Not a City Slicker but....

I'm not a country girl either. I am somewhere in between. And some days I am more one than the other.

While I an enjoy the luxuries that a city can provide, I have to get used to being without a lot of them. For after almost 30 years on Oahu I can happily say I am now a resident of the Big Island. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Oahu, but our family had outgrown our quaint, less than 900 square foot, 2-bedroom cottage.We didn't want to leave Hawaii, but it was time for a much needed change.  So we bought a house, packed our stuff and moved to an outer island. Funny how I make it sound so easy. While my friends thought I had it under control my closest friends knew the truth. I was a hot mess!

We went from living next to a highway to living out in the country. We exchanged the noises of ambulances and traffic for the sounds of nature - coqui frogs, birds, and dogs to name a few. We have even gotten (somewhat) accustomed to hearing gun shots now and then. Some say we moved out to the boonies and others even say we are living off the grid. Nah, not yet. Yes, we live WAAAAAAY out "there" and have a catchment tank for our water, but we still pay for electricity as well as satellite internet and TV (can't live without it!)
 

Catchment tank overflowing with rainwater!

After all, without the internet I wouldn't be able to find answers to the many questions I have about living in the country such as:

• When is it the best time to pick bananas/lychee/oranges from a tree?
• How to take care of goats, chickens, etc.
• There are huge feral pigs running around on my property. Can I legally hunt on my own land?

And for the city slicker in me: 

• What left a decapitated rat and its head on my back porch?
• OMG my puppy ate pig poop. Her breath is foul. What should I do?   

The cool thing is, I can now identify pig poop. Just one step closer to being less of a city slicker! ;)

I see.......bacon!

 
A Hui Hou!

Leap of Faith

"I'm BAAAAAACK!!!" 

It's been almost two years since I last blogged. During that time a lot has changed. My husband and I really took a leap of faith and made some drastic changes for our family. Decisions regarding education, health, finances, etc. Real life stuff that took a lot of thought, planning adjusting and accepting. Much of it I had to deal with as a single parent as my husband was either out of the state or out of the country. Saying it was a difficult time is putting it mildly. Thank goodness for the support from friends and family!

Our family continues to be in a state of transition as we have recently moved from one island to another. But as crazy as it sounds, even during all the chaos I have found a sense of peace. With that peace comes the urge to start blogging again and having a place to document our often crazy life!

While I was really hoping to start off with a new blog, new name, etc., I knew if I waited any longer it wasn't going to happen. So here I am, taking another leap of faith and just going for it!

A Hui Hou!
(Until we meet again.)

Spread Eagle Float

And "Hi" daddy....

I have been so busy the last couple of days (weeks) preparing for our move that I have been lacking some quality time with my kids. I hate hearing myself say, "not now," "I can't," "I'm busy," "tomorrow", etc. Well, since the movers DIDN'T come yesterday like they were supposed to (long story) the girls were able to spend some time in the pool with papa.

Watch Momo try to swim. She's 2 years and 4 months - she can bob, blow bubbles, kick, paddle, hold her breath, jump into deep water, float and even swim a very short distance. She hasn't figured out how to lift her head up for a breath yet. As you can see in the video clip she dunks her own head under. It's my father that is holding her back (can you blame him?) She is fearless!

Did you hear my dad say "SKEERED?" Ha!





Momo wants to do everything big sister does!

As you can see I am not one of the moms that has the luxury of lounging in a chair when at the beach or pool. I am THAT mom that doesn't get to sit down for a second! But I'm totally okay with that as I am thrilled (relieved) that my girls love the water. After all the years I spent teaching swimming this has got to be one of the best rewards!

Hawaii.....here we come!