Maui Vacation - Part 5 of 5

Humpback whale's tail

On Sunday, we got up early and adventured to Hana which is located on the east side of the volcano Haleakala. When we were driving toward the Kaanapali look out point again, we actually saw humpback whales splashing around. This time with their tails and making lots of waves. It was awesome to see in the early light!

We reached Hana Highway and it began to rain, and rain it did all day! The road takes you up and down the lush and almost jungle like mountain side, taking sharp turns and going over many one lane bridges. At times, you drive right along the coast line and see great rock cliffs and ocean waves crashing against it. We saw many waterfalls along, some hidden and we couldn't see them because it was raining to hard to take any of the side trails.



Before rainfall

After rainfall

The pictures of the water all Waikani Falls (aka The Three Bears) is a before and after all of the rainfall during the day. The first one is the first time we saw it in the morning and the second picture is in the afternoon returning to Paia. Most people seem to think that the heavier the water flow, the prettier the waterfall. These two shots are an example of how sometimes less is more.

Freshwater caves

We finally reach the Wai'anapanapa Sand Beach (aka Blank Sand Beach). It's got two things going for it. One, there is a freshwater cave that makes a great place for a dip. Two, it has a volcanic blank sand beach. The spring-fed freshwater caves were probably the remnants of lava tubes. There are two, though only one is suitable for swimming (shown in picture). The water level raises and falls each day with the tide, on which the fresh water floats.



Black Sand Beach

The blank sand beach was formed when lava flowed and fountained into the sea near here, shattering on contact with the ocean. Fragments smashed against each other and formed the sand you see. At the tip of the lava rocks, you can stand and see the waves crash against the lava rocks and watch water spray from the water hole. We did see some creeper spiders along the way! We stayed at the park for a time and eat our packed lunch. It was very beautiful and unique to see on Maui. I would highly recommend it, but leave early before all of the tours come thru - we just missed them as we were heading out.

On the way back, the fog and rain lifted a little bit so we could see more ocean views and cute little towns down the cliff side. We also saw a lot of the red flowers atop trees while driving all along the road. Although it rained pretty much all day, it did not disappoint us.

This was our last sunset to view on Maui and enjoyed every minute of it. We were sad our vacation was over, but excited to head home and see our kids again.

Until next time...

Maui Vacation - Part 4 of 5

This morning we were sitting on our balcony enjoying our coffee and off in the distance we saw a water spout which looked like a small cloud. I then realized we were actually seeing a humpback whale breath and spout water! I grabbed my camera and tried to zoom into the area where they were. By looking at the size of the water spouts we determined it was a mom and a baby calf because of the size of the water spouts.  We watched them for about 20 minutes swimming in the water and at one time it looked like the baby was playing because we saw it splashing around. It was very cool!

We decided to head to a beach called Honokowai Beach Park that was a little south of the resort. It had calmer water with low surf - great for swimming and snorkeling. The water was crystal clear and could see the coral at the bottom. Richard saw a few fish - small and silver in color. They liked being my our toes (a little creepy). I have a fear of open water, but I gathered the courage and went out past the breaking waves and into deeper water where we swam for awhile. It was so beautiful and peaceful out there.

I could have stayed all day but my legs and arms were getting tired. We headed back in and got warm on the beach.

For the rest of the day we sat at the resort pool and soaked in all of the warm sun! Went swimming in the pool a few times to cool off and Richard went swimming in the ocean again.

We finished the day with dinner and another wonderful sunset.

Maui Vacation - Part 3 of 5

On our anniversary, Dec. 11th we woke up to a double rainbow outside our balcony. A storm came in during the night leaving it a little cooler and muggy.

We drove north along Honoapilani Hwy which turned into Kahekili Hwy and ends up in Kahului. It was a two hour drive that went along tight switchbacks up and down the mountain. At times the roads were so narrow only one car could fit at a time. It was beautiful but a little nerve racking for us both because the edge of the cliff was right out the door. We drove past the secluded village of Kahakuloa and the Kahekili's Leap rock. 

