Well, if you survived reading about our vacation, we don't want to overwhelm you today! After getting back from our trip, it was a pretty low key week. We suffered insomnia as we readjusted to EDT (Eric worse than Kim), and muddled our way through a week of work. Oof!
Yesterday we worked in the yard, getting rid of all the weeds that had taken residence in our yard and mowing the lawn. It's pretty obvious we haven't gotten a lot of rain the past month - the lawn was much shorter in the past week than it has been in the past two months! We also took Peanut to the dog park, where he so badly wanted to play with two boxer "pups" (still double his size). The two boxers were play-fighting, and Peanut kept jumping in the middle of him...until finally they pounced on him. He was less than amused. Last night we also went to see Angels and Demons at the movie theatre. The movie was pretty good...though parts were gorier than they probably needed to be.
We spent most of today at a cookout with friends. It started at noon, and the party continued until 8. We enjoyed hanging out at the pool, grilling and spending time with friends. It's nice that it finally feels like summer now so we have plenty of opportunities to do this! That's about it from here. (See, told you it was short.)
Current gas price: $2.63/gallon.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Day 9 - Oahu redux
Saturday
Kim says: We knew this was going to be a long day. The ship docked back in Oahu at 7 a.m., but our flight home wasn't until 9:30 p.m. So rather than spend all day (literally!) in the airport, we rented a car for the day. Surprisingly enough, we ended up with a silver Dodge Avenger this time. Must have been out of red PT Cruisers.
We left our luggage in storage at the pier so we didn't have to worry about it all day and headed east to the Byodo-In Temple. The temple is an exact replica of a 950+ year old temple in Japan, and it's amazing. The whole place was very beautiful, and it felt very serene.
Next we headed up the coast, and followed that all the way around to the North Shore. It was fun to literally drive along the coast and watch the waves roll in as we drove past. There weren't many surfers out, but we enjoyed watching the water all the same!
On our way back towards Honolulu, we stopped at the Dole Plantation. We took the train ride around the plantation and then enjoyed some delicious pineapple ice cream. Seriously, they need to import that stuff!
After picking up our bags and dropping off the rental, it was time to head to the airport. Our flight was on time, which was good...but the screaming baby seated across the aisle from us was not so good. So much for sleeping on the overnight flight! The rest of the trip was uneventful, and Kim's dad picked us up at the airport.
All in all, it was a great trip - and we have 800 photos to prove it :) Don't worry...we probably won't make you look at all of them next time we see you!
Eric says: New car! Nice digs. Big Buddha. Surfs up. Mmmm pineapple ice cream. Want more. So tired. Quiet, baby! More tired. Finally home. Goodnight.
Kim says: We knew this was going to be a long day. The ship docked back in Oahu at 7 a.m., but our flight home wasn't until 9:30 p.m. So rather than spend all day (literally!) in the airport, we rented a car for the day. Surprisingly enough, we ended up with a silver Dodge Avenger this time. Must have been out of red PT Cruisers.
We left our luggage in storage at the pier so we didn't have to worry about it all day and headed east to the Byodo-In Temple. The temple is an exact replica of a 950+ year old temple in Japan, and it's amazing. The whole place was very beautiful, and it felt very serene.
Next we headed up the coast, and followed that all the way around to the North Shore. It was fun to literally drive along the coast and watch the waves roll in as we drove past. There weren't many surfers out, but we enjoyed watching the water all the same!
On our way back towards Honolulu, we stopped at the Dole Plantation. We took the train ride around the plantation and then enjoyed some delicious pineapple ice cream. Seriously, they need to import that stuff!
After picking up our bags and dropping off the rental, it was time to head to the airport. Our flight was on time, which was good...but the screaming baby seated across the aisle from us was not so good. So much for sleeping on the overnight flight! The rest of the trip was uneventful, and Kim's dad picked us up at the airport.
All in all, it was a great trip - and we have 800 photos to prove it :) Don't worry...we probably won't make you look at all of them next time we see you!
