Blue Water Rafting.

What a day. We went on a small raft with 17 other people to Molokini and did some snorkeling on the back side. This side is one of the 10 best wall dives in the world. A 300 foot drop. No way to see the bottom. The fish are plentiful, the water moves us around constantly. It was awesome. I had a little trouble with water in my mask so I tool the opportunity to just take photos.
Along the way, we saw a whale. Awesome. My first! Later we saw a pod of dolphins. Spinners. The babies are about 2 feet long. You can just hear the sound effect "Wheeeeeeeee" when they jump out of the water. Perfect. A great day.

The adventure begins

Here I am, back on Maui. Why I don't live here (yet) is the question of the day. I like myself better when I am here. There are places for all of us in the world where when we are there, it is as if a light switch goes on in our body. This place for me is as if I were plugged into the ground.  This is my happy place. I am here until 16 January. This should give me enough time to look honestly and why I am so resistant to take the leap.
I am staying somewhere new for me...a nice condo in Kihei gardens. The first thing I learned upon waking up this morning is that a view of the ocean is essential for me. Don't get me wrong. Waking up and being able to go outside and listen to the mynah's and see the mountain, and know the beach was a short 5 minute walk away?  Priceless. AND the view of the water is essential. It grounds me. Even when I lived in SF, going to the beach was the thing that made me happiest. And then living in San Diego~the few months I lived inland were horrid. Face it, I am a made for the beach, water girl.
So, here I am for 3 weeks. The first 2 will be with Len and Jacob. Time for the beach, a tattoo, some whales, and for me to create a habit of writing on this blog.
Goodnight to all, and to all a good night!

Lilikoi Cottage

Here I am. In the middle of nowhere. Beauty is everywhere. Silence, except for the occasional car, and even that has been a while. There is a cat sleeping on the bed. Rain is intermittent. Soon it will be dark, no light, just stars. No TV, internet is too slow for a movie.
I am with me.
This is new and different. I keep thinking I have to go somewhere. I have nowhere to go! I am here for 4 days, this first one is a bitch. I don't want to leave, getting back in the dark may be a challenge.
I stopped at the market, made a salad, and got coffee. And a pineapple.
I have a journal, a book, a step to write.
A camera.....an iPod.
and me.

It always comes back to me.

When at the end of the trail.....

My last night in Hilo. What an adventure it has been. The hot ponds, the turtles, the meditation center, the glow....and let's not forget some amazing Thai curry. Oh, and the avocados. mmmm. This has been good for my soul. I am continuously amazed at the changes I am feeling, inside and out. I am calmer. I am more serene. Nothing, really nothing, is that big of a deal. Tears come, laughter follows.
I see myself on a journey. I am not sure where I am coming from, or where I am going. I am an active participant. I have choices, and make decisions. Each time reassuring myself that I can. I become more confident. I am more aware. I want to be open to the opportunities around me. I heard today that this is not winging it, not "doing it on the fly", rather letting the day take me.
This I know. I am on a couch at Kimmy's, typing on a blog. Not caring if this makes sense or not. It makes sense to me. Right now, that is all that matters.
Ever present is the reminder of the day. The date. This time in 2009, Jay had his 2nd surgery. I was so scared. I had known all was not well. We thought, as did everyone else, that the problem had been solved. Little did we know. My memory gets fuzzy. I write, and delete, not really sure that what I just typed was real. What I know is that my faith was evident in my ability to "cope". I had no idea what was coming. None of us did.

I miss you baby.

Hilo, Day 1

What a beautiful place to wake up to. The frogs sang me to sleep, just like in the old house in Mathasville. And these are loud. Even without a pool! The rain continued on and off all night. Kimmy is an excellent hostess, and I am so happy to be here. We had a leisurely morning, and then it was off to the hot ponds. It was high tide, and apparently that meant it was not as hot. The surf was gorgeous. Fun fact of the day- when the waves are open and facing me, and that gorgeous color aqua blue, it is because they are so oxygenated. There you go, someday that will come in handy for trival pursuit!
After a nice long soak, we went back to the car to find a gift. The size of a surfboard, it was made of woven palm fronds. Perfect for an offering. It now sits proudly on the carport. I had seen the person making it. Why they left it on her car, and it was on purpose, the windshield wiper was holding it down, we will never know.
We also visited a beautiful black sand beach- I climbed down, really, I did it. It was all good til the wave hit my legs and took my slipper...then I stopped climbing. Bitty steps. This is about doing things outside my comfort zone, not hurting myself! We went to the lava, and by then, I was just wiped. The time change got me. Came back, took a nap, watched a bit of TV (The HBO Documentary on George Harrison is awesome!) went to a meeting, and here we are. A good day.
Next, I will learn how to post photos.....

