Hawaiian Sunset at Hapuna Beach
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Tsunami alert!!
There is a tsunami heading our way because of the earthquake in Chile! So far, there hasn't been much action. We are watching the events on TV. Most of the action is on the other side of the Island from us. The water has sucked out from the shore and is now coming back in. The water will keep on doing that until the event subsides. The weather man says it could take hours to days before we see the full effects of the tsunamai. I will keep posting updates as things happen. Thank you for your prayers, emails, and calls. We appreciate your concern.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Jenna's Birthday
January 6 was Jenna’s 9th birthday. It’s so hard to believe that she is that old already! Where does the time go?? We let her have a birthday party with her classmates…thankfully she has a small class!! We had 13 kids there and it went really well. We held it at a park not far from our house. The best thing about that is that I didn’t have to entertain the kids! This park is awesome and has tons of things for the kids to do. I had a hard time getting them to come back for cake and ice cream! Jenna wanted a Hello Kitty themed party, so I asked a friend of mine to make her a Hello Kitty cake. It turned out sooo cute!! I provided a few snacks, the cake and ice cream, and that was it! The park provided the rest of the fun! It was great and Jenna had a lot of fun. AJ and I bought her a stand up paddle board for her birthday. Stand up paddle boarding is just like it sounds. You stand up on a board and paddle. It takes a lot of balance and core strength, which I don’t have much of! We tried it before Christmas and thought it was a lot of fun. Jenna was a natural! AJ tipped over a few times, but he was being a lot more daring than me! I was just glad that I could stand on it and not fall over! The water has been pretty rough since we got it, so Jenna has only had it out once since we got it, but I’m sure we’ll get out there more. That's all for now. Until next time...aloha!
Friday, February 19, 2010
2009 Year in Review
I actually had a little extra time this week so I finished writing my "year in review." It's really long, so you might want to grab a cup of coffee! :-)
2009 – Year in Review
January – We began our first full year in Hawaii! It was strange to have mid-70’s to 80 degrees for temperatures, but we were not complaining after just spending Christmas in Wisconsin with below zero temps!! AJ was busy at Kona Queen, working 5-6 days a week, 10-12 hour days. Jenna started school again after a 3-week break. Lynn was busy working on her resume and applying for jobs.
February – AJ continued to be very busy at work—working long days. This is the busiest time of the year for Kona Queen. Lynn started working for Hospice of Kona the first week of February. She had her first day of work the same day our first visitors came! Dick and Jody from Darlington stayed with us for 10 days and we had a great time showing them around the Island. After they left, more friends came. This time, John and Julie and their 3 kids from Iowa came. It was so great to see them! Having visitors is like having built in babysitters for days when Jenna is off school and AJ and I are both working! It’s awesome!!
March – AJ was still busy at work, but not working quite as many weekends. Lynn was in full swing with her job at Hospice. She had 2 or 3 weeks of training and then was given a full load of patients and was completely on her own. It was quite stressful, but it all worked out. On the job training is often best in hindsight! We continued to have visitors - Jeff and Karen from Mineral Point, and Tueschers and Vitures from Darlington. We love sharing the beauty of this Island with our friends and taking them to our favorite places to eat!
April – More of the same for AJ and Lynn – keeping busy at work, and Jenna at school. AJ’s Mom and her husband came and spent time with us. Jenna was on Spring Break, so she got to spend more time with them than AJ and I! She was their personal tour guide which we discovered she is very good at and had done several times since!! I got my hair cut just before Easter. I realize that getting my hair cut is no big deal, but the story behind it is actually pretty funny and worth putting in the “year review,” especially since I didn’t tell the story when it happened. I had been thinking about doing something different with my hair, but wasn’t sure what to do. I’m not real talented in that area! The day I got my hair cut, I had gotten a massage in the morning. After the massage I took a shower and just let my hair dry on its own. When I do that it just hangs in my face, flat as a pancake! It looked pretty bad when I went into the salon. I was a little nervous when I first walked in the door because I thought the lady cutting my hair only cut “older” people’s hair. Now before I get myself in trouble with the “older” generation, let me explain! She had red hats and purple things everywhere in her salon! I was really hoping that she would know how to cut someone’s hair that was not a “red-hatter!” She asked me what I wanted done with my hair. I told her I wasn’t sure, but I was open to suggestions. She promptly said, “Good, ‘cause I’ve got some!” I was a little taken back at first, but then I was like “well, she’s right. I do need some help!” She showed me a picture of the style she was thinking of and I liked it, so I told her to go for it. I figured it I didn’t like it, it would always grow back, right? Well, she cut and she cut and the end product is what you see in the pictures. I like it and it is really fast and easy to style, which for me, is a huge bonus!!
May – Our friend Marleen and her cousins came for a visit. It was great having them, but it was way too short of a visit!! School…work…etc…some things don’t change!
June – Jenna finished her first year at Kona Christian Academy. She did great and made a lot of good friends. We learned that it is quite expensive to have babysitters in Hawaii! Thank goodness I only work part time! AJ’s Aunt Tudy and her friend Rosi came for a visit. It’s always so nice to have family come and see where we live. Jenna was again the tour guide and she did a great job! Except that I think she talks too much! I wonder who she gets that from…?