Eric says: New car! Nice digs. Big Buddha. Surfs up. Mmmm pineapple ice cream. Want more. So tired. Quiet, baby! More tired. Finally home. Goodnight.
Day 7 and 8 - Kauai
Thursday
Kim says: This was one of our busiest days. We were off the ship as soon as it docked, and we picked up our rental car - a blue PT Cruiser. (See, told you there was a theme.) We then headed to Waimea Canyon, which is located on the west side of the island. Waimea Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and it was neat to see. You could make out waterfalls tucked away throughout the canyon, and you could even see goats making their way across the peaks and valleys.
Next, we headed to Spouting Horn and Poipu Beach on the southeast corner of the island. Spouting Horn is kind of like Old Faithful...waves from the ocean push water under a rockbed, and water spurts up out of a hole in the rock. The bigger the wave...the bigger the geyser. Poipu Beach was absolutely gorgeous, and it's also home to sea turtles and monk seals. Of course we didn't get to see any seals (bummer!), but we did see several turtles playing in the water.
Then we headed up the coast to Kiluea Lighthouse (northeast corner of the island). The lighthouse is one of the famous photos from Hawaii, and with good reason - that area is beautiful! We took lots of pictures and even saw a baby monk seal sunbathing on the rocks below the lighthouse.
We continued along the northern shore and stopped at the town of Hanalei, of Puff the Magic Dragon fame. (You know..."Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea, and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Hanalei"). Then we searched for Queen's Bath, a very hidden spot in the middle of a residential area. We had to hike along a trail (and pass a waterfall!) to find it, but we made it. Queen's Bath is a really big tide pool located in between big rocks. When tide is out and waves are low, many people go swimming in it...but it can be really dangerous at high tide, when there are big waves, etc. But don't worry parents - we didn't actually get in the pool. We just photographed it from up high.
On the way back to the ship, we stopped at two huge and goregous waterfalls - Wailua Falls and Opeakaa Falls. These are definitely what you think of when you think "Hawaii waterfall."
Eric says: Ugly blue PT. Yodelayheehoo! *Sploosh* Turtles riding waves - cowabunga! Puff Draggy. I want to swim at the bath! Best. waterfalls. yet.
Friday
Kim says: Though we only had a half day on Kauai before the ship sailed, we decided to make the most of it. We took a kayak trip down the Wailua River to Jungle Falls. The trip was a lot of fun - even though our arms are still a little sore! We saw several locations used in movies (Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, among others). Once we reached Jungle Falls, we were able to swim in the pool and even swim up to the falls...but the water was really cold!
Once we got back to the ship, we had the longest lull of the cruise (5 hours before anything interesting happened). But at 5 p.m., we began our "sail by" of the Na Pali Coast. The Na Pali Coast is along Kauai's northwest shore, and it's only accessible by air or by sea. The mountains are amazingly large and jagged, and they extend all the way to the coast. Portions of the Na Pali Coast were filmed in Fantasy Island, King Kong and 6 Days, 7 Nights.
Eric says: Paddle, paddle, paddle, splash, paddle, Raiders!, paddle, paddle, hike, JP waterfalls! Brrr it's cold! Swimming under the falls anyways! Excellent views, mediocre movies.
Kim says: This was one of our busiest days. We were off the ship as soon as it docked, and we picked up our rental car - a blue PT Cruiser. (See, told you there was a theme.) We then headed to Waimea Canyon, which is located on the west side of the island. Waimea Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and it was neat to see. You could make out waterfalls tucked away throughout the canyon, and you could even see goats making their way across the peaks and valleys.
Next, we headed to Spouting Horn and Poipu Beach on the southeast corner of the island. Spouting Horn is kind of like Old Faithful...waves from the ocean push water under a rockbed, and water spurts up out of a hole in the rock. The bigger the wave...the bigger the geyser. Poipu Beach was absolutely gorgeous, and it's also home to sea turtles and monk seals. Of course we didn't get to see any seals (bummer!), but we did see several turtles playing in the water.
