Dainan & Romney in Paradise

Week 5

2012-01-29T20:43:00.002-10:00

This week we celebrated Korean New Year with our friends Caleb and Jen. They made rice cake soup for us that was really delicious! We also celebrated Chinese New Year by going to Happy Days restaurant and eating orange chicken, sweet and sour pork, honey walnut shrimp and cake noodles. So yummy! Happy New Year!!!

Week 4

2012-01-22T23:39:00.002-10:00

We have a park close to our house. It was surrounded by homeless people but the city kicked them out, so we decided to go for a walk and see what was there.

Week 3

2012-01-16T21:01:00.003-10:00

This was Romney's first picture with our new camera. It's the marina by Ala Moana Beach Park.

Week 1 & 2

2012-01-08T16:22:00.002-10:00

This was the view from my boss's house on New Years Day. Not too shabby!

One of my co-workers announced he's quitting his job with the Preservation Department at UH. He's been there 15 years. I've known him since I started Library School six years ago. This is his dog, Hoku. He's from the puppy mill that was shut down not too long ago. Kyle fostered him until he could be adopted.

New Years Resolution - 52 photos for 2012

2012-01-08T16:14:00.002-10:00

Last year was pretty bleak in the world of photographs for us. We didn't make any special trips so we pretty much took no pictures. So I made a New Years Resolution to take one picture every day. I got the idea from Romney's uncle who did a 365 photo project two years ago. My new iPhone camera is 8 megapixels so I thought this would be a perfect activity. However, after day two of my attempt, I realized that the zoom feature of the camera sucks so I lost heart. However, again thanks to Romney's uncle, I changed my resolution to 52 photos a year, which is what he did last year and is attempting to do again this year. I figure that way, I've got all week to get at least one decent photo to post.

Crazy Google directions

2011-07-13T21:06:00.005-10:00

My sister is getting ready to make her first trip to Hawaii in a few months. While we were helping them look for plane tickets, I entered their address into Google Maps to see exactly where they lived. However, I entered it in the "Get directions" section and it used my current location (here in Honolulu) as the beginning spot. I was blown away by the instructions. Take a close look at Step 13 and 14. (You can click on the image to see it larger.) Kayak 2,756.4 miles and then take a left onto N. Northlake Way. Haha. Apparently, programers have a sense of humor too.

Pineapple

2011-07-13T21:03:00.002-10:00

Romney and I helped get Grandma's house ready to be rented. Along the side of the house was this cute baby pineapple growing in a flowerbed. I guess the downstairs renters planted it a while ago. This is for those of you who have never seen a growing pineapple.

Monkey Business

2011-07-13T20:58:00.003-10:00

I went to Bishop Museum a while ago for a meeting with some of the staff. After the meeting, we were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the vertebrate and invertebrate collections. Here's one of the most interesting animals I saw preserved in a jar.

Here's a bit of a closer look.

Hawaii loves Spam

2011-02-13T17:11:00.005-10:00

I must have been one of the very few mainlanders that was raised eating spam. Of course, it was just cut into slices and served as a cold side dish, which is very different than Hawaii. As for Hawaii, the spam capitol of the world, I think it started with World War II. Food was rationed and spam was easily obtained and had a long shelf life. It became a staple in the diet here. Anyway, it's usually fried and then put in stir fry or made into rice sandwiches called Spam Musubi. Well, here's another interesting concoction regarding spam. (Macadamia nuts are another staple in Hawaii. Just combining the two I guess.)

Laie Hawaii Temple Cultural Celebration

2010-12-05T21:09:00.004-10:00

The Laie Hawaii Temple recently had major remodeling done to it. It closed for two years and is finally operational again. To celebrate it's reopening, all the youth from the islands of Oahu and Kauai created a Cultural Celebration and performed for the Prophet.

The celebration was divided into sections: early Hawaiian culture, immigration, Joseph F. Smith, temple construction, and World War II (I think there were a couple more but I don't remember them all). I wanted to share some of the more interesting and fun sections of the performance. This first clip was showing the early Hawaiian culture through dance.

This next dance was showing the importance of the immigrants brought to Hawaii to work in the fields. The Chinese were the earliest and most numerous; however, other immigrants included Filipinos and Portuguese. This group includes the kids from our Ward.

This last clip was from the section of building the temple.

Halloween Party

2010-11-14T16:41:00.002-10:00

Romney and I went to her cousin's Halloween Party. We were originally told that no one was going to wear a costume, then the last minute they decided everyone should come in a costume. Well, we went with what we had. I wore my exercise clothes and Romney had a cat-ears band and black clothes. Anyway, it was a fun party and we're glad we didn't just sit home alone.

Halloween Toy

2010-11-03T21:31:00.003-10:00

I know it's after Halloween now, but I had to post this. My co-worker knows how much I love zombies so he got me this little toy at the new Party City store that opened here. I took a short video of it.

Pirates of the Caribbean films in Hawaii

2010-10-02T15:18:00.004-10:00

So Johnny Depp and his crew were here in Hawaii filming the 4th installment of Pirates of the Caribbean. They had their ship out at Kaneohe Bay during the day and all the actors would arrive around 10pm or midnight to film, taking the ship out of the bay. Romney's cousin, Jaymie, went several times to see if she could get a chance to see him, which she did. Romney and I wanted to go get some video of the pirate ship during the day but when we got there, it was super crowded. Jaymie had gotten a parking ticket for parking along the side of the road so we didn't dare do that. Instead, we just drove past and Romney filmed it from the passenger's side window. The video is short but a bit shaky so hopefully it won't get you too sick!

What the iPad is...

2010-09-26T20:16:00.006-10:00

Here are some of the things I like to do around the house, at church, in meetings, or on trips:

Imagine if I had to lug all these things with me on my business trip I'll be taking in October. It would be a pile like this:

Now, thanks the the amazing iPad, this is all I have to take as this will accomplish it all (and more).

iPhone apps that work great on the iPad

2010-09-12T22:40:00.002-10:00

Romney and I are always trying out new apps on the iPad, but let's face it: a large portion of the apps that we try are iPhone/iPod apps. Unfortunately, a lot of them don't look so well on the iPad once you increase the app to fill the entire screen. But here are a list of apps that we have found to be a lot of fun, even if the graphics aren't perfect.

Words with Friends: I've never been good at Scrabble so it's amazing I like this game at all. However, the fact that I can "cheat" by placing any tiles I want and then hitting the submit button to see if the word qualifies as a "real" word without the opponent knowing how many times I do this and without any penalties if I'm making up words, lets me play this game without any shame. Both Romney and I have multiple games going and are enjoying it a lot.

