kayaking on the brazos

One of the best things about having adventures is that I don't often realize I'm having one until it has already passed me by. I can't think of a single time I've been doing something fun and exciting, only to pause in the middle and think "this is an adventure I'll remember for a while!" No. Usually I'm so caught up in the moment I don't think to remember details or take pictures. This "in-the-moment" adventurous spirit is a good thing. Sometimes, thinking to much about the fun I'm having slows down my process, and can make something that was once fun much less so.

On the flip side, however, I think it's good to pause in the middle of an epic moment and snap a few pics every once in a while. That's what I did yesterday--in spite of the groans and complaints of my friends. You see, yesterday I did something that has been on my "List of things to do while living in Texas" for a while. I went kayaking on the Brazos River that runs right along Balyor's campus.

It was my friend Kari's idea. We tried to go for her birthday 6 months ago, but the weather had been bad and the river was running too fast. So yesterday we finally made it to the Baylor Marina, where kayak rentals are free to students. Gotta love the advantages of being a student--I'll miss that when it's gone in a few short weeks!



Two friends met us at the marina, and the four of us geared up for our Brazos kayaking debut! After picking out snazzy gray life vests and stowing our shoes, we headed out to the riverbank where four brightly-colored OceanKayak's awaited us. We grabbed our oars and pushed off into the water, with only a little help from the guy working the marina grounds.






We settled into a slow pace, paddling upstream towards the distant I-35 bridge. As we paddled, our conversation alternated between three subjects: a) squealing at how soaked we were getting b) marveling at what little progress we were making, and c) pointing out all the turtles sunbathing on branches near the banks. It was a beautiful sunny day. I haven't felt the sun much since I left Hawaii, so it was greatly appreciated on the river.

Slowly, the I-35 bridge got closer. And slowly, we started to get tired. But finally we made it all the way, and listened to the sound of cars barreling through Waco overhead. Not the prettiest sound in the world, but now I can say I've been under the highway in Waco, Texas. Because that's a great way to start a conversation. Ha.

On our way back to the marina (traveling downstream now) we decided to relax and let the current take us. We drifted by the Baylor Law school, and waved to some students sitting outside. They didn't wave back. I wonder why...... :)

As we paddled back into the marina and disembarked from our kayaks, I realized this was one of "those" adventures. The ones you'll remember for a while, but don't usually recognize at the time. So I made my friends wait at the dock and ran to get my camera from the car. They grudgingly took pictures with me, but they turned out really cute so I'm sure they'll appreciate it later.




It was a great way to spend an afternoon, and a fun way to see a different side (literally) of Waco.

transitions

I haven't blogged lately, and so much has happened since my last post. I've sat down to write several times, and somehow I just don't have the words. But I'm going to try again, so please bear with me.

The last two weeks have been a blur of luggage & hotels, goodbyes & hellos, reflection & planning. Our last full day on Lanai (April 11th) was spent with the amazing people that made our internship a success. The church threw us a luau at the beach, and it words can't describe what that meant to me. So many people we love showed up, and we got to hug everyone one last time to say goodbye.

My favorite moment was with one particular woman who we've all grown close to. She is a mother of four, an accomplished hula dancer, and absolutely beautiful in every way. When she dances, her love of God and her Hawaiian heritage shines through in her eyes. It brings me to tears. So when we showed up to the luau, she was waiting for us with homemade bougainvillea leis. She and her daughters had picked the flowers the day before, and strung them one-by-one to create a lei designed to go around a woman's head. Not only were the flowers beautiful, but they meant to much coming from her family. Below is a picture of us in the leis, with some wonderful women from the church:



Our goodbyes were bittersweet, as we said farewell to our new Lanai o'hana to return to our family and friends on the mainland. We spent two days in Oahu before returning to Texas. While we were there, Kelsey's dad treated us from afar to a dinner at "Top of Waikiki", a revolving restaurant that afforded a 360 degree view of the Honolulu skyline. Dinner was fabulous, and we loved having a good excuse to dress up!



After a looooong trip across the ocean and half the US, we arrived in Houston. We had dinner with Brooke's family, spent the night in H-town, and headed back to Waco the next day. This past week has been spent in class and hanging out with my friends every chance I get. I appreciate them so much, and have thoroughly enjoyed catching up on their lives.

