Slacker

Since returning from Arizona I have hand written something to post on my blog twice, with the idea that when I got home from work I would type it up, but obviously that has not happened. I have quite a bit of down time at work many days, and wish I had computer access so I could update my blog. Instead I have random pieces of paper with semi-organized thoughts cluttering my purse.

My work schedule this month has been unfriendly on my bank account but so much fun on my spirit! The Friday before Spring Break was a furlough day (read: day off), and Nate and I headed to Arizona for a week and a half. We returned on Monday, so I had to take that day off. That Friday was Prince Kuhio Day (also read: day off), and the following Monday, 3 days ago, was another furlough day. This morning on my drive to work, the Kamehameha Highway, the 2 lane coastal road that I drive on, had a water main break and was closed in both directions, so I couldn't get to work. Ah, the beauties of living in Hawaii!

This past Monday was the start of practice for the paddling league Nate and I joined. We are both brand new beginners, but we think we are going to love it! The sport is going to take over most of our free time as we have practice Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings from 5:30-7:00, and then I have Saturday morning practice 7:00-9:00, and his will be Sunday mornings. The races begin in June (May?), I'll post more details as we get closer.

And just because it's pretty:

Green Thumb

Pretty much the greatest thing- I was making salsa for tacos tonight (surprise, surprise), and I realized we didn't have any cilantro, but then I remembered we have some growing in our garden, and it is oh so good!


Also, today for lunch I had some of our first cucumber that we grew and it is delicious! It is amazing to have a garden that is producing fruits, vegetables and herbs that we can actually use.

Home grown cucumber with hummus.

Romaine lettuce.

We have 4 heads growing in that planter and they have taken over!

Mesclun greens.

They are out of control. We can't eat them as fast as we grow them.

A strawberry growing from the Topsy Turvy.

We have them growing there and in a planer.

Jalapeno peppers.

We also have habanero and super chili peppers.

Sweet bell peppers.

Not sure what color they are going to turn, but they are getting big! We also have green bell peppers that aren't thriving.

Not pictured is our basil which is out of control, 2 types of tomatoes that aren't thriving, chives that we kinda let go because they taste funny, papayas that I grew from seeds (the plants are currently about 1 inch tall).

Unfortunately we are going out of town for a week and a half, and I think we are gonna miss the prime of a lot of our veggies including the Romaine lettuce, 1 or 2 cucumbers, and a handful of strawberries. I hope our neighbor remembers to water everything!

Rainy Saturday

Our plan to spend all day Saturday at the beach was dampened by gray skies and consistent rain. What we ended up with was an amazing rain day!

Nate and I have been talking about doing outrigger canoe, but we didn't really know to logistics of joining a club or team, or whatever the deal is. Fortunately, last weekend when we did that amazing hike, we met a bunch of people that paddle out of a club nearby. Sign ups for the season started yesterday, so starting March 28, we are officially on a beginner paddling team. I hope we like it, as it will be consuming a good part of our spare time for the next 3ish months! I am fairly certain we will.

http://www.kailuacanoeclub.com/

Afterwards we came home, decided that since the rain was pretty much going to keep us indoors, we would blow up the air mattress and park ourselves in front of the tv. After a surprisingly short amount of time, we picked something On Demand. Please tell me we aren't the only couple who, once we decide we want to watch something On Demand, spend the next 45 minutes searching for something until we just give up and watch something stupid on tv, or episodes of Sunny on DVD. Back to yesterday. After about 10 minutes we stumbled upon a movie that I really wanted to see, despite already seeing a 2 hours special about it on Dateline or 20/20. The movie, Catfish. I won't go in to detail about it, but if you haven't seen it, you should. It is, in my opinion, super interesting and a good rainy day movie to watch with your other half, or alone, although it is slightly creepy.

http://www.iamrogue.com/catfish.html

After the movie, the rain let up for a few minutes and we were able to go for a quick ride on our bikes. Then we got ready, headed to the mall for a fancy food court dinner, mmm... Blazin Steaks, and saw the new movie Hall Pass. It was hilarious! Ridiculously funny, and very crude at parts. However, if you freak out about a cheating partner, probably not the best movie to see, since that is the basis of the story. But really silly!

On a more somber note, today is the 1 year anniversary of Nate's sister's death. The other day I asked Nate what he wanted to do today to commemorate her, and he said that he would just like to do something fun outdoors, because that's what she would want us to do. Fittingly, it is absolutely gorgeous out today. Sunny, but enough clouds to give the sky an ethereal beauty. Nate is such an amazing and strong person!

Thanksgiving 2009

Food Challenge?

Nate thinks he can easily eat an entire tub of frosting in one sitting, I say that there is no possible way he can do it. He believes that calls for a food challenge. I think it's a horrible idea that will end in excessive vomiting, or a stomach ache at the very least, a trip to the hospital at the worst. :-) Do you think he can do it? I say no, and I don't want him to try. But he is insistent. Just the thought of it makes me ill.