30 Miles to Kahuku, Part II

At last, I am taking you all on the second part of my daily drive from Mililani to Kahuku. Thanksgiving weekend turned out to be the perfect time to make the trip with lots of stops to take pictures. In Part I, we left off our little drive just past Hale'iwa, a quaint North Shore town. Here we are again on the two-lane Kamehameha Highway that connects Mililani, Kahuku, and much of the island.

As we begin this part of the drive, a little house with this sign posted out front has always caught my eye. Only in Hawaii:

My drive then takes me up a little hill and then opens up to this amazing view of Waimea Bay. On the far side of the bay, you can see the steeple from St.Peter and Paul's Catholic Church which overlooks surfers, swimmers, sunbathers, and boogie-boarders.
On a day with big winter waves like today, surfers wait out in the bay for the perfect wave to ride in.

Across from Waimea Bay, along "Kam" Highway, I pass the Waimea Valley Audubon Center. I've never actually been inside, but the entryway looks inviting. Its on the list.

Then, I come to the Pupukea area, which is the last business district of any sort before I arrive in Kahuku several miles further down the road. The Foodland grocery store is always packed with surfers, tourists, and other North Shore inhabitants. When I stop there to pick up treats for my students, I inevitably run into another Kahuku teacher doing the same thing.

Across from the Foodland is the Sunset Beach Fire House. Probably the best view for a firehouse anywhere in the whole U.S.A.

Next door to the Foodland, I pass Shark's Cove Grill (Yummy!) before arriving at Shark's Cove itself.

On my left, I pass Shark's Cove. For the record, it gets its name from its shape. While not impossible, I've never heard of sharks coming into the cove. When the surf is calm, Shark's Cove is an amazing place for snorkeling as it is filled with beautiful coral reefs and colorful reef fish.

After passing Shark's Cove, I come to Ehukai Park - home to the Banzai Pipeline - which sits across from Sunset Beach Elementary School. I tend to think that kids that can walk across the street after school and watch the waves at a place as beautiful Ehukai must be some of the luckiest kids on earth. These same kids attend Kahuku High and Intermediate School after they finish 6th grade.

Check out how the nutty surfers have covered the stop sign at the park in surfing stickers:

The next landmark on my drive is this large tiki-looking object, which sits adjacent to a few little shops.


At last, I come to Sunset Beach. This is my favorite beach in Hawaii. The wave forecast on the day of these pictures predicted 15-25 foot sets. I don't think they'd reached that height, but they were still bigger than I'm willing to swim. In the summer time, Sunset Beach is an awesome place to swim and snorkel. Now that the winter swells are coming, it is a supreme place to watch expert surfers.

In fact, O'Neill was getting ready to host something when I stopped by.

Another great feature of Sunset Beach is the running/biking trail which parallels the shore.


I don't usually stop on my way to school, but I jumped out of my car to get my picture taken.

Just past Sunset Beach, I come to Ted's Bakery. If you come to the North Shore, Ted's Bakery is a great place to stop for food. They have scrumptious pies and baked goods. They also have the best burgers on the island, in my humble opinion.

Past Ted's is a little University of Hawaii Agricultural facility. There are usually sheep grazing in the fields, but they must have been asleep on the day I came through with my camera.

Still, I got this nice shot of the windmill.
The next unusual place I pass is Crawford's Convalescent Home. Should I ever need to convalesce, I would happily do it here.


This odd and gutted historic building sits adjacent to the home, too. I'm not sure what the connection is, but its a neat sight.

After passing Crawford's, I start to see more and more little fruit stands. While they are closed in the early morning, in the afternoon I can stop in and get fresh pineapple and all kinds of other fresh produce that comes straight from the many farms in the area.

This little park is the next eye-catcher on my drive. I'm not even sure what its called, but its such a beautiful little spot and surprisingly un-crowded.

After Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay, the last famed place along my drive is the Turtle Bay Resort. It is a beautifully groomed section of the shoreline, but it has a tenuous relationship with its North Shore neighbors. Its owners have dreams of expanding the resort, but most residents of the North Shore fear that this will jeopardize the rural quality of the area. Bumper stickers that read "Keep the North Shore Country" are seen everywhere in this area and are quietly directed at Turtle Bay and other hopeful developers.

