Connections

So we're being integrated into working with the youth groups at church. I'm excited and a lil nervous for these next steps and putting my heart into this new church community. God is opening doors and hearts and it feels good. It will be a new experience for me and my husband to get involved together as well - good stuff! The youth (jr. high/high school) program is a little unstructured at this time but the leaders are lining up curriculum and activities for the coming year, and I'm blessed to be a part of it.

We're even getting to know a few surfers around town too, just cuz we all surf and always welcome a companion with which to do so. Glad to see familiar faces out in the line up too sometimes. The swells are up even in the south right now since there are mighty winds so we went out yesterday and it was a rough session but always worth it.

I'm trying to get mentally prepared for the surf camp next month. I've sent my booking form and payment in full so there's no turning back now. I just need my plane ticket and to make my packing list and I'll be set. (Except for the part where I'll be missing my hubby a lot.) I feel like I'm at the level I wanted to be at before the surf camp and I just hope I can really take advantage of the time, waves and teaching I'll be getting over in Maui. This should be a once in a lifetime experience.

Speaking of once in a lifetime experiences...I swam with dolphins at Sea Life Park. Not free swimming but hung out in the tank and exchanged kisses with a big ol' dolphin, then they give you a ride across the pool. SO FUN. There was a turtle habitat and a penguin habitat as well - my faves. My boo surprised me with that adventure. He's the best.

Good night world...

Little steps & Bad dreams

I woke up at 4:00am on my day off because I had a bad dream. Bad dreams, of the demonic kind, are not strangers to me. I've had a few that left me terrified to sleep for months at a time. The past few nights I've had bothersome dreams and weird dreams, but tonight was straight up scary. Long story short, my friend was being distant because she was being possessed - yeah, no good. So I woke myself up, and started reading my bible and praying out loud. That is the best way to recover from a nightmare. God does not ignore your request for His presence, and demons tremble at the name of Jesus.

I've been meaning to write about more progress with church and just our lives here in Hawai'i. I received a call about serving in the youth ministries at church since I filled out a card indicating that is my interest. It sounds like there is a need to someone to step in, and it makes me excited but scared at the same time. I know God has me here for a reason, but subconsciously I've been scared to fulfill that purpose. Have you ever been hesitant to take those first steps because you know it's a commitment and it's gonna be big? This is an occasional pattern in my life. Even if it's gonna be great, if it's gonna be big, I may take longer to dive in. And this isn't necessarily discernment, but more often out of fear. I'm growing.

I'll be meeting with the youth pastor next Sunday for more details and to begin getting involved. This week we'll be meeting with the worship leader and maybe his wife to hang and talk story. Hopefully we'll be joining their small group on Wednesdays as well. I'm excited to be moving forward in our walk together and our church; it's a new experience for us to share.

Well, I better try and get some more sleep...

Hearburn & Church

Been experiencing fairly frequent heartburn the last two weeks, and especially the last 3-days - yuk. And I did myself in by drinking plenty of coffee at work this morning. Last night I tried generic tums with little effect. Tried some pepto bismol with no apparent relief. Tried a spoonful of apple cider vinegar which did seem to help, but either my stomach was already headed in the other direction or the vinegar didn't mix with my food and other remedies so the results were miserable in the end.

I looked up some home remedies. The most popular were various doses of vinegar, and also water with baking soda. One person suggested laying on your left side to keep the acid from rising up. I did see one I decided to try: lemon juice with a little bit of luke warm water. Sounded fishy since lemon juice is technically acidic, right? Hmmmm... I added about 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar too for added neutralizer, just in case.

Results: I feel better after just a few sips!

Concluding remedy: 1/2 cup luke warm water + 1 Tbsp lemon juice + 1 Tbsp + 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar.

~ ~ ~

Heartburn can be triggered by increased fat intake, and some people even get it when they eat certain foods like onions. And of course, STRESS is another heart burn trigger. I'll be cutting out my onion bagels for a week or so and see how that goes. But yesterday we went to church and the message helped me see some things I need to work on too.

Pastor Mark preached on I Kings 19:1-16; an episode in the story of Elijah. Elijah experienced major miracles and provision from God, and yet even he let little things get in the way of his appreciation and great faith he had built. Instead of turning to God, he ran away in a time of trouble. He forgot who had his back in all things if he would just call on his Father in Heaven. For me, I had to ask, "Why am I stressed? What am I trying to do without God?" God whispered to me, as He did to Elijah, and I'm ready to give those things to Him asap.

