Thursday - Big Island - Best Day Yet!
Thursday
Woke up early, as usual. I tried to sleep till 8 but there were fighting animals outside so I was getting pissed off. Little did I know that this would turn out to be one of the best days in my life (no exaggeration).
I got up, checked all my online stuff and sat around. Krystle got up, I showered (unnecessarily, except that I had to shave).
I ate breakfast and read scriptures and stuff…
The guy from Time Warner came to fix Krystle’s internet and was here pretty early—around 10:30. Everything looked good. So soon after, we left. We stopped at a book store for Krystle to get a book she needed.
We headed down to Kealakekua State Park where there was a cove that I took pictures of. There was a sacred platform that I’d have liked to explore a little, but we needed to hit the water. So we headed over and waited quite a while to get a kayak, all the while making small talk with these local boys. They were actually flirting with us. One of them complimented my eyes. It was cute and all. Little charmer, that Isaiah. He actually was a really cute brown boy, but I thought there were some slight differences that might cause conflict later—namely living across an ocean from each other, I’m LDS, and I’m high anxiety—to name a few things. ;) Really though I did contemplate giving the kid my number.
So after waiting around for quite a while, a double kayak came back in. We got on our life vests and were on our way. I was sitting in front for reasons unbeknownst to me. I guess the more experienced is in the back. But I had no idea what I was doing and supposedly Krystle was following my rhythm, but I didn’t know this. I kept stopping and looking around because I wanted to see the dolphins the boys had pointed out to us from the shore. Tons of kayaks were gathered around a big group of dolphins. On the way over there though, we had no such luck. Anyway, my arms aren’t sore yet, but we’ll see tomorrow. The ride over there was probably like Krystle said, about thirty minutes.
When we got there we put our stuff down. I had quite the hassle getting my mask on because my face is shaped funny or something and masks like to fog up on me. No fun. We snorkeled for a good 30-45 minutes. I saw probably around 15 different types of fish, at least. Tons of coral everywhere, some of it actually coming really high up, almost to the surface. The current was really strong, so I was glad I kept my life vest on. I almost got pushed into coral which would have given me some fun cuts. So my favorite fish were the bright yellow ones, the “rainbow fish” as Krystle called them—they were like an electric blue color and really big, and these black ones with blue stripes and sideways fins. It was beautiful and I loved swimming so close to them.
We got out and walked over to the Captain Cook monument and Krystle told me the whole story about Mr. Cook’s demise. Kind of a bummer, poor guy.
So back to the kayak we went and back to the other shore. Krystle thought she saw fins, so we headed in the direction where she saw them. Two other kayaks were stopped and slowed down, so we stopped. I took a video of some of what we saw. It was so, so amazing. So on top of my first time in a kayak, and on top of swimming with beautiful fish and coral, I got to be surrounded by spinning dolphins! It was unbelievable and so magical. You can hear my excitement in the video. It’s out of control. It’s super shaky because we’re on a kayak and I’m trying to get as much as I can, so it was difficult. Deal with it.
When we got back in, we headed home and Krystle’s online class started right when we walked in. I took a shower and got dressed, munched on peanut M&Ms and waited for her class to be done. So with that book Krystle got, she needed to do homework for today and tomorrow, with her friend Claire. She let me take her car!
The brief freedom was really fun and exciting. I made it into town perfectly safely. I walked through little Kailua Town, and a pickup truck with some Mexicans passed by me and of course had to shout obscenities in my direction. Who knows what they were saying? All I know is it doesn’t matter where the freak I am, the same ones find me! What self-respecting man even talks to a woman like that? Give me a break. So anyway, I went to the ABC store to grab a couple of things—these really cute photo albums Hawaii themed, so I can put some from my trip in there… something for my grandpa, and a sticker for Krystle. :) After that I wandered over to try and get pictures of the Kamehameha burial site, but I could only do it from a distance since the pathway over to it (with all of the captions and whatnot) was blocked off by a luau that was going on. It’s a really sacred ground to the natives, even though Kamehameha’s bones were moved. So I did the best I could. I put my feet in the water and hung out for a few minutes.
After that I decided to walk back and head to the Natural Energy Plant beach that Krystle said I should check out. I had already missed the sunset but figured the serenity of the beach would be nice. I was so right.
I love driving a car with the windows down, in a tank top, not feeling cold or hot, seeing the ocean on one side and a lit up city on the other. There are probably few things better.
I pulled in and went all the way to the end like Krystle said. In the semi-dark, I found a tide pool. The glimmering gray water looked so beautiful, with some darkened light orange clouds in the northwest. Since the tide pools are blocked off by huge lava rocks, the waves kept crashing into them, making their glorious and comforting sound. I could see the sprays coming up—a light color against the dark background.
Oh, the peace that I felt there was indescribable. Kind of like the temple, I guess. I sat on a rock and just enjoyed the moment for about 15-20 minutes. I’m unfamiliar with beach/park procedures here in Hawaii, when things close, etc. I was also nervous because I had Krystle’s car and my phone was dying, so I forced myself to leave.
