The Election.

We are such nerds! We are in Hawaii but what we really wanted to do today was watch history.  It rained on and off all day long and to have ALL the doors open and listen to and watch the rain while watching the election.  Having 

A vacation from our vacation

Day Five and Six WERE THE BEST YET! Friday we ate breakfast (not my favorite meal but IAN LOVES the corned beef hash!) and then packed our bags to head to the other side of the Island. We had reservations to see a Luau.  I'm glad we did but but I could have lived with out it.  It was C H E E Z Y.  Ian asked me "What did you expect"? I guess I expected it to be a little less "Love Boat"ish.  We bailed out early when the hula dancers started miming and hula dancing to "Freedom ain't free" BUT we can check that off the list of things to do.  The drive to the other side of the island was an event in and of it's self.  We went OVER the mountain so we crossed every kind of weather.  Saturday was the best day so far and so typical of Ian and I.  We decided to take the long way home and drive AROUND the island instead of the OVER the island route we took the day before.  We had a car, a road to travel, our favorite music loaded on the ipod and a little Hawaiian BOB.  It took us 5 hours to get home but we stopped at every cool place we saw and had a whim to stop at.  The most fun was a FREE organic coffee and macadamia farm.  The owner is a business genius.  Ian and I were trying to round up change so we could visit the FREE coffee bar so we would not leave with out buying SOMETHING.  He had the best music playing and the coffee and macadamia nuts were DA BOMB! As predicted we purchased home made macadamia butter (like peanut better but more decadent).  This FREE stop was so much better than the lunch we stopped at 30 minutes before.   We were the only patrons in the lunch diner and we soon found out why.  When I told Ian "This has been the best day so far!" he said "It was all because of that great lunch wasn't it?"..ahhh I am not the only smart ass to be found in this family. The lunch was really awful but WE ARE IN HAWAII! So after the coffee our spirits had been re-newed and we then WENT TO THE BLACK SAND BEACH! I just sat there in awe.  I started to cry because I was overcome.  I cried again at the top of this mountain that overlooks the ocean.  It is just so beautiful.  I remember feeling over come with emotion at the beauty of God's creation when I went to Pikes Peak in Colorado and this is so so so much more.  I just wanted to sit there and take it all in.  There were times in the day I felt like Ian was the dad from the Griswald Family Vacation movie when they FINALLY get to the Grand Canyon, the dad says "OK, LET'S TAKE A PICTURE AND LET'S GO".  I was in no hurry.  I sat, I closed my eyes and I listened to the ocean, I ran my feet through the sand, I stood on the shoreline and looked all around me.  I am unable to convey in words what I saw but I understand how people can come here and never want to leave. Once I had my fill of the beach we hit the road again.  I have to tell you that being in the car listening to music and just driving was just as much fun as the stops we took and our next stop were THE VOLCANOS! I stood in front of a hole that had natural steam blowing out of it.  This is where my steam baths at the club paid off.  Most people would get near the steam and then "ooh ooh too hot" and move away but not me! I stood in the direct path of the steam and ignored my body's natural instinct to move but took in all the steam.  It was the best facial ever! I stood there a good while and as soon as I moved 2 inches I was in cold cold weather because we were up on the mountain.  IT FELT AWESOME! Now there I could have stayed ALL DAY LONG.  I could tell Ian MAY be ready to leave but like I told him, It's not like we can just come back tomorrow and see this again. I had to just relish in it. I am having the best time and it is times like these that make getting behind the mule to plow worth the effort.  This trip is quickly coming to an end and then it will be back to the real world.  Fidalee dee, I can't think about that now, I'll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day IN HAWAII!! (note: notice my bandana as a new way for me to deal with the humidity! creativity is running low, dreadlocks may be next)

P.S. another sign in front of a store that SHOULD have been open today  said GONE TO THERAPY BE BACK IN 1 HOUR.

Dipping our toe in the pool of exploration.