I can't do it on my own. I can't bring my marriage to where it should be spiritually on my own. I can't worry about or miss my family and friends on my own. I can't rely on our finances on my own. I can't manage my time on my own.

I know I'm not alone, so I guess I shouldn't continue to live like I am...

Not much is new

Oh no! I've really been slacking on my blogging. Well, I was sick off and on for all of last week; from a stomach virus, to an apparent cyst rupture, to monthly cramps, I just couldn't win. But other than that just been working 2-4 days a week, and surfing every day my hubby and I are off at the same time. I've been switching back and forth between long and short boards, and I'm definitely not ready for a 6-0 yet. 6-8 has been good. I wanna get a 6-2 in the future I think. We got a used 5-11 ...and did our own custom paint job! I'll post the before and after pics next blog (sooner than later). I'll be dong my longboard too when I decide how to design it: girly or more classic.

I am up late again, and I'll be waking up at 7:30, not too bad, but I'll be tired. I can sleep and sleep and eat and eat lately. It's highly improbable that I'm pregnant, so I'm guessing this will pass this week. Around "that time of the month" these are just a couple of the adjustments I make to my body. Luckily I was off today so I slept in again and got my banana pancakes with a side of corned beef hash **droOOol**.

Been bad at keeping in touch still too, which apparently includes blogging. I sent a postcard out today but now I'm out of stamps - oy! Too lazy to get to the post office, or to the bank to get quarters for laundry. Living on this little island makes you lazy when it comes to distance. A 15 minute drive here is debatable and postponable until completely necessary, lol. Anyways, hopefully I'll get some phone dates lined up with my Seattle ladies this coming week. Word.

♥ a hui hou ♥

I really should be sleeping

I am scheduled to work at 5:30am, which is only 5.5 hours from now, which actually means I have a chance of getting 4.5 hours of sleep at the most at this point. I can't sleep when my husband isn't here. I hate night shifts! It's getting worse for me, trying to sleep and failing until the wee hours of the morning. Not simply because I miss him, but because of course I'm less secure when he's not sleeping next to me, and I really can't explain what other trouble it causes me. I just can't go to sleep until I'm super tired and I knock out hard. Sucks.

And in these wee hours I think and think and think...

I miss home (Seattle). I miss my cat, my family, my friends. I miss my favorite restaurants. I miss my sweat pants and thick blankets. I miss dancing on Wednesday nights, and rehearsing last minute for fun performances. I miss early Saturday meetings & bible studies that always run later than they're supposed to.

I try to deny these things. I can't. I don't want to be ungrateful for the life I have here. I mean, I live in a place that some people wait their whole lives to spend a week or retire here. There's sun, surf, beaches, ocean, palm trees, entertainment, culture. I will miss it when we go back, but home is home, and home is Seattle.

But while I'm here I should be savoring it and diving in. I got the beach and surf part down. And I'm tasting the best of O'ahu I'm sure. I need accountability to get involved in my church, community and some sort of dance scene.

Oh boy, now let's try and sleep...

My Reviews | Episode 1: Honolulu

*COFFEE*

Banyan Breeze Coffee Company (Ohua St) - wide variety, great coffee & food, wifi & internet

Island Vintage Coffee (multi) - awesome but pricey

Seattle's Best Coffee (multi) - same as in Seattle, just ok, wifi

Starbucks (multi) - same as everywhere, over roasted and/or too much syrup, wifi

*BREAKFAST*

Duke's, breakfast buffet (Kalakaua) - the usual items, reasonable price, nice views

Smorgy's - (Kuhio St) gross, avoid unless desperate

*PHO*

Pho Old Saigon (Kuhio St) - overpriced for same pho

Pho 38 (Kapahulu) - out of most everything we ordered, will try again sometime

*THAI*

Thai Express (Waikiki Intl Market Place) - good Thai, nice staff, avg price

Phuket Thai (McCully) - great noodles, avg price, will visit again

Keo's - not what they say, small portions, no flavor

Chiang Mai Thai Cuisine - not very good, overpriced for portions

Siam Square (Lewers St) - best so far; price, taste, portions

*NEXT REVIEWS*

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Boots & Kimo's (Kailua)

Original Pancake House (Kapiolani)

Burgers & more!

Hale, surf, dining in

Leaving Seattle was kind of hard again, but easier this second time around. Life is back in local motion here and I'm torn more than ever between my two worlds.

