MERRY CHRUSTACHE

The Eddie Aikau

Mustache Robbie + Me = Team Harmon. 

We spent the day helping out the Quik Marketing Crew.

Me loving the idea of Kelly Kelley.

Scottie acting his age.  Thought Ky would want a copy.

Eddie Memorial.

SEAL SCARE

Imagine being all by yourself on the inside of Goat Island with a mommy Monk Seal and its baby.  Cute right? No.  Not really.  When the seal is three times your size.  OMG I was having a cow.
I was freaking out because Rob was taking a wave in and I was left behind.  Then I finally got Rob's attention and was explaining to him how scared I was.  Then Rob starts laughing because the baby was swimming directly behind me--not even two feet away.  End of session.

Stolen Photo

I stole this picture from the Olson's last blog post but just wanted to show what sums up the parts we love about our life. Doesn't get better than a fun day like this.  Sure the waves could have been bigger but I don't think we would have laughed so much as we did on Saturday.

Alaia Skate/ Tarp Surf Sesh

Tarp Surfing Hawaii from Mark Lee on Vimeo.

Yesterday was a fun time. That's for sure.  Thanks Mark.  You're alaia skateboard is my new favorite toy.

THINKING ABOUT THE HOLIDAYS

 Today was probably one of the longest days on campus.  I was stuck squeezing in all the information possible into my head before I reached the testing center.  All of the work of this week, the frigidness of the library, and the dark windy weather outside all seemed to hint at something.  It always comes sometime after October.  This year it took until November.  A little time ticking clock inside of me all of a sudden stops all thought process and squeezes in a slight apple spicy warm feeling.  I can some how get excited and appreciate that I am taking my midterms because that feeling gets the corners or my mouth to turn up a little into a secret smile.  The holidays are coming up!  This means I get to go home soon.  I can't wait and I know it is still a long time away but I can't wait to...

Be downtown in SB for the Holidays.
This is one of my favorite rituals.

Go out to lunch at Pierre Lafond.

Surf Rincon.

Love every minute of the holiday festivities.

And I hope you are as excited as I am!

Because I love you all so much.

SURFING IN THE MOONLIGHT--EVERYBODY'S FEELING WARM AND BRIGHT

Yesterday was a day of all days.  I got up early and worked, went to class, came home, spent time with Robbie, went back to class, went to Nanny the Lee's, played, made cookies, made dinner, cleaned, put them in the shower, put them down for a show, and left there after 7:45.  Nonstop since 4:45am.
Poppy and Robbie picked me up from Haula and the night sky was gorgeous.  It was a Hawaii night sky like I always remembered it. Full moon and huge lit up clouds.  We were being goofy in the car singing oldies to the tune and at the end of the drive, we just knew we couldn't stay inside tonight.
Night surfing was the only option.  I remember doing it once before.  We went to turtle bay with a bunch of random people and it was a ball.
I was back but this time with my husband and our best friends.  I always enjoy watching Rob's performance when we are out surfing.  Surfing is definitely one of the things that made me fall in love with the kid.  He's so clean with such a well accomplished style.  Going with Blakey and Poppy will always be a life long thrill.  Blakey is just so amped on any conditions.  By the way he describes it, you are always on the best waves of your life.  With Poppy, I can take off on any wave of choice.  (We party waved a few of them.)  Robin was there and I was so glad that another girl was going!  This girl is unafraid.  We surfed our little hearts out and ended the night with a hot tub sesh.
The conditions were glassy.  No wind.  Nobody out. Soft beautiful. Surfable.  Warm.  Best night of the semester by far!

YOGA NIGHT

Yoga Night was a success considering that 45 people were in attendance.  Unfortunately I need a little more data from Polynesians and Asians.  So we are going to do it again and this time it will be at  6:00pm rather than 4:00pm which means that hopefully more people will be able to make it.  Spread the word for this Wednesday at 6:00pm in the BYU-Hawaii Ballroom. Mahalo.

