Sunday, May 18th

Super hot and muggy but the vog is starting to blow away. Sisi and I went to Starbuck's to hang out while dad went to swim at Sandy's and Jay had his driving. Mid-day we went to Barnes & Noble and then CPK and we saw your friends, Amy, Paige, Allie, Jess, and Joel. They had come from the beach and we talked for a little while. Naps and work in the yard and then Oahu club for Sunday picnic and just returning. Can't believe you only have a week left!!! Looking forward to our Cali. trip. I love Yosemite.

Oh yea, the van

Oh yea, I forgot to tell you the rest of the story about the van. So, you remember that I hit the pillar at the library the day before I left for the mainland (May 1st.) It was bad, but the slider still worked, etc. and I couldn't deal with it on Friday because I was going to the mainland. Well, on Sunday, May 4th, dad was driving the van home from OSF and the "door ajar" light kept coming on so Jay opened the slider and closed it hard and the glass window shattered into a million pieces. They called me in Cali to tell me the wonderful news as they drove down the freeway with half the car exposed to the elements. So, not only did I scratch the car all up, I compromised the window somehow and it broke. Needless to say, we had to take it in to the body shop and file an insurance claim, etc. Dad had made arrangements for me to take it in the Monday after I got home but I had to work that day so we had to drop if off at the body shop on the way to Punahou really early on Monday. Then after school on Monday I had to work at the Oahu Club so we went home to Hawaii Kai and then after practice I rode my bike to Ala Moana area to pick up the rental car that our insurance will cover for 10 days while the car is being fixed. I stuck the bike in the trunk and drove off with it sticking out. At least we have a rental while they fix the van. The insurance will cover all but $500, which is good, because it's estimated at about $4,000 in damages. So, your little scratch is nothing in comparison....

May 16th & 17th

Happy Birthday Nani Baird! (and cousin Amy on the 16th.) Did I tell you that we have a dead mouse somewhere in the kitchen? It really stinks and we don't know where it is. A few weeks ago we saw quite a few field mice in the kitchen and behind the t.v. so we put out some sticky traps and caught some but one got away and I think it died behind the fridge. There's also something nesting in the wall above the garage, so I'm wondering if it's a family of mice. I don't know how long we have to wait for the "dead" smell to go away. I haven't pulled the fridge out yet but I guess I might have to do that to see if we can find it. GROSS. Misty barfed on the carpet today and on the patio. Don't know why, she doesn't seem sick, but it was gross too. Also, we've lost some power in the patio and the outside fridge and some lights are out so I'm going to have to call an electrician. House maintenance is never ending. Today was so hot and voggy that we spent a good part of the day at the pool. We've had terrible vog. It's like being in Southern Cali on a bad smog day. It's from the volcano and it's heavy. Tutu and Papa were here on Thursday and we celebrated Tutu's belated birthday and Mother's Day with a cake. Your blog is great and I love the pictures with YOU in them!!

May 15th

Thursday afternoon as I write this, but I'm not sure if LOST is on tonight. May be on a week break. I caught up on SCRUBS last night. I was 4 episodes behind. Still funny as heck. LOST is CRAZY!! You'll have to netflix it because you really have to see it in order. Tutu and Papa will be coming over for dinner. We haven't seen them in over a month because they just got back from Hungary and their Habitat build. I'm making a cake to celebrate her birthday and Mother's Day. I'm going to make spaghetti with this 2 foot long noodles that I bought at Trader Joe's when in Cali. I'll take pictures to show you. Much love sending your way!

May 2nd to now

Well, I've been home from Calif. for a few days and I've finally caught up on my sleep. I spent every minute at G'pa Kimo's working at Uncle Gene's or at G'pa's. I did get to see Katie swim in a meet and we went out for Mexican on Cinco de Mayo. Andrew had prom and we got to take cute pictures before he went. I cooked dinner for K&A many times and we re-did Katie's room and got rid of her bunk beds, etc. It was a whirlwind trip but I did get to see some friends and relatives. It was little Noah's birthday and I saw him briefly. I saw Misha and Andre and their new house down the street from Auntie Susie's. I also went to Mb's for a few minutes to drop something off for her and saw their gang and friends Kate, Lowell and their kids. So, I did have some fun but it was a lot of work. Uncle Gene's funeral is on May 24th in New Mexico. We can't go, but I helped arrange it. I will miss my "uncle Fester." Yesterday, (Tuesday) G'pa Kimo was here and I picked him up and he came over for the afternoon and for dinner. He left on the cruise again today and will be back home on Friday night. K&A are home alone this week, but they're doing pretty good. You got an invitation to "high tea" to celebrate Jazzy's birthday and graduation,but you won't be home yet. It was a cute invitation,and I'm sure you would have loved to go, but you'll have to take her to tea or something when you get home. There's people home already, including Amy Marcus and Nawa. Others come home in the next week. Some don't get home (Kim) until mid-June. Punahou won the State Champs in girls water polo and Kamehameha got second. Boys volleyball is expected to win this weekend. May day was really cute and we'll get a DVD. Dad and Jay are watching Jon Stewart so it's getting late and I'm getting ready for bed. Love ya!

April 30th and May 1st

Wednesday was a normal work/school day with dad going surfing after school. I worked at the Oahu Club and then we came home for chicken and pesto panini's. Yummy. I had an interview this morning for the P.E. position. I don't have any idea if I'll get the job but I should find out in about a week. Thursday (today) was the middle school May Day program. Tomorrow is the K-2 and it will be live on the internet. Too bad you won't be able to see it. Jay doesn't have school tomorrow so he's spending the night at his friend Cameron's house. I subbed for Mrs. Ko today and we had advisory. Some kids, ie Sam Roeca and Sarah Elias are in that advisory and they asked about you. Sam is going to Princeton. Sarah is going to Bryn Mawr. I got in an accident today in the Library parking lot. I scraped the passenger side on a pillar-- really bad. No other cars were involved and I can't believe it happened, but it's bad. The sliding door still works but, UGH!! I'm off to California to help g'pa Kimo and the kids. I'll try to keep posting from there. Love you!

