Where I Live

In Hawaii you take you shoes off before you enter anyone's home. In fact, most people remove their shoes before they enter their own home but Bryan and I are too lazy for that.



Now that we're accustomed to the shoe-removal, it's become a bit of a strategic element to my outfit planning.

Take for example last weekend when I went to a friend's holiday party and removed my heeled sandals at the door - only to be left tromping around in long jeans all evening. I could have worn my short jeans. But I didn't think they were as cute with my new top. So I went for the long jeans even though they look sort of silly without heels.

Just this past weekend it worked out really well for me. I donned my new skinny jeans with my silvery heels that kill my feet. I would never wear them to an all-night party except that I knew I'd take them off at the door. Ten minutes of cute shoes, confidence that I had a complete outfit, and then barefoot comfort all night. Perfect!

Although as I type this it occurs to me that there is a very obvious solution. Dresses! They work with and without shoes for any party.

And lest you think this is all about me, Bryan has an even harder time. His nicer outfits typically include slip on leather shoes with socks. But then he looks silly walking around a party in socks. And should he take the time to remove his socks at the front door? The obvious solution for him his slippahs at all times. I think he's pretty much okay with that.

To Be Honest

My lovely friend Allison nominated me to participate in the 'Honest Weblog.' Always looking for inspiration to get me thinking in a different direction, I am more than happy to give this a shot.

I am to write ten honest things about myself.

1. I met Allison when I lived in Spain for a semester. Living in Spain was one of the best things I ever did. I've always thought of my self as shy, not adventurous, and fairly average. But I continue to amaze myself with all of the interesting things I do. I moved to Spain! We traveled to Morocco. I now live in Hawaii! If I could sit down across the table from myself I would try to get Jenni to understand that she really isn't shy, average or afraid of adventure.

2. I get really bad migraines. Sometimes they are so bad that I get sick. When we were in Morocco I got a very bad migraine one night when we were hanging out in a Moroccan home. I remember trying to lie down on a rock-hard bed/couch thing. I remember adorable children running around and screaming with delight that just made my head hurt even more. And to my utter shame, I remember throwing up in a stone hole in a courtyard. To this day I am terrified that I threw up in this home's water well. And if I actually did that, I cannot imagine how they fixed the situation.

3. I cannot stand the sound of blowing your nose. My nose is okay. Other people's? It takes all of my energy not to gag.

4. I don't get ice cream headaches. I get ice cream backaches. I am 100% serious. My brother gets them too and we can both confirm they hurt a lot.

5. I have a hard time telling people how much I care about them. I don't know why. I am worried I will really regret this later in life. I already regret that I wasn't more open when my grandmother was dying. At the time I was just too terrified. But I wish I could have put my in-the-moment comfort aside to have the long-term comfort of knowing I tried.

6. I will probably always consider myself a swimmer. I swam competitively for four years in high school. Since then, there have been full years that I have gone without swimming - even for fun. I probably should not categorize myself as a swimmer.

7. That said, I feel more comfortable in water than any other environment. I feel very settled and whole when I can float.

8. Just in the last few years I have realized that it is not a guarantee that I will be skinny. I have been 'tiny' for most of my life. I cannot even begin to tell you how many people have approached me throughout my life and asked "How do you stay so tiny? Do you eat like that normally? What size do you wear?" That attention always made me uncomfortable but I also always felt lucky. I do not get those questions anymore. And I eat better and am more active than I have ever been!

9. I dream of owning a flower shop someday.

10. I can't stand it when retail salespeople are rude. It makes me irate. I am their customer and they need to be polite and helpful to me. I have customers and I am always extremely polite and helpful to them. It bugs me so much that I am worried one day I will lose it and lash out at one screaming "be nice! smile!" And then I will be a crazy lady.

In The Spirit

The first Christmas we lived here we bought a tiny cut tree. I fell madly in love with it, decorated it with care and then stupidly placed it in front of our windows that get morning sun. It got sunburned and turned orange.

Last Christmas I was disturbed that the cut trees are shipped from Oregon and are stored in a refrigerated container. Imagine the damage to the earth to get them here! We ended up getting a living tree last year. A Pacific Island friendly pine tree. And I adored it just as much and had high hopes it would be our tree for years to come. I don't know exactly what happened to it but it died a slow and painful (for me) death.

This year I am stubborn. I think it's silly to get a tree that traveled across the ocean. And I think it's wasteful to buy something that will die. But I felt compelled to decorate. And so I decorated our two houseplants. They look ridiculous and will probably die just to punish me.

