oahu

Landed last Tuesday and caught the shuttle to our hotel on the beach. Couldn’t be the view, thats for sure. All ocean. And it wasn’t loud at all, which was what i totally expected. We wandered to the international market for a bit and then back to the room.

Wednesday we got up and headed to the ala moana shopping center. Shopped a short while and then went back to Waikiki. Hit the beach (finally!) for a bit and then went to the market again as it was clouding over. It then rained so hard it was insane. And we were caught out. So we got soaked. Yay. From there we had a late lunch/early dinner, and hit a grocery store to save on some eating costs.

Thursday i got up and walked back to the mall, as i could see that my book would end very soon and i needed the next one in the series (i was reading the golden compass, and boy, the movie sure ends differently!). so i walked, and got rained on and soaked again, and walked back. My mom had been at the beach the entire time, so i joined her down there for a bit. Oh, and we had ice cream. We didn’t do much that night cause there was a two hour show on that we wanted to watch. Nerds, i know. But it was good.

Yesterday? Friday... we got up and headed down to the beach. Laid there for a couple hours and then got up to do the final wander of Waikiki. We got my mom a pair of sunglasses from macy’s only to have them break later, so now i have to find one in maui and try to exchange or return them. Had some lunch, bought some bags to travel with and came back to the beach again.

After that we had to get my mom ready to head out. Sad sad. When we were showered and she was packed, we headed down the beach to a patio and got a couple fruity tropical drinks with umbrellas. Then it was back to the hotel to chill a bit before getting her down to the shuttle.

I was sad to see her go. I love my mom to bits and i do miss her. She makes me totally insane and brings out the bitchiness in me for sure cause we are so different. I was much better this time than i have been in past trips, but i know i was still short with her at times. Regardless, i know how much she loves Hawaii and i know she didn’t want to leave. 10 days is still a good amount to be here though.

So she left, i went back to the market, got a ring i wanted, and went back to the hotel. Watched tv, slept a bit, and that brings me to here. The airport. Its now 5 am. Almost. One more hour. Guess ill read.

Maui for 3 weeks! Here i come!!!

the big island

We landed in the kona airport which is by far the best airport ive ever been to. Its tiny, and all open air. Everything. The baggage carousel and ticket counters, bar, everything. It looks very Polynesian. Good start.

Got over to the rental place and got my hands on our red mustang convertible. Yahoo! Never had a convertible before so that was super fun. We made our way to the hotel and got settled in, and went for eats. Met up with cara, whom i work with, and her brother. And we went out for a couple drinks while my mom went to bed.

Up early the next day, Sunday, to drive to hilo. Drove the north way around which was really pretty. Its nuts to see how the landscape changes as you go. Starts off as lava fields with basically nothing. Then there are grasslands, and then into lush forest/jungle. And back again.

Got to hilo and to the airport and got set up with our doors off helicopter ride over the live volcano, Pu’u. It was cold up there! But super fun. We landed at jacks place, which is a bed and breakfast that the flows seem to have gone around twice now. The last one in October 08 took out his only remaining neighbour, so now its just him there. The only way in is to either walk a long ways to where the roads start again (and that is over the dried lava)(and its still active in parts underneath!) or to fly in by helicopter. I cant believe he’s still there.

After that we drove south to complete the circuit of the island. It got dark pretty quick so we didn’t see much, but i do know that the stupid road had many curves.

Monday we got up and wandered a little bit in kona. There isn’t much to see really. Then went and met up with cara and her family and got ready for our tour up mauna kea. If anyone ever goes to the big island and wants to do this tour, don’t bother. Just rent your own car. Waste of money.

The dinner sucked and wasn’t what was advertised, our driver was super annoying and they blast the damn a/c. To top all that off, mauna kea had gotten snow the night before, and because they are at an elevation of 14,000 feet, the road freezes when the sun goes down, so they closed off the top part. Which meant that we weren’t able to get up and see the telescopes, which is essentially the point of the tour. My mom was soooo bummed cause she wanted to do that more than anything. It was basically the reason we went to the big island in the first place. But we did see the sunset and learned about some start constellations.