April 29th

We LOVE you!!

April 28th

Monday... we went to work/school together. Jay had a 7:30am math test- poor kid. After school, dad went surfing and I coached at the Oahu Club with Sierra in tow. We walked to piano lessons after the club and then came home for taco salad. I watched the most recent LOST and it was UNREAL!!! I'm still behind on SCRUBS. Your Vassar course catalog has arrived. Cool looking options. I've also discovered that you get an October break and a long (2+ week) spring break. Don't know if we'll be able to bring you home for those.... but I'd say New York City will be calling your name. Love you!

April 27th

Sunday and we're hanging out on the patio. Sisi is writing appreciation cards for her teachers because it's about to be Teacher Appreciation Day. We hung out at Sandy's for a little while and dad had band practice. Jay had 4 friends spend the night so he's tired and doing homework. I'm glad we got to talk, especially if you may not come back to town next week. Love you!!!

April 24th, 25th & 26th

Thursday was a normal school/work day. We all rode into school together and then came home together after Sierra's ballet. I'm pau with Elements of Movement and some of my after school water polo so we got to be like a real family and come home at a normal time. We ate awesome homemade tacos out on the patio. You know that we have the Mercer's old round patio picnic table, right? So our patio has a great outdoor eating space now that we can all fit on. It's been hot and voggy so it's been good to sit outside to eat dinner and since we finally had a chance to sit down and eat, we sat outside. I'll take a picture to show you the patio table. I was too tired to watch the new Lost on that night, but dad and Jay have watched it, so I'll catch up this weekend. I'm also a week or two behind on SCRUBS.... it's a beautiful day so I can't justify watching t.v. but maybe this evening I can catch up. Yesterday, Friday, was a fun and busy day. It was "carpool" or use alternative transportation to work day and the Sustainability Fair, which will soon catch up to carnival in size and scope. Dad took Jay and Sierra in the small car and picked up Lori Ching on the way to school. I rode my bike (I didn't have to be there until about 8:15.) The fair has grown and it's pretty cool. I'll try to send you some photos from it. After school, we had a PAU HANA with the faculty and staff at Twigg-Smith pavillion. They had great food, drink, music, and chatting. They had gift card door prizes for people who carpooled or used alternative modes of transport and Sierra and I BOTH won! She got Starbuck's and I got itunes. We left Sierra at After School Care while we partied and then dad took her home (and my bike) and I had to go "work" the vars 1 water polo game. We did a live webcast stream of the ILH Championships which was Punahou vs. Kamehameha.

http://iws.punahou.edu/department/it/streams/girlswaterpolo

Dont' know if this will work for you, but you can watch the game on that link. I was the "color" commentator and Lee Kings was the "play by play." It was a fun experience, especially after having a beer and a glass of wine at the PAU HANA. Na, just joke. The first game (Iolani vs. Pac-5) went into overtime, so the effects of the beer/wine were long gone by the time the game started. Anyway, Punahou won the game kinda easily but Kamehameha played well and Kehau scored once and was instrumental on their team. Jay went to his friend Cameron's house after the game and he spent the night there. He's on his way home right now and then early this afternoon he has his first "behind the wheel" training for driver's ed. He's been driving but not when Sierra is in the car yet, so it's going to take him awhile to get his 50 hours.

Sisi is practicing her photography and I'll post some of her photos for your entertainment. Dad has just left for surfing and we have to register Jay for Hawaiian Islands water polo today, but otherwise we don't have much of a plan which is kinda weird and unusual.

April 22nd and 23rd

Tuesday was a busy day of school/work. We all left right away after school and made a quick trip to Jamba juice and put air in the tires. Dad did some work in yard and I took a nap because I'm fighting a cold. Then, at 5:30pm Jay and I went back to Punahou so Jay could play in a water polo scrimmage and then he and I watched the boys Volleyball team beat Kamehameha. Today, I worked almost exclusively on appealing your financial aid package. I'm asking for more grant money. I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. I clipped newspaper articles about how our prices in Honolulu are the highest in the country, etc. I wrote a 2 page appeal complete with monthly expenses and income and I'm hoping that we can get a little more grant money and less loan money. I also had to make copies of your taxes and re-send those... I thought I did it but they didn't have it. We'll see if we get any more. We got some sad news today. Grandpa Kimo's brother, my uncle Gene, passed away in his bed. His work place worried when he didn't come to work and they made some calls. The police found him dead in his bed. My dad said he looked very peaceful and just like he was sleeping. He probably had a massive heart attack or stroke. The big problem is that he didn't leave any instructions about his "estate" and apparently, he's got a pack-rat problem and his house is a disaster. I'm going to go and stay with Katie and Andrew for a week in early May and I'm sure I'm going to spend my time cleaning out his house. It's sad, but it could have been worse. He may have ended up in a coma or something, so I guess there's a silver lining. He had dinner on Sunday with dad and the kids to celebrate Andrew's 18th birthday, so at least they saw him recently. I'll always remember my "uncle Fester." I love you!!

