Life as the Suz

Man, what a couple of days

2011-10-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

I love this outfit!

Anyway, I am in need of new childcare for my little one. I know that I will find good care, but it is not an easy task to accomplish. Center care is not an option. I can't afford what nanny's charge. Home daycare is what is left. I will find a good one for a reasonable amount of money.

Hope it happens quickly! Suz

WOW. It's been a long time!!

2011-10-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

Funny, if you look at the last post which was written 2 years ago and never posted, you will laugh. The title was so ambitious and I wrote so little!

Becoming a mom will do that to you. One day you have a selfish life. The next day, you don't. Piper is now almost 2! We are living in Dumfries, VA, happy and healthy. I thought I'd start this up again and add info that some may find helpful... especially mom's of toddlers at this point!

Here is a website for healthy snack ideas for little ones! :)

http://www.familycorner.com/parenting/nutrition/healthy_snacks.shtml

Piper Lee, maternity leave, sleep deprivation...

2011-10-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my last post was in April. HOLY COW. Piper is now one month old and bringing me lots of joy of course. She is a pistol and a dear. She loves her pacifier, baths before bed, and playing in her mirror.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T02:14:00.000-07:00

I have been not so good at keeping up with downloading pix and keeping this updated. I have to use the excuses of moving to a foreign country, actually twice in 6 months, and general procrastination. I am updating my flickr site (photos) now and hope to be caught up in the near future (http://www.flickr.com/photos/susieclaire/). I'm just in from a week on Tenerife (one of the Canary Islands) which was relaxing and full of sunshine. Just what the doctor ordered. Now I am back in Stuttgart and the weather is fine! :) Did I mention that I love sunshine? I have decided that after this two year commitment is over, I will never live again in a place that gets so cold. EVER. You can mark my words on that one! My soul requires sunshine!

I hope you and yours have a wonderful Easter and I hope to hear from you in the near future!

Sincerely, Susie :)

Ok... so I forgot to post this on january 20th.. slacker!

2009-02-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

President Obama takes the helm. Here’s to a new beginning! I am hopeful, as are so many of us, that our country is going to take a turn for the better with such a fresh, positive leader as our guide. That’s about as political as I get…
I have moved out of my house and am awaiting moving into my new apartment next week. For the past week, Jack and I have been staying with a friend, who has been so kind to open his apartment to us. We will move into a hotel on Thursday, where we will stay until next Wednesday…when we move into the new apartment downtown! I am thrilled to get settled in after too many months of living in a place that was temporary. I have had enough of moving to hold me over for quite some time!
I am planning a birthday party next month for my friends Torsten, Florian, and myself. Somehow, I end up making the closest friends with people whose birthdays are very close to mine! Torsten is a sweetheart of a German guy who lives and studies in Munich. I met him at Oktoberfest… he and his boyfriend visited me in November and we went to see the musical Wicked together (in German, I’m afraid). Florian is a younger German guy who I met when I was traveling in Australia year before last. He is studying law in Heidleberg and is from a town near where I live (Stuttgart). Which reminds me, I have a new mailing address. Just an FYI, it is considered a NYC address, so if you send me mail, a regular U.S. stamp will do! Here it is (only the zip code changed):

CMR 447 Box 196
APO AE 09020-196

My mom is doing super with her recovery. She is completely cancer free and starting a light exercise program. She is taking a master gardening course, which starts soon and she is very excited about (she could probably teach the class!). I am hoping that she will make the trip to visit after I get out of school in June. I also hope that Lisa makes it here since she never made it to Maui (tsk, tsk..)!
The weather is simply horrid. Anyone who was jealous of my living in Maui can now rest assured that I am freezing my butt off! Tomorrow the low is 28 degrees. It has snowed more times that I can count, and apparently is the COLDEST WINTER this area has seen in many years. Oh well, it is beautiful and thanks to my U.S. shopping spree, I have plenty of warm weather gear to take the edge off. Jack LOVES the cold weather and doesn’t seem a bit bothered by the snow and ice. I can’t say that I am quite as excited about the dreary weather. Thankfully, the job is going well, I’m meeting great people and experiencing new things so often that it’s not the focus of my life. Going to sign off for now. Once I find my camera, I will download pix and post them. I hope you are having a great start to the new year!

Peace, Susie

i am here...

2008-11-09T00:15:00.000-08:00

hi!! i have not been very good at updating my blog at all. or adding pictures. i just have been too busy with sorting through boxes, organizing home and classroom (things from VA/Hawaii/new). It is just about as fun as it sounds, but feels good to be getting rid of stuff i don't need and organizing the stuff i do. i have been having some fun here and there. i'm playing indoor tennis near my school on a fun surface. it's like little bits of erasers. Looks kind of like clay but not slow like clay. anyway, i have met a few people to play with. so far the challenge has been to find someone on my level to play with. i have some headaches at work (paperwork, b.s. that comes with working for a federal govt agency) and home (a new house, work not completed, had to visit the military attorney) but i am keeping my head straight about it all for the most part. thankfully skype is keeping me in contact with my family and a few friends all over the world so my sanity is intact. today i am doing laundry (a much longer process than it needs to be, thanks to german energy conservation), and going on a hash run. i never knew about the hash house harriers until i moved here. apparently it is worldwide and hawaii hashing is pretty intense. it is basically a running club with a drinking problem. i stay away from drinking to much at these events though b/c 1)i can hardly keep up sober and 2)i have to drive home!!. i have been offered a ride today, but i'm not sure if i should take olaf up on it b/c that means no excuse to drink less! (i am such a lightweight.. especially regarding german beer!)

anyway, my mom goes in for surgery on tuesday and my thoughts are with her. i know that it will go well and she will be fine, but it is hard not being able to be there. please send her lots of good energy in Virginia.. not that she needs it!! she has the best attitude. MY MOM ROCKS.

I am going to Italy for Thanksgiving with my friend John from work (he is from there). I am looking forward to it. Jack even gets to go! I have one good friend at work who LOVES Jack and watches him for me when I travel usually. I am very lucky to have her. Her name is Heidi and she is also an excellent support for me. Kind, fun, happy, and has lived in Germany most of her life (this helps at restaurants...).

i will try to get pics up soon. i have so much to do that somehow it keeps taking the back burner. I miss my people and my maui sunshine. it is a tougher transition than i imagined. i will have to write a "the things that suck about germany" email sometime, but i'm just not in the mood to gripe right now.

Keep in touch and take care!! Love and miss you. :) Susie

Hump Day

2008-09-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

Just in from dinner at a little French restaurant near post with Marlene and John (who else?). Today was rainy but not too cool. Tomorrow is going to be 80!! :) I had to buy a big umbrella the other day.. I haven't had an umbrella for over 3 years!

I posted pix of the house I will be renting on my flickr site : (http://www.flickr.com/photos/susieclaire/). I haven't been very good at taking pictures lately..I didn't even take many of Gavin and Katie when I was in VA. Much of what we have been doing is working, eating, looking for apartments, getting cellphones, etc. Haven't done much sightseeing yet. More pictures will come soon!!

John (my coworker who is my new best bud) found a sweet apartment in the city which is super for me. :) Now "we" have a big house right outside of town and a nice apartment in town. We are joking that we will put each other's names on our mailboxes. It's a good thing that he can cook because now my nice kitchen won't go to waste!

Jack is enjoying the dog park near the hotel. He is getting along nicely with all of the dogs, which of course I love. He will have a fenced in yard when we move in the house later this month. It is small, but fenced in, which is nice.

My students are learning the routine more and more each day. I am limited on supplies right now due to funding, but I will be able to put in an order on Friday for many things. I can't wait for my teaching materials to get here from Hawaii. I feel like I am not doing my job very well considering my limitations in that area.
I am having to practice some major patience...

Keep in touch when you can and thanks for taking the time to keep up with me...

Susie :)

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2008-09-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday morning and I am enjoying some down time. I went with John and Marlene (my new friends) all around downtown Stuttgart yesterday looking at apartments. I am hoping I made the right decision to rent a house right outside of town (it's 9 miles from my school) after seeing some pretty incredible apartments right in the city yesterday. Actually, I met a immobilien (real estate agent) at a party last night and when he asked where I'll be living I had to stop him mid-sentence when he responded. It seems everyone thinks my little town is soooo far away. It's 9 miles!! Anyway, we went to my house and took pictures yesterday also. I will post them later today.

School is interesting. Everyone is super nice and my kids are super cute of course, but there is no funding until the end of september and i have been instructed not to communicate with the only other preschool teacher in the area. I was really frustrated Tuesday afternoon and poor mom got a tearful phone call about it. I am letting it go basically but I will say that it is hard!! I have a nice assistant (she was just subbing last week and we talked her into taking the position full time!) named Michelle who has 4 kids who attend our school (it's elementary and middle school). I think that will work out well.

I have tons of things to buy for my new house. I don't have a bed for starters. And I have to buy approximately 10 light fixtures. Thankfully there is an IKEA closeby. German houses typically don't have kitchens built in (you bring your own), but mine does. It is super modern and nice. As far as the light fixtures, apparently they are a very personal choice, so landlords have their tenants provide their own. Thankfully I can use a VAT form (a form that allows me to get 18 percent off.. we don't have to pay German taxes while we are here...) for most items (even a car!). Speaking of cars, mine will be here in late October most likely. Right now I am sharing a rental car with John and Marlene. We are together all of the time anyway, so it is saving us money.

Better get up and take Jack out. I look forward to having a yard when I move into my house later this month!!!

Peace,

:) Susie

Two weeks in...

2008-08-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

Hi friends and family!! Just an update about my new adventure. In the hotel on post until my house is ready on September 20th. And a saweet house it is. Wait till
you see pictures. Of course, for 2000 Euros (3000 dollars) a month, it better be sweet! Thankfully it is paid for by my work.

The weather has been decent since I've been here. High 70s most of the day and even reaching 80 here and there. Finally have my classroom set up (a work in progress.... but a HUGE improvement). Spend most of my time when I'm not working with my new best friend John (very Italian) and another coworker, Marlene. I am the only one who has found housing of the three of us, so I'm pretty sure at least John will be staying with me for a while once I move in. He's a super cook, so I might not let him move out. Been drinking good German beer and eating lots. Jack is allowed to go EVERYWHERE with me (except school). I still can't get over it. Even shopping malls, nicer restaurants, the train... it's unbelievable how dog friendly everyone is. There is a dog park right by the hotel so we have been getting over there most days. So far, no bickering with other dogs. :)

I just have to tell you more about John. He's 48, but says he's 38 in "club years." Ha. He keeps me in stitches. Anyway, his mama is 90 yrs old and calls him at least 3 times a day. He's actually visiting her this weekend in Italy. He has invited us (me and Marlene) to go to Italy with him in October. I am really looking forward to that!

We go to Oktoberfest towards the end of September (I know, ironic. It's not even in October). I will have a camera solution by then for sure.

There are vineyards all around in the area where I work. There is a city center about 15 minutes away and the trains are very efficient. Lots of yummy food to eat, but somehow we keep ending up in Italian restaurants! My diet is not improving with meat and cheese and bread and beer everywhere I go.

Anyway, I have rambled enough. Would love to hear about your world. Keep in touch!!

Lots of love, Susie :)

Getting my feet on the ground....I found a brand new house!

2008-08-23T23:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a whirlwind since I landed in Stuttgart 8 days ago. I have met two teachers from my school who are single, new to DODDs (dept of defense dependents schools) and they are making my transition here so much easier. John is a fun guy who grew up in Italy and has taught for the past 10 years in Denver. Marlene is from D.C., and taught in Turkey on a Fullbright Scholarship last year. I am thrilled to have them as my new support system here in Germany!! Anyway, Jack is doing great. We are moving to the hotel on post today (they haven't had availability) to be closer to school. John will pick us (and all of my stuff up) around 11 am this morning and after making the move, we will work in our classrooms for several hours. With all of the running around with housing, taking driver's license tests, etc., we didn't get nearly enough time to work in our classrooms this week. My students don't start until 9/2, and for that I am grateful. I could not be ready for tomorrow which is the first day of school for everyone else.

Sooo... I found a fabulous house!! Typically finding housing here is a nightmare but I got really lucky and got the first house I looked at. I will post pics when I can take some (my camera is broken) but here are the basics:

4 bedrooms, all tile and marble, new construction, rooftop patio, balcony, heated floors, fireplace, garden, garage, furnished kitchen..... it's unbelievable. It is about a 20 minute drive from work (which by maui standards is really far away!), and 25 minutes from the city. The trains here are fabulous, so that will help with the distance issue.

I have to get packing (again) here in my hotel room. More to come soon. Sorry for not responding to emails individually, but everyone is asking the same questions and I have so much to do!! Love and miss you.

Susie

Arrived in Stuttart today!

