Words that Spark a Smile

I believe in Pink

A Cloudy Weekend in Pacific Paradise?

You betcha!


And I'm aware of how pretentious what I'm about to say sounds, but it's really nice having a weekend of reprieve from the sunshine and heat. I don't feel guilty being indoors or feeling like a nap. :)


This weekend was far from lazy, however. Nick and I sent all day yesterday with our friends up in Waianae (pronounced: "Why - an - I") at a beach called Makaha Surf beach. There was a whopping 12 of us who grilled and played games and snorkeled on the reef. The beach itself wasn't very impressive. Or perhaps it was just cloudy. But Nick thoroughly enjoyed the reef. The boys ventured off shore for some spear fishing and impressively, caught about six fish! One of our friend, Bryant, even filleted the fish and cooked it up on the grill. Although I wasn't adventurous to dabble in a nibble (I don't think Nick did either), everyone else claimed the little fishies were quite tasty. 


We dispersed around 4 p.m. for showers and naps at our respective homes, then reconvened around 9 up at the North Shore at a restaurant called Luibuenos. Mexican + bar scene. The gray day at the beach didn't prevent us all from sunkissed, rosy cheeks, and about halfway through dinner, our eyes, heavy with sleep from a day in the sun (even if it was behind clouds), extinguished our will to stay out late. And no, Deke, nobody got food poisoning from this mexican restaurant. :p
Here's a photo from the night. Me and Nicholas flushed from sunshine and beer. Cheers to a great weekend with friends.

Today hasn't been any sunnier. In fact, it's only 4 p.m. but the darkness enveloping our neighborhood could suggest to anyone unknowing of the time that it might be well around 6p.m. And alas, it has begun to pour. 
But as Nick organizes his binders and notebooks for his Platoon, and I put together lesson plans for the week (and procrastinate grading papers by updating this blog!), we are enjoying the cool breezes of a 70 degree Sunday afternoon.


Cheers to everyone back home! It's days like these that we miss Sunday sauce or chili cooking in our parents' houses, snuggled on their couches, perhaps under blankets or near the fireplace. :*

Tag-Team Fitness: Newlywedders Style

Nick and I have a new routine: swim fitness.
Neither of us are avid swimmers and again, I shall point you to my very first blog entry wherein I depict my inherent reaction to ocean water (I suppress it well enough now but its little embers still flicker and pulse within...)


But as of late, Nick and I have decided to fully engage in swim fitness in our lagoons. After all, when else are we going to live 200 yards from the ocean that we can comfortably swim in all year round? My point exactly. Suck it up, Starmweber. This is an unbelievably unique situation. What would my currently-unwanted unborn children say to me if they found out I neglected to capitalize on such an unparalleled opportunity. 


So back to the story. Nick and I grab our goggles and our towels and hit Lagoon 1 in the afternoons. This is Lagoon 1! :)

Nick and I have guesstimated that this lagoon is an over-shot of 100 yards. We start at the nearest (right) side and swim to the far side and back. 


On our first excursion, I had a minor panic attack in the middle of the lagoon. Without much thought (it's best that way), I began swimming behind Nick. I had my goggles, albeit, I  had no desire to open my eyes underwater. I subconsciously determined that the less I pondered the creatures skirting between my strokes, the better. Craning my neck to stay above water (and fighting the minor waves protruding from the rocky perimeter), I felt confident enough in the suppressed anxiety and fear that I was swimming in the middle of the ocean. Naturally, in the exact center of the lagoon, Nick abruptly kills his stroke and all out of breath yells to me: "Mia! Look down now!" 
Down? With fish and sea urchins and sharks and whales and giant squid and little fucking mermaid, no, worse! Ursella??? I gasped yet again, swallowing profuse amounts of water. The sea salt ripped my throat and ignited fire that roared up through my cheeks as I gagged and hacked and curse Nick for reminding me that *things* swim below us. He rolled his eyes and laughed as he reiterated that I should look down at the magnificently large turtle swimming below us. Irked by my inability to immediate abort the situation and crawl from the water and remain grounded for the rest of my life, I mustered the best freestyle I had and booked it for the shoreline.  That first day required copious coaxing from Nick to get me to swim back and forth, but each time, I embraced the lagoon fitness a little more. Today, I even opened my eyes a bit underwater, though I remained focused on the bubbles from Nick's kicking, rather than explore the ecosystem below. 


