Hawaii: Week Three

The truth of the matter is that I'm TERRIFIED of the ocean. It has nothing to do with swimming and everything to do with not being able to see what's in the water. But then, I'm just as scared when I'm snorkeling and CAN see under the water. I'm still debating in my head which is worse: not knowing something creepy is next to me under the water or knowing that I'm swimming with something creepy. Whenever Wyatt and I go snorkeling I'm practically on top of him the entire time we're in the water. He reminds me that he likes his space while he swims...

I guess my fear has slowly crept into my dreams because I dreamt that Wyatt had been eaten by a shark. In my dream he knew there was a shark in the water and deliberately got in despite my pleas and chomp, chomp he was gone. After I awoke from my dream I woke Wyatt with a punch in the arm and made him promise he would not go into the water if he knew there was a shark present. Well, yesterday we were snorkeling with a friend (who lives in Hawaii) and managed to swim FAR AWAY from the shore and into the middle of the ocean. And then my friend announces, "I've never snorkeled this far out before." I was certain my dream the night before was about to come true... so I suggested we return to the beach. And then I swam my little legs as fast as they would carry me to land. I bet you thought I was going to say there was a shark? Nope. I was just scared is all. This is probably why I will never be a surfer. Oh and the fact that I probably wouldn't be very good at it.

We have two-weeks remaining and I am digging my heels in the dirt trying to make time slow down. I am not ready to go home. If we didn't have to return for Wyatt to start school I might consider setting up camp here for another couple months... or even years.

Thanks for all the book recommendations. Unfortunately we couldn't make it to a real bookstore and I had to settle on what I could find at WalMart and the thrift store. So I picked up 'To Kill a Mocking Bird', 'The Informant', and 'Neither Here nor There'. I am planning on picking-up 'The Help' when I get home (since I had so many recommendations for it) - or maybe my momma will send me her copy? Mom? I'm halfway through To Kill a Mocking Bird. I don't think I gave this book as much credit as it deserved while I was in high-school. I am really enjoying it and am in love with Scout (and her name) and Atticus.

Oh, and they're filming Pirates of the Caribbean FOUR just up the road. Does anyone else think it's ridiculous they're milking that series? I really liked the first one and personally feel like it went downhill from there. They're being real hush-hush about the set so I don't know if Johny Depp is within proximity. I hope so.

And now pictures:

Laie Temple at Night

cheif of the Samoan village at the PCC - note his GIANT calves!

Laie Temple during the day (closed for construction until November 21st - sad day

giant flower - little head

something we do frequently... wait for the bus

our PCC uniforms

amazing sunset!

Hawaii: Week Two

I think this pictures sums up my feelings on Hawaii pretty well

So... our camera broke. It was such a silly way that it broke too. Both Wyatt and I are kicking ourselves for being so careless. We bought a small water-proof-pocket-thingy that holds our bus passes, credit cards, cash, and camera all while not getting them wet. Well, we got a little too brave and started taking pictures of ourselves in the water (might as well since we had our camera in the water (in the water-proof-thingy) anyway) and next thing we know an unexpected wave comes in and submerges our camera under water. And now it doesn't work. Sad. It's beyond me how Wyatt's Bluetooth headset can withstand an entire wash cycle in the washing machine but our camera can't handle a little (maybe a lot?) of water. As a result we spent nearly the entire day yesterday making the trek to the nearest Costco for a new camera... only to find out they no longer sell the one we wanted to buy (a waterproof Fuji). BUST!

As a side note, the bus has been GREAT for getting around Laie, especially up to the North Shore. It has not been so great to get to any "big" town - any with WalMart and Costco. We spent all last Tuesday getting to and from WalMart - only to find out that it wasn't a super center and the prices weren't any better than the ones in Laie. And of course yesterday was a waste of time since we left without a camera. I talk as if we are short on time... Still, who wants to spend unnecessary amount of hours on a bus when they could be playing at the beach?