BABIES

BABIES...We watched this documentary with the Alkema's a few weeks ago.  I've been thinking about it ever since.  Rob and I are surrounded by babies.  In our ward 24 women were pregnant together last semester.  You can just imagine what sacrament meeting is like--there are babies everywhere.  I have to comment on how cute they are all the time just so I can see Rob's eyebrow raise on his nervous face.
This last Sunday we took Tavin to church just so we could fit in.  I felt so proud to hold "our baby."  He was so cute and so well behaved.  My favorite part was when he laid down beneath our bench singing "wobbie, wobbie, uncle wobbie."  It was pretty quiet but it made us laugh.
I had the benefit of holding a cute little toddler without doing the dirty work.  Pushing out a child has always been one of my biggest fears.  Here I have friends who can tell me all about it and those fears have been validated.  Recently Rob and I were talking to our friends who had been pregnant in Central America.  She had her baby there!  They reinacted the whole scene for us, yelling in Spanish.  It was a
Babies had me thinking about parenting styles and cultural standards.  I noticed when I was in Russia some strong differences as well.  Some things that we do are done only because that is what we have been taught to do either by our parents or by other sources of our culture.
My mind always thinks back to a lecture that Dr. Miller, one of my psychology professors gave.  He talks about our motives or things that we do "for the baby."  He says first we have to get the room ready for the baby.  That means that we need to paint a pastel color, get them all of these toys, and set up a mobile over the crib.  He says that first of all, babies can't see color until about after six months and even after that, probably doesn't even care what color the walls are.  Most of the toys that babies like are not ones that you get from the store but random stuff in your house.  And lastly, the mobile things are arranged so that the toys are dangling right side up so that parents can see them.  The child only sees the bottom of the toy spinning around.  His lectures always seem to make me laugh.  He does draw attention to a certain point.  Do we really do most of this stuff for the kids or are we validating that we are good parents by buying all this unnecessary stuff?  Babies seems to argue this point as well, as it shows babies surviving in the wild with bones and sticks for toys and being perfectly happy.
For school, I have been assigned to read a book on behavioral skills.  The book is called The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child.  I am really enjoying what Kazdin has to say.  It's all about working on the behavior of not only the child but also the parent.  One of the points he makes is that we as parents are teaching our children to be defiant because we are not good examples, let our kids get what they want after poor behavior, and we don't positively reinforce good behavior enough with kind words, hugs and tend to give snide remarks instead.  Remarks such as "wow, that was great behavior why cant you do that all the time."  I've been learning about myself without kids.  How I demand or reinforce poor behavior with people I interact with because I don't have any children of my own.
Eventually when we do have kids, I realize that the tables will have turned.  I see family members and friends of ours parenting and they are doing their absolute best.  Being a parent is a lot of responsibility.  Being a wife is a lot more than I imagined.  I'm still figuring out wife mode.   To all you mothers out there, I salute you.  Life is not a cake walk for you, there is a lot that you feel you probably didn't sign up for but just like wifehood (which is much easier than motherhood, I am sure) at the end of the day, it's all worth it because really your family is a beautiful thing.  The family is everything to a woman.

As for now feast your eyes on these babies!  We'd be lucky to have any like these.

Like Mother Like Son

Don't they look so much alike? Okay they don't but I love them both.

POWER YOGA

Yoga has been a focus since coming back to Hawaii.  Since getting back from the mission, life has become a different mindset.  My mission changed me for the better.  I have a new perspective that I never would have had.  One thing that did change was my drive and my efforts to want to succeed.  They just became enlarged I guess.  I love this about my new self--but you know as much as I do that nobody's perfect.  And I'll be the first to admit that seldom there are perfect days.  Being tedious becomes exhausting--perfection seems so unattainable...sometimes you just need an outlet when your hair gets tousled.

Early november 2009: I remember coming home to Summerland all jet lagged and wide awake.  There was so much to be done I thought.  Those first few months I was on overdrive--I had tons of drive except nothing really to be able to do except work out.  Energy energy...too much energy.  I figured while I had the chance, I'd get back into shape.  

I fell in love with swimming more than I ever have.  I swam up to two miles in my work outs a couple times a week.  I loved the benefits.  My body was strong, it was lean, and I could breathe.  I could stay in the pool forever.  I had nowhere to be.

The rhythmic inhaling and exhaling cleared my mind and lowered my heart rate.  It was relaxing.  It was beautiful.

Although I work at the pool here in Hawaii, it is not what I call an ideal place to swim.  Sure get in the pool and swim it all off if you want to but you might bump into someone if you aren't careful.  Okay.  You probably will.  

There are no lane lines and this irritates me more than anything.  Who's to blame without lane lines and many swimmers don't know pool etiquette.  Most of them are brand new at swimming. Many of them come from different countries where swimming isn't a regular skill.  I am excited that they have the chance to learn.  It's just unfortunate for me because I feel like I might run them over.  The other thing is that the pool is a lopsided length.  I would bet that there is no other pool like it.

