aloha every day

aloha every day

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Kauai!

Spring Break on Kauai....
...need I say more?
Sunset

Why buy bread when you can make it so much better??

Waterfalls!!

Can you spot the monk seal?

Sopapillas!  There was a New Mexican restaurant...what?

Dolphins!

A cave

Taro fields

Waimea Canyon

Wild flowers growing at the top of the canyon

Hiking the Na Pali coast

The Na Pali coastline

Checking out the ocean below

The beach at the end of the trail!

YEAH!!!

Friday, March 5, 2010

Crazy February!

What a February!  Amazing, Life-Changing, Nerve-Wracking, Scary, Exciting...the list goes on. 

February began with a new job.  I am now a full-time 6th grade special education teacher at a school across the island...near to where our wedding occurred.  Coming into a new school at the end of the 3rd quarter, with state testing coming up and a 6th grade graduation looming over my students heads has made for an interesting first few weeks.  Not to mention the LOAD of information on a new school (what's my copy code, how do you use the laminator, fire drills, etc) and a new career that is heavily law-based (why is there am acronym for everything?). 

To make a long story short, I've felt sick all week.  The combination of nerves, 6th grade germs, and having to get up hours earlier has sent my body through the wash.  As sad as a furlough day is for the kids, I am thankful for a day to chill today.  Here are some pics:

Here's a shot from my drive homeAnother from the drive home...can't complainMy drive to work takes me past this marsh which usually is fog covered...so fresh and dewey!
My room is the last on the right!Sunrise from my classroom doorI also get to pass Kaneohe Bay on my way to workThe view from my class windowMy classroom!The Ko'olaus on my drive homeAnother fantastic view from the drive homeDriving homeReally? This is my view on the way home...Doesn't matter how bad the day was...

Okay, so the other interesting February event was the tsunami warning last weekend!  Yikes!  Nick and I, as well as most of the rest of the island, woke up at 4-5am when our friends and family from the mainland called us to see if we were okay!  When we went to bed, there was a tsunami watch, but we get those evey time there is an earthquake anywhere near.  We didn't think twice about it.  Well, at 6am, we found ourselves in line at Safeway with hundreds of other people, trying to get our share of water and canned goods.  Despite all of the hurry and rush, the tsunami didn't come onto land here.  There were unusual tidal changes, but nothing destructive.  We were slummy all day...watching the news, sleeping, not doing the work that we should have been doing.  Luckily we are in an extremely well-built buliding, unlike alot of structures here on the island. Below is a picture of the weather on tsunami day.  Although I know that a tsunami is not a weather-driven occurrence, I did find it interesting that it was a PERFECT day to go to the beach (other than a humounga cowabunga from down unda that was on it's way):


Aloha for now!