2008-08-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

jack and i made it to stuttgart in great shape. less eventful than trip to d.c. from maui. a nice man from my school picked us up at the airport.. i am soo glad i didn't have to find the hotel myself. i may still be looking for it now!! had my first german beer with dinner at a little diner by my hotel. pretty much everywhere lets you bring your dog in so that's nice. going to work monday a.m. apparently a preschool classroom closed at another elementary school so i hope to have most of what i need to get started... probably a little wishful thinking, but hopefully close to the truth. it was so good to see my family in va.. and my close friends. i will write more soon!!

guten tag!

suz

hawaii favorites

2008-07-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

sunrise la perouse kam III mulligans akp hana bamboo boogie thousand peaks windmills keawekapu matteos haleakala mango pineapple mahina dog and duck trivia night secrets banyan tree rainbow bird of paradise waterfall seven sacred pools bicycle smoothie ocean turtle pidgeon paula fuga haleiwa hanalei kaulalau trail wailua falls kailua kokua fest lychee avocado star fruit ukulele kaenae peninsula humpback WHALES kayak upcountry sunday at cassanovas cafe marc aurel beauty bar tennis at kalama nakalele blowhole black rock paia town ono gelato

hana hou

2008-07-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

i am enjoying my little sister and hillary's visit. we have been all over this island! i am coordinating many things while playing tour guide...so far so good. having a bit of a time renting out my ohana (apartment) and trying to be patient with waiting for my orders to go to germany. i am really hoping that i get at least a week with my family in va before i go. poor jack is not going to know what hit him with the long flights ahead. hell, i'm not going to know what hit me either!

trying to balance my love for maui and being okay with leaving and my excitement for the european adventures that lie ahead. i know much more about what i'm leaving than where i'm going at this point! i have been to the thrift store for warm clothing and will be able to send my winter clothing from va. i am going to be in major climate shock! my body is pretty used to 85 degrees all of the time. i'm most definately going to miss the weather here in paradise. and the people. such great people.

i'm going to write a separate post of all of the things i love about maui.

aloha. suz

aloha saturday

2008-07-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

jill and i are just in from an early kayaking trip courtesy of phil the super tour guide. i didn't get phil's message that he had space on his kayak tour until 6 am this morning, and we had to be there at 7 am. we RALLIED and made it there on time. we saw several turtles and fish, a few rays, and i held a sea urchin in my hand. hope to get the pic of that from phil took to post it here. jill is slightly sunburnt today after several hours on the beach yesterday in lahaina and a paddle boarding trip the day before. there hasn't been much time for couch surfing around here lately.

my maui classroom is packed up and on my lanai in large plastic containers awaiting shipment. i have emailed my new principal in stuttgart and am waiting for her reply. here is the website for my new school http://www.rbar-es.eu.dodea.edu/.

i am contemplating what to do about my car and my place here. the car can go with me or i can sell it and buy a newer one in va to take with me. my ohana- apartment- is super sweet, but so far i haven't found anyone that i know that can take it. just posted it on craigslist which i didn't want to have to do, but my options are limited. just need to get coverage for aug and sept. my landlords are back in october and are working with me on covering my lease. if i know you and you want to visit maui in august, there is a possibility that it will be open for the month. i will not charge you too much, but want help covering my rent.

more to come later...

;0 suz

Germany...

2008-06-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

aloha everyone,

i have accepted a teaching position in stuttgart, germany.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuttgart#City_districts

i will be leaving maui at the end of july and plan a visit/packing trip to va on the way to germany. i accepted the job on 6/28 and my landlords were leaving the next day for 2 months in australia, so the timing made things interesting. i was not supposed to be notified about whether the job was mine or not until 7/1 which would have made things much more difficult to arrange with them. anyway, they have agreed to let me sublet it, so i am busy trying to make that happen. running all over preparing everything for the big move to the other side of the world- i think it's 10,000 miles from where i sit right now.

my dad was nice enough to inform me that they don't have beaches in germany. while i was aware of that sad fact, he brings up a good point. i'm leaving my lovely maui for cold weather. what am i thinking//// well, for starters, teaching overseas with the department of defense has been a goal of mine for years. i will be teaching preschool special ed. on an american army base in central germany, and report to work on august 20. hoping to use mass transit primarily as i have been told that traffic is a nightmare in stuttgart and i'm a little scared of the autobahn at this point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuttgart_S-Bahn

my little sister- jill- will be arriving on maui tomorrow and leaves 7/22. great timing, and not pre-arranged. her trip will be now be super sweet for both of us. i plan to follow her to va not long after she leaves. still waiting on confirmation on a few things before booking that flight.

i have found out that i am able to have a 'split shipment'of my things, which means that they will ship my stuff from hi and from va. i am excited about this b/c i have several things that i didn't pay to ship here that i will now have in stuttgart. i put my notice in at work today and called the parents of my students. the second was the harder to do by far. i packed up most of my things from my classroom today and will finish that in the morning.

i am entitled to 90 days of temporary housing in a hotel while i find housing. my shipped belongings will be held until i have permanent housing. this is in stark contrast to my move to maui 3 years ago when it was all on me. my housing and utlities will be payed for the duration of the 2 year contract which i am seriously looking forward to - especially after paying most of paycheck in rent and food here on maui.

a point of contention right now is my sweet jack. i just don't think it's fair to him to put him through the move. 25 hours under an airplane is just brutal. he didn't eat for 2 weeks when i moved him here and i swore i'd never put him through that again. i am considering options regarding him staying here. i cannot wrap my brain around leaving him right now, but i am trying to put his needs ahead of mine.

i will try to update this a little more often- haven't written since April i just noticed. always love to hear from friends and family and of course love to have them visit. consider a trip to Germany anytime after September if you please.

much aloha, susie

The last of the whales, pics from all of my company...

2008-04-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

Aloha! It's been a while since I've written! I have finally downloaded pics from all of the company that I've had since January, so here are a few of my favorites. I love having the people I care about the most come to visit me! However, it has been nice having my place all to my self for the past several weeks. First came Ashley and Bennett in January. Then Kurt came for several weeks to work and stayed with me most of the time. After Kurt left, I had a week to recooperate and then Aimee came for a very busy, fun week. A week later, my mom arrived and was here for 3 weeks. My mom is an pro at visiting maui at this point! She helped me improve my living space (like she always does!), and after trips to the thrift store, garage sale, and every kmart like store on the island, i have so many home improvements! she even left projects for me to do that we didn't get to, but i haven't touched them yet (sorry, mom!). she is such a worker bee! anyway, now i am typing to you with my laptop on my nice oak desk, sitting on a new chair from the thrift store, and i have more plants than the four seasons maui (they are all still alive at press time). anyway, i have been off island all weekend visiting some friends, charlie and Jim, and it was a nice "get away." I met up with an old high school friend (Brent) while we were there (honolulu) who i haven't seen since 1991. Brent and I each got "most talkative" as our senior superlatives. Needless to say, no one could keep up with us at lunch yesterday!! We got to see Jack Johnson and friends play at Jack's earth day festival on Saturday (The Kokua Fest). It was a great experience! Anyway, I hope you are doing well in your corner of the world.

:) Peace. Susie

spring cleaning, spring break

2008-03-26T00:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

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

Watchin fireworks in my hammock

2008-02-14T00:10:00.000-08:00

I just had to post that I just finished watching fireworks that one of the big hotel puts on from the comfort of my hammock on my lanai. How cool is that? Well, Jack didn't appreciate it, but I did!!

Super tired after long day and work and nanny job this evening. Looking forward to the long weekend! Also looking forward to Aimee coming to visit on the 23rd. After Aimee leaves, my mom gets here!! I am loving it.

Aloha from the valley isle...

Feb 2

2008-02-03T00:32:00.000-08:00

Hi! It's been tooo long! Just in from ping pong at the Peitscher's. Kurt is visiting from Michigan until the 8th. Planning a birthday party for myself and two friends who share my birthday for next Saturday, the 9th. Looking forward to it! I hope the weather improves soon. It's been overcast, raining, and windy on and off all week! I know you mainlanders don't want to hear me complain, but I need my sunshine soon or someone might get hurt! Anyway, not much to report... just wanted to write a bit.

Be in touch!

Aloha, Susie

Virginia is for...

2007-12-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

Lovers? I'm enjoying my time with family and friends here in the commonwealth. Been lying pretty low!! I did get to play tennis indoors with my mom the other day which felt great. Planning a fondue party with my friend Kimberly for New Year's Eve. Just a small gathering of friends. Leave on Thursday for Miami to watch the Hokies kick butt in the Orange Bowl. Have to admit that I am looking forward to palm trees and balmy weather even though I've only been gone from Maui for a week! I called to check on Jack yesterday (he is boarded in Makawao) and it seems that he is hanging in there. Poor baby had a few hotspots that were healing when I left. We will both enjoy a long walk on the beach when I get back!

I have a steady flow of visitors coming to Maui starting the 9th of January and ending when my mom leaves in the middle of March! I am really looking forward to seeing Ashley and Kurt (friends who used to live on Maui who now live on the mainland, mom of course, and my good friend Aimee who is in school in Michigan and has never been to hawaii! Jill is even making the trip out in June!! I have to admit that I'm most excited about Jill and Aimee b/c they have never been to the rock! We will get in some great hiking, kayaking, and exploring.

Gotta go for now. Much aloha!!

Susie

It's almost winter break!

2007-12-17T21:21:00.000-08:00

Aloha from the Valley Isle. I am getting ready to make the big journey to the east coast this Sunday. :) I have tons of stuff to do before I leave and currently don't feel like doing any of it! I have been under the weather for a week and I am over it!! The low energy part is lingering and I have been sleeping a lot. I am reading Memoirs of a Geisha which is a great book! Jack is going to be boarded while I'm gone, which I'm not thrilled about. I do have a great kennel for him, but I wish he could stay home. It was an option, but it would have been with my ex-boyfriend and I am trying to keep him out of my life!! Anyway, Jack will be fine. I am hoping for a few nanny jobs before I leave so I will have some extra cash. The new car payment will make my funds tighter than ever. I love the car though!

Today is Gavin's 6th birthday. I called and sang him happy birthday and he is having Lisa put a piece of his cake in the freezer for me! Miss those kiddos. Anyway, I have to make it thru 2.5 more days at work and then I'm off for 3 weeks!! WOOHHOOOO!

ALoha, susie

rain, rain, go away...

2007-12-06T08:42:00.000-08:00

it is a mess here in kihei! it's been raining for at least 10 days and yesterday we lost power most of the day. the power is back on now but it's still pouring and school is closed due to flooding, high winds, and power outtages. they dismissed at noon yesterday b/c of the weather. i'm just so glad to have my power back. reading by candlelight was fun for one night, but i've had enough of that for now! jack was a little spooked when i got home from work yesterday, but now is doing fine. sleeping it all away! i'm just hoping he doesn't need to go out anytime soon! well, i long for a sunny beach day as it's been over 2 weeks since i've enjoyed one. looks like it's not going to happen for sometime! :( oh well.

take care! aloha, susie

New car, good company, new student, new nanny gig

2007-11-27T22:17:00.000-08:00

The week of the new stuff. i bought a nice used honda accord, got a new student in my class, started taking a few shifts for a nanny company, and had company all in the last week! the car is AWESOME and such a nice change from my major "Maui Cruiser" I call "Little Red." That car is still running with 167,000 miles on it. The convertible is vandalized and so you can't put the top up, the mirror is broken on one side, the other side has a moped mirror, the paint is peeling, the a/c doesn't work, but other than that it is in perfectly good condition. Hey, I think I just wrote my classifed ad for it! Who wouldn't by that car?! My new student is a sweetheart and is extremely bright. he has an articulation problem (speech clarity) and is extremely shy. A quiet kid who wants to please his teacher? Oh my. I never get students like that!! He's a doll. The nanny gig got off to a rough start as the first job i took was 4 kids ages 9 yrs., 5 yrs., 2 yrs. and 9 months! Besides the parents getting back to the hotel after midnight and tipping me 7.50 on $200.00, (they were gone 8 hrs when it was supposed to be 6 hours)and the fact that the 9 month old was teething and used to breastfeeding, it was SUPER. I was less than pleased! Anyway, the next job was a breeze and tipped really well, so I guess it all works out in the wash. My company was great. They just wanted to lay by the pool at the Grand (super nice hotel they were staying in) and have cocktails, watch college football at the bar and have cocktails, and go to dinner and have cocktails. While it was great to have them, my body is thrilled to catch up on some much needed rest!

Enough about that! I'll be in VA for Christmas! I get in on 12/24 and stay until
1/6. Can't wait to see everyone, especially my babies! Thanks, mom, for the free miles!!

Signing off for now. Be in touch when you can. Miss all of my friends and family on the East coast.

Aloha! Susie :)

Kauai Trip...

2007-10-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

Aloha! I just got back from a weeklong trip to Kauai last night. Got up early to pick up Jack (45 minutes away) and then played tennis for the first time in a few weeks (we pulled off a win!). I will be posting pics soon of our adventures. There aren't as many as i would normally take, but the rainy weather affected that! Anyway, off to catch a catnap. Back to work tomorrow! I hope things are well in your world...

someone stole my slippers!

2007-09-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

aloha,

after 4 days of being stuck inside with a nasty sinus infection, i venture down to the beach with jack for sunset. while i was walking him, someone stole my slippers! i usually don't wear decent slippers to walk jack, but tonight i did. and some chick stole them!! i can't believe it. now how's that for aloha spirit??

i lucked out and got the most awesome exchange for my time share for fall break! it's on the north shore of kauai, another hawaiian island about 45 minutes away by plane. i can't wait! the only other time i've been to kauai it was to hike the kaulalau trial. that was no relaxing, leisurely hike! the place we're staying in has a spa, tennis courts, several pools, and beach access at Hanalei Bay. now, that's what i'm talking about!! not many friends have the week off so the few that are coming will just come for as many days as they can. i have to arrange for jack to be taken care of tomorrow.

i am sad to say that there will be a memorial service this week in NY for my 30 yr old cousin, Ronnie Mayfield. He had been missing for several weeks and they found his body on the bank of a river near where he lived. :( I know his mom is absolutely crushed. I will call her tomorrow. I haven't known quite what to say to her. I still can't believe it. :(

back to work tomorrow. will be playing catch up for a few days i'm sure and hopefully the kids' behavior wasn't affected much by my being out! Happy birthday mom (it was yesterday) and happy early birthday to Kathy Gontarek!
Aloha, Susie

September 8

2007-09-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

Aloha. Haven't posted in awhile... School is in full swing.. I only have 4 students at this time, but that is sure to change soon. Just joined 2 USTA tennis leagues (finishing a mixed league right now) that will start in October. Looking into doing an exchange with one of my timeshare weeks for fall break to another island (9/29-10/6). so far nothing is showing available so if it works out, it'll have to be last minute. Yesterday was Jill's 30th bday!! Old lady! Which makes me an even older lady, of course. The construction continues behind my house (as it has since I moved in over a year ago). I am seriously thinking I may lose my entire view by the time it is complete. They are putting up a retaining wall. I hope that is not the case obviously. Going to lunch with this new guy I met on Sunday. We shall see. I am starting to think that single is just the way for me. I just can't seem to meet the right guy yet. Not sweating it too much b/c it doesn't do any good anyway!

Gavin started Kindergarten this week. I talked to him the other day and asked how kindergarten was. He said "I'm not done with it yet!" Ha ha. That boy is something else for sure!

Off to walk Jacko. Have a great day!

First day back at work

2007-07-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Went back to work after 7 weeks off today! The alarm went off WAY too early. Anyway, I only have 3 students to start off with. A nice way to ease back into the routine. I'm sure there will be several more to come in the next few months. It's super windy out and Jack is freakin' out (as he always does when it gets like this). Finally back on Hawaiian time after my trip to VA and NY. Glad to be back. I enjoyed seeing everyone. It was especially good to spend time with Gavin and Katie. I really love Kimberly. She is such a great friend. It stinks we are so far away from each other most of the time! No plans for the rest of the day right now.. just relaxing... Will walk Jack shortly. Bye for now!!

