Save The Chickens

I’ve never really thought of myself as an animal-lover. I figure those are the folks that wear screen printed T-shirts of endangered species and send monthly checks to PETA.  They love animals en masse. The nameless, the herds, the hungry, the hunted.

You know the ones….

I am sure I would love them too but I would need to give them names. As soon as it has a name, I get kind of emotional about it.

We bought some baby chicks a few months ago. There were about 30 little chicks running around at the feed store, cheeping and pooping on each other. They were pretty cute but smelly. Nothing to get attached to. We picked out a few that we were assured would be “good layers” (chickens are a whole new world, let me tell you) and then they threw in a couple wild ones for free. Ok, we said, why not. Three chickens are good, five is better. More eggs. We took them home and gave the “layers” some unfortunate names: Drumstick, Beaker, and Chicken Little. Not our finest moment but the names stuck. The “wild ones” took longer to name because we didn’t know if we would keep them but eventually were called Chilli and Left Eye. Hopefully they are female and sound just as pretty as their TLC namesakes.

They enjoyed staring at one another. Drumstick’s the gutsy one.

And now that they are all named, I love them. I talk to them, I make sure they have poop-free water and nice food and turn on their heat lamp on cool nights. They are bigger now, more chicken then chick, a little less cute, but I am quite attached. I had to leave Jasper at Dad’s place in Kona because we have some travel coming up and I refuse to leave him long hours for someone to let out twice a day (PETA would be proud), so in a teeny tiny chickeny way, they fill the animal void.

Let’s be real, no bird could replace this guy. He really wanted to come with me.

Hopefully they’ll start being “good layers” and Jasper will get used to having them around when he returns but regardless, they will stick around. Because they have names.

Doing Lots of Life

So, I have still been doing life. I just have not been writing about it. A lot of people say that planning a wedding is a busy time. A lot of people say that sisters planning weddings in the same month is busy bordering on lunacy. I say its the best busy we have ever been.

We always fill our lives with something so that when our friends see us at Starbucks and say “Heeeey. Haven’t seen you in forever! How you been?” we can sigh and smile wearily and say “Busy! Good, but man, so busy.” It’s a pretty boring answer that I think should be banned. In fact, let’s all just commit right now to say something good whenever we are asked that. Then at least 35 people will be having a more interesting conversation at Starbucks this week.

But since we all do some kind of busy with our days, it’s nice to be doing the business of wedding planning, school, and enjoying each day as much as possible. I wouldn’t dream of complaining that it’s crazy or stressful. For one thing, it’s just not. It’s a big party that I don’t have to clean up after. How is that stressful? Friends are giving me things and I’m getting to know a super hot guy that said he wants to marry me. This is not stressful people.

So, in the spirit of stress-free busy, here is a little photographic synopsis of what I have been up to this month.

Sister Megan had a smashing bridal shower. Our friend Soo hosted in her beautiful home with her elegant decor to which we added some not-as-elegant craftiness. Turns out that stuff looks good together. Megan was a stunning bride-to-be, her twin sisters wore matching stripes and were not ashamed of it at all and Shaun made a guest appearance via flat screen television.

Fiance Roger continues to do manly things like dig imu pits to cook pigs, build water tanks, and help me pick out table linens. He is secretly talented at everything but don’t tell.

I continue with studies, edging my way toward being a Family Nurse Practitioner. I miss clinical work but realize that if I were working full-time, Roger would have met Miss Crazy Pants and run the other way. Presently I do the occasional volunteer work in the office above. It’s no cubicle on the 30th floor but it’ll do.

Why yes, I did get an Easter manicure.

Friend Ellen visited for Easter weekend and we celebrated with egg dying, early church celebration, and lots of food. I love that Jesus is alive. LOVE IT.

 

 

 

 

The porky terrier continues to grow and I continue to find innovative ways to keep him from binging. He insists that he is a skinny starving dog on the inside.

It's just green cauliflower but it might be in my bouquet.

I’ve been on a Farmer’s Market kick and traveled 45 minutes to Waimea on Saturday to hit two popular markets. Today we visited the Ho’oulu Community Famer’s Market at the Keauhou Outrigger Beach Resort. Our friends Lewis and Carla Draxlir have recently begun a bread company called Bread Alone. They bake sour dough breads of many varieties in the stone oven that Lewis built. It is AMAZING. And so are they. Buy their bread.

