Forgive me for the brevity and perhaps rambling nature of this entry, but it is quite late and my brain and energy is spent-I will expound further after I am home.
We (that is Kate and I) started off the day nice and early at the workout room with an energizing workout I made up. When we got back home at about 7:15, Embla and her Mom were getting ready to go to horse camp, and Kate and I stayed behind along with George and Ellert. Kate and I walked on the beach and pretended to relax. ;-) Relaxing is just so boring!
At about 10 I made our favorite snack, chewy granola balls, to take with us on the plane the next day or for a quick snack. Before I rolled them into balls, George showed us a neat video he had recorded on the TV about the attack on Pearl Harbor, which was miles away from their home. It was very sobering, but it was nice to see the stories behind the places we would be going to that day.
When Embla returned from the horse camp, it was time for us all to go to the birthday party she was invited to. Arnheidur needed something for the party we were going to so she took the chewy balls which were a big hit because we didn't bring any home!
While they were partying, George took Kate and me to see Pearl Harbor. We went to the U.S.S. Utah, and then saw the actual hangars used in WWII and the bulletholes from the attack. Next was the Oklahoma Memorial, a beautiful site made of marble. Then was the Arizona Memorial, which you had to access by a ferry. Before that there was a very educational museum about the site. One thing that struck me were the amount of Japanese people visiting the area. I wondered what their take on it was-Do they feel proud of the of the attack? Were they proud of their country as to watch the explosions that killed hundreds in a split second? Did they feel a sense of pride in their country when their commander told the forces to "...kill every American soldier without mercy" as they visited they very country that their own was so decidedly opposed to?
Anyways, it was so amazing to see it resting there, on the bottom, right where it was decades ago. There are some 1,300 men still buried in the wreckage and so it has been declared a gravesite.
We went back to the party and they were nearly done. Next, we went to a restaurant that was dubbed my favorite restaurant of all time. It's smack dab in the middle of Waikiki beach, airy and fresh, and you grill your own meat complete with any spices you prefer. If that's not enough, they had a giant salad bar, complete with more than salad-ciabatta, fresh pineapple you can grill, a bean salad, potato and pasta salads-it was all so delicious!!
Well, tomorrow I leave for HOME at 10:55 pm Hawaii time! I am so excited. Paradise is nice, but home is the best! I am so ready to leave for various reasons, and I can't wait to see my dear family again!! I have missed them so very much in the past 11 days.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Hawaii-Saturday, Day Eight
We went snorkeling today.
If you know me, you'll know that I can take anything as long as snorkeling and water play is involved. Today I was ecstatic to find out that we would indeed be going to Hanauma bay!! But first, Kate and I made a delicious welcome home breakfast for George and Arnheidur-eggs, toast, bacon, fresh fruit (kiwi, mango, and pineapple), and french breakfast muffins. They really enjoyed it, and even the children ate some!
While Kate and I were cleaning up, Cousin George brought us a nature guide from the big island and showed us some of the pictures of the amazing fauna and flora they have on the island. George was talking about the way that animals adapt and that this particular bird which changed its feet to make them easier to walk on lava was kind of like evolution."
Gulp. I had an irresistable urge and a quiet voice inside that I must say something about how animals adapting to their environment is not evolution. So I said "Yeah, that's neat how they adapted to their environment, but that isn't Evolution, because they are still birds, and give birth to birds." He didn't seem to want to continue the discussion, so the subject got changed to what snorkeling gear we needed to gather for our trip.
After packing up all the snorkels and lunch stuff we hit the road. After our beautiful drive through the Hawaiian mountains, our first stop was the 'blowhole' which is a neat rock formation that looks and acts like a blowhole, and the north shore, where we watched people try to kill themselves in the 7 foot waves in 3 feet of water. Kate and I got pictures of our Hawaiian version of the Sound of Music. Then we went to the main attraction, but the parking lot was closed because it was full!! We didn't know what to do. But, miracle of miracles, we came back around and it was open!! I was so happy, and we went right away to take pictures of the amazing bay. After watching a short film that you are required to watch in order to snorkel there, you know, the one that says, "Don't touch the fish, don't touch the coral, don't touch the turtles, just DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING," we found a spot amid the other beach-goers and ate a quick but healthy lunch I had packed and went right to it!
I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life. Okay, well maybe the mountains in the spring, but this was like swimming in a dream! I kept saying that it felt like that I was inside a National Geographic magazine on the ocean! The colorful reef, the vibrant fish with so many colors, and the turquoise and clear water that lapped at it all. It is really and truly an awesome witness to our God's creative design. Kate and snorkeled together for the most part, but sometimes we would accedentally get separated. Or, the chain of events would go like this-Margaret (in front) accidentally kicks Kate in the shoulder while trying to catch up with a big fish. Margaret stops to apologize, but while she is stopping Kate knows it didn't hurt her, so she just starts to laugh really hard and consequently gets her mask suctioned to her nose and eyes. Margaret, laughing now as well, stops to help Kate, and a fluke wave bops her over the head the minute she takes her mask off. Margaret feels stupid after all that and so dives 4 feet to the bottom and chases the fish she had originally been pursuing when the above incident occurred. He responds by fanning out his top and lower fins making him look bigger than he was. Kate gets to see the fish, Margaret doesn't feel quite so stupid.
It was great fun. :-)
Kate and I snorkeled for a total of 2 hours and we also saw not one, but two, sea turtles-in separate places! It was amazing to see them in their natural habitat. They are so graceful, even as they crunch about the coral. I really wanted to go out far where it was 20 feet deep, but the wind was whipping and the sea was rough way out ther and I didn't want to have to be rescued or get drowned. That would be a lovely end to our trip! Besides, the lifeguards already had enough on their hands. :-)
We went to a nice beachside restaurant at a local resort and had a delicious dinner with music and a sunset to boot!! Poor Embla was so worn out she slept on a beach towel in the nearby patch of grass nearly the entire time we ate, but Ellert was still full of energy and liked to run around next to the band stand and dance to the music.
After dinner Arnheidur wanted to go see what was on at the movie theater and Kate and I exchanged looks in the car. We were so tired and it was already 7:40 at night! Nearly all of the movies showing were PG-13 and R rated, but then only one we thought we would like to see was Knowing, with the guy from National Treasure in it, Nicholas Cage. I must confess that it was horrible standing there, not really wanting to see a movie so late, but waiting to see what our hostess would decide. It was determined that most of the movies' next showings were far too late, and that we might be able to do that tomorrow night instead.
A big sigh of relief went up from Kate and me. We're not big stay-out-all-night-and-see-movies sort of people. We were perfectly happy to be at home and write, read or just relax. I am the go to bed early and get up early type anyways, and don't do well with staying up late and getting up late.
Ah, and speaking of which, góða nótt!
;-)
If you know me, you'll know that I can take anything as long as snorkeling and water play is involved. Today I was ecstatic to find out that we would indeed be going to Hanauma bay!! But first, Kate and I made a delicious welcome home breakfast for George and Arnheidur-eggs, toast, bacon, fresh fruit (kiwi, mango, and pineapple), and french breakfast muffins. They really enjoyed it, and even the children ate some!
While Kate and I were cleaning up, Cousin George brought us a nature guide from the big island and showed us some of the pictures of the amazing fauna and flora they have on the island. George was talking about the way that animals adapt and that this particular bird which changed its feet to make them easier to walk on lava was kind of like evolution."
Gulp. I had an irresistable urge and a quiet voice inside that I must say something about how animals adapting to their environment is not evolution. So I said "Yeah, that's neat how they adapted to their environment, but that isn't Evolution, because they are still birds, and give birth to birds." He didn't seem to want to continue the discussion, so the subject got changed to what snorkeling gear we needed to gather for our trip.
After packing up all the snorkels and lunch stuff we hit the road. After our beautiful drive through the Hawaiian mountains, our first stop was the 'blowhole' which is a neat rock formation that looks and acts like a blowhole, and the north shore, where we watched people try to kill themselves in the 7 foot waves in 3 feet of water. Kate and I got pictures of our Hawaiian version of the Sound of Music. Then we went to the main attraction, but the parking lot was closed because it was full!! We didn't know what to do. But, miracle of miracles, we came back around and it was open!! I was so happy, and we went right away to take pictures of the amazing bay. After watching a short film that you are required to watch in order to snorkel there, you know, the one that says, "Don't touch the fish, don't touch the coral, don't touch the turtles, just DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING," we found a spot amid the other beach-goers and ate a quick but healthy lunch I had packed and went right to it!
I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life. Okay, well maybe the mountains in the spring, but this was like swimming in a dream! I kept saying that it felt like that I was inside a National Geographic magazine on the ocean! The colorful reef, the vibrant fish with so many colors, and the turquoise and clear water that lapped at it all. It is really and truly an awesome witness to our God's creative design. Kate and snorkeled together for the most part, but sometimes we would accedentally get separated. Or, the chain of events would go like this-Margaret (in front) accidentally kicks Kate in the shoulder while trying to catch up with a big fish. Margaret stops to apologize, but while she is stopping Kate knows it didn't hurt her, so she just starts to laugh really hard and consequently gets her mask suctioned to her nose and eyes. Margaret, laughing now as well, stops to help Kate, and a fluke wave bops her over the head the minute she takes her mask off. Margaret feels stupid after all that and so dives 4 feet to the bottom and chases the fish she had originally been pursuing when the above incident occurred. He responds by fanning out his top and lower fins making him look bigger than he was. Kate gets to see the fish, Margaret doesn't feel quite so stupid.
It was great fun. :-)
Kate and I snorkeled for a total of 2 hours and we also saw not one, but two, sea turtles-in separate places! It was amazing to see them in their natural habitat. They are so graceful, even as they crunch about the coral. I really wanted to go out far where it was 20 feet deep, but the wind was whipping and the sea was rough way out ther and I didn't want to have to be rescued or get drowned. That would be a lovely end to our trip! Besides, the lifeguards already had enough on their hands. :-)
We went to a nice beachside restaurant at a local resort and had a delicious dinner with music and a sunset to boot!! Poor Embla was so worn out she slept on a beach towel in the nearby patch of grass nearly the entire time we ate, but Ellert was still full of energy and liked to run around next to the band stand and dance to the music.
After dinner Arnheidur wanted to go see what was on at the movie theater and Kate and I exchanged looks in the car. We were so tired and it was already 7:40 at night! Nearly all of the movies showing were PG-13 and R rated, but then only one we thought we would like to see was Knowing, with the guy from National Treasure in it, Nicholas Cage. I must confess that it was horrible standing there, not really wanting to see a movie so late, but waiting to see what our hostess would decide. It was determined that most of the movies' next showings were far too late, and that we might be able to do that tomorrow night instead.
