It's a practice birthday!

Tonight I got to see Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow, the Sesame Street characters, Natasha Bedingfield and the Jersey Boys perform on the Capitol lawn for the dress rehearsal of A Capitol Fourth concert. Our patch of grass was a little far and didn't give us the greatest view, but for free, how much can you complain?


And how adorable are my little sisters?

It's summertime!

You know how I know?
Rita's!

It's an essential part of every summer trip home. Today, I got a free mango gelato, thanks to my family's habit. (Newly acquired since I left, how unfair!)

I also know it's summer time because while I was waiting for my sister so we could take some pictures, I was viciously attacked by at least twenty mosquitoes, and ended up with more than a couple dime sized welts. That part isn't nearly as delightful as the Rita's though.

Sometimes I think that with all the progress we've supposedly made, we really haven't made much at all. Why should we use our electric dryers when there is sunshine and light breezes that can dry our clothes just as well?

I've said it before, and I'll say it a thousand more times, but I love rainstorms.

I love the feel of the rain pounding down, the smell in the air and the sound as it hits rooftops. I love dancing it it and I love standing still in it. I love that rain keeps this beautiful place as green as it is and so many more things. I've missed these Maryland storms that keep going and going and going.

It's nice to be back.

Well, that month long break was completely unplanned. My computer was being tempramental, I got a little swept up with finals, then spent a couple of weeks visiting friends and family out in Washington state, and am now back in Maryland, my Maryland.

So, while it would be silly to try and post all of the hundreds of pictures I've taken in the last month, I'll post a few and try to catch up as I go.


These are some of the last Hawaii pictures for a while, taken from the airplane. Window seats are wonderful!

Tacoma Museum of Glass

Some delightful baubles in Marsh's Free Museum in Long Beach.

One of many lovely views from the walk up to the North Head light house.

While in Washington, I spent lots of time with friends and family. I was staying with my aunt and uncle that I nannied for and spent a weekend at the ocean with the boys. I missed them all a lot and was glad to spend some time with them. I certainly wasn't prepared for the weather- everyone had been saying that there was a heat wave that kept the temperature in the mid-eighties for the week before I got out there, but that conveniently ended pretty much as soon as my plane touched down. It was still an enjoyable two weeks even if I felt like I was going to freeze the whole time.

As for Maryland...
I'll get to that later.

A short history lesson.

The flag of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

The Consul General from the Hungarian LA Consulate did a presentation here today, discussing how certain political actions Hungary took helped to bring down the Iron Curtain. There was a lot of it I hadn't heard- I haven't spent as much time looking at that time as at some of the others- and some that I had. He discussed the 1956 Revolution a bit, and I'd heard most of what he said before, but it was nice to be reminded.

If you're interested- The '56 Revolution started off as a student led protest in Budapest on October 23rd, and quickly spread throughout the country. The Soviet Politiburo initially agreed to discuss a withdrawal of Soviet troops, but on Novemeber 4th, troops moved back into Budapest. By the 10th, Hungarian resistance had ended. It had a lot of long lasting impacts, and you can check out the wikipedia article on it.

I have a thing for Hungary. I love the language, I love the people, I love the history, I love the place. I feel so very lucky that I was able to spend time there and get to know all of those a little bit. When people ask why I decided to go there, I tend to start mumbling about not being allowed to go to Africa, and not wanting to speak Spanish and trail off after a while. In all honesty, I don't know exactly why I picked it, but I do know that is where I was supposed to be, and that's enough for me.

After the presentation was over, I went up and had a little conversation with the consul and his daughter, mostly in Hungarian, but not quite all. Everytime I speak a bit, I'm reminded of just how far my speaking abilities have fallen. Luckily, there aren't too many non-native Hungarian speakers, so even my poorly spoken Hungarian is appreciated. That's one good reason to learn less common languages- it's ever so much more impressive to say I speak a bit of Hungarian, or Samoan or Amharic than it is to say I speak a bit of Spanish. ;)

These are a few of my favorite things- day two

Plumeria.

I've never had a favorite flower before, but these might be it. I love that there are so many plumeria trees around campus, and that I can just walk by and pick one. I love walking by and catching a whiff of these. I love that they come in so many different varieties.

And the trees have character! Just look at it.

These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites

When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

For the next few days before I leave for the Mainland, my posts will be on some of my favorite things here.

Today's is rainstorms.

I'm pretty sure there's nothing quite like a complete downpour of warm Hawaii rain. I love walking out in the rain and feeling it pounding down, and then, just as quickly as it started, it ends. Living in Washington kind of put me off rain- it felt like it was always cloudy and gray and it didn't really rain very often, it just kind of dripped at different rates. Rainstorms here make up their minds- when it's time for rain, it is time, and there's no stopping it. It's amazing.


(I probably wouldn't have felt the same about today's rainstorm if I had anything out on the line, luckily I didn't, so I ran out to take pictures instead of rescuing things from being drenched.)

Another Sunday, another walk to the temple grounds.

Whenever I stop and think about it, I'm in awe of this place. I don't really believe God made ugly places (people did that!) but this place sure is gorgeous.

Holy monkey brains Batman!

These are what the boys and I call monkey brains- probably more commonly known as monkey bread. They're pretty easy to make, and pretty dang good. I plan on making them multiple times while I'm back in Washington with my three favorite little boys in the whole wide world.

I have less than two weeks until I'm back on the Mainland, and I have to say I am so excited. Not necessarily to be leaving Hawaii for a little while, but because it means that I'm done living in the hales (dorms), and will be living off campus when I get back, and I will be able to cook again! My friend that I plan on rooming with following my return to the island and I spent the day looking for houses, which was mostly unsuccessful, but we'll work on it this next week too, and hopefully find some place.

(This picture may be cheating a little bit, it was taken back in September, but I did take it myself, so I think it still mostly counts.)