HVNP is Back!!

Went hiking in Volcanoes National Park today with for the first time since its reopening. Hard to wrap my mind around the changes as the summit crater went from being a half-mile wide to three miles wide. However, even with all of the changes it still is the same place. The smells...colors...heat radiating off the black lava fields...the coolness of the wind...and the sound of crunching lava rock with each step...so good to be back! #iheartnature #bigislandbliss #HVNPisback #ohthechanges #nokilaueaglow

Earing Collection

I have never been one that has had a closet full of “girly” items such as dresses, heeled shoes, and baskets of accessories. The new job working at a school has caused my wardrobe to transform in many ways. One of those places in is earings. But I am not one to just go out and buy them. Instead, I have to find ways to learn to make things otherwise the conquest is too simple.

By accident I came across this jewelry making class that was hosted at the local library. This was my second time participating and have been trying more and more to push myself into realms of a different style.

The best part of this class though is the element of creating with other people. Like elements of my childhood, being surrounded by a group of women can be a balm on a girls heart no matter her age.

Thanks Alex for sharing your passion and holding this space for us to create in.

Full Kitchen Perks

I have been going crazy in the kitchen. I haven’t had an oven for the past three years, so I am feeling this great urge to make all of the recipes that I have been stockpiling. The latest was a pizza night. The result was a delicious BBQ chicken pizza on homemade crust and a chicken pesto on cauliflower crust. The cauliflower crust was an adventure that had excellent results. Naturally I will do this a little different in the next round, but as we all kept coming for more, I would say this full kitchen was a complete success.

Lili'uokalani

This annual September celebration has returned. I always find the Liliuokalani festival holds a certain sweetness as it was the first festival I went to after moving to the island. The highlight in the past has always been the orchids dropping from the sky to open the event. Sadly, this wasn’t possible this year as the volcano lava took the orchid farm that donated the flowers.

Still the festivities moved forward and, as is tradition, the weather was magnificent. I taiko drummers were better than I had seen yet, and I even participated in a Japanese tea ceremony. As a special treat, I ran into one of my new housemates as a she was beginning to make a lei out of ferns. The final results were a bit wild but still full of beauty.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

Well, the day after I move into my new place Hurricane Lane decided to bless us with its presence. Four days of non-stop rain followed. I recall waking up one night because I didn’t hear the sound of the rain pounding on the roof.

Hilo is known for its rain and I have seen days where we would get 4 inches in a day. But this was a marathon run. Water was everywhere causing school to be cancelled and activities confined to the house.

Day one, I organized my room. Day two, was more of the same, but my room isn’t that big and had to purchase a few things in order to finish. So day two through four I entertained myself by cleaning and reorganizing other spaces in the house. I also followed my friend Jean’s lead and attempted to make pancakes in the shape of a hurricane.

When I woke up because of the lack of rain, I got out of bed and looked at the sky. I saw the smallest blue patch appearing as the sun rose. I couldn’t stay inside any longer. I had to take advantage of the pause.

I walked to a place on the river i used to walk past frequently. I want to go to a place that I was familiar with so I could see the difference in the amount of water. The river was pumping! The waterfalls that I would normally see weren’t there. The rock island in the middle of the river - totally covered.

Walking downtown, I saw the flooded areas and whitewater rapids in places where they shouldn’t be. But then, the sun broke through the clouds. For the first time in days, I saw my shadow. It seems like a crazy thing to admit, but I stopped and waved at it like it was a long lost friend.

As you would expect it took a few days for all of it to dry up. Debris is still stacked in piles here and there and the ocean is higher than normal. As I went out today to enjoy the beautiful clear skies, I decided to go to one of my favorite beaches to see how it fared. New logs and other drift would now line the shore with coconuts bobbing in and out of the water. But with all of the turning waters other things were kicked up as well that I didn’t expect. I love to look at the sand of this beach as it has some many interesting shells and large pieces of sea glass. But today, I found a treasure of a shell that I have seen many times fashioned into jewelry: a snake-head cowrie shell. My first found on the shores of Hawaii. An unexpected effect of Hurricane Lane; however, I will gladly consider it as a token of the past week as I felt like I was surrounded by water and feel beauty of the land round me once me.