Battleship: We love the fact that we can play against each other over WiFi or Blueooth since I can use my iPhone and Romney uses the iPad. Brings back many great childhood memories, without the ones of lost pieces!

Peggle: My good friend, Justin Call, convinced me to try this game. It's a pretty fun game, one that Romney especially likes. Going full screen doesn't seem to make it less attractive.

Charadium: This game is a lot of fun to play with random opponents. It's pretty much pictionary over the internet. You take your turn drawing a word while the other people are guessing what you are drawing. You can choose to pass if you don't know how to draw the word it gives you, although you will be docked a few points. Then, someone else draws while you are trying to guess what it is. You can change the color of the "marker" to help out. Once, we had Romney's cousins over who have iPods. We all played a private game just with each other sitting in the living room. It was a great way to play without needing paper, makers, etc.

Bookworm: Another word game that Romney really likes. It gives you a pile of letters that you can try connecting in any sequence to make a word, so long as one letter is touching another. It's pretty addicting as you are always trying to form longer or more complicated words for higher points.

Well, I guess I should cap it here. However, there were several more but I'll just list them below. Definitely worth taking a look at.

Angry Birds
WordWarp
Bejeweled
Parachute Ninja
Veggie Samurai
Luxor
Car Mania

Great iPad Apps!

2010-09-12T21:35:00.011-10:00

It's definitely nice having so much more screen real estate on the iPad compared to my iPhone. This really allows for some great apps that I've come to rely on for everyday use. Here are some of our favorite.

ABC Player: Although I wish the video quality were a tad bit better, this app is great. We love to watch WipeOut so if we miss our weekly dose, we can go straight to the iPad and watch it there. Romney also loves to watch Ugly Betty. There is a con with this app: the shows that are available only have a few episodes you can watch and they sometimes change up what shows they have available to watch, so today you might get a few episodes of your favorite show but tomorrow that show may no longer be offered. Still, an entertaining app for the iPad.

TapTap Radiation: Anyone who loves Guitar Hero or Rock Band will find some entertainment out of the Tap Tap apps for both iPhone. This one's specifically for the iPad and it's a lot of fun.

Betty Crocker Cookbook: What can I say? I love to cook!!! Okay, honestly, I don't like cooking and wish I never had to do it again. So this is actually one of Romney's favorite apps. Quite convenient when we're wondering what to make for dinner or for creating a shopping list before going to the grocery store so we make sure we have all the ingredients we need.

We Farm/We Rule: Since these games are pretty much the same thing, I'll clump them together as one game. I'm not sure why, but these games can be highly addictive. You build a farm or kingdom and accumulate money and experience points that allow you to enlarge your land and build new buildings or increase your farming capacities. I have several of Romney's cousins that I play with as I visit their farms or kingdoms to see how they are progressing and to submit an order from one of their businesses. It's all done in real time so I can place an order for a bag of grain. I then leave the app and when the designated amount of hours have passed, I can return and collect the bag of grain from my friend. They get money and experience points and I do as well. It's a time drainer but one I can't seem to stop playing.

MaxJournal: I'm not really sure why I wanted a journal app on the iPad. It's just such a convenient size and easy to take with you anywhere you go. I keep a journal and write in it once a week fairly regularly. I have to remember to take with me when we go on vacation. With the iPad, I'll always have a journal with me. I've been experimenting with taking notes with it as well since I like how it dates it for me. So far, it's only okay for that as there is no way to format the text for bolding, underlining, etc. But I'm still loving the format of the entries, almost like a calendar. Plus, I can always decide to export it via email as a pdf and make sure I don't lose what I've written so far.

Again, the list is too long, but here's a few more that I won't bother writing anything about. Check them out.

MultiPong
Memory Cards
Stick Golf
Netflix
Food Network
Harbor Master
BBC News

Apple's iPad - Review

2010-08-27T23:23:00.004-10:00

Romney and I have done a bit of traveling and will do some more before the year is out. Since we don't own a laptop anymore, we used traveling as an excuse to buy an iPad. We've been thinking about it for a while, wondering if it would be a tool Romney could use for her work, assuming we got the 3G version that would allow her to access the internet anywhere. Maps would come in handy for her driving from appointment to appointment. Before taking off, she could consult her map by just typing in the address and it would give her step-by-step directions. Plus it could work well as a notebook to take notes at her visits and in any staff meetings. Anyway, she decided it might not be worth it. However, with the traveling coming up, and me staying away from home longer than she would, we decided to go ahead and get one.

First, let me tell you, we LOVE our iPad (Romney as much as me!). It's become our little companion during the evenings. We do all kinds of things with it like playing games, surfing the internet, using Facebook, taking notes at meetings, watching TV shows, reading, looking up recipes, and a myriad of other things. I've been reading about how other people interact with theirs and how most people don't take it around with them throughout their normal day. They say it is more of a couch computer and I'd have to say that's true. It is so nice to just sit on the couch and watch a show in the evening on the TV while using the iPad to do other things. It's just so relaxing. However, I do take it to work every day and use it during lunch. (I've tried several times to get Romney to take it to work like we originally thought of doing, but she doesn't seem too interested anymore.) I used to pitch in and pay for the newspaper at work and read some of it during lunch. Now with the iPad, I don't pitch in anymore and just read the stories I'm interested in on my iPad.

I will do other posts on the types of apps we have on it and what we really like to use it for. Truthfully, I could probably do tons of posts as there's so much about it that we like. But I'll keep it to a minimum.

Update to the Eye Surgery post

2010-08-27T19:23:00.004-10:00

Well, I was finally able to get the VHS tape converted to DVD thanks to Mark and David. (Thanks a ton, guys!) Anyway, it took some more finagling to get it ripped onto the computer in a format that would allow some basic editing so it wasn't so long and boring. Then I had to convert it again to a format that would allow me to upload it to YouTube. Anyway, it's done. I hope you guys all find it interesting. Click this link to see the post again and watch the show. Don't forget the popcorn!

Wall-E

2010-08-27T19:14:00.005-10:00

At the Alameda County Fair, Romney and I ran across a booth that made all kinds of movie characters out of metal scraps. They had Michael Jackson (which we got for Romney's brother, Taylor's, birthday), Yoda, Predator, Alien, Iron Man, and tons of others. However, our favorite was Wall-E. We got it for 50% off as my parents had become friends with the vendor. Anyway, here are photos of our Wall-E.

The Alameda County Fair

2010-07-31T09:08:00.004-10:00

Another thing that kept us busy for a while was the Alameda County Fair. My parents were heading there to sell their Kangoo Jumps and Good Vibrations massagers/exercisers. They asked if Romney and I would be willing to come help them for a long weekend if they paid our airfare. We talked it over and decided that we would go on the 4th of July weekend since that would probably be the busiest weekend of the fair and that's when we'd be of most help. However, we also decided that since Romney didn't have very many vacation days and is trying to save up for our Christmas trip to her parents' home in Visalia this coming December, she would go home on the following Tuesday whereas I would stay most of another week. That way, I would be there two weekends, pretty much through the end of the fair.

