Ho Ho Ho Let it Snow!

Wishing you all a very Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! This year was my first Christmas since 2000 in Hawaii. I have to admit, spending the day in shorts and a tank top in 80 degree weather pre Turkey dinner just didn't feel very Christmasy. But about an hour before our 13 guests arrived the weather turned and it became cold and rainy and dark. Today feels very Seattlesque. We have our gas fireplace keeping our house warm and Mauna Kea is covered half way down the volcano with snow! I am just dying to take the dogs and play in the snow sometime over winter vacation. Moki hasn't seen snow since he was a tiny puppy and he loved it!
Dinner was a success! Alex and I make a 20 lb Turkey and crock potted lamb. And there were about 5 different vegetable dishes to choose from. A video chat with my parents opening presents was the finishing touch to a delightful day! My cousins Ryan and Jason stayed late and we watched The Grinch Stole Christmas on our movie projector against a giant white sheet.
We call our house the Woodbury zoo thanks to the surplus of dogs that seem to always be around us. In these pictures, you can see the 4 dogs drooling at us as we ate. Our porch is right off the dining room so they dogs could see us eating. In the Mauna Kea picture, you can see the rivers streaming down the mountain. Welp, my work is cut out for me today! I was hoping Santa would come back and clean my house post party, but I think he got distracted by the Mai Tai's on the beach in Hawaii! Happy Holidays!

Waimea Country School Winter Show!

Last night was my K-6th grade Winter Music concert! The kids did such a great job. Even though I've been doing school shows for 6 years now, I was a little nervous last night because it was my FIRST concert for Waimea Country School and I hadn't met any of the parents yet. And for whatever reason, I can PLAY in front of hundreds of people, but TALKING is a different story for me! Public speaking is literally the most painful thing I can possibly do. I have to write down every single word I want to say because I certainly can't wing it! So I introduced the Kindergarten reindeer class and the teacher whispered "one of the students had to use the potty!" so I nervously glance at the teacher manning the CD player and say "Play a song". The song seemed eternal, so I stood up and smiled and said "So I'm going to tell you guys a little bit about myself" and they laughed. I told them about my musician parents and music programs back home. I glanced around and said "Is the reindeer back yet? No? OK...so I started the piano when I was like 5 years old!" and made them laugh again. All in all the show went very well and I'm quite pleased. It's the only show I have to do all year so I got through it! The students do a May Day Hula show in the spring. So enjoy a few videos from the program!

The Grinch Stole X-mas Tree

I have received lots of questions about how my little family is doing. I need to take more pictures of my host daughter! I haven't been good with the camera lately. She helped me decorate the tree last weekend for my faculty and staff holiday party hosted at our house. The tree looks a bit like the Grinch Stole X-mas Tree. It's potted and it's from our yard. Still, it stands at about 5 foot 6!
Our host kid is on winter vacation from school and will have a few weeks free! Alex and I will take X-mas Eve to Sunday off from work and New Years eve to Sunday off as well so we will squeeze in family hikes, BBQ's, and social friend time. I think New Years eve we will all go to Volcano with our friends Charles, Hilke, and their 4 kids for a great family bash! Charles and Hilke have a 15 year old daughter who will be perfect company!
I told Tehniyat that when school resumes I would love to see her join a sports team, try out for a play, join an after school club, have her friends come over, and go to her friends houses. There is so much out there to experience and I want her to be more involved. Yes I know I was an incredible overachiever in high school, did as many activities as I possibly could, was a member of almost every school club (except the chess club), and was my senior class Prom Queen. But I really think that kind of a high school experience made me who I am today. Yes we are young hip fun parents, but it's important that she socialized with her peers.These are all life skills and she would be taking back an incredible once in a lifetime experience. She is such a bright, intelligent, funny girl! So stay tuned for more Wacky Woodbury stories and pictures as we embark on winter vacation!

Meet the extended family

So last night we are sitting at the kitchen table listening to music and talking and Alex and I hear this strange chirping ringing sound. When I realize it is my computer's ichat program inviting me to a video chat I leapt up from the table like a gazelle and sprinted to my music room to click "accept". And within seconds I see the smiling faces of my parents, Kimi, her brother Ho Young and her sister Mi Jeong, and the Korean English translator "Alex". We all smiled and chatted. I played my steel drum, Moki sang, I played the piano for them, Alex plucked his banjo. The view of the ocean is outside their hotel window. They can hear the waves crashing on shore all night long. Ho Young was only 3 when Kimi left for the United States, but remembers a few memories. Mi Jeong was about 11 so she really remembers Kimi. My parents told me Kimi and her sister have spent the whole time walking hand in hand smiling at each other. Mom says she sees so many personality similarities with Kimi and her siblings and that this experience is just incredible. And Kimi and I are going to be Aunts! (aunt is pronounced Emu in Korean). Kimi's sister is pregnant! Stay tuned for more updates!

