I guess it didn't take long for me to ignore my goal of frequent posting! I guess life happens. I have pretty much dropped everything for the past two months.
The trip to Mauii was perfect. We loved every minute of it. We did so many thing and had so much fun. We didn't want to leave and come back to the real world... The world of end of 3rd term at school and trying to get the basement finished at home. Back to the middle of winter.
Reality hit hard when we walked off of the plane and the frosty air hit our lungs in the tube leading from the airplane to the terminal. We were again reminded of it when we went out to get our car and had to walk though the snow while dressed in our summer wear we had on while leaving Mauii. And on of the biggest reality checks was the alarm clocks going off at 6am (utah time, (3am Mauii time) just 5 hours after pulling into our driveway after arriving home from the airport.
3rd term ended just a week after we got back. The girls couldn't miss any classes since they are in highschool, and my son decided he needed to go to school so he could tell all of his friends about the trip. My husband and I didn't feel so obigated to jump back into things so quickly, and had arranged things before we left so we didn't have to return to work that first day back.
While in Mauii, it rained EVERY day, but it was beautiful. We got to see many rainbows. I don't think there was even one day we didn't go swimming in the ocean. We saw lots of fish, and evan turtles. We rented snorkeling gear for the whole time we were there and were able to go snorkeling by ourselves just off the side of the road.
We did one perfessional snorkel trip with a boat. While out, we decided to try Snuba Diving... a combination between snorkeling and scuba diving. We were paired off in groups of 2 and attached to a small raft with an oxygen tank on it. We had 20 foot tubes that were hooked to the oxygen. It was so much fun. My husband and I decided we are going to be Scuba Certified and go on lots of fun trips when the kids move out and we can afford it.
The kids and my husband took surfing lessons. With only one 30 minute lesson, they didn't become great surfers, but they all made it up at least once, and had a good time. My husband drove with his mom up to Haleakala, the Volcano crater. It was cloudy so they didn't get to see in, but the drive was beautiful. They also did the drive to Hana. I opted to stay back on both of those trips. I get carsick, and had already done the drive on a previos visit. The drive is like Poy... you are obligated to make it (or taste it) once, just so you can say you did, but after the first time, you don't have to repeat it if you choose not too. :-)
Other highlights included the Luau on Christmas eve, boogie boarding and body serving at the DT Flemming Beach, and the Sunset cruise on our last evening there. The sunset cruise was a whale watch cruise and not only did we get to see a spectatular sunset (the only one, since it rained so much,) but we got to see 3 or four humback whales up very close. We got to see the green flash the sun makes as it sets in the horizon of the ocean. It was beautiful. The whales didnn't jump completely out of the water, but we did get to see them floating near the top of the water, and see the dorsal fins as the went down for thier deep dives. It was the perfect ending to our trip.... It is almost enought to make me warm just thinking about it...even with the snow raging outside, and the temperature in the teens. Almost.
I am out of time tonight, but will try and post some photos tommorow... or at least by the weekend.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, December 10, 2007
Much Anticipation
A new week, that much closer to Christmas. I am counting the days to the 21st. We will leave on that afternoon for Maui. I am very excited to go. I have been to Hawaii before, but my family has not.
My 15 year old daughter is looking forward to being in the ocean. We are used to the Oregon Coast. It is VERY cold water! I have been told to expect the ocean in Hawaii to be around 80 degrees. Marissa wants to spend the whole two weeks boogie boarding, or surfing. I don't know what else we will do. I think my husband and the kids will do the bike ride from the top of the volcano down to the water. It is a 38 mile ride. I don't think my legs would make it. My mother in law will be with us, and it might be difficult for her also as she just had her knees replaced.
We plan on doing the Drive to Hana to see the lush vegetation and the waterfall. Another thing we can't miss is snorkeling. We may even get to see some whales while we are there.
We were going to do a small Christmas celebration before we went, but we have deiced to take small gifts with us so we can have a real Christmas. I don't think we have ever had Christmas with my mother in law. It will be fun.
All I have to do know is count down the days until I have to panic about packing!
My 15 year old daughter is looking forward to being in the ocean. We are used to the Oregon Coast. It is VERY cold water! I have been told to expect the ocean in Hawaii to be around 80 degrees. Marissa wants to spend the whole two weeks boogie boarding, or surfing. I don't know what else we will do. I think my husband and the kids will do the bike ride from the top of the volcano down to the water. It is a 38 mile ride. I don't think my legs would make it. My mother in law will be with us, and it might be difficult for her also as she just had her knees replaced.
We plan on doing the Drive to Hana to see the lush vegetation and the waterfall. Another thing we can't miss is snorkeling. We may even get to see some whales while we are there.
We were going to do a small Christmas celebration before we went, but we have deiced to take small gifts with us so we can have a real Christmas. I don't think we have ever had Christmas with my mother in law. It will be fun.
All I have to do know is count down the days until I have to panic about packing!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Prejudices
Today the students are writing about their experience with Prejudice, if they have a prejudice, or if they have had some one be prejudice against them. I have read a few of the papers and am surprised. Not by the topics, but by the honesty.
One student (Hispanic,) wrote about riding his bike with one of his friends in a store parking lot. He told of a group of African Americans who told him to "get off their turf."
He spoke to his friend and said they shouldn't leave. The friend said they should just go somewhere else.
They left and went somewhere else and planned "how to get revenge on the group of niggers" (His words, not mine.) He said his friend told him they should just drop it, but he wanted revenge, so they went to his house and got their Air Soft guns and ammunition. (He listed the model of gun and kind of ammunition. I don't remember what they were.)
He wrote, "We rode our bikes back to the parking lot and pointed the guns at the niggers and they took off running."
I was surprised he would write this on a paper and turn it in to the teacher.
Another student wrote about his own prejudice against Hispanics. He wrote that he hated them, and felt angry every time he saw one, even if he didn't know them. He wrote about being angry when he heard them speak in Spanish because they should speak English since they are in America.
The school I work at is very diverse both in race and religion. Surprisingly, I didn't see any of the students write about prejudice concerning religion. I don't notice that as much myself at this school as I did at the last school I worked at, or in the town I live in 10 miles away.
I thought the assignment was good, making the kids think about prejudice and how it affects them. The assigment was in response to the book they just finsished reading, "To Kill A Mockingbird."
One student (Hispanic,) wrote about riding his bike with one of his friends in a store parking lot. He told of a group of African Americans who told him to "get off their turf."
He spoke to his friend and said they shouldn't leave. The friend said they should just go somewhere else.
They left and went somewhere else and planned "how to get revenge on the group of niggers" (His words, not mine.) He said his friend told him they should just drop it, but he wanted revenge, so they went to his house and got their Air Soft guns and ammunition. (He listed the model of gun and kind of ammunition. I don't remember what they were.)
He wrote, "We rode our bikes back to the parking lot and pointed the guns at the niggers and they took off running."
I was surprised he would write this on a paper and turn it in to the teacher.
Another student wrote about his own prejudice against Hispanics. He wrote that he hated them, and felt angry every time he saw one, even if he didn't know them. He wrote about being angry when he heard them speak in Spanish because they should speak English since they are in America.
The school I work at is very diverse both in race and religion. Surprisingly, I didn't see any of the students write about prejudice concerning religion. I don't notice that as much myself at this school as I did at the last school I worked at, or in the town I live in 10 miles away.
I thought the assignment was good, making the kids think about prejudice and how it affects them. The assigment was in response to the book they just finsished reading, "To Kill A Mockingbird."
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