Invisalign, week one

For a long time, I've hated the way my teeth look. Specifically, my top front teeth. My upper left tooth has always (or for as long as I can remember) overlapped my right front tooth, and most of the time it's not very noticeable. But when I turn my head or if you're up close, it's very obvious. And over the years, it's slowly gotten worse. The rest of my teeth are straight and I see why my mom spared me the struggle of metal braces when I was younger, especially when my front teeth were barely crooked then. But recently, at a dental cleaning, my dentist asked me about it. When I said that yes, I have noticed it worsening over time, he told me that most likely the top left tooth will keep turning and may cause me troubles eating when I'm older. After speaking with Jay, we decided that now was as good a time as any to fix it. And so we began my Invisalign journey.

From my wedding day, and all I can see is my crooked tooth

At my consultation, I had measurements of my mouth taken as well as molds done. The dentist puts a liquid foam into a tray then pushes it onto your teeth, where it hardens before being taken out. It took several tries because my mouth is small (so they say), but eventually they had everything they needed. Maybe it's because I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but it took a little longer than expected to receive my Invisalign kit. Once it came in, I made an appointment to receive my first aligners.

Now, here is where I'm a little annoyed with things (for several reasons). First, the Invisalign commercials make it sound so easy to use their system. And perhaps it will be one day. But what they don't tell you is that you have to have "buttons" or "anchors" attached to your teeth like with traditional braces. What they don't tell you is that it ISN'T as easy as popping your trays in and out. Aligners have to be removed before eating anything and drinking anything other than water. And it isn't so easy trying to remove a tray molded to your teeth and anchored on.

Second, the dentist failed to inform me that not only would I be getting "buttons" put on my teeth to help with my Invisalign but I'd also be having my teeth shaved in between them to alleviate the crowding problem I have. So imagine my surprise when I open my mouth and the dentist begins using a very thick saw in between two of my top teeth. Then came the sand paper floss. Let me tell you, that is not a sound I care to ever hear again (but unfortunately, I will because I have to keep making room for my front tooth to be pushed back into place). Once I voiced my unease ("I'm freaking out here"), the dentist took the time to explain why he was sawing away my teeth and we were on our way again.

The first few days with my trays in were not pleasant. In fact, I'd say they were downright painful. I guess when you've had teeth in place for twenty-some years, they're going to put up a fight when you try to move them. Taking out the aligners to eat was agony, almost to the point that I dreaded eating and would rather be hungry (another thing they don't tell you). Eating with them in, if I had been desperate enough, was not a possibility. So for a few days, I was stuck on a diet of bananas, soft bread, and yogurt, which was still difficult to eat. I had sores and ulcers all through my mouth from the buttons rubbing my gums when my trays were out and from the top of the Invisalign rubbing when they were in. 

At about day four or five, things started getting better. Taking the trays out no longer hurt- it was just disgusting because of the strings of spit that come out with them. It was at this time I started to notice plaque building up on the trays. I had been scrubbing them after almost every meal and soaking then daily in Polident, but I found that a solution of half white vinegar, half warm water then some brushing with a baby toothbrush brings off the plaque nicely. I've also traded the Polident for Retainer Brite, which I've found through my online searches has a better reputation for keeping your aligners clear. Now, the biggest pain about these things is having to remove them for every drink or food I want to eat. It's even harder to make dinner because I can't taste test stuff like I used to. No more munching on Evie's leftovers or snacking. I really have to commit to eating when I want to, which goes against everything I am (I'm definitely a grazer, always have been). This leads to me either not eating enough or leaving my trays out too long. The ideal time in is 22 hours/day, but who is able to manage that?? 

Tray number one

Ok, so forgive the goofy picture above. I never remember to take a picture of my teeth until I'm in bed in my glasses and sweats. But that is tray one, and I will be switching trays every two weeks. I have twenty-one trays for the top teeth and eighteen for the bottom teeth, then I'll be evaluated for either more trays or a retainer. People say that I'll be able to see a different pretty quickly. I'm on day eleven of my treatment and I'm starting to get comfortable with everything and get into a good routine. See you at the next check-in!

Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail, plus garden update!

Last weekend, we did another hike with our friends and their daughter. This time we chose a ridge/scenic hike instead of a waterfall hike (we did a little planning ahead of time so we knew what we were getting into). There has been a lot of rain in the past few months and the waterfall hikes are now much muddier and more prone to flash flooding. Just last week, a mother and child were swept away by flash flooding on the trail we did in July (Maunawilli), so we won't be attempting anything like that until we have some drier weather. FYI- the mother and child were tourists who didn't know any better and they are ok.

