Countdown to CA

It is officially 34 days until Pat and I come to California! I can't wait! Pat and I have been talking about how excited we are and listing all the things we want to do while in "the mainland." The first thing out of my mouth when Pat asked me what I wanted to to in California was "go to the movies." We just stared at each other for a second and let the hilarity of that statement sink in, and then had a good long laugh. I was just speaking in stream of conciousness, why would that be the first thing I want to do in California? Dunno? We are in fact going to the movies tonight, something we do all the time. Who knows? Can't wait to see you all!

P.S. I am literally bursting with hapiness for Emmy and Josh! I just can't wait! And Josh, I truly can't wait to meet the man that makes Emmy so happy!

LOVE YOU ALL!

"Body Jam"

I have just recently re-discovered a childhood passion of mine . . . DANCE! I discovered it by accident at the gym of all places. Now, I don't like to think of myself as a "gym rat", but I just LOVE exersize, it has become an outlet, a sort of therapy for me in recent years when I am feeling down or discouraged about something. So I love going to classes at the gym, something about the music blasting, when you start to feel the rythm and the beat and then you just feel like you are flying. I go to all kinds of classes, weightlifting that's coreographed to music, spinning, combat, yoga & swimming. Well they recently introduced a class at the gym called "Body Jam", I didn't really know what to expect, and for the first few months they offered it, I never ventured in. I finally decided to brave it with a friend of mine who heard that it was "sort of a dance-ish type" workout. Turns out, it probably the FUNNEST EXERSIZE EVER! It's basically just 50 minutes of non-stop dancing. You do some disco, hip-hop, modern and latin dancing throughout the class and slowly build a routine. I know it's sort of dumb, but the pure joy and freedom that I feel while dancing is amazing! I was an avid dancer all throuhout my life and can't believe that I ever stopped! After the second class that I took the teacher approached me after class and suggested that I take the certification class that's coming up in June so that I can be a "Body Jam" teacher. I am soooo excited about it! One of the perks to becoming a teacher is that you get a free membership, so then Patrick can go to the gym too. He went with me once and was surprised because the gym was neither "too girly" or too "thugged out" (he was asuming it had to be one or the other), I guess it means it is an acceptable place to work out for my Patrick. So anyways, the gist of it is that I have re-discovered dance in my life, a true passion of mine that hopefully I can figure out how to do forever.
P.S. I know I am a huge nerd, I need no reminding. Thank you!

Money to burn

March into April is the craziest time of year here at Ocean Sports and as the seventy-five hour work weeks string together I find myself less capable of intelligent thought, and my subconscious tends to take over. Now this is where weird things really start to happen. When we are all shopping, without knowing it we are all drawn to a certain aisle, and I'm not talking about the tool aisle where I've been scoping out the newest set of wrenches that I am going to buy as soon as Jess forgets about the set I just bought three days ago, but the aisle where our inner thoughts pull us there because something almost primal tells us that to achieve a better standard of living we need those very things. Well long story short after a two and a half hour shopping trip, where I was planning to provide a sustenance for the next few weeks, I came home with only two things, and as I went to place those items in there decided spot of convenience, I found that we already had seven different boxes of band aids. Water proof, especially for knuckles, spider man, skin colored, big ones, small ones, even ones with pre-applied first aid cream. What does it say about me, that when everything else fails I go for the first aid aisle, and what does it say about all of you!!

The New Love of Pat's Life

Well, it was quite the exciting day for the Hawaiian Robinsons! Patrick fell in love with this gorgeous Tacoma, and we bought it! We had been thinking about it for a long time, and a household joke was always that Pat already has his "dream truck" (which by the way is a 1995 Ford Ranger that has been in more accidents than it is years old, with no power steering, no AC, no radio, and most importantly no padding in the front seat, and a mysterious red dust covering not only the engine and the interior, but if you attempt to turn on the non-existant AC it blows out the ducts as well). So I have been steadily convincing Patrick that he deserves a new truck, his real dream car. As you can see in the picture I couldn't tear Patrick away from his truck bed gadgets long enough to even look at the camera, so needless to say, he's pretty excited. It will definitely make those long drives to work pass by a lot faster. He has always worked so hard so selflessley and never seems to consider his own needs, let alone wants, so it's time for him to have something super nice! We all know how much Patrick has dreamt of a new truck. It's a '07 Tacoma, V6 & 4x4 which doesn't mean much to me in girl world, but Pat seemed really excited about it and wanted everyone to know. And yes, everyone it has 4 seats, so whenever anyone gets out here to visit us, you won't need your head scarves because we won't have to ride in back. So congratulations to Pat on his first new car, he deserves it! We miss you all!

