Camping 101

1. It is a bad idea to stop for groceries at the Dominicks that is celebrating it's grand re-opening after a total demolish/rebuild process.

2. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is a VERY charming town, but if you are there to camp and don't arrive until 2:30 pm, it's best not to get lured into the boutiques because...

3. Cooking in the dark is very difficult.

4. Bring an ax to chop firewood to desired size.

5. Locate kindling BEFORE it gets dark.

6. Foil dinners should be at the bottom of the fire, not the top.

7. Crunchy foil dinners don't taste very good.

8. Giant roaster marshmallows are too big for normal people

9. 35 degrees F is VERY COLD. VERY VERY COLD. Bring winter garb, not fall. And wear at least 3 layers of it on every part of your body.

10. If you are an urban dweller in a relatively secluded site and a car pulls into the campsite next to yours around 10:30 pm, and then doesn't really do much in the way of setting up a tent or scuttling around the site, and especially if you are three women, it's wise to sleep with a baseball bat in the tent with you.

11. Pee immediately before entering the tent. Especially if it is 35 degrees F.

12. Cooking Pilsbury buiscuits in a cast iron skillet over an open fire is completely doable and quite delicious. So is scrambling eggs over an open fire with a fork.

13. Farkle is a really fun game, even if you teach your friends how to play and then they smoke you. (repeatedly) Have dice at all times. Remove gloves for best rolling technique.

14. Smoke stings your eyes. Bring protective eyeware, like goggles.

15. It is ok to eat s'mores following any meal. Including breakfast. (A s'more with 1/2 a giant roaster marshmallow is pictured.)

Mt Nittany

Well I have made it through the first week at Mt Nittany, which was a was a week of orientation. Orientation was a bit boring, listening to speaker after speaker after speaker but I am impressed that they make such an effort to educate their new employees as much as possible about policies and procedures. I had a chance to meet some people up on my floor and get my schedule for the next 6 weeks. I am going to be working the evening shift (3pm-11pm) five days a week. I have met some very nice people who are working on the same floor as me, although on a different shift. Starting Monday I will be meeting with my preceptor and being assigned patients. I'm very excited! I took this picture on my way to work this week.

The trees have started changing already, it still seems early but the maples are all shades of yellow, red and orange and the ashes have started turning deep purple. It is quite picturesque looking out over the farms in the foggy mornings and seeing the beginning signs of fall. I cannot wait until it is pumpkin, cider and turkey time! There are not any u-pick apple orchards near us, but there is a fruit farm where we can fill bags with fresh picked apples. Mike and I went last week and ended up with 6lbs of apples. I tried my hand at some applesauce--it turned out really well and was a lot easier than I was anticipating--and today I am going to give apple turnovers a try, making my own puff pastry and all (eek).

White Mts Sept 2010

We've headed East to visit family and spend a week in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Our first stop was in State College PA to see Mike and Laura, all settled in to their town house. Everything was neat and tidy until we showed up and unloaded a slew of odds and ends, including lamps, pickles, and curtains, and other. We didn't make it to the Creamery before heading off to Huntington on Long Island, so we'll have to make another visit.

We had a great visit in New York with some sprawling and funny conversations, a blustery boat outing, some special almond cake, and a walk out on Lloyd Neck to Target Rock.

We left Saturday morning on 9/11 with beautiful weather and no traffic. Unfortunately, Sunday dawned with an overcast sky and fog inthe mountains. We hiked anyway on a trail up to Zealand Falls, a trip made 30+ years ago with Barb's and Blue's families. It was a nice easy hike to get broken in on, and on the way back we came across a moose calmly gazing in a ponnd along the path. No problem. The moose was to busy to bother with us. We hiked again on Monday at Hedgehog Mt and "The Flume", discovering some interesting geology and tenacious trees growing on boulders. More to come.

New Pursuit

Ever since college I have been itching to learn the West African djembe drum. No campfire, lounge on the academic mall, or college-style hymn sing was complete without a guitar and a djembe. And since guitar turned out to be harder than I planned, I yearned for the djembe all the more. I could have just bought one and been done with it, but I knew that without knowing how to play it, it would sit unused.

Soon after moving to Chicago I discovered one of my all-time favorite things in the city: The Old Town School of Folk Music. (Some of you might remember the belly dancing and vocal jazz..) Sure enough, they offer djembe classes for adults! I finally signed up in 2008 after quitting Language Stars, but ended up cancelling my reservation for lack of finances. This summer came around, however, and the djembe called.