Hatha yoga is offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:00pm for an hour.  For these two hours a week, I can breathe.  I stretch and lengthen my spine and forget about everything and everyone, even myself.  It's unreal.  It's the best.  This week, a new teacher decided to teach power yoga.  She's from Utah and I wasn't sure what to expect from her.  She turned on more contemporary music like the Killers and then ended with more relaxing music like Clair De Lune and Miles Davis.  I was a little skeptical at first but at the hour continued, I was really eating this stuff up.  She sprang forward out of her downward dog, kicking her legs up and landing up in a leapfrog position ready to go into monkey pose.  She made it fun.  he was doing all kinds of fun things.  There was more balancing than I was used to than in Hatha Yoga wich really pushed me but my most favorite part about yesterday was sitting on my head.  We sat on our heads for about five minutes and let the blood rush to our heads and clear our minds.  I was kicking my feet up and balancing while pointing my toes and flexing them...when the night was through my heart was calm, my mind was clear, I was happy and stretched out.  Yoga my new outlet, my new friend, you'll never let me down.  Consider this my Ode to Yoga.

FINDING WIFE- SITTERS

Sometimes Rob has to leave the island for important events.  Last time he left for the weekend, I had the best baby sitters!  Poppy and Blakie took it upon themselves to make sure that I was not bored all weekend.  Poppy insisted I go to the Women’s Softball game and later both Poppy and Blakie took me out on a Goats session!  Being babysat by friends is so much fun this weekend, Rob is on the big Island with Mark Lee and they are shooting the World Championship Ironman in Kona. Rob can’t stop texting me, telling me all about how many cool things he gets to do. They are having an awesome time!


So... back to babysitting.  I was really lucky this weekend.  I got to eat homemade pizza at the Cheff's house and then the Alkema's made me the best milkshake ever and this morning I went to Turtle Bay with the Olsons and then came back for some grinds.  Then we went to Log Cabins and surfed and bronzed it.



When we got home, the Olson's made me the best pasta ever and let me stay for dinner.  Then we talked and talked and talked and that's what girls love to do best.  So... I guess you could say I had great babysitters this weekend!  Thanks TVA : )

NO MORTAL CAN KEEP A SECRET

“No mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore” –Sigmund Freud

Yesterday I was sucked into the psyc 390 lecture. We talked about facial expressions. Mainly the topic was reading people’s faces when they are trying to hide what they are feeling or when they are lying. I couldn’t believe how insightful this was. Most of the lecture was based on Paul Ekman who is a phsycologist who specializes in emotion and facial expressions. The recent sitcom Lie to Me is based off of his ideas. There is certain muscle tension that shows while we feel certain emotions that we cannot hide. Ekman has mapped out the face and become a professional at reading the encoded facial expressions; amusement, contempt, contentment, embarrassment, excitement, guilt, pride in achievement, relief, satisfaction, sensory pleasure, and shame.

Now I am watching everyone’s faces. It’s pretty ridiculous how much you can read on a person’s face. After all 95% of communication is nonverbal.

LOG CABINS

Loggies Oct 2, 2010 from Rob Harmon on Vimeo.

Yesterday we went to the Log Cabins and had a beach day with our friends.  I got to play "film girl."   Picture this classic moment... five guys in the line up and all their wives or girlfriends on shore taking shots of their man. Tempting to stay forever.

DAWN PATROL via T-BAY

Amber Mozo took these pictures of our Thursday morning venture.  We love spending time with the Olsons...especially when surf is involved.
Amber does an awesome job.
http://berrmozo.tumblr.com/

BACK TO SURF

     We made it back to Hawaii safe and sound.  We are in love with our little apartment directly above some of our bestest friends and a 20 second walk away from our other bestest friends.  Let's just say Temple View Apartments is jam packed with good company and the rides to the North Shore and Turtle Bay are plenty.
     School is good.  I am enjoying my classes.  I am deeply excited to start some very rewarding projects on the side and including my yoga study.  Life is good.  We're staying alive and keeping busy.  The sun is out, the swells are up, and classes are keeping my interest and challenging me.  I am pleased.
     PS I love this sequence Mark shot the other day.  It just gives you an idea of what life on the North Shore is like.  Unbelievable.

http://holladayweddings.com/blog/hawaii-surf-photography-photographer/north-shore-hawaii-first-surf-of-the-year-surf-photography/

HARMONS & OLSONS

We are excited to be back in Hawaii.  It was fun to be able to get together with some of our favorite friends this summer.  They are also newly weds and will be living in TVA this semester--that  means we are practically neighbors.  We like to double date when we get the chance and along with that is a little bit of some healthy competition.  Here's to another semester of double dates and sporting events with the Olsons. ENJOY.

