Hawaii Vacation 2012

STOP!!!  Go grab a drink, maybe a snack, and get yourself a comfy chair.  This is an extra long post and you could be here a while.

We are back from our vacation.  To say we had an amazing time would be the understatement of the century.  There aren't enough words in a Thesaurus to even begin how to describe our week in paradise.  I will say this, we have been looking forward to this vacation for so long that it crossed my mind a few times that I hadn't prepared myself for it not living up to the expectations I had going in.  Luckily, in no way shape or form was I disappointed.  It was everything we imagined it would be and more.  BEST. VACATION. EVER!!
Some pretty excited guys ready to take off.  Funny story...when we were on the plane getting ready to take off and the flight attendant was going over emergency procedures, she was of course mentioning that the seat can also be used as a floatation device, and we thought the boys were listening at all.  All of a sudden, Ryan turns to Rich and says, "Wait, we're not going swimming are we????"

Here is Matthew's Day 1 To-Do List.  I find this highly informative and pretty much spot on.  I was disappointed that we couldn't get him to do this every day....it would have made this process easier on me.

So we get to the car rental place and we had told the boys that we were getting a convertable for the week so that we could get a fun island experience.  And with any other dad, this car probably would have been fine.  However, getting a 6'2" guy in a convertable Mustang...not an easy thing.  There was no room for him and no room for the boys in the back seat.  Poor Ryan had to take off his shoes every time we got in the car because his feet and shoes did not fit in the space behind Rich's seat.  It was bad....and sad....an a little funny too, if we are being completely honest.  It's like when you see really tall person get into really small car and you think to yourself...how does that work??  It doesn't.  We lived it, and it doesn't actually work.

And five minutes into the car ride on the way to the hotel.  A body can only take so much excitement.

I have to say.  I somewhat went through a panic mode while we were driving to our destination.  Because truth be told, the island looked dead and brown.  I was thinking to myself, where in the heck is all the luscious greenery that can be seen for miles???  This is it??  It looked like we were in Elk Grove!!!  Thankfully, THANKFULLY, when we took the Ko'Olina exit, we entered a transformed world that was what I had imagined.  It's a wonder what a little greenery and sprinkler system can do.

This is the entry to the front of the resort.  The whole resort is actually wide open, with hardly any walls or windows.  So when you walk in, it looks straight out over the pool area and ocean.

This is the look from the lobby overlooking one of the restaurant areas, a couple of ponds, and then the lazy river in the back.

We had time to kill because our room wasn't ready, so we took off for a walk around the resort.

This is overlooking the private lagoon.

The check-in desk that I had to take a picture of.  All the pictures were of Hawaii and the culture.  I will say that this place was a perfect mesh of Hawaiian culture and Disney.  The Mouse's ears could not be found all over the place and all over everything like they are at Disneyland.  The Disney aspect was subtle and not over done, which I appreciated.

As I make fun of my husband for his EXTENSIVE RESEARCH...I am grateful for his efforts sometimes.  This happened to be one of those times.  We did not actually pay for an ocean view, which of course was extra, but he had heard that if you request a certain floor with a pool view, you will also see the ocean.  And luckily our request was granted!  This was the view from our room.

Finally!  Welcome Home.

 Matthew giving a thumbs up for the bed.

Once we got in our room, there was no way we were going to waste our time unpacking.  We were so excited to throw on our suits and get in the water.  As we were killing time walking around, it was killing us not to jump in and play!!  It was now definitely time to enjoy the place.  Here we are in the infinity spa.  This was our favorite place to go at sunset because it overlooked the ocean.

Boys playing around in the spa.

Here is the Menehune Bridge.  This was a definite highlight for the boys.  It was a water park that had water coming out of everything and two little water slides.

Here is Matt coming out of one of the water slides.

Both boys did this for HOURS!!!

 

I have to say...the lazy river turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip.  We were always running to get to tube to just relax and float.  A definite highlight for all of  us.

The tube slide was the boys favorite, favorite, favorite!!! 

The boys had breakfast every morning out on the balcony.  I loved our balcony, especially at night, because we could hear the live bands performing each night as we hung out in our room after the pool closed.

The next day, Thursday, was a resort day.  I won't even go into detail about the itinerary I created for each day, including meals and reservations that we had because it was a little much for some people, but necessary for me.  I call this a resort day because off resort days were excursion days and they too were detailed.  Sick, I know, but this is how my mind works.