Then we headed up the coast to Kiluea Lighthouse (northeast corner of the island). The lighthouse is one of the famous photos from Hawaii, and with good reason - that area is beautiful! We took lots of pictures and even saw a baby monk seal sunbathing on the rocks below the lighthouse.
We continued along the northern shore and stopped at the town of Hanalei, of Puff the Magic Dragon fame. (You know..."Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea, and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Hanalei"). Then we searched for Queen's Bath, a very hidden spot in the middle of a residential area. We had to hike along a trail (and pass a waterfall!) to find it, but we made it. Queen's Bath is a really big tide pool located in between big rocks. When tide is out and waves are low, many people go swimming in it...but it can be really dangerous at high tide, when there are big waves, etc. But don't worry parents - we didn't actually get in the pool. We just photographed it from up high.
On the way back to the ship, we stopped at two huge and goregous waterfalls - Wailua Falls and Opeakaa Falls. These are definitely what you think of when you think "Hawaii waterfall."
Eric says: Ugly blue PT. Yodelayheehoo! *Sploosh* Turtles riding waves - cowabunga! Puff Draggy. I want to swim at the bath! Best. waterfalls. yet.
Friday
Kim says: Though we only had a half day on Kauai before the ship sailed, we decided to make the most of it. We took a kayak trip down the Wailua River to Jungle Falls. The trip was a lot of fun - even though our arms are still a little sore! We saw several locations used in movies (Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, among others). Once we reached Jungle Falls, we were able to swim in the pool and even swim up to the falls...but the water was really cold!
Once we got back to the ship, we had the longest lull of the cruise (5 hours before anything interesting happened). But at 5 p.m., we began our "sail by" of the Na Pali Coast. The Na Pali Coast is along Kauai's northwest shore, and it's only accessible by air or by sea. The mountains are amazingly large and jagged, and they extend all the way to the coast. Portions of the Na Pali Coast were filmed in Fantasy Island, King Kong and 6 Days, 7 Nights.
Eric says: Paddle, paddle, paddle, splash, paddle, Raiders!, paddle, paddle, hike, JP waterfalls! Brrr it's cold! Swimming under the falls anyways! Excellent views, mediocre movies.
Day 6 - Big Island (Kona)
Wednesday
Kim says: Located on the west side of the Big Island, Kona was our only tender port - meaning we had to dock the cruise ship out at sea and ride a littler boat in to shore. On our tender ride to the pier, we saw a group of spinner dolphins! This group of dolphins played in the bay all day, so we got to see them every time our tender boat came in.
We had a planned activity today - the Captain Zodiac Rafting Adventure. The first part of the trip involved rafting 3 miles out to sea and waiting for marine life sightings. Unfortunately, it was not our day and we didn't see anything. Apparently a week or so ago they saw several whales, though! Next we rafted to Captain Cook's monument, which is only available by sea. Once there, we saw another group of spinner dolphins...but by the time we got in the water, they were gone.
We put on our snorkel gear and snorkeled up the coast. The water was very clear, but freezing cold...I ended up with goosebumps that you could even see underwater! We did see lots of marine life though - parrot fish, angelfish, trigger fish, coral, sea urchins and much more! Back on the raft, we took an "adventurous" ride up the coast back to the pier - and learned a lot about local history and lore.
Once we were back in Kona we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. Our raft captain recommended we try either Ono or Ahi since both fish were in abundance lately - and thus, very fresh! Kim got Ono tacos and Eric had an Ono wrap, and both were delicious! After lunch, we walked around the shopping area until it was time to get back on ship.
Eric says: Sweet, dolphins! Inflatable raft, dual outboard motors. Hawaiians killed Capt. Cook? Lots o' fishies. More dolphins! Ow, my bum hurts. Mmm, ono.
Kim says: Located on the west side of the Big Island, Kona was our only tender port - meaning we had to dock the cruise ship out at sea and ride a littler boat in to shore. On our tender ride to the pier, we saw a group of spinner dolphins! This group of dolphins played in the bay all day, so we got to see them every time our tender boat came in.
