Let There Be Kitchen Tiers

I mentioned my all out hunt for kitchen tiers in a previous post.  I finally gave up and called JC Penny's to look into getting them custom made.  Might as well see if there was any chance in hell that we could afford it and if there were any patterns on earth that we actually like since the stores sure didn't seem to have any.  I didn't want solids and I just wasn't all that thrilled with having tiny little teapots and rustic bowls of grapes dancing around my kitchen.  After the rep came out deciding on a fabric wasn't too hard.  There were actually 3 that I really liked.  Mj was out of town but I narrowed it down to a few selections and we agreed on one.  The price was more then I expected to pay but we needed some curtains already and I didn't want to settle for some I didn't really want so that was that.

It's so hard to visualize how those squares of fabric are actually going to translate into a window treatment but I am very happy to say that I really like the finished product.  It was nice that we didn't even have to put them up-the guy came out and did it in about 30 minutes.  They are bright and modern without being too obnoxious.  Our kitchen is open to everything else so we had to make sure they wouldn't clash.  I love stripes but I wanted something different.  Originally I was going for Reds and this isn't primarily Red but I still got some in there.  The colors go well with the light green walls we already have going in the living and dining areas and we even found wall art for the dining area that compliments them well.  They are good colors that we can easily build around.  The curtains themselves are very full and I love the hardware.  Those large silver balls (also known as finials) at the ends of the rods give them a nice touch of elegance.  We opted for a simple tension rod for the bottom tiers.  I never imagined that it would take six months to get kitchen curtains in this house.  Just one more thing to check off our list of household projects....and many more to go!

You Never Know

I can pin point the exact moment my stomach started to rebel.  Monday night about an hour after dinner I ate a piece of string cheese and was munching on some grapes.  My stomach started to feel bloated and I looked pregnant.  Then came the nausea and I lost my appetite for anything except laying down.  I fell into bed feeling run down and didn't sleep well making the next morning even more hellish.  I felt achy and slightly dizzy as I plopped myself into my car Tuesday morning to head for work.  I contemplating calling in but decided to tough it out.  Armed with my tervis tumbler filled with ice cold water which is the only thing I could stomach I tiredly drove to work.  I sat at my desk and logged into my computer wondering how I was going to make it through the day.  I couldn't focus.   Annoyed and defeated I finally just told my supervisor I wasn't feeling well and wanted to go home.  It just didn't feel like it was worth it to sit there and suffer.  I walked into my house around 11:15 am got undressed and immediately slipped under my cool sheets and went to sleep.

Before falling asleep I thought of my friend who had texted me a week ago that he had been battling a stomach virus for about 3 weeks.  "How ya feeling," I texted him.  Knowing that I probably can't feel half as bad as he's been feeling.  "Going back to the hospital now...to try to find out what's wrong with my stomach."  Poor guy.  He said he's lost 20 lbs already because he can't keep food down.

Mj came home from work and served me soup and 1/2 grilled cheese in bed.  I'd spent most of the day in that bed and laying on the couch.  I still felt a little on the crappy side and had hardly any appetite by the time I went back to bed that night.  I felt better when I woke up Wednesday morning.  Still a bit "off" but at least glad to be feeling "functional."  Around 4pm I get a text from my friend.  "I might have stomach cancer."  I am shocked.  He is under 40 and just retired from active duty military.  He was so excited about living life as a civilian and worked so hard only to have to deal with this?  You never know when life as you know it is going to change.

Life really looses it's luster when you don't feel well.  That day I was useless at work and that night I had little enthusiasm for anything.  I just wanted to feel normal so I could enjoy and carry on with my life as usual. Whatever mini  bug it was had passed and by Thursday I was feeling 100%.  I am back to my happy normal functioning self but my friend is still in the hospital.  He doesn't get to spend 40 hours a week at work.  When he doesn't get enough sleep he won't get to dread work and count the minutes until it's time to get off.  He won't hit that stupid traffic jam on the way home today and feel that nagging twinge of annoyance at only having about 4 1/2 hours at night to eat dinner, relax a little, and go to bed only to get up and do it all over again the next day.  I'm sure he'd actually be quite thrilled with all of those things right about now.  Things we sometimes take for granted.  It was just another reminder to me of how important our health is, how fleeting it can be and just how lucky I am to be well enough just to live my life.  Every aspect of it including the parts I complain about.

