October 2010 Archives

BELOW

Back to it! More Kauai!

I had to rest a lot the day after the stones passed.

2 days after the stone passed, on the way to Poipu

This beach was awesome. If you notice, it was 2 beaches, separated by a sandbar. So one side would splash up against the other, and the water would get ya!

Fuzzy!

At the end of the sandbar, there were these rocks that had TONS of little tiny fish swimming in them. It was so neat!

Scenic Point

Scenic Overlook

We decided to try snorkeling, so we went to the car. When we got back to the beach, there was a visitor!!

Sleepy Hawaiian Monk Seal!

Precious sleeper!

LOOK AT THAT FACE! I couldn't stop staring it at! It would roll over, scratch his/her belly and snooze away.

Fuzzy got to hold it! (Just kidding. That would be illegal.) Incidently, snorkeling was not successful for me that day. I did better the next day.

I'm telling you--the most gorgeous place I've ever been.

CHICKENS! Kauai is known for its red dirt. It is so intense that they use it to dye tshirts.

I saw this kitty just hanging out and I made Fuzzy stop the car so I could take a photo of him.

Waimea Canyon. Here is where my brain started not being able to process all the beauty. It couldn't comprehend it anymore.

Trying to take it all in.

We were at the canyon with only one other person. Guess where he was from--yep! Leave it to us to find the one other person from Mississippi on Kauai. He was nice, though, and took our photo!

I am feeling better today, mentally and emotionally. A lot better, actually. I am breathing easier.

I am also less sore. Neck is a little better; hip/butt pain is better; sharp kidney pain is better. None of them are gone, they are just less severe.

I am feeling better about my shoot tomorrow, too. I have 6 dancers and I think it is going to look great. It's pretty cool to me that I have no desire to be in front of the camera for this shoot--just behind it. I am happy with being the choreographer or producer. I don't need to be seen. As a performer for 25 years, I think that is a cool development.

Having been in denial until recently that we live in a cold climate most of the year, Fuzzy and I made some great recent purchases for the upcoming winter. We both bought new coats (mine a cozy soft, feminine grey peacoat that I adore), new warm hats and gloves, and shoes that aren't painful or ripped or falling apart. All good investments! Today, since it was in the 30s this morning, I put on my new coat, hat and hand warmers and not only was I toasty, I felt really pretty and confident. It was a great feeling.

I want to change my hair. Something edgy and sexy. I think I will start by coloring it, but my poor thin hair never loves taking color. The cut I have in mind right now, too, will require me to grow it out a bit and I am never a fan of that. But it might be worth it...

I haven't mentioned it here yet--I got a new tattoo. It is amazing. Very colorful, very large, very visable, on my left forearm. The amazing Esther of Butterfat Studios designed and did it, and I am just in love with it. It is a lovely companion to my shoulder birds, and it looks like it was just painted on with a brush. No pics to show yet, but soon. But if you see me out and about and think I have paint on my arm, it's a tattoo. But I didn't do it for you, I did it for me.

Pacing, balance, moderation, knowing my limits. Gotta remember these things. I'm doing just fine. :)

No blog posts in a while. I've been really stressed out and overwhelmed about a lot of things.

I'm choreographing a new burlesque show that opens in February.
I've creative directed/ choreographed a video shoot we are filming this Saturday.
A friend of mine passed away this week. Cancer.
Work has been busy.
I've had 2 cricks in my neck in a week and a half and a catch in my hip. It just hurts to move.
I can't seem to get on top of my to-do list.
All my computers are breaking at home and work.

Fall is always the busiest time, and I know that. I've also been really social, which is lovely and seen a lot of friends lately. Some happy things:

I did a Breast Cancer walk with Crescent and a lot of friends on Sunday.
I've made some good dinners.
Lots of friends have been visiting from out of town.
Some great friends of mine are planning their weddings.
Some great friends are expecting babies.

So you know. I just need to deal.

