I've been thinking a lot about customer service lately, mostly because I had some really bad examples last week in Kapolei.

But I hate to write about it because it ends up feeling too much like whining and complaining which I don't find to be a very attractive quality whatsoever, in any person, no matter how justified one may be.

As tempted as I am to write about the nail place that kept me waiting for half an hour after my appointment time (yes, I had an appointment) and the hair salon that made my daughter wait for 15 minutes longer than she should have and were downright rude when I asked how much longer it would be, I will not.

Instead, I will mention The Star of Honolulu company (even though they are not in Kapolei) who went above and beyond in the arena of service for my family last weekend.

In celebration of a major family event we planned a cruise on the Starlet last Sunday. The Starlet is one of their smaller vessels that goes out from Kewalo Basin each day on whale watching rides. They host adventure cruises on the Starlet, as well. At least that's what I thought last spring when I booked for that.

I still thought that when we showed up on Sunday for a three hour tour that took us to a reef outside of Waikiki beach.

We anchored and the fun began. They dropped a trampoline, kayaks and flotation devices in the water, opened up the slide and the kids jumped in and had a blast. They supervised the children, fed the rest of us a delicious lunch, provided fishing poles for the guys to cast and took a group on a snorkeling tour nearby. It was one of the funnest days we ever had. Thank you to my wonderful sister-law, Stephanie Weisberg for the fabulous photos.

About half way through the event I found out that they no longer run this cruise. It was canceled last October, but since I made these arrangements last spring, they honored them and took us on the ride of our lives. It was a blast.

Now that is what I call good customer service. If I had received a phone call in October to tell me that our plans would not come to fruition after planning so carefully ahead, I would have been livid at the thought of starting all over again.

But that was not the case. The crew of the Starlet and the staff of Star of Honolulu company gave us top notch customer service. Thank you VERY much.

Yesterday was my older daughter's 13th birthday. She was excited out of her mind. She is now a teenager. I cried.

This is it. The end of her childhood....so to speak. She can't wait.

All of the cliches are true and they came to haunt me yesterday:
Youth is wasted on the young.
Youth is fleeting.
You are only young once.

While she is not trying to grow up too fast, I still wish I could tell her to slow down. You really are only young once and it goes by so fast.

I enjoyed being a teenager and wished her the same when I kissed her yesterday and said happy birthday. May the angst be mild and the rebellion soft. May the strong will and enthusiasm of her childhood guide her journey as she blossoms into a hearty independence that will serve her well in adulthood.

Enough already.

There were only three of us home last night so I got one of those small ice cream cakes from Baskin-Robbins that is a little square that cuts into 4 large pieces. It was only $10 and delicious. Perfect.

Imagine my surprise when my middle schooler's science teacher contacted me with an invitation to be a judge at their annual science fair. I reminded her that I am an English teacher and that science is extremely remote from my area of expertise, suggesting that perhaps I would not be the best judge.

She assured me that I was sufficiently qualified and thus I became an Island Pacific Academy Middle School Science Fair Judge. I carried out my official duties today in their multi purpose room that was filled with young scientists and the projects on which they had been diligently working over the past few months, my daughter included.

I did not judge her project. Nor did I judge the projects of any of the kids with whom I am fairly familiar, leaving me a plethora of others from which to choose.

According to IPA Science Fair Coordinator Anne Staggemeier, Hawaii and Florida are the only states that still conduct middle school science fair competitions. I thank my lucky starts for that. I had a great experience today which leads me to the conclusion that the students' experiences must be even greater.

These 11-14 year-olds amazed me. They were self assured as they spoke of their projects and they understood the information that they shared. Their hard work was apparent in both the visual displays and oral presentations.

As I was moving about the room, interviewing sixth, seventh and eighth graders about their research and display boards, I learned about topics such as dehydration, sharks, staph infections, penicillin, and whether teens are more likely to become addicted to video games than adults.

One girl conducted research on who is smarter, boys? or girls? I did not have to interview her to know the results of that inquiry.

About a half hour into the three hour process I noticed a trend in the topics that many students chose. There were displays about landfills and pollution and global warming. Others explored litter, or recycling or the contamination of the ocean.

These kids are concerned about the earth and the atmosphere in a serious way. They are looking carefully at the causes and effects of global warming and desperately seeking solutions. They want to grow up to enjoy the natural environment and are willing to do what it takes to preserve its delicate balance.

I learned that if we use bar instead of liquid hand soap we will be eliminating tons of waste from the plastic containers in which the liquid soap is marketed. I also listened to a 12-year-old girl tell me in all seriousness about a toilet that can be flushed differently depending on if "You go Number 1 or Number 2." This was not silly, bathroom humor to her. It's a viable way to save water on a daily basis.

Several of these students will represent IPA at the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools Science Fair to be held February 8-9. Winners at this level will move on to the Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair April 5-7 with those winners to attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose May 9-14.

I was so proud of these students today (my daughter included.) They embraced their projects, the research, development and hard work each one entailed. They chose subjects about which they are passionate and value what they learned in the process. And they smiled in huge relief as the last judge finished their interview and dismissed them to go back to class.

Start the New Year off on a healthy foot by attending the Mālama Learning Center’s upcoming workshop on macrobiotic cooking with locally grown foods on Saturday, January 16, 2010
from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Kapolei High School.

Macrobiotic cooking involves eating a wide variety of foods grown locally, organically and in season, and utilizes a variety of simple cooking techniques. Attendees will learn how to cook tasty dishes using locally grown vegetables.

Macrobiotic Hawai‘i’s Leslie Ashburn will teach the cooking workshop. Ashburn will share tips on finding seasonal vegetables and how to cook them.

The workshop costs $7. Participants will also be provided with seeds from plants used in the demonstration to start their own vegetable garden. Registration is required; contact Janice Staab at janicestaab@gmail.com or 808-542-9107.

My friend Renee goes to a ranch every afternoon to take care of the animals. The sheep are her particular passion.

She invited me and my girls to join her and her woolly friends. The kids were in farm animal heaven and I relished the photo opportunity.

The greeting committee consists of a flock of roaming ducks and kennels filled with dogs. They quack and bark our way in as we drive slowly down the bumpy path to park near the stables and pens.

Renee's first order of business are the sheep and goats. They peacefully coexist in a huge pen right next to the horses. As soon as they see Renee, they greet us with deep throaty baaahs in excited anticipation of the treats and attention she brings.

She lets them out of the pen and they stampede past us to the grassy areas all around the ranch. They nibble shoots and leaves as they explore the nooks and crannies that this unique Ewa property offers.

Renee loves the sheep, taking special care and naming each one and the babies.

She gives the expectant and nursing mothers extra special attention and food. They all get a big dose of TLC as she rubs and pets them and cleans their pens. She does not name the goats because they get sold too fast and she does not want to get attached.

What my kids love most about coming to the ranch are the babies: kids, lambs and ducklings. They chase them down, catch and cuddle them to their hearts' content.

They also love the horses who come up to the edge of their stall ready for whatever treat we have. We offer carrots and hay on our outstretched palms and they nibble them up as we pet their manes.

There's even a miniature donkey named Flash.

I love taking my kids to the ranch. They come alive among the animals, embracing them and their smells and the dirt. The afternoon sails by as they follow Renee and the sheep and the goats and the ducks, immersing themselves in this lovely slice of nature.