Saturday August 25, 2013 we had another fun Preparation Day.

We drove to Costco and Walmart to do some shopping.  On our way home we stopped at the Dole Pineapple Plantation.

 They have quite a large gift shop to look through.  We decided to take the Pineapple Express, a small train ride through the plantation.

This is the cute little engine.

Everyone prompts you to make this sign with your hands while taking pictures.

Me, Kim and Sharon.  Kim is going home September 9th, Sharon just got here one week after I did.

Sharon and Cheryl are behind me and Kim is taking the picture.

There were many fields, ready to plant.

 Young pineapple plants before the fruit grows.

This is an infield harvester.

I enjoyed this pretty garden with plants shaped like pineapples.

They had pineapples and pineapple plants in all stages of growth.

We enjoyed their famous pineapple ice cream and floats made with pineapple juice and pineapple ice cream. :)
It was a fun day until my car broke down on our way back home.  Now I am back to walking everywhere.  Hopefully it is fixable, I really enjoyed it for the two weeks I had my car.

What I have been doing.

Every day from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. I go to "Seamstress" and work on costumes and uniforms for PCC workers and Missionaries.  This yellow blouse was nicknamed "The Beast" by another seamstress because of the ruffles, there are even ruffles on the ruffles.  This was the second thing I made.  I didn't take a picture of the blue blouse and black skirt that I made first.

This is my first Aloha Shirt.  I am working on my third one now.  These are new shirts for the night show.   I thought I knew how to sew until I got here and realized how much I didn't know.  I have had to learn how to do buttonholes, sew on buttons with the machine, serge seams, use the ruffling attachment, and the tiny rolled hem presser foot.  I have had to learn several little things about threading the machines, putting in a new needle (completely round, there is no flat side to help you know which side is the front) and threading the bobbin,  things that I didn't know even after all the sewing I  have done.  I am interested to see if they apply to my machine at home or if they are tips just for these industrial machines.  

Every afternoon I go to work at "Theater."  This is an example of something we do at "Theater."  After I get all the repairs done in costumes from the night show or the Canoe Dancing then I get to do things like this.  I have taken out quite a few zippers and replaced them or moved them as I make a costume smaller to fit another girl.  Between repairs, alterations and goofs, I have un picked way too many seams.  I feel like my seam ripper is my new best friend, which is not a good thing for a seamstress to say.

My First Preparation Day Excursion

Twelve single sisters went on a sight seeing trip to Kualoa Ranch.  It included a boat ride out in the ocean to see Mokoli'i Island and a reef that has small turtles living there.  There were also spectacular views of the Island of Oahu from a short distance out in the ocean.

Here we are hiking through the trees to our boat ride.

This is the sight seeing boat we sailed on.

This is my Korean sister missionary friend,  Sister Kim Rigby.  She grew up in Korea but married a returned missionary from America and lived in Bountiful, Utah for the past 35 years.   She takes Korean tour groups around the PCC.  She has been a very helpful, welcoming friend to me.  I will be sorry to see her go home September 9th.

Some of the other Sister Missionaries.

Mokoli'i Island, nicknamed the Chinaman's Hat.

The dark water is where there is a reef not too far under the water.  Baby and small turtles live in the reef for protection. We saw a few, they were about 12-18 inches long.  They only surface for a few seconds, not long enough for me to take a picture.

It was a beautiful day, I enjoyed it.  I got a phone call from Laura while I was out on the ocean.  I was surprised that I had cell phone reception there.  Then I remembered that the whole island in out in the middle of the ocean.  Isn't modern technology great?

Left to right: Sister Darlene Smith, Sister Helana Razick from Switzerland, Sister Lynette Gurr from South Jordan, Utah, Sister Cheryl Hubbard from Tucson, Arizona, me, Sister Kim Rigby my Korean friend from Bountiful, Utah, Sister Jolene Smith from Rexburg, Idaho, Sister Essie Humphries,  Sister Tessie Crummett from the state of Washington,  Sister Connie Nance, Sister Brenda Woods and Sister  Sharon Johnson from Gilbert,Arizona. 

After the boat ride 4 of us went to the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium.  I bought a couple of  cloth purses and a few Muumuus.  We then went to the T&L Muumuu Factory and I got a few more Muumuus.  So with the two I made, the one red one on the left that the PCC Seamstresses made for me and what I got on Saturday, I am prepared!  This is what my Hawaiian wardrobe looks like in my closet.  It was a very fun day.

A Day to Enjoy the Polynesian Cultural Center

I really enjoyed the Canoe Show on the water.  There were songs and dances from the different Islands.

From Tonga

From Tahiti

From New Zealand

I think this one was from Samoa.

From Fiji

Representing Royalty

 Two guys climbing a Palm Tree in search for Coconuts.  I even had a wonderful meal and enjoyed the night show.  The fire knife twirlers were a big hit.  They definitely amazed the audience.

Beautiful Hawaii

These beautiful flowers are only a block from my apartment.

My walk was on the beach August 6th.  This beach is only 2 blocks from where I live.

I had to prove to my grandchildren that I did get my feet wet.

My footprints in the sand.

Another view of the beach.

From the steps of the Temple, my new friend and roommate across the hall, Kim.  She will be going home in a couple of weeks.  I will miss her, she has been so friendly and helpful to me.

We walked to the Temple, (only about 1/2 mile) to attend a session.  This is what the Temple looked like when we left to walk back home.  Beautiful!

Plumeria flowers grow on trees everywhere.  They smell heavenly.

Hawaii

In the Mission Field at Last

You know that you are in Hawaii when you see signs like these in the airport!

Elder and Sister Lunt with me after we were greeted with fragrant fresh flower leis.

This is the view from my living room window.  The Hawaii Temple is in the background.

The view from my bedroom window.  If you look closely you can see a peak at the ocean between the two buildings in the background.

Zoomed in, see the ocean is really there!

I have been inhaling the wonderful smell of my lei all day long.  I wish I could share the fragrance
with everyone.