Going home...

2007-06-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

Just in from a bead class. Learned how to make a silk wrapping necklace. Pretty sweet! I am going to try to make everyone necklaces for Christmas, so put your order in now!! :) Packing and getting organized at home. I leave Monday for almost three weeks for NY and VA. Really looking forward to getting off the "rock" as they call Maui and seeing everyone. Getting Jack straight (he will be boarded half and at home being walked half the time), big mahalo to Nikki and Katie for helping me out so much!!

It's gotten hotter here the past week or so. My convertible top is always down now (thank you very much vandels) so it makes for a warm ride around town in the middle of the day. Probably need to go get a newer car, but I'm being cheap and hoping "ole red" lasts a bit longer. No car payment is the way to go right now!!

Having a picnic in the park on Friday, July 13, in Newport News for any of you who will be around. Trying to avoid driving all over town to see everyone!!

Better get going. Have a ton of things to do. Keep in touch!!

Flo, Maui Film Fest, camping, trip home...

2007-06-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of me and Flo that he just sent me. I love it! (This is the guy that I met in Australia who is in law school in Germany. We share the same birthday and just really hit it off!)

Late night at the Maui Film Fest. Saw a film, La Vie En Rose, about Edith Piaf, a French singer who lived a life of tragedy and died in her forties after a long struggle with drug addiction. Not exactly uplifting, but very touching. I will be thinking about that movie for a long time!

I am able to go to the east coast next month after all. Thanks to my dad and stepmom's miles! :) I am going to NY to see family and then VA. Can't wait to see my neice and nephew.

Been through a ton since I wrote last. Met a guy who I thought was fabulous. In many ways, he is. Anyway, we dated for around a month and both realized it just wasn't going to work. I am still struggling with it a bit because I really like him. I'm trying to have patience with this. I am not that patient. I really got my hopes up with this guy. And it is such a let down that it isn't going to happen. :(

Been off work for a week and lovin' it. I have been getting so much done at my house. Also relaxing a bit at the beach. Something I don't do nearly enough lately. I did get to go camping upcountry last weekend with a big group of friends. Had a great time. Nature always has a way of making things okay. Anyway, I'm off to walk Jack here shortly.

Peace.

2007-05-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

Aloha. Lazy day at home after too many days of running around in a row. The burning candle at both ends has to take a break today! I really want to go to the pool at the Grand Wailea, but I just don't have it in me! Here is the link for my new flickr photo site: http://flickr.com/photos/susieclaire/ . I am in the process of figuring out how to transfer pics from my yahoo photos to flickr.. if you know how, pls. help!

Not sure if I'll be making the trip to VA after school is out after all. I have been going thru some cash lately (Australia) so I'm watching the fares. They are around 900.00 right now! No way am I spending that much. I'll just wait and see if they go down. Maybe I'll be able to get a buddy pass or something from a friend who works for the airlines.

Found my mom the perfect Mother's Day present. She saw these golf Crocs (shoes) when she was here a few months ago, and loved them. They were too expensive, but I found them on sale yesterday and got them for her. I had to tell her about them so I could get the size right! She has just started taking golf lessons and is really getting into it.

Well, that's all for now. Just a month left of school... :) Susie

VT tragedy, new students, tennis champions!!

2007-04-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

A week ago today there was complete mayhem at Va Tech. A crazy student killed 32 people and himself. It still seems unreal. The Hokie community pulled together, as would be expected, and the rest of the world followed suit. Even Ellen Degeneres wore orange and maroon on her show on last Friday, the day that was dedicated "Orange and Maroon Effect Day" to honor those who lost their lives in this tragedy. Some of the students and staff at my school followed my suggestion that we participate by wearing Hokie colors. I took some pics, but as usual haven't downloaded them yet. Will post them later!

I have had two new students start in my class in the past week and needless to say.. our classroom dynamics have changed! Today a little girl with Down Syndrome, Mary, celebrated her 3rd bday and her first day of school. Sweet little girl, involved parents, just really young developmentally. It's like having a new baby in the house. EVERYTHING has to be baby proofed all over the room. I have the greatest E.A. (ed. asst.) who always makes my job so much easier, but we were feelin' the stress today! And, on top of it all, we had a "lockdown" drill today. Do you know how hard it is to keep preschool students with disabilities quiet, in one space, and explain it all to them? All things considered, it went well.

This weekend, my tennis friend Julie and I won the 3.0 Doubles Division of a tennis tournament in Lahiana! I have never won any tennis tourney!! We were in the paper Saturday .. a picture!! Anyway, we played two matches yesterday (with a 30 min. break in between) in the scorching heat and pulled it off! We are sooo thrilled!! :) Pics to be added soon...

Be in touch! :) Suz

Back in Kihei

2007-04-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Things have returned to normal now that I'm back from Australia and my company has gone. These pics were taken while Maggie and Linda were here... I think they enjoyed their stay. I enjoyed having them! Jack was also glad for the extra attention.. thanks again to Linda for all of her morning walks with him. It made it so nice.. especially on school days! I have filed my taxes on time (a feat for anyone who knows my financial style) and I'm trying to be better with my spending. Have been getting a little carried away lately!! I was supposed to go to Oahu next weekend for the Kokua Fest (jack johnson), but I told my friends that I wasn't able to go. I've seen him a ton of times and it would have involved buying ANOTHER plane ticket, getting a walker for Jack, and spending money that I don't need to spend. Now I'm playing in a doubles tourney in Lahaina instead and my friend Jason is coming to visit me from Oahu next weekend. Good times!

My mom has decided to bring her mom to VA to stay with her for a few months. Kudos to mom! It must be difficult for Gramma not being able to be in her own space without someone watching over her. She is lucky to have such great children to help take care of her!

I go to see Gavin and Katie on the webcam last week for the first time in a long time. Katie is soo big! They both have grown. I miss them!! I hear Cindy has her webcam up (it's about time!) so I hope to see that gang soon. Welcome to the new millenium guys!!

Quiet weekend here.. going into "town" in a bit to pick up some things. I enlarged a few photos from my trip to Australia and need to pick them up at Costco. One of them is for my landlords for being so good to me. I hope they turn out nicely. Well, I better get going. Stay in touch!

Cheers,

Susie

The SUNSHINE Coast

2007-03-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Noosa! I am just north of Brisbane on the east coast of Australia now. Staying in a backpacker hostel. Got in last night from the most unbelievable trip to Fraser Island! There were only 3 other people on the tour with me (all German) and we got along great!! Our tour guide, Adam, was a trip and kept things interesting. He is threatening to come visit me in Hawaii.. somehow I am sure he will!! The perched lakes were AMAZING... blue, green, brown. The sand was sugary like the Bahamas or the west coast of Florida. Pics above are of the beach on the island and of me enjoying Eli Creek. We trekked thru the rainforest and 4 wheeled on the beach while we were there. Dingos all around our camp (cottage actually) looking for food. They reminded me of Jack.. I miss him!! I wanted to pet the dingos, but you can't. They can be very agressive when they feel threatened apparently.

I really enjoyed the company of the Germans on the trip. My fav was a young guy named Flo.. who I gave the nickname "Captain Caddy Catwalk, the German shark"! He is in law school and traveling here a bit after an internship outside of Sydney. I have told him that I will ask a tennis friend of mine, Shannon, if she can arrange an internship for him on Maui in August. That would be great. His birthday is the day before mine and he really is a character!

I hiked in the Noosa National Park earlier with two girls from the UK. We will go out later for dinner and drinks. Then I leave tomorrow to fly to Melbourne. Sharon will pick me up at the airport (a houseswapper from Maui) and allow me to stay in her condo with her. Apparently it is right near the train station so that will make navigation easier. I understand it is much smaller and more manageable to navigate than Sydney. I am sooo directionally challenged that I hope it is!! The weather right now is rainy there I hear, so I hope it clears up before I arrive. It is already going to be chilly/cold while I'm there. And you KNOW I'm a wimp now more than ever in regards to the weather.

Well, I better go!! Hugs and kisses to you!! Cheers, Susie :) (pics to be added when I return)

Happy St. Pat's Day to you...

2007-03-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

Although we celebrated it yesterday, today is St. Patrick's Day in the U.S., so have a green beer for me!! I went to a bar called O'Mally's (ironic enough.. same name as a bar in Norfolk, VA)... had a great time, but there was NO green beer!! I met a bunch of people from New Zealand ... will probably meet up with them in Brisbane (Brizzy as they call it) next week as they will be there for work. My room is pretty much smaller than my bathroom in Kihei, and while clean... there is lots of street noise and I woke up at 5 am this morning due to it! :( Today is the 75th anniversary of the Sydney Bridge so there are street parties throughout Sydney.. good music and shopping and food. What else is there? I have found a few gifts (small thankfully).. and one or two things for myself.

Not sure when I'll be moving on to my next place.. may head out Tuesday to Brisbane/Byron's Bay to go to the Croc Hunter's zoo and possibly Fraser Island (an all sand island that everyone raves about). Still don't have a clue about which side of the sidewalk to walk on but I am starting to understand the money better. No bills under $5 dollars makes for some heavy money!! Oh yeah, I learned a chit chat is a biscuit and a dustman is a garbage collector. Very interesting...

Well, I better go!! Will blog as I am able!! :) Love, Susie

Down Under

2007-03-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

G'day mate! I just got into Sydney yesterday very early.. left HI Tuesday night and arrived Thursday morning! Thankfully the trip was only 9 or 10 hours, but with the time change you gain a day and a few hours. I am totally confused with the metric system and all of these people driving on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road! Today I went with my landlords (who I am staying with until tomorrow) on a ferry into Sydney. We found the place where I'll be staying the next few days to make sure it wasn't too seedy of an area. Turns out they did a house swap about a block from there a few years ago. We went thru the botanical gardens (I took a video of a bunch of bats in these huge trees), and then ate lunch together. They went on their way after dropping me at the Sydney Opera House. I took a tour of the opera house where I met a girl named Joyce from Brazil. We ended up spending the whole day wandering the city together and plan to meet up on Sunday. You know how shy I can be! We ended up shopping in a huge market (like a swap meet), going to the Aquarium (really cool) and ate in Darling Harbor. After dinner, we went our separate ways, and I caught a bus, then a ferry, then another bus and then walked a block to here!! I am BEAT. Just wanted to send out an update. Hope to hear from you soon!! Aloha!!

Gabby Reese, Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited...

2007-02-25T23:14:00.000-08:00

Aloha! It's been a while since I've blogged! I am trying to stay awake so I can go pick my mom up at the airport in a few hours. She and Mike have been on Oahu since Tuesday.. they were here for a bit last week and now Mike goes back to VA and mom comes back for a week. Unfortunately I can't take off any time from work to spend more time with her.. I'm using 4 personal days to extend my spring break. Looking forward to my trip to Australia. I leave March 13. My gramma Reynolds is now out of the hospital (she had pneumonia) and is leaving later this week for Florida. She'll stay with my Aunt Yvonne for a few months and hopefully reap the benefits of the warm weather. I hope that it is a positive thing for her and it works out well. Katie (my neice) turned two this weekend. :) She called me Auntie Suz today for the first time. She usually calls me Auntie Shoes which I didn't mind either! I wish I could've been there for her big day. Such a cutie!

My friend, Jim, was in from Oahu this weekend and we had a great time. Yesterday we saw Gabrielle Reese (pro volleyball player) and her kids at the nude beach we went to... No we weren't naked!! It's just where the good waves for boogie boarding were at the time. Thanks Kurt for the donated boogie board. It was put to good use! Also saw an African band, Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited, last night at a place called Casanova's. It was great! Today we hiked a bamboo forrest.. I've done it a few times before. A moderate hike.. the difference today was it was a bit wet so many rocks were quite slippery. There used to be a rope ladder at this one part of the hike that has now been removed.. and replaced with a rope with knots on it. That was the most tricky part of the trip. No major cuts or bruises so I was happy!

Work has been going well. Busy, but good. My students are coming along nicely. It seems we can't get everyone healthy at the same time. I really hope after spring break we can stay well. I've been trying to help two families especially lately. A little girl with a hearing impairment and a little boy who has a cyst resting on his brain stem and is having petite mal seizures. My assistant, Donna, never fails to exceed expectations and rises to the occasion time after time.

Signing off for now. Have a great day!

Hump Day in Kihei

2007-01-24T22:58:00.000-08:00

busy busy at work this week. i have a new student who is very involved and very awesome. he is keeping us on our toes but bringing lots of joy. jack's gaining a little weight (he lost some when i was in va...) so he is lookin' better. tennis is good. played last night and tonight and will play tomorrow night. keeps me out of trouble. looking forward to a visit with mom and mike next month! i will actually first see them in honolulu when they arrive to stay with some friends of theirs. i just happened to be on that island that weekend for the pro bowl. looking forward to a great bday weekend! an old friend from high school that i haven't seen in over 10 years will be there visiting (cory). will stay at jim's sweet pad with heather and julie for the weekend and then a hotel for a training there sunday and monday night. will meet mom and mike with their friends for dinner probably monday night and then they head to maui the next weekend. :) mom will stay for two weeks.

trying to plan my trip to australia. it looks like it will be me going it solo.. a few people said they'd go and have since flaked for one reason or another. well, at least i can do whatever i want when i'm there.. if only i can decide what exactly that is. apparently it is a very solo friendly place to travel. my landlords will be in sydney when i arrive and have offered to pick me up at the airport. not sure if i'll stay with them a few days or in a hostel or cheap hotel. they will only be there for 3 days after i arrive. i know i'll explore some of sydney and now the big decision is where else to go. melbourne? cairns? byron bay? i don't have much time to travel between so i think i should pick one other place besides sydney. i'm doing my homework now. better go catch up on some much needed rest. have a good one!!

adios for now.

A new lease...