My first class was last week. I am renting a drum from the school for the duration of the class, and when I went to pick it up, I couldn't keep the smile off my face I was so excited! I could just see myself swaggering around town toting this mystical drum, bringing it along to parties and picnics to add to everyone's entertainment.. The guy put the beautiful drum in its case and handed it over to me... And I staggered under its weight!! I had no idea these drums were so heavy!

On my way down the narrow staircase to my classroom with the giant drum slung over my shoulder, I should have had a sign on my chest that said WIDE LOAD. Every time I turned a corner I knocked the thing into the wall. Thank goodness I didn't have far to go. And so much for my vision of my bada** self carrying a drum. For a visual, click here. Then, of course, once I actually get the thing up onto my shoulders, it hits me in the back of the thighs and lolls awkwardly from side to side. Maybe it just takes practice.

Once inside the classroom, however, things improved. There are 7 people in my class with varying levels of experience, and we get to drum together for an hour and 20 minutes. Music therapy research has shown that steadily drumming a variety of rhythms can lower blood pressure, increase the level of oxygen in the blood, and regulate breathing and heart beat. Sign me up!

More stories to come. For now, I'm enjoying my lovely djembe and wondering if my playing is annoying to my downstairs neighbors (who are also my landlords). I hope they tell me before they evict me.

At sea.

After all that hurricane anticipation, Long Island (our end, anyway), didn't even get a drop of rain! By some miracle, we woke up Saturday morning to a divine summer/fall day. Today we planned to spend a leisurely afternoon on Uncle Blue's sailboat. There was a benefit concert at the lighthouse, so we motored over and anchored in a prime spot to hear the music. Then we farkeled and watched all the drama unfold as boat after boat cruised in to find a "parking" spot. One guy was particularly obnoxious when he let out about of mile of line on his anchor and then shooed everyone else away from his area because they were prone to swinging. Uncle Blue's friend decided to park in his berth anyway, despite the verbal abuse that was being slung out over the water. Uncle Blue hopped into the dingy and rowed over to help his friend.

Gram, Aunt Barby, Alison and I farkeled. Until suddenly I looked up to see a giant, 3-story power boat cut right across our bow, and as he chugged along, suddenly we were chugging along with him. "He's got our line!" I cried out. Aunt Barby jumped up and ran to the bow just as the tip of Uncle Blue's boat smashed into the side of the giant "Sir Speedy," shattering the window. The driver realized by that time what had happened and cut the engine while his freshly manicured wife, Aunt Barby, and I fended our boats off of each other. Uncle Blue rowed back, and some other good sams sped over to see if they could help. One of them dove under several times to try to loosen our anchor line from Sir Speedy's propeller, but it was too late. We were hopelessly entangled. We waited for the towboat to come bail us out. Finally they did and a diver went under to loosen the line. The line was cut through, but luckily he was able to tie the ends together so Uncle Blue could recover his brand new $600 anchor... phew.

Just another day, folks. Just another day.

Caitlyn vs. Earl

I'm spending Labor Day weekend on Long Island. Aunt Barby just reminded me today that Hurricane Earl is scheduled to arrive at the same time I will. Stellar timing, Earl.

Move along.

New first tonight. I was asked to leave a restaurant. Raise your hand if you've ever been asked to leave a restaurant. Not because I was rowdy, or vulgar, or rude. Nope. Because I sat too long. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, apparently it is no longer acceptable to sit and chat leisurely at a restaurant.

After we had finished our meal, she brought us the check. In 5 minutes she came back and asked us if we were all set. I said no. She went away. In 15 more minutes she came back and asked us if we were all set. I said no. She went away. In 15 more minutes she came back and informed us that there was quite a long line of people waiting for a table and we would have to settle up and move on. We were there exactly 2 hours from the time we sat down.

Is that unreasonable? I'm offended.

How does your organic milk rate?

http://cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/Ratings_Alphabetical.html

The Cornucopia Institute conducted an evaluation in March 2010 rating many brands of organic milk to see who was actually practicing what they were preaching and who was bending the rules to make an extra buck on the organic trend.

As it turns out, the only organic brand my local grocer stocks (Horizon) was one of the lowest scoring brands in the study. Now I have to shop around for a new place to buy milk.

How does yours compare?

NCLEX

I PASSED!!!

Luck

While walking down the moonlit street tonight on my way home, I was overwhelmed by a giant yawn that seemed to come up from my very toes. At the exact moment my yawning mouth was at its widest, a moth fluttered into my cheekbone.

If that's not luck, I don't know what is.

