Grinning Like an Idiot

Videooooo

2009-07-26T14:54:00.003-10:00

Umm.... vacation?

2009-07-20T22:23:00.002-10:00

This is the busiest summer vacation yet!

Working like crazy at the restaurant, trying to play catch up from the last six months. Im teaching windsurfing too! I love it so much! Spending the entire morning at the beach with kids, and seeing them learn and improve is pretty cool. And Im getting paid?!?!

Today I decided I'm pretty proud of myself for the decisions I have been making.

Tomorrow there is a south swell coming, so surf should be fun!

My to-do list is incredibly long, but I have a whole four more weeks to work on it.

Yaaaaaay four weeks!

Dear Blog

2009-07-16T22:29:00.002-10:00

Hi Blog,

Remember me? Sierra? We used to spend some quality time together, consistently. Please don't think I have completely forgotten you, because I have not. The last few months of my life have been, well, insane. I dropped everything and threw myself into a frenzy of nursing books, coffee, and teal nursing scrubs. But you should be proud of me, because I passed my classes with an A and a B. I am done now, for five weeks. Do you hear that? Five weeks! I will be able to type into your sweet little box for the next five weeks, and tell you about my adventures.

Today was the first day of my break, blog. I woke up at 5am and went standup paddle surfing at Thousand Peaks. Rocko even got out on the board with me. I went straight to Maui Sports Unlimited Kids Camp, where I chased 24 little ones around the sand and water with giant boards and miniature sails. After a nice afternoon nap I went sailing in overpowered super gusty but super fun conditions at Kanaha---for a 3 hours. Exhausted, Rocko and I de-rigged my gear and we chased sand crabs. I ended my night with an amazing steak dinner with Nitsan and my new roommate. Oh thats right, I live in Paia now, by the way.

Life is great blog. My body is so tired.... its a good feeling....this thing called exercise.

Don't worry blog, I will keep you posted for at least the next five weeks. I miss you blog.

Love Always,

Sierra

pooped

2009-05-23T22:42:00.001-10:00

amazing week, im freaking tired. pictures soon to follow.

some familia

2009-05-21T05:36:00.009-10:00

I finally rode a horse again and I miss it like crazy! Steph and I did a run out to the barn for a quick ride and a stop at the taco wagon. I miss those yummy burritos too. There is absolutely no place else I can buy such amazing burritos! Now I have spent the last few days with my mom and grandma. Yesterday was Moms birthday too! Today I am headed back into Chico with plenty on my list of things-to-do.....

The Burrito Truck in all its glory!!

We LOVE these burritos.. been getting them for years now

It's a beautiful thing.

Me, steph and Kristen

Me and Gran!

Me with my step sister Lex, at her dance performance...

Me and mom, happy birthday Mom!

Just me...

Me and my Moms 9 month old "puppy"

Chico-ish

2009-05-19T06:50:00.004-10:00

Surviving SF, days 2 and 3

2009-05-18T14:03:00.008-10:00

Oh wow.... so much in two days.

Saturday, sightseeing and Oyster Fest. Saw Michael Franti live, that was pretty fun. Ate the best garlic butter oysters I have ever eaten.

Sunday I was awake early, and drunk by 8:30am. I participated in Bay to Breakers, a 7 mile race. Did I run? Absolutely not. I followed the crowed of costumed (or naked!) walkers. It was insane, San Francisco is insane. At around noon I took a taxi to The Fairmont Hotel, and proceeded to pass out in their fancy lobby. Jona met me there, my savior! After a nice lunch, we drove to Chico. I hate being hungover in the afternoon. But it was worth it, I can't even explain more than that.

Im in Chico now =)

DAY 2

DAY 3

Day 1 in San Francisco

2009-05-15T19:07:00.004-10:00

My flight was short, too short. I hardly slept, despite having the entire row to myself. Why was the plane half empty??

Not as cold as I expected, just a bit of a chill that expands your lungs a little more. The humid Maui air has been cleared out of my lungs.

My flight arrived at 4:22am, thats 1:22am Maui time. Aaron picked me up at the airport and we headed back to his place. I swore I was only going to sleep 2 hours or so, so I checked my watch a few times throughout my sleep. 8am I woke up, and realized that I was actually 3 hour off. I ended up sleeping over 4 hours... oops! Its okay, the wind doesn't blow until around 2pm anyways. Here is the view near Aarons apartment...

We ate a delicious breakfast at a little diner, and cruised around the Haight-Ashbury District of SF. Pretty cool, so much to see! Next stop, Coyote Point!

I always wondered if I really like windsurfing a lot, or if its Maui I like so much. So I was pretty excited to have the opportunity to windsurf somewhere other than Maui. Its such a big deal to me! My first time ever to windsurf somewhere else!

Here is Coyote Point...

All I ever hear about is how cold the water is here. I was pleasantly surprised, with a wet suit I didn't even notice the water temperature. I was perfectly powered on a 4.2 and a 77 liter board. At first I felt incredibly lost, not sure where upwind/downwind was, and felt confused about where I should be. After a while, it was soooo fun! The chop was fun, perfect bumps and sometimes fun ramps. I made some jibes on both sides too. We sailed for 2 hours, and by the end I felt comfortable with the conditions and the landmarks.

So... the water is umm.. brown...

Here is Aaron, working on my board!

Aaron's friend and windsurfing buddy, Kevin. Me, in a glorious wet suit!

Aaron and I, windsurfing for peace today. Dorks.

After windsurfing, I was starving. So we met some of Aaron's friends for dinner at an amazing restaurant. They give you vegetables, noodles and rice as well as a huge platter of raw kobe beef slices. In the table, is a pot of boiling broth that you drop the beef and vegetables into for cooking. There are dishes of different sauces on the table as well. You cook it all as you eat it. It was sooo yummy!

Tomorrow is more sightseeing. Its supposed to be clear and sunny, but no wind. We'll probably go to the Oyster Festival for live music and more good food. Mmmm its amazing how much I love food!

More to come over the weekend.....

Proof!

2009-05-13T18:53:00.001-10:00

Proof that Nitsan does exist, he is not my imaginary boyfriend!

(ps. today was day 6 on the water and tomorrow I fly to California!)

4 days, yep, thats right. 4 straight days.

2009-05-11T19:53:00.003-10:00

On Friday, I used a SUP board and sail and went windsurfing. I also studied for my final exams.

Saturday, Nitsan gave me a Kite Boarding lesson!!!! He said with 1 or 2 more lessons, I can do it on my own. Im really excited about learning something new. I studied a bit more and then went to work.

Sunday I studied all morning for my Monday exam. I ate lunch, and studied more. Then, guess what. I went windsurfing. I felt guilty about it, because I know my classmates would call me crazy. But I don't care. The more I study, the more I realize that exercise and fresh air are necessary. I had to do it, I was losing my mind in a sea of hot pink flash cards and a stack of books. It was a fantastic few hours on the water... late in the afternoon and only three of us out. The wind was light, but steady.

Monday morning, I woke up and flipped through flash cards in bed. I packed some around for breakfast, and flipped through them on my way to class. I took my dreaded exam. It was pretty painful, I started losing focus half way through. Usually I can finish a test in less then 45 minutes, but this exam took me over an hour. Next stop, Milagros. I downed a couple margaritas at 11am along with 6 other girls in my class. You can imagine the stress we have been under, so to put this exam and about 20 margaritas behind us was incredibly entertaining. Its nice to spend time with them outside of school. So next, what did I do? ......windsurf! Again, light steady wind so I took the SUP. Rocko cruised the beach, I didn't even tie him up. He stalked me up and down the coast. I let him sit on the board and we drifted downwind. Out and back, I went. Jibe, jibe, jibe. It was awesome. So relaxing. Then Rocko and I frolicked the beach together and he got a bath in the beach showers. He is going to be really pissed the next time he gets tied up at the beach...hoping that won't be me to tie have to tie him up! (sorry to whoever it is!) Last night I went to a bonfire, and let him run around the beach all night hunting sand crabs. He is Mr. Independent right now, and he think he owns the entire north shore along with all the crabs the roam its sand.

Today, I went to my injections final. I was really nervous to do my stuff under pressure with my teacher hovering over me. My hands were shaking and it was really awkward. Somehow I still got an A on it.... whew. At 1:00 I have an exam review session and I will find out my score from yesterday mornings exam.

One more exam left, this Thursday, then its off to California! Im feeling a little under prepared for this trip. I haven't even thought about packing yet, but I mostly feel worried because I know my liver isn't up to par with S.F..... annnd is definitely not prepped for a Chico State graduation weekend. Uhhhhh ohhhhhh......

So here is my amazing car, now equipped with racks and surf board =)

Rocko has been getting out A LOT lately and he is pretty stoked about it.

And the beat goes on....

2009-05-05T22:39:00.002-10:00

Main problem, solved. Some good communication and honesty and what do you know!

Life is good.

I put surf racks on my cute little care. I will take a picture tomorrow. The last 48 hours was filled with obscene amounts of school and work. Luckily I have the next few days off. Going to California soon too!

I talked to some nurses at work last night. They were fantastic =) ER and ICU nurses.

Their biggest advice: do not work while you are in nursing school.

Ha. No kidding. Working and being in school is really taxing. I am tired of not being able to focus more on school work. My fingers are crossed that SOMETHING works out, and I can work less than 10 hours a week this fall.

Wishful thinking? We'll see...

The important decisions in life.

2009-05-03T00:56:00.002-10:00

I know that one day I will look back, and laugh. I know I will realize the answers were right in front of me, but I was so busy looking elsewhere that I missed them. What feels like a mountain right now, is really just a mole hill in the big picture. My biggest enemy is most likely myself, although the last few days I have been trying to find it in everyone else.

I think its time to open up a few of the boxes I have kept stored away for a few weeks. Time to deal with the things I don't want to deal with. When its all sorted out, said and done, I know I will feel the weight of it off my chest. It will be a burden lifted off my shoulders. I will know I did the best I could and did what was right for me.

All it takes is a some communication, some honesty, some self evaluation and the answer will appear before my eyes.

So before I post again, I will have cleaned out these compartments in my head.

I promise.

Queens Day

2009-05-01T10:33:00.007-10:00

Celebrating Queens Day-- a Dutch holiday! Yay for the Netherlands! Yay for good food! Don't forget to wear orange and invite all your Dutch friends...

(click to enlarge photos)

Me and my Lauras!

Rocko and I have been spending a lot of time together at the beach and at home lately....

Rocko the sprinter...

Rocko the dork....

Rocko, doing what he does best...

Was a beautiful sunset at my house yesterday, lightly sprinkling rain...

2 weeks till California....

The Paradoxical Commandments

2009-04-24T14:21:00.004-10:00

Today was my last day of clinical until the last week of May and it went amazingly well for me. I learned more, did more, and felt confident in what I have studied and practiced. Injections were a piece of cake, IV and O2 monitoring was natural. I discontinued an IV, and helped with wound care. My patient learned a lot about his diagnoses (Stroke, Diabetes Mellitus) while in my care. My patient and the family thanked me immensely for my efforts and advocacy for them while in the hospital. If felt really great to make a difference in their lives.

It was also my teachers last semester as an acute care instructor, and next semester she will become Nursing Program Coordinator. I feel really honored to have learned from her, and appreciate the time she spent with our group. She left us each with this quote:

by Dr. Kent M. Keith, based on Mother Teresa: Missionary of Charity

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankeness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest ideas.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs and follow top dogs.
Fight for the underdogs anyway.
What you spend years bulding may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the butt.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

ummmm

2009-04-22T20:36:00.002-10:00

so many things to look forward to.

so many things to be stoked about.

I don't even know where to begin!

but, the count downs are on.

yep, thats right its plural.

count downS.

ready....set....go.

things work out, they always do.

life is good.

