Ululani's

When we visited Oahu they had a shave ice place that put ice cream at the bottom.  It was one of those places that is really popular so you stand in line for 3 days just to get one.  Chad LOVES ice cream and so I knew that to make the trip complete we would need to visit a shave ice place.  

While wandering and shopping I looked down an "alley" and noticed a sign for a place and steered Chad over.

We were the only ones at the window but once they got started making our treats the line started to grow.  People started commenting about how it had been on a couple of travel shows - and I just thought the name was fun to say :)

We sat down to eat and although I'm not Shave Ice Connoisseur; the ice was shaved to a snow like consistency (not hard crunchy pellets like on a sno-cone), the juice wasn't the syrupy sugar kind but actual fruit juice reduction/blend and the amount of ice cream at the bottom was perfect.

The wandering around in the hot sun for several hours MIGHT have pushed this over the top but I think it was the perfect ice-y treat.

5 Palms

The last day we were in Maui was Chad's Birthday.  Chad's sister took off for her honeymoon, most of Chad's family headed up to a swap meet or took off for home so Chad and I went exploring on our own.  With the help of UrbanSpoon we ended up at 5 Palms for brunch.

I was so glad our last day had beautiful skies so we could sit on the patio and enjoy it.

Chad ordered the macadamia nut pancakes which came with coconut syrup (also known as crack) and I ordered the smoked salmon benedict.

We ordered brunch beverages and since the waitress checked our IDs she noticed it was Chad's birthday.  So after breakfast she brought out a slice of cheesecake with a couple of candles.

About 50% of our brunch conversation consisted of how we would need to go back to 5 Palms the next time we were in Maui.  The remaining conversations were about the other restaurants we would visit next time... we like food in our family :)

Maui

The weather in Maui was so lovely it maintained a constant 78 degrees with humidity and "trade winds" which kept everything cool and explained why most hotels didn't have air conditioning - they just leave the windows open all the time.  They have tons of hiking, cute little "villages" along the ocean with killer shopping, eating, and sights without being touristy or crowded.  Maui is now my favorite island.

snuba

Chad's mother's calling (aside from cake maker) is cruise ship activities director.  She had fun things planned for every day we were in Maui.  And that is how I found myself signed up for SNUBA (snorkeling and scuba diving) at the Molokini Marine Preserve.  Basically, you have an oxygen tank but it is attached to a float and stays above water while you dive down no more than 12 feet.

Once I got the hang of things I really got to enjoy the coral reef and all the beautiful and colorful fish.

For good measure, I snorkeled out from the beach later in the week, just to say it was actually snorkeling.

Go snorkeling.

Java Jazz

We spent the past week in the beautiful Maui for Chad's sister's wedding (and we're pretending this was for Chad's birthday, too!).  We did a bunch of fun things, gained lots of weight, got sunburned, and missed Bella.

The best part (I think - besides the shopping) of vacationing is picking places to eat entirely off of UrbanSpoon.  Our second morning it led us to a yummy coffee/cafe for brunch after we tried to kill ourselves running several miles (we thought the sea level would make it easier to run... that rumor is false)

The coffee had an undertone that I later learned was basically what all the regular coffee on the island has: hazelnut.  Tasty enough for coffee.

I had a spinach, goat cheese, and onion omelette; Chad had the Spanish Tortilla.

We both enjoyed breakfast and our friendly latin waiter as well.

i get around

A few weeks ago my friend LindZ invited me to join her on the Race for the Cure 5k going on downtown.  I only said yes because it was one of the things on my 101 list.

I have no idea why I ever thought I couldn't run a 5k the whole way... but without training (well, aside from my regular weekly gym routine and some added outdoor running the past few weeks) I was able to keep up with 2 10 year olds, the very fit LindZ, and her friend Brooke who looks like a serious athlete.

Ok so we jogged for less than a minute (the dip) when they were handing out water... but we sprinted to the finish to make up for it and then kept running past the finish line until we got to the fruit and water tables.

So, another one off the list, and a really fabulous time for a great cause.  Thanks LindZ!!!

Run a 5k (no walking)

washing day

Bella's favorite day is Sunday (laundry day).

She goes for a run with papa and mama.  Then she does some sun tanning while her breakfast is made and served to her on the porch.

Then she sleeps on the bare mattress until it's time for the noon walk.

Finally she spends the remainder of the day sleeping on the folded up comforter until she gets kicked off for night time walk and that's when we get a chance to quickly make the bed.

Feel free to report me to the authorities for the VERY difficult life that Bella leads.