Salerno departure for Korea!

Today at 1pm my parents and Kimi departed for South Korea. There is a 5 hour time difference between Hawaii and Korea (Korea is earlier but the next day...does anyone want to teach me about international time zones and lines?!) For instance. It is now 2:30pm Wednesday in Hawaii and it is 9:30am Thursday in Korea. They are bringing Kimi's lap top so I might be able to video chat! They will send pictures and e-mail and I have Kimi's sisters cell phone. I am so excited for them! My dad is my biggest blog fan so it almost feels wrong to blog when he is 33,000 miles in the sky unable to check it! But I will be thinking of them all day every day! They get back December 22nd. I reminded them of the only 2 vocabulary words they need to memorize:
Anyang haseo (Hello how are you?)
Kamsahamnida (Thank you very much)

This week in pictures

Whoo boy! I feel like I was on vacation for months! And now I'm back to the teaching/family routine full swing! What a wonderfully delicious vacation. I am so happy everyone is healthy and happy.
In a nutshell: My parents take Kimi to Korea next week to be reunited with her sister and brother; My winter school show is December 18th; a school faculty and family Holiday party is being hosted at my house this Sunday (and the house looks like a hurricane came through); our house was featured in Sunday's newspaper magazine (sorry, no internet link but it's a wonderful article talking a lot about what Alex and I do for a living and Moki the rock star dog); and the holidays are upon us at gaining speed!
So back to my flying Hawaiian airlines story/experience. I was escorted to the head of the line to check my bag; there was not a single person in the security line; and my gate was just 10 steps from the security line (no train, bus, or car to get me to my gate). I board the plane and it's a B-767 (with the middle 3 seats row and 2 seated sides). The flooring of the plane is this trendy corkboard with nicely dimmed lights. The seats have leather tops. I am in front of the big screen and around the corner from a conveniently located bathroom. Half way thru our flight, the funny, friendly, young flight attendants instruct us to put our seats in the upright position. (I was engrossed in my book on loan from my friend Terry so I didn't hear WHY we were putting our seats up, only to ASSUME that we were making an emergency water landing). And instead of a water landing, the attendants are serving DINNER. When I was asked if I wanted the roast chicken and potatos or pesto penne, I couldn't help but STARE at this attendant like he is from MARS. I couldn't physically answer him because since WHEN do they FEED us? I manage to stutter that I've already bought a $30 flippin' airport sandwich for the long flight. As I got off the plane, I told the attendants that Hawaiian airlines feels like European luxury flying. I was blown away. OH! And when it came time to collect my check in bag, it was the first one out of the chute.

Sorry if this entry post is BLAAAG, but I'll amuse you with pictures from Denver and Seattle.

Leaving on a jet plane

I have been so busy in Seattle I haven't blogged in a week. I'm sitting in the seatac airport waiting to board my 10:30 flight to Hawaii! From kissing dad goodbye to sitting at my gate took 30 seconds! I walked in, there was not a single person in the security line, and my gate was. 10 steps from getting thru security! Tomorrow I'll upload pictures from my wonderful trip to Seattle! Bon voyage!

Wordless Wednesday

What are the odds we would stumble across an all you can eat Crab Tuesday Night?! I told the waiter "Don't Judge me!" and when Alex gave me a funny look at the amount of crab I was about to inhale I said "Don't make me Crabby!" Now I'm sweatin' buttah!

It's like riding a bicycle!

Yesterday was the FIRST time I've ridden a bicycle in TWELVE years. As in, it's the first time I've even SAT on a bicycle seat let alone make it move! Alex took me to a wonderful park without any hills or cars so I was safe and sound. Now I'm hooked!