We had a planned activity today - the Captain Zodiac Rafting Adventure. The first part of the trip involved rafting 3 miles out to sea and waiting for marine life sightings. Unfortunately, it was not our day and we didn't see anything. Apparently a week or so ago they saw several whales, though! Next we rafted to Captain Cook's monument, which is only available by sea. Once there, we saw another group of spinner dolphins...but by the time we got in the water, they were gone.
We put on our snorkel gear and snorkeled up the coast. The water was very clear, but freezing cold...I ended up with goosebumps that you could even see underwater! We did see lots of marine life though - parrot fish, angelfish, trigger fish, coral, sea urchins and much more! Back on the raft, we took an "adventurous" ride up the coast back to the pier - and learned a lot about local history and lore.
Once we were back in Kona we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. Our raft captain recommended we try either Ono or Ahi since both fish were in abundance lately - and thus, very fresh! Kim got Ono tacos and Eric had an Ono wrap, and both were delicious! After lunch, we walked around the shopping area until it was time to get back on ship.
Eric says: Sweet, dolphins! Inflatable raft, dual outboard motors. Hawaiians killed Capt. Cook? Lots o' fishies. More dolphins! Ow, my bum hurts. Mmm, ono.
Day 5 - Big Island (Hilo)
Tuesday
Kim says: Once we landed in Hilo (on the east side of the Big Island), we jumped on the shuttle to the rental car place to pick up our white PT cruiser (notice a trend?). We then headed to Volcano National Park, the best known attraction in this area. When we got to the park, we discovered lots of warning signs about the high levels of sulphur dioxide gas from the volcano - and in fact, part of the road was closed because of it.
That, of course, didn't stop us. We stopped at several places along to Crater Rim Drive to see the steam vents, sulphur banks, big craters, lava flows and a lava tube. The lava tube was especially cool. It's essentially a large tunnel made of lava, and we were able to walk all the way through it. We then headed south about 20 miles to the area where the active lava flow meets the ocean. The road is blocked off part at a certain point due to the lava flows in early 2000. We hiked along that lava for awhile and saw where the lava bluffs met the ocean.
Next we headed to Black Sand Beach, which is made of lava rocks and dust from the volcano. There were lots of tide pools there, and it was a neat place to spend some time.
We stopped to see two waterfalls on the way back to the ship (Pe'epe'e Falls and Rainbow Falls), but both were showing the effects of less rainfall than usual. Pe'epe'e Falls was neat though because you could hike down a narrow path to a rock bed in the middle of the stream by the falls.
Eric says: Another PT Cruiser? Ugh. Something smells funny. Cool stuff. More cool stuff. It's dark. I'm walking on lava! Haha - peepee falls!
Kim says: Once we landed in Hilo (on the east side of the Big Island), we jumped on the shuttle to the rental car place to pick up our white PT cruiser (notice a trend?). We then headed to Volcano National Park, the best known attraction in this area. When we got to the park, we discovered lots of warning signs about the high levels of sulphur dioxide gas from the volcano - and in fact, part of the road was closed because of it.
That, of course, didn't stop us. We stopped at several places along to Crater Rim Drive to see the steam vents, sulphur banks, big craters, lava flows and a lava tube. The lava tube was especially cool. It's essentially a large tunnel made of lava, and we were able to walk all the way through it. We then headed south about 20 miles to the area where the active lava flow meets the ocean. The road is blocked off part at a certain point due to the lava flows in early 2000. We hiked along that lava for awhile and saw where the lava bluffs met the ocean.
Next we headed to Black Sand Beach, which is made of lava rocks and dust from the volcano. There were lots of tide pools there, and it was a neat place to spend some time.
We stopped to see two waterfalls on the way back to the ship (Pe'epe'e Falls and Rainbow Falls), but both were showing the effects of less rainfall than usual. Pe'epe'e Falls was neat though because you could hike down a narrow path to a rock bed in the middle of the stream by the falls.
Eric says: Another PT Cruiser? Ugh. Something smells funny. Cool stuff. More cool stuff. It's dark. I'm walking on lava! Haha - peepee falls!
