Marathon Weekend.

This was a marathon weekend for several reasons: its longevity and actual events. It all began Friday night with SantaCon. I did not know much about this event but all I needed to know was that I got to dress up! I chose to go with the more ironic large elf versus the traditional santa. I met but with my LTs and a schmorgesborg  of friends in Waikiki.

As we walked down to meet with the other Santas we inherited another elf, he chose us over his friends he was suppose to meet up with. The sea of santa was the greatest sight of the holidays. 

After a night being Santa's little helper I joined everyone for a sleepover at the LTs. It was sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets wherever you could find space on the floor. We woke up bright and early to our theme song for the day: 

We splattered ourselves with Navy gear to prepare for the Army/Navy game. Go Navy...Beat Army. We hoped between beach bars for the remainder of the day celebrating the Navy win. The majority of us had to get up early the next day to either run the marathon or volunteer at it.

Ben and myself had to get up at 2:30 am so we can begin filling thousands of little cups with liquid for the runners. I am using this opportunity to increase my motivation to start training for my next race. The energy of the runners grabbing a hydrating cup from your hand can only push you toward your next training plan. It is amazing how thankful each runner is as they run by sweaty and exhausted but they still manage to squeeze out a "thank you" between breaths. One runner stands out in his more unique way of thanking me: an 'ata boy' slap on the butt as he ran by. Handing out water is also a great way for us to see our friends run by.

After everyone's post marathon naps we put on our beach gear and walked to Duke's on Sunday. I got to dance with a new friend that is one of the older regulars at Duke's. We congratulated our friends who accomplished completing the marathon with some drinks, laughs, and good music.

I finally made it back windward after over 72 hours away from my house and sleeping on a floor. It was a memorable weekend but nothing was better than crawling into my bed for a goodnight's sleep.

A sleepless weekend.

This weekend I hopped over to Kauai, another island of Hawaii, to visit the girl that helped me stay moderately sane during grad school. Jackie is also one of the reasons I have made the move to island life. I have always been drawn toward the water but did not consider moving to this island until i made yearly trips to go visit her on the Big Island. After my third trip out there this past Easter I decided it was my time to move out there instead spending money to visit every year. I have been planning to make the trip out to Kauai to visit her and her boyfriend since they moved out there shortly after I moved to Oahu. We finally got it together to have our second adventure weekend of 2012.

I flew out Friday night after work and was straight to the airport. On the short 30 minute flight I was given an adorable fruit cup style cup of water before we started our decent to Lihue.

 Jackie and Drew were waiting right outside the airport and we went straight to happy hour. We quickly caught up on life stories. Jackie and I typically only get to see each other once a year so this second visit in 2012.

We took a quick driving tour to the south side where they call home. We continued to catch up on stories until we all passed out in our respective beds. I slept on an air mattress in the living room that was near the lanai. If you are not familiar with island life then you may not know that most places do open air to keep cool instead of air conditioning. This means that any outsides noises become your sleep aid or anti-sleep aid. For me the proximity to the door meant listening to crazy chicken clucking it up for the night. If I lived there longer I could see how the chicken sounds can become part of your nightly ritual but for me it was an extreme disturbance.

Jackie and I were up before 7:00 am to go start our fitness filled Saturday. First up was a TRX bootcamp. I love a good work out but on my limited sleep this was an early morning butt kicking. After  sweating out last night's happy hour we rehydrated with fresh coconut water, it was like the nectar of the heaven. We rehydrated in the car on our way to our next adventure: coastline trail run. A trail run is not very interested to read about so I will share our trail in pictures.

On our way back to the car we stopped to look over a cliff to see a pod of 20-30 dolphins jumping around in the water having a happy Saturday play time. We could have watched this all day but after our second workout of the morning our stomachs lead us back to the car for breakfast. (This is all before noon)

After some power food and my first ever Beermosa we (Jackie, Drew, and myself) were off to buy supplies for our camping adventure. We packed up the Subaru and headed to Polihale State Park. The local weather man warned us that there would be rain that night. In preparation the rain Drew and I made a homeless tarp tent city.

