ALOHA!!! We made it! I am so glad to be here! The computer is so slow here and so I am probably not going to post many photos until I get back. We have been very busy. We only slept at total of 8 hours in three days, but now we are getting back on track as we are beginning to adjust to the time change. Monday was spent as a traveling day for the most part. The last two days we crammed in as much in 48 hours as I think is physically possible. We (there are 14 of us!) spent yesterday morning playing in the ocean or pool. I did my training run along the ocean....ahh! (check out my running blog here to read more about that.) Some of us headed to the BYU Hawaii campus to eat lunch and then we all went to the Polynesian Culture Center. That was a full day and I have some amazing photos that will have to wait to be posted until I have high speed! It was a beautiful and fun day. We ended the night with the spectacular show they put on. Today we headed out early to see Pearl Harbor. We took a tour and rode a boat out to the Arizona Memorial. This is the second time I have been there and it was just as heartbreaking the second time as the first. After Pearl Harbor, we went to the Swap Meet held at the Aloha Stadium and got in some great shopping! Then we went to my all time favorite fast food restaurant in the world named Kua Aina. They have thee best hamburgers on the planet! Mmmm......♥ We all went to the North Shore Chocolate Co. but they were closed. Waaaa!!!! The owners are undoubtedly surfers and they probably wanted to catch the waves today since the wind was blowing so hard! To finish the day we sat on the beach in lounge chairs watching some surfers and taking in the smells and sounds of the crashing waves. B-utiful! Tomorrow looks like it will be a day of snorkeling. Can't wait! ALOHA!!!

Karen (Dave's sister) and me excited to see each other. She lives in Arizona and I have missed her!
This is a photo of part of the resort we are staying at. Turtle Bay.

Outta time...more photos later.

Aloha!!!

OFF TO PARADISE!!!

I should have internet so I will hopfully be able to post some photos!!!

Dilemma

As some of you know my cousin Shelley passed away this past week. She was an amazing lady and everyone who knew her loved her. She had MS for the past 30 years and has suffered greatly. She was in constant pain, but yet she still had an amazing attitude. She was the kind of person that you went to visit to cheer her up and she ended up cheering you up! She always focused on others and never herself. Her favorite thing to say was, "Have a Great day! " She loved life even though she was trapped in a prison of a body. She had been bed-ridden for many years and had to depend on others to do everything for her. Still, she cherished life and each day she had.


She passed away on Tuesday and her youngest daughter was in Mexico because she was getting married there on Thursday. Her other two daughters were also going to Mexico to attend the wedding. They decided to go ahead with things as planned knowing that is what Shelley would want. And knowing Shelley she probably planned it that way just so she could be at the wedding even if it was just watching from above!


They don't get back until Sunday and so the viewing is going to be Monday night and the funeral on Tuesday. Her children asked me to speak at it. I am honored and very humbled to be asked. The dilemma is I am leaving for Hawaii on Monday. I don't know what to do. I do not want to miss this funeral. Shelley was like a sister to me. Should I just go as planned or should I try and change the flight and catch up with the rest of the group a couple days later? A dilemma for sure. I decided to at least try and see if I can take a later flight so I can be here for the funeral. Dave got on the phone and made several phone calls and found out that we can go later. I thought maybe we would have to pay $100 change fee or something in that neighborhood. Nope! They want $2000 per person to take a flight out two days later! Can you believe that? INSANE! I was shocked AND angry! How can they get away with that? That is just pure wrong. But, at least it made the decision much easier. I am going to go to Hawaii on Monday as planned and I am going to have my oldest son read my talk at the funeral for me. Not what I wanted, but I know Shelley would not want me to spend $2000 to stay. It would actually be $4000 because we would also have to change Dave's ticket as well. Has it always been this way? Wow!

Renaissance Feast

Wow two feasts today! The Friday Feast (check out below) and this one. Last night some friends invited us to go the high school's annual Renaissance Feast. We've been before when one of our sons was involved and so we thought it would be fun. It is put on by the high school history department and they go all out and try and make it a real fun time. After we go we always say that we should have taken the whole family. Next year... They serve you a six or seven course meal (with NO utensils ~ although we snuck in some plastic ones!) and put on a program while you eat. The costumes are amazing and it is pretty fun. The lights were low so the pictures aren't the greatest. But alas! Here they be anyway...

We went with Lady Jen and Lord Janzen. Here we are patiently waiting for our food and beverage. We be parched!

This is Mr. Demonja (Pres. Demonja to us - he is a counselor in our Stake Presidency). He was the main character in the acting part. It was kind of fun to see his other side!

Two of the servers. The one on the left is Bryce's friend Tyson.


They told us to wear our napkins like this. Notice WHO doesn't have theirs on? Yep the guys! The ones that need it the most! ☺ Off with their heads!

They serve an entire "fowl" and a huge platter of ribs.

