That Day We Spent 10 Hours Chasing Waterfalls

 twin falls

The first stop was Twin Falls.  It was still pretty early and we knew it wasn't going to be a long walk so we kept our flip flops on.  It was fine but half way through I wish we'd changed.  It was so beautiful and so quiet.  It was the perfect start on our journey to Hana. 

the three bears

The next stop was even better.  We had to park our car on the side of the street and then walk back to see it.  The Gypsy guide said you could go down to get a closer look but that he didn't recommend it.  Well, we decided to go for it.  It's hard to even tell that you can.  It's like going into a giant ditch at the side of the road.  We held onto the rocks and climbed down.  There wasn't really the clearest of paths to the falls.  We wound our way over rocks, under trees and through streams.  I lost my balance and stepped in the water fully submerging my left foot tennis shoe and all.  We got to a point where we had a good view of the water falling down the rock but couldn't see the pool of water that it was landing in.  There were giant boulders blocking our view so we kept climbing to get closer.  I'm so glad we did.  When the pool came into view it was breathtaking.  There was another couple that made the climb down when we did.  It looked like they weren't going to keep going.  I said, "Come on.  You need to see this."  It was simply amazing.

That bridge over my head is the street that we climbed down from

waianapanapa State Park

black sand beach

At Waianapanapa State Park we stopped at Black Sand Beach first.  It's a beach with black sand and it's really pretty.  Then we headed for the trail which is basically a big circle.  I felt like I was in some kind of fantasy adventure movie like Hansel and Gretel or The Hobbit.  Moss covered rocks.  Babbling streams and trees so lush that the sun was completely blocked out.  The air was crisp and cooler in there and it's so quiet you can hear your each and every step.  We happened upon a cave with a pool in it.  That's the best way I can describe it.  There were four people swimming in it and one of the guys challenged us to jump in.  The only way to get in is to jump and then you have to climb out.  I was too scared because I can't swim but MJ went for it.  It was pretty damn cool to see him swimming in a cave in the rain forest.

Black Sand Beach

See how clear the water is?

haleakala national park

 pipiwai trail, bamboo forest

waimoku falls

seven sacred pools

The last stop was my favorite and most anticipated one of the trip.  In all we spent about 3 hours in Haleakala National Park.  The first thing we did was hit Pipiwai Trail because it's a 4 mile hike (round trip) and I wanted to make sure we had enough time to enjoy it.  I got really hot so I took off my shirt. 

I'm so lame.  I was trying to open the gate from the wrong side and nearly broke the darn thing.  Oops.

We walked deeper and deeper into the wilderness until we finally hit the Bamboo forest.  I was so excited! We were surrounded by sky high thick shoots of bamboo so deep and so thick that it blocked out the sun.  I'm telling you.  It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced in my life.  By the time we headed back it was almost pitch black in there.  And oh so quiet and peaceful.  It makes you feel so small and like you are the only one on the planet to be so surrounded by nature.

After what seemed like forever we started to hear the rush of water in the distance.  The ground got muddier and then we got to a part where all that was left of the trail was boulders scattered across a stream of water.  We were getting closer!  It took us 1 1/2 hours and it was so worth it.  Waimoku Falls is by far the largest and most powerful waterfall compared to the other three.  It is truly magnificent.  People gathered around staring at it but not everyone was going in.

Waimoku Falls

I think we're going to ignore that sign

There was a long stretch of rocks leading up to the pool.  I looked at that crisp cool water and said, "I'm doing it."  Mj was shocked.  I stripped off my clothes and started making my way to the falls.   I got as close as I could before taking off my shoes.  Bare feet on rock is kinda painful so this is where aqua socks would have come in handy.  I almost fell down several times but I  had walked so long and so far to get there nothing was going to stop me.  The bottom of the pool is covered in rocks too so even once I got in there it was hard to move around without falling.  The roar of the water was really loud and the water rushing down was so cold but I was so excited I barely noticed.  I had my photo op then MJ had his.  I actually had to go back and do it all over again because he didn't get not a single decent shot of me the first time.  There was no way I was leaving without preserving this forever so back over the rocks I went.  We knew we had to get moving to get on the road before sunset so we were booking it on the way back.  It took us 45 minutes to get back so Pipiwai Trail took us about 2 1/2 hours all together.

Me in my 3rd outfit of the day.  4th if you count the bikini.

It was a quick hike to Seven Sacred Pools.  When we get there I see kids and babies chilling on the rocks with their parents.  I was like, how did they get these babies over here? We had a hard enough time making it on our own.  It's all rock and there is no clear path.  MJ went in first to test the depth and it's a good thing he did because that side was pretty deep and I can't swim.   I got in from a different side and then he literally had to carry me in because I was too afraid to let my legs touch all the moss that that was growing up the sides.  I might be brave enough to stand under a 400 foot waterfall but I'm still a girly girl.  On the way back I lost my balance and my left foot went in the water.  I was used to it by then.

Seven Sacred Pools

sexy face

It was a quick walk back to our car after that.  My shoes were so filthy I tossed them in the trash and put my flip flops on and then it was a 3 hour drive home.  We spent 10 hours chasing water falls that day.  We got to experience the wonder and beauty of Hana together and it was so much fun.  It was the longest, most exhausting but also the most exhilarating and best day of our entire vacation.

