Hawaii 2014 day one and two

Getting to Hawaii seemed to get more and more complicated even though our reservations had been made months ago.  Several times I told the DR that we were either really supposed to go - or really not supposed to go.   It seemed as if every little gremlin got loose to mess with out world. But we finally made it out the door with the worst packing job of supplies this head nurse has every personally done.  The DR had one thing after another at his day job and I had more than a few problems crop up including my Sophie acting very ill that morning and trying to figure out what to do for her when we were already supposed to be gone. So leaving Oldest with the task of getting her into the vet, we headed out to take care of both Oldest and Middle's broken cell phones.  Yes- two broken cell phones at the same time right before we were taking off for two whole weeks.  After a lengthly  stop at the phone store, we left phones there to be finished up and headed a tiny bit late to watch Middle play soccer in a major downpour. Not victorious but we saw lots of improvement. And we actually won the 2nd half and didn't let them score.  Next we had to go back and get the phones, get them to Middle and send her home with them while we headed to take care of a few more errands and realizing  that somewhere we had dropped and lost an item that the DR's brother needed.  Nothing we could do about it at that point. We took Grandpup Scout back to her patients and picked up Outpatient and we went to Braza grill for a quick and late dinner.  So good to spend one on one time with him. He then took us to the hotel we were staying in for the night and headed off in my Acadia.  The hotel room was very nice and we were bummed we hadn't got there much earlier.  Huge jetted tub with a giant tv and other amenities..  Too bad the alarm was set for 3:30 am to get the shuttle to the airport.  I had pulled the all-night shift to prep for the trip so by the time the alarm sounded, I had slept for three hours in two whole days. Brain was a bit fuzzy..  Got to the airport and boarded a plane to LAX.  Rather obnoxious passenger in front of us and telling enough stories that one couldn't be sure what was truth and what was truth in his mind only.  Two hour layover then boarded a flight to Lihui.  We have come about 5 weeks earlier the we have come before and were unprepared for how very warm and humid it is right now.  Locals tell us that the trade winds have quit blowing which has set up the current temp situation. Hope they come back soon.
M&P arrived about 6 hours later and finally after our longest drought without them we have been reunited in paradise. Taking them to see our view and unloading their luggage was high on the priority list followed quickly by getting some dinner.. Bubba's Burgers on the menu tonight.  Some shopping for a few basics, some visiting and some sleep.

Hawaii 2010- part 4

Friday began with an early morning on the beach for me- just so I could watch this.  The beauty of creation is so powerful as the sun rises.

The day involved a little more relaxation poolside.........

Oceanside

roadside ( new twist- this year it was the Janes and not so much the Tarzans)

deck side.....

And a final, breathtaking sunset....

It was amazing.  Thank you, so very much, M & P, for letting us tag along.

Hawaii 2010 - Part 3

 Wednesday we had a relaxing day- mostly spent at the hotel.  The DR had a lot of work to deal with, everyone slept in, and that night, we bbq'd and tried breadfruit (everyone we talked to had different opinions on how to make it- we went with a brown sugar glaze-which was fine- but I needed it to have a lot more :)-  no one was really a fan of it)

We also tried "soursap"(I can't remember the real name)- which was not sour- but was rather different

 M pretending to go after the papayas in the trees by the parking lot.  It is funny to see stuff like that growing wild, knowing how much money it costs to buy at home

 Thursday was a big day :)  We went to a local waterfall/jumping spot-  Ki'po Falls.  There were lots of warnings about leaving anything in the cars and in the paper that very day a man was sentenced for theft from tourists' vehicles there.  So- we left nothing in the car-  note to self: next time leave way more at the hotel.
We headed down the trail, which was a whole lot of creepy feeling-  the further we got away from the cars, the thicker the bushes-  felt like something could jump out of the brush to get us.

 It was a gorgeous!  And I can personally say- the water was super warm.  I fell in the brook above.

 M and the DR jumping off-  it was about 20-25 feet high, but I couldn't get over to get a good pic- there were lots of locals up there, as well as several tourists. 

That night, we had a celebratory dinner at Ray's to celebrate M & P's 30th and our 24th Anniversaries.  They had a personalized message in the front of our menus!  We had great food, service, ambiance, and company :)

My shrimp dish- can't remember it's fancy name- but it had pesto, veggies including hawaiian eggplant, and rice.

My dessert-  Maccadamia Nut Tart with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (oh man!  sooooo good!)

