Road to **** pavement

You know I had every intention of continuing the story of what happened to Abbi and me on our trip back home, suffice it to say that the trip back was equally difficult. We should have gotten on a plane that the lady said was full and it wasn't. We ended up in LA for another several hours, finally had to fly to an outer island and pay $60 to fly to Oahu. Yaddy yah yah, The final impression I want to leave you with regarding that trip, besides the mourning for a passed on love one, is the sensation of feeling truly alien, at home. After another VERY long day in and out of airports, April picked us up and we headed home. Once here, it took me almost a week to feel like I was back at home. It was an odd sensation. It had nothing to do with the people or reception, more perhaps, to do with a lack of belonging. I am glad I had the opportunity to go back to UT, the dry air killed my throat and lungs and the lack of flora was appalling to me. What made me laugh is that I was there in the pinnacle of springtime, when the desert blossoms, even still, it was all so, BROWN. We are so spoiled to be in one of the greenest places on our island. Aside from the de-acclimatization, I felt a lack of real 'home' whilst visiting Utah. Again, this had nothing to do with company or their greetings, just, geographics? The impact of this feeling was directly contrasted by my previous opinions of Utah. I had always said that I loved Utah for its diversity and recreational possibilities. Commonly heard was that, 'I'd never want to live anywhere else,'. Now having been abroad, as it were, for over a year's time I wish to recant those statements from before. I speak for my family when I say that we really like it here in Hawaii and we plan to stay for at least a few more years, but I am not yet 'settled'. We've lightly discussed the possiblity of moving somewhere else in a few years. Perhaps in time I will find the peace that Don talks about or the belonging that we all seek, but time is a fickle friend. It gives you untold opportunity but ultimately kills us all, that kids, is your paradox for the day.

Hannah is starting Kindergarten in a week or so and I, unlike many I have spoken to regarding the exodus of the first child to school, am totally stoked for her. She is excited to go and I am forced into some good exercise, I will take her to school via mtn bike and child trailer, when its not raining that is. The trip is about a mile and a half and takes about 10 minutes on the bike. That's a good 20 minutes 2x a day for me. So I will be fit, cut and trim in no time, right? Now all i have to do is give up crack and my life will be in order!
I don't have any good pictures to post for you, yet. I took the camera to our ward camping trip two weeks ago but there was little or nothing 'picture worthy'. These people don't know what camping is. They take tents and shelters, generators, full bbq grills, air mattresses, its like the entire house in one package. I am dying for a real backpacking trip. Slim pickin's on this island for that though. Jordan Masaki, Ted Locey (both YM and Scouts) and I went crab hunting one night tho, Here's a couple of pics about that.



Most of the crabs we caught were MUCH bigger than this. Let me set the scene for you. At midnight or later, you make your way to the beach and armed with a 5 gallon bucket and flashlights you walk the beaches looking for baseball sized holes in the sand with recent excavations. You then get on your hands and knees and start carefully following the hole as is spirals downward about a foot and a half. You scoop away the sand till you feel the crab shell or till he comes out to chase you away. Its quite intimidating when they come running at you brandishing those big white claws. They have a nasty pinch that can cut through skin and draw blood if you aren't quick enough. The crab will then make a break for a nearby hole or the open sea. You have to grab a handful of wet sand and, for lack of better description, bean him with it. Not too hard to kill it, but just to stun it for a second. The crab will then think its hidden and you can wipe away the sand and grab the sides of its shell where it can't get to you. I'll take you when you guys get here. The sand crabs are a delectable treat. You can boil the crabs and eat them if you want, there's not much meat on the small ones. The wicked looking spider crabs that crawl on the rocks aren't supposed to be eaten, I don't know why, that is just what I was told.
Enjoy.