Swimming with Dolphins in Hawaii

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Hawaii is a special place to swim with dolphins in the wild. The most common dolphins to swim with are the Hawaiian Spinner Dolphin or Spotted Dolphins. Hawaii is home to about 700–1000 Spinner Dolphins.

The Kona Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii is a favorite destination of people who want to swim with dolphins in the wild.

Although many species of Dolphins live here year round, the Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins are the most playful and curious. They feed offshore during the night and return close to shore each morning to rest and nurture their young. The pods number from a dozen or so up to 200.

One can find the dolphins traveling to one of their many resting areas, playing, leaping and spinning as they go. Once the dolphins reach these rest sites they begin to settle down and spend their day in a sleep state.

The Spotted Dolphins, the Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins and the rough toothed dolphins are usually found along the coast, sometimes intermingling with the Spinners.

You can have some of the best snorkeling on Maui, where, if your are lucky, you can have a good chance to meet up with the magnificent Spinner Dolphins and Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins.

Maui is called the fun capital of the Hawaiian Islands, with more than 100 kinds of activities to be enjoyed by land, sea or air. The Island of Maui begins atop Mauna Haleakala, a dormant volcano whose crater is big enough to hold Manhattan. Mauna Haleakala's slopes descend to 33 miles of pristine beaches, and then plunge into the waters off Maui's shores.

Hilton Waikoloa on the Big Island is the only legally registered operator with the United States government that is allowed to organize swim with the dolphin activity in the wild.

Thomas Morva
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Life Through Rose-er-Daffodil-Colored Lenses

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I was working diligently one day in our family room while my then 3-year-old twins were building towers with their Duplos blocks. I had promised to take them into the back yard as soon as I finished a particular section in a lengthy article I was working on.

Then I began hearing the ripping sound of Venetian blinds opening and closing, like a zipper, up and down. I told the boys to be patient, that we would be going outside soon.

After about the third time of telling the twins to please leave the blinds alone, my child’s comment stopped me in my track.

“Mommy!” Mickael-Josef exclaimed in his sweet little 3-year-old, high-pitched voice, “Look, look, the ‘schoene Blumen’. Look, they’re blooming. Look!” (which is kid German mixed with English, for “Look, Look, the pretty flowers are blooming!”)

Forgetting that I was getting irritated about the Venetian blinds, I stopped my writing to turn around to look outside.

Golden, bright yellow daffodils shone like brilliant crowns outside my window on our hill near the creek. Right next to my desk and I had missed them.

Now, I knew that the daffodils were up and budding and all that. But I had been very busy the past few days with work, and, even though the weather had been so spring like, my mind was focused not on flowers but on deadlines.

I had always wanted my own Daffodil Hill. When I was growing up in Corvallis, my friend’s mom used to take us in early spring to the outskirts of town to this hill covered with a blanket of golden King Alfred’s. We called it Daffodil Hill. I have pictures of Jeanie, Julie, Jennifer and me holding bouquets of daffodils and wearing big smiles, while a sea of the bright yellows graced the background.

And here a few decades later, it struck me that I was missing my very own daffodil hill in my very own yard.

I stopped my work, got my twins’ shoes on and told the boys that we are going outside to see the Schone Blumen, the daffodils. And those King Alfreds are stunning. My child had not only noticed that the daffodils are blooming, but that they are pretty. Life through the eyes of a child is sweetness.

We looked around the yard for signs of other flowers coming up, and then picked a bouquet of bright yellow daffodils to light up our dining room.

A few days after the daffodil episode, my 3-year-olds again raised their usual excited voices to tell me of something else I had missed this spring.

“Mommy, it’s a nest, way up high, in the tree,” they managed. Then Wesley dashed over to the refrigerator, explaining as he opened it his intention: “I need to get eggs to put into the nest.”

I smiled and explained to him that the birds would be laying their own eggs, then asked the twins to show me the nest in the tree. And sure enough, nestled up high in our tree by our deck, was a bird’s nest.

I don’t know how long that nest had been there or for how long the daffodils had been in their full glory, but these spring symbols that my little ones pointed out to me sure made me ask myself which lenses I was looking at life through. I had to ask myself which prescription my glasses were in.

Was I seeing life only through the tyranny of the urgent lenses? The lenses that make me rush through life, seeing only the work that needs to be done, and missing the beauty around me? Was I not seeing the little things in life because I was so lost in my busy schedule? Was I not taking the time to smell the proverbial roses?

