The Schaefers go to Hawaii

Head-Exploding Marriage Stuff

2011-11-13T10:27:00.001-08:00

I have recently been on the quest to be a better wife. When I was younger, and even now, my "dream life" was always to marry the person I love, and to be not only a good wife, but a great one: one that my husband would brag about to other men. I realized that simply getting married and wanting your husband to be proud of you doesn't make that happen. Like all things, any goal worth attaining requires work and thoughtfulness.

So I called my father-in-law. Who better, right? He not only has the husband perspective, but he's spent the past 31+ years getting to know my husband. Certainly he would have a few pointers. He recommended a book. I winced. The author was by a woman I typically have great disdain for: Dr. Laura.

Before my other liberal and feminist friends react, let me say one thing: I have always believed that there is great value in hearing the other side. When two sides debate or disagree in our culture we seem to believe that the person who is the least willing to back down is the strongest, and the smartest. I disagree. I think that when one side makes a compelling point and the other side can recognize that, they are acting intelligently. They have the mental flexibility to let their belief system evolve. They may not adapt 100% to the other side's dogma, but their own way of thinking may become more valuable.

There were a lot of things in the book I had already been thinking about a lot lately, so it felt especially profound to have another woman spell them out as well.

Being bossy and mean, entitled, insecure and always looking for a reason to be angry with men does not a strong marriage make.

I was once irritated that Isaac liked to have a clean home when he came home. How dare he! Doesn't he know that a woman's "place" is not in the kitchen with a wash rag? Isn't he evolved enough to clean his own damn house?! (Granted, I always cleaned, but for a few months before we got married I always felt a little miffed about doing it).

But it turns out, that cleaning the house makes him really happy. [I learned this years ago, and it seems to be the best example to use]. Which is reason enough to do it. He works 12+ hours a day, every day of the year (his "days off" on the calendar almost always end up being spent on the phone and writing emails to stay caught up). He has an extremely high-pressure job. He comes home mentally and physically exhausted. He spends half his time each month traveling. If I were in his shoes and I asked for the house to be cleaned, and I worked such a difficult job to put a roof over his head, and he worked part time, and I came home to a messy house and a husband who was irritated that I had any at-home expectations at all, I'd be deeply hurt and angry. (Sorry, that was a long sentence with too many commas. My writing mechanics have fallen to the wayside).

That attitude of entitlement...expecting actions and things to be provided without giving what you are capable of giving in return...that is draining on a man. And, unfortunately, it's common of women. I can think of at least a handful of women I know personally who think and behave this way in their homes.

And this, I think, is where some women get confused about the feminist goal, and make feminists look really bad. Ultimately, they don't want equality with men. They just want their way. They want their jobs (or no jobs, in some cases), and successful men with jobs, and for nothing to be expected of them besides what they want from themselves, and for all the things they want to be provided to them. Which isn't equality at all. They want "girl time" with their friends, but act offended if their guy wants "time with the guys" at the bar or golf course. That's straight-up princess behavior.

Imagine if you called a feminist a spoiled princess. All hell would break loose.

But, I think the issue of entitlement has to end. Each couple is different, but in a couple, each person's needs for a balanced and happy home may not be the same. My husband likes my cooking and to have a clean house and for me to be nice to him. Small price to pay for a happy marriage, roof over my head, and food on my table. Me? I just like the things I do to be noticed, some affection, and for dirty laundry to end up in the basket. I don't care if he cleans or cooks, although I recognize how nice it is when he does.

But this very domestic balance that works for me and my husband, and frees up a lot of time for us to have fun together because we have nothing to argue about, seems to make some people very irritated. I don't understand why they waste energy being unhappy about a marriage they don't belong to.

I, however, am happy to be striking a happy balance, and to be striking it well. I am almost surprised at how much more eager Isaac is to please me when a few simple things are done each day. As long as my marriage is happy, fun, supportive and well balanced; other people can think what they want. At the end of the day, they don't share my home or my vows.

New Address!

2011-10-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

No, we're not packing up and leaving Hawaii.

But I am starting something new.

It turns out, that within my new culinary limits, I am blossoming. I have been whipping up new concoctions every week, all on my own! And people like them! And a lot of those people keep asking me when I plan to blog those recipes.

And so, like every other person on the ole interwebs, that's what I'm doing.

The site hasn't quite launched yet. I still have a few things to do...like purchase a REAL camera that can take quality photos, register a simple domain name, etc.. But the skeleton of the site is up.

I'll still blog about personal thoughts and goings on here. But my primary focus while I create a place to share my new recipes with the friends and family who ask for them will be here. If you have a minute, add it now. Don't miss out on the crepes, lettuce wraps, fritters, pasta dishes, garden-fresh sauces and indulgent desserts!

I'll be working on making each recipe accessible to the average kitchen, while still being completely free of gluten or corn. I may also start experimenting more with vegan recipes, to be even more allergy friendly and anti-inflammatory. :-) (Don't worry, bacon, I still love you).

Let's cross our fingers that the blog will be fully launched soon!

To Procreate or Not?

2011-10-09T14:39:00.001-07:00

Well, here we go. I make the whole thought process public.

My husband and I, a married couple with a stable economic situation, have of course been posed the question many a time, "When with the babies, already?!"

There was a time that we really, really wanted kids. We even hoped a few times that I had, in fact, been knocked up, and were very crestfallen when it turned out that I had not. But we picked ourselves up and got over it and every time started the discussion over again.

Often times, it looked like this:

"There's probably a reason."

"Yeah, maybe it's just not in the cards."

"When it's time, it will happen."

"We should just enjoy the life we have as it is right now."

The last line is exactly what we've been doing. And without the pressure on ourselves to start combining our DNA to make something cute, life has been pretty darned peachy.

We have the feeling a lot of people have, which is that there are probably kids in our future. Or maybe there aren't. (We go back and forth with either scenario and find ourselves pretty at peace with either). And we're at a place where we kind of go back and forth on the pros and the cons of pro creation.

Sometimes things sway us more one way than another. Like other peoples' kids. Hanging out with some really fun kids who are spunky and full of character and active and silly and happy...those kinds of kids get the biological clocks ticking faster.

Then there are the kids who are needy, fussy, high maintenance, spoiled, and impossible to soothe or placate, and those kids pull the batteries right out of an otherwise normally functioning clock all together. What if our kids turn out like that? What if we're the parents that mold needy, fussy, high maintenance children? Then we'd have nobody to blame but ourselves! God save us all!

So let's take a look at what our Pros vs. Cons of having kids are.

Pro: There would be someone to take care of us as we get older.

Con: If our kid doesn't have the means/isn't willing to do that, the idea is wasted and selfish.

Pro: It would be so rewarding to watch someone grow from an infant to an adult.

Con: The world is becoming overpopulated at a frightening rate. Food and water and other resources are quickly becoming slim. Bringing yet another soul into an economically unstable future seems selfish; and it would be heartbreaking to see a child become an adult who had to fight tooth and nail just to get food.

Pro: We believe we have the know-how and resources to raise a resourceful, intelligent, hard working and successful human being who could not only survive that future, but be innovative enough to help other people of that future.

Con: We might also end up raising a surf bum who lives on the beach and spends half his time being stoned. No parent plans on that future for their kid, but it happens.

Pro: We already have siblings who have paved the frontier, whose successes and mistakes we can learn from, who have padded the family with plenty of cousins to get to know, the kid would come into a big family.

Con: We do have some fear of disapproval in our child-rearing methods, criticism, and generally trying to make our own family style rather than standing in the shadows of those who've gone before us.

Pro: Living in Hawaii would save us on clothing needs. Babies here only need a few basics, and overpriced fall and winter clothes that they'd outgrow at lightening speed anyway are not on the necessities list.

Con: Everything in Hawaii is double over-priced and everything else for baby, including diapers, would be astronomical. Add to this that I wouldn't be able to work for some time, and living solely on Isaac's income would be very stressful.

Pro: We're the type who would take baby everywhere. Beaches, and as soon as it could hold its head up, hiking, on runs, etc.

Cons: There would be a limit to other activities. We would have to take turns in the water for things like surfing. We couldn't just toss the boards on the Highlander and head to the beach every time we found out the surf was up.

Pros: We live in the perfect place to get a baby well acquainted with water and the ocean very early.

Cons: With Isaac's job and rest requirements, I would be on my own many nights.

Pros: When he is on call and not flying, he would be around to help and get to know his child more than the average 9-5 dad.

Cons: What about the dogs? We don't want to leave them feeling forgotten and left behind, especially if that causes them to act jealous of the baby.

Pros: We have the opportunity to raise another "dog person" and maybe the dogs would love the baby and be extra protective of the home.

There are of course lots of other things to consider, but I could fill a book with them, and I'd rather not do that.

Ultimately, we're pretty happy being an aunt and an uncle, both right now and potentially forever. If we do have kids, though, I suspect we'd be pretty thrilled about it. We decided to it is best to be happy with what we have, count our blessings, and expect nothing else.

It does, of course, make us feel a little inspired when all of our friends keep popping out cute little people, but perhaps it is best to be happy for them and their blessing and happy that our own lives are filled with blessings we may not be able to take advantage of as parents.

I read an article recently that said that inflammation in a woman's body can prevent pregnancy and cause serial miscarriages. I suspect that may play a big part in why it never happened with the timing was otherwise right. Until my body is fully "de-flamed" (if you will) and I have fully mastered my food allergies, I may not be a fertile person. It seems simple enough that the option to make a baby lies within reach when we're ready.

So, there it is. Everyone can stop asking us about kids now.

What we grow

2011-10-02T10:19:00.001-07:00

Our food garden seems to be ever expanding and I am getting pretty excited about it. I have a few lists.

Currently edible if I wanted to harvest now:

Cherry tomatoes
Basil
Onions
Lettuce
Carrots

Close to bearing fruit:

Green garden beans
Cucumbers

Well sprouted seedlings:

Orange heirloom tomatoes
Variety of winter squashes
Cilantro
Red cabbage
Spinach
Jalapeno
Watermelon
More onions

On the lookout for a variety of other tomato seeds, kale, and a variety of sweet and regular potatoes. I would also like to try my hand at strawberries.
We have grown everything organically and so far have had a lot of success with it.
This week we will plant tangelo and Tahitian lime trees as well.

Anxiety and Relativity

2011-09-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

I have been drowning in anxiety lately. I have this horrible lurking feeling and I just want October to pass. I don't know why, but I just feel like October is going to be a month where I am robbed of all my goodness. Where I lose everything I took for granted anyway. If I can get through October, if I can survive until November, life will go on.

I have been working on an exercise my Father in Law gave me. To this day, it is probably the most productive, most helpful piece of wisdom anyone has ever given me (in particular). He is a perceptive person, who knows I lose a lot of battles to anxiety, because I grew up always expecting the worst of every situation.

So when I am in a fit of anxiety, and my chest is tight and I am pushing back irrational tears, stifling sobs, and just trying to breathe like a normal, balanced, healthy person, I do my darndest to practice that exercise.

Whatever it is that I am focusing on in the moment is anxiety-causing because I cannot get my mind off of the worst possible outcome.

And since I have already mastered picturing the Worst Possible Outcome, I also force myself to picture the Best Possible Outcome. Which is really hard sometimes, when you are stuck in a place where you can scarcely believe there is potential for positivity to find a place in your head.

But it has helped me get a lot of perspective. Sometimes it doesn't work to rid the anxiety, not right away, but sometimes it does. At least for a moment. And then 20 minutes later I have to take a minute to clear my head so I can do it all over again.

I know that this is a first world problem. I know that there are hungry children in Africa, and mothers in third world countries that live every day knowing exactly how many children they brought into the world, and knowing that fewer than that are with them today. I know that there is a large number of people with no roof over their heads, no medicine within reach, no clean water to drink. I know that to them, electricity is a luxury and not even their first concern because there are far more basic needs than that which need to be met.

I know that there are entire nations where women have no rights, where love is not a principle of marriage, but abuse is. I know that there are places, both far north and far south, where this is not enough wool to make blankets to keep people warm. And if there were, who could afford it anyway?

I know there are men and children working 20 hour stretches in mines just to make ends meet, knowing they will not live long, and dying uncomfortable deaths from their working conditions.

I know that there are places where having a dog to love is not a luxury available to them. That loving a dog is absurd, because they need to eat and we practically make fun of those people by being offended that they feed their families with the food we feed for the fun of it.

So I know, trust me, that my problems are small ones, relative to all the weary souls on the planet I share. But despite the meagerness of my problems, I ask as humbly as possible (knowing that it isn't humble enough) that anyone reading put up a prayer for me too. My struggles aren't worthy, but right now they feel pretty grim, and I am not sure how they are going to come to an end.

Worry, stress, anxiety and a 30-day Challenge

2011-09-17T01:16:00.000-07:00

You have worry, stress and anxiety. It's hard to let go of. It's hard to picture a best case scenario.

What purpose does worry, stress and anxiety serve? Has it made you prosperous in positive outcomes in the past? Does it serve you? Does it serve those around you? Does it bring love, encouragement, openness, and help to other people in your life? Does it help you to engage in your spiritual life? Is it assisting you in experiencing this very short life to the fullest?

No.

I am taking a 30-day yoga challenge, as prescribed by my yoga instructor. (I am on day 2, I guess). It's going to be tough, mostly because I have a difficult time committing to a daily routine. I can not predict the outcome of this challenge, but my ideal goal would be to learn to let go of my perma-anxiety. With any luck, I will learn to be a better person.

Progress Pictures #2: Back Yard

2011-09-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

Remember the last post I wrote where I had a picture of Isaac standing next to a dirt mountain and a bunch of holes? Well, here's some progress since that last photo...

Here is Adam, our friend/landscaper, standing next to the hole that will house the water pump. That mound of dirt is going be a water fall!

Isaac posing next to his future oasis.

Progress as of yesterday.

And now, a few pics of the dogs enjoying the yard as it is right now...

As you can see, Honey loves being queen of the hill.

Rambo, enjoying the view from above.

Sorry for the picture quality. I took a look at my phone (which acts as my camera these days) and the lens looked quite foggy. Upon closer inspection it has become very scratched! I should take this as a motivator to suck it up and buy a reasonable point-and-shoot already. Hopefully future blog posts will bear higher quality photos.

Evolution of a Yard in Pictures: One

2011-09-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

So, our yard has been coming along a little bit at a time, but I feel like we are making good progress. I figured a picture post was in order to show the state of the back yard as it is right now, and will do one (or two) more photo posts as we make more headway.

This is the "before" picture. This is basically what our entire yard has looked like for months. It was worse before the first time we leveled it, if you can believe that. So rubbly.

This is the north side of the house. We decided to cover the ground over here with mulch. Eventually it will turn into soil, and become our watermelon/canteloupe/squash patch.

Over here we have laid gravel to make a level place to put raised beds for vegetable gardening.

Here is Isaac, standing next to several big holes (watch your step!), and a dirt mountain. We've purchased a pump and some coconut palms. This is going to be our cascading water feature, flanked by palms. And when those palms have grown strong roots, we'll hang a hammock between them.

After measuring and cutting, Isaac is staining the outsides of these boards for raised beds. The insides were heavily waxed to ensure extra safe soil for food growing.

Stained boards.

First raised bed almost finished...

Isaac admiring our work on the first finished raised bed. The dogs seem to enjoy it as well.

Raised beds set in place on the Mauka/East side of our house.

The dogs love the raised beds and dirt a little too much. It's already been a challenge keeping them out. We may have to add fencing around this area.

Today, I will Amend the soil and hopefully transplant my basil, carrots, onions, lettuce, cucumbers and first tomato plant.

We are also hoping that the shipment of dirt came in from Kamuela today so our landscaper can bring it in and put dirt over all that rock.

Then! Grass seed!

Our property is almost a yard!

2011-09-05T23:51:00.000-07:00

I almost cringe with guilt whenever I refer to the extra land our house sits on as "a yard," because it really is not a yard at all.

The front of our house is so overgrown with weeds, it hurts to look at it. When we moved in it was a total jungle.

The good news is that I seem to have narrowed down the number of species of weeds from about 10 to 2, with both of them being incredibly resilient. Nothing will grow as long as they cover the ground.

I avoid making eye contact with our neighbors because I'm so embarrassed by the front yard. It's my goal to have it looking yard-of-the-month good by December. I don't know if the neighbors know this, but I am too shy to tell them. Although I bet it is all in my head, I imagine that they feel hostile about the lack of progress on the front yard. Perhaps they swear at me under their breath for keeping their home values down.

(In our defense, the house was un-lived in for four years, with no yard care. Those weeds had a head start!)

THE BACK:

The back yard has been a rocky wasteland since we moved in. It's literally all rock, rubble and scree. Nothing grows there. It is desert. It is not a nice place. And without a pickup truck, a ton of resources, tropical vegetation know-how and extra manpower, nothing was going to get done.

So we hired a landscaper; and are doing a lot of the labor ourselves to make it affordable. He brings tools, equipment, resources, knowledge and his own manpower. Finally, I think we're getting somewhere.

I wish we could afford to have him do the front yard too.

On Friday we got mulch on the North side of our house. That will be our future melon patch. (And mulch is free, thank goodness).

In the to-be-grassed area we will be growing Tangelos, limes, avocados, and two palms worth of coconuts. We are debating whether or not to plant pineapples along the fenceline, or to put in wild flowers.

The vegetable garden will have loads of basil (I have so much already, and extra seeds to spare!), carrots, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, spinach, green beans, and tomatoes.

