Aloha Summary!

Thursday, September 2, 2010 – WEDNESDAY’S ARRIVAL!


Aloha from Kaua’i!! It’s now about 4:00 a.m. and I keep thinking of things to write in my blog so decided to get up and do some updating. Plus my head hurts. Dehydration headaches really dig deep. I think Vee has some Aleve or something…I’m gonna check that out. Hold please. (insert 80’s soft rock muzak here…”baaa baaa baaa baaa baa baa, I know this much is True….” Okay, I’m back and couldn’t find anything that would help. I wonder if that’s because I just looked at the bags without unzipping them. I hope Spandau Ballet was an enjoyable listen. 

Chicago drivers are mad hatters! I’m so thankful Matthew was behind the wheel because the only way I would’ve been able to drive through that visual torture would be by leaving for the airport at 4:00 a.m. for a 10:00 a.m. flight! Well done, Matthew, well done! Watching Velvet say goodbye to Jaydon and Matt not only tugged at my heart strings, it pulled so hard that I’m pretty sure I have to replace them now. Everyone was exhausted, including little Jaydon, because he woke up almost every 1.5 hours during the night because he’s sick. Matthew took him to the pediatrician after leaving the airport and also got himself checked out since he’s been sick, too. Matt was given antibiotics and Jaydon just has a minor cold. His ears, throat, chest and lungs are all clear, so that’s good. Velvet’s boys are on the mend!

I have forgotten the pull to look at twins and ask the question, “Are you two twins?” or the shorter version, “Twins?” We checked our luggage curbside and the gentleman assisting us did just that. “Wow. Twins?” Yes, yes we are. “What flight are you on?” United 0001. “Hmmm, let’s see, if I was on that flight I ‘d be going to Hawaii,” he said smiling. That’s exactly right! So we chatted a little bit about the vacation, gave him a nice tip and Vee said, “It’s good to be nice to the people who determine your luggage’s destination.”  Well said, Vee. Well said.

We go through security and Vee goes through just fine and I hear an authoritative voice, “Ma’am? This way.” I look and said, “me?” “yes, this way,” with the “waving to yourself” gesture. Okay, so I get to go through a different line…of which I am the only person. I go to walk through what seems to be an x-ray machine and am told to “please stop”, but it’s the universal gesture to stop. Like what crossing guards use or police officers directing traffic. So I stop in the middle of this “thing” and the employee running the machine started talking. He seems like nice guy. I try to keep it light, knowing he could potentially keep me from continuing on with my vaca. I was smiling and said, “Am I doing this right?” (I was just standing there. I wanted to make sure I was ‘standing’ in the right direction, whatever that was, just in case. ) He smiled and said, “Yes – put your hands over your head, look straight ahead and don’t move.” I laughed and said, “Got it”. So I chewed my gum and smiled at the camera. He looked at me and I said, “Sorry, I thought you said, “Say cheese”.  He laughed and said, “Ooh, you moved! I saw you chewing gum as well!” I was thankful he was such a nice guy. Security check leg one, success. So onto the next station - the “pat down”. I am standing facing Velvet and our luggage and looked at her like, “What’s this all about? Why didn’t you get this, too?” She returned the same quizzical look as if to say, “I dunno.” The woman was very kind and asked, “Is there anything I need to know about?” as she began the process. “Umm, I have a bad back,” I said, jokingly. She laughed and continuing on, saying, “Anything I need to know about up here?” (upper torso) So I responded with something that made her laugh that I can’t write here and as I was leaving she said, “Thanks for making my day a little brighter.” My pleasure. “Thanks for not detaining me.”  I looked at Velvet and said, “Why did I just get the security pat down and you didn’t? Every trip I seem to take I am “chosen”. Do I look like suspicious or something??” She laughed and said, “Well you know what those machines are, right?” I shook my head slowly…”nnnoo”, thinking, Oh great. What are they?? Apparently they’re machines that take a picture as if you had nothing on. I am horrified. “What?” Well that’s just lovely. My attempts at modesty have just flown out the window. Excellent. At least I was through without being asked to “come with me” by someone else. I know I have nothing to be concerned with, however, that kind of authority makes me a wee bit nervous.

Velvet here…I must interject for one moment. As we’re going through security, I’m thinking how great this is – no problems, we’re on vacation, Matt and Jaydon are on their way to the doctor, and oh look, here come my bags. So, I grab my bags and put my flip flops back on, and see that Dawn’s bags are on their way as well. But there’s a problem. No Dawn! I look around and think, “Where could she POSSIBLY have gone?! It’s the security line!” So, I grab all of her bags and get them ready to roll when I hear her laughing behind me. I turn around and she’s got her arms in the “cross” position being scanned by a TSA member. What the--?! Hmmm, okay. She did look a bit suspicious to me this morning! So, she eventually makes her way over to me, and tells me the story of her “pat down” experience as we grab our bags and make our way through O’Hare. Oh, and as a sidenote, I had to tell her about the new security scanner. I’d just read about it online because passengers were all up in arms that there are potentially thousands of nude-like pictures of them across the nation’s airports!

So with security mere seconds behind us, we decided to partake of some food to break our fast. The employees inside the airport weren’t as jovial, I must say. We stopped at a bagel shop and not a single employee was smiling. Blank stares. As far as the eye could see. “Next!” Someone places their order and stands to the side, cramping someone else out because everyone wants to make sure nobody else touches their “bag of yummies”. “Mine – that’s mine!” One customer asked the cashier about the contents of one of the bags and the woman actually said to her, without smiling or a hint of niceness, “I have no idea” and gave her a look as if to say, “pay attention, lady.” .

(Side note – I hear the waves crashing on the shore…wait..no…false alarm. It’s the jetting sprinklers for the incredibly manicured landscape.)

When we got on the plane, all we did was laugh. Disney was kind enough to begin the 8 hour flight with a horrific 2.5 hour movie called, “Ocean”, which I thought was going to be awesome. I was wrong, wrong, wrong. It felt like torture! I will say that the 5 extra inches of leg room for economy plus is worth the money if you are going on a long flight. At more than one point during the flight, I was so tired and so bored that I was trying to figure out how to use my travel pillow to the fullest advantage. However, I ended up just zoning out and pushing it against my face….only to be startled by Vee when I pulled it away saying, “peek-a-boo”.  [Vee here – here’s what happened from my perspective. I’m getting all adjusted in my seat, anticipating a great little movie about the ocean, and I see some commotion out of the corner of my eye. I look over, and Dawn has her travel pillow smashed up against her face. Just sitting there. I’m perplexed. I lean forward, thinking at some point, she’s going to “open” the sides of this pillow and see me staring at her. Nope. She slowly moves the pillow away from her face, and I look at her – dead pan – and say, “Peek-a-boo.” Not even an exclamation! She actually gets startled as if she didn’t know who was sitting next to her! It was awesome! I’m like, what are you doing?!? She goes, “I’m just checking this thing out!”]

The saving grace of the flight was watching Shrek 4 – can’t remember the full title but it was a life saver. Until they showed 2 hours of horrendous sitcoms that made you think “we’re gonna land soon!”, only to realize that you have to endure one more showing of “Parks and Recreations”. Who watches that?!?? As Vee says, “You’ve never seen it before for a reason. It’s dumb.”

Just when you think you are going to jump out of your skin from claustrophobia, we are landing! As we are getting ready to deplane, one of the flight attendants said, “You girls must’ve had a late night last night because you were out like a light!” No…just tired, thank ye. Then the infamous, “Twins?” question popped up, but was added with, “Ohh, and one’s prettier”…what the-?? Did she just say what I think she said?? As I am passing her she said, “Make sure you cherish your sister and love her always.” I looked at and said, “I do…” Then I squinted my eyes like I do, shook my head in disbelief and said to Vee, “what was THAT?!?!”