I decided that I wanted the same thing I got from L&L the other night. So I made the drive, taking guesses all the way. I’m so glad I pay attention, have a reasonably good sense of direction, and trust my instincts. I took Kaahumanu all the way out to Kamehameha III Drive and turned right, and then turned left when I could see the shopping center. All by sight and memory—I’m awesome.
So I got my honey walnut shrimp and decided to get 2 pieces of spam musubi since that’s not on the L&L menu in Provo. I had one in the car and made my way back to Claire’s house. There was just one problem—my phone had died, and with it, the code to get into Claire’s community. I tried to find her house in the dark but the one I pulled up to didn’t look right, so I decided to head back to Krystle’s and plug in my phone to make sure.
I stayed on the high road, looking for the indicator that I had found earlier in the day that Krystle’s turn would come up (since you can’t see her street sign from this direction), but I missed it. I only went to the next street before I realized it because I didn’t recall passing the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall, so I turned around and found her street. I had someone behind me which makes me nervous when I’m not a hundred percent sure where I’m going. I was headed down her hill and felt like I had gone farther than I should have. I was looking for this crazy out-in-the-street mailbox because that would tell me Krystle’s house was across the street. I saw one like it and decided to just turn into this driveway to let this car behind me pass me, then I could slowly find the right house. Wouldn’t you know it? I turned into Krystle’s driveway! In the dark. With no street lights. In a city I don’t live in. I am freaking amazing! Gold medal for Janae. I put in Krystle’s door code and plugged my phone in.
As I texted her to tell her I was not lost and that my phone died, a text from her popped up saying she was still working and that Claire would give her a ride home. Well how convenient! That worked out quite well. Blog time for me.
So being that I kayaked, snorkeled, and saw a million dolphins today… And being that I put my feet in the water at a sandy beach… And being that I sat and watched the horizon glow over a tide pool… And being that the weather is perfect in every way… And being that I love the Lord… And being that I have a job for the fall at Jefferson Junior High School in Kearns… And being that I have a tan and good health… I basically couldn’t ask for much more. My life is awesome.
(Except that I would erase the bug bite on my face, the two on my right leg, and the two on my left leg. Those are a slight disadvantage. Especially the one on my face. Thanks, mosquito, for picking such a choice spot to inject your little amoebas into. It looks great by my right eyeball. Super fantastic.)
Tomorrow: Hilo trip. We stop along the way to maybe do a hike, to see waterfalls, to go to ponds, to visit family, and to see the lava glow in the evening. I'm excited!
*Note: Just because it says 2:22 does not mean that's the time I'm writing this. 2:22 is Utah time. It's 10:22 here! And I'm going to bed.
Woke up early, as usual. I tried to sleep till 8 but there were fighting animals outside so I was getting pissed off. Little did I know that this would turn out to be one of the best days in my life (no exaggeration).
I got up, checked all my online stuff and sat around. Krystle got up, I showered (unnecessarily, except that I had to shave).
I ate breakfast and read scriptures and stuff…
The guy from Time Warner came to fix Krystle’s internet and was here pretty early—around 10:30. Everything looked good. So soon after, we left. We stopped at a book store for Krystle to get a book she needed.
We headed down to Kealakekua State Park where there was a cove that I took pictures of. There was a sacred platform that I’d have liked to explore a little, but we needed to hit the water. So we headed over and waited quite a while to get a kayak, all the while making small talk with these local boys. They were actually flirting with us. One of them complimented my eyes. It was cute and all. Little charmer, that Isaiah. He actually was a really cute brown boy, but I thought there were some slight differences that might cause conflict later—namely living across an ocean from each other, I’m LDS, and I’m high anxiety—to name a few things. ;) Really though I did contemplate giving the kid my number.
So after waiting around for quite a while, a double kayak came back in. We got on our life vests and were on our way. I was sitting in front for reasons unbeknownst to me. I guess the more experienced is in the back. But I had no idea what I was doing and supposedly Krystle was following my rhythm, but I didn’t know this. I kept stopping and looking around because I wanted to see the dolphins the boys had pointed out to us from the shore. Tons of kayaks were gathered around a big group of dolphins. On the way over there though, we had no such luck. Anyway, my arms aren’t sore yet, but we’ll see tomorrow. The ride over there was probably like Krystle said, about thirty minutes.
When we got there we put our stuff down. I had quite the hassle getting my mask on because my face is shaped funny or something and masks like to fog up on me. No fun. We snorkeled for a good 30-45 minutes. I saw probably around 15 different types of fish, at least. Tons of coral everywhere, some of it actually coming really high up, almost to the surface. The current was really strong, so I was glad I kept my life vest on. I almost got pushed into coral which would have given me some fun cuts. So my favorite fish were the bright yellow ones, the “rainbow fish” as Krystle called them—they were like an electric blue color and really big, and these black ones with blue stripes and sideways fins. It was beautiful and I loved swimming so close to them.
We got out and walked over to the Captain Cook monument and Krystle told me the whole story about Mr. Cook’s demise. Kind of a bummer, poor guy.