Makapu'u Point is on the windward side of Oahu and offers fantastic views of the southeastern shores as well as Koko Head Crater. From the top of the trail, you can see up the eastern coast toward Waimanalo and offshore islets which act as bird and wildlife sanctuaries. The lighthouse, which has a trail leading to it but is off limits, was built in 1909. On the ascent, there are tide pools and blowholes along the shoreline but down a steep path off of the official trail.

We arrived about 11am, and after applying plenty of sunscreen and getting the girls into the hiking packs, we started our ascent up the trail. After about 5-10 minutes, we rounded a bend and had our first views of the coast below. It was a somewhat clear day, and in the distance we could see neighboring Moloka'i. I tried to get a picture, but as always a camera can never quite capture what you're able to see in person.

Moloka'i on the horizon

We continued up the trail, and soon, on our right, was a steep cliff and trail down to the tide pools and a couple blow holes. There were several hikers making their way down and we considered it, but wanted to complete the trail before trying the detour. The tide pools are a collection of rocks that hold water from incoming waves. On a calm day, they are nice for a cool, refreshing dip in the ocean without the surf hammering you. On a rough day with a large swell and high winds, like the day we hiked, they are bombarded constantly by very powerful waves. It's also when these waves hit, that water comes up out of blow holes and appear almost like steam rising. It was very beautiful to watch but we weren't fool enough to try and go in (unfortunately, many tourists ARE fools and we witnessed many helicopters and jet skis patrolling the coasts that day).

View from top of the trail

I'll try my best to get the video to work, but it was beautiful to see the large waves coming onto the rocks and the wind was incredible! 

We continued up the paved path and saw several off-shoots to different areas of the cliffs. I even saw the path leading to the lighthouse, but it was most definitely blocked off. 

Makapu'u Lighthouse

We reached the top about 45 minutes after we started, including detours and sight-seeing. We were unable to go all the way to the top of the official path due to current renovations. They even had a guard there to make sure you didn't go past the fences- I guess it must be a safety hazard. But the view we got was beautiful and worth the hike. We were able to see the highway snaking around the east side of the island plus islets that are home to native birds.

Windward Oahu

Islets

It was very windy up top!

We spent several minutes admiring the view, but the landing was quickly filling with other hikers wanting to get their pictures in, so we headed back down the trail. On the way down, we debated whether or not to descend the trail to the tide pools. The trail looked steep and we didn't want to risk falling with the girls with us, but after the moms tried out the trail (since we weren't carrying the kids), we realized it appeared steeper than it was and we all headed down toward the coast. We ran into a couple hikers coming up from the tide pools, who told us it was very rough down there and to not try to go into them. Although we had no intention of going that far and were only after a better view, we thanked them and continued our descent to about halfway down the cliff. From here we had spectacular views of the tide pools and blow holes (which reminded me of steam coming out of a dragon's nose). After a few pictures and videos, we headed back up the cliff to the marked trail.

Water coming up from the blow holes

Some idiots were actually stupid enough to go out on those rocks for pictures...

After we got back to our cars, we went to Waimanalo for brunch. We ate at Ono's Steak and Shrimp. It's a very tiny place (pretty much a shack) off the main road which served amazing food! We had fish tacos, garlic fries, steak, and shrimp. It was so good that Evie was eating it, too! By the end of lunch, Evie let us all know that she was ready for her nap, so we said our goodbyes and headed home. I definitely recommend this hiking trail for beginning hikers who are in good health. It'll get your heart rate up on the climbs but the frequent stops for scenic viewing allows time to recover.

Garden Update

Our garden is doing very well! At first, only one or two sprouts were coming up and Jay was very discouraged. So he took the rest of the seeds (and there were a lot) and planted them all. I was not happy with his decision, but the plants began growing and to help them along he built another bed and transplanted them to allow them more room. The tomatoes are coming up and will go on the trellis soon. And now that October is here, we are getting ready to plant some more (cucumbers and green beans this time). Wish us luck!

New garden bed

Pepper plant on left, tomatoes on right

Peppers are starting to flower

Had to include a cute pic of the bug

Our first visitors, Evie's second birthday, plus Diamond Head hike

A couple weeks ago, we had our first visitors to Hawaii. My good friends, Tara and Linda, made the journey all the way from the east coast to enjoy paradise for a few days while also celebrating Evie's second birthday.

Speaking of Evie- I apologize for the lateness of this post but we have been going through some crazy times lately. I can count on one hand the number of nights we've been able to sleep more than 3 hours at a time without an interruption from Evie. I think it's a combiination of a cold, teething, and some sort of fear of me leaving her; I can't get her off me some days! She's sleeping-in this morning and we have nowhere to be until this afternoon, so I'm going to take the chance to write while I have it. This post is late and may take me some time to get posted, but I will get it done.

