayed with my Uncle Aley and Auntie Danelle Auna. My grandma, who has poor health lives with my Uncle. Kona is a really dry area and much different from the rest of Hawaii. We enjoyed our time there. While visiting the Big Island, we were able to take lots of pictures of family, and see the island. The boys warmed up to Grandma (TuTu) Calabio right away. She really enjoyed her time with them. The weekend was a great time to catch up on stories from my grandma's life and for the boys to meet their great grandma.

Tree Trimmin'

Here we are setting up our tree. Eventhough I made the traditional shortbread and I was playing Carpenter's Christmas, it didn't quite seem like Christmas because of the 80 degree weather. The boys enjoyed helping me fluff the tree. We were fortunate to find this tree, all the lights and some decorations at a yardsale for 10 dollars! One of the many benefits of living in Hawaii is the yardsales. Whenever people move off the island they sell their belongings for such cheap prices.