I thought about children. When they want you to read them a book at a certain moment. Or when they sit down and begin telling you about happenings at school. Or when they want to shoot hoops with you on a sunny afternoon. Or when the littlest ones want to wrestle and be silly with you. Or when they want to sit on your lap and be held. It’s a moment. Just like the daffodils in full bloom. Blink and they’re drooping their heads.

It is sometimes only a moment. And I’m realizing that the moment is short and fleeting. The moment passes. Their sweet little voices and half sentences turn into adult-like conversations. They get busy with their friends. They change their interests.

And scenery changes as well. Daffodil Hill in Corvallis is now a concreted subdivision with large clone houses and narrow yards.

Children are like the daffodils. They won’t wait till you are ready to make time for them. They arrive in their own time. Children and daffodils and nests do not follow anyone’s schedule or timeline or deadline – they beat to their own drummer.

We just have to make sure we don’t miss them, before they fade away and are changed -- or gone.

Cornelia Seigneur
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Tips To Write Your Own Wedding Vow

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Amy JarmanIn your wedding ceremony, there are two things that make your marriage official. The first one is the exchange of wedding band. The second one, without any surprise, is the wedding vow. Your wedding vow reflects the love to your spouse. Some couple may choose to use the standard vows provided by church or other officials. Some other couples, on the contrary, may decide to write their own vows. This article will give you some tips when you are writing your own vow.

Confirm that you can use your own vows before your write it

You have to firstly confirm that you can use your own vows in your wedding ceremony. You need to consult the minister or registrar before you make the decision to write. It is certain that you have to use the standard vows if it is not allowed to use your own vows. It will be unwise to spend so much time on writing it and eventually you are not allowed to use or read it.

Write it from your heart

The best vow is a vow which tells your true feeling and story. When you are reading the vow, you are telling all the guests, and most importantly your spouse, about your true feeling. You have to bear in mind that you are not an actor in a movie and you do not need to make it like a touching story. The most touching story is a true story that expresses your feeling and love to your spouse.

Recalling the good old memories

You can recall some memorable stories. For example, if one of your friends helped you in your love affair, you may try to mention it in your vow. The advantage of doing this is that your vow can help to make a connection between your guests and your marriage. And at the same time it is also a way to say thank you to your guests.

Try to be humorous

When you decide to write your own wedding vow, it is assumed that the vow will not be an extremely formal one. You can be humorous when you are writing vow. You should bear in mind that reading a wedding vow can be quite boring to the guests. As a result a sense of humor may continuously draw the attention of them. Of course you will also need to read it with that sense of humor.

Practice reading the vow

It is always true that practice makes perfect. You will need to practice reading the wedding vow before your big day. It will be a pity if you have written a beautiful vow but you cannot read it smoothly.

Start writing the vow as early as possible

Concerning the time to write the vow, there is no doubt that it will be prefect if you can start to write once you confirm that you can use your own vows. You will certainly need some time to research and revise the vow. It will not be a good idea to write it in a rush. You should at least leave two to three months for yourself to write and revise the vow.

TM Lung
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SAHM Amnesia

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Stay-at-home moms often complain that since having children, their minds have turned to mush and they often forget things. One of our moms, Krissy, told us, "I was appointed PTA vice president once. I set up an orientation meeting for the previous year's board and the incoming board. Everybody showed up for it -- except me!"

Yes, moms do forget things. We'll admit, there is truth to this, but it doesn't have to stay that way. Your mind is agile and efficient, and if you want to be more alert and have more intellectual stimulation, the only thing standing in your way is your own perceived limitations. Last year, Heather and her husband actually forgot their anniversary! It shocked both of them. Between work, the kids' school commitments, friends, and family, it was lost in the shuffle. Often forgetting a big event like that is a wake-up call that you need to give your schedule and organizational methods (and possibly your relationship with your husband) more attention. It is also important not to be too hard on yourself when you inevitably forget.

One MomsTown member, Fran, said, "I forget things all of the time. Now I finally understand why I sometimes thought my own mother was a complete flake when I was little. With the kids and all of our schedules, there just isn't enough room in my brain for everything anymore. Part of it is the fact that there is suddenly so much to do just to get through the day. So even when I remember what I am supposed to do at that moment, on the way to do that, I run into three or four things that demand equal attention, and before I know it, I've forgotten what my original task was."