My friends arrived on Wed afternoon, and although they were extremely jet-lagged, we pushed on and had dinner on the North Shore. We missed sunset, but after dinner we took a few minutes to go to the beach and stick our toes in the sand (much to Evie's dismay). Once we got home, we all crashed so we could have some energy for the next day.

Haliewa Beach at night

Thursday morning, Evie went to daycare while Linda, Tara, and I went to the USS Arizona Memorial. It's a free memorial but we paid the $7.50 for earphones that give additional information while you walk through an outdoor area and two small displays. When you arrive, you get your free ticket to take a boat out to the USS Arizona Memorial, which occurs every 15 minutes. Getting there earlier in the morning ensures you're not waiting hours for your boat ride. 

The memorial was so touching and it's something I would recommend to anyone visiting Oahu. Once you're out at the actual site, you can see parts of the sunken ship just below the water and just above it. The most interesting part to me was that to this day, oil is released from the tanks of the ship, up to two quarts daily. I saw some of that oil float to the water's surface and wouldn't have known what it was if I hadn't been listening to the audio tour.

After the tour, we had time to stop by the Leonard's truck in Waikele for some delicious malasadas. Then we picked-up Evie from daycare and headed home. Evie LOVED having visitors because it meant unending attention from lots of people. I think she had someone to read to her or play with her at any given moment, and she definitely took advantage of that. That evening we went to the Dole Plantation, where we rode the Pineapple Express train and tried the World's Largest Maze. Evie enjoyed most of the train ride and about half of the maze before she'd had enough.

Friday was Evie's second birthday and we celebrated several times!

At lunchtime, I had a couple friends and their kids over for cupcakes and cocktails. The kids enjoyed some very colorful Sesame street cupcakes while the moms enjoyed some Sangria. We were able to sing Happy Birthday with Grandma and Aunt Emmy via Skype, and Daddy surprised us all by popping in for a few minutes over his lunch.

Cupcakes

Lady Bug Caprese

Enjoying her Elmo cupcake

After having fun with her friends, we called Grandma and then napped to prepare for the party that night. After her favorite dinner of mac & cheese and grilled mushrooms, we had birthday cake with mommy, daddy, Aunt Linda, and Aunt Tara. And no airplane birthday cake would be complete without an airplane high chair!

That cake was dangerously good! There was no problem finishing it over the next few days. Evie opened some presents before and after dinner, including her kitchen from mommy and daddy, and LOTS of kitchen accessories (thanks a lot, Aunt Amy!). We held off on giving her everything that day because we could tell all of the excitement and visitors had been a little much for her. We ended the day with cartoons and playing with colored bubbles in the bath tub. It's hard to believe my little baby is two!

The next day was girl's night out- wahoo! We went to downtown Honolulu in the afternoon and started our fun night with a tiki bar bike ride! This tiki bar bike goes around downtown Honolulu, delivering it's occupants to several bars where the tour guide offers advice on what drinks to try and where to order food. Music plays while you pedal and you meet people from all over the world. Our bike consisted of people from Oahu and Virginia, but we had all lived in the DC area at one time or another. Very cool!

Bike Bar

We stopped at a bar that served very... different cocktails. They were good but not something you see often. For example, I had a drink that had chamomile syrup (I should have written down what it was, I can't remember now). The second place was a Korean bar called "Duck Butt" which served a drink called "Watermelon Soju", aka Soju served in a halved watermelon. This was sooooo delicious! It tasted like straight watermelon but it definitely had a kick.

Watermelon Soju

We ordered food here and had some delicious kalbi tacos and a kimchi quesadilla. The last bar we went to was called The Brewseum. It was a micro-brewery that made a delicious ginger beer and was full of WWII memorabilia. It had a jeep you could sit in, phones on the wall where you could listen to authentic audio clips from that era, and replica planes circling overhead. It was definitely my favorite stop and I can't wait to go back sometime!

After our bike tour was over, we walked back to the hotel, showered, and got ready for our night on the town. We had dinner at Duke's in Waikiki, where we split a couple appetizers and entrees and were serenaded by a ukulele trio. The food was delicious and the setting (oceanfront patio) was perfect. After dinner, we took a few minutes to walk on the beach and watch people (i.e. idiots) swimming in the dark ocean far from shore. Our waiter had given us a few suggestions on where to go for some drinks afterward, so we started our journey to the bars.

Well, we should have just cut our losses then. We tried the waiter's first suggestion, Rum Fire. It's a nightclub located inside the Sheraton hotel and it's beachfront. He told us there were fire pits outside and good music. Well, the music sounded great and there were indeed fire pits, but you had to enter front inside the hotel, which took us four tries to find. Then we saw there was a $10 cover plus people were dressed in heels and tight dresses (while we were in beach casual). We passed on the $10 cover club since we only had the intention of having a drink or two before heading home.

