Whatever you do...

If you go to O'ahu, Hawaii, and you get a chance, go to the botanical forest.  Do it, it's beautiful.

If you go to the rainforest, by all means, stop and read the signs.

If you stop and read all the signs, make sure you follow the ones pointing you to the waterfall.

If you head towards the waterfall, make sure you stop and appreciate the plants

This is not the waterfall, it's just on the way

But you'll get to the waterfall shortly after the paradise lua, and they are in no way linked...

 

And if you have decided to walk out to the waterfall, definitely swim out to the base of it

The water is a bit chilly at first, but by the time you get to the base, it is really nice.

If you decide to go to O'ahu and visit the botanical forest, and walk the paths, and read the signs, and admire the plants, and bypass the Paradise lua and find the waterfall, and swim to the base of the waterfall and walk back, by all means, do it, it will be great!

Whatever you do, though-and this is very important!- WHATEVER you do, DON'T forget the BUG REPELLANT!

 

This photo was taken a few days after the bites were bit, and they were less angry that day.  I was bit 21 times!  Laura... well, she stopped counting after she reached 25.  They itched horribly. I had flashback memories of what the height of my chickenpox felt like.  We used a CVS anti-itch spray(active ingredient: benadryl, I think), benadryl name brand ointment, ice, AfterBite ointment, and finally-in an act of total desperation- Biofreeze(that would be the stronger, icier, and hotter cousin of IcyHot intended for muscle pain).  As my cousin-in-law, Patrick, put it after using Biofreeze on his bug bite, "That feels...better...  well, not so much better...but different.  It burns."  At that point, for Laura and I, the burning was more tolerable, and the temporary numbness was well worth the burning consequences.

Hawaii was fun. I really enjoyed the botanical forest and the waterfall.  The moral of this story? Well, there are actually two.  1) Whatever you do, don't forget the bug spray.  And 2) If you do, well... Biofreeze burns, and sometimes burning is preferable to itching.

Thanks for reading.

Who misses me?

I may have failed to mention that I went to Hawaii.  I'm still here actually, with my friend Laura.  I'll admit it. I have neglected my remaining faithful readers.

We are staying with my wonderful cousin (whose name is also Laura) and her husband Patrick, and their two kids (my little cousins).  They have been so good to us, showing us around, giving us local secrets, providing coffee(Patrick makes a great cuppajoe), making excellent Indian food(this award goes to my cousin Laura), and sharing late night chats and the abundance of their bookshelves. I have really enjoyed the chance to get to know their family better.

Sean's on Patrick's back...he's there, you just can't see him.

I have spent the past week and a half climbing, swimming, trekking, hiking, viewing sea turtles, and Amazonian, Guam, and other rain forests(botanical gardens, Island rainforest style). Once through the forests, I swam out out to a waterfall.

I have been reading the BFG to my little cousin (first cousin once removed), Keira, but my fellow booklover could not stand just reading a chapter or three in the evening, and went ahead and finished it without me one afternoon.

We switched hats for a moment

I have been discussing rainbows (mbo-mos) and bird poop on cars ("a-poop-acars!) with my 2 year old little cousin, Sean, and also learning argument management from him. "Sean, it's time to sit."  -"No sit."  "Can I have a kiss?" -"No piss"  "If you want a cookie you need to say please."  "Ah-unt cookie...No-pease."  in a sweet and matter of fact tone.  The kid busts me up, but I dare not crack a grin, because he is an entertainer, and will repeat anything that gets him a laugh.

Let this be a warning to all who expect me to babysit...I have ways of maintaining good behavior.

We have found a Thai truck that we love dearly. We will miss it terribly when we leave.  we have raided the local swap meet (actually the place where local artists and merchants sell off their surplus wares, pretty amazing).

We have been to the Mighty MO(the place where the end of world War II was signed), the Oklahoma Memorial, the Bowfin(submarine), and the Arizona memorial, and have been appreciating our military.

We have spent many hours reading in many scenic locales. We have been swimming in clear, warm, blue water(It's sooooooooo weird). We went to the pineapple plantation.

Tonight, we will be going to the cultural center to see reenactments of Native Hawaiian lifestyles, and then later to watch a hula, and then a fire dance.

And then all too soon, we will be boarding that 6 hour icebox known as Hawaiian airlines, and adjusting to 108 degree weather and life three hours earlier.  But until then, I'll be enjoying my time here, with family, and/or as a tourist.

Back again, Joke Thursday

A man goes to a bar with his dog. He goes up to the bar and asks for a drink. The bartender says "You can't bring that dog in here!" The guy, without missing a beat, says "This is my seeing-eye dog." 
"Oh man, " the bartender says, "I'm sorry, here, the first one's on me." The man takes his drink and goes to a table near the door.

Another guy walks in the bar with a Chihuahua. The first guys sees him, stops him and says "You can't bring that dog in here unless you tell him it's a seeing-eye dog." The second man graciously thanks the first man and continues to the bar. He asks for a drink. The bartender says "Hey, you can't bring that dog in here!"

