spring cleaning, spring break

i love spring break. not b/c i don't love my job. i do. but because i get to do whatever i want whenever i want to do it. and here is a shocker: i went into work today! my mom left last night after a really great visit :), and today was the first day that i could have done ANYTHING that i wanted. and i went to work... what?! so unlike me! but i have so much to do in my classroom and my house looks so awesome right now (thanks, mom) that it just made the most sense.

after working, i came home and watched this week's webcast of the book i'm reading (again) called A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's True Purpose. and then i set up a last minute book club meeting at the beach park by my house. i just had to discuss this week's chapter and couldn't wait until sunday, our regular meeting day. four of us ended up meeting and as always, it was totally inspiring. as i was leaving i noticed my friend jenn had text me and i went to her house to see her new baby boy, liam. he's sooooo sweet. i think i'm in love!

the only thing i have planned for the rest of the week is tennis practice on hursday and a match this weekend. that's it. and i love it!

jack has arthritis. :( it comes and goes and is worst in the morning. we are experimenting with supplements now. it's hard to believe that my baby jack is 9 years old!

i sign off by saying that i have the best mom in the whole world. i already knew this before she came to visit, of course, but i am just more positive it's true now. such a giving, awesome woman, my mama! thanks mom for being you, for putting so much hard work into my place, and for testing my strength in resisting shopping by having us go into every store from lahaina to paia. i loved the time we got to spend together!

Aloha, Susie

Happy Aloha Monday

Greetings from the Valley Isle. I wanted to write to say that I had a most wonderful visit with my good friend Aimee over this past week. She had never been to Maui before and it was a great adventure! The second day she was here, we went on a kayak tour (thanks for the freebee, Peter!) and saw several humpback whales, 3 seaturtles, and a black and white mantaray right beside or boats! WOW. I had never seen a mantaray in it's natural setting and I will never tire of seeing whales and turtles. What an awesome experience. We went to a luau that I had never been to before called the Feast at Lele. That was the best laua I had ever been to and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to go to a classy luau here. Aimee explored the island while I worked much of the week. I would get home from work and off we'd go on a next excursion. We went to Oahu on Thursday and had the opportunity to go to the north shore. Stopped in Haleiwa and had huli huli chicken at a church stand on the side of the road. Got to go to my favorite store in that town, and then headed to Sunset Beach, hoping to be able to feed the sea turtles. The beach was beautiful and the surf was huge, but no turtles. It was not so much of a disappointment as you will see when I get a chance to post some of the pics we took there. We got back to Maui Friday night and went to see my friend's band, A Kettle Prime, play. Aimee loved them as much as I do! Saturday we went to the beach by my house and then to a bbq at a beach park on the way to lahaina. I took her to the airport Saturday night (we stopped to get her pineapples to go and I bought her another lei) and I got a message that she made it home to Michigan. I am sure it was a shocker when she got off the plane! Anyway, work calls so I must sign off for now. Have a super happy aloha Monday.

Susie