Oh the weather outside is FREEZING

Actually, Denver has been pretty mild. Just freezing in comparison to Hawaii! We arrived in Denver Thursday after a long red eye flight to visit Alex's dear Uncle John. Before departure we did our ritual routine: Meet Alex's parents at the brew pub for dinner, hand over the dog, and have 1 parent take us to the airport. At dinner we got an adorable phone call from our 16 year old host daughter. She said "You guys! I miss my host parents!! I miss Moki!! Last night we were making a great dinner and dancing around the kitchen and now today you guys are gone!!" She is staying at our neighbors house while we are away. I'm shocked at how many people initially thought we would leave her home alone all week! Come on people! I'm not THAT parentally ignorant!
Last night I went to my very first hockey game! How have I gone almost 29 years and never seen a hockey game? Especially with my NHL Hockey star uncle as a relative? My beautiful cousin Kelsey, his daughter, has taken on his love and passion for hockey. Now, after seeing fights on the ice, slamming into the walls, whacking with sticks, I am horridly nervous and worried for my cousin! I had no idea Kelsey. No idea! I would be screaming in a high pitched voice, skating the opposite direction with arms flailing. Not a classy sight.
Today I have some blog time because Alex and Uncle John are at the rental car dealership. I'm still battling what I believe to be an untreated low grade sinus infection. Today I feel worse, but I dressed up to the nines in order to trick myself into feeling better if I feel like I LOOK better than I feel. Old Navy online has adorable sweater knee length dresses. Paired with boots and a hat, I feel eskimo chic! Now we are off to explore downtown Denver!

Our So Called American Life

Update on the Wacky Woodbury Household:
Picture Number 1: Alex levitating off the living room trying to escape the ceiling roof window

Picture Number 2: 2 formal ladies post Jessie's Symphony concert

Video Number 3: Moki's Eggplant: He has somehow learned on his OWN to BOUNCE the eggplant kong ball to get the treats to fly out of the ball. Sometimes he actually takes the Kong up the stairs and bounces it down the stairs; slurping his tongue in the air collecting the flying tid bit treats!

Video Number 4: Alex's Helicopter test run. For his 31's birthday, his parents and I went in on a dingo blade. We both must have felt that maybe we should get one more little thing for him, and didn't feel the need to consult each other on such a matter. So at the table, he opens my extra gift of a helicopter and his parents eyes pop wide. They got him the exact same helicopter toy! Not only that, we both got him PIRATE birthday cards. I guess his parents and his wife just know his THAT well. My parents got him a robot that cleans gutters. He's such a boy!

Happy Birthday Alex!

So I promise I won't be one of those bloggers who can ONLY talk about my brand new week old 16 year old teenage child. haha.
So this blog post is about Alex on his birthday.
Last year was your big 3-0. Wifey Jessie made a boat load of eggplant and chicken parm. Lots of friends. Lots of planning. This year, I love you just as much, and even more. But the next BIG bash will be at the next big milestone. We will enjoy a quiet, family Birthday this year love.
Where do the years go? I just cannot believe when we first started our relationship, you were this young 22 year old college student, and I was just 19!! I have loved watching us grow up Alex. You are a man now! Your mother told me life would never be boring marrying a Woodbury. And I must say! Life certainly is NEVER boring!
So Alex, I wish you a Happy Happy Birthday. May your year bring even more excitement and joy. I am so thankful you were born.

Meet Tehniyat

(Double click the photo to get a closer look)
Tehniyat (I misspelled her name in the last 2 posts!) arrived yesterday at 3pm. What a fantastic girl! She is super animated, talkative, smart, and very cheerful. When we moved all her boxes into bedroom, we instantly sat down in the living room and talked politics (she wants to be a politician when she grows up and her uncle just ran for PRESIDENT of Pakistan). She is very involved in the debate team at Parker School and on Saturday won a trophy for the team. She speaks 8 languages. We took a long walk with the dog and she skipped along and said "OK house rules!" and we just talked about a few rules we would like to see (no boys when we are gone. Curfew at 10pm but she can stay up doing homework etc as late as she needs), Keep area tidy, etc. I think she gets a kick out of seeing us lay down parental rules since we don't have children yet and are a young couple. Saturday we made Thanksgiving dinner so Sunday we had leftovers and explained that she was about to eat the most traditional American meal she could possibly eat! She wanted a picture, but we told her she would eat the same meal on the right American holiday next week. After the long walk and dinner, we sat out by the chimnea and talked by the fire. There is a Arabic symbol on the back of our chimnea and we told her the catalog says it says 'The top of the pyramid" and she said "YES that is what it says!" Her school is about 3 minutes away by bike. (probably 4-5 walking). It's only 1/4 mile away. So I think this will be an incredible experience for all of us. When we go to Denver for Thanksgiving, she will stay with our neighbors who she knows very well. Moki has figured out that there is a new sibling in the house. So I keep petting him and reassuring him that he is still the precious baby of the household!

