hawaii nei

yesterday at work, as i was walking between classrooms, i glanced up and remembered that i live in HAWAII.

this morning i took a break and went to the beach in kailua. i wouldn't mind just being a bum and getting some sun every day.

here's a look at some of my favorite photos of le aina
(click to view full photos)

today

.:. the birth of my two favorite twins.


.:. first sunday at the single's branch. not bad. few in numbers, but good people and good discussion. i was a little wary at first -- i love love love our family ward -- but i think it'll be a good experience.

.:. travis got baptized. and (naturally) we forgot to take pictures. lots of lovely faces. two of his brothers came. the youngest one asked if we could say a prayer before we left the church building, and later told us, "you should probably pray about every five hours, huh." oh and travis got lots of cool new ties.

.:. my dear friend jay dalton got engaged!

.:. sara (trav's two-year-old niece) has finally taken a liking to me. when i come in the house she drops everything and yells "hey! what you doing air-tah?" and follows me. she then tickles me no matter what i'm doing, and even tried following me into the bathroom once. she has also started giving me kisses. she'll ask me a question and then as i answer she just leans over and gives me a smooch out of no where and then acts like nothing happened. and when she gives me a hug she kisses my shoulder over and over with cute little baby kisses. if she sees me yawn, she says "time to sleep air-tah" and gives me a pillow and blanket. she tucks me in and lies down next to me. after a couple minutes she shouts "wake up air-tahhh!" and tickles me. i love playing with sara. i'm starting to like little tykes now. babies scared me for such a long time.

i need an entire post of the photo shoot we did that day with her sweet pig tails. 

.:. I started to read Believing Christ. And it is good.

Notorious T.I.M.E.

i always thought i would have more time when i finished school. more time to read for fun, more time to paint, to exercise, to go to the beach, and more time to catch up with old friends.

false.

well, mostly false. i do have more time - but that more is being filled with more things. i have more time to do more work for inyourspeakers. i have more time to do my lessons plans for work. i have more time to do laundry and clean my room. i have more time to spend with trav's family (aka: more time playing with a couple eight-year-olds and a two-year-old). more time to cook good meals.

and i find myself stuck in the same predicament: enjoying what i'm doing, but feeling like i don't have enough time to do things that i really love to do. i think that means i need to work harder to manage my time. i keep putting off the reading and painting and running as extra things for "when i have time."

and that time just keeps moving with me; as i get closer, it gets farther.

dear world (including self): quit trying to do so much all the time. make time just to live and love living.

HAVE JOY NOW

ninjas, naturally

you're probably sick of seeing photos of us

 

  

i'm turning into a thirteen-year-old

So for the past month or so I've been working for After School All Stars, a program Arnold Schwarzenegger put together (I know, right?), designed to help intermediate school students succeed in school and life. So many city kids are left with nowhere to go and nothing to do (except make trouble) after school. Our job is to come in and offer a variety of fitness, enrichment, and academic courses for students after school. We have homework hour and study help, cooking, soccer, photography, weight training, yoga, arts and crafts, etc. We are here to be positive role models for these kids.

I don't know if anyone has ever worked with thirteen-year-olds before, but MY GOODNESS are these kids sassy. I really enjoy hanging out with them every day, but seriously? Sassiest bunch I've ever met.

And I think they are influencing me more than I'm influencing them.

Since I've begun working at King, I've gotten hair tinsel, I've gotten sassy, I've gotten more local ("hoh!" "sistah girl" and "you like try?" have become pretty standard additions to my vocabulary), I've gotten Justin Beiber stuck in my head for hours on end. I crave rice and spam musubi all the time and I want to skip work sometimes to go to the skate park.

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?

Just call me Tita.