Still, it has a beautiful golf course that is host to major PGA/LPGA competitions.

One of the last places I pass on my way to Kahuku is Fumi's Shrimp Truck. Besides football, Kahuku's claim to fame is its farm-raised shrimp. Fumi's shrimp truck serves fresh shrimp straight from the farm. They will cook the shrimp for you a dozen or so different ways. You can sit and enjoy the salty sea breeze, delicious shrimp, and icy beverage in a totally relaxed atmosphere.

The shrimp is grown in little ponds some of which are less than 50 yards from the truck. Talk about fresh!

After passing the shrimp ponds, I come to a wildlife preserve. Its another place I've never been, but its on my list.
At last I reach Kahuku. As I roll into the tiny one-stoplight town, I pass the Kahuku Sugar Mill. Now a historic site, the Sugar Mill used to be an important part of the North Shore's economy.


And finally, I reach Kahuku's one and only stoplight. Kahuku High and Intermediate School sits here, in the heart of the little town, immediately across the street from the Kahuku Suprette.

The unremarkable looking Kahuku Suprette has some of the best Poke (Hawaiian style raw tuna) anywhere on the island. Yummy! Believe it or not, this haole mainlander loves the stuff!

Last but not least, the Pride of the North Shore: Kahuku High and Intermediate School. The school of 1800 students sits at the foot of the mountains, less than a 1/2 mile inland from the beach. Like Sunset Elementary kids, I wonder if these students know how lucky they are. I certainly am lucky to be a teacher there.

Bathroom Remodeling Part II: The Hole in the Wall

Since the wedding, George has put in many more hours planning and working on our bathroom remodeling project. I've helped a bit too - and learned how to safely use a mitre saw! - but I can't take too much credit: he's done most of the work himself.

After some consideration, we selected the exact jacuzzi tub we wanted and brought it home from Lowe's in a huge box. Alas, thanks to a labeling error on the box, we had to lug it back to Lowe's and get yet another one. We now have the correct tub sitting in our dining room. With the tub in our possession, we could begin planning how exactly the it would go in the bathroom and how we wanted it framed. George designed and began work on the frame for the tub. On a subsequent trip to Lowe's, we learned that the window we'd special-ordered had arrived! With the tub still serving as a play area for Quincy in our living room, this turned out to be the perfect time to install the beautiful new window!It was amazing how quickly George had a giant hole in our bathroom wall. Check back soon for a video of this process.
With the window at last installed, Quincy inspected the work and gave us the "ok" for the next stage of our remodeling.You can see more pictures of the latest stage in the project by clicking right here.

Happily Ever After

I think its rare that so much time passes for me between my blog entries, but I think I've had a good excuse. Our wedding celebration in St.Louis required some time and organization, but we had a wonderful, wonderful time. More than once has it occurred to me that it is sad that weddings (and funerals) are often the only time in our entire lives when we can gather all the people we love in one place at the same time. Still, we enjoyed it while it lasted. It was wonderful to be around so much love. I feel very blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family members - old and new - who were able to share our wedding with us.

Now that the wedding is over, however, I am embarking - for the first time in years - on just plain old "life." I don't mean it to sound boring. Actually, I am thrilled that at no time in the foreseeable future will I have to take a final exam, graduate from anything, plan a wedding, move, start a new job, or start or end a new relationship. It will just be good ol' fashioned LIFE. Just me and George and kitty living day by day.

I don't want to make it sound like life is all of a sudden perfect and dreamy out here in paradise. School has still been a rough ride. I'm on a real uphill climb to learn how to best teach my seventh grade reading workshop classes. I'm also tackling my "wedding 10." (Most people would try to lose ten pounds before their wedding. Not one to follow trends, I gained ten pounds before our wedding. In short, stress and dieting and I don't mix well.) Still, with the thank you notes, the wedding scrapbook, and photo albums already completed, its time to just be. I've vowed that for myself and for George - who has supported me through several periods of transition in the past two years - that I will not take on any new activities outside of work for the rest of 2007. The temptation is naturally there. I'm dying to learn how to surf, dance the hula, and a few other things out here in Hawai'i. That said, until January, it will be me, George, and my job. How will I manage? Well, look for a more frequent entries here on Lisaville. Aside from that? We'll all have to sit back and relax and wait to see what happens next.