April 20-21st

Sunday started with hanging out and then I went to a surprise birthday party for Kelsey Ko (her 50th) and then picked up Sierra while dad took Jay surfing and then to the Kokua Festival. They had a great time. Sierra and I hung out and took a long walk and tried to rest because we're both have a little cold. Today, Monday, I subbed at Koko Head and dad, Jay, and Sisi had a normal monday (work/school/piano/water polo.) Misty just got her face and paw stuck in a mouse glue trap. We have a bunch of field mice in our house so I put down some glue traps and Misty saw 2 mice in the trap near the refridge and so she went after them, causing a mini disaster. One mouse got away and Misty is very sticky. Yuck. Happy Anniversary to my friend Anna and her husband of 21 years, Kevin. I should email them to wish them well! Love you Jacko!

April 18th & 19th

Friday was a BUSY day. I worked 1st grade again and then straight to 5th & 6th grade water polo and then to our Vars 2 championships. The 3rd place game went into overtime so our game started late, but we won pretty easily 9-3 and then I got thrown in the pool with my white t-shirt. We got lots of lei and the night before we had a team dinner at Hannah Ishida's house. Today we're hanging out and tonight dad and I are going to see West Side Story.

April 16th & 17th

Dad went surfing before school the last few days and will do so again on Friday (tomorrow.) Wednesday was crazy because I subbed grade 1 and then straight to water polo and our V2 semi-finals against LeJardin, which we won 6-2. While we were at the game, dad was taking some visiting friends to Portlock Point for sunset. We have a lot of vog in the air, and some weird cloud coverage so it wasn't much of a sunset but they had fun. Jay and I came home and then I took Misty on the Safeway loop because I hadn't had a chance to exercise and I needed it. Then today was just as crazy because after subbing 1st grade, I had Elements (while Sisi had ballet) and then the V2 crew went to the Ishida's (Hannah) for dinner and a little "almost end of season" festivities. Tutu and Papa were here today for the HPR fund drive and worked the phone lines. They had dinner here. Oh, and apparently Hillary Clinton was on the Colbert Report. I didn't see it yet. Was SCRUBS on tonight? I hope so... I'll save it for you! I'm really missing you so I hope you can figure out how to use the phone card numbers I gave you. Check your email because I finally got ahold of a person and he gave me some information regarding the calling card. Go do that now so you can call me!

April 14th & 15th

Hi kid! It's tax day. We've already finished them, so phew! I subbed 2nd grade today but I did get to see 2 numbers during the 8th grade showing of West Side Story. It was great. Sumi was awesome! We're going to see the real show this weekend, but I had a little break this morning so I went over to see Aaron sing "Maria" and Marcela and Aaron do "Tonight, tonight" and then Sumi and girls do "I like to live in America." It was good. I only saw about 15 minutes of the 2+ hour show, so I look forward to the rest of it. Dad went to Hawaii Public Radio and answered phones in the fund drive. Punahou teachers went together after school. They mentioned them on the radio but we didn't hear them say dad's name. Then after that, he went to UH for a lecture that Bill McKibben (CTT father of Sophie and environmentalist) gave tonight. He just got home and is now watching John Stewart. I've got to go to bed! I'm really missing you... the fact that there's a show at Dillingham without you in it, makes me even more more more miss you! Seriously, I can't believe you're not on that stage, and especially that you've been abroad for months and that you're not here!! WHAT?? I still can't believe it. And, I've talked to some other parents and they're already talking about their kids coming home in a month or so!! Can you believe it?

April 13th

Remember this sea arch? Good thing you saw it when you did because it has collapsed. Perhaps you're seeing things in the rainforest that will not exist for long.... sad but possible. We didn't get to talk but your emails were good. Thanks. Dad went surfing this morning and Sierra and I worked in the yard while Jay had his drivers ed. I went on a walk with the dog and Kelli and then Sisi and I got hair cuts. We picked Jay up from Kaimuki and went to Big City Diner and now we're home relaxing. I'm packing a gift to send to Andrew for his 18th birthday and Jay's sending a thank you to G&G for taking him to Mammoth. We might go hang out at the OClub for hot tubbing later this afternoon. Your camp looks awesome and you're going to learn so much. Very cool. Miss you and love you lots.

April 11th &12th

On Friday, dad took Sisi to Mrs. Ching's house for a 6th grade teacher party. I had a game at Kamehameha, which we won, and then I watched the varsity also beat Kamehameha. Kehau played a good game, scoring on a nice lob in the 3rd. Jay went to Cameron's house to play guitar. After my games, I met dad and Sierra at the party and then we came home and went to bed... an exhausting week. Today (Saturday) Jay went to drivers ed while dad went to the beach and Sierra and I went to the Library and vet and other errands. We made birthday cards for Andrew, who will be 18 next week. Then, I took her to Iolani for our Intermediate Champs, which we won (over Iolani.) After the game we went back to Punahou for a potluck outside the pool and we had a little swim at Punahou. Somewhere around then, you called my cell phone. I wish I got a chance to talk to you, but it sounds like you're doing well. If you need to borrow someone else's phone card, you can offer to pay for some of it or to reload it for him. I'm working on it, as we speak, to try to find out what your access code is but I've given you the toll free numbers and the card number so maybe you can use his access code and then your card number... if his is a sprint card, I don't see why that wouldn't work. Try it. I look forward to hearing from you again, but if calling in person doesn't work, then just stick to the email and blog. Mrs. Hense says "hi" and that she'd love to have you teach Spanish at Koko Head. Photo is just for fun! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE xoxoxoxoxo

April 9th & 10th

OMG Jack!! Guess what? There is an Intercollegiate Quiddditch Association and VASSAR has a team!

And, guess what else? SCRUBS is back, and should be on tonight! Yipee! I'm going to send you an email with a calling card number and you can try calling us from a land line in P-do. Check your email and call us!