Finally we arrived into Wailuku and began our drive east to the small down of Paia. You could see fields and fields of sugar cane along the highway in the valley. This is the reason Maui is called Valley Isle - the large flatland separating East and West Maui. This area is dominated by only one thing - sugar. Before people came to these islands, a thing dryland forest existed here. The Hawaiians quickly cut down the trees when they discovered the island, and the area became a barren desert, after which the Hawaiians had little to do with it. When western man arrived, he saw an opportunity to grow sugar in this unused region and began building ditches to bring water to this thirsty land. Today, the broad valley between the two great volcanoes is an ever-waving field of green trisected by the three highways. This is the last sugar plantation in Hawaii, and its days may be numbered.

After the town of Paia, we arrived at the restaurant Mama's Fish House, where we celebrated our anniversary with a delicious meal. The restaurant is situated next to the cove and our seat was overlooking palm trees and the huge waves splashing into the rocks. For an appetizer we had the Crispy Mahimahi Roll with Hamakua mushroom sauce and poha berry compote. They were very good! We could have just eaten that all night long. For our main meal we both ordered the Maihai caught along our north shore by Eric Nakamura, stuffed with lobster and crab, baked in a macadamia nut crust (as pictured). It also was served with a lobster tail, asparagus and rice. Wow!! The fish was moist and tender and crust gave it a little crunch while the sauce made it over the top. It was delicious! We ended the meal with Kona coffee and a small cranberry biscotti.

We headed back to the resort where we watched another sunset and relaxed hearing the waves splah along the shore.

Maui Vacation - Part 2 of 5

On our second day, we rented a Cabana overlooking the beautiful ocean views.

We sat in there all day just drinking, eating, reading, sleeping and hearing the soothing waves crash against the shore. The wind was calm and the water was warm. The picture below is the view we had to admire all day long...

Richard decided to try out his swimming feet and take a dip in the ocean. It was cold at first but your body gets used to it and then the water seems really warm.

There was a lot of coral on the resort beach except for one little sandy spot that you could wade in and enjoy the waves. We saw some surfers and boggy boarders give the waves a drive - only a few were successful.When the sun went down, we reluctantly headed back inside to get cleaned up. We eat dinner at the resort which the food was pretty good. For the second night we had some pizza and beer to finish off the relaxing day.

It was a perfect day to hang out by the beach!!
 

Maui Vacation - Part 1 of 5

View from our balcony

For our 10 year wedding anniversary, Richard and I were able to visit the beautiful Hawaiian island of Maui. As a gift LezLee gave us her timeshare to borrow which landed us at the Kaanapali Beach Club, located on the west side of the island. It took 12 hours to fly and arrive at our resort. Our butts were sore and we were anxious to get off the airplane. We drove to our resort in the dark so there was not much to see and it was a little difficult to tell where we were going. But, we finally made it and the resort was very beautiful. It had a large open foyer and a small garden. There were lots of waterfalls that had Koi fish. The swimming pool was very large with a cascading waterfall into a smaller pool. Tiki torches were lit all along the resort and we could hear the ocean waves hitting the beach. We had dinner at the restaurant located at the resort and enjoyed the warm weather before calling it a day.

We woke up to the amazing views of the ocean from our balcony. To the west we saw the island of Molokai and to the east we saw the Pu'u Kukui summit. We sat and drank our coffee looking at the waves splash against the shore. Our room was a one bedroom suite which consisted of a separate bedroom, living room, kitchenette and a large bathroom. However, there were tiny little ants that we found roaming the kitchen area. Lucikly they were easy to kill and we had to make sure things were sealed and food was put away. We stopped at a little grocery store called Times and bought some food supplies. It was amazing to see certain things double in cost for what we would normally buy in Colorado. For example, a loaf of bread of almost $5 that would be around $2 here.

For the day, we decided to explor the south side of Maui. We stopped at the Kaanapali lookout point to see if we could view any humpback whales but no luck today.