Honeymoon Highlights

Vacations are great for couples and I'm so glad we got to have such a nice long one.  I had a fantastic time in Hawaii and here are some of the highlights.

Fun in the sun at Waikiki Beach

•  Quality time with Mj.  The cell phone was mostly in case we needed to know the time and concerns of the real world were left behind.  Mj destroyed his iPhone in the pool helping matters! We had laptops but didn't use them much.  As always we had lots of fun together.  It was just us all day every day with little distraction and it was nice to just BE with each other and not have to worry about anything else. 

In the water at Hanauma Bay

•  Au natural bliss.  I brought along all of my tools of the trade but didn't use them.  My best accessory on this trip was my lip gloss and lotion. The sun was my hairdryer and my tan was the only bronzer I needed.  I ran around with a salt stiffened pony tail half the day washed it and let it do whatever it was going to do. Half the time my hair was wet or drying!  I simply could not be bothered with make up and could care less that my hair was all over the place which was nice.  Even better was despite that I still felt beautiful 'cause hubby told me so. 

My signature pose

• Timeless relaxation.  We'd lay around and play in the water half the day and have no idea what time it was and not even care.  We did have some things scheduled for certain times but for the most part we didn't pay too much attention to the time and it was nice not to have to.  Our time really was our own.  I truly believe being on vacation is the life I was meant to lead and I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong that I can't do it all the time!  

Lounging.  What time is it?...Who cares!

• Fun full days and early nights.  Waikiki is not a party town.  There are plenty of things to do but no night life to speak of that I could find and I didn't want one anyways.  We were usually done with our activities and back to the room by 7 or 8:30pm.  We were tired and in bed by 10 but that was OK.  We were able to wake up early, spend a full day out and about and then spend relaxing nights together at "home."  We spent two nights watching a movie and usually watched TV together in bed before falling asleep.

• Food fest fun.  I have a tendency to be pretty strict with my diet when eating at home.  I do indulge here and there but overall I try to always make the "right" choices and over eating is a big no no punishable by guilt.  When I'm on vacation I don't give a damn about calories and I love it!  We did get 4 days of physical activity in which was great but I ate desserts and most anything else I wanted and did not feel an ounce of guilt over it.  For the record I gained 3 pounds!!

Enjoying full fat ice cream!!

• Two bathroom bonus.  We only got the 2br 2 ba because that's what was available but having that extra bathroom actually worked out pretty nice.  The guest bathroom turned into "Mj's bathroom" where he was free to throw his wet trunks and towels all over the place and I didn't have to see it.  Except when I'd walk by and shake my head!!

• No overcrowding.  This is probably a good time of year to go because it really wasn't that crowded which was nice. 

• Over packing follies.  Yes...I seriously over packed on all fronts.  Out of our 8 days 5 of them were mostly spent in a bathing suit.  I lived in a bikini, cover up and flips flops. The vibe there is so relaxed and casual.  I didn't really care too much about coordinated outfits and jewelry once I got there.

My basic wardrobe for the week

• Discounts.   Military ID saved us money on those evil baggage check fees while traveling and got us some discounts on food, places and activities while we were there.  The $200 Hilton bucks we earned doing our timeshare meeting went towards our couples massage. Hilton gives you coupons and a discount card when you get there-you just have to take advantage of them.  We got some free food items with that. I did a pretty good job of not focusing on the money and just letting myself have fun.  I laughed about the inflated prices of which $11 drinks, $23 medium pizzas and $4 scoops of ice cream were among the highlights.  They can and do take advantage of having a steady flow of tourists.  I didn't let it prevent me from doing what I wanted and was glad to still be able to take advantage of at least some bargains.

At the guest Check In/Out Lounge on our last day.  Free Coffee!

•  Hilton resorts are the bomb!  I totally enjoyed my experience and it was only enhanced by the wonderful staff and facilities.  There were plenty of concierge people on hand to assist with everything and answer questions. Along with your coupons they gave us a little beach bag.  They have everything you need right there including complimentary laundry on each floor.  They offer free Internet access (though we didn't use it much).  Our room was amazing.  They made check out day so easy with the check in/check out lounge.  This allowed us to really maximize our last day by spending it at the beach and being able to use the facilities to shower and get ready for our flight.  The snacks and drinks were just a bonus.  It feel like they really care that guests are happy and have everything they need based on the way everything was set up. 

