Hawaii Part 3

How was the food?

The picture above is the answer. Pizza was one of our meals, so I was completely satisfied. There was a Round Table Pizza about a mile away from where we stayed. They don't have these in UT, so we took full advantage. 

For another meal, we had some delicious, authentic ramen. We went to a huge mall in Honolulu called the Ala Moana Center. There is a little village food court called the Japanese walk which is where we had this tasty meal. Andrew and I ate every bite. (My brother in law served his mission in Japan and knows where to find the good stuff.)

My dad's colleague invited us to a fancy dinner. It was requested that we wear aloha attire. Who knew that was a thing? We had unlimited prime rib, although for most of us that just meant 1 helping. Thanks Rob, for taking one for the team and getting the meat sweats.

We had a scrumptious cherry dessert to top off our prime rib and Simon was in heaven because he got to help make the fire. It was like magic.

I can't gloss over these quotes my mom made at Mahaloha Burger. "I would come back to Hawaii just for these! These fries are the best I've ever had." My mom ordered the Parmaroni fries and clearly had no regrets. The burgers were juicy too.

Popsicle's were a staple in our freezer for the duration of the trip. I've learned that they sell these popsicles at Costco. They're called melona bars and I'm in trouble having them so close to me. There are a variety of flavors: mango, strawberry, banana, melon, coconut. I think my favorite was the banana with melon coming in a close second.

Esther had her fair share of these popsicles and the back porch was quite sticky by the time we left.

We didn't take pictures at every meal, but clearly we were starving the whole trip. Andrew got to have some seafood (and I happily declined the invitation), so I think we were all content.  

What are some things you want to remember?

Andrew is a huge Jack in the Box fan and made going there a priority. After snorkeling, we had a second breakfast at Jack in the Box. We realized that all of our fries were forgotten and had to turn around. This took quite sometime. Andrew told everyone in the car that he was going to ask the employees to make him a shake for the inconvenience. Sure enough, Andrew walked out giddy with an extra order of fries (on-top of our 3) and a large shake. I didn't realize that I had been craving a shake, but it was oh so good and I was no longer upset about the long detour the turnaround caused.

We got leis at the Polynesian Cultural Center and James heard the word, "Aloha." He says "Hello Ha" and its adorable. We brought some leis home as souvenirs and he often puts one around my head while saying, "Hello Ha." One of his new favorite things to pretend to do is fly on an airplane to Hawaii. 

At the PCC, we were taught the traditional New Zealand nose greeting and told to try it out with our neighbor. My dad loudly told the woman sitting next to him, "my wife is over there" and refused to do it. I can't stop laughing about this.

In the car, we had a conversation about DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) and my dad made some pretty drastic statements. Basically, I think we all know what he wants if he's ever put in that situation.

A few days after returning from Hawaii, my brother sent us a link to this article: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/Dr-Beach-2019-List-Names-Hawaii-Oahu-Kailua-Best-Beach-in-US-510319541.html

See, we aren't making it up. The beach was heavenly.

Can I see some more pictures?

I didn't think you'd ask.

The timing of this trip wasn't ideal for us financially. We're trying to save up for baby girl and weren't planning on doing much (if any traveling) this year. My parents were generous and helped cover a lot of the trip. (James' airfare--he is no longer free, housing, and some meals.) We really appreciate them for making this trip possible!

Here is a short video of our experience (thanks mom!): https://drive.google.com/file/d/15kYEey34DbQYwKTZIbS1bUfB_mggqzqDqQ/view?ts=5d114375

In the words of my mom, "I could go on and on..." But really, what a wonderful experience we had in Hawaii. (I'll spare you from more Hawaii posts, but know that I have enough material to write a book about it.) There is talk of going to Maui next and I fully support that idea!

Hawaii Part 2

Did you go to the Polynesian Cultural Center?
We did! My dad's colleague has some connections and got us in for free which was amazing. They sure do charge an arm and a leg there. (I'm pretty sure our tickets cost more than tickets to Disneyland.) 

On our way to the PCC, we walked around the beautiful temple grounds. 

Andrew tasting coconut

Learning to Hula

Fortunately, there were strollers available to rent at the PCC. We made the mistake of not bringing one for James this trip. Had I known what our airport experience would be like, I would have packed a stroller in a heartbeat.

Sadly, James had a fever the last couple days of the trip. I shouldn't admit this, but it actually ended up working out in our favor. We were at the Polynesian Cultural Center for nearly 10 hours. (James left after dinner) He likes to wiggle and move around a ton, but in his feverish state, he remained in the stroller laying down/sleeping nearly all day. Poor guy.

Sick baby

By the time the night show began, there were only four of us remaining. We sure did sleep well that night. After experiencing the PCC once, I think I've had my fix. If there were to be a next time, I think I would only stay for a few hours. There were definitely some interesting things to see and do, but it was exhausting and by the end of the day, I needed a long shower. 