The DR's dessert- Apple Volcano with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream-

Hawaii 2010 - Part Two

Tuesday was a new adventure day. We met Lonnie from the dive shop at the dock a little before 8 AM. I did not dive. Somehow, paying that much money and risking a panic attack just did not appeal to me and although I could have medicated myself, I felt that DIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE was as bad as DRIVING.

Lonnie was hilarious and got right into the DR's humor and they had a great mutual "I think I am funny" bond going.  (sorry P- but I love this pic :) - )

Both M and P are certified divers, and although they could have taken off by themselves they were kind enough to sit with the DR during his instruction. The DR basically had a private lesson- so that was a nice benefit.

The DR was a tad surprised at how heavy the gear really was- and it was funny to me watching him try to put his fins on with Lonnie holding him up :)

M did the honors of the camera, since Lonnie felt that the DR had enough to think about, learning to breathe and stuff like that -

My view above the water

  Good Morning Mr(s) Sea Turtle

Their view, below the water

I sat clear out  around the curve on the shore ( volcanic rock-  not sand) and took pictures, read a book, and was a tad bored until some creepy looking guys appeared on the shore by me and I realized that I was pretty much out of sight and that no one knew where I was except for the four people currently under the ocean about 40 feet.  I very covertly took pictures of said creepy guys (just in case), tried to figure out how I might get out of this situation, and then (lol) I had set my alarm to remind me to get out of the sun because it was cooler and a little overcast and I didn't want to get fried.  When my alarm went off- I pretended to be having a conversation.  Eventually creepy guys went away, I headed back to the part of shore visible to the other divers, and had M and P take me back to the hotel in between dives.

At one point, Lonnie put his head down on some rocks and let cleaner shrimp go into his mouth and clean his teeth.  yuck on a few levels.

They had a great experience and Lonnie told M that the DR is a natural.  Now you know where my fish kids get it-  it certainly isn't from me.  I am a certified sinker.

Hawaii 2010- Part One

We arrived in Honolulu, Oahu on Friday night (Nov 5) and stayed with friends for the night.  The next morning, we flew over to Kauai, where we were greeted with leis and hugs from M & P.  We then made a stop at a Farmers Market and loaded up on fresh and unusual (to us) fruit. 

We proceeded to get checked in and spent our time waiting for our rooms to be ready like this....

We tried out some of the fruit we had bought.  Some was good- others, well, we can say we have had them before.

We renewed our acquaintance with the Swan- although this time, he wasn't out our back door because we were up on the third floor.

 Had to get our feet in the ocean ASAP- especially the boys! We had dinner at our favorite place from last time- and called it a day.

Sunday, we attended church and met some people from my sister's town, and area, and he was my nephew's seminary teacher and she had gone through the same treatment as my sister who had come to visit her (small world).

Afterwards, we enjoyed the grounds, each other's company, good food that we cooked ourselves,  and a beautiful sunset.

Monday, we shopped a little, the DR had a Puka Dog, we had gelatto, and made arrangements for scuba the next morning, then we went to the beach!  We ate dinner at a local hamburger place and window shopped.

Weekend Wrap-up- Contrasts (updated)

Hockey Away- and I do mean away-and Payroll Monday-- There is a not fun contrast for you :)

Sorry- I have a minute so I am back.

Here are a few of the contrasts that I experienced this weekend.

Listening to an "IZ" cd (hawaiian musician) while driving across the snowy, but otherwise barren wastelands of western Colorado. Hawaii and snow?

Middle Patient being very self-conscious about wearing a swim suit among her teammates, while the Youngest just happily went straight to the pool. ( I am still trying to decide if her teammates "know" she is a girl- they certainly made her the center of attention in the pool? Should I be worried that they surrounded her totally in the pool- not trying to dunk her or anything, just all trying to talk to her- at the same time)

Re- acquainting myself with the "joys" of an outdoor ice rink, after being spoiled by an indoor rink for the last several years.

First game- frozen toes and tears from some of the kids- Second game- armed or rather handed and footed with heat packs made for a better experience for the team.

Rabbit Ears Pass- deep snow tracks, black ice, and dark night with large, over sized equipment being moved, then bright sunlight, well graded road and slight dusting of snow- little traffic.

Oldest-played well- two wins but a broken stick blade

Middle- played well- but all losses, no broken stick (her line wasn't scored on at all in game one- but with a sub rookie goalie- there was quite the slaughter in the 2nd. But most was not against her-)

Packing with girls. Versus others with their boys. Five trips to the car. Enough said.