Our Last Days in Maui

Tips on driving the road to Hana

Surviving the Road to Hana

The Road to Hana aka Hwy 360 is a 55 mile stretch of road that is literally carved into the mountainside though a lush rain forest on the Eastern coastline of Maui.  It has 620 curves and 59 bridges.  The bridges allow two way traffic but are only wide enough for one lane of road.  It is narrow, curvy, sometimes blind and it goes on like that for hours.  I read that driving the Road to Hana will either be the best day of your vacation or the worst and I totally believe it.

I read way too many reviews so I was really nervous about us doing this on our own.  Motion sickness.  One way streets and windy roads with a drop off down a mountain on one side.  Crazy drivers and locals who won't slow down.  Rental car contract violations.  Some people said, they saw a lot of close calls, it was awful, scary and they would never ever do it again.  Other people said it wasn't so bad.  The guy running our hotel orientation scared me even more.  He said we'd spend $70 bucks on gas, it was a huge risk and we should leave it to the experts.  I had visions of us tumbling down the side of a mountain in a horrible roll over crash.  The tours were going for $125 plus per person which is really expensive for something we could do on our own.  That's part of why we wanted a rental car.  Mj left the decision up to me but he was pretty confident he would have no problem. I should never have doubted him.

Hana itself is unremarkable.  I barely even realized we were there.  The Road to Hana is all about the journey and oh my gosh it was so freaking amazing!!!  In my book it was the best day of our vacation and if you go to Maui you HAVE GOT to experience this.  Here are some tips.

Drive yourself vs GuidedTour 
If you or your travel partner is a confident competent driver the road to Hana is totally doable.  If not, then forget it because it's a really intense drive.  I tend to be a timid anxious driver.  I probably would have gotten us killed or at the very least suffered a nervous breakdown but Mj handled it like a champ.  All the bridges allow two way traffic but are only one lane.  There are yield signs before each bridge.  Everyone is supposed to take their turn crossing it with opposing traffic.  There are blind curves and narrow roads the entire way but he drove slow and paid attention and he did well.  I don't think I saw any stretch of road that was right next to the side of the mountain without a guardrail.  Guided tours are so structured.  We like the freedom to stop when we want and spend as much time as we want on each stop.  It was comforting to see the tour buses along the way.  It let us know that we were on track time wise but they stopped at more places then we would have wanted to and didn't stay long enough at others.  I was most looking forward to Pipiwai trail and we would not have had time to do that stop the way we wanted to if we had been on a tour.  He didn't say it but I think he really wanted the opportunity to handle a drive like that.  It's pretty cool to be able to say you did it.  Be sure to gas up in Paia if you are low on gas because it's the last chance until you come back.  It only took a little over 1/4 tank of gas in our Altima.

 

close call:  tour bus vs car

Buy the Gypsy Guide
We decided not to do a guided tour but I didn't want to do this thing blindly.  If we were going to do this on our own I wanted to do it right.  We needed some guidance.  I read about the Gypsy Guide on Trip Advisor.  It's available for iPhone and Android and is only $5 in the app store. Once you download it to your phone no cell service is required and it's GPS based so as you drive along the narrator knows exactly where you are, gives you suggestions for places to stop and guides you along the way.  On the way back it provides a lot of Hawaii history that was great for keeping us occupied on the long drive home.  It was perfect!  The guy has a really nice voice too.  It totally enhanced our experience and was so helpful.  Make sure you have a car charger to keep it going.  There are free Maui guides all over and one of them will have Hana information in it.  Bring that along too.

Leave Early
Driving the Road to Hana is an all day thing because you don't just drive there and drive back.  Well, you could but you would miss out on so much.  Hana itself is a typical small town in Maui but the journey along the way is what makes it such an adventure.  You don't want to rush and you also don't want to be stuck driving those crazy roads in the dark the whole way back.  We found out that the tour buses leave at 6:15 so that was our goal.  We set our alarm for 5:45 am and left the hotel by 6:25 am.  Paia is the city that leads to the Road to Hana and it took us 45 minutes to get there from our hotel in Lahaina.  Once you hit those narrow one lane roads you can't drive any faster then about 20-40 miles max the whole way.  With stops it took us a total of 7 hours to get from Lahaina to Haleakala National Park which was our last stop.  We didn't leave Haleakala until 4:30 pm so that was 10 hours spent on the way there. On the way back we hit Paia at 7:00 pm so that was 2 1/2 hours from Haleakala to Paia and then another 45 minutes to Lahaina.  So without stops the drive back was 3 hours and 15 minutes.  All together it was a 13 hour excursion for us.  It's basically a rain forest with a road in he middle of it.  There are no street lights.  It gets pitch black after the sun sets so we did get caught in the dark but only towards the end of the drive. It was the only day we had to use an alarm clock.  I cannot believe we were up by 7am and moving constantly every single day we were in Europe.  I don't know how we did it. I could barely keep my eyes open on the way home I was so tired.  I read on Trip Advisor that a lot of people rent a hotel room and stay in Hana for the night.

