Over a month, already?!?

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since my last posting! For those of you who are avid readers, I apologize for my absence...I really will try harder this time around. However, keep in mind it's just life over here so there isn't usually much to report! Except the amazing weather, of course. Not to rub it in or anything. ;o)

Anyway, on with the show...

So, since I last posted, I started another part-time job. I am a gymnastics coach for young girls (and some boys!) ages 3 to about 7 or 8 at HITS (Hawaiian Island Twisters). I absolutely love my time spent there! Right now, I am helping out in the preschool class which is really just a bunch of playing with a little gymnastics thrown in. For example, cart wheels, balance beam and pullovers on the bar (with help from a coach, of course). It is amazing how fast kids will remember you, I already have kids coming up to me and saying, "You're my coach with Coach Carri and Coach Haylee!" Most don't quite remember my name, but to be fair, it can be a challenging name to say for those little ones.

This last Sunday (3/22), the gym held a Mini-Olympics, Seuss style. I was only able to help out in the afternoon due to my other job but it was fun to be there! The kids did 4 events: beam, vault (a springboard), floor and bars. The each had a certificate and at each event they would receive a score for how well they did. Of course, most scored at least a 9.5 no matter how they did! It was so cute to see how hard they were trying not only for themselves but for their coaches and parents who were watching, as well! At the end of the events, everyone received a medal and a little goodie bag to go home. All of the kids were ecstatic to receive their medal and all the parents were just beaming with pride for their little munchkins! It's so nice to be working in my element, again. I'm sure the job will have it's tiring moments but so far, it's fantastic and I hope to become a more permanent fixture at the gym, learning more and more about gymnastics and how to coach. Maybe I'll even be able to do the splits sometime soon! :o)

Most of the amazing coaches at HITS gym!











Coach Anne with some of her girls. I help coach the girl in the pink leopard leotard and the one wearing light pink and black.













Some of the boys at HITS...super cute!


I believe this is Katie...if this doesn't make you grin, I don't know what will!


A little handstand competition between several coaches. No, I did not compete, I can barely do one against the wall these days...but I'm sure gonna practice for next time!



Let's see....St. Patrick's Day was a fun night. I joined a friend of mine down at the annual block party in the Chinatown district where they close down the block and have live music, good food and cheap drinks all night. Well, til 10, then they bring it all inside. It was quite the sea of green with plenty of happy Irish wannabes. Haha, I didn't stay long, I just wanted to see what it was all about.

Just Tuesday (3/24) I went salsa dancing with Keesha, again! Two of her co-workers joined us and we had an absolute blast! I am becoming addicted to this fast-paced dance very quickly! I aim to go every Tuesday as it is so much fun, you meet a lot of great people/dancers and it's an excellent workout! I always warn my dance partners that I'm still a beginner but the good ones don't care and toss me about the dance floor, anyway! It is so much fun and the partners I had were so patient and relaxed, which in turn made me relax and easier to dance. As long as you can follow, they will lead you! One of Keesha's co-workers brought her boyfriend with, which was great because he is an amazing Latin dancer! He had me flying and flitting about on that dance floor like I was some professional dancer! We even showed up some of the regulars out there! Well, enough of me gushing about salsa dancing....for those of you who have not gone, yet, GO GO GO! You won't regret it!

I think that's just about it. Oh! I decided to start training to compete in a triathlon. As most of you know, I am not the world's best swimmer (I can hear you laughing from here, WILLOW!) so I am waiting for a friend of mine to return so he can help me train. He has competed in several so I'm hoping he can show me the ropes and I can be ready to compete in one in June. I'll let you know my progress once I start...

As always, I hope everyone is doing well back on the mainland, I've been trying to send sun over but I guess the order got mixed up and snow fell, instead. Oops!



Much love to you all!
K

As promised!

Finally, here are some pictures for you all to enjoy! I'll try to start taking more but here are a few for now...

My Bedroom

Bedroom shot # 2



Bedroom shot #3


My cute little bathroom...



Bathroom shot #2...


