New Age

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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!