April 8th

A normal Tuesday except that dad played "Hiram Bingham" in his "celebration of the decades" during school. After school Jay went with some friends to Pearl Ridge and then after water polo I picked him up at Kahala Mall where he had been dropped off by his friend. I looked at a lot of your facebook pictures last night and got real nostalgic about the Harry Potter ones and others that cracked me up. I really liked this one.

April 7th

It's Monday and a busy one at that. I subbed... first it was 8th grade boys and then it ended up being 3-5th grade boys P.E. Sierra's class had their chapel today where they sang their song, "I'd like to build the world a home." You've done that. Very cool. After school, I rushed off to the Oahu club for swim practice and then right back to Punahou for a scrimmage of our V2 and our intermediates. I missed the first half, and when I got there, the intermediates were winning 5-1. The 8th graders are pretty good. We only played 3 quarters and the final score was Intermediate 5-2. The V2 took a break and then we had a real game vs. LeJardin starting at 6pm. We won, but it was sloppy. By the time we broke down the pool, putting away clocks, had snack, etc. it was about 7:45pm. We drove a couple of people home and then Jay drove home from there. He's taking his drivers ed, so he needs to practice and get his 50 hours. Dad was putting Sisi to bed by the time we got home. I think they went to piano after school and Jay did his weight room workout. I'm super tired and so I'm going to call it a day. Hope you're enjoying your time in the jungle. Mucho love-o.

April 2-6th

You won't get to see this until next weekend, but I thought I'd give a brief summary of the past few days. Aloha shutting down is no joke and now ATA has also shut down, and so we have thousands of stranded passengers. As for the family Smart, we're still busy with school and water polo and piano and dance class and weight lifting, etc. The 3rd quarter has come to and end and Jay has a new homeroom teacher because Mr. Wolfe has health problems and will be out the rest of the school year. Hopefully, he'll be back next year. We've had water polo games, and all three Punahou teams (Intermediate, Vars2 and Vars 1) are undefeated. Jay is taking his drivers ed. classroom part at Sacred Hearts (like you did.) This was his first weekend. He says it's boring, but he's 1/3 done as of now. We went to CPK for lunch today and also hung out at Barnes and Noble for a little while. It's raining and kinda cold... weird.

I'll try to post regularly and probably won't use the texting too often. Love ya!

March 31st and April 1st

Back to school and work! The big news is that Aloha Airlines is bankrupt and without any notice it stopped flying yesterday. 1,900 employees are out of a job and it's going to strand a ton of people, including Tutu and Papa who have already bought tickets to go to Calif. this summer. Oh, and last week, I didn't tell you but Molokai Ranch is also closing down all operations so a few hundred ranch employees are out a job on Molokai and there will be no lodge, or golf course, etc. Scary time in our economy, I guess. The news is totally about the Aloha thing right now, as they don't even have any employees answering phones as of today, so no one knows what to do about prior reservations, etc. Luckily, we don't have any plans to fly Aloha right now, but it will definitely make inter-island travel more expensive now. I'm going to be early today because I'm taking Yui to the airport at 5:30am tomorrow. She's moving to L.A. for a few months and then back to Japan. We don't have any other student's lined up yet.... I'll let you know. Hope all is well and that you're healthy and enjoying your new project. Luuurrrrve you!!!

March 27-30th

Our last few days of spring break have been fun and slow. Sisi and I have taken a lot of trips to the pool and watched a lot of "Princess" movies, ie. Princess Bride, Princess Diaries 2, and also watched the original Freaky Friday and the new "The Last Mimzy." Sierra had a play date with her good friend Emma and we had dinner at the Crowell's with the UCLA water polo team. UCLA beat UH 9-5 but it was a pretty good game. UCLA is undefeated and have won the last 3 national championships. They're good. It's Sunday afternoon and dad and Sierra are napping. He just got home. We're really lucky that he got on the flight last night. It was sketchy for awhile there. He's got his 500 photos loaded onto this (your)computer already and they're AWESOME. I can't believe Macchu Picchu. I just looks stunning. I'm so bummed that you got sick. Do you know what happened? Are you okay now? I'm really excited for you to have a great adventure in the rainforest. I'm hoping you'll get a chance to write on your blog soon and I'm REALLY hoping that you're healthy. We pick Jay up in a couple of hours and we all go back to school tomorrow. Miss you so much and it looks like you had the most amazing trip with dad!!! Loove yooooou!

March 20-26th

Took dad and Jay to the airport on my birthday and then it was a mom and Sierra girls week. You're with dad, so I didn't feel the need to write, but I'll briefly summarize our week so far. We colored Easter eggs on Saturday with Yui. We've had dinner and swimming at the Fitter's, including Easter dinner. The Easter bunny came to our house for a quick egg hunt but mostly hid tons of eggs at uncle Jimmy's and we had a big egg hunt over there with Helen and Bobbi. We've seen "Horton Hear's a Who" at the theater and "Enchanted" at home on DVD. We've swam at the Oahu club quite a bit and on Tuesday we took Izzy and Cole and went skating at Ice Palace. Sierra went to the Lost beach with the Fitter's while I got a few things ready for my girls night party on Tuesday night. We've gone to the UH vs. SJSU game and the UH vs. Stanford game... both which I announced. UH went into overtime against Stanford (for only the second time in history- the first time being 10 years ago when we lost 10-9- with me coaching.) The outcome was the same, unfortunately, a 10-9 loss. It would have been the first time in history that we'd beaten Stanford and they're currently 2nd ranked. Kim Hall was here but she didn't play. She has played in 8 games so far.... check out the Stanford web site to see some cool pictures of her in her Stanford uniform. She was great and said to tell you she missed you, etc. We've also had Punahou practice and games. Our intermediates played last weekend at Iolani and won easily and then we scrimmaged Kahuku on Monday. It was good experience for the teams. Talked to Jay and G'ma yesterday and they're having a blast in Mammoth. I love Mammoth. Jay skied with Madison Guss on Tuesday... or rather hung out with her while she tried to snowboard. G'ma says Jay's skiing really well. Sisi and I have been having fun and have talked to lots of people about your trip and your blog. I saw Chris McLaughlin at the Stanford game and he was thrilled to hear about your adventures.

