Camping Club Trip #4 - Kiholo Bay!!!

Update: As of 9/2011...illegal camping is no longer being permitted at Kiholo Bay.  The Dept. of Land & Natural Resources plans to implement a more formal, restricted permitting process for camping that will help to preserve the area's fragile cultural resources.

On three! On three! One...two...three...Camping Club!!!

A few months ago, we visited Kiholo Bay for the first time, fell in love, and vowed to return and camp there. So this weekend (the last one before school starts), and less than 48 hours after Kenichi & Riki returned from six weeks in Japan- we did!

I planned my long run so that Rich and the 3 boys could pick me up on their way out to the beach. And at around mile 10, I spotted a colorful, fully inflated beach ball sitting along the side of the road. Well, naturally I had to stop and get it for the boys. And needless to say, I knew that I looked more than a little mentally unstable running in the middle of nowhere carrying a beach ball. But compared to last weekend's run that ended up with me laying down, sweaty and out of breath on the front lawn of my mother's church (I bet they all prayed for me)...well, I guess it really wasn't all that different. Who said long runs are boring? ;-)

Anyway, as we drove through the entrance to the beach we couldn't help but notice the "Shark Sighted - beach closed" sign, which was a little unnerving since we had three pretty slow moving, juicy-looking & well-fed children that no self respecting shark would pass up, but we vowed to keep them in shallow water and plowed ahead (since we had two truckloads FULL of gear, and we were gonna camp even if it meant someone had to lose a few toes).

Eating in the new and improved formal dining room at base camp

Since we camped at Kohanaiki not too ago, we knew what we wanted to improve upon this time. Not only did we have a bigger tent that could easily accommodate us all, but we also brought an extra table to eat on (thereby creating the aforementioned 'formal dining room') and made a shower room (we brought water from home that we warmed all day in the sun). Heavenly improvements, all of them...but none moreso than the last one since Mama got to go to bed with her hair all soft and smelling of Pantene vs. salt covered & straw-like.

We did loooove our campsite though. Because we didn't get there on Friday, most of the spots along the sandy beach area were already taken, so we drove all the way in where the campsites were a little rockier, but further apart. We found a great little spot only about 200 yards from the water hole, completely covered/shaded by kiawe trees (a tree I like to describe as being 90% thorns and 10% tree). But what it made it awesome was that it was a HUGE area, and no one else was on either side of us for hundreds of yards. :-)

Anyway, after setting up camp, we all headed out to the underground lava tube and Kiholo Bay (which we didn't hike to the last time we were there). On our way there, my dad saw someone he knew who had just caught a huge fish while throwing his lay net. And of course, three sets of little hands just had to touch it.

On the way over, Ryan insisted on carrying his cousin's towels for them on the hike, telling us it was because "I'm the strongest boy in the whole wide world and I get the job done!" Cute.

The boys loved the freshwater pond. They hooted, hollered and jumped in. And once Ryan saw his cousins jump in, guess which brave little boy had to jump in too?
On our way to the bay, we stopped and took a few family photos on a old tree weathered by the wind and rain.Ryan smiled for each of the ten photos we took, but you can't see his actual eyeballs in a single photo. Nice!
On our way out to the bay, someone started to look a bit, well, vacant in the eyes, so my mom volunteered to hang back and sit under some palm trees so that Ryan was safe from the sun's rays while he snoozed. This how we found him when we came back 45 minutes later...what a little prince!
The walk out to the bay was nice...plenty of pebbly black sand to slog through, but since it wasn't that far, it was super easy.Along the way, passed the Bali House (which I've been wanting to see), so named because the house's original owner, Paul Mitchell (yes, the salon Paul Mitchell) had the house built in Bali, and then shipped over and reassembled, piece by piece. Sounds cheap.
We also took the time to let the three boys do some jousting...
...before we finally reached the bay!
The water at the bay was warm, shallow and filled with a dozen friendly turtles. Definitely worth the walk.

It got pretty windy that night (we had to reinforce our tarps multiple times), but because of that- we saw, hands down- the most star-filled sky any of us have ever seen in the Hawaiian islands (or anywhere for that matter). It was unforgettable. Later, my dad also built a fire pit so the boys could roast marshmallows before we all turned in for the night.