CROSSFIT ST. GEORGE

We went back to UT and we stopped by Ryanne's in St. George.  Ryanne took me to Crossfit two fo the mornings we were there.  I wish we had a Crossfit in Hawaii because it is a perfect way to start off the morning--fun, torturous, grueling, yet quick.  My bod is sore.  Ryanne you are my buff muffin hero!

JUNE 11, 2010: OUR WEDDING

HUATULCO, MEXICO

Rob's Father & Son Mexico Trip 

My Husband is My Hero.

KANAB, UT

     I’ve been home for a few days now and my whole body is exhausted.  Even though the hikes were not too difficult to finish, the desert sun and the altitude change must have gotten to me. 

     I had been to Utah before but always on road trips with my family or for any of the week long summer camps that BYU hosts.  I hadn’t been back since I left for the MTC in Provo.  Utah has always felt very familiar to me due to my upbringing and my relatives that live there.  It has always remained a memorable place for me.  I have never been through Zion National Park or Bryce Canyon.  I have vague memories of being at the Grand Canyon with my family when I was really little.
     As we got closer, to Kanab, the place of our gracious host, the country was growing more beautiful.  We drove through the park and saw two groups of Big Horned Sheep and a few deer.  These rare animals with the red desert backdrop and sculptured mountains and canyons already were making the trip for me.

     The next day we did Bryce Canyon.  Bryce Canyon seemed something surreal.  I kept thinking of the painting by Dali with the melting clocks or scenery out of a book by Dr. Sues. 

     Then Saturday came.  This was the day the whole trip was centered around.  We went on a 12-mile hike at the bottom of a crevice.  On either side of us were walls that seemed to go up three or four stories high.  Just days before, a flash flood had washed through it, making it a little damp and believable that the area that were in was a dried up riverbed.  The largest way wide of the area was usually about ten to fifteen feet.  Then we would come up on places that we would have to climb down ten-foot drops with a rope.  Most of these areas had a pool of water at the bottom so you can jump off of the drop. 

     By the last three miles of the hike, we connected with the Narrows, which was all water sometimes to you ankles other times to your waste or chest.  This definitely was the finale of the hiking trip and left me wanted so badly to go back and do the Subway Hike, another hike at Zion comparable to the one we just finished.

     The trip wasn’t only fulfilling because of such gorgeous scenery but because of the company.  It was one of the only chances I knew some of us would get together before Robbie and I headed back to Oahu.

     It was nice to see some of my best girlfriends.  We’ve all been friends for a while.  Some people can’t believe that we’ve still stayed in touch all of these years.   And even more, there were a couple people that I just met on the trip and I'm really glad I did!  It was nice to be around my peers and share our life happenings at the moment.

     All in all it was a tremendous trip for me and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Special thanks and gratitude goes to Marti and Megan for making it so unbelievable.  And thanks to Ryan and Marti I have these few pictures to post.

Grapefruit & the Beet

     It’s quite possible that I have just created the healthiest smoothie I’ve ever made.  Being home from my trip has been great.  Unfortunately all of that driving in the car has gotten me feeling bloated.  In honor of my “travel bloat” I decided to make a grapefruit smoothie.  Grapefruit is known to fight the bloat and act as a natural cleanser.  Grapefruit smoothies are often a treat in our household but today I decided to go even more nutritious by adding a raw beet as well.

     After living in Russia for some time, I somehow fell in love with beets.  Beets are not only delicious in borsht or boiled and chopped into a beet salad but they also are highly nutritious.  They are a huge source of fiber, rich in potassium, iron and other vital vitamins.  They are low in calories yet, rich in nutrients, cleanse toxins from the body and nourish the bloodstream.

     A few more ingredients were added to my grapefruit & beet smoothie for some flavor and more vitamins.  They include: 1 frozen banana, 1 carrot, 5 frozen strawberries, agave, & ice

It turned out gorgeous!