Happy Birthday to Me.

This was a very different year.

1) We are in Hawaii. No usual family and/or friends.

2) Ryan was on the Mainland. That's right. He was gone for my birthday. But that's another story. (He got back at 2 am the next morning. Which luckily I was able to have a friend come spend the night so I didn't have to pull the kids out of bed for the 2 hour interruption in the middle of the night.)

3) Did I mention not the usual family and friends that I'm used to? Yeah. It's different.

Anyhow, it was a pretty normal day. I was busy taking care of kids- I'm a mom. That's what I do! So we did our normal thing that we do each day (although we did make some no-bake cookies and that was fun.)

That morning I'd received a phone call from Lindsey, the Primary President. (I've just been called as the Primary Chorister.) She said that the Stake Primary Presidency had just been reorganized and they were wanting to have a training meeting with us (Primary workers) that evening at 5:30 pm. Well, I was kind of a brat. I promptly told Lindsey that it wouldn't work for me. I said "#1: Ryan is out of town so I don't have anyone to watch my kids, and #2: it's my birthday and I have some birthday dinner plans made with my kids." OK- that was kind of a white lie. I really didn't, but a meeting? C'mon! This was so last minute- but you must understand Hawaii mentality. Things just happen spur of the moment. No planning ahead- you just go and do. It's VERY different from the mainland.

Anyhow, Lindsey was ready and told me that another one of the husbands volunteered to watch my kids during the meeting. And she kindly wished me a happy birthday but perservered saying that she knew it was short notice, but EVERYONE else could make it so it was really important for me to be there- if I could. Thanks guilt trip.

So I asked how long the meeting would be. "Short, really short" came the reply. "Like how short?" I asked. I'm no dummy. I've been married long enough to know that when the husband says "I'll be right home" I ask, "what does that mean? Five minutes? A half hour?" It's always good to know what someone's definition of "short" is. Lindsey tells me "a half hour." Fine. I conceded. I told her I would come. And she thanked me, assured me once again that it would be short and we hung up.

I began to feel REALLY bad. Here I gave her such a hard time when she's just trying to fulfill her calling and I was making her life really difficult. I text her and apologized saying I'd be there with a smile on. =)

"Doesn't this sound fishy?" You ask. Once again, I'm in a world of students here. Everyone's schedules are SOOOOOO crazy that if it's possible for people to all get together at the same time for a meeting- you just do it. Or the next available time might be a month from that very moment. So no, I did not question. Who knew what everyone else's story was that day. I just knew that it was my birthday and that I did not WANT to go to a meeting. It doesn't mean that I was UNABLE to go...

We live 15 minutes away from BYU in a tiny (blink and you'll miss it) town called Punalu'u. So at 5 pm I'm scrambling to get my kids dinner (they ate hot dogs) and I ate a few potstickers (by themselves, no rice.) Yum. Happy birthday dinner to me. (*Read* Sarcasm)

We raced out the door to arrive a couple of minutes after 5:30 at my friend, Michelle's apartment where the meeting was being held. She opens the door and I see a bunch of people sitting in her front room.

"SURPRISE!"

What the heck! This whole thing had been a set up. It was no meeting at all, but a party. What's really funny is that about an hour before we left, Gabriella asks me, "Mom when does your birthday start?" I told her my birthday started when we all woke up that morning. Then she asks, "but when do all of the people come?" Haha- can you tell that we are used to parties on our birthdays? The two are synonymous in our family. But I had to explain that we weren't having a party for my birthday. "Why not?" I explained that daddy was not there to plan something. She and Hunter weren't too sure about that. They wanted to plan a party for me. But instead I suggested we make some cookies. =)

A few from the crowd.
My adorable cake that Jeremiah and Michelle made! They also made Hunter's birthday cake (if you look back at that post.) They are amazing! It was so incredibly cute. Thanks guys!!
Gabriella and I enjoying our spoils (cake.) It was really yummy! Thanks everyone for the fun surprise! Happy 29th (for the 3rd time) Birthday to me!!

