Chris and Rachael's Island Adventure: Part the First

Every other year, Chris and I take a vacation together. I think it could possibly be the best thing a couple can do for their marriage. It's important to us to get away together and we would have a great time even if we went to Wamsutter. But we didn't go to Wamsutter. We went somewhere slightly more awesome.

I want to thank my parents from the bottom of my heart for watching the girls while we go on our biennial vacations as well as the occasional overnight getaway. It means the world to us.

Back when Chris and I first got married, we wanted to go to Hawaii on our honeymoon, but our college student incomes wouldn't support that kind of awesome. So we put it off a few years. Like twelve. It was worth the wait.

So... where to start?

Hawaii - It's a Reeeeeaaaly Long Way Away

Google maps tells me Hawaii is about 3000 miles away. That means that you have to be on an airplane a really long time to get there. Now, I am really scared of flying. Like embarrassing scared. Always have been, but I try not to let my fears stand in the way of things I really want to do. So, we set out on the 2.5 hour flight to Seattle, ate at a joint in the airport that claimed to be inhabited by Bigfoot and hopped a 5.5 hour flight to Honolulu.

Now, let me say that I believe that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and I do not judge based on appearance. But appearance is one thing and sitting next to someone (not Chris) on a super long flight who doesn't fit between the armrests is another thing. By the time we got to Honolulu, I was exhausted and my back and legs were screaming out in pain. On the bright side, my discomfort distracted me from my fear of flying.

Water - Don't Look Now, But I Think We're Surrounded

I am sure we looked like stupid tourists the first time we saw the ocean. We just had to get in - despite the fact we didn't have our swimsuits with us.

This is not a good idea when you haven't put on sunscreen. Or so I learned that night.

We had two attempts at snorkeling. The first, the waves were crazy and scary, thanks to circumstances beyond our control (more on that later). I walked away with the impression that snorkeling had bested me and I couldn't leave it at that. 

                                    

So on the second attempt, we successfully snorkeled in this beautiful, crystal clear water (heavy sarcasm intended). Let's just say the days during and following a tropical storm were not the best to introduce ourselves to the waters of the pacific. We did our best, but in the end, this wasn't a great vacation for water activities. However, we did see the same six fish several times. The water was so murky, they could have been trigger fish or trout for all we knew, but they were definitely fish. 

However, the weather conditions didn't stop us from swimming in an aquarium that was home to sharks. The following is the after photo because we weren't able to take a "during" shot. It was pretty cool, but Chris was mad when he found out he wasn't allowed to punch the sharks.

I think my favorite water moment was walking barefoot on Waikiki beach at night. Chris bought me a lei. It was pretty spectacular.

Just today I realized we didn't spend any time sitting on the beach. I'm not sure I care. I've never been much of a sit-around-er.

However, all this water fun led to some stark realizations about skin that is completely lacking any natural sun protection (a.k.a. pigmentation) and the sad limitations of waterproof sunscreen.

Flossie is a Stupid Name

Tropical storm "Flossie" hit our second day in Hawaii. The only thing more disappointing than having a tropical storm put a crimp in your plans is having a tropical storm with an idiotic name put a crimp in your plans. Thank goodness it wasn't severe. Can you imagine having to tell everyone a relative had been killed by something named Flossie?

The entire state freaked out pretty bad over this storm, but when it hit we were on Oahu and were more annoyed than scared. Honestly, it wasn't even as bad as a good old fashioned midwest thunderstorm on any given summer afternoon. Still, it made the sea rough, the waters murky and it cancelled our plans at the Polynesian cultural center that night. I was seriously heartbroken about this because getting to eat a pig that had been cooked in the ground was on my list of va-cay must haves. 

Before Chris and I leave on vacation, we always make an agreement to see everything as an adventure. Good, bad, disastrous, it's all an adventure we'll talk about for the rest of our lives. Flossie was just another adventure.

So we made the best of things and made a reservation at a luau on Kauai. Then we got out and hiked Diamondhead, which gave us some breathtaking views of the island - followed by some truly memorable cheeseburgers on Waikiki. Which brings me to my next point:

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Chris and I are both big fans of eating, so we had scoped out several eating establishments in advance. Some of our meals were planned weeks in advance and others were just happy accidents, yet others unhappy accidents. They were all adventures in eating.

I'll share a few of those meals, while trying not to become one of those people that instagrams every bite.

The meal we had planned the longest was Duke's. I wanted the tourist experience. Tiki torches, ukulele players, and waves crashing on the beach while we ate local seafood. Duke's had it all. It was transcendent. So, transcendent as a matter of fact that we ate there on Waikiki

                                      

 and again when we got to Kauai.

We enjoyed fine dining on both islands, but some of our favorite fare was more.... um... casual. Food trucks are big on the islands and one of our first meals came out of a food truck called "Mike's Huli Huli Chicken". It was everything one would wish it to be. 