Day three brings us prepared to sight see! It was a beautiful day.  It seems each  morning starts with rain here and then progresses through stages. The stages being rainy, warm, really warm, cool, really cool, and if it rains during the day HOT AND STEAMY. My hair LOVES this weather (not) The aveda anti humectant is not working so frizz is my daily battle.  We are in HAWAII who cares.  Ian and I head out towards some sights and then about noon our time I get a call from Matthew's school and it TOTALLY threw me off my game.  I talked to Matthew and he was upset, the school was upset, I was upset.  Matthew crying, me crying equals for a short day of sight seeing because then I was feeling headachey and worried about my kid.  I know he is 14 but he is still my baby and I felt he needed me and I couldn't help him.  His dad took over and Heather picked him up to get provisions he needed from Portland.  At any rate, here are pictures of what we did get to see.  We also went to downtown HILO.  A very cool little town that is housed across the street from the water.  They had a very interesting farmers market and what looked to be some really cool shopping but even though the store hours would read OPEN MON THRU FRI 9-6PM most of them were closed with one sign that read "nice day gone surfing".  It does seem that nobody seems to be in a hurry to get anywhere around here AND a stark difference to Hawaii and Mexico as I had compared in my last blog.  THINGS AREN'T CHEAP HERE! I have been shopping looking for momentos to bring home and things are not given away.  The people don't appear to NEED to make a buck hence closing early to go surf.  

Thursday-Day Four I went to town on my own.  I know we are on our honeymoon and one would think that we wold spend every waking moment together.  I needed to shop with out being rushed and Ian had a slight summer cold so I took the car key and my iphone with GPS and hit the road!  I went to HILO HATTIES which is this place that sells all Hawaiian clothes (not cheap) I looked for something for my dad (too expensive).  I went to downtown HILO and walked in and out of shops. I did find some cool stuff at reasonable prices for all my girls back home. I GOT THE BEST MASSAGE EVER! The massage was 2 hours long.  I got my hair washed and met some locals that give me directions to some cool places.  So things on MY want to do list SWIM WITH THE DOLPHINS, GO SEE THE LAVA, SNORKLE AND PIG ROAST.

I'll let you  know what we accomplish.  We have Luau reservations for tonight! 

DON'T JUDGE!

Well nothing says HAWAII like MEXICAN FOOD!  

Day two in Hawaii and I must be honest, WE DID VERY MUCH THE SAME THING WE DID ON DAY ONE! Don't judge! We have been tired.  We worked our A$$ e* off before the wedding and it appears SLEEP is something Ian and I have come to value as a precious gift we treasure when we are able to get it.  WE HAD A GREAT DAY TWO.  After sleeping in and making our own breakfast of oatmeal and turkey bacon (an homage to my week day breakfast with Denise) We watched a great movie with Tommy Lee Jones (huba huba) and that was REALLY GOOD! Once the movie was over WE TOOK A NAP! Yes, yes we are in Hawaii and we took a nap-DON'T JUDGE! It was fun THEN we went to the coolest little town called Pahoa.  It reminded me of what could have been a little town in Mexico.  The streets were very narrow and there were little stores on each side of the street and then MEXICAN FOOD! Not really what I had in mind while I was in Hawaii because Corpus Cbristi may not always be grand but THERE IS PLENTY OF GOOD MEXICAN FOOD.

The food was o.k.  I think that will be my only Mexican food in Hawaii experience.  The tortillas were like the Taco Bell Burrito tortillas but aside from that it was good.  THE MARGARITAS were good and just what I needed MORE SALT!  My face is not puffy enough at the moment so I thought a Margarita would fix me right up.  I'm being sarcastic, (really, me, shocking I know) I am drinking more water and trying not to drink so much so I can reduce the puffy in my eyes, hands and feet but that is another blog.  Ok, back to day two, after dinner we went to see something we were unable to see in Texas, the "W." movie.  We went, we saw, it was OK.  I already knew W. was an idiot and the movie just reinforces the fact.  I do LOVE that we are in Obama country here.  Since his grandmother lives here and he went to school here the WHOLE STATE is very much OBAMA. After the movie I asked Ian to stop at McDonalds because I wanted sometime familiar.  I had the 99 cent double cheeseburger BUT ON THE BREAKFAST MENU PICTURED ABOVE I could have ordered SPAM, WHITE RICE AND EGGS and a combo meal.  Go figure!

