First Anniversary Dive Video

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.