Universal Health Care

2009-04-21T15:31:00.004-10:00

So you say you are against Universal Health Care?

You know me, 21 years old, full time student. I take pretty decent care of myself. I don't smoke, don't really drink, I kinda get exercise.

I guess I don't deserve health insurance. I can't always work enough hours a week because of school. And they cut everyones hours at work because of the tight financial situations. So I don't make the cut.

While you argue that not everyone is entitled to health care, I am praying to God I stay healthy. Praying that I don't end up with a urinary tract infection, which is super common with women. Because I know if I do get one, the best I can do to treat it is drink lots of water. And can you imagine what would happen if it turned into a kidney infection? Even more than that, I am crossing my fingers I don't get seriously injured. Because a broken bone, a car accident, a case of appendicitis..... who knows where the thousands of dollars will come from to pay for my medical bills. I know my family can't afford that kind of financial burden.

Many nursing students like myself, are thinking of these things all the time. One of us gets a measly cold and cough, a urinary tract infection, the flu, and we are down for the count. But, I guess since we don't work 40 hours a week with a job that pays into an insurance company--that probably will find a way to weasel out of paying for serious medical bills anyways--we don't deserve health care.

So before you toot your horn about not everyone deserving health care, think about your loved ones, your family and you friends. Can you think of anyone without insurance? When it comes down to life or death, terminal illness, do you really want to see them get denied, because they didn't meet someone elses standards of who deserves and who doesn't??

I never thought so hard about this until recently. I never cared so much until now. Because now, I am in the position to seriously get back handed if I am not careful.

(in case you are freaked out, no worries. I am still healthy. Just being realistic.)

Closing a Chapter of My Life..

2009-04-19T23:41:00.005-10:00

I know I already made a recent post dedicated to Corona, but I cannot stress enough the importance of him in my life.

A lot of my friends on Maui windsurf, surf, or kite. You may not realize it, but you can relate. As your world wraps around the ocean swell and the trade winds, mine used to wrap around my horse. I used to eat, breathe, sleep and dream horses. My horse made my world go round. Horses taught me responsibility and the meaning of hard work. I owe my current drive and determination to do what I want to do-- to my history with horses. From a young age I was held accountable for the life of something else, something important. I can even say that some of my best friends and most amazing mentors were found through horses. Now that he is officially sold, I see an important chapter of my life closing. It was well written, with a happy ending, and a to-be-continued last page.

So, Saturday Madelyn picked up Corona. He belongs to her now. She left me a message today saying he settled into his new surroundings nicely, and all the young kids that she teaches at her barn were stopping by to give him carrots. It makes me happy that he will have a good life.

My best friend Kristen was there to say bye to Corona for me, and give him a last ride for me. She will miss him almost as much as me.

Corona...

Corona and Kristen...

...

Nurse Sierra

2009-04-16T18:20:00.003-10:00

goodbye my Corona

2009-04-14T14:02:00.003-10:00

It looks like I sold my horse, Corona. He lives in California, so it doesn't make sense that I keep him. The final details will work out this week. Congratulations to Madelyn, his soon-to-be new owner.

I bought Corona was I was 15. There were many challenges with owning him... he bucked me off more times than I can count on two hands. In the end, we did really well in competition and I learned a lot. I gained a lot of respect from others who had the opportunity to ride him and realized what a challenge he could be. I love him dearly and I am going to miss him even more than I already do.

I'm 21 now, and I can't wait until the day I own a horse again.

Jona emailed me a couple pictures of him that she took today.

Pediatrics Final Exam

2009-04-13T22:11:00.003-10:00

My last pediatrics exam I nearly failed. My entire class got backhanded by it.

Last night, I didn't get off work until 2:15am, I didn't sleep until almost 3:30am. I woke up at 6:30am for school, my pediatrics final exam.

Whoever said you can't cram-style study and hyper-caffeinate before a test was very wrong.

I got 83/85 on my final. Next time I hope I don't work before my exam, but even if I do, it will be OK.

---------------------

Here is the rest of the semester as I see it:

I'm done with Pediatrics for the semester

I'm done with my Transitions Nursing class for the semester

I have 2 weeks left of semester clinicals

4 more lectures

2 exams

HESI testing

In 2 weeks Nitsan is back from Israel

In 4 weeks I fly to San Francisco to sail the bay with Aaron

A few days later I spend a week in Chico

During that week I will get to ride horses with my best friends

Then its back to school for summer session

Car runs great, my sunburn is fading without a peel, life is good.

more butterflies

2009-04-13T14:36:00.006-10:00

One of the two coordinators, Juliana Shelef with her husband Eyal

The initial startoff, Hookipa

Before the start, girls stretching

My love, Chiclet!

Me and Chiclet carrying her board at the finish, Kanaha Beach.

Girls coming in at Kanaha Beach.

Me and Chiclet, paddling through the surf at Hookipa

Girls paddling out at Hookipa.

Yours truly!

Me, Gal, Laura, and Marina at Hookipa

The girls getting ready at Hookipa.

Me, Laura and the other Laura.

Ready...set...GO!

circle up for stretching and warmup at Hookipa

One of the two coordinators, Tatiana Howard.

view from the top, Stand Up Paddle

Be The Effect

2009-04-12T10:50:00.005-10:00

A huge huge huge thank you and congratulations to Tatiana Howard and Juliana Shelef for the success of the 2009 Butterfly Effect Maui!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Visit www.betheeffect.com! Within the next few days pictures will probably be posted here.

This year there was over 100 girls who participated, more than double from last year. The Butterfly Effect was created by Juliana and Tatiana. They wanted to do a downwind run from Hookipa to Kanaha and thought it would be great to get some girls together for it, and so the Butterfly Effect was born. This year was the 3rd year of it in Maui, and since the first year the girls have brought it to other countries in the world.

The goal: to get women together for a noncompetitive event, to encourage women in ocean sports. The run is 8 miles down the coast in the same direction of the wind. You can Stand-up Paddle, Windsurf, Kitesurf or Canoe. There are prizes and free pizza and giveaways. Along the way, there were plenty of jet skis stocked with photographers and a few for safety. After a pit stop on the beach at Sprecks, a helicopter came and took some amazing photos for us. The afterparty at Jacques was a blast, ending this years event. Here are some photos:

(these pics are by Kevin Pritchard, and I took them from Tatiana's website www.tatianahoward.com)

Here are the girls at the start

A view of the coast, see us all leaving the beach at Sprecks?

One girl on a stand up paddle board

Coming in at Kanaha

Here is all the girls at Sprecks Beach, forming the shape of a butterfly. Look at all the equipment!

The girls circling up, see the butterfly image left in the middle from our footprints?

Jewish Holiday

2009-04-10T09:05:00.005-10:00

First off, I bought a camera!!!!!
Just a cheaper point and shoot digital camera, but YAY I can take pictures again!

School has been completely insane. Last time I posted a blog about school, I was just finishing my Pediatrics Clinical Unit. After that, I spent 2 weeks up at Kula Hospital doing longterm care.

Honestly, I don't see longterm care being the field I plan to work in, but I have to say it was incredibly rewarding and a great experience. I ended up with some fantastic opportunities with my patients. On my last day, I realized that my patient was ready to pass away, and that was challenging for me. I really wanted to make her as comfortable as possible, and I gave her some care that may have very well been the last for her.

Next I began my first clinical hours at Maui Memorial Hospital doing acute care on a medsurge floor. Such a different experience! Everything is so fast paced and hectic in comparison to long term care. There is so much to be done, and the time flies by. What really amazes me is how much I have learned just through this experience. Finally, everything I have studied in lecture the last few years is making sense. I am really beginning to grasp how body systems all work together, and I am amazed at all of it. I have 2 more weeks of acute care left now, and then my clinical semester is over! Just lecture and tests. Only 5 more weeks left! Then I get 10 days off!

I also left Hot Sails, at least for the time being. Just too busy for 2 jobs! Working at the restaurant seems to be enough for now. My car, still running great. Rocko, still happy to chase bugs all day while I'm at school.

Okay, so... the good part of this post.

Did I mention that I um, have a boyfriend now? Yes, its true. Despite the internal fighting I have done with myself, it has happened. And I am pretty happy about it. So while he is currently back visiting his homeland of Israel, I have been here. A couple nights ago was the big Jewish holiday, Passover. With all my Israeli friends I have now, I was invited to celebrate with them. Wow. What an experience!!! I realized I mostly know the story of Passover already... the jewish slaves of the Egyptians and Pharaoh, Moses coming to rescue the slaves. The walking in the desert, the locusts... etc etc. Wow cool! Marci sat next to me and translated all the hebrew. With at least 40 people at the dinner, I don't think I was the only one who didn't understand the Hebrew. The excitement I felt throughout the crowd was contagious, everyone was laughing and singing and some were dancing. The food was amazing (I am finding that all these Israelis know how to cook!!!).

I looked around at one point and really appreciated the tight family-like group they have made here. And I realized how many of them I have began to really care about, and how much I love some of the friends I have made within their group.

Here are a few pictures!

Some of the people

Juliana is Brazilian, and her husband Eyal is from Israel.

Pre-dinner, tables set up.

MMMMMmmmm =)

Omri, Lee, and myself.

Yoav playing guitar, Arnon playing keyboard, and Tidhar drums and vocals.

Me and Omri

After dinner lots of singing and celebrating.

even better

2009-03-15T11:35:00.003-10:00

I called to get my car insured and gave them the VIN #, and they told me my car is actually a 2002. I checked the papers, and yup, sure is!

Today is Nitsan's birthday and I got him a nice pair of running shoes and some really nice kitchen stuff. He broke them in this morning and I'm really happy about it.

Its a good feeling when you pick out the right gift for someone. I love giving things to people its nice. I can't wait until my first Christmas being a nurse, I am going to buy the best presents for everyone.

new car, a new me.

2009-03-12T14:51:00.005-10:00

Its been almost a month since I informed you of my life. So much to say, never enough time. I hardly have time to use the bathroom anymore. Seriously, I use the school bathroom more than my own bathroom at home. So what has happened?

Well, over 4 weeks ago my car broke down. Did I ever tell you that? Yup, poor little Lucy Verde finally gave into the salty, windy air, and most likely too few oil changes. Her heater core busted and leaked coolant or water or whatever it is, she overheated but her temp gauge was broken so I never knew her headgasket was toast. She managed her last drive, all the way to the house about four weeks ago. That was the weekend before my first week of clinical. RIP Lucy.

I guess I don't have many pictures of her... but here was one taken when I first was learning to windsurf maybe a year and a half ago?? or more??? She lasted me 2 years. I was happy then, taking her to the beach, up Haleakala, to Makena. She did me well. Thats her behind my shoulder.

So thanks to all my amazing friends, I managed to get rides places. I had a ride everywhere I needed to go. I was never late, not even once. I even borrowed a car for the last 10 days. It was pretty awesome, how everyone helped me out.

and..... yesterday I bought a new car. A 2001 Nissan Sentra, super low miles and incredibly clean. I haven't named her yet. She will have a name soon. Here is what she looks like, only black:

So how do I have time to post a blog now?? Welll... this week is my midterm week, but my instructor let my group do our midterms last week. Sooo... that means I had yesterday, today and tomorrow OFF from school!!!!!!!!!!! Yesterday I fell asleep on the beach for an hour, and my whitey skin turned bright right. Sun burn?? Wow its been soo long. Now I am at Maui Coffee Roasters enjoying the rainy afternoon.

The last four weeks of school were amazing. I have been doing my clinical practice in the hospital and I love it. I have 2 more weeks of Acute Care in the hospital and then I get a whole week off for spring break. Then I am offically 2/3 of the way through the semester. It feels good to think about summer.

So thats my current life.

