Full Heart

Yep here it is!

The super long Instagram post that ended up becoming a blog post because I just kept blabbering on and on, plus my iPhone gained approximately 714 photos in the past 19 days, and I just couldn't quite decide which ones to share with you all!

Now, some of you might be thinking, "Huh! I never knew Lauren had a blog?!"  Which would be completely understandable, seeing as I haven't posted anything since, oh ya know, my 25th birthday which also just so happens to have been almost a year an a half ago! (YIKES!)

And then there might be some of you who are thinking, "FINALLY!!! It's about dang time she posted again!! What the heck took her so long?!" Which would also be completely understandable, seeing as there was a time where I would regularly share silly stories, birthday gratitude posts, the latest updates, wild adventures, some of my deepest thoughts and also hilarious moments from the life of Lauren and Ramsey Brown.

And then there also might be some of you who are thinking, "Is this going to be a regular thing now? Is Lauren (aka Mrs. HaoleBrownie) ACTUALLY gonna consistently blog?!" Which would also be completely understandable, seeing as I happen to be wondering the same thing! The best answer I could give would be: maybe, possibly, perhaps and WHO KNOWS! Oh and also, no promises. 

But probably what ALL of you are thinking is, "Enough!! Would ya just cut the crap already and get to the actual meat of this dang blog post?" Which would also be completely understandable, seeing as this is the now fifth paragraph of this post on my blog, which you may or may not of even known even existed, and I really haven't written anything at all worth reading!

So here ya go. 

First off, don't worry. I won't attempt to catch you up on the last year an a half of our life while I was on hiatus from blogging, (there's lots more of that on my social media if you're really curious. :) So I'll keep it short and just share the last few weeks.

Ramsey and I had an amazing (but not near long enough) trip to Montana. We spent every moment possible with my family, hiked, camped, went for boat rides, volunteered at a trail run, waterskied at my favorite lake, hiked, went paddleboarding, ate tons good food, drove past forest fires, had coffee with friends, sat in our hammock, when on walks in the field, hung out with grandparents and relatives, played games, watched sunrises and sunsets, even painted a bit! Oh and yeah, hiked some more.

It was just the best ...as you can clearly see from the pics below!

P.S. Click the photos to enlarge for full effect!

P.S.S. I highly recommend getting ahold of a napkin or something along those lines, for when your eyes pop out of your head and you start drooling over the beauty of some
​Big Sky Country! 

Now after seeing all those photos, you can't tell me you don't wanna just drop everything, pack your bags and move to Montana! So stunning! Am I right?!

Okay, yeah, yeah, back to the story...

After 10 way-too-fast days, Ramsey flew back to Hawai’i and I did a quick 15 hour road trip down to Sacramento, California to see my brother, sister-in-law AND meet my first ever, brand-spankin new, absolutely adorable nephew!

​He's pretty much the sweetest ever. 

Another four days that went WAY to quick, but then it was time to outrun a hurricane and fly back to Hawaii. It was probably the fastest flight and the emptiest plane I’ve ever been on! The pilot wasn't wasting ANY time getting off the ground and booking it to Honolulu. Plus I had a window seat and whole row to myself with good snacks, good movies and good company as several of our flight attendant friends were working the flight!

​....Hawaiian Airlines for the WIN!

Overall, I made it back just fine, and was safe and sound with my hubby and all our hurricane snacks, flashlights and emergency kit in our quiet little home in no time. Ramsey's office was closed, as were most businesses, stores, restaurants and even Starbucks! It was kinda an eerie feeling with everything closed up, people boarding up their windows, sandbags everywhere and hardly anyone driving or walking around. All just waiting for the storm, preparing for the worst while hoping and praying for the best!

We spent most of the weekend hanging out at home, watching movies, playing every game we owned, working a few hours here and there, checking the news for the latest update, and going for walks when we got stir crazy. Oh and even getting to see some dear friends who were in town!
​
Thank the LORD that over the course of the weekend, Hurricane Lane went from Category 5 to a tropical storm and all we ended up with on O'ahu was some rain and strong winds. Unfortunately, a few of our neighbor islands, the Big Island and Maui in specific, weren't so lucky and had massive amounts of rain, devastating floods and even fires! (Please keep them in your prayers!)
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As I sit here this today, typing up this post after a whirlwind of a few weeks, my heart is filled to overflowing.

• It’s been filled by my family and friends back home.
• It’s been filled by adventure and exploring God’s beautiful creation in Montana that never ceases to amaze me and I can never get enough of.
• It’s been filled by the newest addition to our family that has everyone (especially Aunty Lauren) wrapped around his little finger.
• It's been filled by all the wonderful memories made with Ramsey as we traveled and as we waited out a hurricane.
• It’s been filled by everyone that’s reached out to me just to check in and make sure Ramsey and I were safe over the weekend ...loved ones from home, friends and family from all over the globe and all chapters of our life, our Hawai’i ohana, and even through social media.
• It's been filled with gratitude for God's safety and protection while traveling and from a storm that could have been so much worse.
• And finally, it's been filled with thanksgiving for this beautiful, wild, exciting life I'm so privileged to live. For all the blessings God has placed in my life, including each and every one of you.

So thank you all, for my full heart. ​

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