2007-01-18T10:10:00.000-08:00

I am going upstairs later today to meet the house swappers from Australia, and to sign a one year lease! I guess that means I'm staying here at least another year!! The only reason I wouldn't is if I got a job offer from the D.O.D.E.A. that I couldn't refuse. I'll worry about that if it happens. My landlords are great so I'm sure they'd work with me. They actually will be in Australia when I arrive in March and have offered to pick me up at the airport and that I could stay with them the last few days they are there if I want. :)

Off to a training today. I hope it is good b/c I hate leaving my class with my new student. My assistant, Donna, is awesome, but I still feel badly.

Mom and Mike get to Hawaii in a few weeks. Looking forward to it.

Bye for now!!

Back on Maui

2007-01-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

I'm back on Maui after a few weeks in VA. It was great to see everyone, but i'm glad to be back for sure. Orlando Bloom was on the last leg of my flight home (L.A.)! I sat next to and chatted with this Texan boy on the plane- he is the one who noticed him first.. Anyway, Jack is just now starting to talk to me after my leaving him in the slammer for 2 weeks. What a painful event when I got the bill for that one!

We walked down to Kam III (beach park) yesterday to meet some friends for sunset. Then earlier today I took him to White Rock (beach just south of my place) b/c there aren't usually many dogs there. I found a cement block and tied his leash to it. Of course it wasn't heavy enough so you can imagine him trying to chase this dog with a big piece of cement trailing behind. What a mess he is, but I love him.

It was so great to spend time with Gavin and Katie. They are so big! Katie has changed so much since I saw here last July. She calls me "shoes" which is pretty appropriate if you know me at all. What a pistol. I will be emailing out a video or two once I get it together. If you haven't gotten it in a reasonable amount of time... email me!! (remember, I'm on island time). Here are my pics: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=tennisuz&aid=576460762383450083&pid=&wtok=ePJ8C.vCVstzOinAnab75w--&ts=1168302880&.src=ph .

I don't have to go back to work until Thursday so that gives me plenty of time to get organized and relax. I will go in Wed. b/c I have a new student starting school on Thursday and I don't have everything ready for him yet. He brings my class size to 5. We are having a great year and I'm sure he'll do well.

Well, I'll sign off for now. I hope you are having a great start to this new year. Keep in touch when you can. Happy New Year!!

U2, Pipeline Masters...

2006-12-11T23:04:00.000-08:00

So you know you look bad when one of your preschool special education students asks you, "What's happened to your hair?" when you get to work!! I came to work from the airport after a super fun weekend. I went to Oahu this weekend to see U2, and ended up getting to see the Pipeline Classic (the best of the world's surfing competitions) on the North Shore yesterday! It was a great time. We stayed in a friend's condo (Jim) in Waikiki which was amazing. The concert really was stellar. I have never been a huge U2 fan, but I've always liked them. I'm really glad I went. I'll post pics when I get them downloaded off of my camera. Looking forward to my trip home 9 days! I can't wait to see Katie and Gavin and of course all of the family. Apparently Gavin is having a birthday party at the bowling alley before I get home, but he says we can go bowling when I get home to celebrate his big day! What a trip. I get in on December 21 and leave on January 5th. I hope to get some good family time and see some good friends. I haven't done all of my Christmas shopping so I'm just g0ing to wait and do the rest in VA.

I need to go to bed after a long, fun weekend.

Me

Katie

2006-11-29T10:09:00.000-08:00


Listen....she says "I dunno" when I ask her where she is... My cute niece....

Christmas music is already on the radio!

2006-11-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

It's only two days after Thanksgiving and they are playing Christmas music on the radio already! Keep in mind there are only 2 half way decent radio stations on the island and one of them was playing Christmas music earlier! I am all about the holidays, but COME ON!!

Ok, now that I got that griping out of the way...

Hoping that Tech continues to play well so we can go see them play in the Chic-Filet Bowl. Time will tell!!

There is a WTA tourney where I play tennis this week. I went to a qualifying match yesterday. Wow! Some serious tennis. Apparently I just missed Phillipousis (sp?) warming up. Hope to see some good tennis tomorrow. Most of the matches are this week while I'm working. Can we say long lunch??

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the fam in a few weeks. Crazy to think that it's almost December. Going to see U2 on Oahu before I go home. That should be a great weekend for sure!

Cheers, Susie

Shark attack!!

2006-11-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

So this morning I get to work and I'm talking to a coworker about our long weekend. He mentions that there were a few south Maui beaches closed yesterday due to a shark attack and wanted to know which ones they were. Well, this was news to me! I was swimming in the ocean yesterday at Keawekapu beach right down from my house!! This was apparently one of the beaches that was supposed to be closed. Scary! Read about it below... the actual attack happened about 2 miles from where I was yesterday.

http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=25105

On a lighter note, I went snorkeling at this place called The Fishbowl Friday on my day off. It was really something. We hiked 30 minutes through a lava field to get to a nicely protected little cove. There were more varieties of fish than I'd seen here in one spot. It was great! Come visit me so I can take you here...

My lunch is almost over, so I better go. Hope you are having a happy Monday!!

Cheers,

Susie

My debut as a producer...

2006-11-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

Hi!! Haven't bloggered in a while...

My Halloween Movie
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3177438292928446975

Thought I'd post this here so you can check out my first attempt at movie making with my new camera!! Hope you enjoy!!

Aloha, Susie

PS. Go Hokies later today!!

Earthquake on the Hawaiian Islands!!

2006-10-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

A week of exciting weather here on Maui! Our weather is usually pretty boring... highs in the 80's/lows in the 60's. Well, not this week! Sunday, October 15, I was awakened by a rumbling sound and the whole house shaking. I live in the back of a large house and my place is on stilts. The shaking was quite violent and the sound just as alarming. Jack was as freaked out as I was! This shaking lasted approximately 20-30 seconds, but seemed like a lifetime. Our power was immediately knocked out which made it difficult to find out what was exactly going on or what to expect next. I called my mom who did some research online. It took several minutes before she was able to get any information. There was one radio station on the air in all of Hawaii during this time, an a.m. station on Oahu. Thankfully my beach radio is battery powered! It turns out the actual quake originated about 9 miles off of the west coast of Hawai'i. Maui is the first island north of Hawai'i, and I live on the south western coast of Maui. Our power was restored several hours later and my fears were calmed after many reports assuring that there would be no tsunami! I have never experienced an earthquake before. My first thoughts were to go into my bathroom because that's what you do in VA if there is a hurricane. Thankfully it didn't matter because there was no structural damage to the house. Now I know to go outside away from the house or at the very least to stand in a doorway. It seems kind of obvious now, but at the time it was like, "what is happening?!"

We had a ton of rain this week and now they are warning of flash floods thru Sunday. My poor baby car is so soggy. My back window doesn't close on my convertible, so it's hard to keep the rain out. I haven't gotten it fixed b/c it rarely rains here. (For real, Hagen!) Actually, on the topic of my car.. someone tried to steal it a few weeks ago!! I had to have it towed to a garage and they removed whatever object was broken off in the keyhole of my ignition. Thankfully they didn't steal it or do too much damage!! I live in one of the safest areas on Maui!

Here are a few sites with info about the earthquakes here in Hawaii. All of the major damage is on the island of Hawai'i (the Big Island) so I am lucky to be on Maui! Thanks for all of your concern about my well being. Aloha!

http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=24387

http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news/10091734/detail.html

http://us.cnn.com/2006/US/10/16/hawaii.quake/index.html

The Na Pali Coast- The Kalalau Trail

2006-10-04T23:53:00.000-07:00

Flew to Kauai last Friday with a group of friends. Had been planning our big hike on the Kalalau Trail for a few weeks. The trail is on the north shore of Kauai and is famous for its rugged terrain and it's length (11 miles each way). These are not 11 flat miles, that's for sure! Here is a website I found about the trail if you want to check it out: http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dsp/NaPali/na_pali.htm

We arrived in Lihue early in the evening, and checked into the cottage in Kapa'a that we reserved from a posting on craig's list. Cute cottage surrounded by lush rainforest. All of us commented on how much more green Kauai was compared to parts of Maui. Very beautiful all over the island.

We got a late start Saturday a.m. due to a few beers the night before and a few last minute purchases. We really didn't know what we were up against at that point or we would have gone to bed early and started at sunrise. We really goofed by not starting the trail until 10 am! We hiked 8 hours (including about 45 minutes exploring on the first beach we came to 2 miles in). We calculated that we were only moving about a mile an hour due to having to climb and follow continuous switchbacks on narrow trials. Our packs were heavier than they should have been even though we were all careful to pack as lightly as possible. You just have no idea how tough this hike is until you complete it!

We camped out about 8 miles in, and finished the trail Sunday morning. There was a super scary section around the 9 1/2 mile mark that really challenged us psychologically and physically. You had to watch your step on a very narrow trail on a ledge that seemed to go on forever! We finally arrived at our destination at the Kaulalau beach and set up camp. We relaxed for a bit, checked out the scenery which included a really nice waterfall to shower in. We needed it badly!

We hiked a 2 miles to some pools through a beautiful forrest because the 11 miles in weren't enough of a challenge (yeah, right). It was nice even though the water was really cold!!

The next morning a few of us boated out (a new experience with views we wouldn't have seen otherwise) and a few of us hiked out. We took a bunch of weight out of our friends backpacks so that the hike out was much easier.

Dan and I drove around Kauai a bit after we got to shore. I was so looking forward to a fresh bottle of water!! (we had to put iodine pills in the water we drank from the streams on the trail and it was yucky). We check out a lighthouse and bird sanctuary.. the link to this place is:
http://www.hawaiiweb.com/Kauai/html/sites/kilauea_lighthouse.html . I will post pictures soon but just wanted to go ahead and post this since it's been 2 weeks already!! Aloha. :) Susie

Going to Kauai in one week!!

2006-09-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

Hi!! Hope this post finds you happy and well. I am lying low this Saturday evening in south Maui. Went hiking at Poli Poli park today with some girl friends. Just a light hike with my new hiking shoes on and my full backpack. A test run to prepare for our big hike on the Na Pali coast on Kauai next week!! Check it out at this site: http://www.hawaiiweb.com/kauai/html/sites/na_pali_coast.html

I have been to Poli Poli one other time (when I first moved here). The temp is cool and it is so majestic to walk with your head literally in the clouds. I will post pics soon. Got a new digital camera, so hope they turned out great!

We leave next Friday for our 4 day excursion on Kauai (another outer island). A group of 5-6 of us are going. I only know one girl well who is going and the rest are guys I've met once or twice. Should be an adventure. We are going to either hike in (11 miles one way) and camp or have one of the guys friends drop us off where we wanna camp (by boat) and then hike out the 11 miles. The latter is my vote as 22 miles over 3 days sounds hard core!! I am not a big hiker, but hopefully it will not be to crazy!! I will be taking tons of pics b/c I hear it is absolutely beautiful.

Better sign off for now. Keep in touch when you can!!

Aloha, Susie

Happy Bday Mom, Car is sold...

2006-09-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

Aloha,

It's Sunday afternoon.. just in from Big Beach. Just a low key day.. beautiful weather as usual. Not to say I am taking that for granted.. it is easy to get used to. Trying to plan for my travel over the holidays and start thinking about whether I'll stay another year or not. Part of me wonders how I'll ever leave and another part of me misses certain things you take for granted on the mainland.

Mom's bday was Friday and she got my package on her actual bday!! Sorry, Jill, for yours being late!!

Dad sold my Honda today!! :) That was quick!! Thanks, Dad. I will make it to the bank to put that money in some kind of IRA or something this week.

Here is a pic from our camping night a few weekends ago. It's Maria, Me, Crystal, and Anthony at White Rock in Wailea. Not too much sleep was had that night.

At the end of the month I have a week off. A few girls are planning a hiking trip on Kaui and I'm thinking about going. I've never been there and it is supposed to be awesome. We'll see.. I just went to Oahu last weekend, so I probably shouldn't!

Talked to Tippy and Aimee earlier. It's crazy how little I talk to some of my mainland friends!! If this applies to you, email or call and let me know what you are up to!

Signing off for now. Cheers!

Fire in Maalea

2006-09-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

A brush fire that started yesterday morning in Maalea (about 20 min north of me) has now burned approx. 2000 acres of land. It is still not under control. We could see it last night from my house...I wish I could have gotten a good picture of it b/c it was pretty amazing to see. Scary! Here is a link about it:

http://starbulletin.com/2006/09/02/news/story02.html

Can't find the Hokie game on t.v. Mom and Mike are there. Found the score and it looks like a blowout.

We were supposed to camp near where the fire is, so now we have to change our plans. Hope we still go. Planning a trip to Oahu next weekend. The flights are really cheap.

My Aunt Myrna has invited me to join her on a trip to South Africa. If I can pull it off, that would be so awesome!! Still trying to look into what it would cost, etc.

Have a good one!!

Aloha, Susie

ANDRE!!!

2006-09-01T00:09:00.000-07:00

Yeah Andre!! I am so happy that he pulled it off. Twice this week he has cut it pretty close, but he did it. Can't wait to see him in round 3!!

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/reports/2006-08-31/200608311157091634156.html

Looking forward to my 3 day weekend. We are going surfing Sat. morning, camping at the beach Sat. night, and otherwise relaxing. Probably play tennis on Sunday.

Even if you are not a tennis fan, you might wanna try to catch Agassi playing Benjamin Becker in the 3rd round. It may be his last match ever!!

Happy Aloha Friday to you!!

Bamboo Boogie

2006-08-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

A guy I met on my ride home from VA, Mike, came to visit this weekend from Oahu. We went hiking at the bamboo forest with my friends Arien and Maria. It was fun! There were 3 waterfalls along the hike, and to get to the last one you had to swim down this little river. No major cuts or bruises for me thankfully! I actually jumped off a 20 ft. ledge by a waterfall, which is pretty brave for me! There were people jumping off of questionable areas, but I played it pretty safe. Almost chickened out, but had to go for it. Everyone else was doing it!! Maria actually fell the next day on a different hike and is a little banged up. Thankfully nothing serious, but some major cuts and bruises. Oweee!

We went to see Katch a Fire, a reggae band from New Zealand, Sat. night. That was fun. Saw a bunch of people from Tuesday night volleyball there.

Planning a trip surfing in Lahaina for Sat. am with my tennis buddy Christine. I don’t go enough to get any better yet, but I did ride a wave in all the way to shore last time all by myself!! Progress.

Work is good. I just do my thing in my room and try to ignore the incompetence outside of my room. My assistant is AWESOME and my kids are really high functioning. I do have a new student on the way, so this may change soon!