The second man replies "This is my seeing-eye dog." The bartender says, "No, I don't think so. They do not have Chiwauas as seeing-eye dogs." The man pauses for a half-second and replies "What?!?! They gave me a Chihuahua?!?"

The monsters behind the closet door.

Monsters in closets are silly.  There is a 99.6% chance that there are no monsters in that closet, however, that 0.4% probability still worries me.  For the most part, I am talking about figurative closets and figurative monsters. I do not generally approach my own real closet with caution. Mostly, I just fling it open, rummage through my clothes, and wonder where my favorite shirt went.

Those closets of possibility, however, might hold all sorts of scary monsters.  If I open those doors just a crack, Failure might shred into me, slashing straight across my heart.  If not Failure, then Unknown will surely wrap its tentacles around me, engulfing me before I can scream. Ineptitude may lash out and break my legs. No-Undo might just latch his fingers around my ankles and jerk me deep into a place from which I may never return, never be able to go back and stare fearfully at the doors of this particular closet, never again get the option not to open those doors.

I have a tendency to stand, paralyzed, in front of these doors, reaching forward slowly, before jerking back and shuddering.  I know that I have a good possibility of opening the doors and finding success, that I was sufficiently prepared and able to learn what I need to overcome such monsters, and that the Unknown is often a shy, but harmless beast.  I may find that I have no desire to undo a decision, or that making a decision, even if it has poor results, is better than gaping at a door of possibilities, trembling and making up excuses to not open the door.  The small chance that there really is a full grown Failure in that closet, or that I may have to exchange the small comfort of knowing every grain in that closet door for the intimidating, shapeless Unknown, is enough to keep me standing there.  There I stand, memorizing the grain, imagining growling noises, and likely, losing my favorite shirt to the hungry, but probably harmless Unknown while I delay.

It is admittedly stupid. I miss out on so many opportunities, losing so many shirts, by trying to out wait the monsters, or hoping that the closet disintegrates on its own so I don't have to make the decision.  I see it. I recognize the other monster for what it is: Cowardice.  The problem is, this one isn't in the closet with the opportunity. Cowardice is outside the closet, leaning into my heart, whispering horrible word pictures into my ear, and running chills through my gut.  It sneaks up and masquerades as caution and common sense, but oversteps its bounds.  At first, it seemed like a good compromise, but I am beginning to realize it is a foolish choice.  Standing still promises that Failure will find me anyway. I would rather face Failure than idle with Cowardice any longer.

I may not be ready to fling open those closet doors and leap full speed at Failure, but I may be ready to quietly slide the doors open, grab a hold of some monster treats, and a good whack-um stick, poke my way into that closet, and find out what is in store.  If the risk of Failure didn't exist, success would be unimpressive, and if nothing was scary, bravery would be a flippant word.  I have been staring at closed doors for far too long.  It's time to get my whack'um stick.

6 things for the 6th day of the 6th month...

First thing: I nearly missed this month's N things for the Nth day of the Nth month! But then, you all knew that before I did, didn't you?

Second thing:  I have been really tired lately, which is why you may have noticed the blogs running dry, but I'll try to keep up better this month.

Third thing: My baby sister is turning 18 this month.  Isn't that weird?

Fourth thing:  I am excited about going to the VBS meeting tomorrow, because it means summer will officially feel like it is starting, even if the weather decides not to recognize it.  I will be manning the 1st-3rd grade memory verse station for my second year, and it's a beach theme.  I haven't decided what exactly I'm going to do with those games yet.  Plus, at the meeting tomorrow, I will get to see all sorts of people from church that I haven't seen in a while.

Fifth thing: I saw Kung Fu Panda II in 3-D yesterday, and though I would not say it was enthralling, or excellent, or even great, it was most definitely better than the first one (I was amazed at how "blah" the first Kung Fu Panda movie was... so that is not a huge compliment from me, but it is a compliment).

Sixth thing: Lately, my mind feels overwhelmed with a whirlpool.  There are so many things I want to do, change, or further, and so many options in getting there...and a lot of those options intimidate me.  Please, feel free to pray for me in that aspect, as this month sort of has become my "critical moment" month, where if I don't make decisions and actions now, I'm automatically making default decisions for the long run, and quite frankly, I find it unnerving.

And those, blogfriends, are my 6 things for the 6th day of the 6th month. 

Nothing profound...

No great stories to tell either. Life does that to you.  It gets chaotic.  It gets you into a frenzy, and then, once you have finally worked yourself up to to full speed, everything stops, and you're left having to spin out of your frenzy, because you have suddenly caught yourself "frenzy-ing" for no reason.

I'm lucky. I get to do my idling while house sitting with 2 of my 6 favorite dogs.  I've finished 3 sewing projects, which you will likely be reading about in the future. I'm meandering through an incredibly interesting, rather thick book that I have just failed to sit down long enough to read, however, I have beaten 6 levels in Super Mario Wii (Twice, actually... I forgot to save it properly the first run...).

I have gotten to see a movie I very much wanted to see, with a friend I have been wanting to drag to a movie for a while now.  The movie was disappointing, but the friend was not.

I tried a new pizza crust mix. It was mediocre, but with some spices it might be redeemed. I got to have rootbeer floats twice this week...happiness.