The fair itself was kind of a disappointment. My parents had been told before going that the San Francisco Bay area was one of the least effected areas of California because of the number of people with really good jobs, so the fair hadn't been hurting the past few years as might be expected for California's state of its economy. However, the attendance at the fair this year was pretty low. And those who did come had their hands in the pockets as they walked around, stopping at no particular booths.

Romney and I have been married for three years now and not once had we been separated. We were a little nervous that we'd decided to let a week be the duration of our first separation (rather than just a night or two). But we were committed to helping my parents. I must admit, it was pretty difficult. I shamelessly admit that I am rather attached to her and I believe her to me as well. However, I must give credit to where it's due: Romney had the harder end of the bargain. Her parents drove up to spend a day and a half with us and ended up driving her to the airport on their way back home. So Romney had to say goodbye to me and then to them at the airport, board a plane by herself, and then walk into an empty apartment and spend each night by herself for most of a week. On the other hand, I was with my parents the whole time, busy working 12 hour days in the fair, keeping myself occupied the whole time. She's such an angel.

My eyes are burning! (Updated with video)

2010-07-31T07:31:00.007-10:00

First, I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything. I have been really busy lately for multiple reasons, several of which I will post about shortly. But I have some really exciting news I'd like to share with everyone (and no, Romney is not pregnant!) I officially need glasses and contacts no longer.

I decided that it was about time I had LASIK eye surgery. I am at an age where I would be able to benefit the longest from doing it. In other words, you have to make sure your eyes are not still changing (specifically getting worse) which they say is usually by your late 20s or early 30s. Mine haven't changed in several years of going to see the optometrist. So, if I have it now, I shouldn't need glasses again until my eyes deteriorate from old age, if even then. Perhaps all I'll ever need is reading glasses. So I should get a good 20 or more years out of the surgery.

The surgery was on Thursday morning. I went in for an hour and a half but the actually surgery lasted only 20 minutes or so. I had them tape it but need to get it digitized so I can upload it here, so it will be coming soon. They started off numbing my eye with eye drops. Then they lifted up my eyelids to fit a ring around my eyeball that would vacuum suck my eyeball a little bit, lifting it out of my socket slightly. This then allowed the first laser to create bubbles between the top layer of skin and the cornea, ultimately separating them. Then, an incision is cut in the shape of a C that allows the top layer of skin to be pulled back, exposing the cornea. After this part, they put me under the actual LASIK machine that zapped sections of the cornea in a very precise pattern, burning the cornea into the right shape to give me corrected vision. (If you want more scientific details on all this, I can give more or you can Google it). The most interesting part of the surgery for me as the patient was the fact that during this minute of burning on both eyes, I could smell burnt flesh. Lastly, the surgeon laid the flap of skin back down over the eye and smoothed it down. That was it. I was done! Although my vision was foggy from the thick eye drops she put in my eye, right away I could see as if I had contacts in.

I went home and about half an hour after the surgery the numbness started wearing off. I started to feel a burning sensation in my eyes and couldn't keep them open. Even closed they burned and watered like mad. I had been warned about this and told that it's best to go home and sleep it off. So they gave me a set of goggles I had to use all day and sleep with for the next week and one pill to help me sleep as soon as I got home. I ended up taking a 5-hour nap but, when I woke up, my eyes were fine. So yesterday I stayed home from work to further recover but I was fine the whole day. I went back in for a one day post-op visit and they looked at the flap to make sure it was still straight and not wrinkled. They tested my vision and I am now at 20/15, which means that when someone with average eyes can see something at 15 feet, I an be as far back as 20 feet and still see it, so better than average. HA! It's a miracle!

So I've posted a video of my procedure and you can see them lift up the flap and zap my eyeball. Romney was viewing the whole procedure from out in the hall through a viewing window. I was excited to get the video converted so I could see what my own surgery looked like. Any questions or comments, let me know in the comments below.

The Breaults visit Hawaii

2010-04-12T20:46:00.003-10:00

Kim and I met when I signed up to go to BYU's London Study Abroad program back in 2003. Since then, we both went back to Provo and graduated and then I took off to Hawaii while she took off to Washington, DC. She came to visit Hawaii a few years ago and then came back with her mom later. So this was her third visit, although this time with her husband, Joe!

While they were here, we were able to meet up one evening to catchup. Romney and I took them to one of our favorite places: Menchies. It's a frozen yogurt bar where you have a large cup and can walk up to several frozen yogurt dispensers and put how much of whatever you want into your cup. Then you go to the toppings bar and do the same. Unfortunately, that's when your cup is weighed and you are charged according to how heavy it is. It's all the fad here lately with dozens of shops opening up all over Oahu. They had never been to one before so it was a nice surprise for them. Here's proof of our outing.

Kim and Joe, it was fun having you here in Hawaii again! Hope you liked it as much as we do.

Chinese New Year in Downtown (Chinatown) Honolulu

2010-02-09T22:21:00.003-10:00

This Valentine's Day actually coincides with the Chinese New Year this year. Romney's family here in Hawaii will be doing a get-together the day before. Since we now live downtown, our neighbors, the Alexanders, invited us to go walk around with them to see all the Chinese festivities going on in Chinatown. Enjoy the clips below.

New Apartment

2010-01-03T17:11:00.002-10:00

Romney and I moved at the end of November to a new apartment. We are still in Honolulu, just closer to our jobs. We were also ready for a change of scene and felt that Downtown Honolulu was a great way to see some change. There are lots of galleries down here and they do a free admissions once a month. I can now walk to work; it's like four blocks to the Archives. We pay about $100 more a month but we get a larger apartment (still a one-bedroom but more area), secured entry and parking, a swimming pool, and we are on the 26th floor so our view is spectacular. We are happy with our move and are glad to be done with the other place. Here is a short video of the sunrise on Christmas Eve from our living room windows. (I accidentally bumped the camera so ignore the sudden change in the horizon.)

Wii Virtual Console

2009-12-28T18:16:00.002-10:00

I got $20 to download games from the Wii Shop Channel for Christmas. I already have a few games I've downloaded, but I find I don't really play them very much. There is one game that has made the whole system worthwhile: Dr. Mario. I used to play that game with my old middle high/high school friend Shane Harris. We'd battle it out all night. Anyway, here is the list of downloaded games I have (the ones with asterisks are the ones I just downloaded with the $20).