Forgetting is just part of being a mom. That's a fact, but it can be curtailed by strong organizational methods. When you do forget, you can't beat yourself up for it. It's hard to remember every engagement your kids have, your obligations, your husband's obligations, your friends' birthdays, and even your kids' friends' birthdays. Frankly, it is impossible. But there are things you can do to avoid frequent forgetfulness. Organization is a key element of conquering forgetfulness. You can figure out a system for remembering your daughter's ballet recital, the school bake sale, your appointment with a new client, and everyone's birthday.

Some moms just have difficulty getting out of the door with everything they need. Said one mom, Lorie, "Once I'm out of the house, it's remembering everything that poses the problem. I can usually get all of my daughter's stuff together, but I sometimes find I am out and about and my list of stops is still sitting on the entrance-hall table."

Earlier in the book, we discussed getting an organizer as being crucial to your success and your commitments. Our program encourages and reminds you to be aware of treating your commitments and your life with professional respect in the most basic, simple ways. Grab your organizer and do the following:

Write reminders of all of your family's and friends' birthdays on your calendar. Note the actual day, but also write a reminder in two weeks ahead of time.

When you receive invitations to weddings, write the date on your calendar, but also write a reminder as to how early you need to book and schedule travel plans, accommodations, etc. If possible, this should be up to three months ahead of time.

As soon as you make doctor appointments for your kids or you, write them down.

Use brightly colored stickers to denote regular events, including:

Newborns' shots
Little League games
Ballet lessons
Dentist appointments

When you know you're going out, begin getting everything ready early. Put things by the door as you think of them. You can even begin doing this the night before if you have to leave early in the morning and know you need quite a few things for your errands.

As you work toward cutting down on the forgetfulness and having a more organized schedule you honor and respect, try to remember that mistakes happen and everyone forgets; even though you're a goddess, remember, you're also human!

Excerpted from MOMSTOWN GUIDE TO GETTING IT ALL by Mary Goulet and Heather Reider. (August 2005; $15.00US/$20.00CAN; 1-4013-0787-6) Published by Hyperion. Copyright (c) 2005 Mary Goulet-Rendler, Heather Reider. All rights reserved. Available wherever books are sold.

Mary Goulet and Heather Reider
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The Green-Eyed Monster: Are You Friends Really Happy For Your Success?

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Ideally, it should always be the way you’ve imagined it in your daydreams. You get the phone call you’ve been waiting for: the big live review, the hot music management company wants you to sign with them, the A&R rep from that major label is coming to your next showcase, or you were picked as one of the best unsigned musicians in the area. Your first thought is to share your good news with your best friends, your comrades, your fellow struggling musicians.

After all, your group of great friends has been chasing the musical brass ring together since high school: the ups and downs, the successes and failures, the hits and flops. Certainly, when you tell them of your latest big break, they’ll stand up and cheer, slap you on the back, raise their glasses in toast, buy you drinks until closing time. You are happier than you’ve ever been. You are going to be a rockstar with your awesome group of best friends by your side.

But what if your band of brothers or sisters, isn’t quite as happy for you as you’d expected when your share your big news with them? What if there’s more silence than cheering, more pouting than back slapping…what if you have to buy all of your own drinks at your celebratory event?

The following are a few tips that may help you to determine if your friends are more like the green-eyed monster than they are monstrously elated over your newest career success:

1. The Closet Seethe --- Nothing is more disappointing than sharing exciting news with friends only to have them stare blankly at you, wounded, as if the tidbit you just shared had been not of your good fortune but of their impending deaths. Silence such as this is almost always indicative of creative jealousy. Your friends are exhibiting the classic, “If you don’t have anything nice to say…” adage by simply saying nothing. The big fake smile and croaking of, “Great. I’m really happy for you” through clenched teeth only serves to make your friends seem more seething than when they were mute.

2. The Third Degree --- It’s your big day, supposedly, but some people always need to make it about them and nothing takes the excitement out of your big announcement like getting the third degree from your friends. When, “Wow! That’s terrific news!” gets replaced by, “Oh yeah? How’d you get that?” it may be time to start asking, “With friends like these, who needs jealous enemies?” Honestly, there are only two reasons that your friends are giving you the Third Degree: one, they want to know how you got what you got so they can follow the same course to get it for themselves or two, they want to find some special reason why the good fortune is happening to you and not them…like you slept with the magazine editor, the label guy is your cousin, or your blackmailed the management company into signing you on.

