Sea Turtles at Sunset

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Magical, Magical Morning

Now that the big conference is over, the hotel is history and the big city lights seem a million miles away (though, they're probably only like 10). I will take this morning view over the impressive skyscrapers any day! Yes, this was my morning. I was up before sunrise. Me (the night owl) was clothed, camera'd, and on the beach BEFORE sunrise! Then again, how hard is that when you're in Hawaii and only have to walk off of the porch to see something like this?

I know. I am so very spoiled. And this was only the beginning! Experience #2 was snorkeling. It took me a while to not hyperventilate or panic ... and it was so completely worth it! All those tropical fish I have only seen in giant tanks became my friends (along with a - be still my beating heart - sea turtle). WOW just doesn't say WOW enough. The slow-motion, dream-like underworld was absolutely amazing. I think I swam for 3 hours!

Sadly, I have no underwater camera gear, but I may not have ever left if I was shooting pictures! So while the rain pours, I am replaying those special moments ... especially the sea turtle greeting. I would have been a little squeamish about touching any of them in a setting more natural to humans, but the mesmerising effect of those reefs is amazing. I could have touched them all (but you're not supposed to), and if one had touched me, I wouldn't have flinched. Instead, I would have fallen in love!

And one more no-photo moment is still vivid ... the moonrise last night. It was stunning (I didn't know there was such a thing) and I would have taken photos except that I was bobbing in the sea happily riding the waves watching the mountain mist and ocean curls.

At the moment, I am sitting under an awning watching a sudden rain. WOW! It isn't windy but somehow it is REALLY wet everywhere!

New little friend ... Just stay outside!

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Art moment

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Breakfast garnish

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Driving around O'ahu ... What a backdrop!

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Peaceful ... until your hiney hurts!

It was a long day on the bus (see previous post for highlights) ... with the latter portion becoming quite offensive to my backside and nose. So arriving at the beach was a welcome moment of peace.



I searched for the surfers I was so greviously delayed in meeting and could never quite find them, but I kept diligently shooting. An hour and a half later, I still don't think I have seen them. Everything is hurting ... my feet have had their fill of exercising themselves in the sand and my backside is ready for something other than lava rock to lean on! I am definitely ready to relax.



So we "relax" by walking around the art district for their "First Friday" gallery walk. And while the gallery portion was nice, the atmosphere was one of substances and sexuality, so it wasn't the night we expected! The highlight had to be the theater. Instead of eating there, we return to a little diner where I enjoyed corned beef hash with fried bananas. Different but YUMMY!

I'd like to think he did this for me ...

I took a bus tour around the island of O'ahu today ... not some fancy-smanchy one, mind you, but a public transit see-everything-under-the-sun reality kind of tour. About 3/4 of the tour was THOROUGHLY enjoyable. In fact, the first part was actually EXCITING!

But the excitement came from the people I met over and above the amazing backdrop that whisked by the windows. I'll go into it a little more later, but I met a couple of women in particular who inspired me - both photographers - who were doing photography before I was born.

I scooted up by the driver once my conversations were over and asked if he minded if I took photos through the windows ... and as long as I didn't cross the yellow line, I had a green light. GO! And I did. At one stop, he hopped out and cleaned a window. I'd like to think he did it for me. :-)

The highlights are below ... some from bus stops and some from the windows. And even though they aren't the best photos in the world, I left them as they were because I like remembering that I was all jostled and contorted on the bus trying to capture moments as they flew by.

Not a bad way to spend an hour.

Can't find my surfers, though! Sunset is approaching ... They wil be coming in soon, I am sure. In the meantime, I'll keep snapping!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Bus stop view ... City behind, beach ahead!

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

O'ahu - Day 1 and Day 2

Before I go on my next adventure, I'm sharing the highlights of the first 2 days:


Day 1 - TRAVEL! TRAVEL! TRAVEL! It felt like an awfully long day, and it was! It was 14 hours from leaving my house to arriving at the hotel. The word of the day, for me was SUNSET! What a glorious way to enjoy the end of a day. Not to mention a "dinner" of fabulous cheeseburgers with friends, old and new.