I miss you all, love you much.

oh and my cellphone number changed, if you need it then email me sierrajhess@gmail.com

my bed

2009-02-18T23:53:00.002-10:00

is it possible for my bed to feel so good? I'm melting into it. How will I ever wake up for school tomorrow?
All I want is to hybernate for a while. A rainy Sunday would be nice, to stay all day at home. First, I would clean my house really well, and wash my sheets. Then, I would curl up in bed and read my favorite good books. Lost in the scent of fabric softener and a cloud of a comforter, I would read The Red Tent, Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and Strange Son.

Will a rainy Sunday actually happen? I doubt it. And even if I get a day off, I will probably wind up somewhere else, doing other things. Windsurfing or something. Which is pretty cool too.

Almost Famous

2009-02-13T18:25:00.004-10:00

Remember any blog posts where I talked about doing a windsurfing board test for Windsurfing Magazine? I think I mentioned it.

Well, the magazine came out a couple weeks ago and to my surprise, I got a particularly sweet picture in it. Take a look!!!!

The important pages are 4 and 6. On page is also a quick little write up about me.

Click on the link, and then click "click here to start downloading". Be patient, it takes a minute... Sorry I don't know how else to use pdf files except like this!

http://www.mediafire.com/?3nymjw1b3yk

let loose at the elementary school

2009-02-12T17:48:00.002-10:00

Today was my first day of clinical. Up until now, I have had plenty of lecture/theory time in an over-air conditioned classroom and some decent hours in a smelly mildewing lab room. At last, we were set loose to practice our newly acquired skills on some of the cutest and funnest patients-- children!

What is it about me? Why do I love kids so much? Have I always been able to connect with them, and really identify with them? Maybe. Or it could be the last few years of exposure to my step siblings, and how I miss them so much now. Regardless of the reason, the moment I set foot at the Elementary School I felt at home and in place.

Each of us were assigned to a different classroom. My assignment: Developmentally Challenged Preschool.

I have to admit that when I went yesterday to buy my stethoscope, I was thinking about the kids. Rather than go with boring and traditional black, I went for the purple one. I could imagine myself already.... the kids would see me as fun, nice, cool blonde haired girl in teal scrubs. The one with the pretty purple stethoscope. The little girls would love me, and we would be best friends by the end of the day.

My classroom wasn't filled with the 7 year old girls like I had planned, but the new possibilities immediately perked me up. I found myself with tiny kids ages 3 and 4, mostly diagnosed with Autism and Down Syndrome. I immediately fell in love. They were absolutely adorable, and so fun. Definitely challenging, since their social skills are not the same as typical pre school kids. The first little girl I interacted with had already picked out just the right toys for the occasion: a doctors kit! She pulled out a little plastic stethoscope and I jumped to my feet to retrieve my brand new purple stethoscope. Although she could not communicate with me verbally, I could tell by her nonverbal behavior that she was as thrilled with my purple stethoscope as I was. I knew it would be a good day.

While playing with the kids, one wasted no time in attaching himself to my hip. He was totally adorable, and a little more socially adapted. He scooted closer and closer to me and before I knew it I had found myself a little shadow for the day.

My educational task for the day was to pick a student and apply the Denver II test to see if the student was following the pattern and trend for growth. We learned about this test in class and practiced it a bit. With a fairly cooperative preschooler, we hopped on one foot, long jumped, drew stick figures, counted blocks, named colors and played word games. I charted my findings accordingly, and get to write a paper about it tonight.

After lunch, my kids were exhausted. Following the teachers schedule, they watched Sesame Street and went down for a 1 hour nap. This gave me 1.5 hours to catch up on homework and cruise the school. I found myself an inviting picnic bench on the playground and settled in. As I browsed my work, children of each of the grade levels came out for recess. With each recess, came another batch of curious students to my study spot.

My favorite of these onlookers consisted of 3 first grade girls. They were outgoing and talkative, keeping me busy with questions and answers. They were very curious about my scrubs, my homework and why I was at school. When I told them I was going to be a nurse, they shot into a discussion of "what I am going to be when I grow up". Sitting live, right in front of me, was a future doctor, teacher, and a candy shop owner. I tried to suppress my laughter as they vividly described their reasoning for their picks. When the bell rang, I could tell it was hard for them to peel themselves away from the picnic table and from our quality discussion. They marched back to class with their arms locked over eachothers shoulder, best friends forever. I couldn't help but think back to that age and how it felt. I remembered my best friends, and can proudly call those girls some of my best friends still.

Overall, the day was an awesome experience. I loved everything about it and I am really excited that I was assigned to a Developmentally Challenged group rather then a regular class. I am incredibly intrigued by Autism in particular, thanks to some reading up on it from a few years ago. I am excited to learn more about it.

Tomorrow I go back and do the same stuff, and I also get to spend some time in the School Health Center doing physical exams! Looks like I get to pull out the purple stethoscope again :-)

ouch

2009-02-12T02:30:00.001-10:00

Tonight I worked at Ale House. I trained Laura to waitress. Yay! It was pretty busy, for a Wednesday. YAY! I made good money. YAAAY!

We didn't get off work until 12am. I promised her I would proofread her essay tonight so she could turn it in tomorrow.

It is now 2:30am. Essay is done. My stuff is packed for tomorrow. I have to wake up at 6:15am for my first day of clinical. 3.75 hours of sleep. .... yay???

Goodnight.

"Real growth doesn't happen without some pains"

it really makes you realize

2009-02-11T17:47:00.003-10:00

In reflecting on my last blog and reflecting on the last few days....

When things go wrong, you really realize who is around you.

My car is sitting uselessly in my driveway, now nothing more than a storage unit for my water toys. I feel like I have completely lost my independence, just by losing my set of wheels. While I find myself doing the transportation limbo, there are suddenly people all around me willing to help me out. Between my roommates, classmates, coworkers and friends I have made it to all my destinations, even early. Even some of my family are going to pull together to help me out. It may not be much, but suddenly the $20 is starting to feel like $200 used to feel. Any little bit helps, and what is even more important, I feel like people care. Somehow I have spun myself a web of a social network of friends that are starting to feel more like family.

I can't wait until I have a reliable set of wheels again. I can't wait until I graduate Nursing School. I can't wait until I am financially stable. I can't wait until I can return the favor to all of those who have helped me out along the way. And wow I am so amazed at how long the list is getting. There are so many people I have to thank for helping me out, making me the person I am today and continually supporting me to be the person I am going to be. There is a little bit of each of you that makes up "me".

So...

Thank You.

=)

makes you realize

2009-02-10T11:22:00.002-10:00

The bad days happen so that you can appreciate the good days. Things go wrong so that you can remember how good it feels when things go right.

My problem, I have too many good days on Maui. So it takes the bad things to appreciate the good. Thats why my car is broken down. So its okay, because now I can't wait to get a car again. And now I will take even better care of it.

See? It makes sense.

ohhh dear

2009-02-09T11:22:00.002-10:00

Ooooh okay what to blog about. What to write. So much.

First off, I really miss having a camera. I am always thinking about how I wish I could take pictures. I feel like a really important part of my life is going by, undocumented. So much is happening to me, particularly in school. I wish I could take pictures in my labs!

We had our first injection lab last week, and I successfully gave subcutaneous and intradermal shots to my lab partner. I learned IV care, and how to properly maintain and remove IVs. I dont actually get to start IVs on my lab partner until next year though.

I have begun to forget what the water feels like on my skin, and yesterday I spent the better part of my day windsurfing. It felt soooo sooooo good to rig my gear and trot into the water. I was mostly powered up on my 4.8. The waves were small, only the occassional shoulder high set. PERFECT for me though :-) I caught some waves and cruised around. Nitsan and Laura practiced water starts and I felt proud of myself doing laps around them. Its nice to watch people learning, because it reminds me that I have gotten better. Both of them are doing great and I am reallllly excited about it. I cant wait until Laura and I try to go out in waves together.

So, to the downside of my life right now. I am trying to be realistic, and understand that life just has its ups and downs. It happens to everyone, and I need to just deal with it. Here it is:
My car broke down last night.
Yep. Little Lucy Verde. It looks like the Heater Core is leaking. My car starting overheating last night, and now it wont even start. I am pretty sure it will cost more to repair than the car is worth. Some friends of mine are going to look at it tonight, so I will find out more. I am pretty sure its toast though.

I have no idea what I will do. I have just enough money to pay my next 2 tuition payments and pay my next rent. Work at the restaurant has been soooo slooooow. This week I start clinicals for school and its about to get really intense. I can't go on without a car, yet if I dont make my tuition payment on the 20th I get dropped from school.

Somehow it will work out, it always does. I will buy another car, and start selling body parts I guess. My kidney has to be worth something, right?

A moral dilemma

2009-02-02T00:24:00.004-10:00

I remember how I felt when I was sat on that mini step stool/ladder thingy. The tears flowed freely down my cheeks and I became the definition of ashamed. Of course, I was only 15, and as it should be, 15 year olds make mistakes. I shoplifted almost religiously, and I finally had gotten caught. I learned my lesson and shoplifting and stealing is now my pet peeve.

So I hated to be the rat today, but its not my apart of my job description to watch others have there things stolen, and its definitely not my job to lie to cover up for them. So, after very careful debate, I made my decision and acted upon it.

In the end, I am glad I did it. He had no business stealing a $400 pair of sunglasses, and as it is, I already have been concerned with him stealing money from my books at the tables. I have a serious hunch that cash goes missing when he is around. His little episode today backed up my intuition.

I am not going to spend my shift running from table to table, working hard, and just let my money slip away a few dollars at a time, or let the other girls money disappear with them oblivious to the possibility.

After I made the decision to come forth with the truth, I found out I was not the only one to do it. Another girl did the same and it made me feel better knowing we were on the same page.

I just hope he learns his lesson the way I did. And he is still pretty young, so there is hope for him.

i recovered my sanity today

2009-01-31T01:21:00.002-10:00

Despite rent being due tomorrow, I needed to clear my head from a week of school. I worked short and went on a SUP downwinder instead. The weather was absolutely amazing and I wore my cute royal blue skimpy bikini. The sun warmed my skin, the water cooled me and the view of the coastline was amazing, as it always is being so far from the beach.

Well, I just got home from work and its 1:30am. I made about 1/2 the money I was hoping to make. Oh dear. At least I am happy and sane :-) Being in the water is the best way to start the day. It is also the best way to spend a couple afternoon hours to keep you going through to the night, or its the best way to watch the sun set.

Here is a really cool video I stole from Giampaulo. He is becoming my current source for media on my blog :-) :-) It is taken with an awesome waterproof helmet/forehead camera. The colors and footage is pretty amazing, and gives you an awesome perspective of a windsurfing. He catches some other people as well, and you can see some small waves that he rides. Makes me want to go windsurf right now!!!! Enjoy =)

Ps you can find it and more cool Maui water sports stuff on his blog www.mauisurfreport.blogspot.com

Uppers vs Lowers from giampaolo cammarota on Vimeo.

And the scores are in....

2009-01-28T18:17:00.002-10:00

I had my first exam on Monday and I got my scores back. They threw out one question which raised my grade a bit. Here are the details:

1. The grading scale is changed for nursing students. As follows:
A 93.6-100%
B 83.6-93.5%
C 73.6-83.5%

2. Nobody in my class received higher than an 90%. I could only find 2 people with that score. And it is considered a B, not an A.

3. I got an 88%,

4. Almost my entire class got less than 83.6%, which is considered a C

First I was bummed because I REALLY wanted an A, but nobody got an A. And compared to the rest of the class, I did pretty well. Next exam is now 2 1/2 weeks away.

Rationale

2009-01-27T22:25:00.002-10:00

In class today, we learned about making official "care plans" for clients. There is a whole process to having a client: Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implement and Evaluate. Everything nurses do, teach and say is supposed to have a rationale, that can be backed up by direct literature. For some reason rationales were stuck in my head all day.

