I’ve said this before, and skip this if speaking of death bothers you, but I do not want to be buried when I die. I want to be cremated. I want my ashes to wait in my office, next to my computer and beneath my collection of “Marisa” dolls until someone can take me to Kauai. Then I want to be taken out into the ocean on a boat and thrown into the Pacific off the North Shore near Hanalei Bay.

I think more and more about this every time I return from Kauai. Now I’m wondering about the cost of this plan. I know that cremation is less expensive than burial but the cost of taking my family to Kauai will probably soar above the cost of a traditional funeral. I think I need to research funeral insurance so that I can make sure my family can afford my last wishes.

Besides, they all love Kauai as much as I do. It will be like a last gift to them, covering the cost of sending them to our family’s favorite island paradise. Yeah, I think I need to look into a policy just to cover this expense.

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I need to write this down. My first instinct, after living through it and ranting about it to my family yesterday, is to forget it. But as with most events in my life, there is bound to be a reason to go back and read over this later.

Our trip to Hawaii wasn’t too bad. The worst part was rushingflying through the Phoenix airport to get our flight to Lihue because our flight from Pittsburgh was so late due to having to have the wings de-iced before take off. We got over that, though, because we were fortunate to get an extra seat on the not very full plane. That meant Kendyll had her own seat and we were quite comfortable.

The flight home, not so much.

We tried to prepare. We left the house at 4, had burgers at Bubba’s Burgers in Kapaa around 5 and turned in our car by 7 even though it wasn’t due until 8. When we checked our bags at the airport, I had a bad feeling. The girl at the airline desk insisted on putting the tracking tag on a very unstable clipped belt on the side of my suitcase. I told her repeatedly that the tag would come off but she assured me, repeatedly, that it would not. The line at security was long and I didn’t want to start off our trip home by being late for our flight. I relented, she place the tag on the insecure belt and we headed off for security.

From Lihue to Phoenix, I was in a window seat and Brit was in the middle seat. We took turns holding Kendyll who slept almost the entire flight. I dozed, Brit dozed. Kendyll made it easy; the weather made it bad. There was quite a bit of turbulance which may have been why the flight was running late. We knew we had 90 minutes between flights so we hoped we’d be okay. Not so. As we entered the Phoenix airport we heard he announcement for boarding our flight. Again, we rushedflew through the airport to make our flight, 4 carryons and a baby in tow. I thought I was going to faint by the time we got to our flight.

This flight, I got an aisle seat and Brit got the middle one. A nice 18 year old girl had the window seat and slept most of the flight. Luckily, when Kendyll wasn’t sleeping she was playing quietly and being extremely well behaved. Unfortunately, the flight was not so wonderful. I’ve never experienced that much turbulence on a flight before. It felt like that plane was traveling on a pot-hole dotted road. It rocked back and forth, side to side, for 3 to 4 minutes at a time, steadied for a bit then began to rock again.

Brit got sick. It was that bad. And then it got worse.

We were late getting into Pittsburgh. My mom had called my cell phone three times, leaving voicemail asking why I wasn’t answering, where I was, why was I not returning her calls. We were dead tired so it took a while to get from the airside terminal to the landside terminal and I just didn’t have the energy to call her. We dragged our way to her, left the baby there and went to retrieve our bags with my nephew, Luke.

We found the carseat first, then Brit’s red bag and her black one. Mine wasn’t there. We waited, we looked. I stood at the luggage ramp, gazing at the empty conveyor belt, wondering if the airline gremlins were going to release my suitcase or not. They didn’t.

So I filed a claim and Luke drove us home. Just before midnight on Thursday night, I got a call that my luggage had arrived. The nice guy from the airline delivered my bag at 1:30 am. I finally fell asleep at 3:30 and woke at 6am to get Boomer up for school.

This was not the best trip I’ve ever taken to Hawaii. I’m hoping that it was just my turn for a bad experience and the next one will be back to being fun and exciting. Fingers crossed.

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This will probably be my last post before I get home. I’m going to pack up my laptop, spend a few hours at the beach then finish packing to leave. I may have time to check in from Phoenix but probably not.

This trip has simply not lasted long enough. I’ve already decided that I’m coming back. Brian will be here for at least another month or so; that means I’ll have time to return.

In the meantime, here are some random pictures that I’ve had a chance to scale down a little.