We were able to get a campfire going to roast our weenies and cheers our beers around before the rains came. We were even able to lay down in our respective air mattresses before satins storm raged upon us.

I began my evening under the extension of our homeless tarp-city tent. The wind began to pick up and the rains started to pound down upon us. I tried to hunker down under the tarp but I quickly felt like I was going to be swept off to Oz during the next wind gust. Right as I was about to jump into the tent I heard Jackie yell at me to get in the tent. The three of us hunkered down in the tent trying to wait out the storm. Drew had to add extra rocks to our tarp to keep it from blowing away and chase down the air mattress as it flew toward the ocean about to become a raft. We survived the night with little sleep. On our drive out of the park we realized just how bad the storm had been as we drive past tree branches that have been ripped from their trees. 

We had original intentions to hike Sunday afternoon but instead we explored the north shore, Jackie surfed, and Drew and I took a nap on the beach. We finished the adventure weekend with a happy hour and pupus before I had to leave them for my own island. 

I hope to have more adventure times with my friends as we continue to be island neighbors. 

Turkey with the fishes.

I have not had a traditional thanksgiving in a few years so I decided to continue with the tradition this year. I had several lovely offers from people to join them for their thanksgiving day feast. As much as the offers were appreciated I had my own plans. I was put on a wait list to go diving with my local dive shop. It must have been a Thanksgiving day miracle because I was offered a slot on the boat that ended up only having three other divers on it including the divemaster. A small group is always preferred when diving. We saw some eels, cow fish, and I learned what a cone snail is. This is a snail you don't want to mess with, see what national geographic has to say about this beautiful killer: Cone Snail.

After a beautiful drive home along the west coast i took a nap on the couch before joining some friends for the tail end of their Thanksgiving feast. As I am not one to dig into the turkey I feasted on the sides that remained. 

A day underwater and with good friends, I think I have a new tradition.

Mokulua Islands.

I took my first trip to the "moks" via kayak. Moks I made the trip with a friend who shared the kayak with me and a roommate who powered himself over on a stand-up paddleboard. It was quite windy but we still managed to get to the island in record time.

Once on the island you can do some exploring on foot. On the backside of the island I lost a slipper to ocean. A wave crashed into the sharp lava rock we were walking on and stole my shoe from me. My roommate stepped up and gave me his slippers as he chose to "hawaiian up" and go barefoot on the sharp rocks. We spider monkeyed our way up some more rocks to find a good place to jump over another rock and into the surf. It took some coaxing and Johnny was in the waters below to assist me if necessary but I managed the leap and even did another one sans roommate in the water.

My friend and I had a beer on the beach before jumping back in our kayaks and making our way back to our other island. This time we were going with the wind and able to catch a few waves to make the journey even easier. We loaded up the water-crafts just as it started to rain. Our final views as we walked to the car was of a double rainbow framing the Moks.

Another successful weekend of island life. 

MIA

I know i have been gone for a while but it has been for good reason, my family was in town. They were only here for a short period of time but we did our best to fit as my island style as we could. It all started to with a low key dinner at a local joint that had been recommended by my roommate. They were pretty exhausted from their trip from one coast to another and then to the middle of the pacific so we did not do much else that night. Sunday was dedicated to some tourist activities: aloha stadium swap meet to buy aloha gifts, diamond head hike, and Duke's on Sunday.

Diamond head is more touristy than beautiful and fall from the best hike on the island. You get some nice views of the skyline but it is a large hot crater otherwise. Duke's is always a good time to hear live music and see good friends. My family was able to reacquaint themselves with one of my LTs and meet the other one for the first time.

Monday I had to work for some of the day so my brother and I went on our own hiking adventure while my parents drove to the north shore to see the waves, we are reaching epic heights and soon surf competitions will be on island. The hike that my brother and I went on is the site that Jurassic Park was shot at.

Tuesday I had to work even more than I had wanted so my family got to explore the island on their own for a while. They finally made it to my side of the island (windward) which gives more picturesque views. We had lunch at my favorite pizza joint and headed straight to the beach. There is nothing like eating a quarter of a pizza before running around in a bikini. 