We had a 2 hour layover in Honolulu for our island hopper flight and Vee was captivated by the pigeon in the airport. She followed it around, even leaving our luggage “unattended”, but within 20 feet of me. Do I give her a hard time or just let her enjoy the bird? Bird enjoyment it was! [Vee here – in my defense, I’ve never seen a random bird hop around an airport before! I considered it “local wildlife” and had to capture it on camera!] I was captivated by the massage chair, which wasn’t that great. It was $1 for 3 minutes but I can’t say it was well spent. As people gathered for the flight, one guy standing against the emergency exit accidentally opened it with his backpack and you would’ve thought the world was coming to an end. [Vee again - The alarm was quite loud and pretty startling at first. But then it became like a false fire alarm in college. Just stay in your room. It’ll shut off eventually.] Okay, maybe just those of us sitting in the area where it was the loudest received the brunt of it. It wasn’t that big of a deal to either Vee or I, however, the negative reactions of others was interesting to watch. And hear.

When we arrived in Lihue, it took FOREVER to get the rental car. However, I will add that we were blessed twice already and we hadn’t even arrived at the resort yet. It took about 40 minutes standing in a very short line for the rental, which resulted in an upgrade, free of charge, because “I made the guy smile.” Our resort room was upgraded from a poolside view to an ocean view, no extra cost. Even though it’s not a “full ocean view”, it’s still an ocean view, nonetheless. There was a young couple standing next to me in the rental line who was staying for 4 days at the same resort who had no idea about anything on the island. It was a short stay before going to Asia for his work. So after reading the book, “Kaua’i Revealed”, I gave my own little synopsis of the island, what to see, and then gave them some magazines I’d picked up in the airport regarding the island. I think I missed my calling as an island tour guide. [Vee again - As Dawn was inside taking care of the car rental, I waited outside with our bags. Trying to find a nice place to sit and be comfortable for the 2 hours we were there was a little bit difficult. The first place I sat, the curb, was the only option available since there were like 15-20 people waiting in the same area I was. The burst of hot exhaust from the shuttle bus quickly destroyed any thoughts of just chillin’ while I waited for Dawn. I will have to hand it to God – He certainly made all types of people to make this planet go ‘round! It was a funny, and yet somehow scary, experience!]

We finally get the rental car and head out to the “full-sized” section of the parking lot. We select a nice car, can’t even remember what it was, and there’s no key to be found. I know the employee told me that the key would be inside the car so I ask the approaching employee about it. He wasn’t as friendly. “You have to get the key from inside.” “Okay…even though we were told the keys would be in the car?” “Who told you that?” “The gentleman inside – I don’t know his name.” Pause. Stare. Pause. “Do you have a contract?” What is this guy’s problem?? “Yes, we have a full-sized car – “ “This section is ‘specialty cars’. You need to get the keys from inside for these.” “Specialty cars? Oh – there wasn’t a sign showing-“ “All of these other ones out here are full-sized.” Again, I’m interrupted by this guy who is talking to me as though I’m the incompetent fool for not “knowing” these were specialt y cars CLEARLY parked in the full-sized parking lot. I’m wondering if I’m uber tired and this guy is actually nice but because I am lacking sleep, my filter is off a bit. After selecting a car from the “correct” section, we hop in the car and travel on our merry way! Yay! It is now 2 hours later than what we expected to be driving so it’s dark – or close to it. As I am driving in my exhausted and increasingly irritable state, being ever present to keep it in check so I don’t take it out on Vee and cause any unnecessary misunderstandings, I am reminded that the islands lack one thing I am used to while driving at night. Street lights. With Vee navigating, I am acutely aware of 2 things: Exhaustion levels are high and reactions to said exhaustion are the same. Definitely twins. It’s one of those things we used to say, “You do this…” and the other says, “No I don’t! You do!” “No I don’t! You do!” Ahhh, reality would say, “we both do”. 

The details are a bit foggy now, after recovering with some sleep, however, I vaguely recall the following: “you can’t turn yet!” and “TURN ON YOUR LIGHTS!” Maybe Vee can fill in the fuzzies.

[Hi there. It’s me…Vee. Fill in the fuzzies…of course! So, as Dawn described, it was dark. And with both of us directionally challenged, we actually made a wrong turn getting OUT of the airport! Yah. I know. So, we’re tired. Exhausted, even. Dawn starts talking directions – like north and south – and I get nervous. We get on the main road that takes us directly to the resort, and somehow miss the resort! Or maybe we didn’t even pass it. I’m not sure. The near-death experiences may have altered my memory. So, if you’ve never driven on Kaua’I – or any of the islands – they frequently have 3-lane roads. The beginning of the confusion! Once we figured out that we did, in fact, go the wrong direction to the resort, we end up at a stoplight to turn around. Easy enough, right? No. The far right lane has a fast lane while the inside lane – the turn lane – is separated by reflective dividers. The fast lane has a green arrow. The turn lane has a red light. Let me say that again. The turn lane has a RED LIGHT. But that makes no difference to Dawn the Adventurer! She continues forward and begins to run the red light, and scares me to death! All I see are headlights and possibly a chicken. I’m not sure. So, yah, I may have raised my voice and screamed, “YOU CAN’T TURN YET!” Just as Dawn said I did. The rest is a bit of a blur but we finally made it safely to the resort. As we turn to drive down this amazingly beautiful lane to the resort, I notice a car behind us flashing their brights at us. And that’s when I noticed that we didn’t have our headlights on!! AAAAAHHHH!! It’s a miracle anyone saw us in the dark! So, Dawn turns the lights on and we realized that because the dash lights were so bright, then the car lights must be that bright, too! WRONG!

Needless-to-say, it was already an adventure at that point! A nice couple gave us their really nice lawn chairs to use because they didn’t need them anymore. So that was a bonus. And then Dawn scored us an oceanview room. So, by the time we got to our room, we were thanking God for His supernatural protection! Seriously. We needed it! And that was just the beginning of things to come for us!]

We made it to the resort and once we checked in, we headed to the beach the next day. We weren’t there for long before the sounds of the crashing waves….zzzzzzzzz.

Thursday, September 2, 2010 – Dawn nearly drowned….or did she?!

Today was meant to be uneventful. The mission, should we choose to accept, which we did: Find a Target/K-Mart/Wal-Mart for swim gear, water and any protein for our hikes and adventures. After that, SWIM TIME! After breaking the bank at Wal-Mart, ravenous hunger pounced unexpectedly and the only thing on our minds was, “FIND A SUBWAY!” Instead of turning left out of Wal-Mart, which would’ve taken us directly to our destination, we traveled right, or north and thought we would find something in Kapa’a. There was one there, however, we missed it. About 30 minutes north, we get to Princeville. At the top of the island. I thought, “Oh man – there has to be something here…there’s an airport here!” With the hunger beast slowly devouring us, we decided to return south. That’s when we saw the Subway in Kapa’a. With sustenance consumed, the next stop was the beach! We found an awesome one (name is escaping me) just a few miles north of the resort, found a perfect spot and commenced to the water! As we entered the water, the waves force on our feet, ankles and shins reminded us to be cautious. Well, reminded me, anyway. I couldn’t get past the vertigo feeling of moving out to sea with each retreat of the wave. After stumbling a couple of times, Vee said, “don’t look down at the water – you’ll get dizzy.” At about that point, I stumbled a bit and bent down to catch my balance. As I touched the sand, the split nanosecond after my fingers touched was when I saw the wave from the corner of my eye. “Oh no…” Splash! Down I went! As I tried to get my bearings, another wave hit and I could feel I took Vee down with me. Not sure how she got up so fast but I couldn’t get up fast enough. Everything was spinning and I was getting really dizzy. I felt as though I were being pulled out to sea and while I am laying flat on the sand, I reach my arm out to take Vee’s hand to keep me from drifting out farther. She grabbed my hand but obviously wasn’t strong enough to pull me from a laying position to a standing one in 3.2 seconds before the next wave hit. After that niceity of having water shoved through my sinus canal, I stood up, got hit by another wave and said, “I think I’m done.”

