Picture Heavy Part Two

Nate and I have taken a bunch of pictures since he got back, most of which remained on the camera until a couple of days ago. These first few (several) are from my birthday weekend which we spent at Turtle Bay.

We stopped on the side of the coastal highway on our way up there to try out some of the countless rope swings along the shore.

Nate checking out the sunset from out lanai.

My hubby is cute, I am a lucky girl!

Saturday morning was very pretty, we took a bunch of pictures. In order to get both of us in them, they either end up super posed (like this one) or the classic self portrait pose which makes it hard to capture your surroundings. We're down with cheesy.

We took a stroll up the coast, away from the resort, and took plenty of pictures along the way. There were several neat trails to take, and we ended up walking on the beach, past the stables (I spent a ridiculous amount of time with the horses), through the lush areas, and on the beach some more. We really took our time and enjoyed each other and our surroundings.

Goofy. This was right before my less than graceful landing which left half of me wet and sandy. Recreational hazard :-)

Monkey Man!

I can climb trees too! ...Just much closer to the ground.

One of the sweet statues on the property.

View from our lanai.

Relaxing by the pool, which was frigidly cold.

Gotta have a mai tai! They may be $10 a pop, but worth every penny!

Absolutely stunning.

Sunday morning Nate surprised me with a shark diving tour. Unfortunately there were no sharks that day, but the experience was really fun anyway. We left around 6:30 am and rode a boat out with a group of people 3 miles off the coast. They have a cage in the water that is 6 feet deep and you hop in with a snorkel on. Usually 8 or so sharks come around, but they weren't there that day. However we got a refund to come back another time and try again.

To keep the surprise Nate didn't really give me much about what I needed to bring, so I ended up having a bikini, jeans and this sweater. Between the water weighing down my sweater, and the speed of the boat, by the time we got back to land my sweater was hanging mid-thigh. It was cracking me up, and I kept saying to Nate "It used to be a sweater, but now it is a dress!"

Cool bird that visited us at the shark cages. He is called a Brown Booby. Horrible name!

Well, that is all of the pictures I decided to post from Turtle Bay. It was hard to narrow it down with the seemingly billions of pictures we took.

Last Thursday Nate met me after work at a beach off the coastal highway. We just picked a spot and parked on the side of the road. There were like 3 people around so it was less scary but still crazy to be so alone in such a beautiful place. I stopped at a fruit stand on my way and got us some corn, which we ate in the water.

Last Saturday we went to the North Shore for a few hours before Nate had to work in the afternoon. We went to a couple different beaches, but this was by far the most fun! We were able to body board and body surf, and just have a blast... we didn't want to leave!

Me chilling on the beach Saturday.

You probably don't believe me, but I did my best to narrow down the number of pictures I wanted to post. Enjoy, and I hope this encourages you to consider visiting!

Warning: Picture Heavy Post

Last week a PT (physical therapist) that I work with invited Nate and I to hike with her and some of her friends near her home. She lives in this place called Waiahole Valley, which we discovered is basically paradise. She has a huge property right on the edge of civilization with a giant Koi pond and mini golf course. Insane! About a dozen of us went for a hike that started off walking through lush forest with running springs and waterfalls. Then we got to this pitch black tunnel that cuts through the mountain and is basically a drainage system for rain water. We walked about 1/2 mile deep into the tunnel, then floated back out on inflatable tubes. It was seriously unreal! Afterwards we hiked back to her house, and went our separate ways. The whole thing took about 3.5 hours, and it was honestly one of the most beautiful and amazing experiences ever! The hike itself wasn't very strenuous, but it was really slippery (I fell at one point and hurt my elbow pretty bad. Thank goodness for left over pain meds from a tooth problem back in January!), and there were more mosquitoes than I hope to encounter ever for the rest of my life. This is something I would love to do again, and if you ever visit me we can definitely go!

Nate feeding the Koi fish.

Me hiking.

Nate crossing the first part of the stream.

It is hard to tell by the picture, but there is a fallen tree running horizontally with a tree growing out of the middle of it.

Me and the stream.

So amazing!

Inside the tunnel with Nate's tube.

Someone's headlamp down the tunnel a bit.

Floating back down. Flash is a wonderful thing!

Nate floating down.

Beautiful lookout about 30 minutes past the tunnel. Yes, that is the ocean out there!

Friday!

I was going to write a post about how much I love tacos from Jack in the Box, but then I realized that would make 2 out of the 4 posts I have made since I returned to blogging about tacos. I guess I am okay with that. I seriously love tacos! I think I feel about tacos how most people feel about pizza. I love them so much!