A big sigh of relief went up from Kate and me. We're not big stay-out-all-night-and-see-movies sort of people. We were perfectly happy to be at home and write, read or just relax. I am the go to bed early and get up early type anyways, and don't do well with staying up late and getting up late.
Ah, and speaking of which, góða nótt!
;-)
Friday, March 27, 2009
Hawaii-Friday, Day Seven
Today Kate and I have been in Hawaii for an entire week! It's hard to believe it-time has gone by so fast.
This morning was a quiet one, we stayed around the house doing things to prepare for Arheidur and George's homecoming. We did several loads of laundry, and did the sheets so that they'd be fresh and clean from all of the jumping that had been done from them. :-)
Ellert and Emlba helped me make cupcakes for their parents, and then helped make some chocolate frosting to ice them with. Kate had the great idea of spelling out "Welcome Home" with them, and then I found some skittles and arranged them into flower shapes on top of the extras. Kate and I cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, and then we all went out to the beach to play before lunch, and then came inside to eat and clean up the house. While Kate played on the trampoline with the children I swept and vacuumed, and when the children got tired of the trampoline, Kate and Embla played chutes and ladders while Ellert helped me swiff the floor clean. Then we all played some more board games, and then they watched PBS while we finished up the work. We left early to pick up their parents because we wanted to stop by the hospital where Kate's uncle Michael was born. We found it-a large pink hospital on top of a big green hill-but weren't allowed to go in because of the ID check. Kate got some good pictures though, and then we headed to the airport to pick up Arnheidur.
By the time we got there, Ellert was asleep and we knew we should wake him up if he had any chance of going to bed that evening, since it was already 5:00. Kate took him out of the car to the bathroom, and Embla and I circled around the airport a couple of times singing Icelandic songs and then she fell asleep. When I pulled to the baggage claim the second time around, there they were, Kate, Arnheidur, and Ellert, all waving happily at me. We were very glad to find her without any difficulties like the ones they had experienced when picking Kate and me up! :-)
Arnheidur had a great time, and seemed pleased with all our efforts on the home front. Embla and Ellert were good, and very happy to see their Mama! She wanted to take us some places while we waited on George to arrive and so she took us to some shops and Kate and I looked around for a while. We found a prom dress and, seeing as we had time, we each tried on one. The mermaid style one I picked out turned out to be a disaster, being very full in the stomach area and very tight elsewhere, so I didn't leave the dressing room with that one. However, Kate's rust and gold colored gown looked beautiful!! I tried it on as well, and we both took pictures of each other. Then we went into a wedding store-a place designed to help you plan your wedding, and I browsed their cake section. They had some model cakes covered in fondant sitting out, and they were cute! Most of the chefs advertising there charged a base rate of $3.50 a slice, which makes my own price of $2.50 sound reasonable.
Then we met up with Arnheidur and the children, and all went to eat a Buca's, an big, eclectic Italian restaurant that reminded me of Joe's Italian back in Boone, only much larger! We got an outside table and were able to talk over the events that happened at home as well as about Arnheidur's trip over dinner. We had bruschetta, Pizza Margherita (though not as good as yours, Grandaddy!), and a HUGE spinach tomato salad with roasted walnuts and special balsamic dressing. It was great! After dinner Kate and I went up and down the busy escalators with Embla and Ellert who think that escalators are the coolest thing ever, while their Mother paid for the meal.
We went to pick up Cousin George who had literally just stepped off the plane when we got him, and then we had a rather quiet drive back home. They loved seeing the cupcakes (saved for tomorrow when Embla can present it to them!) and were happy to see the clean house. Kate and I are planning a big fancy breakfast tomorrow and then.....Hanauma Bay!!
Góða nótt, hver og einn!
This morning was a quiet one, we stayed around the house doing things to prepare for Arheidur and George's homecoming. We did several loads of laundry, and did the sheets so that they'd be fresh and clean from all of the jumping that had been done from them. :-)
Ellert and Emlba helped me make cupcakes for their parents, and then helped make some chocolate frosting to ice them with. Kate had the great idea of spelling out "Welcome Home" with them, and then I found some skittles and arranged them into flower shapes on top of the extras. Kate and I cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, and then we all went out to the beach to play before lunch, and then came inside to eat and clean up the house. While Kate played on the trampoline with the children I swept and vacuumed, and when the children got tired of the trampoline, Kate and Embla played chutes and ladders while Ellert helped me swiff the floor clean. Then we all played some more board games, and then they watched PBS while we finished up the work. We left early to pick up their parents because we wanted to stop by the hospital where Kate's uncle Michael was born. We found it-a large pink hospital on top of a big green hill-but weren't allowed to go in because of the ID check. Kate got some good pictures though, and then we headed to the airport to pick up Arnheidur.
By the time we got there, Ellert was asleep and we knew we should wake him up if he had any chance of going to bed that evening, since it was already 5:00. Kate took him out of the car to the bathroom, and Embla and I circled around the airport a couple of times singing Icelandic songs and then she fell asleep. When I pulled to the baggage claim the second time around, there they were, Kate, Arnheidur, and Ellert, all waving happily at me. We were very glad to find her without any difficulties like the ones they had experienced when picking Kate and me up! :-)
Arnheidur had a great time, and seemed pleased with all our efforts on the home front. Embla and Ellert were good, and very happy to see their Mama! She wanted to take us some places while we waited on George to arrive and so she took us to some shops and Kate and I looked around for a while. We found a prom dress and, seeing as we had time, we each tried on one. The mermaid style one I picked out turned out to be a disaster, being very full in the stomach area and very tight elsewhere, so I didn't leave the dressing room with that one. However, Kate's rust and gold colored gown looked beautiful!! I tried it on as well, and we both took pictures of each other. Then we went into a wedding store-a place designed to help you plan your wedding, and I browsed their cake section. They had some model cakes covered in fondant sitting out, and they were cute! Most of the chefs advertising there charged a base rate of $3.50 a slice, which makes my own price of $2.50 sound reasonable.
Then we met up with Arnheidur and the children, and all went to eat a Buca's, an big, eclectic Italian restaurant that reminded me of Joe's Italian back in Boone, only much larger! We got an outside table and were able to talk over the events that happened at home as well as about Arnheidur's trip over dinner. We had bruschetta, Pizza Margherita (though not as good as yours, Grandaddy!), and a HUGE spinach tomato salad with roasted walnuts and special balsamic dressing. It was great! After dinner Kate and I went up and down the busy escalators with Embla and Ellert who think that escalators are the coolest thing ever, while their Mother paid for the meal.
We went to pick up Cousin George who had literally just stepped off the plane when we got him, and then we had a rather quiet drive back home. They loved seeing the cupcakes (saved for tomorrow when Embla can present it to them!) and were happy to see the clean house. Kate and I are planning a big fancy breakfast tomorrow and then.....Hanauma Bay!!
Góða nótt, hver og einn!
Hawaii-Thursday, Day Six
This morning began bright and early as I decided to head to the fitness center early instead of going after lunch like I had been. There were hardly any people there, and when I got home, completely charged, Ellert and Embla had just woken up. At breakfast, Kate and I took an inventory of the things we might need if we decided to go grocery shopping that day. It turns out, we were in dire need of milk (the children drink it like water) and we needed supplies to make a nice breakfast for George and Arnheidur we had been planning for them when they return.
Before we went, though, we took the children out to the volleyball net to play soccer, football, and volleyball. Ellert, the most eager of our participants, immediately went across the street with Kate to the court. However, I didn’t even get out the door before Embla, whether because she was tired or just mad, decided she didn’t want to come. She sat on the couch and whined that she wanted to watch the T.V. I walked out, and then looked back inside and then walked some more and then came to see what she was doing and, as expected, she was watching TV. I walked in and said, “Well, believe it or not Embla I am more stubborn than you are. We were not going to watch TV right now.” I then said that I could pick her up while she screams and carry her across the street like a little baby, or she could walk to the beach herself. She just stared at me with a expression of utter determination. So, an expert in the art of man-handling (or, in this case, girl-handling) I picked her up and without much of a fuss I carried her to the park where Ellert was awaiting her eagerly. Well, you can guess what happened next-she sat down and put her hands across her chest and pouted. Now, I don’t know if I have mentioned it before, but Ellert’s mood is, for the most part, completely tied to Embla’s. So, you can imagine how he felt. His best friend was not coming to play with him, and, on top of that, wouldn’t even look at him. He cried, and she pouted, basking in the reality of her control. I tried to get him to play with me, but he just said, “GO AWAY!!” and went back to trying to get Embla to come play with him. I also tried to get him to see that Embla wanted his attention and once he didn’t pay attention to her nonsense she would be soon to join him, but, understandably for a 2 year old boy, he didn’t quite grasp the concept and continued on.
Finally, Kate was able to successfully lure him away to the court, and we began to play. Just as I had predicted, as soon as her I.V. of sympathy was cut off, she joined us in playing ball games. But, it was not to last! I was playing soccer, I was the goalie and she was the shooter. She kicked a ball that landed right next to the goal line and I playfully kicked it back to her but it went past her. BIG mistake!! When I got back from retrieving the ball, she was on the sideline in the same hunched up position she had been in before. Ellert came over to sympathize with her, bless his heart, but she pushed him away. About then we decided that it would be a good time to return to the house. When we got back home Embla did her picture journal entry with the help of Kate and I played with Ellert.
So, after coming inside at about 9:45, we set out to find Foodland. We weren’t quite sure of how to get there, so we went to the nearest shopping center to see if it was the one with the grocery store in it. Kate ran into one of the nail parlors and asked them where it was and they said just down the row. So we turned and went around the shopping center to get a better view and there it was! We got out and grabbed a cart and set to work finding the things we would need at the first regular grocery store we had been to in Hawaii. Embla and Ellert rode in the cart and Kate and I had them help by holding the groceries. We each allowed them one thing to pick out, so Embla chose balloons and Ellert got granola bars. Everyone always seems to say how expensive food is in Hawaii, but it depends on what you buy. Most of the healthier things like produce and fruit is relatively cheap- for example, pineapple was 89 cents EACH, and everything else seemed to be normally priced, that is, with the exception of milk. It was 6.89 a gallon! After getting through the checkout with no one throwing a fit, we were able to successfully load the children and groceries in the car and navigate our way back to the house.
It was lunchtime when we got back, so we fixed them some cereal and yogurt and then Kate and I ate the leftover chicken, salad, quinoa, chips and some salsa. It was good!! Then we all went out and drew with chalk for quite some time! We did it on the sidewalk across the street. I traced Embla and Kate traced Ellert’s body and we drew the faces in and then had some lessons on how the heart and blood vessels work, how the lungs help you breathe, and drew each of them carefully inside the outline of their bodies. Then we noticed that at our front door was a big 5 gallon container of water just like the one that we had run out of the day before, with the brand sticker on the front and a receipt next to it. They have a water cooler, and so we figured that they have more water delivered every week or so to their house. But, being my skeptical self, my first thought was, "Oh! Someone left us water and poisoned it...."