All in all, I am enjoying the slowness of it, except for those restless moments when I think I might be bored out of my mind, but it doesn't take long for me to find something to do.

And this is my non-profound blog, which gets posted so that my blogging this month will not be entirely about books and Thursday jokes.

Oh, for the love of children's lit! (Literacy 4.5)

To finish the literacy update, I chose to keep the easy ones for the end

I talked to my cousin recently, and she was telling me that her daughter, who is  about to turn seven, has experienced a serious spurt in book love.  She has surpassed her reading level, and my cousin was discussing the need for more advanced, still appropriate books. As I thought about it, I realized, there are so many excellent books in the childrens section!  Fortunately for me, this young reader's birthday is coming up, which is a perfect excuse to buy her the delights of my childhood.  I bought them, and then... they sat there, just staring at me, asking me, "Are you really going to send us away without a read?"  And of course, I couldn't say no!  I hope the my first cousin once removed doesn't mind that I took a run through her books, but it seemed a shame to send her books that I could only vaguely remember the plot of.

The first was actually a new book to me: Good Job, Kanani by Lisa Yee. It is an American Girl book about a modern day girl living in Hawaii (Actually, this series is part of the American Girl Today section).  It is the second book in the series, which I got because, my little cousin has already devoured the 1st one, and I remember how longingly I waited for the next book in each American Girl series I read.  Apparently, in the first book, Kanani's cousin from New York came to visit, and while she was there they rescued a Hawaiian seal, which is an endangered species. In Good Job, Kanani Kanani has decided to raise money to protect the seals, and raise awareness, by running her Dad's snow cone cart with her best friend, Celina.  Celina has her heart set on learning to surf with Kanani this summer. Kanani is not very good, and quite honestly, surfing scares her.  Then a new girl, Jo, who is  good at surfing enters the picture, and begins surfing with Celina. The strains cause the girls to pull apart, but neither friend is willing to discuss it, and so the chasm grows.  I enjoyed the story, and it held the same feel that the American Girl books did that I grew up on. At first, I was disappointed that it was not a historic story, as I didn't feel there would be much education available in a modern day story aside from "be nice to your friends" but the book held a lot of information about the Hawaiian culture, which impressed me. Of course, everything ends happily and leaves the reader with the insatiable "I can do anything" sort of optimism, both of which hold true to the American Girl genre I know. While it isn't a book I suggest adults rush out and buy or else miss out on something amazing, it also isn't a book I would say "Don't do it" about.  It was good, it held my interest, and it was quick. If the adult had a young friend looking for reading material, it would provide an opportunity for the young friend to feel like they had a common topic of interest to discuss with the adult.  My Granny used to read books at my reading level, especially my American Girl books, and having those books available to discuss as equals and sharing "inside" jokes from the stories were real bond builders for us. (Think this review is rivaling the length of the book!)

The second book is one of my childhood favorites: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald.  I could make the longest review on this book, simply because of the love I have held for it, and its following series since early childhood.  Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside down house, and has a hump on her back which children think holds all of her magic, she lets children dig for buried treasure in her backyard, and little girls brush and braid her long hair for as long as they want, and wears the hairstyle all day, afterward.  Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children as real, legitimate people, rather than just second class people who might grow up into legitimate people, and she sees the good in even the worst of children, because according to her, bad behaviors are either just a disease or a bad habit, both of which can be cured.  Her methods for curing these behaviors are clever, and always shocking to parents, but they always work.  Each book, including the first one, is a series of 4-5 stories about different kids and their behaviors, and each story has interlinking details from another story. For example, Violet, in the story about Henry and his behavioral problem, is very well behaved, but we all know that two stories ago, she had a horrible temper tantrum disease, and in another story, we will see that Henry is quite well behaved while Dick suffers the never-sharing habit.  It allows for the underlying thought that while everyone can succumb to bad behavior, it doesn't mean they are bad to the core.  Truly, in each story, there really is no actual bad guy, just another kid who needs a lesson. I read portions of it out loud to my Mom, and two teenage siblings, and it had all of us, at one point or another, in giggles. It is just plain good stuff.  If you haven't read it, or haven't read it in a while, pick it up!

And third: Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary.  I had so much fun reading this book. When I read it as a child, I remember siding with Beezuz, because Ramona was such a problem while her sister was trying so hard. To be honest, I still mostly sided with Beezus. The difference is, this time, the trouble Ramona caused was so funny!  When I was younger, the trouble Ramona caused was not cute or funny, but serious business, because as an older sister, I knew for a fact that the older sister would be getting in trouble for the younger sister's trouble.  This read, I couldn't believe how cute and funny it was. I was torn, rooting for both Beezuz and Ramona. The only thing that I am sad about is that I didn't buy the whole Beverly Cleary series for my young cousin, because now, I would really like to read the rest of them!  Again, if you haven't read this book yet, rush to the store and start it while you wait in line to pay for it! If you read it a long time ago, read it again, it's good for the soul!

And that my blogfriends, is my conclusion of story corner, and the end of April's Literacy report. Now, I really need to get going on May's reading, or there will be very little to report then!