Peace and aloha until next time,

Lisa

Bathroom Remodeling Part I: Lisa & George's Demolition Derby!

Less than 24 hours after George's return from his recent deployment, he was dragging me (a completely willing accomplice) to Home Depot to get a few tools to start our bathroom remodeling project. Wooohooo! It was so much fun. There are no pictures of me swing the sledge hammer, but indeed I did it. Within a few hours, we'd reduced the random shower wall in our bathroom to a pile of rubble and created a clean canvas on which to express our artistry. Tonight, we'll go window shopping. No...seriously...we're going shopping for a new bathroom window. :-) In the meantime, enjoy the pictures from day 1.

The"Before" Shot

The First Strikes

Ripping Walls is FUN!

The View at the End of Day 1.
(The pink paper on the floor is an outline of our future Jacuzzi tub!)

We Will Not Forget

Or will we? Six years after the largest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, it was hard to distinguish today from any other Tuesday. There were a few reminders here and there, but it wasn't enough for me, who stood outside my Georgetown office on Tuesday September 11, 2001 and watched in horror and disbelief as unimaginably large billows of smoke rose from the Pentagon, just across the Potomac River.

I remember driving to work that day - listening to NPR around 8:40am EDT when the regular news cast was interrupted by a report of a plane crashing into one of the Twin Towers in Manhattan. I didn't think much of it at first - except what a terrible accident, by a horrible pilot! I mean - to be so close buildings in lower Manhattan in the first place seemed utterly careless. It hadn't yet crossed my mind that it was intentional. When I arrived at work around 9:00am, however, my coworkers were gathered around the TV in our little conference room. They all stood still and in silence. I joined them and quickly realized the magnitude of what was happening, although in utter shock and disbelief. After some time, the horror took an unimaginable turn as the first tower collapsed before our eyes. We all stood and prayed that the other tower might not collapse, although that now seemed impossible. We feared the worst, as some of my coworkers had friends or classmates who worked in the Twin Towers, and all of us were keenly aware of the number of people working in those buildings. Eventually, we all watched in shock and horror as that second tower came down. I felt my insides knot with grief.

After an unclear amount of time glued to the television, our boss suggested we go back to work for a while. After all, what else could we do? It didn't seem right to try and work at all, but I was a brand-new, obedient employee. My first day at my new firm was only one day before: Monday, September 10, 2001. So, feeling like a fish completely out of water, I went back to my office and tried to read some something that has since become completely irrelevant in my life.

Later in the morning, the local news came. Six years later, it is a bit of blur to me. At first, the reports were inaccurate and confusing. We heard different things: "There is a fire on the National Mall," "There is a bomb at the State Department." These reports hit frighteningly close to home. The State Department was, after all, about six blocks away from our office in Georgetown. Then, the panicked phone calls started. One of my coworkers was married to a State Department attorney and she feared for his safety. Phone lines were beginning to jam. A little while later, the real news came. Our office manager, who had been near the television the whole morning, sent out an office-wide email to let us know that the Pentagon had been attacked. At that point, people across the city of Washington began to flee. Threats against other sites were rumored and no one felt safe. Our boss still did not send us home, although several other employees in our small firm decided it best to pick up their children from school or day care and head home. At least they could be with their families. Being young, single, and having no one to turn to, I stayed through lunch. Moby Dick's House of Kabab was next door and offered a quick place to eat. It was packed, but eerily quiet. Only quiet conversations of the days events. No one felt like talking - and many didn't eat much.

As I returned from lunch, what I saw put a chill in my heart and an image in my head that I will never forget. Our little Georgetown office was only three miles or so from the Pentagon: basically on the other side of the Potomac River. As I stood outside our row-house office, I could see unimaginably large clouds of smoke billowing from the Virginia side of the river, drifting off toward the West. I just couldn't believe it. How could this be? How could this be? How could this be?...That was all I could think.