But the workout is kickass and I know I will long for the lagoons when we settle into a running routine in Missouri or Colorado.

Lanikai Beach

Ahh... a quick recap of the weekend:


Nick and I had a nice, long Presidents' Weekend. Nick, the luckier of the two of us, had Friday off as well. He clinched the "husband of the week" award by changing my oil, grocery shopping and helping clean the house, all while I was teaching in the morning. He's the greatest :) 


Saturday was a bit of a chaotic day. TheRo had a grooming appointment in the morning. She and I took Nick's truck to Ewa Beach. On our way home, I ran over a metal spike in our neighborhood (I know... what f**ing jack ass left a metal spike in the road) and needless to say, Nick's tire was flattened within five minutes of pulling into the driveway. We spent the remainder of our morning changing the tire and calling around to auto shops to see who could either fix or replace the tire. God car stuff is expensive!


Sunday, however, was our play day. Nick and I met a few of his co-workers on the East side of the island at Lanikai beach. Check out this pristine, gin blue water:

Although no beach is really "private", this particular beach isn't consider a public beach, so we are allowed to grill, drink and bring TheRo. I know. I know. You are all thinking: "but you just had her groomed!" When Nick's friend texted us on Friday night to invite us to Lanikai, that was my first thought: But she will be freshly groomed! Five hours in the sun, with sand in our eyes and salt water tangling our hair....
Nick brought Rosalie into the ocean and let her swim back to shore a couple of times. She loved it! What ever happened to my ocean-hating pooch! 
Not when Dad's around, apparently! 


We spent the afternoon grilling burgers, playing bocce and laying around in the sand. Someday, when I'm piling on layers of industrial-warmth socks, sweaters and mittens, stoking the fire every 20 minutes so it doesn't burn out, and perpetually warming up my tea to thaw from the inside out, I will remember this February 19th, 2012 as a day spent in bikinis and in the water....
*sigh*

Inching Closer...

This morning, I brewed my hazelnut coffee, made myself some toast, hopped in the car and immediately switched the radio to NPR for the commute...


...and each day I get a little closer to buying a ten-gallon white hat...

       

on Valentine's Day

I awoke early this morning for no particular reason. I was glad to be awake when Nick left the house so I could kiss him goodbye. Not because it's Valentine's Day. Just because I love him, and I wanted to send him off on another Tuesday with a teaspoon of love wrapped in a morning kiss.


Before prying myself from my cozy bed blankets, I skimmed the New York Times headlines and then (my usual morning ritual) trolled through the newsfeed on Facebook. My android facebook app was cluttered with posts about Valentine's Day, and I notice that the posts went one of two ways: a positive facebook message about loving one's significant other

 or a pathos facebook status update, usually something about "singles awareness day". 

Why does Valentine's Day have to be so either-or? So black and white? I thought about my dear friends who didn't wake up to kiss anybody good morning or good day because they don't have anyone or their lovers aren't able to wake up there next to them. Why is it that Valentine's Day is a day that only illuminates the intimate feelings we have with lovers? Or the lack there of?


My cousin, Christina, blogs for a website that is pro-female empowerment, and the other day, this website (LivLuna) posted an article with a spin on the Americanized lover version of the V-Day. This article, written by Roxanne Werner, suggests that we celebrate all that love is on Valentine's Day. Love each other - your friends, your family, and of course your lover. Do something you love. Treat yourself to an activity that you love doing. Support something you love. 


I *love* this concept. Brilliant kudos to Werner for this idea. I was unmotivated by Valentine's day. Disheartened, even, by the over commercialization of a feeling that should be pure and simple.  But this refreshing spin gives me new motivation and a new way of celebrating the middle of February.


So run, swim, curl up with a book and stay in your pajamas and don't feel guilty about it, have a piece of chocolate or a cupcake. Nap. Laugh. Have some wine. Kiss your man, your girl, your mom or your brother. Tell your dad how much you love him. Treat yourself anything in the world fills you with love. Share a loving snuggle with your pet. Celebrate the life of someone you love. Celebrate life. Watch that movie you love or treat yourself to a good, guiltless dive into a magazine you love. Burst with love for yourself and for humanity when bustling through your February 14th's work and errands and chores. I sure as hell will :)


Happy Valentine's Day, fellow bloggers. May you embrace all that is love today and all of your tomorrows.

from The Missouri Institute of Natural Science

This is Beautiful

LEFT Brain

“I am the left brain. I am a scientist. A mathematician. I love the familiar. I categorize. I am accurate. Linear. Analytical. Strategic. I am practical. Always in control. A master of words and language. Realistic. I calculate equations and play with numbers. I am order. I am logic. I know exactly who I am.”