Recipe

OK ladies (and gents) this is basically what I did for the curry. However, I tend to add a little here and there for whatever my taste buds feel like... So all of these amounts are approximate. You will need to taste it along the way. =)

Also, it fed four adults and three children with normal portion sizes. Otherwise, I'd say about four large adult portion sizes.

Put 2 Tbs. of OLIVE OIL in a pan on med. high heat. Throw in some (about 1/4 c.) ONIONS and 1 Tbs. of GARLIC. Sautee these to a beautiful golden brown then throw in...

3 CHICKEN BREASTS cut up however you like.

Next, take 3 medium sized TOMATOES and puree them; dump them in the pan. Let this cook for a few minutes...

Then add 3 Tbs. CURRY POWDER, 2 tsp. FENUGREEK, 1 tsp. CUMIN and a dash of CINNAMON. Mix it all up really well and be sure to SALT and PEPPER to taste. Turn the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. WAIT!! I almost forgot. I also added about a Tbs. of fresh grated GINGER to the mix. If you don't have the fresh stuff (I bought mine from a local farmer) then use powdered GINGER. Just don't forget it. =)

As all of this goodness is cooking together you will smell a most heavenly smell. =)

After everything has been simmering then add a can of coconut milk. Actually one can from the store might be a little too much. So just add until you feel you have the right consistency- and DON'T FORGET TO TASTE IT! You must taste along the way. Is there too much salt? Add more coconut milk. Too little?? Add more salt, silly! Not enough curry powder? Add another teaspoon... You get the picture.

Anyhow, at this point you can add one cubed POTATO if you'd like or 1 cup of frozen PEAS. You know, whatever strikes your fancy. But those seem to be common veggies used in curry. I added a potato the other day b/c that's all I had on hand. And it was raw when I added it so I let it fully cook in the sauce and I'd cooked the chicken/ onions separately then added them to the curry after the potatoes were nearly done. I didn't want the chicken to be all rubbery from being in the pan for too long, make sense?

Of course, before you start all of this you want to put on some rice so that it's all done at the same time. And ENJOY! Let me know how it turns out!

Indian Curry

Have I ever mentioned that I *LOVE* curry? This is a love that has grown since I first experienced it in college. An ex-boyfriend who served his mission in the West Indies (think deep Caribbean Islands) took me to some Indian Restaurant in Provo. And hence, a love was born (between me and the curry- not him.)

This love deepened on my mission when I lived (for six months) with a lovely landlady named Annie. Annie was married to John, who was from India. Naturally, Annie learned how to cook the most amazing Indian food to appease her ill-tempered husband. So my love, and knowledge of how to cook Indian curry grew. And I continue to learn new little things. I'm not a fabulous cook- I leave that to Ryan. But every once in a while I get it right.

Like last night! I decided to make some curry for a few reasons. They mostly include the fact that it doesn't take very long and we had all of the ingredients on hand. Or so I thought...

For me, I like curry best with some coconut milk in it. And after a thorough search of the cupboards yielded zero cans of this rich and delectable (most important) ingredient, I began to brain storm.

Hmmm, I live in Hawaii. I have at least three coconut trees in MY yard and many more in the surrounding neighbor's yards. Hmmm, friendly neighbor, Adam just cut down a whole bunch of his coconuts the other day and said we were welcome to them... Hmmm, I did go to the Polynesian Cultural Center and learn how to *make milk* from the presentation in Samoa... And so the wheels kept turning.

I finally asked Adam if he would be so kind to hack open a coconut for me because I was going to *make milk.* (And he has a MACHETE, I don't.) So he graciously did so and told me how he did it. He claimed to have figured out the modern way to *make milk*. Because as I learned at the PCC it's only water when you open it. It's milk after you scrap out the insides against a razor sharp blade and then put the scrapings into the (coconut) husk and then squeeze it tight until the *milk* flows out! Easy enough, right? Uhhh, yeah right!

So I tried Adam's method and it is as follows... =)

And yes, it worked.

First you get your coconuts! Thanks, Adam. Aren't they beautiful?