[Vee here. Yah, that first beach was a doozie. It was only after Dawn’s near-drowing experience that the beach patrol told us of the drop-off just off the shoreline. Thanks, Dude. Now take your 4-wheeling behind outta here because you’ve done us no favors! But I digress. Back to saving Dawn’s life. The waves were pretty tough, and the retreating water was just as strong as the incoming waves. Sucked us right back into the water! So, Dawn is watching the waves come in, and retreat, and the movement of the sand that goes along with all of it. It is quite dizzying. One second I see her on my left, a wave hits, and the next second I see her on my right…reaching her hand up for help! AAAHHH! I can’t let her get dragged out to sea! So, I got to her as quickly as I could, and started to pull her back from the force of the retreating water, only to stop and realize – hey, she’s actually just laying in the sand! I was a bit freaked out as I grabbed her sunglasses, which miraculously remained close to us during the episode, and helped her to her feet. She started laughing and I’m thinking, “This is NOT funny!” Since Dawn almost drowned when we were 5 years old, I had prayed for wisdom and strength to know what to do in the event anything happened in the water. I prayed first and foremost, of course, that NOTHING happen in the water, but IF it did, then help me know what to do to help her! So, as this whole thing went down, I moved as quickly and deliberately as I could to get to her. So, an answer to prayer, most definitely. After processing everything, I hear her laughing! It took me a few minutes to regain perspective while listening to her laugh, but when I did, it was all good. We replayed the whole thing and laughed even harder when we realized she was just lying in the sand. Not moving. Ah-ha-ha-ha…LOL…hehehe…yah. STILL NOT FUNNY!]

We returned to the resort, ate our first meal of the day at 3 p.m. in silence and was out for the next 3 hours. A short walk along the beach proved to be all the energy we could muster and I don’t recall anything but sleep.



Friday, September 3, 2010 – Relaxation and Reflection

The adventure begins with a 5:15 a.m. rising to see the sunset. Somewhat disoriented, we trekked to the beach where apparently, we weren’t the only ones with the idea. If you’ve seen the movie, “City of Angels”, there is a scene where the angels go to the beach to listen to the sunrise and sunset. We decided to take a little walk on the beach before heading back to the room to get ready for the day and walked 2 miles. It’s so difficult not to pause and look in the ocean in wonder. What a majestic creation. After yesterday’s “near drowning” experience, the pull and magnitude of its workings makes me even more curious. Not curious enough to go back in with a high surf, mind you. Maybe something from the safety of an ocean tour of the island.  After getting ready for the day and hitting Subway, yet again, we decided to do a “low key” day and walk the 3.5 mile beach. It was beautiful – definitely not something you see in Chicagoburbia or the Midwest. Island bliss at its finest. Talking to someone with the exact same DNA as you is awesome because you get to hear a different perspective of yourself or your own thoughts. Coming from someone who is “the same, yet different”. After the 9 miles of walking for the day, I hit the pool Jacuzzi for 1.5 hours, hoping to have the jets give me a much needed foot massage. When Vee joined me, she said, “I had no idea you like jacuzzi’s so much.” “Neither did I.”  But I do now.

[Vee here. I agree – the 9 mile walk on the beach was amazing. The roar of the waves coming to shore, and the stunning horizon of ocean makes you take inventory of a lot of things. One thing it’s done for me is to help me let go of the stresses and strains the past 8+ months have brought. A lot of joy as well, but I’ve done a horrible job taking care of myself while learning to care for a new baby. I am deeply grateful to my family for stepping in and doing for me what I could not see enough to do for myself. I told Dawn that it’s amazing that God’s thoughts of us are more than the grains of sand that we see. I found this quite amazing considering my thoughts have been consumed in large measure by Matt and Jaydon. And God’s thoughts of me are so much more? Not something to understand. Only embrace. Help me find my smile again, Lord. And thank you for thinking so much about me.]

Saturday, September 4, 2010 – Daydreams vs. Reality

Today was a great day for the energy reserves to be topped off and ready for a new adventure! The 9 mile walk yesterday wasn’t planned, however, when you go to bed around 7:30-8:00 p.m. from exhaustion and wake for the beauty of the sunrise, 9 hours of uninterrupted and restorative sleep rocks to your core. I had a great day planned! After reviewing and reading up on the “gems” in my trusted “Kaua’I Revealed” book while doing laundry (Vee worked out), I picked 4 activities that I thought would be amazing. First, was the Wailua Falls. A short drive from the resort, when you go the correct way and not have to turn around, would begin the adventure! The road was very narrow and the landscape was high reeds, so we drove at “pawpaw” speed. Slow and steady to enjoy the surroundings. Well, ours was to avoid going off the road or across the center line. The drive was only 4 miles and we parked to see a “scenic lookout” before continuing onto the falls. When we looked over the ledge, I realized, “these are the falls”. I was disappointed, however, watching Vee’s face when she said, “Okay – now how do we get to the falls?” was priceless.  “Ummm, this is the falls.” “THIS is the falls?” Pause. Pause. “Well that was an anticlimactic moment.” We were wanting to leave a JP rock at the falls, however, we couldn’t get anywhere close. We will find the perfect spot, Tammy! The next leg of our journey was north to the Lighthouse. Wailehua something lighthouse. I don’t have my book in front of me so it’s all a memory game, really. We were excited to think, “this will be awesome! How cool will it be go to up into an actual lighthouse?!?” The first unexpected moment came with the $5/per person charge to get in. Not a biggie of course, just unexpected. It is after all, a bird sanctuary as well. When we reached the lighthouse, disappointment #2 set in. It was closed for renovations. Really? We walked around the area, not really “bird people” and stayed as long as we could, still amazed by the vastness of God’s beautiful creation, then decided to venture on. On the way out, I said, “Hmmm, I better take an eco break,” and thinking Vee would say, “Okay –let’s go back up”, was a little shocked when, in her very tired state, said, “gimme the key.”  With eco breaks taken and lunch in our tummies, (Subway, of course!), we headed out, with another bout of excitement, to the “Secret Beach” and “Secret Lava Pools”! The swimming shall commence in awesome surroundings! Upon navigating through the twists and turns to the entrance, Vee said with some disappointment, “Apparently the secret beach isn’t a secret anymore.” Cars were lined both sides of the road for about ¼ mile. Oh well – this will still be awesome! The long, steep, dirt and tree-rooted path down didn’t prohibit us from moving as quickly as possible to reach our destination. Upon stepping off the last step into the sand, our energy ramped up as we journeyed left to find the lava pools. 10 minutes into the walk across the now scorching sand, the anticipation is the only thing that kept us moving. We reached the very large and long lava rock field, which had to be navigated with some caution to avoid ankle twisting, we noticed 2 couples behind us heading in the same direction. “We’re on The Amazing Race to get to the pools first!” As we reached the end of the lava field, we saw 2 large pools and one MASSIVE and incredibly deep pool that nobody in their right mind would enter since it was open to the sea. There was a woman in one of the pools and as we looked into them, thought, “This can’t be it.” As we pondered the surroundings, the other 2 couples continued on and climbed up the side of the steep lava rock, sometimes teetering on a possible fall back down onto the rocks or into the lava pool just below. Vee looked at me and said, “I’m not doing this. I don’t like this at all.” I replied with, “Yah – I’m not really interested in it, either”, yet the pull of coming this far to see them kept growing. “I think I might climb it just to see….” Vee looked at me with serious reservations. “I don’t like that AT ALL…pause..pause…when did I become such a wimp??” “When you became a mommy – things are different now.” As I slowly made my way to the side of the rock, the woman in the pool said, “be careful – there are things that stick to you on the sides!” She showed us where she was bleeding from one “prickle” and how others had embedded into her skin. Well, that solidified any thoughts of going into the pools. However, I still wanted to see the bigger pools. So I ventured to the side of the rock, and started climbing. “Good thing I have my reef walkers on! They stick!” I just wanted to see the pools. If it was super cool, I had to get Vee up to see them as well. As I trekked across the 100 meters to the pools, I saw the waterfall and looked down at the pools only to see…..deep pools of ickyness. Sigh. Really? Nobody was venturing into them and heaven knows I wouldn’t be the first! What a letdown. On my way back to the mini-cliff, I was praying, “Please God – let there be an easier way down”. I repeated that over and over because I was frightened of thinking of having to climb down the side. “How will I do this? How will I do this?” I looked over and saw Vee and behind her was a woman walking towards the big, scary, deep pool. Vee said, “I can’t get over this way, I’m going to go around.” Or that’s what I thought she said, anyway. So I went the same way, thinking there was an easier way down. And voila! There was! As another couple was coming up, I was going down and thanking Jesus over and over!!! I turn towards where I knew Vee was and she was looking up the side of the cliff thingy where I climbed up. “Velvet!” “Yah?” I wait for her to turn towards me. “Velvet!” “Yah!?” I see her moving her head from side to side, looking for me. “I’m over here!” She turns around and I see relief and maybe a hint of agitation on her face as she realizes I am safe. Upon agreeing this wasn’t something to continue, we made the long trek back to the “Secret Beach” for some swimming. I’m not sure the “swim” could’ve gone any worse. After almost being knocked down 3 times by waves, we decided we’d had “enough of our gem adventure” and decided to leave. Once again, a trek across the scorching sand (not so bad in reef walkers, however, Vee wasn’t impressed with them like I was), we made it to the bottom of the trail to the top. When you have enough energy to conquer the world on the way down, realizing your reserves are fully depleted for the vertical hike up is a bit of a glooming thought. With a look at each other as if to say, “You ready?” “Yup.” “Let’s do this!” We started up the hellacious trail. All I can say is that for Vee to do a workout this morning on the elliptical and then doing this intense fat burning hike, she has to be wiped out! My prayer was, “Please God – let the hike up be as short as the return 3.5 mile walk on the beach yesterday.” No such luck. By the time we reached the top, I was in a foul enough mood to shoot daggers from my eyes if someone irritated me. (Anyone other than Vee, of course). It was probably the most disappointing experience and to make it worse, even though it was beautiful and amazing, the heat and energy depletion and realization of INTENSE THIRST made me just want to get in the pool and cool off. Literally and figuratively. When we returned to the resort, I did exactly that. Jumped in the pool and stayed there and in the Jacuzzi for as long as I needed to rebalance. After some much needed downtime, I sat on the beach and watched a couple get married on the resort grounds, not far from where I was sitting. It was a beautiful wedding to watch. I’m not really sure how to process what I was thinking, however, I am an avid lover of hope.

