There and Back Again: A Small Town Girl's Journey in Hawaii: The Random Adventures of Life on the Island

So some things that have happened that I haven't gotten a chance to share until now. I'll start off with the somewhat painful one. A few weeks ago I was hurrying to open a gate for dolphins Maui and Itsi to be swept into. I have opened this "2 to show gate" many many times since I have been at Sea Life Park but this day I wasn't thinking about the massive patches of algae that grow along the side of the pools and can be extremely slippery. So both my feet flew out from under me and all I had to catch myself with was the inside of my left arm. I didn't fall completely into the water and I didn't break anything :) but I did get a very nasty bruise (see pictures below). Another little adventure I had at work was a few days ago. The pool in the cove penguin habitat had some draining problem and wasn't filling correctly. This pool is about 4 to 5 feet deep, so if one of our seven humbolt penguins (averaging out at about 1 and 1/2 feet tall fell in it could hurt them. So on this wonderful rainy afternoon at Sea Life Park I was told by one of the trainers to be the "Penguin Guard"!! My task was basically to stand in the habitat with a rake and block any of the penguins who tried to go toward the now completely empty pool. The penguins were pretty cooperative at first but then they started to huddle up and try to gang up on me. Two in particular, Aj and Laverne, were insistent that they get in the pool (the rake was attacked several times, and they would look up at me and bray in their frustration). All the while the habitat is still open to the public who is very much enjoying me running around after these 7 angry penguins blocking their way. I guarded the penguins for about 2 hours until the pool was fixed. The pool was about half way filled when Aj and Laverne decided enough was enough. They went to opposite sides of the habitat, and as I saw Aj start running for the pool I went to stop him and Laverne, on the opposite side ran faster than I've ever seen any of them run and fell into the pool. She was fine...but I felt like I had failed as a Penguin Guard. The penguins were all very happy when I was finally able to leave their habitat. Final random story for this post. I haven't really talked very much about my house on the blog but lets just say it is very much island living. Our living room furniture consists of a very uncomfortable futon, two camping chairs, one of which has a broken arm, and a hammock. The house pretty much always has an array of laundry piles, dishes, shoes, and electronic devices laying around. And as my friend Abby found out sometimes the house will eat your things and you'll not be able to find them again (sorry about your swim suit Abby). So one night I walk into our living room and I see that dear roommate Kaycie has decided to spruce the place up a bit by putting a fruit pot on the living room table. :) I could not stop laughing one because it was a fruit pot, and two because we are low on cooking pans as it is and that pot is used frequently. I had to take a picture of it since I knew it wouldn't last long. I still laugh when I think about it though.