Not Abby

My oldest daughter recently compared her little sister to France.  

They both have exquisite taste and rotten dispositions.

Our 14 year old is our baby and her experience in Hawaii

is much different than her parents.

She loves it here, but is frustrated with the realities of living 

at close quarters with popsicle and momsicle (her terms).  She misses having a house full of siblings and friends, and especially 
pines for her big bro Taghe who departed for his LDS mission
on Dec 18th.  When she emails him, there are large tears rolling down 
her sweet face.
 That's how we know that France has a soul.

Then there was last Friday.  
When the three of us went across the street to meet 
the neighbors.

Hello neighbor.
We adore our neighbors, we can hear their various calls and trumpeting 
above the street noise throughout the day.
Scott and I loved walking through the Honolulu Zoo, shaded and exotic.  
Not Abby: when her ancient mother wanted to read a plaque 
identifying a nearby tree -

 she would comment "Really? Again?" 
Her father stayed a bit too long at the African Hornbill enclosure.

And who wouldn't?  These guys are cra-cra. 

They carry dead things around in their beaks for hours just to show off.

Not Abby:  As he lingered she impatiently kept reminding him how 

hot she was, how bored she was, and how stupid this was.

The only thing that caught her attention was this:

And being Abby that meant that there was potential danger everywhere. 

We should leave.  Immediately.

What? And miss out on seeing what the Safe Zone looks like?

Would it be like the Splash Zone at Sea World?

If Abby saw that last remark she would tell me how I'm trying to be funny

but it's just embarrassing. 

 And I would tell her for the 5th time today that I don't care

what other people think and I never get embarrassed.

I'm so glad I don't have to be 14 again. And I really love France.

Pasty Makes Peace With The Beach (but not the water)

If you consciously pursue a course of action, 

one must accept the natural consequences that occur with success.

I speak of the "big, blue, wet thing" (thanks Fozzie)

that encompasses Hawaii.

I love this place and am so glad we chose to have this adventure.  

Those of you who know me well know that I firmly believe

that we aren't supposed to go inside of water.  Humans aren't buoyant and we need air.

Simple facts folks.  God doesn't want us to see what's under there

for a reason.  No good can come of it.  

Human instincts demand that we fight to stay on the surface.

But here we are, surrounded by glorious beaches and sparkling ocean.  

What ding bat would cling to her irrational fears and avoid such creations?

So we seek out each week a beautiful, unique stretch of sand.

Scott is loving the body surfing, Abby is getting braver and ventures out further.  

There are no pictures of me being swept up by a wave and tumbled head over modest swimsuit onto the beach, coming up choking, spitting and covered in sand.  

And there never will be.  

Makaha Beach 1/4/14

What you don't see is the wind that came up every 3 minutes and
sandblasted the exposed flesh of those lying on the beach.

Waimanalo Beach 1/12/14

Day 1: Pasty meets Paradise

Scott gave me a John Grisham novel for Christmas.  

It was the perfect 6 hour escape for me during the flight.

Abby had volunteered $20 to have 12 episodes of "Sonny with a Chance" 

downloaded to the Ipad.  She was quite satisfied with her choice of entertainment.

I felt my core thaw as I stepped onto the breezeway between terminals at the Honolulu Airport.

Ahhhhhhh, hello paradise.

We picked up our rental mobile and

drove like sun drunk tourists with the windows down to Waikiki.  Our condo is not fancy,

it has character and it's clean.  Hey, that describes me. And the view from the lanai......

That is the west end of Waikiki, two blocks away,....

and that my friends is Diamond Head.

Day 2: Pasty eats paradise: I knew that heaven would be filled with empty carbs

My day began at 4 am, my body still on the rhythm of Mountain Standard Time.  Abby and I were determined to enjoy the pineapple/coconut pancakes of the Hulu Grill so Scott reluctantly joined us on our 1 mile walk to the Outrigger hotel.  It was so worth the wait, buttermilk fluffiness, each layer coated with chopped coconut and bits of pineapple, served with creamy coconut syrup.

By necessity our day was filled with unpacking, grocery shopping and the mundane tasks of settling in.  Our condo already feels more comfy.  A rogue storm system swept over the islands that evening, wind and rain suddenly engulfed our ocean facing rooms soaking our bed and blowing over the lanai furniture.  It was exciting and Abby is hoping for a repeat. 

 The day ended for me as it began, eating a huge plate of loco moco.  Bed of rice, topped with a saucer size hamburger patty, smothered with beef gravy and garnished with two eggs over easy.  I know, take a moment.  It was a religious experience for me as well.