Finally, our boss "let" us decide how to handle the day. I decided to go home. I doubted my ability to concentrate at all - and I didn't feel entirely safe in Washington, DC at that point anyway. I trekked down to my car and the parking attendant at the riverside lot let me go without paying. He said he didn't feel right collecting money from anyone in light of what was happening. In retrospect, it seems odd, but at the time it made perfect sense.

Then came the traffic. Several of the bridges out of the city had been closed. Maybe metro stations were closed as well? I can't remember, although I know several friends who chose to walk many miles home rather than use public transportation. My route out of the city, Canal Road, which parallels the Potomac, was a complete standstill by 2pm on the gorgeous blue-skied September day. For once, I couldn't have cared less about the traffic. Any thing I suffered was a mosquito bite compared to the tragedy that others faced - and would face - on that day and days to come. I have never seen Washingtonians wait out a traffic jam so patiently as they did on September 11, 2001.

Some two - maybe three - blurry blue-skied hours later, I arrived back at my apartment in Germantown, Maryland. I managed to get through on the telephone to my family back in Missouri. I retreated under the covers in my bedroom and cried until I could cry no more. I cried mostly for the victims and their families - many of whom would have to wait for days even months in anguish before knowing the fate of a loved one. I also cried in fear. I worried that somehow, a group of masked terrorists might be lurking in my neighborhood, ready to murder anyone they encountered. Absurd, I know, but in a day filled with unbelievable events, it seemed completely plausible to me at that time.

Several hours later, I did something strange: I went to a rehearsal for a dance group I was part of. Once again, I was surprised that our director had not canceled our rehearsal. Obediently, almost blindly, I made the long drive. On any other Tuesday around 7:00p.m., the traffic would have been intense, but on this day it was non-existent. I hope that I never experience that again. The highway message boards read "AVOID WASHINGTON METRO AREA." I didn't turn back, even though our rehearsal was in Arlington, Virginia. I must have been comforted to have someone tell me what to do and how to respond. I saw only a handful of cars in the roughly 30-mile drive to Arlington. In an urban area where at least four-million people live, this is an impossibly rare sight. In fact, I was worried I might be arrested for driving, although I hadn't heard anything prohibiting it.

The most terrible part was that as I approached Arlington, the clear, early-evening September sky was cut by a faint smoke that had now drifted further West along I-66 and the Potomac River from the Pentagon. Along with that smoke was an odd and deathly smell. (An olfactory memory I hope never is revived.) I remember very little of the rehearsal itself, except one comment by a British member of our group who insisted that his grandmother, who had survived WWII air raids in London would be proud that we carried on with our lives on such a dreadful day. I don't know. Maybe he was right. The rest of the day was a complete blur. I don't remember the drive home at all. I must have been entranced or numbed by incomprehensibleness of it all.

The days that followed contained constant reminders of the attacks - as if we could somehow forget them. Armored Humvees were stationed every several blocks throughout the city. Anti-aircraft missiles on military vehicles stood poised to fire near the Pentagon. Red Cross blood banks were overflowing for a change. There was an American flag on every highway overpass in the region, if not two or three. Firemen stood at intersections around the city to collect money for their fallen colleagues. Many roads remained closed around the Pentagon for months. Security was heightened at every government facility across the city. Worst of all, the smoke from the Pentagon continued for days. Best of all, there was a sense of unity and peace between people of different backgrounds that I have never witnessed before or since.

Sadly, there was also paranoia. There was hostility towards anyone who might have remotely resembled a Middle Easterner. Indian Taxi drivers wearing turbans experienced ignorant slurs from ignorant, terrified, patrons. A popular Afghan restaurant in Georgetown was vandalized. Some people turned the events into an opportunity to reach out to strangers, while others built walls: both invisible and real. Entire industries developed from the attacks and those "walls." Inwardly, I found myself fighting an ignorant sense of suspicion of people who looked different from me. Outwardly, I did my best to project peace and welcome to anyone around me: be they black, white, Middle Eastern, or central Asian. My outward acts eventually prevailed in my inward battle.

Now, six years later, I wonder what we have taken and what it is that "We Will Not Forget." A few days ago, I saw a sign for a town recycling meeting to be held on Tuesday, September 11. Did anyone else find this irreverent?

