Spring Break Honolulu-Style

Two weeks?!! For real? Spring break is two whole weeks!! That's right, in Hawaii... spring break lasts 2 whole weeks. Oy vay! Obviously, a mother didn't decide this! While 2 weeks can be a long time for any sane mother, on the other hand...it does lend to some creative travel time...IF one can afford it. 4 days and 3 nights (at the end of the 2nd week) in Honolulu cost us about $1000 and that was in one of the more economical hotels.

Upon arrival (a short jump...20 minute flight from Kauai) we shuttled ourselves to the National Car Rental (where we had earlier placed a bid on a mid-sized car http://www.priceline.com/ and had it accepted for $16/day) to pick up our anticipated lemon of a car. It's only a coupla days, we don't need anything very special. After the completion of the paperwork, we were offered a purple but very stylish....... Cadillac SRX SUV!!! We were astonished!! After picking our jaws up off the asphalt, we applauded our great fortune and jumped in the SUV. With leather lumbar seats adjusted to our spines and sunroof opened to the skies, we cruised east toward the Waikiki strip to check into our hotel for the evening. We were greeted upon arrival at the Alana Doubletree Hotel with huge, warm, fresh chocolate chip cookies. Nothing special to note about the hotel otherwise...it was nice and clean with a pool, and 2 queen beds in our room did the job.

Day 1

Hawaiian Waters Water Park...Kapolei

An awesome outdoor water park equivalent to that of the one in West Edmonton Mall but over a greater sq. ft. area and under a full hot sun. Oh and palm trees...the real kind. Our only major complaint was that the admission was $35.99/adult and $25.99/child for only 5 hours of pure unadulterated good clean fun. The park opened at 10:30am and closed at 3:30pm. Who closes a water park in the middle of a spring break afternoon? Especially in Hawaii??!!! Really big bucks for really short bang. Also no outside food is allowed into the park which means loooong lines and sloooow service. All in all we got in only about 8 rides during the day. Three before lunch, an hour or so to wait in lines for lunch and then eat, and then about 4 or 5 rides after lunch before closing. Fun...but definitely a rip-off. And worst of all...it got a F- for celiac friendly eats.

Day 2

Sea Life Park...Makapu'u

Oahu's equivalent to Florida's Sea World...just a wee bit downscaled and no...sob, sob...Shamu. But plenty enough to keep us entertained!! $15.62/ adult and $12.50/child...kama'aina rate. That's the local rate for residents. The park offers a variety of activities to participate in and of course...the interactive big sells were extra...swim with the sea lions, turtles, dolphins, sting rays...blah, blah, blah, whatever... for a mortgage refinancing type of price. We opted out of the pricey perks and headed straight for the "freebie"(already paid for) sea turtle, sea lion and dolphin exhibits. (Cheap Mennos!) Also included in park price were the sea lion, dolphin and sea life shows in the outdoor theatres. Under a hot and sunny sky, we sweltered, but the shows were fun and the kids really enjoyed them. The Kapolei sea life parkis located on the NE side of Oahu and boasts the one and only known "wholphin" in the world.

The wholphin is the result of a killer whale breeding with a dolphin, which apparently isn't supposed to happen...but on a starry moonlit sky with romantic music in the open ocean, who knows what can happen. Worth the money as it was fun, interactive without being too pricey (except the blah blah promotions) and educational...but again, a big fat F- for celiacs. But then...what did I expect? I need to carry a personal chef in my back pocket!!

