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!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Work!
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Ciao!
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!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Getting Visual!
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!
Friday, January 1, 2010
A Very New Year!
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...
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...
Sunday, December 27, 2009
I like to boogie boogie
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!
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!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Mele Kalikimaka!
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!
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!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Colors are Good
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...
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...
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Bruised Bottom
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. :-)
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. :-)
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