New Blog

So I'm going to use the lack of updating as affirmation that this blog has served its purpose as a single place to update family/friends on my life in Hawai'i. Now that I have a "real job" and am working during the week, there has been a lot less to talk about--my life has become much less interesting. However, I do make it a point to take advantage of what is on the island on my weekends, so if I may redirect you to my new blog which will just be little updates (probs heavy on the pictures) of fun stuff I'm doing out here including Sunday Fundays, new hobbies (had my first kiteboarding lesson!), and I'll be going on a 4 day backpacking adventure along the NaPali coast in Kauai. Super pumped about that! The new web address is

http://www.kayleighahudson.blogspot.com

Aloha!

Sparknotes

It's been awhile and my head hurts and gets quickly jumbled with what's been going on since May when I last posted. My life looks completely different than it did then. Here's sparknotes version of each month:

May - lived in Waikiki with my tsunami friend Hannah. After 4 months of no funds and collecting parts I got Julia (Land Rover) back. Started on the job hunt. Oh, and dad was diagnosed with lymphoma and was going to start chemo treatments.

June - got job as hostess at a restaurant right on the beach called Shorebird. Don't get me wrong--I enjoyed always having a gorgeous view and ocean breeze while I was working...but it wasn't at all like I'd imagine  beach front restaurant on an island job would be like. Fastforward to the end of June when I totaled Julia (the truck I had just gotten back the month before after 4 months of not driving her. RIP Julia). Dad started chemo treatments and was handling them very well and had high spirits. I spent a good deal of time riding the complain train about my $8/hr part time job but God is faithful even when I doubt and somehow....bills got paid that month. I've given up trying to figure that one out. I kind of hated my life in June.

July - still at Shorebird. Realized I was ready for a "normal" schedule again. I hated working Saturdays and my nerdiness started to show when I started itching to do something accounting-ish and I started full-time job search. Stumbled upon Nordic PCL Construction, Inc. available positions, interviewed, and got the job. Things were starting to look up, even if I wasn't so much.

August - started my new job. Not the most challenging work, but it's busy and I like the company and especially the people. Who knew that you could put 5 women working in a cluster of cubicles and there be NO DRAMA. You read that right. None. Everyone works hard and helps each other out. We all just get along in general. So wonderful yet I still kind of don't believe it. Alice, Ginnie and Katie came to visit which was absolutely refreshing and wonderful and I just love them so much. Also got great news from dad's doctor that he was almost cancer free

September - getting the hang of the job thing. We have a great group of young people and we hang out pretty regularly. My cousin Maria and her friend (and now my friend too) Becca came to visit. It wasn't even super planned until a few weeks earlier. Loved having them here. 

October - I don't think there was much to talk about in October. Although it might've been sometime around Halloween that our Tuesday night routine of shooting pool (it's the super cheap night) started up. I'm slowly getting a little better...but it's fun to just hang out with coworkers we don't see during the week. (not everyone is in the office...we usually don't see people who work on jobsites unless it is after hours). 

November - played in another ultimate tournament. Even though my tent could not handle the wind on the beach for camping, it was a fun weekend. Especially the little hat draw beach tournament on the last day. Love playing in general on the beach. Spent Thanksgiving with the Elliotts and a coworker relatively new to the island (transferred from a Canadian district) came along for her first American Thanksgiving. Fun times with a great family!

December - Worked a lot in the beginning, and sucessfully made southern style bbq (this will earn it's own entry later) then went home for a little over a week for the holiday. Stella is growing up so much! Jenny came to spend Christmas with our family, and then Ginnie/Alice/Katie are awesome friends and came up for a few days after. I was bummed I didn't make it to SC, but was so glad to have a little SC come up to me. 

January - Mom and dad came to visit! Glad to finally be able to show them my life now. Good balance of being touristy but also seeing what I do in Hawaii. By day 2 dad had his routine - found his breakfast spot, then read the news while mom laid on the beach. I think they could've gotten used to that lifestyle... Some friends in Pharmacy school did a rotation on Maui. I went to spend one weekend there, and they came to spend the next on Oahu. This prompted our first Sunday Funday where a group of people from work and a few others went on a hike on the pretty side of the island then hung out on the beach and wrapped it up with barbeque at Joe's house. I made my bbq again. Love my one crockpot "dish"!

February, part 1 - Had February's Sunday Funday early this month...and on a Saturday. 15 of us rented kayaks and went out to the Mokes (Mokuluas....little islands right off of Lanikai's shore) and hung out for the day. Such an awesome time, and it was fun to walk around the mostly lava-rock island exploring little tide pools, etc. 

Jadeveon Clowney is a Gamecock and tonight I will eat steak with the Elliotts and do their taxes so they can pay off their children. I love those children so it will be quite a fabulous Valentine's Day.

til later.....

Potpourri

Went to the mainland for not long enough for all I wanted to do. 

First stop: Naw'lins for Jazz Fest

where I tried new foods...some so good, some not so good

...and I made new friends, including one with a mullet

...and saw my friend Drew

...along with 100,000 of my other friends

...and sloshed around in mud in my $6 Wal*Mart off-brand keds that I purchased prior to going. So glad that for once I considered in advance the miserable time I would've had in my slippers (flip flops)

Second stop: LBC, VA for Maggie's wedding. I'll post pictures once I get them from Maggie. Until then, here's the bestnieceever Stella:

Third stop: SOUTH CAROLINAAAAA! Where I had a lovely time and even got to spend a day in Charleston with the fam (KTJ and Chewy--you were missed). The last time we were together was right before Chewy left for his South American adventure (even that time being sans KTJ). Despite us growing up and living our post-college lives, it was still typical family time complete with genius ideas that (in retrospect, naturally) weren't thought out completely which only made it that much more typical. Make sense? It does to the fam.

good genes run in this family--we aren't afraid to say it

Hawai'i better prepare for August when these two +KTJ land. 

my BFF Ginnie. Don't hate her because she is beautiful...hate her because she was the last one on the tube before it deflated. 

beach in Charleston...I miss the southerness of it.

Back in Hawai'i now. Moved to town to find a job. The girl I'm staying with this month is great...she is from Tennessee. The only problem with this is when she misses home and "Rocky Top" comes out of the speakers...seriously though, such a blessing for her to offer her futon to me for the month! If it weren't for tsunami scare 2k10 our paths wouldn't have crossed and we wouldn't be friends.

Lastly, how could I post on Mother's Day without a picture of my own?!

Love her.

He is Risen!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. 

Birthday was good. There were friends around, but it was weird not having my friends around. Ginnie and I are having a joint birthday dinner when I'm in South Cackalacky for a hot minute in roughly 2 weeks! I'm only in Cola for 3 days but I will eat as much Miyos and Grouchos as my stomach will allow, and then some.

