25...

This past weekend was spent celebrating my 25th birthday. Yes, the entire weekend. Not because I insisted  but because Richard is a great boyfriend and planned out lots of fun activities and surprises.

I have been coming to grips with the fact that I've been alive for 25 whole years for about a month now. Yes I feel old. But this post is not intended for venting about my quarter life crisis... so as I was saying, the weekend was amazing!!

Friday I watched the kids for ten hours and was totally exhausted. Not just from watching the kids, but from doing so on very little sleep from the night before (with all the tsunami action and all). Point being: I was super tired.

When I got home Richard kept suggesting that we go watch the sunset and told me to drive to his house ASAP. Despite being slightly confused about why he was so adamant about catching this particular sunset, I drove over quickly. Imagine my additional surprise when I got to his house and was told he went to fill his car with gas.

The sun is about to set... one would think that gas could wait 15 minutes right?!

I was too tired to really think it over though and he got back about ten minutes later, ready to catch the sunset quickly. We drove around on top of a big hill close by, finally found a parking spot, and yes... missed the sunset. With a smile and a bit of taunting, I told Richard I still enjoyed the "non sunset":)

We got back to my apartment and I went in to grab a quick change of clothes.

And what did I find???

Richard had written the note as if from my stuffed animal. We are cheesy like that... I like it.

That night we went to a movie with friends. I fell asleep about five minutes into it, but am fairly positive I didn't miss much. No sleep + watching kids all day + a mojito + 10:00 movie = sleeping through it.

The next day we went on a hike that Richard selected. Lots of fun and the view was great!

We quickly drove back into Kaimuki (the city I live in... try to say it, I dare you). I took a quick shower and rushed to get a manicure and pedicure. There is a little place around the corner from my apartment complex that I wanted to try. I was the only one there and the little couple who owns the place are amazing and so friendly! Truly the best:)

Saturday evening I went over to Richard's house to celebrate with a few friends. We grilled out and ate coconut cake. Richard gave me a digital camera for my birthday!!! Just in case I am not addicted to taking pictures already, now I truly am. I've wanted a camera like this for years and was so excited!

I apologize to anyone who is already sick of my pictures because it's only going to get worse from here! 

Richard's guy friends, who have become like my 12 brothers over the past six months, provided some very creative birthday gifts; wrapped in Christmas paper and all. The first was a box with all the ingredients needed for a good sandwich inside. Being the token girl most of the time, I have had lots of smart ass requests of sandwiches... "women's only real calling in life"... ha yeah right! I have refused all requests but those for Richard, and it has become an on going joke.

At least they got semi-healthy stuff!!

The other gift was even more creative and hilarious.... a picture frame of glamor shot-like photos of each of the guys... Truly ridiculous!

On Sunday Richard planned the day for just the two of us. We drove around the island and tested out the new camera along the way:)

We had a picnic:)

I may not be a great cook, but I can make a mean turkey sandwich. 

We also went to a place that sells the most amazing fresh shrimp!!!

The afternoon/evening was spent at the North Shore, playing in the water and watching the gorgeous sunset.

Me: "Richard make me laugh for the picture"... Richard: "Okay!" (snap snap--picture taken)... Richard: "Oh crap, I forgot to smile myself" ... ha.

So that was my 25th birthday!! Truly wonderful and probably the best birthday I've ever had:)

Oh... I forgot one thing. After all the activity we closed the weekend with some homemade french toast... :) Delicious! 

Richard insisted a candle was used... ha! 

"I survived the 2011 Hawaii TSUNAMI" t-shirts for sale...

Remember last week when I naively made the comment that having no cell phone was giving me a new found awareness that I live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean??

I was totally serious.

Three hours after I wrote that blog I heard sirens going off. Sadly I didn't even react to hearing the very loud sound at first. I think I'm superwoman, so I don't get phased by them...

Or not. Or I'm from St. Louis, MO where tornado sirens go off about as frequently as my alarm clock. Okay maybe not really, but they are often used and rarely paid much attention to. Even if the sky is dark, the temperature drops a few degrees, and it's suddenly windy... the sirens still don't cause much concern for anyone but my grandmother, (sorry grandma!!! you know I love your visits to the basement:).

So last Thursday night as I was pondering how long it would take for my cell phone to start working and anticipating my weekend birthday plans... sirens went off, sounding JUST like those used for wanna-be-tornados in St. Louis.

I kid you not, I'm fairly positive that I didn't think twice about the sound for a good 5-10 minutes. Blondes and natural disasters are a crappy combination I suppose. (UGH... I hate blonde jokes... can't believe that came to mind!).