U-Pick Michigan Peaches

Linda and I made a run up to Holland MI last Sunday (8/15/10) to see the Wolthuis' and stop by Crane's orchard to pick some peaches. We were able to get raspberries and blackberries (the size of walnuts!), but Crane's was closed, having been picked out on Saturday. Well, this is peak peach pickin' time, so I guess that happens, and the weather was great on Saturday, besides. But we couldn't let the peach season roll by without a chance to pick some, so we went back up today, 8/19, with another week of ripening to replenish for U-Pick. We hit pay dirt with All Star peaches ready for harvest, some the size of grapefruit and explosively juicy when eaten in the orchard! Trouble is, you eat one and you're full. Here are some pictures. We'll be sharing them with Caitlyn.

Passport Control

After a rushed application to beat the price hike for renewing a passport, I finally received my brand new passport in the mail. Now if I need to quickly leave the country, I'm prepared. Sadly, however, they did not return my trusty old one. That little guy saw me through a lot. All those pretty stamps, gone. My student visa for Chile, and more importantly the receipt showing that I had paid the $100 tax for Americans to enter the country, gone. Now next time I go I'll have to pay it again. I suppose once every 10 years isn't so bad.

Still, I'll miss that guy.

Upstairs

Moving upstairs, the office or second bedroom is directly to the right after you ascend the stairs. We still need to put the bulletin board up (but we have to borrow a drill first) and Mike is planning to put shelves above his desk. The office is also the sewing room, thanks Mom for sending the user's manual!







The 'master bathroom' is directly in front of you at the top of the stairs. It's not very big but it works.






Finally, the bedroom. It looks a lot bigger without all the boxes. Again, more art needed.













We had to invest in a few pieces of furniture but fortunately, there is a place about 15 mins away that sells refurbished furniture for huge discounts. They're donated and refurbished by inmates from the local prison (where the executions are held in PA, as Mike told me). Mike got the dresser in our bedroom for something like $25, there are some scratches and the drawers are a little stiff to open but it works. The piece in the living room is in great condition and was only $69. Today is our first pick-up with our CSA! I may need some creative recipes for things we, I'll let you guys know.

My new home

I know you all have been sitting at the edges of your seats, waiting for me to post pictures of our new place. Finally, all our pictures are up, I've organized 90% of our things and cleaned.

This is our living room, obviously we need some more art.
This is the kitchen; due to the lack of counter and drawer space, we had to invest in a kitchen island and a storage shelves.













And our 1/2 bath between the kitchen and living room.

A Horrendous State of Affairs

Fully aware that the majority of this blog's readers do not fit into the same demographic as me (namely: marital status), I am going to take it upon myself to serve as a both a representative and reporter on the HORRENDOUS state of affairs in the dating world.

For those who don't know, I joined e-Harmony a few months ago because, despite being a socially active person, I am experiencing a man-drought. By that, I mean that my regular weekly schedule (work, classes, church, friend-gatherings, etc) are filled with women. The few, sparse men around are either a) married, b) in serious relationships, c) not in my age/education bracket, or d) gay.

There must be single men out there, there must! I thought. And so I joined e-Harmony determined to expand my horizons. In the ensuing months, I did some soul-searching and went on a variety of dates. Most led nowhere. One led to creepy text-harrassment and an exasperated facebook post. After sorting through hundreds of profiles where 90% of men claimed that the things they were most passionate about in life were a) succeeding in their careers and/or b) working out and/or c) their loyalty to this or that sports team, a few well-meaning friends wondered aloud if I had answered a question wrong in the intake process.

Despite the aforementioned challenges, I've labored on. Tuesday I put in my time on the site (yes, it's started to feel like a job). Mike the Sailor got the ax after several email exchanges of rapid-fire interrogation. He finally said, "Is there anything else I haven't asked yet that I should probably know about you?" (We hadn't even met yet.) To which I replied, "Most likely, but isn't that part of the natural getting-to-know-each other process?" I was thinking, That's the kind of question you ask to a sales rep who's selling you an insurance plan or a vacuum cleaner. To which he replied, "What about you would make you difficult to live with?" Close.

Shortly thereafter, while filtering through profiles, I was horrified by this guy who's first photo was normal, but in his second photo he was making out with his dog. We're talking full mouth-to-mouth. I immediately threw up, and then closed.

Then the guy with a mike in one hand, a pint in the other, clearly wasted and a caption that read "Me singing drunken karaoke." Close.

Then the guy with the close-up artsy photo of his face at a side angle and the joint cropped out of the photo. Close.

Then I decided that since I wasn't having so much luck on e-Harm, I was going to try making connections in the real world. I challenged myself to smile at one man every day as I went about my day. Guess what happened.. no one will make eye contact with me! Everyone is in their own world, reading, with headphones on, intently typing away on their blackberries, etc. We are not doing ourselves any favors here, folks.

