Monthly Archives

April 2013

Hawai'i

Empower Your Dreams

10 April 2013
I leave this island tomorrow. I’ll be Alaska bound soon! I took my last exam this morning and am working hard at finishing up my last two papers today.
A couple weeks ago there was an entrepreneurship conference on a blessed Thursday and we had the day off school! So here’s an account of that day’s adventures. 
Miss Alyssa and I went to Veltzyland with my little surfista roomie Taylor. She caught some lovely waves and we took pictures. Wish I had some to share.
We also befriended this big ol’ monk seal! And by befriend, I mean we’re not quite friends yet. I apparently got to close and he lifted up and barked at me! Scary… btw this is Alyssa in this picture, not me, in case you were confused. 
(Sometimes I think pictures of her are actually pictures of me.:))
Then we fetched a couple other ladies and headed back to the North Shore. 
I’m really grateful Taylor has a car for us to go on adventures once in a while.
I’ll be needing a car this fall when I come back for my last year. 
It will improve life muchly! Although it’s already pretty great. 
We lunched at Haliewa Eats. Thai food. Soooo good.
I got some summmmmer rolls. Yum.
And guess what Alyssa and I got… starts with PANANG and ends with CURRY.
I love it. Divine.
A trip to Haleiwa usually includes a stop to visit the honu/sea turtles! :)
Keryna was soooo excited and it made me really happy.
The waves and current were too big and strong to play in the H2O 
so we laid in the sand.
And went to a yummy bakery and got smoothies. :)
And then on our way to THRIFT STORES we checked out these bubblegum trees at the Dole plantation. They’re like rainbow trees or something. I don’t know still. But they don’t taste or smell like bubble gum.
Pineapple ice cream was in order as well.
Then came thrift stores and a night at Taylor’s workplace of Cholo’s for a Mexican fiesta. 
Such a good day.
Empower Your Dreams.
That’s what the entrepreneurship conference was called. 
I feel like I did that. :)
Favorites, Hawai'i

March 17, St. Patrick’s SUNday

2 April 2013
Sunday morning we spent at church, which as per usual, is quite lovely.
I do enjoy going to church. And I know it’s the place to be on Sunday.
After church, our casa is the place to be.
We had a most delightful GREEN FEAST. :)
Green key lime ice cream. Green salad. Green pesto/feta/tomato quinoa. Green veggie and rice curry. Green sugar snap peas. Green guacamole. Green chips. Green edamame. And Green mac n’ cheese.

Our neighbors and goodies friends came.

 

I had a little bit of everything on my plate! :) Yum. It was pretty good actually.

Cherisse made herself some special green water.

And the Cabrinha brothers shared their HUMAN BAGPIPE skills. (see video on Facebook)

Also as per usual on this island, there was much beauty to be found.

I made delicious cookies while listening to conference.

And we had some paper snowflake lessons.
These kids were my best students yet!

Then when they came back from a whale watching beach walk, we feasted on the cookies. So good.

Around here cookies go pretty quickly.
But these one’s were so good and were consumed at an accelerated pace. :)
I originally got from sweet treats: dark chocolate coconut oatmeal cookies.
But I modify it a bit.
Mix until creamy:
 1/2 c softened butter
1/2 c applesauce
1 c brown sugar
1 c sugar
(or a little less sugar never hurt)
 
Mix in:
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
 
In separate bowl combine:
2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup coconut
 
Mix dry ingredients into wet and add
2 1/2 c oats
lots of dark chocolate chips
and maybe some white chocolate chips.
 
Cook at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
That was probably one of my favorite St. Patrick’s Days ever. :)
Especially with those cookies.
Hawai'i

March 16th, Saturday, birthday week

2 April 2013

To continue with the birthday week of festas, saturday morning we woke up after another sleepover party and had a grand crepe feast! Fresh fruit, nutella, and there were even eggs and bacon for some other peeps too, not for me. But nutella… I like that stuff. We had POG too (not to be confused with POGS.) POG is Passion Orange Guava juice, a classic here in Hawaii.

Okay, I loved that my roomies put this tent in the living room. Such fun. I love all these peeps.

And then I had an applied anthropology field trip to a Hawaiian heiau.

A heiau is an ancient Hawaiian, sacred ground, similar to our temples today. We did some archaeology work there with students from University of Hawaii.

We did some great traditional Hawaiian things. It was a spiritual experience.

The women wore ti leaves, for protection, and to stay fertile. :)

The drive home was beautiful. I love that here in Hawaii you just cruise around in the backs of trucks and it’s perfectly fine.

Later that day, I cruised around with my bike Charlotte.

Victoria, Keryna, and I pranced around in this magical field at sunset.

So many beautiful things.

I am so grateful for Charlotte. :)

And I’m grateful for Fijian curry. Okay, if you’re ever on the North Shore of O’ahu, go to Kahuku and go to the Fiji Market. Their curry and roti is so good. Mmm I want some now.

Then…. the Gardiner Sisters performed at a concert for Well Africa which was raising awareness about child labor in the cocoa plantations in the ivory coast.

My brand new leggings somehow ripped. Kind of a bumbummer. But it was such a great day!

I love festas and birthday week!!