Next, you take a butter knife and dig the heck out of the coconut. You separate it from the shell and throw it in the blender. Then you blend it while slowly adding water to create a very, very fine mixture that isn't too dry. If you don't add the water you will just have a bunch of dry coconut chunks so the water is imperative.

Next you take your coconut goodness and dump it onto a clean, thin kitchen towel. Can you guess what happens next? This is the Samoan part...

You wring it out over your pot of curry yumminess!! So wringing it out allows the *milk* to be extracted from the coconut. Sweet huh? Actually it was kind of sweet! Oh yeah, and my hands aren't disproportionate-- that is Gabriella's little hand on the right. She was sooooo excited to help!

You can really see how the milk was flowing. If I'd had both hands to squeeze you'd see it pour out! It was really cool.

And there you have it! A beautiful coconut curry! I hadn't added the chicken or anything else yet. I was just playing around with the actual curry base which is why it looks boring in this pic. But when it was done... whew! It was D-lish!

This is what you have left over in the towel after all of the moisture has been squeezed out of it. This is very fine coconut. Kind of like the consistency of sand. Adam also said that you can add sugar to this and then use it as a topping on cakes or ice cream or whatever. But ours is still sitting in the fridge, in this cute little, yellow bowl until I decide what I want to do with it. Any suggestions?

So that was my fun little experiment with dinner last night. It turned out soooo well. It really was the BEST curry I've ever made. But like most things, when you put a little extra love into what you're making (or doing) you seem to appreciate the end result a little more.

Kids and Fun Things

Yesterday, Hunter wasn't feeling so hot. We decided to spend the day at home playing on our own beach. Sometimes it's nice to just "chill." These first three pics are of the kids and their "after swim" attire/ behaviors.

Kolea is fresh out of the shower and where does she go? To her favorite spot of course on the back steps (facing the ocean) with a fresh smile! This past week we couldn't keep her in the house unless we locked the screen door. She would crawl up and down these steps constantly. I figured I was fighting a losing battle and thought (perhaps irresponsibly) if she falls, she'll learn.

And then there is Gabriella. She was angry b/c she wanted to shower AGAIN! For the third time. She'd showered in the morning and then showered outside (we have an outdoor shower) when coming in from the beach. Then when she heard that Kolea was in the shower with daddy- she wanted to join in. Sorry. Enough is enough. And TMI?? Anyhow, this is her throwing a fit on her bedroom floor. I thought it was funny that amidst her crying she took the time to spread out her towel just so perfectly! Can you believe those tan lines?
Last but not least is dear, sweet Hunter. He has showered and dressed and now he's in the bathroom doing is hair. Again, pretty funny as this six year old is acting somewhat vain. =)

* * * * * * * *

A couple of weekends ago we met some friends (The Hannemann Family) at the beach at Turtle Bay Resort (the only resort on the North Shore.) We had a blast- so much so that I forgot to take any pictures while we were actually AT the beach. But I'd remembered later while at dinner in Haleiwa eating at Spaghettini!

The Hanneman family also has three kids that are the same ages of our kids. We always have a lot of fun when we see them. They recently moved out of our ward. Boo!
Here are the lovely parents! Jenni has finished her schooling as I have. And Sterling is still in school (as Ryan) and they even have some classes together.

Say "cheese!" Mmm, yummy pizza!

* * * * * * * * *

Baby chicks. All two of you that ever read this blog know that we have a bit of a chicken/ rooster problem here. A few weeks ago our neighbor, Adam, found a nest with fresh eggs in it right by the house. So the kids and I decided that we would go on our own "Egg Hunt." The idea being that if we could find the nests and take the fresh eggs- not only would we not have to buy eggs anymore to eat, but we would also cut down on allowing a new generation of baby chicks to flourish on our property (and continue making life miserable at 5 am "when the cock crows" literally.)