Tuesday i got up early and went to the airport to exchange the convertible for a 4x4 jeep so that we could go back up to try see the telescopes. Hoping that the road conditions were better during the day. After a long bumpy drive up there, we found that the road had been closed again, due to ice flurries. In freaking Hawaii. What the hell. My mom was bummed again, but at least we really tried. Boo.

We came back down to kona and grabbed lunch at a hotel far superior to the one we stayed in and then headed to the airport and off to oahu.

maui

is super fun!

i have posts to catch up the trip so far, but they are typed out on my laptop, and we've been having internet problems.  hopefully have them sorted by tomorrow.  in the mean time, we can only get danielles laptop online.  so, wait for it.

as for today, i was supposed to have a surf lesson, but the wind was a bit high so they opted for us to wait.  instead i went snorkelling out at black rock, which is just up the beach from where we are staying.  saw all kinds of fish and a turtle even!  it was right under us when we got into the water.  no pics of him though, but some of the fish!

going to go and figure out some dinner and see whats up for tonight.

hope you all are good!

kristin - say it with me - kris-tin

check out my friends new blog.
she is funny stuff.
and also getting her back done by steve moore!
maybe we can get a picture out of her..maybe...

phew

ok my mom is going to sleep and ive had a bit of wine, so no long winded posts from me.

ill start off with the before the trip bit.

signed a contract at work to have me there for three more months.
time to make some more money, and time to see how this world economy crisis stuff levels out.
this travelling here makes me want to move more than ever.
i love my job and all, but i crave new and i crave travel.
we'll see how it all goes down.

one thing im glad for, with the signing of the new contract is that it will allow me to make back some of the money that i will be spending here. like whoa. so much on food it isnt even funny.
and magnets. can forget those.
check this out!














in the international market here in waikiki.
oh man.
i only spent $10 i swear.
in that store anyways..
im out of control....

but yeah. make the money. move on.
it needs to happen.

i wont lie though, ill be looking for that special someone to make me a wife in hawaii.
then i can live here always.
and not work. he has to be rich.
cause as much as i love hawaii, i love it while im on vacation.
im sure it would be a different story if i was working.
so that rich special someone. yes.

until then, this is what greeted us in our bathroom when we checked in.
dont ask. i have no idea.
except there is a nautical type theme to the hotel. more later.














ive named him henry.

aloha!

lots to update on and read up on.
but not right now.

everywhere here charges $10 a day for nets, so my mom and i got this going today.
ill write more tonight probably.

for now. i am alive and happy and finally got to the beach.
here's some shots for now... keep ya entertained in my slow moving blog.
my slog?
whatever..

me driving the red mustang convertible we had for two days














my mom and i at dinner on our first night there together. our hotel is in the background.














open door helicoptor tour!















this is one of the vents of the very active volcano, name escapes me right now.
sulpher fumes galore!

it is done!

the new hair!

look at all this that was cut off. so much more but i didnt even get a shot.
enough for a whole wig i swear it. damn i had alot of hair.




























i hope i can get used to it! its so short!
its never been *this* short before...

she cut it a bit longer, to my chin, and we were going to come back and make it this short after hawaii, but i took a deep breath and said just do it!!!

and so she did.



















after we went for sushi.
deandas took forever.



















and she ordered one that said slice cheese, and lo and behold, american cheese.
on sushi!!!
gross..

things change..

so im not going to update about the rest of my trip really.

i did have a great time in florida, but its somewhat bittersweet now, and i dont really feel the need to log it here to look back at later.

texas was super fun and damn cold! it was all tattoo convention, with some flea market and beers mixed in. ok maybe cider too. and wine. and a couple tattoos. and ok, pretty heavy on the great people!!

back to work was wild. the layoffs have hit everyone pretty hard. i stop to talk to the guys here and there, and they are sad about friends that are gone now.

i extended my trip to hawaii by two weeks so i am not there from feb 7 to march 8. i can not wait! i need this relaxing forced to do nothing time, like whoa.

when i get back i will be working for two more months at my current job. they love me so much that they will do anything to keep me. its a good feeling. but it also makes it hard. its all hard right now.

