Maui: Day Three

The first Friday we spent in Maui ended up being one of my favorite days there. I thought I fell love with Hawaii the 36 hours prior, but that love affair grew tenfold this day.

Before we left for the trip, I’d booked several tours and experiences knowing that Don wouldn’t want to sit at the pool all day, though I would’ve been perfectly content. One of the trips I read the most about was a bike tour down Haleakala.

Haleakala is considered an active volcano, but it hasn’t erupted since 1790. It’s part of Haleakala National Park, and the summit is more than 10,000 feet above sea level. And for someone who hasn’t spent a great deal of time around mountains (me), it’s massive.

We drove up to the North shore of Maui and hung out at a beach park while we waited to be picked up for the tour.

Apparently, you haven’t lived until you’ve watched the sunrise from the summit of Haleakala, and there are several tour companies that offer to pick you up at your hotel at 2:00 in the morning and take you there. We passed on that option (though might do it on our next trip to Maui), and instead chose to bike down the volcano after the sun was already up with the guys from Maui Easy Riders.

The waves on this side of the island were much, much bigger than the south side (where our hotel was), and we saw several people out surfing.

We were picked up along with another couple from San Diego, and took a ride in a van for 40 minutes or so up the mountain. I don’t think the volcano is technically a mountain, but everyone seems to refer to it as one, so I will too.

The road to the summit is narrow, extremely winding, and (obviously) uphill.  Though our tour guides, appropriately named Billy and Billy, were really fun and engaging (and from Indianapolis!), I wasn’t feeling so hot by the time we reached the top. Right before we were let out of the van, we were handed a laminated sheet of paper with rules and guidelines for the tour. I stared out the window, pressing my nausea pressure points, and wondered if they were laminated because people had thrown up on them like I was about to do.

Fortunately, I was let out of the van just in time, and I puked off the cliff directly behind me in this photo. Thanks, Don, for capturing that memory AFTER it happened, and not during.

I felt quite a bit better after that and was ready to get on a bike. It’s a Maui County law that you have to wear a full-face helmet on these tours, so we put on our fancy motorcycle helmets and headed out.

It was COLD at the top of the mountain, and I immediately regretted my wardrobe selection. It was probably in the 40s, but the further we got down the mountain, the warmer it got and I took back my regret pretty quickly.

95% of the bike ride was downhill, and we almost never had to pedal. We coasted along, making hairpin turns that had me completely convinced I’d fall off my bike (I didn’t). Around every curve, we were hit with another breathtaking view. I muttered to myself the entire time about how amazing this experience was, and how I was so glad I wasn’t sitting by the pool instead.

Because we were going downhill, we were going pretty fast. The Billys told us that we’d average about 25 miles per hour, but hit 35 mph at one point. It certainly felt that fast and my heart was pumping hard the entire time. It felt like a 3-hour roller coaster ride. Clearly we weren’t allowed to take pictures while we were riding, but we did stop every 7 miles or so and the Billys were happy to take some photos for us.

I hate that you can’t tell how big my smile is in these photos. Enormous.

It took us about 4 hours to ride those 25 miles down Haleakala, back to the beach park where we’d left our Jeep. It was terrifying, exhilarating, and absolutely worth puking on a volcano. That morning ranks right up there on the list of favorite life experiences. I kept telling Don how very, very lucky I felt that we got to experience it.

Knowing we wouldn’t be able to top the awesome morning we’d had, we took it easy that afternoon and ordered fruity drinks by the pool, reading and dozing. We watched another sunset from the hot tub at the Serenity Pool.

That night, we asked the concierge for a pizza recommendation and landed at Matteo’s – an excellent choice. We ate leisurely, basked in the amazing day we’d had, appreciating Maui, and went to bed happy that night.

 95% of the bike ride was downhill, and we almost never had to pedal. We coasted along, making hairpin turns that had me completely convinced I’d fall off my bike (I didn’t). Around every curve, we were hit with another breathtaking view of Maui and the Pacific Ocean. I muttered to myself the entire time about how amazing this experience was, and how I was so glad I wasn’t sitting by the pool instead. As an added bonus, most of the route was lined with eucalyptus trees so we got a good dose of aromatherapy on the way down.

Maui: Day Two

This is a continuation of this post.

We woke up that Thursday morning (extremely early thanks to a 5-hour time difference) and got to experience the Four Seasons in the daylight. I sat on our lanai with my coffee, mapping out our day. We had some ‘business’ to do and I was anxious to get it all done so we could really start vacationing.

