Life on the Island

Done and Done

2006-06-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

I am officially done with this blog. I'm really not good at updating it anyway =)

Mission Apartment Done and Done

2006-05-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

We looked long and hard and it all payed off! Kami and I have finally got ourselves a place next year.

Top Ten List of My New Apartment
10. Approved Application
9. Living Room and Bedroom (as opposed to one room living)
8. Affordable
7. No Dorm Hours
6. On Grand Ave.
5. No Sodexho (we got ourselves a kitchen of our own)
4. Near Green Mill
3. No Community Bathroom
2. Off Street Parking
1. Best Roomate Ever

Summer Plans

2006-04-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

"Be happy where you are at!" With so many exciting plans to look forward to for this summer it is sometimes easy for me to get preoccupied with the future and neglect the present. I trully love Hawaii and would not trade this internship for anything; however, no matter how happy I am here I certainly miss family, friends, home, the midwest, etc. As summer creeps closer and closer I get more and more excited. I am soo excited that I feel the need to post my summer plans.

May 22- Jamie and Morgan come to Hawaii

June 27- End of Internship

June 28- Visit Kami Jo in Naples, Florida

July 4- Return to Minnesota

July 5-12- Family Vacation

July 12- Begin work (Concordia Grounds Crew)

July 15- Abby Fink & Aaron Gehrke Wedding

July 20-23- Wisconsin Dells Trip with Jamie, Jeff & Morgan

July 30- Hoot Lake Triathlon, Fergus Falls

August 3-5- We Fest, Detroit Lakes

August 12- Jill Jennen's Wedding

August 26- State Fair/Valleyfair

September 9- Square Lake Triathlon, Stillwater

Now that I got that out of my system I can go on with my day!

It's God's Story

2006-03-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

I have this friend, i will call him DJ. I met DJ three years ago and shortly after meeting him he insisted that I watch one of his basketball video tapes from when he was in junior high (which was 5 years ago). So I took him up on his offer and as I sat down to watch the movie I was expecting DJ to be the star point guard who saves his team. We are about five minutes into the game and I am still suprised that I have not seen DJ. DJ is sitting next to me giving me a play by play account of the game, for he knew the game inside and out. That is when DJ gets really excited and starts to point at the screen with a big smile stretched across his face and announces, "There I am!" You see DJ was not a starter, not the sixth man, not even the last player on the bench, he was the team manager. He was the proudest team manager an eighth grade basketball team could ever have. Now you need to understand that anyone who really knows DJ has seen this video, if not multiple times, and some can even join DJ in the play by play announcing.

Just last week I was reflecting on my friend's video and it reminded me of God's story. So many of us get caught up in our own story, where we are the star. We like to show and tell everyone our story, whether it be the star of the basketball team, homecoming queen, CEO of a company, or even just the fact that we sometimes have the inability to look beyond ourselves. We get so caught up in our own story where we are the star that we forget about our role in God's story. We don't realize that no matter how small the role is we can share the story with everyone. It is through our role in God's story that we have a place in a never ending story. We may not be the superhero of the story, but God has given us each gifts and talents for our role in sharing his wonderful story!

When It Rains, It Pours

2006-03-15T15:35:00.000-08:00

"It always rains in paradise." Rain has plagued Hawaii over the past few weeks. There has been lots of flooding and just yesterday a dam on Kauai broke, taking at least one life. I have not been seriously affected by the flooding, but the rain has caused some minor inconveniences. Yesterday when I was done with my work in the office and ready to walk home I noticed that it was pouring. So, I went back to my office and patiently waited for the rain to let up and then grabbed my umbrella and did some puddle hopping back to my place.

Last summer when I was in Mexico for a mission trip we had just finished a days worth of work when the rain started pouring. At first everyone ran for cover, but it was seconds later that we were standing in the pouring rain, soaking up every drop we could. It is amazing what a blessing a simple rain storm could be in the dead heat of summer up in the mountains of Mexico.

Whether it is a cleansing rain or the flood gates opening we will all experience "rainstorms." Sometimes when it rains it will pour, yes even in paradise. God will take care of the rainstorms, so get out there and dance!!!