I didn't personally organize any sort of memorial or ceremony myself - and deliberately decided not to address the subject in my classes for a variety of reasons. Still, I expected this day to feel different from other days. I expected an opportunity to reflect and remember. There was no such opportunity during my day. So here I am, writing my own reflection and trying to recall the day and trying to determine what it is that I "Will Not Forget."

(NOTE: I will save any discussion of the Iraq war for another day, as it is completely unrelated, albeit extremely important, in my opinion - except as a terribly, terribly flawed response to September 11.)

For me, September 11, 2001 will always be a reminder that peace cannot happen without action. Peace requires action, the same way that love requires action. To feel love, without expressing it or showing it, even if only in a quiet way, is not love at all. Peace is the same. It requires action. Peace must be expressed. It must be demonstrated through actions. I hope that I can live my life through continual acts of peace. I know I am imperfect and I make many mistakes in my attempt to demonstrate peace. Nonetheless, I hope I can always strive to express peace. I hope I can always keep that at the front of my life.

This is what I "Will Not Forget."

Little Gecko

Little gecko on the wall,
tell me how you do not fall.
Your sticky feet are the envy of mine
they help you hang, they help you climb.
What its like, the view from up there?
What do you see? And do you care?

While mosquitoes and flies are your favorite fare,
when you see my cat you're found nowhere.
I do not blame you for I have seen
how his teeth and claws can be so mean.

Despite the dangers of gecko life,
you continue to climb as if free from strife.
Is this just an act I see?
Or are you ever longing to be free
from the ruthless attacks of my darling Quincy?

Dear little gecko, forgive me if
I've been an accomplice in an untimely death.
I've meant no harm, I've meant no pain,
for hurt to you, brings me no gain.

You're always welcome inside our home;
the walls are always yours to roam.
But whatever you do, wherever you tread,
please don't climb inside our bed!

The Clock and Me

I just got home from a 12 and 1/2 hour day at work. I hardly looked at the clock. I only looked to see if I had enough time to do such-and-such before this bell or that bell. Very different from my old way of looking at the clock (at my old law job.) I used to look at the clock, which always moved painfully slowly towards my lunch break or the end of the day, with sadness and frustration. The clock and I are much better friends these days. Except maybe during sixth period. Even then, we're working things out. Now the clock is telling me to go to bed. The geckos agree. Bedtime.

Back-to-School Blues and "Courage"

Hello friends!

Believe it or not, today is Friday August 17, 2007 and I have been back in school teaching for two and half weeks already! Luckily, thanks to Hawaii Statehood Day, I have a well-needed three-day weekend. Actually, as I will spend one full day of the weekend doing work for my classes, I should say it is my first two-day weekend of the year. It has not been an easy start, but I'd like to think I'm getting into a routine that will be manageable.


Anyway, the beginning of the school year was tough. In retrospect, the number of things that didn't go right were almost comical. At the time, however, they resulted in a few gray hairs and even a few tears. If anyone has a doubt that public schools are desperately short on funds, let Kahuku High and Intermediate School clear your doubts. If I were to compare the operations of my school with my old DC law firm, it would be instantly obvious how much an extra million or two could improve the operations and overall quality of our school. That said, most of the teachers and administrators dutifully undertake their labors-of-love while simultaneously trying to respect their personal time, not allowing themselves to become work-for-free slaves of Hawaii. That in itself is a tough balancing act, never mind the thousand or so and ever-increasing expectations placed on teachers.

So, let me start from the beginning. Because Hawaii's schools start so early, I actually was two days late returning to work for the new year. Luckily, my principal gave me permission to miss those two days as I was completing my M.Ed. back on the mainland. Still, missing two teacher work days was a lot, especially when your classroom had become the storage space for several other teachers who left the school in the spring. That was strike one. When I did arrive on campus on Monday July 29th, however, could I begin sorting through the chaos that my classroom had become? Nope. I had to attend an all-day training session for the new reading program I would be teaching. The training was helpful, but it included a lot more of a sales-pitch than I thought was necessary. Sigh...