Is you is, or is you ain't, my baby

OK, it's 10:20pm on Friday night and I'm friggin' NESTING! Strange, never felt before mother hen instincts are kicking in (and scaring both myself AND Alex). We are gluing the broken desk so she has a place to do homework. I've thoroughly cleaned her room and drawers. Alex has had an Arabic prayer rug for years, and I placed it in her room facing Mecca (yes I Google Earthed to find the exact coordinated as to not offend her). We are fashioning curtain rods and confiscating curtains from other rooms so she has privacy. I just downloaded a ton of Pakistani pop music so she feels like she is right at home (and I'm currently listening to it over our speakers as we get her room ready). I am epicurious.comming traditional Pakistani dishes so she feels comfortable (and wikipediaing dietary restrictions). I just brushed up on the 5 pillars of Islam. (10th grade English/History class just came rushing back to me!) Oh gosh. Did I just open Pandora's box to motherhood? Tomorrow is our last supper. We are having 2 friends over for a mock Thanksgiving dinner (since we will be cooking for Uncle John in Denver ourselves). And Tehmiyat arrives Sunday! Stay tuned!

BIG NEWS! WE'RE HAVING A......16 year old!!

So last night I'm just trying to get through my 15 hour teaching day. My last lesson was running late and Alex nervously starts to tell me that he has interesting news. I'm like "Alex, come on man, spit it out! I gotta teach in like a minute!" I'm thinking he's about to tell me he needs to stay in Maui longer than expected for work. But instead, he tells me that there is a 16 year old Pakistani Muslim foreign exchange student who desperately needs a home or she's sent back to Pakistan and she would need to move in by Sunday. My jaw drops. My student's at the door. I calmly (and nervously) smile and say "Honey, can we talk over dinner?"
So we talk till midnight. And after sleeping on it, this decision seems like a good idea and meant to be. So today we made phone calls, filled out forms, and talked with the director and figured all our questions and concerns out. Concerns being, #1 there is a major reason we don't have little Jessie and Alex Juniors running around. We both work 15 hour days almost every day. I'm not kidding. We don't have an eating schedule, and I'm lucky if I can scramble to find something semi edible to cram down our throats at the end of a long exhausting day. Most host families have children, and hence are already in the zone for schedule and routine and structure. I'm 28, and hardly old enough or qualified to be a parental figure to a 16 year old. Yes I'm a teacher and my day is constantly filled with energetic excited children whom I teach, discipline, and love. But I get my hug quota filled for the day and they go home to someone else. I won't be able to guarantee driving because of my crazy schedule.
But after expressing all these concerns, something just clicked. It was around 1pm today I felt this calming peace about the whole situation. I have always found it a great significance that Alex and I both have adopted Korean sisters. We both grew up in multi cultural homes. I know one day we are meant to adopt an international baby. And giving Tehmiyat (that is her name) a safe, comfortable, caring household for the next 6 months and learning about her culture and religion seems like something Alex and I would find ourselves doing. And to freak him out even more, I told him "Yeah Honey, great idea!! And if I get used to having a child in the household and miss her when she leaves in May, maybe that means we are ready for children!" And that made HIS jaw drop!
Oh, and the director needed me to e-mail a picture of the 2 of us. I couldn't find a SINGLE picture where Alex isn't making a funny face or just staring blankly at the camera looking like a stoic serial killer; I found lots of great ones of me WITHOUT Alex in the picture; And I couldn't find a single picture WITHOUT the 2 of us holding a glass of wine.

OBloga

I DID listen to my parents and I agree that I should stay away from politics on my Blog. This isn't about politics. This is about HAWAII! I live in Hawaii. As in, have been living in Hawaii for almost SIX years now!! And to see Hawaii now represented in the White House is truly incredible. This is the FIRST TIME IN HISTORY somebody from the Aloha State has gone to the White House. Too bad he is known as the Illinois Senator and not the Hawaii Senator I guess!
But all joking aside, Republican or Democrat, Left or Right, Red or Blue, we are still the United States of America. Unitedly, we all wish the best for our country. Unitedly, we all want our country to be strong and thriving. Unitedly, we want the world to be a better place for our children of the future.
The other day I was talking to Mama Cathy about her childhood in Georgia. And she remembers when there were segregated bathrooms. People of color were not allowed to use the white persons bathroom. As a young child, she just did not understand why. These were fellow childhood friends having to follow different rules. Segregation is still a vivid memory in this lifetime. So yes, this history breaking candidacy is very moving and touching. It reminds me that we ARE United. That our country will ALWAYS continue to grow and change.
But again, this isn't a political blog entry. This is about HAWAII! A place most of my family and friends STILL have yet to visit me since I started this blog! What's keepin' you? The palm trees? The turquoise waters? The sandy beaches?

Post Halloween Eve Recital

WOW! I just learned that if you double click a picture, you can see it zoomed in full screen! Try it with the picture of all my students by the piano!

Even though this time of year is incredibly busy for most families (and myself!) my wonderful students talked me into doing a Halloween recital where all the students wore their costumes. It sure takes the pressure off of playing in front of others when you are dressed goofy! Suddenly it doesn't seem so serious and nerve wracking! My students continue to amaze me and I feel truly blessed to continue to have such a strong, excited, talented studio full of students. It warms my heart to know that parents put their child's education top priority in such difficult economic times. We are all making cut backs this year; less trips to the mainland; more vacations at home; cutting back on our Starbuck's addictions......but I am so happy to see that music lessons are still a top priority for my families. And I hope that my love and excitement for music inspires my students to always have music a part of their lives. My whole life I have known that I wanted to be a music teacher. And I am so very lucky to be able to continue living out my dream job! Congratulations students on a wonderful performance!

Did you know there is a fall season in Hawaii?

When I have to pull out the wool Pendleton blanket to keep us warm at night, I know it is officially fall time in Waimea. Saturday we woke up to a dusting of snow on Mauna Kea, possibly indicating that we are skipping fall and going straight to winter. We raked a big pile of leaves in our front yard, wore ski hats, and took pictures. (causing people walking by to smile at our staged mock fall setting). Sunday was an all day Pumpkin Patch fair. Alex had his Woodbury Green Building Consultation booth set up and I walked around handing out business cards advertising "Save up to 40% on your energy bills! Come visit our booth and enter to win a free Energy audit!" (Luckily since I was dressed so cute I got smiles instead of salesmen rejection like I normally receive when I try to sell a product!) My cousin Ryan came up for cousin bonding family time Saturday night. (He's the tall skinny boy next to me at the Pumpkin patch...I still wonder what Salerno genes HE got to be over 6 feet tall and under 115 pounds! Why didn't I get those Salerno genes?!)

나의 새로 발견된 한국 자매 및 형제 (My newfound Korean sister and brother)

I have not written on my blog about a very incredible current event taking place in my family. Several months ago out of the blue, my parents were contacted by the woman who placed Kimi in the United States. She had information regarding her Korean family. Within days we had the e-mail address of Kimi's older sister Mi-Jeong! Since then our family has been in touch with her and my parents are taking Kimi to Korea next month to reunite with her sister and brother. I recently wrote to Mi-Jeong and told her about my blog website. So this post is dedicated to Mi-Jeong, my newfound Korean sister! I hope one day to travel to Korea and meet my extended family! (I have translated this message into Korean directly below)

나는 가족에 일어나는 아주 믿을 수 없는 시사에 관하여 나의 블로그에 쓰지 않았다. 몇 달 전에 갑자기, 나의 부모와 미국에 있는 Kimi를 둔 여자에 의해 연락되었다. 그녀는 그녀의 한국 가족에 대하여 정보가 있었다. 일 안에 우리는 Kimi'의 이메일 주소가 있었다; s 더 오래된 자매 Mi Jeong! 그 이후로 우리의 가족은 그녀와 연락하고 나의 부모는 한국에 그녀의 자매 및 형제와 재결합하기 위하여 Kimi를 다음달 가지고 가고 있다. 나는 Mi Jeong에 최근에 쓰고 나의 블로그 웹사이트에 관하여 그녀에게 말했다. 따라서 이 포스트는 Mi Jeong 의 나의 새로 발견된 한국 자매에 전념한다! 나는 한국에 여행하고 나의 확대 가족을 만나기 위하여 1 일을 희망한다! (나는 한국어로 이 메시지를 아래에 직접 번역했다)

The Full Monty Show!