Castlevania (NES)
Donkey Kong Country (SNES)*
Dr. Mario Online Rx. (Originally from NES)
Galaga (NES)
Mario Kart 64 (N64)
Ninja Gaiden (NES)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)*
Star Fox (N64)
Street Fighter II (SNES)
Super Mario Brothers (NES)
Super Mario Brothers 2 (NES)
Super Mario Brothers 3 (NES)*
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)

Here's what I've got my eyes on still, for future purchase:

Double Dragon (NES)
Mega Man (NES)
Metroid (NES)
Super Mario World (SNES)

Where I am lacking is the WiiWare titles. I'm not too familiar with most of them. I know Justin and Tomoe downloaded the Tetris, so Justin, if you're reading this, do you guys still play it very much? I'm sure it's nothing like Dr. Mario with Tomoe, but has it remained a fun game? So, you gamers out there, throw me some ideas!

(Image from: http://graphicshunt.com/images/super_mario_bros-12814.htm.)

Farewell to Whitney

2009-12-12T08:41:00.003-10:00

The State of Hawaii has been in a bad financial condition for the past year and a half. With the economy hurting, the State is suffering, too. Unfortunately, this has led to layoffs, bumping, and furloughs. One of our vacant clerical positions was cut last February, never to be filled again. Now we've lost Nicole's position, also a clerical position, and another clerk, Jerry, was bumped. Although Jerry's position will be filled by another State clerk from another State office, Jerry has already had to leave but the new worker hasn't showed up yet. That means that out of four original clerical positions, only one is left now. Not good for the Archives. Meanwhile, our newest archivist, Whitney, scared that her position would be cut, started looking for a new job back on the mainland. Well, she found one at the Bill Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas and recently moved. So things at the Archives are quiet now. Here is a picture of Whitney at her farewell dinner that Romney and I went to.

Visiting Neighbors

2009-08-14T17:18:00.001-10:00

Cheap Entertainment

2009-08-12T06:33:00.004-10:00

Romney and I were pretty sad when our main source of cheap entertainment closed down just a few weeks ago.

Photo from scrivner of flickr.

Restaurant Row Theaters was the dollar theater of Honolulu. For a total price of $2.00 (pricing had recently climbed to $3.00) we used to be able to see some of the interesting, or not so interesting, movies just before they came out on DVD. The theater had a 50 year lease at $1.00 a year with the plaza it's in and it's been there for 15 years so far. But recently the plaza was bought out and the new owners are trying to "clean up" it's image. They think the cheap entertainment attracts the "wrong" crowd of people. (I guess that includes my wife and me along with the hundreds of other young couples I've seen go there.) So the plaza offered the theater millions of dollars and bought them out of their lease. Bye bye dollar theater.

Our last option for cheap movies is the "Red Box" or "DVDPlay" at the grocery stores. It's cheap and easy to use, although the movie selections are minimal. But, $1.00 beats the $10.00 you'll have to pay at the full-priced theater or $5.00 at Blockbuster to rent.

Picture from videobusiness.com

Legend

2009-08-09T20:42:00.003-10:00

So Romney bought her brother the movie Legend for his birthday. I remember watching it when I was younger.

I had mixed feelings about it; I remember it being cool, but scary at the same time. Anyway, I had forgotten the movie even existed until we saw it on his wishlist. I really want to see it again. I remember something about the boy (who I now realize was Tom Cruise) jumping into a lake or river and becoming trapped in it. I think that's the part that scared me to death as a kid. Anyway, the next time we visit Taylor we'll have to get him to let us watch it.

Happy Birthday Romney!!!

2009-08-02T19:53:00.003-10:00

I know this is a bit late, but we really haven't done anything worth blogging about so this is the most exciting thing I could think of. Well, Romney just turned... You really don't think I would tell you how old she is, do you!?! Whatever her age, let's just say she's younger than me. :(

I didn't know what I was going to get her for her birthday. Every time I asked her what she wanted, she said she didn't know. I was ready to buy her something off her Amazon wishlist but she finally started saying what she wanted: a pair of work sandals. *Sigh* She's so practical. However, the family members helped get her some fun things though, including Stranger than Fiction (I usually don't like much of Will Ferrel's stuff and apparently Taylor, Romney's brother, thinks similarly, but we both liked this one, as well as Romney), CandyLand, a Hello Kitty lunch bag that she absolutely adores, a Japanese-character notebook (I don't know which character it is), and another thing or two I don't remember. Plus we got some cash which we used to go out and eat a nice dinner at Ruby Tuesdays. We ended up asking our friends, Justin and Tomoe Call, to come along with us. We also went to Yogurtland for frozen yogurt a new fad that seems to be sweeping Honolulu.

I also made Romney a strawberry cake with vanilla frosting and some "wavy" candles. As she was going to blow the candles out, Justin and Tomoe asked where our video camera was to tape it. With the candles still burning, we started running around looking for the camera but couldn't find it anywhere. Meanwhile, the candles had almost burned out so Romney had to quickly make her wish and blow them out before they sputtered out and died. We were pretty disappointed. Later that night, we found the camera under one of the bedroom nightstands since we really didn't have anywhere else to put it, but I forgot that I was the one who put it there...so it's all my fault. If I hadn't "lost" it, there could have been a short video of Romney blowing out her birthday cake candles. Anyway, happy birthday Roms! You're the best.

4th of July 2009

2009-07-19T19:35:00.005-10:00

Independence Day was another fun holiday for us this year. We were invited to Mark and Marty Alsop's place for dinner with a large group of friends from the McCully Ward. There were several new people we got to meet and get to know. After the meal, some of us walked to the Ala Moana Beach Park where the Shopping Center puts on a firework show each year. It was rated as the 7th best firework show of the nation. We took the 20-minute show and reduced it to four minutes. We had a good viewing spot, but unfortunately, there was a young girl in front of us that kept screaming through the whole show. Why her parents didn't tell her to shut up, I don't know or understand. I wish I had brought some duct tape with me... Anyway, if she is too annoying, just skip through the video to the grand finale; it's pretty cool. Or, mute the sound.

Koko Head Crater Hike

2009-07-05T16:02:00.010-10:00

There is a crater over by Hawaii Kai that has a trail that goes straight up it to the top. I think it goes back to World War II when they built lookouts on almost any high hill. Anyway, on this hill they built a railroad track that went straight up and they would pull small mining-carts up and down the hill. Well, the track is still there and the tiers are now used like stairs to climb up. The view on top is pretty spectacular.

Kaena Point Hike

2009-06-28T20:54:00.007-10:00

After several attempts, Romney and I made it out to Kaena Point. It's on the most western tip of Oahu. The road you take to get out there doesn't go all the way. You have to park your car and walk the 2.75 miles out to the point. We attempted the hike with my parents but knew we didn't have enough time so we only went a short distance. Then, we planned to go with Romney's parents when they came for her graduation, but that never happened.

