Hau’oli La Ho’omakika’i!

Hau’oli La Ho’omakika’i is how you say "Happy Thanksgiving" in Hawaiian. No one has actually ever said that to me, so I don't know how it is pronounced. Starting tomorrow, people will start saying Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas). There are no R's, C's or S's in the Hawaiian language, so you substitute L for R, K for C, and K for S too (or something like that). Bottom line is you end up with Mele Kalikimaka, which is a direct conversion of the phrase Merry Christmas, sounds kind of like Merry Christmas, and is easy to say. Hau’oli La Ho’omakika’i is a loose translation of the phrase "giving thanks" rather than a direct conversion of the term Happy Thanksgiving; it's hard to say, so no one says it. Well, now you know more about the Hawaiian language than I'm sure you ever cared to know. :)

We're having a lovely time here. So far we've just been relaxing and doing a few repairs on the condo. We really did miss some snowy, cold weather in Seattle. Buster's Auntie Pam sent me a photo of him playing in the snow. Have you ever seen anything as adorable as my little dog??? Look at the snow on his chin...I just want to reach out and give him a big hug. (click on the photo to get a really good close up of him)

Since being here in Hawaii, I have walked every day (except today...today, I'm taking a break and being lazy...my personal way of giving thanks...ha ha). Most days my walks are about 4 miles (8,500 steps). On Tuesday, I went with some other folks on a walk around Diamond Head Crater, which ended up being 8.5 miles (17,500 steps). (On the map, our condo is next to Fort DeRussy, so we walked down Kalakaua, around Diamond Head on Diamond Head Road, and then back via Ala Wai.) On that particular day, Hub and I also went shopping, so according to Bodybugg, the step total was 23,000 for that day.

I've also been eating very healthy. Hub and I only had one very minor slip as far as eating sweets goes…one day we each had a small ice cream cone from McDonalds.

Later today, we're going down the hall to celebrate Thanksgiving with some friends. Hub (my personal Iron Chef) helped the guys get the turkey going and will make the gravy, and he's also going to make an asparagus frittata. I expect there will be some pumpkin pie, so I probably will have to eat a piece. :)

Tomorrow, I will get my little plastic tree out of the storage unit and decorate it with a lot of cute Hawaiian ornaments that I've collected over the last 5 years. This little tree always makes me feel happy and makes our condo seem more like "home."

So, now I want to say what I'm thankful for: My husband, my dog, my job, my therapist Dr D, my health, my friends (both in real life and in the blogosphere), my wonderful life, my...well, my everything (yes, even my mom who makes me crazy but I love her still). The fact is, I'm the luckiest woman in the world. (Oh, I'm also thankful for my naturally curly hair which loves the Hawaiian heat and humidity. Every day someone makes an envious comment about my hair, which has taken on a Shirley Temple-like appearance.)

Anyway, I hope everyone is having Hau’oli La Ho’omakika’i! (Go ahead, just try to say it, I dare you!)

Hello and Aloha!

I just realized it has been over 2 weeks since I last posted. Hub and I arrived in Hawaii on Friday and will be here for 3 weeks. It looks like we escaped the freezing/snowy weather that was headed toward the Seattle area when we left (I just saw that it is currently 36 degrees in Seattle). It was 80 in Honolulu yesterday, will be 80 today, 80 tomorrow, 80 Tuesday…well, you get the picture. The sun is shining and the sky is perfectly clear except for some puffy clouds in the distance. Here's the view from our condo early this morning.

The last 2 weeks leading up to this vacation were hectic and a bit of a blur. I'm sure I could have found time to blog, but I didn't. I didn't even read anyone else' blogs, so today I'm catching up.

While we are in Hawaii, it is my intention to eat healthy, walk everyday, and either maintain or lose weight (not much, maybe a pound or two). Here's my plan:

1. Eat healthy. We bought lots of healthy food at the grocery store for the duration. Hub and I also have a pact that we will not eat any sweets while we are here. We've already been tempted a few times, but so far so good. We don't eat out every day, and when we do, there are usually lots of delicious fresh items to choose from...fish, fruit, vegetables, etc.

2. Walk 10,000 steps every day. I walked yesterday for 45 minutes and we also did some shopping at Costco and Sears. I ended up at 10,500 steps and that will be my goal for each day here. Today we will go to church at a beautiful cathedral in downtown Honolulu, then we are going to the Aloha Stadium Swap meeting. I should be able to get in my steps there.

That's about it. Not much to it, not complicated.

Well, time to get ready for church. While we are here, I'll try to update more frequently, and visit some of my favorite blogs.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

A Dog's Purpose

About a month ago, I started listening to audio books. My first download was The Help, which got me hooked. So far I've also listened to Eighteen Acres, and The Kite Runner. All were excellent. I love listening to books on my iPod when I take B to the park, while working around the house or in the yard, or driving to/from work.

Today I just finished listening to A Dog's Purpose: A Novel for Humans. This book was just amazing. If you are a dog lover I definitely recommend this one. If you have ever lost a dog, this book will mean even more to you. Listening to this book made me want to rush home and hug B.

However…caution…do not listen to the end of this audio book while driving (like I did)! You will not be able to see the road through your tears.

Now I am trying to figure out what to listen to next. Does anyone else listen to audio books? If so, do you have any favorites you can suggest?

Weekend update

The weather has been so nice lately, and the trees have been gorgeous, although they are quickly losing their colorful leaves. It's cooled off a lot today and is supposed to rain this weekend. But here's a (very) short video to show you how beautiful it's been.

I took B to the vet this morning. We saw a new doctor who was totally charmed by him (of course) and B did all his tricks for her. Unfortunately, he's gained 1.5 lbs since last year, which is not good for a small dog. He should weigh about 17 lbs, but today he weighed 18.5. Weight is an issue for dogs too, although I don't think B worries about whether people will like him if he weighs 18.5 lbs instead of 17…lol. With his elbow dysplasia, he can't go on long walks, so he doesn't get the exercise he used to. And any excess weight gain can exacerbate his limping. It's a vicious circle. So, I guess we will need to start feeding him a little less. A smaller dinner, and not as many treats. Hmmm, I don't think he is going to be happy about THAT!

I am definitely struggling with the fact that I've gained a bit. Today I'm stressing because Hub and I are going out to dinner tomorrow with some friends, and the last time they saw me was this summer, when I weighed 162. The "mean voice" is telling me they will both be absolutely shocked at how fat I am, at how much I've gained. And although I won't do it, it's actually crossed my mind to starve myself until we see them tomorrow. That's how strangely screwed up I still am in my head. I hate it. I'm trying to listen to the "new voice" telling me that they won't probably even notice, but right now the "mean voice" is louder. ♫Sometimes I feel like a nut, ♫ Sometimes I don't♫. And right now, I am feeling like the Queen of Nutville.

At just slightly taller than 5'9", 162-163 is a good, healthy weight for me, and Dr D has assured me that I will get back there if I just don't worry about it and continue to eat normally. Sometimes when people with eating disorders start to eat normally, their weight will bounce up and down a bit before they settle at their ideal weight. Her main concern is that I not beat myself up about it. She said that it might even be a good idea to see a nutritionist who deals with patients with "food issues." We talked about this about a year ago, but I wasn't ready at that time to give up the restrictive eating. I was still trying to "do my own thing." I'm feeling more open to the idea now. Hub and I have a 3-week vacation coming up (we leave Nov 19), then there is Christmas and New Years. So now is not the time to start some new experimental eating. But maybe I'll explore that after the first of the year.

Well, time to get a bit of housework done. If I keep busy, I'm less anxious.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!