Time flies faster in paradise...

Aloha to all 14 of our loyal followers!!
Thanks for the date night Grandpa Keith & Yvonne!
It really has been almost 2 months since we took off from Seattle to start this crazy adventure!  I am sure you are all wondering- are the Russells still crazy or have we been able to settle down a little.  Well the answer is a little bit of both.  I don't think we will ever lose our touch of crazy after taking the plunge that we did- but this new normal is settling in just fine and we are figuring things out for the most part.  We still look up occasionally from dinner and see the ocean on the horizon and are quickly reminded, "Oh yeah- we live on an island!"  No "rock fever" yet, but time will tell.  For those of you who don't know what that is, it is where one gets to the point that if they don't find a flight off the island within 24 hours, swimming to the Mainland starts to look mighty nice.  To completely diverge off subject, speaking of swimming, I see people training most days for the Ironman held here in October.  Lots of running and biking- but the part that gets me every time is to see the solo swimmer- way the stink out in the ocean swimming with the Humpbacks and the Tiger Sharks.  I immediately connect the adjective of crazy with that individual.  No thank you sir/mam!!  Any whoo- we are all doing well overall and continue to enjoy exploring this amazing island.  It is really great to see my boys becoming excellent swimmers right before our eyes.  We are trying very hard to make sure they have a healthy fear/respect of the mighty ocean, and are glad to see how well each of them are doing.  The surf has been unusually high recently and we have had to call beach time early because of the danger.  No worries to anyone- we watch those kids like hawks and usually hang out by the lifguards.  We have found some really great areas that are very well protected and Lallie feels comfortable taking all four chillins by herself. 



     The job is going really well.  It is the first place that I feel truly supported in my career as a PA.  I really feel like I can make some sort of difference during the time that I am here.  In general this is a very unhealthy population with limited resources, who have been desperate for medical care for a long time.  Not to say that I am some sort of knight in shining armor or something, but just that the health center is setup to maximize my abilities to treat the sick- for the most part.  No clinic is going to be perfect, but the really great thing about this one is that they are willing to learn and adapt with input from the staff and not just dictate what will be done.  Enough rambling for now.  We are preparing for round two of family as my parents are coming at the end of the week.  We are very excited to see them and share this beautiful place with them.  We are sorry to those of you who have not heard from us personally much.  We are trying to make the rounds and would love to Facetime or Skype with anyone who would like to, anytime (although the time change always makes it a bit challenging).  Please let us know!  We miss everyone and hope to see you here soon.  Take a look at some more pictures of our adventures with Grandpa Keith and Yvonne.  It was sure an incredibly special time with them full of unforgettable memories and experiences together!   

Hiking down to Pololu valley...so beautiful! Grandpa & Yvonne win awards for wearing flip-flops!

There are some fun swings down in the valley


Black sand beach in Pololu valley
 

Luau  fun!

       Love, The Russells

Comments

  1. RussellsFebruary 28, 2012 at 3:02 PM

    We love the photos of the family. Thank you for blogging and keeping us up to date on what is going on in paradise. Chris is that you with the turtle swimming through your legs? That is really up close and personal. We are so excited for Friday, to see you all and to spend some quality time with you. It is snowing again here and is supposed to dump big time tonight. I am praying that our flight is not delayed and that we can get over the mountain okay.

    Give those sweet kids a hug for me and we will see you in a few days. Keep the blogs coming….

    Love,
    Mom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dale and SandyFebruary 28, 2012 at 8:51 PM

    Why are the fish at the bottom of your page now...

    ReplyDelete
  3. warperFebruary 28, 2012 at 10:13 PM

    Chris, Lallie, Logan, Clay, Oliver, Evie Jane.....

    I feel so blessed just being there with you all. And then all the wonderful sights, and water fun, and everything else.....
    Oh my, the turtles, fishes, and the gecks.....what fun. And the fire dancers....Love it all.
    Blessings, Hugs, Prayers.
    Gpak and Yvonne

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beaches!

Image
Have we mentioned we LOVE going to the beach!? We are having so much fun exploring beaches on the island, picking out our favorites to take YOU to when you come visit!=)  Logan A.K.A. Fish Boy (Also first test of our waterproof camera)  Sea cucumbers / snails - a local boy showed the boys how to gently squeeze it & water squirts out like a squirt gun!  Keiki Ponds - right in town...great place for the littles to play & swim!  Wawaloli beach...we actually ran into the same local kid & his dad here! They had a mini sea fishing lesson              All these are from Kua Bay today.  Very nice for Boogieboarding and little girls who eat sand. Oliver is offically not afraid of the ocean anymore and loves to use rocket boosters to beat the waves. Overall we are doing great.  We are starting to find a new routine in paradise.  Work is going really well so far and I am enjo...
Read more

Place of refuge

Image
Hi this is Logan, we're having a great time here in Kona looking at beaches, snorkeling, and boogie -boarding. Yesterday, we went to Place of Refuge A.K.A Pu'uhonua o Honaunau.  I got to see a lot of Native Hawaiians houses, temples, and totem poles. There is a very important game they played that is called "Konane"(ko-nah-nay), If any of you want to play here are the rules Setup Try to find a huge flat lava rock and carve 170 (maybe less) tiny craters so it makes a square, then put black and white rocks in the craters (can be different colors). To check if they are in the right place they should be the same color diagonally from every corner.                                                     ...
Read more

The life of Magnum PA

Aloha- I have been asked to share a little about my experience working as a PA in Hawaii.  I have to thank Luke, my best buddy, for coming up with "Magnum PA".  Unfortunately I don't have a Ferrari...yet- it's just backordered:)  I also don't have nearly as much chest hair as Tom Selleck, to roll out of my unbuttoned shirt which also does not flow in the wind with my make believe Ferrari.  ANYWAY- The clinic is an impressive organization who really have a vision for this surprisingly poor community and actually get things done.  They do more than just talk about it and have lots of meetings- things happen which is very refreshing for me.  Not only have they expanded the clinic building I work in 5x (at least), but also have a pediatric clinic, pediatric dental office, mobile dental van, another clinic opening up north, and a homeless clinic.  It is exciting to be a part of such a dynamic organization.  I had the opportunity to work at th...
Read more