We went with Justin and Tomoe Call, who had already been out there a few times before. The hike was beautiful, although very hot. Here are some photos on the way out:

At the point, there were a few albatrosses flying at a distance, but nothing too close. However, we did get to see a monk seal sunbathing on the rocks. We got some good photos of him scratching his head.

After spending an hour on the point, it was time to turn around and head home. It was a beautiful hike!

Romney's MSW Graduation

2009-06-17T09:03:00.006-10:00

I graduated with my Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa on May 16, 2009! My concentration is gerontology. Its been a long 3 years, but worth the accomplishment. My parents and grandparents were able to come to the ceremony.
Waiting with fellow MSW before the ceremony

Waving to my family in the stands amongst the crowd of graduates.

Walking across the stage to receive my diploma!

Each department has a different color hood.

After the ceremony we went to Ruby Tuesdays for a celebration dinner with the family.

Romney's Parents visit May 2009

2009-06-17T08:45:00.008-10:00

My parents came for my graduation in May. They were here for about 2 weeks. We did several things like hiking and going out to eat! Here are some pics from hiking at Mariner's Ridge hike in Hawaii Kai.
Mom and Dad at the top.

After the hike getting pasteries at Napoleon's bakery.

Memorial day we went to visit graves of my two Uncles and great grandmother at Hawaiian Memorial Cemetery.

Skeem Family in Hawaii

2009-06-09T06:53:00.012-10:00

My parents came to Hawaii for a two week vacation and stayed with us. I don't know how many times they've planned to come but it's always fallen through. However, Romney and I were trying really hard to move by June or July so this time they made it.

Right as Romney and I flew back into Honolulu from our trip to Maui on Saturday, my youngest brother, Callin, flew in to meet us. Being a Senior in high school, he was on his Spring Break for one week and was sent ahead of my parents to give him a little extra time since he had to be back to school the following week. Our plane got in a little earlier than his so we waited for about an hour. Then Heber and Olya Moulton from our Ward picked us all up.

We hiked Diamond Head and Manoa Falls with him. We also took him to Dave & Busters for some arcade games and then down to Menchie's Frozen Yogurt. On Tuesday my parents arrived. On one of the days they went to the Polynesian Cultural Center up in Laie while Romney and I were at work. This ended up being Callin's favorite part of his entire stay.

That first week with Callin with us, we took them to the North Shore, all over the East side of Oahu, even where I proposed to Romney, and the Western tip of Oahu. We focused mainly on beaches but made sure they tried a Hawaiian Shave Ice. We also took them to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling. My dad wasn't going to get in originally, but we talked him into it and I kind of think that was his favorite part of the trip. We saw two turtles swimming together, which I've never even seen before; usually just one at a time. We also took them to Punchbowl Cemetery.

For the second week, after Callin went home, my parents went to Iolani Palace, the Archives where I gave them a tour and showed them some of the very cool artifacts we have, and then to Pearl Harbor to the Arizona Memorial. They also went to the Swap Meet twice while they were here. That must have been my mom's favorite part.

To see more photos, check out our Picasa site. The link is on the top right side of this window.

Road to Hana-Back to Kahului

2009-06-06T08:46:00.004-10:00

Instead of turning around and driving back the way we came, we continued circling the island, following the road along the southern side of East Maui. The road was narrow and unpaved for a portion of it, but the views were spectacular.

Road to Hana - Red Sand Beach

2009-06-05T06:39:00.004-10:00

Right in Hana is a hidden and almost inaccessible beach that has red sand. It's caused from the cliff walls behind it that are made of red rock. Over the centuries, as the waves have slowly broken it down into pebbles, it's left the sand a distinct red color. Also, because of this red sand, the water turns into a beautiful turquoise color. The video doesn't show the colors too well, which is why we've decided to get a High Definition camcorder for future video of Hawaii. But trust me, it was beautiful.

Road to Hana-Black Sand Beach

2009-06-04T06:36:00.003-10:00

This is the only black sand beach on Maui. We walked the small beach, then we climbed a ledge where the waves were crashing all around us. Lastly, we went to some caves close by.

Road to Hana-Waterfalls

2009-05-23T19:49:00.003-10:00

Here's a highlight of the waterfall portion of our drive. The north side of East Maui gets tons of rainfall so there were lots of waterfalls to stop and see.

Whale Watching (Maui)

2009-05-22T16:53:00.003-10:00

Here is a bit of footage from our whale watching tour. This is taking the highlights of two hours and cutting out the boring parts, leaving you with the whale footage. Enjoy!

Maui (Day3)

2009-05-21T08:34:00.006-10:00

Our third day in Maui was a short one as our flight was at 4pm. We decided to save Haleakala National Park for this day. We did not want to get up at 3am to see the sunrise. We were on vacation...which equals sleeping in!! We drove up to Haleakala National Park around 10am. It was a very long and very windy road. The views driving up the mountain were spectacular as we got higher and higher. It was also neat to drive through the clouds and drive above the clouds.

In the background is an observatory affiliated with the University of Hawaii and the military also uses it for operations. It stands at 10,000 feet.

This is a rare plant called the silver sword

Haleakala National Park is at 8,000 feet. It was pretty cold up there, even in the late morning/early afternoon while we were there. The volcano is dormant. There are many hiking trails in the crater but we did not have too much time to wander around. We took some pictures but mostly video taped as we were driving up and on the way back.

Maui (Day 2)

2009-05-18T09:04:00.014-10:00

Day 2 was the infamous drive to Hana. It was a narrow and very windy road with small one-way bridges to cross. This is pretty much a whole day event driving from Kahului around the whole east side of the island and back around.

Along the way there are several waterfalls and coastline scenery. There were big falls such as this first one called Three Bears Falls.

And not so big....

Our favorite spot of the day was the black sand beach. There were many trails to walk along and huge waves crashing against the coastline and fresh water caves.

The red sand beach in Hana was amazing as the sand is a deep red and the water along the beach is a light refreshing blue that contrasts with the red sand.

For the drive back we drove along this stretch of road that was pretty much an unfinished road with dirt and rocks. Some of the guide books say the road ends and you need a jeep to cross this upaved road to get to the other side. However, the book we had said we were fine. We were adventurous and tried the road in our small rental car. It wasn't too bad, some parts even less rough than the highway itself. It was worth the drive as we saw beautiful landscapes. Maybe we'll post some video of it soon.

Maui (Day 1)

2009-05-18T06:39:00.015-10:00

(Photo courtesy of www.donnachameleon.com.)

Romney booked us reservations at the Maui Seaside Hotel in Kahului. We figured this is pretty central and since we wanted to visit both the East side and West side of the island, it would make a great home base. The hotel, although a little run-down, was comfortable and affordable.

