Valentine

Happy Valentines Day!

A beautiful Ginger lei

white flowers, my favorite

Our entry-way

pre-dinner

homemade ravioli, from beginning to end!

the beginning....

...the end...all homemade using local ingredients!

the first use of our mortar and pestle...sundried tomatoes for the inside of the raviolis

my latest candle invention...an old spaghetti jar and some seashells

What dance has taught me...

Dance...an artistic movement form that drives life, breath, and, in my case, happiness. I have been a dancer for 25 years. Now, on the eve of a career switch (I am now a special education teacher!), I am reflecting upon the lessons that dance has taught me.

1) (This is the one that got me thinking about all of this) First impressions are integral to the succuess of your future. When going to a dance audition, the dancer spends hours (if not days) considering the role that he/she is auditioning for and planning their "look" accordingly. For example, a dancer would not go to a ballet audition without their hair in a bun or with sweatpants on. In my most recent interview for a teaching position, I had the same consideration. What should a teacher "look" like? Well-kept and professional, but certainly not wearing my highest heels. Which colors would promote a peaceful feeling? Blue, certainly not red. Coiffed hair do? Neat, pulled away from the face to show good communication. Guess what? I got the job!

2) You get from your work what you put into your work. Call it procrastination, call it lazy, call it what you will. Yes, I could plie without working from my center, but that is only going to force me to work harder tomorrow. Need I draw the parallel to college coursework, work deadlines, exercise routines?

3) How you present yourself on the outside speaks measures about how you regard yourself...respect, disdain? Sloppy clothing, unkept nails?

4) You have not because you ask not. So much can be said for simply asking for something you desire. If you don't ask if you can understudy a dance, you may never be seen. There is no harm in asking. Demanding or persistently asking the same question, on the other hand, can be deadly. If you never ask for the internship, or if there is a job available, they WILL NOT FIND YOU! If you don't ask the credit card company to take off the late fee, they will not.

5) If you begin to do something and find that it is difficult, or you fail, go back to the beginning and try again, but this time start with the other foot forward. In dance, this refers to progressing movement, which we call "the right side or the left side". Usually, one side is more natural for a dancer to do; therefore, if one side is difficult, the other will be easier. Similarly, most things in life can be tried again. "You pick yourself up and try again, you can dust it off and try again, try again." A dancer would add to that song "...on the other foot". Start anew. Try again with a new start.

More to come...

Great thing about Hawaii? While the rest of the nation is trapped in feet of snow, I am going to the beach. Now, what else can I get done today??

Saturday morning

Damp morning here in the islands. Total grey cloud cloud cover, streets wet from a night of nourishing rain. Coffee from Bird Rock...yum! Nice cool breeze coming in through my window, time to think and process the big changes going on. Everything is slow this morning. All is at it should be. This is why I live here. Aloha.

Everything old is new again

Pepsi "Throwback"...Using REAL sugar for a LIMITED TIME ONLY! Hahahaha! HEHEHHEHE! HOHOHO! WHATWHATWHAT???? Who are we kidding in America? Do the people at Pepsi really think that they are doing us a favor by offering a REAL product for a limited time? Nick and I don't drink soda for many reasons, with the biggest reason being that it has corn syrup in it...and we have vowed to "just say no" to that nasty stuff. However, when we saw this product, we thought we would try it and hopefully, by buying it, send the message to Pepsi that people like their product when it is REAL...haha.


As we were in the checkout line, the cashier said, "Hmm..Pepsi Throwback. It will probably just taste like the Pepsi that is sold in other countries. Europeans know of a product called 'American Pepsi', or the Pepsi with corn syrup in it, which is different than the Pepsi with real sugar that is used there. Just another reason to laugh at America." I laughed out loud, much to the dismay of the man behind me, at this cashier's ability to freely distribute his opinions to the customers. I simply said, "I hear you loud and clear" and allowed the perturbed man behind me to buy his corn syrup laden pepsi with a smug look on his face.


In this country, we have (on the majority) come so far away from what "food" is. Processed, corn syrup filled products may be "edible", but I in NO WAY consider them food. Food is meant to nourish us, keep us alive, and provide joy in our lives! I don't consider obesity and malnourishment to be nourishing or joyful. So, thank you, Pepsi, for attempting to "throwback", but next time can we make it a forever change instead of a "limited time"? Found an interesting article on how this all relates to the obesity epidemic recently. Here's the link:

http://www.thatsfit.com/2010/01/18/low-fat-caused-obesity-epidemic/?icid=main|main|dl5|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thatsfit.com%2F2010%2F01%2F18%2Flow-fat-caused-obesity-epidemic%2F


My next thought on this topic is actually one of my continual New Year's Resolutions...Lifetime resolutions, better said. In attempt to simplify my life, I recently cleaned out my closet. I found many treasures that were donated to give them new life, but one piece stood out to me. A white dress...a beautiful, simple, white dress that has been worn 2 times or so. I pulled it out of the dry cleaning bag to properlly hang it and was APPALLED at what I found! I had not removed the safety pins after having it cleaned about a year ago and the pins rusted the fabric! Orange holes in the armpit of the dress! Not only that, but apparently the dress did not fully dry after the cleaning and had MOLDED in the bag. I was sad, heartbroken, and bewildered.

