Speed Dating.

I ran across this blog today that is hosting a blogger "Speed Date" linkup party and I figured I would give it a try!  I mean the entire thing is one sided, and I don't have anyone staring back at me - so why not right?  Visit Nicole's blog today to link up with other bloggers and maybe even learn more about them!

Here are some tidbits about me that I thought you just might find amusing!  

My name is Hawaiian, but I am not Hawaiian.  My parents just figured it would be amusing to give their SECOND daughter the Hawaiian name that no one can pronounce.  And they lived in Hawaii for a few years, so I suppose the name is justified - plus it's a great conversation starter!

My parents met on a blind date, and it just so happens that they travel alot, and as a child I was blessed to tag along with them to all sorts of places.  One of the most memorable being Maui - we went there nearly every year when I was growing up!  I love it there, and maybe it's because it's one of the only places where people pronounce my name properly.

I can touch my tongue to my nose, but I can't whistle.  My husband finds the second one very amusing!

Speaking of my husband, I should probably mention that he is Irish.  And I don't just mean his parents or grandparents came over on a boat - I mean he truly is Irish, citizenship and all!  We are in the process of gaining US citizenship for him, and we have already been through the Green Card process, and it's nothing like the movies make it out to be.  We, or maybe I should say he, learned WAY more about the process than he ever wanted to.  So message me if you have any questions! 

I met my husband in Ireland, in 2004, when I was there on a mission trip.  And maybe I should mention that I was in a relationship with someone else at the time.  Somewhere along the lines I won his heart and I remember telling a friend that I was going to marry him!  And that I did, in 2009, 5 years after meeting him!  Our journey together is a beautiful example of God's goodness and grace.

I love all things Irish, but my husband definitely tops that list.   You can read more about our story here.

I absolutely love being married.  There is nothing more beautiful than true refinement and transformation, and God has used Peter tremendously in my refining process.  And although it's hard and sometimes I slightly despise Peter for holding me accountable and calling me out on things, it is so very worth it.  I have grown so much more within marriage than I ever would have out of it!  I have realized just how selfish I truly am.  And I have also realized that I love to control things, such as the cleanliness of our home.  And one of the most important things I have realized over the years is that it's not just about making each other happy, although that's important, but rather about making each other holy.   You can read more about that here.

I love Mexican food, and  I am a quarter Puerto Rican, but I don't think that has anything to do with my love for Mexican food.  I speak a bit of Spanish and probably understand more than I give myself credit for.  

I absolutely love to travel and get really excited about going to new places and visiting friends in the old places.  I love flying and everything having to do with airports and airplanes.  And I would love to travel to India someday.  

I work for a christian non-profit called CRISTA ministries.  And it is such a blessing to work in a Christian environment, but challenging all the same!

I am still friends with friends from elementary school, junior high, high school and college.  And I love the history that goes along with friendships that last the ages.  

I am all about the sweet things, while my husband, Peter, is all about the savory!

I am super frugal and get a high out of saving money. Some might even say that I'm a money hoarder.  One of my latest prayer requests has been about greed - how much to keep for self and how much to give.  And is there ever really a limit to how much you can give away?  And where do you draw the line?  These are questions we have been wrestling with.

I really love talking finances - and have been reading all sorts of financial books lately.  Maybe this has to do with the fact that my dad and brother are both wealth managers - so maybe on some level I am trying to relate to them?  In all honesty, I think I just like talking numbers and investments and retirement and I am slightly obsessed with checking our stock investments and account balances.

I absolutely LOVE a good deal and I think I get about 5-10 emails a day from the likes of groupon, amazon, living social, etc.  I very rarely purchase said deals, but I still love seeing what my options are.

I love asking questions and I am an extremely curious person.  And I love going deep with people, hence all the questions.  I love to read and I love movies, and I love getting both of those items for FREE at the public library.

According to the Strengthsfinder book, my strengths are WOO (winning over others), Harmony, Belief, Adaptability and Input.  I think they all ring true for me!  You can read more about them here.  My love language is words of affirmation and quality time (I can pick two can't I?). And according to my Myers-Brigg's assessment, I am an ENFJ.

We attend a non-denominational church, and my husband is a missionary, which simply means that part of our income comes from the abundant generosity of others.  This has forced us to truly rely on the Lord to provide for us through said generosity of others.  There were times when we went without a paycheck simply because we didn't have enough donations coming in!  God is SOO good though and He has brought Peter and I to our knees and ultimately closer together.

I have a humongous heart for all things Africa even though I have only been there once.  We plan to go back to Malawi in September, and I don't know if I can wait!

One of my biggest fears is that Peter will die before we get a chance to live our lives together (kind of makes me wonder what I think we are doing RIGHT NOW!).  But really, this fear sometimes cripples me and makes me cry uncontrollably.  And I have to fight it all the time and REMEMBER that if he does die, it only means he has gone on to a better place!! 

Okay now it's time for YOU to share!!  Ready, Set, GO!  And don't forget to link up!

Irish Fry.

St. Patrick's Day is definitely a day that is celebrated in this Irish home!  Normally we have a party of some sort where we eat Irish treats and other green desserts, while drinking Irish beer.  This year we decided to change things up a bit, and we invited people over for breakfast!  This isn't just any breakfast, but a Full Irish breakfast, also known as an Irish Fry.

So what exactly does an Irish Fry consist of you may ask?

• bacon
• sausages
• black and white pudding 
• fried egg
• tomatoes
• mushrooms
• potato bread
• baked beans

Most of these ingredients you can find at your typical grocery store.  However, we made a special trip to Galway Traders, an Irish shop in Ballard, to buy a few key ingredients - bacon, sausage, and pudding.  You may be thinking ...bacon?? You can buy that at the shop...and I am here to tell you that according to my husband it's different.  It's more like Canadian bacon rather than thin strips of bacon, and yes, the sausages are different too.

This my friends is an Irish Fry (minus a few items).  And this is what we made for breakfast on St. Patrick's Day.  I am NOT a huge fan of mushrooms - so we didn't even buy those, and I am not a huge fan of black pudding - so you will not see that on my plate.

We made potato bread and soda bread from scratch - first time for everything!  I think we just got the recipes on allrecipes.com to be honest.  Nothing too fancy, but they were both good if I do say so myself.

Happy belated St. Patrick's day everyone and if you want a hearty breakfast, consider cooking up an Irish Fry!

xoxo, 

Malia

Wheaten Bread.

I had to post an entry about the Perfectly Moist Irish Wheaten Bread recipe I found. Now, it certainly is moist and delicious, which was one of my goals I was trying to achieve considering the wheaten bread I have made in the past has always been a little dry. However, I think I could have left the bread in the oven a bit longer because it was extremely moist and slightly difficult to slice. So I guess that means I will just have to bake it again!