Pro Bowl Pics

2006-03-11T14:46:00.000-08:00

Backstreet Boys Baby!
My Hawaiian Family

My Hawaiian Cruise!!!

2006-03-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

So I just returned from a cruise. Now I know what you are thinking so I want to set the record straight right now. This was not the cruise that you see advertised on T.V. or through e-mail advertisements. I joined the seventh graders from Our Savior Lutheran School on a Science cruise to the island of Lana'i (I have now been on 3 of the Hawaiian Islands!) The boat itself was nothing impressive; however, every morning I woke up to see whales and dolphins, spent the days snorkeling, kayaking, tide pooling, hiking, oh yeah and disecting Squid! This trip is among the top perks of being an intern!!!

The Great Aloha Run

2006-02-22T15:14:00.000-08:00

On Monday I completed my first ever organized run. The Great Aloha Run is a 8.15 mile run from the Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium. Around 25,000 people participate in this race, including 5,000 military who run in formation! As I was running I could see people in front of me and behind me as far as the eye could see (and this was a four lane highway!) I had two goals entering into this race, both of which I accomplished! My first goal was to run the entire race and my second goal was to finish the race in under an hour and a half (I don't have the official time yet, but it will be around 85 minutes!)

I learned a lot of lessons through this experience and I would just like to highlight a few:

1. Training- If you are going to run a race it is important to run for training (the eliptical is not the same- trust me)

2. ipod- I get bored sitting for an hour and half let alone running for that long- an ipod is essential!

3. Pace- I found it very handy to pace myself with the Honolulu Fire Department =)

4. The After Math- Let's just say that it is two days later and it still takes me twice as long to walk somewhere, I use my arms to get in and out of chairs, and I thank God for hand railings (without them I would not be able to go up and down stairs). I have never been this sore in my entire life.

All in all, it was an awesome experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

My Car Died

2005-12-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

On Monday, December 19th, 2005 My 2000 Chevy Cavalier was killed. On his way to work, my dad got rear ended at a stop light that sent him crashing into the car in front of him, resulting to my totaled car. My dad is just fine- no injuries, as well as the other 2 people in the accident. It really was a sad event; however, being 6,000 miles away really helps. I guess I just have to get a new car!!! If you find a good car deal- let me know!

They do what in Hawaii?

2005-11-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

I have been in Hawaii nearly 5 months now and the following are just a few things that I have noticed, all of which amaze, confuse and humor me all at the same time.

1. When a Hawaiian says "Yeah?" after a statement they are not asking a question, yeah?

2. In Hawaii it is illegal to cruise down the interstate without your seatbelt fastened. However, it is 100% legal to have 10 people riding in the bed of a pick up truck. Go figure.

3. Stray cats are like the squirrels on Concordia's campus.

4. We don't have squirrels down here, they are called mongooses and they look like a cross between an otter and a squirrel.

5. No drive thru's at the bank? Am I the only one who is too lazy to get out of my car?

6. Try saying Punahou or Likelike- kinda humerous huh

7. The traffic is unbelievable...and I would have to say that it is largely due to the fact that everyone is overly friendly and lets everyone in.

8. The gecko on the geiko commercial is cute, not the ones running across my desk.

9. It will rain when you least expect it, without a single cloud in the sky and the sun shining.

10. I am taller than 90% of the population on the island

Surfing!

2005-10-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

As all of you know, since being in Hawaii I have discovered a hobby that I trully believe that I was destined to have: SURFING!!! Well my brother was visiting a couple weeks ago and I thought that it would be fun to go surfing (show him how good I was!). Well let's just say that twerp gave me a run for my money. Not only did he catch his first wave (which is fairly tricky), by the next one he rode it all the way in, including turning to avoid another surfer (which is unheard of, I think). Anyway, to say the least, he is a natural, that or i am one stellar instructor (maybe a little bit of both).

2005-10-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

My ipod!