Plan Your Stops
You may not have time to stop at every look out spot so decide what you HAVE to see and plan around that.  I had my eye on Pipiwai Trail and the bamboo forest. It's a 4 mile round trip hike and it's the very last stop so we needed to leave plenty of time for it.  We didn't stop everywhere the Gypsy App suggested and I don't know what we missed out on but the four we did were AMAZING!  We did Twin falls, Three bears, Waianapanapa Park including Black Sand Beach and Haleakala National Park including Pipiwai Trail, Waimoku Falls, and the Seven Sacred Pools.  There was a $10 fee per car for Haleakala. 

Bring food AND bug spray
It's a really long day so you will need to eat at some point.  We stopped for McDonald's Egg White Delight Sandwiches for breakfast on the way in.  Along the way there are plenty of roadside stands to stop for food  but I was glad that we didn't have to.  It saved us time.  We picked up Subway the night before and stopped at Hana Bay to eat it on the way there.  Most of the shops and little highway stands close at 5pm so stop for something early in the drive back if you are hungry.  The mosquito's were all over Pipiwai trail.  I got about 8 on one leg alone.  The sad thing is that we took the time to pick up bug spray but then never put it on.  You need it.  And bring it with you so you can re apply after swimming.

Wear a bathing suit AND real shoes
The trails we climbed were pretty rigorous and muddy.  You need comfortable shoes.  Ones you can get dirty in.  Some of the trails led right through streams where you literally had to hop from rock to rock to get to the other side.  At Three Bears I miscalculated and my right foot sock, tennis shoe and all went in the water.  At Seven Sisters it was the left.  Don't think that you are better off without the wet socks.  Trust me you aren't.  Wet socks inside wet tennis shoes is way better then bare foot in wet shoe.  Aqua socks would have been perfect to carry along and waterproof hiking boots would have been ideal.  We did our first stop with flip flops and that was pushing it.  We saw people doing Pipiwei in flip flops and I don't know how they made it.  The tennis shoes I brought were my older back up set and I literally threw them in the trash at our last stop.  Mj planned on keeping his but after zip lining AND Hana he ended up trashing his too.  If you want to experience swimming in a waterfall and trust me, you do, wear a bathing suit under your clothes.  There are signs warning of flash floods but none telling you that you can't get in.  We each carried really light nylon backpacks with us.  The camera mostly stayed around our necks.

Drive back the way you came
Apparently, if you continue forward after Haleakala National Park and leave that way making a full circle instead of leaving the way you came there are some interesting sights.  If you do that you are taking a huge risk because the roads are really bad, there is no cell reception and if you get stuck out there you are on your own.  The Gypsy narrator explicitly advises you that if you go that way the Gypsy tour is over.  It's so risky that  it invalidates your rental contract if you break down or cause damage to the car out there.  I  didn't even bother to check ours.  Even if we wanted to we were running out of time.  I already knew it was a risk we didn't want to take.  We took the longer and relatively safer way back. 

My next post will be about the four AMAZING stops we did.  I meant to fit Hana into one post but I just couldn't do it!

The Road to Hana Sights

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Not as Scary as it Looks

It was his idea to go zip lining.  I didn't really know what it was.  When he first mentioned it I was thinking it was something like bungee jumping and I said no way.  I've been sky diving before but I honestly don't know if I can ever do anything like that ever again.   It was that scary. 

We made reservations with Sky-Line Eco Adventures, Maui.  It got good reviews on Trip Advisor and it was only a few miles from our hotel.  The office is located in a strip mall.  We had to sign the pre-requisite form that I didn't actually read but I'm assuming said something like if you die or become seriously injured it's not our fault and you can't sue us.  We were all given cool water bottles which I thought was a nice touch. 

We were handed helmets as we piled into a van and took an extremely bumpy ride to the zip-line site.  So bumpy I was launched into the air a few times and bounced my head off the top of the van.  That only happened once.  Now I know why they gave us helmets for the drive. There were 2 cool guides and they were both cracking jokes the whole time.  After we got out of the van we were lead over to a covered area where we were given our gear.  We had to put on these heavy duty vinyl straps and told to clip our water bottle to it.  We each got this pretty heavy silver thing that turned out to be the piece of metal that holds us to the zip- line.  They set out  a giant rubber-maid bin for us to place our belongings in and it was locked with a padlock for safe keeping.  They also provided fanny packs if you had items you wanted to carry while zip-lining.  Our DLSR camera went around our neck and it wasn't a problem while zip-lining. 

We walked to the first of 8 lines.  I was really nervous.  I had the same kind of out of body experience that I had when I went sky diving where I knew I was there and that I was doing it but didn't really believe it and was kind of wishing I could back out.  By that time there are no refunds. I wasn't wasting my money so there was no turning back.  The guide explained where to put our hands and told us step by step what to do.  One by one each person zipped across.  Mj went before me.  He wasn't scared at all.  I went dead last getting more and more nervous as it got closer to my turn.  When it was my turn oddly enough I still didn't really believe I was about to jump off even as he grabbed the silver thing from me and started to hook me up.  Basically, you walk down a set of stairs to nowhere and when your feet leave the ground you are zip-lining through the air.  That's it.

