Tomorrow morning my parents board a plane and return to the Northwest. I am sad.
When family gets together there are always moments of such unbridled happiness we wish it would never end. There is the inevitable freak-out where we wonder why we even bother visiting each other in the first place. There always comes the moment when I ask my mom if she wouldn't seriously reconsider just staying - forever.
It's difficult, if not impossible, to gain any real perspective on people close to you. Real connections, real relationships in life, have nothing to do with frequency or proximity. Moments come and go, but the choice to savor that moment is what counts. Enjoying the people around you to the fullest (even if that means having it out with them in the middle of the dolphin habitat!) and continuing to value their presence. Making the choice to bridge that gap, even if the act of building that bridge is challenging.
When we chose to establish our life, our family, in Hawaii, we both knew we would be giving up easy access to our extended/original families. I'm thankful for trips like these. I'm thankful that my family makes the effort to get together at least once a year. I wish I could reciprocate more often. I wish airlines would embrace kamaaina rates. I wish Wisconsin would mysteriously drop down in the middle of the Pacific, preferably somewhere off the Haumakua coast.
But mostly, I wish I could hire someone to come and restore my house to the condition it was in a week and a half ago!
15.1.12
14.1.12
A Beautiful Week With Family
Today we are concluding a wonderful week of Stransky family reunion.
Among other fun activities (like eating and watching sports together), we toured and Big Island and saw such scenic wonders as:
Halema'uma'u at Kiluea Volcano (Volcanoes National Park)
Sharing the mana'o
Waipi'o Valley (Valley of the Kings) on the Haumakua Coast
*this* is my little sister's "goofy" face!
Carolyn's boyfriend and Ikaika were pretty much inseperable the entire trip. They kept busy doing, you know, manly things.
Beth and I hiked the hot, hot Kona Coast. Ikaika said he also wanted to hike. Turns out what he meant was "ride along".
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau (City of Refuge). The unanimous, hands-down favorite spot on the island.
More than enough brotherly love to go around.
A sunset from Mauna Kea beach.
View from the Four Seasons Hualalai - a place that not only looks 'totally beyond my price range' but also inappropriate for where I'm at in life (we are more 'Hilton Waikoloa' right now!)
10.1.12
First Real Sleep Over
Ikaika is having his first real sleep over tonight. My parents are staying in Waikoloa, which is a good 30 minute drive from where I live. Tonight, when we were exploring Volcanoes National Park and eating ono good at Ken's Drive-In in Hilo, Ikaika pleaded his case for staying at Oma's house.
I made it perfectly clear that neither I, nor Daddy (nor Koa) were going to be there. Just him. We all clarified that I would be at our house in Waimea while he was in Waikoloa. And after he left, there was no turning back. Still, he insisted.
We got to Waimea and as my sister loaded him back into his carseat (freshly jammied with teeth brushed) I was sure he would say "no no, I want to stay with mommy!" ...but he didn't. In fact, he was all excited to go and even kissed me saying "goodnight mommy, I love you. See you tomorrow!"
I attribute this precociousness to several factors.
1) he loves my parents and my sisters and has slept at that house before (not by himself, but he's familiar with the territory)
2) he's a pretty independent kid and rarely gets anxiety about being away from us (for example, going to childcare during MOPS - he's almost always cool about it)
3) he's probably banking on Oma letting him watch movies all night and isn't thinking ahead to the actual "going to bed" part.
I'm incredibly interested to hear about how this goes. I know my family can handle it (nightmares, tantrums, delirious cries for mom or whoever) and I highly doubt I will get a 3am phone call, no matter how crazy he gets. I feel strangely nervous about him sleeping away from me, knowing that I won't see him until tomorrow. I'm anxious, but not exactly for him. In fact, it's weird to admit, but I'm a little sad that at 3 years old he could be so casual about leaving me!
I made it perfectly clear that neither I, nor Daddy (nor Koa) were going to be there. Just him. We all clarified that I would be at our house in Waimea while he was in Waikoloa. And after he left, there was no turning back. Still, he insisted.