This blog is a tribute to my ipod:

The top ten reasons why ipods rock my world

10. No skipping, unlike my ten year old discman
9. itunes
8. Makes cleaning my apartment more bearable
7. Atomatically makes me cool in the eyes of some of my youth
6. Makes the elevator ride in my apartment much less awkward
5. No buying batteries
4. New music to listen to at work
3. Kami Jo has one
2. Blasting it full volume so I can't hear myself sing
1. I'm addicted

AVP Tourney

2005-10-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

Best of the Beaches 2005- Queens Beach Hawaii- Texas (Veronica) and I hit up the professional beach volleyball tourney on Saturday. It was awesome! The players just walked around like they were just a typical spectator. The best part about the whole day was getting my hair cut on the beach. Being that Paul Mitchell is a huge sponsor of the AVP- they were giving haircuts for $15- which went to Hurricane Katrina. It was awesome, sunny shining down, sand between my toes, and getting a new do! Just another perk of living on the island!

Hawaiian Hiking

2005-09-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Well on Saturday I went on my first Hawaiian hiking adventure. Let's just say that I looked absolutely ridiculous. I dressed like I was ready for some hard core hiking, boots, jeans, and all. Not only did I over dress in comparison to everyone else and their grandmas, the sweat made my jeans stick, making it difficult to hike. Anyway, here is a pic!

Makiki Fun Tennis League

2005-09-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day of my "fun" tennis league. For the second time since being in Hawaii, I truly felt what it was like to be in the minority. I was one of two "white" people in the room of 40. Not only was I a minority in this aspect, I was also at least twenty years younger than everyone else, the exception being the other young white lady that was probably my age. Also, I was the tallest one in the room by a good four inches. It shall be interesting.

Green Day's American Idiot

2005-09-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

I would just like to say that "American Idiot" is in my opinion the best album yet by Green Day. It is rare when I purchase a CD in which I can listen to the CD completely through without skipping songs, the only other CD I own that ranks up here with American Idiot would be FM Static.

My Mojo has Arrived!

2005-09-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

I would like to announce that my MOJO has arrived! Watch out Hawaii

The Guitar

2005-09-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

Alright- so those of you who know me well know that I always talk about practicing my guitar, but really don't ever get around to doing it. Well I think God has finally decided that I wouldn't have a choice.

We lost nearly our entire praise posse here at Our Savior nearly a month ago, including David the guitarist. Well you can guess who got talked into taking over the duty. To say the least, I am now playing every Sunday morning, as well as two or three times during the week in classrooms. Here is the funny part though- when I go into classrooms I have to sing to- which i do not have any singing talent- it makes for quite a riot. Anyway, the pic is from this past Sunday morning.

Later Gators

Dat Minnesotan Accent Uffda

2005-09-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

On any given Sunday I am asked (sometimes people don't even need to ask, they just know) by at least five people if I am from Minnesota. After saying yes they are proud that they guessed right. I have never been so aware of my strong Minnesotan accent until coming here. I dread when someone asks me where I am from, I try my hardest to say Minnesota without an accent. For all of you native Minnesotans you know what I mean when I say that it is impossible. I brace myself for the laugh that follows me saying Minnesota. Sometimes all I have to say is my name, and people are like, "Let me guess your from Minnesota?" How did you guess that one shirlock holmes? Lately I have decided to talk as Minnesotan as I can, not giving a rip about how humerous it may sound. So I guess it is true that us Minnesotans have a one in a kind accent.

Peace Out G's!

Labor Day

2005-09-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Well I hope that everyone had a relaxing and fun labor day.

I spent my labor day on the beach with my new texas friend! I would have to say the best part about going to the beach would have to be watching the people, and I mean beyond the hot men. There is anything from the tide coming up and sweeping away peoples belongings and watching them chase after them, to the speedos, to the people who look like thay have never seen the light of day (reminds me of good ole Minnesotans!).

Aloha

No Drive Through

2005-09-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a little useless fact that you might find a little interesting. Down in Hawaii here they don't have Drive through's at the banks. You have two options, going in or using the ATM- isn't that just craziness.

