Hawaii Part 2: A Jawdropping Experience

 

The second half of our trip seemed to speed up.  We spent Thurday at BYU-Hawaii and the temple in the morning, and then the rest of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  We had lunch at a Shrimp Shack that was amazing.

The temple grounds were beautiful, and you could see the ocean from the temple.  There were beautiful murals on the walls of the inside of the temple as well and you could see a rich heritage of temple service.

Wild flower grew everywhere.  You know you are in paradise when orchids grow in the wild.

 I know that next time I will definitely plan two days for the Cultural Center.  I loved it there!  We took a boat ride past all the Islands and then found a good spot to watch the parade.

 
It was a good overview of all the countries represented:  Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, and Fiji.  They work at the center as a way to provide scholarships and preserve their unique cultures and music and dancing.  

Our boatman told a ton of corny jokes just like they have on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland.

The pictures I took of the boat parade can't do justice to the amazing costumes, dancing and music they had.  It was so enthralling.

 

 

Each island also had shows that you could go to where they had demonstrations and entertainment.  We only saw half of what was there.

  That night we watched the show Ha-The Breath of Life that was absolutely amazing.  It was one of my favorite things on the trip.

 On Friday I finally got to try out snorkeling at Haunauma Bay.  It looked just like ordinary water, but as soon as I stuck my head in the water I was surrounded by a huge variety of fish.  It took me a little while to get used to the snorkel gear, but once I adjusted I loved it.

On Saturday we went to the Dole Plantation and tried out a Dole Whip....Delicious!  We also took a train tour of the plantation which was fascinating.

I didn't realize that pineapples grow on bushes and not trees.  We also saw Mango, Banana, Macadamia and many other trees.

The soil is a very dark red from the iron.

The only damper on our trip came at the end.  The last day we checked out of our hotel and then went to lunch at a fish place from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  The food was amazing and delicious but as we got back into the car we noticed a suitcase and backpack in the back seat were missing.  It turned out the car had been robbed and our friends, the Tolleys, lost all their souvenirs and her backpack which had an i-pad and her wallet.  We waited for the police report to be filled out and then drove around a while before heading to the airport. 

Our flight was supposed to be at 11 pm, but it was delayed several hours.  It was a long sleepless night and then just as we were close to landing the Denver runways were all closed due to snow.  We were nearly out of fuel, so they re-routed us to Colorado Springs, delaying us another two hours.  We finally landed in Denver, hours later than anticipated, exhausted and starving.  We got off the plane, ordered some food and then as Nathan was taking a bite of his wrap, he started to yawn and his jaw suddenly dislocated and his mouth was stuck open.  He couldn't get it back in place and couldn't talk.  It became more and more painful as the muscles tightened up.

We got to end this adventure on an ambulance ride to the hospital where they were able to give him muscle relaxants and finally pop it back into place.  The Tolleys got our luggage and met us at the hospital, and we finally got on the road for the four hour drive back home.

All I can say is that Hawaii truly was a jaw-dropping experience.

Hawaii- Part I, The Arrival

Hawaii is a special place. We went to O'ahu which is called the most touristy island. That may be true, but I loved every minute of being a tourist there. We had a non-stop flight there and enjoyed a beautiful landing. We got our groceries for the week and checked into a gorgeous room at the Ko Olina with our friends the Tolleys who have a timeshare there and were generous enough to share it with us.

Monday morning we started the week off on a hike up to Diamondhead. What a view! It was great weather, and I loved the smell and humidity of the island. It also helped that we were 7500 feet lower than normal.


After that Dave took us on a tour of the island. It was so breathtaking:


I got to see my first whale breach.


That was the coolest day of the week, but we had pretty perfect weather for the rest of the week.


We also enjoyed swimming at Waikiki Beach and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I had fish almost every day, all of which was amazing.


We spent all of Tuesday at our hotel where I took a test and had my online class. We spent the afternoon enjoying the beach at the Ko Olina with the Tolley's friends. I made macadamia nut-crusted Mahi Mahi, which was delicious!


Wednesday was our Aloha Market and Pearl Harbor day. We toured a submarine which I hated. It stunk, was crowded, and was hot. I couldn't imagine having to live in one.


We toured the museums and then rode a boat to the Arizona memorial.




That was impressive and somber. I had heard about the drops of oil that come up, but it was amazing to see them for myself.


Next, we went on a bus ride to the Mighty Moe.


I had no idea what an amazing tour that would be. We were able to tour the entire ship include the spot where WWII ended.

I think one of the best parts of our trip was going with friends. We talked and laughed the entire week. It was so great to sleep 10 hours most nights, to eat great food and just plain have fun. I almost had forgotten how. I've decided that I need to include more fun in my daily life. I also need beauty!

Easter 2012

We had a wonderful trip to Hawaii. (More to come on that in future posts). We brought all the kids home some Easter clothes, and it was fun to dress up.

Brandon is looking good and growing up way too fast. He is still a basketball maniac:

Andrew is our mathematical whiz! He is growing up right behind Brandon. One of these days he really will pass him up.


Connor was feeling under the weather today, so he stayed home from church. He is such a good helper. He loves to cook and is a help around the house. He is growing too quickly as well.

Nicole loves to play with her friends. She has been having a blast during spring break having more opportunities to get together with her friends. She is also a mama's girl and loves being able to do things with me. She looked pretty in her dress.

Danielle wouldn't stand still long enough for me to take a posed picture. This was the closest I got to one. She really loved finding Easter eggs and eating all her candy. She was up late from the sugar high.


Nathan and I had such a great time getting away and feel refreshed after a particularly difficult semester.

Happy Easter! What a blessing that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we all can be saved. Spring is such a hopeful time of the year.