The day after my birthday was my first "beach ultimate" experience. I've had plenty of practice lying out soaking up the rays, but running back and forth in sand? Dang it wears you out quick. So fun, nonetheless. Here's a "super slo-mo" (ABDC fans, anyone?) of a little endzone play our captain put together


This time next week I'll be en route for my mainland mini-cation....Louisiana, Virginia, and South Carolina or bust! I hope it's warm everywhere. I've grown accustomed to a particular climate...

vaSTAYcation to Moloka'i

I think I can stay up as late as I want tonight because I don't have to work tomorrow but then I'm quickly reminded of 5 little reasons why that won't happen. So we'll make this quick and visual-friendly. Think of it as a picture book...with some words.


oh, idk, my elementary school bff Carter? came to visit during her spring break from Alabama. So fun to hang for a week although I will tell you it is hard to balance having to live here and entertain someone who is on vacation. (vacationing and living in Hawai'i are totally different). It was fun showing her the island and relaxing. We celebrated St Patrick's Day in Chinatown which was a crazy but toned-down version of St Pats in 5pts. Naturally we went to a luau as well. Paradise Cove should start having a punch card or something for how many times I've brought people there. At least they have good military rates. We also hiked Koko Head at sunrise during which my stomach was NOT cooperating--I'll spare the details. It was still beautiful and I enjoyed the time with Carter and my ex-future-neighbor Hannah.


oh, idk, my mom's bff Angela? and her hubbybubby spend a few months each year on Moloka'i. We all know momma di'int raise no fool so naturally I took advantage of the free oceanfront condo (don't want to forget the views of Maui and Lana'i and that other small island that starts with a 'K' from their lanai) and tour guides with a seabring convertible. After hearing about it from Buddy and Vincent all of these years it was great to spend a couple of days with them and see the island and soak up the rays. In their resort I was definitely Cameron Diaz a la In Her Shoes and met so many cute elderly couples who have been going there for years as well. I sat there while they smoked and shared their wisdom and advice for me to take full advantage of my youth. We covered the whole island so here are some pictures.
 

Halawa Valley where we enjoyed a little picnic on the black sand beach

Halawa Valley, the view behind us

the road to Halawa

old church where only the cement shell is still standing. There are still some services held here.

A new friend I met on a little morning walk

I could live in an ocean front condo for a few months of the year...

Kalaupapa, the old leper colony where people were exiled until a vaccine was introduced making it noncommunicable

Dixie Maru, named after a Japanese ship which sunk a few miles off the coast. I don't know if I spelled "dixie" correctly as far as the ship is concerned, so I just chose the southern way.

Papohaku beach park

Kaluakoi which used to be a nice little resort until a few years ago when it shut down. That's a story for later.

My new undertaking is hula and I debut this Easter Sunday at both a sunrise service and regular service. We'll see how this goes...

ON THE CALENDAR: oh, idk, my college bffs since freshman year Ginnie, Katie, and Alice? are trying to plan a little trip in August. When I think about it I sometimes come very close to peeing a little bit out of excitement so if it really does happen and all 4 of us are on the island at the same time...I'm packing some depends. 

Baby, it's cold(ish) outside

If only February was just a couple days longer I would've been sure to post during the month. Regardless, I feel like the second month of 2010 was a rather eventful one. I worked alot which meant bills got paid, I have a potential job after tax season, played in my first ultimate tournament, made a friend at my first ultimate tournament, hung out with said friend from ultimate tournament once, Sarah Grace Pike Hamilton and her baby bump came to visit, Megan is going on a mission trip to Uganda, we got annihilated by a tsunami, and (drumroll) Megan and I have a very affordable apartment to move into for the summer!

Kaimana Klassik is an annual tournament on the island where teams come from the mainland and even a few from abroad (Japan and Ireland) over Presidents Day Weekend. There is a womens and open division. I jumped on board last minute when the women's pick up team needed a few more players. It was a great weekend and I'm glad I went. Wait, let me clarify--after setting up my tent solo on the beach in the fierce wind and cold rain after dark I eventually shivered my way to sleep and so I'd say starting the next morning I was glad I went. We played 4 games each day and by about halfway through the 3rd game each day my legs would shift into full-on rebellion. There was easily a couple-second lag between my brain telling them to move/run and them actually responding. Naturally, this motivated me to workout more but other than a salsaerobics class with Sarah such motivation has (once again) not materialized into anything productive. I figure I already have enough to talk about for February, so starting to workout regularly would only add to that so if I need something to spice up the month of March perhaps I'll give it a go. I made some friends, one in particular being the injured girl on our team. Turns out she enjoys swing dancing and so I went with her to a little dance thing that happens on Thursday nights in Chinatown (hmmm....dancing on Thursdays...sounds familiar). It was a cozy and quaint atmospherd (sort of a la Earlwood Bappy when they had their thing going on) and I enjoyed it. Hope to make it back again.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Megan is going to Uganda May 5-15 for a mission trip with Children's HopeChest. She is a multi-talented individual and is using her talents to be able to leave something behind in Uganda. She is making (absolutely adorable) pillowcase dresses for the girls in orphanages there. If you'd like to help you can either donate $25 to sponsor a dress (donations can be made to CHC for tax deductibility purposes), or donate supplies (old pillowcases, ribbon, thread, old fabric scraps for appliques for the dresses). If you'd like to help at all, email me (kayleighahudson@gmail.com) or Megan (daviesmk@gmail.com) and we can give you more information.

ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT: Sarah came to visit for 10 days so MKS (Megan-Kayleigh-Sarah) bonding time was in full force for the last bit of February. It was awesome hanging out with the three of us in one place again. Plenty of beach time so I got my tan back, had fun taking Sarah on some touristy adventures (Polynesian Culture Center, Pearl Harbor, etc), and of course we made the legendary seven layer bars which came in handy while we climbed to higher ground the next day for the tsunami warning. If I didn't die while skydiving, it wouldn't be too bad either if I died while eating seven layer bars. It was sad having to drop her off at the airport, but we are thankful that her husband (slash babydaddy) let her and her babybump come play.



Finally before I go (because I should've been spending this time cleaning the room....typical) Megan and I will be moving into town from at least mid-May to mid-August. We're subletting from a couple traveling in Spain over summer break. It is an awesome location with a great view and WALKING DISTANCE TO A SOCIAL LIFE! It'll be nice not having to factor in a 30min-1hr commute (depending on traffic) just to hang out with someone. We also happened to meet a neighbor while at Tripler for Tsunami Scare 2K10. A downside will be not having 5 little kiddies attack me with "Kayleigh's home!" accompanied by hugs and kisses everytime I walk in the door. Future roommates sure do have a lot to live up to...

okay, seriously. Clean up time before I go into work (on my day off)

1 little, 2 little, FIVE little Elliots!