After my brother's favorite meal on the island (sushi) they all met my roommates over ice cream and pie. This was unfortunately their last evening on the island so we had to say our farewells. Luckily I will make my journey home for christmas.

It was great to get to share my island with my loved ones. 

I have to give photo credit to my dad and brother. I left it up to them to capture our adventures.

Cobbler and girl talk.

This weekend I had my second skype adventure since moving to the island. This one went much more smoothly than the first, no voice delay or muted speech.

I also got a tastey treat at the end of this conversation. My good friend from austin and I skyped and baked snicker doodle apple cobbler while catching up on the past few weeks. She is a lot smoother with words than I am so please direct your attention to her blog.

Skype Date

Scouting Weekend.

My family (minus my sister) will be on island in less than one week! I took this as an opportunity to explore some new areas of the island. I am planning the days with my family in my head and wanted to make sure I got a hike that would be just right. I found one near my house called Maunawili falls. It is only about a 1 hour hike but you get views of the island, jungle, and a water fall. It was just what I was looking for. Like most hikes in Hawaii the trailhead is in a neighborhood. You arrive not quite sure you are in the right place but quickly realize the jungle like trail is just steps away.

It is easy to spend the entire hike with your face in a lens but I had to remember to put it down and enjoy the beauty that was right in front of my face. I can not wait to see the pictures that my brother can get when he comes out. Here are just a few of the ones that I got on my adventure.

On Saturday after my hike and shower I was watching some tv on computer when I was rudely interrupted by tsunami sirens. This was my first and hopefully my last tsunami scare. My roommate and I went to the store to get supplies (water, beer and cookies). We then returned to the house to ride out the wave with some scary movies. We had a back up plan that involved a two person kayak, helmets, and life vests if we needed. Luckily it was all just a warning and nothing hit the island. I have made it safely through my first sirens. 

I also wandered into a Halloween party without a costume this Sunday. I did find some familiar faces to relieve any anxiety. 

Haole.

Here is a little taste of island music.

A weekend in Kailua.

This weekend I decided to venture around my side of the island. I have been having some amazing adventures on the island but busy weekends make for tired Mondays. This weekend I slowed it down and stayed in Kailua. 

Saturday I took a nap on a local beach and took some laps in the ocean. And when I saw lap I do not mean I am swimming the length of the beach but rather just going back and forth near my bag on the beach. 

I kept chill that night with a movie with the roommates since I had a 530am alarm set for my first dive on the island. I can not believe it has taken me almost 6 weeks to get underwater. It was a lovely first dive on the island. I missed some of the bigger marine life while I had my head in some coral. I was told there was a white tip reef shark, eagle ray, and octopus on our dives but I did not see them. I did manage a turtle and a few eels. Here are some pictures from my first underwater adventure. 

Belle of the Ball

On Saturday of this weekend I got to be the date to the Navy Officer's Birthday Ball. It was like adult prom. My roommate kept referring it as prom. I had to get the dress, the shoes, learn how to do make-up all the same as prom. I even went with a guy I went to high school with. Outside the weddings I have been in over the years this is the most dressed up I have been since prom.

It was everything you would expect from an Officer's ball. I even got my chair pulled out for me when I sat down.

Some of the highlights had to be when I got to talk with the different admirals that were in attendance. It was definitely a night to remember. Here are some of the pictures that we took.

If you are wondering why I am in prom pictures with two different officers it is because he was short a date so I pulled double duty.

Feeling loved.

This is a care package shout out to my latest arrivals.

First is from my sister and family:

Then comes the Tejas love from my former roommate and friend T:

Keep the love coming and I will do my best to send some Aloha in return.

Now's the time.

And in case some of you couldn't quite tell from the pictures, yes I did buzz the side of my head. Not exactly a mom friendly haircut but something I have always wanted to do.

Weekend Warrior

I never I would have expected my weekend to go down the way that it did. I am not making up any of the follow, I wish I was.