Day 3

Honolulu Zoo...Waikiki, Honolulu

Our last and final day in Honolulu... sleeping in, swimming in the hotel pool, brunch at Denny's and a trip to the local city zoo. The orders for the day. Ahhhh, a nice relaxing way to end a short 3 day vacation. Honolulu Zoo, located at the end of the Waikiki Beach strip, has a reputation for being a fairly nice zoo and at $10/family (local kama'aina rate), I'd say the price was very nice indeed. Now...keep in mind that my biggest zoo adventures have occurred at the Winnipeg Zoo...but I'm telling you, this is one fabulous zoo!!! (especially for the price) Polar and black bears are replaced with hippos, rhinos, giraffe, alligators,and zebras all in a natural savannah-like setting. These bad boys are living the good life. Their habitats are a very lush and realistic, comfortable and natural setting reminiscent of the back 40 in Africa. It's so real that there was no...and I mean no... barrier between us and the rhino except a ditch, which I might add (from our viewpoint) didn't seem all that deep considering the size of the guy. And everywhere, there are these signs... a little disconcerting...after all, where DOES one go when there's a jailbreak and a rhino is hot on your heels??!! Not alot of barrier between us and the giraffes either. I'm thinking if they wanted out, they get out...nooooo problem. Offering us oodles of giggles, were the chimpanzees who seemed riled up about something. A lone male stood on the top of this huge rock. His cell mate didn't really like the looks of him and instigated a riot among 2 other chimps to take him off his high "horse". The instigator signalled the other two and synchronized an attack throwing him off the rock and chasing him around the compound in a chattering flurry of excitement. It was quite the show and interesting display of primal relationships.
The zoo took much more time to walk through than we had an anticipated but the savannah was an amazing journey through Africa (for those of us who will probably never get there) and it completed our little vacation. It was definitely an outing where there was something for everyone. And although Ben got very tired of walking, he was very brave and only complained near the end. A short stop for a bite to eat and then off to the airport to catch a home flight to Lihue, Kauai. After just getting started, our little time here is all done. : (

For Lia...King Crab

Just outside my front door facing west is a quiet sanctuary...a chair hammock swings beneath a broad and lush poinciana tree which faces a tiny garden of peace lilies, orchids, impatiens, ti plants, and other tropical greens...it is also an attractive sanctuary of sorts... for spiders. Crab spiders to be more exact. Unfortunately for me, they are drawn to this particular spot like spider magnets. And these are not just any spiders...oh no...these guys are...well, put it this way, they're really interesting to look at and hard to figure out. They're not like any spider you have ever seen before. They are small...but not too small, although smaller than the dreaded cane (which by the way have been curiously absent for the last 6 months), but they are...armored...yeah, that's what I'd call it. It's a hard outer shell, like a armadillo, or even more like a triceratops or stegasaurus. They've got this really creepy coat of armor on them. They're like some wierd prehistoric spider. And they spin webs everywhere. And not just any web...not some wimpy fragile web, these babies are huge and strong. You run into one of these and you spring back. It's like running into a web of fishing line. They bite too, these guys. Personally I haven't had the pleasure, but I've talked to some locals who can attest to quite a painful experience.


My guess is that these guys are just hanging around, minding their own business and just trying to catch a living. Just like everyone else. But they're everywhere and they are a huge nuisance. In every bush, path, tree, and in every other living thing. Even the babies have tiny little baby webs in my potted orchids where the geckos hang out. At least it's good food for the geckos. You know...that old circle of life thing. Anyways the geckos, as far as I'm concerned, have a lot of work to do. My sanctuary is a little too crowded for my liking.

Lia...for an extra spine chill, click on the picture to get a close up!!

Hey Cuzzin', What's Buzzin'?

Greasy Bryl creme laden hair, leather jackets, rolled up blue jeans, bobby socks, poodle skirts and horn-rimmed glasses. Greasers, yup...that's what we were, if only for an evening. We put the pedal to the medal, burned some rubber and created an evening to remember.

Eileen, our Sunday School Coordinator, enlisted my help (along with another girl) and together we put together a cool evening for the Christian Education staff and teachers. Our theme was the 50's...what a fun era to re-create!! We had so much fun creating an atmosphere with polka dots, LP's, old photos, and 50's music with Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chubby Checker, Bill Haley & the Comets, Righteous Bros. and many more. Our focus was on creating a 50's style diner right down to a menu of burgers, fries, onion rings and root beer floats served by a bubble gum chewing waitress named "Flo". The 50's entertainment was provided by our very own DJ "Jumpin' Joe", who helped set the mood with old classics..."you ain't nothing but a hound dog...crying all the time...". Women rushed the stage as "Braddah" Elvis sang, security guards held back the crushing swarms, women screaming when he threw his slipper (flip flop) into the crowd. Rioting women fought over the slipper of Elvis. It was crazzzzyy!! What a riot!! Nostalgic 50's replica prizes were handed out to the winners of the bubble gum blowing, straw blowing, 50's karaoke, and hula hoop contests.