HALLELUJAH PRAISE THE LORD THEY'RE HOME! A week and a half ago Carrie came home to Hawaii with Mykah and Jackson. So awesome to see their family finally complete! A first family photo:

What a happy beautiful bunch. Colin loves to be a big brother and help. Maddie didn't waste anytime showing Mykah around the girls room, being sure to point out the closet and all of their pajamas they get to share. Gracen (who is half Jackson's age yet almost twice his size it seems) just loves having more people to chase, cups to drink from, and how there's too much going on to always have an eye on her. Mykah and Jackson are absolutely precious. Mykah is quite the livewire who wastes no time to run and jump into my arms when I come home. Jackson also is the biggest (figuratively, of course) cuddle bug who looovves hugs and kisses. He'll sit in my lap for the longest time and you just can't say no to his tooth-ish wide mouth grin, or adorable puckered lips looking for some love. Oohh I just love all 5 of them like crazy and look forward to watching them all grow together as a family. 

Work is getting better now that things are picking up. Right now it gets busy, but not too busy. Stays consistent which makes the days go by faster. However the next two weeks are known as hell peak because everyone should be receiving the rest of their tax info. We'll see how I feel about things then. I have this one precious old lady who I can't wait for her to come back tomorrow for me to finish her return. She's in her 80's and asked me if I had any grandparents and when I told her none were living, she all but adopted me on the spot. I can't wait to be a funny old lady (I can wait, but you get what I mean). That reminds me that I need to find a rocking chair somewhere...when I frequented Windy Gap I got lots of practice rocking on the porch, but since I've moved across the country I've been slacking.

So now it's time to tell you about my new adventure yesterday! Marlene (temporary roomie) leaves for Spain tomorrow, so yesterday I had the day off and her uncle took her, Megan and myself diving to spear tacos (octopus). So awesome. It was an overcast day so there were 0.0 tourists and we had flat island and the surrounding waters to ourselves. This was my first time snorkeling and after working out some disagreements with my gear, I was loving it. We brought an underwater camera and so I'll add pictures. Uncle found an octopus who was home and even though I did more cheering on and supporting than actual spearing I totally felt like an amazon woman or something. Later when uncle was cleaning out the insides a vicious green head eel (I think he called it a green head...I don't know, uncle just said you don't mess around when they're near) came out of nowhere since he smelled feeding time. I got a picture of it and escaped with my life so no worries. We popped out it's teeth/beak which comes in two parts. Megan is and artist so can we say FRIENDSHIP NECKLACES?! I don't know if I'm still even friends with anyone I've had real frienship necklaces with before, but I now see the foreshadowing in that they came in the shape of a broken heart. I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure Megan and I will be the only ones with octopus teeth necklaces. Thinking back, there was that one summer I was working at camp in Florida and Spike sent me a "Best" sweatband where she had the "Friends." We're still friends. I still have that sweatband somewhere.

After our adventure we went on a little hike to some ww2 bunkers where we introduced Marlene to the jumping picture. Lots of those. On the way down, naturally I slip and fall and of course there is a perfectly placed rock right under my left cheek (I'll let you figure out which cheek I'm referring to) and nailed it perfectly. I know I have plenty of padding, but I do not have buns of steel so you can imagine how this hurt. I couldn't help but say the first thing that came to mind (again, use your imagination). There is now a giant black/blue/purple splotch. TMI? Maybe. Probably. But every time I sit or lie down I am reminded of it and blogging is to be somewhat a reflection of my thoughts. Well I think I'm bruised as hell and it hurts. To top it all off, after looking at pictures I realized the shorts I was wearing are completely unflattering from behind and nobody has ever bothered to tell me this.

As usual, Yogurtland helped make things a little better and all in all, a good day. So, until next time something worth my mom reading about happens, aloha.

I wish I didn't have to wait until April for Glee

This sentence is about as exciting as the majority of my time at work right now.

Since the IRS has officially started accepting returns, business will continue to pick up which will help the days go by faster. I've only been full time for 2 weeks but I've already found myself singing "everybody's working for the weekend" by Tuesday afternoon. I've noticed that I'm getting paler and fatter (I don't think I'm fat) from sitting all day every day. I even worked out a few times this week after the kiddies went to bed. Marlene has been a good coach.

Another good thing about my temporary roomie (there are many good things about her) is she surfs. So last Sunday we had a little "church-n-surf" sesh and I caught a wave or two on my own but Waikiki wasn't really helping much. So we just walked around Diamond Head and chatted. Tomorrow we're doing the same thing but going somewhere else where she said it should be better conditions for me. I'm pumped. Next goal: get up way early to go surf then be at work by 9am. Then I will be even more of an island girl.

Speaking of which, once I reach such goal, I've dubbed a term for myself over here...an "island belle." A combination of island girl and southern belle. Get it? Clever? No? lalalala I can't hear you. I think it is appropriate because I plan to regain my tan from September after Elisabeth left and learn to confidently surf solo while not abandoning my pearls, croakies, sperrys, and bows around the waste. Not to mention that out here apparently I have an accent. I tried to tell a few people I was a local haole (white person) but they all called my bluff.

In other news, to wrap up, Chris and Carrie are in Atlanta with Mykah and Jackson (their new kiddies!) and we are picking them up Monday afternoon here in Honolulu where the entire and complete Elliott family will be together for the first time. There will be pictures. There will be waterfalls from all of our eyeholes. Waterfalls of joy and love. It will be a beautiful thing.

Then I pick up Megan on Wednesday. She has been missed.

Some goodies: First, my mini-me. I was playing with Gracen and hear "I'm Kayleigh! I'm Kayleigh!" and turn to see this sassy thing:

New Year's Eve...or "the Day of Fireworks"

This time of year I will say with confidence that when it comes to per-capita fireworks sales Hawaii's top of the list. In our neighborhood, people about go Griswold-crazy with lights (and inflatable holiday-themed exhibits....who knew Santa flew in planes, rode merry-go-rounds and swings like at the fair? Not to mention the snow globe he skated in...). It isn't quite as much as the Griswolds, but compared to neighborhoods I've lived in before, it was quite impressive. Then there's the Elliott's. I forgot to take a picture but that is probably a good thing to save from embarrassment. On either side you have the works, then you look at our house in the middle. One night to appease Colin and Maddie, Megan and I attempted to put icicle lights on a palm tree in the yard and on our balcony. The ones on our balcony lasted about 5 hours and fell, never to be restored. Whatever, they had something to plug in outside so they were happy.

Another tradition during the month of December besides outdoor decorations, is freaking fireworks every night. Every single night at some point you would hear some neighbor setting them off. Sometimes aerials, then often the regular littler ones. This however did not prepare me for New Years Eve when fireworks and barbequing is a full day affair. All day it sounded like bombs being dropped in the Ewa by Gentry war zone. By the end of the night, there is a haze in the sky accompanied by the smell of gunpowder. 