It would be hard to say which beach is better to camp at (Kohanaiki vs. Kiholo Bay).

On the one hand, Kohanaiki requires a permit (requiring you to get there very early in the morning to stake your spot). However, it does have a lot more (& cleaner) toilets, sandier terrain for sleeping on, a guard that patrols around all night keeping large groups in check, and is much closer to Kona.

Kiholo Bay is another 15-20 minutes further away, and because camping is illegal, you do get locked in at night...a little unnerving. And while its terrain is a lot rougher (between the black pebbles and kiawe thorns, you definitely don't want to go running around barefoot there), it does have that fresh water swimming hole. It is also windier since its near the Kohala Coast, but I have to say, I have NEVER seen larger turtles, or more turtles than I did at Kiholo Bay. I swear, without even trying, you can easily see 20+ huge turtles a day just cruising the shoreline and bay

Both beaches were crowded (but not overly so), and neither offer great swimming for kids, but Kiholo Bay seemed to have more large families with young kids running around vs. groups of young people/surfers hanging out at Kohanaiki. So I can't say that I have a definitive favorite beach to camp at in Kona just yet...but if one were to ever have showers, that would be the swing vote for sure. ;-) I have no idea where the Camping Club's fifth excursion will be to...but I'm sure there's plenty out there to discover.

And last but not least, here's a video (that looks like it was shot in the 70s) of Ryan jumping into the lava tube pond!

The gifts of Moku o Hawai'i

I can't believe our summer vacation is almost over. Even though we miss going to school and having Ry's cousins around, we still had a great summer doing this we normally wouldn't- marching in a parade, flying to Maui, swimming at Kiholo Bay, a stay at the Hilton Waikoloa, riding a glass bottom boat, starting swim lessons and a new Wednesday playgroup.

It's funny...the first year or so after we moved back here, I used to moan about how difficult it was to find things to do with Ryan, but I can honestly say I no longer have that problem. Part of it is knowing what's out there (the newly launched KAMA Hawaii helps tremendously), part of it is better appreciating what we do have here, but the biggest difference is in having great friends and family. Friends & family + beaches galore = never, ever being sad, lonely or bored on this beautiful little island. So get ready for the schmaltz...because once again, it's time for...

Things that make me smile right now:

• Baby's Pond (above). I've been there well over a dozen times in the past few years, but its simple beauty still takes my breath away. Ryan and I were just there on Friday with some friends, and the moment we walked up to the water, I had a moment where I realized that I really do live in paradise. How could you ever possibly be bored living near this everyday? :-)
• My new job. I've had the two busiest weeks ever, but I absolutely love my (former) coworkers and am so grateful to be working again. It's empowering and feels great to be using that part of my brain again.
• Our recent Builder's Expo. I've been meaning to go every year since we've been back, and we finally went on Friday night. Aside from poor Ryan being bored, love-d it! Tons of eco-friendly ideas, and we're now we're even thinking about installing solar electric panels on our roof. We would love to do it, but it's a huge financial cost that will take about 6 years to pay for itself. Still, wouldn't it be nice to be generate our own electricity and thumb our noses at HELCO?
• I lost five pounds. Nothing you can see, but my clothes fit better. Losing it was tough, but the maintenance has been easier than I expected. I'm now bracing myself to try and lose another five at some point.
• Long runs...the Mana Road 10-mile run in Waimea is back on the table! Although I didn't run for two weekends while I was dieting, I was still able to crank out a solid 10-mile run yesterday with a 3-mile run/walk cool down, so I'm feeling pretty good about things. I won't be speedy on those hills, but I'm so excited to be able to run in cooler weather, if even for a day.
• My vermi-composting operation is going very well. Once I find a larger (used) container I can recycle for this purpose, mama is expanding her (worm) family! Ryan is gonna be so pleased to be getting so many hundreds of siblings. :-) Poor kid.
• My grandma's quilts are in! After saying my final goodbye's to my grandma, I raided her closet and took about 10 of her favorite blouses so I could have some quilts made out of them. One was for my mom, and the other was for my youngest brother (who was the most emotionally attached to her). I think they came out beautifully and I hope my family cherishes their memory of her forever.
• Getting this emailed loving, supportive response from my brother Joey about the quilts...If you died...poor Ryan's quilt would be made of all dry fit material, Fuel belt and little pieces of movie theater popcorn stuck to it. At least when he napped his sweat would be wicked away and he could gnaw on the popcorn. While this may be completely true (and if you were as sweaty as I am, your entire wardrobe would be dri-fit too)...seriously! And we wondered why he was single for so long? :-)
• Rich being done with school...this is life changing, mood altering, good stuff for me. I feel more balanced than I have in years. Just knowing that someone other than myself is making an effort to do fun things with my son (they've been swimming, kite flying and even went to see Winnie the Pooh this weekend) and taking care of business (he washed and polished my car, is helping me book hotels/car for our upcoming trip, refiled our taxes, etc.) is a huge burden off my shoulders. We all win when he's home more.
• Summer strawberries and Fuji apples...they're riper, sweeter and thanks to Costco- in great abundance at a reasonable cost.
• Along those same lines...my Aunty Annie's avocados. Truly- they're award winning. Not only are they nearly the size of my son's head, but they're buttery, creamy (no veins!) and deeelicious.
• My dad also has EIGHT bunches of apple bananas in his little grove. Once you have these, you can never go back to the South American varieties.
• My friend Heidi sharing her veggie meatloaf with me, and my friend Kathy sharing her Waldorf salad recipe with me. Love trying new things that aren't difficult to make. :-)
• The boys are almost here! Keni and Riki come back in four days...Ryan is gonna freeeaaak. I don't think he's noticed them missing yet, but he'll certainly notice that they're back!
• The thought of going camping this weekend...it's our last hurrah for the summer before the school year starts. Can't wait.