In appreciation of their service, every Christian Ed. teacher, aide and volunteer received an authentic 45 album with a recreated label...a coupon for a free breakfast and mocha freeze/smoothie from our local cafe...Common Grounds.

It's about time!!!

Aloha!!! After 8 months on the island I thought I could finally post something on our family blog. Forgive me in advance for not being as articulate as my beter half. Fact is after a day of which many hours are spent in front of a computer screen I'm often reluctant to get in front of another one you know?

Anyways, here is a Wow God moment for you. After pulling an all nighter in preparation for our Easter series at church (which begins this Sunday by the way) I walked into our regular staff meeting on Tuesday morning. I had spent several hours in a few passages of scripture that talked about the disciples call to drop their nets and follow Jesus. You may know the story "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men!" That morning I asked Alan one of my staff to read some scripture from a devotional booklet. Wouldn't you know it but the scripture assigned for that particular day from that particular devotional booklet was the very passage I had spent the night with just hours earlier!!

As we walk (or for those of you who live by the ocean wade) into the Easter season I pray that all of us begin to live a life that shows our God we are worthy of His call on our lives. Live with a Ressurection mindset my friends ... not just at Easter but every day God breathes life into you!!

Pastor Ed

My Blue Valentine

Uh, please pass the "comfort bag". I think I'm gonna be sick.

Dramamine, Bonine, no-name Superstore anti-emetic and anti-nauseant... whatever's in your medicine cabinet, you're gonna need it when you fly on one of these babies. No one "launched" during our flight (pun intended), but I think a few people were thinking about it.

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, rated one of the best helicopter tours in Kauai. Cushy seats, huge windows, noise-controlling headsets, air conditioning and push button microphones to ask the pilot questions...like...could you turn around so I can get a shot of that? If you go, ask for the front seats, they are way-awesome. If they are taken, get the right side of the 'copter. That's where all the action is. Ed and I, mentioned we were kama'aina (locals with I.D. to prove it) and we were plopped right up front in seats #1 and #2. The best seats in the house. YAHOOO!!!

By far this has been my most extravagant and dramatic Valentine's day to date. A one hour mile-high (or more) adventure around the island exploring the inner most island secrets. Jurassic Park waterfalls and canyons...you could almost feel and hear the dinosaurs lumbering their way down the massive valleys to drink the pure thirst quenching liquid sunshine of the secret falls. The inner basin of long extinct Mount Wai'ale'ale's volcano crater. Dry from lack of rain, but during heavy rains.. known to look like the inside of a washing machine during the spin cycle. The majestic Na Pali coasts where every peak, jagged ridge and 1000 ft. cliff has been diligently carved out by the finger of God. It must have been like putty in his hands..but the results...in the words of our retired military pilot...are fan-TA-stic! Mama and baby whales dancing their first dance. See the footprint left behind Mama as she spouts. That's baby. Incredible!!

Honestly, it leaves you breathless and speechless. To see the beauty of God's creation, to fully understand that nothing goes on in this universe without his permission. Our greatest thoughts and actions are so feeble compared to the supremacy of God. In our ladies Bible Study, we've been studying the names of God. Last week was, El Elyon...supreme, sovereign Lord. He reigns over all...over everyone of us including the government, monarchy and not even Satan can act without beseeching the authority of God. That is FANTASTIC!!

The ride lasted an hour which was not nearly long enough...it could've easily been another 1/2 hour. However, the men who were green were glad to have their landlegs back.