RIGHT Brain
“I am the right brain. I am creativity. A free spirit. I am passion. Yearning. Sensuality. I am the sound of roaring laughter. I am taste. The feeling of sand beneath bare feat. I am movement. Vivid colors. I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas. I am boundless imagination. Art. Poetry. I sense. I feel. I am everything I wanted to be.”

Hiking Koko Head

Since we arrived, friends of our have told us to go hike Koko Head mountain on the southern tip of Oahu. If you look at the map below, you can see Diamond Head State Monument (I hiked that with Kage when Nick was in Korea). Just east of Diamond Head (8 miles approx) is Hanauma Bay. Koko Head is right next to Hanauma Bay.

 Koko Head is a hard hike. It follows the path of train tracks from the base of the mountain all the way to the top.  In this photo, you can actually see the Koko Head path just left of center.

Well, needless to say, this hike kicked my ass. Never mind that heights absolutely terrify me, but the train tracks that we have to climb up (and the scary bridge we have to cross) certainly gave us a great workout. 

The steepness of the climb is pretty intense, but I would do certainly do it again. The view at the very tip of the mountain made the challenge and the sweat and the fatigue of the hike worth it. 

Get your hiking boots ready, Pacs and Reisweber clan! We're doing this when you guys arrive!
Oh, and Muff, Nick says he wants to work out on this hike.... you know, run up and down it, maybe carrying cinderblocks. Get ready.

Tipping My Hand

I have every intention of pursuing a sign-maker to make me this sign for my military friends. 

Double Dose Tuesdays

We can all agree that the week looks ominous when we toe-up to the line on Sunday nights. Five full days of the slog. For me, I am exerting self-propelled stamina until about Wednesday evenings; then, I can ride the momentum of the week until Friday mornings when, even though I still have to make it through Friday, I am invigorated by the infectious energy that is the weekend:

 Lazy mornings with my wonderful husband and our puppy girl Rosalie. Beaches and late nights and whatever else we select from our Mary Poppins bag of Hawaiian jaunts. 

Ah, you see, but it is merely Tuesday. The middle of the beginning. The dead center of the part of the week that forces me to apply copious amounts of will-power to make it toward Wednesday evening. So, in the last few weeks, I've discovered a new Tuesday evening schedule that acts like an accelerator. It provide enough force to plunge me into the ride of the momentum toward Friday. 


On Tuesday, I venture into town to the Kapolei Yoga and Dance Studio where I take two classes: R.I.P.P.E.D. from 5-6 p.m. and Zumba from 6-7 p.m. Both taught by the same girl, R.I.P.P.E.D. and Zumba are two of the most galvanizing classes I've ever taken in my entire life. R.I.P.P.E.D. is focused on strength training, plyometrics, power, and intervals training. The instructor changes the routine (and music!) every two or three classes, which implements muscle confusion and therefore better results.  And then there's Zumba. Now, I've taken a few Zumba classes back in Cortland. In all honest, I wasn't impressed with Zumba in Cortland. The dispirited instructor never changed her routine, nor did she teach any routines that wavered beyond dull. At KY&DS, however, the instructor (same girl who teaches the R.I.P.P.E.D class) seems to be straight of the infomercials for Zumba. She is vivacious and the most toned, fit girl I've ever met. She has about 30 songs in her Zumba library, and she adds more every few weeks. The routines are challenging but the cardio workout is unprecedented compared to any fitness classes I've taken before.


Plus, let's be honest, the studio is in a warehouse. The salsa, merengue, and other Latin and international music pumping through the base and speakers that surround the floor-to-ceiling open garage door, all juxtaposed to the flawless dance studio wood floor makes the entire experience feel super bad ass. 
And nobody seems to know why, but on the ceiling of the warehouse studio, CORNELL is written in Cornell red block lettering. A part of CNY is here in Hawaii!

The Nefarious Calorie

Like elves who make shoes, except much less appreciated.

True Patrtiot

And now,  tribute to my boys from Boston....

"On a football team, it's not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unite and how they all function."
-Bill Belichick

Perhaps When We Have Our Own House...

...this could be on the wall in a room somewhere...

a family tree

with blood family

and non-blood family

and all their fingerprints