Then I examined the receipt from Menehune Water Company that was stuck underneath it as well as the sealed container and deemed it safe for our consumption.
:-)
A bike ride was next on our list and we outlined the entire neighborhood with our bikes that have seats on the back for Embla and Ellert. On the way back, Ellert fell asleep, and so we all drew and did quiet activities while he slept. Next we woke him up with the promise of “sidewalk paint” and off we went over to the sidewalk across the street to try it out. Midway through the painting time, Ellert got upset because he couldn’t have his own puddle of paint to use by himself, so Kate took him home to take a bath, since by now his hands were very messy anyway. Embla and I remained painting until she got her hands covered in it so bad she said she wanted to go home and wash it off. I did manage to finish the first words of the Apostle’s Creed in Latin before we left for home.
The rest of the afternoon was spent playing wild Icelandic pony (when Kate and I are the horses and she’s the rider) on the trampoline and playing ball with Ellert. I attempted to read a book to them that was written in Icelandic, but as expected I didn’t do very well. Ellert understood me though, because he said some words back to me in excitement like any child would do if you were reading them their favorite book. We ate dinner and after we were all cleaned up they watched a movie (in Icelandic, of course!) and Kate and I blogged and cleaned the house up a bit because Arnheidur and George fly in tomorrow at about 5 pm!
Before we went, though, we took the children out to the volleyball net to play soccer, football, and volleyball. Ellert, the most eager of our participants, immediately went across the street with Kate to the court. However, I didn’t even get out the door before Embla, whether because she was tired or just mad, decided she didn’t want to come. She sat on the couch and whined that she wanted to watch the T.V. I walked out, and then looked back inside and then walked some more and then came to see what she was doing and, as expected, she was watching TV. I walked in and said, “Well, believe it or not Embla I am more stubborn than you are. We were not going to watch TV right now.” I then said that I could pick her up while she screams and carry her across the street like a little baby, or she could walk to the beach herself. She just stared at me with a expression of utter determination. So, an expert in the art of man-handling (or, in this case, girl-handling) I picked her up and without much of a fuss I carried her to the park where Ellert was awaiting her eagerly. Well, you can guess what happened next-she sat down and put her hands across her chest and pouted. Now, I don’t know if I have mentioned it before, but Ellert’s mood is, for the most part, completely tied to Embla’s. So, you can imagine how he felt. His best friend was not coming to play with him, and, on top of that, wouldn’t even look at him. He cried, and she pouted, basking in the reality of her control. I tried to get him to play with me, but he just said, “GO AWAY!!” and went back to trying to get Embla to come play with him. I also tried to get him to see that Embla wanted his attention and once he didn’t pay attention to her nonsense she would be soon to join him, but, understandably for a 2 year old boy, he didn’t quite grasp the concept and continued on.
Finally, Kate was able to successfully lure him away to the court, and we began to play. Just as I had predicted, as soon as her I.V. of sympathy was cut off, she joined us in playing ball games. But, it was not to last! I was playing soccer, I was the goalie and she was the shooter. She kicked a ball that landed right next to the goal line and I playfully kicked it back to her but it went past her. BIG mistake!! When I got back from retrieving the ball, she was on the sideline in the same hunched up position she had been in before. Ellert came over to sympathize with her, bless his heart, but she pushed him away. About then we decided that it would be a good time to return to the house. When we got back home Embla did her picture journal entry with the help of Kate and I played with Ellert.
So, after coming inside at about 9:45, we set out to find Foodland. We weren’t quite sure of how to get there, so we went to the nearest shopping center to see if it was the one with the grocery store in it. Kate ran into one of the nail parlors and asked them where it was and they said just down the row. So we turned and went around the shopping center to get a better view and there it was! We got out and grabbed a cart and set to work finding the things we would need at the first regular grocery store we had been to in Hawaii. Embla and Ellert rode in the cart and Kate and I had them help by holding the groceries. We each allowed them one thing to pick out, so Embla chose balloons and Ellert got granola bars. Everyone always seems to say how expensive food is in Hawaii, but it depends on what you buy. Most of the healthier things like produce and fruit is relatively cheap- for example, pineapple was 89 cents EACH, and everything else seemed to be normally priced, that is, with the exception of milk. It was 6.89 a gallon! After getting through the checkout with no one throwing a fit, we were able to successfully load the children and groceries in the car and navigate our way back to the house.
It was lunchtime when we got back, so we fixed them some cereal and yogurt and then Kate and I ate the leftover chicken, salad, quinoa, chips and some salsa. It was good!! Then we all went out and drew with chalk for quite some time! We did it on the sidewalk across the street. I traced Embla and Kate traced Ellert’s body and we drew the faces in and then had some lessons on how the heart and blood vessels work, how the lungs help you breathe, and drew each of them carefully inside the outline of their bodies. Then we noticed that at our front door was a big 5 gallon container of water just like the one that we had run out of the day before, with the brand sticker on the front and a receipt next to it. They have a water cooler, and so we figured that they have more water delivered every week or so to their house. But, being my skeptical self, my first thought was, "Oh! Someone left us water and poisoned it...."
Then I examined the receipt from Menehune Water Company that was stuck underneath it as well as the sealed container and deemed it safe for our consumption.
:-)
A bike ride was next on our list and we outlined the entire neighborhood with our bikes that have seats on the back for Embla and Ellert. On the way back, Ellert fell asleep, and so we all drew and did quiet activities while he slept. Next we woke him up with the promise of “sidewalk paint” and off we went over to the sidewalk across the street to try it out. Midway through the painting time, Ellert got upset because he couldn’t have his own puddle of paint to use by himself, so Kate took him home to take a bath, since by now his hands were very messy anyway. Embla and I remained painting until she got her hands covered in it so bad she said she wanted to go home and wash it off. I did manage to finish the first words of the Apostle’s Creed in Latin before we left for home.
The rest of the afternoon was spent playing wild Icelandic pony (when Kate and I are the horses and she’s the rider) on the trampoline and playing ball with Ellert. I attempted to read a book to them that was written in Icelandic, but as expected I didn’t do very well. Ellert understood me though, because he said some words back to me in excitement like any child would do if you were reading them their favorite book. We ate dinner and after we were all cleaned up they watched a movie (in Icelandic, of course!) and Kate and I blogged and cleaned the house up a bit because Arnheidur and George fly in tomorrow at about 5 pm!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Hawaii-Wednesday, Day Five
Today was dubbed beach day. We played on the beach before lunch, we played on the beach after lunch, and we went out after dinner.
Kate and I were in our clothes the first time we went out around 8:45 and Ellert and Embla were in their swimsuits, so they ran around next to the ocean and then we buried them up to their necks in sand multiple times. Next, I made Embla into a Mermaid, and Kate helped Ellert become a Merman. They were really sandy, especially Embla, so when Kate and Ellert got back from getting the sand toys, she requested to go home and take a bath since the water was too cold for her. I took her back and ran her water for her, and then when she was done K & E came back from the beach and they watched Reading Rainbow while we packed ham and peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. We all went out again, this time with swimsuits, goggles and masks at the ready. While Ellert the sandman chased Embla the fairy, Kate found a fancy gazebo with a chair for everyone and a big table to boot, so we had our picnic there.
About that time we saw the trash truck drive up, and instantly Ellert stopped eating to watch it do its job. We watched, hoping that I put the bin in the right spot for the truck, because the night before I simply put it where the neighbors next door had put theirs. With a sigh of relief, we watched as the very full trash bin full of milk cartons, cereal boxes, and paper plates went up, up, up the side of the truck and over the open hole in the top.
The entire beach was nearly deserted; indeed, when we first walked up there was not a soul on it except for a huge flock of Red Crested Cardinals, so all of us decided to go play on the park that is right there on the beach. By the time we were done playing, there were several other children on the playground and we all had a rollicking good time. I played tag with Embla, and then we all played pirates. Ellert was the Commandant of the British Royal Navy, and Kate, Embla, and I were all pirates either trying to catch the Commandant or get away from him. It was great fun.
We were all sufficiently hot by then and were ready to swim! Kate took Elllert in the water next to me while I snorkeled. The water was clear as a pond, though not half so flat, so, needless to say, I got quite a bit of sea water down my snorkel. Then I spotted a sea urchin, and yelled over to Kate to come see it. I held Ellert and we wave jumped together in the waist deep water while Kate snorkeled a bit. In case you're wondering where Embla was while all this was going on, she was at our picnic site next to the water. She had gotten quite cold, and was snuggling with her bunny named 'Bunny' in one of the chairs.
After walking a bit further down the beach, snapping more pictures as we went, I swam around some more while Kate served Embla and Ellert their snack, and then, gathering everything up, we were ready to head home. When we got back home, we had quiet time during which Ellert fell asleep and Kate took Embla outside to play in the trampoline and while he slept, I wrote down some more Icelandic words we could use with the children. After he had been asleep for about 25 minutes, I decided that he should be woken up to prevent any bedtime blues that seem to occur.
Once he was awake, he was pretty upset about it. He's a lot like some of my siblings in that respect-they cry and get all upset when they are woken up. I decided that I should probably offer him some cereal (his food of choice) since it was snack time. I told him that if he calmed down, I might offer him something to eat for snacktime. He did so, and I asked him if he wanted some Rice Krispies. He moaned a yes, and then sank back onto the cushions of the couch. After making them I noticed he wasn't coming over yet, so I looked over at my little Icelandic phrase card and asked him "Eru per Komdu, Ellert?" (are you coming?) and almost immediately he shot back, "Ya"
He came over but apparently there was something gravely wrong that I couldn't find out nor fix about his cereal. So, I steered him outside towards the trampoline where Kate and Embla were playing in hopes that playing there would cheer him up a bit. It didn't work, he screamed. Kate and I switched off-one took Ellert inside, and the other continued to play games with Embla on the trampoline. I am afraid that Kate got the short end of the stick for I could hear Ellert's loud protests all the way outside. :-)
While Embla and I were playing, an idea came on how to get Embla to practice her Icelandic on me and teach me some in the process, for she is quite shy about her intimate knowledge of the language. I pretended that I was one of those ponies at the store that you put quarters in and they start riding. But, instead of quarters, you had to say an Icelandic word and then the meaning of it in English. She started right away. I learned house, which is hýsa, and ride, reið, before she began to get tired of it. So, I changed the game to where to wake the Monster from his hibernation, you have to turn make the 'bad' words that the sleeping Monster says into 'good' ones in Icelandic. She liked this one, and I learned how to say apple which is epli. Then, she was the monster, and I was quizzed by the Monster on my knowledge of the Icelandic language, if only for a handful of words.
It was scary.