July – Jenna took swimming lessons. She got through Level 3 without any difficulty. On to Level 4 next year! We took a family vacation to Maui and since I never got around to telling you about it then, I will give you the story now. Sorry it took me so long to tell you and I’m sorry it’s so long!! Enjoy! It was a short, but fun trip…that almost didn’t happen! We were scheduled to leave on Thursday. I was verifying our flights online on Tuesday night (at about 10pm) and I read that we should check in 24hrs in advance. I thought this was kind of strange, especially for an inter-island flight. I called the airlines and shockingly discovered that this particular airline no longer flew out of Kona! The airline had made the change about 2 weeks before and apparently didn’t feel the need to inform any of their customers!! Our options were minimal and awful! We could fly out of a different town, but we would have had to get up at about 3am and drive for an hour to catch the plane. Plus we couldn’t come back until Monday, which would have caused problems for both of our jobs. So after much discussion at 10:30 at night, we decided to cancel the tickets we had and book on another airline. Of course that airline had closed its ticketing office at 10pm, so I had to wait until the next morning to book them. And because I was booking them so late (we were planning to leave the next day) of course we paid an enormous amount of money for them!! But we had a car and hotel already booked, so we decided to just book them anyway.
Thankfully, we didn’t have any other problems and had a very enjoyable trip. The first day, we left before daylight and arrived in Maui as the sun was rising. It was very pretty. We rode on a 9 passenger sesna plane. It was actually very smooth and the flight was only about 20 minutes. We picked up our rental car and drove to the other side of the Island to a town called Hana. The “Road to Hana” is actually a well known tourist attraction. It is a very winding road and claims you will cross 56 bridges. We tried counting, but lost track. Some of the bridges were very cool. There were dates on most of them – some dating back to 1908! Many of them were made of white cement…There are many beautiful overlooks, one in which we stopped at specifically because I was getting car sick after driving around so many curves!! Unfortunately for AJ, he had to drive the whole thing while I took a nap so I could get over feeling sick! When we finally arrived in Hana, we went to the Haleakala National Park (pronounced Ha-lee-uk-a-la). We hiked 2 miles up a rough trail, over rocks, tree roots, over a couple bridges and through a beautiful bamboo forest. It’s my favorite part of the hike! Jenna liked it too-she thought it was “fun, great and cool!” I’ve posted a few pictures. At the end of the hike we were treated to a view of Wiamoku Falls--a beautiful waterfall!! It flows 400 feet down a rocky wall. It is really worth the time spent hiking! We hiked the 2 miles back out with Jenna, our fearless leader leading the way! She did such a great job and didn’t get tired or cranky at all! We checked out an area called the “Seven Sacred Pools” where we could have gone swimming, but we didn’t have our suits on and we needed to get driving to the hotel. We headed back up the “Road to Hana” and just about the time I was getting sick again, we had to stop for road construction. We were stopped for about 45 minutes, which got really old, but we all took naps and I got over feeling car sick! It was a pain, but it worked out OK in the end!
We went to a couple of different beaches. One called “Big Beach” was appropriately named as it was a VERY big beach! The water was pretty rough. Jenna didn’t want to get too close the water for fear of getting pummeled by the water or swept away! She had a ball just getting tossed around in the water after the waves broke on shore. I joined her in letting the waves push us and roll us around. One time I had my back to the ocean (exactly what I am NOT supposed to do!) and a wave took me by surprise. I did several summersaults before I could get myself back on my feet! That’s not very fun…trust me! The other beach we went to was nice too; not quite as rough. We tried to snorkel, but the water was not real clear. There was a race going on while we were there. People were swimming in the water and running on shore so we tried to stay out of the way! Even though the beaches were great, they did not compare to the pool in Jenna’s eyes! She would have stayed at the hotel all day and swam in the pool if we would have let her!
Our second day in Maui we went to the Maui Aquatic Center. It was a great aquarium and we had a lot of fun! It was shark week, so we learned a lot about sharks and saw the biologists in the tank WITH the sharks! That would have been so scary!! They didn’t seem scared at all. They claimed that there is only something like 5 deaths per year worldwide from shark bites. They didn’t mention how many attacks and injured people there were each year! I don’t think I really want to know that anyway! We saw them feeding the sting rays. That was pretty cool. I got some good pictures. I posted a few.
We strolled along Front Street, which is the street that goes right along the ocean. There are all kinds of shops and restaurants along the street. One whole block along Front Street contains a HUGE, GIGANTIC banyan tree. The tree literally takes up the entire block! It’s so cool! Banyan trees continue to grow by putting more roots down into the ground from their branches. It’s hard to believe that this is really just one tree, but it really is! Pictures don’t do it justice, but I posted a few just to give you an idea.
One of the last things that we saw was the ‘Iao Valley and ‘Iao Needle. This is a historical place in Hawaii where the people used to watch for their enemy from the ‘Iao Needle, a tall projection of land that allowed the warriors to see the enemy coming from a long way away. The story goes that the king from the Big Island came to battle the king on Maui and a terrible war ensued. So many people died that the valley was full of dead bodies and the river was clogged up! That’s amazing… and gross too!! It wasn’t super exciting, but it was neat to tour and learn a little more history of the Islands.