We still have a TON of Hawaii photos to put online, we've just been too busy to do it! Sorry to leave off on the sexy hospital photos...expect more gorgeous Kauai pics soon.

xo

Waioli Hui'ia Church, the most gorgeous church I've ever seen.

We went inside.

Ooh, la la!

Oh, hello. I'm just sitting here on this rock.

Lighthouse.

Rocks

Look at the sky! The trees!

Waterfall! We didn't go chasing them.

Swoon!

Colors found in nature.

So many fish in the koi pond!

See them all? They are like ninja fish. We were obsessed with feeding them.

Big guy.

Koi!

Hello up there! The loft at our Kauai condo.

Coconut Grove.

Ok, so here's where things got real crappy. The whole time we've been planning our vacation, I've been excited about getting a massage. "I'm going to get a massage in Hawaii!" The resort we stayed in had a nice package deal with a nearby spa, so I signed up for it--it included a scrub, a masque and a massage. We surfed that morning and went to the spa in the evening (this is Monday of our second week.) When I laid down on the table, my stomach started hurting. I wondered what was going on, but tried to power through it. But it got worse and worse. Finally, I had to stop my massage therapist so that I could go to the bathroom, but once I stood up, the pain hit my on the left side all at once, and I instantly knew what it was--the dreaded KIDNEY STONE! It's been about 5 years since I've had a super bad one that sent me to this hospital, and this one was wreaking havoc. Lucky for me, Fuzzy was also at the spa, so he was called to get me dressed and I asked him to take me to the hospital. I could barely move, I was doubled over in pain, and vomiting a lot.

When you have a kidney stone, no matter how many people are in the emergency room waiting room, they always put you in right away because the pain is so bad. I was given a room and they started me on heavy duty meds. It worked for a few minutes, but then the pain ramped back up to worse than before. It was the worst pain I've ever been in. I couldn't move my hands or feet. I couldn't stop throwing up. On my dream vacation. In Hawaii. That hit during my massage. Jeez louise. Hilarious right? It is now, thankfully--at the time I was really upset about it, obviously. I am happy to say, though, that the Lihue, Kauai ER is the friendliest emergency room I've ever been in (and I've seen my fair share). My nurse, Jae was so sweet--she took good care of me and talked about how much she loves Chicago (her brother lives here.) I joked about how the hospital gowns should be floral and they should sell postcards from the ER, as Fuzzy said, saying "Wish you were here...instead of me!"

ER in the ER

Wooweee!! Look who is enjoying her sexy vacation on a trooooopppicalllll iiiiisssslllllllaaaaand!

After a few hours, I was doped up on narcotics and was given a ton of percoset for the rest of the "ride." You just have to let those stones pass on their own. I was really grateful that our hotel had a bedroom on the ground level next to the bathroom, cause I was in for a rocky next couple of days. I passed the stone at 12:45 am (the paid hit me all at 6pm) and I was relieved for it all to be over. Only I wasn't better. The pain was still there and the vomiting didn't stop. I lost all track of the day--Fuzzy would say "I am going to go get some lunch" and then 5 minutes later practically "I am going to get some dinner." It was horrible. I couldn't eat, I was puking every 2 or so hours, and I was basically living on the bathroom floor. Then at 6pm Tuesday, 24 hours after the pain started, I passed a second stone. I knew it! The little bugger! TWO FREAKING KIDNEY STONES! I couldn't believe it. Then I started feeling better, the vomiting stopped, and I was able to eat a little rice and sleep for more than 2 hours at a time.

For anyone whose ever wondered what kidney stones look like, and for all of you who haven't, here they are:

The larger one was the second one. The bastard.

The rest of the week we had to take it really easy. I couldn't walk very far at a time, I was hardly able to eat, the pain was still bad, and I had to pee literally every 10 minutes. We cancelled our river kayak tour and our cruise of the Na Pali coastline. We just had to take it really easy, so we did some shopping, drove around and spent lots of time at the koi pond.