Today....
I decided it is a really bad idea to drive down Amala St. with my windows down after heavy rain.

My rationale...
Over-sized trucks with over-sized tires and over-sized "Maui Built" stickers drive really fast in the opposing lane, causing an excessive amount of water to splash in through the windows of my little green wagon car, thereby soaking me and the interior of my car with dirty street water.

Despite the downfalls of flooding and rain, I was really really really excited to have a rainy day. I hope it rains tomorrow too.

Brain Fry

2009-01-24T13:52:00.007-10:00

I never imagined a week could go by so fast and leave me feeling so utterly wiped out. As my "Math for Meds" class wrapped up a half an hour early, I felt the tingling excitement of the upcoming weekend. Friday had finally wrapped up and I was free to flee campus! Don't get too excited though, the tingling excitement only lasted about 2 minutes, which ironically happens to be the distance between math class and my main lecture room.

As I gathered my goods from main lecture room, I thought over what the weekend had in store for me. Every book that I lugged into my bag made my heart sink just a little bit more. By the time I was ready to walk out to my car, I was confusing the weight of my book bag with the weight of my heart which quickly translated to the weight in my feet. I drug my heels to my car, and towards this long weekend.

Friday night consisted of: Study, study, email classmates, study, complain about studying, eat dinner, study, watch Animal Planet and then study. I shut the books at midnight and spent the next hour with Chiclet (Laura). I almost can't think of a better way to end the day. Talking to her makes me feel better about life and better about myself.

This morning I cleaned my room, which really just means re-organizing my notebooks and school books. The piles are taking over my room.

Good news:

-A friend has some old nursing books that match up to mine, so I can return a few of mine to the bookstore. I think it is going to add up to over $200.
-Another friend received good news on a pending Greencard/Visa, and gets to keep making Maui home. Yaaay!
-It has been windy, and there have been waves. Everyone has been cheerful because of the good conditions.

Bad news:

-My first exam is Monday
-I have been too busy with school and work to enjoy the wind and waves

Finally, I am stealing a few pictures from other people. Here are the happenings on Maui for the last couple weeks.

Crazy wind and wave conditions the last few weeks. Here is a video from Giampaulos blog (www.mauisurfreport.blogspot.com). It is a Kiter and Kevin Pritchard at Hookipa, the world famous spot right near my house.

And here is a sweet picture of Kevin Pritchard on a wave at Hookipa. I stole this one from Kevins Blog at www.pritchardwindsurfing.com

This next one makes my stomach hurt... this kiter is about to get devoured by huge wave, and then right behind it a reallllly huge wave.
Photo was taken by Mandi Sinclair.

Chiclet and I are both in school now, so here is Chiclet studying. Our somewhat cozy livingroom :-)

1 week down, 103 to go

2009-01-19T22:37:00.002-10:00

Today is Monday. Today is a blessed holiday. Thank you Martin Luther King Jr. I survived last week and am mentally gearing up for round two.

Last week went pretty well. Monday was orientation, where they pretty much scared the bejeezus out of us all. It was really overwhelming to be honest. Soo much information.... sooo confusing. The way my classes are organized is much different now and I have multiple teachers for one class. That is tricky. Half the battle for the next few weeks will be figuring out what the heck they want from me. The other half of the battle will be working between studying. Week one: went to bed between 12 and 1 every night, woke up between 6 and 7. Oh wait I did sleep in until 7:30 one glorious morning! That felt great.

We'll see how this week goes. I am pretty excited to really start digging into the information for my first exam. Oh hey, my first exam is... in 1 week. Already!

Sorry I don't have picture... I have no camera right now :-( Really depressing. I will work on getting some sort of cheap cheesie camera so I can at least add some color on here.

Good night...

In case you have forgotten

2009-01-08T12:50:00.002-10:00

I am only 21. I say things I don't mean, I mean things I don't say. I have always found myself to be an open and tell-all kind of person, but recently realized there are a lot of things I am starting to keep to myself. I am holding my secrets dearly, and becoming afraid to share and then lose.
I change my mind a lot, and my opinion can be swayed easily; not because I am insecure or so malleable, but rather because I am learning new things everyday, and I try to be open minded.
My opinions change frequently so please don't think less of me or see me as easily swayed, but instead see me as a constantly growing and changing human being. I am open to all possibilities and with each new experience, the way I see the world will change.
In true contradiction to the previous, being 21 seems to qualify me to think I know everything. So if I argue with you, become stubborn and hard headed, its because I know what I want, or at least I think I know what I want. Its what I want in that moment, but tomorrow I may want something completely different. Maybe in 5 minutes I will want something completely different.
I'm not perfect, and I am not claiming to be. I do claim to be female though, and you should take that into consideration. I love life, whether its my life, the life of the newborn baby I got to hold, or the life of the 70 year old woman I chat with at Kanaha.
I can be emotional for the better or for the worse. W hen I am passionate about something, you will know it. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and my facial expressions tell all my secrets, if you know how to read me right.
Although I am quite different than many 21 year olds that I know, please remember: I am 21 and sometimes I am going to act like it. Forgive me for my mistakes and let me learn by doing. I want to make my own decisions and choices, make my own mistakes, and hopefully learn from them. Just accept it.
_________________________________________________________

That being said...

Yesterday I was exhausted and tired and lost in my head. I went to Kanaha and expected a less that great session.
I was surprised and stoked to find some nice wind on the outside. It wasn't consistent wind, but more up and down, mostly powered but a little underpowered on my 4.8. It was nice wind though, relaxing wind. No catch you off guard and over the handlebars type of gusts. Just cruise wind. The small waves were perfect for me. Maybe some head high sets? I actually rode a couple waves fairly confidently. When I turned to head back out, I always happened to be timed perfectly between sets. I did a couple little chop jumps and landed suprising grace. I can't jibe for anything on my freaking little board, but I did flip the sail and switch my feet. And then my board would round upwind really quick and I would fall. (Any suggestions for me?)

If I get off work early today I am going to grab a standup board and do some longboard sailing at Kanaha before I head to the restaurant to work.

Life is good and I am in denial that next week my life will change drastically.

Goodbye

2009-01-06T17:21:00.002-10:00

3 hours in Maui Coffee Roaster down.

Should I keep track of my hours here for the next two years?

Maybe we should make some guesses as to how many hours I will spend here.

I put a small dent in the amount of school work I have due on Monday.

I am preparing to kiss the rest of my life goodbye.

Goodbye life.

Hello books.

I have 14 of the 16 Nursing books I bought. Only $900 later.

Goodbye.

Summing up my reflections

2009-01-05T12:29:00.002-10:00

So I wrote a blog and almost finished it and saved it. It was really, really long. You have seen how many words I can use to write about 1 day of my life, can you imagine how long it was to talk about my entire year?!?!?! So I am not going to put you to the test of reading it, don't worry, I won't make you suffer. It was good for me though, to write about so many things in my life. It helps me to put things into words because then I can really understand what I feel. So let me try to sum all of it up for you:

2008
First semester back in school after 1.5 years off of school, got As in all my classes.
Began to consider the possibility of windsurfing in waves, began windsurfing (or really just getting washed) in small waves.
Summer = intense, busy, lots of people visiting. My mom came to Maui to visit me, and I absolutely loved having her here.
Fall = break up with boyfriend of 3 years. Value our friendship more than anything.
Made new friends, some of the most amazing people.
Sounds cheezy, but in 2008 I rediscovered myself. I was lost in a lot of things that I couldn't see until I was out of those things. I found a sense of freedom from the past that felt good to be able to let go of.
The end of 2008 was somewhat sad. I missed my family and friends more than I ever have before.
In various situations, I found myself learning to stop planning, stop controlling, and let things just happen. I still can't decide if its really going to be right in the end, but for now, I am enjoying the ride.

Some goals for 2009:
Survive my first year of nursing school!! (I start in 1 week!!)
Be able to pay my bills and still eat healthy food while in school.
Get decent exercise while in school.
Make it home for KPs graduation in May.
Sell my horse :-(
Be more reliable and accountable to my friends. Give back to them at least as much as they have given to me.
Give more hugs.
Laugh more, stress less. Let go of the little things. (I swear I am getting better at this!)
Stop my nervous habit of rubbing my skin when I am anxious, particularly my neck.
Call all of my family on their birthdays this year.
Call my siblings more.
Call my parents more.

My motto for the year:
"If you don't like it, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."

less than epic, did I jinx myself??

2008-12-29T17:51:00.002-10:00

So I know I swore to have the best day ever Saturday, and BELIEVE ME, I tried!!!!!!!

I woke up early, did my laundry, cleaned some house, got the boring stuff out of the way. Went to get into my car to take it to get the tire changed. (My tire incident, refer to earlier blog post). The last few days I drove a room mates car, so my car sat for a few days. I was apalled when I glanced into the backseat. On the passenger side floor of the back seat was a freaking bathtub of water. A solid 4 inches. I know you are thinking about how much this sucks, but just wait a second. My car is an $800 '92 escort wagon. She has seen better days for sure. A little water is something I can deal with. Here is the part that tears my heart up. Behind my passenger seat, in its case, and then wrapped up in a towel is where I keep my camera. My fairly expensive Canon Rebel XTI. My baby. Yup. You better believe it. My camera took a 2 day bath. Soaked down to every last light sensor and wire. I took it apart and set it out to dry, used a cup to scoop the water out, and all my beach towels to soak up the last of it on the floor. I didn't get upset, I didn't freak out (on the outside). I started my three legged car and drove a slow 45 mph down the hill.

I went to walmart first to check on the tire situation. Walmart is usually pretty cheap. They quoted me 100 bucks for one freaking tire. No way. Next I went to the tire place by Safeway. 65 bucks. That sounds a little better, and should be done in 1 hour. Rocko and I took a walk around the block and people watched in front of Safeway. 1/2 hour into the wait, my phone rang. Apparently things were busy, and 1 hour really was going to be 2 hours. AAAGH!!!! At this rate I would miss all the good wind at the beach!

Finally, my tire was fixed. Straight to Sprecks I went. I looked out over the water, and saw everyone fully powered and planing. YAY!!!! In case the wind got lighter, I wanted to be prepared so I rigged my biggest sail, a 4.8. I downhauled it extra incase I was going to be overpowered. Of course, as soon as I get out on the water the wind goes weird. Weird directions, super gusty, slogging one minute, blasting another minute, and then fall back into the water.

Despite the somewhat awful conditions, I proved to myself that I really do enjoy self-punishment. Every run out to the reef I swore that all I wanted was enough wind to make it back to the beach and I would be DONE. De-rig and go home. Nope. Silly me. Everytime I made it back to the beach, I itched for one more chance at planing across the choppy messy water. I kept going and going, even though I technically wasn't having too much fun.

But did you SEEEE the beautiful rainbow?!?!? Did you FEEL the wind on your face?!?! Didn't the water feel GREAT?!?! I couldn't help but have fun. I loved it. I hated it. I wanted more of it. So confusing, don't you think????

I got out of the water and the rain came down hard. Of course, solid super wind came as well---AFTER I de-rigged my stuff. Oh darn. Besides, with the strong wind came strong rain. I got into my dry clothes just in time for the rain, and hopped in my car looking like I just got out of the shower.... in my clothes.

Ooohhh Maui. How I love you so.

Post-Christmas thoughts

2008-12-26T21:29:00.002-10:00

I survived my first Christmas without my family. Not too bad, only a quick few tear drops after I talked to my little sister on the phone. She is growing up so fast :-(
My day was good. I didn't get on the water, but I heard from others that the wind was super gusty and not so great anyways. I actually spent the day indoors watching re-runs of Ice Age.

Now that its over (whew!) I can move on. I am feeling kind of accomplished about it, and if I have to do it again, I think it will be easier the next time.