Anyway, I was sitting at my desk and all-of-a-sudden I thought to myself, "Hmmm.... they don't have tornados in Hawaii... that's odd........... (pause (for longer than I'd like to admit) for processing thoughts)..... SHIT!".

I immediately looked up FOX news online and was a bit mortified at the then-current alert. Mind you, this alert, though necessary, was perceived FAR more intensely being accompanied by horrific pictures of Japan's tragedy.

It's one thing to see Doppler pictures from your local weather channel with colorful swirly sections... it's a whole other thing to see actual buildings/cars/anything in the way being swept away by large amounts of water. Horrible pictures and little captions underneath saying (more-or-less), "watch out Pacific Ocean.. probably headed there next".

What do I do next? Call my dad? Can't. It's 3 a.m. and my phone isn't working. Plus, let's face it... what's he going to do from St. Louis?? Comfort me, that's about it. Valuable, yes. Going to stop a tsunami, not likely.

What next??

Pray? Done. Done again.

Call my boyfriend?? Crap, how long will it take me to remember I'm WITHOUT A PHONE??

Ha.

Email my boyfriend?? Done.

Not because I'm the damsel-in-distress type, but because I'm the midwesterner type without a working cell phone. Midwesterner meaning I have ZERO experience worrying or dealing with these types of water-related warnings. Zero.

So I send a quick email saying basically "Hey, remember that blonde chick who moved here for you?? She's down the street and a big ass wave is supposed to hit in a few hours... anything I need to know?".

Richard is the best, so don't be fooled by the following response... but it MUST be included to officially  prove that men are a whole different breed than woman.

"Yeah its crazy! That was a huge quake....
Hopefully it won't send a big wave here..."


That was the entire response. Mind you, he had one of these alerts last year and it ended up being nothing... but SERIOUSLY?!?! THAT'S IT?! Being the sweet and loving girlfriend I am I responded "Okay honey, thanks!". 


Psh, yeah right. 


More like "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT RESPONSE?!?!" 


I wasn't really even freaking out per se (about the storm or his response:)... but feeling pretty clueless on what to even do if a tsunami were to hit. So I was perhaps looking for like "Grab some extra water, look to this news station, etc."


:)


Richard would swim through a tsunami for me (he's a super hero secretly), so I can't be too hard on him... but it was pretty funny all the same. 


Moving forward in this already too lengthy tale... 
- Went to Richard's house and slept in the guest room. 
- Figured there was nothing I could do and prayed some more before falling asleep. 
- A little damage occurred around 3 am, but nothing close to what it could of been. 
- My phone started working sometime around 4 am when I received many many MANY texts and calls from loved ones. Totally amazing and thoughtful, don't get me wrong... but when you've spent five hours waking up off and on and wondering whether or not a big disaster is coming, just to get in the clear and fall asleep.... well it's not exactly your favorite time in the world to have a miraculously working and busy phone:) 


Okay I really did appreciate all the concern... 4 am and all (careful what you wish for!). 


So that was my experience with the "tsunami". Little bit of panic and confusion, not a lot of sleep, and very few big waves. 


Praise God for safety and comfort and scary times. If there is a next time, I would imagine I'd be able to process the whole experience a little more gracefully:) 


Thankful to be safe, but just a reminder to everyone, keep Japan in your prayers :(


Oh, and now I really am aware I'm in the middle of the ocean. Hawaii tsunami watch of 2011 provided some excellent perspective... in more ways than one. 


And no joke, there really are people walking around with t shirts that say "I survived the 2011 Hawaii Tsunami"... ha... always someone with a sense of humor. 

Coming to grips with my addiction...

The verdict has come in... I am far far too attached to my cell phone.

Okay so duh, so is everyone under the age of 30.

I have heard people discuss their addiction to phones but it has always been in regards to the internet access and such.

This is not my issue, though I'm sure it would be if I actually sprung an extra $30 a month for internet usage. Which isn't likely to happen anytime soon unless I miraculously come into a large amount of cash. You think I'm cheap?? Yes. I am. I'm a nanny... living in one of the most expensive states in the USA.

My addiction is simply feeling like I'm close to people that live across the Pacific Ocean. When I know that I can call my family and friends whenever I get down, or am bored, or just saw a random tourist do something stupid (yes, people who live in tourist cities are jerks)... well that's comforting. Comforting when you are new in a place that is very different than what you have always known; comforting when you have a new sister-in-law-to-be doesn't know you at all yet and you can hear about her wedding plans; comforting when your little brother goes on a date and you are able to call and harass him about it; comforting when you need your mom to tell you that you are doing a good job even when you feel like you are failing miserably.... comforting.