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Making the Move

In a matter of 36 hours, I have moved. Just like that. I room opened up. One that I thought would fill very quickly without a problem. I wasn’t at liberty to move because of my lease. As the room remained vacant, I thought I would start a conversation with my landlady. One thing fell into place after another, and I loaded the new car with all my things and moved a mile closer to work.  

In some ways it seemed silly to move 1 mile away from where I was originally living. However, I knew I was ready for a change. I was ready to move out of the basement level. I was ready to have a full kitchen. I was ready to have more of community feel with the opportunity to have people come and visit. I lost some things in the exchange (a washer and a bigger room) but it was worth it.

New Job at Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science

As I sit out on the couch on the lanai, I am happy with my decision. A new job, a new car, and a new place to live. It only seems fitting that all started at the same time. Big changes this month. Some that have been in the making for months, and some, like this one, that just appeared before me. I just had to decided to make the move.

Enneagram Buddy

For the past few months I have been digging deeper and deeper into a tool called the enneagram. I was introduced many years back but didn’t see its true value until this year when I watched a talk with Richard Rohr on emotional sobriety. This lead me to the book The Road Back to You by Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile. Podcasts and more reading material kept fueling this journey to better understand myself, expand my compassion for others, and lean into spiritual formation.

The enneagram also kept popping up in conversation. This is how I met Sara. We just feel into enneagram talk and never looked back. Exchanging resources and encouraging each other to take on the tougher challenges, facing things we didn’t want to admit about ourselves. She has been a blessing to have around as I just need to process things externally sometimes.

The time arrived for her to move on from this island and journey to a new one that offers her opportunities to expand her education. She will me missed. As a parting gift I decided to make her a patch with the symbol of the enneagram. My hope is that it will grab someone else’s attention continuing the conversation and taking the journey to a whole new place.

After Three Years it Finally Happened

12 days short of my 3 year anniversary on this Island, I finally bought a car! The new job is in a town 19 miles away and the need for transportation was a necessity. This all happened in a whirlwind, and would not have happened at all without the help of so many:

The Seller - Not sure if you believe in God, but this interaction and exchange dripped with divine intervention. Thank you for your generosity. You definitely display the spirit of Aloha.

Jean - You so graciously shuttled me around in my new found chaos at my new job. You are a trooper and an inspiration

Craigslist - Without you, me and my car would not have met

And finally...

Wayne - You did all of the work. Phone calls, orchestrating meeting locations for multiple individuals, asked questions, and were willing to back me on anything I needed. I would have missed this opportunity if not for you.

We are Definitely Family

The timing of my trip to Michigan was somewhat extraordinary as I was able to see so much family in such a short period of time. Cousins from far off places, new additions, and an uncle I couldn’t recall the last time I saw. Everytime I visit I find new ways to appreciate my family. I am more in tune I feel to the hurts of the past, and the way they affect the happenings of today. But this visit was one that brought me to a new place within myself. I love my family, with all of its scars and their gems, their quarks and their brilliance. By loving them I am finding new ways to love myself, for I am indeed cut from the same cloth.

Changes Every Day

The happenings on the Big Island are still on the forefront of my mind. I check pages and posting regularly to keep up to date with all that is happening. I often feels like I am following the characters of a soap opera.

My favorite way to get information is through the maps that are posted. They have a been a fantastic help to me as I have been explaining all of the events and changes that have occurred over the past few months.

Thanks to all those who are working to produce these maps. You are the unsung heroes catering to the needs of the graph/map/visual aid community.

 

Northern Michigan

 

I recently learned there is some debate as to where Northern Michigan actually begins. I had no idea that Michigan covered 5 latitudinal lines or that there was such a distinction between the parts in the north of the Lower Peninsula. All this was revealed to me as I continued my mainland travels by visiting my aunt and uncle in Houghton Lake, Michigan.

