making Hawaii home

we are getting settled ... we all NEED it.

its fun getting stuff from garage sales and thrift stores, but its also difficult because you never can find it all at once place. and some things you just need right away but can't find it right away, so you try to substitute and .... sigh ... it's getting there.

the man we scored this $5 vanity from (yep, he sold it to us for $5!!) is a pastor of a church in town, which is "funny," because we were talking in the car (seconds beforehand) about the upcoming weekend and which church we will try first.

so come Sunday, we came back to see him. we were the only white people there. you walk into some places around here and the vibe changes instantly; you KNOW when people don't like you. but here, no one cared. they warmly welcomed us and gave us a big, loud ALOHA! in unison. kinda funny, but also, really sweet.

we ended up moving into a condo/apartment complex; one you could find anywhere. it's kind of a bummer. I was looking forward to something much more "hawaiian," if you know what I mean. but we chose this place because we got a GREAT deal for the amount of space.

I am not complaining! we have a great ocean view, the beach is a mile away, and it's quiet ... aside from the peacocks. have you ever heard a peacock?!

the place below us is a vacation rental, so we can stomp away most of the time, and the place above us has no one living in it ... or at least we have never heard one single footstep up there. and our neighbor across the way brought us cookies the day we moved in. I'd say so far, so good!

a few other things I have learned about Hawaii -

*most places do not come with a dishwasher. I loathe doing the dishes, and now I get to do them every. single. flippin'. day. I guess its my sacrifice to living here, ha! damn you murphy's law!

*obnoxiously lifted trucks here are called "animal style."

*at the farmer's market, you can get 20 lobster tails for $10. crazy!

*the traditional flower behind the ear for ladies, symbolizes your martial status. like a wedding ring, if it's behind your left ear, that means your married. if it's behind your right, your available.

*this one is hear-say, I haven't actually met a person who said this about themselves, but, we've been told there are people who are born and raised here and who have NEVER EVER been swimming in the ocean because of the sharks. to me, that is just craziness!

oh, Vicki

today's lesson is about standing up for yourself.

as you may or may not know, I love to save a buck. I enjoy thrift stores, finding (& actually using) coupons, reduce, reuse, recycle, etc. I am also not the type of girl to get her hair done every 2-4 weeks and keep my nails polished, but for those days that I want to pamper myself, I had found a great, cheaper alternative - use a beauty school.
beauty schools are cheaper (because they're students), do everything by the book (because they're students), but also takes twice as long (because they're students). when they are done with whatever service they're providing, there is a teacher to make sure everything went smoothly and you're satisfied with your service.

so I met Vicki. she was an older student, in her sixties. she came back to school so she could work out of her home I applaud Vicki; she is disabled (can't walk very well) but being proactive about her situation. an old dog, but willing to learn new tricks. :)
turns out, Vicki was new to the floor (working with actual people) only providing services for a month. so I got the rookie.
obviously I knew it was a school, it's a learning environment, and that there will be students not quite as good as others. that's fine. however ... well, here's what happened ...

* after she dropped her nail clippers, instead of getting new ones, she used a cuticle cutter. do you know what that is? DO NOT CUT YOUR NAILS WITH IT. I said ouch a few times.
* she totally skipped the massage part :(
* I had requested a french pedicure. I've never had one of those, and apparently, Vicki has never given one. she winged it best she could, but it was awful! I don't even know the words to describe it. being in her later sixties, she was a little shaky, so the white line just looked like a white out mess.

in the end, one foot was passable, the other, butchered.

I told the instructor that she gave good service, and in a way she was. she was friendly, we chatted, she did what I asked ... she just really sucked at it and I didn't bother to mention that part. it was partly because she was standing right there. I just totally chickened out.

before I left the school, that conviction of not standing up for myself was strong, so I asked if there was a comment card or something I could fill out. they gave me a notebook and a pen, but hey, at least it was something. I hope it made a difference somewhere.

Vicki, I'm sorry for doing you a disservice by keeping my mouth shut.
to everyone else, don't pretend the truth isn't obvious. tell the Vicki's in your life how it really is!

living in the past

usually living in the past is a bad thing ... but I had to. let me explain.

I am driving a '91 Jeep Cherokee; had to get a 4x4 once we moved here. anyway, being a slightly older car it has a tape deck. hubby is planning on installing a CD player soon, but in the meantime I need my music. I am a car singer! I can't help it. since we live in the forest, I'm in the car a good 20-25 minutes before I get reception for any radio stations, which is a bummer.

at the thrift store the other day, I see a HUGE bin of tapes. because really, who has a tape deck anymore that uses it? so I'm digging through and find an oldie but a goodie, from back in my early teenage years ... dare I say it and totally embarrass myself? ... I paid .50 each for 2 New Kids on the Block tapes; Hangin' Tough & Step by Step. if I remember right, it's their very first and second albums.

yep, I loved them. now I didn't have the pillow cases or the action figure/dolls or write to their fan club, but I did have a poster or two in my bedroom, daydreaming about Joey, the baby of the group. aaawwwww!

look at this picture. then and now. look at that big fluffy hair! I don't care, they were studs then and now!

if you are too young to know what I'm talking about, they were my N Sync ... or if you happen to be too old to know, they were my Beatles.

now my cousin is a fan still. do you know they are on tour today? I think they have a new album, but I'm positive they are singing their oldies still. how could they not?! anyway, she just went on a road trip to Chicago to see them in concert and even got her picture taken with her heart throb Jordan; lucky girl!

ok, you're turn. what music do you love when you were a teenager? c'mon, make me laugh!