Day 3 and 4 - Maui
Sunday
Kim says: When we woke up, the ship was just docking in Maui. We grabbed breakfast at the buffet and headed to the rental car shuttle. After picking up our ride (a silver PT Cruiser), we headed east to the Hana Highway. The Hana Highway is known for its beautiful scenery – and hairpin turns, one lane roads and narrow passes. Fortunately, Eric was the driver…and he made it look easy! Along the road, we stopped and hiked in several places and saw waterfalls, scenic overlooks and beautiful views.
Once we got back to the ship, we headed to deck 11 for some pool/jacuzzi time. We also enjoyed the drink of the day - the "fruit bowl." That night, we listed to an Eagles tribute band, which was decent.
Eric says: Hungry, where breakfast? Hate PT Cruisers - so ugly. Left. Right. Left. Right. Ooh. Left. Right. Left. Left. Yikes! Right. Left. Aaah. Now go back.
Monday
Kim says: Up early again, and after a quick breakfast at the buffet, we were off the ship. Since we parked the car in the shipyard overnight, we were on the road in no time.
First stop was Haleakala Crater, Maui’s highest peak. A popular excursion is to get up at 3 a.m. to watch the sunrise over the crater and then bike 18+ miles down. But we're not crazy, so we didn't do this. Instead, we waited until the reasonable hour of 8 a.m. and watched the crazy fools bike down the mountain... in the rain. As we drove up the crater it got colder and colder - which we hadn't really anticipated. Fortunately we had beach towels with us, so I ended up using that as a blanket. With the rain, the views weren't great, but it was neat to watch the clouds float by. While we were there only for a minute, we did make it to the 10,023 foot summit.
To warm up, we drove straight to Makena Beach Park. The water was gorgeous, and I really enjoyed laying on the beach. (It actually felt like vacation!). Unfortunately, Eric hates the sand, so we didn't stay too long.
Our next stop was the Iao Valley Rainforest, which looks like a scene straight out of Jurassic Park. There were bluffs that went straight up into the sky, streams and waterfalls, and tons of trees.
That night, we watched improv from The Second City, which was hilarious. Eric stayed to watch the "Not So Newlywed" game while Kim went to bed early - the choppy waves were too much.
Eric says: Crater time! Left. Right. Left. Not again! Brrr it's cold up here. Touch the cloud. Ugh, covered in sand. Awesome valley. "Aloha, aloha, you say aloha, I say aloha". "First kiss in GMC van? That was your first wife!"
Kim says: When we woke up, the ship was just docking in Maui. We grabbed breakfast at the buffet and headed to the rental car shuttle. After picking up our ride (a silver PT Cruiser), we headed east to the Hana Highway. The Hana Highway is known for its beautiful scenery – and hairpin turns, one lane roads and narrow passes. Fortunately, Eric was the driver…and he made it look easy! Along the road, we stopped and hiked in several places and saw waterfalls, scenic overlooks and beautiful views.
Once we got back to the ship, we headed to deck 11 for some pool/jacuzzi time. We also enjoyed the drink of the day - the "fruit bowl." That night, we listed to an Eagles tribute band, which was decent.
Eric says: Hungry, where breakfast? Hate PT Cruisers - so ugly. Left. Right. Left. Right. Ooh. Left. Right. Left. Left. Yikes! Right. Left. Aaah. Now go back.
Monday
Kim says: Up early again, and after a quick breakfast at the buffet, we were off the ship. Since we parked the car in the shipyard overnight, we were on the road in no time.
First stop was Haleakala Crater, Maui’s highest peak. A popular excursion is to get up at 3 a.m. to watch the sunrise over the crater and then bike 18+ miles down. But we're not crazy, so we didn't do this. Instead, we waited until the reasonable hour of 8 a.m. and watched the crazy fools bike down the mountain... in the rain. As we drove up the crater it got colder and colder - which we hadn't really anticipated. Fortunately we had beach towels with us, so I ended up using that as a blanket. With the rain, the views weren't great, but it was neat to watch the clouds float by. While we were there only for a minute, we did make it to the 10,023 foot summit.