Signing off for now. Aloha to you.

Susie

A positive post!

2006-08-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I haven't been posting much positive stuff with everything that has been going on!! I am excited to report that my job is going well, Jack is good, and I have a cute friend coming to stay with me this weekend from Oahu. :) We are going to a reggae show Sat. night.. can't wait!

Played tennis tonight with Kurt (he leaves tomorrow to move back to Michigan) and some other friends. It was entertaining to say the least (the guys insisted on playing me and my partner, Christine and got beaten BADLY!!).

Well, just wanted to be sure I reported some really good things for a change!! Have a good one!

Jack's Scary Episode...

2006-08-12T01:58:00.000-07:00

I had a scare tonight with Jack. We went for our evening walk around 7 pm. He was fine. When we returned, he was sleeping on the floor at the end of my bed. He tried to get up and walk towards me, but was unable to stand up. He crawled awkwardly toward me, shaking and drooling. I got him outside in case he got sick, and every time he tried to stand and walk, he staggered and fell. He lied on me for a few minutes, still shaking. It was super scary. I called the vet and he agreed to meet me & Jack at his office.

Jack walked to the car pretty much with ease. He staggered a little in the car. When we got to the vet's office (Dr. Dressler), he seemed to have improved dramatically. The doc and nurse did an exam and took blood and feces. They asked me a bunch of questions. They wanted to be sure Jack didn't get a hold of a toad-- they are poisonous here. I told them I didn't think there was any way he had. They ruled that out based on the fact that he wasn't ruling excessively and continuously. One of the questions ended up linking an odd behavior to what may have happened. Two days ago, Jack peed on his bed. He NEVER pees in the house, and especially not where he sleeps. I just thought it was wierd and forgot about it. Now the Dr. thinks that since he experienced loss of bladder control a few days ago and then he had this weird episode tonight, Jack is having seizures (two this week?). I told him that Jack had gotten into some bad chicken a few days ago and asked if any of this could be related to that. He said that the tests would help to rule out the seizures if the problem was with a parasite, or with the kidneys, liver, etc.

Dr. D. just called and is convinced this is all due to seizure activity. I hope he is wrong, but fear he is right. The bed wetting I think happened before Jack got into the chicken if I remember correctly. Now he wants me to get up with him every 3 hrs. tonight just to be sure he's okay, which of course I will do. The idea that Jack is having seizures and just having to see him so helpless earlier really is hard to deal with.

Keep your fingers crossed that this was all just some wierd aberration. I am hoping he is fine.

Good nite.

Susie

Kurt's leavin', getting settled at work....sick already...

2006-08-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hi. I write tonight with a head cold (sinus infection?)... Fun, fun. Only been back to work one week and already a head cold! Damn that was quick. These Hawaiian germs are different than the ones in VA!!

It seems that the numbers worked out at work and I'll be staying put. Thankfully, the worst case scenario was avoided. My kids are manageable and fun, my room is coming together quiet nicely (very well stocked with new materials), and having a/c is great. Sometimes it's a little chilly, but nothing a sweatshirt can't handle!!

I'm having a some people over Saturday evening.. pupu's (appetizers) and drinks on the lanai. Should be fun. I invited the couple upstairs from Austria, but they said they are nursing colds and will let me know. I feel the same as they do, so I hope I get better quick! I plan to go to the doctor tomorrow if I don't feel substantially better anyway. I can always reschedule if I have to.

My friend, Kurt, is moving back to Michigan next week. :( He is one of my good buddies here and is about the 5th friend who has left since May! This is such a transient island.. it makes it tough when you get to know someone and then off they go. I know we will keep in touch, but it won't be the same here without him. I know he'll be happier in Michigan so I want him to go.

My Great Aunt Stella's memorial service was yesterday. I haven't heard about it yet, I'll call my gramma this weekend. I know it is really a difficult time for her especially. Stella was an incredible woman. Very positive, upbeat, kind, and fun. She and my grampa were really neat people.

Have a great day!!

Susie

Easy like Sunday Morning..

2006-08-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

Aloha. I am lounging around today with a sore throat and low energy. BUMMER! My great aunt, Stella, passed away yesterday. She was 89 years old and such an amazing woman. I got to see her when I was visiting NY last month, so I'm thankful for that. Poor Jack wants to go for a long walk and right now I just don't have it in me! Maybe later today!!

The family staying upstairs (from Luxomberg) leaves today. The family from Austria arrived last night. I hope to get to know this new family as well as the last.

Things look good for my job situation. The principal at my school told me Friday that she is confident that our numbers are good. That's a relief!!

Bye for now!

No definite answers yet...

2006-08-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

The following is an email I wrote to Kathy Gontarek (Scott's mom) which sums up the latest with my job situation...

Kathy,
Thanks very much for your concern and your email. I really have been going thru a time with this non-sense. The DOE here is so messed up, I just never experienced it until now. It looks like my current position will be secure, but not guarantees until the 9th when the student counts are reported. Based on the numbers today, if one new kid can get registered by that time (ie. their parents get their TB tests, etc), and one of my enrolled students show (he's been out all week b/c his mom just had a baby) than it's okay. I hate that my stability is relying on so many factors out of my control. Thankfully, the early intervention job I was offered is still available and most likely mine if I want it. The only reason I don't just say to hell with it and take that job is that the current one is closer to my house, requires no daily travel (the other requires homevisits), and my time off is much better. My poor mother has gotten so many frantic phone calls from me in the past week, it's ridiculous. Argh!!

Enough about me, how was the cabin? I am sure it was great! I know that is a special place for you all.

Everything else has been going well since I've been back... there is a family from Luxomburg (sp?) staying in the upstairs of the house where I live. They invited me to dinner Monday night and it was great! they are very colorful, kind, well traveled people.They have extended an invitation for me to visit them anytime. I'm telling you, this house swap thing is where it's at! They leave Sunday and a new family from Austria is coming in. Hopefully I will get the opportunity to spend some time with them as well.
Have a great day and thanks for keeping in touch!!

Aloha, Susie

Are you kidding me?

2006-07-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

So, today was the first day of school for students. I have 3 kiddos (2 who showed up today 1 starts next week) and they did well. HERE is the latest job related problem... There is a possibility that a Spec. Ed. position may be cut from this school based on low numbers. WHAT?!?! I overheard this and went to the proper person at the school and district levels. They are both supposed to get back to me ASAP with what this means to me exactly. Many factors involved, but I am NOT going thru this again. I hope the other position (outside of the DOE) is open, b/c if I don't have it in WRITING on letterhead by Friday that my position is secure, I'm out. I can't believe this. I heard about how screwed up the DOE is here, but are you kidding me? I have a master's degree and several years of experience in my field and I am pond scum b/c i am not tenured in this state??? I am trying not to flip my lid. Please send me an email saying something nice, b/c i need it right now. Thanks.

Susie

For Cindy

2006-07-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

A pic of the adorable Ryan.. he was left out of the pics i posted from my trip home. Oops! anyway, i am just in from a long morning walk with jack. they keep getting longer and he insists on going on the beach now. not that i am complaining, but it just extends our long walk!! he seems to be doing much better now that i am home.

just checked out www.racerap.com to see how my dad did racing last night.. haven't talked to him yet. he finished 10th. i'm sure he had fun!! it was so good getting to see him do what he loves when i was home.

i have a tennis match at noon and that's all i have planned for the day.. the students come to school tomorrow so i'll need a good night's sleep!! aloha, susie

New job...

2006-07-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Aloha. I have struggled with my job situation and finally decided to take a preschool sped. position at Kamalii El. in Kihei. Originally this position was not offered to me. It is the same school that offered me a 2nd grade resource teacher job. The VP talked the prek teacher to switch with me (literally 30 minutes before I was supposed to make my decision on Monday). It threw me for a loop b/c I was basically going to take the early intervention job. ANYWAY, I have not heard from the DODEA (Japan job) yet, so I am content with what I have. This new school is closer to my house (3 instead of 6 miles!), is air conditioned (thank God!) and I have my own room. My co-teacher from last year was kind enough to help me move my stuff to my new classroom yesterday (our first day back). I had volleyball last night. I enjoyed seeing all of the people, but my game has not miraculously improved over the summer unfortunately.

Thank you for your support and suggestions in this short but stressful time since I've been back.

Sincerely, Susie

East Coast Pics

2006-07-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my family and friends on the east coast (and one shot from here...) ! Had a great trip home and I'm getting more organized in my new place here on Maui. Wanted to post a positive blog the crazy news I posted about the other day. Thanks so much for the emails of encouragement regarding my job situation. Enjoy the pics!

Life has thrown me a curveball!!

2006-07-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

Aloha to you. I just arrived back on the island this past Wednesday. On my way home from VA, I got a voicemail from a principal of an elementary school in Japan (through the Dept. of Defense). He wanted to talk to me about a position teaching preschool Spec. Ed. on an American base outside of Tokyo. I called him back from Maui and told him I'd be in touch but that things didn't look so good b/c I start work here next Tuesday. Well.. then the next day I am informed that the position I had last year was going to to be taken by a tenured teacher. WHAT?!? Long story as short as possible, I now will probably accept a position as a resource Sped. teacher for 2nd graders at an elem. school nearby. I have to decide by tomorrow afternoon. Meanwhile, I am waiting to get word about an interview with the D.O.D. about the opportunity in Japan. I have no idea what the next few weeks might bring!!

I will keep the latest posted here. I may only be changing schools and grade levels, or I may be accepting a position in Tokyo and moving 12 more hours from VA. Keep your fingers crossed that the best thing works out for me!! The Japan job pays about twice what I am making now, pays my housing and bills, pays for the move completely, and is the opportunity of a lifetime. I LOVE Maui and I loved my job, but we shall see what the future holds.

Will be posting soon... Susie :)

End of my east coast visit...

2006-07-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day of my month long visit to the east coast. I fly back to Hawaii early Tuesday morning from Norfolk. It's a bittersweet departure. My niece and nephew are so great and it will be the hardest leaving them. I have really had fun and have seen so many people on this trip. I'm exhausted! Jack has been boarded since last Thursday, so I'm sure he won't be speaking to me upon my picking him up. I am glad that it only had to be for a week.

Tomorrow I'll tie up some loose ends. Paying off the Honda and need to decide whether to sell it or park it at my mom's. Will pick up the kids after lunch and spend the afternoon/evening with them and my mom. Katie has really grown since I saw her in December and is really something else. Gavin, well, he just gets smarter every time I see him! He has decided now (at 4 and 1/2) that he is going to be an archeologist. (Not a paleontologist as Cindy thought).

Bonnaroo was great fun (dirty, but good times), the outer banks weather could have been better, but it was good to be with family (well, most of the time!), it was nice catching up with extended family in New York, and of course seeing family and friends in VA. Got to see my dad race last night.. he finished 4th. It rained before his race so I was really worried I wouldn't get to see him race at all, but thankfully it was just a quick shower. I'll post my favorite pics upon my return to Maui.

I will arrange and organize my new place when I get back, and start preparing myself for work. It will be tough getting up to an alarm clock! Also, the gym is calling my name. I know I've gained a few pounds on this extended trip. Mom's cooking is just too yummy!

Well, better get going. Thanks for the hospitality, the bed to sleep on, and the tasty meals. I'm sure if you are reading this, I probably need to thank you for one or all of the above!!

Much aloha,

Susie :)

Post Bonnaroo, Pre-Outer Banks...

2006-06-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Newport Blues. I'm at my good friend Jamie's house after a late night out. Got to see a bunch of friends last night... it was a great time. Still recovering from the phenomenon they call Bonnaroo.. what an adventure that was! I just have to recap some of that experience...
Thursday afternoon I arrive in Nashville carrying my sleeping bag, pillow, and large duffel bag. Turns out the friends I was meeting (who were driving in) were way behind schedule and therefore not arriving at the festival for 6 or so hours after me. What was I supposed to do with all of my stuff in the middle of a farm in rural Tennessee for that long? Well, luckily, I met some guys from Richmond who gave me beers and food and let me hang out with them at their campsite for the duration! They were great people and whenever I download my pics I have to get some of them to them. Camped in my friend Kurt's tent for 4 days.. not too bad except you HAD to get up at 7 am b/c of the heat and then there were no showers to be had. Well, you could pay $10 for a shower, but that didn't seem worth it to me since I would have been filthy again within hours. I didn't have a real shower from Thursday am to Monday pm. I was pretty nasty! Now for the music... Stevie Nicks joined Tom Petty for several songs which was a treat. Bonnie Raitt put on a fabulous show. Elvis Costello, Damien Marley, Radiohead, and Donavan Frankenreiter put on great sets as well. But my favorite was Beck!! He really put on a theatrical extravaganza.

Bonnaroo

2006-06-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

Let the fun begin! I am having Lisa's bday thingy this evening and then leave for Bonnaroo in the morning. It looks like it is not supposed to rain this weekend in Manchester, TN, so that is a good thing. I am not the biggest camper in the world but I am going to try to be a trooper. I have to pack!! My body is just about on east coast time. I never adjust as quickly as I would like.

Got to see Gavin and Katie a bunch since I've been home. They are sooo big! I will post pics of us in the Outer Banks after we go next week.

May your days be sunny and your nights be restful. I have to get going on my preparations!!

Happy early Father's Day.

Aloha, Susie :)

And now the latest from Kihei..

2006-06-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

A cow fell off of a cliff at nearby Hookipa beach yesterday! There are these herds of cattle that graze on this cliff with a really scenic view of the popular windsurfing beach called Hookipa (about 30 minutes from here). Yesterday, a friend from work told me that one of the cows fell off the cliff, therefore closing the beach. Why? Because the sharks were having a feeding frenzy. Scary! How random is that? All I kept thinking was that the cow that was standing next to the one that fell was probably like, "He was just here.. where'd he go?" Crazy, huh?!

