Back from the Isles

Well, we came back from Hawaii. It was exciting, eventful and frustrating. Confused?

The family is all well, and we got to see some folks who we hadn't seen for quite a while. We also got to see some pretty neat sights as well.

If you want more pictures, you can check out the photos on Google+. Aircraft pictures are available here, pictures from around the island are available here.

Our car log registered a total of 48 hours of driving... out of 9 effective days. Honolulu traffic seems to get worse by the minute. The weather was nice and balmy... not too hot, not too cold, not too many bugs, but meh on the humidity. It was quite enjoyable for us, even if it doesn't sound like a dream for the standard tourist. We mostly had fun, although there were some bumps along the way. Now that we're back home... its hard to believe that the weather is so different. We had the luck to connect through LAX, although we weren't able to stay long, though it was long enough to remind us of what we're missing.

What'll be next for us this summer? Stay tuned to find out.

We're Off to Hawaii

So we survived the storms this past week. According to NewsOK/the Oklahoman, the closest tornado to us was an EF1 that went up a major street near commercial businesses about 5 miles away. It knocked out power lines all the way up the street, causing tieups and road closures, but nothing major like the Moore tornado about 20 miles south of us.

Efforts to recover and cleanup have been overwhelming, with emergency responders and relief organizers requesting that people stay home and allow those already on site to assist as quickly as possible. The tornado was eventually determined to be an EF5 and 1.7 miles wide at its strongest point, hitting multiple businesses and elementary schools along its 17 mile path. According to the National Weather Service, Monday's tornado was the ninth deadliest in state history with 24 fatalities.

Hail from Acadia Lake Area

Muggy Heat and Soggy Spring

Wow, has it already been a month since I last posted?

I suppose testing made the time go by faster. End of Instructions (EOIs), or Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests. A mouthful, no? At the very least, California's acronym of Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) actually makes a word. But, I digress.

The weather here continues to be random. A few days ago, we were in the low nineties, now we're in the high sixties. At least the rain continues to be consistent in volume, if not sporadic in timing and otherwise grouped with other severe events. It's helping with the drought that has plagued Oklahoma for the past few years.

My sister's performance in Canterbury Choral Society's performance of Lennon Bernstein's MASS was a huge success. It was quite splendid performance, if a bit long. The main cast was associated with Oklahoma City University's Theater and Drama Department.

In other news, standardized testing is now completed for the academic year 2012-13. Personally, I'm pleased with how my ACT and SAT scores turned out, although the writing portion on the SAT was less than I hoped for. Computer glitches and bugs were mostly avoided, although some other grades weren't as lucky.

Soon, school will be over (8 more school days) and we'll be off to Hawaii in 17 days. Funny how time can pass quickly, but the "now" seems to be interminable? I've got some new pictures of neat places in Metro OKC, so hopefully I can piece together a new look for this blog soon.