Been surfing the last two days and it's been sweeeeeeeet. It's quality time with my babe and the ocean. I'm getting better and feeling more confident, especially when it's minus the butthole surfers. Choice waves during sunset: mmmmm.

But the biggest news that is not news at all is that my hubby and I overspend on dining out. DURRRRR. We're at a point where we're feeling it and need to pull back for about a week until next payday or face overdrafting and/or transfer out of savings (which is the wrong way). Bad timing for our search for a nice new longboard...*sighhh.*

Surprise Seattle!

Well now that pretty much everyone knows I'm here (well, anyone that would actually be reading my blog), I am long over due for a blogging blabber.

*SuRpRiSe* I got in on Thurs evening and have only begun to relax today. From my first stop until noon today I've been surprising people - some in person, some by phone. I know it's silly to visit so soon after leaving, but for real, I miss home.

family+friends+pets

Home = __________________________

location

Don't get it twisted; I love Hawai'i. There's not a lot that I don't like, but my heart♥ is truly in Seattle. This is something I'm realizing even more now that I'm back. I don't regret moving and I will enjoy my time in Hawai'i to the fullest, because it's an awesome place to live. I will miss the surf, sun, beaches, ocean, heat, and vibe for sure. It's just that those things don't replace what I've built here in my hometown.

It's been slightly challenging to get around without my own car of course, but I'm doing what I can while I'm here. Please pray for logistics and that I can get everything and everyone into my schedule. If I didn't hate being away from my husband so much I'd stay longer, but he's what's missing from my joy right now.

I'm loving time with my cat and parents at their new house. That's been sweeeeeet. I'll be helping them paint in the next day or two - a heavy task but I like to paint, I just hope we can get most of it done while I'm here. Their house looks so nice with new hardwood floors (installed via my bro!). Makes me more excited for when we'll come back and buy our house. Mmm-hm.

I'll be visiting the in-laws tomorrow, so I'm glad for that too. I miss them! I'm blessed with the kindest, most loving in-laws I could have asked for. It'll be nice to catch up in person and watch Wow-wow-wee like old times. Hehe...

Well I'll have many pics to post on my recap of this visit home. Stay tuned!

Sometimes I just have these nights where I won't go to sleep. Not that I'm not tired, but I just don't go to bed. I'll watch shows in the DVR that I've already watched. I'll play the same game (or 3) for hours. I'll multitask on the internet instead of being productive, like reading my books or cleaning up the apartment. Am I being too lazy to move my butt off the couch, to brush my teeth, and change for bed? I think that may be part of it...

So here I am on the couch...

Our couch isn't even that comfortable and yet I've sat here for most of the evening. And I believe that the only reason I'm actually venting this to you now is that I have some couch remorse and that I'm tired enough to ramble without thinking.

So yeah...good night...

P.S.

1) I got my new phone, myTouch: I liiike

2) I got yelled at by a jack@ss surfer: I don't like

3) The new fall season of SYTYCD started: mama like

Just singing

As I feel more and more settled here in my new home, I feel a stronger tug at my heart♥ to get outside of myself and occasionally even my marriage to seek God's purpose for me here. I felt a strong purpose in Seattle for working with youth, dancing with The Good Foot, and just growing in relationship with God and the people he put in my life to walk through it all with me.

Now that I'm far from those people and even those somewhat of a routine, it is a challenge to step out on my own. Of course my husband is a big part of anything I walk out, but in the end my walk with God and what He is calling me personally to is what I'm accountable for, and that is what I want to focus on again.

Sunday morning: wake up, pick up honey from work, visit The Original Pancake House for some (average) banana pancakes, then head to church down the street. We entered to the band and small congregation singing worship songs as usual, but I felt I should sit a pray before singing. I felt that tug even more to seek God's will for me in this city, and surrender my expectations. I stood up to sing and just felt inspired. The next song that came on spoke to me about the same thing in the chorus:

We must go, live to feed the hungry

Standing by the broken, we must go

Stepping forward, keep us from just singing

Move us into action, we must go

Fill us up and send us out

Fill us up and send us out

I was like, "Got it: go, action, don't just sing, do it." My eyes welled up thinking of those who are broken, and hungry - not just for food, but for purpose and love. Another song asks God to break our hearts for what breaks his, and praise Him because my heart♥ does ache.

Shame on me for just singing all this time...

The last weekend in August

My hubby had a surprise for me last Saturday and Sunday; he was gonna take me somewhere he'd gone before, but knew it would be a new experience for me.