Keauhou Store

Image & historical information from Historic Hawaii Foundation

A long time ago (1919 to be exact), in a little coffee farming town on the slopes of Hualalai, the Yoshisuke Sasaki family opened Keauhou Store. By the time my siblings and I were old enough to pile out of our Chevy Blazer and fly up the wooden stairs so we could hightail it over to the ice cream freezer, the store had long been managed by Yoshisuke's son, Rikio.

Because the store was off old Mamalahoa highway (just off the main road), we probably only stopped there a half dozen times per year...nearly always on our way to the refuse station nearby. :-) However, I will never forget the stern-faced, quiet owner behind the ancient cash register. He rarely if ever, cracked a smile or said a word, so our family privately and jokingly referred to him as "Mr. Smiley," and the name stuck.

The last time I went to the store, I was probably in intermediate school. However, I do remember that back in 2001, on a chance visit to the store, that my parents were briefly mentioned in an article about it. So apparently they continued their visits long after I did. And knowing their good nature, it was undoubtedly to provide some much-needed business to the seemingly lonely, semi mysterious figure who owned it.

Though I was sad to see the store shuttered on subsequent drives past it, I was pleasantly surprised when I read an article about the store reopening. The feature article detailed the new owner's painstaking efforts to preserve and restore both the building and all the dust-covered artifacts and treasures they'd unearthed within it. For months I have been meaning to drive over there, partly out of curiosity, and partly because I'd hoped to recreate my own childhood experience for my son. So on Tuesday morning, on our way back home from dropping off a coconut cake that we'd baked for daddy, Ryan and I finally stopped for a visit.

Here he is...enjoying ice cream on the front stairs of the Keauhou Store, just like his mommy did as a child.

The store (aside from a fresh, bright coat of paint) looks exactly as I remember it as a keiki.

Even though the products have changed over the years, the new owners, Kurt & Thea Brown (lovely, engaging people!), have managed to preserve the exact feel of a small town, family-owned store in Kona coffee country. And so in the fine tradition befitting all tiny roadside stores, Ryan and I excitedly and uncharacterisically loaded up on fun snacks and treats.

The owners also have an impressive array of Hawaiian-flavored homemade cookies (baked by Thea), an assortment of locally grown, organic produce and herbs, Kona Coffee, macadamia nuts, local snacks (li hing mui gummies, arare, furikake Maui style potato chips), and of course- tons of ice cream for the kiddies to choose from. Rikio would be proud.

Most impressively, they've not only dedicated the entire top floor display area to serve as a mini-museum of artifacts and memorabilia from the Sasaki family, but they've also left Rikio's office exactly as it was when they purchased it (see below).