We got to Waimea and as my sister loaded him back into his carseat (freshly jammied with teeth brushed) I was sure he would say "no no, I want to stay with mommy!" ...but he didn't. In fact, he was all excited to go and even kissed me saying "goodnight mommy, I love you. See you tomorrow!"
I attribute this precociousness to several factors.
1) he loves my parents and my sisters and has slept at that house before (not by himself, but he's familiar with the territory)
2) he's a pretty independent kid and rarely gets anxiety about being away from us (for example, going to childcare during MOPS - he's almost always cool about it)
3) he's probably banking on Oma letting him watch movies all night and isn't thinking ahead to the actual "going to bed" part.
I'm incredibly interested to hear about how this goes. I know my family can handle it (nightmares, tantrums, delirious cries for mom or whoever) and I highly doubt I will get a 3am phone call, no matter how crazy he gets. I feel strangely nervous about him sleeping away from me, knowing that I won't see him until tomorrow. I'm anxious, but not exactly for him. In fact, it's weird to admit, but I'm a little sad that at 3 years old he could be so casual about leaving me!
8.1.12
Oma and Opa Visit Hawaii
Thursday we drove to Kona and picked up my parents from the airport. Ikaika was so excited he hardly slept on Wednesday night - it was the second coming of Santa in more ways than one!
We parked the car and waited outside the gate. When the doors burst open and my mom walked through, he screamed "OMA! OMA!" and ran to her, knocking through a few people on his way. She said it was quite a reception ("how come my own kids never get this excited?")
2.1.12
New Year Resolutions
A few new years resolutions I cooked up the other night at work. If I've learned anything from Mr A's classes on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), I learned that goals - good goals - should be measurable and achievable, which is why I think all of these are realistic for the coming year of my life. The only one that's questionable is starting confirmation classes, because sometimes I feel like I'm already way overcommitted and I'm not sure how I would work that around my work schedule. I'll have to look into that more. But everything else, I already have a plan!
Finish the Kona Marathon
This one has been on my mind since June, but I haven't really dedicated myself to training yet. Now that the race is about 6 months away, it's time to start bucking up and sticking to the plan. I am going to use Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Guide: Novice 1 - a woman I know who recently ran the Honolulu Marathon recommended this to me. If I don't start in January, then I absolutely must be in February.
I also think that running in the early morning would work best with my schedule, so this might help realize another goal I have of becoming a "morning person"!
Take the PRAXIS I
I took the GRE last year thinking I was going to apply for traditional grad school, but my thoughts return to teaching. Therefore, since the information is fresh in my mind (thanks to Mr A) and since I'm not under any pressure or time constraints, I think it would be wise to take the PRAXIS I and get it out of the way...just in case.
I will start seriously looking at graduate school options in the fall of 2012.
Finishing writing my book
I've been doing well with this. I'm about 30,000 words deep right now. The more I write this story, the more I question whether or not this is really the right story to send to a publisher. But, the important thing is that I learn the discipline of writing a novel and that I have a solid draft done by the end of the year. If nothing else, it will provide Granny with some reading material.
Read Pride & Prejudice
Speaking of reading material...
I downloaded this onto my kindle last night. I'm on chapter 6. So hilarious. And a surprisingly easy read. For some reason I thought this was going to be Dickens or Tolstoy and I was going to be muddling my way through each page. Not even. I will never doubt Ruth's recommendations. I can't believe it's taken me this long to start.
Be a Coffee Master
This is a program through Starbucks which will make me a coffee sommilier of sorts. I think it's fun, challenging, and it gives me something creative to focus on at work (which, because of the nature of a barista's job, can tend to get monotonous)
Start confirmation classes
I've now come far enough in my spiritual journey that I am ready to recommit myself to the Roman Catholic Lord I love. I didn't do it in high school because I wanted to wait until I was sure. Now that I'm over my obligatory crisis of faith, it's time to seal the deal. But, the classes take two years and (like I said above) I'm not sure how it will work with my already crazy schedule.