Plan B was to buy one on Amazon but after we made the purchase it said it wouldn't ship until next Monday. And then it would take another five or so days to get here. No good. So we canceled the order and found one on (just like ours) Craigslist for $45. I like this option the best. The downside... it's located in Honolulu. Which means another ALL-DAY trip on the bus. I am really hoping the needs to come up to the North Shore for some reason and can meet us somewhere up here. Otherwise, we're going to have to take our fancy camera with us to the beach. And that means we won't be able to leave our stuff unsupervised on the beach.

That has been the news of the week. Everything else is status quo - beaching it nearly every day. Oh, we did finish-up orientation for volunteering at the PCC. Our official first day was last night. We're helping out in the dining area for the nightly buffet. Wyatt and I both have mixed feelings about our experience. I will comment more on this later when I have had more opportunities to evaluate what we're doing exactly.

In other conversation, I am HAPPY to say that I have read TWO books and am in the middle of my third! I have MISSED reading and am thrilled that I finally have all the time in the world to do so. Maybe I have my priorities listed differently than most but while I was working full-time I just couldn't seem the time to sit down and read a book. I finally had to use an alternative method to get the job done and listen to books on CD while driving in my car. Which is quite enjoyable but still not the same as actually reading a book. The last book I read was in Costa Rica - "Remember Me" by Sophie Kinsella (which was a fun light-read book).

Last week I finished "Cold Sassy Tree" and I polished off "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" in two days (the book I was supposed to read with my book club last year but it wasn't available on CD). Now I'm in the midst of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" one I've read before and LOVE.

If you're at all interested, here are my book reports:

Cold Sassy Tree - I knew nothing about this book when I started reading it. My friend Jen (marathon Jen) loaned it to me when I told her I was in need of something to read while in Hawaii. I really truly enjoyed myself the entire time I read it. It takes place in Georgia during the early 1900's and I think it paints the perfect portrait of what it must've been like to live in that part of the country during that era. The story is told by a 14-year-old boy, Will Tweedy, and I just loved hearing things told from his perspective. Especially his constant dwelling on kissing! It's a good story about family, life and death. If you're looking for a good story you won't be disappointed with this one.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Creatively written, this story is told through letters. It takes place in England (London and Guernsey Island) post-WWII. About a young author and her correspondence with the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Light-hearted in many ways it did a great job touching upon the affects of war, as well as life during war. My only grip, I kind of feel like the authors felt like they needed to wrap up the book and that the ending was a bit rushed. Even so, I enjoyed the book. Another recommendation from me to you.

I only packed three books with me and seeing that I'm half-way threw my third book I need some recommendations on what to read next. Hoping that I can find a book store close to Laie so that I don't need to spend another entire day on the bus to find a good read. Please let me know if you have something you liked and think I would like too. I have three more weeks and will need something to entertain me while at the beach... and on the bus.

More pictures to enjoy:

Year Three

Dear Wyatt,

Remember that time we got married three years ago? That was awesome.

Love,

me

Ode to Summer

Summer I just want you to know,
It's about time!
Perhaps now you'll convince the sun to show?

All right, I'm just going to quit my attempt to rhyme and cut straight to the point. Look here summer, I understand that technically up until this point it was "spring". But tomorrow the calendar says "June 21st" on it. That means it's summer solstice. Which means you have to be here whether you like it or not. It has been cold, rainy, and frankly I'm sick of it. Even my web-footed Oregonian husband has been complaining about your late (but technically on-time up to today) arrival. So get out there and give it your 100%! I promise you I will make it worth your while. Have I ever let you down?

Your biggest fan,
Brittany

PS - Have you ever read the short story "All Summer in a Day"? I have been feeling like perhaps you were trying to act out the scene in this story. I would be an emotional wreck if you did decide to ever do this to me. So don't.

Run a Marathon: Check.

