Friday 12-14-2012

I first read the news on Facebook.  I was doing my morning email/Facebook scan and read someone's post that mentioned an elementary school shooting in Newtown. 

 

"That can't be true."  I thought.  It took a Safari search to confirm that every parent's nightmare was a reality in a small town in Connecticut.  My heart sank as I read and watched the news unfold that morning.  Tears were uncontrollable.  It was too much.  Unimaginable senselessness.  My heart ached as I thought of the children, parents, teachers, and loved ones of the victims.  I had to detach myself from the news for a while, so I turned off the electronics, and snuggled my children; my safe, warm, soft, innocent, perfect, happy children.



I remembered the day before; I sat a glass of almond milk in front of Hunter and told him to be careful not to spill it.  A few minutes later, down went the milk with a splash as Hunter's arm accidentally bumped it.  I overreacted, rolled my eyes, and lectured my three-year-old on being more careful.  He repeated, "I'm sorry mom" over and over again.  As that moment popped into my head, I felt the tears come again and along with them shame as I realized how every parent who lost a child would gladly deal with a thousand cups of spilled milk if it meant they could hold their child again.  I vowed to be more patient with my children -- to not cry over spilled milk, permanent markered walls, Cheetos hand prints on their clothes, noisy chatter when I'm working, mattress-jumping at bed time, and any other ridiculous thing that so easily gets under my skin. 

 

 

The events that happened on Friday were a reminder to me at how precious the lives I've been blessed with to nurture, protect, teach, and love are.  I need to treat them as such.  I try, but sometimes I loose sight, and it shouldn't take a national tragedy to get my perspectives back in order. 

 

I kept asking my children on Friday if they knew I loved them.  Tralee kept saying, "Yes, mom you tell me all the time!"  I hugged her close and asked, "But do you feel it?  Can you feel how much I love you?"  I wanted her to know that my love has no bounds, no limits, no expiration date.  I did the same with Hunter.  I wanted them both to know that no matter what happens in life, if I get upset over trivial things, or if a more profound tragedy takes place that my love can still reach them.  I was trying to think how the parents in Newtown might be.  I hope and pray all of the hearts and minds of those affected by this tragedy can find peace in the darkness, and can feel the love being sent their way from around the world.  Things this tragic just shouldn't happen.

And yet. . .

As I sat in our studio apartment, arms around each child, feeling the Hawaiian breeze kiss our faces the juxtaposition of our little place in paradise and the chilling reality in Connecticut wasn't lost on me.  And I never want to forget how lucky I am.  Not because of what I have or where we are, but because of who I get to tuck in tonight.  I've been giving my babes extra hugs and kisses, extra time to find their shoes, extra questions answered, and games played together because now more then ever before I know how fleeting my time is with them.



After I turned off the news, only checking my phone for updates a few times later, the children and I were able to enjoy some time at the beach and walking the city streets together.  As I held hands, hugged, kissed, talked with, and spent the day with little ones, Connecticut wasn't far from my thoughts, and I don't think it will be for a long time.

Thursday in Waikiki - 12-13-12

I took the kids back to the zoo on Thursday the 13th. There was a little display of different animal skins, fur, and bones for the kids to touch and ask questions about. Some of the animals had lived their lives at the Honolulu zoo, and it was simply their time to go; their remains being left to science. . . and curious kindergartners.

Tralee went around the table and asked about each animal, "How did this one die?" Sometime the news didn't affect Tralee, and sometimes it did. When she heard about a four-year-old giraffe that got sick, and no specialist from other zoos around the word knew how to help it, so it died, she became very sad. "Oh! The poor little giraffe!" she exclaimed while stroking its skull. Stinks also didn't like hearing about a lion cub who didn't make it for reasons unknown.

After discovering how each animal displayed met its maker, Tralee then started asking questions about the remains. "How come the giraffe's bones look pink? I thought bones were white." "Why are they missing some teeth?" "How come the elephants skin looks brown, I thought it was gray?" "How come there is fur on the elephant's skin?" "If all mammals have fur, and we're mammals, where's our fur?" And on and on and on. The elderly ladies (who I'm guessing were volunteers) had their work cut out for them when my little kindergartner walked along!

After Tralee ran out of questions we walked over to the orangutans, which we missed on our first zoo visit. They were super fun to watch -- such beautiful creatures!

 

 

 



 

We left the zoo close to lunch time, came home, ate, and relaxed. A little while later we played at the beach for a bit. After the beach we hopped on a bus and went to dinner at our new favorite restaurant.

 

I saw a line outside Marukame Udon the night before and after reading some reviews, decided to try it. They make fresh udon noodles right in front of you and serve it with a plethora of tempura choices. The kids and I shared a bowl of Kake Udon (noodles in broth) and picked some tempura to go with it. We got the veggie ball, asparagus, shrimp, potato, and chicken. We helped ourselves to some dipping sauces, and made ourselves messy with noodles. It was delish! Our bowl was only $3.75 and each of the tempura choices ranged from $1.25 to $2.something. Our meal was cheap, hearty, and oh-so-delicious! The wee ones have wanted to go back every night since! I've willingly obliged. Most nights we've just walked there and back, as we like to see the sights and sounds along the way. We found a place where a couple brings all of their birds to display. We put a dollar in their jar and they let the kids feed the birds almonds. Sometimes we just look at the birds and let the other tourists feed/take pictures of them. We've picked out our favorite birds already. They're all beautiful. But, almost everything here is beautiful.