August – Our friends Scott and Sharon from Darlington visited. We got to “meet” their baby and we looked forward to meeting her for real in December! Jenna was not in school yet, so she was again the tour guide. She affectionately became known as, “J”PS instead of GPS! She started 3rd grade at the end of August. She’s growing up too fast!!
September – We celebrated our ONE YEAR anniversary of living in Hawaii. We were amazed at how fast it went! AJ’s work got busier this month as the mite was discovered in bee hives on this side of the Island. He spent many hours with Gus and Bob going to meetings, and learning from researchers and experts about the best ways to treat their hives. Even though treating for mites was not new to AJ, treating them in a queen bee operation was different and he learned there are different things to take into account. It was a busy time for him, but things went well.
October – This year all three of us helped at the Ironman Triathlon again. Jenna was at an aide station for the volunteers and AJ and I were fortunate enough to be at the Finish Line! We were “catchers.” We got to help the athletes after they crossed the finish line. We got to be there when the “Pros” came in. We saw the winners cross—Craig Alexander for the men and Crissy Wellington for the women. They both set records. Craig for the fastest marathon (the 3rd leg of the race! I don’t know how he had the energy left to run that fast!) and Crissy for the fastest time for a woman to finish the race- in less than 9 hours! That’s amazing!! It was so cool to see all the athletes finish the race. It was fun to talk to people from all over the world. Some of them were disappointed in how they did, but I think anyone that even tries to do this race is amazing!! It’s such a grueling competition and a really long day! Some of the athletes needed the entire time to finish—17 hours!! I went back at the end and saw the last few people finish. It was so amazing to see their resolve to finish. I got to see a former Biggest Loser contestant. He finished with only a few minutes to spare! I was paired up with a man for catching who was waiting for his wife to finish. She didn’t finish the race on time (she missed it by about 20 minutes) but she was so determined to finish that she had people helping her to walk. When she crossed the finish line, she was crying, her husband was crying, her children were crying and of course when I saw all of them crying, I had to join in too!! It was an amazing, beautiful sight! After they put her on a stretcher and started wheeling her away, I could see her lift up her arm to check her time on her watch! Always a competitor, even when she was down! It was so wonderful to be a part of the experience! A few weeks later, Jenna and I dressed up for Halloween. She was Dorothy and I was the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. It was a lot of fun! We also got Midnight, our pet guinea pig, this month.
November – This month was a time for celebrating. My Birthday and our Anniversary! We were able to get dressed up and go out for a nice dinner - something we don’t do very often. For Thanksgiving we went to our church for dinner and after that, we went to Gus and Sandy’s for more food! Don’t you just love the holidays!?
December – We enjoyed Jenna’s Christmas concert for school and AJ and I participated in their churches Christmas program. Aj ran the sound booth and I sang with the choir. I actually sang a duet/solo too! Scary I know! I’m not a good singer, and it was really scary, but it actually wasn’t too bad. I don’t think I will do that very often…too much stress! We had a great time over Christmas spending time with family and friends in Wisconsin.
We can’t believe how fast the year went by! It was a great year and we were blessed in many ways. In addition to what is listed here, we enjoyed many hours of fun in the sun, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, watching dolphins, fish, and humpback whales…all interspersed throughout the year. Thank you for keeping up with what’s going on in our lives and we look forward to sharing more with you as 2010 unfolds! Until next time...aloha!
2009 – Year in Review
January – We began our first full year in Hawaii! It was strange to have mid-70’s to 80 degrees for temperatures, but we were not complaining after just spending Christmas in Wisconsin with below zero temps!! AJ was busy at Kona Queen, working 5-6 days a week, 10-12 hour days. Jenna started school again after a 3-week break. Lynn was busy working on her resume and applying for jobs.
February – AJ continued to be very busy at work—working long days. This is the busiest time of the year for Kona Queen. Lynn started working for Hospice of Kona the first week of February. She had her first day of work the same day our first visitors came! Dick and Jody from Darlington stayed with us for 10 days and we had a great time showing them around the Island. After they left, more friends came. This time, John and Julie and their 3 kids from Iowa came. It was so great to see them! Having visitors is like having built in babysitters for days when Jenna is off school and AJ and I are both working! It’s awesome!!
March – AJ was still busy at work, but not working quite as many weekends. Lynn was in full swing with her job at Hospice. She had 2 or 3 weeks of training and then was given a full load of patients and was completely on her own. It was quite stressful, but it all worked out. On the job training is often best in hindsight! We continued to have visitors - Jeff and Karen from Mineral Point, and Tueschers and Vitures from Darlington. We love sharing the beauty of this Island with our friends and taking them to our favorite places to eat!