Kurt kindly gave us a little tour and showed us some of the detailed ledgers (in Japanese). He also told me that just a few weeks ago, that he had found a $100 bill stuck inside one of the ledger with the word "HAWAII" printed across the back. After investigating, Kurt found out that during World War II, the US government did this in the event that Japan invaded Hawaii...making it easier for them to void/nullify the currency.

There are very few things on this planet that fill me with nostalgia. I'm somewhat nomadic by nature, so saying goodbye to people, places and things comes naturally to me. However, I must admit that this visit evoked one of the strongest feelings I've ever had of 'old Kona' in the 70s and 80s.

Nestled up in Keauhou mauka, with it's winding road, swaying mango trees, slopes filled with Kona coffee, wandering roosters and mind blowing views of the Pacific- there sits a true historic gem. I can only offer up my personal appreciation and congratulations to Kurt & Thea for preserving such a precious piece of Kona's coffee land history and culture.

Whether you're a visitor to the island looking for a piece of history, or if you grew up in Kona and want your own keiki to sit where you once did, dripping ice cream from the bottom of their Drumstick onto their rubber slippers...this is a must do. :-)

Aloha Rikio...and mahalo Kurt & Thea.

Anaeho'omalu Bay

There really is something special about Anaeho'omalu Bay (A-Bay).

The name comes from Ana'e (mullet) + ho'omalu (to protect) and were used as fishponds by ancient Hawaiians. So not only are they scenic, but historic as well. Here's a great video about A-bay hosted by none other than Lyman Medeiros (the voice of the Big Island...at least to me!) if you're interested.

On Monday, Ryan, my mother and I all took our first trip out to A-Bay on Monday for our much anticipated glass bottom boat ride. And we learned something very interesting once we got there. I had Googled for directions and found that the main parking lot for A-Bay is directly across the entrance to the King's Shops. However, when we tried to walk along the beach to the little huts to check in and pay for our ride, we saw that we would have to wade across 75 yards of water (waist deep) in order to do so! This is because when the tsunami hit earlier this year, it basically split the beach in two. Yikes. Wading across was soooo not gonna happen since we were lugging around two beach bags, two purses, a cooler, a boogie board and a Ryan. ;-) Thankfully, we found another route around the back of the bay that allowed my mom and Ryan to walk over (while I shlepped back to the car ladden down like a sherpa so I could move the car over to the parking lot on the other side of the bay).

Here's a picture where you can see the beach split in two, and the now open access to the fishponds. :-( I would love to see the original fishponds restored (by rebuilding the wall/beach) where the waves crashed through.

The fishpond and bay are just gorgeous! Check out the (somewhat coarse) mostly white sand beach and the fishpond behind it. I believe it's both a mixture of both ocean water and some fresh water flowing from the mountains under the ground. There are signs posted asking you to not swim in the bay (in order to protect the delicate underwater balance and the historic surrounding area), but as you can always expect, I saw a few bozo's wading around in it. Booooo. And no, they were not native Hawaiian practitioners practicing their craft. Unless they were albino, very hairy Hawaiians. :-)

Scoping out the giant fishpond with Nina (his buddy and seatmate on the boat).

After checking in for our ride, we had some time to cruise the beach with Grandma (who came along to drive us back home in case I got sick on the boat).

Our boat ride was with Ocean Sports at 10:00am. A few great things about this tour (aside from them very kindly and generously offering the Kona Mommies Group a fantastic deal to experience the fun):

• There is no pier. There is no tender (boat shuttling). You walk from the sand, up onto a little ramp...and you're on the boat! Easy as 1-2-3. No wasted time or fuel. It never ceases to amaze me how a boat can float in inches of water.
• The boat is small (26-feet), and therefore makes for an intimate experience. I believe it only accommodates 19 passengers, and they strictly adhere to that limit...thereby giving you tons of space to sit and roam around once on board.
• Even though it's steamin' hot there in North Kohala, the boat is well-shaded and the breezes make it very cool and comfy.
• The tour length (30 minutes). Initially it sounded like it might be too short, but because you waste no time getting on or off the boat, and you don't have to go very far to see the sea life, thirty minutes ended up being plenty of time.
• The crew...they're friendly, knowledgeable and fun. They exude the Aloha spirit!

