Talk About Expensive.....

Price of unleaded gas at Chevron & Shell is Kapa'a - $4.42
Price of unleaded at Shell in Wailua - $4.38 (was $4.36 yesterday)

dumpr.net

Create your own Rubik's Cube

Hit By A Freight Train.....

well, one that goes by the name type b flu. It roared through my workplace and left three of us down in it's wake. Full on body aches, chills, headache, sore throat, sinus congestion, sweats, weak and tired all the time, nosebleed, cough. I've had it for a week and a day. One of my coworkers has been out for a week with it. I've been working off and on throughout it (my employers don't offer sick pay) which hasn't help me recover from it. And I've had to get my son to his program every morning, do the grocery shopping, do laundry at the laundromat, etc., while sick. It totally sucks. I wasnt even able to look at the computer screen because it made me feel spun out like I'd had too much to drink and was hungover but I don't even drink. Periodically I have to go lay down because I'm just so exhausted. Like right now. So, later.....

Pictures from Christmas on the Big Island

On the road to our rental

Our rental on Beach Road

The view from the front yard


Plant growing in the lava between the yard and the ocean

The Volcano House

Inside the Thurson Lava Tube

(It was drippy with puddles on the ground)

Fern forest outside the lave tube

Getting our dose of sulphur

Fern growing in the lava

Keanakako'i Crater

Halema'uma'u Crater in the Kilauea Caldera

Lei offering at Halema'uma'u

Halema'uma'u Crater

The cat that visited us every day at the house

Double rainbow on Christmas day

Hilo Bay from Coconut Island

Snow on Mauna Kea

The weather every day was windy, wet, rainy, drippy and cold with only patches of sunshine. We didn't see any whales, turtles or dolphins in the ocean. The waves pounded on the lava cliffs constantly. It sounded like thunder at night. I never want to vacation with my family again.

Each one of us has our own special needs - my mom uses a walker, my dad needs to be near a bathroom 24/7, my brother-in-law is a pain in the ass and spent all his time alternating between eating and sleeping. I got in a big blowout with my sister on Christmas day because I was tired of hearing she and her husband bicker constantly. She got totally pissed off and wasn't talking to me for awhile. Then when we got to the Hilo airport for our flights home she discovered she had lost her drivers license and went on a huge tirade about that. I'm the only normal one in the bunch. Even with all that I had a wonderful time but the next time I travel it will be only with my son.

It's Been Awhile.....

The trip to Oahu was fantastic. I love that island. I did some shopping, we went to the beach once and visited my mom in the hospital and at rehab. My mom & dad are both doing fine. I wish I still lived there. So much to see and do. Maybe some day.

We've been busy planning our Christmas trip to the Big Island. We fly to Honolulu on 12/23 where we hook up with my parents and my sister and her husband who are flying in from Maui. We all get on the same flight to Hilo where we will be until 12/26. I'm really looking forward to this trip. It's been way too long since I've been there.

My son and I went for a walk along the coast off Port Allen last weekend and I took some pictures.

I love walking around this old cemetary just above Glass Beach. The headstones are so unique. What a great place to be buried. Ocean view and breezes.....

Four Miles From The Pacific Ocean....

and this is what I found in my front yard the other morning.....a Samoan crab.

It's actually bigger than it looks in the picture. So I took it to work and one of the guys I work with helped me release it on the rocks at the beach across the street. How did it end up in my front yard?

My son and I are headed to Oahu tomorrow for a week. This morning we took our cat to the vet to be boarded while we're gone. I feel so guilty. He probably thinks we've abandoned him. But everyone there was really nice and I know he'll be well taken care of. After that we did two loads of laundry at the laundromat and then ran errands to get ready for tomorrow. I've been packing as much as I can today so we don't have to rush too much tomorrow. Interestingly, I'm not that excited about going. I want to go but I'm just not as excited as I think I should be about taking a vacation for the first time in over 8 years. Maybe once I'm there I'll be more in the vacation spirit.

The reason we're going to Oahu is to stay with my dad while my mom has knee replacement surgery. She had hip replacement surgery in May. My dad was in the hospital for 3 weeks in August and they found he had bladder cancer. So in September he was in for another 3 weeks and they removed his bladder and prostate and now his urine collects in a bag on his stomach. He lost 22 pounds from his first hospital stay and hasn't regained his strength so we'll be staying with him to make sure he eats well and rests. And I want to sneak in some beach time and shopping.

See you in a week internet!

Wow, long time no post.....

Well, lot's has been happening...not all good.

I promise to write soon.

Later...