Our first day was spent exploring the West side of the Island. We wanted to go all the way around in a clockwise direction but ran out of time. Our first stop was at a lookout over Maalaea Harbor. Across the way you could see Kahoolawe Island, an uninhabited island where a lot of bomb testing went on during World War II.

Our next stop was at Olowalu, a town so small that if you blink, you'll miss it. Actually we did miss it. I had to turn around and go back. Why? Because there are only two buildings next to the road. Anyway, we turned off the highway and parked next to a water tank. Then we walked along a long dirt road for about a mile, taking us towards the center of the island. This brought us to a small cliff wall where ancient Hawaiians had carved hieroglyphs into the rock. The unfortunate thing is that over the last few decades, bored kids from the surrounding areas have decided to add their own not-so-ancient drawings in an attempt to trick tourists into believing theirs is ancient too. Here are some pictures. You decide on what's ancient and what's not.

Lahaina wasn't planned as our last stop of the day, but that's what it ended up. We found free parking and walked the strip downtown. We wanted to take a short walking tour of some of the historic sites of the town. But as we were heading to the old courthouse where it starts, we decided to stop and look at pricing for whale watching tours. (See photos of some of the buildings below.) We ended up purchasing tickets and went out on a catamaran for two hours. The water was pretty choppy so trying to use the digital camera didn't work so well. Instead, I used the video camera and got some footage of several whales breaching. But, after about an hour of it, I started getting seasick from looking through the viewfinder for so long. I'll post some video later.

After returning from our whale watching tour, I had to sit in the park and wait for my stomach to settle for a while. Then we went to dinner at Bubba Gumps where I nibbled off Romney's plate and got a Sprite. By then, it was dark and we didn't want to drive around the rest of the island because the roads are so narrow and there are many cliffs without guardrails so we just went back to Kahului the way we came.

The Old Courthouse, now used as a museum upstairs and tourist shop on the first floor.

Whalers, after harpooning a whale from a distance, would come up close and shoot it through the head with this gun, which would pierce their skull and blow up inside the brains, finally killing the giant mammal.

This is the old prison of Lahaina, taken from the inside. This is the entrance gate where the guardsman and his family lived, watching over the prisoners. The surrounding walls of this prison are made of coral.

In the center of the grassy inner courtyard is a small building where the inmates were locked up each night.

Long time, no see

2009-05-18T06:30:00.002-10:00

It's been months since we've posted anything. There wasn't really much to report from the end of January until the end of March. That's when Romney and I went to Maui as kind of a Second Anniversary trip. We wanted to go a year ago but prices were so high for flights. So when we could get tickets for $38 one way, we decided to do it, especially if we end up moving from Hawaii soon and never get the chance to go again.

Right as we flew in from Maui, my younger brother, Callin, flew into Honolulu too. He spent a few days with us before the arrival of my parents who were spending most of two weeks with us. We ran them all over the island, taking them to every possible side and to all of our favorite beaches.

Since they left, I've been trying to catch up in my personal journal. Now Romney has graduated with her Master's degree and her parents are here celebrating that. So I have tons to post. Romney may help me with some of it since she doesn't have work or school anymore. So, stay tuned for some spectacular blogging!

A Simple Hike

2009-01-19T10:25:00.006-10:00

Romney and I decided that we wanted to go hike Diamond Head last Saturday. It's been pretty rainy here in Honolulu the last month so Diamond Head has been very green. Normally it's very dry over there and the "mountain" is bone dry. So we figured since we'd never hiked it together and it's so green right now, we'd go this weekend.

We asked Justin and Tomoe Call to come with us. They'd been there before but were willing to come. It doesn't take long to hike: about 40 minutes up and 20 minutes down. We spent another 30 minutes at the top taking pictures. I've posted them on our Picasa site (there's a link at the top right of this screen). But I've added some video here. Enjoy!

McCammon for Christmas

2009-01-10T17:04:00.006-10:00

Well, since EVERYone else seems to be doing it, I guess I'll join in, although a bit late. This Christmas we went to McCammon, Idaho to spend ten days with my family. Romney hasn't gotten to know most of them very well, so we figured this would give her a chance. Next year, we'll be heading to sunny California to spend New Years with Romney's parents.

We didn't do too much while there, other than drive into Pocatello almost every day. So many of my siblings have flown the nest that only Callin, the youngest, is home with my parents. He's a Senior this year and will be starting college up soon. There are three other siblings that live close in Pocatello. So we spent a lot of time going in to see them and do some Christmas shopping.

Here are some photos of the house in McCammon. There is a waterfall out the front door so Romney and I put on our snow gear and headed out to take pictures. We only lasted about 20 minutes and then went back in. I guess Hawaii has made us weak... :)

We ended up spending one day, two nights with Romney's brother's family in West Jordan, Utah. Romney's parents, Laurie and Evan Maw, drove up to Utah to spend two weeks with them, so we were able to see them as well. The one day we were there we went to do some after-Christmas shopping, out to lunch, and then played games during the evening. All in all, a relaxing vacation.

Early Christmas

2008-11-30T15:45:00.006-10:00

Okay, so it's not a big deal, but Romney and I are excited. We have been using a small 13-inch television since we got married. We got it for free and we have appreciated it. Take a look at it:

Well, one of our couple friends bought themselves a new television for Christmas since they had an older one they've been using for a long while. But theirs is a 27-inch compared to our 13-inch. They knew we had a very small one so they offered their old one to us. Here it is:

Thanks Justin and Tomoe!!!

More Animals

2008-11-17T18:57:00.003-10:00

Okay, so going along with what I just posted, here are some pictures of a green parrot we saw in a fruit tree in Romney's old apartment yard. It just flew in, ate some fruit off the tree, and flew away. (Thanks to Beth Sepp for having a camera around and sending me the pics.)

Hawaiian Pueo

2008-11-17T18:09:00.006-10:00

A month or so ago, there appeared around the Iolani Palace Grounds a rare Hawaiian Owl. In Hawaiian it's called Pueo. It is supposed that the owl flew here as it was not introduced to the islands by man. This species of owl is not found anywhere else in the world. I've posted some photos of it and a video. On one of the days that we saw it, it was on the grass eating a rat. Enjoy this rare experience! (Thanks to Whitney Ross for having a camera handy at work and taking the time to send me copies!)

Grandpa Kau's 90th Birthday

2008-10-13T19:01:00.007-10:00

This last week has been one eventful week. Tuesday was Grandpa's 90th birthday and Romney's parents came from California and her Aunty Debbie and Uncle Alan came from Wisconsin for a total of 10 days. Romney's parents stayed with us since there was little extra room at the grandparent's house.