The remainder of the day was very relaxing, but ended with a scrumptious dinner at Cafe Portofino. A waterfront restaurant in the port of Nawiliwili with lanai overlooking the ocean and inside...lush italian decor right down to the marble floors and dreamy live harpist. The restaurant appeared to be run by the Italian mafia. (just a joke) Every male employee had a thick italian accent and slicked back black hair. The restaurant seemed surprisingly absent of any other ethnicnicity beside haole which seemed strange as the Asians make up for at least 60-70% of the island's population. For appetizers we had an enormous portobello mushroom stuffed with tender hunks of steak(and I do mean, hunks) and drizzled with a bernaise sauce and a red wine sauce. YUM!! The salad was a mixed green salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, pine nuts, a brick of goat cheese (deep fried) with a creamy house dressing. For the celiacs, I had to... *sob* give up my goat cheese... *sob*. That was torturous. The meal was divine although I was sure I was going to suffer. Grilled Mahi Mahi with a delicate lemon picatta sauce, fresh green beans and cheesy potatoes. And dessert, a light selection of triple sorbets...papaya, mango and passionfruit served in a stainless steel champagne glass. Light, refreshing and classy. A perfect experience for the delicate palate.

(And for my celiac family...best of all, no real pain. Just some gurgling.)


**A HUGE MAHALO to our anonymous sponsors of the day. What a fabulous time we had!!**

Ed and the Strawberry Road Rash

For those of you hoping for an update on Ed, here it is....

Ed is recovering nicely from his wounds from last week's motorcycle accident. He gave them a good scrub today in the bath and they look wonderful....as wonderful as large, deep abrasions can look anyways! They look very nice with no signs of infection. Even his big toe is healing well which was of great concern because of the diabetes. We are being very diligent about putting the $700 gel medication on it. Gotta love the American healthcare system. Our private health wouldn't cover it but the Motorcycle Insurance company would!! It's about the size of a small Neosporin tube! Crazy! Ed still suffers from quite alot of pain in his right rib cage area but that may take awhile to heal due to deep bruising of the cartilage,rib bone and muscle.

We are so blessed to be a part of a family who regularly lifts us up to the Father in prayer. Thank you for your prayers. (The locals would say "Mahalo plenny"). They are being answered by our God of grace. Please continue to offer us and our ministry up in prayer.

Glass Beach

If someone told you that you gotta check out a beach near an old dump, would you believe them? And that stuff from the dump washes ashore...millions of pieces of broken glass from bottles, beer bottles and auto parts, would you go? The beach makes a lousy first impression. In the industrial part of 'Ele'ele, backed by huge, ugly tanks full of gasoline is a small little beach brimming with glass. "A colorful tapestry of sand and multi-colored glass" as quoted by the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook.

Ben and I (and Bela) decided to check it out. Ugly first impression is right...is there really a beach back here? Sure enough, a few cars randomly parked in the tall grass meant we had arrived but were not alone. Ben having survived a fairly short but bumpy dirt road piped up..."Where's the beach?" A tiny path revealed the rocky but pretty little beach. Definitely not a swimming beach or a strip-down-to-your-bikini-and-soak-up-the-sun kinda beach but a great one for beachcombing. Of course, I'm here with a pre-teen son with a very low tolerance for beachcombing and almost as soon as we've arrived...he's ready to go. But I am stubborn and persistent. We move on down to the shore. The sand is exactly as promised, bits of brown, white, green, blue glass and coral bits make up the pebble-like consistency of the beach. It's pokey to walk on bare-footed but not sharp. Each piece has been worn and weathered by each wave and change of tide over hundreds of years. Okay, maybe not hundreds of years..beer bottles and cars didn't really exist back then, but alot I tell you!!!

Ben and I had fun checking out the sand and the cool little natural "cave", took a few pictures and left feeling satisfied that another beach had been conquered and checked off our list of things to do and see.




Ben striking his Dad's GQ
pose.