We were told that shaved ice in Hawaii is the best.  Something about ice cream being on the bottom, topped with shaved ice in your favorite flavor, and then covered with condensed milk.  Sounds a little gross, at least to me it did (I told Rich, you lost me at "covered with condensed milk"), but surprisingly it was delicious!!!

Shaved ice pool side happened more that once ;).

After dinner stroll along the beach for some sunset pictures.

After the sunset, we headed to a grass area overlooking the ocean where the Starlit Hui was.  It is basically like a luau, it tells a story of the island and the culture...just without the meal.  And it's free.  Let me say that again, it was free.  It made the decision for us on whether we would pay for a luau and see our kids eat nothing, not pay attention to the "story", and us be upset with them, easy.  I remember my parents taking me to a luau when I was ten and seeing the pig come out of the hole dug on the beach and not eating a single bite of anything for the rest of the night.  This was an easy decision for us.

 

At the end of the show, the characters came out and we had a dance party out on the grass.  Everyone was dancing and singing.

Best seat in the house.

Some pictures with our favorite friends.

Friday was an off-resort day.  Better yet...ROAD TRIP!  We headed to the Dole Plantation for a little pineapple indulgence.  Oh, and it happened to be a perfect day for the top to be down on the car.

They are about to get their pineapple on!

First order of business...The Pineapple Express.  We took a twenty minute train ride around the grounds and learned about growing pineapples and such.  Did you know a skilled planter can plant 10,000 pineapple plants in one day???  (That's proof I was semi-listening)

After the train ride, we stopped for lunch.  What's a lunch at the plantation without a pineapple float?

This was Rich's first Loco Moco, a traditional Hawaiian meal.  I say first, because not his only of the trip.  It contains a bed of rice, with a hamburger patty, covered then with gravy (in this case chili), and then topped with an egg.

And because you know I don't shy away from local cuisine (wink, wink), I had teriyaki chicken.  You are welcome!

What I am not sure about is this....Is this normal?  Sharing the dining area with mice?  There were several...SEVERAL, and my boys took to them as pets and fed them.  That's a fry he is about to eat!  I would say that I am appalled and disgusted....but I am the one taking the pictures.

After the Dole Plantation, we headed to North Shore.  I love North Shore, it is actually my favorite part of the island.  It is quiet, more locals less tourists, and the beaches are usually quiet and less crowded.  Before we stopped to play at the beach, Rich and I were on a mission to find the house we stayed at six years ago.  We loved this place and it had its own private beach and we had hoped to show the boys and see if Matt had remembered it.  As soon as we found it, I ran up the private driveway, snapping pictures with my phone and camera hoping to not get caught in the act and then I ran like crazy.  I sent the picture to my Aunt Leath and my Mom so I could tell them we were successful in our quest.

Side note---Let me be frank.  If it had not been for our Navigation App on our smartphones, WE WOULD STILL BE DRIVING AROUND THE ISLAND OR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.  Neither of us has any sense of direction and we were at our phones mercy the entire trip.  When our battery was dying, we would freak out and head back to the resort as fast as we could.  It saved us.....SAVED US!!!!

After driving around for a little bit we decided to pull over and let the boys play in the ocean.  Let me remind you that at this time, it was Friday afternoon, our resort has its own private lagoon and not one of us had stuck a toe in the ocean yet.  We're not proud...it's just truth.  So, you could imagine how excited the boys were to run, splash, and throw sand at each other for a couple of hours.

Okay, so truth be told.  The ocean was not exactly a pleasant experience for the boys.  Don't get me wrong, they loved the water, loved playing a cat and mouse game with the waves, they just didn't love the sand.  The aftermath of the sand to be more specific.  See, when you lay in the sand, and the waves wash up and move out, they leave a trail of sand in unwanted places.  This was an issue for both, more for Ryan than Matt, but an issue for both.  They just couldn't deal with sand sticking everywhere, and I mean everywhere. 

Let's blow this popsicle stand!!!

After a day of fun, sun, and sand removable, Rich and I were done!  D-O-N-E!!  It was time to test out Auntie's Beach House.  THE BEST IDEA DISNEY HAS EVER HAD!!!  Basically it is a huge "house", located right by a bar (no joke!) and you can drop off your kids for hours if you want, have them served lunch or dinner, and then pick them up when you are ready.  Saturday was Rich and I's big date night at a restaurant across the street and we were planning to leave the boys at Auntie's while we were at dinner.  We thought it would be a good idea to do a test run just to see if they liked it and if Saturday's dinner needed to be changed from a party of two to a party of four.  Good news, wait no GREAT news, they loved it!!  This became Heather and Rich's second favorite spot at the resort.