i want more than anything to get out of vancouver. i do like it, much more than i felt about calgary when i left there, but i still feel like im stagnant in my life here. i need to get out and do something new, something different. find whatever it is that i am looking for. but this whole damn world wide economy crashing thing is scary!

is it smarter to stay put where i have the best paying job of my life, and wait til things look better to move? will that even happen in the near future? no one can say. arg.

ill see how i feel after hawaii.

so far january 2009 has been mostly about bad timing. im super ready for february to happen.
i will spend it in hawaii so it cant be all that bad. as for march and my return, i will be moving back into the building i lived in before this one, with my friend steve. my rent will be 120 cheaper a month, and there is laundry in house! that, in itself, is exciting. also, i get my own bathroom in my room! oh yeah. i dont have any furniture left really, so ill have my futon for a bed, my old chair thats been around for longer than i have in my family, and some odds and ends.

in a way im sad to leave this apartment, but ive been here for 4 years almost. time for something new. the new one will be dingy and a bit scummy. ah well. adventure!

i feel like im 20 again and moving out for the first time. it should be scarier or worrying more than it is, but im excited for it. its time i loosened up a little again. ill be saving more money for that move that will happen soon soon soon.

oh, also, to start the new feb, i have an appointment with deandra on tuesday. remember that pic of me with 'short hair'? yeah... eek!

urg

my week has been hell.

they laid off more than half of my team. my boys. i love those boys. they were what made me love my job so much. and while there are still many left, its not the same. it doesnt feel the same. and im not the only one to feel that way. its sad.

i had to work saturday, one of my four days off left, to move everyone around in the studio. all this really allowed me to do was see exactly who was let go, as i didnt get a list or anything. even sadder. at least i got paid overtime to be there. that is always a plus.

ive been stressing still about my jaunt to florida. but i had two really good conversations with my buddy jay in florida and my lysa in san fran. i am feeling good about the whole thing now. i have a contingency plan for the states, that will allow me somewhere to go if florida doesnt pan out, so i dont have to feel as though i am turning right around to run home. i can go to cali for a few months, hit vegas for APP and then off to Denmark!

i like having back up plans. makes me feel safe.

other than that, i packed up my clothes today. so weird. but my closet is empty. i just have to get my dresser out of the place, and figure out when my other friend will come to take the bed. then i can start cleaning up lots, and getting rid of the rest of my stuff. hopefully i can get all those boxes to the thrift store next weekend. fingers crossed.

the time crunch is really starting to get to me now. i have 10 days left here in vancouver before i head off to hawaii for two weeks. then im back for 3 or so days with no home and no where to be, and then back to florida. so quick. yikers.

so much to do yet still too. and too many people that want to see me before i go.

ill see what i can do.

sorry this wasnt more uplifting, and there were no pictures, and still no updates from the trip.
but hey, its a post! sue me.

oh dear...

yes yes i know. i havent been blogging. for weeks.
i will get on the updating, though i guess by this point in time, it wont be as detailed as it may have been before.

in any event.
tonight i did something my mother always does. and that, was buy a bottle of wine and proceed to have a couple glasses while chilling at home alone. (on an empty stomach mind you)

what prompted this was an extremely stressful day at work, due to the unknown future for most of my team. there will be announcements made later this week, which will undoubtedly result in some lay offs. its like walking around on egg shells right now, plus, with no direction, its very quiet and restless as well.

my day did get much much better, however, when i got home and called my friend heather to see if she wanted to take over my place. at first i was hesitant to give it to her, as i dont think she will be as quiet as i was. no where near actually. and i love this building, and its soooo quiet. but in the end, i wanted to save money! so whatever. not like ill be here to blame. so she came over, said she'd take the place, and even took most of my furniture. that means money for me, and the fact that i dont have to worry about getting it moved out of here. also, i can keep it all as somewhere to live until i go and not stay in an empty apartment.

the fun part now will be my bed. i want to list it for sale now, so that it sells, but i want to sleep in it til i go. or almost til i go anyways. february lets say. we'll see how that pans out.

so, my poor readers who may or may not have lost faith in my blogging as of late. there you have it. an update. more on the trip at some point soon? (like you even believe when i say that now)