I am shocked, SHOCKED by some of my readers! So far, SIX readers accused me of staging Moki the Wonderdog's toy performance by accusing ALEX of hiding behind the bed handing Moki the toys I requested. How low do you people think I would stoop for attention? Is it not obvious that poor Moki is humiliated on a daily basis? Forced to perform mindless entertaining skits simply for his owners musings. Being dressed up for every holiday? Getting goofy mowhawk haircuts when the weather is too hot for his wooly pantaloons? It's one thing to question MY integrity, but for you to betray Moki and not believe he is the Wonderdog! He is hurt. He is offended. He lost all trust and faith in his fans. And he is expecting fed ex'ed scooby snacks as an acceptable letter of appology.
Now I'm not saying Moki is ALWAYS the Wonderdog. He is a very opinionated, stubborn, and independent soul. Many times, when I request the Dino, he thinks "Hmm, I'd rather bring you the frisbee and cut to the chase". And when I request the froggy he thinks "Eh, I like the squeek of the Hedgehog better." He has favorite toys of the moment, and anytime you ask him to bring a particular toy, it will ALWAYS be the squirrel for the entire week. Moki will evaluate a command and decide whether or not to obey. Usually the only commands he obeys have to have a greater purpose, or benefit him somehow. If I seriously demand he come up on the bed to cuddle, he thinks about it for a moment and realizes that this command will only benefit me, and walks away.
I am not a crazy pet owner. I have simply raised my dog like a child since he was 7 weeks old. I have worked hard to educate him. Since I work from home, he spends all day herding children to and from the piano bench. He has a job. He has a purpose. And he constantly looks at me with eyes that scream "WHY AM I A DOG? Can't you see I'm a real boy trapped in a dog's body?!"
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I insisted to Alex that my next car needed to run on biodiesel, but this wasn't what I had in mind

About a month ago Alex won an e-bay auction for a Toro Dingo. It shipped all the way from the east coast. It came with a grapple and a bucket. The grapple reminds me of the quarter games you see in the arcades where a child tries to grab the stuffed animal with the claw (and in the arcade it never works. In this particular video, Alex doesn't grab the rock either, but this is his first day using his new toy so we'll give him room for trial and error). This machine can also be outfitted with a stump grinder, a garden bed tiller, and many other attachments as well (but this is all VERY boy talk for me so I tend to tune out after "wide load track". I did pay attention when he talked about the speed, and for those who are wondering, the Dingo drives at 5 mph. Alex plans to volunteer with the Dingo for Waimea Parks and Trails in the near future to continue making a path along the river bed for joggers, bikers, and dog walkers. There's bound to be more Dingo on my blog, so I'll listen carefully and get more facts about the machine. We named him "Bad Robot".

A little public property defacing never hurt anybody

This weekend also included Fire Hydrant face lifts. The dalmation fire hydrant was originally painted about 3 years ago and needed some touch up. I also decided while I was at it to give our lot's rusty fire hydrant a spiffy new cheetah look. Now I'm thinking since our house is on a popular mommy-stroller 1 mile loop, I might go around to ALL the hydrants in our inner urban trail and give them make overs. I'm thinking there needs to be a zebra hydrant, penguin hydrant, tiger hydrant, black cat hydrant, OH and I was thinking of painting the hydrant directly in front of the Mormon Church parking lot Jesus! Instead of a fire hat there could be a halo or a crown of thorns. It would be perfect! Hmm, I might have to do some of my make over hydrant painting in the dark....

Fire Hydrant on our property BEFORE and AFTER Operation Sergeant Cheetah face lift

Moki the Wonderdog

This video is for you dad! To make you feel better and cheer you up! And to know that Moki the Wonderdog and I are thinking about you!

Moki started his day with 30 minutes of frisbee and tennis ball. He was panting and worn out and happy. So for him to focus and bring me his toys was a miracle! For some reason when I hop into the bathtub I become his perfect captive audience and he tends to listen to me more. So yes, I am in the bathtub in this video, but fully clothed and ready to teach lessons right after our game. I could tell he was pretty worn out, so I didn't push for him to bring me his other toys: Artichoke, Eggplant, Orange Frisbee, Squiz (Squirrel shaped frisbee), Carebear, slipper monkey, chicken, and ball. But he knows those toys too. Yes we have an Idiot Savant on our hands. I should have been teaching him useful things like "Get the mail, pay my bills, grab my cell phone if I need to call 911, rotate my tires, make me an espresso..."

Would you like some cheese with that wine?

