Our Trip to Hawaii...

...and some other stuff too! Warning...this will contain a fair amount of pictures and could get quite lengthy so you might want to grab a snack, or at least get comfy.

So before we left for Hawaii I had mentioned about a little project we were going to be working on. We Masons don't believe in packing days ahead of time, because where's the challenge in that?! Starting on Thursday, my mom and I laid down new flooring in the dining room and living room. We ripped up the nasty old carpet (although we found remnants of even nastier stuff underneath...think rusty orange shag), took out the tack strips and baseboards, scraped off the glue, put down the plastic liner and foam pad, and then went to work on laying down the flooring. I will say that the project, although very time and energy consuming, was not too difficult. We ended up finishing around 9 pm on Friday night, leaving a little time to pack for the trip. Would I want to do it again any time soon? Not a chance. But here's a major pat on the back to my mom and I! Here are some pictures of the before, during and after...



Saturday morning we woke up much earlier than I ever care to and headed off to Hawaii. Jeff and I got to ride on the new Hawaiian Airlines airbus. We got the bulkhead row, which had so much leg room, I could straighten my legs out in front of me without touching the wall. Sweet. You also got your own screens with games and movies, and there were screens that continuously cycled through with updates on our whereabouts, the outside temperature, how much longer we had to go, etc. That was entertaining enough for us! Oh yes, and neon pink, purple, and blue lights glowing above the overhead compartments. We got to the Big Island around 1 pm and were definitely ready for a week of relaxation.

On Sunday, we took a drive around the island with multiple stops along the way. First stop...Tex's for some malasadas! They're a Big Island must! YUM!


Next stop, Akaka Falls, the biggest waterfall on the island. It was so lush and tropical in there, and we know why. We started to get rained on during our hike! We were on the wet side of the island after all...



After a stop for lunch, we headed into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We walked through the lava tube, looked down at some of the craters and steam vents, and stretched our legs out a little after being in the car for so long. A part of Crater Rim Drive is closed because the sulfur levels are too high, so we couldn't do the whole loop. And in order to see the lava during the day, there's an 11 mile hike roundtrip. No thanks! Still very neat to think about how active the earth is underneath us!



Our final stop on our trip around the island, was the black sand beach. Okay, there are lots of black sand beaches on the Big Island, but this is more sand-like instead of chunks. There were even 2 turtles resting there. Don't worry, no sand was stolen, even though Derek really wanted to. No ticking off Pele and the tiki gods!




On Tuesday, I babysat Grady while everyone else went sport-fishing. It was great getting to hang out with my little nephew, and he took extra long naps for his Aunt! We had lots of fun finding the geckos, reading books, taking walks, and of course I used some PT techniques to help him learn how to get on and off the couch safely by himself. I can't help myself...it's a disease!


Wednesday night was the luau. Grady wasn't too fond of the dancers and noises...they were a bit too intimidating! But the rest of us had a good time!


Thursday and Friday were spent relaxing, shopping, walking around downtown Kailua-Kona, and kayaking at Captain Cook. Saturday we had to leave the house we rented. Melissa and Derek went surfing in the morning. Then we all smooshed into the van with all our gear, had lunch and headed to the airport. Jeff and I spent an extra night up along the Kohala Coast at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. It was gorgeous, and had a white sand beach...my favorite! It is rated the best swimming beach in all of Hawaii. And the place we stayed was amazing. 5-star service all around...almost a little creepy when they know your name everywhere you go. Jeff took me out to Roy's for our last night. I can still taste the lava cake! And on Sunday, Jeff and I flew home. We got the airbus and bulkhead again...what luck!



And here are just some other random shots...




Thanks Mike and Becky for an amazing trip! It was so nice to get away and relax!

Since being back on the mainland, I've been at my ortho review at school. We've been meeting every day to discuss topics and practice our skills. Not that bad, just very tiring. I haven't felt this exhausted in a while. Today was the last day, and I shouldn't have to go back to class until our board review course in October. Woohoo! For this weekend, I'm planning on resting up, finally unpacking, organizing, and getting ready for a busy July. Happy 4th of July everyone!

we're back...

...and we're not happy about it! Sadly, we are now back in CA. BOO! And I'm officially freezing my butt off right now. We got home late (1 am) last night after two absolutely amazing and incredible weeks. Sorry I didn't post more while we were there, but I was having too much fun enjoying my time there. So here's a recap of all that happened since The BIG Question...


We did a whole lot of lounging around and doing nothing. To some, including Jeff, this is quite boring, but he grudgingly allowed me to get some sun time (not that you can tell) and non-textbook reading in. Thank you Jeff! This trip was all about relaxing for me, and I must say that I feel quite rested.

A bunch of us also went zip-lining, which I strongly suggest to anyone if you get the opportunity. It was so much fun and we had perfect weather for it too. I hope to be able to do it again someday, and I would probably even do it again at the same place the next time we're back in Hawaii. We got to go on 8 different lines, did some hiking, and ate a delicious lunch. The views were amazing and it was really cool to go on private land and see a new part of the island. The company is part of EcoAdventures, meaning they give you information about the area and history of the island as you go along. So it was also an educational experience. PLUS, some of our money gets donated to conservation efforts on Maui...I mean, really, does it get any better than this?!