I decided that, rather than throwing the dress away (for it really looked atrocious), I would attempt to remove the rust. Away to Longs Drugs I went, in search of something helpful. RIT has a "rust remover" product, so I bought it. This morning, I used the rust remover, and save for one small dot, the dress is NEW AGAIN!!! Now, this product is quite stinky and I'm guessing that it is not the best environmentally friendly choice that I've made. I am happy to have my dress back, though. Now for the perfect opportunity to wear it. Always wanted to do a beach dinner picnic...

Find something old and make it new again! Just like Pepsi (haha) and my white dress! Reuse!

As the deer

"As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul thirsts after thee....you alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship thee."

This is taken from a worship song sung by Salvador (although it is not originally by them) that has been in my head for days now. I woke up singing it again this morning and felt led to pray about it. As I was praying, "Joshua" came into my head. Now, I've had many moments like this in my life, where, as I am praying, God puts into my head where He wants to speak to me in the Bible. Most of the time I doubt God and figure that the "little voice" in my head is just "me" thinking about things. However, God really tests my doubt when he puts things in my head that I didn't even know were books in the Bible. I knew that Joshua was in the Bible, but I haven't read it in a long time, so therein my doubt was tested yet again.

I opened my Bible to the table of contents for a page number for Joshua, found the page number, and then chance opened just to begin to find the page....opened straight to Joshua 1:6! I love the mystery of the Bible. There is a glorious "magic" that occurs...of course that magic is God speaking to us, but nonetheless I always feel a child-like excitement when those moments happen. Joshua 1 speaks of being a good leader, and MAN do I need some guidance right now! To open my heart: I've been doubting my abilities as a teacher, wondering where I will get the material that I need to plan my classes, wondering where the creativity will come from, etc.

God told me today to be STRONG and COURAGEOUS because the task ahead will not be easy. In that strength, I must always follow God's law and read God's word. My strength and courage will come from God, just like Joshua.

Here comes the chicken skin part. After reading Joshua, I "chance flipped" again to a new page. What did I open to? Psalm 42. The Psalm that "As the Deer" was written from. AMAZING!

I am off now to learn the chords for As the Deer. This must come full circle. Wanna sing with me?

Merii Kurisumasu

Last week I was invited to watch my wonderful second-grade ballerinas do their 2nd grade Christmas play. Actually, I was comanded to see it. I can never refuse an invitiation like that from a child..."Miss Lindsay, you HAVE to come to our play! Will you please come and watch us?" Now, not knowing whether or not they would have their parents there to watch them, as it was mid-day, I put my "Miss Lindsay" hat on an hour earlier than usual and tromped on over to their show.
Boy, were they fantastic! Children certainly do encompass the Christmas spirit more than we adults ever could through our silly gifts and feelings of unpreparedness at all times...Why are we rushing? What really matters? Well, besides the answer to that question, the children taught me how to say "Merry Christmas" in many languages. My favorite of all time is Japanese. The Japanese language does not actually have a translation for Merry Christmas, and so here is the best spelling that I found for how to say Merry Christmas in Japanese....
MERII KURISUMASU!!!
I just love it.

Speaking of holiday spirit, these lights were donated to us by a very generous friend. We just LOVE them.

And speaking of gifts, here are some of my homemade creations this year:
First up, gingerbread biscotti! The mugs came from my favorite store...anyone know what it is??

Biscotti in the oven...can you smell it?

"Home" Christmas ornaments! Two of my friends bought homes this year, and so, here are my craft skills:

Last year, I was so excited about the warm weather in Hawaii in December. This year, I'm looking forward to a sweater or two when we are visiting family. Today, the newscaster said, "Everyone pull out your coats! THe temperature is dropping into the 70s." He then proceded to show the 5 day forecast: 80, 79, 78, 80, 85 Dropping into the 70s! Okay, barely. AND the woolen hats with ear flaps that I've seen walking the sidewalks mid-day are BEYOND out-of-control.

Merii Kurisumasu!

Thanks and Giving

All too often I get caught up in the rigors of daily life and fail to see what is TRULY important. The small picture is always closer in view and easier to reach than the big picture. It has become my goal to reduce my anxiety levels, and insodoing, have seen so many wonderfully beautiful aspects of my life for which I am forever thankful.

We'll start here: Hawaii-Need I say more? I am thankful for the visual beauty that it provides and will be working diligently to save it from plastic-based extinction...I think I may need a cape...

#2: My family (Picture is missing Brandon and Nick... :( ). We have held on to each other through the last 5 years and are finally resurfacing as a beautiful butterfly...

#3&4: My HUSBAND and our apartment: Security, love, and peace...

#5: The OCEAN: The absolute mystery and glory of God

#6: Cameras! To capture a moment in time is priceless...

Life With a Tail...

...is sure better than life without one! There are a few downsides to having a tail, though.

1) Kids everyone think you are an automatic petting zoo.

2) Sometimes you forget you have a tail and you close it in the car door...doesn't hurt, just looks pretty funny from the outside of the car.


Good things?

You have a great excuse to do anything you want to do! I've had a brighter feeling about life for the last few days as a monkey...just feel like a kid! Monkey'in around!

ps: just got a Trick-or-Treater at the door...1 year old...dressed up as a strawberry...cutest things I've ever seen!