To warm up, we drove straight to Makena Beach Park. The water was gorgeous, and I really enjoyed laying on the beach. (It actually felt like vacation!). Unfortunately, Eric hates the sand, so we didn't stay too long.
Our next stop was the Iao Valley Rainforest, which looks like a scene straight out of Jurassic Park. There were bluffs that went straight up into the sky, streams and waterfalls, and tons of trees.
That night, we watched improv from The Second City, which was hilarious. Eric stayed to watch the "Not So Newlywed" game while Kim went to bed early - the choppy waves were too much.
Eric says: Crater time! Left. Right. Left. Not again! Brrr it's cold up here. Touch the cloud. Ugh, covered in sand. Awesome valley. "Aloha, aloha, you say aloha, I say aloha". "First kiss in GMC van? That was your first wife!"
Day 1 and 2 - Oahu
Friday
Kim says: Woke up at 4 a.m., and Kim’s dad picked us up at 5 (thanks!). All of our flights were on time, which was great. The unfortunate part was that we had a four (yes, count them…FOUR) hour layover in San Francisco. On first glance we thought maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. San Fran airport has to have lots of shops, restaurants and people-watching to entertain us, right? Wrong. It appears their airport was under construction, so we flew in and out of the international terminal…which had a whopping 10 gates and one restaurant. So that ended up being a very long wait. But we got into Hawaii on time, grabbed a cab, made it to the hotel, and promptly fell asleep at 7 p.m. local time (1 a.m. EDT).
Eric says: Ugh, too early. Tired of San Fran. On flight movie. Yay! Bad Brendan Fraser movie. Boo! HIMYM episode. Yay! No sound. Boo!
Saturday
Kim says: With the time difference, we were up before the crack of dawn. We wandered down the street to a McDonalds (the only thing open that early) and grabbed a bite to eat. Then since the buses didn’t begin running until 7:30ish, we decided we’d just walk to Diamond Head. After all, we could see it from the hotel, so it couldn’t be that far. Ha. So, we walked along Waikiki Beach and then up the looooooooong hill towards Diamond Head. Turns out the walk was about 3 miles, but we did see some beautiful sights we would have missed on a bus! Diamond Head itself was really neat, and the views from the top were amazing! We also enjoyed the zoom on our new camera…definitely a huge improvement from our other one.
Since the walk up was so long (and it was much hotter by the time we left the park!), we decided to take the bus back to the hotel. But we ended up waiting an hour for the bus we needed – maybe we should have walked after all!
When we got back to the hotel, we packed up and headed to the pier to catch our ship – the Pride of America. The embarkation process was much easier and faster than we anticipated, and we were on ship in no time. Our rooms weren’t ready yet, so we had the lunch buffet and explored our home for the week. Not much later, we were able to get into our room – which actually felt more spacious than we guessed. (Imagine spending the week sailing in your college dorm room…but with a bathroom).
Eric says: Weird, 4:30 feels like 10:30. Long walk, tired. Longer hike. More tired. Nice view! Our bus? No. Our bus? No. Our bus! Small room, move over.
Kim says: Woke up at 4 a.m., and Kim’s dad picked us up at 5 (thanks!). All of our flights were on time, which was great. The unfortunate part was that we had a four (yes, count them…FOUR) hour layover in San Francisco. On first glance we thought maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. San Fran airport has to have lots of shops, restaurants and people-watching to entertain us, right? Wrong. It appears their airport was under construction, so we flew in and out of the international terminal…which had a whopping 10 gates and one restaurant. So that ended up being a very long wait. But we got into Hawaii on time, grabbed a cab, made it to the hotel, and promptly fell asleep at 7 p.m. local time (1 a.m. EDT).
Eric says: Ugh, too early. Tired of San Fran. On flight movie. Yay! Bad Brendan Fraser movie. Boo! HIMYM episode. Yay! No sound. Boo!