If any of you have suggestions about other fruits or vegetables that grow well in warm climates, let me know! I will try to find the seeds.

Hopefully after several more days work I will have a progress-in-pictures post.

Quickie - Hair loss, etc.

2011-08-26T02:33:00.000-07:00

Quick update:

-Today, I took a Japanese couple's order completely in Japanese. And I got it right. And they left a hefty tip. Aw yeah.

-I have discovered the secret to hair loss! If you are considering have your hair thinned out, do just this: buy a brand new home in Hawaii. With brand new, extremely expensive carpets. To expedite the hair loss or add some greying to the fun, get dogs...dogs who love dirt and poop are ideal for grey hair and receding hair lines.

On that note, if anyone can recommend the most amazing carpet shampooer on planet Earth, I am all ears. Mahalo!

Updated Guest Room

2011-08-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

I have felt inspired to get our guest room a little more updated. I have my eyes on Craigslist every day for the perfect dresser and queen sized day bed. Right now we have a full sized futon acting as a daybed.

As much as I love the colors on our walls, I am tired of boring walls with no art! I broke down and bought a few pieces on Etsy last week for the guest room. By the way, have I mentioned that I am really into Octopi lately? They are really gorgeous and graceful under water. Obsessed. I also wanted to have some sea-life art in the house without doing the tacky, outdated "island style" decorating.

Here are a few pics of the updated guest room:

A few works of art on the wall.

Walking into the room.

Close-up of the futon, set up day bed style. Really comfy for watching TV. (Since the guest room doubles as our entertainment room).

Some photos I like in here. The pink one is by a girl from art school (I feel bad that I forgot her name), and the green truck is by Patricia Scarborough.

One of the octopus prints.

Fat

2011-08-16T01:10:00.000-07:00

It has been almost six months since my visit to the hospital. I have to check the dates, but I think that's about right. That means it's been almost that long since I got off gluten, and about 5 months since I got off corn.

One thing I was told about food allergies (especially the gluten one) was that a symptom can be inability to maintain weight or accumulate a normal amount of body fat.

And my body is finally getting it.

And I am freaking. out.

It's not unhealthy. It's just that...I have always had the bmi of a professional athlete, even when I wasn't in great shape. I always had some kind of ab definition, and a booty that was round from muscle, not fat. I never had cellulite or even any soft spots on my body. So the recent changes and new discoveries are a little unsettling.

Any body change for anyone can be scary. I suppose this is why a lot of women express a sense of panic after weight gain.

I am not big by any means, but my body is definitely changing. I went my whole life thinking that staying in shape would be a breeze because I couldn't gain weight even when I was trying to (unless it was mass amounts of muscle from training for huge events).

It has dawned on me that I have joined the ranks of every other normal American; and that if I want nice abs and a cute butt I'm going to have to work my ass of for it...just like everyone else.

I noticed it the most recently when I was swimming in the pool and realized that my butt was so bouyant it was floating above the water. It was too bouyant. I wasn't quite on plane!

I am more active now that I have a less demanding job; so it should be interesting to see how my body evolves with its newfound ability to accumulate this strange jiggly stuff.

And the winner is!

2011-08-04T01:48:00.001-07:00

Rambo!

We tried so many names. Rambo fits best. :-)

In other news, I got the surfboard, and a few basic art supplies to do non-color oil paintings. Grey-scale.

Check out the video in the post below. It's from the scuba dive Ike and I did to celebrate our first year of marriage.

First Anniversary Dive Video

2011-08-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a short video from the dive we went on for our first anniversary yesterday. It's in Honokohau harbor which is about a 5 minute drive, we can see the bay from our driveway.

Hoping that our GoPro and iMovie skills improve the more we record our dives.

Poll # 2

2011-07-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

I have a dilemma.

For our first anniversary, my husband offered to re-build my art studio. That entails replacing all the items that didn't make it over the ocean when we moved here. Top-shelf art supplies for people who prefer to go with their classically-trained backgrounds are pricey.

This offer thrills me.

But he also said that I have the option of getting a surf board instead if I want. Which would mean more time in the ocean, and more time with him. This also thrills me, but surf boards are not cheap.

I have a few days to decide.

Please help me. Poll to the right. :-)

So...Tired...

2011-07-30T02:25:00.000-07:00

You know how new parents often talk (with dark circles under their eyes and their shoes on the wrong feet) about how tired they are because they baby keeps them going around the clock?

Well, new puppies aren't nearly that exhaustive. But they are exhaustive enough that I have a new respect for new parents; all the while having absolutely no idea how they muster the human strength.

The pup is awesome. He and Honey are best friends (they get along even better than we hoped they would).

But he does nap most of the day [intense stone-cold naps], which leaves him with LOADS of energy at night. When we partition him off at night, all that energy and preference to be with someone leads to crying ALL-NIGHT-LONG. We initially decided to "kennel" him so that we could sleep without worrying about our carpets getting stained all night. Which seems a little moot when we can't sleep through all the pouting.

That aside: He LOVES the water. We can't take him to the beach yet [parvo] but we have set up a kiddie pool in the back yard for the dogs. He loves it. He also sleeps by the hose (so he stays wet), and when inside, jumps in Honey's big water dish.

We keep calling him Hiro; although we both agree that we're not really in love with the name. We tried Chaco [the poll winner!] but it didn't take. Arthur seemed a little stiff for him, and Ansel doesn't really go with his personality.

So we are stuck.

But I will let you all know when we decide on a permanent name.

P.S. If anyone has any information or tips on how to reverse a dog's nocturnal preferences, I am all ears!

A poll, to help us name our puppy

2011-07-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hi Buds,

Isaac and I are gearing up to bring home our second child next week! Unlike many of our friends who are bringing home their first and second children soon, this one isn't human.

It would appear that in our household, choosing a great name for a dog is paramount to choosing the right name for a baby.

I am curious about everyone's input. We have a list of names we've been going back and forth on. I put four of them in a poll, which you can see on the right side of my blog. I thought it was a good variety off of our list.

Please click the ones you like best (you can choose more than one)! The little one comes home soon!

The new guy, when he was only a few weeks old. Big even for being about 4 weeks old here!

The wandering woman

2011-07-02T10:13:00.001-07:00

I have been debating for months whether or not it would be responsible or beneficial to leave my job. It is a fun job, and I love it, but it is time consuming and most nights I am under house arrest bc I have to take a company vehicle home and cannot go around town. I hate the idea of wandering from one job to another each year. I have always thought it irresponsible.

When I started at Blue I was on my way to being yoga certified. But I have missed so many workshops and regular workouts that it has been on the back burner, and I feel its necessary to start again from scratch.

I have missed time with Isaac and Honey. I have often spent what is sometimes my only day off a week catching up on housework and laundry and not doing anything else I would enjoy.

So, I requested a part time position a few times and was denied. I kept working there because I love working with helicopters. But after Madeline's stay I have realized I hardly had tome to hang out with her and Isaac; and when I did, I didn't have the energy because I had been up since 3:30am.

So, I have been hired for a part time position somewhere else and my last day at Blue is the 7th. I am excited to have time for Isaac, the dogs, yoga, my running group, swim lessons, paddleboarding, and home things...every week! I won't have to pick just one hobby to enjoy once a month anymore.

I am nervous about leaving blue and starting over somewhere else and not being great at it at first. But I keep telling myself, the benefits for me and my husband will far out weigh the costs.

Dear Atlantans

2011-06-28T16:08:00.001-07:00

My friend Sheila at The Adventures of Ordy and Joon blog has a dog who is her baby. He is BIG, black, half Great Dane, and full grown. While someone was dog sitting, a storm came and he got out and they have been unable to find him.

Here is a special request from one dog lover for a fellow dog lover to ALL my buds in the greater Atlanta metro area. If you think you have seen a big black dog roaming on his own, speak up! Any info helps her. If you see and think it may be him, please get him. I will connect you with Sheila. He answers to Bandit and
she is posting a reward for his return to the person who finds and brings him home. (although I think we can all agree that doing a good deed is reward enough).

You can see his lost dog listing here:

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/laf/2466032267.html

Thanks dog lovers, hope you find him!

So Corny

2011-06-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well, since nailing the corn allergy diagnosis, there's been a lot that has changed! So much is making sense, and I no longer feel like my body has so many short comings and failures...just a REALLY bad allergy that manifests itself in different ways. For instance:

1. We thought I was becoming allergic to dogs. Honey, in particular. Every time she gave me puppy kisses I would break out in a rash where her tongue licked me. It was very itchy, and very hive-y. She is now on a corn-free, grain-free all natural dog food. It's more expensive, but she's healthier and...no more rash from being around my dog!

2. For a long time I thought my body had an adverse reaction to the chemicals in deodorants. I went through a few dozen brands and types, and every kind caused a severe rash in my underarms, complete with hives, peeling skin, and bleeding. I found one brand a few years ago that caused no discomfort or abnormality at all. Turns out, it's one of the only brands out there that isn't made of corn-based chemicals!

3. I really thought I was dairy sensitive. Whenever I ate the more affordable cheeses, creams, milks or creamy sauces, my face would break out and I would have some embarrassing and uncomfortable digestive issues that followed. Turns out, it's not the dairy, but the cows' diets! How wild. If I eat dairy from cows that are exclusively grass-fed and free-grazing, I have no reaction. Corn fed cows, on the other hand, trigger a strong reaction. Who knew!

4. Since trying a new all-natural fabric softener for our sheets a few weeks ago, I had been waking up with hives and a rash all over my body. I read the label and found out it had corn alcohol in it. I switched to a corn-free natural brand and had my first morning today without an all-over rash. Good change of pace.

I have been HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) free for a long time, and never baked much with corn starches. I also never really enjoyed corn as a food, so I never ate it much. If I had, I imagine I would have made stronger connections sooner. It turns out this allergy thing is pretty far-reaching. I still eat gluten free, and have the hang of it...but cross contamination hasn't seemed to be a problem to the same extent. So my gluten intolerance isn't nearly as severe. But now I engage on the life long journey of learning what chemicals and ingredients are derived from corn, looking out for them, and avoiding them.

I know it sounds like a bummer, but it feels like a victory. I'm not some weakling invalid who gets sick all the time. I'm just someone with a really intense allergy. And now that I am empowered with the information to work around it, I am going to have a much higher quality of life.

Our Expanding Family

2011-06-17T22:22:00.001-07:00

Consider this your announcement...that we are adopting another dog!

Isaac has been wanting a golden or golden mix for some time. A coworkers dog conveniently knocked up a golden, whose owner (+the dog) has been living with them. In August little Hiro will come home with us. He is 1/2 golden, 1/4 German Shepherd and 1/4 black lab.

The dad has a very similar temperament to Honey... all play and affection. The mom is very sweet, polite, and mellow.

Since Honey is 1/2 German Shepherd, I think they will be great siblings.

I picked this little guy before his eyes were even open. He is so super ticklish, stretchy, and cuddle-seeking, I could not resist!

A Yard In the Making...in pictures!

2011-06-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

Our yard has gone from being an unlevel mess of rocks and weeds, to a level mess of lava rocks and far fewer weeds, to a fenced in mess of leveled lava rock. We're getting there. It's taking a lot of time, a lot of money, and LOTS of hard work. And that's just our back yard!

Peter came out in April for Spring Break and to help us level the yard. Madeline has been here for the summer and helped Isaac put up the fence. I am glad we finally got some pictures loaded. It's interesting seeing the progress.

We still have a long way to go, as you can see. Next step is renting a compactor and putting down mulch, soil, and eventually planting plants, trees and laying down grass seed. I've already bought about 1/4 of the vegetables we'll be growing in raised beds on either side of the house. Hopefully we get enough done in the yard that I will be able to transplant them in July!

Early Summer Update

2011-06-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

Madeline is in town for most of the summer. She's been working for her keep, that's for sure. Every day while I am at work, she and Isaac work their butts off putting the fence up in our back yard.

Since being here we've spent ample time at the beach with Madeline. She tried her hand at surfing but wasn't a fan of some of the more aggressive or hostile surfer's out on the waves so she retreated back to shore. One of the guys (carelessly) put a dent in the board she was on. Fortunately, it was reparable and on a board we don't use much anyway.

I also had the chance to take her up in a company helicopter, where we went over the volcano (Kilauea) and into the valley. The lava activity was really going off. I got a recording of the flight so if I can figure out how to load the DVD on the computer and pull a few short clips from it, maybe I will be able to post them soon.

Other than that, we've been swimming laps in the pool or going on long hilly runs every evening. A few mornings a week we make it to some of the more intense yoga classes in town, taught by Jen or Tasha.

I am glad she relishes exercise to the same extent Isaac and I do.

My Husband the Closet Photographer

2011-05-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

Initially I was going to write a post about the progress of our yard...with photos! But as I was going into iPhoto to pull up the pictures we have recently taken of the yard, and the photos I took about a month ago, I came across some pictures Isaac must have shot just for the fun of it. And I realized...he's a pretty gosh-darned good photographer, especially considering it's not a real hobby or pursuit of his!

He's good at a lot of things. Patience being a specialty. And even though he does lose his cool on occasion, he has the patience to be a good teacher, a good boss, and a good husband.

He had the patience to wait and be sneaky and not scare the geckos when he wanted some good shots of them. They are extremely shy and skittish, so to get up in their personal space long enough to get a picture is pretty tricky. You have to stay still long enough to not seem human, or they flit away before you can blink.

Anyway, I love geckos and I love these pictures. So without further ado (or Isaac's permission), here are some pictures he got of some geckos [I recommend clicking on them to see the full size image]:

Gluten and Corn

2011-05-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like we are getting much closer to narrowing down some of the causes behind all my nasty symptoms.

When I went gluten free, initially I felt better. I avoided grains for a while (until I could find mixes and recipes that allowed me to experiment) and notice a fairly swift change in my body. Once I started seeking gluten product substitutes and recipes however, I began feeling pretty gross again, although the symptoms varied from the initial stuff that was going on.

Turns out that I am very allergic to corn! Which makes navigating the gluten free world a little trickier as flour tortillas/chips are often subbed for corn ones in a gf diet, and many recipes call for corn starches.

It will also make giving up any product with corn syrup in it a mandatory thing for me, not just something I do to give my healthy lifestyle an edge.

But...I have been feeling much better now. Lots more energy, I can stay up past 8pm again...it's nice. [I just wish there were more gf-friendly food venues out here]. Now all I have to do is combine that energy with some motivation and get back to beautifying our slowly progressing yard!

2011-04-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

A few more new house photos

2011-04-05T15:10:00.001-07:00

Sorry, we haven't hung much art yet. With my art history background and Isaac's taste in poster style art, we have a hard time agreeing on things. So it will be a while before we procure more wall adornment.:-)

In the meantime, here are some recently taken low-quality photos of our living room, dining room and kitchen.

We decided we didn't want television to be the main focus of the space we spend most of our time, hence the cozy library set up. We are old fashioned. And I hate television.(we won't be subscribing to cable either. I know, how un American).

We do have an entertainment room to watch movies in, but its not quite finished. Photos soon-ish.

Getting Closer

2011-04-02T15:20:00.001-07:00

Well, there are some ideas as to what the doctors can start testing me for. Some of the issues would create a dramatic lifestyle change and others wouldn't. Nerve racking to wait for answers.

In the meantime, they know one thing: there is lots and lots of inflammation in my body. The worst of it in the tissue around my heart and lungs. Lots of other swollen up tissue in other places too. So, before we start the route of extensive and expensive testing for diseases related to these awful symptoms, we are going to start a new diet and a few medicinal remedies. If the diet works I may just have to eat differently forever, which wouldn't be as bad as taking a massive amount of drugs on a daily basis.

First, I am gluten free now. Doc's orders. I am also corn free, dairy free, sugar free and caffeine free. Glad I knew about the gluten free girl already...I guess i will be referring to her blog frequently so I don't starve!

Home picture number one

2011-04-01T21:05:00.001-07:00

Things are slowly coming together. Lots of finishing touches to go. Unfortunately, with my yet to be diagnosed chest and breathing issues, I haven't had a lot of gusto to put the house together. But the master bath was mostly finished before any of that happened.

Bonus points if you can guess where the glass balls are from.

Cleanse That House!

2011-03-31T10:07:00.001-07:00

Our house is already painted although we haven't fully unpacked and set up. Pictures to come soon, promise!

This first week in our home has been stressful. Where is that reliable ole landlord when you need something fixed or set up? Our refrigerator is already broken and likely needs replaced, Isaac is finding it infuriatingly difficult to install window treatments in a home with steel frame construction, and my car is on the verge of being done for.(ok, cars are maybe not home related, but whatevs).

Add to this the fact that a series of things lead to me having symptoms of a heart attack and having paramedics come by. Friends drove me to the hospital, but hey. The neighbors know we are here now!

My heart thing wasn't a heart attack. After hours of testing one doctor found that my spine bends in on one segment which may have recently started pushing on my heart, creating the shortness of breath and chest sensations. I may also have connective tissue disease of some sort (that is a med test for a later date this week) which could be compressing my lungs and/or heart a little, and of course, stress doesn't help. We are glad I am alive, and thankful that seven people showed up at the hospital when they heard. Including my boss, two friends, and three of Isaac coworkers. Not looking forward to all the bills though.

My logical side knows that this is all just a bunch of new stress hitting at the same time. But our superstitious sides hope that the home we just signed our financial lives over to isn't cursed. Seems like as soon as we put a big chunk down for our dp, every other expensive thing popped up too.

Gotta cleanse this place. And the we gotta start replacing and fixing all this broken stuff. Whew.