Next, we walked to Sky Lounge, which had good reviews and the waiter said it had aerial views of the ocean. While I'm sure the views were nice, we quickly realized upon our approach that this club wasn't going to work either. There was a long line to get in and the dress code was even more formal (read: slutty). We were at least 10 years older than the people waiting in line and we did not feel like dealing with all that, so we kept walking. It was ar this point that we wondered, "Did the waiter not see we were not dressed for these places? Did he not hear us when we said we just wanted a drink or two?"

We came upon Jimmy Buffett's Waikiki in the Holiday Inn, and decided to just go in and get a drink. Luckily we got there when we did because it was last call (at 10:45pm on a Saturday??!!). We had one drink and eventually decided we would try the waiter's last suggestion, an Irish bar, before calling it a night. I forget the name of the Irish bar but it was definitely more along the lines of what we wanted. We had two drinks here, cut our losses, and headed back to the hotel. Our "night on the town" ended sober at 12:30am, but that's ok, We had a big hike in the morning that we were all anxious to do.

Sunday morning we had breakfast at Goofy's, a small diner, and it was so incredibly delicious that I ate way too much and almost got sick. It was just that good! Then we made our way to Diamond Head. Diamond Head State Monument is an amazing park that is located in the crater of a volcano formed over 300,000 years ago. It has a long history, both ancient and military. It's called Le'ahi by the Hawaiians and was formed from a single explosion. It was used as a fire control station in the early 1900s and as an artillery station in the world wars (although no shots were ever fired). The hike is 0.8 miles long and 560 feet up to the summit, which is the old fire control station. At the top are awesome views of South and West Oahu. There were a lot of switchbacks and some crazy stairs/tunnels, but the payoff was worth it.

Waikiki from Diamond Head

After our hike, we came home, showered, and relaxed until we went to a Luau that night. The Luau at Paradise Cove was nice but Evie was uninterested and we had to leave early. The next day, me, Tara, and Linda headed to windward Oahu for some beach time. We camped out on Lanikai Beach in Kailua and enjoyed some beer and waves. It was so relaxing and we all wished we had more time to spend there. At lunch time, we dropped Tara off at her parent's hotel in Waikiki, and after a quick bite to eat, Linda and I drove home. We picked up Evie from daycare and decided to have pizza on the beach at sunset to close-out Linda's time here. Evie liked the pizza but not the beach, big surprise. But we were treated to someone's private sunset wedding at the beach.

Waimea Bay Beach at sunset

Couple getting married at sunset

And that's it! Whew! It was a whirlwind few days and we were very sad to see our guests leave. Evie woke up for several days saying "Bye, Tara" and she very obviously missed her friends. So now we're settling back into life as just the three of us, but we're looking forward to seeing a Baltimore friend in a few weeks. She'll be here for a friend's wedding and shes pregnant, so I get to see her and her adorable little bump.

Na Pohaku o Hauwahine Trail

Last week Evie and I enjoyed another hike with Hiking with Keiki. This time we went to the Kawai Nui Marsh and were given a guided tour of the Na Pohaku o Hauwahine Trail (don't ask me how to pronounce any of this!). The name of the trail translates to "The Rocks of the Hauwahine" and the area itself is 12-acres of volcanic rock formations that is currently being replanted with native Hawaiian plants. The tour was given by a member of the Ahahui Malamaika i ka Lokahi (Hawaiians for the Conservation of Native Ecosystems) and consisted of a couple trails, hills, marsh, and beautiful views of Kailua and the Maunawilli mountain ridge.

Trailhead

We met up at the trailhead, which is on a busy road off of a major highway. The only parking was gravel on the shoulder of this busy road, so it was a bit dangerous getting out and crossing with the children. Future projects for the group and site include putting in a parking area for tourists and hikers.

We met our guide at a small, shaded area, and after everyone in the group signed-in for the hike, we left. I had a hard time hearing everything he was saying because Evie wanted to get going on the trail, but I think I caught a lot of the interesting stuff. We started with a steep incline that I had to carry Evie for- guess she's not quite ready for steep hikes just yet. The sun was blazing overhead but luckily we stopped at a set of benches underneath a tree, and we had a few minutes to snack, hydrate, and rest. The guide pointed out Kawai Nui Marsh, which is at the base of the land we hiked. Right now, volunteers are excavating non-native plants from this marsh and planting native species. Progress is currently at a halt as the water levels are up to chin-level from the recent rains.

Next, we traveled downhill to great views of the marsh and the Maunawilli mountains to the south.