Half way through we stopped for a snack that they provided and there was a bathroom stop.  They gave us a chance to take pictures and took pictures for us.  There was some hiking in between each jump site but nothing too crazy.  The whole thing took about 4 hours.  I read way too many reviews.    So many people complained about the red dirt and how it stained so I was all worried about ruining my clothes but it really wasn't that bad at all.   I brought my old set of tennis shoes that I didn't care about and they turned red but not as bad as people made it seem. Unless you fell down and rolled around in the dirt none of it gets on your clothes.  I like all this adventure stuff but I'm kind of a girly girl.  I think I was more worried about my clothes then flying through the air on a metal wire.

As we went along the lines got longer and longer and I wasn't afraid anymore.  If you start to twist then you turn your wrist into the direction that you are twisting to straighten up.  My first landing was a little rough but after that I learned to keep my feet in front of my body and got better.   It was so much fun!  I just had to trust those guys that they knew what they were doing when they hooked me up and it was fine.  There was always one person to send you off and another person at the other end to slow you down and catch you.  They were very reassuring.  The views were spectacular.  I really tried to look around and take in everything in on each zip.  They told everyone that we had to jump off backwards at the second to last zip.  We didn't really HAVE to but everyone did.  Our guide said we really lucked out on the weather too.  It was clear but with just enough cloud cover so that the sun wasn't blazing down on us the whole time.

After that we shared a meal at a place in the same strip mall.  We stopped at our favorite grocery store again to get something light to eat for dinner.  I realized that we had been there every single day sometimes twice in a day since our arrival.  There was still time for the pool and it was happy hour so we changed, ordered drinks and spent a few hours there.  That night we tried to watch a movie but fell asleep on it.

We really needed our sleep that night because the next day we were going to Hana.  And the road to Hana starts ridiculoulsy early.

The Road to Hana

Maui Wowie

Day one of a vacation is so full of promise and adventure.  We had finally arrived after so much anticipation and exhausting travel with all the days of our glorious vacation ahead of us to look forward to.  It felt great.  It felt like we were going to be there forever.  I had this moment where I wondered what the heck are we going to do for the next 8 days.  It's a beach vacation so we wouldn't be running around sight seeing all day like we did in Europe last year.  But before long, the days were full and going way too fast.

This vacation was all about taking it easy.  The Hawaii lifestyle suits me.

• We only planned out 3 activities for the week.
• We didn't stay out late.  Our nights actually weren't too different from being at home.  We ate dinner while watching a movie and then we went to bed.  We watched TV in bed before we fell asleep and that was cool because we don't have a TV in our bedroom at home.  The main difference is that our full time day job was being beach bums.  
• I  never felt tired and I loved that.  I was full of energy all day every day from the minute I woke up until I crashed at night after each sun drenched day.
• See those clothes in the closet?  I hardly wore any of them.  I spent 80% of my time in a bikini and wore flip flops every day.  I wore less then half of the clothes I brought.  Maui is so casual and the air so warm that "getting dressed" is something I cared about even less then I do at home.  I can't believe I didn't remember that from Oahu two years ago.
• I brought a plethora of hair products and hardly used any of it.  What the hell do I need with a curling iron in Maui when I'm spending every day at the beach?  I don't even know what I was thinking.  The diffuser however, was awesome.  I had never used one before so I bought one for the trip to test it out.  It was easy to use.  I loved how fast it dried my hair and gave me some nice waves.     
• I didn't wear a stitch of make up the entire time.  There were moments when I thought about how much better my pictures would look if I did.  Oh well.  Screw it.  I'm not a big make up person even at home but I'll usually at least throw on some blush and eye liner.  Maui is stunning, naturally beautiful and the air is positively balmy.  That kind of background makes you feel beautiful.  I let my hair go wild and I felt all glowy from the inside out.  It felt really good being my all natural self.  Putting on make up would have just felt wrong. Plus it's just too warm. 
• This vacation was not at all about culinary experiences.  It was more about getting to the beach.  We only went out to dinner at a restaurant once.  We ate Subway twice and Pizza three times.  After spending all day on the beach snacking and drinking all I wanted to do was shower and relax some more.  Light and simple dinners at home were ideal.

He's on the couch watching football.  I'm unpacking.

Our home away from home

Sunday morning we had a really early flight and got to Maui in the afternoon.  We got a rental for the week because the airport is 45 minutes from the hotel and we figured by the time we payed for round trip shuttle service and one day to rent a car we might as well just get it for the week.  The first thing I did was unpack.  When I arrive I unpack and when I come home I unpack immediately.  That's just how I am.  The first thing Mj did was turn on the TV.  It was football Sunday after all.   We stayed at  Ka'anapali Beach Club in Lahaina on the West side of Maui in a one bedroom timeshare condo with an ocean view and a gigantic bathroom with two sinks.  The hotel was gorgeous.  We had a grocery store and a strip mall with a Subway conveniently located across the street, a beach in our backyard and a perfect breakfast spot within walking distance.  We went and had Pizza and Mai Tai's at the restaurant downstairs.  It's really expensive but they have happy hour from 3-6pm.  I'm not too picky about Pizza but the crust was super hard so it wasn't that good.  It started raining as we were finishing up but in Maui the rain never lasts for long.  We walked to the grocery store in the strip mall across the street to buy snacks and water. 

The next two days were very similar.  Breakfast, grocery store, beach, relax at home.

