Fridays Favorites, Hawaii Edition #3

This was a rather busy week for us in Hawaii as our time here comes to an end. We've gotten to meet a lot of wonderful people and enjoy the beauty on this Island. It really has been an amazing time. Among my fav's this week are:

1. Sleeping with the windows open. Wide open. And hearing all the sounds in the night. Since I go to bed early when I can, I often drift off to sleep while listening to people talk on the street or the sound of children playing (its Spring Break week in Hawaii). In the morning I wake to the birds. And the rustle of palm trees. Lovely.

2. Dim Sum. Its kind of like a Chinese tea party, a variety of dumplings and small foods that they serve in the mornings before noon. We've had that a couple of times this week and sampled some delicious things. My favorite remains the steamed shrimp dumpling and Cha Siu Bao, the pork buns, but I like it all.

3. Amazing Sunsets. This week we saw the sun set over Pearl Harbor and then we caught it again at Magic Island. Pictures don't do it justice.

4. Walks on the beach. We are staying about half a mile from the beach so Bob and I try to walk there every day for at least a little while. We always manage to meet some interesting people along the way. Most days we walk out on a jetty and look at the fish, they are so colorful here.

5. Fuss free hair. Its great to have short, curly hair that is not messed up by the wind or the rain. First time for me, but I am really enjoying it. Sometimes I forget what my hairstyle is and I have reached up to protect my hair in the wind or worried about my hair in the rain. . . . but only sleep seems to really destroy my new "look" right now. Its a nice change.

Hawaii has been great, but as with any extended time away from home, I am eager to get back to see my kids and my cat and have some sort of routine again. . . until the next change in our life.

A Year Ago

A year ago my life took a change that I never imagined could happen.

I was getting ready to step in the shower and I lifted my arms to put a clip in my hair when I noticed a dimpling in my left breast. That's strange, I thought, and I reached over to see if I could feel anything. What I did feel made my heart stop, because it was a very large lump.

I told no one and made an appointment with the doctor. Fortunately I got in quickly and within a week I had a mammogram, an ultrasound, a biopsy and a diagnosis of breast cancer.

Our organization suggested I return to the United States for treatment so I googled, 'Breast cancer treatment centers' and found a good one that our insurance covered less than 2 miles from my daughters house. Bob and I watched a couple of videos from UCSF Breast Care center and were quickly convinced of their philosophy of treatment.

So many people helped me during that time. A doctor friend from the US called and gave me advice. My sister has a friend who is an oncology nurse, she looked at my pathology report and told me what to expect. That kind of support continued all through out my treatment.

I arrived in California one Sunday morning towards the end of March. A few days before Easter I had my first chemotherapy and a few weeks after that I lost all my hair. Chemo was done mid July and I had one surgery in August then another in September. Followed by 30 radiation sessions. It all ended December 21.

January was serious rehab month for me. I went to the gym everyday and did yoga several times a week to gain strength and flexibility. I feel good now. Last night we met with some people who knew of my condition but had not met me. They were surprised at how recently I finished treatment. I look and feel good. I'm amazed that a year after a diagnosis of stage 2-3 breast cancer I am comfortable on the beach in a bathing suit. It does not end this way for everyone.

A few weeks ago at my ladies Bible study we were talking about Joseph and about the hard things that he went through. Hard experiences that ultimately shaped him into a better person. I kind of feel that way about cancer. I would never have wanted to be diagnosed with cancer but I do not regret the experience. It was hard, but I believe it made me a better person. Life seems so much lighter now. I cherish my relationships more today. Many positive things came out of this difficult experience.

In the next few months we will have to make some decisions about our future. Right now Bob and I don't know for sure what the next step should be for us. The results of another check up in April will undoubtedly influence our decision. Its been really nice to have this month in Hawaii to kind of wrap up the year.

A year ago I never imagined I would have breast cancer.

A year ago I never dreamed I would have a month in Hawaii.

A year from now. . . .

God only knows what my life will be a year from now.

And I'm OK with that.

Hawaiian Sunset/Wordful Wednesday

We had dinner here the other night, right on the beach.

Everybody cooks their own food. I had mahi-mahi and Bob had ribs.

This was the dinner show

Spectacular

They say there is a green flash right after the sun goes down, but we have not seen it yet.

Beautiful.

Pickle Lady/TMTT

Leonora (Pickle Lady) Ching is my new friend in Hawaii.

She wrote a cookbook called Pickle Passion.

She pickles everything, but some of the most interesting things I learned from her are:

• You can pickle fresh ginger by peeling it then putting it in a jar and covering it with vodka or vinegar. It will keep forever that way. I like this because I like fresh ginger, but it usually goes bad before I use it all.
• Pickle hot chili peppers by bringing to boil 1 cup vinegar, 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons salt. Let cool then pour over bruised chili peppers. You can use them for cooking or just shake the liquid on your food like hot sauce. I have a jalepeno plant so this will come in handy.
• She also has several great recipes for pickled garlic. After soaking in vinegar, its not as strong or toxic to your breath.
• Leonora believes almost every vegetable is enhanced when covered in a sauce of vinegar, sugar, Hawaiian salt and a touch of fish sauce. I agree, but throw in a few chili flakes for mine :)
• I know this is exotic for most, but she has a recipe for pickled green mango that is amazing!

I'm taking a big bag of Hawaiian salt and Li Hing Mui powder with me to California. I love learning new cooking techniques from people I meet.

Whats the newest cooking technique you've learned?

If You Are Chased by A Dog

I can verify that this is true because I saw this happen once when I was in Ecuador with Rebecca. We were walking from the place where we were staying to her school, when a dog started following us. We tried to shoo the dog away several times but it ignored us. Finally, Rebecca tired of the animal, so she turned around, stomped her foot, pointed her finger at the dog and said, in English,

Stop following us!

Go home!

I am quite sure the dog was a Spanish speaker (we were in Ecuador), but it obeyed Rebecca none-the-less.

Dogs are not completely bilingual though. Our dogs knew to sit on the command "sit", but they would never sit when commanded to "seet" or "sientate".

Or maybe its just English speaking dogs that can't understand other languages.

;)

picture

A Heart We Can Trust

God is too good to be unkind

and He is too wise to be mistaken

And when we cannot trace His hand,

We must trust His heart.

-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Homeopathic Emergency Room

This is silly, but if have a couple of minutes you might get a good laugh.