March 15-19th

Soooo sorry that I haven't posted on the blog in a long time.... I've been subbing a lot and I have no internet access because I can't get a password at Punahou. With waterpolo practice in the late afternoon and evening I'm out of time and can't get to the blog. Excuses, excuses, I know. Sorry. We've been doing the school polo, games, piano, dad's gig type thing. Tuesday night V2 played LeJardin and won 5-2. Dad and Jay leave tomorrow and we have a game vs. Kamehameha at 5pm. I'll drive them straight to the airport from the game. Lots of the V2 girls are traveling during spring break but our Intermediates have games on both Saturdays. SanJose state plays UH on Saturday and I will announce the game. Stanford will play UH on Monday, and UCLA will be here on Friday. I'll announce both those games. Kim will be here with Stanford and her parents are having a party that Sisi and I will go to. I'm SO jealous that dad will be seeing you soon!! I love and miss you sosososososo much!!

March 14th

After school the V2 and V1 girls both won their games vs. Pac-5. Just getting home. Dad took Sisi on an excursion to the Humane Society to see the kitties. She love it. We love you. Hope lake Titicaca is great! Can't wait to see the photos. How's the spanish?

March 13th

Loved your photos! It's almost time for LOST so I'm putting Sisi to bed. More later.

March 11th

I just returned from coaching noon masters at the Oahu Club. It was good because I got to swim with the adults and they got a change from their regular coaches. We had a "cupcake" swim. I made cupcakes to take to OSF tonight but I brought some to the club as incentive for a swim that was kinda hard. After we finished I told them they'd just earned a cupcake and they thought it was great. You got a check from Teddy's in the mail yesterday. I'll deposit it for you into your ASB account. Tutu and Papa will pick Sierra up from school today and bring her home so she can play with Helen and Bobbi and then they'll bring all the cousins to OSF where we will celebrate Susie and my birthday.... and maybe Ingrid's too. Your hike sounds hard but awesome! Dad forwarded the email you sent to him and I forwarded the one to him that you had sent to me, so we're all in the loop. I can't wait to see pictures. How's the journal? So glad you're getting to do cool stuff. Miss you so much and now I can't make a cake without thinking of you.... I promise to make you one in June!

March 6th-10th

Wow, I've gotten so far behind on this blog but I feel like I've been sort of keeping in touch with the text messaging. Highlights from the last few days: Girls water polo beat Iolani in V1 and Intermediate. V2 will not play Iolani because they didn't have enough players to field a team. Really ashame. Sisi and I saw the movie Penelope with Isabel. (Funny and cute.) Jay, Sisi and I went to the Fitter's for pizza and swimming (and wine) while dad had a gig at the Hilton. I've been coaching morning master's workouts at the O.club and Jay and I have finished the most recent water polo clinics at UH. Misty had another bath and dad's been working on the backyard hillside. Dad and Sierra went to ceramics and did some glazing. Dad is getting ready to travel and I ordered you some meds for dad to bring to you. Dad saw cousin John on the N.Shore many days this week, including getting him on Sunday and bringing him to our house where we all had dinner together at Thai Valley Cuisine in Kalama Valley. I'm making cupcakes to take to OSF tomorrow night so we can celebrate Susie and Ingrid's birthday (and mine too.) Love you so much and hope you're doing great. I'm about to look up some of the places you're visiting on the web. I want to have a vision of where you are and what you're doing.

March 5th

I started my day coaching masters swimming at the O.club from 6-7am and then played in the traffic to get to Punahou. Dad and Sierra went to breakfast while Jay slept in the car because his first class was 9:30am. After school I went back to O.club to coach while Jay went to the weight room and Sisi had Elements and then after school care. Dad went to the N.Shore to see John and catch some waves. We've just come home and we're having chili and rice for dinner. I talked to Cathy Goto and she said to say hi. Where are you? Where are you going? How long will you be there? Miss you and I'm a worried mom. I want you to have adventures, but I want you to avoid danger and stay safe.

March 4th

Great post on your blog. Love those Nasca lines. Today Tutu and I went to yoga early and then had an acai cup at Jamba. I worked in the yard and did some stuff around the house before heading to the Oahu Club to coach noon masters swim. Then some banking, including withdrawing from your account the project fees for both VV and PA, so we could pay back our visa. You still have plenty to have a great rest of your trip, but don't freak out if you see your balance has been depleted significantly. It has. Dad took Sisi and Jay to Sandy's and then to the club for hot tubbing after school. We watched a little of the election stuff but not that much. The race has tightened. Go Obama!

Keep your valuables in your pouch and on your body while you travel. Especially your passport and money cards. Do not leave those things in a hotel room, they are vulnerable there, unless there's a safe or something. Keep your camera safe too. Have a good time but remember you're obviously a tourist so you don't want to let your guard down too much because you're a target simply because you're a tourist. Any good food adventures? How's the journal? Keep that thing safe because I'm very excited to see it. Can you give us any contact info for Haydee's family- just in case. Also, I'd like a detailed summary of your itinerary. For example, where do you go first, how long will you be there and then what's next? It would be prudent for us to have an idea of what cities you'll be in for how long and how you intend to get to the next place. Please just write a summary. It's okay if it's not exact, but approximate. Make sure we get an email and/or text when you arrive and leave each place. And your expected arrival at the new destination. Can you do that for me? I trust you, I just want to cover our bases, plus I like to have a visual of where you are in the world. Remember, "where in the world is Carmen San Diego?" That's the game I play about you. BE SAFE AND KNOW THAT WE LOVE YOU!

