the panoramic pics on my iphone for the 2 and a half years.

I've been so blessed to be able to see all this in such a short amount of time, and so much has happened since the road trip/move to North Dakota. :)

I'm an Army Brat

One of my friends posted this article on their Facebook about third culture kids, and I was saying "yes" and nodding my head to many of these facts. Here are the ones that apply to me and my life.

1. You’re really good at calculating time differences, because you have to do it every time you call your parents.  

It's 4 or 5 hours. It depends on what time of the year; North Dakota has day light saving, Hawaii doesn't.

2. But you also have your computer programmed to help you out when your math fails.
I use my phone, not computer.

3. You start getting birthday wishes several hours before your birthday, from your friends farther east than you. 

Starting with Australia the day before my birthday, then Asia, Europe, continental US, and finally Hawaii.

4. You have a love-hate relationship with the question “Where are you from?” 

All. The. Time.

5. You run into your elementary school friends in unlikely countries at unlikely times. 

When I was in 6th grade, I was on a swim team (in Hawaii). In 9th grade, I met up with a girl on that team (in Germany).

6. You’ve spent an absurd and probably unhealthy amount of time on airplanes. 

Mmmm, this one is a stretch. I don't think the words "absurd" and "unhealthy" fit, but I have spent a good amount of time in them.

7. And your circle of friends is as politically, racially, and religiously diverse as the United Nations.  

I don't think moving around causes this... going to college does.

8. Which is great, except that you “hang out” more online than in real life.  

Facebook is a wonderful place.

9. You get (very) nervous whenever a form needs you to enter a “permanent address.”  

Yes. Just last month, I had this crisis...

10. You’re the token exotic friend in your non-military brat crew.  

I went to a family camp in Wisconsin one summer (2003?), and I think my peers were only friends with me because I lived in Hawaii (and surfed). They thought I was so cool.

11. The end of the school year was always bittersweet because so many people move away.

Including my family and I.

12. And, no matter how many times you say it, good-byes never get easier.
Never. 

13. But the constant flow of new friends more than make up for it.  

:)

14. Now you feel incredibly lucky to have loved ones and memories scattered all over the globe.  

Sweet memories.

15. You know better than anyone else that “home” isn’t a place, it’s the people in it.  

Home is where the heart is.

16. And you can’t wait to see where your life adventure takes you next.  

People ask what my plans are after college, and my answer: I have no idea, but I'm excited to find out.

------------------------------------------

I've lived in many places, and I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. :) I've been so blessed with the life I've been given. God has been so good. 

Oh, and here's a quick run down of where I've lived.

Born: Minnesota

Infant: South Korea

Toddler: Alaska

Pre-school-k: Maryland

Elementary: Hawaii

Middle School: Texas

9th-11th grade: Germany

12th-freshman: Washington State
Sophomore-junior: North Dakota
Senior/clinicals/now: Arizona

keālia trail

we made it to the top!

nate was telling us all about the runway and the planes that were taking off or landing.

do you see that little neon green dot in the middle of the picture? that's kai. :)

one of my favorite pictures

cousin amanda, me and kai

an airplane pulling a glider

lunch on the beach.

according to my phone app "mapmyrun", the hike was 4 miles roundtrip [from the car, to the top, to the car again.] this hike didn't have much shade but the view was gorgeous the whole way up. umm, 19 switchbacks? i think that's how many we counted. it was great that my dad had the day off, so he AND my cousin (she actually lives near it on that side of the island so she mentioned/recommended going on this hike... she was our 'tour guide') were able to come! 

p.s. i hope all these hiking posts aren't getting too boring, because i'm going to keep posting about them. if you do get bored, you can just ignore them. they're mostly just for me and my family (but mostly just for me.) i want to be able to remember all the great times i've had here. :) i think i go on a different hike at least once maybe two times a week... i have to get my hiking-fix before heading back to grand forks. haha. hiking even just a small hill in that state is nonexistent. 

sailing

see diamond head? it's between the two branches on the right.

the weather was perfect. there was just the right amount of wind, and LOOK at the color of that water! i don't think anyone could get sick of it. my brothers, josiah and kai, have been taking sailing lessons for months, and they are certified on three different sail-boat models. i think it's so crazy; they're 13 and 11 years old. as far as i know, trusting an eleven-year-old with a two-story tall boat isn't what most people do, but, nonetheless, i'm glad these people do! j & k were able to take us out for a couple hours. since they have been taking lesson for so long, they know another language: the sailing language. AND, they expect nate, my mom and i to know it too. "preparing to tack... ok, tacking! come on, rosala! take the jib sheet (rope) out of the cleat, let go and come to the other side (of the boat). now hold this other rope." ahh, talk about stress. i don't know what that is or how to do it! all i know is i don't want to capsize, pretty please. so kai was doing his job while trying to do mine too. sorry, kai. haha, once i got the basic hang of 'my job', i enjoyed the ride; it took awhile though. we sailed around the harbor while josiah and nate were sailing in another boat. then we switched people out so my mom could go out too. 

fun day. fun experiences. but don't be fooled.

sailing is not relaxing, it's stressful. 

**90% of these pictures were taken by my mom. :) ...just wanted to give her the credit.

diamond head hike {and other things we did that day}

oh, the the sights of hawaii.

kai and i were just copying the actions of the people before us. :)

this day was great! hiking, shopping, and running trying to run. it would have been better if my dad was able to come along, but he had to work. we planned to leave the house at 6am, but ended up leaving at 6:30- i'd say it was successful. that's how it goes when you have to pack lunches, eat breakfast, get dressed etc x6. :) this hike has no shade whatsoever (besides the 30 seconds of tunnel you walk through), so getting there early is key to beating the heat. we finished the 3-miles round trip hike before 9am, and before a ton of middle schoolers pulled up in 4+ school buses. success again! the rest of the day was spent window shopping at an outdoor mall (a mall nate and i had piano recitals at every year long ago). good times. in the afternoon, the younger boys had sailing lessons so i drove over there with everyone and ran home; i think it was about 4 miles. i probably did more walking than running because of the heat & humidity, but i eventually made it home. i haven't sweat that much in a very long time (tmi? probably), but it's true. good old ice water was my friend afterwards. and of course i can't forget about elias' bath. isn't he beyond adorable?!?