April – More of the same for AJ and Lynn – keeping busy at work, and Jenna at school. AJ’s Mom and her husband came and spent time with us. Jenna was on Spring Break, so she got to spend more time with them than AJ and I! She was their personal tour guide which we discovered she is very good at and had done several times since!! I got my hair cut just before Easter. I realize that getting my hair cut is no big deal, but the story behind it is actually pretty funny and worth putting in the “year review,” especially since I didn’t tell the story when it happened. I had been thinking about doing something different with my hair, but wasn’t sure what to do. I’m not real talented in that area! The day I got my hair cut, I had gotten a massage in the morning. After the massage I took a shower and just let my hair dry on its own. When I do that it just hangs in my face, flat as a pancake! It looked pretty bad when I went into the salon. I was a little nervous when I first walked in the door because I thought the lady cutting my hair only cut “older” people’s hair. Now before I get myself in trouble with the “older” generation, let me explain! She had red hats and purple things everywhere in her salon! I was really hoping that she would know how to cut someone’s hair that was not a “red-hatter!” She asked me what I wanted done with my hair. I told her I wasn’t sure, but I was open to suggestions. She promptly said, “Good, ‘cause I’ve got some!” I was a little taken back at first, but then I was like “well, she’s right. I do need some help!” She showed me a picture of the style she was thinking of and I liked it, so I told her to go for it. I figured it I didn’t like it, it would always grow back, right? Well, she cut and she cut and the end product is what you see in the pictures. I like it and it is really fast and easy to style, which for me, is a huge bonus!!
May – Our friend Marleen and her cousins came for a visit. It was great having them, but it was way too short of a visit!! School…work…etc…some things don’t change!
June – Jenna finished her first year at Kona Christian Academy. She did great and made a lot of good friends. We learned that it is quite expensive to have babysitters in Hawaii! Thank goodness I only work part time! AJ’s Aunt Tudy and her friend Rosi came for a visit. It’s always so nice to have family come and see where we live. Jenna was again the tour guide and she did a great job! Except that I think she talks too much! I wonder who she gets that from…?
July – Jenna took swimming lessons. She got through Level 3 without any difficulty. On to Level 4 next year! We took a family vacation to Maui and since I never got around to telling you about it then, I will give you the story now. Sorry it took me so long to tell you and I’m sorry it’s so long!! Enjoy! It was a short, but fun trip…that almost didn’t happen! We were scheduled to leave on Thursday. I was verifying our flights online on Tuesday night (at about 10pm) and I read that we should check in 24hrs in advance. I thought this was kind of strange, especially for an inter-island flight. I called the airlines and shockingly discovered that this particular airline no longer flew out of Kona! The airline had made the change about 2 weeks before and apparently didn’t feel the need to inform any of their customers!! Our options were minimal and awful! We could fly out of a different town, but we would have had to get up at about 3am and drive for an hour to catch the plane. Plus we couldn’t come back until Monday, which would have caused problems for both of our jobs. So after much discussion at 10:30 at night, we decided to cancel the tickets we had and book on another airline. Of course that airline had closed its ticketing office at 10pm, so I had to wait until the next morning to book them. And because I was booking them so late (we were planning to leave the next day) of course we paid an enormous amount of money for them!! But we had a car and hotel already booked, so we decided to just book them anyway.
Thankfully, we didn’t have any other problems and had a very enjoyable trip. The first day, we left before daylight and arrived in Maui as the sun was rising. It was very pretty. We rode on a 9 passenger sesna plane. It was actually very smooth and the flight was only about 20 minutes. We picked up our rental car and drove to the other side of the Island to a town called Hana. The “Road to Hana” is actually a well known tourist attraction. It is a very winding road and claims you will cross 56 bridges. We tried counting, but lost track. Some of the bridges were very cool. There were dates on most of them – some dating back to 1908! Many of them were made of white cement…There are many beautiful overlooks, one in which we stopped at specifically because I was getting car sick after driving around so many curves!! Unfortunately for AJ, he had to drive the whole thing while I took a nap so I could get over feeling sick! When we finally arrived in Hana, we went to the Haleakala National Park (pronounced Ha-lee-uk-a-la). We hiked 2 miles up a rough trail, over rocks, tree roots, over a couple bridges and through a beautiful bamboo forest. It’s my favorite part of the hike! Jenna liked it too-she thought it was “fun, great and cool!” I’ve posted a few pictures. At the end of the hike we were treated to a view of Wiamoku Falls--a beautiful waterfall!! It flows 400 feet down a rocky wall. It is really worth the time spent hiking! We hiked the 2 miles back out with Jenna, our fearless leader leading the way! She did such a great job and didn’t get tired or cranky at all! We checked out an area called the “Seven Sacred Pools” where we could have gone swimming, but we didn’t have our suits on and we needed to get driving to the hotel. We headed back up the “Road to Hana” and just about the time I was getting sick again, we had to stop for road construction. We were stopped for about 45 minutes, which got really old, but we all took naps and I got over feeling car sick! It was a pain, but it worked out OK in the end!
We went to a couple of different beaches. One called “Big Beach” was appropriately named as it was a VERY big beach! The water was pretty rough. Jenna didn’t want to get too close the water for fear of getting pummeled by the water or swept away! She had a ball just getting tossed around in the water after the waves broke on shore. I joined her in letting the waves push us and roll us around. One time I had my back to the ocean (exactly what I am NOT supposed to do!) and a wave took me by surprise. I did several summersaults before I could get myself back on my feet! That’s not very fun…trust me! The other beach we went to was nice too; not quite as rough. We tried to snorkel, but the water was not real clear. There was a race going on while we were there. People were swimming in the water and running on shore so we tried to stay out of the way! Even though the beaches were great, they did not compare to the pool in Jenna’s eyes! She would have stayed at the hotel all day and swam in the pool if we would have let her!