Day 2 - BIRDS! BIRDS! BIRDS! From the morning walk where 2 bright blue parrots (there is probably a specific name for them, but I'm not sure what the differences are) were riding on a man's shoulders and then sitting on his bike handles when he went into a store for coffee (yes, they stay, he told me - but he seemed much more comfortable talking to birds than to people).

As I walked back by the cheeseburger restaurant, I hear the waitress telling the couple that the bird near them (looked a little like a pigeon) would gladly sit on one's shoulders. As I look back to eavesdrop more easily, I notice the leathery looking woman at the bus stop has a bird riding in her purse!

That evening at the International Market, a man with more parrots (blazing red and blue) was begging for money by posing his birds with tourists. With the blue on my left shoulder and the red perched on my fist above my head, I felt a little piratey! He couldn't figure out my camera, however, so I may have to find him again later ... we'll see. As I was leaving, he was pressuring a young couple for $5 ... now $10 ... Birds are hungry! That always makes me uncomfortable.

Once again, I could unwind on the beach at sunset ... beautiful ... and learn a hula dance. WOOHOO!

From Oahu 09-2009

Beach Moments

My first visit to the beach was at sunset last night ... BEAUTIFUL!

And an even better moment!

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

I put this moment here.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Spam Musubi

My snacks ... I am being brave! Seasoned SPAM, rice and seaweed!

Cookie and a view!

I have checked in and have a cookie to make the travel ordeals better. Down below the balcony, a pool. To the left, mountains. To the right, a short walk to the beach and ocean. I think the kids would love this ... One day!

My people!

Electric ORANGE Ballerina

Yes, my daughter. How could you tell? You remember my electric blue bodysuit? Yes, it was fabulous! I made it myself. TADA! She is much like me.

However, unlike me, she is taking ballet lessons. Tonight she is trying pointe class for the first time. She is THRILLED!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Keeping Up Is Hard To Do

We can't seem to keep up ... wait ... I can't seem to keep up. Miss M is on top of the world and ready for more! Within one week, we have had several days of squeals and excitement and research. Yes, research (she is my daughter)! At this moment, she is researching dance costumes. We have also Googled several other things including how to break in pointe shoes.

But I'm getting ahead of our amazing week! Here are the cheers in the past few days:

• Got glasses ... seeing is amazing.
• Auditioned for South Tulsa Children's Ballet (Nutcracker performance).
• Had her first private dance lesson.
• Impressed her teacher by learning almost the entire song (solo competition coming up).
• Made the Leadership Team at school (guess which role? BROADCAST - yep, my daughter.)
• Ballet instructor said she is ready for pointe.
• Won a couple of drawings ... always exciting!
• Received notification that she is a SNOW FAIRY (Nutcracker).

I think I'm missing something. Then again, I'm thinking this couldn't have happened in a week! I'm adding up the days ... Nope. It's happened within 5 days. Keeping up is definitely hard to do!

Morning Moments

I think we have started a tradition ... Labor Day Weekends at Camp Tallchief. The first was an attempt at a family birthday weekend with J, but it didn't go over that well with him! He is not my nature boy. Now that he is in Ohio, I have to admit that being at Camp Tallchief is kind of my escape. It's been a year, but it is still so hard to think of my boy being elsewhere.

Time out for a happy birthday message ... To my J, I truly do hope it is a great day for you and that it is celebrated well out in Ohio. My heart always wants the best for you, more and more as each year approaches! I LOVE YOU and always will.

Year three, and we had K's family as visitors a couple of times. WONDERFUL! And the serenity of waking with the horses? PRICELESS. I have to admit that it is tempting to volunteer to be the wrangler (though my horse days are decades behind me) and live out here endlessly!

Game night with the cousins ... And boyfriend!

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Just call me Jill ... It's a long story.

It was Jill that "came tumbling after" in the nursery rhyme ... and I can now relate! My latest of adventures involves a canyon, a fall, and new experiences in wheelchairs. Why? Well, even though I have always had a love for nature, a renewed interest in getting out of my comfort zone to experience it has motivated me to HIKE! (I talk about a little bit in my "I'm A Girl Scout!" blog.)

But for the personal side of the story ... and so I don't have to tell the story over and over ... here's what happened, and a few pictures to share the moments with you.

