Paradise Bound

My brother is just about one of the coolest guys I know. (Shhh....don't let him know I said that. I have to keep up appearances.) While he's had some burdens to bear lately that are unjust and frankly heartbreaking, he's also had some wonderful world adventures that I can only ever dream about experiencing. His first journey came when he spent two years serving the Lord in South Korea. After dental school, the military took him to Germany for a while, where he was able to travel around Europe with his girls and my angel mom. He even spent his 30th birthday with his best friends in Rome, eating gelatos and throwing coins in the Trevi Fountain. After his European adventure, he was whisked away to Hawaii to learn how to surf, play at the beach and pick pineapples with his girls, hike waterfalls, oh yeah, and do a little oral surgery as well. Because of his latest assignment, our family is going to take advantage of our new "local" and make the trip to paradise a year from now. It still hardly seems real.

This is where this post comes into play. I can imagine the pristine white sandy beaches, rainbows shining on the mists of cascading waterfalls and rows of prickly green pineapples turning yellow in the sun. What I can't imagine, is my large, pasty white body marring that beautiful landscape. My dad put it best when he said, "Mom and I also want to look good in our bikinis, but are shooting for minimum overhang and minimum slingshot effect when turning around quickly." I echo that hope. That's why I hope you don't mind that I'll be using my blog to account for my weight loss attempts during the next year. (See Weigh-in-Wednesdays at the top right corner or the blog.) Maybe the shock of actually seeing "that number" floating out in cyberworld will be some motivation for me to not mindlessly put everything in my mouth that crosses in front of me. I figure if I can lose 1 little ol' pound a week, I can be back down to the size I was 4 years ago at my BYU graduation. Size 8. I can dust off all my cute size 8 clothes, wear my cute size 8 skirts, swim in my cute size 8 suit. Now that sounds like paradise!

My parents have complied a list of things they want to do while nestled on the island, and to me, it all sounds like heaven!
"Some things that we would like all of us to do: Bike down a mountain on a long road and maybe picnic half way down in a rain forest. Parasail in back of a speed boat. Go snorkeling. Scuba dive. Jet ski. Play in big wave surf (within reason), play ball, and then roast marshmallows on the beach at sunset. Play a round of golf at a beautiful seaside golf course. Visit the memorial at the site of the USS Arizona with lots of kleenex. Go to the temple. Watch a Polynesian hula type show and eat roast pig. Eat good meals. Shop a little for keepsakes. Everything that we want to do, we want to do with you. So, when given the chance, "I hope you dance" even if it's not your favorite thing."Of course, none of this would be available to even the smallest stretch of my imagination without my parents. To call it generous would be to fail to recognize the tremendous love they have for each of their children, which motivates their tender generosity. It's a love I comprehend only now that I have children of my own. It's also why I'm able to accept their generosity--because I want to one day do the same for my precious jewels.