Ryan walking on board, all by himself!

Waving goodbye to Grandma on shore...darnit! We forgot the toilet paper roll!

Ryan peering down below at the coral. In addition to the fish, a pair of very good-natured snorkelers (who happily waved back to my very enthusiastic toddler), I think we saw about a dozen turtles over the course of the tour. Some under the water, but most swimming alongside the boat!A view of beautiful Mauna Kea...a one million year-old, not quite yet dormant volcano. It's so tall (33,000 feet elevation), and measured from its oceanic base it's much taller than even Mt. Everest. As a result, its often snow covered during cooler months! I believe its the only place in the Hawaiian islands that gets snow. :-) We're special. It can be pretty surreal sitting on the beach in 85 degrees and looking up to see a snow-capped mountain.
One of the many turtles we saw that morning cruising around the bay...
The only proof I was at Anaeho'omalu Bay (I asked a daddy next to us to snap our picture), since I'm usually the Official Family Photographer. :-) Look how happy we are! You can't even tell how doped up I am on Bonine (and how it made me pass out before 8pm last night...even AFTER a thirty minute afternoon nap)!

There's always a big difference between Kona and Kohala. The Kona water was flat as a pancake that morning, but we were rockin' quite a bit in the windy Kohala breeze toward the end of our tour!
Grandma and Ryan (at the showers...yay! Love it when they're at beaches!) bidding a fond Aloha to the fishponds and bay.

We'll be back.

Water Weekend!

If it's a day that ends in 'y,' then there's a pretty good chance Ryan was in the water. On Friday Rich took Ryan to the beach, on Saturday I took him to the pool twice, on Sunday we went to our friend's pool, and tomorrow (Monday)...we hit the beach! That's four days in a row of getting wet. :-) Kinda crazy, right?

The reason for the double pool session on Saturday was because Ryan had his first swimming lesson in the morning. Well, technically, he did have 8 lessons at the county pool about a year ago. But since I was in the pool with him and carried him everywhere, and we mostly just hung out in the shallow baby pool...we're not gonna count that. :-) Saturday's lesson was in a deep, big boy pool (at Jack's Diving Locker) with only his swim instructor and two other 5-year olds (since he got moved up from the 3-year old class). At first I was a little concerned about him being all by himself in the pool with kids two years older than him, but after the class we were told that he was going to be moved up again. :-)

And yes, my head swelled to about three times its normal size. :-) I mean, I know he's definitely not the only 3-year old who is comfortable in the water. But he's normally so shy and timid that getting to see him embrace something so fearlessly puts a huge smile on my face.

After his lesson, we let him cruise the area while I went to the Big Island Running Co. (I wore out my Fuel Belt and it's near Jack's). While in the area, we spotted this shark! Coincidentally, Kona has had an unprecedented (to me anyway) number of shark sightings this summer. Thankfully, this shark was very friendly.

After that, we had him try on a wet suit (since we've been contemplating getting one for him). This is because he shivers so quickly that it often ends our pool/beach trips prematurely. Even in Jack's pool, which felt like it was heated to me- he was chattering and shivering halfway through the lesson.

But even though they had his size, he looked cute as heck, and it cost only a fraction of what an adult-sized wet suit costs, we didn't get it. Partly because he complained that the collar was too tight, and partly because as Rich pointed out- we live in Hawaii. Where it's warm. Year round. So Ryan needs to either get more body fat or buck up. :-) I'd also never live it down if he showed up to the beach sporting this get up. We already giggle at the tourists whose kids show up to the beach wearing zinc, floppy hats, shades, water wings, a life vest and booties. A wet suit wouldn't be much worse. ;-)

Two of our swim sessions this weekend were with my high school BFF and her family. They have three girls, and Ryan has been tentatively promised to their youngest. You can see that they wasted no time posing for future prom/engagement photos.

Tomorrow is our big day at the beach (A-bay!) and *I really really really hope* a ride on the glass bottom boat. I've already packed the cooler with water and fresh fruit for Ryan, as well as plenty of Bonine for me! Fingers crossed for plenty of seating availability and some very flat seas!

Congratulations Rich!