I got sick starting Christmas Eve, and was sick for almost a week. Thanks for the germs Jeff! Even though it stunk being sick, I made the most of it, because heck...we were in Hawaii! We went on a kayaking trip, which you got to go snorkeling at one point. Of course, I was not completely better at this point and due to my excessive head congestion, got sea-sick after snorkeling for a while. So Jeff and I swam back to the kayaks and I got in and tried not to feed the fish and he quickly paddled us back into shore. I collapsed on the beach and didn't move for an hour and when we got home, passed out on the bed and didn't move for over 2 hours. I woke up looking a little less green, but didn't go snorkeling any more after that...just to be safe.

Once I was feeling better, we went golfing with my uncle and cousin. When we first got there and were ready to go, it started pouring right as we sat down in our carts. So then we fiddled around in the near-by town of Makawao, where my friend from Cal Poly, Hailey, lives. She is also going to PT school in San Francisco and was home for the holidays. So I called her up and she met us in town for a little bit while we waited for the rain to let up. We didn't have much to talk about besides how awful our lives are in school, but it was good to see her again. Then we decided to try golfing again, and were successful. The course was amazing! A little country club that mostly only locals know about/go to. From some of the holes you can see all the way down to the ocean. Pretty cool, and on one of the holes I got a hole in 2! :) I wish I had more time to golf, but it's one of those things that requires both time and money...two things I don't have.

We did lots of eating, and I mean lots! It was nice to eat things besides mashed potatoes and oatmeal. My grandparents took us all out to a fabulous dinner at Roy's, which has the most amazing hot chocolate lava cake that I could seriously just live off of. We ate more malasadas, lots of fish tacos, guri-guri (Japanese ice cream), and Jeff even tried poi...and swallowed it!


My mom took lots of photos of Jeff and me, which we might even use as our engagement photos. I haven't looked too closely at all of them, but some of them are really good. Way to go Mom! And thank you Jeff for bearing with us as we took all the pictures.

Anyway, lots of beautiful sunsets, swimming in the water, colorful fish, relaxing in the sun, walking on the beach, and all around fun. I think about sums everything up without going into every little detail of the trip. Except, that my mom and I went to the scrapbooking store and spent an hour and a half there while Jeff and my cousin waited very patiently for us to go through all the Hawaiian papers, stickers, die-cuts, borders, etc. Betty...you would have been in heaven!


Alright, I really should get to bed. Tomorrow is a 13.5 hour day and while it feels still pretty early to me, it's really not. Just wanted to update everything. Not looking forward to tomorrow, but hopefully it won't be too bad. Right... Thanks Gam and Papa for an amazing trip that was truly special. I wish it had gone by slower, but not everything can go our way! I will send out pictures once I get a chance to upload them all online. Let me know if you want them. Until next time, ALOHA!

the best gift EVER...really!!!

Merry Christmas everyone...a day late! Today it is raining, so I thought I'd update this a little bit. We've been keeping ourselves busy with snorkeling and eating and relaxing. I've introduced Jeff to malasadas, which are Portuguese donuts covered in sugar. And of course we've made time for shave ice! And then there's all the other goodies that the island brings. I feel like we've been eating our way through this trip, but at least the swimming and walking down the beach will help burn off some of those delicious calories! :)


And now for the main reason to update this...Most of you have already heard by now, but....


JEFF AND I ARE ENGAGED!!!

He popped the question when we went out for a walk on the beach at sunset on the 23rd, and of course I said yes. I kind of had a feeling something was up by the way he was acting so weird and wouldn't let me set my stuff down or turn around to head back toward the condos. And yes, I cried...I was crying before he even got a word out. Don't worry, the wedding won't be until after I'm finished with school. There's no way I could even fathom trying to plan a wedding with the amount of spare time I have. So, keep spring/summer of 2011 open because that's when it'll be!


Well, there's not much I could say that could top that news. We're just enjoying our time here being lazy bums. I'll probably try to get a fair amount of studying in today with the less than perfect weather, although it looks like it might be clearing up in a little bit. Hope Santa treated you well, and you had a happy holiday. Until next time, ALOHA!

We made it!

Aloha from Hawaii!!! We made it in late (11:30ish) on Saturday night and left the gloomy, cold weather in California behind. Current conditions in Maui: 79º with a slight breeze. Current conditions back home: 52º and raining. Yeah...not missing that!

Yesterday we didn't do a whole heck of a lot. After sleeping in, we had breakfast on the Lanai and watched the waves crash on the beach. Then Jeff and I had a walk on the beach and went for a swim in the ocean and some sun time. We had fish tacos for lunch and then ran a bunch of errands, picking up odds and ends that we forgot on the mainland and buying groceries. Jeff has come down with a cold and spent all yesterday late afternoon/evening/night in bed, but is feeling better today. He's taking it easy so that we can go snorkeling tomorrow and go see the turtles that are hanging out in the reefs by our place. Here is our first sunset of the trip...

Hopefully there will be many many more of these to come.

I've gotten some homework done, grudgingly. I read a chapter on the plane and have finished my take-home test. There's still plenty to do, but I'm just trying to get a little bit down every day so it's not so overwhelming. And heck, if I have to study, at least this is what I get to look at the whole time...

I am in charge of dinner tonight. On the menu: baked ziti, salad, and french bread, with ice cream for dessert. I'll be glad to be done with my turn so early on in the trip. Then I can just relax and not deal with the stress of feeding 13 people on time. Anyway, I should get back to the studying. FUN FUN! Oh well. Whenever I start to get sick of studying I'll just look up and think...look where we are!!!