Monday morning was kind of gloomy so we didn't mind going to an hour long orientation at 10am.  It was in this freezing room, where they ran out of muffins and tried to sell us expensive tours.  At least they had enough coffee.  After sitting through that entire thing we didn't buy a tour or win a door prize but we earned a breakfast buffet voucher.  We saw Slappy Cakes on the way in so we walked there for breakfast and fell in love with the place.  I love the name.  How can you not love a place where your art project becomes your breakfast?  We made all kinds of pancake shapes then stuffed our faces with them.  By the time we went to the beach the sun was out in full force.

Tuesday we used our breakfast buffet voucher which was a really good value because it would have cost us $16.00 each.  There was plenty of seating by the pool but no prime spots near the beach so Mj rented a two seater cabana for $40.00.  I objected like I always do anytime he tries to spend what I consider to be extra unnecessary money but as usual I ended up being really glad he's not as cheap as me.  We had shade and it was so comfortable.  It was like our own little private cocoon and a really nice way to enjoy the beach.  We stared at that view all day long.  It never got old.  The water felt cold when you put your feet in at first but once you got in it was like bathwater.  There are a lot of rocks on that beach.  You can see them through the water.  We realized later there are areas that don't so we stuck to those parts.  Both days were spent lazing about the beach reading, drinking and eating snacks.  You could hop from the pool to the beach and some days we did both but the beach had a better view so we spent most of our days there.

Snorkeling

Mj got his gear from Snorkel Bob's across the street because it was cheaper.  He saw a 4 foot turtle out there.  The water was really clear and he floated above it and watched it eating from the bottom of the ocean.  So cool!!  I wish I could have seen it but at the same time I'm glad I didn't because I'm scared of fish and any and all sea creatures.

The i Pad Mini was perfect.  I read a whole book and tons of magazines.

We never left the beach until after sunset.   They are so beautiful there.   People come out of the wood works to watch and take pictures.  We weren't that hungry for big dinners after all that incessant snacking so Monday we ate meat, cheese and grapes with more wine from the grocery store and on Tuesday we ate Subway.  

Wednesday would be our first planned outing.

Zip-lining in Maui

Eighty-Three to Sixty-Three

When we stepped off that tiny commuter plane at 8 something in the morning it was so cold outside I could see my breath.  I slept for most of the plane ride but sitting up sleep is almost as good as no sleep at all.  I was so exhausted I was starting to feel sick. When we got home the thermostat in our house said 53.  Everything I touched was cold.  Even the carpets were cold and I could feel the chill of it right through my socks.  I always unpack the minute I get home no matter how tired I am.  I pulled stuff out of my suitcases fighting the urge to crumple into a heap on the floor.   I was too tired to eat, so after a long hot shower I went straight to bed.  I woke up three hours later feeling like a semi functional human being.  I've eaten, but I can already feel myself crashing again.  My husband is some kind of machine.  He's STILL up with no sleep, no food and just got back from the grocery store.  I don't know how he does it.

For eight magnificent days I spent more time in a bikini then not and our only agenda was fun in the sun.  We went from 83 degrees to 63 degrees and just like that your vacation is over.  Let the post vacation blues begin.  The good news is that Christmas Break is right around the corner and we are already planning our next vacation.  And it could be worse.  I could be coming home to arctic Alaska or the icy Midwest.  We had a bet going to see who could go the longest without turning on the heat.  My toes were going numb and my fingers were ice cold.   I was extremely close to breaking but he beat me to it on our first day back.  Now he owes me lunch.

It's so weird how real life marches on even when you step out of it for a while.  Work was a distant memory but I knew my co workers were still plugging away.  People were getting iced in and San Diego was hit by a cold front but all I felt was warm sand between my toes and the balmy ocean breeze.  Christmas trees went up while we were swimming in waterfalls. Bloggers churned out posts day after day.  So many posts!  I hit mark all as read while my blog sat silent.  I'm sure page views dropped but I was too busy with not being busy to care.  Social media never stops and Twitter is just too overwhelming.  I couldn't bring myself to look at that one unless I happened to see a notification.  I browsed Instagram, Facebook, posted some pics/tweets and read a few blogs here and there but felt really detached from it all in a really good way.  It felt selfish not replying to comments and not commenting on other blogs especially around Thanksgiving but making my flight and being on vacation was my priority.  Living life not attending to it is what I wanted and needed.

Our vacation was perfect.  We had our own little tropical island bubble of bliss.  I was there and we were in it together.  I have the tan lines, mosquito bites and about 500 pictures to prove it.  As I sit here bundled up in my flannel jammies and granny robe it almost seams surreal.   Our house is here just as we left it and back to work starts tomorrow.  I'm not ready! While we were away vacation eating and relaxing with our upturned faces smiling into the sun real life was waiting to snatch us back.

Time to hang up the bikini.  I hope my real life clothes still fit.

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A Different Kind of Thanksgiving

I have never in my entire life been to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner.  I always had this idea that restaurants on holidays were for sad lonely people without family and no where to go.

My parents went to San Francisco to see my little sister. My older sister moved back to N. Carolina. The friend that invites everybody over for everything moved too.  Mj and I were on our own this year so we made dinner reservations.  The people there didn't look too sad and lonely and we weren't either.  We had each other.