Next, I decided to look for a hiking/outdoorsy group to meet some new people with like interests. Guess what happened.. The majority of those folks are older, and the ones that are my age are... 75% women.

Where are the normal men? Where are they? And what ON EARTH has happened to the ones I've come into contact with? Is something going on with the men of my generation? Things are looking bleak. Very bleak.

Any theories/research are welcomed.

Shoe Update

The Merrells are great, though they are all black. (Good idea on the black/brown combo idea, Jen.)

Earth Shoes are a no-go. Sorry, Earth. Negative heel technology is not my thing.

Winter boots have not yet arrived.

My feet are happy. They are celebrating with red toenail polish.

Shoes.

I do not like shoes. I realize that according to Sex & the City and their whole following that as a 27-year old, urban woman I am supposed to spend the majority of my paycheck on, fantasize about, go into debt over, and otherwise go gaga for SHOES. But alas, this is not the case for me. Shoes stress me out. However, I have reached a cross-road. Multiple pairs of shoes are literally falling apart on my feet. I'm starting to feel like I should be embarrassed to be wearing them. Not to mention what kind of havoc they are wreaking on my feet.

It is time. Especially considering my new health care plan excludes any coverage for foot care. But where to begin?

First of all I feel overwhelmed by the conundrum of style vs. comfort. As someone who's been blessed with flat-as-a-pancake feet (thanks, Dad), I have a few limitations. The last few times I wore heels for an extended period of time (aka: a day), I ended up with the balls of my feet so swollen and painful that I had to ice them and sleep elevated. I came to the conclusion that heels are bad. Research supported this. And I threw away the shoes that resulted in ice/elevation.

So flats. My dream (I'm serious) is to have one pair of everyday shoes. However, I have determined that you have to have at least 4 pairs if you are a woman and have to dress up and down on a full-year basis-- 1 pair of winter boots, 1 pair of sandals, 1 pair of fall/spring shoes, 1 pair of tennis shoes. I forgot about having black, brown, or maybe some other color. Now I'm up to at least 6. I already have tennis shoes. Thank goodness.

Considering my post from last winter about my duct taped boots, the fact that my dressy flats have holes along the seam of both heels, and the fact that my winter boots probably wore out because I wore them practically every day in the fall and spring too since I've never had a good pair of that season's shoes, I had some serious work to do.

I placed 3 orders tonight. Three whole pairs of shoes. I'm a little bulemic in the shoe department. I've been shoe-starved for so many years, that I have to binge now. Winter boots and two pairs of sandals -- Earth Shoes and Merrells. I'm exhausted. However, I am determined to give up buying cheap shoes that hurt my feet. Hopefully these new brands will treat me well. And then the next step is clearing out the closet of all those cheap shoes I never wear because well, they hurt my feet.

And I think it's official. My thirties are just around the corner.

NCLEX

I received my authorization to test today. I had to receive it before I could schedule my exam. I am set to take it at 4pm on Sat. Aug 21 in Pittsburgh. Fingers crossed that I pass! I'm already nervous.

How Toby Stole the Show

Toby's show stopping moment at the wedding!

Back on the Mainland

We got back from Kaua'i on Monday after a full day/night of traveling. Our Na Pali Coast kayak trip was spectacular. We had great guides and beautiful views the whole way. Our trip began at 6am sharp. We had to meet the group at the shop to sign the release forms, payment and to get all our belongings in dry-bags for the journey, take seasickness medication, as well as hand over our dry clothes and towel for after the kayak. Then we set off to Ha'ena Beach Park to unload the trailer, get some safety and paddling instructions and to launch. We were fortunate to have such calm seas for our trip and despite our fears, Mike and I didn't argue once. We actually made a great paddling team.

We entered 3 or 4 sea caves, a couple with swimming breaks. We were fortunate to see several sea turtles and even a family pod of Spinner Dolphins, complete with babies! The shoreline took our breaths away and it just kept getting better and better as we went along. We would both turn and look back and be overwhelmed by its beauty. The trip was a total of 17miles of paddling and we went 12 miles before lunch and we couldn't wait for the break. The food was good and the naps refreshing. Our break was 1.5 hrs long before we set off again for the remaining 5 miles to Polihale Beach. The last leg was the hardest, mostly because we were in direct sun the whole way and because we were staring at the beach for 4 miles without it looking any closer. After more turtle sightings we made it ashore, lugged our kayaks up the beach to the trailer and took a well deserved shower. Fresh water never felt so good and then to be DRY! We had been soaked through from the waist down pretty much the whole way (you couldn't stop some swells from crashing into the boat)

We were grateful for polarized sunglasses as they kept the glare off the water and allowed us to actually see the depths below for this same reason. We were also grateful for the wonderful sunscreen we had (zinc oxide). At the end we had a sunburn contest and Mike had pink tops of his feet, the tops of my legs were a little pink and the guy who won looked like a cooked lobster. He'd already taken advil because of pain and I imagine the rest of his time in Kaua'i was not very pleasant. I think Mike and I are probably the only people who go to Hawaii, swim, snorkel, stay out in the sun and don't get burned our much darker than we were when we started.