So back to the kayak we went and back to the other shore. Krystle thought she saw fins, so we headed in the direction where she saw them. Two other kayaks were stopped and slowed down, so we stopped. I took a video of some of what we saw. It was so, so amazing. So on top of my first time in a kayak, and on top of swimming with beautiful fish and coral, I got to be surrounded by spinning dolphins! It was unbelievable and so magical. You can hear my excitement in the video. It’s out of control. It’s super shaky because we’re on a kayak and I’m trying to get as much as I can, so it was difficult. Deal with it.
When we got back in, we headed home and Krystle’s online class started right when we walked in. I took a shower and got dressed, munched on peanut M&Ms and waited for her class to be done. So with that book Krystle got, she needed to do homework for today and tomorrow, with her friend Claire. She let me take her car!
The brief freedom was really fun and exciting. I made it into town perfectly safely. I walked through little Kailua Town, and a pickup truck with some Mexicans passed by me and of course had to shout obscenities in my direction. Who knows what they were saying? All I know is it doesn’t matter where the freak I am, the same ones find me! What self-respecting man even talks to a woman like that? Give me a break. So anyway, I went to the ABC store to grab a couple of things—these really cute photo albums Hawaii themed, so I can put some from my trip in there… something for my grandpa, and a sticker for Krystle. :) After that I wandered over to try and get pictures of the Kamehameha burial site, but I could only do it from a distance since the pathway over to it (with all of the captions and whatnot) was blocked off by a luau that was going on. It’s a really sacred ground to the natives, even though Kamehameha’s bones were moved. So I did the best I could. I put my feet in the water and hung out for a few minutes.
After that I decided to walk back and head to the Natural Energy Plant beach that Krystle said I should check out. I had already missed the sunset but figured the serenity of the beach would be nice. I was so right.
I love driving a car with the windows down, in a tank top, not feeling cold or hot, seeing the ocean on one side and a lit up city on the other. There are probably few things better.
I pulled in and went all the way to the end like Krystle said. In the semi-dark, I found a tide pool. The glimmering gray water looked so beautiful, with some darkened light orange clouds in the northwest. Since the tide pools are blocked off by huge lava rocks, the waves kept crashing into them, making their glorious and comforting sound. I could see the sprays coming up—a light color against the dark background.
Oh, the peace that I felt there was indescribable. Kind of like the temple, I guess. I sat on a rock and just enjoyed the moment for about 15-20 minutes. I’m unfamiliar with beach/park procedures here in Hawaii, when things close, etc. I was also nervous because I had Krystle’s car and my phone was dying, so I forced myself to leave.
I decided that I wanted the same thing I got from L&L the other night. So I made the drive, taking guesses all the way. I’m so glad I pay attention, have a reasonably good sense of direction, and trust my instincts. I took Kaahumanu all the way out to Kamehameha III Drive and turned right, and then turned left when I could see the shopping center. All by sight and memory—I’m awesome.
So I got my honey walnut shrimp and decided to get 2 pieces of spam musubi since that’s not on the L&L menu in Provo. I had one in the car and made my way back to Claire’s house. There was just one problem—my phone had died, and with it, the code to get into Claire’s community. I tried to find her house in the dark but the one I pulled up to didn’t look right, so I decided to head back to Krystle’s and plug in my phone to make sure.
I stayed on the high road, looking for the indicator that I had found earlier in the day that Krystle’s turn would come up (since you can’t see her street sign from this direction), but I missed it. I only went to the next street before I realized it because I didn’t recall passing the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall, so I turned around and found her street. I had someone behind me which makes me nervous when I’m not a hundred percent sure where I’m going. I was headed down her hill and felt like I had gone farther than I should have. I was looking for this crazy out-in-the-street mailbox because that would tell me Krystle’s house was across the street. I saw one like it and decided to just turn into this driveway to let this car behind me pass me, then I could slowly find the right house. Wouldn’t you know it? I turned into Krystle’s driveway! In the dark. With no street lights. In a city I don’t live in. I am freaking amazing! Gold medal for Janae. I put in Krystle’s door code and plugged my phone in.
As I texted her to tell her I was not lost and that my phone died, a text from her popped up saying she was still working and that Claire would give her a ride home. Well how convenient! That worked out quite well. Blog time for me.
So being that I kayaked, snorkeled, and saw a million dolphins today… And being that I put my feet in the water at a sandy beach… And being that I sat and watched the horizon glow over a tide pool… And being that the weather is perfect in every way… And being that I love the Lord… And being that I have a job for the fall at Jefferson Junior High School in Kearns… And being that I have a tan and good health… I basically couldn’t ask for much more. My life is awesome.
(Except that I would erase the bug bite on my face, the two on my right leg, and the two on my left leg. Those are a slight disadvantage. Especially the one on my face. Thanks, mosquito, for picking such a choice spot to inject your little amoebas into. It looks great by my right eyeball. Super fantastic.)
Tomorrow: Hilo trip. We stop along the way to maybe do a hike, to see waterfalls, to go to ponds, to visit family, and to see the lava glow in the evening. I'm excited!
*Note: Just because it says 2:22 does not mean that's the time I'm writing this. 2:22 is Utah time. It's 10:22 here! And I'm going to bed.
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