Wandering

I have a strong dose of wandering in my blood and it struck this weekend. I started to feel it take over my brain as I sat on the couch watching Rob Lowe on the Oprah Show Thursday afternoon. I tried to silence the urge to get out of town with logic. It will cost money to go, I should stay here and work on my article I have been trying to write for ever and ever, I have an appointment to give blood in the morning. Finally, I convinced myself that I would just take a drive up to Park City, eat some good food, check out the outlets, and come home. I felt like that might at least pacify my desire.

I got in the car and pointed it north, but it just wasn't right. I needed to get out of town and find the sun. I turned the car around and went in the house and pulled out an overnight bag and added the following things to it...

1. tooth brush and tooth paste
2. PJ's
3. 1 pr. hiking pants
4. 1 hiking shirt
5. 1 pr. hiking shoes
6. 2 pr socks
7. 3 pr undies
8. 1 swim suit
9. make up
10. flip flops

and then I stopped and made a veggie shake for the road.

And then I was in the car, pointed south, headed to warmer temperatures, without a plan. It was exhilarating. Ah the places I could go! I drove for a long time and did a lot of thinking. When I looked up, I was in Fillmore and decided I needed to think of where I would be sleeping. I spent a night in Cedar City in a comfy bed and enjoyed all the Royal Wedding coverage I could stand over breakfast. Then I checked the temperatures. It was 10 degrees warmer in St. George, so I headed that way.

My time was not spent doing anything too exciting: a hike in Snow Canyon, laying out by the pool, dinner at Benja (my favorite sushi), and a cup cake from 25 and Main. After a while, I was ready to come home and be with people again.

While I was away, I kept thinking of this phrase from the Book of Mormon scripture 2 Nephi 2:26 "to act for themselves and not to be acted upon". I think it where I am headed in my life.

There are not a lot of exciting pictures to take when you are wandering alone, but here are a few I snapped.


Interesting tree from my hike in Snow Canyon


Sushi Bar at Benja



Lunch outside at 25 and Main. It was snowing in Provo.

Family

I love this picture and I am so excited for this family. Do you think this is what Elder Scott was talking about on Sunday? Congratulations Shilligs! Can't wait to meet this little guy!

I'm Not Really Sure What to Say About This

So, right now, if you walk by the JKHB, MCKB, or HFAC on BYU Campus, you will see this picture of me. It's a little strange to be all over the place. There are also smaller posters hanging up in other places on campus. So I keep having this conversation with people that goes something like this..."Hey, your hanging up in the elevator I use," or "Is that you hanging on my refrigerator in the grad lab?" It's been fun to be a BYU celebrity for a little while. I think the campaign ends soon so let me know if you want a souvenir poster to hang in your living room.

And, by the way, I'm investing in BYU

My Last Day in Hawaii

I never got around to posting about my last day in Hawaii and I still want to talk about it. On my last day in Hawaii I had a tour of Pearl Harbor scheduled for 7:00 am. You can not take anything to Pearl Harbor that doesn't fit in your pocket, no camera, no delicious cookies from the pineapple cookie place, no iPad to look up info. No nothing. This meant I would need to pack all my everything and get it to the hotel attendant before I left on my tour at 7:00 am. When I arrived home the evening after my adventurous bus ride to the Laie temple and sat listening to the sounds of Hawaiian music filling the air on my balcony, I knew that I had made a mistake scheduling that tour. All I really wanted to do is lay on the beach all day. So that is exactly what I did.

I woke up early to cancel my tour and wandered out to the beach to watch the day arrive. It came slowly. The lights that decorated the pier clicked off as the light that decorated the day slowly clicked on. The morning progressed from no people to joggers and walkers to hustling and bustling and I watched it all. At about 9 am, I ignored the fact that I was wearing pajamas and no bra and wandered in to the nice restaurant to enjoy the breakfast buffet. I had yogurt and musliex with mac nuts, crasins, and coconut for breakfast. Along with a few pastries, mangos, and papayas.