Our second day in Maui we went to the Maui Aquatic Center. It was a great aquarium and we had a lot of fun! It was shark week, so we learned a lot about sharks and saw the biologists in the tank WITH the sharks! That would have been so scary!! They didn’t seem scared at all. They claimed that there is only something like 5 deaths per year worldwide from shark bites. They didn’t mention how many attacks and injured people there were each year! I don’t think I really want to know that anyway! We saw them feeding the sting rays. That was pretty cool. I got some good pictures. I posted a few.
We strolled along Front Street, which is the street that goes right along the ocean. There are all kinds of shops and restaurants along the street. One whole block along Front Street contains a HUGE, GIGANTIC banyan tree. The tree literally takes up the entire block! It’s so cool! Banyan trees continue to grow by putting more roots down into the ground from their branches. It’s hard to believe that this is really just one tree, but it really is! Pictures don’t do it justice, but I posted a few just to give you an idea.
One of the last things that we saw was the ‘Iao Valley and ‘Iao Needle. This is a historical place in Hawaii where the people used to watch for their enemy from the ‘Iao Needle, a tall projection of land that allowed the warriors to see the enemy coming from a long way away. The story goes that the king from the Big Island came to battle the king on Maui and a terrible war ensued. So many people died that the valley was full of dead bodies and the river was clogged up! That’s amazing… and gross too!! It wasn’t super exciting, but it was neat to tour and learn a little more history of the Islands.
August – Our friends Scott and Sharon from Darlington visited. We got to “meet” their baby and we looked forward to meeting her for real in December! Jenna was not in school yet, so she was again the tour guide. She affectionately became known as, “J”PS instead of GPS! She started 3rd grade at the end of August. She’s growing up too fast!!
September – We celebrated our ONE YEAR anniversary of living in Hawaii. We were amazed at how fast it went! AJ’s work got busier this month as the mite was discovered in bee hives on this side of the Island. He spent many hours with Gus and Bob going to meetings, and learning from researchers and experts about the best ways to treat their hives. Even though treating for mites was not new to AJ, treating them in a queen bee operation was different and he learned there are different things to take into account. It was a busy time for him, but things went well.
October – This year all three of us helped at the Ironman Triathlon again. Jenna was at an aide station for the volunteers and AJ and I were fortunate enough to be at the Finish Line! We were “catchers.” We got to help the athletes after they crossed the finish line. We got to be there when the “Pros” came in. We saw the winners cross—Craig Alexander for the men and Crissy Wellington for the women. They both set records. Craig for the fastest marathon (the 3rd leg of the race! I don’t know how he had the energy left to run that fast!) and Crissy for the fastest time for a woman to finish the race- in less than 9 hours! That’s amazing!! It was so cool to see all the athletes finish the race. It was fun to talk to people from all over the world. Some of them were disappointed in how they did, but I think anyone that even tries to do this race is amazing!! It’s such a grueling competition and a really long day! Some of the athletes needed the entire time to finish—17 hours!! I went back at the end and saw the last few people finish. It was so amazing to see their resolve to finish. I got to see a former Biggest Loser contestant. He finished with only a few minutes to spare! I was paired up with a man for catching who was waiting for his wife to finish. She didn’t finish the race on time (she missed it by about 20 minutes) but she was so determined to finish that she had people helping her to walk. When she crossed the finish line, she was crying, her husband was crying, her children were crying and of course when I saw all of them crying, I had to join in too!! It was an amazing, beautiful sight! After they put her on a stretcher and started wheeling her away, I could see her lift up her arm to check her time on her watch! Always a competitor, even when she was down! It was so wonderful to be a part of the experience! A few weeks later, Jenna and I dressed up for Halloween. She was Dorothy and I was the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. It was a lot of fun! We also got Midnight, our pet guinea pig, this month.
November – This month was a time for celebrating. My Birthday and our Anniversary! We were able to get dressed up and go out for a nice dinner - something we don’t do very often. For Thanksgiving we went to our church for dinner and after that, we went to Gus and Sandy’s for more food! Don’t you just love the holidays!?
December – We enjoyed Jenna’s Christmas concert for school and AJ and I participated in their churches Christmas program. Aj ran the sound booth and I sang with the choir. I actually sang a duet/solo too! Scary I know! I’m not a good singer, and it was really scary, but it actually wasn’t too bad. I don’t think I will do that very often…too much stress! We had a great time over Christmas spending time with family and friends in Wisconsin.
We can’t believe how fast the year went by! It was a great year and we were blessed in many ways. In addition to what is listed here, we enjoyed many hours of fun in the sun, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, watching dolphins, fish, and humpback whales…all interspersed throughout the year. Thank you for keeping up with what’s going on in our lives and we look forward to sharing more with you as 2010 unfolds! Until next time...aloha!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
AJ saves the day---AGAIN!