Finally, I got one full day in my classroom to set up for the students' return. Unfortunately, I spent most of that day dealing with a crashed computer, looking for a functioning photocopier, trying to track down a TV and DVD-player that I would need to teach the new reading curriculum, and searching in vain for my students' textbooks. In the midst of it all, a handful of new 7th-graders and their parrents appeared in my classroom as part of their orientation. Could someone have sent me an email, memo, or anything to let me know that they would be coming?!?? Apparently, only core course teachers were privy to this orientation. Many of us "fringe" teachers had a similar experience of shock when these students and some parents arrived in our rooms unannounced. I felt completely deprived of that oh-so-critical opportunity to make any sort of first impression. I winged-it the best I could, but I had no handouts, no nothing. In fact, my classroom was still a mess from its role as a summer storage center. I'm not saying that I could have cleaned up everything, but I could have pulled something together that would give an impression that a) I am an organized teacher and b) students might enjoy the class. Again, sigh...

Now, about those textbooks: When I was a student back at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St.Louis, Missouri (which I am learning in retrospect why it was such a good school) it was part of the first-day ritual to collect all your textbooks from your teachers. No time to waste, you pretty much jump right in to learning. In Hawaii this is not an expectation. I was appalled to learn that teachers cannot necessarily expect to have their new books on day 1. I would have had a clash with our school librarian over this, except I realized that she was working as hard as she could to get them in our hands and complete her inventory of the new books. This was another instance of culture shock. Apparently, the state doesn't have much concern over the fact that librarians need more time to complete this task. Rather, many teachers just start the year without books. While teaching without books doesn't necessarily amount to lost instructional time, it definitely interrupts it. Furthermore, it leaves students the impression that it is acceptable to be unprepared. How can we expect students to be prepared for school when the school itself isn't prepared for school?

While I was frustrated by delay on the books, it was when they finally arrived that I just about lost it. Two days into the new year, I received an email from the school librarian informing me that I could come over and pick up my new books. Our campus is huge and roads/sidewalks are crumbling all over the place. (At least I had secured a functioning computer on which to receive said email. Ha!) Anyway, the thought of carrying the books from the library was ridiculous. I had three 30-lb boxes waiting for me. I had no cart and certainly no one to deliver the books, so I drove my car to the library intent on loading up my trunk. There was no place to park at the library and there is no loading zone, so I pulled my little car onto a little corner of entrance ramp and put on my flashers. When I came out about ten minutes later, I found a parking ticket on my windshield!! Are you kidding me?!?? How on earth am I supposed to do my job here? In my best attempt to remain calm, I had (kind-ish) words with the library security guard and managed to convince her to rip up the ticket. Still...is all this supposed to support teachers? Its supposed to make us want to come to school and work every day? Chasing around books, broken computers, and broken photocopiers?


So, those are a few of the things that marked the beginning of the new school year. There were a couple of positive things. After working at the school since February, I finally got a key to a faculty bathroom, I learned that there are two other photocopiers in the school besides the main office copier (not that they always work), I met a slew of very kind teachers and administrators, and I've made some headway - albeit slow - in classroom discipline. I learned that I can borrow books from the English Department book room. I also learned the location of said mystery book room. I have already obtained a couple dozen books from said mystery book room that will benefit my beloved ELL students. I *finally* managed to get a working TV and DVD player, although after searching in vain for the cord to connect the components, I had to break down and buy one at WalMart with my own money (along with another $50-worth of other needs I couldn't wait for a purchase order to fill).

As an ELL-certified teacher (not reading certified), I'm on a steep learning curve with respect to my reading classes. I have a class made up of six 7th grade boys who manage to make me crazy nearly every day. By sixth period when they arrive, the classroom is at least 80-degrees and dusty. The tradewinds, while giving some relief, blow the dust from the adjacent football field directly into my classroom. Still, I'm breathing and day by day things are getting better. My grade-level vice-principal and some other teachers have given me some helpful tips for dealing with my tough 6th period crowd. They at least appreciate my determination to improve the class. I've also managed to persuade a few of these boys to help the class stay a bit more focused. Deep down I know that these boys are good human beings who are merely trying to fit in, find their way, and are extremely insecure about their reading abilities. Any insults they hurl at me (or each other for that matter) are simply not personal.