•  Hawaii is beautiful!!!  Enough said.

Our Honeymoon:  Day 1-4

Mahalo Hawaii Day 7-8

DRIVE AROUND THE ISLAND [Day 7- Friday, Oct 29]

We woke up and went to breakfast so Mj could get his Hawaiian Bananas Foster French toast he's been wanting all week.  His was $14 and my simple Belgian Waffle was $12!  And again with the no sides thing!  What is it with these restaurants?  After that we walked across the street to get our rental car so we could spend the day driving around the island.  By we I mean that Mj does all the driving and I sit on the passenger side with the map and attempt to help navigate.

According to our map it is only 90 miles around but for an island there seems to be quite a bit of traffic and some of the highway speed limits are as low as 50 MPH.  We took our time though and with 3 stops we were on the road from 10:30 am until about 5:00 pm.  That's 5 1/2 hours!  It was also the wettest day of the whole week but it was better it be our road day then a beach day. 

Creepy Kaneana Caves

We stopped at the Kaneana Caves which is just off the highway.  We would have missed it if we hadn't seen people walking over there.  It's like something out of an awful horror movie.  There were deep dark crevices that you couldn't really see into so it was pretty creepy but as long as their were no knife wielding psycho killers I liked it!!  

We also stopped at the Dole Pineapple plantation and browsed around a bit.  We saw Pineapples growing off of a tree which I'd never actually seen before.

You can see that pineapple sitting straight up
on this bush

That night was really special.  After we got back to the hotel we ate our slightly soggy left over sandwiches that we were too full to eat the day before, our left over chocolate cake and drank a bottle of wine together on our patio.  

Mj surprised me with this.  Our love of pretzels
was just one more thing we realized we had in common
when we met

I decided that now was as good a time as any to do what I call our "state of the union address" as we looked out over the balcony.  It's basically a time for us to just speak our mind and chat about what's good and anything that's bothering us in the relationship.  Communication is so important and I couldn't think of a better time and place to speak honestly and just be real with each other.    I went to bed a little tipsy and drifted into another deep sleep all cuddled up with Mj.  The moment we were dreaded came too fast...our last night in Oahu.

LAST DAY IN PARADISE [Day 8-Saturday]

We woke up, finished packing, took our luggage to the bell stand and headed straight for the beach.  It was our last day and I wanted to spend every last moment soakin' up the sun and relaxing.  

Waikkiki Beach

Lagoon Tower Pool

Eating icecream at Kalia Tower Pool

We hit up all of our favorite waterside lounging spots.  First Waikiki beach, then we went back to the Lagoon tower pool where we did the water slides again and relaxed in the jacuzzi.  We stopped for ice cream then went over to the quieter Kalia tower pool and hung out some more.  I couldn't think of a better way to spend our last day.


We stayed as long as we could then went to the bell stand to get our bag with our clothes and toiletries in it.  We went to the check in/check out lounge at the Waikiki tower to shower and get ready for our flight.  They have a really nice locker room and lounge area.  They even provide snacks and drinks!  Then all too soon it was time to get the rest of our luggage and head out to the pick up area to wait for our bus.  

Waiting for our bus

I absolutely was not ready to go home yet but at the same time was glad that it didn't feel like the whole trip went too fast.  Eight days is a good amount of time, any less and I'd probably have felt short changed.  We really squeezed out every bit of fun and joy from each day and I had a fantastic time.  Each and every day and night was perfect.  Since I have to go home at least I can do so knowing that this honeymoon was everything I hoped it would be  and more.

Honeymoon Day 1-4
Honeymoon Highlights

Our Honeymoon Day 5-6

DIAMOND HEAD [Day 5-Wednesday, Oct 27]

The early part of the hike

We got up and left the hotel around 10:30am to catch the city bus to Diamond Head.  This would be our final work out of our vacation 'cause we had no plans of going back to the gym!  Once we got there we just followed the trail of people up the hill paid our $1 entry fee and got to hiking.

Still chugging along

This is basically an extinct volcano with mostly dirt trails that lead you to the top.  There were so many stairs!  About 3 sets in all.  At one point I turned a corner and my mouth dropped when I saw another stairway that seemed to be going straight up.  