Did I mention NO utensils?

Whatever works!

Are we having fun yet?

Someone's Knight in Shining Armor...

Dave with the bread knife getting every last morsel off that bird. Not sure who the two boys (hoodlums) next to him are, but they were VERY outspoken and not shy. They were yelling out things all night and the entire room kept looking at our table!

Appears we be no longer parched! ☺

Part of the program. The two girls were Lady Obama and Lady Hillary. Hmm... The King was trying to choose which one to make his Queen. As always...Superman to the rescue!

Oh, the violence!

Mr. Demonja again...

Sitting at the throne for a photo after it was over. Sorry it's so blurry. You might have to click on it to see it better.

The remains of the night...

♥Fare thee well until the morrow!!!♥

SIDENOTE:

Mr. (Pres) DeMonja thinks these two look identical.
They are perfect strangers. Jen is on the right.

On a scale of 1 to 10, what do you think???

Friday Feast #10

Munch away! Answer and post on your blog.

Appetizer
Name something you would categorize as weird.
Extreme body piercing. I can NOT believe people actually do that to their bodies! I was going to post a picture, but I couldn't stand to even have one on my blog!

Soup
What color was the last piece of food you ate?
Brown and white. It was a mini cupcake from the Renaissance Feast we attended last night.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?
I am a people person, but I also love to be alone. I love the peace and quiet and freedom. I would say a 10.

Main Course
Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______.
I will never vote for Hillary in my lifetime.

Dessert
Describe your sleeping habits.
I usually stay up until 11 or 11:30 pm. I am usually on the computer right before I hit the sack. If I ran that day, I pretty much crash as soon as my head hits my pillow. I used to need the TV on to fall asleep. Not anymore. If I didn't run, I will usually lay there for about 20 minutes until I finally fall asleep. I have two pillows and have to have one to hug or cover my head or I can't go to sleep. I mostly sleep on my left side or back. Dave says he can always tell when I have just fallen asleep because my body does these little jerking movements. If I am not sleeping in my own bed, I have to wear socks. My body alarm never lets me sleep past 6:30 a.m. I hate waking up to an alarm even though I do most days. I used to be a light sleeper until I started running but now I think I could sleep through almost anything!

For more Friday Feasts go here.

PPP #4

Parenting Pointers Post #4
Help for the Frazzled Mom!

Based on Dr. Glenn I. Latham's book The Power of Positive Parenting

"Behave well. Good parenting is first a matter of teaching, second a matter of modeling, and never a matter of reacting." Dr. Glenn I. Latham

Last week we talked about ignoring inappropriate behavior. That is not always an easy thing to do, but it becomes easier if it can be replaced with praising positive behavior. We have all heard the phrase, "catch em' doing something good". If we want to reinforce the good behavior in our children then it is so important to acknowledge it. Remember behavior that is given attention will be repeated. That includes both inappropriate and appropriate behavior. Unfortunately, we as parents tend to focus on the not so good things our children do, mainly because we see it as our job to fix it. If we can change our mindset to focus on the good things they do and ignore the other, we will be amazed at the amount of positive interactions we will begin to have with our children. It is human nature to take the path of least resistance and so we usually just tell them what they are doing wrong instead of what they are doing right. Why? Because it is how our society has trained us. It is much harder at times to stop and evaluate what positive things they are doing, because behaving well is just expected. But, if we want to see more of that good stuff, then we need to start praising it. It takes effort to acknowledge our children when they are behaving appropriately. Sometimes it's just easier to leave things well enough alone. Why get involved if there isn't a problem? The answer to that is simple...behavior that is given attention will be repeated. Repeat that to yourself over and over.

Virtually all children, in the course of the day, will do or say something that is worth selecting out for reinforcement. Soon, selectively reinforcing appropriate behavior will become second nature to you. It might seem a little awkward at first, but in time it will be as natural as driving a car, dialing a telephone, playing the piano, or whatever else a person does fluently. Dr. Latham has said, "The more parents scold, spank, and scream to control their children's behavior, the worse the children behave. You can be certain of it. Behavior that receives parents' attention is behavior that is strengthened."

Praise is the way to go. This of course works on all ages. People never outgrow their need for positive verbal praise. It doesn't seem like such a big deal to tell our children how happy it makes us when they are playing nicely. But when we do, it becomes a big deal to them. They will want to whatever it is that we are noticing. Whatever is getting the attention. They want attention and will do whatever it takes to get it. Whether it is positive behavior or negative behavior. As long as it gets attention, it doesn't matter. It WILL be repeated.

This week challenge yourself to stop each time you are about to give attention to negative behavior and stop and redirect it towards something positive. It takes practice, but so well worth the effort. The feelings that are generated when the focus is on the positive, are so rewarding that you will want to continue. That will be motivation enough. Good luck, and as Dr. Latham used to say: