Fresh Perspectives

“If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.” – Jimmy Buffett
 
Well…ain’t that the truth.  Sometimes the best remedy to a dull day, week, or even month is plain and simple – a good laugh.  I’m not talking about a little chuckle though, or even a few ha-ha’s.  When I say a good laugh, I mean a stomach-hurting, cheeks sore from smiling, laugh out loud kinda laugh!  Those are the best, aren’t they?  They don’t come around all that often but are truly appreciated when they do!

I don’t really have any wild and crazy adventures to describe from this weekend.  No camping, no cliff jumping.  I went to a soccer and a volleyball game, did a little shopping, and enjoyed an outdoor concert – nothing too terribly exciting.  But you know what, I had one of the best weekends ever, thanks to a few good laughs while kickin’ it with my friends.  We all just sat around talking and laughing for hours, over everything and nothing at all.  It was exactly what the doctor ordered!

Jimmy’s right…I think we really would go insane without a good laugh every once in a while.  So keep in mind not to take life too seriously!  A little laughter can go a long way.

Until next time…Aloha!

Posted by Kendall at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Friday, after class and a quick nap, I embarked on a camping trip with a few friends to the other side of the island…the Kona side.  We camped at Spencer’s beach park, north of the actual city of Kona and boy was I impressed.  We arrived at the camp site around 5 pm, leaving just enough time to set up camp (tents, sleeping bags, etc.) before enjoying the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my entire life.  No, I’m not exaggerating, either!  Hilo’s on the eastern side of the island, so although we have wondrous sun rises, I had never seen a Hawaiian sunset until this past weekend.

After watching the sunset, we were all ready to grub out, so the guys fired up the grill and before long we were all settled in with our hamburgers and hotdogs.  Next came the music!  John, one of my friends, brought his guitar along and we had a good old fashioned jam session around the camp fire.  Everybody sang and danced and laughed!

The boys decided it was time to go crab hunting, which was quite a new experience for me!  So, we took flashlights and headed down to the beach - the goal was to shine the light, blinding the crabs so they’d be still enough to catch them.  I was too busy jumping around trying to avoid getting pinched that I wasn’t much help, but it was still a neat adventure.

After crab catching, we were hungry yet again so we whipped out our smores materials!  Yummm….roasted marshmallows, Hershey’s chocolate, and crispy graham crackers united together for the perfect taste.  C’mon now, camping’s not really camping without these delectable little treats.  I was amazed that two of the girls had never had smores before.  Don’t worry – we took pictures to document their joyous expressions after the first bite (and the sticky marshmallow all over their faces too).

After hanging out around the campfire some more, we were all pretty tired and decided to call it a night.  The girls headed off to one tent while most of the guys slept out under the stars.  As we were all snuggling into our sleeping bags, Kelsey goes, “Hey, do you guys hear that scurrying noise?”  Before she could get the last words out of her mouth, Jess screams, “CRAAAABBB!”  All 8 of us were out of our bags and away from the tent in about 5 seconds flat.  We heard snickering coming from the guys and immediately knew what had just occurred.  Boys just never grow up, do they?!  (Yes, they decided to pull a prank on us by putting the crabs caught earlier in the girls’ tent. Not funny!!!)

After we forced the boys to check and re-check our tent for more critters, we all finally got to sleep.  The next day was filled with swimming, kayaking, and snorkeling at our own private little beach.  It was a wonderful weekend. 

There’s nothing better than spending some good time with good friends!

Until next time….Aloha!

Posted by Kendall at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How do you get aware?  Easy – keep your eyes and ears open at all times.  Take the time to read that bulletin in the hallway if you get to class a few minutes early.  Who knows, maybe one of your favorite authors is giving a seminar next week.  Or, maybe that local band you’ve wanted to see is playing downtown.  You’ll be amazed at all of the possibilities open for you when you simply become aware.

Next – it’s time to get active and get involved.  Joining on campus clubs and organizations is not only fun, it’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people.  In the end, you’ll be sure to develop lasting friendships and your involvement in different activities will be some of the highlights of your entire 4 (or 5, for some of us) years in college.