Anyway, as I was saying... I have learned today that I am FAR too attached to this cell phone because it's been miraculously out-of-service since midnight (St. Louis time of course) last night.

At first I thought "Oh this will be nice, a break from technology". That was my optimistic outlook when I figured the problem would be fixed at some point today. Only problem is that when you don't have a working cell phone, you can't actually call people to figure out what the heck is going on. No biggie, still have internet access (which yes, should be more than enough right?!).

So what do I do?? I email my dad.

(Shut up, I don't care if I'm almost 25 years old...)

My dad says he'll take care of it "ASAP".

Apparently "ASAP" doesn't equal today. It's cool, I know that pastors typically have more important things to to than sit on the phone with some non-english speaking Sprint employee for hours trying to figure out why a cell phone won't work. And let's face it, I really shouldn't be in any rush.

Why no rush??

Because I spend most of my day with little kids, on my own, working out at the gym, and/or chillin with my very hot half asian boyfriend... who by the way, only lives four blocks away and could easily be reached if needed, (I'm pretty sure if I yell really loudly he would hear... may try it later on).

So yeah, no real need to rush.

Except that my access to all others has been cut off... with no warning I might add. (Rough life I lead, I know). My comfort is gone.

: (

Okay it's not THAT bad, and yes... God is my comfort, not my cell phone.

After a day of being cut off I have learned:
A) I have an addiction.
B) I should probably pick up a new hobby here.
C) I have a new appreciation for technology that makes everyone seem closer than they really are.
D) I really do live in the middle of the freaking Pacific Ocean. News to me... (only took over six months to learn).
E) I don't feel bad about my addiction. If you know how amazing those closest to me are, then you'd be addicted to talking to them too.

:)

Oh p.s. it's not even a cool phone. It's a crappy, should be a middle schooler's phone with no internet. So at least I'm not longing for something really cool right? Just my crappy old phone.

Parking citations for smart asses

So I go to the gym most days of the week now. It's about five miles from where I work and I like to go right after the morning shift of babysitting. 


Anyone who knows me doesn't find this shocking. I love to workout. I don't always love the process per se. It can be painful, exhausting, and really unenjoyable. That's why it's called a "workout", and not a "realaxout". ha. ha. ha. 


What I do love is the effect working out has on my daily life. It really helps me mentally, emotionally, and of course physically. I simply feel better. And well, I have plenty of negative feelings throughout the day, (being female and all:), that I think working out helps me keep a balance. It helps me sleep and eat better. It helps me use my time productively. Oh, and it helps me not be more moody than I already am.


I'm all about it. 


But this post isn't about working out. I just got off on a tangent.... 


So I went to workout the other day, (ADD is back under control now).... and afterwards I came out of the gym to find a "parking citation" on my car. Being that I was parked legally and all, the note caught me very off guard at first. 


I didn't take time to carefully read it though. No no, I immediately became defensive and annoyed that anyone would suggest my parking was bad. 


Why did it hit such a nerve???


Because I care what the parking lot guys think of me? No. Because I am worried others might see it on my car? No. Because I pride myself on my parking abilities? Definitely not. Because NO ONE IN HAWAII KNOWS HOW TO PARK (or drive for that matter)?? Bingo!


Allow me to explain. 


People in Hawaii are not in a hurry to do anything, and the things they choose to do are often very strange. Like create parking lots with itty bitty stalls that no car can really fit in. Stalls that are not labeled for compact cars, but should be because the odds of the passengers actually being able to open the door to exit the vehicle are slim-to-none. Oh and for some reason many people here back up into the parking stalls. Which would be fine, except when you take the itty bitty stalls and throw in some cars facing forward and others turned around---well you have a real issue on your hands. 


It's annoying. It annoys me every time I park. But I deal with it. 


Unless I get a parking citation in one of these impossible lots with impossible people. Then I don't deal with it well. 


Until I actually took time to read the citation... 

In case you are confused, this is not a real citation. Had I looked at if for more than two seconds, I would have noticed that right away. 


Okay so maybe this was good for me. I mean, I'm sure the person who left it was just being an ass, but let's face it this is semi-hilarious and I could chill out about the whole hate-to-park-in-this-state thing.


It made me smile, not only because it has ridiculous violations like "Owning a hummer" and "Blaring a useless car alarm", but because every one of these ridiculous violations is painfully relevant to Hawaii drivers. 


Not me of course. I always park perfectly... :) 


Later I looked up http://www.knockknock.biz/ and found some very funny merchandise on the site. I actually recognized the notepads from little stores I've gone into on occasion. 


It is the site for smart asses who also have a love for lists and organization. Aka Katie Ricks. 


Check it out, it's pretty good!