All I knew was that we were headed towards the North Shore. I was super excited until I realized that there was no SD card in my camera! Nooooooooo! So we stopped in Hale'iwa town to pick up our 2GB of memory to capture the days events.

[Pic, top: famous Hale'iwa sign / Pic, below: cop on an ATV on thefamous Hale'iwa bridge]

Hale'iwa was busy as ever with tourists. And the roads seemed a little backed up, but we attributed it to tourism and slowly made our way to our goal destination...Waimea Valley.

This is where you can walk through about a kilometer of preserved Hawaiian native plants. There are rare birds, and at the end of the hike you get to see Waimea Falls. Here are some of the pics we took along the way...

We didn't swim because the falls was low, and the water seemed a little stale murkier than he remembered, so maybe next time. It was a nice hike; flat, not too long both-ways, not too crowded. We didn't get to see the endangered bird that lives there, the 'alae 'ua (Hawaiian moorhen), but we saw that pekake (peacock) and chickens of course, and a few others. The highlight of course was waiting for hubby to walk all the way back to the falls to find the car keys - oh boy.

On our way back, we stopped in Hale'iwa again for some dinner at Cholo's Mexican Restaurant. It was either that or the Thai food truck, which I'll have to wait for. I was craving some goooood Mexican food for sure. The were out of tamales, so I got fish tacos (ahi). It can be hit or miss with fish tacos, but they were loaded, very yummy. Plus, they had a few hot sauces I had never tried. Some burned, some didn't, but it was all good. We checked out a little surf museum and several surf shops, then headed to Sunset Beach Park to watch...the sunset. (haha)

We were shocked to see the swells happening - it's still summer! Not sure why, but there were freak swells crackin' and we watched for at least an hour, until the sun was gone. We don't even have a rack on our car to bring the boards, but we wished were good enough to surf there in the first place...someday! That will be one of our goals while living here.

The sunset was gorgeous, but the ending was a bit stifled by some clouds on the horizon, as usual. Still got some great pics and even some with surfer silhouettes - nice.

One last look...

...and then we headed home.

That was Saturday. Here is Sunday; more simple, but still awesome:

Went to our new church, met a couple people that seemed interested in actually seeing us to say hi again some other time (I dunno, just got that vibe). Then we went grocery shopping and got all the goods at Safeway. Had some good eats at home, then took a nap. THEN we got ready to go SURFING. Geared up with board shorts and SPF 85, we grabbed our boards and headed to Waikiki. We were ready to go! But the waves were not. It was completely flat!!

We didn't let the moment go: we bought some extra cheap goggles and paddled out to do some "diving" and look at the reef and fishes just off shore. That was a lot of fun. When the waves aren't coming in so constant, you can see everything down there. Just FYI, we did find Nemo. (wakka wakka)

Some waves started to pick up (about 2-footers), since the tide comes in right after sunset. So as the sun was setting, we joined the dedicated surfers who had been out for hours catching what they could. I caught a lot of those little waves and stood up every time with the pink and orange sky behind me.

To satisfy our newly grown appetites, we grabbed some dinner at the burger joint my boss also owns, called Teddy's Bigger Burgers in Waikiki. Heard it was really good, even back in Washington, but we put them to the test ourselves and boy did they passed. Really really good burgers; we'll be back for sure! Of all the burgers we've had here so far, Teddy's has been the best by far.

We decided to walk around the block since my honey at a double 9-oz patty burger - yeah, yikes. We stopped at a part of the beach where Indiana Jones was playing at an outdoor theater screen. So awesome! Wasn't a fan of the movie, but it was cool to sit in the sand under the stars and moon with all those people, just watchin' a movie. Then we rented one on our own, and it was all a perfect end to a perfect day.

Corny, I know. And much longer than I thought it would be! It was like two full days of being on a date with my husband; we don't get a lot of those opportunities, but now we'll be looking for them.

Time for a new cell phone?

So my phone just shut down w/o warning again. No "battery low" warning lights or beeps, just OFF. It happened while on the phone last week, and now as I was setting my alarm for work tomorrow.

Better set a back-up alarm...

[Pic: overlooking Fort Derussy]

There goes that funk again...

Aloha,

I've been in a bit of a funk again, for various reasons I'm sure. One reason is because the clouds have been rolling in a bit, and less sunshine means less energy and smiles from me. My husband just asked me the other day how I survived living in Seattle for so long, lol. Between the lack of sunshine and lack of heat, it is quite amazing. Another funk property to add to the equation is that it is pre-that-time-of-the-month, yep, pretty much always low around this time. Emotional too; I was watching ABDC and crying at anything inspirational or life struggle they discussed - gEEz Louise. 

