On New Year's Eve

What a busy year it's been! So busy, I haven't had much time to keep this site updated. Here are a few photos with explanations of the highlights:

• Having dinner with the talented science writer Sam Kean and the Hawaii Science Writers Association
• Watching the sun set on the North Shore of Oahu
• Reading Gavin Pretor-Pinney's book, The Wave Watcher's Companion, an getting a bunch of ideas for local stories I'd like to write
• Visiting ByteMarks Cafe, a local Hawaii Public Radio show, to talk about science writing
• Exploring Tamashiro's Fish Market to see what locals like to eat 
• Visiting Loko Ea native Hawaiian fishpond on the North Shore of Oahu to learn about efforts to bring back traditional, sustainable fishing practices
• Having the idea for a children's fiction story about wild roosters...which, at this point, is still just an idea
• Testing patterns for my friend Anne Weil's book, Knitting without Needles, and then teaching the patterns to students at our local elementary school
• Getting my hands on The Writer's Portable Mentor, the best book about craft I've found so far
• Visiting the Bishop Museum for a behind-the-exhibits tour with the Hawaii Science Writers Association
• Testing local ingredients, like chicken feet, in my home cooking
• Writing a profile of a woman who repairs shoes in Kaneohe, my first assignment for Hana Hou! magazine
• Hiking the Koko Head Stairs, which made my legs feel very wobbly by the time I made it back down to the bottom
• Surfing for the first time, along with my husband, our gift to ourselves for our September birthdays
• Getting a second assignment with Hana Hou!, flying to the Big Island, and discovering an awesome origami pattern book, which led me to a fun new hobby
• Escaping to Kauai with my husband for our 15-year anniversary and hiking the Waimea Canyon Falls trail
• Spotting an enormous Oleander Hawk Moth (the size of my outstretched hand) on the wall at my children's school
• Starting an after-school science club at our elementary school, where we let them do fun things like dissect toy cars to learn more about simple machines and engineering
• Making my Princess Unikitty Halloween costume this year, which I think I pretty much nailed
• Riding an outboard motor boat across Kaneohe Bay to visit the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (aka Coconut Island) with the Hawaii Science Writers Association

Cheers to a beautiful, interesting, challenging 2015. I'm looking forward to what's ahead in the coming year!