Bullers Meet the Coast Guard

Lucky us...a rare opportunity for a ride on the fastest and loudest boat on the waters of Kauai. What are the Bullers up to now? You ask. Our family was treated to an early morning visit to the United States Coast Guard Kauai Station in the harbour port of Nawiliwili. We arrived with Jon, Sandra and Jackson at the Station where we had to sign in and meet with Senior Chief Kai. The senior chief gave us a quick tour of the station and his office, gave us a brief lesson of what the Coast Guards responsibilities are and technical terms of the boat itself. When asked how many emergencies they tend to in a day, his first response was at his last station in California...there were 2-3/day. Here in Kauai, Coast Guard rescues are quite infrequent if not rare. One of the reasons for this is that it seems the Hawaiian people take care of each other and the coast guards aren't made aware of any of their distress calls. They did have to rescue one tourist from getting caught in a current at Kalapaki Beach this week (nobody noticed her missing...her husband was out shopping) and a surfer, but other than those two incidents, things run pretty quietly and smoothly for them.
We boarded a smaller red boat that looked similar to a zodiak but with a steering wheel and some fairly fancy technology. Due to unusually high winds and rough waters, we weren't able to head outside of the port area. Senior Chief Kai had been preparing for us to head south down the coast to a secluded beach inaccessible by car and some whale watching. Unfortunately, neither were a possibility due to the swells. Still, rippin' some donuts in the port in a Coast Guard boat, blaring the siren and yelling "pull over" over the intercom was an experience not often entertained by the average joe and will not soon be forgotten. Jackson, Ben, Alyson, Ed, Jon and myself all had a run at driving the watercraft. Sandra opted not to drive but rather took the moment to soak in the sun on the starboard deck. For those of us now in the know regarding boating terminology, bow is front, stern is back. Port is left and starboard is right. That's about as educational as I can remember the lesson being. We also had very special guest drivers for our trip. Young and amateurish but eager to get in the driver's seat. Our drivers, ready for the Coast Guard are...

Ben, Jackson and Aly

Ed and "The Destroyer"

Okay first of all let me say that Ed is just fine. By the attached photo, you can probably guess what I am about to say next. Yesterday at lunchtime, while on his way to a meeting with a friend/church member in Waimea, Ed was involved in a motorcycle accident. Driving down the westbound highway through the sugar cane fields, two cars ahead of him suddenly came to a stop. Ed hit the brakes, but to his horror, hit the front brakes just a wee bit harder than the back. He knew he was going to be in alot of pain in just a few short seconds. Ed was launched up and over the front of his bike while he and his bike flew across the road and landed in the eastbound lane (oncoming traffic). They both skid to a stop and luckily so did the traffic. People were onsite immediately and called the ambulance. To my great relief, when I received the phone call, it was Ed on the other end calling from inside the ambulance. It would've been much worse to hear the voice of the EMT's or the police. Assuring me that he was fine (of course, I wouldn't believe it until I saw it) he asked me to meet him at the KVMH hospital where he was being taken for treatment and a good clean-up. Upon my arrival, I was relieved to see him in one piece with his coconut still in tact (physically at least)! One huge saving grace is that Ed is a stickler for wearing his helmet and a motorcycle jacket. What a complete godsend!! The gear saved his life! The one piece of protective gear he was missing was a pair of riding boots. Just an FYI... sneakers won't cut it in a crash. His helmet is surprisingly in not too bad condition, his jacket, jeans and sneakers ...shredded. Because of the lack of proper footwear, his right leg....also shredded. He sustained deep abrasions to the right leg all the way from above his knee to his ugly big right toe. He sustained the deepest abrasion under his big rt. toe because of the friction of hitting the road and the subsequent destruction of the shoe. He may require a graft there. Other minor abrasions were found on his right shoulder, elbow, hip and inner thighs. His ribs are also deeply bruised and VERY tender and painful. I suspect when he arises from his bed this morning, he will be in quite a bit of pain. The Vicodin is sure to help. Anyways, Praise God for huge mercies!! The accident and injuries were minor considering what the outcome could've been. An MRI showed all organs are intact and in the right places. No lacerations to the spleen or other organs!! Hooray!! X-rays on his lower extremities showed no breaks in his bones. Please pray for a speedy recovery and no unexpected internal bleeding. Ed is in relatively good spirits considering and is comfortable taking at least a month's break from "the Destroyer" as I like to call it. Heaven help the wife that has to pick up the pieces of her husband!! Oy!