A view of the kitchen (there is a stove/oven and more counters hiding on the left)


The living room (looks much cleaner now!)


Our lanai that overlooks a beautiful park!


Last, but not least, a view from our little lanai! Love this place!!




Alright, that's all for now. Nothing new to report...I finished reading "The Friday Night Knitting Club" and definitely recommend it to other readers. I absolutely loved it. Being such a little reader, I eagerly picked up a couple more books and now have my nose buried in "The Secret Life of Bees". So far it's a great read, I'll keep you posted.

I hope all is well back on he mainland, spring is right around the corner! Yay!

Much love,
K

Time flies!

Wow, it's been a little while since my last update! Time really does fly when you're having fun and constantly on-the-go! I don't have much time to do an update, just wanted to check in with everybody and give some highlights...I gotta get up early tomorrow for work!

So, recap since last entry:

-Was very lucky to attend the Pro Bowl for FREE! It was a very fun experience, but I'm still amazed that the nose-bleed section tickets would have cost $80! Wow. My friend won them at some contest so all we paid for was, well...nothing. Woohoo! Best football game EVER.

-Got hired without a true interview at Kapalama Pet Hospital in Honolulu. It's about a mile away from where I live, roughly about a 20 minute walk. Fortunately, it's all downhill in the morning, the time when I don't have enough energy or excitement to even attempt to walk uphill. I start at 7:30 everyday but Mon and Thurs (those are my days off). Crazy, we're open on Sat. and Sun but only for a VERY short amount of time. And Wed we close early, too. All the girls there are absolutely hilarious, I'm already enjoying their company. It's a very small clinic with only 2 doctors, the staff is small, which makes it nice to get to know everybody. It's been a fairly easy transition so far, but I still ask a lot of questions on where things go, how to complete charts, etc. 36 hours a week to start! May need another super-part-time job to help fill in blanks...we'll see.

-I decided I really need a bike, I'm tired of the bus already. Especially after getting caught in a torrential downpour because I lack a military ID. Yeah, yeah, I should have known, but I didn't so I got booted off the bus and told to walk to a bus stop. In the pouring rain. I looked like a drowned rat. Awesome. All that after I missed my stop due to some yahoo talkin my ear off on the bus...whom I politely talked to but was unfriendly to try to clue him into the fact that I was interested. But nonetheless, I got a good laugh out of the whole ordeal. :o)

-Keesha and I have been hanging out more and getting to know each other better - we're always amazed at how much we have in common. Truly, at this point, we should just figure we're like sisters from different misters. Haha. Anyway, I enjoy her company more and more and am glad that we're roomies. Makes planning outings super easy!

-Malia took Keesha and I out salsa dancing this past Tuesday! We had a lot of fun, oddly enough, I didn't salsa all night. I did the machetta (sp?) and the merengue (sp?) a couple times. Malia is such a sweetheart and I very much enjoy her company, as well! I'm so lucky to have 2 awesome roommates!

-Still busy working on my tan but as all you pasties back on the mainland know, it's a work in progress!!

Alright, gotta truck it to bed...hope all is well back in the PNW, sending love to you all!
K

P.S. I know some of you are waiting for pictures...promise, I will get them up ASAP!!

Aloha!

So there hasn't been much going on since the last time I posted but I thought I could update everyone on what I've been doing during this beautiful weather...well, for the most part.

On Tuesday I had the great idea to find out where the libraries are so I can use the internet and printers to get my resume ready. It's only about a 5-10 minute walk from my place (although that's a very rough guesstimate...I don't pay attention to the time much around here) which I was very excited about. I had slept in that day and decided to take my time getting ready. I noticed sun streaming in through my bedroom window so I assumed it was nice outside. I dressed in some jeans, a cute tank and my slippahs. I was smart enough to bring a hoodie along for the ride, just in case. I head down the stairs and realize that I was very wrong about the weather so I quickly throw on the hoodie and continue on my adventure to the library. Let me just say that I think it was windy enough to have Auntie Em's house land on me!! I was being hurried along from behind from Mr. Wind, himself all the way to the library. Now, mind you, since I took my time getting ready, that also means I blow dried my hair. Hahaha. I soon realize that was pointless. After what seemed like the walk of a century, I finally arrive at my destination and apply for my sacred library card. Being ever so helpful the man behind the counter suggests I go grab my rental agreement to prove I live here so my card will be free (versus $10). I agree that would be the best decision and head back out into the blustery, drizzly, but very warm weather. I get home and there I stay. For the remainder of the day.