;-)
Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Kate took Ellert out for a bicycle ride in hopes that it would soothe him. When she returned, her precious cargo was all smiles and finally ready to play. Then, they joined Embla and I on the trampoline and played (Icelandic) ponies. Then we climbed the tree in their yard and enjoyed the warm breezes.
It was about 5 now, and so Kate set to work cooking some yummy chicken for us to go with the leftover quinoa and while she did that I put the finishing touches on the macaroni. I slaved over some macaroni. It took me all day! I made the cheese from fresh, warm milk (which naturally, I milked by hand!) ground the flour for the pasta fresh from the field, and hand-kneaded the macaroni dough, and then threw it all together in a warm pot. They loved it.
You don't believe me? For shame!! Oh, that blue box over there? Why, that is just a cereal box that Embla......uh, drew on and embellished with a picture of macaroni in anticipation while I slaved over her favorite mac and cheese. Yeah. No, that is NOT a cheese packet in the trashcan!! You are staining my reputation, now go out!!
After dinner, we took them once more out to the beach for a bit and played hide and seek and tag at which I failed miserably. She always seems to know just where I am! ;-)
After getting them ready to bed with NO fits, Embla and Ellert are watching Dora the Explorer in Icelandic right now as Kate and I email and update blogs. Oh, and in case you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Kate before, she is amazing. You must meet her because she ROCKS!
Without a bit out crying or whining from either of the two chidren (a HUGE first!), they went to bed, and as I write we are waiting on them to fall asleep.
góða nótt from Iceland.... I mean.....Hawaii!
Kate and I were in our clothes the first time we went out around 8:45 and Ellert and Embla were in their swimsuits, so they ran around next to the ocean and then we buried them up to their necks in sand multiple times. Next, I made Embla into a Mermaid, and Kate helped Ellert become a Merman. They were really sandy, especially Embla, so when Kate and Ellert got back from getting the sand toys, she requested to go home and take a bath since the water was too cold for her. I took her back and ran her water for her, and then when she was done K & E came back from the beach and they watched Reading Rainbow while we packed ham and peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. We all went out again, this time with swimsuits, goggles and masks at the ready. While Ellert the sandman chased Embla the fairy, Kate found a fancy gazebo with a chair for everyone and a big table to boot, so we had our picnic there.
About that time we saw the trash truck drive up, and instantly Ellert stopped eating to watch it do its job. We watched, hoping that I put the bin in the right spot for the truck, because the night before I simply put it where the neighbors next door had put theirs. With a sigh of relief, we watched as the very full trash bin full of milk cartons, cereal boxes, and paper plates went up, up, up the side of the truck and over the open hole in the top.
The entire beach was nearly deserted; indeed, when we first walked up there was not a soul on it except for a huge flock of Red Crested Cardinals, so all of us decided to go play on the park that is right there on the beach. By the time we were done playing, there were several other children on the playground and we all had a rollicking good time. I played tag with Embla, and then we all played pirates. Ellert was the Commandant of the British Royal Navy, and Kate, Embla, and I were all pirates either trying to catch the Commandant or get away from him. It was great fun.
We were all sufficiently hot by then and were ready to swim! Kate took Elllert in the water next to me while I snorkeled. The water was clear as a pond, though not half so flat, so, needless to say, I got quite a bit of sea water down my snorkel. Then I spotted a sea urchin, and yelled over to Kate to come see it. I held Ellert and we wave jumped together in the waist deep water while Kate snorkeled a bit. In case you're wondering where Embla was while all this was going on, she was at our picnic site next to the water. She had gotten quite cold, and was snuggling with her bunny named 'Bunny' in one of the chairs.
After walking a bit further down the beach, snapping more pictures as we went, I swam around some more while Kate served Embla and Ellert their snack, and then, gathering everything up, we were ready to head home. When we got back home, we had quiet time during which Ellert fell asleep and Kate took Embla outside to play in the trampoline and while he slept, I wrote down some more Icelandic words we could use with the children. After he had been asleep for about 25 minutes, I decided that he should be woken up to prevent any bedtime blues that seem to occur.
Once he was awake, he was pretty upset about it. He's a lot like some of my siblings in that respect-they cry and get all upset when they are woken up. I decided that I should probably offer him some cereal (his food of choice) since it was snack time. I told him that if he calmed down, I might offer him something to eat for snacktime. He did so, and I asked him if he wanted some Rice Krispies. He moaned a yes, and then sank back onto the cushions of the couch. After making them I noticed he wasn't coming over yet, so I looked over at my little Icelandic phrase card and asked him "Eru per Komdu, Ellert?" (are you coming?) and almost immediately he shot back, "Ya"
He came over but apparently there was something gravely wrong that I couldn't find out nor fix about his cereal. So, I steered him outside towards the trampoline where Kate and Embla were playing in hopes that playing there would cheer him up a bit. It didn't work, he screamed. Kate and I switched off-one took Ellert inside, and the other continued to play games with Embla on the trampoline. I am afraid that Kate got the short end of the stick for I could hear Ellert's loud protests all the way outside. :-)
While Embla and I were playing, an idea came on how to get Embla to practice her Icelandic on me and teach me some in the process, for she is quite shy about her intimate knowledge of the language. I pretended that I was one of those ponies at the store that you put quarters in and they start riding. But, instead of quarters, you had to say an Icelandic word and then the meaning of it in English. She started right away. I learned house, which is hýsa, and ride, reið, before she began to get tired of it. So, I changed the game to where to wake the Monster from his hibernation, you have to turn make the 'bad' words that the sleeping Monster says into 'good' ones in Icelandic. She liked this one, and I learned how to say apple which is epli. Then, she was the monster, and I was quizzed by the Monster on my knowledge of the Icelandic language, if only for a handful of words.
It was scary.
;-)
Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Kate took Ellert out for a bicycle ride in hopes that it would soothe him. When she returned, her precious cargo was all smiles and finally ready to play. Then, they joined Embla and I on the trampoline and played (Icelandic) ponies. Then we climbed the tree in their yard and enjoyed the warm breezes.
It was about 5 now, and so Kate set to work cooking some yummy chicken for us to go with the leftover quinoa and while she did that I put the finishing touches on the macaroni. I slaved over some macaroni. It took me all day! I made the cheese from fresh, warm milk (which naturally, I milked by hand!) ground the flour for the pasta fresh from the field, and hand-kneaded the macaroni dough, and then threw it all together in a warm pot. They loved it.
You don't believe me? For shame!! Oh, that blue box over there? Why, that is just a cereal box that Embla......uh, drew on and embellished with a picture of macaroni in anticipation while I slaved over her favorite mac and cheese. Yeah. No, that is NOT a cheese packet in the trashcan!! You are staining my reputation, now go out!!
After dinner, we took them once more out to the beach for a bit and played hide and seek and tag at which I failed miserably. She always seems to know just where I am! ;-)
After getting them ready to bed with NO fits, Embla and Ellert are watching Dora the Explorer in Icelandic right now as Kate and I email and update blogs. Oh, and in case you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Kate before, she is amazing. You must meet her because she ROCKS!
Without a bit out crying or whining from either of the two chidren (a HUGE first!), they went to bed, and as I write we are waiting on them to fall asleep.
góða nótt from Iceland.... I mean.....Hawaii!
Hawaii-Tuesday, Day Four
As I type in the post name, I can hardly believe it is already Tuesday! Before I left Mother told me that time would fly while I was here and that I would wish I could stay longer! In fact, today Embla pointed to the calendar and said, "When do you leave?"
We showed her on the calendar where the 31st was there at the end of the month and then she said,
"No, I want you to leave on the next calendar flip"
This morning Kate and I were up bright and early, and I was able to catch the morning playing of Reville on my video camera for all those back home. Next I will attempt to get Taps on film!
Today we had a quiet morning, unlike yesterday, and not much happened until we went outside to the beach for our picnic at about 11:00. It was extremely windy, but we picknicked nonetheless. After watching some little girls jumping off the little round tops on the pipes in the water, Kate and Embla walked the slippery pipe that led to them and I took pictures of it all.
We were inspired to swim, seeing the water wasn't as cold as we thought, and all hurried back to the house to re apply sunscreen and get on swimsuits. When we got back, we had nearly the entire beach to ourselves and so we each took turns jumping off the top of the pipe with the children, snapping photos all the way! When we got home the children watched a movie in Icelandic and they had the routine 'quiet time' we had been instigating the past few days. I went to the gym again, and sweated and sweated. I love working out. I just love it!
When I got back to the house I was reminded that I had promise Embla I would make cookies with her today. So, with her help (and she was helpful and did exactly as I said!), we made a batch of Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip cookies. Kate chopped up some white and dark chocolate bars, and then added in some mint chocolate three musketeers bars Arnheidur gave us. They turned out very well and everybody liked them, even Ellert (he had 3 I think!) I really think that they children are catching on to our way of doing things. We had an extremely low number of fits today and much less whining than ever. Both Embla and Ellert are saying please more often now without us having to remind them each and every time. I is refreshing to see our little efforts pay off.
Kate took the children out on the beach while I cleaned up and did a bit off swiffing around the kitchen. When I came out, they were on the park, and so I joined them. But no sooner had I started to play with them I saw something floating (or swimming) near the shore, about 10 feet out and getting nearer. It was black, and shiny on the top, and was swimming against the current, so it seemed. We watched it get steadily nearer for quite a while, all the time trying to identify what it was. Embla and Ellert were so excited to get to see real turtles-in the ocean! Finally, when it was about 6 feet away, we realized they were two sea turtles, one on top of the other. The one on top looked like he was simply hitching a ride on the much bigger lower one doing all the swimming. Kate got some amazing pictures of them that I will post upon my arrival home. Just when we thought that the next wave would wash them ashore, the lower turtles' flippers shot out and churned up the water at least two feet in the air. We all squealed in excitement. Then the turtle decided to go, and go it did! In 3 seconds they were off and away back into the turquoise blue water. We didn't see them again after that, but we will remember it for a long time!
We headed down the beach to a little outcropping of rocks in the ocean we had wanted to see, but it was a long way and we didn't quite make it. However, we did have a great photoshoot in one of the trees along the way. Embla and Kate walked briskly back, but I turned and saw that Ellert was in his own world again-battling the ocean with his sword stick complete with sound effects. He was coming as slow as Christmas, and I knew it would be a long, long time before he and I made it home at that rate! So I had an idea I had used on Zion before-make walking back a game.
"Ellert,"
I yelled to him, and it took me a few more tries before I finally got his attention.
"I am the evil dragon-king, and you are Ellert, the dragon slayer prince. You have to get me now before I get to your castle over there!"
I pointed to 6th picnic table on our right.