Piano Teaching and Housecleaning

Less than a month after Danielle was born our piano teacher called me up to let me know that she was getting too busy in her nursing program and would no longer be teaching piano lessons. I cried for about a week over it. I may have been slightly affected by my hormones at the time, but I knew there was no one else that I felt could teach them. I called all possible leads, and short of driving an hour one-way every week, there were no openings or options.

I admitted to myself that I could probably teach them at least as well as our teacher had, but I was so overwhelmed with our new little one and keeping up with my other responsibilities that I just didn't know how I could fit one more thing in and still do a decent job.

I prayed for about a month about what to do, and finally the answer came to me. I could spend the money that I used for piano lessons and use that to hire someone to clean my house. After asking around for a good person we found Jan! She came the first time and whipped my house into shape in just four hours. The three things that I love the most that she always cleans are the washer and dryer in the laundry room, the inside of the microwave and the top of the trash can. I know those are small things, but I can guarantee you that they were never cleaned before she entered our home. She comes every other week for the same price that we spend on just three 30-minute piano lessons. I don't know why we never thought of this before. Just when it seems like my life is spinning out of control, Jan shows up and brings order out of chaos.

I started out teaching my 4 kids piano lessons and have learned a lot after researching piano books, lessons, and strategies for teaching. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel more competent than I did 2 years ago. I have to turn down requests almost weekly to teach others, and I have added 4 others to my lineup. It is very rewarding to see all of my students making progress and getting better. I also have been surprised by how much I enjoy teaching even the younger children. This is definitely a new addition to the titles I go by as "The Responsible Woman." Probably the greatest encouragement I got was from my own children who have told me that I am an even better teacher than they had before.

It is just another lesson to me that what can start out as a challenge, often turns into a blessing.

Out of Control

This has been a hard week, where I knew all week that I had too much to do in not enough time, but I had to do it anyway. As a result it felt like I did everything badly. I snapped at my kids, snapped at my husband, ranted and raved at my life spinning out of control.

I guess some weeks are like that to let us know what we can and can't handle. I couldn't handle this week, and I don't want another one like it. Somehow, the kid's school got done (ungraded), though they weren't read to this week except on Thursday. I managed to finish a powerpoint to teach at the Adelante Life Skills class, video-recorded a counseling session, re-read a few chapters for my career class and took my test into the late hours, traveled for two days to Denver and enjoyed the Science Museum, played the piano at our friend's baptism, created another powerpoint presentation for my Wimba class next week, attended a ward conference and a multitude of other duties.

I am so tired this weekend.

I read a really wonderful story in the BYU Alumni magazine told by Elder Craig C. Christensen that helped me see how to balance more clearly:

"Several years ago Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was asked how to balance the demands of family, Church, profession, and personal interests. Elder Nelson first acknowledged that finding a perfect balance is virtually impossible. He then compared trying to balance competing demands to flying an airplane. He explained that at times certain aspects of life will cause the plane to tilt to one side. Later, other demands may cause the plane to tilt the other way--back and forth, side to side, as we address the many challenges of life. The key, he explained, is simply not to crash. He recommended that we invite someone, perhaps a spouse or other trusted friend, to always be there, hands firmly planted on the control stick to help bring us back into balance when necessary. Finally, Elder Nelson stated that everything we do in life--how we spend our time, how we invest our talents--should be connected to bringing us closer to the Savior."

This week, I will have to tilt my life back toward my family and get back in the direction that I want to go.

Counselor

I have jumped into my practicum this year, which I am doing at Adelante, La Puente and PALS. Adelante is a transitional housing program which works with families coming out of homelessness. They have assistance with housing for two years, and during that time they are required to work or go back to school, attend life skills classes, go to counseling, have home visits to set up budgets and learn home management skills as well as take parenting classes. All of these activities help them to be prepared to get back on their feet and prevent future homelessness. La Puente is a homeless shelter and PALS is a program designed to work with the children of the Adelente families as well as the children of those who are guests at the shelter.

I love the work I am doing and the variety between the different programs. I feel like there are so many people in society who have unmet needs that have never been given family or community support, and this is a way to meet their needs. It is also discouraging to see the price of addictions, lack of education, and abuse. It is one thing to criticize the drunks on the street, but after having a conversation and hearing their story, I have learned to judge less and love more.


At the start of this semester, I was starting to really worry about how my time away would affect my family. My children are used to always having me around, and Danielle particularly struggles when I am gone. Nathan misses me when I am distracted with assignments that have due dates looming ahead. I still have a busy church calling that demands my attention. I felt strongly that going back to school was the right choice, but this semester I was starting to have my doubts about whether the timing was still right.

We took our family to the temple last weekend to seek guidance. As I sat in my session my mind swirled with questions and concerns. Near the end of the session I felt calmer and a question was posed to me that I felt was the answer to my prayers: "What is another name for the Savior?"

The answer that came directly to me was simply, "Counselor."

It feels like such a blessing and privilege to take upon the name of Christ in a different way than I had previously considered. These years are busy ones, and I feel to live in such a way that when I look back, I will have no regrets as to how I spent my time.

I work hard to meet the needs of my family, and I make sacrifices along the way. My days are longer and my nights are busier, but I can rest after my labors knowing that I followed my Heavenly Father's plan for me.

2012 New Year's Resolutions

1. Finish my Practicum and complete 5 classes toward my Master's degree.

2. Continue to run 3 days per week.

3. Lose 20 pounds.

4. Blog twice a month.

5. Read 2 books a month.

6. Finish the Trek to Martin's Cove and Rocky Ridge.

7. Learn a new piano piece.

8. Read the scriptures daily.

9. Eat 4+ vegetables a day.

10. Go to Hawaii!