I have to say, my dear wonderful darling husband was really incredible. He's been through the kidney stone crisis with me before, so he knew what to expect and was so sweet the whole time. He took care of me in the hospital and rarely left my side when I was sick at the hotel. He fed me ice shavings when I was laying on the floor in the hallway. He cleaned me up after I threw up for the millionth time. Our vacation really brought us closer together than ever, just in the romantic getaway sense, but then also in the "better or worse, sickness and in health" aspect. I am so blessed to have such an amazing partner in my life--he really is perfect for me in every way and I love him more than ever. I am so grateful to have him.

A lot of people have said to me, "Well, i guess if you are going to get sick anywhere, Hawaii's not a bad place, huh?" Which is I guess true. I had the time to heal and rest. I just really can't believe it. Hilarious, huh? Aye, me.

KAUAI!

First beaching in Kauai.

So blue!

On the rocks near our hotel, there were a lot of small blue crabs. We loved them and therefore named it, "Crab Rock."

Buncha chickens.

A roosta? A roosta!

Hot night on the town!

Kauai is overwhelming! Here I am worn out from all the beauty.

Gorgeous! The scenery is nice, too.

Trees

Me lovin Hawaii.

"Island? Sandy Island?"

I LOST MY FEET!

Team Gerdes in the mouth of a cave.

An "ice cold" coconut. You just drank the milk with a straw! It was neat. The good thing about Hawaii is that you wear a swimsuit every day everywhere you go, so if, say, the waves crash and soak your shorts, it isn't weird to just take them off and walk around basically in your underwear. Thanks, Hawaii!

Cave and bog.

A river runs through it.

I took this photos out the window of our car. OUT THE WINDOW OF OUR CAR!

This one, too. Mountains!

You can see why my head was about to explode with all the beauty.

The first of many chickens.

Fuzzy should get a contract with a postcard company.

Our new ladyfriend.

On our way to Kauai!

I regret that Fuzzy and I didn't think of doing this.

Ala Wai Canal, very near our Waikiki hotel.

Colors found in nature!

This show was at the International Market, and it was mesmerizing. So masculine and powerful.

More colors found in nature.

"Oh, I didn't see you there. I was just relaxing up against this large rock."

Hanauma Bay--more snorkeling!

Fish Butt!

This pic is hilarious. Hawaii makes you act in ways you wouldn't normally.

Sunnin.

Ok, so I lied. We did see a shark in Hawaii.

So pretty.

The most gorgeous thing at the top of Hanauma Bay? Fuzzy.

Gone with the Wind!

Crashing Waves

A shrine by the side of the road.

"Scenic Point"

SNORKELING!

We named these guys Brian.

Sea Turtles!

On the Catamaran.

I became obsessed with hula, naturally, so I wanted to learn more about it. Lucky for me there was a free class on the strip!

We learned a couple of different routines. A short one and a long one. Your arms get tired after a while.

Near the end of the class, our instructor said, "Ok, now turn around." Which put me front and center. With about 30 or 40 lovely Japanese backup dancers. Hilarious. Luckily, Fuzzy was watching and as able to get a video! Enjoy!

Here is me and my beautiful instructor.

Whew! Busy week! Here are more photos!

Everything was gorgeous. Mokolii Island.

I wanted to get in as many beaches as I could.

We saw people trying to wear this as a hat in photos, so we did, too.

Gorgeous!

The first place we snorkeled, Shark's Cove (no, Christopher, there were no sharks.)

Then we saw some basking sea turtles at Turtle Beach!

One of the turtles was HiwaHiwa!

Then she decided to move on. We got a video!

Rooster at Matsumoto Shave Ice (another post about this place to come)

There were kitties there!

This beach was like a postcard.

Seriously.

Oh my God, Project Runway made me cry about 10 times last night! AH!
I am going to throw down some spoilers, so only read the rest of this if you've seen it.