Well, I can officially cross running a marathon off my list! Yipee! I think it has always been on my list but I think I had planned on tackling it later in life. However, this past January I received an invitation from my friend Jen to run the Newport Marathon with her. So I bumped the goal up to number one and now I can officially say I'm a "marathoner". Or can I? Do I have to run two marathons to be qualified for that title? I won't bore you with all the details (since my blog seems to have a reoccurring theme of food, running, and summer...). I'm just going to touch on the highlights of the event.

First, we had AMAZING weather! Considering Oregon has had one of the wettest springs on record and that it has rained nearly ever day the past month - it truly was a miracle that we woke to clear blue skies yesterday morning. And a double miracle that we had sunshine for a race that took place on the Oregon Coast. It's times like this that I KNOW the Lord loves me!

I can draw several analogies between running a marathon and life...but I'll spare you. I will say that I have a true understanding of the power of the mind. In January I was uncertain that I would be able to tackle 26.2 miles. However, the more I trained and the longer distances I ran, I was able to convince myself my goal wasn't too lofty...and was actually obtainable. I spent the whole week last week reminding myself that I was going to do great...and check me out, I did!

I've also come to realize the strength of human companionship. Jen and I ran nearly every long run together during our training. Over time I became more and more dependent on her company during our runs. I was amazed at how difficult it was to tackle the long runs alone when we couldn't run together during training. I can honestly say that I would not have done as well as I did running the marathon yesterday if Jen was not by my side. She truly made the marathon fun (I don't think they're supposed to be as fun as I had) and kept me distracted from the miles we were conquering. I really felt like the race was done in a blink of an eye. Wyatt teased me and said that he felt like he was interrupting us whenever he met-up with us along the course.

Which brings me to another important point. Wyatt is awesome! I love that man! I know he could probably list a thousand things he'd rather be doing on a sunny Saturday then spend his time following Jen and me along our marathon playing the role of official J&B photographer, official J&B pit crew, and official J&B cheer leading squad. But he did it anyway because that's the way he rolls... And roll he did. He skated (on his longboard) 10-miles in order to snap some pictures of us! Now that is dedication!

Lastly I want to say how amazed I am at how GREAT I feel. Sure my legs feel sore but I would say aside from that I don't feel like I ran 26.2 miles yesterday. And that is how I felt the entire time during the race - great. I honestly felt like I could keep going the entire time, I never hit a wall and I never felt like I needed to stop. Several people at church commented that they would probably be at home in bed if they had just run a marathon. I'm not saying this to brag. I just think that goes to show what practice, practice, practice can do! I've spent the last six months dedicating my time to running (more so than I usually would). I spent all last week preparing myself for the race - went to bed early, loaded up on carbohydrates, drank plenty of water, mentally prepared myself, etc. I even prayed and told the Lord that I had done everything I possibly could to prepare myself for this event and I asked him to make up the difference. And I know He did! I think that I feel as great as I do because I worked hard to achieve this goal. I think when you put hard work into anything you will encounter great results.

My goal was to finish the race in 4-hours and 20-minutes. We came in just shy of that at 4-hours and 19-minutes (and 21-seconds). That comes out to a 10-minute mile pace. I am happy with those results! It was a good pace where I never feel like I was overextending myself. Part of me wonders if we could've gone a tad bit faster. But then I think we probably wouldn't have been able to chat the entire time...and that would've been boring running in silence. I guess that is what marathon number two is for...running faster to shave off some time.

Yeah, I'm happy I ran a marathon. It was a wonderful experience! And I must say, I've truly enjoyed gorging myself with food and knowing that it is okay because I burned x-thousand calories running. The perks of running...
(PS - I just want to announce that all though I did run 26.2 miles yesterday Jen was the star of the show! She encountered a foot injury (among other life-challenging events) in April which kept her off her feet for two weeks. When she finally could start running again she had to grit her teeth to get through the painful runs. Running with her yesterday I would have NEVER guessed she had any foot issues! She is a tough cookie!)