The peak to the left of center is actually what's left of a volcano that created the valley we were hiking in. The mountains behind that separate the windward side of the island from Pearl Harbor.

Next, we hiked around several rock formations that were significant to ancient Hawaiians (why, I don't know. Evie was not interested in this part, so I didn't get to listen). We were able to touch a carving stone, which was very smooth from where Hawaiians had used it to sharpen tools and weapons hundreds of years ago. Next to that was a "classroom", as the guide called it (pictured below). It was a series of rocks set into a hillside. The central rock was a basin that held water, and Hawaiians were able to teach and learn about astronomy through the night sky's reflection in the pool. The hillside had a perfect view east, and the sunrise was noted for every day of the year and rocks were placed accordingly on the hillside, so that the summer and winter solstice could be identified using the rocks and sunrise. This is the little I heard while chasing Evie, but it was very interesting.

We were nearing noon, which meant hungry  kids and incredibly hot temperatures. I had a chance to chat with the guide on our way back to the trailhead (as Evie was now leading the hike and we were following), and he said this is one of the hottest summers on the island that he can remember, and he's been here 45 years! He said it's lack of tradewinds due to global warming that has the temperatures so high with no relief. It certainly has been much hotter this summer versus last.

Evie and I had a good time on this quick, guided trail, and we look forward to our next hiking adventure!

Moanalua Gardens and Marinara Sauce

We have been keeping super busy this month, and I'm happy to say I've finally gotten a chance to hike with a group I joined a few months ago- Hiking with Keiki. They are a Facebook group that's for residents of Oahu and they have several hikes every week that you can join. Some are easy and are for pee-wees (ages 1-3), while others are hard and for kids 8+ or babywearing only. Every now and then they have adults-only hikes, which are usually longer in duration and harder trails.

I joined this group a while ago but at first I was too busy to join the hikes. Then I was too shy and was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up. But finally I saw some hikes for pee-wee walkers that seemed easy enough for me and Evie, so I signed up. Hikes are posted on Monday nights and you gotta be quick and sign-up, otherwise you are on the wait list, which can be quite long.

Cottage under renovation

Our first hike with the group was at Moanalua Gardens. It's a small, public park between Pearlridge and Honolulu, right next to H201. It was formerly the home of Prince Lot Kapuaiwa, who later became King Kamehameha V. The park has the King's cottage, which was built in the 1850s and is currently being renovated. Next to the cottage was a small koi pond, where the kids were able to feed koi, ducks, and birds.

Koa bench

After spending time feeding the wildlife, we kept walking around the park, stopping under the shade of the various monkeypod trees. Moanalua Gardens participates in Honolulu's Exceptional Tree Program, which protects trees from destruction. This park is home to the famous Hitachi monkeypod tree, which the Hitachi Corp uses as their symbol. While we were walking/hiking, a wedding was taking place under the Hitachi Tree, so we didn't get to spend time playing there.

We stopped for a snack break by a fountain at the far end of the park, and you could tell it was almost lunch. The kids were cranky for food and the adults were in need of shade. We slowly made our way back across the park to the parking lot. Evie and I were hot and hungry, so we snacked on the way home and I was barely able to keep her awake. The "hike" was more like playtime in the park, but Evie was introduced to following a group around and was given time to play with other children. She mostly kept to herself and liked to go off exploring; I'm sure the child who kept pushing her off the rocks didn't make her want to interact with the others (and I barely controlled the urge to discipline the kid myself!). But otherwise, it was a great first time with the group and I loved being able to see parts of Oahu I didn't know existed!

Off on her own

In addition to hiking this week, I made homemade marinara for the first time! The idea came to me for meatless Monday, and it turns out it's not that hard. The hardest part was taking the skin off the tomatoes, which I did by cutting an "X" in the bottom of each tomato, boiling them for 30 seconds, then dropping them in an ice bath. I found the tomatoes that were cut on the smoother side peeled better.

I combined the tomatoes with garlic, onions, fresh thyme and basil from my plants outside, fresh parsley, and oregano. It simmered for a few hours and I used a potato masher to "puree" the tomatoes (didn't even have to chop them), and when it was done it was so good! Sweet but with no added sugar. I'll definitely be making it again. It didn't get as dark as jarred tomato sauce, but that did not affect the taste.

Sauce over stuffed shells

Evie and I have another hike planned for this week, so stay tuned!

Maunawili Falls

This past Sunday, we met up with some friends early to do our second (their first) Hawaii hike. Our first hike was Waimea Falls last Labor Day, which is a paved road and a pretty easy hike. This time, we wanted to jump in and see some of what makes Hawaii's rainforest so beautiful, so we set of for Likeke Falls.