I went upstairs and packed my bags, took them to the porter to store and rented a chair on the beach. I spent the day there only leaving my perch to order a final round of delicious noodles from the noodle house I had come to love. It was not a sunny Hawaiian day, but instead rain fell and the breeze occasionally picked up, but somehow knowing my friends in Utah were clad in winter wear made me grateful and determined to soak up a few last rays of sunshine even if it meant they came between predominant cloud cover.

With a few hours left I checked into a hospitality room to shower and change for the plane ride home. I had a few hours to spare so I wandered into Waikiki to find the night market. I wanted to find a Hawaiian quilt to take home and someone had recommended this place to me. I wandered in and there it was, one lone kiosk of handmade Hawaiian quilts. I fell in love with a green and white one and managed to get the price down about $25 dollars. I didn't really have a plan for getting it home, but I had traveled enough to know that if there is a will there is a way. I few merchants down there was a guy selling a giant Hawaiian bag for $10, perfect! Problem solved.

I decided to walk back to the hotel along the beach to hear the waves lap against the shore one last time. As I passed all the lovely beach hotels, night was coming on and there were various performers filling the air with music. I stopped to hear one group with a large base and a ukulele. The music was incredible and the moment perfect. I thanked myself for letting go of one last tour and instead having the perfect day in Hawaii. Pearl Harbor, I'll catch you on my next time around.


Breezy day on Waikiki Beach


My Hawaiian Quilt

Sunrise to Sunset

I woke up at 5:20 a.m. to catch the shuttle to Diamond Head outside my hotel at 5:50 a.m. There was no other way to fit it in and it is best to see Diamond Head early. Everyone told me how hot the hike would be if I waited until later. I wanted to tell them that I live in the desert, but instead, I took their advice. It was a good recommendation as the views of the early morning touching Waikiki were remarkable. When my tour returned to the hotel at 8:30 a.m. I ran back to my room, showered, got dressed, and made it the conference for the breakfast that ended it 9:00.



Diamond Head is the mountain you see in the distance. I learned that if formed in 3 days to 3 weeks. That makes me think that those scriptures where mountains rise over night are true. You can see which way the wind was blowing when it was formed.



Early morning from Diamond Head



Looking over Waikiki



The Hilton Hawaiian Village from Diamond Head

My conference presentation was called "The Effects of An Inclusive Education Course on Secondary General Education Pre-Service Teachers' Philosophy of Educating Students with Disabilities." I know it is a mouthful, but it meant I gave a survey my class to see how they felt about teaching kids with disabilities in inclusive settings. It was interesting research that I am planning on continuing to pursue and I was excited to talk to people about. I presented a poster, which meant I just stood by my poster for a couple of hours and answered questions about my research. Its my favorite method of presenting at conferences because you meet a lot of people who talk to you about the things they are doing.



As soon as the conference ended I hurried back to my room and changed into a dress and ran out to catch the 1:50 afternoon bus to Laie. The drive to Laie is long and this was no express bus. The bus was filled with workers who live in Honalulu and were returning home. I chatted with a lady from the Philippians as I watched out the window as the waves rolled up the beach. When I arrived at the Laie temple, I took in the beautiful grounds quickly as I hurried inside. I knew they were starting their next temple session at 5:00 and I didn't know if they would start another if I was late. I made it inside just in time and had a wonderful time in the temple with the people who live in that area.

After the temple, I sat outside for a waiting for my bus ride back to Waikiki. I knew that tomorrow evening I would be getting on an airplane and heading back to the mainland. I felt like I had been in Hawaii a long time, long enough I guess, but I did not long for home the way I have on other trips. I could have stayed a bit longer and enjoyed a few more delicious days of sunshine and ocean breeze and star fruit and color and friendly people.