When we loaded up and started off, I realized why we'd taken the seasickness medication. It wasn't for the kayaking it was for the car ride back. On the map you'll see a brown road that says 'rough road' they're not kidding. People were pulled over with flats, busted axles, you name it. It took 2 hrs to get back to the shop in Hanalei because the highway only goes 3/4 of the way around the island. The Na Pali Coast is a protected national park so there is absolutely no road access, which means we had to drive all the way around the island. We came ashore around 5:30pm, hit the road around 6pm and arrived in Hanalei at just after 8pm. During the drive, we were astounded to hear one of our guides calling people for a midnight kayak to Kalalau Beach (the end of the 11mi Na Pali hike) for camping and partying for the full moon. WHAT?? We just kayaked 17mi and you want to add another 6? and partying? A true Hawaiian. We're sure he went and partied. Mike and I, however, got back to the room around 8:30, ate some dinner and were asleep by 9:30pm. Exhausted.


The next morning we were sore, but we decided to go snorkeling for our last day. Having already used 4 underwater cameras we decided not to buy another. MISTAKE. The snorkeling at Tunnels Beach was phenomenal, the best yet and we were swimming with sea turtles, not more than 3 ft away. Nice. The coral and fish were also the best we had seen. Too bad. We don't have any documentation of it, but we swear it happened. We watched another spectacular sunset at Ke'e Beach and then returned to pack.

After watching the sunrise at Anini Beach, we checked out Sunday morning but didn't have a flight until Sun late afternoon. So we went to a local farmer's market (mostly fruit, handmade crafts, and clothes) bought a couple things, had lunch and drove to Wailua Falls. On the way I spotted the only wildlife we hadn't seen on Kaua'i yet. Monk seals! They were beautiful, complete with a rainbow for our fond send off. Then we headed to the airport and bade Kaua'i farewell. Our flights were fine and we even glimpsed the full moon as we flew out of O'ahu. Wow. We couldn't get any pictures but we took some night shots on Kaua'i I thought I'd share.

Waimea Canyon

Tuesday we went to a lu'au at the Kilohana plantation that included a show. Since we had already been to the lu'au at the Polynesian Cultural Center on O'ahu, we were comparing the two. We had great seats for the show and the dinner was really good. Overall, we felt the show at the Polynesian Cultural Center was better but the food between the two were comparable. The fire dances were by far the best part.

Wednesday we got up early and drove to the South Shore to hike Waimea Canyon. Mike had gone through the guide book and found a couple he was interested in and we decided to find out about the trail conditions from the rangers before making a final decision. The one he was most interested in was 11.3 mi--including the 2mi hike back to the car because it wasn't a complete loop. We decided to do just the first and longest part, which was the Nu'alolo trail. As we were told by the ranger, this was the most difficult trail in Waimea because it's 1500ft of elevation you lose at the beginning...and has to be done at the end. Going steeply downhill didn't seem to bad at first, but your legs tire pretty quickly. We had some spectacular views of the canyon, spires and ocean, but the best was the last 0.5mi of the 3.8mi trail. This trail had you walking on the tip top of the mountains to a lookout point. I was petrified, especially because the trail is mostly loose, crumbly rock. But it was worth it. The view was amazing. We could see the Na Pali Coast stretching out before us and the canyon swallowing helicopters one by one. Thank goodness for the gorillapod because we were able to get some shots with the gorillapod wrapped around a bent sign.


The way back was HARD, we were going uphill nearly the entire way, with the steepest part at the very end. We ran out of water and were glad that we hadn't done the extra 4 miles. Something we both noticed was the quiet. We only saw 8 other hikers on this trail, all but one hiking in as we were hiking out. We stopped a few times and just listened and all you could hear were the sounds of the birds, the wind in the trees and the buzzing of bees. Occasionally there would be helicopter noise from an air tour but there was absolutely no road noise. Our feet were pretty torn up by the end of the hike and we were tired, but we still made it to a few lookout points to get a glimpse of the other parts of the canyon.