Bad Boys

For those of you who haven't had the chance to really get to know my wife, here is a little insight into how big her heart really is. It is true that every now and then I like to dabble in a T.V. series named cops, and for those of you that have never had the chance to partake of this must see T.V., the basic gist is all the people that you thought never existed getting their faces forced to the ground by at least four or five cops. Now if you have seen this show you know that no matter the criminal, nor the crime there always comes a time were the arrestee, shouts the words, "I'm not fighting, I give up." This declaration usually comes right after the eighteenth cop has just entered the screen and one wrist is already cuffed, as the other is being force to a right angle with one of the officers batons. This is were, without fail, Jessica always chimes in, as she bites her bottom lip and wrings her hands, "Why are they being so rough with him." She never seems to remember that just seconds before Billy-Joe had just tried to run over Virginia's finest, after swallowing half a baggy of heroin and pushing the "lady friend" that he has never seen in his life, out the passenger door. Jessica's ability to not just forgive, but seemingly to erase from her mind any wrong doing that you have ever brought her is something, I know, she had with her before she ever reached this earth. I have always known that my wife's abilities to keep those things which life seems to steal from us so early, is more than I could have ever wished for in life. Our children no doubt will find a safe harbor from all the storms of the world with their mother whom I have found doesn't just forgive but seems to take upon herself and free me of all the weight of the mistakes that I make daily.

What's Your Favorite Disney Movie?

Ohh the wonders of Disney. Patrick and I have had many discussions about Disney movies and have come to conclusions about which is our favorite. Patrick's is The Fox and the Hound, and mine is hands down without a doubt The Little Mermaid. The amount of hours I spent in my childhood best friend's pool re-enacting scenes from that movie was enough to leave me in a constant state of pruney hands, sunburnt face, and literally sleeping in my swimsuit. I remember tying my feet together before jumping in the pool, (probably a dangerous little game, where were all the adults right?) so my legs would look like a mermaid fin, and swimming through an obstacle course that we had made underwater by throwing various household items into the pool. (Anything from lounge chairs, to plastic grass hula skirts would suffice) By the point is that movie probably entertained and inspired a good portion of my childhood. I am ashamed to say that I have never seen The Fox and the Hound, but I have a feeling that it reflects the sweet & gentle child Pat that I have heard so many stories about. So, I have come to the conclusion that learning what everyone's favorite Disney movie is gives me a little more insight into who they are . . . So, what's your favorite?

P.S. A close second for both Pat and I is Peter Pan, (although my love for it was partly spurred on by the mermaids). Surprisingly enough another favorite was the recent Brother Bear, it makes me want to go to Alaska.

Worth A Thousand Words

If I could stop laughing for long enough to write anything, tell me what would I even say? It is a night of miracles ladies and gentlemen, firstly that I could stop laughing long enough to hold the camera to capture this rare moment. Secondly, that I caught my darling Patrick in such a mood that not only did he agree on the first plea to put on his "Yim Orthodontics" t-shirt, but also pose for a picture, and SMILE? So if anyone needs anything, say winning lottery numbers, a map to buried treasure, anything . . . I'm feelin' lucky folks!

Isn't the turtle with braces just the icing on the cake? And a special message for the mysterious B.I.T.B. - Jealous right? Let me ask if your braces come with a t-shirt or purple wires? . . . Didn't think so.