Yes, it’s true. He did it again! Well, OK, he didn’t save a co-worker this time, but he did save 2 stranded kayakers. We had friends visiting from Darlington a couple weeks ago and we went kayaking across the Bay. We were on our way back and we saw these 2 people in the water next to their kayak. We didn’t think anything of it at first because a lot people get out of their kayaks to snorkel or swim with the dolphins. But then we thought we saw somebody waving to us. AJ decided to check it out. It turns out these people had a crack in their kayak and it was filling with water. They couldn’t get the water out because it was in between somehow. AJ tried to pull them, but with the weight of the water and the 2 people it was very difficult! He decided to pull them to shore and go back to the boat dock area and have someone bring them a different kayak. By this time, Steve, Diane and I had paddled over to see if we could help too. I took Jenna from AJ’s kayak and had the lady hang on to my kayak so AJ’s load was lightened a little. It didn’t even look like he was moving, but eventually he was able to pull the man and the kayak to shore. He pulled the kayak up onto the rocks and then we went back to the boat landing to get them help. It all turned out OK thankfully! We’re going kayaking again this coming weekend and I’m a little nervous about what we might get ourselves into!! But, on the other hand, I guess AJ has proven that he will take care of us whatever the situation!
While we were over by the Captain Cook Monument in the Bay we saw 2 humpback whales swim by! It was so amazing! They were so close to shore!! I got some pretty good pictures and I took some video. I posted some pictures and I tried to post the video, but I think it’s too big and it wouldn’t upload. Oh well. I think you’ll get the idea from the pictures. Better yet, come visit us and you can see the whales for yourself!! We have visitors here again now…our good friends Brock and Karen. We are having such a good time! I’ll try and post a summary of our adventures, and hopefully it won’t be 6 months from now!! Well, that’s all for now. Until next time…aloha!
While we were over by the Captain Cook Monument in the Bay we saw 2 humpback whales swim by! It was so amazing! They were so close to shore!! I got some pretty good pictures and I took some video. I posted some pictures and I tried to post the video, but I think it’s too big and it wouldn’t upload. Oh well. I think you’ll get the idea from the pictures. Better yet, come visit us and you can see the whales for yourself!! We have visitors here again now…our good friends Brock and Karen. We are having such a good time! I’ll try and post a summary of our adventures, and hopefully it won’t be 6 months from now!! Well, that’s all for now. Until next time…aloha!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wacky Weather!
How is the weather on the Mainland? We are in the middle of a drought here. Winter is typically dry, but we are VERY dry! People that have lived here for a long time say this is the driest it has been in a very long time. In late December and early January we had REALLY nasty weather! We were on the Mainland so we missed most of it. We were told that there was thunder and lightening. Out in the ocean, near the airport, there were 2 water spouts spotted. Apparently, water spouts are like tornadoes, only made of water. I wish I could have seen that! That would have been scary, but cool to see!! The thought is that the lightening started fires up the mountain from us. The fires burned for several weeks. There were 2 fires--one north of us and one south of us. The smoke was so bad, you could smell it almost everyday. It was really hard on people that have respiratory problems. Most of my patients were affected in some degree. Thankfully, they are pretty much out now. But, since it is so dry, I imagine they could start again!
AJ has begun his busy season. He works 10-12 hours a day now and most all day on Saturday. It not fun having him gone so long, but we know it's only for a few weeks. Work for me is getting better. My hours have been a little more manageable. That really helps with the stress. Jenna continues to do well in school. She just got her report card and we are very proud to say that she made the honor roll!
I still need to tell you about Jenna's birthday party, and I am almost finished writing up a "2009 year in review." I hope to get them both posted this next week. We have friends coming to visit starting on Friday, and we will have people here off and on for the next 3 weeks. I can't wait! It's so fun having visitors!!
I need to run now. AJ, Jenna and I are leaving to go to a movie...Alvin and the Chipmunks, I think. AJ and I are REALLY excited about that!! I hope it's good! I hope to be back very soon. Until next time...aloha!
AJ has begun his busy season. He works 10-12 hours a day now and most all day on Saturday. It not fun having him gone so long, but we know it's only for a few weeks. Work for me is getting better. My hours have been a little more manageable. That really helps with the stress. Jenna continues to do well in school. She just got her report card and we are very proud to say that she made the honor roll!
I still need to tell you about Jenna's birthday party, and I am almost finished writing up a "2009 year in review." I hope to get them both posted this next week. We have friends coming to visit starting on Friday, and we will have people here off and on for the next 3 weeks. I can't wait! It's so fun having visitors!!
I need to run now. AJ, Jenna and I are leaving to go to a movie...Alvin and the Chipmunks, I think. AJ and I are REALLY excited about that!! I hope it's good! I hope to be back very soon. Until next time...aloha!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
AJ--life saver!