Today I worked all day. It was an excellent day of work though! At Hot Sails we did inventory so my brain actually took a nice break from the more monotonous things I do behind a desk. I got a kick out of watching Glenn and Tom dig out piles and piles of sails. So many sails piled up I couldn't even walk by! Luckily, Diony scooped me up and used his long grasshopper legs hop over the sail piles and carry me across the shop. I felt like a princess!

The restaurant was slower than ever, but it made for a pleasant atmosphere. The girls I work with are so different from me, but I love each of them dearly, for so many different reasons.

Tomorrow is going to be a splendid day, I just know it!!! Here is why:

1. I don't work AT ALL!

2. I am going to clean my entire house. Tomorrow evening, I am going to light all the candles and relax, hopefully with the sound of rain outside.

3. I have a list of songs I really want to use my poi and fire dance to, and I always feel like a million bucks afterward.

4. There is allegedly going to be trade winds. I don't care if the rain blows the wind crazy directions, I am getting in the water! If it's super gusty and I get catapulted again and again, so be it! Or, if I end up slogging around in a light breeze, I will snag a board from Kanaha Kai and cruise on a tanker.

5. There is definite possibilities of making chocolate chip cookies.

6. I reallllly want to see the movie Marley and Me. Problem is, nobody wants to see it with me. So maybe I will pull a Rachel Delforge, and take myself on a date. Yup. Thanks Rachface :-)

7. I don't have to stress about school yet! That makes any day worth being happy about!

8. Today I stumbled upon something great at the store. I randomly found Rockos favorite brand of squeaky ball. I haven't been able to find this particular brand in months and months! He doesn't like toys, but he goes CRAZY for this particular squeaky ball. He's gonna be stoked! Playing fetch with him at the beach is going to be great fun.

8 reasons. There you have them. I'm telling you, it really is going to be a good day. I can feel it in my bones!!!!!!!!!!!

Sicko

2008-12-24T12:13:00.001-10:00

Have you seen Sicko? By Michael Moore? If you haven't, then you should. I watched it last night for the first time.

Umm... universal health care??? I'll pay half my income to taxes every month if it means I can rely on my family having health care for the rest of their lives. Sign me up!

"be happy and have a grateful heart"

2008-12-22T23:18:00.003-10:00

When I heard her voice distantly through the phone, I have to admit, that elephant teardrops sprang into my eyes. Mostly happy tears, but still that clenching pang in my stomach. Its weird how you adjust to people, almost take them for granted. And then when they are not around, you realize how much you miss them. After I hung up the phone I felt happy that they get to be together for the holidays and I imagined them strolling through the quaint shops of downtown Chico, sporting their Christmasy hats and scarves, picking out just the right little Christmas gift for me. That was Monday morning. My tears were happy ones.

Monday night was the night after the first day of winter. I think that makes it the second shortest day of the year. It was dark early, and I could hear the raindrops on the roof of the restaurant. I busily waited on table after table, grateful for the consistent flow of work to keep my mind off the feeling in the air. When I paused for even a second, I was overwhelmed by the sensation of feeling the season.

On my way to work this morning I blew out a tire. The Haiku rain was so heavy I opted to wait in my car for it to pass before viewing the damage.

With optimism I headed through Paia and emerged out of the wetness. The sun warmed air of Kahului was comforting and I went about my work without any significant emotion. When I saw the trees outside my office window swaying in the wind, I got excited. I anticipated good wind and had a 2 hour session with the nicest wind I have felt in months.

On the water is when I decided that I wouldn't be sad. I wouldn't think about my friends gathering for dinner and drunken stupidity, immersed in the holiday season night life of Chico. I wouldn't imagine my little siblings racing to the couch to be the first to sit by me. Or tackling eachother to get into the car to have the seat clostest to me. Or my little tiny kindergarten sister making up her own songs to the tunes of my older brothers acoustic guitar. All thoughts of my grandparents amazing holiday cooking were going to vanish. I wouldn't be sad knowing that my friends were going to go ride horses together, like we do every year we get together for Christmas.

Despite all that I am missing these days, it was easy to look around and appreciate what I am not missing. A lot of people still dream of even visiting where I get to live. The water was warm, the wind was magnificent. I spent two hours soaking up the sun, and finally came in when it began to disappear behind the West Maui Mountains. Rocko and I spent some quality time together hunting crabs on the beach. I observed his mad dash to Kite Beach, and could share his excitement as he sprinted back to me. The grin on his face and his ears flying back in the wind was a sight worth paying money to see.

For some reason I feel patient today. The tropical rainstorm in Haiku didn't bother me, the traffic through town wasn't a problem, and spending an hour at safeway to buy just a couple of things was mellow. Everyone was in such a hurry and so busy. I patiently waited my turn in line and through a little bit of chaotic traffic, I found my way into the Haiku rain again, and back home.

Supersize it.

2008-12-22T09:33:00.002-10:00

Okay. So here is a somewhat random post.

On several occasions this weekend, I encountered conversational topics regarding obesity, overeating, and healthy v. unhealthy food. One conversation was a somewhat humorous story that actually had a really good ending. Despite the positive ending to the story, I had a difficult time laughing along the way. Why would I have a hard time laughing at a story about an obese person?

Believe it or not, obesity tends to run in family. And yes, it is a disease. It is a disgusting mind game. It is something I can completely relate to, because even at only 21 years of age, food has filled my head to an extent that can't possibly be healthy. But look at my genetics, and you can understand the constant source of my worry. I have never been a skinny person, and don't consider myself to be small. I am "pleasantly plump". And I am okay with that, really. But what about in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? I need to be aware of these things now, so I don't have to fight them in the future.

The difference between myself and some of my family is that I have been raised with a good amount of education on what a healthy diet consists of. I live in a part of the U.S. that in my opinion, provides a lot of access to healthy, fresh foods. It is my hope that I can look at the mistakes of my family and learn from them, apply the educational value of those mistakes to my life, and someday raise my own children to eat the right foods.

Here is my biggest dilemma and cause of frustration:

Most students gain 10-15 lbs during college. This is partially a result of exercise. But it is also because of the college students' diet. Lets face it, most college students are broke. I have been lucky enough to have well paying jobs the last 2 years. Buying whatever food I want has not been on issue or even a question. If I wanted healthy food, I bought it. Unfortunately, in the face of a failing economy, my waitress job is paying 1/3 of what it used pay. My tips are just enough to pay my rent, utilities and gas. As each month goes by, I am forced to grocery shop more and more by what is cheapest. When I start nursing school in January, I have no idea how I will be able to by healthy food.

So here I am, a typical college student. Obesity is a huge problem in the U.S., and yet the cost of healthy food is obscene. I am constantly being directed to eat the right foods, but how can I do it when I can't afford it? Am I supposed to give up my good and healthy eating habits so that I can afford to make my rent every month? How is this fair? Am I really supposed to start trading in my fresh Kula greens in for a 50 cent package of Ramen? And its an accepted way of life for the college student!!!! People tell me that its what I am supposed to do! Live off of Top Ramen Noodles! And Macaroni and Cheese! And its okay!

Why is it, that in this country, it is so difficult to eat the right foods? Didn't obesity take over alcohol as a leading cause of liver disease? What about diabetes? High blood pressure? Heart disease? Cancers?

This is really scary to me. Americans put really nasty, unhealthy food in their mouths without even thinking twice about it. Most Americans probably don't even realize the food they are eating will slowly kill them.

And why is it so difficult to change this????? Why does healthy food have to be so expensive?

The best thing I can do for myself at this point is eat in moderation and keep trying to get in decent exercise. But Im telling you, based on my genetics, I need both a good diet and exercise. I really can't have one without the other, or I won't stand a chance.

Kind of a frustrating topic for me.

2008-12-17T00:58:00.003-10:00

Here is a picture from Maria and I going tandem.... for some reason uploading to blogger makes the colors look pretty washed out. The original has amazing color. You can click on it to see it bigger too. And too bad there wasn't more wind that day. Tomorrow might be windy though!

Good Quote

2008-12-15T08:34:00.002-10:00

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.": -Maya Angelou

Ahahaha

2008-12-13T08:30:00.002-10:00

Kids are totally amazing. This makes me laugh so hard!!

Lets try again

2008-12-12T11:53:00.009-10:00

Here I am again at Maui Coffee Roaster, only this time with a solid internet connection and a some seriously gorgeous weather. See, this is another reason to love Maui. Yesterday I loved the rain, and today I love the warm sunny breezy weather. Next week we are actually supposed to get 3 straight days of rain (so I hear) and I am really looking forward to it.

So what have I been up to?? Lets start with Thanksgiving. Wow. My favorite holiday for sure. Even better than Christmas! This year I was on Maui, I went to my Hot Sails Maui bosses house for a feast. Everyone brought delicious food and we ate on a luscious, green, palm tree covered yard only a few yards from the ocean. Before we even had time for our dinner and dessert to settle, us girls were ready for some water action.

After batting our eyes and politely smiling, Jeff offered us some standup/longboards for some light wind evening sailing. 5 or 6 of us cruised the coast as the sun began to set. Plenty of laughter filled the air as Laura and I doubled up on an old SUP board, practicing our balancing acts and pushing each other into the water.

When we returned to the beach, someone said to me "Was it fun? But there was no wind!" Don't you understand though????? Its not always about the perfect wind and waves and conditions. For my friends and I, its about US! We laugh and be silly and make fools of ourselves. What I love most about these girls is that no matter what the conditions, they find a way to make it work and have fun doing it. And we had a blast. And thats what Maui is about... finding ways to appreciate everything life has to offer. Laughing no matter what, because its all too wonderful to take too seriously and let it pass by.

Here are four of us girls on the beach before dinner.
We all work in the same building, they work for Kanaha Kai and I work for Hot Sails.

Here is the group eating, the shot was taken from the beach.

Collecting our food. There is me on the right, my best friend Laura in the green, and Ray is hiding his face for some reason..

Feeling so Thankful to live here...

Us heading out for light wind sailing...

Sunset over the West Maui Mountains

Not bad to be on the water in the evening!

After the sun went down, we all cleaned up and had a bonfire on the beach. Here is a crazy cool picture of me and Chiclet (Laura!)

We all sit around the fire

So that was my Thanksgiving! I missed the family this year, and as Christmas gets closer I miss them even more. All my roommates leave this next week, so it looks like it will just be me and Rocko to hold down the house!

So what else have I been up to?? Finals has been torturing me, ever so slowly. School itself isn't so hard as it was in California, but being on Maui makes it incredibly challenging to focus. In between school and work.....

Maria and I went tandem sailing! Two sails on one OVERSIZED board. No joke, the board we used is ridiculously large. After we sailed, we took one sail off and left one on...then we put four girls in bikinis on it. Yup, silly us, pretending to be Rose on Titanic...cruising across the water with are arms out. Our laughter could be heard all through Lowers Kanaha I'm sure. It was sooo fun. Next time I promise there will be pictures of all of us on the board.

Sometimes I meet up with the girls to surf. Last week we met up when it was still dark. The waves were less than epic, but it was fun anyways. We "synchronize surfed" and were trying to all catch the same waves. Aside from Lauras cut foot, it was the best way to start the day. We all parted ways for work and school, wishing the morning would last longer.

Left to right: Maria, Laura Kearsley, Laura Martinez, Aree, Me

Me and Laura

Laura's foot

Over Thanksgiving break, Ray came over to Oahu to hang out and spend time with his Maui buddies. While he was here, he got his first opportunity to head out on a jet ski for some Tow Surfing photos. For those who dont know, Tow Surfing is how you catch waves when they are too big to paddle into. A jet ski tows a surfer onto a huge wave with a rope similar to that used for water skiiing. When the surfer is on the wave he lets go of the rope and rides the wave. Jaws is an insanely huge waves that breaks a few times a year. On this particular day, my roommates Juan and Andres towed eachother onto Jaws and Ray sat on another jet ski for taking pictures.