I tried unsuccessfully to stay away from "posting" as long as I could, and I'm not going to say that my wife is standing behind me pulling on my ears until I finish my first sentence, but she is. The truth of it all is that I secretly liked pleading ignorance to the fact that we even had a blog, and then reading it when she was away. This is the only real means I held of finding out what she really thinks of me, and by the looks of things she is a tremendous liar! So, completely off the subject the last few months I've been trying to figure out why I haven't been reading nearly as much as I used to. As the suspect list narrowed, the need of a sting was more or less absolutely necessary. With late hours and tedious log keeping I found that whenever I physically touch something in print Jessica's female instincts take over she recognizes, like a shark when there is blood in the water, that I'm letting down my guard, and within seconds it is TIME TO TALK. Now before I tell you anymore I want to let everyone in on a few of the combinations of things that trigger this reaction from my blood hound of a wife, and a few of the things that allow me to get in a few sentences without having to touch the words "How was your day?" Just reading obviously no, how could I be so naive. Reading with the T.V. on sometimes, if it drops below a seven on the volume dial, then no. Reading with the radio on yes, oddly enough. Reading in the the yard no, unless it is cloudy then yes. Reading while in the bathroom with the shower on, to explain while I am in there so long (all other connotation are just a little harsh for a new marriage), yes, but don't forget to wet your hair before you come out or else there will be a little explaining to do. No matter the level of intelligence a collect on my subject I still just can't figure out what is about reading that means I am ready for a conversation, I mean it isn't like I am not doing anything, but at worst I do believe it has made me a faster reader. To tell the complete truth not even a good book would keep me from one of our staring contest which are notorious for last up to three or four seconds.

Just a disclaimer, The picture is for mom, this is the one we have on the wall and I never can quite explain it. Secondly I apologize for the poor grammar, mispunctuation, and all the run-ons, but a while back I was reading an author who wrote with out any of these things, and I figure if he could do that well then I could wrote how things sound as I thought of them so there. Lastly one of our favorite games is Jess tries to figure out what I'm writing just by the words that I'm shouting out that I need spelled for me, lets see how she does with this one.

"California Pat"

Funny Tidbit - So when Pat was in the course to get his Captain's liscense he would work during the day, go to school at night, get home around 10p.m. and still find time to study. He worked SO hard, and was completely dedicated. He had to learn things like which configuration of lights should be used on a ships mast when sailing a 50 foot vessel through fog above the Mississippi River, (no I'm not kidding) he really had to learn that. He just crammed and filled his brain with the most tedious material I have ever seen. Anyways, the Captain's course all boils down to the dreaded "test day", a rigerous and I am sure terrifying series of tests one after another, graded on the spot, to tell you weather your months of hard work was worth it. And this isn't like the DMV here, you have to pass with close to 90%!! So of course I knew Pat would pass, so I went ahead and took a leap of faith, ordering him a delicious ice-cream cake (mint-chip with chocolate cake, since that enhances this story so much more) that was supposed to say, "Congratulations Captain Pat" to pick up on test day. (Pat continues to insist that ordering the cake before knowing he passed was a "risky little game" and if he had failed (which he didn't) it would have been because I "jinxed" him (even though he knew nothing about it)) So I go to Baskin Robbins to find a cake that says "Congrats Ca. Pat". I'll admit I was a little confused. Maybe Ca. is an abbreviation for Captain, maybe this confectionary artist knows something I don't? So I take it home, and as I suspected Ca. is indeed NOT an abbreviation for Captain. But the show must go on, so Pat gets home, I time it so that the candles are lit when he walks in the door. Poor thing so tired and delerious from weeks of stress and cramming, Pat looks up at me with a mildly confused look on his face and says Congrats California Pat? He was so sweet and adorably delerious I just said, yeah Congrats California Pat.

Fun In The Sun

This is one of my favorite pictures. Sure is kind of blurry, and sure we're not centered, but you can tell that we were having one GREAT time! This is my friend Carrie and I, one of our favorite things in the world to do is go out on Pat's boat, (which, by the way, I'm positive he just loves since we act like this) and laugh, snorkel, lay in the sun, and of course take the occasional flying carefree leap into the abyss. So much fun!