Driving and walking through the Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe is one of my favorite things to do here. It's called Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens and I should probably learn to pronounce it if I'm going to say it's my favorite spot. Anyway, the mountains jet up to the sky and just make me feel so very little, just a tiny ant in the landscape of this massive mountain range, so green and lush and beautiful. I imagine what the view looks from the tops of those mountains and what those mountains have seen in their time. My life will be such a small fraction of this world's existence. They take my breath away. They inspire me to learn more about the Hawaiian culture, a culture based upon living off of the land and what nature gives you and then that makes me feel even closer spiritually to my parents and how they have lived their lives. They would fit in so very well in Hawaii and I so wish they could just visit. We were all here in 1997 and again in 1999, but as tourists. I already feel at home here and I will be proud to show off our home to them and hopefully other friends and family as well. I am very happy with our life here and I remain grateful for even the small things. I am sitting on our beautiful balcony overlooking the bay and it's one of those times where I am inspired and I have tons of thoughts rolling around in my head but I don't know where to go with them. I already meditated today, but maybe I should again!
It is Ironman eve and everything is going great! We are sitting here in our hotel room of Fairfield Inn and they have wireless internet in the rooms so I'm typing on my laptop. Dustin's shaving, Dave is drinking a beer, Jeff and Jen are being assigned duties, Paula, Kendra's sister is getting last minute tips for cheering from Kendra. Now Jeff, Jen, and Dave's pizza just got here. Kendra, Dustin and I already ate our microwaved pasta about 6 PM, while we hung out by the indoor pool with some of the kids from our group. By group, I mean the best freakin cheer squad ever!!!! We had our lunch at Panera bread earlier at 12 and met up with most of Dustin's family and my parents old friends' Greg and Mary who they hadn't seen in 10 years and their daughter, Nikki who lives here in Madison who we grew up together! She is going to be a part of our cheering squad tomorrow along with Bill, Gwen, Jeff, Dave, Jen, Walt, Judy, Becky, Ken, Don, Carolyn, Shelley, Braxton, ...

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