Catching Up

Wow.  Where has the time gone? Nearly a year since I blogged last.  This is not to say nothing interesting has been happening in my life.  Oh no...in fact, lots of interesting things have been happening in my life.

For example, I no longer live in the fabulous Pacific Northwest.  Nope, I have been whisked away to the Islands.  The Hawaiian Islands to be exact.  Yes, it is as beautiful here as you think. No, it is not a vacation every day.  Life here continues much like life anywhere.  You get up in the morning, you get the kids off to school, you get yourself to work, make dinner, do chores and collapse exhausted into bed. Not different at all.

Sure I wake up in the morning to palm trees, flowers and ruggedly amazing mountains, but I also hear police sirens, car alarms, the nearby traffic of the highway, roosters crowing long before sunrise, and dogs that won't stop barking at shadows.

The island is very densely populated. Sometimes the effort to make the 10-mile drive to the beach seems as daunting as the 1.5 hour drive to the beach in Washington. It is also funny how things are relative.  You can drive around the entire island in an afternoon versus only getting half-way across Washington in the same amount of time.  However, if you discuss needing to go to Honolulu, it is like making plans for an all day trip to Seattle. The grocery store is about a mile away. (The same distance we used to walk from our home to the convenience store.) Yet, when we first moved and I was car-less, comments like, "I'm going to walk and get a gallon of milk," were met with dismay, "that's too far, I can give you a ride."  No, really, I don't mind the walk. :)

So although in many ways its a pretty normal life here as compared to living elsewhere, I still feel lucky to be here. A few random observations:

• Tourists on bicycles are everywhere. It's a cute little city, but what exactly are they coming here to see?
• Tourists dress strange. 
• I don't know where the pristine people-less beaches you see in advertisements are at.
• The weather can change drastically in minutes and miles.
• Wind driven sand hurts. (There is a reason they use sand blasting to remove paint.)
• Spam is delicious when cooked properly.
• Waikiki is a crazy indulgence. Who really needs a Coach store on every corner with a Rolex store between?
• The Dole Plantation is a tourist trap.
• Ants are an annoyance, but I have yet to see the masses of bugs I've heard people talk about. (Thank god...knock on wood.)
• I need to eat more island food.

I haven't seen a fraction of what the island has to offer.  I look forward to seeing more.

Where Have I Been?

Excellent question.

Not writing, that's for sure.

Mostly, I've been dealing with some personal challenges. 

And I went on vacation.

Vacation was nice.

I'll probably share later.

In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy a semi-regular return to the random thoughts of KK Sierra.

Weekend Wandering

I remember as a kid getting ready to go on a weekend trip, or a vacation or off to see Grandma and we could never get out the door.  My brothers and I would be playing in the yard, reading books, or some other things while it seemingly took my parents forever to get ready. If we complained at all we were promptly sent to move pipes or pull weeds or some other horrific task.

Now that I’m an adult and it’s my responsibility to get us out the door I find myself in the same conundrum my parents must have been in.  Fact is leaving the house for the weekend means stuff either a) doesn’t get done or b) needs to be crammed in before we go.  All those tasks that are normally done on the weekend like laundry, mowing the lawn, or cleaning out the fridge; yeah, that stuffs not going to happen because you’re not home!  Then there’s making sure the pets are taken care of…either by being sure they have enough food to last two days or by finding pet sitters.  Finally, there are the things you wouldn’t think of normally because they won’t apply.  Like making sure the trash is taken out before you go so the house doesn’t smell when you get back, running the dishwasher, checking the washer for wet clothes or making sure stuff in the fridge won’t go bad before you return.

Now that all that house stuff is taken care of, there’s the task of making sure everyone has their things.  I can’t tell you how much money has been spent on camping trips because we’re five hours from home when someone realizes they forgot their jacket, their swimsuit, the sunscreen or the firewood. Trying to make sure four people all have the things they need for the number of days we’re going to be gone is crazy. Living in the great state of Washington makes it even worse. If I’m traveling from the west side to the east side, we’re starting with long pants and sweatshirts and ending in shorts and tanks tops.

Mom and Dad, my hats off to you.  I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time! Loves! J