Five years ago, my husband graduated with his degree in Nursing. And he did it with a perfect 4.0 GPA. He was also voted President of his class every year, co-editor of the Nursing Newsletter and voted the class commencement speaker. He was also able to naile down a job with the hospital he desired most. Needless to say, I was proud of him my nerd. It took four years of studying and sacrifice, but he truly deserved every accolade. I think I hosted three different graduation parties that month.

Last night I wanted to honor him again for earning his Masters in Nursing Administration from Cal State Dominguez Hills. Because once again, he did it in style- this time, with a perfect 4.0. And what made it all the more impressive was how he did it. Every single evening for the past two years, once our son was bathed, changed, read to and tucked in (Rich never, ever shirked his daddy responsibilities), he would head straight to his desk to study for hours. For two years, he didn't get to exercise, watch TV, go to the movies, read magazines or books (that weren't textbooks). He studied day and night, on weekends, and on vacation. And when he wasn't studying, he was either at a leadership academy or doing clinical work (as much as 3-4 hours a day) at the hospital or a local health clinic.

And so yes, our family life took a bit of a hit. There were countless days, often 3-4 per week or more, where we didn't see him for 12-16 hours a day. More days than not, he was gone 10+ hours a day, and then would come home and study another 2-3 hours that evening. But what m made his constant focus on work/school tolerable, was that no matter how tired he was when he got home- he always did whatever honey-do chores I had for him and played with Ryan. And on the days when I would endlessly gripe to him about how busy or preoccupied he always was, how he was never home, how neglected I felt...he would always promise to try to balance things better.

And so even though this degree was so much more difficult to earn than the first one (and I thought that one was heinous)- he did it. I'm prouder than heck of him. We didn't celebrate with three parties and a commencement ceremony like we did back in 2006, but we did do a little something!

Last night we had a quick dip in the pool, followed by dinner with a Tex Mex culinary theme (his favorite) to celebrate his recent accomplishment. JJ and Lynne also brought JJ's cap and gown for him to wear as a joke. :-) Ryan also 'helped' me get a lei. Sort of. On the way down to the condo to celebrate, we had stopped at a store to get a flower lei for Rich. I had coached Ryan on our way out of the store to "not tell daddy we got him a surprise." But literally one minute later, as soon as he spotted Rich waiting for us in the car, he shouted out, "Daddy! I have a surprise for you! It's flowers!" When I semi-scolded him and said, "Ryan! I thought I just told you not to tell daddy!" He smiled and said, "Oh. That was a mistake."

My present to him was a pair of tickets to see Grease at the Aloha Performing Arts Center...but don't get any crazy ideas like me going with him. My mother is Rich's official theater date (since I'm not a fan of um...most arts). I realize how intelligent that makes me sound, which is probably why I'm not the one with a Masters degree. ;-)

Congratulations Rich. You earned this, and your wife and son are very proud of you. :-)

Ry in the month of July

Ty & Ry studying for their pre-preschool entrance examinations under the watchful eye of TigerMom/Aunty...who screamed at them whenever they lost focus.

The latest past time- watching Katy Perry videos on YouTube

Riding the boat at the Hilton Waikoloa & clutching a wad of singles to tip the driver

Riding the train there never gets old...ever.

At his three-year old wellness check up yesterday...showing the doctor his own medical kit!

Sporting his new pjs from Grandma Janice...and excitedly insisting on wearing the pants they came with (even though they make his head sweaty). :-(