- - -

On a related note, I have two parties to attend tomorrow! One is a wedding shower for a paddling friend and the other is holiday party hosted by a work friend. Considering I am both getting married AND celebrating the holidays, I'm pretty pumped for these parties. Bring on the drinks and the joyous times!

A Happy Thanksgiving

The meeting of the parents went well. Very well. They're each other's new BFFs.

We had a terrific visit, topped by yummy food and cozy snow. Here we are as one big family.

All in the Family

Tonight Bryan and I board the plane for a red-eye flight to Spokane (with a 5am stopover in Seattle). Tomorrow morning we'll greet his family. And around noon we'll greet my parents.

What's the occasion? The official meeting of the parents!

I must not have enough going on in my life because I just can't wait!

I suppose to me this means less of filling everyone in, less being the middleman. Also, it brings everyone together. I like Bryan's family. Bryan likes my family. They should meet. They'll like each other. Simple as that.

Although secretly I'm hoping for just a little Meet the Fockers action so I have a good story to tell my grandkids someday. What do you think could happen that might be comedy screenplay worthy? Go ahead, entertain me until the plane leaves.

Where I Live...

You don't go "out of town," you go "off island."

As in: "Oh, sorry I missed your birthday party. I was off island last week."

I love this phrase. I love that it implies that life only happens on the island. That when you leave the island you're completely off the grid.

Another One

My friend Ali tagged me to do this. I don't always do things I'm tagged for but I sort of like these exercises to get my brain going.

I'm supposed to finish each line with one word.

1. Where is your cell phone? home
2. Where is your significant other? downstairs
3. Your hair color? lighter
4. Your mother? calling
5. Your father? working
6. Your favorite thing? comfort
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your dream/goal? living
9. The room you’re in? dreaded
10. Your hobby? paddling
11. Your fear? boredom
12. Where do you want to be in six years? mainland
13. Where were you last night? yoga
14. What you’re not? yogi
15. One of your wish list items? wii
16. Where you grew up? home
17. The last thing you did? think
18. What are you wearing? trousers
19. Your T.V.? crap
20. Your pet? wedding
21. Your computer? loved
22. Your mood? hopeful
23. Missing someone? many
24. Your car? ugly
25. Something you’re not wearing? socks
26. Favorite store? coming
27. Your Summer? beachy
28. Love someone? always
29. Your favorite color? bright
30. When is the last time you laughed? morning
31. Last time you cried? indulgent

Well there you go. One word answers to sum up my life. I must be a communicator because that did not feel good to stuff it into one word!

Chock-Block Week

Last week was packed to the brim with fun social events.

It started over the weekend with a sleep-over meets surfing event with fun girls. Monday I had a quick swim and then headed Dukes to meet my friends, including one visiting from Denver. On Tuesday we celebrated my birthday with tapas, champagne for me, and Cirque Du Soleil. Wednesday I hit the town with some work buddies to take advantage of $4 martinis - they don't taste like four dollars! On Thursday a bunch of paddling friends got together for a 60's themed murder mystery party in honor of my and a friend of mine's birthday. Then Friday Bryan and I had an old-school date night of dinner and a movie.

So! Much! Fun! I found myself thinking "this is how my life should be!" I should have social plans and friendly get-togethers all the time.

The only problem with that is it doesn't leave me time to work out, to do laundry, clean the house or pay bills. So that's what I've been doing this week.

The Brownie Incident

I spent much of Saturday either relaxing or deep cleaning the house. In fact, I didn't even leave the house until after dark. We were headed to a friend's house for a poker party. Where I won $4! But that's not the story I'm telling today...

Late in the afternoon I thought it would be a great idea to bake brownies for the poker party. I have this "secret" recipe that is basically boxed brownies times three. It requires a deep aluminum foil pan and not much else. As the timer on the oven went off, I donned my oven mitts and reached in to remove the brownies to see if they were done. They were not done. No, they were not.

As I picked up the hot pan, it buckled, and scalding hot brownie goo ran along my left wrist, all over the oven mitts, and down the inside of the oven door. Oh hell. I was cursing and wincing and quickly moved the pan up and away from the oven. In doing so, I splattered brownie goo all over the stove, the counter, the floor and the front of the microwave.

I quickly removed the oven mitts and ran my left wrist under cool water. Oooh, it hurt! I stood there very much in pain, looking at the kitchen completely destroyed, and I wanted to cry. But instead I burst into hysterical laughter. I couldn't believe I created such a nightmare in about five seconds flat.

I spent the next 45 minutes scraping up brownie goo with a BBQ spatula, and wiping our counters, stove and floor with a sponge and a huge bowl of soapy water.

This is what it looked like, only worse. What you can't see here is the red scar on my wrist and the expression on my face...

