This last week was a little strange for me. We’ve had a really high volume of rain in the last couple of weeks, especially this past week, and everything is saturated to the point of constant sogginess. Some parts of this island (not where I live, thankfully) and Kauai are under almost perpetual flash flood watches and there was hail on the windward side where my cousins live on Friday (they are fine, it just damaged their porch plants), not to mention a waterspout that came on land (highly unusual) and took the roofs off of two houses over there. There are jokes about it being 2012 all over the place, but really it’s the weirdest weather I think I’ve ever experienced. The only thing I can say about it is that now the island is lush and green and we got to see some really amazing sights along the Koolaus.

In the middle of the rain, we had bulk trash day and, after the beetle infestation that had lived in part inside of it, we decided at last to part with the red furniture we’ve had since we got married. It was handed down to us from a neighbor and was good for starter furniture, but it’s been in the garage the last 2 1/2 years and I doubt we’d use it again. Between the faded cloth, worn cushions, and the beetle business, we couldn’t donate it. So bye bye, red furniture!

Tuesday was when the rains hit their peak. I was at the zoo, which is only a couple of feet above sea level, and as the rains poured I accidentally got stranded; I had huddled underneath a viewing area to wait out a particularly large water-dumping, and by the time it slackened, the path I took to get there was under water. Thankfully I was able to get a message out for someone to come get me before my phone mysteriously died five minutes later.

Wednesday my new phone arrived (the phone company gave me a loaner AND overnight-shipped TO HAWAII a replacement phone. This is why I still have the same company after all these years…) but I didn’t get it until I got home around 9:30 and by then I was too tired to take a photo so I snapped one of my bedside table.

Thursday the zoo was still waterlogged, so it took me most of the morning to clean out the rhino barn. There was so much mud and water that the exhibit was basically a lost cause, but I did find this cool hoof print.

Friday I helped lead my youth group through the 30 Hour Famine. This was our “dinner” on Friday night: Gatorade and fruit juice in cups. That was also all of our snacks, our breakfast and lunch the next day, etc… I don’t want more juice for a while.

Saturday (still during the Famine), we played a game that involved sitting on balloons to pop them. My job was to help blow up 75 balloons… After not eating for about 22 hours at that point, blowing up the 45ish balloons I managed made me light-headed and giggly. Fun times.

Sunday (since the Famine was over) I was craving an ice cream cone, but there isn’t a good ice cream cone type place nearby so we went to the grocery and bought cones and ice cream for ourselves. Mine is the mint chocolate cookie one. ^_^

So that was my week. I’m still exhausted from everything and tired of the rain, but this week looks like mostly “scattered showers” in the forecast, so that’s an improvement. I’m thankful for boots and raincoats, though I definitely should invest in a second umbrella…