July 31

Aloha to you! I am settling in my new place after much shopping and cleaning. I am off today to get blinds for my windows, snorkeling gear, and to explore. I want to see a waterfall! Anyway, I have added new pics to the maui photo album on my yahoo photo site (http://photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos). Check out the rainbow I caught on the side of the mountain on the way back from Lahaina Friday evening! There are several of Banyan Tree Park in Lahaina.. very cool. There was a strange odor of marijuana under that tree... ANyway! Very cool - it's all one big tree. I just stumbled upon it trying to take a shortcut to my car. Thanks for staying in touch. Since it's just me here, I look forward to a friendly email when I return from my daily excursions.

In reading the weekly Maui paper, I am discovering that there is quite a drug problem across the island. Methamphetamine apparrently. THis problem is creating other problems such as car theft and the like. I'm sure my new ride will be fine, but I do check my parking spot each morning to make sure it's still there!

For those of you who have never been to Maui, here are a few interesting tidbits of info for ya.
There are abandoned cars scattered along roadsides across the island. Not a bunch, but enough to be an issue. For some reason, they do not take the time to locate the owner of the car and require them to tow them away. Local artists have taken it upon themselves to decorate these pieces 'o junk with bright colors and messages such as "Save our Island!" Also, there are talks of developing a wind farm on the north west coast to generate a renewable source of energy. Very interesting...

I gotta get going. Have a great day. Bye for now!!! SUsie

Found an apartment!

I am $5,700.00 poorer, but I now have a car AND an apartment! Wow have I spent some loot in the past week. I just got in from dinner and an awesome drive to Wailea. What a sight! The sun was setting, and there are shops that I don't think I can afford to go into (fendi, louis vuitton, etc). Will have to go back just to look around sometime. About the apartment... it's all tile and marble.. really nice. It's not furnished, but none of the places that allows pets that are decent are. (the ones in my price range anyway!) With my monthly rent coming to $1450, I will be getting a job at a restaurant as soon as I can. Don't want to get a roommate unless I find someone I really think I would want to live with. I FINALLY have an address to give out. I will email it out after I'm done here. Hope you all is well in your world and thanks for being interested in my adventures. Pls. keep me posted with what is going on in your world too!

Aloha! Susie

Still homeless in Kihei!

I'm getting close to finding a decent place that allows dogs, I think! Hopefully this time tomorrow I'll know for sure where I'll be living. My last day at this place (Kihei Akahi) is Wed. and I am looking at 2 promising places later today. I have found an AWESOME place for a reasonable amount of money that is nicely furnished, but NO PETS! :( I have narrowed it down to an apartment in either kihei shores or kihei villages. will have an extra bedroom to rent out if i can find a decent roommate (wanna move in?) or for my out of town guests that seem to be arriving almost monthly at this point! Bought the used Miata- LOVE IT! Getting the a/c fixed tomorrow which will be nice. Whoever said their is NO humidity in Maui lied. It is better than VA, but not nonexistent. I'm NOT complaining!! Anyway, met my mentor from work at her house today mostly to talk shop, but she was great. I think I'm meeting a lady I met in my apt. search out for a drink later. She's a teacher in Colorado who lives here in the summer. Looking forward to getting this housing b.s. done so I can go exploring more. I drove to Lahaina Saturday and it was great! Can't wait to go shop/eat in the whaling district. Start making your flight arrangements now so you can go with me!! Better go for now. Be in touch... :) Aloha!

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Getting it all done!

I am exhausted! Got here Tuesday around 6 pm Maui time. My flights went fine but it was just a really long day!! Checked into my place at Kihei Akahi, which has been nice. It's across the street from the beach (they call it Kam II) and fully furnished. I've had a touch of a cold or something- the worst has been the lack of energy when I really need lots of it! Getting better by the day though. I visited my school the other day and it is nice. No A/C but good ceiling fans. Will take some adjusting I'm sure, but anything beats the cold ass breeze we had to endure at BME last year! Met one of my students, a little girl with Down Syndrome. Really cute little girl. Also met several staff who are so kind and generous. One of the ladies just called to tell me her neighbor is selling a car, but she was TOO late!! I am buying a 1990 Miata on Sunday!! I have a rental until then so the guy (Mack) has agreed to meet me at the car rental place. He is a teacher and he and his wife have been here for 25 years. They live in Pa'ia which is off of the windy Hana highway up near the airport. Super nice guy.