He loved the idea and chased me and chased me. Somehow, he always just nearly had me, but I got away. Then, the dragon got tired and started to walk slower. Seizing the opportunity, Ellert broke out into a run and ran over to me. I turned around, and he made a motion with his stick like he was throwing fire at me. I pretended like my arm was hit and waved it around madly. I was standing with the wounded arm towards the sloping part of the beach facing Ellert, when somehow I lost my balance (which is nothing remarkable considering my clumsy oaf-ish tendencies!) and fell down as real as it was. He burst out laughing and jumped up and down in delight at me as I lay dying from my mortal wound, for his fire darts had pierced my scaly dragon skin. We continued on and on until we met up with one of the ladies and her son who live in the neighborhood and knows Ellert. She was very kind, and her little boy, James, was a sweet little boy too. We talked for a while and then Ellert wanted to go home and play there, so we said goodbye to his friends and headed back home.
Embla and Kate were watching Finding Nemo in Icelandic when we finally returned, which left Kate and me rollicking with laughter. There is just something so funny about seeing familiar little cartoon fish talk in a foreign language.
While they watched, I prepared dinner-chicken and a quinoa with veggies and salad for Kate and me and fish sticks for E&E. After dinner, which included not a fit nor whiny voice to be heard, Embla asked if she could please have some shave ice. Certainly, we said, and Kate set right to work making it for them. After making it we realized Ellert hadn't eaten any of his dinner, so we shuddered in the realization that we would have to try to get him to eat at least one bite before shave ice time. We were shocked to see that with only one balk he ate a piece of fish stick and we handed him his shave ice out in the yard as he finished his round of golf. With a happy dance and a fist bump, we went back to cleaning up dinner as they played in the yard.
I set up Arnheidur's iPod she purchased at the comissary and quickly put on Ellert's favorite Icelandic lullabies CD in hopes it would help with bedtime. It did, and the only problem we had was when Kate put on his PJ's and he didn't want to. Embla talked to her Mom and made her daily picture journal entry about the turtles we had seen earlier that day.
All is well; safely rest, God is nigh!
We showed her on the calendar where the 31st was there at the end of the month and then she said,
"No, I want you to leave on the next calendar flip"
This morning Kate and I were up bright and early, and I was able to catch the morning playing of Reville on my video camera for all those back home. Next I will attempt to get Taps on film!
Today we had a quiet morning, unlike yesterday, and not much happened until we went outside to the beach for our picnic at about 11:00. It was extremely windy, but we picknicked nonetheless. After watching some little girls jumping off the little round tops on the pipes in the water, Kate and Embla walked the slippery pipe that led to them and I took pictures of it all.
We were inspired to swim, seeing the water wasn't as cold as we thought, and all hurried back to the house to re apply sunscreen and get on swimsuits. When we got back, we had nearly the entire beach to ourselves and so we each took turns jumping off the top of the pipe with the children, snapping photos all the way! When we got home the children watched a movie in Icelandic and they had the routine 'quiet time' we had been instigating the past few days. I went to the gym again, and sweated and sweated. I love working out. I just love it!
When I got back to the house I was reminded that I had promise Embla I would make cookies with her today. So, with her help (and she was helpful and did exactly as I said!), we made a batch of Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip cookies. Kate chopped up some white and dark chocolate bars, and then added in some mint chocolate three musketeers bars Arnheidur gave us. They turned out very well and everybody liked them, even Ellert (he had 3 I think!) I really think that they children are catching on to our way of doing things. We had an extremely low number of fits today and much less whining than ever. Both Embla and Ellert are saying please more often now without us having to remind them each and every time. I is refreshing to see our little efforts pay off.
Kate took the children out on the beach while I cleaned up and did a bit off swiffing around the kitchen. When I came out, they were on the park, and so I joined them. But no sooner had I started to play with them I saw something floating (or swimming) near the shore, about 10 feet out and getting nearer. It was black, and shiny on the top, and was swimming against the current, so it seemed. We watched it get steadily nearer for quite a while, all the time trying to identify what it was. Embla and Ellert were so excited to get to see real turtles-in the ocean! Finally, when it was about 6 feet away, we realized they were two sea turtles, one on top of the other. The one on top looked like he was simply hitching a ride on the much bigger lower one doing all the swimming. Kate got some amazing pictures of them that I will post upon my arrival home. Just when we thought that the next wave would wash them ashore, the lower turtles' flippers shot out and churned up the water at least two feet in the air. We all squealed in excitement. Then the turtle decided to go, and go it did! In 3 seconds they were off and away back into the turquoise blue water. We didn't see them again after that, but we will remember it for a long time!
We headed down the beach to a little outcropping of rocks in the ocean we had wanted to see, but it was a long way and we didn't quite make it. However, we did have a great photoshoot in one of the trees along the way. Embla and Kate walked briskly back, but I turned and saw that Ellert was in his own world again-battling the ocean with his sword stick complete with sound effects. He was coming as slow as Christmas, and I knew it would be a long, long time before he and I made it home at that rate! So I had an idea I had used on Zion before-make walking back a game.
"Ellert,"
I yelled to him, and it took me a few more tries before I finally got his attention.
"I am the evil dragon-king, and you are Ellert, the dragon slayer prince. You have to get me now before I get to your castle over there!"
I pointed to 6th picnic table on our right.
He loved the idea and chased me and chased me. Somehow, he always just nearly had me, but I got away. Then, the dragon got tired and started to walk slower. Seizing the opportunity, Ellert broke out into a run and ran over to me. I turned around, and he made a motion with his stick like he was throwing fire at me. I pretended like my arm was hit and waved it around madly. I was standing with the wounded arm towards the sloping part of the beach facing Ellert, when somehow I lost my balance (which is nothing remarkable considering my clumsy oaf-ish tendencies!) and fell down as real as it was. He burst out laughing and jumped up and down in delight at me as I lay dying from my mortal wound, for his fire darts had pierced my scaly dragon skin. We continued on and on until we met up with one of the ladies and her son who live in the neighborhood and knows Ellert. She was very kind, and her little boy, James, was a sweet little boy too. We talked for a while and then Ellert wanted to go home and play there, so we said goodbye to his friends and headed back home.
Embla and Kate were watching Finding Nemo in Icelandic when we finally returned, which left Kate and me rollicking with laughter. There is just something so funny about seeing familiar little cartoon fish talk in a foreign language.
While they watched, I prepared dinner-chicken and a quinoa with veggies and salad for Kate and me and fish sticks for E&E. After dinner, which included not a fit nor whiny voice to be heard, Embla asked if she could please have some shave ice. Certainly, we said, and Kate set right to work making it for them. After making it we realized Ellert hadn't eaten any of his dinner, so we shuddered in the realization that we would have to try to get him to eat at least one bite before shave ice time. We were shocked to see that with only one balk he ate a piece of fish stick and we handed him his shave ice out in the yard as he finished his round of golf. With a happy dance and a fist bump, we went back to cleaning up dinner as they played in the yard.
I set up Arnheidur's iPod she purchased at the comissary and quickly put on Ellert's favorite Icelandic lullabies CD in hopes it would help with bedtime. It did, and the only problem we had was when Kate put on his PJ's and he didn't want to. Embla talked to her Mom and made her daily picture journal entry about the turtles we had seen earlier that day.
All is well; safely rest, God is nigh!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Hawaii-Monday, Day Three
Our first full day with Embla and Ellert by ourselves.
This morning at 4:30 I woke up to the sound of hysterical screaming. It is not at all nice to be woken up by any manner of screaming when you're having a dream about that you won the lottery or are scuba diving in Jamacia. Well, what does one do when you're on a dream Island itself and you get woken up by a very upset little boy missing his Mama? You drive them around the block playing relaxing Icelandic Lullabies to lull them back to sleep, of course! Kate did the honors, and although he did wake up when she pulled in, he went back to sleep a little while later. His caretakers, on the other hand, had a bit more difficult time going back to sleep. They finally gave up trying at about 6:00 and stumbled out of bed to begin the day with God's word.
It's a good thing we did that. You'll see why soon.
Next, Kate makes this fabulous breakfast-eggs, bacon, roasted potatoes, and a cantaloupe and kiwi fruit salad. We partook of the delicious feast she had made, all the while thinking how much the children would enjoy it.
But, it was not to be. Embla was up first, at 7:00, and she refused to eat a bite. She only wanted Cheerios and Froot Loops mixed together with milk. When Ellert came out of his bedroom, Kate offered him a plate full of wholesome food and he pushed it away in disgust and pointed to the Rice Krispies. It was most irritating. I put the leftover food away in hopes that they would eat it for lunch.
Arnheidur had asked us to mail some packages at the post office in Ewa Beach, so we decided to go that morning. We found the PO with little trouble, and were also able to mail our postcards in addition to the packages that Arnheidur asked us to mail. The children played and we talked about how it was a felony to mess up other people's mail boxes by swinging on the gates. ;-)
After finding the P.O. we were feeling rater optomistic and so decided to seek out the salvation army thrift store I had seen on Saturday on the way to Diamond Head. I had printed off directions, and the whole way, the google gods were good to us and we found the shops at dole cannery which were nearby the store itself. Then, we nearly got lost when we had to turn onto a one way street we didn't know. We were almost in complete despair over driving all that way and not finding our goal, but then we saw a sign for it and we were so relieved.
I've never seen a more tight parking lot! We opted for a parallel place next to a wall and then all of us went into the store. We switched off watching the children in the store and looking for clothes. Kate found a cute dress to take to Tanzania, and I found a light blue linen skirt and a little white shirt I thought that one of the little Barry girls could wear. After I rushed out to move the car for a 15 passenger van that needed to get by, we made our purchases and were off to find hwy 1.
I have never, ever driven or parked in such a BIG city and Kate and I have certainly never tried to find our way back home before, but yet, we ended up doing so without any problems except the ever-present heavy traffic. When we got home it was nearly lunchtime, so we gave them the plates that they had refused to eat for breakfast and reminded them that they had to eat them if they wanted any shave ice we would make for them. They ate some of it, and then wanted.....guess what?....cereal! I now know why Arnheidur was worried about the milk running out-they drink it like water!
The shave ice episode produced one enemy and one ally. You see, we were switching off with who got to use the cup that comes with the Dora the explorer once it was filled up with ice. Well, naurally, Ellert would get angry when it was Embla's turn. He threw a fit and we let him calm down a bit and then we asked him if he would like a different cup. He screamed more. It was hard to tell if he wanted the cup his sister had or the new one I had offered. Finally, we decided that it seemed more like he was desirous of the new cup, so once he calmed down and asked saying "please", we scooped him up some and poured on the syrup. We gave it to him and he ate it at first. While I was explaining to Embla why you never should give a child a cup when he is screaming for it, he decided it didn't have enough syrup for his liking. Out of habit, he screamed, and then proceded to roll on the floor when we told him that he had to calm down first. Eventually, I just decided to put his cup in the freezer while he threw his fit so that it wouldn't get melty. Kate took him to his room to calm down and I explained more to Embla about how to ask for things correctly and why it works when he screams to anyone that doesn't stand up to him. She seemed to really understand the whole concept, and had a few serving of shave ice and every time that she asked she said please after each request and thank you when I gave her her strawberry shave ice.