* * *

So, after all of this, you may wonder why on earth I am still in this job when I indeed have a law degree and could probably increase my salary by at least 50% and be back in an air-conditioned office with a state-of-the-art computer? Here's a short-yet-true story from the first days of school that will explain it all:

Courage - by Lisa Rodvien

Last spring, I had students in my 7th-8th grade ELL class write about the four events that impacted their lives the most. The things that students had experienced floored me. One particular student wrote about his move from a small South Pacific nation to California, how his mother had died in childbirth, how he himself had to have open-heart surgery, and how his family left their somewhat violent neighborhood in Southern California to live in Hawaii with relatives. When we were coming up with a title for his piece, I suggested "Courage" because I was amazed at how much courage he had to get through all those tough circumstances. He liked the title and used it.

This year, I have the same student back as a 9th grader. On an information sheet that I have the students fill out to give me contact information, their class schedules, etc., I also ask them to write five words that describe themselves. The student's first word was "Courage."

Now you know why I keep coming back.

July 2007 in DC

Hello again, long lost friends! The past month was way too busy to leave any time for blogging. Now that I'm coming up for air, I thought I'd report on my awesome month in DC!

Aside from the fact that I had to attend 6-hour classes each day, I had a great time in DC. In fact, even the long classes managed to be fun occasionally. I met a lot of great fellow ELL teachers and made some awesome new friends. I also got new ideas for my classroom as well as a good dose of inspiration from the creativity and passion of my colleagues. The best part of the trip, however, was that I had the opportunity to visit with my DC friends. I stayed with Shelly and Andrew who were wonderful and fun hosts. We had some great "Three's Company" moments.

Anyway, my first weekend in town allowed me to catch up with a lot of old pals over cards and good food and also to head off to Six Flags for some roller-coaster/water-park action. Jess and Rob had a poker tournament where I got to catch up with the two of them and their adorable new kittens as well as Mike, Rachel, Donna, my sis, Becca and a few others. On Sunday, I got quality time with my sister, a new GMU friend Jackie, and little posse of dance pals at the amusement park. Ya know, I don't fare as well on some of the roller-coasters as I used to, but I still had a great time just bumming around with friends on a nice and hot summer day. Though I may not do the coasters so well, I love giant water slides every bit as much as I did when I was eight. Yay for feeling like and eight-year-old!
Having classes out in Fairfax at GMU, put me around the corner from Hyong, Cary, and Duane's house, so I got to spend several evenings hanging out at their place. They were kind enough to cook for me and Jackie! And as lovely as the food was, the company was even lovelier.
My second weekend in town brought me my bachelorette party in West Virginia. I had a great time with seven of the most awesome women in the universe. Many of our activities must remain secret, but we had a great time wandering around Shepherdstown, WV on Saturday evening and then tubing down the Potomac River near Harper's Ferry on Sunday. My friends really put together a memorable and special weekend for me.
My third weekend involved a lot of homework for my classes, but some really nice bonding time with my sister at Glen Echo Park and a fun afternoon with four of the five bridesmaids in my wedding to pick out dresses. We managed to have a nice time, even though David's Bridal stresses me out! We got the dresses selected quickly and I am confident that everyone will look absolutely GORGEOUS on October 6th.

After a final marathon-week of school, I at last, after more than two years, managed to complete my Master's degree! I was lucky to work with some really nice teachers on several group projects, each of whom inspire me in different ways.
With my degree finally behind me, I really let loose and relaxed during my last DC weekend. It was entirely too short, but I really did milk every minute of it. I had a celebratory glass of wine in my hand within minutes of completing and submitting my Master's research project. I had a great night with Susan, Shelly, Becca, Alison, and Andrew drinking wine, eating pizza, playing a cute board game and generally being silly. I had a nice breakfast with Alison on Saturday, a picnic with a little bunch of friends on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, and a party to attend on Saturday evening. I even managed to squeeze in one last breakfast with my sister on Sunday morning before heading off to the airport. It wasn't easy to say goodbye and I wish I'd had a little more time before having to jump back into work in Hawaii, but I guess that's life.

Still, it was a great trip, and it made another month without my sweetie pie, George, go by a lot faster. (I've started the countdown!!) While my trip was a bit of a whirlwind, that's par-for-the-course for me, no? If you have any doubts, check out my post on my first week back at Kahuku. (coming soon) Yikes!!

