Surprise....I'm back.
Actually, not really.
I've decided to suspend my blogging *(if not stop altogether)
As one of my friends asked - "How will I know what's going on with the Wee's?" Well we might actually have to communicate - more......(Thank goodness for emails)
I have decided to start using my twitter account more (ok, actually use it - period - it's taken me awhile to figure it out.......), so if you want to hear what's going on in my little mind, you can follow me on twitter - I'd give you my twitter I.D. but I don't know what it is - I think you can just put my name in it......
Stay warm, play safe, and enjoy life.
luv me
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Blog 8 of January
Only a couple more days of the Hawaiian Vacation - hang in there.
It's Wednesday, January 1st, 2014. Yes the first day of a new year, and where would you want to be, well, we here, enough said.
Today is Kailua beach (it's pronounces just like the liqueur) I had read good things on line about this beach and had heard from friends that the sand and water here is amazing. I believe Ashley was navigator today, and she and the GPS got us to the beach in no time. But the parking was atrocious. Seems everyone else must have read the same article or talked to my same friends. With a few maneuvers we managed to find a nice end spot on a near by street, so there wasn't much walking involved to get to the beach. The beach is right next to a park, and people had volleyball nets set up; some people were BBQing.
We found a nice little spot next to some fallen trees (built in shade if needed) Ashley and Ethan left to find the nearest place to rent paddle boards. Patrick was also interested, but the interest lessened when he discovered the farther than he had hoped.
So while Ashley and Ethan were paddling, Patrick and I built another sand fortress. The only criteria Patrick wanted was for it to be the tallest in the world. Small request.
Farther out in the ocean was this small flat island. Apparently it is a designated bird sanctuary and although you can walk on the edge, you are asked to stay off the actual grass area.
At one point during the day, there were sirens, followed by EMS and a firetruck farther down at the end of the beach. Hopefully all turned out well. (or maybe there were shooting a scene from Hawaii 5-0) - that was my theory.
We took a great family shot - Bill insisted on trying out the timer on his camera. He rested the camera on our shady tree trunk and then would run into the water
. The group photo you see is the last photo taken with the camera - because shortly afterwards, the camera fell into the sand - and it bit the dust (or sand) The humor in this story is that a lady near us in the water offered to take the group shot for us, but Bill wanted to see how the timer worked. Lesson learned (or not) On a side note, Ashley took the camera in when we got back to Calgary, and it wasn't worth the cost to fix it - so Bill said he would try - too bad cameras can't be flushed down toilets like fish when they die!)
Ashley and Ethan paddled their boards back to the renters (it was quite a jaunt) and the remainder of us drove to meet them at the same renters.
Well that was a journey in itself - the traffic was the worst I have seen. We find out later on, the traffic is a result of one President Obama. Seems he was golfing in the area and stopped to pick up some shaved ice for his girls at the place next to the paddle renters. Hmmmmm, annoyed but kind of cool.
We get the kids, we're kind of wet, a little sandy and good time to head back to the hotel. But seems Bill had a moment - we are in the area anyway, so we stop at the Punchbowl - the military cemetery.
It is a wondrous site. And a great way to wind down and reflect. I remember when Bill and I came years ago, we visited the site of the Hawaiin astronaut Ellison S Omizuka.
Then we headed back to our hotel and on Ethan's suggestion we tried out the Cheeseburger paradise and no, Patrick did not get ID'd. The food and service were both good. It was a great end to a busy but relaxing day.
Almost done.
Stacey
It's Wednesday, January 1st, 2014. Yes the first day of a new year, and where would you want to be, well, we here, enough said.
Today is Kailua beach (it's pronounces just like the liqueur) I had read good things on line about this beach and had heard from friends that the sand and water here is amazing. I believe Ashley was navigator today, and she and the GPS got us to the beach in no time. But the parking was atrocious. Seems everyone else must have read the same article or talked to my same friends. With a few maneuvers we managed to find a nice end spot on a near by street, so there wasn't much walking involved to get to the beach. The beach is right next to a park, and people had volleyball nets set up; some people were BBQing.
We found a nice little spot next to some fallen trees (built in shade if needed) Ashley and Ethan left to find the nearest place to rent paddle boards. Patrick was also interested, but the interest lessened when he discovered the farther than he had hoped.