Sunday night marked our first social gathering of the school year not involving a birthday, holiday, or wedding. Our friends need to literally pry our bodies out of our house to remind us how FUN it is being social! We gathered with 2 other families and brought wine, cheese, appetizers, and a baked salmon. It was quite a feast! The 2 families each have daughters in 9th grade who are best friends, so everyone has a buddy to hang out with. The last picture of my friend Hilke was at my birthday party (April blog post), and as you can see since then she has had her beautiful baby girl Pomai. The park where we are having our picnic is the parks and trails project Alex and I volunteered a few Saturdays ago. It is a lovely spot to take evening walks, have picnics, and run or bike the dog!
Living in the tropics with no seasonal changes, people tend to exaggerate the holidays to compensate. Walking into Ace Hardware this month feels like walking into a Haunted House decorated for Halloween. At Christmas time, you should see the elaborate decorations all over town; some folks taking their trucks up to Mauna Kea and bringing pick up beds of snow back home. VERY strange to see a beach on one side of the street, and children making a snowman on the other. (The snowmen have an average lifespan of 30 minutes in Hawaii. But the snowWOMEN tend to have a slightly longer lifespan) I wanted to have a Halloween dance party this year. Friends dancing to Thriller and the Monster Mash. I wanted our front yard to be a graveyard. I wanted children and friends to walk through my music room door and see a mummy playing spooky tunes on the piano, and then walk into the living room to play Halloween games like bobbing for apples, or wearing a blind fold and sticking your hands in mysterious things like cold spaghetti and peeled grapes. I also wanted to have a recital a week before Halloween and have my students wear their costumes. But this month is just FLYING by already. I'm not prepared to do those things! So my goal is to be ready NEXT year! Where DOES the time go?!

Happy Birthday Terry Bo Berry

(On the off chance you don't check my blog on your actual birthday tomorrow, I'll give you an early birthday present today!)

OCTOBER 10, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TERRY BO BERRY!

So I'm not sure if it's because I smell bad....or maybe I said something wrong....but you have been MIA for awhile now! I hope you still exist! I always say that no news is good news.
I couldn't get it together enough this year to mail you a birthday present. So instead I thought of an even BETTER gift! The gift of watching unseen precious footage of Little Man cooking with his Fairy Godmother Aunt Jettika! Three years ago today you and Joe were visiting us in Hawaii on your birthday. Now you are a busy mother with a 2 year old toddler! We wish you a wonderful birthday Terry!

And while I am on my blog I will give a quick update on the current events taking place in Hawaii for the Woodbury duo. Last Saturday we poured a cement footing for another wall going up on the lot. There was a huge cement truck and four burly men were supposed to show up to help relay race wheelbarrow's full of cement to various places along the footing. Well it turns out we were down two "men". I use the word "men" loosely because apparently I am perfectly suitable for substituting in for a big strong burly Tongan man (in the eyes of Alex). But Alex was a gentleman and spared me from having to race heavy cement filled wheelbarrows and let me take the position of being chief cement raker. I would rake the cement and pat it down smoothly.

The Talented Mr. Gregory!

Just like NPR, I thought I would post a little musical interlude in between postings. Tonight's mini performance is brought to you by one of my shining star students, Gregory age 14. He has been my student for almost 5 years. Translation: he has only had serious piano training for FIVE years. This kid went from beginning Faber method books, to Green Corn Dance, to Fur Elise, to college level Sonata's, to Franz Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. I asked him at one point if his goal is to become MY teacher. While it would require much more personal practice to gain demonstration comfortability on my part as the teacher, luckily I am still able to inspire him to practice; constantly believe that he is capable of playing absolutely anything (when others may discourage him from attempting such mature pieces at his age); help with shaping and phrasing; and simply be an extra set of eyeballs and hands at times to help him reach all his goals and dreams. I am so proud to have such wonderful and talented students. My entire day is full of singing, ringing, and stringing!

Waimea Students are Tuning Up!

I MADE HEADLINE NEWS!

OK maybe I'm being dramatic. But today in the West Hawaii Today Newspaper, an article about my new string program was published. And I'm not being dramatic by saying the article is an ENTIRE page with big colored pictures and font! I don't think our 6.8 earthquake of 2006 made such large font size!
About a year ago, a close family friend and wonderful Doctor Shay Bintliff gave me a 3/4 sized child's violin. She told me looking at the violin was too painful for her, because the violin was supposed to go to her only grandchild Ileiana who passed away at age 11 from cancer. She instructed me to give the violin away to a child needing violin lessons. But I knew deep down the violin was too special and meaningful to simply give away. The violin has been displayed in my music studio for the past year, drawing lots of attention and questions from my students. It made me too sad to tell them the story behind the violin, so instead I decided to turn the violin into something positive.
With the 4-6th grade classes at Waimea Country school, I decided to start the Ileiana Orchestra Project. I am temporarily loaning seven of my personal violins to the class and teaching them to play violin. At the end of the year, the goal is to have the students perform for benefit auctions, fund raisers, and galas in attempt to raise money, scholarships, grants, and donations towards a school orchestra. When the school raises enough money to invest in an orchestra or band for the school, Ileiana's Orchestra Project will continue the same goal and method in other neighboring schools on the Big Island of Hawaii. In the master dream to create a Waimea Youth Symphony.