Aloha! AJ had some excitement at work yesterday. A new employee started that claimed he had worked with bees before. Well, appearently he got stung a few times and didn't tell anyone. He went into the shop to sit down, but nobody knew it. Thankfully, AJ went into the shop a while later to get something and saw this co-worker lying back in a chair. He was not responding! AJ called for help and one of his other co-workers brought in an Epi-pen and they gave him a shot! They called 911, but were afraid that it would take too long so AJ got the van and he and 2 other workers started up the hill with this guy. They met the ambulance on the road and were able to stop them. AJ told the EMTs what happened and they took him to the hospital for further treatment. He stayed a few hours and then went home. AJ thinks the Epi-pen saved him because the guy was not responding at all, although he was breathing--but you never know if/when that might have stopped! Needless to say, the guy is no longer working at Kona Queen! Thankfully he was OK!! The guy said he remembered going into the shop and sitting down, but doesn't remember anything until he felt the needle of the Epi-pen going into his leg. WOW! What a day!
We also have some sad news to report from the Howery Household. Jenna's pet betta fish died on Sunday. We've had him for almost a year. Of course, Jenna being the tender hearted little girl that she is, was/is very upset. She wants to keep him and bury him at our new house if we ever buy one. We're still discussing funeral arrangements... :-) She still has her pet guinea pig, Midnight, whom we discovered is a HE, not a SHE! Jenna is glad that he has a name for a boy or a girl! :-) I pray that he lives a good long life! Pet deaths are hard for a little girl!
Well, as usual I have more to say, but it's getting late so I better get to bed. so, until next time...aloha!
We also have some sad news to report from the Howery Household. Jenna's pet betta fish died on Sunday. We've had him for almost a year. Of course, Jenna being the tender hearted little girl that she is, was/is very upset. She wants to keep him and bury him at our new house if we ever buy one. We're still discussing funeral arrangements... :-) She still has her pet guinea pig, Midnight, whom we discovered is a HE, not a SHE! Jenna is glad that he has a name for a boy or a girl! :-) I pray that he lives a good long life! Pet deaths are hard for a little girl!
Well, as usual I have more to say, but it's getting late so I better get to bed. so, until next time...aloha!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Happy New Year!
WOW! I can't believe it has been one and half months since I last posted! Where does the time go?? Well, I have a really long one for today, so be prepared to sit awhile! Today is Jenna's 9th Birthday. I can't believe she is that old already!! Again, where does the time go?? We are having a party for her and 13 of her friends today. I will post about that later. Today I want to tell you all about our trip to Wisconsin over Christmas. We had a terrific time!!
Of course, it was very busy, but we saw lots of family and friends. We stayed at the new hotel in Darlington and got to see many of our friends the first 3 days. Jenna and her friends swam in the pool, which she loved, being the little fish that she is. But since she is not used to swimming in chlorinated water, her face and eyes were sore and red for several days. It didn’t bother her too much—she loves the water!!
We stayed at AJ’s sister’s house for a few days and got to relax and watch the winter weather. We enjoyed spending time with Sue and the family and got to “talk” to our niece’s baby (through her belly—but I’m sure he/she will recognize our voices some day! :-) We worked on puzzles and read and played with Eb, their big, fluffy, lovable dog.
We spent the next few days in Cuba City at my parent’s house. The days of quiet relaxation were done! There were 10 people staying the house-two of them being our niece and nephew that are 2 and 4 years old. Lots of noise and excitement!! Jenna had a ball playing with her cousins Ben, Jackson and Reese. AJ and I had lots of great family time talking and catching up with my parents, brothers and sisters. We put together a 1000 piece, nearly impossible puzzle that took several days! It was the most challenging puzzle I have ever made. My Dad is going to frame it so no one has to suffer through making it again! :-) We had “professional” family pictures taken the day after Christmas. I think it went very well. I can’t wait to see them!
I had a “pre-reunion” reunion with my classmates while in Cuba City. It was great seeing so many old friends that I haven’t seen in years! I counted 32 of 88 classmates, give or take a few! I can’t wait for the reunion planned for July 31, 2010. It will be great to see everyone again and hopefully some that I didn’t over Christmas!
We spent more time with AJ’s family for Christmas and went snowmobiling. I actually drove one and got up to almost 40mph! That’s pretty good for me! I’m a chicken when it comes to driving too fast! Jenna went sledding with her cousin Melanie and loved that too. Jenna enjoyed the snow –especially when it was snowing big flakes and she could catch them on her tongue!
AJ went home a week before Jenna and me. He was back at work the next day! No rest for the wicked I guess! :-) Jenna and I spent the remaining time spending more time with family and friends. We went to Milwaukee and stayed with my sister Lisa and her family. Jenna and I both loved having more time with the kids and Lisa and Aaron. Jenna spent some time with her friend Kaden and his family. It’s amazing to see how much the kids have grown in a year!
We spent New Year’s Eve with my friends Karen and Brock, and several other of our friends from our church in Darlington. It was a fun evening and so great to spend more time with everyone! I’m so excited that Brock and Karen will be coming to visit us in Hawaii in February!! I’m already counting the days!!
We were planning a birthday party for Jenna the day before we left, but unfortunately had to cancel it because Jenna got the stomach flu!! She starting throwing up about midnight and didn’t stop until 5am! Neither one of us got much sleep, but she was able to sleep the next day and finally starting feeling better about 7:30pm. She was really disappointed to miss her party, but she didn’t want to get everyone sick either.