About this time Ellert came back on the scene, finally calm. We asked him "Would you like your shave ice" "
"Yes."
"Remember, say 'please,' Ellert."
"Peeas?"
We gave him his cup.
*quiet little voice*
"Tak."
The children and Kate had some down time at home and I went to check out the fitness center which was not 2 minutes from their house right on the base. It was fun, I sweated a bunch in there.
When I got home it was time for Embla to do her homework and then I got Ellert addicted to paper airplanes (he loves airplanes anyaway!) and next we painted. I was sure to line everything that could be lined with paper towels, and they painted away, but not long after the paint made their way to their hands and up their arms. After cleaning up Ellert's blue and green hands and Embla's red, purple and yellow shoulder length glove, it was quite clear that at least Embla would need a bath. I started her water and then ran off to check on Ellert and got him some cocoa puffs, his snack of choice. While this was happening, I realized that I heard a whole lot of splashy noises coming from the bathroom-more than is normal, and so I rushed in to find the bathtub much too full and the water sloshed out on all sides. It didn't help that she was rocking back and forth, back and forth in the water. It was funny for some reason and off I ran to get some towels. Once it was clean and Embla came into the kitchen for some cereal, Ellert was playing in paint, again. Thankfully he didn't get it into his har, only on his hands, which is a mess easily cleaned up. After all of the above, we went out on the beach to play for a while then came back to the house to go for a bike ride. They have two bikes with a seat on each one for the children. We rode around for a bit, stopping at a few places like the park, and then headed back home for some dinner.
We called Arnheidur after they were ready for bed because she wanted to talk to Embla every night before bed. After some major roughhousing on the bed with Kate, we decided it was way past their bedtime. They wouldn't go. Finally, we decided it would be okay if they both slept in the same bed in Ellert's room, and in about 10 minutes they were fast asleep like little angels. Kate and I quickly followed suit, but not before I had typed my fingers off to try to get my blog up to date. :-)
I crashed and slept so deeply I think that didn't move until the morning.
This morning at 4:30 I woke up to the sound of hysterical screaming. It is not at all nice to be woken up by any manner of screaming when you're having a dream about that you won the lottery or are scuba diving in Jamacia. Well, what does one do when you're on a dream Island itself and you get woken up by a very upset little boy missing his Mama? You drive them around the block playing relaxing Icelandic Lullabies to lull them back to sleep, of course! Kate did the honors, and although he did wake up when she pulled in, he went back to sleep a little while later. His caretakers, on the other hand, had a bit more difficult time going back to sleep. They finally gave up trying at about 6:00 and stumbled out of bed to begin the day with God's word.
It's a good thing we did that. You'll see why soon.
Next, Kate makes this fabulous breakfast-eggs, bacon, roasted potatoes, and a cantaloupe and kiwi fruit salad. We partook of the delicious feast she had made, all the while thinking how much the children would enjoy it.
But, it was not to be. Embla was up first, at 7:00, and she refused to eat a bite. She only wanted Cheerios and Froot Loops mixed together with milk. When Ellert came out of his bedroom, Kate offered him a plate full of wholesome food and he pushed it away in disgust and pointed to the Rice Krispies. It was most irritating. I put the leftover food away in hopes that they would eat it for lunch.
Arnheidur had asked us to mail some packages at the post office in Ewa Beach, so we decided to go that morning. We found the PO with little trouble, and were also able to mail our postcards in addition to the packages that Arnheidur asked us to mail. The children played and we talked about how it was a felony to mess up other people's mail boxes by swinging on the gates. ;-)
After finding the P.O. we were feeling rater optomistic and so decided to seek out the salvation army thrift store I had seen on Saturday on the way to Diamond Head. I had printed off directions, and the whole way, the google gods were good to us and we found the shops at dole cannery which were nearby the store itself. Then, we nearly got lost when we had to turn onto a one way street we didn't know. We were almost in complete despair over driving all that way and not finding our goal, but then we saw a sign for it and we were so relieved.
I've never seen a more tight parking lot! We opted for a parallel place next to a wall and then all of us went into the store. We switched off watching the children in the store and looking for clothes. Kate found a cute dress to take to Tanzania, and I found a light blue linen skirt and a little white shirt I thought that one of the little Barry girls could wear. After I rushed out to move the car for a 15 passenger van that needed to get by, we made our purchases and were off to find hwy 1.
I have never, ever driven or parked in such a BIG city and Kate and I have certainly never tried to find our way back home before, but yet, we ended up doing so without any problems except the ever-present heavy traffic. When we got home it was nearly lunchtime, so we gave them the plates that they had refused to eat for breakfast and reminded them that they had to eat them if they wanted any shave ice we would make for them. They ate some of it, and then wanted.....guess what?....cereal! I now know why Arnheidur was worried about the milk running out-they drink it like water!
The shave ice episode produced one enemy and one ally. You see, we were switching off with who got to use the cup that comes with the Dora the explorer once it was filled up with ice. Well, naurally, Ellert would get angry when it was Embla's turn. He threw a fit and we let him calm down a bit and then we asked him if he would like a different cup. He screamed more. It was hard to tell if he wanted the cup his sister had or the new one I had offered. Finally, we decided that it seemed more like he was desirous of the new cup, so once he calmed down and asked saying "please", we scooped him up some and poured on the syrup. We gave it to him and he ate it at first. While I was explaining to Embla why you never should give a child a cup when he is screaming for it, he decided it didn't have enough syrup for his liking. Out of habit, he screamed, and then proceded to roll on the floor when we told him that he had to calm down first. Eventually, I just decided to put his cup in the freezer while he threw his fit so that it wouldn't get melty. Kate took him to his room to calm down and I explained more to Embla about how to ask for things correctly and why it works when he screams to anyone that doesn't stand up to him. She seemed to really understand the whole concept, and had a few serving of shave ice and every time that she asked she said please after each request and thank you when I gave her her strawberry shave ice.
About this time Ellert came back on the scene, finally calm. We asked him "Would you like your shave ice" "
"Yes."
"Remember, say 'please,' Ellert."
"Peeas?"
We gave him his cup.
*quiet little voice*
"Tak."
The children and Kate had some down time at home and I went to check out the fitness center which was not 2 minutes from their house right on the base. It was fun, I sweated a bunch in there.
When I got home it was time for Embla to do her homework and then I got Ellert addicted to paper airplanes (he loves airplanes anyaway!) and next we painted. I was sure to line everything that could be lined with paper towels, and they painted away, but not long after the paint made their way to their hands and up their arms. After cleaning up Ellert's blue and green hands and Embla's red, purple and yellow shoulder length glove, it was quite clear that at least Embla would need a bath. I started her water and then ran off to check on Ellert and got him some cocoa puffs, his snack of choice. While this was happening, I realized that I heard a whole lot of splashy noises coming from the bathroom-more than is normal, and so I rushed in to find the bathtub much too full and the water sloshed out on all sides. It didn't help that she was rocking back and forth, back and forth in the water. It was funny for some reason and off I ran to get some towels. Once it was clean and Embla came into the kitchen for some cereal, Ellert was playing in paint, again. Thankfully he didn't get it into his har, only on his hands, which is a mess easily cleaned up. After all of the above, we went out on the beach to play for a while then came back to the house to go for a bike ride. They have two bikes with a seat on each one for the children. We rode around for a bit, stopping at a few places like the park, and then headed back home for some dinner.
We called Arnheidur after they were ready for bed because she wanted to talk to Embla every night before bed. After some major roughhousing on the bed with Kate, we decided it was way past their bedtime. They wouldn't go. Finally, we decided it would be okay if they both slept in the same bed in Ellert's room, and in about 10 minutes they were fast asleep like little angels. Kate and I quickly followed suit, but not before I had typed my fingers off to try to get my blog up to date. :-)
I crashed and slept so deeply I think that didn't move until the morning.
Hawaii-Sunday, Day Two
This was the day that Arnheidur and George left for their vacation on the 'big island.' Kate and I got up pretty early again, but we read bible, ate breakfast, and took Embla and Ellert on a walk outside around the base while their parents packed. It is a very good neighborhood, there are several parks on and off the beach as well as picnic tables galore! The weather was warm and breezy so it made our walk pleasant. The children were pushing the bears they got at the build-a-bear workshop the day before in little strollers. We played on the park, walked to the inlet, raced witht the strollers, and then came the first dispute with Embla. Remembering the day before when I carried her up Diamond Head, she asked quite whinily if I would carry her back to the house. No, I said, You can walk, you're a great walker! And besides, it's not far at all back to the house!" She commenced to crouch in the middle of the sidewalk and cry. Ellert, who is very attached to his big sissie, walked over and said "O no! E'bla crying! It's okay, E'bla, it's okay."
Cute, yes, but it didn't solve the problem of the little girl who would pout all day if you told her no. Then, an idea occured to me. I asked Ellert if I could use his baseball in a whiny voice, and, of course, he said no. At the speaking of the word, "No", I screamed, cried, yelled and dramatically rolled on the sidewalk like Ellert does when has a fit. You should have seen their faces. They were shocked! Here's big girl Margaret, throwing a fit like a baby in the middle of the sidewalk on the naval base. It worked beautifully, and I told them that was what the same thing Embla had been doing when I told her she couldn't go on my back. Something seemed to click inside her, even though Ellert just thought that it was downright hilarious. They thought it was so funny, they forgot the crisis of Embla not wanting to walk, and then they saunterd on back to their home. After a lovely walk on the beach with my best friend Kate, who I was so blessed to have with me on this adventurous trip, eating lunch, and watching the Scenic Hawaii channel, it was time to go to the airport.
I was more than slightly terrified when I realized I would be driving them to the airport that day. I knew that I would need to get the way back down cold so I tried my best to listen to their instructions and pay attention to the road signs as we went. Kate was praying for me the whole time because we were both nervous about driving in all the Honolulu craziness. George directed me to his office on the Naval base in Pearl Harbor which was fun to finally see! Embla knew her way around that building so well.
Since they had separate flights, Arnheidur dropped off George first and then while I got to talk to my dearest of dear Mother back home, she drove us the the comissary, another shop. They must think we just love to shop! :-)
We took turns going into the store because the children were asleep. I went in with Arnheidur first, and purchased some lovely postcards and she bought an iPod that I will hopefully be able to set up for her while I am here. Then it was Kate's turn, and I happily sat in the car eating a snack while the children napped. Then, Ellert woke up screaming. I happended to be holding the remains of a mini Luna bar I was eating in my hand, and he saw it and screamed for some. I told him he had to calm down and stop screaming if he would like any. He did, and I broke him off a chunk. No dice. He screamed. And screamed and screamed. "NOOOO, A LOT!" he said, and thus began the fit that ensued the rest our time in the car. I on the other hand was not upset at him and was calm-I knew that I must be so if he has any chance of stopping the screaming. As if things in that little minivan couldn't get any worse, Embla, dazed and half asleep, got out of her seat and said, "I need go bathroom."
