Jason and MaShay wedding!

Just one week since Steven got married, Jason and MaShay tied the knot! My family was home for one day inbetween our travels to Oregon and then to Salt Lake. The flight to Salt Lake was fun, it was on a small plane which was really fun. Lucas was on the same flight as us, so we changed our seats to sit next to each other. They put us in the emergency exit row, which I love because of having more leg room, and feeling powerful. okay not really, except kind of really. So a little while into the flight, Lucas and I are both asleep when Lucas gets woken up to the sound of a doggy bag opening right behind his head. GROSS, a second later and BLEEEEECCCCHHHHhSQUISHBLECH. Now the whole plane smells like puke, and we are right in the hot zone. It might have been better to have been sitting apart from eachother instead of in the eye of the storm. haha.

Lucas' sister-in-law, Gunilla, picked us up from the airport, and I rode inbetween the carseats of his two adorable neices- who I instantly fell in love with. They are SO CUTE! We giggled and talked and played with eachothers hair and shoes in the back of the car while Lucas and Gunilla caught up with eachother. When we got to their house we hung out there, for a minute and watched a movie with the girls. I loved seeing how good Lucas is with the girls, and they absolutely adore him! Good sign!!!! :)I took a little nap, and when I woke up I met Lucas' older brother, Brian. Who is RAD. Both Brian and Gunilla are HILARIOUS and I already love their family. We left their house and went to the airport where we picked up Steven and Ceci, fresh off their honeymoon. We talked to them, and they met Lucas for the first time. Everyone seemed to get along really well, and I was thrilled.

We went right to Provo where Steven and Ceci took us to their new cute little apartment, and I was insanely jealous of them for being able to live together already. haha. From there we went to Sarah's apartment and met up with Sarah, Emily, Eli, Brent, and Kristen and we all went out to eat at Noodles and Company. Then we got frozen yogurt and hung out. Lucas and I left there and went to see Pink Panther 2, which was pretty good but not nearly as funny as the first, FYI.

After the movie Lucas and I didn't know how to get to my Aunts house where we were supposed to sleep so we went back to his brothers and snuck in and slept in the guest room and he was on the couch. (I promise!--we're good :) ) We got up early in the morning and went and set up tables and chairs and stuff for the luncheon later that day. Then we got ready for the temple at my aunts house, and drove to the temple. We waited for a while for them to come outside. I decided that I definately wont want to be married in the Salt Lake temple because its like a LINE of brides and their families, and I'd like to feel more special than having a half hour time slot. lol

This is Lucas and I in the car driving to the wedding fun:


So, when Jason and MaShay came out of the temple MaShay looked beautiful, and I was so happy for them. Jason looked really happy mixed with relieved. haha.


We snapped and posed for a bunch of pictures then went to the luncheon, where we had Subway ordered in for everybody there. After eating and visiting with family Lucas and I went to make something for Jason while my dad started making a "speech" and while he was introducing Jasons brothers and sisters I ran out from behind the curtain so he could introduce me, and Lucas followed me. Everyone saw us appear from behind a curtain and gave us suspicious looks and I heard my cousin say "what are they doing back there?!" haha! We weren't, I promise!

Then my dad got to me he said "His is my wife Amber, and her fiance (we've all gotten pretty comfortable with the idea of Lucas and I getting married at this point, lol) Lucas" WHAT?! DID HE SAY WIFE?! haha he corrected himself, and everyone was laughing. Oh how funny are moments like this? very. Or humiliating if you are easily embarrassed.

Once at the reception (which was BEAUTIFUL) we visited and hung out, and ate chocolate fountain deliciousness. Their slide show almost made me cry, and i teared up while they were dancing. I am sooooooo happy for Jason and MaShay, and to have MaShay as my second sister-in-law! Happy happy happy!

Welcome to the family, MaShay! We love you!

Oregon/Washington

It was so nice to see the ocean again, and the Monday after the wedding we went to the Oregon coast. It was gorgeous! my brother, sister and I all played and ran and jumped and took silly pictures like crazy. The fog was low and made the pictures look amazing! I know most people think its depressing to live in a rainy or foggy place but I LOVE it. I think it's almost romantic! I was loving it the whole time. I would not mind living in Oregon!

We took our shoes and socks off and walked across these rocks, which were covered in barnacles. OUCH! It hurt but who wants to wear shoes at the beach? Not me! We called ourselves adventure-mongers, and said that was the reason we walked slowly across the rocks that lead to "haystack island". I turn into a little kid again when I'm at the beach, its so amazing.

A friend once told me that you actually get happier, and your mood boosts when you are next to a waterfall. He said you can explain how it works in the brain, I dont remember. But I think for sure that it works next to the ocean too. My whole family couldn't stop smiling at the ocean. What a great trip!