We had no idea that the night before, as we sat eating a late dinner, THIS is the view we were missing in the darkness:

The Four Seasons is no joke. The grounds and views are absolutely breathtaking. Pictures come nowhere close to doing it justice.

We wandered up to the Serenity Pool where we grabbed a couple of chairs and I rattled off a chorus of “I’m never leaving this place,” “take a picture. Did you get a picture?” and “I couldn’t love this any more if I tried.”

Eventually, Don pulled me away and dragged me back to the reality that we had things to do. First, we ventured out to find Silver Stitch in Kihei, the company that I’d pre-arranged to have steam my wedding dress and Don’s wedding shirt, since they’d been stuffed into a suitcase.

Kihei is a funky little beach town with lots of fun restaurants and shops, as well as your typical fast food options and grocery stores. Just like Indiana, except there are surfers across the street.

After dropping off our clothes, we drove over to a very nice woman’s house to sign our marriage license and get that taken care of. It was a pretty simple process, and she apparently has a nice little business going because there were four other couples there doing the exact same thing that Thursday morning.

We came across a tiny storefront called Cinnamon Roll Fair on our way back. We bailed on the lunch reservations I’d made and split a giant cinnamon roll instead. Delicious.

Once we got back to the hotel, it took me all of 30 seconds to put on a swimsuit and head out to the pool.

Later that afternoon, we decided to walk over to the resort next door, The Grand Wailea. We’d considered staying here, but I ultimately decided against it when I read that it was often overrun with small children. I wish I’d taken some photos of the grounds there, though – it really is beautiful. That resort is adjacent to high-end shopping center, and we wandered around there until we decided we were hungry. We ate at Cheeseburger Island Style, where the burger (and service) were mediocre at best.

Walking back, we stopped for a photo op in front of a waterfall at The Grand Wailea (and because my flipflop was giving me a blister and I wanted a break).

It was just about time for sunset, and we decided to watch it from the edge of the infinity pool. Beautiful.

Somehow, all of that sunset-watching made me hungry again, and we found ourselves at Ferraro’s for dinner. Ferraro’s is one of those ritzy oceanfront restaurants at the resort that everyone said we needed to try, and to keep an eye out for celebrities while we were there.

The atmosphere was really nice and the food was okay, but we weren’t impressed enough to go back for dinner another night (or enough to take any photos, apparently).  

After dinner, we made our way to the hot tub where I went on and on about how much I loved Maui and how I was never going back home. I’m pretty sure that was a constant theme for the next ten days.

Maui: Day One

It could very well be that no one really cares to read a day-by-day account of the 11 days we spent in Maui last month. But the sake of posterity, and because I’ve been lazy and haven’t documented our trip anywhere else, that’s what I’m embarking on here today, which happens to be the one-month anniversary of our Hawaiian wedding.

Day One: Wednesday

We had an early morning flight, which we usually try to avoid, but when you’re flying 4300 miles in one day it’s necessary. I had crammed my wedding dress into a carry-on suitcase the night before, so we packed Don’s carry-on with in-flight essentials like Pringles, Sour Patch Kids, pretzels and iPads. This proved to be a wise decision. We’re used to flying on Southwest where the in-flight snacks are robust and FREE. Not so on American Airlines. Sure, they filed for bankruptcy days before our flight, but we weren’t offered so much as a bag of peanuts. To be fair, they did offer to sell us a bag of chips for $4.

After a short layover in Dallas and a not-so-short 8-hour flight to Kahului, we picked up our rental Jeep and navigated our way to the south side of the island. We got to Maui around 4:30, so we were treated to our first Hawaiian sunset during our drive.

When we arrived to the Four Seasons, they immediately gave us a taste of what we’d come to appreciate for the rest of our stay. We were greeted with a warm “Aloha!” and flower leis. As we checked in, we were offered washcloths and fresh pineapple skewers.

We were escorted to our room by John, one of the valets that we came to love during our stay. He gave us recommendations for running shoes while he unloaded our bags. Our room was nice – large enough with a private lanai overlooking the croquet courtyard. There was a coffee cake waiting for us (which I immediately dove into) along with a sweet welcome card from the resort manager.

It was dark by the time we got settled and we were exhausted from traveling all day, but we wandered around the resort for a bit, completely unaware of the views we were missing out on in the darkness. We got something to eat in the open-air lobby lounge. There was live music each night there, and we thoroughly enjoyed the fresh sushi and truffled macaroni and cheese. After dinner we ventured down to one of the hot tubs where we desperately tried to hold our eyes open and planned out our agenda for the next day.