[Vee here. Oh yes, this day started with great excitement and expectation! We packed up all of our necessities – sunblock, swimwear, extra clothes, lawn chairs, everything – and headed on our way! All I could think of was sitting next to the waterfalls relaxing and enjoying the beauty. I was very excited! The winding road only increased the anticipation of coming upon these beautiful falls that took my breath away. Or so I daydreamed. I didn’t even see the falls when we drove up. I just couldn’t understand why the road ended and why all of these people are parked and hanging out here. Plus, there was a couple walking directly in front of us like the owned the place, and I wanted to say something that made sure they knew they didn’t, in fact, own the place! Nah. It wasn’t that intense. But it was a bit annoying. You know what I’m talking about? You’re driving somewhere and these pedestrians act like they own the road – walking all slowly and laughing and holding hands like they’re in love or something.  Anyway, we get over to the lookout, and see the waterfalls. They are very beautiful. I still wanted to get back in the car and get to the REAL water falls, so I said to Dawn, “Okay – let’s go to the waterfalls now.” She informed me that we were already there. I felt like the guy whose friends tricked him into thinking he won the lottery. What a letdown! Nothing at ALL like the book described!

But no matter! There is still much fun to be had today! Off to the lighthouse!! We’ll get to walk up inside of it and see the Pacific Ocean as far as the eye can see! I’ve never been in a lighthouse before! Forget about the disappointment of the water falls. There is still an adventure to be had!

We get to the lighthouse, pay our $5 admittance fee, and the gate guard said, “Okay ladies, you are good to go!” I stood still and looked at him. “I gave you a twenty.” So, he made some joke about me handing it to him all wadded up like a $5 bill. Yah. Right. Two and zero looks a lot like five. On the way up the hill to the lighthouse, we noticed signs that said, “Birds only past this sign.” I’m glad they had the sign there. The birds would be confused about where to go if it wasn’t. So imagine taking one step after another – up a hill – anticipating to see a stunning and huge lighthouse that you get to walk up in and look out over the ocean. Now, the reality check. The lighthouse was a stub and there was no way we could go in because, as Dawn stated, it was being renovated to it’s original state! But for the bird lovers, there were lots of kaw-kaws and hootie-hoos to go around! Ugh. Yes, disappointment #2. Oh, and let me just say, we were there for like 30 minutes, so Dawn had PUH-LENTY of time to take her eco-break! When she told me she was going to hike back up that hill, I was a bit raw. The whole, “Gimme the key.” Was absolutely right! I apologized immediately when she got in the car. Apparently, I was still very tired. Things come out blunt when I’m tired. 

Dawn forgave me and we were on our way to the REAL glory of the day…the Secret Beach and the Lava Pools!! WooooHooo!! We grabbed our bags, loaded up our anticipation, and off we went! Even though the “Secret Beach” really wasn’t a ‘secret’, we ventured down the trail with giggles and lots of “be careful” and “watch your step” shout outs to each other. Dawn’s book explained exactly how to get to the Lava Pools – which we wanted to swim in first – so we took a left, trekked over some very deep, hot sand, and made it to some lava rocks that took us the rest of the way. When we got there, we saw one pool of murky, yuckie water – like a big pool of standing water. The second pool called out to anyone who wanted to venture out to deep sea. Crazy-mad waves were crashing against the inside and although the water was a stunning blue, looked like it wanted to eat you alive! When the woman who was actually IN one of the pools got out, she showed us all of the sea urchins that were stuck in her leg! At least we think they were sea urchins! Tiny ones! That suck your blood! Yah – no WAY am I getting in THERE!

The cliff that Dawn ended up climbing was a bit of a drop off into a pool of water below it, so getting UP may have been easy but I was scared to death about her getting down! She climbed up and went on her mini-adventure while I analyzed the safest way for me to get to the other side of all of these pools to get where that cliff was. It’s hard to explain, but let’s just say my fear of heights and falling were rising to the surface pretty quickly! I made it over to the mini-cliff, stood on my tiptoes, and called out to Dawn. “Dawn?!” No answer. “Daaaaw-haawwn!?” I survey the scene to make a plan for how I’m going to help her down, and I hear a faint, “Velvet?!” I stand on my tip-toes again and answer her. I couldn’t see her but I could hear her. “Velvet?!” “Yah!?!?” Still can’t see her. Dangit! This is scaring me and I have no idea how to help her down, God! Then, I hear Dawn call, “I’m over here!” from behind me! I turn and look and nearly start crying. How did I become such a wimp?!?! Seriously!! Relieved she’s okay and not letting on how upsetting it was for me, we made our way back across the lava rocks to just sit on the secret beach and relax. Maybe even jump in for a swim. We spread out towels out, put our bag securely on top of them, and with our reef walkers on, headed into the ocean!

RAAAAWWRRR!!! CRASH!!! AAAHHH!! Yah – these waves are gonna suck us right out to sea! How come we can’t find a beach that is calm and peaceful where we can swim and frolick?!