I have been thinking about health and living fear-free. I would like to share these thoughts with you soon. Also, Roger and I will be staging a dramatic Facebook exodus upon becoming Mr. and Mrs. We are doing it to get attention but also to focus on more important things than status updates.  So you should subscribe to this blog if you want to keep hearing about E(with a new)B.

Remember to tell people something good at Starbucks.

Modern Living

This week was Sister Trip week. In honor of Megan’s upcoming wedding and 25th birthday, the three of us (plus Baby Sawyer) spent 72 hours in Honolulu. We shopped, we ate out, and best of all – we stayed in a hotel that beats the pants off any other I’ve stayed in on Oahu. Bear in mind, I do not stay in five-star-500-a-night places. So, The Modern beats the pants off of any other relatively affordable places on Oahu. This place had a 1960’s vibe with a Coastal Living twist. The staff was attentive, the pool and garden terrace were unreal pretty, and the rooms were super chic. It is located on Ala Moana Blvd within walking distance of the mall and overlooks the marina. But when you are inside and at the pool area, you feel like you could be anywhere. Like in a James Bond film for example.

We have all inherited Mom’s delight in hotels and fun places. She would have LOVED The Modern. She also would have loved picking out Megan’s wedding dress with us. Guess what? We didn’t cry a single time on Sister Trip so you better not start now either. We had a blast as Megan tried on stunning gowns and the staff all raved over her as the perfect wedding dress model. Good sales tactic perhaps but we all agreed it worked. Dad purchased the dress for her long-distance and she now owns the Most Beautiful Wedding Dress Ever. Sorry everybody else.

We found the dress on the first day before dinner. So the rest of the trip was spent leisurely shopping and vacationing and pretending to be the Vacationing Mainland Sisters everyone thought we were (“You’re from Kona?! You don’t look like you’re from Kona.” Umm, thank you? Or no thank you? I’m confused). Brother Sam came by the hotel between his crazy class schedule and work hours for Megan’s birthday breakfast and it was great to have all the siblings in one place. Even Sawyer got the staycation memo and was the most chilled out six-month-old you have ever toted along for wedding dress shopping.

We got home yesterday, on Megan’s birthday. Her fiance had created a sushi extravaganza that rivals Hayashi You Make the Roll magic and Roger helped with Mochi icecream and Mojito making. Sister Trip resulted in some Husband Ryan, Fiance Shaun, and Boyfriend Roger time. Turns out they make pretty good brothers.

So, now I am home and grateful for my sisters who love some finer things in life, my mom who showed us how to love those things but not serve those things, Dad who is generous and wise, and the newly forming brotherhood of Other Halves.

And it’s back to Pharmacology and Health Assessment presentations…I miss The Modern.

 

 

Nehemiah and NoHomeworkWeekend

Last week was full of 8-hour day study sessions and long drives to Hilo for labs. I felt SO sorry for myself because it almost felt like I had a job. Seriously, sit at a desk all day? Come ON. So on Thursday evening, I made a decision. I will be social. So I texted someone notoriously social who invited me to salsa dancing lessons at a little bar in town. That’s like the trifecta of awkward. 1. Bar with strangers. 2. Dancing actual dance steps. 3. Dancing actual dance steps with strangers. Never mind. I don’t want to be social.

But the next day I mustered the socialness that I did not use at the trifecta of awkward and went to a movie with friends. And that was the beginning of NoHomeworkWeekend. Saturday morning I attempted to read Pharmacology at the beach, got a call for a sushi lunch, closed the books and never looked back. It was a good weekend. Brother-in-law’s siblings and their other halves are in town. I’m not sure if double in-laws are technically family but I will take these guys. They make me feel 10x cooler just being around them. It’s like cool factor drafting. Combined with a couple other awesome people over the last 48 hours, textbooks were just unappealing.

But, it is Monday morning and I heard a sermon yesterday on Nehemiah. He built a pretty big wall in 52 days with a determination that said “I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down”. We all have great works and it is our job in 2012 to figure out what the work is and do it with determination. I examined my thoughts over Starbucks after church and realized I have the first part figured out. My great work is becoming the best Family Nurse Practitioner that I can be.

It’s going to take longer than 52 days but with enough NoHomeworkWeekends to recharge, I’m game.

What’s your Great Work for 2012?