Things that make me smile right now

• Singing California Guurls in the car with Ryan, or even better...
• Listening to Ryan hum Katy Perry's Firework while he plays with his Hot Wheels
• Katy Perry's video for Firework last night...great messages about body acceptance, gay acceptance and just being you (and no, this is not an entry solely dedicated to Katy...but I do love her music)!
• Being in "only" 85 degree heat (when it seems most of our friends back in the I.E. are sweltering in triple digit heat..tee hee)
• Rich graduating and cruising around with a lighter, happier, step for the first time in a very long time
• Getting to have a delicious lunch at Kona Country Club with Yuri and Ryan on Monday
• Getting to spend so much time with the Bangild's before they leave
• Old Navy's Oahu branch selling out my size of their gay right t-shirts (thank you for trying every week, Aunty Pat!). It bummed me out at first, but now I'm THRILLED that they've sold out! It means people are loud and proud about the topic. Hawaiians really ARE all about dolphins, waterfalls, unicorns and rainbows over here. ;-)
• Getting to ride a glass bottom boat next week with Ryan (his first time)!
• Getting to go to Anaeho'omalu Bay for the first time for the same reason...technically, I should lose my Local Resident Badge for never having been there yet, but in my defense, it's 45 min. away. And for me, that's really, really, reaaaaaally far.
• Ryan's new blue tank top from Tyler...it's so groovy and sentimental and smells like the Bangild's pretty laundry detergent.
• Getting to pick two low hanging avocados from a tree on my favorite walking path
• The increase in wild turkeys in Kona...they're everywhere!
• Getting to see little wild piglets dart around the bushes on our walks (admittedly rare). How can something so tiny and cute grow up into such an ugly, feral, salivating, hairy beast? (I guess this is what imus are for.) Mean joke. Sorry vegetarians.
• Watching Ry and Ty play together (even though its for the almost last time). Okay, not exactly 'together,' but side by side. :-)
• Watching Tyler wave to my mom and call out, "Hi Grandma!" from behind our screen door with Ryan the other day
• The new Makua & Keiki (Mother & Child) program we attended today. Fun group! Fun leader!
• Fresh strawberries
• Today is Day #1 of my diet! To my recollection, this is usually the first and last time I feel excited about dieting. And let's see now, for breakfast I ate... (just kidding)
• Finishing Little Princes (Conor Grennan)...best book I've read in awhile. Makes me want to fly to Nepal this very second.
• The very rare occasion when my super shy son interacts with his peers. In a two-hour play group, this might be a single fleeting moment, nearly always initiated by another child...but still. It's rad.
• How much Ryan smiled at the doctor today and shyly showed him his own doctor's kit. Dr. Andrew Fong is the BEST.
• Wild rice with chopped up macadamia nuts in it...oooh, heavenly!
• Kona Moms...in almost three years, haven't met a competitive or mean one yet! :-)
• The kindness of many, many people at N trying to help my little brother get a job.

Aloha my friends

In less than 48 hours, our friends will say goodbye to the island that they've called home for the past decade. It's hard to put into words the profound sadness I feel in saying Aloha to them.

The oldest picture I could find of the two boys together

I first met Jason back in 2001 at a Swingers Club (whoops, we all agreed never to talk about that!) when we both worked at the same golf course- he was the Head Golf Professional, and I was the HR Manager. You wouldn't think we'd have much in common- he's 6'5, Canadian and loves hockey. :-) But I think we shared instant camaraderie- not only because we were both drop dead gorgeous, but also because we were both (closeted) anal retentive(s)! Together in hushed whispers we could proudly share our love of checklists, Excel spreadsheets and detailed itineraries. And interestingly enough, we both bought our first homes at the same time, and then left the company at the same time (the same week even).

The beautiful Bangild's at Ry's birthday

Fast forward to 2008, when we found ourselves back on the island with a baby. I'd heard that Mel was now a stay at home mom (just two miles down the street), and with a son only 6 months younger than Ry (and whose name rhymed with his). Crazy right? I think so. I ended up connecting as easily and quickly with Mel as I had done with Jason years ago. I loved her wicked sense of humor, her refreshing honesty, and the way she diligently and thoughtfully raised her son. She also never pretended to be anything she wasn't, which brought me tremendous comfort at a time when I was struggling to redefine my own life and identity.

Nearly every Wednesday for over two years, we have sat together, surrounded initially by bottles, burp clothes, Boppy pillows, pacifiers and soft blocks, and now by trains, tracks, tools, cars, books, spilled Cheerios & fruit leather. But all the while, we have laughed, shared, commiserated, conspired, rejoiced and dreamed together. I think she fell in love with my very, very chatty, sometimes precocious ("Hi Aunty Mel. So...where is your husband today?") toddler, and I fell equally in love with her chargefullspeedahead! little guy who always needed to have two or more toys in his hands at all times. ;-) Ty even gave Ryan and I our first shared moniker together- we've been RyanJolene from the day he could speak, and that still hasn't changed.