Here is Jaws

Here is Juan and Andres, towing onto the wave

Pretty cool shot...you can see the surfer on the wave

The wave is soo big, and this is a SMALL day at Jaws!

So thats been my life lately!
My last final for school is Tuesday and what is today... oh...the 12th! EXACTLY one month until I begin nursing school!!!!!!!!!!

Tonight is the going away BBQ for my roommates, I'm going to miss them soooo much! This weekend I get to go to 2 Christmas dinner parties and maybe I will finally feel the holiday spririt. Its kinda hard to remember the time of year when the weather is so warm.

Miss you all sooo much!
Hope your school finals aren't killing you =)

much love
Sierra

I'm still here!

2008-12-11T15:50:00.003-10:00

Okay okay soo much has happened since I posted last!! Thanksgiving in particular. Did I mention to anybody how thankful I am for sooo many things?!?! Its unbelievable. Everyday I am thanking something/someone (God??) for everything I have. Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday, because its a chance to get people together (to eat good food!!) and spend some quality time with eachother. It just reminds me of how much I love my family and my friends, and how my life is always being shaped and molded by the amazing people that influence me.

Anyways, I have plenty to say (as always) and plenty of pictures, but the internet is really slow right now. I can't upload a single picture!

Today is a really wet and rainy day on Maui and I love it. All the beautiful and warm days on Maui make me really appreciate something I usually despise-- rain!

Gonna go make the most of the weather and relax, will post again with pics asap.

Love you all more than words could say =)

Sierra

Got Wind???

2008-11-26T16:23:00.004-10:00

I was talking to some sailing buddies at the beach recently, and came up with a list of 8 reasons as to why you should sail with me:

1. You will always rig faster than me, even if I start 10 minutes before you. Its just the way it is. So you can feel really good about your rigging skills if you rig with me.

2. I will make you feel really smart, because no matter who you are or what skill level you are at, I will always ask if you think I have enough downhall. You would think I have it figured out by now..but no... I always need a second opinion no matter what the conditions.

3. I will taunt you while we rig, telling you how you should watch out because I will be ripping on the waves, or tell you to watch out for my spray when I fly past you fully powered, or tell you to stay out of my way when I go for my double forward loop. I will get you all pumped up to go out and have the best session of your life. This leads into number 4.

4. I am a pretty poor windsurfer, so you'll feel really good about yourself when you sail with me. Especially after I taunt you on the beach. You'll think I am doing pretty good, and then you will see me do something totally ridiculous and eat it on the water. That should put a smile on your face, especially when you see the look on my face, which brings us to number 5.

5. The looks on my face must be amazing. I usually am grinning (like an idiot), but on some days I am sure I have that "mama!" I'm scared look on my face. No matter what though, I seem to always have a good time, smiling and laughing.

6. Some of my catapults are pretty unbeatable. Even ask Nick, the last one he saw me do he claimed was top 3 for sure. He was laughing pretty hard at me, and I laughed until I cried and my ribs hurt.

7. I make bad windsurfing look good. Or at least I think I do. Sometimes my bikini bottoms slip off my cheeks, and I am too overpowered to pull them back up. This is a little more pesonal though, so you'll have to decide if this is good, funny, or just plain wrong. Its up for debate for sure. Hopefully it makes you laugh at least.

8. My favorite reason for you to windsurf with me is my friend Laura! She is almost waterstarting now and she is amazing. She is beautiful and looks better on a board and sail than I do without a doubt. Her grin is even bigger than mine, and she laughs more than I do. She is going to be my sailing buddy and its almost impossible to not have a good time with her around. And, she is Colombian. You will love her.

The last two days were ridiculously windy. I'm talking about the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-bikini hoping-it-stays-tied kind of windy. The kind that makes you think getting drug tied up behind a pickup truck going 60 mph might be a little easier on your body. And, I had a blast sailing in it.
Monday I had 2 hours between my two jobs and I went to Lowers to get a quick session in. Where was my brain when I check the wind forecast?!?! Why didn't I bring my 3.2 sail down from the house?!?! Why do I believe in torturing myself?? Well 3.8 was my smallest sail and I rigged anyways. I admit that I thought twice about it when I saw full grown men going out on 3.8 sails, but stubborness and maybe a little bit of stupidity won out. I suddenly forgot where I was. Wait...am I back at Ram Tap Championships 3 years ago, leading Corona (my horse) to the warm-up arena? Because that is the one thing that stuck out in my mind as I struggled out over the Kanaha Reef. As I tried to waterstart my sail pulled hard on my hands. My board and sail fought me violently as held tight to the boom. Flashbacks of Corona dancing on the end of his line ran through my head. It amazes me that two completely different sports can feel so similar at such an intense moment. I remember Coronas athletic, lean, muscular body dancing alongside me. I remember him half-rearing and pulling at the leadrope in my hands to release his energy.
What makes me laugh is remembering seeing people walk by, staring with huge eyes at the massive animal parading along side me. Im sure they thought I was crazy, but there I was, grinning. Yes, like an idiot. I stayed calm and kept smiling, optimistic that he would soon put his energy to good use.
So here I was two days ago at Kanaha, still smiling to myself, optimistic that the wind would mellow out just enough for me to waterstart and cruise back in to the beach. It took time, and patience, but eventually I was back on my rig and flying across the water. I kept telling myself "just one more run"...and I eventually sailed the entire time, grinning like an idiot, making a fool of myself getting catapulted around. Some things never change.

Yesterday was a sweet day too. I know this is a really really long post (wait, aren't all my posts really long?) but I have to share it with you. I was on a 4.8 and I needed it to make it out. There was NOOOO wind on the inside and I almost swam out. I could see the windline clearly...and after a good slog, I reached it. Holy smokes, I needed a 3.8. My sail was waaay to big, but I stayed out anyways. As the sun slowly moved down, the wind shifted to a perfectly powered 4.8. For about 15 minutes I was cruising along, totally relaxed. In and out I went through the waves. Perfectly small, shoulder or head high at the most I think? I caught a perfect one, and I think I even rode it properly!! I unhooked my harness and slogged... waiting for the wave to push me. At last it caught up with me and I almost missed it. A bit of pumping and I suddenly glided down the face. I slid my back hand towards the clue and imagined an inside jibe. I carved down and then back to the top , still waiting for it to break. My sail felt so light in my hands, and my board felt so smooth and sensitive. Down again I went, carving along, pushing my toeside rail in. Really? Is this how its supposed to feel? This nice? I got in 3 turns like this before the wave broke. I came back up to the white water and went over it, and back down to ride straight in.

I did it :-D

I got three waves in that felt like that. And then the wind turned to overpowering gusty crap again. I got washed for a while and spent what felt like 30 minutes trying to get upwind again to where I launched. But it was all worth it for those three little waves I took, and I have been smiling ever since.

Aloha, and everyone have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow. I am thankful for so much and I hope you are too.

Here are a few pictures of Corona. Most people here on Maui don't realize how important horses were (and still are) to me. Imagine how much time you put into water sports, how much thought and energy. Insert horsebackriding and competing horses there, and you can understand how dedicated I was to it.
Corona is for sale in California now, so that I can pay for my college tuition. So lame.

.......

2008-11-17T10:48:00.005-10:00

I can't think of a title for this blog, as there are too many things running through my head. I feel like I am riding a bike straight downhill. Not as in, my life is going downhill, but rather the feeling you get. Free falling. Flying. My eyes are watering and I can't see where I am going, but it feels so good. My hair is whipped back like a dogs ears in the window of a car. No need to peddle, its just an effortless and mindless free fall. All I can hear is the clicking of the wheels of my bike that spin so fast. All that matters is the wind rushing past my ears...and maybe that I should stop smiling so much because at this rate I could end up with a lot of bugs in my teeth. But I am moving so fast I don't eat breakfast, so maybe a little protein won't hurt.

Everyone is high on stoke of winter swells, glassy conditions and some windy days. I'm stoked because everyone else is stoked. This winter is different...I have a new appreciation for waves that I didn't have last winter. I haven't been in the water as much as everyone else, but I have been in enough to boost my heart to carry through the necessary tasks in life...school and work.

Friday night was pretty awesome. A spontaneous trip to the Haleakala Crater was planned. The last week didn't give me much sleep, so I tried not to look at my watch too much. I was exhausted to say the very least, but so excited to do something new on Maui!

We hiked down 4 miles in the moonlight with a couple coffee breaks. After pitching tents and snacking we crawled into sleeping bags....around 3am maybe? The cold air on the volcano only reminded me of one thing...TAHOE!

I kept thinking I could close my eyes and open them to find myself at Alpine Meadows or Homewood with my best friends, surrounded by crystal white snow. Nope..no snow on Haleakala. My amazing and crazy girls were not there to experience this adventure with me, and it pulls a little on my heart. (Fingers still crossed for winter break though..just in case!)

The morning brought an adventure through the lava tube. Pitch black and sometimes a little tight on space, I loved it. The darkness there felt so true to me, not a speck of light when we clicked off the flashlights.

The hike up was...well....a hike uphill.... The best part was stopping to catch my breath. Haha nooo not JUST to catch my breath, but to look around and check out the view. Steep cliffs going down to the base of the crater, and beatiful pieces of fog stringing themselves up the sides, always moving and changes and reshaping. The sun was warm and comforting, but the cold stringy clouds invigorated and refreshed me.

Reaching the top was as good as I thought it would be, but looking back, I realize the journey itself was much better than being up top. I like the thoughts that went through my mind as we did it, and I like the people I was with.

Now its back to "reality", with work to be done, 2 exams to study for, and.... more time on the water I hope. My reality isn't so bad :-)

Sorry guys...I forgot my batteries for my camera so I didn't get to take pictures :-(
But I stole a few from Amir...

Here is a little piece of the hike up the mountain, doesn't look so bad.

A little bit of the view...you can see the grassy base we went down to.

And here we are at the base, headed up!

Nitsan and I. Please note the mountain in the far back is what I hiked up :-)

Me and the little Brazillian beauty, Danielle.

Matan, Danielle and Amir going into the Lava Tube.

She is adorable... I think I am gonna miss her. (She is on her way to Brazil right now)

Nitsan and Matan at the entrance of the Lava tube.

Sorry..I thought I had this rotated and I am too lazy to figure it out right now. But you can still see... bread..cream cheese....yummy Israeli coffee...tomatoes and cucumbers...sardines....
Wait! Sardines? Umm I didn't eat the sardines.

Relaxing after breakfast.

Danielle, Amir and I.

At the picnic table...breakfast I guess?

I guess I did something I have never done and really loved it. I definitely want to do it again, but next time on a horse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a sweet monday everyone.
I love you.

Like a Rockstar

2008-11-13T00:55:00.002-10:00

Lovely day.

Surf Hookipa.
Get one particularly successful wave.
Almost take out someones teeth with my board.
Don't let the shorebreak eat me for breakfast.

Go to Anthonys Coffee.
Wait 15 minutes for my grub.
Spill my entire coffee down my car at HSM.

Call for caffeine backups.
Proceed to try every line of Rockstar energy drinks available at cash'n'carry.
Finish work on an incredible caffeine buzz.

Go to Hookipa, decide not to surf.
Get dumped on by rain.

The rest was a surprising and wonderful evening.
I have realized, maybe I am shy.
Lunch tomorrow will be better than ever.

"in a world of lemons, you're a real peach"

Another few days on the rock

2008-11-09T19:25:00.006-10:00

This post is going to begin with some incredible sunset pictures. (yes, I know I am obsessed but this one was amaaaazing!) I didn't touch the photos at all, just uploaded them straight from the camera. It was an icky, cloudy, cold, windless day. After a painful evening of work, I went to watch Laura surf...when suddenly.......

The skies turned to the most brilliant colors...

It looks more like lava to me..