By this time my reef walkers are FILLED with wet sand. Not kidding. I bet a good ½ cup or more of wet, heavy sand at the top of my toes. So, I decided to take those dang things off! Oh great, the sand’s so heavy it’s ripping the inside of the reef walker out. Dawn’s laughing and I start laughing as we begin walking and I realize…MOTHER LOVIN THIS SAND IS HOT!! No amount of self-talk can make that burn on the bottom of your feet feel better, let me tell you!!

We make our way up the sloping trail that we so joyfully skipped down, and nearly warned everyone we passed. Nah. Why spoil it for them? They’ll figure it out. Besides, I’m out of breath.

Hot faced, sweating, exhausted, and with our daydreams crushed, we were still able to laugh at the events of the day as we headed back to the resort for some REAL relaxing!

Definitely an adventure we will never forget!

Kauai, Hawaii

http://www.kauaibeachresorthawaii.com/

Another adventure begins!  I am so excited to be going to the beautiful island of Kauai with my absolute, most favorite person in the world...Vee.  2008 feels like long ago, so I am ready to get away, disconnect from the human race and reconnect with God without the hustle and bustle of allowing my daily life to intervene.  I think that's one of the reasons why I love going to islands on my vacations.  There are some things that are untouched by cement jungles, traffic jams, loud bass music thumping next to you at a traffic light and massive crowds.  I migrate to things that calms my soul.  Logically speaking, I can't think of anyone who would raise their hand and say, "Not me! I love the chaos!  I thrive on the drama!  As long as I can be surrounded by dysfunction, I'm happy!"  Reality would prove differently for some though and there's Grace in that.  There's always Grace in people's woundedness.  One of the things my getaways are about is to be in the moment and trust the miracle of it.  I struggle with that, even now.  If you look at my Facebook status, I have a countdown on how many sleeps and working days I have left.  My mind wanders ahead.  I know everyone does this.  Plan ahead.  Be proactive.  Think outside the box.  Hurry up and wait.  Get up.  Go to work.  Come home.  Go to bed.  Rinse and repeat.  Isn't that what we program ourselves to do?  How often do you hear or think, "Isn't there more than this monotony of life?"  We find ourselves "wishing" our moments, minutes, hours, days and years away.  My Pawpaw said to me once, "be careful not to wish your life away, granddaughter."  That was when I was 15.  A miracle moment.  When you realize you're in "real" love.  Miracle Moment.  When you realize the unconditional love of God.  Miracle Moment.  Your break throughs.  Ditto.  That's why I love traveling.  They are my Miracle Moments that remind me how to "live life" instead of wish it away.

So bring on the swimming, Vee!  This could be another M2!  I love the water.  I love the ocean and exploring it's beauty.  From the safety of the boat.  :)  I'm not a great swimmer, however, I will venture into the world of swimming with Vee.  She apparently LOVES it.  I find that funny.  Being an identical twin, there is a 95%  chance that we love or dislike the same things.  That's what I think, anyway.  Maybe she'll add a % or two.  Or maybe a decimal point.  So naturally, I was of the mindset that she wasn't keen on swimming, either.  To see her eyes light up when she says, "I LOVE SWIMMING!" was a definite moment of pause for me.  Hmmm.  Who knew we could be "the same", yet so different?  I love our individuality!  Surprised by it, but love it still the same.  One of my ultimate favorite moments in my life was when we were 5 and swimming at an indoor pool and she had this 'really cool thing to show me'.  She learned how to jump in from the side so to give her as much space and calm water as possible, I began yelling at the other kids in the pool:  "Stop splashing so my sister can jump in!"  I believe this was repeated about 10 times.  :)  I can say that if she has something cool to show me in Kauai, I promise I won't yell at any adults, or children, to stop splashing.

Shopping, Piha Beach, Wenderholm Park and Kiwi Phrases

I cannot forget the incredible start to my day, provided by my Lovely Twin Sister. I was struggling a bit about some things that were causing me some great anxiety and she gave me two visuals where God steps in and reminds us of Who He Is. These are from movies and if you believe in the subliminal or underlying messages from these movies, then you'll understand the impact. The first was from TLOTR - I think the first movie. I could be wrong...anyway, it's when Gandolf and the crew are in the cave, racing across the bridge and are being chased by the dreadful and incredibly scary dragon. The bridge is crumbling all around and Gandolf is holding firm in the face of the dragon and at the precise and perfect moment, he slams the cane (or whatever he calls it) down onto the bridge and screams, "YYYYOOOUUUU SSHHALLL NOOTTT PAASSS!" The other one is in The Matrix, when Neo realizes he is "The One" and he's surrounded by the duplicate "Mr. Anderson's" who are all shooting at him and he holds out his hand and very quietly says, "No", and the bullets drop to the ground. For me, those two instances represent the God who knows the enemy will always be after us and Our God who speaks so softly, and everything listens to Him. Everything. Those may not represent anything to anyone reading this and may think I've gone after a stretch with the two scenarios, however, it's my blog, my thoughts and I stand with the Power of Knowing who my Strong Tower, Promise Keeper and Savior is.
After the gentle reminder from the Holy Spirit that nothing is beyond Him, I ventured out today to the gigantic outlet mall in Onehunga (Oh-knee-hung-uh) and spent 3 hours shopping. I was completely overwhelmed when I went inside. I had no clue where to start or which shop to go into first! The bargains, bargains, bargains made me want to spend, spend, spend! So I did the most natural thing imaginable. I went into the nearest café, had a hot chockie, regrouped and sorted out my shopping list of “wants” vs. “needs” in my head. Plus I had ½ of a protein bar. It’s amazing how the desire to spend is a direct correlation to how full your tummy is. Well, mine anyway. So I bought a fleece jumper (sweatshirt) and I’m not sure if I like it. I can’t take it back though so I guess I’m stuck with it. I guess it’ll be great for wearing around the house in the middle of winter. I purchased quite a bit and still have some shopping to do on Queen Street. I’ll most likely do that tomorrow. Today was very windy and cloudy so I spent about 1.5 hours at Browns Bay. I love it when the tide is out because you can walk from beach to beach. You just have to remember to gauge your time on the return trip or else you could get caught with the tide coming in and may have to climb…or swim your way back. I didn’t take any pictures of Browns Bay though. It looks a lot like Waiake Beach, except longer. So now laundry is on the list of things to do. Gotta make sure I’m all packed and ready to go on Tuesday. It was a fairly low key and “domestic” kind of day, which is always good to have from time to time.
Yesterday I drove about 1.25 hours to Piha Beach on the West Coast. I’ve always heard that it’s awesome and the place to be for surfers because the waves can get huge. They weren’t kidding. The ride is through the Waitakere Ranges, which looks similar to the Huana Ranges, however, this trip did not involve car sickness since I was solo. The roads were so winding though! I think it takes a fair bit of time to drive because of the roads, not because of the number of kilometers to the beach. There were a couple of times during the trip that made me nervous because of the cliffs. You’d come around a bend and the dropoff would be to your left or unexpectedly, you’d see the ocean off in the distance but the cliff kind of made your heart skip a beat because it was an unexpected sight. Piha is tucked away in the ranges, far away from civilization…or at least it felt like it. What a great place to live. The beach as your front yard, the ranges with trails to hike until your heart’s content and the added bonus of the peacefulness of the waves crashing against the black sand. I’m not sure where people go to the grocery store, though but I could’ve missed a town down another road. Who knows. It was just beautiful, though. There is a large ‘hill’, for lack of a better word, that splits the beach in two, called the Lion Rock. It has a trail of steps – steep steps - that you can venture up, however, you cannot go to the very top because of the instability of the ground and falling rocks. That’s okay by me. So I decided to give it a go. The first thing I noticed when I was at the bottom of the Rock was the rope that is low to the rock itself to keep your center of balance low. Hmmm…that actually made me reconsider whether or not I wanted to climb up. It’s not the climb up that made me nervous, it’s the thought of how do I get down on the return trip? (the calm picture is of Wenderholm Park)Even with tennis shoes, I have the innate ability to slip and fall. Quadruple that with Fitflops. However, I did make it as far up as visitors are allowed to go, and the view was absolutely breathtaking. (By the way, they show reruns of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and for those who love Nascar…it’s shown over here on local channels. Amazing.) Taking pictures from the top of the rock was a bit scary because even though there isn’t a risk of “falling off”, per se, as you turn around, the height and depth of where the ground is in relation to where you are standing can make your equilibrium a bit shaky. Not much to worry about falling – just enough to make you say, “Oh – whoa” and feel your heart beat a little faster. Can you see the steepness of the steps? (They actually have a television show called “Piha Rescue” because of the nature of the water and how dangerous it is. Luckily for me, I don’t swim. smile) I attempted to capture the strength of the sea…can you see it? I was too afraid to get close to the water, believe it or not. The waves would come crashing into the beach so fast and the water would run out just as quickly, making you lose your balance when you looked down to watch to make sure you didn’t fall. I was so afraid of the water that I didn’t even want to venture to the far side of the beach – on either end – like I do on all the other beaches. All I can say is…Powerful. (The picture of me with the Auckland/Devonport/Waiheke Island Backdrop is from the Sky Tower)
The drive back to Auckland seemed to go by much faster than the drive there. Maybe because I was going downhill the entire time instead of up in sea level. I decided to go to Wenderholm Park, about 20 minutes North of Auckland, as I remembered it being a beautiful park when I lived here. Although the beach and park were beautiful, I was captivated by the birds…tons and tons of birds! I did not go on any of the nature trails as it was late in the afternoon and I was quite tired already, so I walked the beach and spent about 30 minutes attempting to be quiet, sneak up on these very colorful birds, only to scare them off before I could even focus my camera. I didn’t stay long…too tired – but a really good tired. Every night when I come home, I end up taking a 2.5 – 3 hour nap because I am so tired. All the walkabouts and tiki tours have kept this 38 year-old knackered (nak-uh’d). smile.
So now what I would like to share with you are some of the language I’ve heard during my travels here. I forgot most of these, however, it comes back quickly in conversation, listening to the news, shopping, etc.
KIWI-ISMS
Anklebiter: toddler, kids
Banger: sausage
Box of birds: cheerful, happy, very good
Candyfloss: cotton candy (yah – no kidding!! Floss??)
Cellotape: scotch tape
Chilly bin: cooler
Cotton buds: Q-tips
Courgette: zucchini
Crisps: potato chips
Dummy: pacifier
Dairy: convenience store (these are everywhere and they have “Dairy” on the sign)
Fizzy: soda pop
Flannel: wash cloth
Flash: sensational or "that’s flash" meaning it looks really good – also “flash harry”
Give Way: yield (traffic)
Gizza: abbreviation for "give us a..."
Home for the Bewildered: Nursing Home
Ice block: popsicle
Jandal: flip-flops
Judder bar: speed bump
Kornies: Kellogg’s cornflakes
Lay-by: Layaway
Lemonade: 7Up (I still do not understand this one!)
Nappy: diaper
Panel beater: auto body shop
Pink Batts: Insulation
Pinky bar: a chocolate-covered marshmallow confection
Pram: baby carriage, stroller
Puffed: Tired or out of breath
Push bike: bicycle
Quencher: ice cream bar
Quite nice: very good, exceptional (pronounced "quoite noice")
Rack off: go away (angry)
Rockmelon: cantaloupe
Rooted: to feel tired
Rubber: eraser
She’ll be right/Right as rain: things will be fine
(Mud) Slips: Mud slides
Sparrow fart: very early in the morning - the crack of dawn
Sticking plaster: band-aid
Stubbies: Short shorts
Sunnies: sunglasses
Take-aways: New Zealand term for "take-outs" or food "to go".
Tiny Tearaways: Children who lack discipline
Tracksuit: sweats
Togs: swimsuit
torch: flashlight
trolley: shopping cart
Ute: Sports Utility Vehicle
Whiteware: White appliances
Wopwops: Rural areas – ranges or country

