GRACE ABOUNDS.

thank you, Jesus.

Last month I was able to take an extra day off to make up for a Saturday I had worked earlier this year. 

Even though I didn’t get to go anywhere or go on a real vacation, I’d say I spent my extended weekend well :}

A few of our friends were visiting from Alaska and Sweden, so we had a grand ‘ol time showing them around and playing tour guide. I always enjoy playing that role, mostly because it’s a sweet reminder of what a blessing it is to live here in Hawaii! 

One of my favorite places to “road trip” to is the North Shore. It’s a nice break from the city and the congestion, which I definitely need from time to time. We hit up pretty much all of our favorite places — including Giovanni’s shrimp truck, Ted’s Bakery, the beach, and more.

Needless to say, I had a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend and would like round two very soon!

mm handsome ♥

Oh! And did I mention we celebrated breaking the Daniel fast with some AMAZING pies from Ted’s Bakery? I even enjoyed the chocolate haupia pie this time (I’m not a haupia fan)!

Daniel and I finally made our way to the Ala Moana Farmers Market one sunny Saturday morning. I think we tried to get there earlier, closer to the time the market opened (its hours are from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.) so that we could hit up Ala Moana Center as soon as it opened :}

Believe it or not, we weren’t done with our Daniel fast at this point, so we actually weren’t able to enjoy a lot of the samplings and foods there. But we did come home with some fresh, tasty, local veggies that we thoroughly enjoyed later that week.

Farmers markets make me happy. They not only are filled with food, but they are also filled with local products, and local vendors. I love being able to browse one-of-a-kind items and come home with something made or grown right here in Hawaii. If I can get myself up early enough on Saturday mornings, I’d really like to start frequenting farmers markets more often. :)

Whoops, there I go again getting backed up and behind on blogging! I’ve been MIA / in recovery mode over the past few weeks with awards season at work, so by the time the weekend rolls in, any ounce of brain power I have left is dedicated to just the basic levels of functioning :) 

I promise I’ll get better at regularly updating this though.

In the meantime, thought I’d round up a few of my semi-recent weekend adventures to share a little bit of what I’ve been up to:

The roomies and I hit the Pali and headed to one of our favorite places - Whole Foods Market Kailua. Love their selection of produce (lots of local) and not to mention their fabulous art on the wall. Also couldn’t help but snap a pretty pic of the tulips since I’ve been super into them with the start of Spring!

On another weekend, I got to spend quality time soaking up the rays with my dear grammy. Always a blessing getting to see her!

I also enjoyed a lovely Daniel-fast-friendly meal at Down to Earth with Mary and Jeanelle — can’t get enough of those mock chicken wraps! If you happen to drop in one day, it’s a must-try.

I was blessed by my dear friend Jo with the opportunity to attend an evening session and breakout seminar at the Hawaiian Islands Ministries Honolulu 2013 Conference. One day I will actually attend the entire conference. So good!

And, I enjoyed a hot date last weekend at Amuse Wine Bar with my love. He surprised me with this fun (and much needed) “wine tasting” idea after I survived an insane work week!

Just thought I’d share a few snapshots from my weekends as of late. Trying to make the most of them!

So… some pretty exciting news to share with everyone :) And I apologize for adding another post using this same picture (even if it’s a year later)! 

After a year of being with Bennet Group (this coming Thursday, to be exact) — I am happy to announce that I have been blessed with a promotion to account executive!

I had my annual review on Valentine’s Day last week and am just humbled by the sheer amount of resources, knowledge and coaching my company (and boss — shout out to you, LFCY) have poured into me over the past year. 

I am amazed by the many opportunities I have been given, and am also surprised by how sponge-like I managed to be amidst the chaos of learning a somewhat different industry!

And so, I took a moment to reflect on some of those key moments throughout this year. Here’s my “annual review” in photos :)

This was my first major project with the firm. We welcomed the Dalai Lama to Hawaii for the launch of the Pillar of Peace Hawaii program!

Within a week of the Dalai Lama visiting, I also helped with the grand opening of the Whole Foods Market Kailua store. Seriously such an awesome day, now that I’m reflecting on it!

The company also came out to cheer me on at the Miss Hawaii pageant this year. I am convinced that I had some of the best signs in the crowd! :)

Oh man. It has been one very full year — looking forward to what God has in store for this year. ♥