On the morning of December 31, 2009. I woke up at 4:30am at Heather's after a few hours of sleep where their dog managed to finagle more bedspace that I. Heather, her oldest son (Braden, 6yo) and I went to join others for a sunrise hike to the top of Koko Head crater. It is on the windward (eastern) side of the island so after climbing 1000+ steps we made it to the top and saw the last sunrise over the Pacific of 2009. My final day of the year was a really really good one. Post-hike we met up with the rest of the Holliday family for an oceanfront brunch with banana-macademia nut pancakes. So Hawaiian, I know. I had a successful Target trip (where I only purchased what I went in there to purchase...this is probs the first time I've been in there and left without spending enough to cover their mortgage payment for the month). Heather basically found me some friends in my peer group so I danced the night away with a fun group of people. To top it off, every time I got into Julia (my truck) on that day, Beyonce was playing on the radio. New Year's Day was uneventful--I basically spent all but 4 hours in bed passed out/trying to give my legs (dead tired and sore from hike/dancing) a pep talk and reminding them how to put one in front of the other, etc.

Starting today, however, my 5 month Hawaiian vacation of paradise has come to its close. I started a job. I'll be doing taxes, so that's good in that it'll be me on top of things, but the idea of working in general is still something to get used to. The thing that will keep me going is that the software we use is TPS which means we print out "TPS reports." I just might have to watch that movie soon.

That's probs all I'll really have to report in the next few weeks until Carrie finally comes home with Mykah and Jackson! So in the meantime, I'm going to have to ask you if you could come in on Saturday...

Mele Kalikimaka

...me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! 

It is day 133 on the island. Megan's husband Sawyer and friends started their whole time travel gig around day 100, but I've decided to keep on pushing forward instead because I'm a survivor(what)/I'm not gonna give up (what)/I'm not gon' stop (what)/I'm gonna work harder as Beyonce puts it so eloquently with her former gal pals for life. (Thinking back to "making the video" days I do recall this being filmed by the ocean which only makes it even more appropriate).

Megan was able to go home for the holidays, and since her flight didn't leave until 10pm, we were able to spend the day on the north shore for the Billabong Pipeline Masters finals. So fun. He didn't win, but my boyfriend Kelly Slater did make it to the finals to serve as eye candy even if he did get dominated by Taj Burrow. Afterwards we make the short hike back to the car for me to pull out Megan's flight info. Remember when she told me her flight left at 10pm? well, pause for a second then give me a big fat PSYCH! It was 2:30pm when we left the north shore, and her flight was leaving at 5:50. We had an hour drive home, followed by her getting last minute stuff together and approx. 30 minute drive to the airport and to check bags, etc. I know you're in a panic but of course I kept my cool because if you remember my little NYC adventure with Lice-Face last July, you'd remember that I live for this kind of down-to-the-last-minute stuff. Needless to say, this story is pretty anticlimactic because she made it in plenty of time. We totally could have still stopped at Matsumoto's for Shave Ice. I didn't even have to go over 60mph on the highway to make it on time.

Ten days later, I was able to celebrate Christmas with the Elliotts (well, most of them...click here to find out where the absent ones are...and join a team of prayer warriors for a quick return!). Since I mainly hang out with mom's and their kids, it has been neat to see different ways Christmas is celebrated in the house during the season. I really admire how the Elliott's have such an emphasis on educating their kids about Christmas and its history, what different symbols mean, etc. They have an advent wreath and I felt like one of the kids learning more about the candles and advent in general. Let's be honest--I hear it every year in church but it has become more of a formality to me, unfortunately. you have a wreath, you light a candle each Sunday, the one in the middle for Christmas Eve, yadda yadda... Also through church and kids books I learned how the theme of Christ and Jesus' birth is even more embedded in Christmasy "things" than just a nativity scene. So many people, believers and non-believers alike, celebrate the season with many symbols of Christ even if they don't realize it! I can tell I'm mumbling so I'll move on. 

On Christmas morning, as I watched Colin and Maddie tear through paper and the room morphed into a Princess and Star Wars mini mall I did miss my family, real bad. I have to admit, I was surprised that I didn't have a call yet saying that dad was boohooing over my not being there. However, thanks to the miracle that is the world wide web, and moreso, SKYPE, I was able to enjoy two wonderful hours with my dad's side of the family enjoying (or, watching them enjoy) one of the few meals mom actually cooks in a year and opening my aunt's hilarious gag-gifts for Christmas. This year I got a second tiny souvenir plate (it might actually be a saucer sans teacup) and a leopard print stuffed frog. Can't wait to get it in the mail, Bernard will be happy to have a friend. On Saturday I was able to Skype in again while some of mom's side of the family was over and joined in a few games of "4-on-the-couch" and had a blast. Technology amazes me.

Megan did get me The Office trivia board game, which is for 2 to 6 players. While she is gone, I now have to find 2 to 6 friends so I can play. Heather (one of the mom's) invited me on a hike with her family and a run club she goes to (remember the one Megan goes to, but I stay clear of the "r" word...I'll salsaerobics instead mahalo nui loa (thank you very much)). It was a fun, super muddy hike. The water at the falls was refreshing and full of bacteria (plenty of signage along the way to remind us) We jumped off one of the waterfalls which was fun. Anyway, eventually out of that came Heather finding me some friends so that's good news. Thursday morning I'm going with Heather et al for a sunrise hike to close out the year, so it'll be the starting point to testing the water with people in my peer group.

Well, that'll have to do pigs, for now. Although I will share this little gem I experienced earlier today. We turned off the A/C and have windows open instead. This means I get to share life a little more with the neighbors, whether it is listening to the ones on the right watching "The Hangover" while I'm in the bathroom, or hearing someone to the left to nicely ask their kids to "get off the ledge"...this eventually escalates to "GET OFF THE LEDGE NOW!" and I couldn't help but chuckle and think of this oldie but goodie.

Get Off The Shed! - The funniest bloopers are right here

Meet Stella.

I'll be sure to dress this up with photos once Megan and I aren't on the internet at the same time. For some reason the connection goes iffy when we are both using it.  I keep telling her to date a nerd so he can explain fix these things.

I spent two weeks on the mainland (that's the contiguous 48 states for those of you not familiar with island language/references). In those two weeks I got to hang out with my 2 friends still left in Lynchburg (there were some moments of regret in convincing Megan to move to Hawaii with me seeing as that was one less person to pass time with in Lynchburg). I even agreed to workout at the YMCA with Spike Hamilton twice within 15 hours of each other. Why I even agreed to workout at 8am one morning in the first place is beyond me, but for me to agree to go to a "muscle grip" class the evening before as well?! Something must've been slipped into all of the cheese toast I ate since my mom no longer keeps the kitchen stocked and what we do have in there my dad monitors to make sure there is enough to cook the dogs breakfast. 

I may be the oldest--but no contest that they are the favorites. I also was able to take lots of naps with sweet baby Stella, eat lots of food with extended family on both sides, and cook eat dinner with my family in Columbia. Oh, and I did I mention I got to see my Gamecocks dominate Clemsux's Tigers? So fun. I got my ticket from a Clemsux fan for under face value so I felt like I won twice that day.