Each weekend the family got together for dinner and entertainment. Here are a few photos:

The last one is at Willow's Restaurant on Tuesday afternoon.

It was a fun week and a long celebration for Grandpa. We hope he has a great 90th year!

Hawaiian Adventures Water Park

2008-09-01T22:04:00.017-10:00

As an employee of the State, I become a member of the Hawaii Government Employees' Association (HGEA). They automatically take dues out of my paycheck so I figured I might as well sign up to be a member. It's actually been a good thing because they occasionally do something fun and I get in for free or cheap. The latest event was going to the Hawaiian Adventures Water Park on Statehood Day, Friday, August 15, 2008. Not only could I get myself and Romney in but up to 10 friends, all at a discounted rate. So we got some of our single friends from the University Branch to come with us.

One of the newest rides was called the Tornado. It looked kind of scary and we did get a thrill, but it wasn't too bad. Here's Romney and me coming out of it with Caleb (You Shik) Hwang and his girlfriend, Jen Crowther.

For lunch, HGEA provided a nice plate lunch at no extra charge.

Here were a few other rides we really liked.

For more photos, check out our Picasa site.

Makapu'u Lighthouse

2008-08-10T15:03:00.004-10:00

Romney's mom was on island for the past month. While here, we were able to run around and do some site-seeing. One of the places we visited was Makapu'u Lighthouse. There's a nice (i.e. paved roadway with little slant) trail that is reported as 2 miles long that take you to the edge of the ocean. The lighthouse is very small but well-maintained. There are some nice views from the top.

Romney and Laurie on the trail.

Makapu'u Beach.

Rabbit Island.

Makapu'u Lighthouse.

Laurie, Romney, and Dainan at the top.

Anniversary

2008-07-23T17:12:00.008-10:00

Well, we've made it one full year! It seems crazy that we've been married that long. It doesn't feel like it. For all you thinking the question: We are still madly in love with each other and wouldn't have it any other way.

For our anniversary, we drove up to Laie, stopping along the way to take pictures at some of the picturesque beaches. Once in Laie, we went to Laie Point and then to the temple for more pictures. We borrowed a tripod from one of our married couple friends in our ward so that both Romney and I could be in the photos. It worked a lot better than when we went on our honeymoon on the Big Island. Either she was in the picture or I was, but never both.

Also, for Christmas, my parents gave us each an apron for cooking in the kitchen. So, here's us posing.

To see more of the photos, go to my Picasa site at my Picasa account.

New Life

2008-04-12T12:49:00.006-10:00

Well, it's been a long while. I guess the biggest change in my life has been meeting and marrying my wife, Romney Maw (now Skeem!!!). Here she is:

I met Romney at the University Branch here in Honolulu, Hawaii. She had moved in two summers ago. We did a few things occasionally and then I asked her out in the fall of 2006. We became serious in January 2007 and by March 29th, I had proposed. She graciously accepted and we were married on July 20th, 2007. We wanted to get married in Hawaii (like everyone else in the world) but it would have been very expensive to get all of the family here. So we picked the Jordan River Temple since it was close to Romney's brother and sister-in-law, Taylor and Natasha, who live in West Jordan. Romney's originally from California so her family drove up, and my family drove down from Idaho.

I've finally graduated from UH with my Masters and am working as an archivist at the Hawaii State Archives. It's fun work (for the most part) and I love my co-workers, so I'm happy to be working a "real" job.

Romney is working a part-time social worker job while attending UH's Master Program in Social Work. Her focus is Gerontology so she'll be able to take good care of me as I get old! She should hopefully graduate in May 2009. Then we'll both be successfully employed shortly thereafter.

Earthquake!!!

2006-11-02T22:23:00.000-10:00

Okay, now that I have a few minutes to breath, before I plunge in again for next week, I thought I would tell an interesting story about the Sunday that an earthquake hit Hawaii. It's the only earthquake I've ever felt...

My roommate, Caleb, was house-sitting for a couple that went to the mainland for three weeks. Saturday, October 14th, I spent the night at the house with him and James Lui (an ex-roommate, current friend). We'd all stayed up pretty late and when we finally went to bed, I crashed on the master bed, which lucky for me had a memory foam mattress.

I woke up at 7:05 am Sunday morning to rain pounding on the roof. I got up, looked out at the solid gray world, and then went back to bed. After laying there for only a short time (later I found out it was at 7:07 am) there was a slight shaking of the bed. Thinking the family's dog had gotten into the room and was jumping on the bed, I stirred slightly. When I realized there was no dog a sudden thought went crashing through my mind...EARTHQUAKE!!! Then, my mind crashed again back to sleep. You know what they say about memory foam: you can jump on one end and not spill a drop of wine from a glass on the other. It wasn't until later that I realized that if it had been more serious (it was a 6.5 on the richter scale) I would have been buried while still sleeping.

The day proceeded on a normal basis...as normal as you can get with no electricity. The entire city was out all day. In fact, most of the state was out all day. While it was still light out (if you call iron gray light) it wasn't too bad. However, once night fell, things became a little different. I became bored out of my mind. I tried to read but the light from the flash light was annoyingly bright. My friend, James, was over at my apartment with me and we sat on the couch in the dark, wondering what we were going to do. Since it was only 8:00 pm, we didn't want to go to bed. I kept thinking about my movies and wanting to watch one. When I finally voiced this, James jumped up and told me to grab my laptop. Of course, my battery was dead by now. But we took it out to his car, plugged an ac adaptor into his cigarette lighter and then plugged my laptop in. The best part about it was the fact that the lighter didn't work unless the car was on. So, we sat in his car with it running for 2 1/2 hours watching "The Chronicles of Narnia," him in the driver's seat, me in the passanger's. It was pretty funny. Half an hour after it finished, the lights came on. Another great adventure in Hawaii.

Leslie's Visit

2006-10-13T21:53:00.000-10:00

One of my most wonderful friends came out to visit me here in Hawaii a while ago. Leslie Aldridge was one of the students who attended the BYU London Study Abroad in the Fall Semester of 2003 with me. We travelled all over England, visiting other places as well, including Scotland, Wales, and Paris. So, when I decided to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa, she knew she'd be coming out to visit me.

While here, we went all over the island of Oahu, snorkeling, hiking, going to the beach, playing tennis, visiting Laie (where the temple is and the Polynesian Cultural Center), eating at local restaurants, and taking lots of pictures. She stayed for a week and I think I wore her out. The best part of the visit, which I don't know if she would agree, was the Polynesian Cultural Center. Seeing so many of the peoples of the polynesian islands was fascinating and educational. It was definately an eye-opener. The second best thing was snorkling at Shark's Cove. Unfortunately, we didn't see any sharks but we saw a lot of really cool fish. The water is fairly clear and beautiful here.