I took off today to clean my old place and unpack a little at my new place. Jack has settled down after a rough time last night. I left him on the deck while I went to the grocery store (that is what I agreed to do when I leave the house) and while I was there my new landlord called. Apparently Jack had been incessantly barking and the neighbors had called to complain. Great first impression on our first night here! I am now paranoid that when I go to work tomorrow he might do it again. The only thing I can come up with is that he was freaked out in a new place and just barked for attention. He usually doesn't bark unless it's AT something and even then it's usually pretty short lived. I am hoping this won't happen again. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

One more week of school! I have lots of work to do here and at work, and then I leave on the 10th for VA. Will get to celebrate Lisa's birthday the day before her actual bday by going to see Kevin and Randy play at the Yorktown Pub. Then I'm off to Tennessee on the 15th for Bonnaroo. I hope I haven't gotten in over my head on that whole venture.

Well, it's back to my boxes. I have to sit on the lanai to check my email b/c my modem doesn't pick up a signal inside. Oh well. At least it works outside!

Aloha to you, Susie :)

I am moving!

2006-05-22T01:09:00.000-07:00

I got the new place!! Yipeee!! I am soooo excited! I am going tomorrow to meet with my new landlords to sign/go over the lease. I will post pics as soon as I can. Now you have to come visit me for sure!! What an improvement in location, size, view, and I don't have to get a roommate!! I am soo happy. Now I just have to work out the details with my current landlords and my new roommate. They are selling the place, but said they wouldn't close until august when he leaves. I can't wait to get things all straightened out. They want me in the new place June 1, and I leave for VA June 10. I'll probably have stuff in both places until I get back. My new landlords leave in July for a house swap in Australia, and the people from Australia will be staying in the main house upstairs from where I'll be living. (The ohana is underneath the main house with the same view and lanai as the upstairs!) Nice neighborhood, near a fenced in dog park (of course I have to go when no dogs are there!) and very close to the beaches I like the most. I'll be able to ride my bike (I can't really right now), I won't be apartment living (no barking dog downstairs all the time), and Jack will have plenty of space to roam on the lanai (deck).

Tonight we went to Little Beach. A nude beach during the day, but on Sunday nights they have this drum circle/fire dancing thing where most of the people are clothed (a good thing!) This is only the 2nd time I've gone and it was really cool. I didn't like the fact that they had some small children twirling baton with fire on the ends, but I guess they have practiced a lot. It just made me nervous.

Gotta go finish my book and crash out. Happy Monday to you!

Cross your fingers

2006-05-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

I am REALLY hoping that I get this new place that I'm going to look at tomorrow morning. I'm trying not to get my hopes up b/c I'm not sure if they are going to allow a pet, but it's hard not to. The place is 800 sq. ft., one bedroom, has a 500 sq. ft. lanai (deck), has an OCEAN VIEW, and is ridiculously cheaper than any other place with it's attributes! I play tennis with the woman who owns it, and she is discussing the possibility of a pet with her husband. They just had 10 yr. renters move out (I assume they didn't have a dog). PLEASE let this work out! I'm working with my current land lord to make arrangements for my roommate to stay here if I get it. I REALLY HOPE I GET THIS PLACE!!

I'm reading The Secret Life of Bees. I am really enjoying it! Playing tennis tomorrow and Sunday (doubles and then singles). Going out with Paulette Kundis tomorrow night (my high school friend, Jason's, wife who is from here and visiting her parents this week). I'll be home in three weeks. I can't wait to see everyone!

Ciao for now!

Happy Mother's Day!

2006-05-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies. I got to talk to my mom and my stepmom today, but it would have been nice to have seen them! Oh well, in a few weeks I'll be home and I can hug them then.

I had a big singles match today in Wailea. It was such a great match.. I ended up losing in the 3rd set tie breaker which was a bummer, but I was happy with how I played. I wanted to win!!

This weekend was super lowkey. I needed it. I broke down and bought a stereo for my miata.. the cheapest one I could find at walmart- $55.00! My stereo kept dying and the old 'bang it with a screw driver' trick just stopped working. Now I have to figure out how to put it in.

Katie was so cute on the webcam today. She kept waving at me and showed off by dancing for me too. Apparently she takes after her Auntie Susie and loves music. Smart girl.

Tom, a new 3 month renter, moves in tomorrow and my current roomate, Kristine is mvoing back to California. Her contract is up at the nursing home where she works. Tom ironically lived here when he was younger and went to the elementary school where I teach. He will be a senior at Virginia Tech next year (Mike is elated) and is here doing an internship at the Research and Tech center for Haleakala (http://www.nps.gov/hale/). His dad used to be the head of the observatory there and his mom is a writer who runs the Writer's Conference in Wailea every year. I really would love to go to that conference so maybe we can pull some strings!! Most importantly, he LOVES dogs and is going to watch Jack (with enthusiasm) while I am on vacation on the mainland!! That makes me so happy to know that he will be very well taken care of. :)

I better go get my stuff ready for the morning. Hope all is well in your world. I am planning to get together with Jason Kundis's (high school friend) wife and kids this week. My co-teacher graduated high school with her (ironically) so we are all getting together.
Have a great week! Aloha, Susie

Monk seal in Kihei!

2006-05-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

(Me, Matt, and Ashley - two friends who are moving off island next month!)
I was walking on the beach road yesterday with some girls and we stopped to talk to a lifeguard that one of them knew, and he told us there was a monk seal on the beach resting. We checked it out.. it was cool! He was just hanging out basking in the sun!! Apparently they do that every now and then, but I had never seen one do it.

Making my plans for my trip to the Mainland. Four days in Tennessee, a week in the Outer Banks and the rest in VA. Can't wait. Someone at work said we have 18 more days at school!! :) Sounds good to me!

Well, I'm gonna go for now. Have a great day.

Much aloha, Susie

Sea urchin

2006-04-30T00:11:00.000-07:00

You haven't lived on Maui until you've had sea urchin spines in your toe. Today I went tubing on a little speed boat and had a blast. When we were done, we swam to shore. On the way in, I kicked something (I thought was coral). Nope. A sea urchin. Everyone had remedies. Urine. Vinegar. All I knew was it hurt like hell. Now my toe is purple (dye) and ugly. Damn the bad luck.

I'm playing my last mixed double's tennis match tomorrow (I hope). Not sad to see this league end as it was pretty lame. Looking forward to a ladie's league that starts next week.

I'm so exhausted. I just had to write about my random accident. Good night and good luck.

Kokua!!

2006-04-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

Aloha! I know I have been really slacking on this blog. I just had to write after the past week. Went to the Kokua Fests on both Maui and Oahu this past week. WOW. A few local bands, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson (surprise appearance from Damien Marley) all on the same stage 2 times in the same week!! It was probably my favorite show of all time (outside of a strickly Ben show of course)!! I have my music fix for now. These shows will have to hold me over until Bonnaroo. No problem. Flew on an eight seater puddle jumper (thank you Jordan) and stayed downtown with my roommate and two girls from CA for the Oahu show. Met some crazy guys at Duke's (one of them had a shirt on that said "I feel a sin coming on..") and ended up spending most of the weekend with them (they were going to the concert too). They were pretty funny guys. The girls I roomed with were major LA drama chicks but for the most part I could deal with them. They were "dose" people. You know, you can only take them for a little bit at a time. Then you need a break!

Anyway, gotta get some rest so I better go. Hope to hear from you soon.

Malama pono, Susie :)

Where is the sun?

2006-03-26T17:17:00.000-08:00

I know I won't get any sympathy from mainlanders, but the weather has been soooo crappy here for sooo many weeks. My friend, Hagen, is due in later this evening, and I hope the weather takes a turn for the better!! I wanna go to the beach!!

I am off all week (spring break) and looking forward to some R & R. At the very least I'm looking forward to my alarm clock NOT going off for 9 consecutive days. :) Of course, Jack will want to go out early every day, but I'm hoping to convince him to wait a little bit!!

My roommate is working out nicely. We don't see each other much so it works out nicely. She is considerate and clean which is a bonus of course.

This has been a super low key weekend so far. I think the weather is getting me a little lazy. I went to the gym and the grocery store and that's it all weekend! I'll be all over this island this week with Hagen, so I'm enjoying the calm before the storm (I hope I don't mean that literally). There was a tornado on a neighboring island earlier this week (Lana'i). So far we've just had ran and overcast skies here. But I'm over it!!

Talked to Gavin, Lisa, and Katie for a little bit earlier. They had been at Dad's house visiting Dawn and family who were in town for the weekend. If anyone took pictures, send some to me!!

Oh yeah, someone asked me for the link to the local newspaper, so here it is: http://www.mauinews.com/default.aspx. It is worse than the "Daily Stress" as far as content!!

Bye for now, Susie

Sharks, boats, visitors

2006-03-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

Greetings from paradise! I have had a few complaints about my new island attitude towards my blog. "No worries... " "I'll do it later..." "I'm too lazy to download pics from my camera..." These are a few of my best excuses for my lameness. Now it's overcast and I drank too much yesterday so I don't feel like exherting much more energy then this, so here it goes! The latest happenings on Kihei: 2 shark attacks in two weeks (one a free diver whose torso was found the next day, one teenager in TWO feet of water whose leg was bitten), a Pacific Whale Foundation boat (think PETA for Whales) ran over a mama whale and her calf (they apparently are okay although I've heard conflictual info. on them), and the sun is on haitus. It has been sunny exactly three days in so many weeks. I need some sun!! I know I'm not getting any sympathy from you mainlanders. Although I have heard the weather in the BLUES has been pretty good lately. Cool.

I went on a sunset sailing trip yesterday with Kurt and Steve (Kurt's boss) and two colleagues of theirs. We had a blast although it was a rude awakening when the bill came for our drinks at the end of the cruise (we thought they were included in the cost of the trip)! Thankfully I wasn't buying so the awakening wasn't as rude for me. While we were underway, a huge whale swam under the middle of the boat (between the long thingies that keep the boat afloat..I don't know what they are called- no comments Ethan), sprayed his blowhole water all over these guys sitting in front of me, and came out the other side. It was bizzarely cool!

Visitors have been coming like crazy since early February. Of course I love it! Linda and Bob Burgess will be here (just for a day) on the 21st, and Hagen is coming for my spring break on the 26th for a week. I just found out that my friend Jordan (a pilot for Pacific Wings--a small airline) can get me tickets to Oahu, Hawa'i, Kuai or Lanai for 60 bucks roundtrip! SAWWEET. They are usually like $180. No offense, Jordan, but I hope you don't find a job off island for a little while.
This brings new possibilities for island hopping!

Well, I've rambled long enough. Hope things are going your way in your world. Be in touch when you can. Here are the latest pics I've posted.. they are from my mom's trip here...

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tennisuz/album?.dir=96a3&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tennisuz/my_photos

Malama pono (take care)-

Susie :)

Whale Watching

2006-03-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

Aloha to you. Went whale watching on a Pacific Whale Foundation boat today. It was sweet! Apparently we were out at the right time because we ended up seeing these four males "competing" for a female whale. We watched them for over an hour and it was amazing. They looked like they were showing off!! I'll attach pics when we get them downloaded.

I also played my first match in this new mixed double's league in Wailea today. It was good but the guy I played with was a goob. Dad and Maggie came to watch and then we went to check out some sights in the area. We went to a black sand beach I'd never seen.. it was pretty cool. Not as cool as I thought it'd be, but pretty good. The sand was more dark brown than black.

Dad and Maggie leave on Monday. I've enjoyed having them here. I also got to hang out with Karen and Bill Hargette a few times last week. They were visiting about 45 minutes north of here. We had a great time!

Retail therapy

2006-02-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

I know I'm not going to get any sympathy from anyone on the mainland, but it has actually been chilly here yesterday and today. The highs have been in the 70's! Today the wind blew hard most of the day and it was too cold for my early surf lesson! Waaahh. My mom is coming to see me this Tuesday for 2 weeks. I'm so looking forward to it. I talked to her earlier and she was watching Gavin and Katie. Gavin was busy doing "man chores" as he called them with Grandfather, and also got to make cupcakes with Gramma. I haven't seen them on the webcam for awhile.. (hint, hint, Lisa..).

Jack got a much needed bath today and is therefore shedding like crazy. I am going to shave that dog one of these days. Give him a few days and he'll be nice and dirty again. My friend Tanya just got a puppy and she's so cute! I don't miss those puppy days though. Cleaning up pee and poop all over the house- fun!

I went to Wailuku (about 20 minutes away) to get my hair cut at his guy Geoff's (he pronounces it Joff) house earlier today. Believe it or not he talked me into not getting my hair cut! He has a 'vision' for my hair he says and wants it to grow out a little bit. We'll see if I can stand it for 3 more weeks as he suggested! Instead I went to the mall and got my retail therapy fix.

Well, I guess I'll sign off for now. Keep in touch when you can. Aloha to you!

Ben Harper on Maui!!

2006-01-23T20:33:00.001-08:00

ALOHA to you. I am in a pretty darn good mood! I just found out that Ben Harper is playing on Maui in April!! :) I love Ben. (if you don't know that I'm obsessed with him, maybe we should talk more often!) Here's the website: http://www.kokuafestival.com/ . Hoping to get front row when the presale happens this weekend. Also, my friend Tanya took me surfing yesterday and it was so awesome!! I surprised myself because I was able to stand up pretty quickly! It was my first time and the waves were pretty wimpy, but it was so much fun!! I can't wait to go again.

Tomorrow, I'm looking at a studio that's for rent. Hopefully it is as sweet as it sounds on paper. It will be at least $300 cheaper than I'm paying right now and has a little fenced in yard for Jack. :) We'll see.

Got to play tennis in this round robin social thing on Sunday. I wasn't sure if they were going to keep it up b/c the man whose house it's at passed away in December. He was such a neat guy. His last name is Van Steen and he coached tennis right up until the end. His wife decided to keep the tradition going. I always meet such nice people at these things.

My mom's coming in 2 weeks to visit. :) Can't wait to show her around. If I move into the studio, it will be tight quarters, but I have to try to cut back on my expenses for sure. I have to figure out which days to take off to maximize on her visit.

I hope things are going well in your world. Be in touch.

The Back Way to Hana

2006-01-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

Greetings from paradise (or so they say)! Howzit? Hope you had a good long weekend... I did but of course it's over too quickly. Spent a bit of it with this new guy, Devin, that I met Friday. He took me the back way to Hana.. a sweet ride. I didn't see Gomer Pyle or Kris Kristoferson(they live there) but I did see a bunch of locals that look like they've eaten too much Kulua Pork. (huge guys- teeth optional)

Hagen is finalizing her plans to visit me on spring break!! I can't wait to show her around. Jamie says he's coming then too, but we'll see.

