Today I attended a work retreat. It was ABSOLUTELY magical. It really was. Maybe it's because my time in Hawai'i is ticking away that I'm so sentimental. Actually, Hawai'i is very beautiful, coupled with the sentiment I was an emotional mess. Also included in the retreat was a lei presentation with two boxes of chocolate and a thank you speech from my two bosses.

I am so blessed to have spent my day tooling around the Ko'olauloa mountain range in the Hakipu'u valley. I wish we had more of those. Once a year is pretty boring. Twice a year would be fabulous, aside from the regular Christmas parties. Anyway, I was glad that today was spent in the mountains of my birth.

[Image]This was the view from my seat during the motivational, goal-sharing portion of the retreat. It was actually very good. I enjoyed it. Last years retreat was spent in a board room, on-campus. So, to have this view was a special treat. I'm sad to leave the university I work for but the money is just not enough anymore, especially for the amount of responsibility that is heaped upon my shoulders. I just looked up jobs in the area that I will be relocating to and they pay at least $10,000 more for the same approximate job AND the cost of living is half what it is here.


[Image]I absolutely love this gorgeous view. One day when I begin painting oil on canvas, this will be one of my subjects. I love how the colors of the land masses jutting into the ocean fades, the further it gets. Just gorgeous!


[Image]Another shot of Mokoli'i. The folklore of Hawai'i points to this being the tail of a great lizard. The mountain range is his body.


[Image]I think old trees are such miracles. They tell such sad stories today, ever longing for the glory of more simpler times when man and nature worked together. In the ridiculous world of capitalism, we have departed from the laws of nature.... but that is for another blog post.


[Image]The limbs of this tree is so gorgeous. I love the way it branches out and looks so similar to the veins in the human body. The green canopy that the limbs support are a soothing sight.


[Image]The tree is so majestic. The meeting part of our retreat was held in this building. It was so cozy and quaint with a corrugated tin roof. I'm going to miss this so much. When I return to visit, I'll just be a visitor, afraid to really fall in love with my islands again because I know I have to leave it. My heart is here. When I die, may my ashes be scattered on the waters of my birth and carried on the winds of Hawai'i.


[Image]This is a classic picture that can be found all across the South Pacific. Coconut trees are so beautiful and so abundant in the tropic region.


[Image]I love the way this tall coconut palm leans over the fish pond.


[Image]Another view that I enjoyed from my seat in our meeting. What kind of nature views are in store for me in Alabama?

[Image]
[Image]This sweeping valley is the one featured on several films including, Jurassic Park, Mighty Joe Young, George of the Jungle, Windtalkers, etc.


[Image]Why am I leaving Paradise? That is the QUESTION!!