Please click HERE to read the featured newspaper article!

Time to set up the DVR to start recording SNL again

One is never too old to listen to their parents! Recently, my blog was censored by my parents. I removed a sarcastic blog entry and followed my parents wonderful words of wisdom to stay away from politics on my blog. Keep the blog only about me and the Wacky World of Woodburys! I agree 100% with this advice. But this skit is just too funny to pass up. No matter where my readers stand politically, this clip is a hoot! I figure, if we can't laugh about politics than we are taking life too seriously! So here's a daily dose of laughter for you! ENJOY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY-O'S

My name is zoom and I live on the moon and I came down to earth just to sing you this tune,
Cuz Daddy-O's! It's your birthday! TODAY!

That is the lyrics to a tape that my dad gave me for my 8th birthday. My cousin found a recording of it last year and sent it to me and it just cracked me up!
So my father is the HARDEST person to shop for! I've lucked out the past two years with great meaningful gifts:
The first gift being a framed picture of Lake Chelan's rising moon with a perfect black pine tree silloutte in the middle of the moon; and then last years gift was the bright red lunar eclipse moon. But there was no amazing moon activity this past year for me to continue with the moon themed gifts. (Although yesterday when I got up to nanny at 5:30am there was a HUGE yellow golden harvest full moon with a sunset behind it).
Astronomy always reminds me of my dad. He'll spend hours outside looking up at stars. Getting us all the see who can spot a satellite first. And of course, there is wonderful sentimentality to Onrelas constellation. (Salerno backwards!) But this year, since I couldn't find a moon gift, Alex and I send Daddy-O's a dark purple lei to wear around his neck and think of Hawaii all day! I guess an even BETTER present would have been a wrapped ticket to Hawaii in a box with a big bow!! Uh oh! I hope this doesn't downplay the lei idea!
So this blog post is dedicated to you Daddy-O's. May all your birthday wishes come true when you blow out your candles tonight. I couldn't ask for a more wonderful father. Oh it makes me ache to know how much I miss you and mom!!! So let's video chat tonight so I can wave hello and blow you a kiss!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Waimea Parade

For the past five plus years I have lived in Waimea, I have never once attended the annual Cowboy Parade. The reason? Chances are for the past five years Alex and I were knee deep in a project of some sort when the parade was taking place and couldn't break away OR we were lazy bums sleeping in completely oblivious that a parade was even taking place. But this week I have been a bachelorette for seven days. (You should see the pile of dirty dishes stacked in the sink! Apparently my domestic skills go on strike when I'm single for the week since nobody is around to see Messie Jessie in her natural state).
Moki had a boring day since normally Saturdays involve the Farmers Market where I man the dog and Alex buys the produce. But there was no way I could carry all the produce, talk to friendly people at the market, and hold back the Wooly Tornado on his leash. So he stayed in the car, glaring at me the entire time. So to make it up, I told him I would walk him down the street to watch the parade. I knew my students from Waimea Country school would be in the parade and I wanted to support them.
I waited for about 45 minutes watching floats go by and hula dancers perform and almost gave up on waiting for my new school because it was hot, Moki was whining, and I was getting sunburned. But JUST as I was leaving I saw a big banner turn the corner with my school's name on it.

NOW REMEMBER: I've only taught these kids ONE DAY this past week. Who knows if they even remember me let alone remember my name. So I pulled out my video camera as their float went by and I felt like a total rock star. All the kids shouted my name MISS JESSICA! MISS JESSICA! OUR MUSIC TEACHER MISS JESSICA!!! It really made me happy! So here is the video with all my adorable students. I am so very excited to be their music teacher.

Pretty in Pink

I had no idea student violins came in such colorful forms! What a great new way to convince children that violins are the coolest instruments on the planet. I originally ordered a blue violin for my little boy student, but it came PINK! So my girl students were just thrilled. Not that children need to be color gender specific. But the pink violin tends to match my girl students clothing better. Color cordinated!
Tomorrow marks the day of a brand new journey for me. I'm the music teacher at a charming private school literally right around the corner from my house. I will teach K-6th grade! With the 4-6th graders I am going to start a violin program using 6 of my personal violins. (4-6th grade happens to only be six students anyway). I worked all day on my lesson plan. Tomorrow is going to be a tropical Caribbean unit on the Steel Pan. So of course, I'm towing a steel drum, 6 violins, and books tomorrow as I waltz into the school. No I do not travel lightly. I am a one man band! Next week I'll bring my camera to school and have the teacher take some pictures!