As I mentioned earlier, on Friday, November 20th, sweet baby Stella Carter Dean was born around 2:30am! 

A freaking 22in, 9.5-pounder, at that. To put it in perspective I have come up with this simple to type illustration:

I (this represents Maggie...a stick) gave birth to this: O (representing a big baby with the cutest, softest, chubbiest cheeks you've ever seen)

I know your mind is blown. I spent as much quality time with my new niece as I could while in town. We cuddled and took naps together often. She is an incredible sleeper--I know she gets it from me, and I keep telling Maggie "you're welcome" and even though she doesn't really show her appreciation, I know she secretly thanks me often...it was Thanksgiving, after all.

After Thanksgiving happenings (which included killing my cousin Michelle in the game "Aggravation" which is an older version of "Sorry") I traveled down to my old stompin' grounds, South Carolina. It was so good to be back. I was able to see many people I wanted to see, and even a few I didn't. (I wonder how many people who actually read this just got paranoid. Don't worry, I was only mostly joking). Anyway, at a family dinner (minus Pat and Brittany, who were missed) everyone loved their souvenir neon splatter-painted tourist t-shirts (I got a killer deal at the International Market), see?

Even though it was just a few hours, it was still nice just having most of us in the same room again. With people getting married, going on adventures, getting new jobs, etc (basically growing up) definitely presents its new challenges to keeping a group of close friends together.

Coming back to Hawaii, I had to jump right in to the chaos that took off right after I left for VA. Carrie is in Africa adopting the two children I mentioned in my previous post (carrieelliott.blogspot.com to read more about that) and Chris had to go to Texas for a couple of weeks because The Man (Army) said so. So it's me, Megan, and grandma (Pam...I keep thinking "Pammy cakes" from The Office) until the 14th. There are ups and downs, but we're all pulling together and making it through. My first morning back I was working on schoolwork with Colin. I was still exhausted from a full day of flying and not much sleep because of jetlag, so I had dark circles under my eyes and I put my head down for a second. Megan is sitting at the table too:

Colin: Kayleigh's like a dead rat
Kayleigh: do your math
Colin: dead rats don't talk

all I could think was "touche." This kid has so many one-liners, it is hard to keep a straight face. He so serious when he says anything and so you can't laugh at him or he calls you out/gets upset about it. Later that day for science I had to read to him about fish and their mating process. I'm pretty sure the author of the book just took a super awkward birds-and-bees talk one would give to a child and changed it to apply to fish. Whatev. We made it through and I stayed very mature about the entire thing, laughing only on the inside.

this past Monday, Megan and I met up with Heather and Andrew at 4:30am to head to the north shore for some ridiculous 40-50 ft waves. "The Eddie" is a surf contest that only happens when specific conditions are met and it hasn't happened since 2004. Thousands of people were at Waimea Bay waiting for the call, but even though they were set up it didn't happen yesterday. Pro surfers (and others) still went out so we got to watch them for a few hours. You don't realize exactly how big the waves are until you see people on them. The contest actually happened today and since we couldn't physically be there with 30,000 of our closest friends on the island, we watched it pretty much all day live on tv. It is quickly mesmerizing. So cool that I was able to go see the waves, but now I'm pumped to go watch a north shore contest live as Pipeline Masters (the contest Blue Crush is about) is getting started.

Alrighty, so that catches you up in a nutshell. I hear about and see pictures of the snow/ice everyone is getting and I am glad I got out just in time. I saw a few flurries when I was in Blacksburg over Thanksgiving and that was enough of a white christmas for me. I'm all about the "Mele Kalikimaka" now. Speaking of Christmas right quick, FYI: apparently "dressing festively" for a Christmas party is some unwritten Hawaiian lingo for "wear regular street clothes." I got my Christmas Party 2K9 outfit spending a total of $3 at Goodwill and nobody else dressed up. Oh well, I don't regret my sequined skirt, poinsettia vest, and shiny red half-jacket. You never know when those will come in handy. Also for the Dirty Santa, I ended up with the book "What to Do Until Love Finds You: Getting Ready for Mr Right" please tell me you are laughing at that as much as I am. I tried to read it to 5-yr old Kelia but she seemed to have no interest despite my plea that it is never too early to start getting ready for Mr Right.

Until next time, Mahalo for reading and Aloha.

Nine Lives

Exciting things have happened very suddenly in the past 72 hours or so on the Elliott front. The Elliotts (who we live with) have been officially matched with two children for adoption! To put it short: the entire process has been hurry up and wait since last spring or so. They've been praying and wanting to have the kids home by Christmas, and right when that wasn't looking too realistic, God once again shows his control of all things and Chris and Carrie get an email with a picture of their son (Jackson, who will be 3 on Jan. 1) and their daughter (Mykah, turning 4 on Dec. 26) waiting to be brought home. Then on top of that, they want Carrie to be there ASAP, so she is leaving on Saturday. Needless to say, things are crazy right now trying to figure out logistics with me being gone for two weeks, then Chris for two weeks, then Megan for two weeks. I told God I wanted adventure, and He is definitely delivering. We don't know if Carrie will be back in time for Christmas, but regardless, she will still be spending the holidays with family, whether it is the nine of us on Kauoha Place (I know how to pronounce my street name now!) or with two of her dear, sweet children in Africa. Maddie (3 yrs old) is so excited to have another sister. From the moment she saw her picture, she started talking about painting her nails and doing her hair. Mykah will be princess-ified in no time once Madeline gets her hands on her :) It just warms my heart everytime I hear Colin and Maddie talk about their new brother and sister. Since I've been here (before there was even a hint of a match), every night at the dinner table, or before bed when they would pray they would ask God to keep their siblings safe in Africa. A 5 yr old and 3 yr old challenge me to be persistent in prayer requests and they don't even realize it the slightest bit. Sweet baby Gracen will just be excited to have more people to chase after and beg for food :) It has been fun watching Gracen (18 mo.) grow up in the past three months. That chica is ambitious. She is now learning to sit at the dinner table and is feeding herself with a spoon. She already can distinguish (and loves) hot coffee from blended drinks, climbs bunk beds and jumps (falls) down without a care assuming someone will be there, wants nothing more than to be independent in the pool and swimming on her own, among other things. There is nothing this girl won't try to do--she laughs in the face of her age so to speak.

Megan and I have begun the dreaded job search. It has been humbling, to say the least. This is the first time either of us have had to actually work to find jobs. I know we'll find something.

Talking about finding jobs makes my head hurt almost as much as Taylor Swift songs on the radio do right now. (I usually don't mind her, but after her opening number on the CMA's her voice makes my ears hurt a little). I would like to brag for a moment, however. I share a room with a wonderful Sesame Street licensed tshirt designer who's designs are in big name stores! At an old job Megan designed most of the Sesame Street kids shirts which are selling like hot cakes at Target, Bloomingdales (I think), Barneys New York, and most recently Fred Segal in LA to name a few. I am so proud of her! The shirts are wayy cute, and if I had a kid and was willing to spring $70 bucks for a shirt he/she'd grow out of by the end of the day, I'd buy all of them but one.

