I have this friend.

Once upon a time, I had this friend, and she was asked to be in a video since someone thinks she is funny and clever.  This video would be shown to many people during a trip with a choir, and you have no idea how much she HATES being in front of the camera.

So the only way she agreed to be in it was to be in disguise.

And with a voice changer.

It is also possible that she had to be in disguise and voice changed because the stories she would tell might get her in trouble.  Stories of things she has done that should be kept to herself.

It is also possible that, this friend, did the video and was not funny.  Yes, she has funny ideas but not funny delivery.  Pretty much all of it needs to be cut.

So it's a good thing she agreed to be in disguise.

And with a voice changer.

I am so embarrassed for my friend.

Her son is also clearly embarrassed of her and has to be in disguise himself.
You can still tell he's cute.

Breathing

Big breath in.  Hold.  Hold longer...
EXHALE.

My sister and I have this inside joke/piece of wisdom whenever the other of us is freaking out.  "Don't forget to breath OUT!" (Since we are so good at breathing IN and IN and IN when things are stressful.)

Waiting until "life calms down" is only an illusion, I've concluded.  Being at level 10 is kinda normal around here.  I need a new point system, where 10 is normal so there is room for when it gets crazy busy compared to level 10.  And it happens, a LOT.  Like level 15-ish.

Take for instance last night.
Viola lesson after school.  Band Practice after school.  5 kids chores and homework.
Run to Costco.
Slap dinner together as older boys leave for YM activity.
30 minutes later, Jessica leaves for YW activity and Michael goes to a Court of Honor.
I'm packing the car to go to Aubrey's soccer game across town. I send Alex with Michael so I won't lose him at the playground during the game.
Bishopric mtg. follows the Court of Honor.  Which is followed by a rollout for work at 9:30.  Benson needs help on pre-calc with Dad and the girls and I had practicing to do on harp and viola. 
And does anybody remember how much work it can take to get younger kids to bed?
Twitch.

It was a light night considering there wasn't any orchestra, Benson didn't have work, Josh didn't have lifeguard training, and we finished editing a big DVD project.  And it's not the first of the school year or Christmas, so hey.

And this phase of life will pass like a blur. 
I will miss it someday.
I might even be bored someday.

But I am centering myself, wind blowing aside.  Breathing in. AND breathing out.  I am being stretched to new capacity.  My limits are being tested and pushed and expanded and I can see more clearly which priorities matter.

I don't always get a shower.  Or caught up on the laundry. And those boxes in the basement remain unorganized since we moved in 3 years ago.  But--

I chose this life.
I love my life.

I might change a few things, but I'm not doing too shabby. 

Self pep-talks rock. 

Huh. Why? Eee!

I MUST have gone to Maui.

I keep proving it to myself with the scabs I still have from lava-rock-scrapes and snorkel-fin-chafing. And I refuse to take off my sand chipped toenail polish, since that is secondary proof. Thirdiary proof?  My watch is still set on Maui time, just so I know when the sunset is.

Honestly I wasn't sure I understood all the hype about going to Hawaii, and a day before we left all I cared about was that I was getting a vacation, to anywhere.

Now I wish I could be homeless there- living on the beach.  The sunsets and perfect ocean breeze were telling me to do it, like voices in my head. And I almost listened and bolted for the beach instead of checking in at the airline return gate.  The ONLY reason I came back was because of my kids.  Sigh.

Can I go back? I guess I DO have sunsets here that set... on piles of stuff to take care of.  Back to real life...

Big Beach. Need to go back NOW.

Cheeseburgers on the water at sunset.  Mmmmm.

Good thing Michael tasted weird and the shark spit him out.

This was not a sacred stone or anything.  Pretty sure.

Kite surfing.

Sunset Romance.  Chris and Heather.

Sunset Delirium.  Me.

 

My new favorite:  SNORKELING

Chris was hungry, so he had Michael for a snack.

Gotta swim in a waterfall.  It's in all the movies.

For real.  This exists all year round. It's there right now.

Road to Hana waterfalls at Three Bears.  Should be called Dancing Bears.

 

Chris walking the line.

Aww.

Red Beach.

Heather trying or pretending to try the coconut milk.  Ewwwwww.

Where we capped off every day:  hot tub and pool

Raw image.  Just your average jungle bouquet stuff.

Such a great time.  Investment in Us.

How can we get away like this?  Our amazing parents took the reigns for a whole week.  I just had to jump back in the saddle when I got back. 

We only had to miss a few things, like -a kindergarten program, a mother/daughter luau, and some English wedding I heard something about.

But when you are swimming with giant sea turtles, watching dolphins show off for you, hiking through bamboo forests, and sleeping on the beach... you kind of wonder why we are so busy-being-busy when there are places so concentrated with beauty to be discovered.

Maui, it was nice to meet you.  Let's keep getting to know each other.  I have some kids I'd like you to meet someday.  Until then, I'll think of you often.
 Love, Me (the one who touched a turtle and was almost fined $10,000)