Wish my elbows luck!

2011-03-23T11:02:00.001-07:00

I think we are going to start painting today! That is, as soon as we can pin down a shade of green we are sold on. Been through a few samples and they are either scary bright or pukey. Ah well, the others are chosen and now I go buy buckets of the stuff and get to work. Been a while since I have done much painting and paint rolling. I hope my elbows aren't too old for it, cause we have loads of walls to paint!

Our Home (Finally!)

2011-03-17T18:25:00.001-07:00

It is finished! Well, just about finished. We finally have our closing date: tomorrow morning, Isaac and I will be some of Hawaii's newest home owners! We are so weary from waiting, that we can hardly wait to get our hands on some pens and mark up a big stack of papers. :-) Since I am skipping the first half of my work day for this, and going straight into work right after, I won't be able to post any pictures for a while.

However! Once we do start the beautification and moving in process, this blog, for a while at least, will be loaded with lots of before, after, and in-progress photos. The house is actually in impeccable condition. We'll be the first people to ever live there! The home inspector was hard pressed to find anything wrong with it, since it was made by a great contracting team and built with top-quality materials; and he had a reputation for being so thorough that he sometimes scared people away from buying their homes. Still, there will be colors to paint on the walls, accents here and there, and oh yes, LOADS of yard work. The yard leaves much to be desired, and I can tell right now I'm going to be doing a lot of sweating on my time off in the coming months.

Now, I'd like to point out that tomorrow bloggers all around the blogosphere are participating in For Japan, With Love. I just read about it on another blog I sometimes follow. It's a day of silence, more or less. Not that I blog every day, but tomorrow I will be silent on here, Twitter and Facebook.

I encourage donations to the Red Cross to help those in Japan as well. And please, be wary of any causes or organizations encouraging donations to Japan right now. We all want to help, and there are the dishonest few out there who will set up a "non profit" and take your money and run. In the name of charity, no less. Be on your guard. Send money only to well established organizations you already know about. Be sure that your kindness is being handled with care and honesty.

Life is fragile

2011-03-12T22:09:00.001-08:00

After this week's events I have heard several people comment on how fragile life is. Japan is suffering. We are all lucky to have avoided the same catastrophe.

I was reminded today of a meditation by the Dalai Lama ("A Precious Human Life") that I learned from my husband shortly after we met, and would like to share it here. I feel that the words ring true for all creeds.

Hoping to learn of an outreach project to post soon as well.

"Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it, I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can."

Tsunami (take two!)

2011-03-11T18:11:00.001-08:00

Last year I experienced my first tsunami. Last night started a more interesting second experience.
As I am usually up by or before 4am for work so I get to bed early. Isaac woke me up at 9:30 to tell me Japan had a tragic earthquake and that a tsunami was due our way at about 3am. Fortunately the place we are staying is well out of reach of a tsunami.

I tried getting back to sleep but woke up twice from tremors from an earthquake (or two in succession, can't remember, too groggy) and never got back to sleep. Isaac was up all night, burning the midnight oil, making sure all aircrafts were taken care of and keeping his on call pilots updated.
All the resorts were evacuated. Some guests never got to return because of flooding and had to be relocated to different hotels.

After last year, I initially expected a lot of excitement followed by zero damage. But Alii drive was torn up, the King Kam and Four Seasons both experienced flooding, and a few homes/structures (impossible to tell if they were homes or not) were even taken down further south (pictures to follow. Will caption them later when not using my phone).

My boss chartered one of his own aircraft to see how Kona was holding up, and I was allowed to go. We took a life raft and several spare life vests in case we saw anyone in need of help. We never had to drop them, and hopefully that's a good thing. I gave my boss a big hug, since I was grateful for the opportunity to partake in that flight. I know some people get irritated with helicopter noise, but I hope everyone can appreciate that the owner of the company was being a genuine good samaritan. It's not cheap to operate one of those birds!

All the photos i got were from helicopter and were taken by camera phone.
I hope we can all find it in our hearts to do some kind of outreach to those in Japan. Who in Japan did not lose a friend, sibling, child, parent, lover or spouse today?

Above: Kailua pier, Alii drive, and the King Kamehameha Hotel. Hard to see from so high, but this area received some of the worst damage on the island.

Planks, pieces of wood, and pieces of wall are scattered around. Parts of a house that was pulled to sea and taken apart.

From here you can see in to Kealakekua bay. That large rectangle is the roof of a house. The entire house was pulled into the bay and there it floats...

A slightly closer look at Kailua pier. That water is usually azure blue and crystal clear.

Bye-bye buddies

2011-03-08T14:36:00.001-08:00

The past week and a half have been busy and fun filled! Isaac's best friend John and his wife Jill, along with their little one Emelina came to visit. At the same time we also had Isaac's childhood friend MaryClair and her husband David. All of our guests were instrumental in our wedding and it was great fun having them here. We were sad to see them all go.

They all got decent airfare and we all managed to share the cost of food as fairly as we could. On top of that, the only activity we had to pay for was a one day Kayak rental to paddle to and snorkel Kealakekua Bay.

Our friends also got to visit dozens of gorgeous beaches with great waves, paddle board, boogie board, go hiking, swim in a lava tube, visit a beautiful blue lagoon, see the recently super active volcano, enjoy the local brew pup, support local farmers, go camping and whale watching. I hope it was more restful for them than it sounds!

We can't wait to have them back, and we learned how much we like hosting a house full of friends who are up for all kinds of adventures.

In a few weeks Peter will be here and he and Isaac are going deep sea fishing (my late Christmas gift to Pete and Isaac), and possibly also some pig hunting. Then this summer Madeline will be here to soak up the sun and get her yoga on.

Hope our other buds start feeling the itch to come enjoy Hawaii's outdoors and adventures!

Enjoying the sand and water at a tiny beach off the beaten path.

Relaxing during sunset at Kiholo, where we all camped that night.

2010 in review and update for 2011

2011-02-05T21:17:00.000-08:00

How is it that a former blogaholic hasn't updated her blog in ages?! I meant to do a 2010 in review around the new year and have not had a smidgen of time to really do it. So, here are a few high lights from 2010:

January: We were living in Maui. Isaac taught me how to surf. We learned the joys of such tropical fruits as cherimoya, rambutan and Kapalua pineapple. Our nephews turned one year old!

February: My sister in law, Alicia had the two most beautiful little girls we've ever laid eyes on! [With the 3 cutest little boys and 2 most beautiful little girls in our family gene pool, we hope there's enough cute leftover for our future munchkins!].

Also in February we experienced our first Hawaiian Tsunami. It was an exciting day, filled with me hearing civil defense and thinking the thing was coming THAT MINUTE and trying to organize a mass exodus from my neighborhood by honking my car horn. Nevermind that the sun hadn't risen at that point and the siren was a heads up that the tsunami would hit 5 hours from then. The darling husband who is famous for keeping me calm and level-headed was in Kauai that day. Go figure.

March: I may be wrong, but I believe this was the month that my husband was publicly announced as chief pilot of his company. His company was subsequently voted the best fixed wing program of 2010. I'm a proud woman. :-)

April: We learned the throes of inter-island shipping when we moved from Maui to the Big Island. I was quickly hired at a car rental agency. We also made an offer on a short-sale and went into Escrow. [We still haven't gotten remotely close to a closing date. There isn't a darn thing short about a short sale].

May: I began to learn Japanese. And to love Japanese!

June: I discovered that I LOVE coconut milk, water, and coconut-based foods. Yum.

July: We got hitched and I transformed from a Giguere to a Schaefer. The wedding was about one of the most wonderful days for us ever.

August: We began going to yoga and got hooked. Our now-friends Jen and Natasha helped us find a love for yoga, and we are forever grateful.

September: We became a family of 3 when we adopted Honey. A sheperd/heeler mix with a heart of syrupy sweet goodness.

October: I dressed as a jazzercizer for Halloween at work, forgetting that I was one of the older employees working there that day. A couple of teenagers who work outside had no idea what leggings and leg warmers were a reference to. *Checks face for signs of aging*

November: Thanksgiving gave us an opportunity to test our hospitality and enjoy the company of friends who feel so wonderfully kindred in spirit to us. It was lovely.

December: We celebrated Christmas with some of our lovely lady yoga buds, eating peppercorn steaks and sweet potatoes. I also almost got a snuggie as a white elephant gift at Isaac's base Christmas party. Sadly, I lost the snuggie to a fierce competitor. I got hired with an amazing helicopter company doing so many different things there, and never getting bored. I have gotten to go on one flight already, and I spend half my time in the sunshine. My husband also gave me the gift of ever-lovin' brain stimulation by giving me a Kindle. I've already plowed through so many books with it, I am running out of things to read. [By the way, anyone have suggestions for a good read?]

This year: We are still patiently waiting to become homeowners. I still love my job, and my husband still does amazing things at his. We got to visit family at the beginning of this year and I already miss all the family and especially those fun little nieces and nephews!

2010 in review

2011-01-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

New Age

2010-12-26T06:08:00.000-08:00

I've got a new age. And I don't mean religion. Another year of life has come and gone. Since last year was a bit lonesome for me (Isaac was flying. At least I got to be on vacation in Kaua'i, though), Isaac really went out of his way to make it special.

He tried his darndest to let me sleep in. But come 9am [I usually am up by 3 or 4 am for work, so 9am was a very nice treat], he couldn't wait any longer. He took me by the hand---bed head and all---to the breakfast table where a homemade feast of banana pancakes, crispy bacon and cinnammon rolls waited amongst a pile of nicely wrapped gifts.

Rather than go out to eat this year, which is usually mildly disappointing in Hawaii because restaurants simply aren't what they are on the mainland, we cooked a recipe together from Bon a Petit. Very yummy!

27 is off to a good start. I'm getting to the age where I'm starting to appreciate the fact that people think I'm only about 17.

Acro Yoga

2010-12-18T21:53:00.001-08:00

I went to my first Acro Yoga workshop today. Holy cow, you do some cool stuff. I had a hard time lasting for the full 3 hours. Considering I was holding up people much heavier than myself with my legs, having them balance me on the tops of their feet while I bent into poses like Bow Pose and an inverted Butterfly.

Wow.

Seriously awesome stuff. They said it was developed by a yogi who used to be a circus acrobat! Go figure! [And hence the name "acro yoga"].

Looking forward to building more stamina and muscle strength so that I can do more. After doing several poses, I found it difficult to continue to hold my body rigid long enough to do many of those things without potentially hurting someone else (or myself).

Maybe next month I'll be able to have someone take a few pics and post photos of the kinds of poses we worked on today.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a helicopter!

2010-12-15T19:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is news I was waiting to share until I had left my other job and started my new job.

I have officially quit my other job at the rental car company. Turns out, when I tell people where I used to work, they feel really bad for me. Huh. Things I wish I had known...

Anyway. Whilst plans to become a certified yoga-licious instructor are still in the works, I am a brand spankin' new employee of a rather fancy helicopter company* here in Hawaii! Today was my third day. I can finally approach the helicopters without pure terror. They are intimidating!

After a few days "on the flight line" I feel like I can keep up and keep my wits about me without looking like as much of a dork as I looked like on day one. [Which may or may not be saying much].

But, this company has the best safety record of all the helicopter companies in Hawaii, and is also the most prestigious. There are certainly strict standards to hold oneself to as an employee, but that obviously results in an excellent safety rating and a sparkling reputation for the company.

I also have to say, that after working in customer service for different industries, the guests [passengers] of this company are wonderful. They are like... the mecca promised land community of customers. They are happy, friendly, and generally pleasant people. Score.

I am being trained to do everything. Which felt a little daunting at first, but I feel like I am getting into a good rhythm.

I'm really excited to get to wear so many hats. Reservations, check-in, taking clients to the aircraft and back out, sometimes when the rotor is running, sometimes not. It's good to stay busy and to do something that just feels so gosh-darned special.

Ok, and I won't lie: I am also rather excited for my turn to go on a two-hour full-island tour so that I can discuss it with visitors who want to make reservations!

Alooohhhaa! Until next time!

*Since I don't know what this company may and may not want to be tied to in, say, an internet search, I won't be using the name of the company at any time in this blog.

Thanks!

2010-12-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

You know that time [last month] I said I was going to do a POD post to give thanks for things I loved in Hawaii? That was a sweet idea, wasn't it? I definitely thought about the pictures I wanted to take and post every day, but I didn't spend much time on the computer in November. And most of the pictures I took were of my dog [sleeping in what only I think are adorable positions].

However! I did get some pictures, which I will post towards the end of this post...with thanks. That way, I can come full circle! So stay tuned for the pictures! And bear with me for the next several paragraphs, as I have some news I am very excited to share.

November has been a busy month. Even though I was supposed to be working part-time at my frustrating little job, I have been getting called in for early shifts, extra shifts, and staying late every night. So, I'm practically working full-time, but without benefits.

I'm not being lazy about my frustrations though, like I often am. I'm being proactive. I have been searching the interwebs for other means of employment and putting my resume in where I can. Which isn't many places, actually. There's not a lot out there. So...I'm sticking it out.

In the meantime, I have been getting more and more drawn into my yoga practice, as has Isaac. My body is going further and further into challenges it was 100% incapable of just a few months ago. My study is mostly with two yoga instructors (well, one is more like a full fledged yogi, but I don't think she'd really mind me calling her an instructor). One of them has developed a new version of yoga, and I have gotten addicted to it. She's been a yoga instructor (yogi?) for 15 years and has woven all of these different practices into her class along with some powerful modern elements that really resonate with younger generations.

Anyway, I don't want to say too much about this class because she's still in the process of patents and copyrights, however, she and I have been socializing and talking and...she is going to train and certify me teach this particular melting pot of yogas! After I am trained for this specific class, I'll spend the next year or so studying with her and becoming a bona fide yoga instructor for all schools of yoga. I'll be learning Sanskrit, chants, the whole shabang.

I start if off with a weekend seminar which will entail doing hours and hours of yoga on end. I hope I pass!

Anyway, I am extremely excited to have this opportunity. I hope to learn a lot from her, and to continue learning through teaching. That thing they say? Do what you love and money will follow? Well, I'm not asking for a lot of money, but to do something I have really grown to love as my employment? What a blessing.

And for that, I am thankful. Kona has started opening up some really magnificent doors for me and Isaac, and right now, a future in Kona feels bright and shiny.

Without further ado, other things I am thankful for in Hawaii, off my camera phone, in the order that they uploaded:

I am thankful for clear, vogless days in Kona. They are truly beautiful and sunny.

I am thankful for tide pools, filled with plants, turtles and other sea animals. I have a feeling my future children will learn much about sea life from tide pools.

Lava rock beaches. Because once you get past the rockiness, you get some truly wonderful, isolated beaches away from the crowds.

Fruit. Especially fruit that grows in our back yard and is so succulent and juicy, you don't need a juicer to get your OJ in the morning. Just cut in half and squeeze. Amazing.

All of the colors in Hawaii. I couldn't capture them all (or was too lazy to try), but this flower in our yard is a good example.

Kona sunsets. Any girls out there remember Lisa Frank? [I loved Lisa Frank in grade school]. I sometimes wonder if she got her color inspirations from Kona sunsets.

Evenings at the beach with my husband and my dog-ter (dog + daughter = dog-ter) playing fetch in the small waves, and burying our feet in the sand.

This particular beach, which has this almost completely still water, because all the waves are blocked by an ancient stone wall. Filled with turtles and sand and turquoise water. I love coming here before work and after a hard yoga session.

Another shot of the same serene, uncrowded beach. But this picture is made better cause my husband's sexy legs are in it. I'm thankful for those too. ;-)

Mahalo Hawaii #2: I saw the sign

2010-11-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today's pictures were taken on the go. In the rain. From the car. I will pause for a moment to let all the mothers out there get the inner-lecture out of their system.

*****

Better? Ok. Normally, I don't have the phone out while driving (unless on Bluetooth). And I think it's not very responsible. But, in my defense, there as NObody else on this not-at-all main road, and I was alllmost at a stop. Try to ignore the crack in the windshield of the car (thanks a bunch, lava rocks). You can click on either picture to see a larger version.

Without further ado, today I am thankful for slightly unexpected street signs in my neighborhood. They provide a little something to smile at and wonder about. The first confuses me. Is it a joke? Does someone think their neighbor is a "donkey" who needs to get back to the mainland? On the other hand, wild donkeys DO roam these parts, and similar signs are seen on the highway. I have heard donkeys hee-hawing at night a few times, but have yet to see one in my neighborhood. So, hmm...

The second one is particularly difficult to see because of that darned windshield crack. Under the lower gear sign is a "Surf's Up" sign. Most definitely a joke, but I love it. It reminds me daily that the nearest beach is 15 minutes away, and I live amongst a people who get so much out of the ocean! Not just food, but exercise, leisure, and play as well. I'm also thankful that the legal people responsible for making sure these things don't stay up have never taken it down. It's been there at least as long as we've lived here. It's my first indication when I start driving down the volcanic hill to our house that I am almost home.

Mahalo, Hawaii - The first of my Thanksgiving series

2010-11-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

As suggested in a previous post, I will be using this month to express my gratitude for things Hawaii has that I can enjoy, that Hawaii has provided for me, changed within me, or just made me feel thankful for.

It's something I like to do every November-ish in mental preparation for Thanksgiving. I've never done it this specifically before.

I am hoping to have pictures in every post. I hope I stick with that. Picture-of-the-day sorta thing.