With that said, since I’m far away from the comforts of ole Cola-town, I have definitely had to take my own advice this year.  Getting aware and involved has assuredly made a huge difference in my stay out here in Hawaii.  One of the main ways I’m active is by participating in the Student Housing weekend activities.  Since I don’t have a car, and my little bicycle can only take me so far, I’ve gotten to see much of the island this way.  We travel to all sorts of beautiful places that I wouldn’t normally get to see, and not only that, I’ve made some close friends I wouldn’t have come into contact with if I wasn’t aware that Housing offered these weekend excursions.

In addition, I’ve made some of my closest friends at the BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministry).  We do all sorts of fun stuff:  outdoor concerts, girl’s night (cookies and tie-dye t-shirt making), capture the flag and ultimate frisbee games, the list goes on. 

So…whether you’re about to begin college or you’ve already started, remember, GET AWARE AND GET ACTIVE!  You won’t regret it!

Until next time…Aloha!    

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word SPAM?
 
For most of us, it’s either the annoying junk emails that often flood our inbox or the nasty looking precooked meat that comes in the little tin cans.  Well, in Hawaii, Spam, the meat that is, is loved by all.  The Burger King fast food restaurants in Hawaii even started selling a Spam breakfast, consisting of a couple slices of the beloved meat along with rice and eggs.  Or you can just get a quick-fix with a spam croissant or biscuit.  (I promise I’m not making this up.)
 
Now, I will admit that when I was younger I had a horrible fear of spam (like a lot of you probably do now).  Those little navy blue cans containing Lord only knows what are pretty intimidating.  And the name – c’mon, they could’ve thought of a more appetizing name than Spam. (Fun fact for the day:  spam is short for spiced ham. Share that with a friend. I can assure you they’ll be impressed by your spam knowledge.)
 
Anyway, I finally got over my spam fear while hiking.  Spam is great to take on the trail – it’s high in energy and will last a very long time. Plus, anything tastes good after miles of tough hiking on top of a mountain.  But even after trying spam, I can’t honestly say that I’d choose to eat it regularly.  Not until I moved to Hawaii that is!!!

Hawaii has just about any type of spam you can imagine:  spicy spam, teriyaki spam, spam and cheese, hickory smoked spam, you get the idea.  But by far, the most popular way to eat spam (and my new favorite snack) is the musubi.  It consists of a slice of spam on top of a block of white rice held together by a piece of nori (or seaweed).  Sound gross?  You’re sadly mistaken.  It is SO yummy.  Musubi’s are so popular, they’re sold at just about every convenient store/gas station on the island.

So, hopefully after all this spam talk, I’ve changed your opinion of spam just a little bit. The poor meat is just so misunderstood on the mainland…(how sad)! If you ever make to though, you MUST try a musubi! I’m off to enjoy one right now!

Until next time….Aloha! 

Posted by Kendall at 03:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here’s how I’ve like to look at it:  I try to think of Hilo’s weather like one of my best friends.  Just because she’s in a bad mood every once in a while doesn’t mean I don’t like her, right?  Well…just because it rains (even for days at a time) doesn’t mean I don’t like Hilo!!!

On a side note – Last year at USC, rainy afternoons were perfect for napping.  However, in Hawaii, I’ve learned to become quite productive in the rain, or else I’d be sleeping my days away!

Until next time…Aloha!

Posted by Kendall at 01:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Have you ever experienced a moment in life in which you realize you’re perfectly content and think, “Wow…Life is good.”?

I had one of those moments this past Sunday as I relaxed on the white sands of Kua Bay Beach, gazing past the clear blue waters to the horizon in the distance.  I watched little children race to the water and quickly turn back in excitement and fear as the waves crashed before their feet.  I listened to the rush of the swift tide as it crashed against the black rocks around the cove, all the while realizing one simple fact.  I am truly happy.

Moments like that don’t happen a whole lot in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  Not that we’re unhappy…it’s just hard to find the time to come to the conclusion.  So I urge you, college students, high school students, family and friends…take some time this week to appreciate life.  Whether you’re alone in solitude or basking in the hot sun on a sandy beach – put all of your troubles behind you and take a few minutes to be grateful for your life, because as Dave Matthews would say, “Life is short but sweet for certain.”

Until next time…Aloha!

Posted by Kendall at 04:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)