March 3rd

Happy Girls Day! It's Kiley Neushul's birthday and girls day. School/work and piano and water polo after school. I made a deposit of $118 into your Am.Svs. Bank account. That's your refund from the Federal govt. and the state for your tax returns. Speaking of money, GET CASH BEFORE you leave Pisco and of course carry your ATM card with you (safely in the pouch on your body.) What's your itinerary for your trip? Have you booked places to stay? Use your intuition and DON't do anything that's dangerous or in a dangerous areas. Will you be traveling until you see dad?

February 28 & 29th and March 1st

Busy work/school days. Friday night I had our pre-season V2 water polo season up at Kamehameha. Dad worked late at school on his report cards.

Saturday, March 1st we got to talk to you in the a.m.!!! Yipee. Your weekend sounds great. I hope you had enough money to do the fun stuff you wanted to do. How were the mummies (sp?) Get yourself some cash and carry your ATM card and plan ahead on any travel. March 1st is Kehau's birthday. We had a busy day that included water polo practice in the a.m. at Punahou while dad worked in the yard. Jay rode his bike part way and took the bus part way to ward to see the movie Semi-pro with a couple of his buddies. I took Sierra to ceramics while dad did report cards. Then Sisi and I went to Iolani for our first intermediate water polo game vs. Pac-5. We won easily and everybody got to play lots. Jay got himself to Iolani and we loaded his bike in van and we came home briefly to wrap a present for Zachary's birthday party. We gave his the book "Great Expectations" since now that he's a man there's great expectations for his life. I also got and wrapped a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for midnight snacks (he's having a sleep-over.) The three of us went over there for an afternoon at the pool, the bowling alley and then back to the Guss house for ice cream sundae party to celebrate Zach's 18th. Dad joined us after picking up John Smart at the airport and taking him to the n.shore and having some beach time. John will be here for a few weeks. Dad's coming in 3 short weeks! Miss you much! Write on your blog asap. I want to see your face!!

February 26 & 27

Both Jay and Sierra home from school on Tuesday and they lay around and watched movies all day. Tutu and I got a yoga class in and Papa took Misty for a quick walk. I had to coach in the afternoon so dad came straight home to take care of the sickies while I was on the pool deck at Punahou. On Wednesday, both kids got themselves to school. Jay wasn't in the best shape but handled and came home right away after school to rest. Sisi's teacher's thought she might still have a fever but she was fever free, just tired so she had a full school day but wasn't very active. I had dropped the van off at the Nissan dealership and rode my bike home via Kahala Mall where I returned my new bad phone and replaced it with the samsung that was like the one that got stolen. It's already so much easier to text so I'm happy with it. The car wasn't fixed in time for me to ride back to Kakaako before coaching at Oahu Club so I had to walk (which was fine) and I "picked up" Isabel and Cole on the way because I was supposed to drive them but we all walked. It was fun and simple. Dad brought Sierra to me at the Club and he went surfing. There's a south swell and it was a beautiful day. Sisi and walked home and took our time... it was a beautiful day. Dad stopped at Safeway for cheese and a tomato for our tacos. We watched American Idol for the first time and it was the "girls night" so we only saw the 10 girls- I thought it was pretty good. Mb sent me a picture of the wahine on a "hike" to a water hole near Sandi's house. Check out Sandi on the left with her really short hair-- she looks great!

February 25th

Woke up at 2am to Jay barfing in his room. Then for the next 12 hours he threw up consistently and repeatedly. Then, dad brought Sierra home and she has a fever. I really hope she's not going to throw up. Then Yui came home with a major tooth ache. It looks like both your sibs and your Japanese exchange student will be staying home from school tomorrow. Can't wait to read your journal... you've had some interesting challenges that will undoubtedly help you grow. It's an adventure. Miss you so much and can't wait to send dad off to see you. (I'm jealous but happy that at least one of your parents will get to hang with you in your new country.) xoxoxoxoxox

February 24th

Very slow morning hanging around the house reading the paper, books, and listening to the rain. Jay and I had water polo at UH in the afternoon. I'll write more later.

February 23rd

It's been two years to the day since you got your license and we got our van. It's my friend Jocelyn's birthday-- that's how I remember. Dad went to the North Shore for a dawn patrol and after walking Misty and doing a little work around the house/yard, I took Sierra to ceramics. She glazed some of her things that she'd made last time. I made some tiles that I'm going to try to use to make the mosaic. We ate lunch and napped and read books and the newspaper in the afternoon and then took a trip to the Oahu Club for a swim and hot tub. Jay rode his bike to Koko Marina to hang out and eat and he's supposed to be getting a hair cut. I don't know if he did that. He's on his way home on his bike right now. I'm going to watch the boys h.s. basketball champs-- maybe on the downstairs T.V. because dad and Sierra are watching Wallace and Gromet right now on the upstairs t.v. Got your text about your swim and your telemundo thingy. How much is 5 soles? Did you go to the sand sliding? Punahou swept the boys and girls High School swimming championships today-- they blew away the competition. Here's a link to the results:
http://www.sportshigh.com/sports/swimming_diving/schedule_results/2007-2008/HHSAA-Final

Love, love, love you!!xoxoxoxoxo

February 22nd

Friday and I subbed for Mrs. Ko in basketball and racquetball. It was fun because in each class of racquetball there was someone absent and they were in their doubles tournament so I had to play. I had played in the morning with Mrs. Shoji so I had lots of racquetball today. Fun. I'll be sore tomorrow. After school dad took Sisi home and Jay and I had water polo. Jay played in a girls scrimmage after practice and we went to Subway for sandwiches on our way home. Then we watched the girls high school basketball state championships. It was a good game and Punahou beat Iolani at the end of the game. You probably know some of the girls on the team. The boys championships is tomorrow, Punahou vs. Kamehameha Big Island. Did you settle the money thing?

