Operation Make the Yard Beautiful

Since moving in to our house (in August!) we have made it our home. We've added our little touches to make it ours and have drastically improved the property. However, there has always been this one part about our yard that we hated. There was a small fence in the back of our yard that was full of overgrown junk. Palm fronds, weeds, strange tools and treasures as well as garbage. We've always turned away from that side of the yard and tried to ignore it....but a few weeks ago, we said enough is enough, and operation make the yard beautiful began!

We borrowed a friends weed-whacker and went to town. The weeds didn't stand a chance because we were on a mission. With only a few centipede and scorpion scares and multiple trips to the garbage, we had succeeded.

We made a small garden for lettuce and tomatoes, dug a compost hole, made a fire pit and hung the hammock. Our gross back yard had suddenly turned in to a five star lounge.

I think Munson was the happiest of all because we had nearly doubled the yard for her to run and play in.

Since the yard operation, we've had guests and dinner parties but this past week was the real test. We invited our dear friends, the Taylor family over for dinner. The Taylor's are good friends that paddle with us and have 2 kids-Hayden and Katie. Hayden is a campfire junkie and fully endorsed the

mallows and smores in our back yard.

All the perks of camping without having to leave. Our hard work absolutely paid off.

So consider this a formal invitation to all of you back on the mainland. If your'e in the mood to lounge under the palm trees with a fire pit and good company. Come join us here. We'll save you a seat. And maybe a marshmallow.

SUP

I remember sitting on the beach early one Saturday morning last June. Tommy and I were watching the waves seeing if we could surf. As we sat on the beach a group of girls unloaded their trucks, loaded up with water and sunscreen and headed out to sea on their stand up paddle boards. I was infatuated with these girls and the idea of a day long paddle boarding trip. Granted, at the time I had not even touched a stand up board or had any idea how to do it...but I knew, that I would and I was going to do a day trip.

A few months ago, I splurged and bought myself a stand up paddle board. It's 10 feet long and a smooth ride. Perfect for surfing tiny waves (which I am still scared to death of) or just cruising the sea. Tommy and I love it. It's our favorite toy. The only downfall with it, is that we only have one....day long trips together just weren't possible.

This past weekend, we were able to borrow a friends 10'6 stand up board and made my dream a reality. We packed a bag full of water and granola bars, covered our bodies in sunscreen and put the boards in at the pier around 9am. We set out for Keahou Bay, about 7 miles from the pier (give or take). It took just a few minutes to find our balance, and in no time at all...we were cruising! With a few breaks, and only a few falls in to the water, we made it to our destination in about 3 hours.

Although we said we could have kept going a few more miles. When we stood on land-we practically collapsed with exhaustion (in a good way).

It was such a fun morning and an adventure I had been looking forward to trying for months. Just another awesome day on the islands.

Kai'Opua

A few months after we moved here we joined the Kai'Opua Canoe Club. It is traditional form of Polynesian paddling. We were paddling with the recreational club a few days a week which is a mellow group of mostly retired people so we worked on learning how to paddle and figuring out what the heck we were doing. This past month there was a meeting regarding the competitive season. I figured..."what the heck, I'm unemployed. I'll give it a try. At least I'll get coaching and a good work out, even if I never compete". Well, this past week was our first race and I don't want to brag....but we kicked ass!

Our team is called the Novice B's. But, we dressed as Bees-wings and all. We had an advantage as all of us have been paddling for almost a year and had not only experience but the ability to practice up to 6 days a week.

We skimmed the water as our cheering crowd (of over 20 people) screamed for us to "dig dig dig". We came in first in our division with a time of 2 minutes and 58 seconds for a 1/2 mile race. Pretty good for a bunch of new(bees).

I've never really been part of a team or part of a competitive sport as I have done ballet for all of my life. This sport is something brand new for me...and I LOVE it! I feel so free on the water and love using all of my muscles to push a 4,000 pound canoe with a group of girls. This will hopefully be the first of many more races to come. And if we're lucky, a trip to Maui to compete in the Hawaii state tournament. GO BEES