I know...I know...God should be first priority! The guilt alone will probably force me to make it work!
Call or write my cousin at least once a month
I've been so out of touch with my cousin Amber lately and even though I think about her all the time, I rarely take the time to reach out and connect with her. In light of recently deleting my Facebook account, I know that I need to go the extra mile for our relationship.
last sunset of 2011
Finish the Kona Marathon
This one has been on my mind since June, but I haven't really dedicated myself to training yet. Now that the race is about 6 months away, it's time to start bucking up and sticking to the plan. I am going to use Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Guide: Novice 1 - a woman I know who recently ran the Honolulu Marathon recommended this to me. If I don't start in January, then I absolutely must be in February.
I also think that running in the early morning would work best with my schedule, so this might help realize another goal I have of becoming a "morning person"!
Take the PRAXIS I
I took the GRE last year thinking I was going to apply for traditional grad school, but my thoughts return to teaching. Therefore, since the information is fresh in my mind (thanks to Mr A) and since I'm not under any pressure or time constraints, I think it would be wise to take the PRAXIS I and get it out of the way...just in case.
I will start seriously looking at graduate school options in the fall of 2012.
Finishing writing my book
I've been doing well with this. I'm about 30,000 words deep right now. The more I write this story, the more I question whether or not this is really the right story to send to a publisher. But, the important thing is that I learn the discipline of writing a novel and that I have a solid draft done by the end of the year. If nothing else, it will provide Granny with some reading material.
Read Pride & Prejudice
Speaking of reading material...
I downloaded this onto my kindle last night. I'm on chapter 6. So hilarious. And a surprisingly easy read. For some reason I thought this was going to be Dickens or Tolstoy and I was going to be muddling my way through each page. Not even. I will never doubt Ruth's recommendations. I can't believe it's taken me this long to start.
Be a Coffee Master
This is a program through Starbucks which will make me a coffee sommilier of sorts. I think it's fun, challenging, and it gives me something creative to focus on at work (which, because of the nature of a barista's job, can tend to get monotonous)
Start confirmation classes
I've now come far enough in my spiritual journey that I am ready to recommit myself to the Roman Catholic Lord I love. I didn't do it in high school because I wanted to wait until I was sure. Now that I'm over my obligatory crisis of faith, it's time to seal the deal. But, the classes take two years and (like I said above) I'm not sure how it will work with my already crazy schedule.
I know...I know...God should be first priority! The guilt alone will probably force me to make it work!
Call or write my cousin at least once a month
I've been so out of touch with my cousin Amber lately and even though I think about her all the time, I rarely take the time to reach out and connect with her. In light of recently deleting my Facebook account, I know that I need to go the extra mile for our relationship.
1.1.12
Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!
We said "aloooooha" to 2011 at our friend Steve's house. Mr A took care of the BBQ, as always.
Even though the last few days have been beautiful, we brought all our warm clothes to brave the "green side" of Waimea. We also brought hearty appetites for the garage length buffet!
Last year, because I was running a 5K the next day and we were in the Northwest, the family didn't do much celebrating. This was Koa's first real New Years fete. He wasn't so sure about all the loud noises, but from 10pm on was able to sleep through warfare right outside his window. Amazing. I was jealous. Despite going to sleep around 4am, I worked at 9:30. My first new years resolution? Never do that again.
Of course, Ikaika showed him the ropes. Ikaika was VERY into the fireworks this year. Daddy and Uncle took him under their wings and schooled him in the way of questionably responsible Hawaiian pyrotechnics.
The sheer joy is ridiculous. Between him and his father - I am in trouble (and so are all the flammable structures on our block)!
At midnight, the men rigged up the 10,000 string of firecrackers with three bombs at the top and we counted down the New Year by going deaf (temporarily).
The string of fireworks hangs from a large pole somewhere in the yard. Steve had this fancy bamboo pole that he cut down from the lot across the street and they propped it up on the basketball hoop.
HAPPY 2012 EVERYONE!!!
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