Behold the wonder of the "plate lunch". It typically contains two scoops of rice, some sort of meat and (oddly enough) macaroni salad. Because nothing says "island living" like elbow mac. 

My least favorite meal on the island occurred after we went to the temple (which, p.s. was incredible but happened in a downpour and we didn't get any good pictures). Anyway, the Hukilau Cafe (not related to the one from 50 First Dates) was one of those greasy spoons that sometimes have awesome food and sometimes make you nauseated all day. For me, this one was the nauseated variety. 

Chris didn't mind as much and he indulged in an island specialty called the "loco moco". Personally, I think he was loco for eating it. Allow me to take you on a tour. A hamburger patty rests on a bed of rice. It is topped by an egg with a runny yolk and brown gravy is poured over the entire thing. I believe "loco" in Hawaiian means "indigestion" and "moco" means "constipation".

One greasy spoon that fell into the awesome category was Teddy's Bigger Burgers on Waikiki. Who wouldn't love a burger topped with fresh locally grown pineapple?

Speaking of pineapple, the drive to the Dole plantation (which was lame) was worth it for the Dole Whips. Yes, the very same ones served outside the Tiki Room. Perfection.    

                                         

Another frigid treat that helped us cool down in the tropics was shave ice. Now, lest you should be confused, this ain't no mainland sno cone. The Hawaiians do this one up right. They start with ice cream, top it with ice, flavored syrup and then a "snow cap", which is evaporated milk. Delightful. Seriously delightful. 

A Room With a View

I am quickly realizing that this trip, as narrated by me, cannot possibly be crammed into one blog, so I will leave you with a view from our room on Oahu

And one from our room on Kauai. 

                                       

Paradise.

To be continued....

Thursday... In the Park. I Think it was the Fourth of July.

This past week, we celebrated our Nation's birthday. The fourth of July is always a good time and this year was no exception. We started out by enjoying a lovely pancake breakfast with our fellow churchgoers. Unfortunately we forgot the camera for this part of the celebration, so you'll have to take my word for it that pancakes always taste better when eaten outdoors. 

Then I got some crazy idea to make a patriotic dessert. Chris and I have a date with the beach here shortly, so our dreams of cherry pie turned into a Rice Krispies treat flag in the interest of limiting calorie consumption.

Then Jane and I procured some M&M's with that in mind. 

I employed my resident child labor in the color sorting process.

Which led to the discovery that the M&M's folks either don't care for red or that red dye is expensive. Either way, there are shamefully few red M&M's in that giant bag. Not nearly enough to make the requisite 7 red stripes. 

So our flag turned into a few pathetic fireworks, which looked kind of like patriotic spiders. I would put this on Pinterest, but it would probably go viral like that picture of the ugly dog. 

The kids didn't care. They enjoyed it. Along with unlimited watermelon. Which explains the pink spotted shirts at the end of the day. Lots and lots of watermelon.

The kids really enjoyed those popper things. 

And watching those black pellets labeled "snakes" that are really just flaming turds. 

As it is every Independence Day, the joy of sparklers was rediscovered.

And then quickly forgotten. 

And then re-rediscovered.

Until we ran out of sparklers and had to hit up the city for a bit more entertainment. 

It was a good show, making the late night almost worth it and the early morning on the 5th of July almost bearable. Almost.

It's the End of the World as We Know It (or at Least First Grade)

Yesterday was the last day of first grade for Emily. It's a pretty big day for a little person.

Last week, Emily's class put on their end of school plays. Chris and Jane and Grandma and Grandpa crammed themselves into a tiny room with dozens of other parents and families and were rewarded with plenty of entertainment.

This is Emily: Fresh out of first grade. (For some reason backpacks were strictly prohibited on the last day. Maybe to prevent the kids from smuggling in weapons.)

She has been working hard this year and so one of her many treasures to come home in the final days of school was a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, which was rewarded to the two kids in each class to read the most words. She's very anxious to use it and asks at every break in conversation when we are going to Barnes and Noble. Soon, Emily, soon.

Finishing the first grade warrants a treat in the form of chocolate and dairy substance from everyone's favorite McRestaurant. 

And as an added bonus, yesterday was the first day of swimming lessons. Now I love going to swim lessons just about as much as I love going to the dentist. Maybe less. And it seems to be rubbing off on the kids.    

                         

Maybe it's the 85 degree heat and the 85% humidity in the swim area. Maybe it's the questionable pool deck that should have been replaced 20 years ago and cleaned regularly since. Maybe it's the urine smell. Maybe it's all those babies in the background excreting actual urine into the pool. I'm just not a fan. But the kids gotta learn to swim. 