We've also shared birthdays, holidays, books, toys, clothing, shoes and videos, and have swapped date nights so we could each share the occasional quiet night out. I know that Ry and Ty will probably never remember these days, or even each other as they grow older. But I will. And I will remind Ryan of his first best friend frequently.

I will be forever thankful to Jason & Melissa for welcoming my family into theirs, and for introducing us to their friends and family. Our time together was brief, but meaningful and deeply appreciated. I wish them years of continued happiness, health and heaps and heaps of good fortune, because they deserve it. We can only hope that our paths again many, many more times (since Portland & Kona are only one flight away)! As sad as I am to see them go, I'm thrilled to see them getting to live their dream. So...

Jason, Mel & Ty guy...thank you for everything. We will miss you and love you always.

Much love,

Rich & RyanJolene

And the diet starts...now. Crap.

Despite Rich's best efforts to make me fat, I have decided it's time to get serious about shedding some of this excess weight. I can't say that I've truly dedicated myself to doing this so thus far, but now that Rich is officially done with grad school (yaaaaay Rich!!! More on this another day.) and with Iceland just around the corner (and only two very snug sets of travel pants in my closet)- I'm definitely motivated.

So instead of doing the sameoldthing...which is to eat less for approximately one day, and then fall off the wagon and pig out for next 3-4 weeks (sadly, that doesn't work)- I have decided to do something I haven't done since '05-06. I'm going to...diet. Bleh. And I'm going to dedicate myself to doing so by focusing on mind, body, spirit instead of just exercise (my usual weapon against gluttony). So I am very consciously going to hold off on the distance running for a few weeks so that I can focus on weaning myself off of fatty, salty, sugary, processed foods and recommit to food that truly nourishes my body and soul. This means that I will likely miss the beautiful Mana Road 10-Miler the first week in August, but I think it's worth sticking to working on my mind instead of my muscles.

I expect this to be hard. Physically and mentally. Though my diet back in '05-06 was very successful in getting me to drop some sixty pounds (for a picture of me at my chubbiest, click here), it also forced me to confront some very long, deep seeded issues I wasn't quite prepared for (which messed me up good). So I'm more than a little anxious about dieting again, because as

I've learned-

A) Dieting can make you crazy.

B) Dieting is unnatural.

C) Dieting requires self discipline (which I lack).

I'm much more a proponent of lifestyle changes. But I'm also equally committed to facing the music, and now that I'm 15 pounds heavier than I was back in '06, it's time to get serious and keep the promise that I made myself back in 2006- that I would never go back to being super duper chubby again. And I have to honor that so that I can the happiest version of me that I can be (you can thank Oprah for that dose of shmaltz).

I'd like to say that no foods will be off limits, but truthfully speaking...many will have to be. Just for a few weeks. Not permanently. I've never been a fan of diets that require you to buy special, mail order foods (too processed) or are overly restrictive (i.e. - no sugar, no carbs), and so I won't be doing any of that- but I will be keeping myself to a fairly strict, healthy, balanced diet that will not include veggie chips, gummy bears, arare, movie popcorn or ice cream. Whimper. I'm also going to reintroduce a little concept called 'portion control' to my life (that I've ignored for a few years).

So I'm already pretty freaked out. During my Sunday long run (which I normally use to pump myself up for just about anything), I could sense how intimidated, stressed and scared I am to basically take on this challenge. I'm terrified of failure, and I hate feeling so vulnerable over not being able to have some french fries. I'm not sure how much I'll document here, but I doubt there will be a daily accounting of calories or mental status updates here. I don't think anyone finds that stuff particularly interesting ("I've got to log on! I have to see whether Jolene ate a banana or an orange for breakfast! DAMN IT! It was an apple!!!), but moreover, I don't think I want to open myself up that much. Crying into a bag of donuts in front of the TV is private stuff.

I start on Wednesday.

Wish me luck, serenity and strength (because this sucks),

J

Boundaries, Uncle!

Ryan tends to like his space when he takes his nap. If you're not mommy or daddy and you attempt to crawl into bed with him, he'll very shyly smile at you and say, "I need to go nighty now...all by myself." So I couldn't have been more shocked than to see this the other day...

Not only did Uncle JJ steal the little boy's blanket, but they were also connected at the head!

A closer look...

Seriously now- how could neither of them feel each other's hot breath on their face?! ;-)