Pictures will probably come exclusively from my camera phone. Don't forgive the low quality photos --- embrace them! This will be fun! I like seeing what kinds of pictures I can take on the fly when there wouldn't be time to dig out a normal camera.

Without further ado...

Today, I am thankful for coconuts.

Let it be known that I used to hate coconuts. Just the smell could make my stomach turn. I don't know what the turning point was. I don't need to delve into what my turning-point was, because this is all about what I am thankful for right now.

Last night for supper I had Coconut chicken soup with Jasmine rice. As we speak, my lunch of coconut brown rice and spiced chicken is a-cookin'.

[May I pause for a second? I know that this is NOT a food blog, but I really am thankful for coconuts and all their popularity on this island; especially since I can no longer enjoy dairy without embarrassing repercussions].

In Hawai'i, coconut food is everywhere. The Hawaiian people love it, and so do I. For pictures today I went into my front yard (to capture our coconut tree) and my kitchen:

Some of my favorite snacks above and below. The mother-in-law opened my eyes to coconut water during marathon training. You can find it just about anywhere out here! Coconut products abound in Hawaii (which isn't surprising).

Behold, the ingredients for lunch today. Delicious! The rice recipe was courtesy of the Gluten Free Girl. A gluten-free friend told me about this blog a long time ago. I think I was hooked on her blog and recipes not because I needed to be gluten free, but because her writing was brimming with so much wit and positivity, I was drawn in. And the food was blissful, so that kept me coming back.

*******

Mahalo!

And Then It Hit Us

2010-11-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hawaii is home now. We decided this recently. Chalk it up to the economy, the job market, and the need to finally start settling down. Living in paradise sort of helps the decision to start getting rooted as well.

For the foreseeable future, we will be bunkering down here.

Although it is sad that the location of our home makes it difficult to see family and friends often enough, no happy life comes without some sort of sacrifice. Perhaps, though, those few times we spend with family each year will feel a little sweeter because they'll be just a little more precious than before.

There will always be a list of things I will miss and love about my mainland home (hey, I'm a typical human. Look to one of those very evolved Nirvana-esque monks if you want inner perfection). But recently, I have been working on focusing on the things I am comforted by and am delighted by in our Hawaiian home:

Geckos. Splendid, rainbow-colored, cute-as-buttons geckos.
Poi dogs.
Beaches, beaches, beaches, as far as the eye can see.
Sunshine.
Variety in languages.
Aloha.
Mangoes (and mango salsa, mango smoothies, mango in everything. I never get tired of mangoes!)
Fresh fish.
Wonderful Asian food. (Pretty sure the world's best bowl of Thom Kah Kai exists in this little town).
Healthy people.
My continually tan skin.
Wearing slippers every day.
Hitch hikers (they can be annoying, too. But I love that I live somewhere that is so safe and friendly that hitch hiking is legal and common practice).
That locals kiss each other on the cheek when greeting hello or goodbye. (And all this time, I thought that was a purely European thing!)
Women of every age who love to shake their hips.
A husband who looks like a kid in a candy store every time he goes diving or snorkeling.
Guessing the weight of the honu every time we see one on a beach.
The ocean-view sunset from our lanai.
A people who know exactly how gorgeous their home is; and who, as a result, are quite particular about keeping it clean and well-loved.

The list goes on and on. I think, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I will be posting pictures of things for which I am thankful in this green, sunny home of ours. Mahalo, Hawai'i!

Aloha.

Oh, Hawai'i

2010-10-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hawai'i can be a confusing place. I think the most confusing thing is the seasons. The changes between seasons are so subtle, only true locals (no donkeys or haoles) seem to notice. This can be confusing, in terms of the inner clock.

For instance, I just realized a few days ago that Halloween is nigh (as in, tomorrow). Costume? Candy? Holiday? Whaaaat? Last year Christmas snuck up on us, and we sort of forgot about what was happening until we ended up in a crew house eating leftover Chinese food and watching re-runs of CSI We may have gone surfing earlier that day, too. Business as usual.

It almost makes one consider being a Jehovah's Witness simply to have a valid excuse to forget and forego all the Fall and Winter season holidays. But then there's the having to do the door-to-door salesperson thing that JW folks do, and sales isn't something that appeals to me in my free time.

This year I am going to try to be more ambitious with holiday preparations. I won't be taking queues from the weather...but I am gung-ho about getting this house into the holiday spirit this year. No take-out.

**********

In other news, we are finally picking up on Pidgin, local languages, and the local dialect. Sometimes we get little reminders not to say one haole word or another. For instance, the other day my yoga instructor was at our house with her five-year-old daughter. They were feeling a little nervous around the dog (some folks just aren't natural dog people) so I said I would put her on the porch for a few minutes until they were more comfortable. The little girl said, "Mama, what is a PORCH!?" Her mom said, "She means lana'i, sweetheart." Suddenly it all made sense to the little girl, and her eyes lit up when she realized she just learned a new word.

Here are some words that have worked into our daily vernacular (and don't even sound too ridiculous coming from us anymore):

[Mainland] Trash/Garbage = [Hawai'i] Rubbish

"It's your turn to take out the rubbish."

Caucasian/tourist = Haole (Not used derogatorily as often as some think)

"Was the guy in the news haole or local?"

Unwanted transplant who thinks he is local but isn't = Donkey

"He thinks those waves are his territory, but he's not even from here, just a donkey."

Ample/lots/plenty/many = Choke

"Do you want something to drink? We have choke beers in the fridge."

Love/courtesy/hospitality = Aloha

"What a nice lady, she has a lot of aloha."

How are you?/What's up? = Howzit?

"Hey, Ike, been a while, howzit?"

Child/kid/baby = Keiki

"What a cute little keiki! How old is he?"

Porch/deck/patio = Lana'i

"Let's eat on the lana'i tonight so we don't miss the sunset."

Flip flops/sandals = Slippers

"I wear my slippers to the beach, but take them off before I swim I don't ruin them."

Snacks/starters/appetizers = Pupus

"Should we order some pupus first?"

Pee = Shishi

"Whose turn is it to take the dog out to shishi?"

Sticking With It

2010-10-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

There is this really intense yoga class at the gym Isaac and I are members of. Isaac never had much interest in yoga before. I liked yoga...the very easy, simple yoga I did mostly by myself.

But one day, Isaac peeked into the yoga studio at our gym while a class was taking place, and saw the yoga instructor causing people to sweat and breathe hard. She's got this intensely strong energy about her...and she loves pushing people through challenges.

He was intrigued. He finished his own workout then talked to her at the end of class. He then proceeded to beg me to attend this class. I sort of shut him out after "and she has people doing all these push-ups..."

Push ups? Me? Ok, I could hardly open a jar of pickles by myself at this point, or carry more than a few bags of groceries at a time. Push-ups? Not my thing. I've always been an endurance runner. I've always been comfortable with that accomplishment. My upper body was weak and lazy and I was OK keeping it that way.

But Isaac REALLY wanted to go to this class, and he really did not want to go alone. So I caved. And I suffered. Forget the push-ups, she wanted me to hold a downward dog pose for how long?!

Not to mention she had the class bending and twisting and binding in ways I never thought a human body capable of. She and half the class seemed like they were cast members of Cirque du Soleil. I was not fitting in well.

I didn't want to go back, but Isaac pushed me to go a few more times. And soon I was going to classes of three different instructors at least once a day, pushing myself until I gained some upper body strength and a new level of endurance. I started off not being able to touch my toes, now I can rest my forehead on my shin. Some of the poses that hurt and challenged me two months ago feel like resting poses now.

Certain poses that required major upper body strength were out of the question for me when I began. Now, I'm one of the few people in some of these classes who can do some of these things. And I love that. My slightly competitive side is benefiting me in what is supposed to be a very non-competitive environment. [I guess I was destined to be a Schaefer].

Running was once the only thing I could stick with. Easy: one foot in front of the other for as long as I want, or as long as I can go. A cinch. Now, after getting over my yoga hump and getting to love the challenge, running has become kind of boring to me. [It's ok running, you were my first love and will always have a place in my heart].

I am lucky to have a husband who pushes me through challenges. I am eager to see what meditative and physical doors pursuing yoga opens up for me. Certain areas of my body have a long way to go, but I'm finally willing to put in the work to meet my goals.

Is my blog a little dog-obsessed?

2010-10-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

That would make sense. I love dogs, I have always loved dogs, we got a new dog...and this time I am armed with so much excellent information and so many training tools I didn't have before.

When we were living in Chinle, AZ on the reservation, several of my friends there were buzzing about this book, The Other End of the Leash. I don't know why I didn't buy it then. Most of them had wonderfully trained dogs. Some of them had even adopted dogs with mysterious backgrounds, who came to them with issues that could have spiraled into aggression, or problems like what I think must have been fear or anxiety. Those dogs were lucky; blessed with adoptive parents who cared enough to soak in excellent information and provide a well disciplined home, a loving family, and a healthy exercise regimen. As a result, my friends had well balanced, loving family dogs.

Seeing what excellent dog owners my friends were, I should have listened to that buzz and picked up that book right away. I don't know why I didn't take heed sooner. Perhaps I thought I was good enough a dog owner already? After all, Dax was the apple of my eye. And despite some of his quirks, I had a hard time seeing fault in him (or myself and my own training background for that matter).

What I have learned recently from honing certain skills I have (like yoga, for instance; or cooking) is that pride never made anyone better at anything; and prideful people certainly do not get close to being perfect in whatever they're holding their nose in the air about.

The book made me realize I needed some healthy criticism in my knowledge about dog behavior, dog body language, and my own behavior and body language. Criticism is one of those very wonderful tools that, if taken in and worked with, can mold a fairly decent person in their skill into a nearly perfect [or fully perfect!] person in their skill.

And this book has helped us take a dog with many of the same personality quirks as Dax, and turn out a well trained, extremely friendly, extremely calm, smartly submissive dog who relishes the company of other dogs, people and children. She comes to every command. And, with the exception of an interaction with an unfortunately aggressive dog who wound her up for a good day afterward; she has minded every manner she has been taught!

I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone with a dog. The stories in it are heart-warming. It has such empowering information in it---all scientifically research-based---about dog body language, dog's interpretation of our body language, and general living-in-harmony with dogs by not confusing them anymore with our very human way of thinking inside our very human-shaped box.

If you've ever owned a dog and wondered how it could have been a better dog; if you have one now and just want to understand your best friend a little better; if you think you may adopt a dog in the future: get this book!

Dog Days

2010-10-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

It's been so hot here lately! I know, I know. We live in Hawai'i, hot should be expected. (And I can't complain too much; we get perfect beach weather and water every day of the year).

Actually, the temperature is typically between 75-80 ish. The past several days it's been in the 90's. Even up on the volcano, at a higher altitude, the heat sticks in the air at night and makes it difficult to sleep without waking up in sweaty jammies. Whew! I am all for protecting the environment, but having an air conditioner would be a nice luxury on days like these.

Honey has been getting super hot too. She'll pant so hard after a game of catch that she comes in with a purple tongue. She loves these days, though, because it means that her food dish gets constantly replenished with ice cubes for her to enjoy between meals.

What I wouldn't give to enjoy a few cool, crisp Fall days on the mainland.

I also miss Fall foods. And all the Fall recipes I used to enjoy making and eating so much. Baking is not an enjoyable hobby in this heat...I will need to invent some seasonal dishes that use beloved ingredients like Pumpkin and spices without turning on the stove or oven. Hmmm...

Everyone loves a water dog

2010-10-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

Right? I love seeing a dog who is confident in the water. Honey seems to know when she's at her limit. She doesn't go in for deep swims when she is already exhausted. But she gets hot easily, and has figured out the easiest way to cool off and enjoy the water without wearing herself out.

(Excuse the low quality of photos in these last few posts. Pictures have been taken with either my or Isaac's phone).

"Pleeeaaaase throw the ball!"

"Awww riiiight. I got ma' ball!"

Life is rough for this dog.

Public

2010-10-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

I made the blog public again. Friends kept saying, "Have you updated your blog? I never see it in my feed anymore." They couldn't see it because it was private, and you have to go directly TO a private blog to see it, and that's just too much trouble for some folks.

I figure that since I have left facebook and cut off web communication with anyone at work, it's probably safe to be public again.

--Nat

P.S. That is why you might see like, a thousand blogs in your feed all at one time. I am very sorry. I wish I knew a way around that.

Four stages of of cute

2010-10-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

I love both Dax and Honey. Since Dax has been adopted out to my dad (for both their sakes), I focus most of my attention and adoration on Honey these days.

She is a whipper snapper. I love when she sleeps. Not just because I can relax and shower and not have to worry about getting her little puppy bladder out to the yard every hour (just in case), but because she tends to have a few different positions she goes into as a routine when she sleeps, and it's pretty darn cute.

Stage One

After finally giving up on trying to engage everything around her in a game of some sort, she tends to flop down on her tummy, wherever she is, and *harumph* straight into a nap.

Stage Two

By stage two she is starting to wiggle her toes and twitch her nose around; she's getting into a more natural position and dreaming of wonderful things like mongoose poop and tennis balls.

Stage Three

I think she likes us. Soon after she starts to dream she will subconsciously wiggle up to the nearest warm body and stay there. If we're not nearby, she will wake up, get up, and come lie next to us.

Stage Four

The "bask in the comfort of my environment" pose.

Finally, this one isn't a pose, I just think it's really cute when dogs stick out the tip of their tongue while they sleep.

Destruction (Photos!)

2010-10-10T02:08:00.000-07:00

Honey was released from the doctor today. She's cheerful, playful and tail wagging. If it wasn't for the shaved spot where her IV was, and the fact that she spent her first 2 hours home peeing every 2 minutes (from all the IV fluid, I would guess), you'd have no idea she tried to do herself in with bird seed.

When she was sick, she got sick all over her bed. I removed the cover so I could replace it. Which, I suppose, made shredding the pillow inside that much easier while I was at work tonight:

From my camera phone. The remains of what used to be Honey's dog bed.

Doggy Bird Seed Bender

2010-10-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

*Yucky details in this entry*

I haven't slept in 40 hours. Despite feeling completely drained, I know I won't fall asleep until I have emptied my head and let myself unwind.

Yesterday, after an already very long day behind me, I came home late from work (about 10). Honey (the dog) had only been home alone for about 5 hours. On previous occasions when she was home alone, she did very well. No major messes, nothing chewed up, no in-house accidents.

This time I noticed she had emptied her basket of toys which were everywhere. Which is OK, they are her toys, after all; and we haven't given her many so it took all of 15 seconds to put them back.

Then, I noticed, on our screened in lana'i, she had somehow jumped up to a 5.5 foot shelf and pulled off the sack of bird seed we keep to re-fill the bird feeder in our yard. Bird seed was scattered everywhere, though not as much as should have been given the size of the bag. In other words, she ate approximately 1.5 lbs of seed. She went on a bird seed bender!

This was all very educational for me. First, I had no idea that my dog was so agile and gravity-defying. The shelf is a wall shelf, bolted to the wall, nothing under or next to it to climb. Second, I had no idea a dog could eat so much bird seed; or that any dog would want to.

Dax knows when something is bad for him; and he rarely eats people food. He just does not like it. He is a naturally healthy decision maker.

Apparently not all dogs are like that.

Anyway, her activity level was still WAY up and she was happy to see me, so I thought nothing of it.

Until she got really fidgety around 11 am, and kept having to go out to go potty. Which kept me up because I have to escort her out at night so she doesn't lick a Cane toad (whole other story). This happened about every 15 minutes. I thought I could ignore her once and try to sleep, since I know she has the bladder control, but she could not hold it.

Then, around 2 am, she started getting fiercely sick. She was hot and vomity and well...I will spare details. I called the emergency vet at about 4am. He said if she got lethargic to bring her in ASAP, otherwise, bring her in around 6 or 7 am and they would start testing.

So I brought her in this morning.

Turns out, bird seed can go bad. Really bad. And with her size (30 lbs) and the amount she ate (2lbs) it impacts the small intestine in a really nasty way. It also ferments with germs and fungus and does all sorts of damage in there. The vet was glad I brought her in this morning, since she needed to be put on an IV and be admitted for monitoring. She's had several enemas today, and hasn't been off the IV yet. She has to stay overnight for more monitoring. (I, in the meantime, spent the day scrubbing and sterilizing my home, making it aromatic again, and buying and installing baby-proofing tools everywhere I felt necessary).

Who knew bird seed could be so potentially dangerous.

She might get to come home tomorrow if she "passes" a series of more tests. Otherwise, she'll stay another day, and possibly undergo slightly more invasive methods to clear out her tummy.

I am sad for my puppy, I really hope she is fully recovered so I can bring her home tomorrow. The only obstacle is that the IronMan triathlon is going on, and the highway I have to drive across to get to the vet's will be barricaded off for the safety of the athletes, and will not be open again until the evening of the 10th.

Trying to figure out that one hiccup has been preventing me from dropping straight into bed...

New things can be scary

2010-10-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

I have taken for granted how scary or unexpected something can be when it's brand new to you. Honey, the new dog, has made me appreciate this again. Having been a stray whom we think never knew a home before, she spent the first 9-ish months of her life basically as a wild dog. There are several things in our home which have scared her; and every time I think she's fully acquainted, something else sets her off.

1. Stairs. The only way to get in our home is via stairs. When we got to our house from the shelter, we assumed she would follow us normally into the house. There was a pull. She stopped. She had no idea how to get her front feet up and make her back feet follow. We got her started and she just about stumbled back down, completely frightened. A few days later, after some coaching and placing treats on each step, she got the hang of it.