We drove down to Kihei and stopped at Waliea beaches. There was a beach trail that went along the grounds that we decided to follow. Along the trail we saw beautiful lava rock scenery, native birds and flowers along with banana and palm trees.

We sat and enjoyed the calm beach waves in the shade and dipping our toes in the water.

We headed back to Kihei and went shopping in the outlet store.


We headed back to our resort and the traffic was very busy along the only highway that went to Kaanapali so it took some time. We watch an amazing sunset that night and then eat dinner and enjoyed the warm night air along with live music. 

It was a great first day!

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving with a tasty turkey dinner and had a wonderful time together. It included a delicious sweet potato casserole that LezLee made, stuffing, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and homemade gravy. We topped it off with pumpkin pie and coffee. At the end of the afternoon, we were all so stuffed and ready to relax.

LezLee and Larry were so kind and took the kids to stay the night at their house, so Richard and I go go Black Friday shopping together this year. We had fun shopping at Best Buy and Ulta. We then decided to see late showing of the Mocking Jay part 1 movie. It was pretty good but a little slow. I can't wait until part 2 of the movie is in theater.

Until next time...

Halloween

Halloween has come and gone! This year Ashley dressed up as Elsa (another princess) from the movie Frozen. I bought a dress from Disney.com because it was impossible to find at any other store. The dress has a very beautiful design and cap in the back. Ashley loved it!  I braided her hair to the side and sprayed a lot of sparkle into it to make it look like snowflakes.  She looked very pretty!

I dressed Nathan up as a Ninja turtle. It had a soft shell in the back and a hat that had the eyes.  He was adorable! But ended up in a grumpy mood that night. It was really hard to get a picture of him smiling and having fun. Hopefully next year he will be more excited. 

We carved pumpkins and it was the first time Nathan helped clean them out. He said it was "yuky" and did not have much to do with it after his first touch of the slimy insides. Ashley carved a flying bat which turned out to the best pumpkin. I did the old fashioned triangle look except he was throwing up his insides. LezLee and Richard took the kids around the neighborhood to get some candy and I stayed behind to pass out the candy at our house. Richard said Nathan did really well and walked up the houses all by himself.

We had lot of fun dressing up and getting lots of candy!

Until next time...

Family Fun

Home life has been busy once again for us. It's hard to keep up with everything these days. Here are a few events that have happened so far...

Nathan is doing really well potty training, except some episodes of going #2. He is still learning the feeling of when to hold it verses when to go on the potty. But for the most part he is getting the hang of it. 

A couple of weeks ago Richard experienced something that had no words...Nathan was taking a bath and Richard walks back onto the bathroom to turn the water off. Nathan then stands up, picks up his poo from the bath water and throws it right into the toilet!!  Richard couldn't believe what he just saw. He was shocked and grossed out!  I give Nathan 10 points for knowing where the poo should go, but a little too late. We scrubbed Nathan using the shower head and the tub thoroughly that night.

During Ashley's school break we headed up to Denver for the weekend. We stayed at the Element hotel near Park Meadows Mall where the kids went swimming. Nathan loves to jump off the side and splash around. We eat at restaurant called "Rio Grande" that had awesome margaritas and Mexican food. I could have ate the salsa alone it was so good.

The next day we went to the Denver Zoo to see some new animals and ride the train. Except we picked a really bad day to visit because they were celebrating Boo at the Zoo. It was really busy and lots of people so it was not the best experience. Nathan did have fun riding the train and see the new African enclosures.

We had a lot of fun and until next time...

Ashley Turns 8 Years old

On Sunday, October 5th Ashley celebrated her 8th birthday! 

We had a small party with all of her friends at the house. This year the weather was really nice, so I surprised her with a bouncy house in the backyard. That morning Richard took her and Nathan to the park while the bouncy house was being set up.

I decorated the house with Frozen balloons and decorations. When she came back home, she walked thru the front door and saw the bouncy house. Her eyes got big and she was so surprised that she had no words except "how did you get it back here?". 
Here five friends came over and they all bounced in jumper, eat lots of goodies and played pin the tale on the donkey.