The only down side to the trip was probably that it made me miss Hawaii really badly, and everyone there. So I was missing Lucas, wishing he was there with me, AND I was having Hawaii homesickness. But I cant stay down for long and before you know it I was jumping of a wall into a pile of sand and giggling like crazy. haha. Here are the pictures:






While at the beach, I thought it would be funny to drop a VERY subtle hint for Lucas, I drew it in the sand, and the sun was setting which made the lighting very romantic. I thought about writing "Miss you!" or "I love you!" but instead it came out like this.....

First Sister-In-Law!

Welcome to the family, Ceci!!!

The trip to Oregon was amazing! We actually bounced between Oregon and Washington, and it was BEAUTIFUL! When we flew in we went to the hotel and met up with Steven who was getting ready for the next day, we tried on our bridesmaid dresses and then we went to bed. In the morning we all got up and ready to go to the temple. I of course could not go inside for the ceremony but I stayed outside with Emily, Eli, Sarah, and MaShay. The Portland temple is gorgeous, it has white marble all around the outside, and the building itself is really cool.

When Steven and Ceci came outside they both looked SO happy. I was so happy for them, they held hands and everyone looked like they had cried a little bit (good cries I hope!)
Jason and MaShay looked ready for it to be their turn...only 7 days later it would be!

We stayed in the temple and took some pictures with the bride and groom. I am so happy for Steve. Ceci is perfect for him, she is so nice and beautiful. My mom told me that a little girl saw their invitation and was carrying it around in her purse saying "This girl is a princess!" haha!

Here are some pictures, ENJOY!

The bride and groom


Steven, Jason, and Brent (steve's long time best friend)



Steve and his sisters.


All the Hermann kids. (MaShay is almost a Hermann :) )


We had so much fun at the wedding! The next day Jason, MaShay, and Sarah left, but the rest the family stayed and had a vacation in Oregon/Washington. I'll write about that when I'm not at work, the babies woke up!

Promised Pictures

I leave tonight for Portland to see Steven and Ceci get married tomorrow at the Portland Temple! I'm really excited, here is a picture of the two of them....
They are so cute together, I love hearing about them planning their wedding, because they aren't really stressed, they are both just happy and easygoing. 1 day to go!

This are a couple pictures of Rachael, the little girl I watch. Below is her older sister Morgan I also watch.










Portland, Oregon here I come!

Utah trip 1

Well since I last posted so many amazing things have happened~ first things first,

I got to meet both Jason's girlfriend, MaShay, and Steven's girlfriend, Ceci recently. MaShay is a lot like Jason, she is sassy and witty and has a strong personality. Ceci is quiet and really sophisticated, but they are both adorable and really great. I was excited to meet both girls. I knew MaShay would fit it, because one day after she left I got out of the shower and the steam on the mirror left proof that she tagged our mirror with her name written very largely across it. Hilarious.

Not long after Steven brought Ceci here, he got a ring for her and PROPOSED!!!! YAY! Finally a Hermann is getting married! Well, he actually custom ordered fortune cookies that said like "The man you are with will be your eternal companion" and things like that. She thought the cookies were just a coincidence when she looked up at him and he had the ring out. How funny! So she said YES, they set the date for January 31st in the Portland temple. (I have always wanted to go to Oregon, so I'm WAY excited about this)



Well speaking of weddings, a couple weeks ago one of my best friends, Kylie, who I met and hung out with constantly for about 6 months while I still lived in Hawaii, got MARRIED! Jamie and I were really excited to go see her tie the knot so we could see eachother (missing him has been really hard) and see her get married. She is the girl who set Jamie and I up on our first (blind!) date. Her husband seemed really nice, and they seemed to really get along and make each other happy.

Jamie and I spent the rest of the week we had together tied to each other's hips. I stayed at his mom's house and hung out with his family. It was really fun. We went to a corn maze, and went 4 wheeling with his mom and his stepdad and my sister int he mountains. it was BEAUTIFUL to see all the fall leaves and hang out. I love fall, the changing leaves is something I missed last year while I was on Oahu. I'm glad I got to see it this year. When Jamie and I had to say goodbye it was really hard, we were both really sad and could hardly talk. When time came for him to board his plane we were both in tears, who knows when we will see each other again?

Since he left we have talked on the phone almost every single night for an hour or two. Its really good to talk to him, but the distance is really hard on both of us. It's hard to have a real relationship with a phone. :( I miss hawaii, Jamie, and Kelsey so much it's hard to really function. (ask my friends, I'm like lost in my own world of denial that I ever left)

I am nervous to call and talk to Kelsey on the phone because when I left the Kominek house things were really weird. I hope that when I call everything will be okay, I miss them. Not seeing Kelsey is unbearable, Sarah had a voice mail of her on her phone and i almost started bawling when I heard it.