The West Maui Mountain sunsets sure don't disappoint!

One of my favorite reasons for living in Haiku.

The last few weeks I have somehow found myself eating the most delicious food. A few times a week I am over at a different friends house for an amazing feast! In fact, almost every Sunday we have been going to Ala/Laura Ks/The Frenchies amazing Kuau house. We all pitch in and buy some food from Mana Foods, cook together and chill out on the porch. Its so nice to cook with other people. I really hate cooking alone at home which is why I just finished off a round of leftovers.

I have been working hard lately! This morning was busy at the restaurant, which should be great, but people just haven't been tipping well lately.Everyone must be feeling the empty pockets that I am beginning to feel. Despite my low funds, I have been considering going home for the holidays anyways. No doubt it will be expensive, but it will be worth it. I want to see the siblings so much! And Mom and Dad! And all my friends! I looked up plane ticket prices (they went down again!) and am thinking about how cool it would be to fly to Washington, then to California and after new years come back to Maui. I am keeping my fingers crossed, and you should cross yours for me too!

Here is small fry (rocko) at the Hot Sails/Kanaha Kai shop.

I am hard at work, and Rocko is hardly working.
Oh wait..what am I thinking?! Rocko Chops is turning into the offical door mat for the place. Does that count as work? He thinks so.

As many of you know, Maui has had some amazing water conditions lately. There were a few days that I was up at 6am to go surfing, at work or school by 9am, and then windsurfing afterwards. Its been sooo nice!!!!!!!!!! There is nothing better than getting in the water first thing!

Unfortunately the showers at the beaches have been shut off. Thursday I was running late for class and the showers weren't working. After the Hookipa shorebreak devoured me and my longboard for breakfast, I was covered in a thick layer of sand. I rinsed as best as I could with a waterbottle and sped to school. To class I arrived with wet hair, boardshorts and covered in sand. Everytime I moved sand would drop to the ground. My classmates and teacher don't seem to mind and get a good laugh from me. Going to school on Maui is so strange.

I had a particularly awesome session at Sprecks a few days ago. The wind was blowing a perfect (sometimes overpowered) 4.3 for me. Frenchy and I hit the water with huge grins and high expectations. We were not let down! The waves were perfect for me - - about shoulder high, some bigger and some smaller. It was breaking really nicely... almost peeley. I started out on the edge of the break, just trying to catch the smallest ends. As my confidence increased I worked my way inward and really tried to get some turns in on them. Sooooo fun! I still have a phobia of having to look through the sail to see down the line, but am getting more used to it.

My new board, I love, but am definitely noticing some things about it:

1. It doesn't plane to quick, and even seems a bit slow. I guess that should be expected though, a twin fin wave board.

2. Jibing is pretty much...well...impossible for me. The thing is soo super sensitive! I really am concentrating on keeping my feet steady and weight on the inside rail and it seems to help. I am getting a little bit closer though!

3. Who needs jibing when there are all these waves and bumps and chop to play in?!?! I have plenty of time to jibe next summer when its flat flat flat.

4. My board is really really fun to jump with. Super light and controllable, easy to point downwind on landing.

4. I don't care what you say about the colors/graphics on my board, I think its beautiful.

5. My board needs a name. I will come up with a good one soon.

I love Maui, but I love you more. I can't wait until I get to see each and every one of you, whether it be tomorrow, next week, this Christmas, or next summer.

the pirates life for me

2008-11-03T21:59:00.000-10:00

First off--

Yesterday I worked until late afternoon and missed some excellent time on the water. Today I worked at Hot Sails from 9ish to 1ish and at the restaurant at 3. Soo...what did I do between my long work hours?!?!

Yep. Scooted down to Kanaha for a quick session. Didn't even go down to scope the water first. Just a quick glance from my car and a split decision that I would later regret...among other regrets. I decided to go with my 4.8, because my last few sessions have ended up with me getting my slogging on. With only about an hour of actual time on the water, I figured I should make sure to have plenty of power. Yup.

Plenty of power....check.

My first few runs were great, the wind felt great. And then it went up a notch. Or ten notches. Okay, honestly? I was careening out of control like a wound-up toy let loose across the ground. Still grinning (like an idiot, of course), I decided to cruise back in and adjust my sail a bit. I looked towards the cove and saw a dark haired person with a red rash gaurd and orange sail. Laura! Yay!

I headed straight for her (still grinning like an idiot and now paying no attention to what else is going on). Suddenly, the wind disappeared. Ohhhh the beauty of straight east side-shore wind. I fell in the water. And wrestled my gear. For 15 minutes. No wind. Not even a breath of breeze. And...as I stopped struggling and looked towards the cove...no Laura. Only a dark haired boy in a red rashgaurd.

Now what?? Swim towards a windline...which almost seems like a figment of imagination, just as seeing Laura was?? Or swim towards the beach, which seems sooo far away. I checked my watch and gave myself 10 minutes before I should be walking my gear back to my car to make it to work on time. And then I swam towards what I hoped to be wind.

After struggling to waterstart, a good gust gave me just the push I needed. And then I was careening out of control again. Sweet. Turn around and head in. I entered into the no-wind zone and slogged towards the beach. I then swam the last 15 feet. Lovely.

I think I set a new record for how fast I can de-rig, shower and make it to work at the restaurant. 15 minutes and I was walking into work with hair dripping wet, wrapped up in a towel and work clothes in my hands. Hahaha. I thought it was great...

Despite a really lame shift at work, I was incredibly cheerful and feeling really good. I credit it to my eventful hour on the water. I wanted some pictures to with..but obviously due to my limited time today, it didnt happen.

But, I have Halloweeeen pictures!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone that told me that Halloween was the devils birthday when I was a kid is soooooo lame. This is one of my favorite holidays. An excuse to dress up? Count me in!

The night wasn't what I originally envisioned, but it turned out to be fantastic anyways. I was a pirate and am happy to say that I made almost my entire costime with random pieces of clothing I bought for really cheap at Savers. My hair was real, no wig and it looked sweet. I love dressing up. I didn't when I was little though..maybe I am making up for it now.

Here are us girls!
Me, pirate.
Laura, Bunny (nooooot a playboy bunny. just a cute little bunny rabbit okay?)
Emilie, Superwoman.

And here is Emilie and Nicolas (aka Frenchy). They are my two favorite French people.

Oh look! Yours truly, dressed and ready.

Here is me with my fellow pirate, Matan! We were the best looking pirates I saw all night.

Derek. Can you guess what he was??....

A shark attack!!!

I wish I had more action shots, but my camera doesn't work so well for packing around. I need to buy a little sized digital camera.

Overall, the night was fabulous. Plenty of dancing at Jacques with all my closest friends. A random hippy party at the cannery. I danced on a table in the middle of dance floor...I guess I can check that off of things to do before I die! I didn't think I was too drunk, but after a random search for a bathroom that ended up being locked...I realized that it was probably time cut myself off and head home.

Nothing felt better than crawling into my bed at the end of the night!

Thanks to Juanito for being our sober driver :-D

Let it beeee

2008-11-03T00:23:00.001-10:00

The most important thing to know about me right now..

I am me and that is whoever I want to be. For the second, for the minute, the day or weeks...I dont care. I am who I want to be, when I want to be, with whoever I want. I can't stick to my guns because everyday I learn something new about myself. Its pretty amazing. So let it be and let me be.

Its the beauty of being free.

ps.
Halloween pictures soon to come.
pps.
More on-the-water talk soon to come.

totally random but important to me

2008-10-30T14:49:00.000-10:00

This is a really long post and it has almost nothing to do with my Maui life. Sorry, I am not including any pictures. If you don’t have the time or the desire to read it than that’s fine, but its on my mind and feels better to put it in words. I hope it comes across the way I felt it.

My chest feels heavy and my heart feels numb. My eyes burn from holding back the elephant tears that my conscience insists on strategically placing in the corners of my eyes.

I just sat through the most amazing presentation in my Microbiology Lecture class. The alleged main educational topic: Malaria.
The supporting topic: Nursing in Africa.

My teacher invited a close friend to inform us about the parasitic disease, Malaria. Her personal experience comes from an 8-month journey through the most desolate and deprived villages of Kenya, Africa. Her story and photos touched every heart of my 67-student class. Not one of us walked away without questioning the purpose of our lives and the reason we want to become nurses and doctors.

She graduated from the same nursing program that I will begin in January. Immediately after receiving her licensure and degree as an RN, she embarked on a journey to Africa to make a difference. She was tired of sending her money to a faceless organization in hopes that she could help feed a newborn infant, send a child to elementary school, or provide medicine for an impoverished mother dying of AIDS/HIV, Malaria or some other vicious disease. She made a decision to fly to Africa and see first-hand for herself where her money was going.

Most nurses will tell you that your first year working in the field is like being in school still. It is learning how to apply everything school has taught with real, live patients. It is an incredibly challenging feat to make the transition from Nursing Student to Practicing Registered Nurse. The fact that this woman went straight into Africa blows my mind and even she admits that it was a task that she was not quite ready for.

But then she told us that no amount of nursing experience in a hospital could have prepared her for what she saw and experienced. She was put in situations to practice completely out of her scope. She became the magical, white “doctor” of the village. She could not save many people, and yet there was nobody better than her to do the job. Death, dismemberment and disease became apart of her daily routine. She cried herself to sleep almost every night for her first month. Her personal hut was made of mud walls and cow manure floors. She had one spare bed that was to provide a place for the patient who needed her the most for the night. It wasn’t long before as many as 14 sick children were snuggled up in her hut.

She recalled how the children adored her. At first she feared the sicknesses and disease and taught the children to raise the “shaka” sign and call out “eh brah!” in the mornings rather than shake her hand. Her 6-mile daily walk to the “clinic” was littered with hundreds of children running from the fields and huts to raise their new friendship symbol to the village medical savior. By the end of her trip she almost couldn’t peel the little ones off of her. She was in such personal and close contact with them that her health and safety were at risk. At this point she realized it did not matter. She was there to make a difference and could not let the opportunities pass her by.

At one point she was infected with Malaria and found herself near death in a hospital bed with an untrained nurse to start her IV. After the nurse left she looked down to find that the needle was inserted into her skin and then poking out again. All the medication was dripping down her arm and onto the floor. In near delusion the Malaria causes, she pulled out the IV and restarted it again into her own arm. Had she not been conscious enough to do this, she would have died.

There is no doubt that the mission she went on was dangerous. She did not choose the average organized trip to Africa with her church, or the 3 week African Safari with her friends. There are many companies and organizations that round up a group of people to educate and build homes for the poor. These are without a doubt selfless and admirable ways to give help to Africa, but she chose to go her own route. She went to the depths of Kenya and picked the worst places she could find. This woman literally described these villages as “The hell holes of Africa”.

Her speech not only made me think twice about my dreams of going to Africa, but it made me realize many of my reasons for wanting to become a nurse. Not only do I want to see the world, but also I want to make a difference in it. I don’t want to just donate to a cause; I want to be the change that the world needs. I want to personally save a life or comfort one that will not be saved. I want to give other children a chance to have the opportunities that I have been blessed with and make sure that I don’t waste the resources that I have been given.

I want to be the change that I want to see in the world.

Todays Examination

2008-10-28T22:42:00.001-10:00

Results:
1. 20/40 vision in both eyes

2. Poor hearing in left ear

3. Anemic

4. Wisdom teeth growing in

5. Scoliosis throughout entire back

Apparently:
1. I really need glasses (at least I look cute in them!)

2. I will have to spring for the better--more expensive--stethoscope to accommodate for the poor hearing in my left ear. (I know this goes back to that time 3 years ago at the Flumes I jumped off the 40 ft rock and tweaked my left ear drum...dang it)

3. I need to eat a lot more red meat and start taking iron supplements (I am sooo bad at taking pills regularly!).

4. It is highly suggested that I look into getting dental insurance and get those wisdom teeth removed ( I knoooow I feel them back there every day!)