I was actually pretty excited about it.  I've always wanted to see what it was like.  Dinner would be at 4:30pm and Thanksgiving would not be an all day affair of grazing on foods and drinking wine.  Not that I don't enjoy that.  I enjoy it way too much.  That's the problem.  I overeat when there is food staring me in the face all day long.  We showed up, got seated and then went off to have our fill of the Thanksgiving buffet.  We each got one glass of champagne that came with dinner.   We went back for seconds and dessert, enjoyed a good meal and were on our way home by 6pm for more relaxing.  It was perfect.  The only mishap had to do with Yams.  Amidst the throngs of people lined up in the food area someone dropped yams and I happened to be right there.  I noticed the sticky globs on my Tom's wedge booties when I got home.  I LOVE these shoes so that kind of sucked but my cleaning solution took care of it.  I don't even like yams.

If I had to pick one way every year forever it would be to spend Thanksgiving with family.  It's what I've always done and I'm very grateful for that.  It didn't work out that way this year but it was nice to do something different.  I didn't hate it. 

I'm not into Black Friday at all.  I've never done it. I'm not trying to get up at the crack of dawn to spend money I shouldn't be spending on things I don't need on my precious day off.  MAYBE and that's a big maybe, if there was something specific I wanted. Instead, we did something we haven't done in a long long time.  We cuddled up in bed until about 11:00am dozing off and chatting.  It was way better then Black Friday as far as I'm concerned.   I'm not shopping right now so I did my best to ignore all the 50% online sales.  I did however score a free digital issue of Self and Allure magazine for my my i pad.  It's something.

The only thing I did that day was a mani/pedi.  With a name like this I was expected to be handed a glass of champagne when I walked in.   Nobody else had cocktails but maybe they didn't want one.  I picked out my color, sat down and waited for someone to come take my order.   Turns out there were no cocktails to be had.  But can you really blame me for thinking otherwise? That name is totally misleading.

I've been checking Maui weather obsessively.  Things can be really iffy in December with rain but it's looking good for us so far and I'm hoping it stays that way.

The packing started on Thursday and didn't end until Saturday.  It makes me sad to see the sheer volume of stuff I need when I go on vacation.  I have one small suitcase dedicated to hair products, toiletries and shoes.  I'm a chronic over packer.  My packing anxiety has improved a lot.  It kind of had to with all the traveling I've been doing or else I'd drive myself crazy.  Mj checked on my round trip ticket that wasn't.  I used frequent flyer miles to pay for my trip there.  Mj used his points to pay for my return flight; or so we thought.  Apparently the price went up before the booking was confirmed so they cancelled my return flight without us even realizing it and didn't even give him his points back.  Crisis averted.  I got the very last seat available for the return flight so it looks like I won't be stuck in Maui.  Although, when I think about it I kind of wish I was.  I mean, Maui!!!  I'm not ever going to want to come home.

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Thanksgiving Thoughts

The Christmas commercials and holiday music have slowly creeped their way onto the scene for the last few weeks.  I saw a house with lights up last night.  I was among the camp that hated the jump from Halloween to Christmas but then I stopped to think about it and realized I was mostly hating it because other people were.  I love this time of year.  I really love holiday music and lights.  There is only a very short time frame to enjoy them so I have decided that I don't really care if it encroaches upon Thanksgiving.  If Thanksgiving had music I'm sure they'd play it but they don't.  Christmas doesn't stress me out so why should the music and decorations? Even if it's early.  It's usually just a huge jolting reminder of how crazy fast the year has gone by.

We're sending holiday cards this year for the first time ever.  I will be ordering them from  Tiny Prints the minute we get back from our vacation and using what I hope will be a great vacation shot from Maui.  They have so many adorable selections to choose from and as indecisive as I am I think I already know which one I'm going to use.  Right now they are have a Thanksgiving sale offering 25% off every order OR free shipping with promo codes.

We probably go through Peanut Butter faster then a family of 5 with 3 kids.  We are both kind of addicted to Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches and Peanut Butter toast.  We've been eating PBJ's for dinner several nights a week and Peanut Butter toast for a snack or for breakfast.  Mj uses a massive quantity for his.  I'm not sure what we'll be eating for the rest of the week.  I certainly don't plan on grocery shopping or cooking.  I'm already in vacation/holiday mode which means no manual labor of the cooking variety.

Date night at a really cute and tasty restaurant called Kitchen 4141.  Yes, I ate that whole burger and half of dessert

Our anniversary was yesterday on a Tuesday where I spent the day at work then went to the gym and didn't get home until after 7:00pm.  We did go to dinner on Saturday night.  Does that count? After I took my shower I kissed him and said Happy Anniversary.  We don't celebrate anniversaries really and I'm okay with that.  Just being with him every day feels like a celebration and as corny as that sounds it's the truth!   There will be plenty of celebration next week in Maui. 

My bills for the month are paid and it feels nice to have a clean slate so to speak.  I get paid once a month and with the holidays and a bank that always deposits the money a day early my paycheck showed up yesterday.  Most of my bills are done automatically but I paid the few that aren't and wiped out the little credit card balances that were hanging around on different cards.  Now I can start racking it up again with Vacation and Christmas expenses. To be paid off in January of course.

I'm usually among the last man standing at work before holidays. The upside is that it's a chill day and there is no traffic.  As much as I want to be done with work a few days earlier I'm also a hoarder of vacation days so if I'm not going anywhere I'm going to work.  And there I sit dreaming of Thanksgiving break with the few other people who decided to show up.  No work for 12 solid days. I'm almost there!