February 21st

I spent the day working on the new locks for the car, the autopayments for many of our household items, and other ramifications of the loss of my stuff. I did some minor yard work and hosed the sidewalks, folded laundry and did some clean up and other household chores. I made a quick stop at Koko Head school to pick up some paperwork and took Misty for a short walk. Sisi had ballet after school and then dad took her and Jay home early. I had my Elements of Movement class and then coached water polo. Sitting in traffic on the way home. Dad made pizza and asparagus for dinner. Been thinking about you a lot and hope you got that money thing sorted out. It's LOST night and Jay watched it already but I'm a week behind so I'm going to wait to watch it in order. LOOOOVVVVVEE You!

February 20th

Happy Birthday Whale Pipeline (Cathy Neushul.) I just saw her this weekend and we had fun. Home now and trying to catch up on the stolen purse thing. Lots to do but I'm grateful for happy kids and our good health (no brain surgery scares) so a little stolen wallet is an inconvenience but really not that big a deal in the big picture. Loved your new blog and looks like an awesome trip to the island and the beach. You really look great. Try to make sure you're in some of the pictures because I love to see you doing your thing. Your taxes have been filed so send me whatever it is that you have.... hopefully we don't have to amend the return. High school swimming champs are this weekend. Go Puns! Go Obama!

February 16-19th

I was in California visiting the Whales and especially Crusty who's recovering well from her brain surgery. Dad, Sierra and Jay went to Molokai. If I get any pictures from Mb, I'll post one.

February 15th

I'm off to California today to see Sandi (Crusty-head) and the whales. We had a chocolatey Valentine's Day with a nice dinner and some "Lost." Tutu is here to go to Kapuna Day with Sierra and then she's going to take her back to Molokai with her and dad and Jay will join them on Saturday. Jay's two friends will join them on Sunday because Monday is a holiday and Tuesday is a curriculum day. You went to SF with Tutu this time last year for your audition. Wow, how times have changed!! The loss of my purse, cell phone and car/house keys have been all consuming. I've already had to get a new driver's license, new locks for the house front and back door, a new (very basic) cell phone, contacted the Nissan dealer about new locks for the cars, cancelled all credit cards, ATM cards, bank accounts, contacted companies who automatically deduct our bills from our checking account, ie. sewer, electric, cable, water, gas, your USAA credit card and more. It's been a huge hassle and I'm really mad and disappointed in myself for allowing it to happen in the first place. I've got to finish the Punahou financial aid stuff and hand deliver that today, as well as hand deliver a new check to the Nissan dealer so they can order the parts for the new locks and keys. I may not get a chance to write on the blog from Ojai but once I figure out how to use my new phone, I can text you. I'll take the time on the plane to read my phone manual and try to get that figured out. I love you! Dad made me a cool "New Year's messages" DVD so I watched it last night and can't believe how you've grown!! In two different messages you mention your love of foreign language (Latin and Spanish) so it's cool to see you're still following your passion! Miss you tons.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

February 13th

Wednesday, got your text but won't be able to reply for awhile because my purse, cell phone, cars keys were stolen out of our van today while it was parked in our driveway at home. Very distressing, and all consuming. I need a new phone, we need new locks on cars and house, and new checking accounts, visa cards, etc. Even the library card will be a hassle to deal with. I'm very mad at myself for leaving my stuff in the car and for leaving the car unlocked, etc. but the bottom line is that the bad guys are the guys who stole my stuff! I'll be going to T-Mobile tomorrow after trying to replace my driver's license. Lot's to do. You can still send texts, cuz I'll get a new phone soon! Love you so much. Think about you every day all the time.

February 11th & 12th

On Monday I worked at Koko Head and then Punahou coaching. Dad took Sisi to piano and then the O.club. Jay's started a weight training and leg work in the pool program for boys water polo. They might be going to Australia in the summer so they're starting to work hard right now. I am sick with a fever and sore throat. Today (Tues) I spent the morning working on tax stuff so I can get the financial aid stuff turned in by Friday. We got a preliminary offer from Vassar and it's MUCH better than last year. Looks like you're going to get at least $18,000 in grant money for the school year. I would have liked about $6000 more, but we'll see. It's good news. Love you so much. I think you should work in teaching english for the beginning of March because that's a long time to bum around. Do you want me to try to get ahold of Jenny??

February 10th

Really enjoy getting your text messages. Does that phone with the chip in it work? I'd like to hear your voice sometime this week. You can try us at home if possible, but if the texting is the best choice, that's okay. It's like we really get to talk so it's a good alternative. Today, (Sunday) I went to yoga in the morning while dad and Sierra and Jay hung around at home. In the afternoon Jay and I had to go to UH for our first day of our water polo clinic. It was crazy. We had almost 70 boys (and a couple of girls) come out to play for a couple of hours. Jay's playing with the high school group and I think he had a fun time. As soon as we got home, dad and Jay went to Sandy's for a little swim and Sierra and I went to the club to hang around the hot tub and have pupu with the Fitters and Pat and Takako (swim team parents... you've met them, they have little Erin who is a little older than Sierra and Matt who is 9.) Sierra played so hard that she fell right to sleep when we got home.

February 9th

Saturday morning, Sierra and I went to our new ceramics class at Koko Head district park while Dad went to Makaha to surf and Jay did a few chores. We ran some errands, including a trip to Costco for a new microwave because ours was acting wierd. We ate lunch at the new Taco Del Mar and then came home for a nap. It was like the napping house because everyone was laying down. After some yard work we had the Fitters and the McKibbins come over for a bbq and brownies. We looked at your pictures and blog.