The first lookout we went to, we noticed that it looked like it was raining, but when we got up to it, there wasn't any rain. Then Mike proclaimed 'we're in a cloud!' Cool, except we couldn't see anything. At all. However, for a brief moment, like Avalon appearing out of the mist we could see some of the canyon and snapped a few shots to prove we were actually there. The other lookouts were far more rewarding. We were also able to get some great shots of the sunset last night, the sky was crimson and beautiful, and being inspired we decided to get up early to see the sunrise. Didn't work out the way we planned. We thought we'd go to Kilauea Lighthouse but it was closed and we could see beautiful sky, but no sun. So we raced to another beach that was 20mins away. We caught the tail end and unfortunately saw a wild pig fall victim to the morning commute. (It was gone when we were coming back so I'm thinking someone was having Kalua--pit roasted--pork for dinner). We tried for the sunset tonight, but rain clouds prevented another stunning night like last night, so we'll have to try again. Tomorrow is the Na Pali Kayak trip...gulp. Only waterproof cameras for that one though, so we'll all be waiting to see how they turn out.

Kaua'i

We are now 8 days in to our 11 day honeymoon, having arrived in Kaua'i on Sunday. It was raining but as we drove on the weather cleared and we were shown the beauty and majesty of the North Shore Mountains. After early check-in (we couldn't go to the room because we were 3 hrs too early), we drove to Hanalei Bay and walked along the beach, then drove back and went grocery shopping. Our hearts stopped briefly upon seeing the final price at check-out. Our room is glorious, once again. We have a full kitchen, spectacular view of the mountains from our living/dining room windows and a full porch. The entire complex is open air and we have heard many a rooster crowing at all hours. I will say though, they are beautiful and thanks to some ear plugs and Mike being a heavy sleeper we have not been woken once by a 'cock-a-doodle-doo!' at 1am. (Our view)

Day 2 of Kaua'i we decided to do a hike to the Hanakapi'ai Beach and falls, 4 mi one way and the start of the Kalalau Trail (the famous Na Pali Coast hike). Thanks to Rocky Mt training, we were at the trailhead early and fortunate to get a parking spot at Ke'e Beach Park. The trail started with a steep incline, leveling out and offering a SPECTACULAR view of Ke'e beach within 1/2 mi. Eventually, we started on a decline with amazing views and unbelievable ocean blues, only to find ourselves sinking into Kaua'i's famous red mud. Our shoes were heavy with it, our legs stained from it and our muscles quivering from slipping and sliding down the slope. We met some people along the hike, Heinekens in hand and pack full of more who became our unofficial photographers. We forded a river, relieving our feet of the mud weights, and were greeted by a pleasant beach with crashing waves. A sign earlier had warned of the dangerous surf with a tally of the number of people who had been killed--it was over 20. Before and after:


We didn't linger long, but continued the next 2 mi to the falls. It was a loooong 2 mi, complete with 4 river crossing, questionable trail markings, a lot more mud and narrow paths. We were able to see the falls about a 3/4 mi away and it seemed like we'd never get there. Many people passed us and assured us it was worth it and they were true to their word. When we finally reached the falls, our breaths were taken away. A 300ft cascading fall with a glistening rock wall cool blue pool, and our beer drinking comrades were waiting for us. Mike took a dip, I did not due to reports that it was very cold.

Then the really hard part. Going back. We lost the trail and crossed the river a couple extra times before finding the trail again. Amazingly, the few hours of sunshine were enough to completely dry out the trail and we made short work of the journey back, though our feet were sore and blistered. To end the day--it was already 3:30pm--we went snorkeling at Ke'e Beach, one of the best snorkeling spots on the North Shore. It was Mike's first time and he couldn't stop talking about how much he enjoyed it--thanks Kevin for letting us borrow your snorkel gear!

O'ahu

We are two days in to our 4 days on O'ahu and truly feel like we've landed in paradise. The water is unbelievably clear and ever changing shades of blue. When we arrived (after 9+hrs of traveling) we were welcomed with seashell leis and given our welcome packets before heading up to our room. We're on the 10th floor with a view of the ocean from one window and the mountains from the other. We have a balcony that stretches the 2 rooms, a full kitchen, living room and king sized bed. We then headed out for cocktails and dinner at a beachfront restaurant and watched the sunset. Thanks so much to Mom, Dad and the Perry's for their generous donation to the Mike and Laura honeymoon fund.
Yesterday we rented a car and hiked up Diamond Head Crater. The view was spectacular, though a bit crowded in the tiny viewing area. We started out early, getting started at the trail by 9am (we had to pick up the car) and we were glad to be making our way back down about 45 mins later. It was getting hot and very crowded on the trail.