It was pretty funny seeing all of them trying to peek thru the blind fold and feel there way to pin the tale in the correct place. I had prizes for three of the winners so they all wanted to win.

At the end of the party we all sang happy birthday, eat yummy cake and Ashley opened all of her presents. On her actual birthday, we went to Red Lobster. Ashley ordered for favorite meal - shrimp scampi with mashed potatoes. She opened a present for us and the staff sang happy birthday.


I believe she had a great time this year and had a wonderful birthday.

Until next time...

September was a blur...

Rustler's Gulch Trail

I can't believe September is already over with...it seems it went by in a blur.  Let me try to recap some of things that happened...

Nathan's potty training has gone really well.  He has only had a few accidents since we started - I couldn't have asked for anything better.  He can go thru the night as well as the day without any problems.  I am very proud of him!  And the good news for mom and dad is there are no more diapers. Yay!!We sold all of the baby furniture and clothes so we are baby stuff free now. Onto the next stage of life.

Ashley caught a cold at school and she was nice enough to share it with Nathan and I. It was a pretty good one too - sore throat, runny nose, headache, etc...it last about two weeks.  By the end of it I was pretty tired of hearing Nathan wine about his "burgga".  Luckily Richard didn't get since he is hardly home these days with working three jobs.  We are trying to stay ahead of the birthday and holiday shopping in our near future...

This year we had a problem with yellow jacket wasps in our aspen trees.  We have always had a few here and there each year, but this time it was like a home to a swarm of them.  I believe there are attracted to the sap that comes from the trees. We did not see a nest anywhere so we couldn't get rid of them that easily. We set out traps and have caught a lot but it was not fun sitting out there with them buzzing around.

The month went by fast because we were either sick, taking care of the kids, cleaning or busy with our jobs.  No slowing down for us...holidays are coming!

Until next time...

The Potty Dance...

Nathan's sticker poster is full!

We have begun potty training with Nathan!  

I took the last week of August off of work and spent time training him on the whole potty process.  Before the week started I went out and bought new cars underwear, potty seat, potty book and pull ups. I was ready to go...but Nathan wasn't so much. The first day it was more of understanding the feeling of having to go. We went in the backyard and I had him pee in a puddle when he felt he had to go. He got a kick out of that! He went a couple of more times in the potty the first few days, but was having accidents including poo poo in his underwear. Yuck!  It took three days of winning, accidents and crying before I gave up and said to him "when you have to go pee pee let me know". 

After that, he has told me when he needs to go and hasn't had an accident, winning or crying for two whole weeks now!  I don't know what it was that clicked in his brain, but his stubbornness and independence were shying bright. We put up a sticker poster and he was able to pick out a sticker and up it on the poster every time he went on the potty.  By the end of the two weeks, it was filled up.  Way to go Nathan!  The poo poo in the potty was the hardest to overcome because he told me "my poo poo will drown". I had to laugh a little because it was a good reason to be worried.  But explained that his poo poo likes to swim in the water and go on the slide in the potty.  After his first accident in his underwear on the third day, I dumped the poo into the potty and he watched me flush it away...we waived bye bye. I believe he was okay with that afterwards because he has gone poo poo in the potty every time now (but a 10pm at night). 

It took a little time, but I am glad the hardest part of it is over and we are done with diapers! 

Until next time...

Nathan's 3rd Birthday

Nathan turned 3 years old on Saturday! 

We decorated the house with Cars character balloons, table cloth and cake. I had Richard take him to the park while we set it all up and then surprised him when he returned home. He liked the balloons and decorations but was not sure of everyone looking at him.  It made him a little shy.

We eat pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw, chips and watermelon.  I also made homemade cherry limeades.  Everyone sang happy birthday and he blew out the candle in one try. My mom told Nathan to stick his finger in the frosting of the cake.  He wasn't sure at first, but once he got the okay it was all over....he ate gobs of frosting.