It was sad to see Leslie go home when the week ended, but she was heading back home for her own adventures in starting her master's degree at Utah State University. It was great having a friend from the mainland come and see what I have been able to experience for the last year.

Thanksgiving

2006-08-26T23:44:00.000-10:00

This one will be short. I wanted to tell of a unique experience I had last year while I was still living at the apartment in Hawaii Kai.

It was one of the all-American holidays, Thanksgiving. My landlords didn't like to have me under foot and had only invited me to join them one time before for dinner, my first night with them. So, when I received the invite to dine with them to celebrate the holiday, I couldn't say no, even though I really wanted to spend Thanksgiving with my friends, Jorunn and Delia.

I knew they had a small group of friends that would be coming to eat with us, but I didn't realize the comic situation of it until we had all sat down and began our meal. The English gentleman, with his Russian wife, had invited their German and Japanese co-workers to eat Thanksgiving dinner with them and their American renter. I thought to myself, "World War II all over again." But the conversation was pleasant, even though a few times it steared towards the subject of the war and then was carefully steared away, and afterwards we played games. All in all, it was a pleasant, if not odd, evening.

My Arrival in Hawaii

2006-08-25T16:07:00.000-10:00

A year ago I arrived in Hawaii from Australia, where I had been visiting my sister for three weeks. Her and her husband have been there for two years working for a U.S. company. Before leaving Australia, I made a few reservations in preparation for my arrival here. I rented a car so I could get around for the first few days and find a place to live and a hotel room for two nights, hoping that would be enough time to get a place. However, two days before I was supposed to fly out, the hotel emailed me and said my reservation didn't go through because they were overbooked. I looked elsewhere for a room but couldn't find anything. With a little trepidation, I boarded the plane anyways and flew in just before midnight, August 10th. I picked up the rental car (making sure not to let them know I didn't have a hotel room) and drove towards Honolulu. I didn't have a map on me and was only going from memory from a map I had seen a few days before.

My goal was to get to the University Branch building that was supposedly next to the University of Hawaii. Following the H1 highway East, I drove until I saw a sign that said University Avenue exit. When I finally found the building, there was an arm that blocked entrance into the parking lot and a sign that read, "No overnight parking." Feeling a little worried now, I drove a little further until I was in a residental area. I saw a park that had a little bit of lighting and a road that ran next to it. I turned down the road and found a security guard booth. I pulled over, asked the security guard if it would be okay to park there on the road and sleep for a few hours. He said it would be okay until 5:00 am but that I'd have to move then. So, I climbed in the back seat and fell into a very restless sleep. I realized how humid Hawaii can get and tossed and turned all night, not just from the seat belt jabbing me in the back and leaving me with a very sore back the next day, but because my body would get all sweaty and I'd have to roll over to let it dry. In the park there was a homeless man sleeping too, and I didn't want to roll any windows down for fear of being accosted. However, part way through the night, I finally rolled one down partially which helped clear the stuffiness of the car. At a quarter to five, the guard tapped on the window, startling me from my already disturbed sleep. There was a bathroom in the park where I freshened up as best I could and changed clothes and then I drove over to campus where I had to wait two hours before I could get into the library. I think the only way I made it through that night and day was the fact that I knew I was in Hawaii. But that feeling quickly wore off.

All day I looked for housing. I used newspapers and the University's reference website to look for places that needed an extra occupant. However, after calling number after number, and getting mostly no answers, I was able to line up an appointment towards the evening to look at a place out in Hawaii Kai, about a twenty-minute drive from the University...if you have a car. With a prayer in my heart I drove to the place a little early and found it without too much difficulty. I meet the landlords, a British man married to a Russian woman who lived in a high rise apartment, renting out a bedroom and bathroom. I liked the place, especially since there weren't many to be picky about, and told them I'd like the place. However, they said they had promised it to a young lady moving to Hawaii but she hadn't responded to their attempts at making an appointment to see it. They said they were going to try one more time the following morning and if they couldn't get her, they'd give me the spot. So, feeling very rejected and lonely, I slowly drove back into town, wondering what to do with myself for another night.

I decided I'd had enough of my car for a while and was going to go beg for a room somewhere. I drove around Honolulu but only found booked hotels. "Sorry, no room in the inn," they all seemed to be saying; and I felt about as depressed as that young couple must have felt many years ago. I eventually returned to one hotel that was a Best Western. Having worked for one of their franchises, Days Inn, in Provo, I begged them for a room, mentioning my previous experience with hotels. Just as I thought, she asked me to wait a few minutes while she looked through the system and sure enough found a room they were holding for emergencies. "But, the price isn't cheap," she said. "How much," I inquired. And that's the story of how I paid $169 for a one-night's stay at an old, run-down hotel. But, oh how wonderful it wsa to shower that night and sleep in a bed!

My phone woke me up the next morning. It was the British fellow telling me I could have the room and could move in latter that day. My spirits lifted, I returned to campus and spent the day getting as much lined up for school as possible. I drove out to the apartment, moved my stuff in, had dinner with the couple (one of only two times that ever happened since they didn't like feeding me or letting me keep much in the fridge), and took my car back to the airport (one day early) while my landlord kindly followed me and drove me back home.

I love Hawaii!!!

Visiting the beach

2006-08-25T01:01:00.000-10:00

Living in Hawaii

2006-08-24T23:28:00.000-10:00

Who would have thought I would be living in Hawaii for two years? I would never have imagined myself here. Of course, I wouldn't have imagined myself in England or Australia either. Traveling is great. You can learn so much stuff by visiting other cultures, things you'd never learn in a classroom.

I've been here for a year now; my anniversary was the 10th of August. Only two more semesters and then I'll be done with my Master's in Library Sciences at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. I've made a lot of new friends here but I've meet up with some long-lost friends as well. One was a missionary friend back in Cordoba, Argentina in 1999, Josh Silva. The other was a friend from childhood, Trisha Ure. Talk about a small world...

So, people ask me what "Library Science" is. Here's my answer: It's a fancy way of making librarians look more important. Really, my fascination with books slowly took me to this degree. I am mostly happy with it. I plan to go into academic libraries, meaning a University library (of course, the Library of Congress would be really cool, too). That way, I can get any other master's or doctorate degrees I want for free. Plus, I'll be working a job that starts around $40,000-45,000/year, slowly paying off school loans.

Okay, so why did I title this the "(Mis)Adventures"? Well, because I seem to have a lot of really weird/funny things happen to me. I thought, "What a great place to write about it and put up pictures!" It also saves time on sending out lots of emails. So, please make comments on anything you want. I am going to call this good for now. My first misadventure will come shortly.