You Guys Are Smart Fellers

I thought a banyan tree looked like this:


But apparently baby banyan trees look like this:


Weird, huh?

Here's a couple other interesting things about banyans ...

Today, the banyan is considered sacred in India and Pakistan, where it represents eternal life because of its seemingly ever-expanding branches.

Due to the complex structure of the roots and extensive branching, the banyan is extensively used for creating Bonsai.

And finally a little something for you to tuck away that might just come in handy some day.

The underground roots of a banyan species found in the Amazon are cut into 10 cm lengths, dried and smoked regularly to relieve pain. This practice originated in the Amazon. There are no visible side effects.

Thanks, Wikipedia.

Hawaii Favorites

Rainbow Falls


Pololu Valley - this was my favorite place we went.



Black Sand Beach in Pololu Valley



Akaka Falls


Waipio Valley



Isaac Hale State Park Beach


Onamea Bay



Hot lava hitting the ocean.


This arch was made when hot lava pouring into the ocean cooled.

10 Things I Learned in Hawaii

1. Safety is a personal issue. In Hawaii, you're pretty much free to do whatever you want, wherever you want. You can hike, swim, climb or jump anywhere. But you're on your own as far as personal safety is concerned. There are tons of very steep cliffs, huge rocks and strong rip tides.

2. Lava is ugly. When you land at the Kona airport, it looks like you're landing on the moon. Thankfully, the east side of the island looks more like the Garden of Eden.

3. Cracks abound everywhere, especially on the beach. It seems some Hawaiians interpret "hang loose" quite literally.

4. Always wear your swimsuit. You never know when you're going to come across a lava-heated pool or hidden lagoon.

5. Hawaii is by far the cleanest state I've ever been in. (There's no trash service - everyone has to take their own trash to the "transfer stations.") And even those are clean!

6. If you're on the island for more than a day, you can be sure you'll run into the same people multiple times. Best to make friends with everyone you see.

7. Create a savings account for groceries. A loaf of bread is $6.

8. If the locals are staring at you, it's not necessarily because they think you're hot. It might be because they know something you don't and they want a front seat to the show.

9. When at a luau on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, beware of getting too rowdy, in case one of the Finance Directors from your work just happens to be at the same luau. (Hey Martin!)

10. It's official. I want to move to Hawaii.

Best Birthday. Ever.

That's all.

Island Adventures

Rather than post my own stuff from Hawaii, I'm just going to send you over to Suzanne's blog for updates. I'll do a few on my own when we get home.

We're off the beach.

Mahalo and lots of aloha!
Becky

Aloha!

Aloha from The Big Island! We made it here without any flight problems and have been living it up Hawaiian style.

The Big Island is really the place to come if you want to experience Hawaii the way the locals do ... I've been very pleasantly surprised at the lack of tourists here. Even in the "touristy" locations there aren't really crowds.

Three days so far, and here's a list of the things we've done:

Rainbow Falls (we swam in a lagoon behind the falls - ask Jamie about her little "adventure")
Boiling Pots
Onamea Bay (unreal picture place)
Akaka Falls (OH-mazing)
Hapuna Beach (comparable to the beaches in Costa Rica, which I thought would never be matched)
Malasadas at Tex's Drive In (it's official - we shall come home FAT)
Hilo Farmer's Market (where the real hippies gather)
Volcano National Park (looks a lot like Mordor)
Champagne Pond (a lava heated natural pool up against the ocean)

We're scheduled for a luau on Tuesday (my birthday.) I'm also excited about hiking in Waipio Valley and snorkeling at Captain Cook's Monument.

This place is seriously awesome. The best part is the laid-back island feel - it really is a slower pace of life. I could definitely get used to it. Pretty much everything to do is free and there are very little restrictions about where you can go. Seriously, if you ever get the chance visit this island, do it.

I'm on my friend Suzanne's computer so I'll just post the one picture for now.

See ya when I'm 30. :)

Tuesday's Update

So. It's been a few days. But I have some news for you ...

1. This is Hawaii week! (Ok, that's not news. I've already blabbed about it enough.) I've been checking the weather online daily, and although it's supposed to rain a lot while we're there, they keep adding more and more sunny days. WOOHOO! Still, I bought a new rain jacket (sort of a foreign concept in Colorado.)

2. I have a new job! It was rather sudden to me and I'm still transitioning mentally and emotionally. But it was too great an opportunity to pass up. I'm still working at Compassion, but now I'll be working on the field communications team doing crisis communications. It wasn't something I'd planned, but it seems God had other ideas. And I'm learning that when I listen to Him, things tend to work out.

3. A week from today I turn 30. That's a big one. I know this will be a special birthday because I already received the best gift I've ever gotten. In my life. My friend Karen (with the help of my brother) coordinated getting all my friends, family and coworkers to write letters to me telling me what I mean to them. Then she put them in this really cool album with some photos. Seriously, guys, you have NO IDEA what this means to this "words of affirmation" girl. It's like a grown-up yearbook, only 1,000,000 times better. I used to read the messages people wrote in my yearbook over and over again. You can bet I'll be reading those letters over and over again! To everyone who contributed, I can't really explain to you what it means to me. Thank you for already making this the best birthday ever. I love you!

I Need a Vacation

Sorry for the slowdown in postings lately. I was getting on a roll with regular posts but suddenly life is getting in the way. I've been a bit overwhelmed with it, to be honest.

I have a new position at work ... I'm now a member of the web team. Okay you can stop laughing now. I mean it. Stop laughing. I'm actually doing web communications. Although I feel sort of under qualified, it's actually quite interesting. (Plus, I get to blog and get paid for it!) Anyway, the web stuff is a great big learning curve for me, but I'm enjoying it. We've had a lot of all day trainings and they are kicking my butt.

My sister Sara is here this week, stopping by on her move from CA to NY. So I'm hanging with her (and her boy) a lot. We're going to hit up The Golden Bee this weekend, this cool little sing-along piano bar. It's one of my family's favorite places.

I'm also taking pictures at a wedding this weekend. My first one. Yikes! But it should be fun. The weather is supposed to be great (thank goodness because the ceremony is outside.)

And I'm trying to finalize plans for my big birthday trip. We leave a week from tomorrow!!! I'm dying for some good girl friend time. And beach time. And hiking. And waterfalls. And not working. And luau. And hot lava pools. And sun. Praise God for vacations.

Speaking of birthdays, I have a great story to tell you, but it deserves a post of it's own. I'm exhausted and need some me time, so I'll catch ya later.

Hawaii Three-O

I was thinking the other day about how 2008 is a big year for me. In June I will turn 30! And I think that's worthy of a celebration, don't you? (I distinctly remember when I thought 20 was SO old.)

I thought of all the ways I could commemorate this occasion and three of my favorite things came to mind:

Hanging out with my best buddies
Traveling
The beach

But how to combine all three ...

Then all of a sudden, I was hit with inspiration. How about renting a place in Hawaii for a week? Brilliant. As of last night, it's official!