5. I need to strengthen the entire right side of my back (but luckily windsurfing and surfing are perfect for this).

Physical exam/vaccinations for nursing school: $200.00
Ibuprofen for sore muscles after shots: $2.00
Good health: Priceless

A pause in the day.

2008-10-27T11:05:00.001-10:00

Here I am at 11am sitting at Maui Coffee Roasters doing a whole lot of nothing. I got to work and my computer isn't working so I can't work. I came here to watch my Pharmacology lecture but the internet is going to slow for it to load. I have to go work at the Ale House in a couple hours. I wish I could quit there but the money has been too good during football season. I hate how money finds a way to regulate the fun parts of my life.

On a good note: I am staring my 10th week of the semester and there are only 8 weeks left! Im over the mid-semester hump and can start counting the days down until Christmas.

It looks like I will be around Maui over Christmas...the first time EVER I wont be spending it with family. :-( But I hear Christmas always brings the best wind and waves so I'm staying optimistic!

The last few days have been really fun on the water. I went to Kazuma and they gave me a BRAND NEW fish to try out! I am really impressed with the customer service I got there and enjoyed the atmoshphere. I had a blast at Paia Bay this weekend and this morning Hookipa was amazingly glassy and perfect size for me. I love the 6 a.m crowd at Pavillions on days like today. Super friendly and happy to be the first in the water :-)

Wind might be back tomorrow but I have a Dr. appointment right after school...lots of shots and stuff for Nursing School. I hate getting poked with needles. Hope to see you back on the water on Wednesday though....

And the catapult of the day award goes to.....yours truly.

2008-10-23T08:40:00.000-10:00

Yesterday was fun. I worked at HSM for a while until I got distracted talking to people downstairs. I need Ala here to keep feeding me things to do at my desk! (get well quick Ala!). So I finally gave in and went down to Kanaha to catch some of the wind.

Soooo fun at first...sooo overpowered on my 4.3 and loving it. Loving my new board. I started by chasing Andres Martinez around. He threw a couple forwards RIGHT next to me and I was stoked. He made them look so easy. He disappeard to go back to work and then Nick Warmuth was out. I chased him for a bit too..and he was throwing freestyle moves that I can't even name. I have no clue what he was doing but it was beautiful. Next I tagged Frenchy and back and forth we went seeing who could make the most jibes. Obviously he won by a lot.

My only problem was my harness lines being a little off...but I was too lazy to adjust them. Sounds lame right? I got launched pretty good a few times (it was super gusty!)

So then came the launch of the day. Sorry Aaron, I think I stole your title for a couple minutes. Nick had a front row view of it. I was coming in on the inside and going for a jibe. Im not really sure what got stuck (my foot? harness lines??) It all happened so fast... I ended up sitting cross-legged on top of my sail, laughing until tears came. Nick was laughing pretty hard too. Top 10 he said.

I guess if I can't be the best sailor, I can at least try for top catapulter....?!!??

Then the wind died completely and I slogged back in.

A productive day (no wind)

2008-10-21T21:07:00.000-10:00

Somehow I missed my first alarm this morning at woke up with a whole 15 minutes to shower and leave for school. Could it be that I was up until 2am doing homework? And no, I don't blame the margaritas and dinner with the girls last night. My late night was well worth the hour I spent at Milagros (Amazingly delish $3 Margaritas and excellent company!!).

I thought today was going to suck but somehow I was fully energized for my first class, Microbiology Lab. We did a really interesting analysis of some cells that we "genetically engineered" (really just "transformed"). We inserted P-Glo plasmids, ampicillin resistance genes and green flouresence genes into some E-coli bacteria. To put it simply, we made the cells glow florescently. :-) In one of my answers on my paper I even put "They glow like a San Fransisco rave". Haha...I bet my teacher will just looove that answer.

Here are the transformed cells under a blacklight..pretty cool that I did that eh?

So from there my next class only got better. Microbiology Lecture class. We got our midterms back today and guess what...I got a 107/110 points. One of the top scores in my class of 67! Woohoo! I really like that class. And, my teacher is learning how to windsurf...so I am spending a good chunk of my time in that class discussing windsurfing basics.

I just ended my evening with the boys: Juan, Andres and Jan. We ate pizza and watched The Windsurfing Movie. You know the song on there called Club Foot by Kasabian? Well I love that song and those shots...has me all excited to windsurf again.

After a dry 3 days of work and school for me, the wind comes back tomorrow and I am going to sail after work. Can't wait to get in the water again!

Cheers and Aloha!

what inspires me to "grin like an idiot"

2008-10-19T20:07:00.000-10:00

I know sometimes I smile a lot and usually its because I am happy. You know when I am not happy, you can read it on my face in an instant. And if you can't, then you are probably just stupid because I'm like an open book when it comes to my reading my face.

The inspiration behind my happiness comes from my four legged furball, Rocko Chops. If you know me, you most likely know my dog too. He goes by the names Rocko, Chops, Chopsticks, Pork Chop, and Small Fry. If you walk into Kanaha Kai/Hot Sails, you can almost guarantee tripping over him while he pretends he is the doormat for the entrance. If you are down at Kanaha Beach much, you know who Rocko is. The little brown guy sprinting back and forth along the waters edge, hunting for sandcrabs. He happily stand-up paddles, windsurfs on the start boards and has recently taken up longboarding.

I can say with complete assurance that he has the best life a dog could ask for. Even when he stays home he has 2 acres of fruit trees and jungle at his disposal. He is incredibly happy and you can see it on his face. His eyes hold so much emotion. Rocko gets that stupid "I'm a dog I'm a dog I'm a dog" look on his face and you know he is the definition of carefree joy. When I see him like this, it makes me want to simplify my life and focus on the things that really matter. Find out what it is that really makes me happy and go with it. Forget the details and make the most of what is in front of me.

Next time you see Rocko, watch him carefully and think about it. You'll know what I mean.

life without music....I can't go on.

2008-10-16T19:16:00.000-10:00

There are a lot of important things in my life that I realize I don't want to live without. Music for one. A song for every day, every emotion, every time in my life. A song that brings me back to good days and bad. Sometimes I hear just the right song on my drive home and by the time I am home, I feel almost drunk with emotion. I love music, I love the effect it has on me. I feel like music brings all of the parts of my day together. All these things I do in the day, strung together by songs.

Another thing I realize I cant live without these days is the ocean. It brings a whole new element to my life that I never had before. Everyday I get in the water it clears my head from the pressures of life, school and work. For at least a short time its only Me against Me, and I like that. Lately I have been feeling a lot of Me against School and that is frustrating.

Yesterday was my second day at Hookipa :-) A tiny bit bigger than last time I went out, a few head high sets were breaking by the rocks. I am so silly...I stood at the edge of the water for ten minutes or so, trying to get the nerve to go. The shorebreak scares me the most. At last I decided it didn't really make a difference to wait, since the water wasnt going anywhere and my stuff was rigged. I pushed my gear through the shorebreak as best as I could...waterstarted. Yay! Made it! And, the sets were past and I had a clear straight shot to the outside. Feeling a pretty impressed with myself I got too comfortable. I hit a piece of chop and over the boom I went. Oooops :-) Guess nothings perfect. I am still getting used to my new board (only my 3rd time on it!). I had a minor incident with my footstrap, and after fixing it on the beach I went back out. The wind died and I had the most amazing slogging session of my life. Sooo annoying! But I still came out of the water smiling. I had an awesome time.

One of my favorite things about windsurfing is having friends around. There is nothing better than being on the water and hearing someone give you a shout and cheering you on. It makes it so much better, to share the stoke for even just a second.

Here are a couple of pictures to refresh your brain after listening to my rant...

When I opened up my new board last week. Its supposed to be my inspiration to get out in more waves. So far its been fun getting used to sailing it! Some people don't like the graphics. I think its beautiful.

Another sunset, Hookipa.

"Every day is better than the last"

2008-10-11T11:44:00.000-10:00

In an attempt to keep my ever-growing group of friends and family up to date on my life, I have decided to start a blog. Who knows if I can keep it updated and chances are, it won't really even be worth reading. But, if you never try you'll never know, right? So here goes.

One of the most important things in my life right now is that "every day is better than the last". My bestest friend out here (Laura!!) and I came to this conclusion a couple of days ago. Everyday we find new and ridiculous reasons to laugh harder, smile more, and wake up earlier the next day. Are we on some kind of lucky streak? Could it possibly be good Karma? Or maybe we are just idiots...could be a combination of it all. Either way, we can't get enough of this island.

Here are a couple of my recent accomplishments/moments of satisfaction/reasons to be happy to be alive:

First off, I got accepted into Nursing School. Yay! After months of anxiety, stress, and working an extra job (Nurse Assistant), I finally got my letter. I start the program in January. My grades were excellent (4.0 last semester) and I scored in the 92nd percentile in U.S. on entrance exams (woohoo!) but even then I had a few setback making me think I wouldn't get accepted. Well, I got in. In 2 years I will be an R.N. Which really means work hard a few days a week, and play harder on my days off! Take more vacations! Travel! This also means I have an excuse to hang out on the rock here for another 2 years which means....more windsurfing!

Another recent accomplishment was just a couple of days ago. I did my first run at Hookipa!!(Finally!) I really had planned on this happening months ago...but...life kept me busy this last summer and windsurfing was put on the back burner. Not to mention the wind was a huge disappointment during summer.

Well, I finally did it. The waves were umm..well about as flat as it gets at Hookipa. Anklebiters really. But perfectly challenging for me. I got "washed", swam my gear, went out over waves and tried to ride some back in.

My only setback was swiping my foot across a sea urchine on my entrance. Ouch!! Spines stuck in my foot and all, I wasn't about to head back in and I sailed anyways. I guess it wasn't such a big deal to sail Hookipa on a day like this, but I still love how much it reminds me that I am improving. My next big step will be when I sail out at Hookipa when there really are waves. That will be a good day :-)

Here is my foot, not so bad after picking out the spines!

And here is me with my super wonderful coach of the day and friend, Juan.

Today was another sweet day for me. After school and work, I could hardly keep my eyes open and all could think about was getting into some nice cold salty ocean water, or taking a nap in my bed. Luckily the ocean won me. Down to the closest beach I went, to trusty Kanaha. Kanaha is like a big brother to me. Faithful, reliable and safe but every now and then picks on me and pushes me to a new limit. My first ocean swim of my life was just 2 years ago at Kanaha, and everything I know about the ocean, Kanaha has taught me.

With expectations of no wind, I planned to stand-up paddle. Some new windsurfing friends of mine called me up and invited to to go. Heck yes! Well, the wind came up and I rigged my favorite sail, my 4.8 DD. This was the first time I have ever sailed on a standup/longboard! Whoa...who knew I could make all my tacks and jibes?!?! Haha...too bad I can't get that on my shortboard. I sailed out today and quickly gained confidence.

.....Good sized swell at uppers: Aim between weird wave and uppers..yep...theres my spot...wait...waves breaking...okay..mmhmm...its flat...GO!!..... sweeet made it out past the break safely. Turn around... ooh...here's a swell....going faster...and faster... pump my sail...WEEE!!!......

Caught my first couple of waves on a longboard/sail! :-) Mind you, they were on the edge of the break...not the big dogs that everyone else was on. But pretty good size! Especially for ME! And to be on a gigantic board!

I also had the perfect view of all the other sailors at uppers. I can't wait until its me ripping across those beautiful waves :-) Someday....

A little blood is a good thing, right? Somehow it makes me feel tougher!

Here is Laura, my friend, roommate and beach buddy.

Another amazing sunset on my drive home today. Another reason to be thankful I reside on the rock.

Ok we'll see if I make it to post 2!