A few more:

Patient I worry the most about with school- came home with straight A's.

Girls watching movies on my lovely new laptop, while I work on the dinosaur (seriously- it was the DR's THREE laptops ago)

Go to games with two normal , healthy girls. Come home with two girls with strange skin rash, which is also shared by every one of her teammates, and- apparently- the other two teams who stayed at the same hotel. And swam in the same pool. Stay tuned for a future diagnosis as at least one went to the doctor for now.

Oh- and I now have a giant cold sore.

Good Food Friday- Back from Hawaii edition

Nearly 16 years ago, the DR and I were able to go to Hawaii for the first time with my Aunt and Uncle. It was an amazing experience. We did three different islands that time, and pretty much covered the biggest touristy things on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii. It accidentally included a very brief glimpse of a black sands beach where clothing was optional. We had wonderful food and great company and lots of great memories. Late night sand crab chasing, and Rainbow Falls during a drought- not to mention the Chief at the PCC made for a lot of laughs. My sister recently forwarded these recipes from my aunt- and if I am not mistaken, one of these was acquired on that trip. Hope she doesn't mind my sharing them here :)



Hawaiian Cole Slaw

2 C. head cabbage – shredded
½ C. celery – chopped
⅔ C. fresh pineapple – diced
2 TBS mayonnaise
⅛ tsp. salt
1 TBS fresh pineapple juice

Mix all ingredients together. Serve cold. This is a good dish to serve with barbecued fish.



Hawaiian Cole Slaw II

1 small head of cabbage (red or white)
3 or 4 TBL mayonnaise
1 (12-ounce) can crushed pineapple (can substitute pineapple tidbits)

Slice cabbage very thin and cut into ½ inch pieces. Place in bowl. Add pineapple and enough mayonnaise to moisten. Refrigerate and serve cold.

A Tale of Three Suitcases

We took two large bags to Hawaii. The DR took our biggest- BIG BERTHA bag because it has a place for hanging clothes. I took the slightly smaller, but with lots of extra pockets bag. I carried my all purpose bag which held my camera, purse, books, hat, small blanket, and ipod stuff, and the DR carried his computer and office bag. We had to buy a new carry-on sized bag to haul our loot home. Since I only had one carry on- no big deal. When we got back to Honolulu from Kauai, our biggest bag was missing. We looked everywhere. As the Airline was searching for it, the DR looked again at the abandoned luggage which we had looked at several times. There it was, looking a little odd because it had been hog-tied with multiple white straps. No wonder we missed it. The bag was opened and the zipper was destroyed. We had to have our friend take us to buy two new suitcases to replace the one that the TSA broke when they decided our luggage needed to be searched. Which meant that we had to pay the stupid extra bag charge, then they were going to charge us 90 more dollars because our one remaining big suitcase was a pound over. I repacked stuff on the spot. I was wearing my little purse over my body because I kept having to get into it, and the flight attendant was trying to tell me I had three carry-ons. I told her- probably not too nicely, that it went in my bag and was out so I could show them my ID 400 times. I had been up for 24 hours at that point, so I was a bit edgy, not to mention ticked about the suitcase fiasco.

So we came home with three brand new suitcases and minus Big Bertha. And somewhere in the middle of all that last day chaos, I lost my new pearl bracelet that the DR bought for me. I am super sad about that. So is he.

Tender Mercies Tuesday- on Wednesday

I am posting a little late, but yesterday, The DR and Friends went on the Zip Line and no one died :)

But, seriously, we stopped at the ABC store to pick up a few mementos, and the rental car was hit by someone who then left the scene. The tender mercy was that there was a guy who saw it, got a description and the license plate number.

The Middle patient asked me if I could come home tomorrow- I thought she would probably ask me if I could stay away forever.

The youngest patient told me she does so much better with her issues when I am there, and the oldest patient was late to hockey- never happens when I am home, so please get back soon.

I got up at 5:00 am to catch the email from the outpatient- nothing, 7:00- nothing- 7:30 nothing- so I took the chance and headed to the gym until 9:00- nothing- but within a few minutes- there it was!!!! I live to chat my boy! so I didn't miss his email! He is busy and happy-
YEAH!

Now- I am showered, fed, and off to the beach- ALOHA!!!!!

Sunrise on Kauai