This is a short one.. I have to run. Ciao, Susie :)

Nothing much going on

2006-01-12T14:47:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday afternoon and I just finished lunch. Thankfully my new student has stopped crying long enough to take a nap. My patience was really getting a workout today!

I have been looking for a new place to live that is cheaper and allows dogs, but so far, no luck. I don't want to have to get another roommate! A yard or downstairs lanai for Jack would be great... I'm sure the place won't be as nice, but this $1400 a month is killing me!

Looking forward to the 3 day weekend. I have a training in Kahului on Thursday, and we don't have students on Friday b/c it's a teacher workday! Now that's my kind of week! Mom is coming to visit on Feb. 8 (my bday) for two weeks. I can't wait!! It will be so great to show her around and to just have her here.

I'm getting back into the swing of going to the gym. I kinda fell off the wagon a little before the holidays unfortunately.. Now girl scout cookies are coming!!

Signing off for now...

The longest flight...

2006-01-03T15:55:00.000-08:00

I’m somewhere in the friendly skies on my way back to Maui after two weeks in the Blues. I am trying to keep a good sense of humor, but I may have lost most of it sitting on the runway at O’hare for 3 g.d. hours. Something about storms and then needing to refuel.. I’m just glad to only have 6 hours left on this delightful trip. I may have a more positive attitude had I gotten some sleep in the past 3 days!! Friday night I saw the Wailer’s at the Norva. Good show. The best show I almost didn’t see. I met Jamie and a few of his buddies from work down there, just to find out the show was sold out. Jamie and I headed to Havana’s for a beer and to come up with a way to get me in. I had to DRAG him away from the bar after meeting two attractive girls from Brazil. I almost just took his ticket. I don’t think he would have noticed. My fav songs were “Who the Cap Fit” and “Natural Mystic.” Left my car in the parking garage and rode home with Jamie’s friends. Proceeded to get very little sleep thanks to Jamie’s snoring and Sunny’s obsessive licking habit (Sunny is his dog!). After talking on my cell phone too loudly and trying to figure out how to make a cup of coffee for his snoreness, he was up and we were on our way to the parking garage. Half way there, I was reading the paper and he was smoking (which he says he was quitting today, by the way) and he made the comment about a de ja vous from our LONG trip to Key West. Man, that makes me greatful to be on an airplane right now just thinking about that car ride. What a nightmare! But I digress..

New Year’s Eve was great fun. Jamie cooked yummy grub and had people at his house. The usual 12 guys to 2 girls. I was able to double my cd collection between Jamie and Greg letting me download music to my laptop!! Greg was cool.. first time I’d met him-a friend of Laura’s Carl. Fun guy. I need to get his email addy from James. I accidently took his Rage Against the Machine cd home in my laptop. I was going to make him some cds anyway.. Also got to chat with Pat Cox about Maui –he lived on Oahu for several years. We went to Tapas (it was pretty slow) and then to the Coxs’ house. Got about 4 hours sleep that night (no thanks to Sunny). Yesterday when I left, they were cracking open a little hair of the dog and settling into the couch for all day football. Too bad I had to miss that. My head was grateful for it this morning though!

Overall, the trip home was great. The weather wasn’t too cold (60 on Christmas Eve) and I got to see family and friends. It went by so quickly and I probably put 500 miles on my Honda trying to spread my time here and there. Katie is so damn cute. Ryan, Tyler and Gavin were great too of course. I got to see Olivia and Kimberly for a little bit yesterday. Too cute. I didn’t get to see Billy as planned… I was bummed about that. I’m petty sure he was too. I told him he just has to get out to Maui that much quicker now. Other highlights besides just seeing everyone: mom’s cooking, no work, sleeping in, and no Kihei dust. My feet were actually clean for almost two weeks!! Thanks to a pedicure gift from Gina, I am ready to put my ‘slippah’s’ back on in style. Mom hooked me up with several cute outfits. Thanks to TJ Maxx having leftover summer clothes on major sale!!

Hoping to get some good news about the state of my position at Kihei El. for next school year. Hopefully something can happen so I can stay at that school. I will get my resume out to the early intervention program in the next few weeks. I’m scheduled to take this PLT Praxis test this Sat. that Hawaii Dept. of Ed. requires. I hope it’s as easy as everyone has said it is. I’m pau (finished) with taking standardized tests.

Tom (the anesthesiologist) is due back to Maui today too. I’m sure I’ll hear from him this week. Kim Wade asked why I’d need him to have an edge when he is an anesthesiologist! (If you know me well enough to be reading my blog, you know I’m looking for a nerd with an edge!!).

My battery is running on major ‘E’ and I’ve rambled long enough. Look forward to the Top Ten reasons it was good to be on the mainland!!

Merry Christmas to you!!

2005-12-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!! I hope you are getting some good family time in! I am not freezing to death like I thought I would be! Yesterday it was 60 degrees and today it's in the 50's!! The links below are You Know You're Celebrating Christmas in Hawaii when... and a recipe for a Mango Cake.. Yummmm!! Enjoy and Mele Kalikimaka to you!

http://www.melekalikimaka.com/customs2.htm

http://www.melekalikimaka.com/recipes/mangocake.htm

12/18/2005

2005-12-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Maui! Hope you are as ready for Christmas as I am. Especially the part where I don't have to work. :) The long term sub for my co-teacher has worn out her welcome (actually she did that on Day 1) and it's time for her to go! Yesterday was my nephew, Gavin's, 4th bday. I was on speaker phone today to help sing Happy Birthday to him. I miss him!! I get in Thursday morning (an overnight flight- fun fun!). I'm trying to get up at 3 am on Wed. morning so I'll be able to sleep on the plane. I may have to have a few cocktails at the airport in Oahu. Oh darn.

Jack is catching on to my approaching departure. I pulled out my suitcases and he started acting strange. I tried to tell him that he'll be with Kurt and get to go to work with him, but he didn't listen! At least he doesn't have to endure an airplane ride any time soon! That would be horrible.

We had an 86 year old lady, Miss Tutu, for a substitute sub on Friday (Tutu is the Hawaiian word for Grandma). This woman was spunky and fun!! It was half way thru the day when I realized that she was the same woman that Kurt met at a bar one night! HA HA! Who says it has to be a bitch to get old?? I will request her next time I'm out for sure. The kids loved her!

Well, I'll sign off for now. I look forward to seeing friends and family really soon!! :) Aloha.

Mele Kalikimaka

2005-12-12T17:05:00.000-08:00

It's almost Christmas! I'm at home sick (ughh) and kinda bored. I've had no energy for like 3 days now. Is it time to go to VA for the holidays yet? I am happy to have my condo back to myself (my roommate moved back to Canada last week). Not that I was glad to get rid of her, just to have my own space back.. I really have to find a place after the new year that is more affordable. If you know anyone with a condo in Maui, I'll be glad to housesit for free!!

Jill got a new puppy. She named her Luci!! She is soo cute. Here's a picture of her sweetness...

Finally.. I got the pics of Willie. Long story, but I didn't have my camera and this girl agreed to email some to me... and she finally did! My Aunt Sharon LOVES her some Willie, so I was glad to get them. (I'll have to come back and post the pics b/c I'm having troubles with it right now!!)

Back to work tomorrow.. I've been awake now for 5 consecutive hours without a nap, so I'm hoping my energy is back for good!! I wonder how things went in my classroom today. Or maybe I don't want to know!! I'm sure it was fine.

I'm going to try to go to the Billabong Pro Maui (just to watch of course!) whenever it happens( http://www.billabongpro.com/maui05/ ). It's a womans' surf competition up in Kaanapali.. it was supposed to happen today but was postponed due to small waves. I haven't been to a competition here so I'm looking forward to it.

Anyway, I haven't been writing on here much so I wonder if anyone will even read this!! Cheers!

Aloha!

2005-12-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've written. Things are going well here in Kihei. I'm getting things ready for the week.. Went to an acoustic show earlier that was pretty good. A girl from Green Bay playing the ukelele. Go figure. SHe played the Talking Head's "Psycho Killer" on the ukelele! ANyway, made it to the beach yesterday.. the waves were the biggest I've seen so far here. The undertow was pretty strong.. a little scary!

Sasha (the roomie from Canada) is going home for good next Friday. We have had some fun for sure. Looking forward to having my condo to myself for a few weeks! I'm heading to VA on 12/21.

The Hokies couldn't pull off a win last night. Mike said he'd take us to whichever bowl game VT made it to. Looks like it will be the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2. I have to change my flight back here now b/c I was planning to return on the 2nd. Looking forward to a much better game than they played last night!

Lisa and Scott are vacationing somewhere in the Dominican Republic. I'm sure Lisa is in heaven. Trying to get Christmas presents for everyone without going broke. I'm going to pack my suitcases with presents since I don't have warm clothes here to pack really anyway!

I got to talk to Maggie and Katie on the webcam earlier today. Katie is so big and such a sweetie! I can't wait to hold her! Gavin was napping so I didn't get to see him today. Planning to try again tomorrow.

Well I'm really tired so I'm gonna sign off. Keep in touch and take care!
Malama Pono!!

Just in from seeing Willy again!

2005-11-27T01:07:00.000-08:00

I just got in from yet another Willie Nelson concert. He and his band played at his bar in Paia, Charley's. I can't wait to get the pics from a few people who had their cameras with them. Anyway, I'm super tired. Will write more soon.

:)

Willie is here!

2005-11-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

Finally, a day of good live music. Hoping to see a great show at the MAC today featuring Willie Nelson and Jack Johnson. Thanks to Kurt for driving his work van!!

I have a tennis match here shortly. I am trying to wake up right now. My roommate, Sasha, and I went up to Kapalua yesterday snorkeling. It was one of the two best snorkeling trips I've been on since I've been here. We made the mistake of drinking a beer with lunch which pretty much knocked me out!

The dust of Kihei has just about taken over my condo. We have decided that we must get some help trying to tame the dirt. My landlord cleans houses, so she is coming tomorrow to do a top to bottom cleaning. I figure it will last about 2 days and will be a mess again. Oh well. Worth a try.

Talked to Billy and Ethan for a few yesterday. Of course Billy was the same old sweetheart!! That was the first time I talked to Ethan in a really long time. Sounds like he is dong well. Just in from sailing a boat to Fla. from NY.

Well, I suppose I'll make some breakfast. Haven't been writing here too much lately so I thought I'd do a quick catch up. I have off Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. My goal is to not spend money for awhile. I really have been ripping through it.

Happy Turkey Day to you!! Ciao, Susie

Halloween on Front Street, Ocean Kayaking...

2005-11-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

I am way behind in my blogging. Guess it's a good sign that I've been too busy doing stuff to sit down and write about it! Go to http://community.webshots.com/album/502224907sMtGOJ
to see some shots of Halloween in Front Street if you haven't seen them already. These are Kurt's pics.. I ended up using a digital camera and haven't developed it yet. Contrary to what I look like in the photos, I had very little to drink that night. My eyes tell another story, but I swear I was so tired from the weekend that I barely indulged! There were so many awesome costumes... people really went all out. My fav group costume was "Studio 54" where a group of 10 or so dressed as different people at the bar.. bartender, bouncer, dancers, etc. and they had a disco ball hanging over them, a turn table, and a rope around the whole group. It was awesome! Don't ask about Kurt's friend "Clowny", as there is no logical explanation.

Fast forward to today, 11/12... I went ocean kayaking for the first time today! It was so sweet. A friend's landlord was at the same beach that we were today (Turtle Town) and had 2 kayaks that he let us use. I loved it! A sea turtle came up to see us while we were out in the middle of the ocean.

Tonight I'm heading to Willie Nelson's place, Charley's, up in a small hippie town called Paia with a bunch of girls. I am getting ready to take a nap and will probably drive separately b/c I have a singles match in the morning that I want to be ready for. Me, playing singles.. should be interesting.

I have decided I want to write a children's book with Hawaiian flare, and I've asked my friend Kimberly to draw the pictures. If it works out, I could retire by age 33!! For real, if we pull it off it could be quite profitable (sp?).

Anyway, I'm pau (done) for now. Gotta go catch some sleep. I miss my friends and family and can't wait to see everyone at Christmas!! Leave a spot for me on your social calendar for sure. Malama pono, Susie

Masquerade Ball...

2005-10-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

Here is a pic from the masquerade ball we went to last night! I'll write about it later!!

Halloween in Lahaina..

2005-10-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

I am getting stoked about Halloween! My costume is coming together, we have our hotel room, and now we have solved the problem of sitting in traffic for 4 + hours! Kurt and I have reservations on a Pacific Whale Foundation catamaran to Lahaina from the Ma'alea Harbor (which is right near my condo)! It ain't cheap, but the cost includes two drinks and pupu's... and we don't have to sit on the road forever to get there. Apparently there were over 20,000 people there last year... I can't wait! I'm off on Tuesday so I can stay up there.

I am surviving my salsa dancing lessons! It is a trip! You rotate partners and meet lots of neat (and not so neat) people. I thought I was keeping up okay but last night they threw some pretty intense step at us and I'm not sure I'll ever get it! A group of people that I've met here are in the class also. Jen, a speech therapist at my school, talked me into joining even though I have three left feet. Watch out Jill when I get home, I'm gonna show you up (yeah, right)!

School is going well. I still only have 3 students (very manageable students at that). I keep knocking on wood that my class stays just the way it is. My co-teacher's maternity leave starts next week. The long term sub seems cool and will fit in nicely I'm sure.

Tennis is good. Sometimes I get frustrated with all of the changes I'm trying to make with my game, but overall I'm really enjoying it. My teammates are great and so is my coach.

I have a short term (2 months) roommate named Sasha. She is here for 2 months to study yoga. SHe owns a yoga studio in Canada and is only here until Christmas time. So far we are getting along great and have a lot in common. She loves Jack! He is getting more exercise than he knows what to do with between the two of us.

Well, I'll sign off for now.

Aloha, Susie

Sunday Beach BBQ... Cove Park

2005-10-23T23:35:00.000-07:00

Top: Sunday BBQ at Cove Park. Karen, Jen, Tina, Pandora, me, Kate, Darlene, Ashley, and Alyssa (front)
Bottom: Me in my "Brunette's Have More Fun" t-shirt!!