A big downer though is that there was another death in the family: the mother of two of my half siblings did pass away about a week ago. I can't believe this year. I'm seeing death not only in my family but in the families of a few friends as well. It's such a crazy life stage to be in where so many people are getting married and there's babies being born, yet we also experience more death than we probably ever have as well. How can it ever balance? I say I trust God with my life and the lives of those I love but then why doesn't that bring me more comfort when I'm faced with death? I cling even more to those lives around me and even my own, rather than clinging more to Him.

On a lighter note...

My hubby and I both have the next 3-days off together. The goal is to finally use those left over time share vacation points. I did try to get to Seattle, but that was out of the question financially and points-wise because it's "peak" season. This fact also made me a little sad but I know I'll visit home soon enough. We didn't get around to booking anything locally last week (because we were catching plenty choice waves) but we'll be calling tomorrow morning first thing to book a hotel somewhere on O'ahu, preferably a different shore than ours. Hopefully it'll be somewhere we can surf, but if not, either way we'll have mucho quality time. Love it. 

I've had a lot of quality phone time with my lady friends back home, which has been great. I had a phone date almost every day the last 5-days! So good. I miss my friends and family a lot, and am so thankful to be able to keep in touch as much as I have been. I'm feelin' the love and I hope they are too. 

Well, I feel like most of this funk was shook off today - more sun, time with boo, phone date, a walk, a workout, and I finally smashed the mosquito that's been chewing up my arms and legs. (sUckA!)  

***45-minutes later***

So I got the mosquito and I was all glad right? WELL that was short-lived as I look up and scurrying across a side table is a cockroach. About 3/4 of an inch long, not huge but ew. Not adjusted to seeing those guys and probably never will be. I grabbed the Raid can and sprayed him once. He got to the couch and I sprayed him again, then I lost him. I hunted that thing for a while and sprayed around the whole apartment...moved the couch, the table, covered and sealed every bit of food or spices we have, double-checked each area of the apartment. Took me a while to realize he was on his back behind the couch, dying. I drowned him in Raid to make sure, and have checked on it every 5-minutes to make sure I finished the job. The puddle around it should do the trick. Now that I've thoroughly sanitized my hands and all food zones, I guess I can sleep. I'm worn out.

2 awesome days at the beach

That is a video my hubby took when we visited Kailua Beach Park yesterday afternoon. Such a great spot there. We even saw a big ol' turtle when we went out past the mouth of that channel. So cool!. Of course, we love turtles. We pretty much scared it away by swimming towards it all excited...Sorry Mr. Turtle.

We hung out waterside, swam a little, walked in the shallow channel which had fishes and a little current. There were a lot of kids, but they were funny to watch, especially the ones that were new to the beach. The drive to and from had some pretty sights too [see pics below]. We've drove through the same area several times, but I'm usually car sick by then so this time was better for me.

That was yesterday...

Today was even cooler because we found a long board for me to surf (best for Waikiki, and best for new surfers). The guy is moving back to the mainland and was selling is 8-footer for only $100 - yes, that is a very good deal. We almost bought a new board at a good but not better price in Kailua surf shop but thank goodness we chose to shop around. A couple little patches of fiber glass and we were out surfing together, me and my honey. I caught waves on my own today and made it to a crouch on a wave. I always wait too long because I don't feel stable to stand when the board is moving so fast. But I'll get there! :D I don't have pics yet, but you know I will as soon as possible. 

We also stopped by Pearlridge Center today and picked up new swimsuits for us since neither of us had bought new ones for years. Got one for me that is much better suited for surfing - less moving parts and smoother seams. It's koo to get the kama'aina (i.e. local) prices at surf brand stores...hehe. 

Gotta work early, but wanted to share a summary of my exciting times. Good night friends ♥

 [rainbow from Felicia residual rain]

It's been funky

I have been in a sort of funk for the past week or so. I realized my fatigue was because I was about to get sick. Sick I was for 2-3 days. Of course, this was perfect timing for my new job. I've worked two shifts now, and things are going well. I like the atmosphere and I've worked with only 2 other co-workers so far (not counting my boss, and the girl who just had her last day). I'm anxious to finish all my training and get into a groove at work - y'know, when it flows and you don't have to think so hard about your every move.

