30by30: EC: Go to Hawaii - COMPLETED May 6-18, 2012

In celebration of me earning my master's, Kevin and I flew to Hawaii for a two week vacation. It was a wonderful trip. We went to Oahu, Maui and Hawaii. Here is what we did:

• Hiked Diamondhead (Oahu)
• Observed an Urasenke tea lesson 
• Ate at the Hukilau Cafe (from 50 First Dates)
• Visited Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial
• Participated at the Polynesian Cultural Center
• Hiked the Ia'o Valley (Maui)
• Viewed a Haleakala sunrise (twice)
• Made it to Hana in a car
• Snorkeled with tropical fish and a sea turtle
• Discovered a romantic waterfall
• Devoured Spam and eggs for breakfast
• Found a new drink (Maui Brewing Company root beer + vodka = delicious and refreshing)
• Enjoyed Mother's Day lunch at Mama's Fish House
• Watched lava glow and ooze (Hawaii)
• Stargazed from the front seat of a convertible Mustang
• Basked in a lovely sunset with my hubby
• Swam with more tropical fish via snorkelling
• Ate at Sam Choy's
• Went on a brewery tour of the Kona Brewing Company
• Went on a coffee farm tour at Greenwell Coffee Farms

30by30: 25.) Organize Garden Shed - SECOND HALF COMPLETED

This completed #25 on the list. Kevin and I went to IKEA and picked up a couple of the wire racks for a laundry room that have shelving that slides in and out. I pulled everything out, swept the floor and the shelves and it looks great. Much more organized then it did. It isn't perfect yet. The organizational system needs a few tweaks to make it more intuitive, but I believe that will come with time too.

30by30: 16.) Square Foot Gardening - UPDATE

Though I already completed this on my 30 Before 30 list, I just wanted to let you know that we got the second bed in the garden. The first one was 4 x 10ft, this one is 4 x 8ft. We put in corn and sunflower transplants from the other bed plus seeds for chives, carrots, okra (2), brussel sprouts (2) and green onions.  It's going to also have tomatoes and green peppers. The two raspberries are in pots for now, I'm not sure where I'm going to put them.

30by30: 2.) New Recipe: Biscuits and Gravy

What would my favorite breakfast be without a healthy (in this case, "large") serving of the all time yummy Biscuits and Gravy. As much as I love this dish, I have never made it for myself. The hubby and I munched on this deliciousness this morning :) Though not a new "dinner" dish, it could easily pass for any meal but was really worth it.

My Aunt Bev makes amazing B&G with venison sausage. The sausage is definitely a must for any B&G recipe, but what people fail to consider is the quality of biscuits.

For the best B&G I've tasted (besides my Aunt's), check out Pine State Biscuits in Oregon. A yuppy, preppy place that should be featured on an episode of Portlandia. You get a plate and it's to DIE for!

This breakfast was just made with Pillsbury biscuits, "country" style ground sausage and McCormick's Country gravy packet. Not form scratch; however, in a pinch this is still delectable! Plus, it only took 20 minutes for everything, which was a nice time saver. Saved myself the $6 for the B&G at my all time fav Gateway Breakfast House, also very good but more country-diner-style.

30by30: 18.) Flower feature: Courtesy of George Fox University

Glass-blown vase with fern, baby's breathe and beautiful pink flower.
From the George Fox University for my Reading specialization.

30by30: 1.) Earn my Graduate Degree - I'm a Master! COMPLETED

I have finally completed my Master's program at George Fox University. I earned a Master's of Arts in Teaching as well as my teaching license. I will be able to teach Middle School and High School age students, grades 6th through 12th. The subjects I'll be specializing in are Language Arts, Business and Reading. This is such a tiny post for a journey that has lasted 16 months, through tears and heartache, through joy and laughter. I've met some wonderful people. There has been death and there has been birth (thankfully, no birth announcements from our household). The folks who took this journey with me have a special place in my heart and many of them I will talk to for years. Some of them I hope to be life-long friends with :)

The Hooding Ceremony was today and I'm so grateful to have taken this journey. Mom knew that I would be doing this and I'm so thankful that she has been by my side, in spirit, from start to finish.

From left to right: me, Ally and Allie :)

30by30: 11.) Take 30 dance classes - Bought a class card on LivingSocial

Technically, I haven't started this 30 by 30 goal yet. But, I wanted to let you all know that I am being proactive about scheduling dancing time in to my daily agenda. I purchased a Ten Dance class card through LivingSocial for NW Dance Project. With the use of that card, that will get me a third of the way toward my goal! Plus, it expires by July 25th, so it encourages me to get moving again.

I made this a goal because I really miss all of the extensive dancing I did in college. I wrote for Dance Spirit magazine when I lived in New York City for goodness sake! I was a good dancer. I can be a good dancer again. But, more importantly, I just want to have fun moving my body again.