Upon arriving at the trailhead, we noticed a lot of traffic in the parking lot. I had read that the lot where you park is used for church parking on Sundays, and sure enough everyone was arriving for service just as we were arriving to hike. We considered parking in a far corner and hoped we would go unnoticed, but there were people patrolling in golf carts, asking hikers to not park in the lot. So we quickly Googled another hike, and nearby was a 3-mile hike called Maunawili Falls. People wrote that the hike was muddy, but we were game for a little adventure. We applied our sunscreen (of course), bug spray, and set out.

Trailhead

Most of Hawaii's waterfalls have the Leptospirosis warning and it's a "swim-at-your-own-risk" sort of thing. We didn't plan on swimming, just seeing nature's beauty. At first the trail was easy- some mud, some roots, a few downed limbs we had to duck under. Nothing we couldn't handle. But soon (and unfortunately, too late into our trek) we realized that the mud and exposed roots were only getting worse. It was about this time that Evie decided she did NOT like being in the hiking pack and started fussing.

When we weren't looking down to avoid falling face-first into mud, we saw some neat things like the tree above. There were lots of mangoes and bamboo, and fortunately not much wildlife. Many people had their dogs on the trail but we noticed only one other couple who was babywearing. After at least an hour of walking, we came to a hilltop that had a great view of Kailua and the Pacific. We stopped for some water and family pics.

It was SO HOT at the top of the mountain, and it became obvious that our decision to hike close to noon was a bad one. Evie was happy when the pack was on the ground, but once Jay put it back on her fussing began. Our friend's daughter was having a great time, even sleeping at one point! We plowed on and soon began a descent toward the falls. After a second stream crossing we arrived at our destination. People were cliff diving, some from as high as 30-feet! We enjoyed resting for a few minutes, getting some water and snacks. It was pretty crowded and difficult to find a shaded spot for the girls. We were all dreading the return trip, so we decided not to linger.

Well, by this time Evie had had enough. She wailed pretty much the entire way up and then back down the mountain. Going back was much faster since we were more familiar with the trail and were dying to get out of there. We stopped a few times for water because we were all so hot, and poor Jay had a throbbing headache from Evie's screaming. When we found the trailhead, I don't know who was happier- the parents for having survived or the girls for being able to get out and walk. We got back to the car, cleaned up as best we could, and headed into Kailua for some brunch.

View from our car

We ate at a cute diner called Moke's Bread and Breakfast. They didn't have booze but they did allow BYOB and told us of a store a few blocks down that sold wine and champagne. We decided we had worked off so many calories on our crazy hike that we should treat ourselves to some mimosas. I had POG for the first time- pineapple (or passion fruit, I forget), orange, and guava juice. It was delicious with the Prosecco we picked up! I also had lilikoi sauce on my pancakes- passion fruit sauce, which looks creamy but is actually very light and delicious.

All in all, it was a lousy, muddy situation that we made the best of and now have a fun tale to tell. Everything I've read says Maunawili Falls is considered a moderate to hard trail, so hiking can only get better from here. Right?

Summer vacation in Maryland

Once again, we're back! We returned last week from six wonderful weeks in MD. We had a lot of fun seeing family and friends, and just relaxing at Grandma's house.

The classic baby drinking from a hose in diaper shot

We spent lots of time in the pool and in the big backyard running around. As you can see, Evie discovered the hose and all the fun you can have with it. Ever since then, it's almost impossible to go a day without some sort of water activity in the backyard!

We went to the Catoctin Zoo with Grandma and fed deer. Grandma was brave and fed goats and llamas, but those things were aggressive so Evie and I hung back. Evie took her first tractor (aka lawn mower) ride with Grandma and loved it. We often went to Nanny and Pappy's house for dinner, where Evie was able to play with her Aunt Lauri and cousin Landon. We discovered she loves basketball!

Jay was able to join us July 4th weekend, and Evie went to the Battlefield for her first concert and fireworks. We were a little apprehensive that she would get antsy or cry during the show, but she did very well and even sat quietly watching the fireworks. I also got to use my Tula for the first time and made it up the big hill on Starke Road with Evie strapped to my back- talk about a workout! And since it was a fun night, Evie was allowed to have treats. She tried her first Twizzlers and Oreos- many, many Oreos.

Later the next week, we went to Dutch Wonderland with Nanny, Pappy, and a couple of Evie's cousins. She had a great time and was exhausted by the time we left! She had her first carousel ride, which went well until daddy tried to take some video. I took her on the hot air balloon ride because she insisted, but when the ride started and we started spinning, I'm not sure which one of us wanted off more! We ended the day with some fun time at the splash park. Dutch Wonderland is a really cute theme park for smaller children and I definitely recommend it for kids three and older.