I grabbed a plastic bag that I had my postcards in, but before I could get her pants down, she went to the bathroom all over herself. Still trying my best to remain calm, I helped her take off her pants and dry off the carpet. Eventually Ellert stopped crying and calmed down, and asked very nicely for a banana, which I happily gave him. Then, as soon as he saw his Mommy coming to the car, get this-he SCREAMS at the top of his lungs. I mean, he had been calm for probably 5 minutes, and here he was, crying. I think that he felt like he hadn't gotten any sympathy for his outrageous fit from me so he'd try to get some from his Mother, which he did.
Then we dropped Arnheidur off and said goodbye. We were officially babysitting now! Someone called Heida kept on calling the phone, but we weren't sure if we should pick it up or not. Kate braved the highways as the driver and I was the navigator. For the most part, we did pretty well finding our way back to the house. We did miss the turn and got confused a couple of times, but we made it! After playing monkeys on the junglegym at the beach and jumping on the trampoline, we came inside and E & E watched a movie in Icelandic while we fixed dinner. Then, right before bed, Kate came over and said, "You know, that person that kept calling and calling....that must have been Arnheidur!!"
My heart almost stopped beating. Heida......arnHEIDur.....oh nuts!!! She must have called 6 times! How many things can I do wrong?!
I instantly called her back and she was so freaked out and nervous that we didn't answer her calls and understandibly so. I assured her that everything was going well and the children were not crying for her yet. She was glad to hear that. She then said that she would try to call at noon and at night each day to check in.
Embla put herself to bed but for Ellert, on the other hand, it took a good deal of coaxing and Kate driving him around the neighborhood listening to Icelandic Lullabies before he drifted off. Kate and I drifted off almost immediately. :-)
Cute, yes, but it didn't solve the problem of the little girl who would pout all day if you told her no. Then, an idea occured to me. I asked Ellert if I could use his baseball in a whiny voice, and, of course, he said no. At the speaking of the word, "No", I screamed, cried, yelled and dramatically rolled on the sidewalk like Ellert does when has a fit. You should have seen their faces. They were shocked! Here's big girl Margaret, throwing a fit like a baby in the middle of the sidewalk on the naval base. It worked beautifully, and I told them that was what the same thing Embla had been doing when I told her she couldn't go on my back. Something seemed to click inside her, even though Ellert just thought that it was downright hilarious. They thought it was so funny, they forgot the crisis of Embla not wanting to walk, and then they saunterd on back to their home. After a lovely walk on the beach with my best friend Kate, who I was so blessed to have with me on this adventurous trip, eating lunch, and watching the Scenic Hawaii channel, it was time to go to the airport.
I was more than slightly terrified when I realized I would be driving them to the airport that day. I knew that I would need to get the way back down cold so I tried my best to listen to their instructions and pay attention to the road signs as we went. Kate was praying for me the whole time because we were both nervous about driving in all the Honolulu craziness. George directed me to his office on the Naval base in Pearl Harbor which was fun to finally see! Embla knew her way around that building so well.
Since they had separate flights, Arnheidur dropped off George first and then while I got to talk to my dearest of dear Mother back home, she drove us the the comissary, another shop. They must think we just love to shop! :-)
We took turns going into the store because the children were asleep. I went in with Arnheidur first, and purchased some lovely postcards and she bought an iPod that I will hopefully be able to set up for her while I am here. Then it was Kate's turn, and I happily sat in the car eating a snack while the children napped. Then, Ellert woke up screaming. I happended to be holding the remains of a mini Luna bar I was eating in my hand, and he saw it and screamed for some. I told him he had to calm down and stop screaming if he would like any. He did, and I broke him off a chunk. No dice. He screamed. And screamed and screamed. "NOOOO, A LOT!" he said, and thus began the fit that ensued the rest our time in the car. I on the other hand was not upset at him and was calm-I knew that I must be so if he has any chance of stopping the screaming. As if things in that little minivan couldn't get any worse, Embla, dazed and half asleep, got out of her seat and said, "I need go bathroom."
I grabbed a plastic bag that I had my postcards in, but before I could get her pants down, she went to the bathroom all over herself. Still trying my best to remain calm, I helped her take off her pants and dry off the carpet. Eventually Ellert stopped crying and calmed down, and asked very nicely for a banana, which I happily gave him. Then, as soon as he saw his Mommy coming to the car, get this-he SCREAMS at the top of his lungs. I mean, he had been calm for probably 5 minutes, and here he was, crying. I think that he felt like he hadn't gotten any sympathy for his outrageous fit from me so he'd try to get some from his Mother, which he did.
Then we dropped Arnheidur off and said goodbye. We were officially babysitting now! Someone called Heida kept on calling the phone, but we weren't sure if we should pick it up or not. Kate braved the highways as the driver and I was the navigator. For the most part, we did pretty well finding our way back to the house. We did miss the turn and got confused a couple of times, but we made it! After playing monkeys on the junglegym at the beach and jumping on the trampoline, we came inside and E & E watched a movie in Icelandic while we fixed dinner. Then, right before bed, Kate came over and said, "You know, that person that kept calling and calling....that must have been Arnheidur!!"
My heart almost stopped beating. Heida......arnHEIDur.....oh nuts!!! She must have called 6 times! How many things can I do wrong?!
I instantly called her back and she was so freaked out and nervous that we didn't answer her calls and understandibly so. I assured her that everything was going well and the children were not crying for her yet. She was glad to hear that. She then said that she would try to call at noon and at night each day to check in.
Embla put herself to bed but for Ellert, on the other hand, it took a good deal of coaxing and Kate driving him around the neighborhood listening to Icelandic Lullabies before he drifted off. Kate and I drifted off almost immediately. :-)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Hawaii-Saturday, Day One
The comfortable couches were made up for us to sleep on, and we slept like rocks. Until we both woke up at 3:30 AM Hawaii time (9:30 AM EST.) Kate easliy went back to sleep, but I lied there tossing and turning. I don't know if I slept or not, but boy was I glad to see the sky turning pink outside. I watched the sun rise, and then we read our bibles on our first day on Hawaii! Kate is reading through the Bible as well. Each day here I realize how very blessed I am to have her as my friend.
That morning at around 10 Embla had a birthday party at the big Waikiki Mall and so we all joined her at the Build-a-Bear workshop that the party was held. Kate and I set off to find an electronics store to buy some batteries for her camera, which took a while due to the enormity of the mall and included a nearly disastrous encounter with a salesman of 'dead sea' salt. :-) When we got back they were just getting through and then everyone except Arnheidur, Kate and I went to the food court. Arnheidur had wanted to show us around a real Japanese Market where there were all kinds of foods to choose from. If you ask me, I think it all looked the same-fried or boiled parts of U F O's (unidentified food objects!) wrapped in seaweed or a dough. It was interesting though, and I don't think that I have ever seen so many Japanese people before in one place at a time in my life!
When we met George and crew at the food court, we also met Rachel, the birthday girl, and her family. They are Filipino, and all the girls and women have the longest, most beautiful black hair I have ever seen! They were so kind, too.
We ate some of the U F O's from the Japanese Market as well as some clementines I had brought from their house. After lunch, we drove to Waikiki Beach in Honolulu and walked around looking at all the sights like the international market, where, as Arnheidur put it, "It's all trash; but you have to see the trash to say that you've been there!" We did find some souveneirs for our families back at home, and shortly after 200 games of 'I spy' with Embla we made our way up to the beginning of Diamond Head, where we would hike to the top of that beautiful green crater with plunging cliffs and crashing seas below them. Embla had on flip flops, which would be a problem for walking the rugged landscape, so I carried her on my back all the way up (except on the stairs), and most of the way down too. It was an excellent endurance workout for me, and she had fun.
Anyways......the view from the top was breathtaking. The clouds, the pacific, the beach, the green rolling hills and the mountains all rolled into one amazing panoramic view of God's marvelous creation. Once we got to the bottom, we all had a Hawaiian shave ice, like a snow cone but much, much bigger. Kate and I got a pineapple one to split. It was pretty good!
Afterwards our full day got even fuller because we got to go to the base grocery store, where they have excellent quality groceries for cheap! Kate and I picked out some things we wanted to have on hand for the week and discovered that we are alike in another way-salad! We both really enjoy eating it so we got several boxes of spinach and lettuce as well as some carrots and dressing. When we got home we were too worn out to eat anything much, and crashed at a fairly early time of 9:00.
That morning at around 10 Embla had a birthday party at the big Waikiki Mall and so we all joined her at the Build-a-Bear workshop that the party was held. Kate and I set off to find an electronics store to buy some batteries for her camera, which took a while due to the enormity of the mall and included a nearly disastrous encounter with a salesman of 'dead sea' salt. :-) When we got back they were just getting through and then everyone except Arnheidur, Kate and I went to the food court. Arnheidur had wanted to show us around a real Japanese Market where there were all kinds of foods to choose from. If you ask me, I think it all looked the same-fried or boiled parts of U F O's (unidentified food objects!) wrapped in seaweed or a dough. It was interesting though, and I don't think that I have ever seen so many Japanese people before in one place at a time in my life!
When we met George and crew at the food court, we also met Rachel, the birthday girl, and her family. They are Filipino, and all the girls and women have the longest, most beautiful black hair I have ever seen! They were so kind, too.
We ate some of the U F O's from the Japanese Market as well as some clementines I had brought from their house. After lunch, we drove to Waikiki Beach in Honolulu and walked around looking at all the sights like the international market, where, as Arnheidur put it, "It's all trash; but you have to see the trash to say that you've been there!" We did find some souveneirs for our families back at home, and shortly after 200 games of 'I spy' with Embla we made our way up to the beginning of Diamond Head, where we would hike to the top of that beautiful green crater with plunging cliffs and crashing seas below them. Embla had on flip flops, which would be a problem for walking the rugged landscape, so I carried her on my back all the way up (except on the stairs), and most of the way down too. It was an excellent endurance workout for me, and she had fun.
Anyways......the view from the top was breathtaking. The clouds, the pacific, the beach, the green rolling hills and the mountains all rolled into one amazing panoramic view of God's marvelous creation. Once we got to the bottom, we all had a Hawaiian shave ice, like a snow cone but much, much bigger. Kate and I got a pineapple one to split. It was pretty good!