Last but not least, any food that someone thinks tastes good is described as "beautiful", "gorgeous", "lovely". Thaht's Goh-gus!"

That last picture of me is watching the birds at Wenderholm...possibly looking a bit reflective or just puzzled on how to get close enough to take a picture?

So there you have my Friday and Saturday in New Zealand. I am not sure I want to live over here though. Awesome place to have a 1-2 month vacation, however, I would miss everyone too much. And Rafe. :)

Falling, Sky Tower and Huana Falls

G'day from Torbay! I realize it's been 3 days since my last post but I have been a busy girl. Tuesday was a very unpleasant day. I allowed a work issue to absolutely consume my day, so I spent it going through email to "prove" things that I sent many moons ago to a vendor. Long story short - I was so upset over the entire situation I ended up breaking down in tears. Nice trigger. I love it when I can allow a vendor to set me into a spin where I feel like I'm a child and getting in trouble for something I didn't do. During the latter part of the day - around 2 p.m., I said, "enough is enough" and logged off, knowing my prayers in finding the information were being answered. There are a couple of additional emails I need to locate, and will resume that once I get Stateside. I walked outside my apartment and was getting ready to get into my car to go to Longs Bay when I saw Martin, one of the owners. So we had a bit of a chat which ended in both of us venting frustration of dishonest, unethical or chaos driven people in the world. He was quite funny and said, "the worst thing about the world, sometimes, is the people." Too right, my friend, too right. I told him my standard response that Melissa and Casie know all too well..."I'm not saving lives." If the world ended tomorrow and Jesus returned, none of this would even matter. I know He is Greater than anything I can conjure up in my mind and I knew I had to let it go. So off I went to Long Bay for a long walk. I love it when the tide is out because I can walk for miles and miles across the rocks and explore. I was still allowing myself to be consumed with thoughts of incredible frustration and kept praying, "Help me let this go...You have it all sorted out. Whatever I need to provide or do, You will show me." 20 minutes into the walk, I was still stewing. I stopped, held out my arms, closed my eyes and said, "Okay. This is it. I don't want this. These people are not bigger than You." I stood there, took 4 very deep breaths, making sure to actually smell the sea air and was able to let it go. I opened my eyes and began my exploration. The water makes some incredible formations over the decades with the rocks. The force of the tide and the nature of the "unseen sea creatures" that work their way across the rocks are amazing. As I walked and explored, I noticed on the cliff above the trees that looked as though they were going to fall off the cliff and I wondered how long it's taken for that to happen....and more importantly, what would happen if/when they fell? I think I walked 45 minutes down the rocks and turned around because I wasn't sure how quickly the tide would come back in. However, in case I was caught, I did see 2 entrances into the trail above the beach - alongside the cliffs (the other side of cliffs were paddocks and the park, so I wouldn't have fallen off the cliff or anything as the trail is far enough away from the edge). As I was walking close to the rocks/cliffside, I kept thinking, 'hmm. I should move away from under the cliff because I don't want any big rocks or boulders to fall on me'. As I was walking away on the flat rock, my left foot slipped from underneath me and down I went. I didn't see any green algae, mold or anything and just thought, "ow. my back. Hmm. Well I guess that teaches me to wear "fitflops" walking on the rocks. They shouldn't call them fitflops. They're slipflops." I wasn't harmed - well, I think both my wrists and off course my backside, were bruised. I was thankful I didn't hurt myself even more. After all, 38 year-old bones can be a bit brittle and can snap. :) I did laugh about it and actually looked around to see if anyone saw me. Thankfully, only the birds that I kept trying to get "the perfect picture" of were the only living creatures nearby. Which made me think as I was tempted to pick up seashells but had to refrain....with all of the small shells, clams especially, how are clams created? If the shell grows with the organism, does that mean the shell is a breathing/growing thing? I guess I can look it up online...but that was just something I was thinking about as I was sitting on my backside. :) On my way back, I passed a gentleman who asked about the trail entrances and we started talking, since he had an American accent. He is a film maker, now living in Eugene, OR and lived and worked in NZ for 7 years. He was on a stopover to New Caldonia (awesome island a couple hours away) because his film was being given an award, which was a great recognition for him. As we chatted, I noticed a number of similar parallels as this was his first return visit since he left in 07. Very, very nice person, however, after talking for at least an hour, I decided to return to the apartment as it was getting a bit chilly and my right wrist was throbbing a bit. He asked if I wanted to have dinner with him and his "adopted family" which he bonded with during his time here, however, I graciously passed on the invite. "But I thought we were getting on so well". I thought, yes, we did have a nice conversation, however, I don't really know you and I need to take care of myself, which means going back for a nap. I told him that it was lovely to meet him and that if we meet up on the beach again we can another chat. I was exhausted. I just wanted to come back and sleep. I believe I feel asleep at 7:00, woke up at 9 and then went back to sleep until 6 a.m. A bit knackered, I'd say.