We ended our trip home with crabs and pool time with family. Evie wasn't too thrilled with crab but she loved Aunt Becky's strawberry pie. We left MD very early on a Monday morning and were back in Hawaii by 2pm HST that same day- talk about exhausting! By the time we got our luggage, found the car, and drove through rush hour traffic, it was dinner time. We ate and soon after everyone was in bed. Doing that trip in one day felt like insanity, but it helped us adjust to the time change much easier.

Now that we're back and settling in, Jay and I want to really spruce up our back yard and start a garden. Jay spent last weekend building a raised garden bed while I am trying to NOT kill my hearty basil plant and a new, beautiful Hibiscus flower. So far, so good. We put organic soil in, which smells awful (sorry, neighbors!). We just received seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange, which has many organic seeds to choose from and all seeds are certified non-GMO. Today, we planted purple bell peppers, yellow heirloom tomatoes, and eggplant (had to throw some yellow in- couldn't have all of that purple growing during football season!). So now we wait and see what grows! I've been known to have the touch-of-death when it comes to plants, so wish me luck. I'm trying really hard!

My Hibiscus

Lots of basil!

Finished garden

On a side note, we've been in Hawaii a year and in this house exactly one year today. It's crazy how time flies! It's not always easy to be here and I miss the Easy Coast like crazy, but I want to make the most of our time here because when else am I going to have the opportunity to see and explore Hawaii without spending lots of money to get here? So stay tuned, some fun things are coming...

Disaster on Lana'i: An Island Hopping Adventure

For President's Day/Valentine's Day weekend, Jay and I decided to go on our first island-hopping adventure. We chose the small island of Lana'i because it's not one that most people go to (or have heard of) and we want to get to all islands, if possible, while we live here.

Also known as Pineapple Island, Lana'i is the sixth largest Hawaiian island and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island. It has no traffic lights and one city where most of the 3,100 inhabitants live: Lana'i City. It was brought to prominence in the 1920s as it was turned into a pineapple plantation by the Dole Pineapple Company. And although agriculture is no longer the main driver of it's economy, Lana'i is beginning to thrive on increasing tourism thanks in part to the two Four Season's resorts located at Manele Bay and the Lodge at Ko'ele.

We started out our trip by getting up early Friday morning to make our 10am flight. A front was coming through the islands around lunch time Friday, bringing high winds with it, so I was glad our flight would get us to Lana'i before then. Unfortunately, the weather on Lana'i was cloudy and windy, causing poor visibility and the cancelling of our flight at 11am. The airline was able to re-book us on the 3:30pm flight, but with 4.5 hours to kill and Evie's car seat checked, what were we going to do? Luckily, the airline was very accommodating and retrieved her car seat from the plane. We put her in the car and drove around Waikiki for an hour to let her nap.

Our afternoon flight was on-time and pleasantly without turbulence, and we were on Lana'i by 4pm. Our rental car was a Land Rover, as a four-wheel drive vehicle is necessary to access most parts of the island. We get the car and find it has a thin layer of reddish dirt all through it, which we slowly realized is normal for this rural island. We loaded up and drove the 6 miles to Lana'i City to find our rental home. We had considered staying at the Four Seasons, one of the only hotels on the island, but with rates starting at $699/night, it was hardly affordable (though I later learned they have "kamaaina", or local, rates that were cheaper). The "city" is less than 7 square miles, but we still struggled finding our rental house. We ended up on a dirt-covered street with homes that looked overcome with either foliage or junk. We eventually located our rental home, and realized that the huge wall and dense plants around it obscured it from view on our drive-bys.

Once inside, we found ourselves in a quaint plantation-style home that had new furnishings and decor. It was small but perfectly suited our needs. We headed down the street to the only market  on the island to pick up food for dinner. I thought the prices were pretty good ($5.41/pound ground beef) but maybe I've been living on an island too long. Once back in the house, our cute plantation home quickly turned into a nightmare. The bathroom consisted of a small room for the toilet with a curtain door and bugs crawling around (although they were not numerous and were likely due to the high humidity of this part of the island). The shower was also occluded only by a curtain and was a cement stall with no lights and a mirrored ceiling. It looked like something out of a Jason movie and coincidentally it was Friday the 13th (a bad omen?). We also had no bathtub, so we had to give Evie baths in the sink.

As I'm preparing dinner, I realize I have to cook with a gas stove. A gas stove that has had all the markings wiped off of it so we don't know which knob controls which burner nor how to turn anything on. We placed a call to the owner (who lives right up the street) and he came to the house to help. We discovered that only one burner works and the oven did not work at all. I made do with one burner to make spaghetti sauce and noodles, but Jay had to grill the garlic bread outside. There was no high chair, so we were stuck holding Evie on our laps to feed her.