Saturday
Kim says: With the time difference, we were up before the crack of dawn. We wandered down the street to a McDonalds (the only thing open that early) and grabbed a bite to eat. Then since the buses didn’t begin running until 7:30ish, we decided we’d just walk to Diamond Head. After all, we could see it from the hotel, so it couldn’t be that far. Ha. So, we walked along Waikiki Beach and then up the looooooooong hill towards Diamond Head. Turns out the walk was about 3 miles, but we did see some beautiful sights we would have missed on a bus! Diamond Head itself was really neat, and the views from the top were amazing! We also enjoyed the zoom on our new camera…definitely a huge improvement from our other one.
Since the walk up was so long (and it was much hotter by the time we left the park!), we decided to take the bus back to the hotel. But we ended up waiting an hour for the bus we needed – maybe we should have walked after all!
When we got back to the hotel, we packed up and headed to the pier to catch our ship – the Pride of America. The embarkation process was much easier and faster than we anticipated, and we were on ship in no time. Our rooms weren’t ready yet, so we had the lunch buffet and explored our home for the week. Not much later, we were able to get into our room – which actually felt more spacious than we guessed. (Imagine spending the week sailing in your college dorm room…but with a bathroom).
Eric says: Weird, 4:30 feels like 10:30. Long walk, tired. Longer hike. More tired. Nice view! Our bus? No. Our bus? No. Our bus! Small room, move over.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Happy Mother's Day!
Happy mothers day to all our favorite people. We hope you had wonderful and relaxing days. (And that you didn't have to cook or clean at all!)
In honor of Mother's Day, we had Kim's dad over for dinner (yeah, you read that correctly), and we had steaks, corn on the cob, salad and green beans. It was our first official cookout for this year - at least, something other than quickly throwing burgers outside! The corn on the cob was amazingly delicious for this early in the season too, so that was a nice treat.
Going back in time, Saturday was a super busy day. We dropped Eric's car off at the shop for an oil change, and that turned into its own saga. Then we headed up north to the FedEx facility to pick up our new camera - yay! Then we went to Leah's (Mike and Erin's daughter) first birthday party. Leah was as cute as ever...even when she got a brain freeze from the ice cream cake! We also got to see several people from college at the party...including Barbi and her daughter Laura.
The birthday girl
So we mentioned that Eric's car had been dropped off for routine maintenance that morning. They called us about 1 (while we were at the party) to say the rear brakes needed replacing, too. Fine. So we leave the party at 3 to go pick up the car since the shop closes early on Saturdays. We get there and see that Eric's car is still up on the lift. Well, they have to be almost done, so we go over to the mall and kill NINETY minutes. Then we go back to the shop. The car is still up on the lift. What?! Eric went inside and they said to come back in another 40 minutes...but no, there's no problem, don't worry. So we go waste another 40 minutes walking around Target and go back to the shop. It's still up on the lift! Finally (after the shop was closed) we got the car back.
There was probably more to our week, but it's hard to remember now.
Current gas price: $2.23/gallon.
In honor of Mother's Day, we had Kim's dad over for dinner (yeah, you read that correctly), and we had steaks, corn on the cob, salad and green beans. It was our first official cookout for this year - at least, something other than quickly throwing burgers outside! The corn on the cob was amazingly delicious for this early in the season too, so that was a nice treat.
Going back in time, Saturday was a super busy day. We dropped Eric's car off at the shop for an oil change, and that turned into its own saga. Then we headed up north to the FedEx facility to pick up our new camera - yay! Then we went to Leah's (Mike and Erin's daughter) first birthday party. Leah was as cute as ever...even when she got a brain freeze from the ice cream cake! We also got to see several people from college at the party...including Barbi and her daughter Laura.
The birthday girl
So we mentioned that Eric's car had been dropped off for routine maintenance that morning. They called us about 1 (while we were at the party) to say the rear brakes needed replacing, too. Fine. So we leave the party at 3 to go pick up the car since the shop closes early on Saturdays. We get there and see that Eric's car is still up on the lift. Well, they have to be almost done, so we go over to the mall and kill NINETY minutes. Then we go back to the shop. The car is still up on the lift. What?! Eric went inside and they said to come back in another 40 minutes...but no, there's no problem, don't worry. So we go waste another 40 minutes walking around Target and go back to the shop. It's still up on the lift! Finally (after the shop was closed) we got the car back.