Yesterday I woke up all gung-ho for the library. I really wanted to get started passing out resumes to potential employers. I rise early, go for a morning run (up the same never-ending hill) and realize what a nice day out it is! I hurry home, shower and throw on a bikini, telling myself that I'll go to the library and get something done and head to the beach. I say screw the rental agreement and just pay the $10 visitor fee. I'm in a hurry to get to the beach at this point! Just when I think I'll be fairly productive I'm foiled by the lousy internet. At this point, I say screw it, again, and head down to the beach!! I stop at Ala Moana Center and purchase some delicous mochi (they make it fresh in the food court, it's amazing!), some coffee from Starbucks and a half a sandwhich. By the time I make it to the beach the clouds have come in ever so slightly. A little bummed but not deterred, I spread out my towel and cozy up to a new book (just started "The Friday Night Knitting Club" for those of you curious as to what I'm reading). After a couple hours, when the sun has began to sink a little, I head out to find some fleece. I want to make a no-sew blanket for my roomie who had mentioned she got a little chilly the other night. I make it to Fabric Mart. Wow. I've never seen a fabric store like it! Two stories. And all the Hawaiiana print you could ever imagine! But. The fleece selection is lacking and after I "ooo" and "ahhh" over all the pretty tropical cottons, I head out. Back to the bus...and back home.

On my way home, my friend Charles calls me and we plan to meet up for dinner. He picks me up and we go down to Chinatown to a little French (yay Julia!) restaurant called Du Vin. I ordered the grilled fish du jour (which just so happened to be Ahi!) and had a glass of delicious Syrah from Down Under. We catch up over bread and wine and then he shows me a little more of Chinatown. For the second time, First Friday is mentioned. It's where the art galleries stay open late and serve wine and all the bars get crazy like! I'm pretty excited that First Friday is right around the corner!

So. That brings me up to today. I woke up bright and early (well, early for me!) and dress in my business outfit. I emailed several Craigslist postings and then locate a nearby Kinko's to make copies of my Resume and Letter of Recommendation. I get the bus figured out but what I failed to remember was how the nice heels I happened to wear give me very nice blisters. After walking on them for just under 10 minutes I'm already eager to throw them out the bus window. Sigh. Too late to go back home and grab slippahs to wear in between dropping resumes off so I grin and bear it. First stop was to Hawaii Athletic Club - seemed very swanky and a very fun place to work! After that I head over to the mall and drop off a resume at Honolulu Coffee Company where I get an interview on the spot! Next Tuesday. Sweet deal. I then head down to Waikiki and drop off a few more resumes before I call it a day. My poor feet can only take so much! But all in all, I think I did well.

Tomorrow shall be another day of dropping of resumes, at least for a couple hours. If it happens to be nice outside I will most definitely be spotted on the beach. And then it'll be time for First Friday!

I'll let you know how Friday night goes, I'm sure I will have some stories!!!

Much love to you all back on the mainland-
K

Whirlwind days!

I know you've all been anxious to start reading what I've been up to so I finally made time this morning to sit down and do a little update!

Well, I finally made it to my beloved islands! Safe and sound. I stayed the first couple nights with my roommate's parents over in Kaneohe. It was so generous of them to open their house up to me, a perfect stranger! They are both very kind people and even fed me an omelet one morning. That's when I learned ALL about the omelet maker. I must purchase one of these...

Thursday (1/29), is where all the fun begins! Malia, my new roomie (and the one that owns the condo), picked me up from the airport and we went to the Ala Moana mall to get a bite to eat before going over to the her parent's place. We ran another quick errand and then I lugged all my suitcases into the house and passed out. But only for a half hour because friends started calling and that's when all my crazy days started! Haha. I went to the movies on Thursday night with Robert and Joe. We saw Slumdog Millionare. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, actually but there were some slow parts in it. I recommend seeing it for sure, it's a well-done film.