After dinner, I noticed that my feet were exceptionally dirty. We got out the Swiffer (the only mop we could find) and had to clean the entire house because the floors were so dirt-covered. There was a sign posted on the fridge stating that any dirt brought into the house was grounds for an extra cleaning fee, so we figured either the house hadn't been occupied in a while or the cleaning lady was not very good. The hot water I used to clean dishes was initially yellow, but cleared-up by the time bedtime came around (whew!). Bedtime was a disaster as Evie had to bathe in the sink and then sleep in a pack and play in an unfamiliar room. She threw up from crying and about an hour into bedtime, had to be bathed again and the sheets changed. This is when we noticed that the stuffed nose she had on the plane was turning into full-blown congestion. Great. We had to clean the barfy sheets, which is how we discovered that the washer was broken. We had to manually advance each cycle, and if we missed advancing the rinse cycle, water pooled on the floor (thank God for the drain in the room!). We finally got Evie to sleep and soon after put ourselves to bed as it was an exhausting first day.

Saturday we woke up to overcast skies, high winds, and a sick baby. The forecast called for 100% rain and 60 MPH wind gusts later that day, so we wanted to get out and see the island while we could. We decided to head to the Four Seasons at Manele Bay, as it was one of the places my book said to see. The hotel was beautiful and had great views of Manele Bay despite the poor weather.

Manele Bay

Lobby of Four Seasons

We looked around the hotel for a while and decided to head down to the beach. What is usually a serene, picturesque beach was windy with rough waters. The sand was stinging our legs, so we only walked around for a little while. By this point, we were getting hungry so we headed back into town for lunch. We stopped at the local diner, The Blue Ginger Cafe, and ordered some Loco Moco and shrimp stir fry. By the time the food came, Evie was throwing a tantrum so bad we had to pack up and head home for nap time. A nap which did not come easily and only lasted 45 minutes. By the time she woke up, the rains had started.

The rain quickly turned into torrential downpours with wind gusts that knocked out the cable and cell phone service. Evie woke up extremely congested, and with the rain and wind not letting up, we knew our Valentine's dinner plans would have to be cancelled. Our weekend got even better when we discovered two leaks in the house's roof, one in the bathroom and one in the living room. This was our breaking point and we decided between the bad weather, sick baby, and bad rental, we needed to head home early and salvage our weekend. After several poorly connected calls, we got through to the airline and changed our reservation to Sun afternoon. Evie woke up three times that night due to her cold as well as the cold temperatures. The rain brought with it cooler temps, and at an elevation of 1,600 feet with no heat, the house was quite cold that night.

Sunday morning we woke up in somewhat better spirits, knowing the torture was ending that day. It's too bad the weekend wasn't like Sunday, because we had a great day!

We checked out with the owner's of the house and car, who we kind enough to refund our money for the day. We drove around the mountains of the island while Evie took her morning nap. I read that the golf course at the Four Season's lodge was a world-class course where Bill Gates got married and that the views were amazing (which I later realized I confused this course with the one at Manele Bay). We had to get back-road directions to the course because it was closed and we soon found ourselves driving along the golf cart path and looking at a long-closed golf course that was overgrown with weeds. It would have been beautiful if it was up-kept, with views of the ocean and mountain valleys, but as of now the course is closed with rumors of it reopening in 2016/2017. We found ourselves on a back road that led down the mountain on the windward side. It was a hazy day due to vog, but you could make out Molokai to the right and Maui to the left (with the peak of Haleakale sticking out above the clouds). It was a beautiful site. We ended up turning around and heading back to the Four Season's Lodge and Lana'i City since driving around the island this way would have taken a long time.

We drove to Manele Bay and had lunch at the Four Season's oceanfront restaurant. The day was clear and calm with an unbeatable view and delicious food. It salvaged our weekend and helped us realize why people love coming to Lana'i.

Much better weather on Sunday!

Pepper look-a-like

After lunch, we had one more stop before going home: the famous Lana'i cat sanctuary! We knew this would be a hit with Evie as she loves cats. They foster 300-400 cats at a time, and we were surprised by how well-behaved and friendly they were! One in particular, Kelsey, would jump in my or Jay's lap every time we crouched down to pet her, and she let Jay hold her like a baby. So sweet! Evie couldn't get enough of the cats and although we left covered in dirty paw prints, it was probably the best part of our weekend.

After our fun Sunday in Lana'i, we labeled this trip a small success. We learned that Lana'i is a little too rural for us, that Evie has difficulty traveling right now, but that a small get-away is good for everyone. And: there's no place like home! We had a much better night once we were home (only one wake-up) and Evie's cold has been more manageable. Time to get back into our routine.