Cramping my style.

Wow. I hadn't blogged for over a week and already blogger has added new features. Don't you just love it?
 
I know there is plenty to update in between then and now, especially since I have had so much fun lately with my friends in the past few days off.  However, today has been a journal entry day where no pictures are involved (therefore alot easier to post) so I really need to do this.
 
I started my day in a rather sad mood. Mark and I said goodnight before getting our alone time together last night (we had just played 'scum' and did a 1am Chevron run) so that I could call home with my sister. I've never been enthusiastic about calling home, not because I want to avoid them, but simply because it is such a strenous activity. It takes well over an hour and is often stressful because of the long distance and lousy hands-free phones, when you have to repeat yourself over and over and still can't be heard it gets frustrating. 
 
By the way, I hadn't written about this here before. Mom and Dad will be stopping over here in Hawaii next week (26-28 Jul) on the way to the mainland. The stopover here is free so they thought they'd come visit us, of course. We're running into some trouble though, since our family friends leave on vacation a couple of days from now, my parents won't be able to stay with them as planned. I'm not worried though. I have enough friends who live here to ask favors from. We'll work something out.
 
Anyway, not enjoying calling home is bad enough as it is. Imagine having to break tradition and not get to say goodnight to Mark properly before going to bed on top of that. I went to bed missing him and woke up likewise. I call Mark every morning as I'm getting ready for work (since I only get up just before work starts at 11am) to say good morning, and to let him know what time I get off work (he likes to meet me at my work when I'm done) and also always in hope that he'd be already awake or awake enough to come meet me on my way to work.
 
Well, this morning, he was sleepier than ever (or so it seemed) and while I did get to say good morning to him like I wanted, he was so tired few things registered. I was trying to hint to being disappointed not getting to see him before work but all he could think of was going back to sleep that he missed it completely and ended up saying goodbye to me on the phone.
 
Needless to say, I went to work rather glum. Not angry of frustrated or upset, simply lovesick. How pathetic.
 
Anxious to not let it ruin my day at work, I forced a smile and braved my tour. I happened to have one of the best groups ever today. A family of 5 from CA (probably Philipino) with 2 parents and 3 grown up kids (families are always fun), a mother-daughter party from Iowa, a family of 3 with a 11year old son from Pensylvennia, but the best of all was the Grandmother with her 7 year old granddaughter from Virginia.
 
It was the perfect combination of people. They were fun and excited and easy to please. It put me in a great mood and I left my lovesickness behind. Well, an hour into work, I started getting stomach cramps and a quesy feeling. Since it was about the right time of the month, I didn't doubt that it was my period. Well, it's kind of hard to start having your period in the middle of the tour.  After dropping my family (that's what I call my tour group) off to the Fiji Island show, I asked around my female colleagues if they knew a place where I could get sanitary pads.  No luck. I got a temporary fix in the restroom (you don't wanna know) but couldn't do much about it until an hour later when I went up to the customer service desk and got myself one for free.  What a wonderful society.
 
By then however, my cramps had gotten really bad it made it so hard to smile. I was also beginning to feel slightly weakened and faint which surprised me. I hadn't had such severe pain from menstruating before. I don't know what got into me or what gave me the idea, but the next thing I did was head straight to the canoe landing.
 
We give canoe tours at the center and they are pushed by these big polynesian boys. I like to sit there after my tours are done and sit with the workers there: the "Canoe Boys" therefore am very familiar with them. They were on a break as well, and I asked them to give me a blessing.
 
There was a slight delay because we had to look for oil but as soon as we got some, two of them (curse me for not knowing their names!) took me over to the janitor shed and blessed me that I would feel better and be able to continue in my duties that day. That was what I needed. The pain wasn't what bothered me so much. It was that I wanted my group to get me at my best. This group especially.
 
I wish I could say that the pain immediately went away. It didn't. An hour later, I was struggling more than ever to keep smiling and to be my usual excited self. I finally caved in and had someone radio first-aid and they came over to give me some pain-killers.
 
Not long after that, I was my usual self again. My tour ended GREAT. I got offered tips as usual, and had to turn them down. It's always an ego boost though. I never got offered tips that often before. I must be doing something different. I'm not sure if it's right, though. The little 7 year old girl, Sarah, gave me her number so I could call her. She was such a darling, but she did kick my trash at Hawaiian checkers. It was really embarassing.
 
After my tour, I went back to the canoe landing like I do everyday. To return the favor, I offered to give the tour so that the boys didn't have to push and talk at the same time. They gladly accepted. It was one their first round-trip tour that day and I think it went really well. We had some fun guests on that canoe. I wouldn't say that I was the best canoe tour guide, not being very funny nor very good at delivery even though them corny jokes are memorized. I did tell them to laugh at a joke that went bad though - that worked. How sad. All in all though, it was fun, they laughed alot, thanked me after and I felt good.
 
The blessing that I received today didn't have an immediate effect. I know you can say that it was the pills that helped me. You can see it whatever way you want. Either way, I'm glad I got the chance to be blessed at my work by those I worked with. It reminded me of what a special place I worked at, and was a reassurance from my Heavenly Father that I'd always be watched over. The blessing got me through my tour and I didn't have to quit my tour like I thought I had to. It turned out to be one of the best ones I'd ever taken. That was all I needed and that was what I got - and that's all that matters.