Friday, January 30, 2015

Locked Down...

yesterday the school day started with a "lock-down" because
of police activity in the area.

 as parents dropped kids off at school they were met in the front
and were told of the situation.  Most parents took their kids home
with them.  The bus riders, walkers and those that chose to
stay were kept in the cafeteria until the teachers went down
to escort them to the classes.



there were lots of police on campus, and helicopters.
the gates to the upper stairwells were locked as were
all the classroom doors.

Every year there is a "lockdown " practice drill, so the kids
now what to do.  No opening of doors, windows closed, etc.

The kids were great!  We ended up with 10 ( a few came after
the all-clear was given).  We spent the whole day working
on our animal reports.  

We were actually "locked down" for about an hour.  I think the people
that were on social media were more "freaked out" than those of us
that were locked safely in the classrooms.  We kept things as "normal" as 
possible for the kids and they were great!

Never a dull moment it seems.
Congrats to the staff of Waialua Elementary for a job well done.



Thursday, January 29, 2015

Throwback Thursday...

early 90's
A birthday celebration I think.
Traci was at Long Beach and Geoff was still at San Clemente...
thinking we may just have returned from Hawaii


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

What A Deal...

Saturday when I stopped at Costco to get gas I 
was surprised.


I know it's not as low as it is on the mainland, but for here this is pretty darn low!
We were trying to remember if this was as low as it's been since we've moved 
here.  
It was worth the wait in the super long line to get this deal...

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Pho Heaven...

I'm obsessed with Pho.
I'm willing to try a place if someone says it's the best.

I went to a new place on Sunday for lunch.
She'd been there before, but I never had.
I thought it couldn't beat out my all-time favorite...Pho King
in Wahiawa.

Saigon Noodle House#3
is. the. best!


pho, that Vietnamese soup that to me is pretty much heaven in a bowl.

it's not really about the chicken, noodles or veggies that are in there...

it's all about that savory deliciousness...the broth.


as soon as I took my first spoonful I knew I had finally found it.  This was
even before I added the plum/garlic/sirrachia to it.
(I think their sauce is homemade, it was that good)
We split an order of spring rolls, I love the way to eat these.
roll, noodles, lettuce, sauce all wrapped in a lettuce leaf.



The order was so big that there was plenty for today's lunch.

I'm craving it again as I write this.

Yes, Saigon Noodle #3 makers of heaven in a bowl.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Rail...

the Billion (yes that's a B) light rail project is now starting
to have an impact on us.
They are working on the part that goes over the H1 freeway, so now
it can be seen on the Pearl City part of Oahu.
When we took our Christmas decorations to our 
storage unit, Kam Hiway through Pearl City is getting
torn up.
I didn't realize that it was to make way for the rail that will be 
going right down the center.
What a mess...



I heard on the news the other day that now the government 
is thinking it isn't such a good idea.  Oh Really!?

Such a waste of money for a state that it already has a huge cost of living.
70% increase in property taxes if your house is worth 1 million (not us thank goodness)!
It will be interesting to see how many people actually ride the rail when
it doesn't really go anywhere...

Friday, January 23, 2015

A Different View...

last weekend hubby and I were in town a couple of times.
One evening we got take out and took it down to the beach.
As we sat there eating, talking, watching all of the tourist and the surfers,
I realized how different the view of the ocean is on the complete opposite
side of the island.



as the sun was setting, it was a whole different type of sunset.
A different perspective of basically the same elements.


We came to the conclusion that it's really good to have a different view
every once in awhile.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

HUGE Swell...

in the morning I started getting bulletins on my phone about the HUGE surf that was
starting to show.  The news had started talking about this swell over the weekend, but
then they announced that it would be big, but wasn't right for "the Eddie" because of
the direction.

after school I went on the bypass road to see how bad the traffic was...
bad!
this is looking towards Waialua with the cars all the way to Weed Circle.


I decided to wait and went back right before sunset.  Th air was full of spray from the surf.
so many cars were loaded with boards

all of the beaches were closed with caution tape 

Waimea Beach Park was closed to the public


probably a few hundred people lined the cliff to watch
 at Rock Piles, the water/surge had actually come up and over Kam Hiway


***as I was sitting in traffic I actually saw some tourist with rental boards
go under the caution tape.  Crazy for sure!

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Only In Hawaii...

A9 went on a field trip to the train in Ewa last month.
I got a frantic call from Arlette...3 kids had forgotten to bring their lunch and
no time to call the parents.
Could I please go up to Paalakai Market and grab spam musubis for them?
I got enough for them and met the kids as they were getting ready to
board the bus.


Lucky that Paalakai was open (and not a Tuesday) and  I could grab them
something.
Lucky that local kids are more than happy to eat a couple of musubi for lunch.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Dole Whip...

yesterday coming back from running errands, hubby did a quick turn into
Dole Plantation...


we drive by there all the time if we go up Kam Hiway. Never stopping.
Figured it's just a tourist stop with the maze, shops and exhibits about pineapple.
A few months ago when we were driving home and stopped in front to let tour buses go
into the parking lot, we started talking about "Dole Whip".  