My sincerest apologies go out to the woman who gave birth to this son and the man who helped raise him!

Smith Family Garden Luau

January 3, 2007: What a day!! We awoke to gorgeous weather....a perfect day for kayaking 4 hours down the Wailua River. Up and at 'em at 6 am for me. Our scheduled meeting time was 8 am at the boat ramp in Wailua. We rented kayaks and and were off to meet our personal river guides at the boat ramp...Jungle Joe and wife, Angela. What an awesome couple. We know them from church and they were more than happy to head out on the water with us. A BIG mahalo to Joe who took the day off from work to be with us!
We headed 3 miles down the glorious Wailua River which was calm and easy going on the way out but windy and hard paddling on the way in. We stopped at a rocky inlet where we tied 3 kayaks and 2 outriggers together and headed through the jungle on a slippery and rocky (but pretty level) 1 mile hike. A breeze, after the slick uphill 1 mile hike at the beginning of the 11 mile Kalalau Trail we attempted the day before. At our hiking destination was the spectacular "Secret Falls", so secret that everbody knows about them, but lucky for us, very few people were there to greet our arrival. At least, we beat them all there anyways. The pool at the base of the falls was quite nippy and only the bold, brave and beautiful made the attempt to go in. That being Jeremy, Megan and Tyler. Megan actually stood under the falls. What Canadian spirit! It was aptly described to have felt like a shower of hail from one Montrealer who stood under it for several minutes. Crazy Canucks! After a quick snack and a few minutes of picture taking, we hiked back to the kayaks on the way back to the boat ramp. It was hard work and exhausting and I (with my bum shoulder) was lucky enough to have Tyler as my paddling partner! Way to go MG!! (pictures to follow)

After a few hours of R&R at home, we headed back out to Wailua for the Smith Family Traditional Garden Luau. After meeting our native Okinawan hosts, Mamo and Joen Kaneshiro (the important local suppliers of the pig for the evening) and the rest of my family, we headed into the Luau Gardens for a group family photo and tram ride through the fabulous Polynesian floral, fruit and tree gardens native and imported to this Kauaian Island. Following a few minutes of free time, we headed to the "imu" pit for the traditional opening of the ceremony. A brief introduction of the Smith Family and explanation of the imu ceremony and then 2 young Hawaiian men blew their conch shells to the West, East, North and South to open the evening. They then picked up their 'garden hoes' and removed the sand from the opening of the pit to reveal the cooked pig beneath the grains. Hmmm....an aroma of grand proportions filled the gardens!!! The fresh smell of steamed pork. Yummy and well... it was later discovered to be certainly juicy!!! After a few snapshots of the pig, and me and the boys, we head over to the dining area for a fabulous buffet of Kalua Pig, Mahi mahi, lomi lomi salmon, chicken and a variety of salads and dessert. It was Ono-licious!! Following the meal, we headed to the Amphitheatre for a Traditional Story-telling of the Hawaiian people. It began with the fiery appearance of Pele, the Volcano Goddess atop a flaming volcano! Amazing!!! It was really hard to capture with my little camera the people and the dress of the different Polynesian cultures but I tried. There were colorful and fiery representations from the Samoan culture, Philippino, Chinese, Japanese as well as a few other islands. The show was absolutely spectacular, keeping us all entertained...even the stubborn and easily bored children in the family stayed focused and intrigued by the pyrotechnics in the production. Tyler on the other hand, was pretty much leaping out of his seat with excitement. This was everything he had heard about and seen on video from his grandparents previous visits to Hawaii. For him, this was the real Hawaii. The garden luau had something for everyone.

I would highly recommend this show to anyone interested in checking out traditional luaus on the island of Kauai. It certainly hit the "WOW" factor for us and all who attended that evening!