So off we went with sand buckets in hand. Search through the trees and the underbrush on the outskirts of our jungle like property. About 25 mosquito bites later, we still had not found a thing. We decided to walk along the edge of our driveway and what did we see? A mother hen sitting on her babies. As soon as we got close enough, the mother hen freaked out and started to attack me!! Hello! But then she just ran around screeching while I began scooping up baby chicks. What am I going to do with these babies? I don't know, but this is fun and so crazy! I was able to grab five and Hunter got one before the others toddled off into the underbrush after their mother (there were at LEAST five more.) Here we were with six baby chicks. They were so dang cute and soft!

We kept them in a box and they had to sleep in the house at night. Since they were still so little they had to be kept very warm. It was quite a chore between that and feeding them water individually. In the end (after a few days) all six of them died. We were sad. But not too sad b/c we are a little too realistic for that. Knowing that cute baby chicks grow up to be horrible chickens and roosters!

I don't mean to sound callous, but you must understand; everything in a life cycle has a predator (except humans of course.) That is how we keep the balance of life in the animal and plant kingdoms. Here in Hawaii, chickens are not native. They were brought here many, many years ago as a food source and now there are wild chickens everywhere. They have no natural predator, so they simply reproduce wherever and whenever suits them. Generally their population will grow when they have a food supply that will support them. Come to find out, another one of our neighbors (major animal lovers) had been FEEDING the dang chickens for the past many months. That's why they had been multiplying like crazy. So we've put a stop to all of that and have begun concentrating on the new generations, those newly hatched, and those still not hatched.

Luckily, Adam (friendly neighbor who originally found the eggs) is a wildlife biologist and his main focus is on birds! So even though chickens are domestic, they are still a bird and he was very helpful in figuring out a solution. He spoke to some people who would come pick up the chickens that we catch (including babies) and give them to farmers who already have established chicken coops and regular daily egg collections. So that was our goal with our baby chicks. We would give them a good home to established farmers! Unfortunately seeing as Hawaii has their own ideas about time, and one day can mean a week... our baby chicks all ended up dying before the people ever came to collect them. =(

All that said, we had some great learning experiences and the children had some up close and personal moments with some of God's fluffiest creations!

Here they are sunning themselves, keeping warm! But they were so cute b/c they came to know us as their respective mom(s) and when we would talk or walk across the lanai (the deck) the little cuties would follow us! They were like little puppies that way. Oh so fun.

P.S. Yesterday, we caught seven more. Luckily they are in Adam's care right now so we won't feel so bad if they don't make it before the people come to pick them up. Yep, the call is out again.

* * * * * * * * *

I SURF. Did you know that? Can I say that even though I did it just once on this one day? A few weeks ago we went to a beach about 17 minutes up the road from us. They have some really great small waves to try out your surfing abilities without it being too overwhelming. Once you finally get over the arm tiredness of paddling out to where the waves are breaking and the sets are rolling in (reverse that) it's pretty cool! You feel like you're a part of an elite group... THE NOVICE SURFERS! Ha!

It was a lot of fun, and after a couple of failed attempts I saw a wave coming and thought "this is it." I loved that there were a ton of guys in the water cheering me on and giving me advice as I was starting to paddle as the wave was beginning to rise behind me. "Paddle, paddle, paddle!" one guy yelled. "Paddle harder!" another guy yelled. And it was there, on me. I could feel the rise of the wave under the board. I felt as though I could fly. It was so steady. I could have been lying on this surf board on my living room floor. Slowly I drew myself up to my knees and in one fluid motion stood up. I DID IT! "WOO HOO!" I cheered myself! "Way to go!" another guy cheered for me! (And it's fun b/c they are generally happy for you.) And there I stood on the surf board, riding a wave. This perfect wave that started WAY off shore and I was riding it all the way in because as awesome as it was- I WAS POOPED! Man! It takes a lot of energy! And so I've started running again. Ha!

Can't wait to go again. =)

This pic shows Gabriella and a couple of friends playing in the waves. Gabriella is the lower right. Hunter is the upper right, taking is boogie board out to catch some waves, and Ryan is in the upper left corner. Talk about family fun!!