2. Soft surfaces (couches, beds, pillows, etc). The first time Isaac invited her onto the sofa to sit by him, she was extremely uncomfortable and skeptical. We let her stay in bed with us the first night because she wanted to be near us, but she had a hard time sleeping that first time. She tossed and turned. Now, she begs for a nap in bed every day around 10 or 11 am.

3. Mirrors and window reflections. This was especially funny to watch. We know not to baby or pander a dog when it's frightened because it fosters those feelings of fear and anxiety. So we watched amusedly. We have a big mirror door in our office to the office closet. The first time she followed us in there, her hackles went up and she began to growl and bark, and pace back and forth in front of the mirror, occasionally going in for a warning nip to "that other dog." She then started to try to outsmart the dog by slowly turning her head and walking away, then quickly snapping back at it...then would whimper because (we assume) she saw that the other dog was just as fast and sly as her! She still barks any time she sees her own reflection in a glass door or window at night, but she's becoming more and more friendly with her mirror reflection.

4. Remote controls and other similarly shaped electronics. This one seems a little more random than the rest. She seems to be OK with other small objects for the most part. But when we use the remote or point it at the TV, she runs to the other side of the room and barks excitedly. We've managed to get her to calm down quite a bit, but she still refuses to be near one.

5. Anything that squeaks. Dax also hated squeaky toys. But Honey will bolt in the other direction with her tail between her legs if we offer her squeaky toy to her and it squeaks. She's so afraid of it now that she won't even go near it if it's not squeaking.

6. Window blinds. I think she may have survived off bugs before she was rescued. She chases them around our house and catches them every time she sets out to get one. But one went behind the blinds and she couldn't figure out how to get to it. In the spirit of being helpful, I pulled the blinds up. She did a backflip off the sofa, onto the floor, then scrambled into the corner, tail down, hackles up, and started barking and whimpering.

Those events aside, she is becoming more and more adjusted every time she sees something new. Our vet suggested introducing her to something new and unusual every few days with treats so she can acclimate and get adjusted; it's a suggestion that has been working really well. Honey is starting to feel more and more at home. We start obedience training class next week, and once that is done, she gets to start agility training! We're hoping we can do more things right and less things wrong than we did with Dax, for an especially balanced, happy, and friendly dog.

Evolving

2010-10-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about being married that suddenly makes me feel that I am changing so much as a person, and that my surroundings are changing too...or maybe that is just my perspective.

As much as Isaac and I got to improving the art of communication before our wedding, we're getting even better at it now. I think that part of that is the mentality that we are officially bound to each other for life, so we better get started on making that life easy on ourselves and each other!

I think we have both also gotten into the mentality that in order to take truly good care of each other, we need to take good care of ourselves first. We've really been fostering wellness in ourselves, each other, and our marriage. Never in a million years did I think my husband would take up yoga, but we're both really into it now...going to classes six days a week and even having a private instructor come over and work with us another two days a week. I think the yoga lifestyle is starting to reach out into every part of our routine.

Along those lines, I've become one of those people who treats sugar like the devil. I don't want it in my house, in my food, or on my mind. It has never really been a secret that sugar and sugary foods do damage to the human body; but I've been seeing that damage in action with people I know, and have been reading more and more about it. I crave it less and less.

Isaac has been fostering my need to be creative and meditative, and has also been feeling more drawn to home and time together. I think the first year-ish of his big plate full of chief pilot duties kept him away long enough that the importance of a home life sunk in. Having Honey in our home makes everything feel more whole as well; and we're really beginning to feel more like a family unit than simply a couple.

All of this growing wellness in our heads, souls, and bodies has been so nurturing for us. I am finding myself more attracted to my husband, and more relaxed with myself. I hope we are both able to continue to foster all this good energy and watch it grow. He is away for two weeks on the mainland right now; so it will take some work and testing to see how well we can both continue to foster these positive improvements while we are apart. I miss him already and am really looking forward to him being home.

Beach Dog

2010-09-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

We have on our hands a beach dog! An ocean-loving, wave-riding, sand-sprinting little beach dog. Her stitches have finally dissolved after being spayed, so we can take her into the water now. Not that we have to pressure her into it. Once she hears the waves, there's no stopping her from running straight in and riding the waves back.

This time, we brought her other obsession: a ball. Throwing a ball into the waves for her to fetch seemed to provide her with pure joy.

She also loves sea turtles...from a distance. When she sees their heads bobbing on the surface (as we always do at this particular beach), she swims right up to them, thinking they are a ball. But as soon as she gets close enough to see that they are about 170 lbs bigger than she is, she tries swimming backwards and turns around quickly. It's clear that she loves the water but is terrified of sea creatures.

We're pretty happy to have a beach babe. What a perfect little Poi dog she is!

What the Stork Found...

2010-09-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

A little stork found a cute little girl. She was alone, skinny, and bony in a park. Just about starving to death. He took her to a shelter, where we saw her in her stall and thought we'd take her on a walk. We had been visiting frequently and taking various dogs out for exercise. We had no idea we'd end up loving her so instantly.

The walk turned into instant love. We were smitten.

Meet Honey. We cycled through lots of names to which she didn't respond, cute though they were. (Amongst them: Gidget, Peanut, Luna...). When we gave up, we affectionately started calling her "honey" (lower case "h"). But, sticky as honey is, it stuck and is now Honey. Which fits, as she is a very sweet girl.

She loves to cuddle, and thinks that the ball is the greatest invention of all time. She already knows how to play fetch and bring the ball back, and is getting very high marks in house training. She was once a homeless, stray Poi dog (like the rez dog version of Hawaii). The first time she saw her reflection, she couldn't stop growling and barking at the mysterious pup she was looking at. She is about a year old, and still learning how to climb and descend stairs.

We are told she LOVES the water, but can't find out until the 24th, when her spaying stitches are healed. We've got a fun beach day planned for her!

The Biggest Change of All!

2010-09-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

Even though Isaac has been begging for months that I stop using facebook so often, the level of importance it held to him didn't click until recently.

I need not go into the series of events and conversations that led to my realizing that I had a problem [hi, my name is Natalie and I spend too much time on facebook...], but suffice it to say, it finally hit me. A little bit like a ton of bricks.

So I left facebook. Or, I deleted my account. Did and done! Isaac put my name on his account simply so that I can log in and see photo albums once in a blue moon that our sisters post of our nieces and nephews (since they rarely e-mail them). But that's it!

I am facebook free! 2 days and counting. I hope to discover a myriad of healthy and beneficial changes in my life as a result.

Toasts

2010-08-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

My favorite part of our wedding was the toasts. I have been trying my very hardest to remember them as well as I can; so that I can reminisce about them later. Needless to say, this entry is more for my benefit than for the benefit of anyone who may actually read this blog.

All of these are paraphrased (obviously, darn blasted non-photographic memory).

Bonnie: My sister's was great. She talked about how, as a young' un, I was always on the out-look for adventure. She talked about how I'd always get into trouble for climbing up to high places (counter tops, trees, random semi-perilous structures) and how after being berated for it, I would always say, "It's ok. I'm an EXPERT climber!" She then went into how Isaac and I started our relationship off rock-climbing, camping, back-backing, kayaking, and mountain-climbing. [I suppose we are a dirt-under-your-nails kind of couple, aren't we?]. She then wished us a lifetime of adventure and, "as many children and as much happiness as me and Ben!" *clink*

John: Kept his short and sweet, and congratulatory. Just like Isaac's was for his. :-)

Peter: Talked shortly about his first memories of me and Isaac when he met me, and how he knew that Isaac "chose the right guy." I love Pete.

Alicia: Started to cry almost right away, to which a Schaefer relative from the peanut gallery shouted, "It's ok, you're a Schaefer!" [Schaefers are notorious for wearing their hearts on their sleeves during such occasions]. She talked about how, when Isaac decided to become a pilot, they were all a little scared. Not only because of the danger of being a pilot, but because pilots move and uproot themselves so often, they knew it would be hard for him to make himself at home and to meet someone who could do that for him. She said that she knew I was the right girl when I called one day, and said I knew Isaac had been having a hard week, and could she please give me the recipe for his favorite dessert so I could have it ready when he came home. It was a sweet toast. I think we all got a little misty.

Madeline: Also started to tear up right away, saying immediately "Hi everyone. Well, I'm a Schaefer too...." She spoke about how whenever anyone told her how much she reminded them of Isaac, she thought it was the best compliment in the world, and her favorite compliment to receive because she looks up to Isaac so much; and has always loved that they have so much in common. She said that she has always been extremely selective of the people she surrounds herself with and keeps few friends; but that she and I bonded quickly and even if she had met me outside of my relationship to her brother, we'd still form a close friendship. She said she was glad that Isaac met someone who fit so well with his family, and toasted our love and our friendship. (We all cried)

Karl: Karl spoke about how when Isaac was a tot, he LOVED to prank people. His favorite thing was to hide out and make people worry and then hop out and scare them (or in some instances just make them mad). Then he fast-forwarded a ways. And talked about how when Isaac met me, he kept me a secret for a really long time. They didn't know he'd been dating me for a few months until he canceled a family dinner with them one night to get to take me out. Something uncharacteristic. They all got a little curious about who that girl was. A few months after that, Karl received a phone call from Isaac about that girl he'd been dating. He invited her on a date, and she (that's me) was supposed to meet him at his house first. He told her he'd be busy upstairs getting ready, but she could let herself in. [Switching to first-person for a bit here for the sake of my mental sanity]. I knocked once. No answer. I tried the door. Locked. All the while, Isaac was hiding behind a curtain giggling at how clever he was. I walked away, thinking it was pretty rude to blow a girl off like that after making me drive all that way. Nobody had ever done that to him before. (He is a catch, after all). He called his dad, not sure of what to do. His dad's first thought: "This girl has got some spunk! She might be just the thing he needs!" Then told Isaac that if he really was serious about me, a phone call wouldn't be enough and he had better make the trip to my house to explain himself. Ah, history...

Catherine (and I can't remember if this was at our wedding or rehearsal dinner): said that when Isaac was a little guy, he loved to run around. In fact, he NEEDED exercise in order to be well behaved and relaxed. She said that when he was little, they would always joke that he had better write exercise into his marriage contract. And when I started training for the Portland Marathon, she had a good feeling we were well-matched.

Grandpa Pete: Funny, sweet, and charming as always. One of my favorite wedding photos is of him toasting us. (To come later...when I have a copy of my own to share).

My dad: a toast not only to us, but to the US Marine Corps. I should ask him for a copy of it. It might need to go into a post all its own. :-) The thing I remember the most from it was, "Well, my wife told me not to recite this one. But I took that as a challenge, so here goes..."

All photos Copyright of Sarah Tunstall

5 Things we didn't get photos of (or that photos couldn't do justice)

2010-08-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

Another wedding blog!

Things we couldn't get photos of, or that photos didn't or couldn't have done justice anyway:

1. The arch built by Isaac and his best man. I don't mean the one we stood under, I mean the first one they made. An engineered spectacle of bent and snapped bamboo and about a roll and a half of duct tape. It did not pass the Schaefer Wedding Standard. The arch that took 3 hours (and, I repeat, a roll and a half of duct tape) was quickly replaced by a beautiful square-shaped arch held together with beautiful twine. The one we actually got married under (and that was completed in about half an hour) is pictured here in the background (another thing of which we didn't think to take many pictures of). I am so proud of Isaac and his buds for it, because after all the hard work (and frustration on their part, I'm sure) it was beautiful:

2. The tuxes. Ok, well the tuxes that we spent several weeks deciding on, picking the right place to rent form, and finally getting sized for and renting. We went to Men's Wearhouse (a place whose business we are not likely to be patrons of again). We had ordered heather grey 3-button tuxes. When Isaac went to pick them up, 6 hours before the ceremony: they were black (or navy blue, we can't fully decide) 1-button tuxes. This is one time when I will say GOD BLESS Isaac's half-Irish temper. They ended up with free tuxes...even if they weren't the ones he had really wanted he and his groomsmen to wear. SIDE NOTE: So glad Isaac was ok with it in the end. He could make a brown paper bag look sexy.

Photograph by Sarah Tunstall

3. Our place cards. Suffice it to say, the package arrived, but was quickly lost and forgotten because it was signed for by someone who was neither a part of the family, or whom had a good memory. I spent a couple hundred buckaroos on those babies. But even better: the time and hard work put in by my sister in law, mama in law, and several farm school girls, who cut out all 160 little airplanes and hand-wrote the names on themselves. I don't deserve that kind of labor and attention to detail, but it sure felt special. (Can you spot the airplane hanging off the wine glass??)

Photograph by Sarah Tunstall

4. Champagne toasts. Because we have pictures of the toasts...just not of the 4 cases of champagne we purchased or all the champagne glasses we paid for. Whoops! Good news: we got a return on the champagne (and nobody complained about it missing).

4b. Pictures of Isaac and his best man trying to get the money's worth out of the undrunk champagne after everyone went home. About 2 (shared with others) bottles in, they admitted defeat. He is an adorable tipsy man, by the way.

5. Our photographers. Because both of our photographers (Sarah Tunstall and John Givot) are two of me and Isaac's nearest and most-loved friends. I have one or two photos of them that were shot either by the other photographer or by other friends (god bless 'em). On the uphand: Sarah and John were both extremely attentive to detail and about as wonderful and artistic as we could have dreamed of our two dear friends being for a wedding.

The REAL Wedding Week Sneak Peek!

2010-08-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'll post a few pictures and anecdotes about the wedding. Not all of the (wonderful) photographer's pictures are up yet, but here's a few to start...

Dax managed to make it into our ceremony. I was really glad he could be a part of the big day. I haven't seen any of the actual ceremony photographs yet, but I am curious to see if and how he was captured during the ceremony.

Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner:

Here were are, rehearsing the process, practicing the act of getting married.

Isaac's parents, Catherine and Karl, at the rehearsal.

I like this sneaky little peek, she caught my parents holding hands. So cute.

At the dinner, there were many funny (and a few slightly embarrassing) stories told about me and Isaac. Here is Catherine telling a story about Isaac when he was just a toddler. Very animated!

All the stories held everyone captivated and provided a lot of fun and laughter (in case you couldn't tell by all the laughing going on).

Finally, I will close with one bridal portrait. There will be more pictures and stories to come!

All photographs are copyrighted and are the property of Sarah Tunstall of Sarah Tunstall Photography.

www.sarahtunstallphotography.com

Post Wedding Wind-Down

2010-08-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

The wedding was great! There were just a few glitches, but mostly lots of wonderful memories, and it went by so quickly! Pictures will be up SOON! There are already some on facebook, and the photographer has been posting one or two sneak peeks on my facebook a day... I just want to make sure I get her permission to post them here before I go ahead and do so.

So many great people came, and lots of friends were missed, but there in spirit. I was oddly relaxed. Dax got out of the Hops Barn, in which he was locked up, and walked down the aisle with me (but not before walking across the back of my train with muddy paws. Oddly enough, it was more funny and memorable than irritating).

Isaac's dad was our officiant AND our caterer. The food was great! We didn't know what we would be able to serve until a few days before. The rainy season lasted so long and then it got so hot, that the best produce wasn't what we thought it would be. Still, we had: Salmon with Beurre Blanc sauce, ratatouille, and wild rice with onions and hazelnuts.

The cake was my favorite: lemon cake with lemon curd and freshly picked raspberry filling. I want the recipe. I've been craving it daily since!

The band was great! I got more compliments on the music than anything else. Everyone wants to hire them, and the family is thinking of asking them to play for a family reunion next summer. ahhh...bluegrass!

The wine went quickly: St. Josef's wine. Glad I went there. I just stopped in for a tasting the week before and loved it so much I bought several cases for the wedding. Goooood stuff.

Isaac and I danced and laughed all night. He got pret-ty drunk and fell asleep in his tux. Good times. We went to our hotel suite the next night and got to unwind and eat and sleep off our hangovers.

My favorite part of ALL were all the toasts given by family. They were all laced with memories, humor and sweet wishes.

That's all for now. Pictures in a week or so!

Tourists Vs. Travelers

2010-06-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

After a conversation with several co-workers today, we realized that there are only two kinds of people who come to Hawaii. It's very easy to tell who belongs to which group...
Tourists:

A tourist never thinks he's a tourist. A tourist thinks he is directly related to God. A tourist sees any place he goes to visit as his play ground. The place he has chosen to visit is strictly his playground, and anything more is an abomination to him.

He will seclude himself to only a few comfortable areas, and cannot be bothered to explore anything outside of his direct comfort zone.

Since the tourist sees his destination as something that exists purely for his amusement, he has no respect for the time of anyone else (even other tourists), the feelings of anyone else, the cleanliness of anyone's space or property, or the fact that he is an outsider in another person's home.

Now, this means that a tourist will only really encounter people in some kind of "service" industry. And those people, to him, no matter how he encounters them, exist to serve him. If a tourist encountered me (a stranger) in public, and asked me a question for which I did not provide an appropriate answer, I'd probably get lots of expletives and the finger.

Then there are Travelers. I love Travelers:

The Traveler is a person with a true love for life. The traveler wants to really experience every drop of the world around him that he can fit into a single lifetime. The traveler sees every person he encounters, whether in the service industry or not, as a fellow brother in his global family. He treats just about everyone that way, too. When it comes to really experiencing a new culture, he is in it to win it.