So, that is my life in a nutshell. And now I come to the real reason for this post: my decision to keep this blog. I've been skeptical about blogging for years, so for me to write about my Hawaiian adventures was a big step. And now that my Hawaiian adventure is over (for now), the question remains: should the blog be over too? Blogging has been an eye-opening experience-it has helped me see my life and my everyday happenings through new eyes. And here's what I've discovered: everyday life is an adventure. Whether I'm living in Hawaii or Waco or Huntington Beach, I don't want to get bored with the time God has given me. So I've decided to keep this blog to write about my adventures in life. I hope those of you that are following will continue to do so. But regardless of if people read this bog, I'm going to write. Because when I write, I'm given fresh eyes. And sometimes fresh eyes can open up a whole new world.

alberta's farm

well, here it is April 9th, and I'm long overdue for a blog post. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind! My sister came to visit on March 25th and stayed for a week. Then I went to Maui to drop her at the airport and met up with other friends who were visiting from San Diego. After coming back from Maui last Friday night, I've been immersed in life here as we prepare to leave and say goodbye to this beautiful island. While I could write 10 blogs about the last two weeks, I'll spare you the headache and write about one of my favorite experiences.

When Katie and I first arrived on Lanai after a weekend on Maui, we went to the Blue Ginger Cafe for dinner. The Blue Ginger is the town hangout, where the community gathers to eat, have coffee, and talk story. But on this particular Sunday evening, the Blue Ginger was empty and quiet---like the rest of the island. Virtually nothing on Lanai is open on Sunday, so the town always looks abandoned.

As we sat and ate our burgers (mine a teriyaki and katie's a mahi burger--yum!), I hear footsteps behind me. I turned to see a Hawaiian woman in muddy work boots delivering a stack of Lanai Today newspapers to a shelf outside the cafe. Something in my brain clicked, and I realized this must be Alberta--a woman who I've heard several good things about but never met. Alberta owns and operates the only farm on Lanai. She grows fresh produce and does it organically, providing vegetables for an island who otherwise has to pay and arm and a leg for healthy food. She's also the editor and publisher of Lanai Today and a mover-and-shaker in the community.

I stood up and introduced myself and Katie. Recognition dawned on Alberta's face--I guess she's heard of me too. She asked us about our plans for the week, wanting us to come to the farm for a barbecue on Tuesday. Katie was ecstatic about the idea of seeing a Hawaiian farm (she'd live Alberta's life if she could, i think) and I knew Brooke and Kelsey would be up for it too. Alberta said she had just arranged for two English guys to work and live on the farm, and they had been there a couple of weeks. She wanted us all to meet. So with those things in mind, we looked forward to a visit.

Tuesday came quickly, and the four of us piled into the car to find the farm. It's right off the highway near the airport, but none of us had been, and we had to guess which gate to turn into. After some stressful moments, we turned through a white gate and down a dusty road to the farm. As we got closer, four dogs raced to meet us, barking and scaring us to death. Only when I realized that their barks were accompanied by wagging tails did I feel safe to get out of the car. But when we did, we looked around in amazement. The place was incredible! Fresh fruit, veggies, and flowers everywhere! Alberta grows it all--bananas, avocados, oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, limes, lemons, cumquats (did I spell that right?), etc.



We said hello to Alberta, and she introduced us to Danny and Steve--the two new "farmhands". They seemed like really fun guys, and we all hit it off right away. Alberta sent us to get avocados, and the six of us (Brooke, Kelsey, Katie, Danny, Steve, and I) set off to discover the farm. Katie climbed a ladder to grab some avocados, and was having trouble getting them. We encouraged her (and laughed with her!) for about 10 minutes, before realizing that there were low-hanging avocados on the other side of the tree--just within our grasp on the ground!

When we got back, Alberta had chicken on the barbecue and announced that she couldn't stay. She had to be at a meeting in town that night. Without further ado, she said goodbye and rumbled off in her truck, leaving us with the boys and making me (and probably all of us) feel more than a little set-up. Ha! That Alberta is sneaky!




Even though we had just met these guys, we didn't feel awkward or out-of-place. Our evening was so much fun--the food was great and the company was even better. We spent the night drinking rum-punch, fighting off bugs, hearing stories about life in Cornwall (England), and laughing at how little we understood each other sometimes. Who knew that the Brits had so many funny words? And I'm positive the guys felt the same about Americans.



We finished the night by roasting marshmallows over the fire on bamboo sticks. The boys had never heard of s'mores, so we promptly introduced them and they loved 'em!



After a great night, we said goodbye and made plans to meet again soon. In fact, we've hung out with them already a few nights this week! What a fun experience.