Can you spell O V E R W H E L M E D ????

Well, I just gave this blog address, or however it is referred to, to someone, so now, I suppose, I must write. In addition to journaling, and no, I do not do that every day, and beginning my current inventory, I will blog. There, in that sentence, is overwhelm extravaganza.
I now have a multi-destination ticket for Bangkok-Nepal-Bangladesh-Thailand, and have my locations, in general, planned out through February 18th. Enough for now, let's just concentrate on today.
Today I am going to look at camera's. I want something a bit more advanced than a pocket size Digital, but nothing with many lenses and settings. A beginner camera. I want to learn how to take a shot and then upload it here. I leave for Hilo on Wednesday, and that, I think is a good place to start. Volcano. Beach. Landscape. Flora and Fauna. Ocean.
I am overwhelmed with thoughts of "what I have to do before I go". Packing, tickets, what can I live with for 3 months, what can I NOT live with for 3 months. How much can I carry? I bought a jacket, and a walking stick, and I have an idea of the suitcase/duffle on wheels I will buy. Note to self: Do not go into the REI store without a specific list.
Can you spell Over
                      Whelm?

On the road again.....

Here I am, at the airport in St. Louis. I am on my way to LA. it is the weekend of my birthday. I remember as a small child what that meant. Grandparents, presents, cake, dinner at a "fancy" restaurant. I was the most important person at the table. My mom usually stole the show. She always did. She was just that way. When you were in a room with her, even if she were uncharacteristically quiet, she was the shining star. She changed the focus, and the feel of the room. Some say I am that way. I just don't see it.
Anyway, I am off to Los Angeles. For me, truly the city of angels. I am different when I am there. I can still be sad, not as morose. I am haunted, not as immobilized.
So this is a small adventure.....
The first hard frost came this morning. A whopping 37 degrees when I left the house. I will get a little winter, not much. I do like the changing of the seasons, and the colors are still here.
I can only imagine the amazing colors I will see on my great adventure.

You have to begin somewhere.....

October 20, 2011

I am new to this. The trick for me, is to write as if no one is reading. Then, when I am more comfortable, I can invite people in to share my adventure. 

This is not only about my adventures away from home, this is about my ADVENTURE. My life. How it is changing and what direction it may take me.

This has, for the last 2 years, been the "month before the storm"

In 2009, it was a great month, traveling with my honey, visiting my Dad in Napa,visiting friends in California, celebrating my 51st birthday. I spent it with Jay and my dad in Napa. I got home, went to Kentucky, and then the unbelievable happened. Unexpected, out of the blue, chaos and death. Changed my life forever.

In 2010, I struggled to have some form of normalcy. (What is that? Who were the normal people that put THAT bar in place???) Mid October I went to visit my dad, we had our first real talk about his declining health and how that would effect both of us.Nothing we thought we had to address right away, just good to talk about before we had to. For my 52nd birthday, Jacob, my sponsees and my homies came over and we cleaned house. Most of it outside, and it was the perfect day. They helped me clean what I had watched, literally, go to seed. Then I went to Texas. The Giants won the World Series! A year to the day Jay went into the hospital, my dad called and asked me to come to LA.

Here it is 2011. 

Yesterday, I bought a one way ticket from Oahu to Bangkok. It will be followed by either a round trip ticket Bangkok to Kathmandu, or a multi-trip ticket, Bangkok-Kathmandu-Bangladesh-Bangkok. I am going on a wild adventure. More on that as it comes, right now, I have a ticket....

I leave tomorrow for LA. Just a visit, short, with a party. I hope to learn how to post photos, and well, 

you have to begin somewhere.....