So while Ashley and Ethan were paddling, Patrick and I built another sand fortress. The only criteria Patrick wanted was for it to be the tallest in the world. Small request.
And Bill, well he did what he needed to do!
Farther out in the ocean was this small flat island. Apparently it is a designated bird sanctuary and although you can walk on the edge, you are asked to stay off the actual grass area.
At one point during the day, there were sirens, followed by EMS and a firetruck farther down at the end of the beach. Hopefully all turned out well. (or maybe there were shooting a scene from Hawaii 5-0) - that was my theory.
We took a great family shot - Bill insisted on trying out the timer on his camera. He rested the camera on our shady tree trunk and then would run into the water
Ashley and Ethan paddled their boards back to the renters (it was quite a jaunt) and the remainder of us drove to meet them at the same renters.
Well that was a journey in itself - the traffic was the worst I have seen. We find out later on, the traffic is a result of one President Obama. Seems he was golfing in the area and stopped to pick up some shaved ice for his girls at the place next to the paddle renters. Hmmmmm, annoyed but kind of cool.
We get the kids, we're kind of wet, a little sandy and good time to head back to the hotel. But seems Bill had a moment - we are in the area anyway, so we stop at the Punchbowl - the military cemetery.
It is a wondrous site. And a great way to wind down and reflect. I remember when Bill and I came years ago, we visited the site of the Hawaiin astronaut Ellison S Omizuka.
Then we headed back to our hotel and on Ethan's suggestion we tried out the Cheeseburger paradise and no, Patrick did not get ID'd. The food and service were both good. It was a great end to a busy but relaxing day.
Almost done.
Stacey
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Blog 7 of January
Hawaii Vacation 2013 cont'
Tuesday, December 31st
Yes its the last day of 2013, and what a place to be in welcome in the New Year. This was a no plan day. We voted and the majority voted on shopping so we headed back to the Ala Mona shopping Center. After parking the car, we found a "meet up spot." Then we played "Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would take Bill shopping with them. Ashley and Ethan won (winning is in the eyes of the beholder). But for some reason, Bill tagged along with me. Now those of you who know me, know that shopping is not my thing, and when I do shop, I am a loner shopper. Needless to say, I didn't buy a thing.
Patrick was on a denim mission. I'm not sure what fashion magazine he had been browsing through, but he's convinced that denim is making a comeback. He came away with a denim vest, denim shirt, and a denim jacket (throw in a khaki vest too). He does realize we live in Calgary, and have some of the best denim stores..... We met back at our meeting spot and popped into the food court for a bite of lunch.
After leaving the mall, we found a local Safeway and picked up some easy peasy things for supper. The rest of the afternoon, everyone did their own thing until supper time.
At 10:00 p.m. we headed to the beach to wander and then ring in the New Year
. We found a nice little piece of beach/cement and planted ourselves.
It was right outside of a night club and the music was great. Lots of people watching going on as the beach began to fill up. There was a large lit up clock on the side of one of the hotels so we were able to do the one minutes count down til midnight.
At midnight, a wonderful fireworks display began and it lasted almost 15 minutes. Between the fireworks and crazy people swimming in the ocean, the sights were spectacular.
Thank goodness for the local police, because the roads were closed off and people were able to leave the beach in different directions. Some people were actually sitting down in the streets (at least I think they were sitting)
At one point, we lost sight of the kids so Bill and I stopped on the street to wait and look for them. After a few minutes, my phone rang and it was Ashley. Seemed they were already back at the hotel - and wondering where we were - guess we weren't missed before then.
Back at the hotel, we opened the bottle of champagne and toasted the New Year. How lucky we are to be in this beautiful island and share the new year with our family.
Happy New Year.
Stacey
Tuesday, December 31st
Yes its the last day of 2013, and what a place to be in welcome in the New Year. This was a no plan day. We voted and the majority voted on shopping so we headed back to the Ala Mona shopping Center. After parking the car, we found a "meet up spot." Then we played "Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would take Bill shopping with them. Ashley and Ethan won (winning is in the eyes of the beholder). But for some reason, Bill tagged along with me. Now those of you who know me, know that shopping is not my thing, and when I do shop, I am a loner shopper. Needless to say, I didn't buy a thing.