There was probably more to our week, but it's hard to remember now.
Current gas price: $2.23/gallon.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
May flowers...and May showers
It's May - we made it! This past week was an incredibly busy one at work, and we were both so happy to make it to the weekend. Kim was also really excited because she finally finished her 2007 scrapbook (okay, so it's not exactly a timely finish, but it's done!). She plans on taking a bit of a scrapbooking hiatus for a little while, but hopefully the 2008 album will be just as fun to do. And then we'll be almost caught up to the current year!
Saturday we went on a hunt for a new digital camera - something that was still fairly compact (and travelled easily) but had a good optical zoom and could take pictures quickly in succession. After doing a ton of online research, we headed to the store to test as many as we could out in person. It's amazing what a difference it makes to actually be able to hold the camera in your hand, push the buttons, take practice pictures, etc. At any rate, two real contenders emerged and we made our final pick. Since we actually ordered it online, we're hoping it arrives (and works!) quickly...and that we're happy with our choice!
We've gotten a ton of rain here over the past week. In fact, the rain gauge in the garden suggests we got over 4 inches! Needless to say, it turned the yard into a bit of a jungle - you'd never believe that we cross cut the lawn when we mowed last week! Since the grass had gotten to be so long, we HAD to mow it, even though the yard is still very soggy in some areas. So our lawn looks a lot like a kindergartner to a pair of scissors to her hair... Oh well! At least the flowers in the garden look really good from all the rain.
It was supposed to rain again today, but it true Ohio fashion, the weather changed at the last minute. So rather than being stuck inside all day, we were able to get a lot of things done. We got some patio pavers to put next to the patio (and set the grill on ). We also finally got curtains put in the windows by the front door. Of course they don't make curtain rods small enough for those windows, so Eric had a good excuse to play with power tools this afternoon. It took awhile to get them to be the right size, but we're really happy with how the project turned out!
Since the weather was unexpectedly nice tonight, we went for a long walk. Peanut was so happy to go for the walk that he literally bounced from spot to spot. But he was one tired pup when we got home. He's been snoozing since dinner time!
Current gas price: $2.09/gallon.
Saturday we went on a hunt for a new digital camera - something that was still fairly compact (and travelled easily) but had a good optical zoom and could take pictures quickly in succession. After doing a ton of online research, we headed to the store to test as many as we could out in person. It's amazing what a difference it makes to actually be able to hold the camera in your hand, push the buttons, take practice pictures, etc. At any rate, two real contenders emerged and we made our final pick. Since we actually ordered it online, we're hoping it arrives (and works!) quickly...and that we're happy with our choice!
We've gotten a ton of rain here over the past week. In fact, the rain gauge in the garden suggests we got over 4 inches! Needless to say, it turned the yard into a bit of a jungle - you'd never believe that we cross cut the lawn when we mowed last week! Since the grass had gotten to be so long, we HAD to mow it, even though the yard is still very soggy in some areas. So our lawn looks a lot like a kindergartner to a pair of scissors to her hair... Oh well! At least the flowers in the garden look really good from all the rain.
It was supposed to rain again today, but it true Ohio fashion, the weather changed at the last minute. So rather than being stuck inside all day, we were able to get a lot of things done. We got some patio pavers to put next to the patio (and set the grill on ). We also finally got curtains put in the windows by the front door. Of course they don't make curtain rods small enough for those windows, so Eric had a good excuse to play with power tools this afternoon. It took awhile to get them to be the right size, but we're really happy with how the project turned out!
Since the weather was unexpectedly nice tonight, we went for a long walk. Peanut was so happy to go for the walk that he literally bounced from spot to spot. But he was one tired pup when we got home. He's been snoozing since dinner time!
Current gas price: $2.09/gallon.
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