I am thankful for so many things this year.  First of all, my health.  Without that I'd literally have nothing.  I'm also thankful for all of this traveling I've been able to do over the last three years.  I never imagined I would go to all the places I have and I'm looking forward to more.  I'm thankful for a stable job in what has been a very unstable economy.  I am so thankful for our home.  It may not that dream home with all the bells and whistles that I'd have if money were no option but it's ours, we can afford our mortgage every month and it has everything we need.  When I walk in after a long day of work I'm happy to be there and I feel lucky to call it home.  I'm thankful that my parents and sisters are doing well and I'm thankful for my wonderful husband.  I still get excited to see him every day and I'm so grateful for the amazing relationship we have.

I'm also thankful that it didn't take me hours to write this blog post.  Sometimes I obsess and over think it way too much to the point of the post remaining a draft.  I'm trying to work on letting my thoughts flow, cleaning it up a bit and then hitting publish already!!

That about wraps it up.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Writing a Novel

Writing a novel is really hard. It's not that I thought it would be easy. It's just that when you hear about every celebrity and their mother coming out with a book it makes it seem like something you just do but there is a lot more to it then that. I don't have a ghost writer and it's fiction. It's a total manifestation of my imagination. I have to make every single thing that occurs in this book come alive. Nothing happens unless I write it. Every word, every action, every character. Every detail. You labor over it. You get stumped and sometimes you can't even bear to look at what you've written anymore. Sometimes you have to take a break and then look at it again with a fresh brain. I knew it would take me a long time to do this. Technically, two years and counting so far. I can only wonder if next year will be the year it's done.

I started writing in September of 2009 and got up to 6,800 words and 27 pages before quitting. I got serious about it again and in January 2012 I had 10,131 words, 42 pages and a goal of writing 15 pages a month for the entire year. I did that and by the end of that year I had 45,104 words, 188 pages. 

2013 year progress:

Jan:   52,267, page 218
Feb:  54,224, page 226
Mar:  58,540, page 245
Apr:   62,697, page 262
May:  65,790, page 276
Jun:   68,928, page 289
Jul:    76,750, page 322
Aug:  79,539, page 334
Sept:  81,623, page 343
Oct: 0
Nov: 86,430, page 364

There are times when I read back and am thrilled with what I've done and other times where I feel like it has to be the worst thing ever written. Aside from Fifty Shades of Grey.  That book was so terrible that it actually made me believe that I could do it.  ut even when I worry that it's horrible I keep going even as I wonder what the point of the whole thing is.  ou put all of this time, energy and effort into this and for what?  It could be a piece of crap when all is said and done.  It might not be but that's the thing. You really never know, especially if you are like me and won't let anyone read it.

I started writing with a basic idea and no outline. I wrote and wrote and wrote just hoping that I could get to 60,000 words which is considered novel length. I got there and that felt like a huge accomplishment but I still had so far to go with my story. I got to a point where I couldn't write anymore because I had no idea where it was going so I had to take a break in October. I was already at 80,000 words so I felt okay about not focusing on word count anymore. It's actually getting kind of long and I need to start wrapping things up. I set time aside to just jot things down and think about what I wanted to happen.  I thought about my main character and what kind of story I wanted to tell. I ended up with a rough outline and then started writing again. It really helps to know the ending before I get there. Now I have some direction and I've been going back and editing certain things based on that. I think I might even have a title in mind now.

The only thing that saves me from quitting sometimes is that I know that no matter what, I just want to see this thing through. If my only goal were getting published and making money then I'd really feel like throwing in the towel on those days where I read it and feel like it's no good, but I don't care if no one ever reads it. I mean, I want it to be good of course but I really just want to finish it. I have no problem with spending hours and hour slaving over this thing even though I have no idea what will become of it because first and foremost I'm doing it for me. I just want to write and finish a novel. That is my only goal in mind at this point. When you are truly doing something for yourself you really can't lose. If anything did come of it that would just be a bonus.

The only thing harder then writing a novel is blogging daily. I failed miserably at that but I'm glad that I even sort of attempted it because now I know for certain what I already thought to be true. It's not for me! I just can't do it. I don't think it's necessary to be in your face every day, plus I just don't have that many ideas! I don't like publishing posts that I feel are kinda whatever slash crappy. I just don't feel good about doing that and that would happen a lot if I were trying to post every day. I'd rather do you a favor and spare you such drivel and myself a favor by not burning myself out on blogging. 

I've been a little shy about it but I've decided that I will publish an excerpt from my novel. I just have to decide which part.

More Apple Stuff

I don't read nearly as much as I used to.  Months ago Mj was showing me all these free books I could get on Amazon.  I found one I liked and then he didn't save it so he went searching for it and found it again.  I don't know what the point was.  I don't have a Kindle and chances are I wasn't going to go out and buy the book in the store.  I should have known that he would make sure I'd get to read that book.

I posted this pic on Instagram and got 17 likes. That's a lot of likes for me.  I normally don't get enough likes to group it together so that it says 17 likes.  You know what I mean?  I usually only have enough so that each one is listed individually.  Anyways.   I may not be very popular but Apple is.  They make stuff that people really like.  Yes, it's expensive.  Yes, they piss people off the way they dole out their new release functions piece by piece to induce customers to shell out money to upgrade to the next best thing.   They are innovative and they make quality products so people line up for everything they have to sell. 