Today was the first day of summer vacation. It's times like this when it's especially hard to be back at work. I remember all the park days and the running through the sprinkler and going to the spray park. It makes me sad. But I am happy that my kids are active and happy and outdoors all summer long. I was reminded of that today when I picked them up and they smelled like sunscreen and sweat and outside. A big part of me just wants to call off work for the summer so I can come home every day all sunscreeny and sweaty. But I know that's not a possibility, so I'm doing the best I can with what I've got and trying to enjoy summer evenings filled with chlorine, a preschooler who is suddenly petrified of the water, and a front seat view of the senior citizen's water exercise class. Because, believe it or not, someday these will be the good old days. 

Bubba's Boise Baptism

Sorry, Donovan, I know you've grown out of the nickname "Bubba", but who can resist such a lovely alliteration? Someone with more willpower than I have. That's who.

Last week we traveled to Boise for cousin Donovan's baptism. Since I have neither an endless supply of vacation leave nor an endless supply of sanity, we flew, rather than drove. It turns out that a preschooler with a prosthesis is a big risk when it comes to flying. They frequently carry bombs. Or so the security agents thought. Maybe next time we'll take it off before we get to the airport.

But we eventually arrived in one piece.

Ryan and Amity's ward just so happened to be putting on a 5k fun run that weekend, so we participated.

Emily ran in the 1 mile kids' race.

Chris won the 5k. I did not win. Not even close. But I will always be content to be an "also ran".

My kids spent the weekend tormenting this poor creature, which led to some pretty intense allergic reactions for Emily, which I was happy to treat with Benadryl at bedtime. 

We spent lots of fun time with cousins. 

It was a good experience overall.

Unfortunately, the camera seemed to get misplaced a lot, so this is about it for our trip. 

Next up... end of the school year which has unbelievably not happened yet thanks to 5 full or partial snow days in the last 6 weeks of school. 

A Springy Performance

This past weekend was one of the high points of the year. The annual spring dance recital captivated parents for three and a half hours on Friday.

Emily was a "goddess". This was much more exciting to her than last year, when she was "Pocahontas" and her outfit was brown. Everyone knows that the outfit is the most exciting part of the performance.

Emily had the opportunity to be in ballet with lots of great friends this year. Here she is with just a couple of them in the green room before the show. On a side note, Kaylee, (on the left) will be leaving our town soon and so this is their last recital together. Emily and Kaylee have been friends since birth and we are so sad to see her go.

I signed up to be "class Mom" (I thought it was "classy mom" and was really roped into it through false advertising) and sit in the balcony with the class while they were not performing. When you get together a baker's dozen kids with stage fright, it adds up to a lot of nervous bladders. I spent most of the first couple hours of the performance in the bathroom.

Chris and Jane joined us at intermission (or half-time as Chris calls it). Part of the miracle of cell phones is that very small children don't have to sit through an entire dance recital because mom can text before intermission.

Emily really enjoyed dancing (as you can see in this picture of the curtain call - she is the far right "goddess"). The joy on her face is all the thanks we need for a years' worth of funding and transportation to dance class.

What makes it all worth it to Emily? The flowers. She would walk through fire for a bouquet of roses from daddy. Luckily, she won't have to.

The recital signaled the end of our craziest May days and I was finally able to get my garden done. Now I am hoping for a bit of a break before our next craziness starts because I am legitimately exhausted. Sometimes I wonder how soccer moms do it. I don't ever want to find out firsthand.

007

It's been almost a week since Emily turned 7 and I haven't blogged about it. That's because May in our house is sort of like finals week, but all month. More on that later. Anyway, if I can get my mind to remember the events of the last week, I'll release them to the blogosphere where they will be recorded for all time.

Emily's birthday extravaganza started last Friday with a bowling party. 

                                     

                                              

Followed by pizza. My folks made it to town for the last bit of the party. We are grateful for their help in serving all those hungry kiddos.

                                   

Followed by cupcakes which constituted Birthday Cake #1. (Keep track. There will be a quiz at the end.)

The bowling party was a blast and I'm happy we did it because Emily had fun and I didn't have to keep 15 kids busy for two hours with only my own meager mental resources. 

The next day was party #2 at my parents house with Birthday Cake #2.

The following week was the Real Birthday. More presents.

A brand new bike that matches her size.

It took a bit of getting used to, ending in a few crashes and an altercation at the park with a lippy teenager.

Super fancy dinner at Panda Express.

                                             

And Birthday Cake #3. 

Sometime during Emily's week of celebration came Mother's day. Poor Chris. He tries so hard to try and give me a break every year, but it never seems to work out. Part of me is looking forward to the days when Emily is embarrassed by parties and she just wants money for her birthday. A big part. But not as big as the part that is happy that Emily is part of our family. We love her and we think she gets better every year.

Happy Birthday Emily!