I never thought this hike would include a spiral staircase!

The view at the top was worth the effort though, not to mention the good work out we got in.  It's .8 miles each way and it took us about 1 1/2 hours total.  At one point we had to climb up this latter and through this crevice.  We were both sweating at the end.  I saw an older couple going slowly up the hill and thought "uh, oh..are they gonna make it?"  This hike is not for the old and/or infirm, and I couldn't believe I saw people doing this in flip flops.

We made it to the top!

It took our bus forever to come.  We saw the #8 about 5 times and the #24 rolled past but we didn't see the #23 for about an hour.  We had just enough time to go to the hotel, shower and then head to the Mandara Spa at Kalia Tower for our couples massage which we strategically planned right after our hike.  It was nice to come here to relax instead of sweat.  They ushered us into separate locker rooms where we were issued robes and sandals.  I had a few minutes to recline in this cushy chair with my feet up before I was escorted down to the treatment waiting area where Mj was already waiting in his matching white robe.  We were lead into this beautiful room where we laid down side by side on our own table for our 50 minute massage.  It felt absolutely wonderful!  We then had 30 minutes together in this huge jacuzzi tub.  My skin felt so soft again after being dried up from the sun all day.

After that we walked to Cheeseburger Waikiki for dinner.  I really liked it how half of the building was open so we were inside but could still be outside in the warm night air.  Mj insisted on getting this double cheeseburger the size of his head and failed miserably at eating it all.  I had a bleu cheese burger and chowed down on the fries.  This place is awesome!  The food was good.  We caught their happy hour, they gave us a 15% military discount AND a free dessert because we were honeymooners.  We ate every single bite of this giant Maui mud pie.  I don't think either one of us have ever been so full in our life!

Our complimentary honeymoooner dessert.
The dessert to end all desserts!

HANAUMA BAY LUAU DAY [Day 6-Thursday]

We arranged to have the shuttle pick us up bright and early at 7:30am for Hanauma Bay.  It's one of the best locations for snorkeling in all of Hawaii and they want to make sure us tourists who come in droves don't destroy it.  It's been designated as a nature preserve and they require everyone to watch a video before heading down.

The bay was beautiful!!

It was raining off and on so far through the week so we weren't sure what to expect but it was perfect.  The sun was shining and the view of Hanauma Bay was spectacular.  We got our towels from the hotel and bought our munchies the night before so we'd be ready for our early pick up.  We saved $7 each because we were able to get in free with Military ID.

I knew snorkeling was not for me and I wanted no part of it.  Fish freak me out so I stayed close to the shore to avoid any possible fish encounters.  Mj was adamant that I have my very own snorkeling adventure anyways. Which lasted for about 2 minutes.  I put on his mask and got a chance to see and breathe underwater.  It was actually pretty cool until a section of the sand that seemed to be moving caught my eye.  As I stared at it and saw that in fact the sand was moving and not really sand at all but probably a fish I was up and running for land within seconds.   That was basically the extent of my snorkeling experience.  Mj on the other hand had lots of fun with it.

Mj snorkel [one of his underwater pics]

It was another great day of lounging at the beach.  We were so full from the night before that neither one of us had an appetite for those sandwiches we'd packed but we were both hungry by Luau time.

Me lay down.  I couldn't et enough of this

We went back to the hotel showered and changed for our Luau at the Hale Koa Hotel.  We got a complimentary drink (well not really, we technically paid for it with our tickets!) and a shell necklace when we arrived. They had a cocktail hour and show at the beginning where I volunteered for a group hula lesson. I was already feeling the Mai Tai so I figured why not!

Hula lesson anyone?

Dinner is served

Next they brought out the pig and then seated us for dinner. This pig looked kinda icky coming straight out of the ground but when it showed up on my dinner plate I ate it right up. I was a good sport and tried everything including sea weed (surprisingly spicy and good) and accidentally ate raw salmon and Poi.  Well, the Poi wasn't really an accident.  At least not on my part.  Mj tricked me into eating this stuff, which basically looked like grayish purple pudding, by putting it on a piece of pineapple.  What part of "I don't want to try it" did he not get?

The Polynesian performers were amazing-particularly the fire dancers, the food was good and it was another fun night.

Honeymoon Day 7-8