The first present he opened was from us which was a three wheel scooter. Now he can ride "his" scooter with his big sister. He also got clothes and play dough from Grammie. A remote control dump truck and books from Grandma. Coloring pads, stickers and drawing materials from his Aunt Lisa. Nathan had a blast eating his cake and opening his gifts.

Until next time...

Big Boy Bed

Nathan transitioned into a big boy's bed (twin bed instead of a crib) this weekend!

Richard and I painted the walls and made custom fabric headboards. I surprised Ashley with "Frozen" design bedding. Nathan himself picked out "Cars" design bedding at the store. We also placed the kids table and cubbies that hold all of their toys into their room. It took almost two days to complete the make over, but it was well worth it because of Nathan's reaction.

I finished putting together Nathan's bed and he walks in, puts his hands across his mouth and says "Oohhh, I like it!" with a big grin on his face.  He jumps onto the bed and cuddles with the sheets, pillow and a stuffed Lightening McQueen.  It was really adorable! 

Ashley loved her bedding, especially since it has Elsa on them (her favorite character from the movie Frozen).  She was excited to be sleeping next to the window and having her custom headboard.  For now they still need to share a bedroom, but when Ashley gets older we will finish the bathroom down in the basement and have her transition her room downstairs.

Until next time...

Riding Her Bike

Ashley rode her bike to school for the first time!

It was raining all week during the afternoons so I had to pick her up at school.  On Wednesday the weather was nice and she was able to ride it home. I met her at the corner of the neighborhood and watched her cross the streets and make her way to the other side.  She did very well and walked her bike on the cross walks. 

It is very exciting and nerve racking for me, but I am very proud of her independence.

Until next time...

At The Park

Ashely will begin to ride her bike to and from school! 

Last weekend we walked down to Ashley's school to show her how to cross the streets and how to lock her bike. It is an exciting time for Ashely since it means freedom and fun times riding her bike.  And I don't always have to take and pick her up!  She had a little trouble pushing the lock into place, but after a few tries she started to get the hang of it. 

After she did a great job with the lock, we walked to the Jared Jensen Park next to the school where
they could play on the gym sets. It was a beautiful day and perfect for being outside.  I am excited her Ashley starting 2nd grade and a little nervous for her to start riding her bike to school.  Lord willing everything will go well.


Until next time...

First Day of School

Ashley in now in 2nd grade!  Her first day started on Friday, August 1st.  Her teacher is Mrs. Allen and she knows a lot of the kids in her class from last year. The night before we dropped off her school supplies and introduced her to her new classroom. 

She was excited and anxious to start the new year. Ashley was so excited the first day that she woke up at 6:30am and was dressed before Richard was done getting ready! We walked to school and she made her way into her classroom as the bell rang. Nathan and I picked her up when school was released - she described her day and loved her teacher because she sang a lot of songs. We are hoping this year will be great and she will excel in her studies.

Until next time...

Goodbye Old Friend...

Baxter, our 14 year old Beagle has gone to be the Lord at the end of July.  He started to have liver complications and was not eating or drinking.  He began going to the bathroom in the house and the whites of his eyes were turning yellow. 

As a family we decided it was time for him to be put to sleep.  Richard took him on Saturday, July 26 at 7:30am.  Richard said that Baxter lost almost 10 pounds and was very dehydrated. Baxter went very peacefully and it was over pretty quick.  The vet would spread his ashes over a peace of land they own. 

When Richard came home we both had a good cry.  It was bitter sweet because he was the last of the three animals we had when we first dated.  We are welcoming the freedom of having no animals but will miss him dearly.

Goodbye Baxter and see you another day...