Hunter! Come in a little closer! He was a little too far out to ride the waves on the boogie board. =)

Christmas Break- Oh how we love thee.

I've been waiting for the New Year to get here so I could post all of these fun pictures at once.

Beginning with the night of Christmas... We decided to watch a movie as a family and be all cuddly and cozy on the couch together. It was working until the daddy passed the white chocolate covered pretzels in Kolea's direction. Do you see that FACE? She stuffed about 3 in her little mouth so I had to grab the camera, and paper towels, and wipes!!! And yes, that is a partial piece on the couch. She totally got caught red handed!

The next morning was Boxing Day!! Very heavily celebrated in England, which most of you know is where I served my mission. We couldn't just sit around, so we went hiking! I don't even know what this hike is called, but we thought it was going to be a quick, short, half hour hike for the kiddos...
So we walked, and walked, and walked. At one point I even sang the "Pioneer Children" song. Ha! These are our friends, Jeremiah and Michelle with their baby Ellah. Just to Ryan's right is the beach. We were hiking to a specific beach, but it was funny to be hiking along this beautiful coastline the whole time on our way to "the" beach.
We're here! No, not really. This is just a stop along the way b/c we've been walking for over an hour and everyone's feet hurt! Guess we wore the wrong shoes. So that is us headed to the water for a little refresher before we got on our way again.
We are still walking along the trail at this point and it's been two hours! Hello! Little kids here!! But interestingly enough there on the side of the trail were protected breeding grounds for the Albatross. (Anyone seen The Rescuers Down Under?) Anyhow, these birds are pretty dang big!
Yay! We've really, finally made it! To this rocky little beach. Kolea was VERY excited to be out of her backpack. This beach doesn't look like much in this picture. But you haven't seen the cool part yet!
See how good you are at spotting hidden pictures... We were just getting ready to hike back (seeing as we still wanted it to be light for the long walk back) when two Monk Seals came into the little tide pools and surprised us by inching closer and closer to the beach. Can you spot both of them in this picture?? We were thinking that it was mother and baby.
That baby was BRAVE! This was a big hill and it shimmied itself right to the top! At one point, Hunter got a little too close and it totally barked at him! Well, we took the long hike back and then went to a little touristy town called Haleiwa for some sweet refreshment- dinner!

As it turned out, our little hike was SIX miles round trip. Hunter walked the whole thing (minus a 3 minute piggy back ride on me.) Gabriella got big blisters from her shoes on the hike in and got a piggy back ride (on me) the entire way back- except for Hunter's little stint. It was quite the long hike for our little troupers. =)

* * * * * * * * * *

We were so worn out after Boxing Day that we were grateful for the Sabbath the next day. In fact, it was THE BEST Sunday we've had in a very long time. Kolea fell asleep on the way home from church (around 1:30 pm). Then Ryan and I made an early dinner and had it all cleaned up by 2:30 pm. Since Kolea was still sleeping we put on a little movie for Hunter and Gabriella and took a Sunday Siesta... for TWO whole hours! It was sooooo refreshing. That's right, Kolea didn't wake up until 4:30 pm. Oh yeah.

The next morning we went out to a new beach called Castles. We were trying to meet up with some friends there and try surfing for the first time since we got here. Unfortunately our friends never made it-- but we did bring our boogie boards! Hunter was not a huge fan, but with practice we think he'll come to love it. I on the other hand caught a few fun waves before we had to pack up and go home. After all, it was Monday morning and Ryan still has to work.

None of the kids would look at me for this picture. Which is typical when they're feeling a little out of sorts. BTW- this is how Kolea hangs out at the beach. I let her sit on a beach chair with a toy and she's totally content! She's still not sure how she feels about the sand. It's a love/hate relationship at this point.

On Tuesday, we went paddle boarding at home, on our own beach. We live in this little bay where the water breaks further out and is very calm by the time it reaches our shores. I'm on the board here with Kolea sitting in between my knees and Gabriella on the back. This is the first time Kolea has been on the board. I wanted to try it with her- and now she's hooked! She will lean over to the side and dip her fingers in the water and then suck on them! She kept doing this over and over. Funny girl!