The beach and weather are gorgeous of course. Haven't spent much time sunbathing due to all of the stuff I've had to get done. I hope to know by tomorrow where I will live starting Sunday! I have narrowed it down to 2 places.. waiting to hear back from both of them tomorrow. One is a 2 BR/2 BA apt right across from the beach with a pool, jacuzzi, tennis, etc. It ain't cheap or furnished, but it allows SMALL dogs so I am interested. THe landlord lives in LA and isn't coming for the rental process, so her friend who lives here has been helping. He never told me that the dog had to be small... ANyway, the other place is a basement ohana under a super nice house with lush foliage surrounding it. The lady who owns it is an Aussie and has a 14 year old daughter. We bonded upon meeting and she says she'll rent month to month, but doesn't want a dog! I am considering allowing a willing party to keep Jack if we can find one (know anybody???). THe ohana is partly furnished and is about a block from the beach. It is immaculate with tile floors and burber carpet in the bedroom. There is a wild peacock that occasionally visits the backyard that may prove to be a pain!

I made it to the Maui Dept. of Ed. office today for fingerprinting today and opened an acct. at the First Bank of HI. I am required to have direct deposit for work and it has to be a HI bank. No biggie. I am looking forward to finding out where I will live so I can have an address. My school may fire me when they get all of the packages and mail that will be arriving there soon.

The coolest thing I've seen so far are where the mountains meet the ocean with a cloudy mist covering them. Also saw some very fast windsurfing off of the Hana Hwy the other day. It is known as the best windsurfing in the world there. I can see why.

Well, that's it. I know it was long and drawn out!! Hope I haven't bored you. Be in touch please!! I will be changing my cell phone number to a local number tomorrow due to an inflated bill for unknown reasons at this time. I'll send out an email with my new info. when I have it. Take care!! Aloha!

Last minute details

Besides packing, arranging the details for Jack's trip to Hawaii including his quarantine, etc. has been my most recent ordeal. Turns out it will cost 850 to fly him in cargo, with a layover in chicago, to the quarantine station on Oahu. I thought that I was going to have to fly to Oahu from Maui to pick him up but have discovered a dog handler named Joyce Colburn who has agreed to pick him up at the station and drop him off at the airport. She is charging my $35.00 which is a bargain compared to what it would cost me to fly there to get him. I have to get a certified letter giving her permission to pick him up, and I'm not sure what number to give as a contact number as my cell phone number will be different than it is now. Details!

Got a cavity filled at 8 am. this morning. :( It was the only time that they could squeeze me in since I'm leaving on the 19th. I think I've gotten all of my appts. out of the way now. Mom and Mike have been great in allowing me to stay in their home - no major headbutting yet! Mike's early morning singing leaves much to be desired, but you have to act like it doesn't bother you or he will sing louder. Jack is in heaven out here in chuckatuck. he's gotten kinda lazy in the morning and won't go out early when mom gets up cause he wants to sleep in.

Thanks to Leigh North's helpful info. , I have been mailing boxes to myself at my new school and shipping them bookrate. It's really cheap! With $50 of insurance a piece, it's only $10 for 30 lbs. of stuff! I bought a Maui guide book at Barnes & Noble earlier which should provide good reading on the 15 hour journey i'll be making soon. I'm debating on whether to buy snorkeling equipment now since it'll be cheaper, but if I mail anything else to Kihei Elementary, they might not appreciate it too much.

The big party is this saturday. looking forward to seeing lots of great people and hope that the weather holds up. jamie has really gotten into the preparation of this thing! i need to try on my grass skirt and coconut bra to figure out what to wear under it (bathing suit?) Mom wanted to go without a bathing suit underneath, but that ain't happenin' for me thank you very much.

ENjoying my new Toshiba laptop!! Better sign off for now. Hope to see ya before I go!!

Headin to Maui

Just under 2 weeks until I move to Maui. Seems like the more I do in preparation, the more I have left to do! I found out today that it will cost more for Jack to fly to Hawaii than it will for me! Go figure. I'm trying to work it so he is only quarantined for 5 days after he arrives which would be in early September (Mom willing). You wouldn't believe the red tape with transferring a pet to Hawaii.

Spoke to my 'mentor' at Kihei Elem. today. Her name is Joyce and she is super nice. She was so eager to answer my questions and assured me that I will be more than happy at my new school. Right now I have 3 self-contained students. My first day of school is August 18. She agreed to meet me at the school before then and show me around. She even offered to call me back this weekend with the number of the apartments right by the school b/c they are only 3 years old and so close by. She wasn't sure what they cost, but hopefully they will be reasonable or I will be able to find a good ohana. She said you have to be careful with those. It all depends on who the people renting wil be.

I'm staying at mom and mike's for the most part although I've stayed at Lisa's, Jamie's, and Gail's in the past week! I've been running around visiting and getting errands done all week. Today I stayed in Chuckatuck and worked on packing/organizing/etc. Talked to Uncle Dan tonight. He seemed to be down for sure, but glad to be home from the hospital (he was discharged today and starts PT three times a week tomorrow). He got his son a new puppy- a cavalier spaniel. It seemed to have his spirits up a little.

Wanted to post a few pics of us on Lisa and Scott's boat on the 4th of July... but for some reason it's not working. We had fun anyway, and Gavin especially liked the green fireworks.

Better sign off for now.. Suz