I wasn't always an Apple person.  When Mj met me I had a broke down desk top PC on it's last legs and a $40 cell phone bill from T-Mobile.  I actually really liked that phone.  It was not a smart phone but it was my first cell phone with color on the screen and I liked the way it slid up and down to talk and access the keyboard.  My three years old desktop was slowing down on me and I was stressing out about the cost to renew my anti virus protection.  I renewed it that year but I didn't have to the next because Mj knocked my socks off and sent me a MacBook for my Birthday while he was deployed in Kosovo.  I still remember how exciting and revolutionary it felt to sit on my bed and compute at the same time.  I would have never bought a Mac.  They are too expensive and I am resistant to change.  With an Apple head for a  husband it definitely helped make the transition easier and I found using a Mac is actually pretty simple.

That year my slider phone stopped working and Mj found me a cheapo hot pink razor phone on e Bay to replace it.  Oh, how I despised that phone.  I hated it so much I smashed it to bits with a hammer when I got a new one.  You can see that here.  It was totally non functional and I can't believe how many people had been chomping at the bit to get it in their hot little hands when they first came out.  Why?  It was the worst phone ever.  People used to laugh because Mj had an i phone and I had a crap phone.  That year he surprised me with an iPhone for Christmas.  I said good bye to my crappy razor phone, hello to the smart phone world of Apple and never looked back.  It's the only kind I've ever owned since and it's been perfect for me.

I'm cheap frugal, especially when it comes to technology.  I'm just not willing to spend a lot of money on things I barely understand how to operate anyways.  I'd rather shop.  I probably would have never invested in a Mac and it would have taken me a lot longer to give up that cheap cell phone bill and finally get a smart phone.  I was just thinking that every Apple thing I've ever owned came from Mj and then I remembered my iPod.  That was my first Apple purchase.  Figures it's the one thing I don't use anymore.

Me, with an iPad mini?  It sure is cute but, I don't NEED an iPad.  And that's where Mj comes in.  He's so thoughtful about making sure I have what I need and want even if I won't do it for myself.  He has one and he wanted me to have one too.  He decided to make it an early Christmas present so I can use it when we go on vacation after Thanksgiving.  The day he decides to bring it home just so happens to be the one fluke of a day I got off early and beat him home so it kind of threw off his plans to have it all set up for me.

I love this man to pieces and I am thankful for him every day of my life.  Not just when he's buying me stuff from Apple. 

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Las Vegas in November

The first thing I noticed when I got out of bed Saturday morning was my hips.  No headache.  No hangover.  I didn't drink enough for that.  But my hips!!!  Oh my gosh, they were so sore.  My knees were hurting too.  Nothing like having sore hips from dancing all night on a stage to make you feel old.  I got my groove on alright but I paid for it.  At least I can say I got in a work out on our trip.

Mj left while I was still in bed.   He had to be at the bar by10am so he could watch every second of the Bills game.  I walked my old lady hips over to Ross to return the dresses and then met him at Twin Peaks, otherwise known as football heaven.  They have 11 flat screens all together on one wall plus several more scattered throughout the place.  By the time I got there he was a happy camper half way through a pile of wings and a beer.

My parents crashed our Vegas weekend but I didn't mind.  I was glad that they wanted to come.  I booked them into a place waaaaayyyyy down at the end of the strip way past Mandalay Bay.  I actually did try to get them into our hotel but it was booked.  I didn't want to spend the whole weekend with them but we made plans to meet up on Sunday night for dinner and a show.   Mike picked Fogo De Chao for dinner.  It's a Brazilian restaurant with all you can eat meat but he was the only one that chose that option.   I couldn't deal with all that meat in the middle of all the other Vegas eating so I just went with the deluxe salad bar which had a lot more then just salad.   The Cirque Du Soleil shows are really expensive which is why I've only ever seen one.  I hear they are all good so I just picked the cheapest one.  We saw Mystere at Treasure Island and it was a good show.  We got a $100 credit towards the tickets since we did that time share presentation so we basically paid for one ticket. 

We had fun with my parents despite my Dad's shenanigans which were totally expected because we know how he is.  He initially refused to eat at Fogo De Chao because he wasn't going to pay $29.99 for a salad bar. Then he argued with me about how much to tip.  At the show he got busted for filming with his cell phone.  I totally saw it coming since we were in the front row of our section.  I have no idea why he felt it necessary to record it anyways.  My Dad can be....how should I say this.  Difficult.  I love him but he's a handful and we all know this. 

After the show we made the long walk back to our hotel with my parents.  There were people promoting clubs but we were tired and my hips can only handle one club night.  Monday morning we checked out, took my parents to the airport, made a pit stop for food and drove home.  Usually I go during the summer when it's really crowded and over 100 degrees.  Las Vegas in November is about 73 degrees during the day and 50's at night.  Too chilly for shorts but comfortable with jeans and a light sweater.  There was little to no traffic there and back.  We didn't do the pool thing but this was a nice change.  This might be my new favorite time of year to go.  

Las Vegas Part I