Normally on the paddle board you would stand up and paddle, but in the interest of keeping us all on the board, and dry, I knelt down to keep us steady.
Here's a better picture of what we girls look like on the paddle board. It was a lot of fun! All of you who say I've gotten so tan- I really haven't. I'm still super white! This is my BLING picture. The sun caught my rings just right. =)
We spent most of Wednesday at our friends the Hannemann's. We had a blast just hanging out and eating a yummy dinner followed up with my favorite, rootbeer floats!

And then we get to Thursday, New Year's Eve!!! Ryan and I thought that with this being our first here and away from home that we should do something totally different. So we packed up the kids and headed to Waikiki! We got a hotel room at the Marriott Beach Resort on the 20th floor, complete with an ocean view.

On our way down we stopped at 7 Eleven to get the kids some mood boosting Slurpees! Who doesn't love a slurpee?
We went to the Cheesecake Factory for some yummy grub- yes we truly were all smiles...

Say "Cheese!"

And then we hit the strip. Well, that's what I called it. It felt a little like Vegas. It was SUPER busy and there were people out handing out random leaflets and street performers, the whole nine yards. It was a feast for the eyes! Not a dull moment. =)

I put the last bit of my cash (about a dollar in change) into this guy's money barrel and he let us take a couple of pictures with him. Gabriella had been begging us ALL night to "go see the Pirate." And when we finally got there she chickened out! She was hysterical! But he would stand there perfectly still and when someone got a little too close he'd suddenly reach out his hand to shake their hand or blow into a little whistle that he had in his mouth. Basically it would really freak out the person who got a little too close.
Hunter was finally brave enough to get close to him. Can you see the gold gun he's got pointed at Hunter?? The only words I hear him speak the entire time. "Hands Up!" It was really entertaining to say the least!
After some coercing (on my part) to Gabriella that this next guy was a REAL statue and he wasn't going to scare her like the other dude, she finally came up and sat with us for a picture. Although, she still doesn't believe me. Do you see her checking him out?
This is the amount of up close fireworks our kids got to see. Hunter is the little guy there facing away from the action for a moment. We'd already gone back to our room, put our left over food away, gone swimming, taken showers and headed back OUT for more street time! Whew! So Hunter is in some little Buzz Lightyear p.j.'s and Kolea is dead to the world in my arms. This is on the beach just across the street from our hotel. None of the Waikiki hotels are actually sitting ON the beach. They are all across the main drag.
Thought I'd take a little rest myself! Gabriella was so tired that she had commandeered the stroller for herself and shortly thereafter, fallen asleep. So I wound up holding the lighter of the two. =) But could I blame her? It was nearly 10:30 pm. We were trying to be "fun" parents. Ha! Right after this picture was taken, we crossed the street and went back to our room. Within 15 minutes we had 3 sleeping children.

I think we succeeded in being "fun" parents for the night. Even though the kids didn't last until the new year. They had a blast and got to do something totally out of the ordinary... Was is too much to expect that they might possibly make it to midnight? That is a resounding YES. They are 1, 4, and 6! Of course they can't last that long. But we didn't put any restrictions on them and we went into it knowing they would be cranky the next day- and they didn't disappoint. =)
Ryan and I rang in the new year on the balcony of our hotel room together watching the thunderous fireworks flash across the sky. Three beautiful children in blissful sleep at our backs. We were "together" as a family and that had been our goal.

Happy New Year Everyone! May you stretch yourself a little further, reach a little higher, be a little better this year. I mentioned to my brother this evening that I wanted to sit down with Ryan and write out some "resolutions" for the new year. Joe laughed at me and said, "Ryan will love that!" I responded simply, "actually I think he will! That's how we accomplish so much together! How can we ever improve or reach our lofty goals if we don't ever sit down and set them?" I guess that is our M.O. We actually LIKE setting goals and then working through the rough spots to accomplish them. It brings joy to our lives and we wish the same for you! Love to all of our family and friends near and far!!