Tonight we had a get together at the beach.. Mostly chatted since it was all ladies, but we also attempted to play volleyball (poorly, I might add)! Talked to my dad and Maggie earlier on the web cam.. it was good to catch up with them. I got my halloween costume last night.. pictures to follow after Halloween! I'm going to be Martha Stewart in prison garb! Thanks to Jamie for the idea.. I love it! The blonde wig takes the cake. Jack wasn't too happy when I tried it on last night!

I met my teammate, Esther, for an early tennis match this morning, but we got rained out after 20 minutes. Bummer cause it rarely rains in Kihei. We attempted to go to the Wailuku Music Festival last night which was a bust due to rain. I am realizing that any festival that happens here is soo small and not a big deal compared to what I am used to. It was fun to look in the shops though. My favs were the music store and the shoe store.. surprise, surprise!

Well, hope all is well in your world. Have a super week! Aloha to you. Suz

Tiger's New Yacht, Victoria's Secret and Boo Bees!!

2005-10-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

Hope and Desire

2005-10-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

I just got the new Susan Tedeschi cd, Hope and Desire, yesterday!! I am suffering a bit from live music withdrawal, so it is great to have a new disc to enjoy. My friend Kurt also just gave me the double live set from last year's Bonaroo that i wanted to go see (with my beloved Ben Harper on it of course). Kurt is in Michigan for 2 weeks so I'll miss my new beer drinking, music sharing buddy. We are going to see Willie Nelson and Jack Johnson next month at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center ( http://www.mauiarts.org/nov05.html). I'm so looking forward to it!!

I finally got my funding for my classroom yesterday so I'll be filling out purchase orders all weekend!! It'll be like Christmas!! The first two pics above are of me with some girls from work at a "Life's A Beach." The place is pretty cool- live music and all walks of life.

The picture above is the view from the pool at Kapalua Bay Resort(http://www.kapaluamaui.com/accommodations/index.html). I took it when I visited Julie and Tyge Young last weekend up in Kaanapali. (Karen H., find out if this is where you are staying!! If you have a choice, here or the Grand Wailea would be best. I think the Grand Wailea is the very best and it is closer to me!!)

Playing lots of tennis. I'm on a PTPA ladies team called the Wailea Waves - our home courts are at the Wailea Tennis Center (http://www.waileatennis.com/). My coach, Barb, is awesome and she is helping me tremendously. My serve is improving... slowly but surely. If you come visit, don't forget your racquet!! Well, I'll sign off for now! Drop me a line when you can. Aloha!

Pakistan earthquake

2005-10-09T01:20:00.000-07:00

I just got in from the movies (it's around 10 p.m.) and just found out about the massive earthquake that has hit India and Pakistan. I can't believe the magnitude of this disaster. May those who survived find peace, good health, and stability as soon as possible. Please donate to Unicef if you can. I was reading about their quick response to this tragedy and decided to donate a little to them. God bless.

10/8/05

2005-10-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

Aloha to you. Just a quickie.. car is running well (thankfully), jack is doing well, and it's been significantly cooler in the afternoons. :) i made the mistake of trying to take jack to the beach earlier.. i was just going to go for a few hours... it was SO not relaxing having him there. another dog would walk by and he'd get all bent out of shape. note to self: stick with the routine of taking him to the beach before I go to the beach for relaxation!!

Lisa told me some new Gavinisms earlier. First, he wanted to know if Lisa brought the umbrella with them b/c it was raining really hard on the way to my mom's house. She said yes, and he asked if it would deflect all of the rain drops. This from a three year old. When she asked him where he learned that word, he said "The Incredibles." Earlier the same day, it was pretty dark outside for it to be daytime and he wanted to know, "is it the crack of dawn, mommy?" I tell ya that kid is a trip.

Katie is crawling all around apparently. I can't wait to see her at Christmas. Of course it will be great to see everyone but I think I'll be most excited about her!!

Dad and Maggie now are set up with a webcam! It was so good to see them. I hadn't 'seen' my dad at all since I've been here. He is now working on getting my aunt, uncle, and Gramma on board with a webcam of their own!! It's kind of sinking in how far away I am, so it's so good to be able to communicate this way.

Happy early Birthday to Gramma V. Her big day is on Monday. Wish I could be there with ya to celebrate!

I have some pics to post from my visit with Julie and Tyge Young last night up in Kaanapali (Jamie J's sister). Will put them up soon! Susie

the latest..

2005-09-30T23:52:00.000-07:00

Wes Daniels and his son, Clayton Kimberly Strunk and baby Olivia

I am behind in my updates! I have some pics on my camera that i need to download, but right now i'm too lazy for that. it was a loonnng day. a practice fire drill and a 2 1/2 hour IEP meeting didn't help any!! my car is now in working order- $1000 later. I'm considering having my honda shipped to me, but i'm not sure. i've named my miata wilma in hopes that she may feel more obligated to keep working if i give her a name. my parent's old VW station wagon was called wilma so i stole the name from them.

my roommate, karen, is moving out tomorrow. she's allergic to jack. debating on what to do to offset the cost of the rent here. if you have any extra money lying around, pls. send it to me ASAP! :)

my first USTA tennis match is in the morning (if the weather holds up). Somehow I'm playing in the #1 doubles match. as long as i play well, that's all i care about. my serve is really improving thanks to barb, my tennis c0ach.

i'm hoping to have a webcam session with the fam on sunday. it's been since before labor day since lisa's computer has been up and webcam ready. i'm going thru baby withdrawals!! I got some recent pics of my friend Kimberly's little girl Olivia. What a cutie patootie!! :)

Anyone who knows Wes Daniels.. he is getting married and has an 18 month old son, Clayton. I can't believe Wes, the player, is getting hitched before me. WHOA. I sure miss the days of riding on the back of his beach cruiser to the strip in VB. The Bayou, Chicho's pizza, a few drinks, card games with Paul.... etc! His recent email update had me and Christy Bfoot thinking back to the old days!!

well, i am gotta sign off for now. thanx to gina and her overactive social life i feel like i'm up on all the latest restaurants and gossip in the blues!! i love getting mail (even snail mail) so keep it coming!! Malama pona (take it easy), Susie

Hokies take the sting out of the Yellowjackets!!

2005-09-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

(This is a pic of me and Karen a few weeks ago at Lulu's- I've been meaning to post it..)

Got up early to make it to the bar by 9:30 for the VA Tech/GA Tech game this morning. My friend Kurt met me there.. his Michigan game didn't come on until noon. Called back in forth with my mom who was at the game.. 51-7.. whoaa!! VT could do no wrong. A couple from Richmond came into the bar - they were here for a conference and were so glad they found a place that had the game on. There was no VT banner hanging where we watched the game, so the woman is going to mail me one so I can have the bar hang it! :) Check out the highlights at : http://www.hokiesports.com/football/recaps/20050924aaa.html

Got a great haircut yesterday after work. :) I was in dire need. My friend Ashley who I used to work with a Stella Blues (I ended up quitting due to not making enough money) rode with me to the Kahumanu mall. After that I dropped her off, walked jack, and met some girls from work at a bar (Life's a Beach and then Lulu's) for beers. Had a great time and ended up running into this guy I met a few weeks ago at the same place. One of the girls was up dancing to country music and had us cracking up. Plan on staying in this evening due to lack of motivation!! It is humid (or human as Gavin would say) as hell here today. Really muggy and hot. I hope to make it to the beach tomorrow cause i need some color big time!!

Julie J0hnson (now Young) and her husband, Tyg, arrive Wednesday. They were coming for a visit to Maui before I knew I was going to be living here! I'll meet them at the airport and point them in the right direction when I can. I am hoping that Cory Steinberg will be here sometime soon also... I haven't seen him in over 10 years.. it'll be great to meet up with him on Maui!! He sounds like he hasn't changed one bit. :)

Hoping for a big webcam visit with the fam in the morning. My neice, Katie, is getting baptized tomorrow morning, and witholding any major technical difficulties, we will have a big video session. Lisa's in-laws are in VA and the whole family will be at Lisa's after the ceremony. I'm not sure how early I'll have to get up for this visit. I have a feeling it's gonna be early! Mahalo for keeping in touch and continuing to be interested in my experience here... I hope to hear from you soon!! Suz

Jack's in Maui!!

2005-09-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

Here is Jack less than thrilled to be wearing a lei. He is eating now and seems to like his new home. Just had to post this picture!

Much Aloha to Maggie!

2005-09-17T00:41:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Kihei! My stepmom, Maggie, arrived on Monday (9/12) at Kahului Airport with my dog, Jack. Well, technically not with Jack. He didn't make it on the same flight with her from Honolulu. He did arrive about 40 minutes later though! Poor Maggie was sooo tired upon arrival. Here are a few pics of her... she is trying to pretend like she's happy to be getting her picture taken. My roommate took her to dinner while I waited for Jack. When the door swung open and they put Jack's crate on my cart, he looked so confused and out of it. I guess that's understandable since he spent around 18 hours in that small box. :( He is still not himself. He has only eaten about 1/4 a small bowl of food since Monday. I am hoping he comes around soon. His spirit seems okay, but he is just not eating (except treats and the occasional leftover). I keep telling myself that he won't starve himself. He is drinking lots of water thankfully.

Maggie adjusted to the time change better than I did after I first arrived! We have explored Wailea, Lahaina, Kula, Kahului, Wailuku, Makawao, and of course Kihei. Tomorrow we are going to Kaanapali and Napili. She rented a car because I ended up putting my car in the shop for an oil change, etc. We went to Costco last night and she was kind enough to buy me a membership!! I owe her about a million dollars between the Jack expenses getting here and that trip to Costco! I am now set for a year with many supplies. Many items are so much more reasonable than the grocery store (for example, a small bag of spinach salad at the grocery store is around $6, while yesterday a 2.5 lb bag of spinach salad was $3!!) I have really appreciated all of her help, generousity, and company while she has been here. Today she bought me a cool lamp from Pier One that looks really nice in my living room!!

This morning we headed "upcountry" to Kula to explore the Tedeschi Winery (also called the Maui Winery). It is up Haleakala.. an inactive volcano. While it was only 30 miles away, it took us much longer than you might expect to get there. The roads are windy and narrow. When we finally arrived, the winery was nice! We learned a lot, drank a little, and bought a few gifts. We took pics on the way up and back. (This trip disproved my theory that usually holds true: No matter where you wanna go, it's 20 minutes away from wherever you are on Maui.)

For lunch we went to a place in Makawao called Cassanova's. YUM. Carmela's YUM!! If you make it to Maui, you HAVE to eat at this place. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Caprese Salad and Chicken Marsala.. the best I've ever had. They had a pic on the wall of Taj Mahal when he was really young (see above)! I saw him two years ago at the Norva and he was much older and much heavier!! We drove back down Haleakala to pick up my car and head back home. If you've noticed, there are hurricanes heading right for the Big Island (Haw'aii). I hope they don't hit Maui!!

Maggie leaves Monday afternoon. I will be sure to write a few blogs to catch up on the adventures we had throughout the week later. Caio!! Suz

The Baby Blog!

2005-09-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

Top: Jack at his baptism. This is my cousin Dawn, and her husband Jon's little boy.

Far left: Ryan playing at the beach. This is my cousin Todd and my friend Cindy's little boy. He will be 2 in January.

Above right pic: Baby Olivia. My friends Kimberly and Steve are her proud mama and papa. She is now almost 3 months old.

Above:
Sweet baby Katie!! This is my sister, Lisa's, little girl. She is now almost 7 months old!!

Last pic: This is my stepsister, Sarah's, little guy, Tyler. He's been a big guy from the start! His dad, Josh, doesn't mind cause he's ready for him to start playing football tomorrow!

Third pic: The Gavster!! This is Lisa and Scott's son who will be 4 in December. He is a trip and usually keeps you on your toes. Most recently he told Gramma he didn't want to go outside because it was too "human." I should start a notebook of all the funny things he says!! He told me before I left that he didn't want me to move to Hawaihee.

As you can see my friends and family have been busy having babies! I don't have a pic of Jack's sister, Carla on this computer, so somebody send me one!! All in all, there are 4 new babies in my life since February, so I had to post a brag blog! Ciao, Susie :)

Kapalua Bay

2005-09-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

Aloha from Kihei! I am here to officially post a blog that is positive and nature!! I have nothing negative to report since last Saturday's incident when I had to go postal! It's Wed. afternoon and all is well. I don't have to work at Stella's the rest of the week, Jack and Maggie are arriving Monday afternoon, and life is good! The above pictures were taken on Monday (Labor Day). The first picture is of Karen, the next is of me standing on a scenic overlook in between Lahaina and Ma'alea pointing toward my condo in Kihei. The third picture is of the West Maui mountains in Lahaina. The fourth picture is of the beach at Kapalua Bay Resort (this is wear you'll be staying Julie!!), and the last picture is the view from my beach chair when I had my back to the ocean! It was a beautiful day and I got the relaxation that was much needed! Kapalua Bay is in Napili which is north of Kaanapali on the west coast of Maui.
School is going just fine. I LOVE my co-teacher! We really get along well and compliment each other. Our students are getting into the routine and we are figuring out what works best for our students. I am sooo glad to be in the room that I'm in. Everyone is so accepting and kind. I have one little girl who has Down Syndrome, one little boy with speech delays (he had a trach at birth and just got it out in Feb.), and another little boy who has survived a traumatic three years. He lived through a near drowning and a house fire. He is very moody and quiet, but who can blame him. The speech therapist (Jen) is incredible and the behavior specialist is really cool (Momi).
I am going to a dog training class tonight without my dog! It's just a registration class. Jack will start attending next Wednesday night. There is a great dog trainer named Kinee (female) who has given me tons of hope in regards to Jack's aggression towards dogs he doesn't know. I hope she can do what she says she can!
I look forward to Maggie's arrival with Jack. I plan to take her to a winery "upcountry" (in the mountains) called the Tedeschi Winery. No relation to Susan Tedeschi!! I'm sure that will be cool. Otherwise we are leaving our plans open and I'll show her around and let her pick what she wants to do.
I hope all is well in your world. Thanks for emailing and keeping me in touch while I'm so far away from the "real" world. FYI: the gas went up 30 cents yesterday and is now 3.54. Apparently the cap that they set for Hawaii on gas is an average of what the states on the Gulf coast are paying. I hope it doesn't continue to climb! Take care!! Susie :)