Another 2011 Recap

I know I already did a 2011 recap, but I came across this and thought I’d play along. Every year, Sundry does this great year-end post and invites everyone to do the same.


1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
 
2011 was a big year of firsts. A short list: got married, built a house, lived in a hotel, went to Hawaii, zip-lined through a eucalyptus forest.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


I didn’t really make any resolutions last year, but did attempt to be more positive than I had been and I think I succeeded at that. 2011 was pretty great, and I’m planning to carry over the positive vibes rule into 2012.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?


Yes! We gained a nephew (Reid) in November, and a niece (CJ) in December. A few friends had babies, too.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

NO.

5. What countries did you visit?

None, but Hawaii kind of felt like a foreign country until we went into the Wal-Mart.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

Window treatments. And a job that fulfills me. Probably not in that order.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Our wedding day, the day Don proposed, the day I bought my wedding dress. The day we closed on the house.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?


I’m not so sure ‘achievement’ is the right word, but marrying Don was pretty momentous.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Losing touch with some friends. Big failure.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Actually, no. Just the usual stuff this year. I’m sure I can credit that to being diligent about taking my multi-vitamin, right?

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A house. My husband’s wedding band.

12. Where did most of your money go?

Mortgages, and to the fine folks at the Four Seasons Maui. 

13. What did you get really excited about?

So much! Finally living in our house, finally marrying Don, Hawaii in general, Mindy moving in, finally ditching my BlackBerry for an iPhone.

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?

A shout-out to my nephew, Jensen, here: Light, Light

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? Happier. Way, way happier. 
– thinner or fatter? The same, thankfully.
– richer or poorer? Richer, but not necessarily wealthier.   

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?


Reading. Taking pictures. Writing.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?


Drinking coffee. I’m full-on addicted now.

18. How did you spend Christmas?
 

For the first time EVER, we didn’t travel on Christmas Day. We stayed home in PJs and enjoyed spending our first married Christmas in our house, just the two of us. It was fabulous.

19. What was your favorite TV program?

True Blood. Modern Family. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?

Maui Revisited. Place of Yes. I know there were others I read on vacation and loved, but I can’t recall a single one of them right now, and Goodreads.com is apparently down.

21. What was your favorite music from this year?


I got nothin’.

22. What were your favorite films of the year?

Crazy Stupid Love, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 30, and we were in Las Vegas. It was fantastic. 

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I loved this year, honestly. But while my job has some great perks, I haven’t loved it this year. So I guess a different job is my answer.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

It’s hardly a ‘concept’ but I wore a lot more running shorts, sports bras, and leggings than I ever have before. Otherwise, business casual.

26. What kept you sane?

My now-husband. My friend Tracy’s emails. Mindless games on my iPad.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.


Everyone will have an opinion on how you should live your life, but go with your gut and love every minute.  

Happy New Year!

New Year, New Blog

NEW YEAR, NEW BLOG

Well, it's really the same blog. Just with new content. Exciting, right? I'm not even convinced that anyone checks here anymore, but that's okay. 

2011 was a pretty monumental year, and a lot of it is worth recapping even if only for my own benefit. The highlights, of course, were sealing the deal with Don and marrying him on the beaches of Maui, and moving into the house we worked so hard to have. 

While those are pretty big (okay, HUGE) events, we have even more reasons to say 2011 was one of our best years yet.

A rundown:

January - Admittedly, January was kind of a low-key month for us. We'd already broken ground on the house, but the weather was awful for most of the month so there wasn't a ton of progress. We did go to the Home Show, though, where we won a free garage door opener and some carpet cleaning. That just may have been the highlight. 

February - Things moved along with the house in February, despite some major errors. We celebrated my nephew's second birthday over french toast. I went nuts subscribing to home decor and DIY blogs. 

March - In March, I moved the rest of my belongings out of my house so that my renter could move in. I'd been in that house for five years, but I didn't really have any emotional attachment to it. It was actually kind of a relief to move out of it. Meanwhile, we were furiously trying to sell Don's house because we were sure we'd be moving into our new house in just a few weeks. Instead, we learned that our house might not be finished at all.

April - We kicked off April by celebrating my 30th birthday in Las Vegas. I had a conference there for work, and the timing worked out perfectly so that we could stay an extra few days to ring in my fourth decade of life. I had my first experience making drobi. 

May - Things really moved along at the house. Don's house still hadn't sold. My cousin, Mindy, came for a visit to see if living in Indianapolis was something she'd like to do (spoiler: she's still here!). My mom visited and taught me how to properly re-pot house plants. 