Thank God she was better by Monday morning so we could get on the plane to head home. Thank God also that I did not get sick!! It was a long flight and I wasn’t able to sleep much. Jenna did. Of course. It seems she can sleep anywhere, in any position! We were really glad to be home. It was so good to see AJ. He met us at the airport with a beautiful flower lei for each of us! I think he missed us!??
It was a little weird being home. It seemed so surreal… sometimes I still have this mental battle within me about actually living here vs. just visiting. Everything looked like “home,” yet it sort of seemed like I was just on vacation and I would have to get on the plane again soon and leave. But then, the next day, I was doing laundry and getting groceries, and it was like “oh yeah, I do live here.” It took me most of the day to feel like I was really “home.” You probably think I’m really strange, but it’s hard to describe. “Home” used to be Wisconsin, and I was just there, feeling like I had never left, and then all of the sudden, here I am again…”home.” But the surroundings are VERY different! I’m weird, I know. I can say I now feel like I am “home” again in Hawaii and still loving it!
We home you have a wonderful New Year, full of God’s blessings! Until next time…aloha!
Of course, it was very busy, but we saw lots of family and friends. We stayed at the new hotel in Darlington and got to see many of our friends the first 3 days. Jenna and her friends swam in the pool, which she loved, being the little fish that she is. But since she is not used to swimming in chlorinated water, her face and eyes were sore and red for several days. It didn’t bother her too much—she loves the water!!
We stayed at AJ’s sister’s house for a few days and got to relax and watch the winter weather. We enjoyed spending time with Sue and the family and got to “talk” to our niece’s baby (through her belly—but I’m sure he/she will recognize our voices some day! :-) We worked on puzzles and read and played with Eb, their big, fluffy, lovable dog.
We spent the next few days in Cuba City at my parent’s house. The days of quiet relaxation were done! There were 10 people staying the house-two of them being our niece and nephew that are 2 and 4 years old. Lots of noise and excitement!! Jenna had a ball playing with her cousins Ben, Jackson and Reese. AJ and I had lots of great family time talking and catching up with my parents, brothers and sisters. We put together a 1000 piece, nearly impossible puzzle that took several days! It was the most challenging puzzle I have ever made. My Dad is going to frame it so no one has to suffer through making it again! :-) We had “professional” family pictures taken the day after Christmas. I think it went very well. I can’t wait to see them!
I had a “pre-reunion” reunion with my classmates while in Cuba City. It was great seeing so many old friends that I haven’t seen in years! I counted 32 of 88 classmates, give or take a few! I can’t wait for the reunion planned for July 31, 2010. It will be great to see everyone again and hopefully some that I didn’t over Christmas!
We spent more time with AJ’s family for Christmas and went snowmobiling. I actually drove one and got up to almost 40mph! That’s pretty good for me! I’m a chicken when it comes to driving too fast! Jenna went sledding with her cousin Melanie and loved that too. Jenna enjoyed the snow –especially when it was snowing big flakes and she could catch them on her tongue!
AJ went home a week before Jenna and me. He was back at work the next day! No rest for the wicked I guess! :-) Jenna and I spent the remaining time spending more time with family and friends. We went to Milwaukee and stayed with my sister Lisa and her family. Jenna and I both loved having more time with the kids and Lisa and Aaron. Jenna spent some time with her friend Kaden and his family. It’s amazing to see how much the kids have grown in a year!
We spent New Year’s Eve with my friends Karen and Brock, and several other of our friends from our church in Darlington. It was a fun evening and so great to spend more time with everyone! I’m so excited that Brock and Karen will be coming to visit us in Hawaii in February!! I’m already counting the days!!
We were planning a birthday party for Jenna the day before we left, but unfortunately had to cancel it because Jenna got the stomach flu!! She starting throwing up about midnight and didn’t stop until 5am! Neither one of us got much sleep, but she was able to sleep the next day and finally starting feeling better about 7:30pm. She was really disappointed to miss her party, but she didn’t want to get everyone sick either.
Thank God she was better by Monday morning so we could get on the plane to head home. Thank God also that I did not get sick!! It was a long flight and I wasn’t able to sleep much. Jenna did. Of course. It seems she can sleep anywhere, in any position! We were really glad to be home. It was so good to see AJ. He met us at the airport with a beautiful flower lei for each of us! I think he missed us!??
It was a little weird being home. It seemed so surreal… sometimes I still have this mental battle within me about actually living here vs. just visiting. Everything looked like “home,” yet it sort of seemed like I was just on vacation and I would have to get on the plane again soon and leave. But then, the next day, I was doing laundry and getting groceries, and it was like “oh yeah, I do live here.” It took me most of the day to feel like I was really “home.” You probably think I’m really strange, but it’s hard to describe. “Home” used to be Wisconsin, and I was just there, feeling like I had never left, and then all of the sudden, here I am again…”home.” But the surroundings are VERY different! I’m weird, I know. I can say I now feel like I am “home” again in Hawaii and still loving it!
We home you have a wonderful New Year, full of God’s blessings! Until next time…aloha!
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