It started in Italy this spring. During a stay in the Cinque Terre area where there is a lot of hiking, a very long impromptu hike from a sanctuary down to the village of Riomaggiore had me wishing I were more hiking-equipped! Inspired by seeing other hikers with what I thought were ski poles, and later educated by my Girl Scout sisters about the value of trekking poles ... I bought some for my own birthday.

Colorado was my first opportunity to try out more prepared hiking ... no Birkenstocks, now multi-terrain hiking shoes. Add my fancy, shiny telescoping trekking poles and unmarred water bottle to my camera bag and I am SET! Mountain vistas as well as altitude left me breathless in every way!

Nevada is the next stop, and I've got Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston, and Death Valley on my list. After visiting the Red Rock Conservation Area outside of Las Vegas one evening when I have a few extra hours, I came home with photos like this:

Red Rock Canyon

My first free day, I decide that a proper backpack will help carry cameras and a babushka will help keep my head from getting sunburned. And I set out for Mount Charleston all by myself while everyone else is busy with a conference. Sadly, my GPS leads me to a national park area that is not actually Mount Charleston ... so with the little time I have left, I decide to revisit the nearby Red Rock Canyon.



After enjoying my secret place, I attempted to climb down ... and ended up slipping into a slidey-flip that broke in my new backpack quite nicely! As I was lying there, I had visions of being airlifted ... NOT an enjoyable thought. I remembered how I had a short window of time when I broke my elbow that I could still move. So, just in case I broke something in my foot, I figured I better get moving AND FAST!

Hoping that I had only sprained my foot, I got back up and winced back to the slope so I could retrieve my trekking poles and camera nestled on a ledge. Thanks to plenty of adrenaline, my "canes" and determination to NOT be airlifted, I was able to slowly hike back up to the observation area and get in my car.

The 13 mile loop at low speeds turned out to be a godsend. I practiced braking with my left foot until I was confident I could avoid whiplash by concentrating really hard. Before tackling the highway, I stopped to see if I could put weight on my foot - it had been balloning quite a bit as I drove. NOPE! OK - I was beginning to think that I may have broken it now. I decided I better get medical attention instead of just returning to the hotel.

My GPS was helpful ... somewhat! The first two places no longer existed, and the third was private and couldn't take my insurance (or even help me inside - though they did bring a wheelchair to the car). Finally at the local ER, I sat there for hours in another wheelchair. I should have mentioned chest pains ... everyone who did - even though they were talking, smiling, not even acting as if they were in pain - went in before me.

Lamaze actually helped somewhat! It was the only thing I could think of to try and stay calm in the midst of the pain. By the time a bed opened up and they brought me back for x-rays, my memory starts to fade ... I remember the x-rays and WOW did it hurt. I also remember holding tight to the railings, shaking and shivering, desperately trying to keep my teeth from clattering.

I also remember my "Special K" finally able to join me. Originally, I had hoped to be bound up and on my way in time to still make the Blue Man Group event. I had visions of the day in junior high that I slipped and hurt my ankle while getting ready for a family trip. By the time we were to Hutchinson, I was IN PAIN and my ankle was big. We stopped at the ER there and found I had broken it ... so they splinted me and gave me crutches and pain pills, and we headed on to our first big event: The Oak Ridge Boys!

Anyway, he gave away our Blue Man Group tickets and was more of a doctor to me than anyone had been yet! He got my leg iced and raised up, asked questions of the medical staff and by the time we left, he was my wheelchair chauffeur.

A friend who was speaking at the conference kept me company the next day, which was very special to me. And we even went out for supper, wheelchair and all. I don't know if that was wise for me yet ... but amazingly when news of my situation spread, we were issued new Blue Man Group tickets ... and yes, I wanted to go!

All in all, I was amazed by how different the world was from a wheelchair. I now know what it is like to be short. And I now realize that our "handicapped accessible" world is just a small step toward true accessibility. In fact, I would like to have whoever approved airport bathrooms actually try to navigate them in a wheelchair! They may change a few things.

I came home to more tests, crutches, a fancy brace, and a bedside nurse named Little Miss M. My norwegian bones did a magnificent job of holding their own. So a severe sprain with a good bit of internal bleeding is "all" I walked away with. I am graduating from two cructhes to one this weekend ... and in a few more weeks, I should be able to wear all my shoes again.