You did just read where I said it was located right next to a bar, right??  Now listen, only one of these is mine.  And it is the martini.  The foo-foo drink that sounded delicious came looking like this on the left, and it belonged to Rich. 

Sooooo, to make things more masculine, he ordered a beer and set it next to it.  Drinks and dinner were delish!

We enjoyed a little pool view before heading out for the sunset.

Saturday was another resort day. It was also my first spa day, so you could imagine how excited I was to see 1:00pm come around.  Saturday was also the morning we had the character breakfast.

Real quick...here is a Menehune.  There are over 300 hidden all over the resort and the boys were absolutely obsessed with finding them.  This guy was hanging out in one of the elevators. 

As much as I love this guy...and I do love him something big...I'm going to need at least one vacation in the near future where he and I don't end up in a picture together.  Just one...is it too much to ask?

Mickey waffles just taste better!  Period.

We kinda love her.

This guy is fun too.

This was waiting for us when we got back.  Now technically our anniversary isn't until next month, but we did mention that we were about to celebrate our 47th anniversary, I mean 10th anniversary.  I get carried away....It just seems like it has been that loooooong!  :)

Date night!  After a trip to Auntie's, we were off to Roy's at the Ko'Olina Golf Course.

Our appetizers.  And I want points for eating the raw thingy.  I don't do raw.

This is my dinner.  The catch of the day coated and seared in macadamia nuts on a bed of asparagus with a lemon butter sauce and a lobster sauce.  They had me at lobster sauce.

Rich had the salmon.  And rice.  And herbs that were on the rice.  Okay, my description on his sucks, I really wasn't paying attention to what he ordered.

And the drinkies.  A beer for Rich and a raspberry lemonade martini for me.

 

Both of our meals came with desserts. This was mine.  Chocolate souffle with a raspberry sauce.

Rich had a macadamia dessert with a caramel sauce. 

So you understand that when they brought this to the table, we thanked them extensively and then thought....crap!  Who eats three desserts???   But isn't it pretty?

On Sunday we headed into the "city". The last time we were in Hawaii we had gone to the Aloha Stadium because they have a flea market of sorts there.  We told the boys, if you want to buy anything....now is the time to do it.  It is the cheapest you will find it!  So they found some fun stuff and some not so fun stuff.  Matthew has been obsessed with graffiti lately and so interested in why it is on buildings and train cars and what does it say and mean...all these questions that we just answer the best we can. 

So you understand why it was not shocking at all when this was his big purchase for the day.  And the saddest, and scariest part (especially since we were flying back into Oakland) was that he LOVES it and really never took it off after he bought it.  I love that he tells people the hat was $15.00, the writing was free.

After we left the Aloha Stadium, we headed into Waikiki for lunch and a brief walk around the International Market Place.  This picture was the closest we got to Waikiki beach because approximately three minutes after the boys got in the car, they were asleep.

We decided to take a drive...again, a nod to the navigation gods, and drive up to Hanauma Bay.  We had originally planned on bringing the boys here to snorkel because it is pretty shallow in certain areas, but thought they might now be ready for it.  So we took in the views instead.

I love this picture because when I was little, one of the most vivid memories I have of Hawaii is the low clouds covering the tops of the mountains.  There weren't a lot of high mountains where we were staying and this was the closest I could get to what I had remembered.

Ahhh Leonard's.  I had a direct order from one of my students, Miss Madeline, to NOT leave Oahu without going to Leonard's for malasadas.  We went, we tasted, we loved.  I'm so glad we went because I sent her a picture of us eating and I think she liked it!

Finally back for a little pool time.  I took this picture because everyday when we were at the pool, we would see fighter jets do fly-bys over us.  It was the coolest thing because we could hear them before we could see them and then they would "buzz the tower", if you will. 



On Tuesday, we told the boys that we were going to the lagoon in the morning and try snorkeling for a little bit.  This turned out to be not only funny, but incredibly pathetic.  I'm not sure people would actually consider it "snorkeling" when the depth of the water was three inches.  Call me crazy, but....

And Ryan, not to be outdone by Matthew, was doing a little "snorkeling" of his own. 

This beach thing is not so bad!!  They actually had a blast playing in the ocean.  But, in all honesty, oceans don't have tube slides and so this venture out of the pool area was short lived.

A view from the beach. 