3. The Alpha Dog --- Clearly, there is an aspect of the artistic personality that craves being the center of attention. It is often that drive for fame and adoration that’s shaped some of history’s hugest popstars. So, don’t be surprised if your jealous friend squashes your elation with the announcement of his or her bigger news. If you win Best Songwriter in the city, then he/she’s won Best Songwriter in the country, in the world, in the galaxy, or in the universe. This is the kind of musician that constantly needs affirmation (from him/herself and others) that he/she is the hottest, coolest and most talented artist around. No matter how famous you get, you’ll always play second fiddle to the Alpha Dog…even if it’s just in his or her mind.

4. The Red Baron --- Don’t get used to the high of your good fortune just yet, because the Red Baron will shoot it down faster than you can say, “jealous loser.” No matter what your exciting news, the Red Baron will find a way to discredit it and reduce it to frivolity within minutes. Sadly, he or she will also do their best to convince everyone in your company that your great excitement is seriously lame by citing examples of his/her own experience in the same case (and how stupid it was) or that “friends” of his/hers have been where you are now and nothing much really came of it. Expect to be constantly disappointed with the Red Baron as a friend.

5. The Saboteur --- This is the jealous friend you need to watch out for. He or she may be all big smiles, back slaps, and free beer at the time of the announcement but secretly there’s a hidden plan hatching quietly under his/her luminous jack-o-lantern grin. Days after your spill your great luck, you may find that it is no longer happening. Either the source of your good fortune is now simply not interested or has found a better candidate on which to bestow the greatness of your former musical riches: your jealous friend, The Saboteur! Mum’s the word around this one.

6. The Beggar --- Probably, the most insidious of all of the jealous friends, the Beggar will fall apart seconds after the exciting revelation has left your lips. “Why, oh why”, he or she will exclaim, “Is this happening for you and not me? What have I done wrong? I’ve put years and years into this business and nothing ever happens for me!” There will be whining, cajoling and, of course, lots of crying. Crocodile tears will spill down the face of your jealous friend as he or she begs you to get him/her the same opportunities you have. There will be threats of “getting out of the business,” threats of never talking to you again because “I’m too much of a loser to be friends with a successful person like you,” threats of disappearing forever, running away, holding his or her breath until death ensues. By the time The Beggar is done with you, you’ll gladly hand over your new musical prize, just to get the begging to stop.

Unfortunately, we’ve all had friends in the music business just like this and although you may think it will pass, that they will grow out of it at some point, usually these personality types are here to stay. Any of these sorts of pals will drain you emotionally and creatively, backstab you at every turn, and definitely not look out for your best interests. In short these so-called “friends” are not your friends at all. Real friends support you through good and bad, and are genuinely happy for your good fortune even if the same level of success never comes to them. So, if any of your buddies fit one or more of the criteria above: get away from them, change your phone number, don’t answer your door, wear a hat, cross to the other side of the street when you see them…and then please, make some real friends.

heena Metal
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Using Sexual Energy in Our Daily Lives

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We generally understand sexual energy as an emotional tension, usually followed by a pleasant euphoric sensation when released. But instead, imagine allowing this energy to spread throughout your entire body and absorbing it energetically through all your cells.

When you are having sex, do you analyze what you are doing while in the middle of making love? I’m sure you have answered no! When children run around madly full of this vibrant pulsating energy (that we experience as sex) it spreads through their entire body and they express it as joy instead. Hence they have not begun to interpret and analyze it with their mind. The child doesn’t sit back and say, ‘I’m tired now, I want to have a rest’ during their play, as we do when sexual tension is released.

What we really have here is simply energy with only our own labels added on. As soon as a person comes into maturity this energy is polarized and sexual activity commences. It marks the beginning of the aging process simply because we separate ourselves from this wonderful joy - energy. When sexual energy spreads throughout your body, it gives you that orgasmic feeling. It energizes your body and prolongs enjoyment between yourself and your partner.