The traveler doesn't care how dirty he gets, how messy his burger is, or whether or not he and his wife have matching aloha shirts on. He will never be rude at dinner, and will try any of the local fare offered to him, no matter how odd looking or smelly. He sees brush-ups with danger as an exhilarating opportunity that will give him great stories to tell his kids.

A traveler, though usually less financially endowed than a tourist, doesn't act like a cheap jerk. He doesn't complain about the price of rental gear, food, or transportation. He doesn't try to get freebies. He's just in it for the ride, and if he can afford the tools to enhance his experience, he probably won't think twice about it.

The traveler knows no strangers, and makes friends with just about everyone he encounters.

When Vog Changes Things

2010-06-11T22:27:00.000-07:00

There are many things I love about kona. One, I love that EVERYONE pulls over for emergency vehicles. Aloha spirit is a team effort thing: if someone needs help everyone helps by not slowing things down.

Things I don't like: vog, vog, and vog.

When I get up for an AM shift, before the wind pulls he sulfur gas over here. Kona is beautiful. A big mountain covered in green, up against an open seascape. You can see every kind of tropical bird or plant. Truly lovely. But around 11 am the vog rolls in. Sometimes so thick it looks like a storm cloud hellbent on blocking out the sun (but trapping in heat). It changes Kona from a lush island to a fairly dark grey hill with almost no visibility.

Then, come 6 pm, it's beautiful again.

Now, it's not always like that. Some days it's clear round the clock. And sometimes it rolls in while we are sleeping.

The worst change it has made is to my health. Constant sore throat, shortness of breath, coughing stuff out.

Now. It started to spew from the volcano randomly. In the 80's. It could possibly stop all together one day.

The whole vog issue may change our minds about going through with buying a home in kona right now. On the downside, if a doctor can't help me, we'd be committed to living somewhere bad for my health. On the upside, if the vog decided to quit it's nastiness one day, I would be happy and healthy AND my home will triple in value.

Decisions decisions...

Guess it's a moot point for now til we hear from our #1, which is a short sale.

--Nat

P.S.short sale is real estate jargon for "half of all eternity."

Privacy and an update for friends

2010-05-31T19:24:00.000-07:00

Something about having no privacy for several months can make a person re-evaluate the true value of privacy. Which is why this blog went incognito for a while, and is now by invitation only. While I want to keep everyone updated, I don't want to keep everyone updated. So, these blog updates will be for family and close friends from now on. I'm pretty sure if you got the invite once, you can access it any time. This blog cannot be viewed by anyone not personally invited to view it.

Housing:

We've been living in company housing for several months, as finding a rental has been strangely impossible while we house hunt. Isaac's company charges us a rental rate that is very fair, but it is strange having no privacy. We have to moderate strange things, like how much space in the fridge we use, what time we use the stove to make supper, or how loud we talk at night.

The up-side is that I get a chance to actually meet some of the people I'd otherwise only hear about. The downside is that, at least on my end, it's difficult to relax, unwind, or rest. I will welcome a day of lounging in my jammies with no make-up on during a day off once we're out of here.

Home:

We are considering buying a house. I say considering because, even though we've made offers, and have gotten several steps into the process, the sticker shock has us on the fence a little bit. Sticker shock is what it is. In a few weeks, at least, I'm sure I'll be able to say for certain whether we'll be renting a place or will have taken the plunge into home ownership. I, for one, love the whole concept of taking a piece of property and customizing it!

Work:

While I am not the right horse from whose mouth can speak details about Ike's job, I can say that he's been going nonstop for months (at least). We're checking into a resort for one night on Tuesday, and I'm hoping he can have his phone turned off so that he can fully relax. Lazing around by the pool and beach for a night would be a good way to recharge the batteries. Privacy alone would be rejuvenating!

I, too, work full time now. I work some 12 and 13-hour days. I'm working for a rental car agency. I work in sales and upgrades. I work mostly with Japanese tourists, and my Japanese is (to my surprise) actually coming along pretty well! In terms of my language skills, I can complete a transaction including all coverages, fuel options, upgrades, traffic violations, driving laws, and navigation! As well as numbers. Most of the time I can count to ten without messing up. I can even read the Kanji-written Japanese driver's licenses. But...only because I know exactly which numbers and characters to look for.

I had an altercation with another co-worker recently. A very territorial older Hawaiian woman. Who grabbed me and shoved me aside for reaching for a piece of paper (company property) that was "in her space." She is currently on a long suspension and may be permanently terminated for "exhibiting violence in the workplace" or some such thing. My managers are not allowed to tell me more than that. I was so shocked and embarrassed by her behavior that (being me, of course) I had to clock out for several hours just to stop crying enough to be able to work normally. I can feel my face turning hot red with embarrassment just talking about it.

Now, since we are short an employee, I've been covering several shifts a day some days. I never go home on time, and there is rarely a day that I have enough time to clock out for lunch or dinner. I rarely get days off, either. Though I do have today and tomorrow off. I hardly know what to do with myself! (Wait. Yes I do. Laundry. Lots and lots of laundry).

It's not necessarily a complaint though. Now that I have something besides house work to fill my time with, and don't have to find projects to keep me mentally occupied, time goes by much more quickly. I also have something of a confidence booster knowing that I can pick up the lunch tab once in a while. :-)

Wedding:

The wedding is now 8 weeks away! The bridesmaids have received their dresses. My sister sent me a picture, and upon seeing the picture, I am very very excited about them. I love the color and I LOVE that they can be worn 14 different ways, so the sisters can wear them however they want. Freedom of choice! Whoo!

My dress has 5-6 more fittings to go and is coming along nicely. I'm both excited and a little nervous about having so many eyes on me. Not at all nervous about the marriage part. I could do that over lunch in a courtroom with no regrets, to be honest. Getting RSVPs back from friends has been very encouraging. So many people that I love and can't wait to see who are traveling so far to be there for us. Gosh, I can't wait to see everyone. It's going to be so much fun!

So. There's the update. Long. Probably won't get another day off or time to update for quite a while.

Paper

2010-04-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, I get paper in the mail.

Blank, plain paper with nothing printed on it. Absolutely nothing.

And I am ecstatic!

Never in my life have I been so excited about paper!!

It took several weeks of exploring both this island and Maui in search of paper that would be practical for the printing of our wedding invitations. In a down economy, most places that would typically supply paper had liquidated their supplies. And once you liquidate a supply of anything on an island in the middle of the Pacific ocean, there's a good chance it isn't going to show up on shelves any time soon.

(Side note, that scared me into realizing that if anything catastrophic happened on the mainland, those of us in Hawaii would just be rationing things like food, medicine, and water until we ran out).

But! I found what I needed online. And dag gummit, UPS says it's going to get here on time and everything!

Which takes a weight off my shoulders and makes me feel so, so happy.

Ah, the simple things.

Crunch Time!

2010-04-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

To all:

You may find that you get your paper invites a little late. I'm doing the best I can. Paper is in short supply on the island so I am patiently waiting for it to be shipped from Lord-knows-where, Mainland, USA.

But, once I get the ball rolling, they'll hopefully be sent with ample time for some RSVP action.

The Java Effect

2010-04-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

I once knew a girl who worked at Starbucks. She worked there for years. She said her favorite thing about it was working the drive-through window, and this is why: Once in a while, someone would come along who decided to spread some love. For no apparent reason, they would pay in advance for the coffees for the car behind them. The person who just got free coffee from a drive-through stranger would, being so pleasantly surprised, then pay for the coffees of the car behind them. According to this Starbucks employee, this pattern would continue for an average of 2 hours, or until there was a gap in the car line.

I think that there is a vibe similar to that Starbucks drive-through going on on this island. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has been cheerful, helpful and has gone out of their way to spread the love.

Every single person we've encountered has been friendly, welcoming, and warm. Without exception. I wish I could pay them all tribute here, but my memory isn't so good with that sort of thing.

The people who run the ship yard jumped our moving van twice today for us because it had a bad battery. They didn't have to do that. They had jobs that required them to labor in the sun all day, sweating, operating heavy machinery, with major deadlines. They weren't even working in the same area we were, they just saw that something was awry with our car and came over, already prepared with jumping cables and a toolbox.

In contrast to this, on the day the Tsunami hit while I was on Maui by myself, my car battery died in the evacuation area. When I was able to return, my car wouldn't start. Several people had jumper cables--I could see them in their truck beds!--but it took begging and pleading to get someone to take 5 minutes to help me get my car started again.

Another person who was moving things out of their container came over to help us move couches because they were too heavy for me to lift. Then Isaac helped him get his heavy things into his truck bed.

People actually let you turn out onto the highway here if there's a long line of traffic to wait for. People say "please" and "thank you" and "aloha". People invite you to cut in front of them in line at the grocery store, even if you have more stuff than they do, just because your arms are full and you look overwhelmed.

In Borders, I was looking for a book about the Big Island. I was looking with fear and trepidation, because if I had been doing something on Maui that made me come off as a tourist, well...just being a "haole" on Maui is more or less a crime worthy of punishment. But here, other locals who didn't even work in the store came over to help me pick the book they thought would be the most helpful.

In turn, I feel more patient, more inspired to practice kindness where I may normally try to be an unseen passer-by. I wonder if it's that coffee drive-through window effect. Or maybe it's something in the air. Maybe all that sulfur gas from the volcano just re-wires our brains a little bit to make us friendlier.

Very Excited

2010-03-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a LONG day. We packed all of our belongings into a container to be put on a ship and taken over the water to Kona early this morning. Hoping we get settled fairly easily. I'm looking forward to fresh Macadamia nuts and Kona coffee. Moreover, I'm especially looking forward to being permanently based somewhere (for the first time in years) and having Isaac home every day. Woot!

Succinct

2010-03-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

I did something long overdue. I had our website domain name changed to something less ridiculous to type in:

www.NatAndIke.com

New domain name, same website. Will add more guest info in a week or two.

130 to go!

2010-03-23T01:09:00.000-07:00

130 days to go until the Schaefer-Giguere Wedding of 2010!

Actually, it will possibly be the Schaefer-Giguere Wedding of the century...or maybe even all of eternity (exciting). I wonder how many Schaefers have married Gigueres in the past. Hopefully none. I want my kids to have a deep gene pool, and inter-marrying does not normal offspring make. In case you were wondering.

At any rate, I'm doing my best to plow through the check lists. According to TheKnot (wedding guilt-monger that it is) I'm about 2 months behind on a ton of check list items. According to rational human beings who live in the rest of society however, I am ahead of the game. Who to believe?

We are looking forward to seeing so many faces that we miss and love this summer. We hope you guys bring your good vibes and par-tay attitudes. Just for you, we'll practice staying up past 10pm for the next 4 months.

For those guests who received a save-the-date (invites will be on their way soon-ish), we've been keeping the website updated with information we hope will help our out-of-town buds plan the trip easily. Head straight to the "Guest Information" section.

Or, you could also put trip planning off until the last possible minute. Whatever suits your style.

I am hoping (but not promising) to have the rest of the guest information fully updated in a month...or so.

Click Here to visit our TheKnot website.

Aloha, Maui.

2010-03-11T16:42:00.000-08:00

We're saying aloha [goodbye] to Maui and aloha [hello] to the Big Island this month. Another move so soon. Here's the announcement! It's official, we're setting off for bigger---and hopefully better---things. Kona or bust.

Now that everything is all caught up, maybe I'll give the blogging a rest for a while.

Out with the delicious, in with the soy

2010-03-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

My doctor gave me a HUGE list of food do's and don'ts based on my cholesterol, accumulated iron in my blood, and my blood type.

It looks something like this:

Never eat your favorite foods again.
Ever.
Don't even think about it.

Ok, so it's not actually that rigid. But if I really want to get my cholesterol down, and keep my iron down at a "safe level" and just be a more fine-tuned machine, I really have to cut out the things on the "avoid" lists and work in more of the things on the "highly beneficial" lists.

What does this mean exactly? It means that I am more-or-less a vegan now. Not for 100% of my meals, but probably for at least 90% of them. The only kinds of cheese I can have on an "infrequent" basis are goat cheese, feta cheese, or mozarella. No more milk, cream, or butter for me. No more yummy French cheeses.

I can not eat sherbet or ice cream anymore, but I may have yogurt and frozen yogurt.

I am not supposed to eat meat anymore. I can, on an infrequent basis, have chicken, game hen, or turkey, but I can't make it a regular habit.

I must say "goodbye" to fried foods and a list of oils and greasy frying things. I will say "hello" to more things like grapeseed oil (which is excellent for pan-frying, I just found out), and EVOO.

There is a long list of fish that I am allowed to eat (hooray!), however, I can't eat it raw (cause of the iron thing), and most of it is fresh water fish...which is not easy to come by in Hawai'i. So I may as well not get my hopes too far up about that one.

No more of some of my favorites: oysters, clams, squid, crab, or lobster.

Fear not! The list has opened my eyes up to all of these other foods in the world I have a tendency to ignore.

I have learned that attempted taste-alike soy-based "cheeses" are disgusting. If it's the flavor people go for, it would taste just as good to melt plastic over my veggie burger. Totally disgusting. I'd rather just live without cheese all together and use a slice of avocado instead.

Veggie burgers are actually delicious. As is Pad Thai with tofu. Chocolate soy milk is truly amazing, and eating more fresh vegetables and fruits is definitely making me feel better already. Getting my proteins from beans and soy and eggs. (Thank God I can still have eggs!). I love the excuse to have almonds and walnuts nearby at all times, too.

Taking lots of B-vitamins since I'll be eating much less meat.

Going to keep up with my daily workout routine. I may have to be eating double over-time to keep enough protein in my body to keep building muscle, but I guess it's all a learning process.

In 8 weeks, I will get to see if this is all working and making me more healthy! It's a big change, so I really hope there's some pay off for it.

Doctor, doctor, gimme the news!

2010-03-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

Had a meeting with my doctor today because my blood results were in. The aim was to confirm a diagnosis of hypoglycemia (which was confirmed). He had my overall health and nutrition tested in case there were other things that needed to be addressed. Today I learned that...

-My Vitamin D levels are low. Surprising, since I live in Hawaii of all places and spend hours and hours outdoors every day. Apparently sunscreen also blocks Vitamin D, and I wear sunscreen every day. Easy to fix.
-My overall mineral and vitamin nutrition (besides blood sugar and Vitamin D) is really good.
-My immune system is very healthy.
-My LDL (bad) cholesterol levels are "shockingly" high.

Let that last one be a newsflash to skinny people like me. I eat well, I am a long distance runner, I work out every day, but my cholesterol level is still not desirable. Partially genetics, partially my love of fine meats, shellfish and French cheeses. (What can I say? It's hard to say no to a good hunk of brie).

If in doubt, and even if you're not, maybe it's a good idea to have your blood cholesterol tested. Being young, fit, skinny, and health-conscious may all seem like they're going for ya, but cholesterol is a sneaky little devil.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a list of "beneficial foods" and "foods to avoid" the doctor gave me and I'm going to have to go to battle with the contents of my fridge.

Tsunami

2010-02-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

If you checked any news source today, I am sure you heard about our Tsunamis. I have not been able to check the news myself, because I was evacuated.

My neighbor came downstairs at about 6 am to wake me up and tell me that a Tsunami was predicted to arrive at about 11am. We live about one block from the shore, so it didn't take me more than a few minutes to snap awake start to panic.

A few minutes after that, civil defense sirens began to go off, and they went off several times after that (about once an hour or more) for the next 5 or 6 hours. I could hear them all the way inside of the valley and on top of a mountain.

At the sound of the sirens, I panicked...as in, the screaming, sweating kind of panic you see in movies when people are getting attacked by aliens from outer space. I was genuinely afraid. I did not know that the first siren was simply to wake people up so they knew to get to an evacuation area soon.

I got me and my neighbors up to the IAO Valley. Two of us decided to hike to the top, another meandered off and did his own thing. The hike was nice, but super hot...and in my panic I forgot to bring sunscreen, so the greatest injury I incurred today was sunburn. Otherwise, I am alive and well.

After the state of emergency was declared in the clear, I came back down from my high place and headed home...but police would still not let those of us who lived lower into our homes for another hour. Roads were blocked. From where I was on the mountain, I could at one point see that the water was sinking away from the shore before a wave hit. It was kind of odd, and a little hard to believe that I was really witnessing it. The waves, however, came in fast but were small. From what I have overheard and been told, there is some damage in Kahului Harbor. The upper part of my neighborhood is undamaged.

I have not even glanced at the houses down the hill and by the water, but I imagine they are suffering minimal damage, if any.

Isaac is on Kauai, but has been in touch and I know that he is safe. Despite being apart from me, he was still a strong head of our household, keeping me on the phone all morning to keep me calm and help me determine the safest and fastest route to safety. I am thankful that in just a month or two, there will be far fewer chances that we'll be separated during an emergency.

Thanks for the concerned calls, texts and etc. I am still off facebook, so if you sent me a message that way I won't read it until after Easter. If it happens again, I plan to do what I did this time (minus the panicking): hike to the top of a mountain. I was surprised to see only 3 other people up there. I kind of expected to see a crowd.

Aloha, Pete!

2010-02-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

As I wrote earlier this week, Isaac's brother, Pete has been in town visiting us. We've spent hours every day at the beach, but Pete also got to go do some early morning whale watching, and go on a few adventurous hikes with us.

Isaac loves to be in the water

Isaac and Peter at the beach after body surfing for a few hours.

Humpback waving aloha?

Showin' some tail.

Jumping!

Ike & Pete on one of the bridges on the "Swinging Bridges" hike.

Me and Pete posing next to a bamboo grove.