Waking refreshed on Wednesday, I decided to go back to Queens Street, decide which shops I wanted to purchase items, which I had to set boundaries with a couple of shop keepers because they were pushing me to make purchases. "No thank you. I'm not interested in purchasing yet." Their tactic? "I can only give you this price today". Well then. I guess that tells me I'm not buying from your shop, doesn't it? :) The minute you pressure me into making a decision on the spot, you lose me. :) The one thing I'm bothered about is that I am not able

to locate the awesome fleece "jumpers" (sweatshirt thingies) that I love so much. I am not giving up though - I shall prevail! There is a huge outlet mall in Onehunga (Oh-knee-hung-uh) that I want to go to either today or tomorrow, so that should be a great place for purchases as well. So after Queen Street, I headed to the one place I thought was going to be my "fright breakthrough" for the trip. The Sky Tower. I needed to check out the bungee jump before embarking on the expedition, aye? :) Sky Tower is massive. There is an entire floor for the casino, which I avoided because if I want to throw my money away, I'd just throw it out into the water on the ferry or as I cross the Harbour Bridge. :) Just my take on gambling. I spend more at Walgreen's and get better deals than a "luck of the draw" in a casino. I'm just sayin' it's not my "cuppa". So I bought my ticket to go to the main observation deck and then the ticket for the one above it and off I went into the elevator. As you go up in the 'vator, you don't realize it's a glass elevator, until you hit spots in the ride where there are windows and then you freak out just a bit. I had to step back because it shocked me. I forgot about that lovely attribute. So as I stepped off into the main observation deck, walked over to the windows and the walkway, my apprehension about doing the jump kicked in. Fast and furious, actually. It wasn't looking out at the horizon that scared me, it was when I stepped down onto the walkway that has windows in the floor, so you're looking straight down at the street. Now mind you, there is a sign posted that says the thickness of the windows is just as thick as the concrete of the floor, however, that doesn't mean anything to your brain when fight or flight takes in. Or actually, just fright. :) That's when vertigo set in, I started to sway, my hands and feet started to sweat and my heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest. Then there's that lovely immovable paralysis feeling that consumes you, makes your entire being increasingly alert to your surroundings and your brain tells you things in superspeed, while your body reacts in super slo-mo. Brain: Get back. Reach your hand out and take the railing. Step away. Not good. Quickly. Step away. Body Reaction: leave hands at side. Sway. Move hand quicker. Must move hand. Why can't I move my hand?? Lean back into the railing. Try that. Close your eyes. Wait. Bad idea. Spinning. Open your eyes. Divert your eyes to something else. Those two women. Or that man. Good. Now grab the railing and snap out of the trance! Once I was back up on the solid platform, I knew there was no way - NO WAY - I was going to venture out and jump. Or, for that matter, walk along the metal walkway outside the windows. I realized it's all great in theory, however, I can pass on that this time around. :) Besides, I can spend the $200 NZD on three other things...a whale/dolphin trip, a tour of Waiheke Island or gifts for me. :) I may be a thrill seeker and adventurer however, I am not an adrenaline junkie. Of course, I had to take self portraits with the great view, however, it was pretty glarey (sp? Word?) and overcast, so I bought the photos they take of you with the green screen. I forgot to "take a picture of the pictures" so I'll do that today and you can see me with the Auckland Skyline in the background. What would a trip to the top in the little cafe be without settling in with a nice cuppa hot chokie? Dee-lish!!! Yum-0! After reconciling with myself, fairly quickly, that I'm not a chicken for not doing the jump or the walk, I departed Sky Tower and headed back to the ferry to return to Devonport. It's funny - at the ferry building, there are alot of brochures about the tours to Waiheke Island and being as exhausted as I was, I didn't realize the price of the tours was actually staring me in the face at the top of the brochure. So I walked over to the ferry windows and asked the cute little ferry girl what the cost is, and as I was saying it, I found it. I looked at her, smiled, laughed and said, "Oh - so sorry! There it is right there! I guess if I actually stopped and looked, I would've seen it. Never mind - please, carry on and disregard my visit!" :) She laughed ...dunno if she was laughing with me or at me, however, she had a very kind and gentle nature about her. Actually, that scenario reminded me of when I was at one of the shops and I was trying to sort out American vs. Kiwi clothes sizes and I saw a woman with a bunch of items in her hand, sifting through a rack. As I opened my mouth and the words, "Excuse me - I was wondering if you worked here..." came out of my mouth, the fact that she didn't have a nametag, the attire as the rest of the girls in the shop and had sunglasses on her head, made me realize the error of my question. She turned around, I laughed and said, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I'm so embarrassed! I don't - I don't even know what to say!" She laughed and said, "No, no! It's all right! It's because I have so many pieces of clothing in my hand, isn't it?" Yes! She was so kind...she most likely went home and told her friends about the crazy American she met. :) That would be me.

Thursday, I met up with my friend, Eric, who lives in Papakura, and we went to the Hauna Ranges to walk to the Hauna Falls. You know, I rented a GPS wit my car, just in case I was going to places I hadn't visited, and "Clark Road" in Auckland did not take me to Papakura (about 40 minutes South of the city centre). When it led me off the motorway (interstate) and led me to the Viaduct, I knew I had to go on the directions Eric gave me. I thought I could use both, just for backup. Didn't happen that way. Needless to say, I did arrive safe and sound, despite forgetting to look to my right before pulling out into the way of two cars who, only by the Grace and Protection of the AllMighty, missed hitting me. I know...I was doing so well. I wasn't even going to mention it because I didn't want anyone to worry, however, it was so close I thanked Him the rest of the day for covering me like He has. It's quite easy to forget the rulse of the road when you don't have traffic to follow sometimes. Must stay alert at all times behind the wheel! So I met Eric at his house, he gave me the grand tour and showed me all of the DIY'g he's been doing over the last year (completely redoing his home himself) and then we were off. The countryside is absolutely fantastic and beautiful. To live 20 minutes from the Hauna Ranges one way and 2o minutes to the beach the other would be ideal. He said that he forgets that the Ranges are there and the trails are awesome to walk and actually felt a bit guilty because I was telling him of the things there are NOT in Kansas. He made a vow to take the kids (he has 3 of them) up there more often. It's a great way to disengage of the pressures and stressors of every day life and regroup and unwind. Immediately when you enter the park, there is this huge picture frame of the Falls where you can stand and take pictures. So we did. I, of course, am posing as if I'm a great adventurer. In capris. :) And off we went! Let me tell you - what a trek that was! For a 42 year-old, he is in EXCELLENT shape! He kept running up the trail ahead of me, doing the Rocky dance and song. I said, "you realize not all Americans love Rocky, right?" :) I really enjoyed spending time with him. He is an awesome guy and a great conversationalist. We talked about everything and anything, stopped and listened to the birds and every once in awhile, he'd say something funny or profound and comment with, "I'm Eric. That's what I do." ;) He is an awesome Father - so engaged in his children's lives (he's been divorced for 8 years) and is a "no holds barr-get-to-the-guts-of-it" kiwi bloke. Which he said gets him in trouble from time to time because he doesn't sensor some of the things that he says. We all have that capability to speak without thinking first. So this "trail"...unbelievable! We passed by areas where the trail was covered from mud/tree slides and ended up going up and down 500 steps. That was difficult! Not only was it difficult because the steps were straight up, but I had to keep up with Eric, who is apparently Mr. Fitness New Zealand. Sheesh. The actual trek up and back was about 2.5 hours. My feet were never so excited to be in my flipflops like they were after that walk. I actually feel asleep on the car ride home...that was in between trying to keep my tummy from churning because of the nausea from the winding roads and sitting on the wrong side of the car. As a passenger in NZ, always make sure you have dramamine handy. Oy. I realize my photos are side ways, and although I apologize, I truly can't be bothered to reload them the right way. I've been at this for about 3 hours and am too fearful I'm going to delete more pictures than I already have. So there you have it. Laziness at it's finest. :) Today is another relaxing beach day. Maybe shopping. Thank you for all your prayers, love and friendship. I truly feel blessed to have you in my life, sharing so much with me.

