Snorkeling Molokini

On a lighter note, I snorkeled Molokini with my Friday adventure buddy, Bobbi, last Friday and it was truly incredible! I always feel like snorkeling is like swimming in a giant aquarium, but this took the gold medal for best snorkel experience so far. I saw tons of fun fish- the one that has 2 eyes on one side and lies flat in the sand until it's ready to eat a passer-by; 2 types of needle nose, silvery-colored fish; black, white, and yellow angel fish; black with white polka dots fish; the most fearless schools of black fish (greeted my face when I got in the water, and held their ground in front of my boat's ladder while I tried to exit the water); and of course the state fish, humuhumunukunukuapua'a, along with tons of other ocean beauties. The various colors and endless amounts of coral were absolutely mesmerizing as the sun rays glimmered through the aqua blue water. I could have stared at that for days! I loved seeing so many whale pods on our boat trip to Molokini, but hearing them talk when I was underwater was unforgettable.

After Molokini, our boat took us to Turtle Town, off the coast of our local white sand beach, where I got to swim with a sea turtle. Yes! It happened! And it was amazing! The turtles here have been here so long, they are used to humans, so when we are in their way, they do not care. They are protected by law so that people supposedly won't touch them, but when they swim right next to you, it's so tempting not to reach out and touch their shells! I resisted, for fear of that $250,000 fine that our boat captain and crew surely would've slapped on me. I'm adventurous to an extent, I guess :)

On our way back to the harbor, our boat crew said a certain pod of dolphins usually lives in Turtle Town, but they are only there about 40% of the time, so the chances of us seeing them were unlikely, especially since it is winter time, and whale season.  The South Maui Hawaii Spinner Dolphins (yes, they even have their own name) decided to escort our boat home though! I stood on the right side of the boat all the way home, watching them swim and play next to our boat. Such a great way to make my  snorkel trip unparalleled to any other!

And as much as I wished I had an underwater camera to capture all of this, I really enjoyed just experiencing it and being fully in the moment instead of worrying about taking pictures/video of everything. So, sorry I can't show much of this, but you'll just have to come check it out yourself. :)

Me, and my Friday adventure buddy, Bobbi! We have such great Fridays together!

The color of the water. Oh yes, quite fabulous. :D

Turtle Town, off the coast of our local white sand beach, with Haleakala in the background.

So Bobbi and I both have most of Friday off, and we decided to start working on our bucket lists. It's been so fun getting to know her and taking in all this island has to offer by storm! Here's a quick update on my bucket list so far:

o   Snorkeling in Molokini

o   Go to a pig-roasting luau

o   Go parasailing

o   Swim with dolphins

o   Ziplining

o   Whale watching

o   Island Hop

o   Go to a surf competition

o   Haleakala

o   Hana

o   Learn to surf

o   Paddleboard

o   Have a palm Christmas Tree

o   Get ostriched by a wave

o   See the Banyan tree

o   Find Crush and Squirt a.k.a. Turtles

o   Find Jaws

o   Stay in a fancy hotel

o   Windsurfing

o   Spearfish

o   Learn how to hula

o   Black Sand beach

o   Drink milk straight from a coconut

o   Find my own pineapple

o   Eat sugar cane

o   Eat poi

o   Red Sand beach

o   Hiking

Good thing I still have 6 months left, eh? :)

A Diagnosis

My last blood test showed that I have an autoimmune disease. I will have more tests in April to determine which one it is, but the overall detection certainly explains every health thing I've struggled with for about 13 years: tired all the time, frequently sick, prolonged healing of injuries and illness.

So it's a relief to know it's actually something, but there's no doubt that this is a lot to take in. And as much as I would like to be around family and friends who've known my struggles for longer than 6 months, there's obviously a reason I'm learning this here.

The doctor who ordered this test is the only board-certified gastroenterologist in the state, and the time she spent with me during my first appointment was worth the 2-month wait to see her. She called with my results as I was on my way to be a counselor at our Tweens Camp. I told her I'd been tested for several things over the years, even by a rheumatologist at Duke University 2 years ago. She said the presence of evidence can change with age, current symptoms during testing, and most importantly, the type of test ordered.

So how did she know to order that specific blood test, and why did something finally show up when I took the test? I don't know, but thank God.

Am I scared for what this means and how this changes the rest of my life? Yep.

Do I wish I had known sooner, or at least been around close friends and family during this time? Yep.

But am I ready to finally move forward from just wondering what's going on and into a time of learning how to help myself feel better? Most definitely.

My greatest prayer needs are: to feel understood and supported by friends here, and to stay thankful for this time.

Thanks.