Afterwards, we drove around the entire island, stopping at Sandy Beach Park where Mike got 'worked' by a wave. It was pretty rough surf so I hung back and instructed him on how to dive under the waves. We also stopped at Waimea Bay, thanks to a recommendation by the grill master at the Shorebird Restaurant, and found the beach with hardly any waves, crystal clear and blue as could be. Apparently, the north shore is really rough in the winter with 20ft+ swells and is where the pipeline surfing competition is competed.

We also stopped at the Dole plantation and did a walking tour where we found out that Dole and DelMonte have pulled out of Hawaii for their pineapples about 4 yrs ago because they take too long to mature (~20 months). The farms near the plantation are privately owned and Dole is now investing in coffee and chocolate.

Today we went to Pearl Harbor and toured the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri. It was moving and awesome to see the Battleship at the bottom of the harbor and knowing there are over 900 people entombed within its hull. I'm happy to say that neither Mike or I have suffered trip changing sunburns! We love you zinc oxide! We're taking it easy for the rest of the day and planning to go out for dinner and a stroll on the beach to watch the sunset. Tomorrow we head to the Polynesian Cultural Center for the afternoon/evening to visit the 7 villages and to see the Ha! Breath of Life luau.

Finally

Well everyone, there has been a long hiatus from my last post and a lot has happened since. As of Wednesday, I am finally done with my nursing program. It has been a long and at times tumultuous year. My last 6 weeks were spent doing a role transition, in which I worked full time (nights) with a preceptor, doing everything she did. I was assigned to labor and delivery and I think I know more about the laboring and delivery process than anyone might want to. I did well and got great reviews from my preceptor during my evaluation. On several instances she insisted I would make a great L&D nurse and I learned a lot about how I wanted to act as a nurse.

Many know that I have been stressing about getting a job. I started applying last December and have had very little in the way of a response. Last month I got a call to interview at Mt. Nittany Medical, which is the only hospital within 30mins of State College. I felt the interview went well and was assured I would hear back about a decision in 2 weeks time. Well 2 weeks went by, then 3 and I still hadn't hear anything. When I called there seemed to have been a disconnect between the interviewer and the HR office. I was pretty discouraged, despite the fact that the HR rep said she had received good feedback from the interviewer. By week 4 I gave up hope and started applying again to hospitals in Pittsburgh and Philly (a good 3.5hr drive).

Well. On Wed, after my final, I found I had a voicemail on phone. It was Mt. Nittany. Offering me a job!!!!!!!!!!!!! Following successful completion and passing the NCLEX (nursing boards) I will be working on a Med/Surg Orthopedic floor doing a graduate nurse internship for 6 months. After that, I will start interviewing for a permanent position within the hospital.

On top of all that, the wedding is only a week away, then Hawaii, then moving to PA and THEN taking and passing the NCLEX. No problem...maybe. Needless to say, a little chaotic but it will be fun. Can't wait to see everyone! I'm so excited!

Resolution

I know when I write these posts that I leave you all literally hanging from the edge of your chairs. So I thought I would give you some resolution to ease your concern. Let you breathe a little easier knowing my life is not going to fall apart. (A fact I was not nearly so confident about a week ago.)

1. While extremely inconvenient, one can survive without being able to communicate via phone. My new phone shipped yesterday and should be here by the end of the week. Change is good sometimes even though I generally accept it kicking and screaming.

2. I received 2 apologies from 2 separate people at the office of the City Clerk of Cook County regarding the erroneously sent license. Both copied a myriad of other employees on their response, told me they were also forwarding it to the xyz department, and one asked for me to inform them of the person's name and address to whom my license was mailed. Sorry, didn't record that information. Seems like a classic case of talks a lot, but doesn't say much. Thanks, Chicago.

3. After more hunting for competitive rates for my HSA and coming up with nothing, I found a way to skirt the eligibility rules for the original credit union I wanted to join. Apart from the community where you live or work, you can also be eligible by belonging to one of a certain set organizations. So last night, before opening my new savings account and Health Savings Account with 2.5% APY, I paid my membership dues for none other than...................
the National PTA.

My new health insurance policy starts tomorrow.

All will be well. Get the heck out of here, June.

Coming in threes

They say these rough things come in threes, so I'm hoping I'm done for a bit.

Yesterday was another overwhelming day of wading through banking and insurance issues. I got all ready to make a decision and sign myself up for a savings and Health Savings Account with a reputable-looking credit union, and found out that I am ineligible. I don't live/work in the right community of Chicago. I went for a walk and called Gram for a little relief and support. We had a wonderful conversation, I hung up, and my phone promptly stopped working. I can make and receive calls--they can hear me, and I hear nothing. Nothing.