Growing up as a kid, we would drive up to the Houghton Lake area to go visit my grandpa and grandma. The memories from childhood always seem so much smaller than what you remember. This was no exception as my aunt drove us though their old neighborhood.

Memories flooded in on more than one occasion of exploring the woods at the end of the road or biking around the neighborhood. Now everything was just closer.

We did venture out further taking a day trip up toward Traverse City and the Sleeping Bear Dunes. I got my workout climbing up the massive dune. With each step I traveled half the distance as the sand slipped beneath my feet. The climb, however, was well worth it as I enjoyed some beautiful views from the top. The trip down is really where all the fun was a I could help but slide down as if I were skiing on snow instead of sand.

My aunt and uncle have always made me feel like I am their favorite niece as this time was no different. My uncle pulled out all the stops cooking some fantastic meals. Thanks you two for reintroducing me to Northern Michigan.

Golden State Weekend

Nothing fills a transitional period like a little traveling and time well spent with and old, dear friend. My mainland adventure started with a few hiccups as my flight from Kona was delayed which caused me to miss my connecting flight to San Jose. Laura, being the amazing friend that she is, worked on the fly and drove to pick me up at the San Francisco airport instead. This set the stage for a beautiful drive down the 1 along the coastline, stopping along the way to explore shorelines, the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, and the quaint town of Pescadero.

The weekend had a great balance of city and nature. Canoeing, geocaching, and having a reunion of the Maui clan are only a few of the highlights. I too was introduced to the Nintendo Switch and found myself hooked to Overcooked. This chaotic, co-op cooking game really focused on teamwork instead of competition and it was such a refreshing spin on the video game world.

This I feel will be my last visit to Mt. Hermon. Change is in the wind for Laura as she is looking to move closer to the east coast. I am excited for her, but also a little sad as I have been to visit her here so many times it is hard to imagine her living anywhere else. Next time she will get to show me around her new city and see where our newest geocaching venture will take us! Thanks for your friendship and wonderful hospitality Laura!

Surprise Legacy Project

Almost 2 years and 11 months ago I started working at Pacific Quest. The journey has been one that I never would have imagined for myself. It has pushed me to emotional levels that I probably would never have ventured to otherwise. Each day unpredictability was expected. Thinking of the fly, managing your own needs and emotions while helping others do the same was the daily norm.

Since August I have been out of the field and working a slightly less stressful position filling empty gaps here and there. Changes in the structure of the company as well as they layout of the building have been developing and coming to fruition. I was asked to make a simple sign to help one manager have a few less eruptions in her day as people are trying to figure out which new door lead to which room. This request started the chain of events that led to the creation of my legacy project.

I will no longer be walking the halls of Pacific Quest, but my signs will be there adding a splash of color and helpful information. Mixed emotions reign as I will definitely miss aspects of my job, but I also am excited for the prospects ahead as I move into a teacher’s assistant position at a public charter school in early August. The PQ chapter has officially ended. Time to start the next chapter.

37 Years in the Making

Another birthday has arrived. I haven’t even figured out what being 36 means and here I am turning 37. I started the day having a beach to myself and ended the day with one of my favorite activities. Line dancing at the Elks definitely keeps me feeling young. I thought I would make it through the evening with no one knowing it was my birthday, but it leaked. I am so thankful for this community. Like going to a family gathering each week, they have turned in to part of my extended family. My local Ohana.

4th of July Rodeo

Headed to Waimea this morning to experience the 56th Annual Parker Ranch Rodeo and Horse Races. With our early arrival, the crowd trickled in for the event on this beautiful day. The pace quickened as the first steer was released for the Po’o Wai U event. With keiki barrel racing, team roping, and horse races woven in between my long, holiday weekend kicked off brilliantly. Thanks @hmatthews4 for joining the fun. ❤️ #bigislandbliss #hannahsfirstrodeo #happy4th #parkerranchrodeo2018 #throathurtsfromcheering #horseracingissothrilling