Not sure if he knew his picture was being taken...

Isaac and Pete taking a minute to pose while swimming and playing under a waterfall.

Da News, Brah

2010-02-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

I talked on the phone to one of my dear friends last night who said that she was disappointed that there weren't any recent updates on my blog. I thought I was doing pretty good, but since she said something...

We have a house guest right now. Isaac's brother is in town. I am loving his company. Nothing like a teenager to make you realize how old you're getting. Lots of beach time. He seems to have the same love of boogie boarding I do.

Isaac and I went on a whale-watching tour a few weeks ago. Did I already blog about that? I think I did. See a previous post (I don't remember which).

I love Maui. It is beautiful. No wonder so many people come to visit here...although I'm not a fan of outsiders acting like this place exists solely for them and having no regard for those of us who live here. No wonder the locals are so hostile to outsiders and newbies.

As for the island... I feel like I have seen most of it. I don't feel quite at home, although I do have one grocery store I particularly love, and one sandwich deli I especially love. Both places are the only places I can go and feel recognized. Perhaps that's just a testament to my love of tasty food. Despite my access to delicious goods, I haven't gained much weight. I haven't weighed myself either, but everything fits the same.

The aforementioned sandwich deli made me realize that even I, a former pork hater, can love pork. It was a euphoric awakening. The Southern Squealer = life changing. Unfortunately, I still don't particularly love pork in most of its other forms. The semi-inconvenient wait for the kitchen cooks to make it is totally worth it.

Um... what else? The wedding countdown has hit the 5 month mark. It seems like we just got engaged yesterday. In reality it was August. Where has the time gone?! Soooo much to do!

I am hoping to have Dax here no later than April. Gee willakers, I miss that pup. He is my sunshine when skies are gray.

Most new news: I have given up facebook. Cold turkey for 40 days. If that goes well, I may suspend my account FOR-EV-ER. I waste too much time on it. Same as TV for some people. Just uses up time you could have spent doing something you'll actually remember one day. I needed to cut myself off. Long overdue. Feel free to check in on me and make sure I'm sticking with it.

That's all for now. I guess I'll be using this to post pictures for the next few weeks. So stay posted!

A Double Dose of Happiness!

2010-02-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, Isaac's sister, Alicia, gave birth to twins! She stuck to her guns in the delivery room and birthed both babies naturally, without an epidural or any medication. Word has it, she's the talk of the hospital!

Welcome to the world, Claire and Gwynne! We can't wait to meet our wonderful little nieces!

Newbies

2010-01-31T11:01:00.000-08:00

Well I've been getting into shape again. It's about time! I think I am going to do a half-marathon in the Fall, so I want to be in shape for it once it's time to start training. Which is soon. I think the marathon last year was a little much for me to make a respectable time goal, so I'm going to backtrack and work harder.

I have been surfing! I got up a few weeks ago, under Isaac's instruction. Actually getting up and riding a board down the wave was exhilarating. I screamed, quite loudly, "I'm doing it!! I'm DOIIINNNNG IIITTT!" which subsequently made me seem like a huge dorky haole. Oh well. It felt amazing, and made all of the soreness in my arms and neck from paddling worth it. The other people out in the surf with us were super friendly. The kind of people who act like they've always known you, despite not knowing your name. They'd help me out a lot "Paddle paddle paddle! You can catch this wave, go go go girl!" and "Ah, that's ok that you fell, you'll get up next time." The less competitive surfers are friendly and I like them. (But it'll be years before I attempt introducing myself on the North shore, which is much less friendly to people who aren't as good at surfing).

Did some whale watching last week. A video of a few clips of the whales we saw is up on my facebook. Why is it that we feel a need to connect with animals in a completely different world? Is it good or bad? I don't know, but the entire time, I wanted nothing but to put on a snorkel mask and fins, and jump in and introduce myself. Maybe I was a whale in a past life.

We have new neighbors! They're pretty cool. One of them kinda reminds me of some of the folks back in Chinle. They are new, and I love not being the newest kid on the block now. I have been sharing with them all the things I didn't pick up on quickly enough when we first got here, trying to be helpful of. (And hopefully being more helpful than annoying). Taking them to one of my favorite beaches today.

New friends? Let's hope. Make new friends, keep the old, one is silver, the others need to get out here and visit.

:-)

Aloha!

Missing My Boy

2010-01-17T01:21:00.001-08:00

Work!

2010-01-13T19:20:00.000-08:00

I work now. It's what I do. I'm employed. So gleeful am I, to have an income and a simple purpose every day.

I realized that when you don't have a designated "job" that you do, you can only give yourself hobby-centric goals for so long before you start to feel as though you lack a purpose in life. Waking up before the sun rose to shower because there was a reason to be up and getting ready felt sort of liberating the first time I did it this week. No more wasted time. No more failing to set an alarm because I feel I have no need to be up for anything.

Even if I am selling produce and getting to know the local grub and the local farm economy, I'm pleased as punch to be doing it. It doesn't hurt that I love food, and spend my day eyeballing all the treats available while I fantasize about what I'd concoct with them...

But anyway, I have a job. I'm making a little bit of money. My boss(es) are super nice, and even listen to my ideas.

Oh, and I get to be outside all the time. In Maui. Under the shade of a big ole tree. Spectacular.

Ciao!

2010-01-06T00:05:00.000-08:00

There's our new bebe! A Vespa Piaggio PX150. Italians sure know how to make a sweet ride.

The fun part is that even though we got a second vehicle so that I'd have something to commute to a job with, Isaac really loves it. When he's done riding, he has a smile that could span the Great Wall of China. I have a feeling he'll be on it a lot more than he initially thought.

Since it's got 150cc's I have to get a motorcycle license to drive it legally. And since I have to learn to shift and balance, I'll be enrolling in motorcycle safety class this week. Hopefully I get it all worked out before I start work. Two job interviews tomorrow...pretty excited!!

Getting Visual!

2010-01-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

Finally! The iMac made it, all in one piece and workin' just groovy. Which means...pictures! From our activities and our home.

We've done some snorkeling...

Lots of hiking, this bamboo one was a particular favorite.

We've swam and jumped off waterfalls, both high and low.

Spent a few hours almost every day at one beach or another,

and have been kayaking in Kauai.

After living in Utah and Chinle, we don't take water for granted anymore.

We've been introduced to new, exotic foods like cherimoya. So yummy.

Now, for some pics of our place. Sorry they're not great shots, but I like how colorful we made everything. Still need to buy some art and put some pictures up...

Green bedroom

Living room

Kitchen and our little two-person table.

Mango colored bathroom. Didn't get a full pic b/c I haven't finished one last detail of painting.

Blue office. We have a desk now but can't do anything else with it. The rest of the furniture in there belongs to the previous tenants, I think, so we're not sure what to do with it before we can get our own stuff in.

Partial back-yard view. Put up those flags...they remind me of Chinle, actually. Thanks for the big ones, Julie! :-)

That's all for now. There are some more on facebook. Aloha!

A Very New Year!

2010-01-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

New Years is a very big deal in Hawaii, and the merriment of our neighbors--who are all still strangers-- filled our home.

Our house is on a hill near the ocean in what seems like a crowded area. Some houses are huge and brightly painted (and filled with several generations of people), some small and less noticable, some are in between or behind other houses.

Anyway, there was music, the smell of Hawaiian-style bar-b-que, fried foods, and the smell of beer in the air, older people talking and laughing, teenagers running around playing with fireworks and being just mischievous enough to be fun to watch, children screaming and playing, cheering for passing of the New Year in every time zone, and hours and hours of fireworks that could be seen and heard from every window.

I woke up this morning to the smell of fried fish and the sight of some Philipino parents and children de-feathering a chicken and preparing it for what I assume would be lunch. It made me laugh, though I'm not sure why.

Chickens are to Hawai'i what dogs are to Chinle. We have chickens and roosters in our yard, walking the sides of the road, in parking lots, in the jungle, at the beach... and they never let an early morning go by without a loud alarm. I never noticed them when I was just a tourist, but now that I live here I see them everywhere I look. I see them so much I'm starting to notice what I think are different breeds, as well as breed mixes.

Anyway, enjoy the next chicken you eat, and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

P.S. Every package has arrived now except for our computer. But I have a good feeling about this week...

I like to boogie boogie

2009-12-27T23:56:00.000-08:00

Kauai has been awesome. It's been nice not worrying about being a local. Much colder here than Maui, though. Brrr!

Boogie boarding may be one of the most joyful activities on earth. Such a simple, uncomplicated thing produces such a huge amount of fun. Still managed to get pummeled into the floor of the ocean by a few waves, but that's ok. Sandburn wounds were relatively minimal.

My freckles are coming back. I haven't seen them in years. I love freckles.

Going on a kayaking/hiking trip tomorrow. 5 miles of paddling, 2 of hiking. Should be a nice easy day.

Pictures next week? Cross your fingers for the iMac to be at our doorstep (and all in one piece) when we return.

Also, the whales are showing up in the waters of Maui! Hoping to see some when we get there.

Aloha!

Mele Kalikimaka!

2009-12-24T23:57:00.000-08:00

FYI: "Mele Kalikimaka" = "Merry Christmas"... though I'm sure you could figure that out.

The term amuses me somewhat, because prior to white missionaries, there was no Christmas on the islands. The people believed in many gods and goddesses.

So, I'm just curious about how they came about making up their own words for "merry" and "Christmas." Maybe it really means something else and most of us will never know any better.

My Christmas has been a little disorganized and early, but still fun. Pictures will come soon since we've finally started to take some with our handy dandy new waterproof camera. Unfortunately, we found out that our computer is somewhere on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and won't be around for several more weeks. But! I still promise pictures.

Finally got in the water for some swimming and a little snorkeling! Isaac got video of a sea turtle that swam right up next to him.

Spent the night before my birthday at an amazing restaurant, compliments of my generous and deeply-missed Chinle friends.

Spent half of my birthday being sick, but the origins of the sickness are unknown. Isaac and I ate much from one another's plates and shared dessert and he wasn't sick, so I'm wondering if it wasn't a parasite from some wild fruit I picked off a tree. (The fruit here is really good though, so don't go thinking that will stop me from doing it again!)

Our house is completely painted, colorful, and lovely. Starting to feel more like a home! Will eventually get around to collecting art and framing photos after the New Year.

For Christmas, Isaac is working in Kauai, but was generous enough to put me on a plane to be with him for the week. More island adventures! Decided that I'm not going to worry so much about "seeming local" and am going to enjoy the week "away from home" as a tourist, taking in all the sights, swimming and surfing. Hopefully my first few days on a surfboard don't result in bodily harm.

My Christmas gift this year was given by Isaac---who apparently knows me too well! I've been spending the last several years self-teaching myself many cooking techniques. Based on many successes, I've been getting pretty good! (I still have failures, but keep telling myself it's part of the learning process).

I watched the movie Julie&Julia with Isaac, and that---along with watching and envying my future father-in-law's talents in the kitchen---really made me want to take on some more French techniques. So Isaac bought me a hard-bound copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking along with the promise that I could choose one recipe in it and that he will buy the ingredients for it, no questions asked. (Given the price of some French ingredients, based on what I read in the first 40 pages of the book's foreword, that's a very generous gift).

Needless to say, I'll probably be on the phone with Mr. Schaefer soon with my inquisitive mind a-buzzing.

Anyway, that's enough writing for now. Perhaps more pictures, fewer words in the future, once I get better at this whole blogging thing.

-Natalie

P.S. If you're a friend of mine who'd like to receive an awesome postcard from Hawai'i, hit me up with your address!

Colors are Good

2009-12-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

I decided---and got Isaac's approval---to paint our house in bright colors. I like bright colors, they're happy, energizing and empowering. So far, so good. I started by painting the bathroom a fairly loud shade of orange called "Mango Madness." It just sounds fun, doesn't it?

The spare room/guest room/office is two shades of blue divided by white trim. I would have preferred turquoise, but it's still nice.

Next up: going to have a "Lemongrass" colored bedroom, and a "Spiced butternut" colored hallway, living room, and kitchen.

It's going to be awesome. I picked the right/worst time to do all the painting too. It's been cloudy, windy, rainy and cold (you know, high 60's-low 70's) so I don't feel like I'm being punished by staying inside. On the other hand, the rain makes the air extra moist, which makes the paint take a verrrry long time to dry between coats.

It's making me fret just a little bit because my intention is to have the entire house fully painted and perfectly cleaned before Isaac gets home from Kauai. Kind of as a surprise, kind of to make sure he has a really nice place to come home to, but mostly so he and I don't end up using up his days off finishing the job together. The weather should be good by the time he gets home, and I'd like to get in the water with him.

Don't tell him. He doesn't read my blog, so I'm pretty confident he won't have a clue unless someone reading this tells him.

Wish me luck! Hoping to get it all done soon. Maybe the air will dry out a little today...

Bruised Bottom

2009-12-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy first week in Hawai'i!

Hoping our computer makes it here in one piece. There won't be any posting of pictures until that happens. Sorry!

The first week has been mostly filled with....(wait for it)...errands! Whoo! Lots of Craigslisting. Trying to get furnished on a dime. Still holding out for a few things, but we're getting there!

Stocking the kitchen with real food has been one of the biggest hurdles. I can't stop thinking about how much I paid for milk this week (About $7 for half a gallon that was on sale). Fortunately, I'm already learning about the best places to shop and CSAs and roadside produce stands. The produce out here is really wonderful. Things I've never heard about before required one taste to get me hooked. Tasted an unripe Guava yesterday...the ripe ones are good, but I really like the tartness of an underripe one, too.

The cost of living is constantly shocking me. We run into and hear about so many people who live here without jobs and just surf. I don't know how they do it without starving to death. Trust funds, perhaps? I dunno. I'm on the hunt for a job this week. Every little bit will help.

Did a hike yesterday and hurt myself. They call the hike "The Commando" because, as the locals who showed it to us said, you have to be a commando to do it. You first walk up a slippery stream (I seemed to be the only one on the hike who had a hard time not slipping all over the place), then free climb up two waterfalls. After climbing those falls, there's no turning back because it's not safe to climb down or jump. After that, we climbed through a pitch-black lava tube filled with pool after pool of cold water. Then, we broke out of the tube into the sunlight, and made a quick hike to the first of three waterfalls that we had to jump off of. The first was about 15 ft. No prob. The second, 50 ft.

The 50-footer is where I hurt myself. I was told to jump, get my balance with my arms, then go in straight like a pencil, arms at my side. 50 feet is totally enough time to do that, right? Right...unless you're Natalie and time seems to go faster for you than for others. I went in, all bent and clumsy, and landed right on my butt. It hurt. There were physical repurcussions that might make your stomach queasy, but I guarantee you that I have never had such an enormous, dark bruise on my body as I have today. Laughing, sneezing, leaning forward, sitting, and um....going potty, all hurt.

The third waterfall we had to jump off was 35 feet, and you had to jump several feet out to avoid turning into red sauce all over the lava rocks beneath. After being in pain and a little shock, I couldn't muster the confidence to jump that far out. Everyone else jumped, I climbed down the roots of a tropical tree into the water. The bonus: fell upon a patch of wild ginger that would have been otherwise undiscovered!

Despite my bruised bottom and whiplash, I have to say: amazing hike. Really wish we had a waterproof camera that I could have taken along. Some of the other guys did. If I could find a way to get in touch with them and get copies of their photos, I may end up posting some from it, after all.

So, that was my first big adventure in Maui! There has been a little bit of beach time. The only swimming I did was through the streams and waterfall pools on that hike. Next week I'm hopefully going to start learning to surf. Looking forward to that! Hopefully I will be able to keep up with Isaac.

This week: job hunting, resume perfecting, and non-stop painting! My goal is to have this place painted to perfection before Isaac gets home from Kauai on Tuesday so he feels really comfortable and at-home when he returns. Lots of manual labor, but maybe it will give me some nice arm muscles to start paddling a surf board with. :-)

Aloha!

2009-12-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

We made it! It's gorgeous. 10,000 ft mountains on one side of our house, an ocean view on the other. Wow. Just, wow.

Living out of boxes. No hangers, no dressers, no furniture, so nowhere to put anything. Not that it matters. Why spend any time indoors when I can be out in the sun?

Some time this week, though, I'll be confined to the indoors. Much to do! Must organize, paint, get furniture and arrange it, do some cleaning, stock the kitchen... it's going to be great when it's done. I may hate packing, and not be the biggest cleanign enthusiast in the world, but I actually do love homemaking. And I will make this place home if it takes all week!

Going to Oahu today for Isaac's company Christmas party in Honolulu. Should be fun!

Pictures to come...eventually. Hopefully sooner than later.

P.S. I didn't realize how great it would be here. I don't think I'm really going to miss Chinle as much as I thought I would...

So close!

2009-12-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

We are almost done!

Boxes shipped to parents' homes for winter storage? Check.
Large quantities of boxes and bags fllled for donations to the local church thrift store? Check.
All of our boxes for the plane packed? Check!

Now, to just wrap up a few minor details and clean. Then we'll be free birds. Whew!

I should mention, that my fiance planned a magnificent surprise birthday party for me that happened last night at a friend's house. Some of our Chinle friends were there. It was really, REALLY nice of them to take the time to do that, plus put in the effort of preparing drinks and snacks. They all pitched in and got me a gift certificate to the Maui Fish House. Yum! What a nice way to say goodbye and go. Now my only regret is that we aren't staying long enough for me to do something nice in return. :-)

300 Pounds

2009-12-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

300 pounds of "stuff" is what my and Isaac's life is boiling down to. We have been purging just about everything: furniture, winter clothing, ski gear, snowboard gear, winter boots, winter shoes, rugs, dishes, linens, picture frames, wall art, you name it. If we can't justify bringing it to Hawaii, we aren't.