Friday, I slept in a little and Malia dropped me off at the beach on her way to work. I was very grateful for that as I wasn't sure I could figure out the bus schedule in time. So Friday I spent the day in the sun at Ala Moana beach and went over to the mall to look around a little bit. I then decided that I should walk to Waikiki and look around over there! I was on some kind of walking spree, I tell ya! I don't know what got into me but I decided to just walk everywhere and check everything out. I really need to invest in a pedometer so I can see just how many miles I walk a day! After Malia got off work, we buzzed over to one of her friend's place so they could work on a salsa lesson they would be teaching at a private party. Her friend, Tully (spelling?) was so much fun! He has a little puppy named Sophie. Just about one of the cutest Mexian rats I've ever met. Haha, sorry, for those of you that don't know, I lovingly call Chihuahuas Mexican rats. In any case, after that was done, we drove back to her parents' place and I crashed for the night. WoooeeeI was tired.

Saturday we woke up early and she let me borrow her car for the day (in case you hadn't figured it out, yet, she rocks!) so I could move into the condo later that afternoon. We drove over to the condo together and she reminded me not to leave the keys in the car as the car locks itself. I tucked that away for future reference as we climbed the stairs to the condo. One of the previous tenants was still moving out so I just got to look at it for quick moment and then move in later. SO, Robert invited me to go for a morning ride with him and a couple of his biker friends. I agreed and asked Malia for directions to Mililani (about a 20-25 min. drive from my condo). I grabbed a piece of paper outta the car and she gave me directions to Mililani. Whoooops. Guess who suddenly realized the keys were in the car?? Yup, Ms. Braniac. Oh geez, way to start off the day. So she called her brother and he came and brought a spare key for me, which was very nice of him. Phew! So, off I go to Mililani for the morning ride.

The ride was absolutely beautiful! I got to meet a couple of the guys Robert works with and rode with Tim (been riding bikes for several years). We rode all around the island - took us about 3 hours total. I really enjoyed all the scenery and the pitstops and of course, the company! I had a blast. After the ride, I raced back to the condo to move all my crap in. I was so excited I did a happy dance in my empty room. The UFC fights were on later that night so I freshened up and drove back to Mililani to catch the BJP vs GSP fight. Oh, talk about domination! GSP won, of course. I mean, I love BJP but he was up against one of the greatest fighters around! After the fight, all the guys wanted to go downtown so I was given the DD roll. I was happy to oblige as I got to drive Joe's little Tiburon around. Not as fun as I thought it would be but, it's always fun to drive different cars. We ended up at Moose McGillycuddy's (a bar with a dance floor) downtown and stayed there for the rest of the night. It was fun to people watch and get to know the other guys a little bit better. I didn't end up getting home til SUPER late so I crashed...

Yesterday was my day of errands. I know, how silly seeing how the Superbowl was on! I left the house at noon and didn't get home til about 7. It was a FULL day or errands! I purchased sheets for my bed, a really pretty and fuzzy blanket to keep me warm (believe it or not, it does cool down a little bit at night and I keep my window open to feel that nice breeze!) and all the Walmart necessaties. My goodness there are a lot of people at that Wally World! After I got home, my other roomie, Lakeesha, and I walked down to Foodland so I could get some groceries. We had a great time, laughing almost the whole time! When we came back we did a mad kitchen cleaning spree to get rid of old things in the fridge and cupboards and then chatted for a little while before going to sleep.

And now that brings us up to today, Monday!!

I haven't done much, yet, cleaned a little more in the kitchen since all the cupboards and counters felt all grimy like. But the plan is to start searching for a job, go for a run and possibly hop down to the beach for a little while. I don't have much of a tan yet (if I even have any color) so I still look like a tourist.

Hope all is well back on the mainland, I will try to keep this a little more updated than I am now!

Alohaz-
K