I also can't wait until those paychecks start coming in...mm-hm...

I'm not sick anymore, but my congestion is either a lingering part of my illness or I'm going through some allergies or a/c is murdering my sinuses. We don't have a/c in our apartment, but it's almost everywhere else...bah.

I'm still feeling a little out of sorts emotionally/mentally but felt more at ease after getting outside and spending some quality time with my hubby at the beach and eating dinner tonight. We wanted Indian, but Maharani Indian Restaurant (awesome reviews) was packed and out of naan. We know to go there a little earlier and probably not on a Friday night. So we circled back to a Thai restaurant, Chiang-Mai, since I still haven't got my fix for that yet either. Sadly, the curry portions was sad, and overall the palette experience is not one we plan on repeating.

Our vacation club gives a certain number of points per year and 1/2 but ours are set to expire 8/31/09 - AH! We're trying to use them up asap, and are even willing to stay somewhere on the same island, just to not let them go to waste. Maui is our goal but we'll see. We're even considering selling them, it's just that it's very last minute for anyone who would be interested in buying of course. Guess we should've jumped on this sooner. Oops.

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and I wish I had been there. She did get my gifts I sent her on time though, which is always good because you never know about that usps. I wish I could use my time share points for a plane ticket home! Especially since my cat, Turtle, is now living at my mom's and after day-2 her cat is still a little aggressive towards mine. We'll need to have more patience with the lil animals, but I don't want it to escalate to an actual cat fight. So far, nothing dramatic, but my poor cat is definitely stressed out there so far. My poor baby!!

*Good night TV Land*

Watched Corky Romano tonight...

I don't know if this movie will ever not be funny to me. :) This is one of the funniest parts EVER!

Mostly about yesterday...

 

Yesterday was another long and eventful day. First, I had my orientation at my new job. Met a few new co-workers and things are just looking great at this new place. Not that I expect it to be perfect, but at least I'm not dreading my first day of training - always a good sign.

After the fairly brief orientation, Jason and one of his cousins picked me up to begin our day's adventure. We were on a mission for Giovanni's garlic shrimp truck at the North Shore. SO worth the drive and car sickness endured on the way. That truck is not something to be taken lightly or passed by. Mm-mm! After we satisfied our fiendin' for those amazing garlic shrimp scampi, we headed to the Dole pineapple plantation for dessert: fresh pineapple ice cream (well, more like sherbet). It was my first time at the plantation, and I wanna go back! Not only was it some gooood ice cream, but there's a small garden/trail where you can take funny pics. 

 

 

 

We took the scenic route to the north, had a really good time, but we took the shorter route back home so as not to lose our minds.

 

[top: on the way there, bottom: on the way back (2nd rainbow so far!)]

Right now I'm sitting by my living room window listening to the wind rush by. There are 2 storms just southeast of here, which have been causing some strong winds. Luckily the storms are dying down as they approach these Hawaiian islands. Hurricanes and/or tropical storms may be common over here, but I'm from Seattle, and the only time I hear about hurricanes is when they're tearing a city apart. Over here they report it as the weather report (until it would pose an obvious threat).

The extra winds do help keep it cool, but that was not what I wanted as I tried surfing on Wednesday. I dunno if you wanna call me a wimp, but I do not like being cold, lol. Anyways, that was my 3rd attempt at surfing, I did catch a lot of waves, but still didn't stand up. Took a couple good spills but no reef injuries yet. Hopefully it won't be so crowded next time.

Back to yesterday...

After a nice nap with boo, we watched both of the final episodes of So You Think You Can Dance. YAY for Jeanine!! She was my favorite for most of the show. Yeah, I called it for sure. I've been really emotional lately for some reason (which does happen to me off and on so NO I'm not pregnant). Point being, I cried through the show for different pieces and even just missing dance and friends...then I got pics of my cat back home, Turtle, which I did post one last blog, and cried about that too a bit.

Oh, and we finally did get our laundry taken care of for the first time...yep.

P.S. I have not received information on my half-sister's mom. I will post as soon as I know anything.

P.P.S. Pics from Wednesday's swimming antics...

Worn out from a fun day

After observing a little bit this morning, and talking with the owner a lot, I am really excited to start working at this coffee shop. My new boss and I see eye-to-eye in many aspects of life and coffee. Very important and very FuN.

Met up with Hubby after and we went surfing. 1 rental board, 1 of his. It was a little windy for me, which made it colder and choppy (yes, I do get cold even outside here in Hawai'i). Good times, talked with a koo local surfer lady out there, maybe we'll see her again next time...