February 8th

I subbed in Mrs. Ching's 6th grade class today, which was a little wierd to be subbing as dad's switch partner. After school we went to have pupu with the 6th grade teachers at this nice house in Wailupe. Very beautiful. We miss you so so so so much. Thinking maybe you should consider the teaching in Cusco. What do you think?

February 7th

Kung Hee Fat Choy!
Here's what I think today is going to be like:
Dad, Sierra and Jay are at school now and will have a regular day, except that Sierra's class will celebrate Chinese New Year this afternoon. I am puttering around home getting laundry done, tax stuff ready, and misc. yard work, etc. Then I plan on going to yoga and then drop the tax stuff off and then I sub for the second half of the day in 8th grade PE. I teach Elements of Movement right after school and then straight to the pool for Intermediate girls water polo try-outs. Jay will probably get in the water and throw the ball around with the girls and dad is thinking of going surfing. Tutu, Papa, and Herbert are coming to town and the Weaver's and Cheri Woods will come over for dinner to see Herbert. I'm putting a roast in the crock pot right now!

February 6th

Loved your blog entry. I had a sub day at Koko Head and everyone else had a normal work/school day. Jay's swim season is over so he's going to jump in the water in the afternoons with the girls who will begin their try-outs this week. Sierra had Elements of Movement today. She loves it. I coached at the Oahu Club and had a swim there today. Just a normal day at the Smart's except that you're not here.

February 4th

"Piper's" holiday at school. The clean up day after carnival, so no one has school/work today. Dad and Jay went to Makapuu and I took Sierra to Koko Head to glaze a ceramic piece that I had made there when I subbed a few weeks ago. Then we went to Long's and Safeway and finally picked up your medicine. I'll pack it with dad when he comes. I got your text and I'm sorry to hear that you don't think you'll last 6 weeks. Give it a couple of weeks and then if you need to change, find out if you can move on. Maybe you'd prefer the care programs-- Bolivia?? Peru?? I'm sure that you're doing very valuable work. I'll bet the conditions are harsh. I guess that's the real world. We're so lucky just to be born in this country. We watched Groundhog Day- the movie, last night after the Super Bowl. The NY Giants upset the New England Patriots and ruined their perfect season. It was a fun game and since you'll be living in NY by the end of the year, we cheered for the Giants. Lars is a big Giants fan, but Curt and some of the Ai's wanted the Patriots to go 19-0 and make history. It was a close game, and came down to the wire so it was quite entertaining. I'm including some pictures of carnival and of Sierra's Thursday ballet class-- she loves it! We really miss you and hope that you can find meaning in this part of your trip. How's the journal?

February 3rd

Dad, Jay and Ai boys went to Makapuu while I did some yard work and Sisi played with Isabel and Cole who came over while Kelli and Lars went to yoga. We're going to all go to the Ai's to watch the SuperBowl on their new t.v. Thanks for the text. Buy some shorts!

February 2nd

Happy Groundhog Day. Sierra learned about groundhog day so we watched the movie this morning. Dad went to Makapuu, Jay slept in and then I worked a carnival shift in the Prize Exchange booth from 10:45-2pm. Dad took Jay to work his shift in "Strong Man" and he and Sisi went to the aquarium for about an hour. We're going out to dinner to celebrate both Kelli and Lars' birthdays. Thanks for the text about the market. Hope you get a good sleep before heading to Pisco! I'm baking a cake for Kelli--it's time to frost it. Miss you!

February 1st

Carnival! Dad, Jay and Sierra left for school super early because Jay had morning practice at 6:30am and dad needed to park early to get his parking place. I biked in at 11am to do carnival stuff with Sierra and dad before biking home and to work at the Oahu Club. After practice I drove back to carnival and parked in the Lanzas' stall. Dad's "Puna Rock" band played in the cafeteria at 6pm. It was a good gig! There were tons of people there to hear them play-- partly because of their reputation but partly because of the pouring rain!! It's a muddy mess there! I'll post some pictures asap. Thanks for the text messages-- that's a good way to keep us informed! Love you!

January 30th & 31st

I subbed for Mr. Martinson while he took the girls to the state soccer championships. Sierra had her new "Elements of Movement" class on Wednesday and Jay stayed home from school on Thursday with a bad cold. We tried to go to bed really early on Thursday because of carnival weekend coming!

January 29th

I was glad to see you posted on your blog already! Here's some photos from the last couple of days in the life of the Smart(est) Family. We're really going to miss you! I made your bed with clean sheets so if I get real lonely for you, I can sleep in your room. I'm also in the process of stealing your computer.

January 28th

You've just sent us a text that you've arrived in Lima. I was waiting up for it because I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing. I'm so glad to hear you're there. I know you're still emotionally fragile, but remember you've had no real sleep in a long time so you'll feel better when you can catch up on your sleep. Plus, make sure you try to eat healthily and drink lots of fluids to help with your adjustment. I've been practicing my texting but I'm not really used to it. I'd prefer to use this blog. Today we all went to Punahou for work and school. Then, I coached at the club while Sierra had piano and Jay froze his butt off at swim practice. We had pasta and red sauce for dinner and played a few games of Blokus before putting Sisi to bed and waiting to hear from you. Tutu and Papa have just walked in the door. They've just returned from their trip and wanted to spend the night here so Tutu could go to yoga and they could shop tomorrow to stock up for their return to Molokai tomorrow. I might have to sleep in your bed tonight because I miss you so. KNOW that we love you and that we're so proud of you. You are really an inspiration!