Years and years ago there used to be a little stand in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center
in Waikiki at the Diamond Head end that sold "Dole Whip".  Dole Whip, isn't an ice cream or
a yogurt.  It's a soft serve wonder.

The kids loved going over to the stand and getting Dole Whip cones.  Maybe even
more than shave ice because it's not as sweet.

When we were having this little talk about it, hubby said "look it up on your phone".  Dole
Whip is actually considered a "Disney Thing".  I know that you can buy it at the
Enchanted Tiki Hut at Disneyland because that's Dole sponsored.

So yesterday when we did that quick turn into the plantation along with all the other tourist,
we saw some people carrying bowls of what we could only imagine was the wonderful
Dole Whip.

So excited when hubby came out with two bowls of it.  Even had chunks of pineapple
on it (we wondered if it was actually pineapple picked and canned from the 
fields across the street).

It was worth the $6.00 price to taste that tart, creamy delight again.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Martin Luther King, Jr....




last week we talked a lot about Dr. King and what he stood for.
One of the kids actually said that they thought he was so important because
of all the things he did for other people.

What we can do for others is one of life's greatest gifts.
It's the small and simple things that mean the most.
Thank you Dr. King for all the things that you taught us...

Friday, January 16, 2015

Another Aloha...

the other evening I attended the funeral of this classy lady...


it was a true celebration of Cindy's life and how she made
a difference in the lives of not only the students that she taught, but also
her friends and loving family.


Thursday, January 15, 2015

Vog, Vog, Go Away...

the south winds are here (hoping for trades later today)
and with them comes VOG!

I hate it!  Everything looks hazy and you can't get a clear view of
anything in the distance.
We couldn't even see Mt. Ka'ala the other day!




I know that there are places on the Big Island were they have VOG
every single day.  I don't know how they do it.  
The air and everything just seems dirty.  Which I guess it really is because
vog is actually particles from the volcano.

We'll be glad when the trades come back and clear out the air and we
can see blue sky again.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Again?


while we were gone the topic of more windmills on the North Shore has
come up again.  Currently there are 2 wind farms out here, Kahuku and Haleiwa.
I understand the need for alternate forms of energy, but for something that
doesn't even serve the areas that it affects seems a little outrageous .

The Kahuku farm was closed for a very long time due to a fire.  
The Haleiwa farm is the biggest eyesore that has been put up.
Neither one of these actually generate electricity for the North Shore, yet
we're the ones that are impacted the greatest.  

It's pretty windy on Diamond Head, so why not put them there?
Exactly...

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Snow...

New Years Eve morning San Clemente citizens woke up to 
snow right above the city.
There had been a very cold, big storm the nigh before.
Traci & I drove to the highest point that had a pretty clear view and
I have to say it was beautiful!  There were so many people there taking
pictures.
I should have used my pano mode, but didn't think of it.  All the hills
at Camp Pendleton were also covered.
The news said it had been 50 years since the snow had been that low.



hubby and I took a drive by Dana Point harbor later and
it was neat that you could see the snow from the beach...true So California wonder!


by the next morning most of the snow was gone.
Compared to places like Utah, Colorado, New York and Minnesota this little
bit of snow was nothing, but it sure was pretty.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Home Sweet Home, Again...

we got home last night from a very chilly Christmas in California.


glad to be home.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Final Favorites From Christmas...

just some random favorite photos from Christmas 2014
so that I'll always remember this amazing holiday season









Thursday, January 8, 2015

Crackers and Dinner...

we changed things up a little bit this year with dinner...
Terry made a turkey the night before and sliced it up and
then we made a ham also.  Not quite as much work.  It was really 
a great dinner.  How do mashed potatoes taste so good?


my friend Roxie, from school, is studying in London for a year and a month ago she sent
me a set of "crackers".  We used to do these years ago with my in-laws.
The kids loved them!





I don't know if it was because these actually came from Great Britain or what it was, but these
were great!  The prizes weren't made of plastic, but metal...a mini screwdriver set, yoyo, bottle opener, etc.  The kids all wore their crowns.

Thank you so much Roxie for sending these.  I think they need to be a new family tradition!

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Christmas Morning and Geodes...

we went over to Traci's, not too early, on Christmas morning.


Chloe wasn't quite sure exactly what was going on.
Jack asked what Chloe got for Christmas and Traci answered, "a home".
which was very true for this special little rescue dog.

we went over to Geoff & Bri's for an early lunch

oh this little girl...

Greyson got a geode kit, so there was much time spent
breaking them open and looking at them.




it was nice that it wasn't too cold and everyone could be outside for a while.
It was a nice day because it was so mellow.