My Haircut

2005-08-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a monumental moment in my life. I got my hair cut for the first time in Hawaii. Now up until yesterday I had only had my hair cut in Fergus Falls and Sturgeon Lake (like 10 years ago), Minnesota. Those of you who know me well know that I will pretty much let anyone cut or color my hair. Yesterday was the first time that I have had a male beautician cut my hair, and his name was Asha. It was a little strange at first, but I am going to go back to him when I need another cut- he was most excellent! Anyway, just another adventure.

My New Roomate

2005-08-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I adopted a roomate. Veronica is from Texas and will be going to UHP. The apartment she was supposed to move into fell through- so to say the least I will be spending the next couple of weeks with a complete stranger. It reminds me of moving to school for the first time and the unknown of the mysterious roomate. The difference here though is that wether we get along or not is that she will be moving out in two weeks.

My New Favorite Sport

2005-08-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

I would like to announce that on Monday I discovered my new favorite sport, surfing. This was by far the most fun thing I have done since arriving to the island. I do have to brag and say that I am a natural, catching multiple waves, and even getting on my feet and riding a wave twice. The best part is that there is a family in the church who surfs and they hook me up with everything I need- it is most excellent. Anyway I just thought I would let you all know that I am having fun here in Hawaii!

I Got Me Some Wheels

2005-08-04T22:50:00.000-07:00

I HAVE A CAR!!! I have waited...and waited...and walked...and walked, and now I have some wheels to get around. These are not just any wheels, I have a turqouise Shaggin Wagon (Ford Escort mini wagon). This is definately not the car to be picking up guys in...but it is a manual, which I am very excited about! It has been over a month since I have had a car and I can guarantee you that I will be spending my next day off driving around the island (the whole 2 hours it takes).

I Miss You!

2005-07-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day in the office by myself. At first I was really excited, blasting the music and dressing more casual, but this lasted for about an hour. Soon I became lonely, missing all of my family and friends from back home. Feeding the fire I decided to look through pictures and listen to the AA CD and Forever Young by Rod Stewart. One would think that this would make me miss everyone even more, but rather I was laughing within a few minutes. It was listening to Matt sing "Kiss Me", Steven's story about breaking the lawn mower, and reading Kami's e-mail that brough a tear of laughter to my eyes. I miss all of you very much, but I have realized that all of you are here with me right now, even though there are thousands of miles between us.

It's already been a month?

2005-07-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

Aloha Family and Friends!

Welcome to my online journal. You can use this link to view my journal at any time. I will try and update it weekly.

Today I first realized that I have been in Hawaii for almost a month (well I arrived nearly a month ago anyway). The first month of my internship has gone by very quickly.

The first week I was here was spent getting settled into my apartment, which is very nice. It feels like I am living in a hotel with an outdoor swimming pool. I did not get settled into my office because of an incident that happened the day I arrived- the sewer backed up and flooded my office.

After being on the island for a week I hopped on a plane for Fairbanks, Alaska, for my second mission trip of the summer. I was scheduled to fly out to Kivolina (a small village along the coast in Alaska); however, the plane was being worked on and the weather was not cooperating. So as a result I did VBS in Fairbanks at Zion Lutheran. Tia, former Concordia student, let me stay with her and she showed me the sights. We went to Chena Hot Springs and a scenic tour of Fairbanks, along with visiting many of the local restaurants and the Howling Dog Bar for a concert. Overall, I would say that it was more like vacation than a mission trip. I did get to travel in the six passenger plane once it was up and running, I even got to travel co-pilot!

Upon returning from Alaska I have had a chance to get to see some of the sights around Hawaii, including Pearl Harbor and Waikiki Beach. The congregation here at Our Savior is very exciting. Many of the families have recently left because they are either returning to the mainland and/or have been deployed. I am currently working on getting the youth group underway as well as 5th-12th grade Sunday School, the Young Adult Ministry, the Nursery, Children's Sermons, Confirmation, and teaching 6th grade religion at the school.

Here is a link to check out all the pictures I have been taking since arriving in Hawaii-
http://community.webshot.com/user/jodibeck