Afterwards our full day got even fuller because we got to go to the base grocery store, where they have excellent quality groceries for cheap! Kate and I picked out some things we wanted to have on hand for the week and discovered that we are alike in another way-salad! We both really enjoy eating it so we got several boxes of spinach and lettuce as well as some carrots and dressing. When we got home we were too worn out to eat anything much, and crashed at a fairly early time of 9:00.
Arriving in Hawaii
It's a bit hard to believe, but I am on the beautiful Island of O'ahu, Hawaii! We (that is Kate and I) will be on the Island for 11 days babysitting my 2nd cousin's two children, Embla (5) and Ellert (2) while he and his wife are taking a vacation to the "Big Island." It has all been a whirlwind-I got the news of the possibility of the trip on Monday night, and left on Friday! I am going to post some excerpts from my journal since I didn't get on the internet at all until today.
After an uneventful 3 1/2 hour flight to the lovely Phoenix airport, Kate and I boarded our flight to Hawaii. The plane was pretty big, and we sat next to a guy named Michael who was from Alabama. He was, first off, rather socially deprived, having not had a normal friendly conversation his entire flight time, which included several layovers. He was visiting his brother in Hawaii and asked if Kate and I were Protestants because he saw the cross she was wearing. Well, we said, we are Christians, and go to a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church!
Finally, after flying for quite some time, I caught a glimpse of the beautiful Pacific Ocean shimmering thousands of feet below us. After getting quite bored watching Wall-E, using up nearly all the battery power my iPod could put out, and talking until we couldn't think of anything to say at all, we suddenly realized that when the Pilot had said we would arrive in Hawaii at 6:00, that would be their time, not Phoenix time. Oh, what a long, long flight! It makes one wonder how the Islands are part of the U.S. anyway! I won't even bother to tell you how hard it was to gauge the best time to venture out into the aisle to get to the bathroom. But it was so well worth it when we finally descended altitude and could see the peaks of the 'Big Island' visible in our window. Adrenaline rushed through our bodies when the Pilot announced that we were now descending to Honolulu! We snapped dozens of pictures out the window of the green mountains, turquoise waters, and sugar-white sand. We could even see George's home from the plane as we landed! The deliciously warm air, tinged with the scent of the tropical plants that grow all around the airport greeted us, as well as plenty of people dressed in native Hawaiian apparel and leis. We continued on in what we thought was more or less the right direction, and were very glad to see that we made it to the main terminal where we assumed George would be. But, minute after minute, we saw no sign of him, his wife, or his children. We refrained from panic, and somehow, even though we were quite exhausted, we just kept looking all around the large airport-in the baggage claim, the food court area, and, of course, all around the main terminal. However, we still were not able to find them. After an hour of searching, we were nearly at the end of our strength. We sat down out side the baggage claim, feeling a bit like when you are waiting on your ride and it seems everybody has a ride and gets picked up except you. Then, Kate remembered that we had George's cell phone number, but neither of us had one, and so she bravely walked over to a couple of Japanese guys and asked if they had a cell phone we could borrow. They didn't seem to understand- the one she aimed our request at just kept texting madly away on his BlackBerry. Finally, the guy standing next to him got his attention and he gave us the phone to use. I called George on it and he said he'd be there in just a minute. He also mentioned that he had left a message at my house saying that we were nowhere to be found in the Honolulu airport and that they weren't even sure if we made it to Phoenix. He said I should call and leave another message right away.
Oh GREAT, I thought, Mother and Father are going to be absolutely terrified! Then the news will make it to Barry Mountain......Oh.....Oh COCONUTS!!
But, I had no way of calling them because the Japanese guy's ride had come and he was waiting rather impatiently next to me to receive his CrackBerry back so he could continue to text.
Not 5 minutes later, George and Arnheidur appeared, and their children, Embla and Ellert, gave us some beautiful real flower leis made with snapdragons. They were all dressed in Hawaiian attire and Embla crafted a lovely banner for us. George went off to get the car, and while he was gone we were horrified to learn that when people pick you up at an airport, you usually meet them at the baggage claim. We explained that we didn't have any luggage, just carry-ons, and that we were looking for them in the baggage claim, and then Arnheidur said, "Well, you know, when you want to get to the right place, next time, just follow the crowd!
Oops. Okay, great! Well, this is a fan-diddly-tastic way to start off the trip where you're taking care of two children for, I thought to myself. Both of us were sufficiently mortified by the time George came with the car, and so we quickly got in. Arnheidur offered us some refreshing watermelon. We were much too tired, but they insisted on taking us to a really good chicken and rice place in the city, and I'm really glad that they did. :-) It was quite good, and we sat outside in the warm Hawaiian breeze while we ate our first meal of our Hawaii trip. After settling in on their comfy couches, we slept fitfully.
After an uneventful 3 1/2 hour flight to the lovely Phoenix airport, Kate and I boarded our flight to Hawaii. The plane was pretty big, and we sat next to a guy named Michael who was from Alabama. He was, first off, rather socially deprived, having not had a normal friendly conversation his entire flight time, which included several layovers. He was visiting his brother in Hawaii and asked if Kate and I were Protestants because he saw the cross she was wearing. Well, we said, we are Christians, and go to a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church!
Finally, after flying for quite some time, I caught a glimpse of the beautiful Pacific Ocean shimmering thousands of feet below us. After getting quite bored watching Wall-E, using up nearly all the battery power my iPod could put out, and talking until we couldn't think of anything to say at all, we suddenly realized that when the Pilot had said we would arrive in Hawaii at 6:00, that would be their time, not Phoenix time. Oh, what a long, long flight! It makes one wonder how the Islands are part of the U.S. anyway! I won't even bother to tell you how hard it was to gauge the best time to venture out into the aisle to get to the bathroom. But it was so well worth it when we finally descended altitude and could see the peaks of the 'Big Island' visible in our window. Adrenaline rushed through our bodies when the Pilot announced that we were now descending to Honolulu! We snapped dozens of pictures out the window of the green mountains, turquoise waters, and sugar-white sand. We could even see George's home from the plane as we landed! The deliciously warm air, tinged with the scent of the tropical plants that grow all around the airport greeted us, as well as plenty of people dressed in native Hawaiian apparel and leis. We continued on in what we thought was more or less the right direction, and were very glad to see that we made it to the main terminal where we assumed George would be. But, minute after minute, we saw no sign of him, his wife, or his children. We refrained from panic, and somehow, even though we were quite exhausted, we just kept looking all around the large airport-in the baggage claim, the food court area, and, of course, all around the main terminal. However, we still were not able to find them. After an hour of searching, we were nearly at the end of our strength. We sat down out side the baggage claim, feeling a bit like when you are waiting on your ride and it seems everybody has a ride and gets picked up except you. Then, Kate remembered that we had George's cell phone number, but neither of us had one, and so she bravely walked over to a couple of Japanese guys and asked if they had a cell phone we could borrow. They didn't seem to understand- the one she aimed our request at just kept texting madly away on his BlackBerry. Finally, the guy standing next to him got his attention and he gave us the phone to use. I called George on it and he said he'd be there in just a minute. He also mentioned that he had left a message at my house saying that we were nowhere to be found in the Honolulu airport and that they weren't even sure if we made it to Phoenix. He said I should call and leave another message right away.
Oh GREAT, I thought, Mother and Father are going to be absolutely terrified! Then the news will make it to Barry Mountain......Oh.....Oh COCONUTS!!
But, I had no way of calling them because the Japanese guy's ride had come and he was waiting rather impatiently next to me to receive his CrackBerry back so he could continue to text.
Not 5 minutes later, George and Arnheidur appeared, and their children, Embla and Ellert, gave us some beautiful real flower leis made with snapdragons. They were all dressed in Hawaiian attire and Embla crafted a lovely banner for us. George went off to get the car, and while he was gone we were horrified to learn that when people pick you up at an airport, you usually meet them at the baggage claim. We explained that we didn't have any luggage, just carry-ons, and that we were looking for them in the baggage claim, and then Arnheidur said, "Well, you know, when you want to get to the right place, next time, just follow the crowd!
Oops. Okay, great! Well, this is a fan-diddly-tastic way to start off the trip where you're taking care of two children for, I thought to myself. Both of us were sufficiently mortified by the time George came with the car, and so we quickly got in. Arnheidur offered us some refreshing watermelon. We were much too tired, but they insisted on taking us to a really good chicken and rice place in the city, and I'm really glad that they did. :-) It was quite good, and we sat outside in the warm Hawaiian breeze while we ate our first meal of our Hawaii trip. After settling in on their comfy couches, we slept fitfully.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Serving in Scripture
How we are commanded to serve from scripture:"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, and patient....." 2 Timothy 2:24
We are commanded to serve-
"........with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free."
Ephesians 6:7-8
The other day Galen and I were bemoaning the frequency of our having to refill Lillian and Zion's sippy cups. I came upon this verse-
"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:42
Enough said! This verse puts a whole new perspective on our daily tasks. Using the truth presented-yes, even changing that diaper or wiping that little nose can be a service unto the Lord. Wow.
"In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty." Luke 17:1
"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23-24
This was the official Bible verse for our Homeschool baseball team way back. It's been one of my favorite verses on the topic of serving ever since.
Artwork taken from allposters.com
Monday, March 2, 2009
Greatness is Serving
This year, my Mother, brother, and I decided to read through the Bible together in one year.Before we decided to begin reading the Bible in a year, I had experienced the wonderful benefits of filling my mind each day with the truth of God's word, but I have never been sure quite where to read. I always felt a bit 'lost'-I had read a few books through, and was reading a few Psalms each morning, but what I really wanted to start from the beginning and start to see the big picture the Bible so vividly paints.
My Mother and Galen are doing a neat program where you are e-mailed your portion of scripture for each day I decided am doing a program where you start reading a few verses per day in Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, and Matthew, then continue on from those starting points
This morning one of the passages I happened to be reading was Mark, Chapter 10. What struck me was verses 35-41, where Jesus was speaking to James and John about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom.
35 "Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
39 They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized;
40 but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”
41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.
42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
(emphasis mine)
It's amazing how the things that you will read in your daily scripture portions that speak to the heart of the problems you may have been struggling with. I am constantly amazed at the Lord's faithfulness to me.
Lately, I've been shown, through examples in scripture, and, most painful of all, in the words of one of my siblings-what a really selfish person I can be. How I want to have time for what I want to do, I want things to go according to my plan, I want full and complete recognition and affirmation for of all my good deeds, etc. etc.
And, if I don't get what I want....whatever it may be....well, let's just say it doesn't go over so well.
At all.
;-)
So I then realized my own deep need for a refresher course on the characteristics that we, as Christians, should be exemplifying in our daily lives.
So, starting tomorrow, I'll be posting some on the topic of serving using scripture as our guide.
Until then!
Artwork taken from Art.com
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