Changing subjects again, since Megan and I have prescribed each other heaping doses of "beach therapy" (it is illegal to self-prescribe), we have started to be more active so we can have hot bods like the professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars. (I'm slowly getting Megan hooked on my shows!) This is being done through a carefully scheduled out routine (well, we're working on making it routine but when it comes down to watching that extra episode of NCIS and driving to the YMCA, it's a tough call. When I opt for the former, I merely think of it as a sacrifice because by not driving I'm not contributing as much to pollution and my carbon footprint. You're welcome earth.) Anyway, our repertoire consists of Zumba, Salsaerobics, Dance Core Kill Your Abs So It Hurts to Move for 2 Days, Run Club (don't have a heart attack, Megan's the only one doing this. I don't even think these two words should be in the same sentence without a negative), and Ultimate Frisbee (that one is me). I tried softball again, and other than an RBI my highlight reel will consist of all of those times I almost hit the ball, or almost made it to first base.

Well, time to finish packing for the mainland for two weeks. My first neice should arrive any day now (or any second if you ask Megan), I will eat plenty of Chick-Fil-A (LOVE those minis), and of course watch my beloved Gamecocks play against Clemson (provided Carolina actually decides to show up and play a game this year...if not, there's always next year! SEC Champs 2010? Anyone?)

California Dreaming

not only did I vacation and have dreams in California, but it was also a great TV show and is an even greater restaurant (miss those croissants). Triple Threat. Bam.

It seems like a good idea to wait and update after long vacations are over, but in hindsight I've realized that I can't possibly remember all of the memorable-worthy moments. So this time when I say I'll be better about updating, I mean it.

Our first trip to the west coast was a way fun and busy one. 

Lodi (our home base, so to speak) actually produces more wine grapes than Napa Valley so we chose to go on our wine tasting endeavours right where we were. Some places don't have tasting fees, and the ones that did waived it for us citing our unemployment as the reason. I don't want to hold a grudge against the one place that did make us pay, we just assume they didn't give themselves the chance to get to know us first. We went to the Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi winery for a tour and were the only two there so we got quite the extensive golf-cart tour from the wonderful Karen. When we were done and about to go in for tasting she saw grape trucks roll up, so she spoiled us for a bit then we got to go see the actual process taking place. Pretty neat. We also go to eat some of the cabernet grapes so if you buy a bottle of Woodbridge's 2009 cabernet, know that our hands have touched some of those grapes so there is a little extra love in that bottle. Karen then continued to let us taste all of the wines on the list and then some.  We bought a bottle of Tempranillo (a spanish grape I'd never heard of since I'm new to this whole wine education thing) as a thank you.

We got to go on some fun family outings such as Big Trees to see all of the Redwoods and we got to see the cute kiddies get ready for Halloween. Colin asked what I was going to be and I told him we were going as his babysitters and it got a little scream out of him. We figured our costumes would be too scary for other kids to see so went to watch the Gamecocks dominate the Vols at PoisonApplebees instead.

Other things on the agenda included a taping of the Jay Leno show with Dr Phil (we should've gone to Conan. Next time.), being touristy in Hollywood (walk of fame or whatever it's called, Kodak Theatre, Beverly Hills/Rodeo Dr. Okay, pause. We were told to go use the bathroom in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in BH which is where Pretty Woman was filmed. This bathroom was awesome. Each stall was it's own little private room so you could have complete privacy to take care of things. I recommend it if you ever visit. Okay, unpause. We walked around Pepperdine University (it is ridiculous how beautiful that campus is. Not to mention the view from campus. Seriously I feel like for what private schools cost you get a little more bang for your buck there just from looking out the window.), saw some cool beaches in San Diego (Diago), and met with old friends in San Francisco where we got to take in a lovely view of the city from Dolores Park.

ANNNDD at the top of the list of things we saw in Californ-i-a-a-a are these two glorious sights:



That's right. Two things we are deprived of here in Hawai'i. Oh the sacrifices one must make living in paradise. Eating those chikin minis tasted almost as good as the first time, and nobody in Hawai'i drives over 60mph so I was able to fulfill my little need for speed.

Well, now here's a little treat for you. Our in-house entertainment, Madeline "Maddie" Elliott. This is just a teaser. Just wait until we get her dancing along with Dancing with the Stars. Priceless.

Reality finally slaps me in the face...in a good way

A lot has happened in the past few weeks. I had allowed myself to be ignorant to the reality of the lost and brokenness out here. A couple of weekends ago I went on the YL leadership weekend on the north shore. I wanted to not only be around people my age, but also learn about YL out here and what it looks like, how it is structured, etc. To say things are different would be an understatement. A high schooler's basic need is the same: to feel loved and accepted, however the daily reality and struggles that kids face in their journey to find acceptance are very different from what I'm used to in the south. When I would think about someone growing up in Hawaii, my naive self would immediately think "like omg, how awesome would that be? Surrounded by beaches, summer weather year round...rough life." Well for many of the local kids it is pretty rough. I took for granted the parental involvement we have in Cola YL and even at times wondered why more people didn't step up. On Oahu, many of the parents are addicted to drugs, etc and have already checked out. There are high school kids who have grown up on the island their entire life yet have never seen the ocean. After school for many kids it is then about what gang you are a part of (who has your back) and protecting your "territory" (various parks, neighborhoods, etc). My heart just broke and I yearn for these kids to know the perfect love of a perfect Father. There was no doubt that God wanted me to be involved in YL out here, but I didn't feel as though it was by taking on a role of a leader again--at least not at this time. From the wisdom of Carrie (I'll try not to go on again about how awesome the Elliotts are, but they are in the process of adopting 2 boys from Africa, check out www.carrieelliott.blogspot.com to read some more about their journey and adoption in general) I am now volunteering administratively to help the area director, since he is the only staff person for the island and it is a lot for him and his wonderful wife to do. Right now the big thing is the main fundraiser for the year--the banquet. As mentioned earlier, parental involvement isn't as "easy" to recruit as back home, and YL is starting to try and build a name for itself in the community. Please pray for the YL Oahu Banquet on Thursday, Oct. 22. Pray for not only that money will be raised, but also for potential committee members, and other interest in involvement from adults in the community.

In other news, I finally bought Julia. Julia is a 1999 Land Rover Discovery II. She needs some TLC, but she is wonderful. We're going to pick up Megan from the airport in a couple of hours--Jules is real pumped, mainly because right now she just loves driving around as we get to know each other.

I gave surfing another shot. I was almost stuck with the board that dominated me before, but I asked for another one. I'll get a chance to even the score with my arch enemy of surfboards, but I needed to build up some confidence beforehand. I can get up and ride the waves, so now the next step is being able to read the waves and catch one without any help. There are two girls, Heather and Christine, who go out almost weekly by where I live so I'll get some more practice. I think there are pictures of me somewhere, I'll just have to find out where.

