Tropical islands are a lot of fun until your nephew gets seasick on a snorkel boat trip AND until you have to help revive an unconscious man with no pulse on the hotel lawn. The good news is that both the nephew and the man survived.































This was after snorkeling. The water turned really choppy while we were out there, so it was a rolly, bumpy ride back to shore. Getting into the water to snorkel was a bit of a debacle as well. Trav found the water too cold, and he didn't want to put on his gear. He sat perched on the bench at the back of the boat insisting that he wanted to go back up top while Mols and I tried to coax him into the water. He became very upset and, at one point, turned to me to say while sobbing, "I told you this was a bad idea!" But then he got in the water with a boogie board and had a blast.

Sorry, no pics of the unconscious guy. I don't even know what to say about that situation. No more medical emergency! Em suggested that I start keeping medical equipment in the Intervention Mobile. We'll see, but I think some CPR training would be helpful. The last time I took a class was about 12 or 13 years ago, and I didn't really know what I was doing with my chest compressions. I was with Bryn and her boyfriend Foxy Sam. This was FS's 30th birthday, and we were running late to the luau for his celebration. As we were zooming out of the parking lot we noticed the man flopped on his back, not moving, on a little patch of lawn. FS called 911. I ran to the front desk for help, and unfortunately the people there were pretty much just unhelpful. I returned to the scene to take over the CPR from Bryn. Luckily, we flagged down a man who had more recent experience than me, and he was the one who revived the guy. We were very grateful to him for his help, and it was the first time I've shaken hands and introduced myself to someone over the bod of a brought-back-from-the-brink dude. Very strange.

















Returning home from a warm, sunny island with gorgeous beaches is just ok. I missed the Boyfriend and my friends, but it's freakin cold! Spring needs to arrive right now! I've also been really tired in the mornings since returning, dragging myself up out of bed. Strangely, I think the time change is giving me a problem this time.

The Boyfriend and I are also taking the next few weeks to eat healthier and exercise more. It's a continuation of the brief pre-vacation detox for me. So far, so good. I feel like I'm depoofing a bit, which is very nice, and he is doing an excellent job sticking with his program. We're both trying to eat lighter, healthier foods. That means dining at home more and going out less. No drinking. More fruit for dessert rather than things like chocolate. Less sugar overall. That sort of thing. It's nice to be working on this together, until we go to Bend with my family over Memorial Day weekend. Then we get a break. Good food and strong drink may be necessary for that. :-) Heh.

This new diet also means I'm actually cooking more! This is big news since I am Not a Very Domestic Person. It's a whole new me. In Maui, I bought a Longhi's cookbook and made the Longhi Salad the other night. Tasty! I tried to make the steamed artichoke from the book yesterday, but that turned out tasting pretty bad. I think the artichoke itself was off, but I was bummed and obsessed just a teensy little bit about it not turning out. Just ask the Boyfriend. Boo. Did I mention the tasty rice and beans dish I made recently with lime, cilantro and spices? And then last night I made butternut squash with whole wheat penne and fried sage. Yum, yum, yum. I'm still a huge fan of the Field Roast, and I use that quite a bit for sandwiches and pastas.

Up next...agave banana bread, also inspired by Maui. We had extremely good banana bread from a stand on the road to Hana, and I came home craving more. I searched online for a healthier version that uses agave, rather than sugar, and whole wheat flour. Now I just need to wait for the bananas to ripen.




















I'm getting very sleepy, so I'm going to wrap this up. The garden is coming along nicely. I added compost and planted things. I accepted my offer to graduate school while away! I'm really liking the song Give a Little Love by Noah and the Whale right now. I hope to see the Long Winters and Grand Archives later this month, and possibly She & Him while in Bend. Watching beautiful sunsets on the beach while brushing your feet along the sand and listening to the waves has got to be one of the best things ever. I must go brush my teeth. Good night!