After some pool time, and during my spa service, the boys signed up to do a lei making class.  It turns out the class was right outside our balcony and when I got home, I saw the boys out on the lawn making leis.

These turned out fantastic and you will see pictures of us wearing them shortly.

After the class, we headed to lunch.  This is a restaurant called 'AMA'AMA. It was the only restaurant that overlooked the ocean, so we had to try it out before we left. 

Loving the view!

On our last night, Rich and I headed to Chuck's, which was a couple of lagoons down for happy hour.  We went there two different nights and had cocktails and a free show each night.  It was a nice little getaway while the boys were at Auntie's.  Here is a view walking back from dinner.

After dinner, we were in such denial that it was our last night.  In no way shape or form were we ready to leave.  Denial, denial, denial.  So, we took to the pool for the last time before the fire pit storytelling.

This was taken as we were walking out to our car on our way to the airport.  It turned out to be one of my favorite pictures of the entire trip!

Eight days worth of wrist bands!!

Hang Loose.

The night before we were flying back to reality, I made Rich guarantee a return trip and we already have the date picked out.  I really can't say enough about our stay and the experience we had while here.  It was a dream vacation and I think one of the best times the four of us have ever had.

Mahalo Aulani, from the Marini Ohana.

Click HERE for a video postcard that the boys made.

Summer Vacation--Week 1

In the years past, I have had a summer to do list a mile long including such tedious tasks such as clean out pantry, rearrange summer clothes, go into the playroom and dump half of it contents in bags for Goodwill, and more importantly...have house picked up, in case anyone drops by unexpectedly, so people don't believe a family of fourteen, instead of four, lives here and never picks up after themselves.  That was my master plan...and it's off to a lack luster start.

In the week we have been off, I have accomplished none of that.  I have merely been counting the days until our vacation.  Something that seemed would NEVER get here, is now a few days away, and I feel like locking everyone in a room lined with padded walls and foam furniture so that no one will get hurt and we will board a plane soon with everyone in one piece.  I have been packing for what seems like months because truth be known, my carry-on has been in my closet for months and as I bought things, I would toss them in.  The boys have been packed as of day two of our break, which is sad, but true.  We are on the hurry up and wait schedule and I am about out of patience.

I think we are anxious for a number of reasons.  This is our first big family vacation that includes Ryan.  We were in Hawaii six years ago, Matt was two and I was pregnant with Ryan, and that was our last big vacation.  I don't count the Disneyland trips as family vacations, which again is sad, but true.  To many other families that is their family vacation.  I really consider it a weekend getaway now because that is the length of time we are usually gone.  This trip...this is more like it.  I feel that anytime you board a plane and there is drink service, is my type of vacation. 

Ryan has never been on a plane before.  We are trying to not talk about it and he seems so excited to go next week that he has really forgotten about getting on the plane.  Thank God.  Because I know him and this will be a daily discussion that drags on forever and is never really settled.  He's is like Matt in that way...things never really go away, they get filed away and have the right to resurface at any time.

Matt is stoked!  He can't wait.  The plane ride, the hotel, the pool...everything, he is ready.  As long as we continue to say that Diamond Head has not been an active volcano for some time, he seems to be okay with being on the island in general.  Again, these are the things that take a rest and have the right to come back to be questioned as many times as necessary.

I look forward to boring you to death with pictures and stories of our getaway. 

Ryan's Graduation...Officially Ready for Kindergarten!!

You gotta love a preschool that accepts an invitation to have a graduation at a winery.  A little girl in Ryan's class is lucky to live at this place! Oak Farm Winery might be the coolest place I have been in a while.  More pictures to come down below, but it is only fair we talk about the boy who graduated today!  (BTW...Music choice selected by Ryan because it is one of his three favorite songs)

The procession walking in...

I was lucky enough to snap this picture when he was looking at me...because he wouldn't make eye contact most of the walk in.

Look closely at the bottom of this picture...there is a slight wave of his hand.  It's slight, but it's there!

Ryan getting his award from his teacher Ms. Lori.  She has been the best teacher for him and we have loved having her as his teacher.

A proud, proud boy!!

There Star of the Week posters were hung all along the outside patio area.  Notice that Kobe got an honorable mention three times and there is only one picture of his parents.

Perfect place for a bounce house!

The eating area.  Next to this is an old barn with light strung across..perfect place for parties.

Time to go....Happy Graduation Ryan!!!!

And now a picture walk of Oak Farm Winery. 

The old barn and the new patio structure.