PPS - I made two delectable treats this weekend for our Young Women Cake Auction (the fund raiser for Girls Camp). I made a Neapolitan Cake and Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes with Mint Cream. Both from my fav food blog - Smitten Kitchen. I thought the cake was delish but Wyatt gave me a hard time because it didn't meet the traditional definition of "cake". However, the souffle cupcakes were fantastic. As I've mentioned before on my blog...I'm not into cake. And these tasty treats didn't share the same consistency of cake. They weren't made with flour so they were dense and CHOCOLATLY. YUM!!!

International Epicurean

It's been brought to my attention this past week that the past 27-3/4 years of my life have been void of something(s) wonderful. Thanks to our friends and neighbors, two new world cuisines have successfully been integrated into my repertoire of gastronomy.

It all started several years ago when I was living in Chicago. A group of us decided to be "adventurous" and went out for Indian food. To say the least, I was not impressed. And for the several years following the Indian-food-outing, it has been beyond my comprehension that people actually enjoyed the stuff. So when our friends Craig and Becky moved into the ward and raved about Indian food (Craig served a good part of his mission in Sri Lanka) I decided that perhaps I should give Indian cuisine another chance. It actually got to the point that I was asking them when they were going next so Wyatt and I could tag along. So last week when C&B requested our help to move their newly purchased couch, they treated us to dinner at their favorite Indian restaurant - Chennai Masala. And now for the past week I can't stop craving Chicken Vindaloo - YUM! I really think it made all the difference having "experienced palates" with us to recommend what to order. (As a side note, as soon as we walked in the restaurant my mind was flooded with memories of my childhood friend Anisha Malholtra. Her house always had a distinct smell and it took me years to realize it was the curry.)

Oh and if you've never ordered Indian food before, let me give you a tip. When the server gives you your side options...he is not asking if you would like "rice or non", as in "non-rice". He is asking you if you would like "rice or naan" - Indian bread. Just remember this tip and you will save yourself the humiliation that comes with your hosts and server laughing at you... I laughed at myself too. It was pretty funny!

Next up. We had a knock on our door at 9pm Tuesday night. It was our (awesome!) neighbor Lem. Lem and his roommate Mben (sp?) are from the Gold Coast of Africa (I don't remember which country). Knowing this I have said on more than one occasion that I would like to try African food. (I am not that rude - I always make this comment after he suggests having us over for dinner.) Ask and I receive... Lem brought us some African food to eat! Similar to many international dishes, it consisted of rice and some kind of meaty sauce, like a curry. Had I been the one to answer the door, as opposed to Wyatt, I would be able to offer you more details about the dish...for instance, its name. Surprisingly it reminded me of the time I had African food when I was in the fourth grade for our African lab. At the time I thought perhaps the food tasted like peanut butter to try and coax the ten-year-olds into trying the dish. But it's true! Lem's dish had a trace of peanut butter...chased by a spicy punch! It was incredible!

My eyes have been opened my bloggy readers! My poor, poor taste buds have been in captivity for all these years. What was I thinking for snubbing Indian food for so long?! And why did I think I could wait until I visited Africa before I ate the food?! I am a firm believer in eating like the locals when I'm visiting a new place...but perhaps I should get to know potential locals here? And then manipulate them into sharing their food with me. I agree, it's a good plan. :)

PS - I've been told that when Chinese people greet each other, it can be translated into "have you eaten?" I like the Chinese...always thinking about food.

Ta-Da!

I did it! I finished my project. Who knew sewing a swimsuit would be so difficult? There were several hours devoted to pulling out stitches... Not to mention the disproportionate body I have. Cutting the pattern was a chore in itself. My measurements really did fall into four of the five sizes: Torso, XL. Waist, M. Hips, S. Bust, XS...of course. And trying to alter the pattern to mimic this swimsuit, YIKES!

Thanks to my sister (the one who made this dress) who coached me through the process. Several times I had to resist the urge to throw my half-finished project in a box and ship it to her to finish the job. I'm really happy I didn't. Though I'm very aware that my new swimsuit looks very homemade. Oh well.

Now I'm onto my next project:

Thanks to Spandex World (for all my spandex needs)!