Glenwood Springs

Over the weekend we headed to Glenwood Springs to swim in the hot pools.  I love driving in the canyon and seeing the Colorado River below.  The cliffs are steep and rugged looking.  It is a beautiful drive.  We stopped and walked down to the visitor center crossing the Grizzly Creek to admire the scenery.  The Colorado River was low this year so we got to head down to the shore line and dip our toes and throw some rocks.  We saw some rafters and kayakers go down the river. Nathan loved it and wanted to go straight into the river.  That night we eat at an Italian restaurant called Pippo Nino in the downtown strip.  Ashley actually tried something new and had the shrimp scampi savoy and she liked.  It was baked shrimp in a creamy white Alfredo sauce.  The wine and food was pretty good but a little expensive.


The next day we arrived at the hot spring pools around 7:30am. We were able to grab a good seat and started to swim without the large crowds.  Nathan loved the water! As soon as he got use to it (the yucky taste) he was jumping off the side and splashing around. He does pretty well with just his arm floats. He got so brave that he would want to jump into the water without anyone catching him, dipping all the way into the water.


Ashley had fun again swimming and playing in the nice warm water.  She decided this year since she can touch the bottom for most of the pool and that she did not want to swim with her arm floats.  She practiced swimming the dog paddle and floating on her back.  It was impressive since she has a phobia of the water.  Maybe one year we can get her to go down the water slide.


As the day went on Nathan went down the water slide with Richard four times!  Richard said he was giggling and laughing as they went down.  The life guard at the bottom of the slide asked Nathan if he had fun and he said in his little voice "Yeah, fun!". Around 5pm we headed back to the hotel.  As we were leaving, Nathan said "That was fun", at least four times. 


We got cleaned up and order pizza at Uncles Pizza.  We sat in the garden area of the hotel as the sun was setting and enjoyed the nice warm weather. It was great family fun!

Until next time...

Rustler's Gulch Hike

On July 12th, Richard and I headed to Crested Butte, Colorado to hike the known Rustler's Gulch Maroon Bells National Park trail.  I have always wanted to see the wildflowers that bloom in this area.

We woke up Saturday morning at 2:30am and arrived at the trail by 8:00am - it was a 4.5 hour drive. About 6 miles before we arrived near the trail, we had to go off road with the Minni Cooper. The road was a little rough but not too bad until we had to cross a small river bed - luckily there was enough clearance for the Minni to cross, but we heard rocks sliding underneath. When we came to an even bigger river crossing we decided to not cross it and parked the car.  Luckily the road the to trail was only a few feet away. We had to cross another knee high river bed to get to the dirt road that actual went to the trail head. The hike on the dirt road was the hardest part of the whole trail! 

We finally arrived at the trail head and began our hike.  The trail was a nice gradual up hill climb, and could see lots of yellow sunflowers along the hillside.  We had to hike in a few muddy spots with small waterfalls as well as shallow river crossings. The scenery was breathtaking and the wild flowers were outstanding! I took lots of pictures and stopped to take in the beautiful surroundings. 


We arrived at a half way point where we had to cross a large, fast flowing river to get to the other side of the trail.  We debated crossing, but then decided to hike up off the trail along the river to see if there was another way to across. We finally found a large fallen tree that went across the river which we carefully walked across.  Once we got to the other side we had to find our way back to the main trail and got a little lost. We crossed lots of bushes and Richard stepped in a huge mud pile that went up past his ankle. It even made that yucky swamp sound when took it out.  It was pretty funny!  We were glad when we found the main trail again and came out into a huge meadow full of wild flowers and mountain peaks everywhere. We hiked another 2 miles and came across some snow and the trail disappeared.  We sat and eat while we looked at the huge Maroon Bells peaks and water fall.  

We descended back down the mountain before the storm clouds came.  We had help from a couple that marked the side trail to find the fall tree again, so we avoided getting lost and it was a lot easier to find this time. The temperature started to get warmer and the bugs were buzzing. Half way down we started to feel sore in our legs and feet. I was starting to feel tired and slipped on some mud and fell down hard making the mud go everywhere. Luckily there were plenty of streams to get cleaned up in. By the time we got
back to our car our feet were covered in mud, wet and sore.  

The trail was awesome and I would do it again in a heart beat!  I loved every minute of it!


Until next time...