Love yas,

Lisa

PS - I've posted SIX new sets of pictures of my trip. Among others, the new albums include an artsy set I took at Glen Echo Park and some pics I took of the Grand Canyon from the plane on one of my flights back to Hawaii. See 'em all at http://picasaweb.google.com/LisaDeanna

30 Miles to Kahuku, Part I

Anyone who knows me, knows I've had my share of lousy commutes: Germantown, Maryland to Georgetown; Ashburn, Virginia to downtwon D.C.; even Falls Church, Virginia to D.C. was exhausting on the days when the Metro just didn't seem to move. On the best days, my Germantown to Georgetown trip was 75 minutes one way. I recall a few icy days where my commute lasted nearly three hours each way.

At my new job in Hawaii, I have another long commute: almost exactly 30 miles and 45 minutes each way. Luckily, I consider this commute payback (the good kind) for all the lousy, broken-down-metro, traffic-jam, snowy, sweltering, no-seat, tired feet, crowded-bus days I've experienced during the past ten years. For that reason, I decided to take you all along for a ride. This entry will look at the first half of my commute: from Mililani to Hale'iwa, from central Oahu, across the pineapple fields and down to the North Shore. In part II, (coming soon) I'll take you along the North Shore from Waimea Bay to Kahuku.

So here I am every morning, at our new place in Mililani. Granted, its dark sometimes, but lovely nonetheless:

As I pull down to the end of the driveway, I can see the mountains in the distance:

As I leave Mililani, I pass its beautiful monkeypod trees, which line Mililani's main roads:

Then, I come upon Wheeler Army Airfield. On many mornings, there are soldiers in the midst of their morning PT. Sometimes the Chinook pilots are already involved in flight exercises, as they were today (note chopper at right in photo). Either way, the Waianae Mountains, where George and I have hiked, provide the backdrop:

If I'm running low on gas, I'll stop at the Aloha gas station in Wahiawa. Yes, there really is a gas station chain here called "Aloha"! The prices are about as good as it gets. I paid 3.15/gal this morning for regular 87. Yikes!

Then, I cross a quaint bridge over a small section of a reservoir that weaves through Wahiawa:

I go up a little hill and I find myself in the vast agricultural plain of Oahu. The area between the Waianae and Koolau mountain ranges is absolutely gorgeous. I've seen many a beautiful moonset over the mountains as I drive the miles from Wahiawa to the North Shore:

It is in this stretch of the Kamehameha Highway (known locally as "the Kam Highway") that the Dole Plantation makes its home. Its visitor center sits a few dozen yards from the road:


Then, miles and miles of pineapple, coffee, and sugar cane fields:

Midway across the plain, the ocean comes into view. On most days, you can see the ocean from 5 to 6 miles away. Within a 2-3 miles, you can begin to see the surf conditions. Today, like most summer days, the surf was very calm on the North Shore:

There are only a handful of stoplights on my entire 30-mile commute. Most of the way is just open road with sparse traffic:

At last, I approach Hale'iwa (pronounced HAH-lay EE-vuh):

On the way to work, I always bypass the historic town, but occasionally I stop in Hale'iwa on the way home at its unhurried post office or in its cute shopping district:

Then I take the fork on the Kam Highway towards Kahuku:



After only 2-3 minutes, I've passed my final opportunity to stop into to Hale'iwa:
In the stretch of the Kam Highway just past Hale'iwa, I always seem to see - or hear - chickens. Occasionally, I ask myself: "Why did the chicken cross the road?" I still don't know the answer:

Along this section of the Highway, there are many of the sirens that together comprise the Pacific Tsunami Warning System. They are tested at 11:45am on the first Monday of the Month. It reminds me of the Tornado Siren testings of my Missouri childhood!

In addition to chickens and sirens, I pass a horse ranch and see horses grazing in a big open field. Lucky horses:

In Part II (coming soon), I'll take you the rest of the way to Kahuku, starting at the approach to Waimea Bay. We'll pass Shark's Cove, the Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, a dairy farm, Turtle Bay, a few Shrimp Trucks, and a wildlife preserve. Stay tuned!