Did you do any hiking while in Hawaii?
Yes, we went on 2 hikes--1) Diamond Head 2) Maunawili Falls Trail. Some of my favorite moments happened while exploring. First, we walked "Diamond Head" which was full of tourists. (I guess we're included in that term.) It was blazing, but the view at the top was gorgeous.

My favorite part of the hike may have been the pineapple smoothie at the end. It really hit the spot. 

Missing Lindsey

Secondly, we trekked Maunawili Falls. This hike wasn't what I expected. In some of the reviews online mud was mentioned. I don't think we quite understood to what extent. Basically, we had mud baths. The fact that it rained on our way to the trail-head probably didn't help. Jill nicknamed the hike "The Mud Slip-n-Slide" and I think that's much more fitting and catchy than "Main Falls Trail."

I've honestly never seen so much mud. It was hard to stay on my feet. We thought about turning around. We asked lots of people who were headed down how much longer we had. Each time, we would get extremely differing answers making our decision even harder. I'm glad we decided to stick with it. The waterfall at the end was breathtaking and wading through the river felt nice, especially since it helped clean off some of the mud.

I will admit that I slipped and fell 3 times. Luckily my falls weren't anything major, but it was extra scary because I'm pregnant. Don't worry, I didn't end up having my baby in Hawaii. (That would have made for a cool story though.)

We pulled into the airbnb several hours later. I don't know that the shoes I wore will ever be the same again and I think I'm still finding mud stuck between my toes. What an adventure! 

Hawaii Part 1

We recently returned from Hawaii. I've been waiting to say that for who knows how long. Andrew and I considered a Hawaiian cruise for our honeymoon over 6 years ago and obviously that didn't happen. Clearly, we've been wanting to go for quite sometime.

This post is overwhelming to me and has taken several days to compile. We had a blast on our trip and packed in so much. How do I do Hawaii justice? I don't want to forget anything or ramble on. That being said, I'm going to break my post down into several separate entries.

Let me start from the beginning. We've been watching flight deals to Hawaii for several months and have attempted to buy tickets on a couple of occasions only to be disappointed and learn the deals sell out fast. I didn't think we were actually going to go to Hawaii because it felt like we were going to give up after so many failures. By the way, "we" refers to my family. Everyone was able to come except for my brother, Joel. 

We jumped on buying some flights to Oahu and I'm so glad we did. We ended up flying to Long Beach and staying overnight there on Monday, May 13 at my parent's condo. James enjoyed seeing the condo because he often hears that Papa is in California. We had pizza and went swimming. At first, James was NOT a fan of the pool (which is typical as of late), but he warmed up to it with his adventurous daddy and splashed around.

We flew early Tuesday morning from Long Beach, CA to Oahu, HA. What a long flight. I was most nervous about the flight more than anything this trip. Entertaining James for 5 and 1/2 hours sounded daunting. We didn't realize how good it would be that James didn't sleep well the night before in CA. He ended up sleeping for almost 4 hours on the plane! I was a happy camper and got to leisurely read my book. (I finished 2 books on the trip-- a sign of a successful vacation!) 

Also noteworthy... James got pretty scared on the plane and tucked his eyes into Andrew's elbow-crack (is that even a thing?) which helped him fall asleep.

How do I best summarize our trip? I've decided to break the trip down into commonly asked questions.

Where did you stay?

In a vacation rental home a rock throw away from the beach. We were on the island, Oahu and stayed in Kailua. My mom and Jeff nailed the place. It was like we were on a private beach. The views were breathtaking, the sand was white and the water was pleasantly warm. It was convenient to be able to decide on-the-spot to take a walk on the beach, or head over for the sunrise/sunset because we were so close.

Pathway to the beach

The house had a huge gathering area which could accommodate our large group. There were 10 adults and 3 kids.  

One of James' favorite features about the house was the backyard. It made me want a yard even more than I did before. (Don't talk to me about moving right now.) James was entertained for hours playing outside in the ocean breeze with his cousins.

The house decided to give us a warm-welcome our first morning. We awoke abruptly to several fire alarms going off at 4:40am. They were extremely loud and went off a few times. The best explanation... It was so humid that night that the smoke detectors were set off. (All of the batteries were replaced that day in the fire alarms and we didn't have a problem the rest of our time there.)

Did you go snorkeling?

Yes and we weren't too far from a famous snorkeling place-- Hanama Bay. We had heard that snorkeling in Hanama Bay gets extremely crowded and you can't find parking as the day goes on, so we headed there bright and early. It was extremely nice of my parents to babysit the grand-kids while everyone else went. 

The scenery surrounding Hanama Bay was beautiful! 

There were definitely some pretty things to see in the water! We were there during low tide, so it was a bit shallow and at times I felt like I was encroaching on the fish. It was weird because seeing fish underwater kind of went in spurts. Sometimes we would see lots of colorful fish swimming around, but other times we didn't see many.

The middle picture shows that it was cloudy and dark when we first arrived. In fact, it was actually raining the majority of the time we were there which wasn't really noticeable when you were under the water. By the end, I started to get cold though. The sun came out right when we were getting out around 9am. 