Feels Like a Good Time to Do This

I am: writing this to take a break and distract myself.
I think: I'll go swimming tonight.
I know: tomorrow will feel special.
I have: a surfboard.
I wish: I could surf it better.
I hate: mosquito bites.
I miss: easy time with friends.
I fear: crushing my knees in a car crash.
I hear: the high pierce squeal of our TV when it's on.
I smell: tar and get an instant migraine.
I crave: cupcakes lately.
I search: with Google.
I wonder: what I will decide on for a wedding dress.
I regret: splashing salad dressing on my pants, now I'll have to wash them immediately.
I love: that the air is just the teeniest bit cooler lately, feels like a seasonal change.
I ache: on my ribs and hips from surfing yesterday.
I am not: too worried about the aches.
I believe: in myself.
I dance: when I am very happy.
I sing: in the car to cheesy songs, sometimes to Bryan.
I cry: when I feel lonely.
I fight: because I want to make it better.
I win: when I find something great on sale.
I lose: when I put too much of myself into something that doesn't give back.
I never: have a perfectly clean house.
I always: make plans for the future.
I confuse: i and e and have to remember which comes first after c.
I listen: but sometimes only with one ear.
I can usually be found: wearing cute shoes.
I am scared: that I am not doing enough in the moment.
I need: to buy milk.
I am happy about: planning a wedding for Bryan and I.
I imagine: it will be awesome.

Four

I have four pairs of jeans. Those of you that scoffed at my bathing suits and shoes, go count the number of jeans in your closet. Bet you have more than four.

Of the four, I wear one pair a lot, another pair sometimes, the third pair rarely, and the last pair only when the other three are all in the laundry.

In addition to my four pairs of jeans, I have only four other pairs of pants.

The lesson here? When you live in Hawaii you require less pants which makes room for more bathing suits.

Making History

Last night was exciting, inspiring and monumental. I am thrilled that our country embraced change and hope. I am relieved that my children won't ever have to wonder if a black man can be president. I hope this is the beginning of era that will represent positive change, a unified country, and great momentum.

I am deeply saddened that the State of California chose to ban same-sex marriages. This is something I cannot understand. I hear people talk about preserving the "tradition of marriage." I would have thought that might be a tiered cake or a toast of champagne. Isn't the true tradition of marriage love? I remind you that a handful of decades ago is was illegal for two people of different races to marry. Don't we find that silly now? And not too long ago, the idea of a black man as president was shocking. Here we are today. I hope that change continues to happen, that differences are embraced, and that my children never define marriage by sexual orientation.

22

I have 22 pairs of shoes.

That doesn't include slippahs, tennis shoes, or boots because I figure those are "utility shoes."

3 of the 22 I bought in the last three weeks.

About 10 of the 22 I actually wear regularly.

At least 2 of the 22 I haven't worn in more than two years. But I won't get rid of them right now.

Happy Halloween

A Getaway

This past weekend we went to Maui. And we saw this:


We get plenty of those on Oahu too but we never really take the time to sit on the coast and watch them. That's what a weekend trip to Maui is good for.

Where I Live...

Where I live is literally a few blocks from where Barack Obama's tutu lives. And I got giddy this morning when we drove by today and there were a bunch of cop cars and news crews out front. I also felt a little disappointed in myself. I respect him, I admire him, and I feel bad for him that his grandmother is very ill. I wish I didn't react the same way I would if Brad Pitt was in my neighborhood.

Things That Make Me Happy

Two days ago I was cruising through the other side of our office. I encountered a wall of boxes and said to my co-worker, "what do you have here in all these boxes?!" And then just as she said the words I read the shipping label... Clown Noses. 5,000 of them!

Oh joy! I giggled with glee. How fun to discover 5,000 clown noses!

It's moments like that when I wish the crew of Seinfeld followed my life. Can't you imagine Kramer and Elaine in some situation with 5,000 clown noses?

Now, I'm actually quite familiar with these clown noses. They're a promotional tool for the Cirque Du Soleil show that is coming to town. I picked up two of the noses a few months back. And then in a fit of boredom, as we waited for our table at the Mexican restaurant, I made Bryan put one on for a picture with me.

Life Interrupted

For the past six months my life was dominated by paddling. I practiced at least three times a week. I was in a canoe about 6 hours a week, in the ocean and feeling the saltwater regularly, and in a bathing suit more than in jeans. And it abruptly came to a halt three weeks ago.

Why?

Molokai.