School Already!

It's hard to believe the summer has gone and it's that time again! Thankfully, she is still young enough to appreciate (and even expect) the "back-to-school" picture. She is growing to fast. Sometimes I am glad things are moving fast because it leaves less time for me to think about things (i.e. CRY). But most times I am wishing that life would slow down so we could more easily savor the moments.

For My Daughter

I think you will be able to recognize me!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Children of Divorce

I'm working on my laptop with the TV on ... I'm trying to find research about parents and kids (values, needs, expectations) for a project at work ... and the program on right now is talking about kids caught in divorce. It makes me so sad. It's not just on behalf of all kids of divorce. My emotions ride high toward my own children when I see the gap between what I desire for my kids and what I see. There are things I can't fix. It's like Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall and not being able to put back together again. Life has to be redefined. The road is different and unfamiliar. There are some successes, there are some failures, and there is love underneath everything that isn't always expressed as it should be. And I find myself having to try and be strong - when I probably need to be vulnerable (as well as vice versa).

I am a child of divorce.
My children are children of divorce.
And none of us had parents that expected to forge that path.
We all had dreams that didn't come together as we expected.
But as long as there is hope, I believe new dreams can be born.

Wildflower Walk

It was a beautiful morning ... and we spent most of it by a river on a wildflower walk with a guide from the Nature Center. Afterwards, we sat down by the water while the orchestra (Philadelphia Philharmonic) rehearsed for the concert that evening in the amphitheater. Talk about WONDERFUL!

My Birthday Adventure ...

Within 8 hours, I've already put most of my birthday blessings to use ... I can walk in the river (thanks, Mom and Byrne) and carry a non-plastic drink container (thanks, Mom and Byrne) while hiking with new trekking poles (thanks, me - LOL) and enjoying the amazing Colorado landscape (thanks, sweetie).

Family Day at the Shoot'n Range

Yeppers ... It's Bass Pro and we're shootin'!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Oh wow!

The dogs weren't giving me any rest (and I was trying to be spiritual and do what Pastor Mike preached) ... And now I know why! They are evil! LOL (not really, but WOW those eyes)!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Eskimo Joe's ...

What could be better than this? Evidently a T-shirt! Gift shop is next.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Camper Goodbyes

It's the last camp for Miss M ... And she had an AWESOME time!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Isn't this divine?

I wish I were camping here with my little one. One more Girl Scout camp before ar flies off for some time with her dad. She is at "Picture Perfect!" and will be my little photog helper the day I come to pick her up.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

The higher, the better!

I can hardly believe this is my 9 year old. She is INTO high heels. Just wait until the day she can actually wear them!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Miss M Goes Jogging

... Or so I thought! She embarked upon a 30 minute Wii jog. But look who showed up with the Wii remote hooked to her collar!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Dry Gulch Campers

From Twitter @chadolinghouse ... the kids are on the way back from camp. Can't wait to see my little camper!

Pets on 2 Wheels

Isn't this cool? I think it is a pet carrier for a motorcycle (white object with vents). I saw it from the front first and that side is like a kennel door.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Prisoners @daisycoonhound @hanktheblacklab

The queen and her jester are trapped indoors (well, maybe just banned from being on the loose out front)
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Church Camp!

I had to put on my smiley face for this one. It's the first church camp, and the two girls she knows who said they were going AREN'T! I a glad we have a great staf she is connected to from Destiny Church. They will make sure she has an AWESOME time!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

See that blur?

It's super-k making a point!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Modeling in the Sky

My little one has recently been inspired by actresses and models and would like to be both. Her request for our "together activity" this weekend was a photo shoot. Later on, after finding out that she would need to help by vacuuming the living room floor before I would set up all the equipment, she thought an outdoor one would be fun.

So, eclipsed by her favorite activity, we decided just to take a few shots while swinging. I think the pull of the swing was just as strong as the aversion to vacuuming! It was fun for a moment and she was ready to sing her heart out WITHOUT her mom nearby.

Hank's Bath

Sadly, there are no photos between capture and escape ... but Hank seemed to think I could rescue him and I was unprepared for the giant pup. He flattened me! Yes, truly flattened me and I was stuck, wet, scraped, and worst of all unable to reach my cameras!