Getting Mouthy

Well, my good luck with getting my wisdom tooth out is GONE. After two easy days of being relatively pain free, something happened. My Uncle/dentist said that my blood clot came out or didn't form. So basically, I have a whole in my mouth and its exposing my open jaw and it HURTS. Its a "dry socket". I guess he said its really common with smokers or people who drink a lot of soda through a straw, and I am neither. Oh well.

During my "pain free" period I got to see a lot of old friends. Lesley came over to my house and hung out with me and Kristen and Jonni. We sat on my awesome twin bed in my parents house and talked. It's weird to be home, but its so comfortable I can't complain. We all talked and laughed. The next day Lesley invited us to go bowling with the singles ward. I thought that would be fun, and maybe we could meet some people to be friends with. I also wanted to meet the boy Les is interested in right now, Scott.

So Kristen and I drove to the bowling Alley and met Jonni and Lesley there. Kristen ended up bowling with her brothers and her sister-in-law and I stayed with the ward. It was a really good time. While we were waiting in line I kept watching this guy who looked really familiar. I thought he was pretty cute but I couldn't remember how I knew him. He kept giving me a similar look. Finally I asked him if he was from the Crowfoot Ward and he said yes. He told me "I think you tried to make me feel awkward like two years ago" HAHA! "sounds like me.." He goes "Yeah bowling, and playing volleyball, and at the church" haha HOW FUNNY! I guess I need to pay more attention. He is pretty cute so I can see why I would have chose him to tease a couple years ago. He said I looked different, and after a few minutes of talking he told me that he only came bowling to find a date for his friend, Robbie. He asked if I would go on a double with them and go as Robbie's date. I said sure, and then he left. His name is Nate. So that was a nice start, but I still feel weird going on dates with boys who aren't Jamie.



While bowling I made a bet with another kid, Jason, that whoever won would owe the other person Ice cream. Another kid, Jared, got in on it too. I won, I rock at bowling. I love it! So now I have an ice cream date for tomorrow with Jason, and another date with Jared later in the week to have a picnic. I dont know that I have any interest in any of these boys, because I'm not used to feeling single. I guess I felt interested in Christian, but that had built up for months. For now I can't get Jamie off my mind.

Saturday Morning my family got in the car early and drove to Wyoming to see my cousin get married. I hadn't seen him in YEARS and he looked totally different. I met his fiance and it was her wedding day/19th birthday! That makes it easy for Levi (my cousin!) Married at 19..that seems so young, but its worked before I'm sure it will work again. She is also due to have a baby in 5 months, and they both looked so happy.


(My brother, sister, and me in the car for the road trip)

When she was walking down the isle (this was my first non-mormon wedding, it was really fun) I watched my cousin where he was standing. His eyes were watering and he looked so happy. He just stared at her face and looked like everything in his life were perfect. It was so cute I coudlnt stop smiling, and if I knew my cousin better I probably would have been crying. Wedding are cute. It made me miss Jamie though. I think the wall I put up to keep my emotions about leaving Hawaii is getting some holes in it.

We stayed the night Saturday night at my great Uncle Earl's Ranch. He lives in the middle of NOWHERE in Wyoming. You can stand outside there house and look all around and as far as you can see its just weeds trees cows and hay. Its really peaceful. I couldn't sleep because of my tooth hurting so bad, and got up at 4 am. I talked to my Aunt Sue in the kitchen while she had coffee. We talked about Racism because I'm reading the book "Invisible Man" which is hard to read because of the violence. Racism is something that isn't a part of me, I can't imagine hating someone for something that matters so little- if at all.

Earl got up to talk to us and walked me out into the field to watch the sunrise coming up over the hill. It was beautiful. Bright orange sreaks cross the sky, and the lack of city or buildings or people. It was unreal. Earl said "Thats how you know there's a God" and I nodded. He told my dad later he gave me a spiritual lesson. I love old people.

Well Jamie called me on the drive home, which was a nice thing to think about aside from the tooth pain. I had upped my prescription amount to two vicadin pills instead of one because one didn't do anything. Jamie called and we talked. I love him. He told me he loved me and that he is doing everything he can to show me that he wants the church in his life. He told me he had a talk with his brother that was amazing. He told me that he is trying to become who he wants to be, while I am here trying to become who I want to be....so that we can be happy together. I told him I didn't know if we would end up together, or if maybe we were a necessary step to make us both really know what we want in life. But I am happy for him. I cried for a while when we got off the phone. I miss him, but I'm glad he's trying.

I went to the dentist this morning and he filled my tooth with nasty brown "Dry Socket Gel" that tastes gross but it took my pain away. I couldn't be happier. :)