As of right now, our lives fit into 6 rubbermaid containers, that are each under 50 lbs, and two suitcases that are small enough for the overhead bins of any airplane, large or small.

It kind of makes me wonder...what was I doing with all of that stuff in the first place?

Moving to Hawaii is starting to feel very clean and Zen. Goodbye, clutter! Hello open seas, open hearts, and sunshine!

Love like a dog

2009-11-29T10:36:00.000-08:00

A week and a half until I'm in Hawaii. Officially! 10 days!

I can't help but think about leaving Dax behind. I'm trying to find some silver lining in it.

Even as understanding as people can be, they don't forget about being left behind. But dogs! Oh, dogs. They just love their people so much that no sin is unforgivable. We get mad that they jump up on us when they see us; but it's just that they're so excited to see us, they forget their manners and just try to show us some love. Whether I leave the house for 5 minutes, 5 days, or a few months, he'll just be thankful I came back for him when I return.

If there is just one benefit to owning and caring for a dog, it's knowing that there is something in your home that loves you more unconditionally than anyone but a mother could. And knowing that every time you see them, no matter how long they've been away from you, that loyalty for you is just as strong as when you left.

I sure hope Dax loves Hawaii as much as I'm sure Isaac and I will. For as much love as he gives us, I think he really deserves a home he can enjoy. His favorite game is water fetch, so hopefully he sees all the shoreline and warm water as his own personal doggy heaven.

P vs. C

2009-11-13T18:03:00.000-08:00

Overblogging? You bet I am! Sitting home alone for several days with a dog who has suddenly become the #1 fan of The Nap has led me to a path of boredom. And you know what boredom means: waaaay too much time with my own thoughts!

So, tonight's special is the Pros vs. Cons of moving to an island.

Pro: Warm sunny days all year long.

Con: Totally screwed if the polar ice caps melt. (Hang in there, arctic shelf!)

Pro: At least three kinds of surfing that I can think of right now.

Con: All that money I spent on snowboarding gear two years ago is laid to waste.

Pro: I will be driving a scooter!

Con: I have to navigate the world of traffic again.

Pro: Locally grown produce at my fingertips.

Con: I will have a kitchen of mayhem for a few months, trying to figure out how to use all new fruits and veggies.

Pro: Family may actually be interested in visiting!

Con: Friends and acquaintances may be too interested, and landlords in HI (as we found out yesterday) charge per week for house guests of tenants.

Pro: That means we have an excuse to set boundaries and protect our privacy.

Con: I don't want to deal with the politics of it if people take it personally.

Pro: It will be faster to get to either parents' house now than it was to drive off the Rez and through the mountains

Con: It's also about 10 times more expensive than driving.

Pro: It's Hawaii...and I can't really muster up a "con" for that.

:-)

New Direction

2009-11-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

Well, my life is just going through waaaaay too many transitions right now for me to focus on running. My workout routine at the gym is still pretty consistent, but moving, organizing, selling, giving away items, packing.... and planning to find a home, a car and a job, all from thousands of miles away. It's kind of overwhelming!

So, I'm considering either changing the name of this blog or starting a new one. Which means I'll either have to change the name of this one or come up with a name for a new one. Any suggestions are welcome.

Right now, there are about 7 different piles of clothes in my living room. Bags for people who want specific items, boxes full of "free giveaway" items, divided by gender. Piles of things that we want to keep, but won't be able to use in Hawaii, and piles of things we know we need to part with, but don't know how to do that (selling, charity, friends?)

The saddest part about this clothing situation is that I have 6 pairs of boots. They have to go. Probably to my sister because who else has feet this small? Let it be said that I am a boot FANATIC. I relish the weather cooling off simply so that I have an excuse to wear closed toed sexy boots that zip up over the calf of my skinny jeans. I don't even care if it's not "in style" one season. I love it.

The upside? I will, after all, get to wear my Chacos on a daily basis. I am even hoping that I can find a job that allows Chacos as part of their dress code.

The waves of anxiety, fear and excitement are shifting. There has been more excitement than anything else. However, the move is still bittersweet. There is still much I love about Chinle:

The fact that the people hold fast to their traditions and you can see them everywhere. From ceremonies, to the way they support their elders, to the arts and symbolic traditions they carry on, and even traditional housing, like the Hoghaan here which is behind our house:

I'll definitely miss the intensity of a desert sunset. I've never seen a picture do it justice, and this picture is no exception:

And, as much as I thought I'd hate it, I love the wide, open, undisturbed space. I almost feel forgotten about here in Chinle, and something about that feels safe...

That doesn't mean that I love everything about Chinle. There are things I'll be happy to get away from, like sandy dust storms:

We were really fortunate to make a great group of friends in Chinle. Of course, with most of their IHS contracts, we would all part ways sooner or later, but there is some sadness that we are parting sooner. I don't think that I have ever so instantly liked an entire group of people. I'm glad I racked up some memories quickly! Camping, Colorado, Lake Powell, hiking, parties... so much fun!

There are some things about Hawaii that I am particularly excited about, even though the reality of my move there has not materialized fully:

I'll be able to have a job! Shoot, I can probably even have two jobs! Not being gainfully employed really tested my self-worth this year, and while I found that I had many abilities to be productive and contribute with a variety of gifts, I realize how much I took "the daily grind" for granted. I'll feel pretty proud of myself for bringing in a paycheck again.

Surfing! My fiance is a huge surfer. Although he may not be able to teach me himself (it's simply a test of patience to try to teach the person you're the very closest with a new skill, and I'd rather learn from an instructor with whom I'll be on my best manners). But, once I pick up the skill, Isaac has promised me my own surf board. I'm excited to add this to our already long list of outdoor hobbies. There is nothing outdoors that we don't love to do together.

Fresh produce. As in, Maui has several organic farms on it! If I'm lucky, I may get a job working for one...that's my hope right now. I know farms can be somewhat closed-off community-wise. Depending on the structure (family run, co-op, etc) I may have a hard time getting my foot into that kind of door.

"The Purge" That's what I'm calling getting rid of 99% of my personal belongings and starting fresh. It's kind of a test of my materialism. Getting rid of everything really makes you realize that there is not much in the way of material things you really need to be healthy, happy, or functional. Most of these things are for our selfish comfort. Plus, I'm hoping that I'll be spending most of my time outdoors anyway. Who needs to stock a house with a bunch of stuff if we won't even be inside most of the time? Heck, we rarely spend any time indoors here in Chinle!

Well, more thoughts to come as all of this planning and organizing pans out. And I'm sure I'll have much to share about the shock of moving to a culture that thrives on tourism. My lifestyle is about to do a 180!

Always on the go

2009-10-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

So, since birth, I have lived...

in Colorado

California

Arizona

Colorado again

Georgia (Wyoming and Florida during summer breaks)

Colorado (again!)

Oregon

Washington

Utah

Arizona (again)

And now Hawaii.

The most interesting part of all these journeys seems to start after Georgia. That's when all of these moves became both voluntary and necessary to take my life in a direction that was interesting to me.

Isaac has said I should write about it. I dunno... I need to work on some basic improvements with grammar, mechanics, and style first. Maybe. Probably not. But maybe...

Aloha

2009-10-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

Well, boys and girls. I'm moving to Hawaii. In December, no less...so...soon!

Turns out, the island I'm moving to has tons of running events every month, including the Maui marathon which is one of the oldest running events on the islands!

I'm not going to lie, I'm interested.

Hopefully I can hold my own in year-round heat and humidity!

Aloha!

Don't Talk to Me About Mile Twenty Three

2009-10-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

I am officially a marathon runner. I almost didn't do it. Not that I almost did not finish, but I almost did not show up. A series of times, I almost forewent the opportunity.

I won't touch down on the series of things this past week that almost made me too exhausted to quit.

My Dad

However, the day before the marathon, my parents had plans to fly into town, to meet Isaac's family and to cheer me on. Unfortunately, that did not happen. At about 2am on Saturday, my dad had a heart attack and was in the hospital. I wanted to go home immediately to see him. After they went in and fixed a few things, I was able to talk to him. I believe his exact words were, "No, no, you get your head on straight and run that marathon."

When a Marine, who also happens to be your father, tells you something like that and leaves no room for questioning, you don't question him. You do what he tells you.

So, that's what I did. Isaac and his mom got up with me at 4:30am, and we headed to Portland. I was nervous, but more than ever during the past 6 months of training, I really felt that this was something I had to do. To make myself proud, and I especially felt it was a good time to make my dad proud.

The Runners

The thing that impressed me the most about the overall marathon, was the incredible variety of people there that I did not expect to see. Mostly, I expected to see other young, wiry, strong-hearted runners...like myself. What I saw was the elites...those people who run 26.2 miles faster than I can sprint the 100, and who were competing with one another for the prize money that they hoped would be their salary. I saw people in their 80's! I saw old couples with silver hair, holding hands, smiling in excitement that finally, after all those years of marriage, they were going to get to share this great accomplishment. I saw people in wheelchairs, whose legs were hidden or missing and whose arms were totally ripped. I saw older ladies wearing swishy pants, in groups, with silly team names (like "The Walkie Talkies") giggling and gossiping, not just at the finish line, but during the entire race! I saw two men back from Iraq, in their full army cammo suits, with their full 40-lb packs, and their BOOTS, who were going to walk the marathon in honor of friends they lost at war. I saw crippled men and women...who had hunch back shoulders, severe scoliosis, arthritis that would slow almost anyone else on earth down, and legs that were so mis-shaped, I was (wrongly) surprised to see them at the starting line. But more than surprised, I found myself in deep admiration for these people, who all overcame self-doubt to do this great event! Most fully able-bodied people say they can't do it (they can), but everyone here lacked that doubt, and went straight for the marathon! How wonderful!

Family

Although my family couldn't be there, I felt a great sense of family comradery as everyone in Isaac's family (minus his sister who is in Ohio for school) was there to cheer me on. Popping up every 5 miles or so to give me regular updates about how my dad was doing, bring me little running snacks, and shout my name! The guys acted as videographers and photographers (so we can share with my parents later). Isaac's dad went about a mile with me. Isaac jumped in and ran with me a few times too, even though the only thing he had to wear was dress shoes and jeans. I may have been tired, or faded, but I definitely felt loved.

The Race

During the first half of the race, I felt strong and alive. I suppose that is to be expected. Isaac ran with me around the half-way point. He asked me if I would do it again. I said "yeah totally! I may even do it next year!"

By the time I got to mile 19 and Isaac's dad was on the course with me, he asked how I was feeling. "Everything hurts," I said, "Everything." Did he think I would do it again, "I don't know. Everything hurts."

Up the hill to the St.John's bridge, I got a second wind. I plowed right through the hill that was making others cry and moan. There were army soldiers and several ambulances standing by, just in case, because yeah...it was that kinda hill.

By mile 23, I kept almost reaching runner's Euphoria...a state of mind and body where the runner is almost daydreaming, unaware that their body is even moving forward, but doing so mechanically, and then voila! When they snap out of it, 5 miles have gone by and they can see the finish line!

Well, my runner's euphoria kept being interrupted just as it began. I'd start to slip into that blessed state, and then a big whiff of raw sewage would waft through the air and punch me in the face. You know that smell, the kind that instantly makes you more alert than you care to be.

By mile 23 (Curse you, Mile 23!), also, I was starting to have my mental collapse. I was getting emotional, my brain was telling my body that the pain was worse than it was. The mile began to felt like 2.... I just wanted mile 23 to be over. Where was mile 24 already!? I passed some guy, who looked crazy, who said "Don't worry, kiddo. You've got less than 2 miles to the finish line!"

Less than two miles? What did he mean less than two miles? Was he lying to me. I could do serious damage if he was lying to me. I caught up to another runner. "Is it true? Less than two?" "Yeah," she huffed. "Those teenage girls on the sidelines back there turned the 24 sign around so we couldn't read it. I gave them serious hell for it." "Oh, thanks...for the hell."

Eventually, the pain almost stopped me. I pushed through! When the finish banner came into sight, there was a hoard of crowd all around me. I'm sure they were all screaming and cheering (that's what I'm told). But I had only one thing in sight: the finish line. I was deaf to all the cheering. I saw nothing but my goal. My eyes teared up, I cried, and my legs became more spry and got me through! I had done it! I finished it!

The Day After

All I can really say about today is that, although I am proud, I am in serious pain. I may have conquered 26.2 miles of my favorite city by running on foot yesterday morning, but a 4-step staircase today is a nearly impossible feat that causes great pain and requires assistance. A walk across the living room to the bathroom takes several minutes. My muscles have been torn to shreds and need some time to rebuild themselves.

In the meantime, I'm a marathoner! I ran a marathon. And nobody can ever take that accomplishment away from me.

I love you mom and dad. I'm sorry you didn't get to make it, but I'm glad you were where you needed to be in order to be well again.

2.5 days

2009-10-01T12:53:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow I fly to Oregon. Saturday, I introduce my parents to my future in-laws. Sunday, I run the Portland Marathon!

It has been a very stressful and sad week. It may have interrupted my "mental preparation," but there's nothing I can do about that now.

A weekend in Oregon, and 26.2 miles on my feet, and I will return to Arizona a marathon runner!

Can't say I'll take on the challenge again at this point, but I'm glad I made a season in my life to challenge myself to something truly difficult, both mentally and physically. (And let me just say, if you've never taken up long distance running, you may NOT tell me that it is not mentally challenging.)

I will post next week about the marathon and I'm sure I'll have some thoughts and feelings to share about it.

My Final Training Run and Wonderful Fiance

2009-09-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, I have been having serious anxiety about the race. See post below for details.

My fiance, seeing my anxiety, has been having, on average, three pep talks a day to get me confident and pumped up. He's a good man, and he loves me. I love him.

Don't worry! Don't leave! I'm not about to get mushy and weird on you.

Today was my final long-ish run. 8-10 miles was required of my legs to be prepared for the big day. Which, by the way, is in just under 7 days. Oh boy.

Today I felt a big gaping hole where my confidence in myself should be. Isaac saw that missing piece and decided to patch it up.

Quick background: Isaac used to run sometimes with two friends of his. They were both half his size and twice as fast and efficient as him. He did it to get into shape. But he's not a "runner" per se, and he hates the activity. It's boring. Aside from the fact that he hasn't done any actual running in over a year, since the last time we went running together, he's an otherwise very physically fit person. He's recently been swimming at least a mile a day, and when he doesn't do that, he's lifting, working on his core, cycling, mountain biking, and being totally awesome.

So today, my non-runner fiance decided that I needed to get totally pumped up for the big day. He, (have I mentioned he's a non runner?) went on my 10 miler. The entire time we were running together, I felt like time just flew by.

We got to talk about how we want to raise our future children. What kinds of toys are allowed, no TV allowed, what sorts of movies they'll be allowed to watch, no video games with violence, etc. (In the end, we determined our kids will probably think we're really lame until they're about 20). In between wistfully discussing our future and our family, Isaac kept telling me how proud he was of me, how awesome I was doing, how great my form was, how good I looked running, how steady I kept my pace, how awesome I was, and how pumped he was that he'd be able to tell our future children that their mother once ran a marathon!

So, aside from being reminded one stride at a time how lucky I am to be marrying someone who is so uplifting, supportive, and loving, I'm feeling pretty pumped about my marathon. Even if I'm not thrilled with my time or my performance, even if I'm in pain, exhausted, or struggling on race day, when I cross that line, the man that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with (um, whoa) is going to be beaming with pride.

And I gotta say, that alone feels really good.

Marathoner's Worst Nightmare

2009-09-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

Right now, for this marathoner, it seems that my worst nightmare is...the marathon.

I passed the stages of excitement, confidence, and pride. Now, I'm terrified. I did great training in Oregon...until my knee started acting like poop.

But, I am running for Girls on the Run! And it's too late for the organization to refund the donors' money, so I'm running it regardless, to honor the good intentions of the people who donated to my fund raising cause.

Come to find out, no matter how in shape you are in Oregon, when you get back to 6,000 feet in Arizona, you don't feel in shape. At all. I feel like I have to learn to breathe all over again! It's not as easy as it was on the farm.

Of course, as the date looms closer, I've been having one anxiety incident after another. I'm supposed to be tapering off my training, but feel like I should be working harder to stay caught up! What to do what to do...

Add this to a series of literal nightmares in my sleep, I'm so nervous. I'm not so much aiming to finish it at this point as to just get it over with. Here are my dreams:

1. I am running the marathon with just two girls. Who seem to mix marathon running with gymnastics and break dancing. They intimidate me. Where are all the other runners?! Am I ahead of the crowd or really far behind?

2. I forgot to get my registration packet, and don't realize it until I'm already running the race. I don't have my BIB. This is a great concern to me in my dream. How can I be running without my BIB?

3. I am always running around the 2-mile marker and not making any progress. I have 24.2 miles to go but can't get past the first two miles!

4. I lost or forgot the electronic chip to go on my shoe, and because my progress and speed cannot be tracked, the marathon people think I'm cheating and kick me out of the race.

So, I apologize for a negative post in which I'm completely FREAKING OUT, but if I can't be honest, what else can I be?

I'm hoping that as I get my mental thoughts more organized, I begin to feel excited about what I'm about to accomplish again. We shall see, we shall see! Think good running thoughts for me!