Patrick was on a denim mission. I'm not sure what fashion magazine he had been browsing through, but he's convinced that denim is making a comeback. He came away with a denim vest, denim shirt, and a denim jacket (throw in a khaki vest too). He does realize we live in Calgary, and have some of the best denim stores..... We met back at our meeting spot and popped into the food court for a bite of lunch.
After leaving the mall, we found a local Safeway and picked up some easy peasy things for supper. The rest of the afternoon, everyone did their own thing until supper time.
At 10:00 p.m. we headed to the beach to wander and then ring in the New Year
. We found a nice little piece of beach/cement and planted ourselves.
It was right outside of a night club and the music was great. Lots of people watching going on as the beach began to fill up. There was a large lit up clock on the side of one of the hotels so we were able to do the one minutes count down til midnight.
At midnight, a wonderful fireworks display began and it lasted almost 15 minutes. Between the fireworks and crazy people swimming in the ocean, the sights were spectacular.
Thank goodness for the local police, because the roads were closed off and people were able to leave the beach in different directions. Some people were actually sitting down in the streets (at least I think they were sitting)
At one point, we lost sight of the kids so Bill and I stopped on the street to wait and look for them. After a few minutes, my phone rang and it was Ashley. Seemed they were already back at the hotel - and wondering where we were - guess we weren't missed before then.
Back at the hotel, we opened the bottle of champagne and toasted the New Year. How lucky we are to be in this beautiful island and share the new year with our family.
Happy New Year.
Stacey
Friday, January 10, 2014
Blog 6 of January
Monday, December 30th
Patrick (and his new runners) were on run duty today with Bill. Today was our Luau day, which was my pick of the holiday. When Bill and I visited Honolulu for the first time back in the 80's, we attended the best luau. We have never been able to duplicate that experience again, and I was hoping to do so this trip especially since this was Ethan's first trip to the islands. So today we headed off to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) It is located on the north side of the island, so the drive was between 60 to 90 minutes. Since we were going to be on the North side of the island, we decided to take the scenic route (or long route) and stop at the infamous North Shore to see some "big" waves. We weren't disappointed.
A large stretch of the beach was roped off as the waves had been extreme, and in the news they were showing some homes falling into the ocean as the beach below them was eroding away from the large waves.
We stopped for a quick bite to eat at a local restaurant and then continued on to the PCC.
We arrived around 1:30 (we had hoped for 12:00 noon). We were assigned a guide; a nice young man named Kala, whom we shared with 20 other people. Our group consisted of folks from Alaska, Arkansas, Florida and even Saskatoon.
We learned to weave the coconut leaves, making fish on fishing poles. I had hope to take mine home to show mom, but who knew once the leaves hit Calgary they would dry and break. We watched the boat pageant which consisted of island dances of the various islands. They lagoon that the pageant was on was stocked with fish and you could buy fish food and feed the fish. But if you wanted to see the actual fish, you just had to put your arm out and the fish automatically come to the surface (looking for the food).
Ashley also found a duck near the lagoon, and it wouldn't be a vacation if Ashley didn't ask for a pet to name Bob.
We watched a drumming presentation, which was by far my favorite part of the day.
And we even got a hula lesson. I'm sure with a little practice we could still all perform it.
At 5:00 we headed for our prime rib buffet. The food was delicious and plentiful.
After dinner Bill and Patrick went on a tour of the Morman temple near by. Many of the young people working at the Cultural center are students of the BYU (Brigham Young University) on the island. They apply for scholarships and then they work at the PCC to pay for their room and board.
When they guys returned from their tour we watched the Fire Show "Ka". It was very similar to that of a Cirque Du Soleil show, but without the acrobatics. Very entertaining.
When the show was finished we headed back to the Waikiki area and despite the spats of rain along the way, made it to our hotel in great time.
Paradise is near.
Stacey
Patrick (and his new runners) were on run duty today with Bill. Today was our Luau day, which was my pick of the holiday. When Bill and I visited Honolulu for the first time back in the 80's, we attended the best luau. We have never been able to duplicate that experience again, and I was hoping to do so this trip especially since this was Ethan's first trip to the islands. So today we headed off to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) It is located on the north side of the island, so the drive was between 60 to 90 minutes. Since we were going to be on the North side of the island, we decided to take the scenic route (or long route) and stop at the infamous North Shore to see some "big" waves. We weren't disappointed.
