Guatemala - Research (NGO's - ONG)

Aloha everyone!

I know I've been back for about a month sharing my experiences with my travels but I'm afraid that I haven't really shared to much about my research in Guatemala.  Until NOW!

Please click on the links below to view the research I conducted in Guatemala.

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Aloha a todos!

Yo sé que he estado yendo por un mes compartiendo mis experiencias de mis viajes, pero me temo que no he compartido mucho sobre mi investigación en Guatemala. ¡Hasta ahora!

Por favor, haga clic en los enlaces abajo para ver mi investigación en Guatemala.
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NGOs and the Surgical Referral Process
NAPA - OT - ENGLISH VERSION

Informe: ONGs y el Proceso de Refirir Pacientes para Cirugias
NAPA - OT - SPANISH VERSION

Mahalo for reading.  Gracias por leer.

Until next time.  Hasta la próxima.

More Pictures - ATE IT.

Hmmm...

Please note the pictures below maybe graphic for some...

This morning is training day... well the race is next week... The plan today was to ride for 85 miles... and unfortunately, I was a bit short of my training goal today by 20 miles... 

Excuses, excuses... right?

My here are pictures for my first injury on the bike! Yippie! lol - yes, I know I'm small kine weird but to be honest, I am happy that its only my first accident in 2.5 years - meaning I learned how to ride a bike 2.5 years ago, not that I had an injury 2.5 years ago!

so... what happened?!?!

Well, I'm on my way to riding my 85 miles and I'm somewhere past Kaneohe on my way to Kualoa ranch and beyond.  The conditions were not optimal - it was very windy, it had rained on and off... 

No, I did not get hit by a car... It was witchcraft (I'm reading a little bit of E.E Evans Pritchard) 

Actually, I had a bad case of the sniffles and the sneezes... and it was just weird actually...  My nose had been dripping for about 20 miles - luckily I've learned snot rockets... and suddenly, I could not stop sneezing... and the road had a steep drop between the road and the small sidewalk, and I ate it going about 15 miles an hour... 

The initial impact really knocked the wind out of me... then everything started to sting.  Luckily, someone on the other lane stopped - told me to lay down and make sure to catch my breath - he also diverted traffic and moved my bike to the grassy sidewalk.

He was very nice... Asked me if I needed a ride, but I could tell he was in a rush - so I said no... A couple minutes later I composed myself and a pickup truck passed by and asked if I was ok and if I needed a ride... well, I said yes! - I <3 hitchhiking!  He said he could drop me off in Kaneohe town and he would drive me to Kailua - but he needed to catch a flight, so I was dropped off at Safeway Kaneohe - I said my thanks and we parted ways...

After rechaining my bike, I decided to give it another go... I ended up riding about 4 miles until I was pretty much over it, my legs had some cramping and I'm sure the open wound did not help...

So, I started sticking my thumb out!  Lucky me! Twice in a day!  A pickup stopped and agreed to drop me off in Kailua - on Oneawa street!  I rode my bike for about 10 minutes to my friends house where I've been dog-sitting for the weekend.  I put my bike in my car and what's the first thing I do??!

Play with the dogs - of course! They've been locked up for 5 hours and its not their fault I had the sniffles!  After that fed them, pet them and then I decided I needed to go to Longs to buy some essentials to patch up my injuries...

Needless to say, I am all bandaged up and besides my bum - I don't think anything else will bruise - well except my ego.. lol

Left leg

Left knee

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

Hair... Hair... Hair...

Hair... yes we all have it in some shape or form... I wanted to write this particular blog because I have met many people recently and I wanted to share some pictures of the transformation from short to long...

Why do I grow out my hair?  I decided to grow out my hair one day so I can donate it.  Donating hair is not an easy task - there are many stringent requirements - almost like blood donation!  That main requirement is that you have to have virgin hair... meaning no dyeing of the hair, generally healthy, and it must be at least 10 inches from the ponytail... so you don't necessarily cut your hair from the longest place, you have to put a band on your hair and then snip... 

So... let's start the slide show!  These are the most pictures I've ever posted on 1 blog.. so just make sure you click if you want to make them bigger! 

More pictures coming soon!  

ANY PICTURE REQUESTS? POST THEM IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Bald in Maui...

At work... 

Bed Head o_O

Cheese from Canada!

Faux hawk in Vegas!

Purple for TNT!

Pali

Beach day...

Nicaragua... (right before the cut

Small parts to get the max hair!

Fresh cut!

My Certificate... (grow and repeat!) 

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

Jumping, Jumping, Jumping...

Hey gang..

I've received so many request for more pictures... so that is exactly what you will be getting this month... pics, pics and more pics!

This week... jumping pics... 

People ask me why do you jump in pictures?!  I get so overwhelmed with emotion - excitement really that a standard smiling picture is just not enough - not to mention, do you really want pictures with the same smile!?  Here are a few of my most recent and favorite jumping pictures - starting with my 30th birthday running the Alaska Marathon!

(YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER!)

2010 Alaska Marathon!

On an Alaska mini-cruise...

Mimosas + Friends = happy times!

Somewhere in France... in the rurals... 

Baños, Ecuador

Porto Lopez, Ecuador

Sara and I - NAPA OT baby!

 Later this week... Favorite Travel pictures!

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.

Lucky You Live Hawaii - Labor Day Edition...

There are many places in the world that can offer a wide variety of activities, food and culture... but none of them are like Hawaii...

This past weekend was such an awesome weekend that it epitomizes the saying - Lucky you live Hawaii...

Activities... well besides eating... I spent my weekend doing some pretty random things.  I was in Kailua dog sitting 3 energetic handsome dogs... earlier this week, I also took a friend to eat her first Pho ever (can you believe that - gasp!!) Here she is... say hi Maya!

Maya and her beef pho!!

Friday night... was great... it was a night of wine-ing, dining and great food and company... Maura and I went to Sarento's atop the "I" - I've been lucky to eat here twice this year!  We ended up at the restaurant from 1930 to 2300!  Of course, I had the double stuffed pork chops - how can you go wrong with a pork chop stuffed with prosciutto!? 

Maura and I - we need more pics together!

Oh yeah... guess what?!

What?!

I went ice skating for the first time!  Yes, seriously - ice skating... it was a celebration of Mr. Bobby's birthday and he was completely down for doing something different... he's quite a natural mover on the ice - me on the other hand needed the walker to get use to the movement with the ice skates... needless to say it was quite awesome! (more pictures coming soon!)

Michelle and Bobby

Sunday morning was just phenomenal...

I almost feel like I should write a separate blog for this... maybe I will! lol

If you would have told me 2 years ago that I would be riding 55 miles on a bike and going over heartbreak hill - I would have told you that you are crazy - well mostly because I didn't know how to ride a bike.  I am so happy/surprised how far I have come... From learning how to ride my Walmart mountain bike at the Hawaii Kai Boat Parking Lot to quickly progressing to a hybrid bike to a road bike and now my first cycling event - with only 1 month to train!  Crazy... but I feel that the word no is starting to leave my vocabulary... 

What do you do on a day where you ride your bike for over 50 miles?!  Well, besides complaining that everything is sore... you go to the beach of course!

in Kailua... 

Lucky you live Hawaii...

How was your weekend!?

Mahalo for reading. 

Until next time.