Also, thank you to my GPS for cracking me up today while I was driving around between schools for work. The sexy British man (okay, I imagine him as sexy at least) turned the name of my destination school from Kalihi Waena Elementary to Cah-lee-hee Wiener Elementary. It was so unexpected to hear my GPS say wiener. Thank you for the laugh, you hunky GPS!

http://www.swell.com/Southwest-Style/BILLABONG-COSTA-TANK?cs=TA

I am painfully obsessed with this shirt, and buying it today!

Finally, complement of the season: Someone told me today that I look like Kate Middleton. I realize that's not actually true, but I'll take it! Who doesn't like to be compared with royalty!

Wonderful Wednesdays

Even though Nate hasn't really been home long enough for anything to become routine, it seems Wednesdays are becoming our date night. My work, although not stressful, is time consuming and has me awake around 5:15 every morning and out the door by 6:40. Okay, I am awake by 5:15 but don't usually drag myself out of bed until around 5:45. I get home from work around 3:20 most days, which doesn't leave as much time as I would like to relax, get important things done and also have time to do fun things while still getting to bed early enough to get my 8 hours. Fortunately I work at an elementary school with early release on Wednesdays, which allows me to get home by 2:00 on those days. Hooray for having time to relax- keeping up with a bunch of 3-4 year olds all day can be quite tiring, despite "nap time"- and also fit in something fun!


Wednesday of last week we went to Waikiki and rented stand up paddle boards for about an hour, then we grabbed a quick dinner at Panda Express. (Gross. But it was actually pretty good. We got a big combo so there were a lot of different things to try.) Then we saw the movie "Just Go With It" which was hilarious! It was way better than I had imagined it would be! Much unlike "No Strings Attached" which I had been dying to see and it turned out to be a total disappointment. Seriously, Nate and I ranked it near "All About Steve" and "Fool's Gold". That bad. Anyways, we were pretty proud of ourselves for doing so much on a week night.



Side note: It's really only my work schedule we have to work around as Nate currently works pretty much 9-2. Thankfully, that little angle usually gets up with me in the mornings even though he could sleep in another 2+ hours.




Yesterday, Wednesday, was an amazingly rainy day. There was an incredible thunder and lightening storm, which is pretty rare for Hawaii. I loved that it reminded me so much of home, Arizona, and also the fact that it encouraged us to do something indoors. I had gotten off work exceptionally early, and had already watched "Pretty Little Liars" from Monday and cleaned for well over 2 hours before Nate got home from work. We decided to go out to dinner at this Italian restaurant in Kailua, and we both got a little extra ready to make it special. Nate looked very handsome in his button up and cute gray pants, and I wore a black tube maxi dress (Nate is obsessed with maxi dresses) with bangles, a little extra makeup, and half of my hair pulled back. We looked pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Dinner was fantastic, then we came home, had a bottle of champagne (we had really wanted wine, but when we opened the bottle of my favorite any day wine that we had, it was bad), and watched some tv we had recorded on DVR. Fantastic!



We had a random little beach trip after work today, which was nice, We snorkeled a bit and saw a bunch of fish, but it made me yearn for the weekend, with our days full of doing whatever we want to do. Thank God tomorrow is Friday! I know the weekend will go by quickly, but luckily I will know I have Wednesday to look forward to!


Countdown to Arizona: 16 days!




I realize this is more of an excuse for a survey than it is an actual award, but thank you Caton

http://catonann.blogspot.com/ for passing it on. This is like a throwback to the days of AOL and sending these surveys to all of your friends. I remember spending countless hours filling out 100 questions with certain numbers missing from where people weren't brave enough to answer the question so they would just delete it. Here we go!

1. Why did you create your blog?
I created my blog to stay connected with my friends after I moved away, and also to give me something productive to focus on.

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
Random ones. Friends, friends of friends. Some fashion/lifestyle. Also PostSecret, and this caringbridge of a girl who just died after a 17 month battle following a car accident leaving her with a brain injury. That one keeps me grounded.

3. Favorite brand of make-up?
Probably Mac except for mascara. That's probably Maybelline or CoverGirl.

4. Favorite brand of clothing?
I love Free People, but I mostly wear Gap and brands such as Hurley, Volcom, RVCA, Billabong, and Roxy. Yes, I know. I grew out of those brands when I was like 18, but now at 25 it is practically all I wear. In my defense I live in Hawaii where pretty much everyone has a pair of flip-flops they consider their dress up shoes.