Booked my flight to come home to welcome my niece, Stella Carter Dean into this world before Thanksgiving. I'll be in Cola Nov. 27-Dec. 1. Feel free to find me a free ticket to the Carolina/Clemson game.

Okay, time to finishing cleaning up/organizing so Megan has somewhere to put her stuff! Be on the lookout for an update from her soon!

a quick ode to Jane Doe

So I owned my first car that was to be in my name for about 30 minutes today.

1995 Nissan Pathfinder.

Asking price was $2500. I withdrew $2500 cash prepared to try and negotiate but if I liked it enough, just pay asking if they were firm.

Here's where it gets interesting. The girl who is selling it is off the island and signed it over to her brother who is still here so he could sell it for her. He knows nothing about the car, so people deal with the sister for questions, etc. then he just shows the car and collects. I drive the car for a bit, we look under the hood and everything looks good and I prepare to offer $2100 in mostly Jacksons (that's $20 bills...luckily the customer service had a few larger bills I could change out, but I digress). Chris has coached me on what to do so I'm ready. I pull out the wad of cash-monies and here's what happened:

me: "I want the car, and I've got $2100 cash here" (Dave Ramsey would be proud)
brother: "well, she said she'd take $2000"
I have a slightly confused look, remove five 20s from my wad of cash-monies and put them in my pocket
me: "okay...I want the car, and I've got $2000 cash"

talk about a hard bargain.

Anyway, I drive my new baby home and lock her up and go inside. Carrie wants to come meet her so I go back outside, stick the key in the door to find that the door locks are jammed on both sides and I can't get into my car. I had checked everything I could think of (power locks on the inside, windows, wipers, lights, etc) but it never occured to me that I may not be able to actually get inside my car. The brother said he had always left it unlocked since his sister left so he didn't realize the problem and he felt bad. Regardless of how genuine he was, he did give me all of my cash-monies back (PTL) so I'm back where I started a couple of hours ago, except this time with a story. Even though we didn't get to know each other enough for me to name her, Jane Doe will have a special place in my heart.

I'm not worried, I'll catch my break one day. I just gotta keep my eyes open.

Aloha, ya'll!

I know this is long overdue, so buckle up kids it will probs be a long one--but hopefully it won't seem as long as having to watch "Hotel for Dogs" followed by "The World's Biggest Teaparty: My Little Pony LIVE" (on DVD) just to catch the last 30 minutes of Top Gun, get tired, and go to bed. I'll get better about this.


I feel like I've run a mental marathon since my last post since I've been going nonstop. Considering I can't even physically run a 5k much less down the street, I'm quite worn out. But oh what a time it has been, filled with plenty of new adventures, mai tai's, sand, and food. I had my first visitor from the mainland, Elisabeth Pawula (pronounced like "koala" with a "p" since I know you didn't figure it out on your own). We stayed on Waikiki for the first few nights, all of which I spent sick and sleeping. Luckily we were downtown so she could walk around and entertain herself while I slept on and off through NCIS marathons. Just to list some of the touristy things we did: aquarium, climbing Diamond Head (not a rigorous climb by any means, just lots of steps), dinner cruise, Pearl Harbor, North Shore (Turtle Bay, Polynesian Culture Center, Hale'iwa, Dole Plantation), Kailua, luau, SKYDIVING, island-hopping to Kaua'i, ziplining, etc.


My tandem master was Ed White. A man I hardly knew, yet trusted enough to jump out of a plane at 14,000 ft. I was nervous/excited driving to the place (which I think LOST was being filmed down the road...they keep the Oceanic 815 wreckage and some other props at/near the airfield we went to) but the nerves actually lessened as it got closer. I kept reminding myself that at no point will I feel "ready" to jump out of a plane like that, but you gotta go big or go home, ya know? Anyways, it was incredible, and perhaps a bit habit-forming. I'm definitely going to jump again and the north shore is one of the top places in the world to do it. Basically if you come visit--you're skydiving. Get pumped and don't dwell on the 8-pg waiver you sign that repeats in bold letters that you may die and agree to not sue anyone in the world if anything at all goes wrong. I'm not exaggerating this at all. It does make you think again before signing, but I just decided that if it's my time--it's my time. Not to mention it would probs be one of the more exciting ways to die. I hope dad isn't reading this. That's why I don't tell him about these things until after the fact.


Pearl Harbor is of course a must-see for anyone visiting Hawai'i. You grow up learning about it, but just like visiting Ground Zero, or the D-day memorial, or any other memorial of this sort, it just invokes a different sense of what has happened and what people lived through. Standing at the USS Arizona memorial and looking over the mountains where the Japanese came in, you try to imagine it. People went to bed Dec. 6, expecting to wake up Dec. 7 to yet another ordinary day. We also toured the USS Missouri (Big Mo) which you can get lost in very easily. So neat, though.


We were hungry after Pearl Harbor so I look up nearby food in Tim, my trusty TomTom. Tim knows me so well because lo and behold, in black block letters there it was: Dixie Grill. I know Tim has preloaded maps, but I feel confident that it was the smell of barbeque that helped him to lead us to dinner. The place definite emphasized the redneck aspect of the south but I loved every minute there. The only thing missing was some Maurices sauce. I'm sure I'll be eating there again soon enough.


Don't worry, I won't continue in this much detail about the rest of our adventures. Just know it was all so fun and come visit so you can check it out for yourself. Now, for some of the questions I've been getting:


No, I'm not a professional surfer...yet. I actually haven't been but once (twice, actually. The second time they gave me a board and sent me out alone, long story short--I got knocked in the head by the board (this was not a dramatic instance) and the leash ripped off my ankle. When I came up, I couldn't see the board anywhere, then I looked to shore. Where it had taken me 10 minutes to paddle out there (it's a workout), my board managed to make it back to shore in about 10 seconds...needless to say, I don't really count this experience). I've been doing a lot of babysitting this month for the Elliotts to help them out during a busy time. Good thing it doesn't get cold here, so it's not like I'm running out of time. Next month is when the north shore starts to get bigger swells from Pacific storms and Nov-Dec are three big surf contests that make up the Triple Crown of Surfing. So pumped about checking those out. There's also this other Quicksilver Invitational that has a 3 months window, but only actually happens when the conditions are perfect. (Forecasted 20-ft swells which usually meants 30-40 ft waves). If the forecast meets the conditions, they announce that it'll happen and those invited have 12 hours to register, and people just flock there. The last one was in 2004 I think. Let's keep our fingers crossed 2009/2010!


The Elliotts are still wonderful. I'm just glad that I can serve Chris and Carrie in a small way by helping them when they have busy work schedules since they are doing so much for me. The kids are fun and make me laugh everyday. I will say, however, that if you're getting the baby itch just come watch these (or any younger) kids for a bit. It'll cure you. They keep you busy and I get worn out even after one day--Carrie is supermom. When they are pushing my limits I just think of how glad my mom and dad must be that my sister, brother and I were all such perfect angels from birth. You're welcome.