Three weeks ago last Sunday was the grand finale, the Molokai race. Even looking back on it, it's hard to tell you about it. It was pretty amazing. I went in stronger and more confident than I've ever been. I know I paddled well. And maybe it's for those reasons that this particular race wasn't quite as dynamic as my past ones. Or it could simply be that the conditions were flat, we had no drama and therefore it wasn't quite as exciting. Regardless, I'm extremely proud of myself that I did it.

We finished in 6 hours and 18 minutes. 42 miles. We came in fairly far back in the pack but the pack was much smaller this year than in years past. Our first crew finished 3rd which is their best finish in this race and an amazing accomplishment.

It's very possible that this was my last Molokai race, maybe even my last canoe race. I definitely feel some sadness about that. This sport has been so incredibly good for me. Socially, physically, mentally. It's been one of my best life lessons.

Anyhow, on with the pictures! Starting from the sunset in Molokai (looking towards Oahu) on Saturday night, and wrapping up as we approach Diamond Head for the end of the race. I'm easy to spot because I'm the only one in a white t-shirt and a white visor.













Thank you for all your support with my paddling. Thank you for letting me feel it all again in this blog.

Back to Boulder

More than 10 years I graduated from college and said goodbye to Boulder, Colorado. The town of my college career, my first real drinks, the beginning of some of my closest frienships, the beginning of "adult" Jenni, and the scene of many, many adventures. I've been back to visit a few times - just afternoon drives to see campus and eat Deli Zone.

This past weekend I went back for a long overdue real visit. My college friends and I got together to celebrate 10 years (TEN!) since we graduated and to attend the homecoming game. SO. MUCH. FUN!

We gathered in Denver for yummy food and drinks at Christy's.

Then we headed to Boulder early in the morning to tour the Tri Delta house (oh, you didn't know I was in a sorority? I so was.), did a little shopping on The Hill (you can never have too much clothing that proclaims "Go Buffs!), stuffed ourselves with food and alcohol at The Sink, cruised through campus, had some beer, saw a buffalo, and then attended the game. I hadn't been in the stadium for 10 years. When I was in college I only missed two at-home football games ever. It was so amazing to be back in the stadium. Unfortunately the Golden Buffalo of Colorado got their a$$es kicked by the damn Longhorns but I still had a blast. We ended the night with dinner on Pearl Street and then took our exhausted selves home to Denver.








On Sunday Sara and Kent hosted brunch for all of us and all the kids of us. So crazy amazing to see the kids of your friends. Keep having kids, I love seeing them!

I also had the delightful treat to start my Colorado weekend by meeting my freshman year roommate's daughter for the first time. She's beautiful and charming and I felt so special to be able to hang out with her. And then I concluded my weekend with my very wonderful Hawaii friend who now lives in Denver. I felt so lucky.




It was a weekend I definitely needed to have. My friends are awesome. Everyone is doing so well in their lives - buying houses, having kids, meeting great guys. It is so fun to see and hear about! And even as all these amazing things happen to them, they're really not changing all that much. In ten years, we're all pretty much the same. Sometimes I get very sad living an ocean away. I feel that I'm missing out on everyone's lives. But this weekend showed me that I can always just be in touch and catch up on their happiness.

And at the same time, it encouraged me to really embrace and appreciate the friends that I have here. Sometimes it's easy to think "oh, I have such amazing friends "back home" on the mainland." But truly, I have some really amazing friends here "at home" in Hawaii too.

My Mom is Coming to Town

She arrives tonight!

We're going wedding dress shopping on Thursday and Friday. Then on Sunday she'll meet me on the beach after I finish the 42-mile Molokai race.

Life has been racing by me lately. I feel like I'm constantly looking behind me to remember where the time went. The last month of my life? Lots of paddling, some wedding planning and, uh? I have no idea!

This week should be pretty incredible. I keep tripping out on the fact that I'm cramming two seriously life-changing events into one long weekend. Wedding dress shopping? That better only happen once. I imagine it will be emotional, overwhelming and memory-making. My third Molokai race? Probably will be my last. And probably will kick my butt. Should be emotional, overwhelming, memory-making and very empowering.

I'll keep you posted on how it all goes.

Hazy Days and Sundays

On Sunday Bryan and I headed out to a beautiful cliff area called China Walls. We grabbed some beer and chips and intended to watch the sunset. We've had some crazy weather lately due to volcanic activity on the Big Island that's made for super hazy skies.

We watched the waves roll in like this:





And watched the sun go down like this:



A pretty dramatic yet lazy Sunday afternoon.

Confession

I have 17 bathing suits. I counted them last night.

I really don't think it's too unreasonable given that I wear one at least three times a week and some of them I've had long before I moved here.