We have plans for day Three so keep in touch!

Paradise

GREETINGS FROM HAWAII!

On Sunday, just hours after the wedding, we started out for the airport at 5:30AM and we FINALLY got to our part of Hawaii at 2am our time! By 1am was starting to feel this may not have been worth it. I WAS SO WRONG! It is beautiful and all I have seen so far is my in-laws house where we are staying (he he "MY INLAWS" he he he still sounds funny to me).

Anyway, Ian and I were so tired from all of the fun, AND IT WAS FUN! Yes there was stress to the build up but we really had a great time at our wedding and hope everyone else did too.  It was a party and we wanted to do it up big.

Day one in Hawaii: go to HILO and get food and entertainment supplies so we don't have to leave the house.  I took THREE showers on day one just because I could not make up my mind on which bath or bath product to use SO I USED THEM ALL! Who would have ever thought that showering on a vacation could be so much fun?! See the outdoor shower and the outdoor living room pictures I've included.  Day one was all about unwinding from the trip and the wedding so we did nothing much at all AND THAT WAS FUN! I forgot to mention that day one was also a day to allow my cankles to un swell.  I don't think my feet had been THAT swollen since I was pregnant with Matthew.  You will be glad to know they are back to "normal" so I can get back to walking with ease and NOW we can hit the sights.

Ian's breakfast day one pictured above. Local fare, white rice, brown gravy, fried spam topped with two eggs over easy. When you order ask for A LOCO MOCO yum yum.  I opted for hot tea and french toast, no pictures needed.

I'll let you know what day 2 has in store for us once we get day 2 started.

Keep checking back!

I will survive!

Well you just never know what you are getting yourself into until you jump in. Monday was a day of all liquids before the surgery on Tuesday. We all head up to San Antonio Monday evening to stay with my sister. Tuesday morning I was like the kid on the first day of school. First one up to take a shower and get dressed for the hospital. It's all down hill from there. I remember getting ready and I remember signing the paperwork when they tell you the list of horrible things that CAN go on but RARELY ever do. My out patient day surgery ended up with an overnight stay. I can't even tell you if the lap band surgery hurts or not because my esphogous cramping is what hurts the most. Apparently a cramping esphogous trumps any other pain you may be having. It demands attention! So the good news is, they have given me valumn to make sure I am relaxed and things don't cramp up AND I am starting to feel better.

Food Journal:
Monday-water, chicken broth
Tuesday-IV fluids
Wednesday-1/2 of a jello cup (I got full!) and a frozen fuit pop
Thursday-frozen fruit pop (2)

I am ALMOST ready to joing the world of the living. I've had a shower today and that was enough to exhaust me. The scale is down 7lbs. It's amazing how feeling miserable will wipe out an appetite. ;-)

Call it a day

I can't even remember the last weekend that we were able to spend so much time together.  Today I finally got things done.  

Edward's Litter-check

2 tax returns-check

cleaned kitchen-check

cleaned out the cub boards and the fridge-check

reading material for the week-check

laundry-we'll talk about that later.

We have work to do in the morning.  I have "staff" lined out with things to do at home and at the office.  Ian has to get his people lined out.  I'll pick up Matthew when I'm done with the last client. Then WE ARE OFF! Tomorrow is clear liquids only for me and liquids for THE NEXT SIX WEEKS! In honor of the weeks to come we thought it fair to have breakfast tacos this morning (chorizo, bean and bacon because if I'm gonna do it up then I'm gonna do it up big) and ribeye and salad for dinner.

Now on to take care of business.  Getting my mind, body, house and business in order.  The three of us (Matthew,Ian and I) are heading to San Antonio tomorrow and things around here are gonna change.  

My goal is to do a blog a day until next year at the 4th of July.  I may not write anything great EVER but it will be me, the good, the bad and the ugly with little bursts of greatness thrown in for the occasional surprise.