I also haven't been to the beach as much since I've been babysitting, but it's always nice to know it's right there and not going anywhere. As with surfing, after this month things will slow down considerably so I'll be able to catch up and maintain my tan. Oct. 7 Megan gets here so we'll go to the beach a lot so I can feel good about myself since she's pale and freckly....but we'll change that even if it means we have to spend every stinking day on the sand. Clearly I have my priorities in check.


Still checking out some churches. There is one I'm going to on the other side of the island in Kailua next weekend (this weekend I'm going on the YL staff/leader retreat on the north shore to check out YL here). The way Carrie describes it sounds like what I'm looking for so I'm excited to go and see for myself.


One thing that has been really weird to get used to seeing is liquor available for sale on any target, walmart, or grocery store shelf just there for the taking like it's OJ or something. I'm used to the stuff being on lockdown so it always just kind of throws me off. From a marketing standpoint, I can see the strategic placement of this shelf at Target. Last Friday night I was at target agonizing over what kind of toothbrush would best suit my needs (4 out of 5 dentists recommend a lot...it can get intimidating). I realize I never ate dinner and didn't know what was in the house so I wandered to the frozen dinner aisle which they now label "Meals for One." Ultimately, I'm okay that I spent part of my evening reading the backs of toothbrushes and body washes to find which will be the best exfoliant, but I can see how this could be a stab to the bitterly single woman. If you walk one aisle over, you find ice cream--a good the best comfort food. This would be enough for me, and because I'll take a pint of Ben and Jerry's over a lean cuisine anyway, I picked up some. However, for the not as strong willed, one more aisle over and you have shelves full of liquor if that's how you deal with things.


Once again, I've posted some pictures on facebook. I tried to upload some on here but it takes so freaking long and never puts them where I want them. It's too much sitting and waiting and extra work. If you aren't on facebook and want to see some, shoot me an email kayleighahudson@gmail.com

So I had lunch with the cast of LOST

There isn't even an ounce of truth in that title. Except for the part where I've eaten lunch, so I guess there's at least an ounce.

I've almost suffered through my first full week in Hawaii (Hawai'i).  Colorado was fun. It was good to see Julie, Gabe and some other YL friends (or, I guess, friend. Brittany was the only other person I already knew that I saw now that I think about it). The flight from CO to HI wasn't too bad, although the Pheonix airport has joined the Kansas City airport on my list of worst designed airports I've been to. The plan ride seemed to take forever. I was stuck in the middle seat for both legs of the trip, so it was hard for me to actually fall asleep because I didn't want to risk getting cozy with a stranger. Since it was morning, the meal was a breakfast burrito which I should have declined. Note to self: don't fly to/from Hawaii in the morning. Take your chances with lunch and dinner.

When I arrived, Carrie (the mom) came to pick me up with the kids (Colin, 5; Madeline, 3; and Gracen, 1) and a lei! I now felt like my arrival was official. The family is wonderful, the kids are energetic and fun, and the island is beautiful. The Elliotts have an extra minivan for the time being, so I've been fortunate to have an old red toyota pickup truck to drive around and explore the island. I have fallen in love with the truck and his name is Red Rover, but you can call him Rover for short. I've been all around the island: Ewa, Kailua (GORGEOUS), the north shore (Hale'iwa is a really cool old beach/surf town that is popular), the Dole Plantation where I had a delicious pineapple sorbet cone. The water is all so clear, I can be waste deep and still see the bottom of the ocean. Yesterday a few of us went to Ala Moana, a popular spot where a friend and I learned about coral and Vana (sea urchin that shoots poison into you). Lydia feel victim to the Vana, but after some googling we decided it will be a little painful for a few days, but the rest of the spikey thing in her foot should dissolve on its own in due time. Phew, close one. I don't think they make shirts that read "I went to Hawaii and all I got was poisoned by a sea urchin"

Anyway, I love the feeling of community out here. The evenings are beautiful and you can walk down almost any beach I think and see groups of families/friends gathered around on the beaches or the parks next to the beach, barbecuing, playing music, even hula dancing. Last night I was able to a part of one of these gatherings. It was so good. Steak, chicken, and grilled breadfruit and bananas and potato salad. There were two young girls, Maya and Mercedes, who were fun to run around with. Mercedes taught me how to play a card game she made up that can be best described as matching colors meets go fish meets uno where Mercedes made up/changed rules as the game was played. Afterwards I got my first taste of really touristy Hawaii as we walked from Diamond Head down Waikiki.

There are a few pictures on my facebook, so look there.

Side note: The freeways here (I think there are only 3, there might be a 4th but I haven't seen signs for it) are called interstates. Carrie initially pointed out the irony in this since Hawaii is an island.

I think this afternoon I'm going to take my first stab at surfing out here, and this week hopefully I will do some hiking, etc. since my things I shipped come tomorrow! (fingers crossed)

ALOHA!

(the packing) Nightmare on Quinlan St...

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but it is incredible how much junk one can accumulate in such a short time. I realized this when my whole packing process started in Columbia. For starters, waiting until the last minute (which is sort of my thing. I've got procrastination down to an art form--why change what you know works?) meant packing up last things from the Santee house in the rain. It is times like these that make you really wonder why you under-estimated the usefulness of an umbrella hat. Sarah Shutt and I bought them in high school and I gave mine up as my dirty santa gift in Worsham's AP class senior year. Sure, it was one of the "cooler" gifts but I wish I would have really thought it through. Not to mention, I ended up with dumb votive candles or something lame. Back to the story before I digress any further. Then there was the mad-dash stuffing the  MUV from the Turbeville's house (my summer 2K9 residence). It got really exciting when I was supposed to pick up Alice in 30 minutes so we could make it to Charlotte for our flight and I still had half my belongings up on the 3rd floor of the house. Right before leaving, Mary tells me "I'm going to be honest, I didn't think it could be done." I just work better and faster under pressure. Now, after dragging my feet for four days I'm finally kicking it into high gear since we are leaving Lynchburg by 11am and I still have a few errands to run. Oh, the adrenaline is a flowin' already. 

Had some good family time this past week and a half.  Maggie's baby shower went well. It was good to see some old family friends and catch up. There were also some good Hudson family fights--I don't know if any trip home would feel complete without them. Dad broke his old hearing aids and got his new, more advanced ones today (on his birthday!) so they were the best kind of birthday present--the kind that is like a present to everyone else as well since now you don't have to repeat yourself as often. He also doesn't have to fake understanding some people anymore. You can tell he is just tired of having you repeat yourself when he just starts nodding and saying "yeah" then walks away or changes the subject. I hope I'm like him when I grow up. With the McGuigan's good looks, of course.

Also spent some good quality time with Megan. Can't wait for her to come join me in October! Or sooner....(hint)

Next update will be from Hawaii...aloha!