5. Indispensable make-up product?
I don't always wear make-up, but my faves are eyelash curler and mascara.

6. Favorite color?
In general probably purple and blue. To wear, gray. To decorate with, white.

7. Favorite perfume?
Ralph Lauren Romance, and Coach.

8. Favorite movie?
Not really sure. Used to be "The Upside of Anger" and "In Her Shoes". Recently I loved "Just Go With It", but I can't say I have an absolute favorite.

9. What country would you love to visit and why?
I would love to go to India, France, Australia, Spain, or South Africa, all for different reasons, but in general to experience different cultures. That being said, I would gladly return to any country that I have already traveled to!

10. Would you rather forget to put mascara on one eye, or blush on one side of your face?
Definitely blush, it would be much easier to remedy.

There are rules about passing this on, but I don't have any one to pass it to that hasn't already been "tagged". :-) If you are curious about the rules, go to Caton's page, see link above.

The Weekend Is Finally Here!

What started off as a small gardening experiment has quickly grown into a full blown obsession. About 2 weeks ago, Nate and I planted a few potted plants in our backyard, including a tomato Topsy Turvy. After today's Home Depot run, we now have a ridiculous number of potted plants growing, and both a strawberry and hot pepper Topsy Turvy to add to our collection. Plant types and pictures to follow in up coming days.

Our adventure today included more than just a Home Depot run. We also went to this store called Pacific Homes in search of a new couch and a dining room table. We found a table we love, and a super comfy chaise, but we left empty handed and decided to think about it. The store is having a 20% sale all weekend, which makes the pieces almost reasonably priced. Almost. We have a little time to consider it.

Then we went to Ala Moana mall and shopped around a little bit. I scored an AMAZING deal (as usual)! Seriously, I have become a great deal hunter! I bought 5 new pairs of undies at Gap, originally priced at $60.50 before tax, but they were all on sale, plus there was an additional sale of 44% off all underwear. So that brought the total down to like $11. Great deal, right? There's more! I have a Gap credit card which earns me rewards, and I had a $10 coupon, so I paid $0.62. For 5 pairs of underwear!

On a similar note I scored an adorable pair of shorts at PacSun (I know) for less that $7.50 last week, but that's another story for another day. Well, that's pretty much the whole story, but the shorts are definitely picture post worthy!

Lastly, today my hair was dirty, but I didn't feel like washing it because I knew I would want to shower later after gardening, and it was a little kinky, but I didn't feel like straightening it or curling it, so I made 2 little braids and wore it as is. Cute and simple!

And Then Arnold Says "I'll Be Bach"

I am back by popular demand. Okay, it was one person, but that was enough to persuade me. I have been following more and more blogs lately, which I love doing, and have been thinking about getting back to keeping mine.

The only problem is, I don't know what direction to take it. With Nate being home, I have less time to craft, and I feel like I am constantly at work during sunny hours, so I haven't been able to do much out doors. On top of busy work weeks, we have had busy weekends lately, but I think things are finally beginning to smooth out and we will have more time to do the things we love. Granted, I love watching tv with Nathan, all snuggled up on the couch in the evening, but that doesn't give me much interesting stuff to blog about. Either way, I am back, and I will probably be all over the place as far as topics go, but that should make it all the more interesting.








First up- our killer fish tacos! Tacos have become a staple for us and we have 2 very different award worthy types we usually make. I am going to share the newer edition with you. So good!

Meat: We like to use this frozen crusted tilapia that has a tortilla/lime/jalapeno crust. We have used another flavor too, but this is our favorite. Just follow directions on package and flake with a fork. We have also used tuna steaks, which we cooked on the stove top. Any fish would do. Just season the fish with 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, and a little salt. Cook over medium-high heat until it is cooked thoroughly and flake it with a fork.

Filling: Chop 1 small white onion, a big handful of cilantro, about 1/2 of a jalapeno (remember the seeds and white part are the spiciest, so we leave most of them out), and add the juice of 1/2 - 1 lime and a little salt, and mix.

Shell: The very best tortillas are the ones you buy uncooked so they are nice and fresh. This recipe is good with corn tortillas, or what I prefer, flour tortillas.


Toppings: Lettuce, tomato, avocado, and sour cream.



Assemble and enjoy!!! (Champagne optional.)

Oh, wondering what the title of this entry was about? If you know me at all, I have probably told you this joke, that has stuck with me since I first heard it over a decade ago:

Film producers wanted to make a movie about classical music composers starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Grant, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. They ask Leonardo who he wants to be and he answers "I want to be Beethoven because I've always liked him." Hugh says "I want to be Mozart because I've always liked him." Finally they ask Arnold and he says "I'll be Bach."