Devonport and Auckland

I jumped out of bed so quickly this morning because I thought I was late for something and couldn’t think of what it was. As I stood there, mind racing, I looked at the clock and it was 6:45 a.m. “Oh no,” I said aloud. I missed the sunrise! I wanted to go down to the beach and watch the sunrise with all the beautiful colors because it was going to be an awesome day temperature wise. However, I did take more pictures because I cannot capture the beauty enough. It’s just amazing. As I walked to the beach, I noticed my surroundings a bit more to try to give my lovely friends and family an idea of where I am staying. The houses are very close together, unless you are in the country and own your own land. When I arrived at the beach, the tide was in, so I couldn’t walk on the rocks. I don’t know if people who live here realize how incredibly fortunate they are that they have these fantastic surroundings and can go to any beach, at any time, and find something new. Maybe someone who doesn’t have the farmland of Kansas says the same thing…however, I can’t imagine the dirt or flat land being as mesmerizing as the ocean. I decided to go to Devonport and then take the ferry over to Auckland to check out the Viaduct and Queen Street.

Here I am, before journeying out for the day. I was thankful I left when I did because there was very little traffic and I knew there was a road that took me straight through Takapuna to Devonport and traffic would’ve just made my travels a little more difficult. Not much, mind you. Just a little. It’s amazing how when you go off on one road, you remember very quickly the shortcuts you used to take to get back to the main road or to miss traffic tie ups. As I drove down into Devonport, I thought..hmm, which road did I take when I lived here…and there it was. Calliope. And off I went to check out my old stomping grounds. This is the small beach that Sammie and I would walk to when we didn’t have enough time to go to North Head or Cheltenham Beach. She loved this one but LOVED the others because there is more room to race around. And dig. This is a picture of a lookout point two houses up from my old flat. I couldn’t go up my drive to take pictures so this was the best I could do to show you my backyard. There is a huge cliff (Stanley Point is where I lived) that I was always concerned Sammie would fall off or something…but she never did. I tried to capture it here – not sure if I did it justice. And voila…way in the back, the brown house with the flat roof, was my flat. Do you see how one driveway is shared by 3 houses? Crazy! I did love living here. After my trip down memory lane, I was so excited about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do, I almost felt like a child in a candy store! (Which they have Willy Wonka BULK “lollie” shops here!) Here I am driving in "downtown Devonport, on the wrong side of the road. And car. One thing I love about Devonport/Stanley Point is that the look and feel of it is historic. Most of the houses/buildings were built in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, although I did see a building with 1846 engraved on it. I ventured to North Head first. This “hill”, if you will, was significant in WWII and still has an extensive collection of military tunnels, which are open to explore. There are still guns positioned all around the hill that guarded the port. I will spend more time there, however, EMMA, should you choose to accept, your assignment for New Zealand for school is to do a report on North Head and give me a full report. Here’s a little more to get you started: North Head became the site of the first pilot station in 1840, to guide ships into the harbour. It was also used for defense purposes when it was feared that the Russians were ‘on the way’. It was a growing fear from the 1870’s onwards, that New Zealand would be attacked and during 1885 when the fear grew, three large gun batteries were built to defend the Rangitoto Channel and harbour. I will provide the pictures. (smile). The history truly is amazing though. These are the two beaches Sammie and I would come to and I would take my tennis racket and some tennis balls, hit them out into the water and she would swim out and get them! I had to use a tennis racket because I was not able to throw a tennis ball. Well, any ball for that matter. Some things never change as I am still unable to throw “properly”. Cheltenham is the long one, which I will be exploring, and the North Head one was our own little cove. They’ve built a walkway across much of it, which was good. On my way down to the small beach, I didn’t realize the stairs were so deep, and dark. As I took my first step, I tried to rest my right hand on the side of the hill and instead of gaining balance, I shoved a splinter into my right pinky. Under my fingernail. That was a lovely bonus. As I was going back up to depart, I actually found the trail we used instead of the steep one. I didn’t think I’d gone up and down stairs. (smile). I parked in the ferry parking lot and walked up and down the main street of Devonport, which is always filled with people. The ferry is working nonstop bringing travelers and locals to and from Devonport to Auckland. Cafes everywhere! So I stopped and had a small hot chockie and some fruit. I was starving! Walking and climbing take a lot of energy and I cannot seem to locate any protein bars anywhere. The closest thing I can find are Museili (sp) bars in the grocery store, which from experience, are not tasty to the palate. Icky. I love the marshmallows they serve with it. The “large” hot chockie/coffee option is about 2x the size of the small cup. And so, you HAVE to sit and drink it there. No carry out/takeaway for the cafes! After my refueling, I headed to the ferry, which has shops inside as you head to the gate area. I stopped in one shop to begin getting some ideas for gifts and of course, struck up a conversation with the shop owner, Bev. I believe that wherever people are around on my journey, having a chat and getting to know them is a very natural thing. Of course, it helps to hear the American accent and the first thing they ask is, “Oh, are you on Holiday?” And then we’re off. She is a very kind woman. We talked about NZ and American politics, lightly, and then she was telling me about the MLM venture she is part of with a company founded by Donald Trump. Even though I wasn’t interested in that, getting to know her was a pleasure. The ferry ride takes about 10 minutes and it all looked the same. I even got a picture of the America’s Cup yacht that takes people out into the harbour for a “tiki tour”. Obviously, it’s windy on the water. (smile). After deboarding the ferry, I headed to the Viaduct to check out what was going on and was disappointed to find that the main area where all the activities are setup is now a parking lot. Maybe they will change that when summer is in full swing. It was good to see the big yacht by the Maritime Museum was still there though. I turned and headed up Queen Street to check out the shops to sort out where I was going to purchase gifts. The funny thing is that I walked all the way up one side and down the other and the shops I will do my shopping in were the ones I entered first. Everything seemed to look the same and when I got to the top of where the iMAX theatre is, I started smiling. Why? Because I knew there would be one Wheaton resident who will be happy to know that when he and Velvet come over with me, he will not be without his favorite hot beverage. In the place where Planet Hollywood used to be, now resides Starbucks Coffee. (smile). I realized on this little excursion up Queen Street that t-shirts are very difficult to locate. Not as readily accessible as they are in Hawaii. I’ll have to do some asking of the locals or go into more shops…hmm, maybe Sky City (Tower) has more options. I’ll be checking that out soon! Oy. I am having some major issues uploading more photos so I will do "photo posts" later. Just give you photos without all the commentary because I have so many photos and so little space! And here I am, at the end of the day, after feeling like I walked miles and miles. I am looking tired and wind blown, however, absolutely content and pleased with the day.