Chicken Skin

You know that feeling you get when you feel a breeze touch the back of your neck? And then you realize that you're alone, the window is shut and the fan is off. That prickly feeling all over your body. That's chicken skin.

Hawai'i is full of mysteries, ghost stories, and stuff you too scared to talk about. Ancient warriors marching through the valley. Stone statues that move in the night. Don't blink.

That's one thing I never understood about mainland TV shows and movies. What's with all the sitting around the campfire waiting for something to come out of the woods? Don't you people know better than to test the unknown? Ghost Busters was a comedy. The ghosts were funny. The guys were funny. Real life is not funny.

Ghost stories have their purpose. Parenting by fear. Cars that stall on a highway because you tempted fate. If you hear them marching, fall to the ground and hide your face in the dirt. You are not worthy to see them. Wait until all you hear is your heart pumping ice through your veins and your breath is so shallow you gonna pass out. Then wait some more.

Try chance em.
Shoots brah!

Famous last words of daredevils. No way bruddah. Not me. I have chicken skin because I am chicken. I wanna live. Ghost stories in Hawai'i are what haoles call urban myths, but ours are based on history. History is fluid. We know what we know until we figure out that we were wrong.

So how you know dey not real? 

Safer to believe that they are and respect history than tempt fate.

Back in the Saddle

What do your parents always tell you after you fall?  Get up!  Don't give up.  So after a long moment of silence, we're back.  I must give props to where they are due.  I have been a fan of Ree Drummond's blog, The Pioneer Woman for some time now.  Not that I am a great cook or anything, I just love to watch other people cook.  Ask the keikis, they'll tell you.  I am the master of the three ingredient meal.  Pasta, sauce, and cheese please.  Peanut butter, jelly, and bread.  You get it.

But Ree makes it all looks so simple.  Blogger, writer, accidental country girl.  So, why not me?  Cue cheesy Sound of Music track.  At this point my self-esteem was channeling Sally Fields anyway. "Yes, you really do like me!"

Then there are all my Facebook friends from the YKYFHW page.  Yup.  That's code for, "You Know You From Hawai'i When..."  We fill that up all day with pictures of our favorite foods, places, and have long conversations about all kinds of stuff.  People from Hawai'i love to talk story.  Most of us are living here on the Mainland (that is what we call the continental United States.)  Some are living in other countries.  All of us take time from our daily lives to bust out da pidgin English and hug it out over the Internet.

So armed with my new found inspiration, I decided to get back on the carousel.  Honestly, I have ridden an elephant at the circus, but never a real, live pony.  And frankly, after seeing the unthinkable at the Little Rock Zoo, I don't want to get near a horse (mare or otherwise) for a long, long time.  And the elephant thing, well, you don't forget that experience too soon either.  It is very sensory, if you know what I mean.

I hope you like the redesign.  Just trying to keep it fresh.  We have a lot of catching up to do so hold on to your seats.  The holidays are my favorite time of year.  There are so many wonderful traditions to share with you from small kid time.  And, now that we live Little Rock, we have even more goodies to share.

Until next time, peace, love, and Alooohaaa!