 

Just a pick of our Waikiki neighbors' aparments -- all decked out for Christmas

 

12-11-12 and 12-12-12

Here are some more pics from our adventures in paradise.

Tuesday was spent at the beach, and then exploring this town. We watched the mermaid show (which wasn't much of a show as much as it was a mermaid waving at people for a few minutes - still fun).

 



 

We also ran into a guy on the street with a parott on a shoulder, and another on his arm. Next thing I knew Tralee was holding one of them. We ate at Hula Dog which was pretty good. I ate a veggie dog with mango relish, pretty delish!

 

 

On 12-12-12 the babes and I walked to the aquarium and saw some sea life. They loved it! We also went to the beach and enjoyed some sunshine and some shaved ice.

 

 

 We ended the night snuggling in bed watching Christmas cartoons.

 

Our days here don't get old. I picked up a real estate magazine while while walking along. A girl can dream, right?

 

12-10-12

On Monday the babes and I got lost on the streets of Waikiki after doing a couple loads of laundry. We eventually saw a sign for a free trolley ride, and hopped on. The trolley drove us to some store where they wanted us to buy something. I didn't buy anything, but realized we were close to the Costco where Jim was working! So, the kids and I made our way over there and had an impromptu lunch date with Daddy! Hooray!



 

 



The kids were pretty pooped after all of our adventures, and slept/rested the rest of the afternoon.

12-9-2012 -- Sunday

Sunday morning after family prayer, Jim drove into work early. The Honolulu Marathon was taking place around here, and he wanted to be sure he made it to work on time, as many of the roads were blocked off for the runners. Since we didn't make it to church I taught the kids a lesson from a church manual. It was on being kind to animals. After our church "service" we decided to go enjoy God's beautiful creatures by looking for them on the beach. We saw little fishies in the water, heard birds chirping in the trees, and even shooed away some curious pigeons off our beach mats.

While at the beach, Tralee had a long conversation with some fellow tourists. They were from Japan, and after talking with them for a while, Tralee excitedly ran up to me and said, "Mom, they taught me some words in their language!" When I asked what she learned Tralee responded, "Cold is Coh and hot is hah." It made me smirk a little bit.

We also watched as marathoners finished their jaunt and walked right from the finish line and into the water, stopping only to take off their shoes. I gotta hand it to those runners, they're pretty amazing! I've gone jogging a few times since we've been in Hawaii, and give myself a pat-on-the-back if I make it close to three miles! I can't imagine running for more than 26! Bravo to those that can do it!

Anyways, Sunday was lovely!

Saturday 12-8-12 Zoo Day

Our apartment is right across from the Honolulu Zoo, so the kids and I decided to check it out on Saturday.

When we arrived I decided to buy an annual family pass so the kids and I could go whenever we wanted, and maybe even take Jim when he's done with work.

I'm glad we got the zoo pass. The Honolulu Zoo isn't the biggest or fanciest zoo we've been to but the grounds are beautiful with lush greenery, and there's a fun playground on the property. It also wasn't too overly crowded, which was nice. There were just enough animals to give us the full zoo experience, and my kids were happy with what they saw.







The biggest Banyan tree I've ever seen greeted us pretty much right through the gates. The wee ones and I decided to stop and play hide-and-seek in the tree's root system before exploring the zoo some more. As we hid and counted to ten, the many birds who call this tree home chirped and peeped hints to us. It was magical.

 

 



 

 

 



After our day at the zoo, we crossed the street back to our place and relaxed for a bit. After dark Tralee reminded me that we "didn't even go to the beach" that day. So, on went our flip-flops, and out the door to the beach we went to dip our feet in the water.

There was a band playing at a bar across the street, so the three of us decided to dance. As I moved and swayed with my little lovelies, the three of us marking the sand with our rhythmic steps, I picked Tralee up, held her close, and whispered in her ear, "I want you to always remember this moment." She told me she would and I believed her. I told Hunter the same thing, but I'll have to really hope his three-year-old brain can tuck that memory away for safe keeping.

I know I'll never forget that moment. There was something about being the only three people on that section of beach, having our own private dance party with the ocean as our guest of honor. I don't remember the song that was playing, but I'll always remember Hunter's crazy spin moves, Tralee's graceful hula mimicry, and then coming together, hand-in-hand, to create a dance that was all our own. We were having fun, being free and wild on a dusky beach in Hawaii, and feeling lucky and blessed. Nope, I won't ever forget that moment in the sand.

Waikiki - December 7th, 2012

On Friday Hunter was feeling better, so the kids and I decided to cross the street and play at the beach.

 

 

We came back to the condo for lunch, changed our clothes, and hit the bricks to explore the streets of Waikiki. We stopped for ice cream when the kids' feet needed a rest, and then meandered on home. . .well, home for the next few weeks.

 

 

Around 5:00pm the munchkins and I went up to the sun deck to watch the sun set over the ocean. It was beautiful.

 

Later that night we heard some noise down on the street below, and decided to check it out. Turns out there was a parade commemorating the events that transpired at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. We cheered for war veterans, clapped for Mrs. and Ms. Hawaii, watched native Hawaiian warriors doing their pound-on-chest-and-knees-stomp-around war chants, and saw all the other trimmings of a parade of this calibre.

On the way back to our apartment we stopped by the ABC store (think 7 Eleven and they're on just about every corner) on the main level of our building, grabbed some drinks and snacks, and came back up to our apartment to await Jim's arrival from work.

I was so happy little Hunty was feeling better so we could go play. I'm sure there will be many more days just like this.