Friday night began with me meeting Matt in town so we can make our way to a block party in honor of the Medal of Honor recipients that were on the island. Another friend was escorting a Medal of Honor recipient during the week so I had to go meet this man after the stories I had heard. I also did not want to miss the opportunity to meet such an incredible group of men. I was nervous and felt like I was meeting celebrities. I hugged them with huge smiles on my face. The night continued without the recipients but it did include their grandsons. This is when I witnessed one of the best karaoke songs ever. 

 The next morning Matt and I woke up early enough to hop on a party boat to be in a local singers music video. This was a 8 hour booze cruise with water slide, plat forms to jump off, water trampoline, and any other water toy a person with a beer in their hand could ever want.

After the party boat experience we had to class up the night by hitting up one of the only night clubs on the island. The boys I was with wanted to get VIP bottle service so that is what we did. The group of us had our own booth and waitresses serving us drinks from our own bottles of vodka. This was my first but will not be my last bottle service experience.

Now for the part of my weekend that I never thought would happen, someone tried to extort me. On Saturday night during my VIP experience I lost a ring. I did not notice it was missing until the next day (it had been in my purse not on my finger). I dump out every bag, look in my car, crawled on the floor of a night club, and ask anyone that I interacted with on saturday if they had seen my ring. In a last attempt I put an ad online on a lost and found site. I get a response within 3 hours from someone saying they had my ring. The short version of the next 9 hours is as follows: They were being offered $200 for my ring and wanted to know what reward I was willing to give. Communications stopped when I wouldn't offer $200. I talked with the 5-0 and filed a police report and learned that they would not be charged with stealing but it was actually extortion in the second degree. The people with my ring freaked when they learned the cops were involved and were now willing to return my ring. We set up the drop point in a well let place. I had several people offer to be my back up for the hand off. One was ready to beat down the people I was meeting and another was offering to bring along his spear gun.  I opted for the more cool headed LTs to come with as backup. I sat in a chair in the lobby of a hotel and waited for my ring to be returned while my body guards sat behind me in a secret service kind of way. The important part of the story is I got my ring back! The police are still pursuing the case since extortion is a felony. 

I feel as if the island is initiating me and I can't wait for it to be over. Things have been incredible but I wouldn't mind it slowing down a little.

Readers Digest

Luckily I have been real busy over the past few weeks so there is a lot to talk about but have not had a lot of time to tell y'all about my adventures. Some people who have heard these stories already agree that some of them sound like something out of Readers Digest. For those of you that do want to read the long story here are the bullets.

• Duke's on Sunday
• Medal of Honor Recipients
• Karaoke
• Music video on a party boat
• Bottle service
• Extortion

So the week started on Sunday when I met the LTs for Duke's on Sunday. For those of you parrot heads this title may sound like a song you have heard Jimmy sing in the past. You are correct and I was living the song.

The boys had already made a new friend that day, a French Canadian on the island learning english. We then met a few other new friends including another naval academy grad name Ben, my total is now up to 3. Sunsets are always beautiful on the island but some stand out more than others.

 

The week was pretty normal for myself. I got some new clients and they live in an area with some stunning views. I also ended my week with a run on the beach with my roommate. When I lived in Austin I liked to end my Fridays with a run through the forest covered trails. I am changing the tradition and will now end my work week on the beach.

Blue Angels.

For those of you that are not aware of my love for a man in uniform it is a love that runs deep. I can trace it back to the first time my dad took me to tour a fire engine when I still had diaper booty. I do not discriminate with my love for a man in uniform but I do have my preferences. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by military while on the island. Not only do I have friends in the military but I work with several families that live on military housing. I even have my own personal army ID to get on base.  

I got to experience the highlight of men in uniform yesterday while on the Marine Corps Base: the BLUE ANGELS. Words can not describe how amazing it is to watch these pilots maneuverer the skies.  So here are some pictures.

Ben met some woman who thought he was her son's roommate from the academy. He was not but the woman was extremely friendly and snuck us in for a better view of the show. She also "required" us to all get together for a picture for the moms. So here you go mom.

This morning i am sitting on my front yard for a very pathetic yard sale. In hawaii you do everything you can to get money. We also save our recyclables and turn them in for cash money. We are in Fake it till you Make it mode.