Even though they hold events on the property, the family lives at the main house which is located in the middle of property.

 This is where the ceremony was held.  The large oak tree, the center focus of the back property is unbelievably beautiful.

This is the view past the oak tree on the opposite side.

And one shall never go without a man-made pond in your backyard.

Out back by the pool.

My summer to-do list.  We are making the boys learn how to swim this summer.  They don't want to simply because they have a fear of just trying to learn, but safety out rules everything and it's time to be safe.  Isn't this picture pitiful?  Rules are...If you can't swim, you don't get to get near a pool.  Hopefully this will motivate them to learn!

Mother's Day 2012

Happiest of Mother's Day to all mothers.

I kicked off my Mother's Day at my happiest place yesterday...The Spa at Wine and Roses.
I have to thank my dear friend Jenn who is one of the managers there and suggested someone who she thought I would enjoy for my masseuse.  Best. Massage. Ever.  Me and the MGC Ladies went to an early breakfast and then headed over to The Nest where we abused our bathrobe and flip flop privileges of lounging for a couple of hours, enjoying our services, and then lounging for a couple more hours.  It was such a beautiful day we even threw on our suits and took in a little sun.  After, we headed for a late lunch before returning back to reality.  It was heavenly and just what we all needed.

Sunday morning, I woke up to a VERY anxious little boy who was so over this "waiting for Mother's Day" thing to happen.  He stood over me just until he was positive I was awake and then ran into the living room, "She's awake, she's awake."  Okay, technically...I wasn't and I REALLY wanted to roll over and continue sleeping, but I thought I had tortured him enough.  You see, it is SO difficult for a five year old to make a gift for you days before and keep it a secret.  He has wanted to tell me for days what he made me and I have cut him off several times yelling..."Don't tell me!!!  I don't want to know!!  I want to be surprised!!!"  Because I do.  I LOVE surprises.  I don't like it when I know what I am getting...ever.  Remember Rich knowing that we were having boys each time and I didn't have a clue???  That's me...it's my thing.  Period.  So, I held true to my guns and I wouldn't let him tell me.  And it made this morning even better.

As I rolled over to get up, I noticed two maps on the pillows next to me. One from Matthew and the other from Ryan. They were maps to each of my gifts. Maps in hand, I headed down the hall for a game of "warmer/colder." I found Ryan's first (not because of the map...because the map was...unique). When I found it he squealed with delight and I finally was able to open his gift.

Ryan kept saying, "See Mom, it's from me.  It says, 'Love, Ryan'.  See, and that person is me.  It says Ryan."

My candle holder...  How sweet is this??

The next treasure I found (from the more accurate map) was from Matt.

This is the first of two cards from Matthew.

Do you love the "letting me live"?  And then asking for something in return...

And here is me in my housecoat. 

Okay, I'm over the housecoat....look what he put inside. :)

After the gifts, we headed to breakfast.  The best part of breakfast was Matthew and his meal.  By the time we actually got to breakfast, it was late and the boys were HUNGRY!  Matthew wanted pancakes and not just kid pancakes, but adult pancakes...two adult pancakes.  We tried to tell him that it was too much, but he insisted he could finish them both.  Even our waitress looked at him and said, "Really?"

He is feeling pretty confident.

Last bite...

I am not proud of this at all!!!!!!!!!!

One should not be so pleased with himself...he doesn't even look miserable!  However, when you have your younger brother chanting, "Man vs. Food, Man vs. Food, Man vs. Food!!!," it gives you that extra boost to finish off your meal.

After that we headed home for a day of laziness.  I finished Book Two of Fifty Shades, started another book, napped, had dinner, then booked my two spa treatments for our Hawaii trip.  All in all....a good day.  I'm blessed!

Sad News...

Last November we were lucky enough to go and have dinner at Fire Station #1 downtown Lodi.  Here is the link from the post I did after we went.  It was an amazing experience.  Not only did we get a tour of the station, play around with some fire equipment, we also got to have dinner with all of the fireman.  During dinner we were able to ask questions and hear stories about there day to day life and different calls they had been on.  One gentleman in particular, Captain Joe Hansen, was extremely friendly and very gracious to us throughout the entire night.  In fact, talking to him through dinner was the one of the highlights of the evening.  And that is why it was devastating to hear that he had passed away Friday.

As we left that night, we had realized that this rare opportunity we had just experienced was something truly special and we are forever grateful for our night with them.  Especially Captain Hansen.

Captain Hansen is on the right, listening in to our friend John explain things to the kids.