We went and ate lunch and Uncle's, then I felt the fatigue in my amateur arms start to set in. Took a nap while the boys got ready, then took those youngin's (9, 10, 18) to the beach with boogie boards and goggles. I watched them jump off the wall while I tried to save my skin from burning. Going to the beach once a day can be hard on my light skin, but twice made me a little worried. I'm ok though, no red today.

While they went to the pool, I made some chicken nuggets and brought 'em down. Then the boys & my boo played ping-pong while I began this blog upstairs.

I'm exhausted! But it was a great day. I love hanging with my boo and with the youngin's. I still have the motion of the ocean in my system so I'm actually kinda dizzy but nothing some chamomile can't calm I hope. I have orientation in the 9:00am, but since the 18-yr old youngin' will be staying the night, hopefully we'll still have time to wind down with a movie over here at our apartment...oh, and a snack too of course!

*Special note: It's my dear friends birthday back in Seattle, and I so wish I could be there to celebrate her life :) Happy Birthday J! Love you!*

...also, here's a pic of Turtle, sent to me today:

wow i miss this cat *sighhhhh

What a day

4 Aug 09

4:10am  Woke up feeling a little sick from lack of quality sleep on top of dreading heading to my up-selling, cap-and-apron-wearing, matching-socks-having, corporate cafe. 

4:23am  Called the asst manager who unfortunately did not answer, and I chose to leave a voicemail. Tacky? Maybe, but I didn't wanna have to call back! It was hard enough already, but I did break up with them via voicemail.

4:40am  Realized I was way too wound up to sleep right away; adrenaline & thoughts racing.

6:52am  Surfing the web a bit for jobs and FB stuff. I sent my resume and references to a local cafe (after researching the way they do business). Shortly after, I did go catch some more zzZZZ's.

Too long of a day to finish it frame-by-frame. Basically, I slept for a couple more hours. Woke up with an email reply from the cafe saying they would call me in the afternoon and would like to have me come by. Yessssss!

Went to the beach with boo for a few hours, then we got our car safety inspected (Hawai'i's version of Emissions Test). We passed and got our Hawai'i license plates on our car! Feelin' pretty local now. Even feeling like I have a better radar for tourist vs locals - haha. :) 

I confirmed an interview time of 7:00pm. Ate some hamburger helper and my boo dropped off at the cafe to meet him at the beach after. The cafe is owned by an awesome couple. I met with both of them and it went great. The wife is strongly against corporate coffee and concerns herself with conservation/recycling - my kind of woman! We hit it off and I'll be going back in about 7-hours to hang and observe operations to make sure it's a good fit for both sides. In no way do I want a repeat of my recent experience! Praying this is where God would have me, and that I would have peace if it is so. (...cuz I sure didn't have peace about the first job!)

So gonna sleep now since it's another eventful day planned ahead. I'll be meeting with the owner again as I observe, then going surfing with boo, then eating lunch at Uncle's, then picking up the lil cousin (beach, pool, etc), and eating all in between ;).

Sorry this was condensed. I had so much detail to share, but it's late (again).

♥Ah Hui Hou♥

A prayer request for my family

Since the day after I left for Hawai'i, and two days after my nieces funeral, my half sibling's mom has been in the hospital, unresponsive. Because of her status, they do not know exactly how she got that way. We know she has brain damage (frontal lobe) but we don't know how far she could ever come out of it or if she can even survive w/o a breathing tube. They're supposed to attempt to remove her breathing tube this Friday. A decision not lightly made.

 

*Please pray for my half sister's mom; for healing in God's will, that she hears when people pray over her, and that even if she can't talk her heart would be changed. And if she is to be fully healed, she'll be renewed in her mind to take better care of her health.

*Please pray for my bro & sis; The last month has been nothing but trials. Their relationship with their mom has been rough in the past, but that never makes these times any easier. Please pray that they would find peace and encouragement in this time. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am very troubled to be so far from home when all this is going on, just knowing how hard this is for my family. I love them and I have no words right now, which is easier to accept when you can just hug someone. Anyways, thank you for your powerful prayers.

Love,

Olive

The deal w/ my new job

So I got hired on the spot on my birthday on Friday. Great, exciting and needed. I specified part-time, no Sundays (with the exception of occasional evenings), and preferably off by 5:00pm. Very specific I know, but I prefer to put my ideals on the table and if they don't like it or want to improvise we can possibly negotiate. This method is more efficient than selling your soul upfront and getting scheduled every time slot you don't want to work. Anyways, the manger basically says that shouldn't be a problem. 