June - Don's house sold! Thus began my frenzy of selling tons of furniture on Craigslist, and the dance of figuring out where we were going to live until our house was ready. We ultimately moved into a hotel room, which was actually pretty great. I learned to appreciate the continental breakfast and rather enjoyed throwing my bath towels on the floor, knowing someone else would pick them up by the time I got 'home' from work!

July - After a big Fourth of July celebration with Don's family, I took off for a week on the beach with my family. While I was there, Don closed on our house and moved our stuff in. I quickly determined that the best way to buy a house was from another state.
 

August - Just a couple of weeks after moving into our new house, Mindy moved in with us. We had (and continue to have) a blast showing her around town, taking her to the State Fair, a Colts game, and to some of our favorite spots around town. And we inherited a piano! We capped off August with a visit to Evansville to see our friends Kara and Mike and their adorable family. 

September - The highlight of September was spending a week in Hilton Head with my dad and brothers. It was a great way to say goodbye to summer and unwind after a few hectic months of moving in and getting settled. 

October - On October 6th, Don asked me to marry him. That day is right up there on the list of my favorite days ever. A few days later, I bought a wedding dress and we booked flights to Hawaii. That kicked off our eight-week engagement, most of which was spent with my head in the clouds, so very excited to be married to my best friend. 

November - The blissfulness continued in November with a fun night out with some of my favorite people, welcoming our newest nephew, Reid, into the world, and celebrating Don's birthday all within a few days. We hosted a great Thanksgiving for my family, and took off for Maui on November 30.

December - I intend to do a whole series of posts about our wedding and Hawaiian honeymoon, but it was absolutely the trip of a lifetime and we can't wait to go back to Maui. Those eleven days could not have been more perfect. 

photo credit: Anna Kim Photography

We came back and shared our first married Christmas with our families in Ohio and across Indiana, and still managed to wake up in our own home on Christmas morning and enjoyed spending the entire day in our pajamas by the fire. It was fitting that we wrapped up 2011 with a champagne toast at midnight with good friends.

We can't wait to see what 2012 brings!

Happy New Year!

Blogging is Harder Than I Thought

It's true. Posting to the blog on a regular basis is far more difficult than I anticipated. I have PLENTY of content floating around in my head, but getting those posts on to this website has been a challenge (obviously). I have a newfound respect for the nearly 150 bloggers who I have listed in my Google Reader who do a fabulous job of posting regularly. Then again, maybe I'd have more time to devote to my own blog if I didn't read so many others. There's just so much good stuff out there.

We closed on our house a month ago today, and it's been a busy, busy month. We've gotten a lot done, but still have a lot do. In the midst of it, we're both working full-time, have had a steady stream of houseguests (which we love!), and we're desperately trying to enjoy every moment of summer before we sink into our winter hibernation. So, there hasn't been a lot of time for posting blogs.

Still, we've been productive and there's lots to share.

Perhaps most importantly, we've got a new roommate. My cousin, Mindy, has taken up residence and we're absolutely thrilled about it. She's so fun to have around (except for those times she guilts me into doing Turbo Jam workout DVDs with her in the living room - just kidding Mindy!). We're trying to show her all the awesome things about being a Hoosier, like taking her to the state fair for turkey legs and frozen bananas:

She's also been a huge help in unpacking and organizing. The baked goods that are regularly appearing on the counter don't hurt either. That's what Turbo Jam is for, right?

I'm hopeful that things calm down a little bit this week and I can take some updated pictures of things we've accomplished (and still hope to accomplish), and then get those posted here soon!

Now Taking Requests

Last week, we got a very special delivery to the house. It arrived in a old red pickup truck and a trailer.

Within minutes, this beauty was set up in what might normally be a formal dining room. Don and I are not exactly formal dining room people. If we're going to do formal dining, I'd prefer it be in a restaurant. But we knew when we designed the floorplan for this house that we'd need space for a piano, and this room was perfect with all of its natural light and open space.

The piano is a 1921 Kimball, and it was a gift from Don's parents. A very generous one, at that. They'd had it for years, and it went largely untouched for most of those years. While it's not in perfect condition and will need a little bit of love, it's absolutely playable.

In fact, I had a fabulous time going through my piles of music on Saturday and working my way through them. I'm rusty, that's for sure. But I'm so excited to have something to play on again!

Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture with bad lighting. But thanks to Don for taking it!

This room is right at the bottom of the stairs, and it's been so fun to come downstairs in the morning and see the piano there. Even though Don doesn't play, we both really, really love having the piano in our home. And after giving an impromptu concert to the cats over the weekend, I'm almost motivated to take some lessons again. Almost.