Laie Hawaii Temple



Laie Temple at night




Contemplating life at the bus stop. I took this picture with my camera timer :)


After a crazy bus ride in which I thought I was going to stay in Hawaii forever, but not as a living person, I made it back home and sat on my balcony eating a Lunchable from the gift shop for dinner and listened to that Hawaiian music coming from downstairs one last time.

Cultural Appreciation Day

My friend Gordon rented a car for the day on Thursday and I caught a ride with him and his wife out of the concrete jungle of Waikiki. A few miles out of the city and the island became green and lush. We took a tour of the north shore following the recommendations of my parents who had been there a few months earlier. Our first stop was their bungalow in Laie. I stopped by to see if they wanted to share a pineapple, but, sadly, they were far away in Texas. Next we drove around to see Turtle Bay, but, alas, no turtles to be seen. It was a bit of a blustery day and I think they were hiding out some where. Our travel agents (the folks) suggested we stop by Ted's bakery for a piece of the famous Chocolate Haupia Cream Pie and it did not disappoint. Yummy!



Stopping by the bungalow for a visit



Turtle Bay



Yummy pie at Ted's Bakery

After a breakfast of delicious pie we checked out a few of the beaches on the north shore. The waves were ferocious and we didn't see a lot of surfing because they were breaking too close to shore. Regardless, we didn't need surfers because nature gave us a spectacular show! We turned around and headed back to Laie with a quick stop at a fruit stand for some cold papaya. I don't really care for papaya here at home, but it tasted pretty yummy in Hawaii.



North Shore



I love that star fruit

In Laie we started our tour of the Polynesian Cultural Center. There were lots of people in island wear telling things about their culture. My favorite part was the really funny Samoan guy who showed how to get milk from a coconut and how to make fire. At mid day there was a parade of dances on boats in the river. Only one boat managed to knock their paddler into the water.

After a delicious Hawaiian buffet we went to the evening show in their outdoor theater. This is definitely a high light of the PCC experience. It is amazing to see all of those kids, who are not only dancing memorized steps, but are dancing steps from their heart. They grabbed and kept my attention throughout the night.




Learning to make a fish



They use every part of the coconut leaf making their homes and clothing



He was really funny

Trapped in a Conference Room and an Escape to Hanauma Bay

I spent most of Tuesday attending sessions at the conference, which were very good, and were the reason I was there, but it was hard to forget the adventures calling to me from a few feet away. When I arrived at the conference on Wednesday morning, I ran into some colleagues from BYU, and sat down to eat breakfast with them. I guess I had really taken in the island lifestyle because one of them said to me, "Heidi, you look very relaxed." I guess he was trying to say that I don't always look that way back at the office. He was right.

On Wednesday, after the morning sessions, I decided to have an adventure and take the city bus to Hanauma Bay for some snorkeling. I took my friend Gordon's wife Vickie and away we went on Bus #22 with a lot of other people dressed in swim suits. Hanauma Bay was breakthtaking with beautiful blue water and green mountains rising on 3 sides. The water was shallow, very shallow at some points where I would have to suck in my belly to not hit the coral, but the sea life was right at home. I saw the most variety there, compared to the other snorkeling stops, but there the fish were sort of loners and I didn't seen large groups of colorful schools, like I had other places.

I took a little break after our first jaunt, to convince my brain that it wasn't sea sick. After a few minutes of resting in the sunshine, I went back in the water to another part of the reef. I could see something big a few feet away. You would think my gut would say, "Don't go over there, it is something big," but curiosity got the best of me and I went over to explore. I got so excited when I saw that it was a turtle! I grabbed Vickie and brought her back over to see it. She was ecstatic. I followed it for a while and enjoyed seeing its grace as it moved in the water. When it turned around and came at me, I thought it was best I moved on. That was an experience I hope I never forget.



Here I am heading out for my day at the conference. I wore dress clothes and flip flops. It was the best I could do.



Hanauma Bay. This picture does not do it justice.



Snorkelers at Hanauma Bay



Not exactly me with the turtle, but you get the idea.