SO WHY did I just get a call letting me know I'll be working 40-hours from now until SUNDAY (on which day I'm scheduled all morning into the afternoon)??! I think the manager may not have worked with the asst mngr creating my schedule but there's a dropped ball in itself. 

To be honest, I like the manager and the asst mngr; they have amazing work ethic and a drive with enough skills to move them forward. I like that. I do admire that. BUT I have little tolerance for what it seems I'm getting into. This may not be the permanent work conditions but first impressions are everything - isn't that right Mr. & Mrs. Corporate Offices?

There's more...

Let's continue into the corporate aspects of this all. They would like to tell me what color socks and hair to have, how many piercings there shouldn't be in my ears, and that I should "suggest" (i.e. pressure) people into getting a large when they order a small. Everyone pretty much knows that I don't own many normal socks and you'll rarely find that they match! What do my socks have to do with the coffee? I come from Seattle, where the measure of a true barista is not what they're wearing but how their drinks taste and look. My coffee culture background may be rebellious, it may even be snobbery, but I'll serve you a picturesque mocha in a potato sack with bone through my nose, and you'll come back because it's the best mocha you ever drank. 

It may seem silly to some, but when you believe that coffee is about coffee, your bottom line will always be just that. In no way do I wanna knock someone who can work a job and do as they're paid to do, because that's what a good employee does. If I didn't feel so strongly I could do it there too, but this may end up being too much to compromise for me.

First Aloha Blog Post!

Wow, I finally got this going! I'll include many pics here & videos sometimes too. This blog is mostly intended to keep people back home updated with as much as I can post. In no way do I want this to replace personal messages or phone calls or webcam chats or etc. I value my Seattle family and as much as possible, I don't want distance to keep us from growing together.

Where to start...

I arrived Saturday 7/18/09, greeted aloha style with leis by my husband and RJ (his lil cousin). We stayed at his Uncle's that night so I could say hi to family. The next day is when I was first introduced to our new living space in Waikiki - a condo we're renting on the 27th floor of a building overlooking the Ala Wai Canal with views of the ocean [Above 2 pics: view of Waikiki, canal at sunset]. My honey picked a great building, very secure and it even has a parking garage and pool. *Thanks babe! ;)

We're settled now in our condo, which catches so much Hawaiian breeze that we don't need aircon. Various pics of our place are on my FB mobile albums uploads.

I am loving the temp and the beach. Most people know that I have issues retaining body heat, but that's not usually a problem here. I admit to wearing sweatshirts a few times a week, but hey, wutyugonnado?

[ Pic: 1st rainbow I saw since I moved here :)]

We've been attending New Hope O'ahu for the past couple weeks - a very large multi-campus church. The services are great but we're not set on staying yet. Searching and praying for a church that doesn't necessarily have to be smaller but very inviting and where we feel that call and welcome to serve.

We're keeping in touch with family in Seattle and making time for family here when we can. We even can pick fresh mangos from Uncle's tree! [Pic to the right] On 7/20 we celebrated J's Grandma's 81st birthday! [Pic above left] She seriously has more energy than me.

So now I'm looking for a part-time job with a flexible schedule (limited Sunday hrs, off by 5 always). I'm blessed to be able to stand pretty firm in that request since my husband has a good career. Praise 'im! I did get hired at as a barista at an impromptu interview on my BiRtHdAy [Pics below], however, as I spent time orienting for a full shift, this overbearing corporate coffee may clash with my liberal coffee culture lifestyle. This is another prayer point of course. 

 

[Pics: Waikiki fireworks, Fort Mall store, a collections of bday love, dinner at Todai]
 

Overall, adjusting to life here hasn't been too abrupt, except for not having my dearest family and friends and cat directly at my side. I'm trying to send a few postcards out every week so make sure I have your address so I don't skip you! :) I can see that making new friends and connections is going to take time, and a big thank you to those who have been referring me to people they know. I really appreciate that and will take the time to get in touch hopefully starting this coming week (or maybe after I get a job for sure). One other thing I'm lacking is daaaaancing. I'm getting exercise swimming, walking, trying to surf, and little home toning workouts but y'all know I gots t'dance!

Well it's real late now. Say ALOHA to Stitch! He's my homie and will be accompanying me in many pics.

♥AH HUI HOU♥