[myginpage=kauai2]

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There’s a fine line between promoting the beauty of this island and promoting Kauai into a commercialized mess. On the one hand, loving this island as I do, I want others to see it and enjoy it; on the other hand, too many aspects of the tourist trade and development in general destroys the beauty of the island.

I’ve picked up brochures from around the island and checked out websites, looking for the best, cleanest way to see Kauai. I won’t touch the ATV tours or the helicopter flights. There’s been two helicopter crashes since I’ve been here!

I’ve finally found Kauai Ecotourism Vacation Rentals at HawaiianBeachRentals.com. Specializing in promoting environmentally friendly vacations, HawaiianBeachRentals.com hand picks their rental properties and offers top notch service while respecting the natural beauty of this island paradise.

I’ve looked at some of the rentals they offer and I’m quite impressed with the prices and location. Hanalei Bay has one of my favorite beaches and Haena hides a secret beach where the most beautiful shells wash onto the shore. At the far end of Haena is our favorite beach for kidsa; the reef keeps the giant surf from the shore, giving a calm, safe area for even my one-year old granddaughter.

Kilauea, where we’re staying now, offers the Kilauea lighthouse and it’s bird sanctuary. My kids spent hours there, reading about the various birds and trying to catch sight of them. Many of the Kilauea rentals at HawaiianBeachRentals.com are along Anini Beach, where we go every day. The water there is calm and crystal clear.

I’m so happy to have found HawaiianBeachRentals.com. There are plenty of websites that promote vacation packages that ignore the natural beauty of Kauai. If you’re going to really enjoy the island and leave with a true appreciation of the spirit of aloha that is still here, then HawaiianBeachRentals.com is the place to visit first.

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On March 14, 2006, heavy rains combined with the evil greed of one man to turn this island paradise into a devastating tragedy. The details of that day are well documented online so I won’t elaborate too much. For those who are unaware of the details, a reservoir broke loose, and poured more than 300 million gallons of water through the valley. Two homes were destroyed; seven lives were lost.

ABC’s 20/20 recently aired a segment on the reservoir break and the attempt to bring James Pflueger to justice. To this day, the man will not admit his guilt or any responsibility in the tragedy.

As an outsider, a mere visitor to this island, I am appalled that money can allow this kind of thing to happen without punishment. I am sad for those who call Kauai home.

I understand the resentment some feel toward those who would develop and over develop this land, to the point where property is so over priced that those who grew up here cannot afford to remain. I cannot imagine not being able to afford a small home in my own home town. And yet, that is how it is here. The wealthy mainlanders come and are willing to pay millions for less than an acre of ground. How can an average Hawaiian afford those kinds of prices?

Since the first day I stepped foot on this island, I have wanted to live here. Over the years, nothing has changed. Even now, a week away from my departure, my heart is heavy and pounding. If I allow myself to breathe, the tears will flow. I don’t want to leave. This, more than any other place I’ve been, feels like home.

Tonight, Jesse drove me to the place where the waters poured out of the Ka Loko Dam and onto Kuhio Highway. I snapped a picture of the homes still standing and the rich red dirt left behind. And I cried.

Now, like everyone else, I wait for justice.

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The rain has stopped so it looks like it will be a good day for the beach or the pool. We’ll have to check the beach first; if the waves are too rough we’ll go to the pool inside. Kendyll has no fear of the ocean so it’s probably better to not expose her to the rough stuff.

Later on, I’m going to head toward Kapaa to try to find the place where the reservoir broke last year. It was a such a tragedy and could have been avoided. ABC’s 20/20 aired an excellent segment about the dam break.

I’ll reserve comment on Jimmy Pflueger, the owner of the reservoir, dam and surrounding 500 acres, for now. I’m not in the mood to get my blood pressure rising on such a lovely day. Maybe later.

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Got back from the beach and now we’re going back again. Just a quickie. More to come later. This is Kendyll’s first beach experience. She loved it!!!

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I had to get this picture and post it just for my friend, Sindy. She’s got this thing for Wal-Mart. I do, too. Shopping at Wal-Mart anywhere in the world makes me feel at home.

This is the Wal-Mart in Lihue, on Kauai.

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The water was a bit too choppy for Kendyll but the ocean and beach are still beautiful. We’re heading to the Hawaiian Village for a few hours then home to grill some pork ribs.

Amazing how easy it is to create a postcard perfect picture here in Kauai.

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Why do I not hate doing dishes here in Hawaii? Well, this is what I look at while I’m doing dishes. How can anyone not smile while looking at this?

(Click the picture for a bigger view)

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