According to Andrew, "He had one of his best snorkeling experiences ever." 

Did you get snowcones while you were there?

Most definitely and thanks to my brother (who served a mission in Hawaii), we knew of a well-known place to try called called Matsumoto Shave Ice. After tasting it, I can see why it's so popular. There is no going back after having ice cream at the bottom of your snow cone.

Side note... We ate these at about 9:30am. There is always room for dessert, right? I ate every last drop.

You've been warned.... There is still lots of the trip to cover, so my blog may be taken over by Hawaii for a bit.

Annual Piano Recital

My annual piano recital took place today! I'm relieved it's over and may have justified Cafe Rio for dinner and a new dress purchase. I have been working with students in preparation for this recital since January.

This year I used a different location... The Lehi Arts Center. I was hoping to use the same venue as last year, but they no longer rent it out. It actually ended up being a positive thing because the new location was better. The piano was excellent, there was plenty of seating, and a plethora of natural light.

I was so proud of my students! I was a little worried and maybe even skeptical about how it would turn out. Consistent practice is always a struggle. My students blew me away! 

Max, Drake, Adam, Willem

Miles, Rachel, William

I played my fair share of duets

Unfortunately Connor and Graham weren't able to make it to the recital. They were definitely missed! 

Piano has been on my mind a lot lately since I'll have lots of changes coming this summer with a new baby. I will likely be cutting back the number of students I teach which I'm bummed about. I itch to teach and I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to do something I love on a regular basis. 

I have so much support which doesn't go unnoticed. My parents, grandma, and Andrew + James all came to watch. My dad chased James around outdoors during the whole thing which was a relief. My mom took the group picture. Andrew and James weren't sick this year, so I was excited for Andrew to see my students perform. (Now some of our conversations make more sense to him ;) My sister who is traveling abroad right now even texted me to check in and see how it went. 

Sending people home with cookies is never a bad idea. (Luckily there were some left for the actual recital. I think I had 4 this morning.) This year I took the cheap route and made homemade chocolate chip cookies instead of relying on Costco.Thanks, Joanna Gaines, for a superb recipe. 

I try hard to make recitals low-key for my students. A recital that only lasts about 20 minutes isn't too shabby and hardly gives the students a chance to panic. I still remember being nervous and having shaky hands while I performed growing up. Sugar is always a good way to entice students to want to come and not dread the experience too much.

On our way out of the Lehi Arts Center, my dad said, "There were no tears, so I'd say it was a success!" Amen to that.

In the flyer I spread around town to advertise my studio, I listed "annual piano recital." I've held myself accountable each year. I'm thrilled that I didn't commit to more than that. Until next year...

Frequent Location

Does your phone ever pop up with frequent locations and tell you how many minutes it takes to get there? When I was working, my phone would tell me how many minutes it took to get to Cascade Elementary each morning and to get home in the afternoons. 

Lately, my "frequent location" is near Main Street in Pleasant Grove. It's the library! According to my phone, it's about a 5 minute drive. I look forward to walking there when spring decides to come and stay. 

I went to the library 3 times THIS WEEK. On Monday, I took James to the rhythm and song music class. On Thursday, wee-read (story time), and on Friday, I returned my book-club kit. Whew! Bringing James to the library is quite an adventure and usually involves me losing him at least twice and him escaping to the elevator. This week was no different.  

The Pleasant Grove library is quaint which I have mixed feelings about. I like that I recognize or know many of the librarians, but sometimes they lack the books I'm seeking.

Anyway, the library has become a big part of my life since having James. I love to have something to think about other than motherhood or bills and reading is that outlet for me.

My goal is to read 55 books this year and I'm 3 books ahead of schedule! Wohooo!

I recently did 2 things that were out of the ordinary for me.

THING #1: I re-read a book. This is something that I rarely do. You know it must be a book I cherish and it was, "Educated." 

THING #2: I forced myself to read a parenting book. With all the reading I do, I should be bettering myself, but let's be honest... Most of the books I read are strictly for fun and pleasure. We're deep into the terrible twos in our household, so I decided it was time to buckle down.

Of course, the day after I started my parenting book, a book I've been on hold for at the library for OVER 6 MONTHS became available on my kindle. That same day, the library emailed saying another book I've been eagerly waiting to read was available for me to pick-up.

I made the hard choice and forced myself to finish the parenting book before reading either of the other two books. Let me just say, it wasn't necessarily a page-turner and it took me 5 days to finish. I'm happy to report that I'm done! Phew! I rewarded myself by reading the first chapter of one of my long-anticipated books.

The parenting book is called, "Peaceful Parents, Happy Kids" By: Laura Markham and overall, it had good things in it. I've already implemented some of the strategies mentioned and seen success. That being said, I don't agree with everything that was stated and did find the book to be quite repetitive at times. I'm proud of myself!

Who knows what I'll be onto next? I did promise Andrew and set a goal to read a Fantasy book this year. This will be EXTREMELY challenging for me and I've already tried and failed to do it once this year. Maybe next time will be different?

What's your "frequent location?"