The problem is, I only wear about three of them regularly. I have favorites and some that are more practical (for paddling) or more comfortable. I have a few I don't really like but I can't justify throwing/giving them away because, you know, I might want to wear them someday. It's sort of like socks. You don't get rid of socks unless they have holes in them. Even if you have favorites, you have to save the non-favorites for a bad laundry week.

Speaking of feet, I'm starting to wonder if I have more bathing suits than shoes. I might go count my shoes tonight.

What a thrill-a-minute-life I live!

On Paddling and Life

On Sunday I had a few of those life changing moments. Where you sort of sit up and look around and think "oh my god, this is my life."

It was during our race as I sat in seat one of the canoe (hardest seat, remember). I could hear the rest of my team cheering me on from the escort boat, I felt strong and I knew I was doing a good job. As I looked ahead of me I only saw the tip of the canoe and miles of blue ocean. I must have had a huge grin on my face and I just kept thinking "I've come a long way."

In the two and half years that we've lived in Hawaii, there have been a lot of sacrifices. We gave up a lot to leave our home and follow a dream I had. I have missed my friends more than I have ever let on. I have felt lost and wondered why I needed to be here. We've both worked jobs that would have paid us considerably more on the mainland, all the while everything costs more here. We've missed parties and weddings and baby get-togethers. We save every day of vacation to visit friends and family. There are many times that I wonder why I needed to be here. And if I've getting out of it more than I'm putting in.

Somehow on Sunday it became clear what I've gotten out of my time in Hawaii. This will sound corny and cheesy but I'll say it anyway, more for myself than for any of you. I have really grown here. I've become someone I didn't know I could be. And I like her. I've pushed so many of my comfort levels. I've made friends that are different from the people I've know throughout the rest of my life. I'm determined and dedicated and I'm proud of what I've done - in the canoe and out.

I have a feeling that when I'm 80 and look back on the chapters of my life, the one about Hawaii and paddling will be one of the best.

Where I Live

...the bus is called TheBus.

For real.

PSA

Treat yourself... rent the movie Mad Hot Ballroom. You won't regret it!

Third Kona's a Charm

This past weekend I was on the Big Island for the infamous Kona weekend of paddling. The weekend kicks off with an 18 mile race and typically concludes with a hangover.

The last two times I've been to Kona to paddle, I've suffered through the race and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the weekend. This year the events were a little more evenly matched. I really, really enjoyed the race.

I sat seat 1 in our 5th crew. By far, the hardest seat to sit, especially in this race. But I had an awesome crew and went into the race determined to stay strong through the end. We completed the race in 2 hours and 33 minutes which is pretty darn good. I think we came in 34th (but I don't know how many boats there were overall). I paddled consistently and strongly and am really proud of myself. About two-thirds of the way through my energy dropped a bit and a bunch of boats passed us which was crazy frustrating. My entire team was really supportive of me and it made me realize how far I've come in this sport. Two years ago I really barely completed this race. This year, I led my boat. Rock on Jenni.

Of course, as much fun as I had in the race, the rest of the weekend is really what it's all about. I met my friend Jaisy for lunch, napped a little, cruised Kona a little, and then hit the town with the team for drinks and dancing.

The next morning I jumped in the ocean, cheered on our team in the doublehull, rehashed crazy stories from the night before, and took it easy until it was time to fly home.

Also, big kudos to our team. Our womens first crew won the race, a first for us.

Here I am enjoying Saturday night:

Bryan Through the Years

I had even more fun playing with Bryan's pictures on YearbookYourself. I have only two things to say: I hope he never needs to wear glasses, and I think I would have a crush on him every year until the early-80's.

1958

1966

1970

1974

1976

1980

1984

1988

1994

1996

Through the Years

I have a little too much time on my hands lately. Lucky for me YearbookYourself exists.

Let's wander through time and see which decade would have been my most flattering...

1960
Cheerful in my glasses and tight curls.

1962
I think the flip is working for me. Not sure about the pile on top of my head.

1966
This is by far my favorite. The late 60's would have been good for me. And think of all the adventures I'd have if I was living in San Francisco!

1974
I thought I would look exactly like my mom in this one because she had that same shirt, hair and pose. But I think we can all agree this wasn't my best year.

1976
The year I was born. I'm totally digging this look. I think it reminds me of childhood TV shows.

1982
This is just wrong.

1984
I think my geometric earrings help balance out the hair.

1990
My freshman year of high school and this girl would have been my role model. Look at her awesome bangs and 'wings'!

1994
The year I graduated. And I have a confession... my senior portrait has this EXACT SAME POSE!

1998
The year I graduated college. If my hair could have held curls like this, I would have been one happy 21 year-old.