Called my service provider this morning from my friend's phone. They told me to call Motorola. Called Motorola, they said it's a hardware issue, my warranty has expired and I can send the phone in to them for repairs. It will take 5-7 business days and will cost $75. A new phone costs $79.99. What a crock. I hate that we make things that break after a year and then charge the same amount to repair as to replace. It's the story of stuff all over again.

Ordered a new phone with an extra hundred bucks I can't afford right now, and commented to my roommate at the same time that I still don't have my license back even though my check to the city for my traffic ticket cleared a while ago.

While eating breakfast the doorbell rang. A young guy came up the stairs holding my license telling me that there had been a mistake and he'd gotten this license in the mail that wasn't his. Sure enough it was mine. I looked at the envelope. It wasn't even that the postal worker just delivered it to the wrong address. THE CITY ADDRESSED IT TO THE WRONG PERSON/ADDRESS. My license. Sometimes I hate Chicago. How do I file a complaint about that?

At least I got it back. Hopefully this neighbor is trustworthy and didn't copy down any of my info. Thank goodness my soc # isn't written on it.

Lederhosen-ed Lap Dance

Went to a bonified German restaurant to eat some schnitzel and hear "Edelweiss" played on the cow bells. I got a little more than I bargained for when the Lederhosen-clad yodeler came out into the crowd with his tuba, encouraging innocent diners to toss a quarter into the mouth of the instrument. Mine went in (as did many others'), but upon the clickety clack of the tuba swallowing my quarter, the yodeler pulled out my chair and sat in my lap for the rest of the song.
Note to self: watch out for those Germans.

Recital Takes

Last night was the first night of four of our annual recitals. Everything went extremely smoothly, and the kids played and sang well. All were instructed to announce their pieces before starting, "My name is XX, and I will be playing XX."

One eager performer went up to the mike and said, "Well. The piece I'm planning to play is Morning Mood.

Which I will.

In case you haven't already noticed.

And also (holding up his music), my mom taped a cereal box to the back of my music so it wouldn't fall down.

So, here goes this thing.

Walking away from the mike to the piano, calls out over his shoulder..) Enjoy!"

After playing spectacularly he bowed three times.

Next time I perform, I'm taking my cues from him!

Rollin in the 2-5

A coworker's boyfriend made this awesome rap video about my Chicago 'hood -- the beautiful Lincoln Square (zip 60625). For those of you who don't know, Chicago is made up of many neighborhoods much like NY's Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Chelsea, etc, except ours are a little smaller. Each community has it's own flavor, demographic make up, and local pride. I've been a Lincoln Square-er since I moved to Chicago 4 years ago, and I wave my banner high!

Enjoy this little taste of my neighborhood! Those of you who have come to visit will probably recognize several of the featured locales...

Held Hostage

Tuesday night another drop fell into my cup. Sounds benign enough, except that I didn't realize how dangerously close my cup was to spilling over. So close, in fact, that surface tension was the only thing holding it together. Wednesday morning I felt subdued, not my normally cheerful self. Imagine the wobbly moment when you wonder if the water will spill or not. Wednesday afternoon the stuff hit the fan. The cup ranneth over, and the stuff I hadn't realized was brewing came up to the surface.

And in the midst of all that, I had to go about my day. I started taking little (but giant) steps forward, squaring off with a few things that have been looming for a while. The clouds lifted temporarily for me to head over to the studio to teach a few lessons. On the way, I called Dad to talk about one good thing that happened during the day and hopefully put my spirit in a more positive place.

It was working. Nearly there, I made the final, fatal left turn.. and heard sirens scream out behind me. I pulled over and was approached by not one, but two officers on either side of the car. Strange. The driver-side officer formally informed me that I was being pulled over for performing an illegal left turn. I looked at him questioningly. Apparently the left turn is illegal between 4-6 pm Monday-Friday for rush hour. The time was 4:09.

He took my license and registration, and returned to his car while the sun beat down, burning my waiting and irritated flesh. An eternity later he reappeared, handed me the green carbon copy of my citation to mail in with my payment, the envelope, and the yellow copy to serve as my drivers' license in the meantime. "Excuse me," said I. "You are confiscating my license??"

"Yes, ma'am," said he. "That's the way it's done in the state of Illinois. We have to hold it as bond until you pay your ticket. Drive safely." And he walked away, leaving me alone to decipher the faint writing on the flurry of carbon.

Icing on the cake. My license is now being held hostage until further notice. And likely I'll mail in my fine, only to have my license get lost in the Chicago post on it's return trip to my house. The odds are not in my favor.

Stay tuned for the publication announcement of a book entitled, Caitlyn and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.