Sexual energy is an emotion that you can activate to get the full effect of energy. So are gratitude, love, appreciation, and acknowledgement emotions. If having sex can be compared to the lower notes upon the musical scale, then these other emotions like gratitude, love, appreciation, acknowledgement etc., would be the higher notes or chakras upon the scale. We all know how important these emotions are and how we crave to feel them. Imagine for a moment that if you cannot get these higher tender emotions communicated, it’s natural to go for the most commonly obtainable ones, the emotions you get from sex. (not sure what you’re trying to say here)

Recent research has shown that when the coccyx is stimulated in women who have never been able to orgasm, they easily begin to do so and enjoy a wonderful sexual sensation. We can now reclaim this energy by simply connecting to it using a simple exercise. But how do you maintain this sort of connection on a conscious level without actually having sex?

Exercise is one of the ways to energize your body using emotions. But what if you could have all these other sensations at any time instead of waiting for the only one you know you can get from sex?

To hook up to your joy at will using emotions as a way to open yourself to have more pleasurable all over sensations is like playing more than one note upon the scale which enhances your sexual experience as well.

One of these higher notes upon the emotional scale is gratitude. We forget to be grateful for many things in our life and instead focus on negative images. Another higher note is appreciation such as having an engaging hobby or enjoying the company of a special friend. Expressing to your partner what you value or treasure about them and sincerely communicating through your eyes along with taking the time to express your feelings will increase the whole sexual level between both of you because of how the other will receive your genuine expressions. This is what stimulates all the notes upon the scale and the whole sexual dynamic as you felt it long ago and is the key to this exercise.

This is the whole reason sex was so much more exciting at the beginning of our lives. We have just forgotten this priceless gift because we took it for granted way back then. The appreciation level is what ignites the body centers and is a feeling experienced at the heart centre (chakra), the main activator of energy. We are not consciously aware of this, therefore we lose it later on and the whole partner search has to happen all over again until we can learn how to do this on a conscious level.

Sharing feelings openly enables us to feel more deeply and experience a heart connection and loving relationship with others. Love is a cohesive force that acts as a rejuvenator for our whole system. It helps us maintain stronger health, gives longevity and greater joy, as well as makes relaxation, a sense of adventure and spontaneity more available in our daily lives. Connecting to your love energy consciously gives the body a re-charge, promotes deep inner healing and revives sexual pleasure warmth and connection with your partner.

It also enhances your creativity, enthusiasm and drive and has a positive effect on your self-esteem and confidence. It energizes your organs and gives you a greater sense of vitality all over

Hence when we act whole heartedly, it brings our whole life energy into greater focus enabling us to be more present to everything that happens in our life making the sexual experience better than ever before. It becomes a beginning to a whole new way of experiencing lovemaking and takes your energy to a whole new level as your personal wow factor!

THE ENERGY CONTROL TECHNIQUE acts like a switch that stimulates your enthusiasm by boosting your own sexual energy. It can be used in any area of your life. Health, career, relationships or even improve your golf.

It’s all about focus – whatever you focus your mind upon; you will draw that into your life…...

HERE ARE - SOME EXAMPLES OF ENERGY CONTROL

An insurance guy will get you to focus upon your worst fear, you buy into the fear game and he has sold you the insurance.

If you fear spiders let’s say, you will inadvertently focus on them.

By focusing on what you want or don’t want you draw that very thing to you in some ‘magical’ way, whether it’s positive or negative.

When ordering from the menu in a restaurant, you tell the waiter what you want and you expect to get what you have ordered. You don’t sit there wondering if he will bring you what you don’t want, do you?

I usually demonstrate in a seminar how to use our internal switch that stimulates our erroneous zones – similar to foreplay. It involves 4 simple steps. This is one of the steps you could try for yourself:

For ladies try massaging your nipples try not to go into the whole sexual fantasy, remember you are doing this for a different reason here. The reason is to feel how your body is going to feel with this nice feeling that you are causing to cascade throughout you own body. You can do this under a shower for a bit or upon waking in the morning.

For guys start the self pleasuring process, and allow yourself to feel how nice it feels, but with the object here to keep the energy flowing, not to ejaculate. Remember you are not masturbating.

When you succeed in recognizing that you are indeed feeling very different from when you first started, try holding onto this energy and taking this into your day. To learn how to do this successfully, come to the seminar where you will learn how to perfect this technique so it becomes a mood enhancer.

By acknowledging the divinity in one another we evoke that presence in ourselves and the other. This is the heart of all relationships - at a deeper level where lovers are equal opposites of each another.

Tatiana
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