A large stretch of the beach was roped off as the waves had been extreme, and in the news they were showing some homes falling into the ocean as the beach below them was eroding away from the large waves.
We stopped for a quick bite to eat at a local restaurant and then continued on to the PCC.
We arrived around 1:30 (we had hoped for 12:00 noon). We were assigned a guide; a nice young man named Kala, whom we shared with 20 other people. Our group consisted of folks from Alaska, Arkansas, Florida and even Saskatoon.
We learned to weave the coconut leaves, making fish on fishing poles. I had hope to take mine home to show mom, but who knew once the leaves hit Calgary they would dry and break. We watched the boat pageant which consisted of island dances of the various islands. They lagoon that the pageant was on was stocked with fish and you could buy fish food and feed the fish. But if you wanted to see the actual fish, you just had to put your arm out and the fish automatically come to the surface (looking for the food).
Ashley also found a duck near the lagoon, and it wouldn't be a vacation if Ashley didn't ask for a pet to name Bob.
We watched a drumming presentation, which was by far my favorite part of the day.
And we even got a hula lesson. I'm sure with a little practice we could still all perform it.
At 5:00 we headed for our prime rib buffet. The food was delicious and plentiful.
After dinner Bill and Patrick went on a tour of the Morman temple near by. Many of the young people working at the Cultural center are students of the BYU (Brigham Young University) on the island. They apply for scholarships and then they work at the PCC to pay for their room and board.
When they guys returned from their tour we watched the Fire Show "Ka". It was very similar to that of a Cirque Du Soleil show, but without the acrobatics. Very entertaining.
When the show was finished we headed back to the Waikiki area and despite the spats of rain along the way, made it to our hotel in great time.
Paradise is near.
Stacey
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Blog 5 of January
It's Sunday, December 29th and the vacation continues
Yes it was an early start today. We left our condo by 6:30 a.ma. Our destination, Hanauma Bay. This place is know to get busy and parking can be difficult. By 7:30 we had grabbed our gear, watched the instructional video (mandatory before entering the Bay), and found our section of sand on the beach. The sun was just peaking out of the few clouds in the sky, which made the wind seem a little chilly. But once the clouds blew by, and the sun was out, we had our paradise weather back.
Patrick and Ethan decided to create some sand art.
First was the castle, which turned into a sleeping/tanning was for Patrick. Then Ethan lost interest in the norm and built an amazing turtle.
He built is close to the water edge, so it was easier to get the wet, wet sand. And in order to protect his turtle, he made walls; intial, secondary etc to protect his turtle as long as possible from the waves. Little did he know that these safetly walls would be mistaken as sand chairs for people needed to put on or take or their snorkle gear. The wall survived this gentlemans use, and the turtle survived until we left.
We all did some snorkellying out in the bay. Ashley's day was made when she seen her turtle. By the time we left around 4:00, the beach was packed, and we were tired.
We walked the long trek up to the parking lot and took in the gorgeous veiw from our day.
When we returned to the hotel, it was early enough that we headed to the Cheesecake Factor with hopes of getting in. thankfully there was only a 15 minutes wait. The food was great; the portions large (again doggie bags for a few of us) and the cheesecake was good (Auntie Anne's is always better). Everyone did get I'D' (ok not all over us, so Bill ordered whatever Patrick wanted and they "shared". Ashley had her Mai Tai.
Patrick and Bill headed back to the hotel, and Ashley Ethan and myself took our last trek through the international Market Place. Ashley bought a beautiful mauve jade bracelet. I'm kicking myself now for not getting one for me.
And for those who are on top of this trip, you have probably figured out that Bill didn't go for his run today, and yes the rested of us noticed too.
Till the next day
Stacey
Yes it was an early start today. We left our condo by 6:30 a.ma. Our destination, Hanauma Bay. This place is know to get busy and parking can be difficult. By 7:30 we had grabbed our gear, watched the instructional video (mandatory before entering the Bay), and found our section of sand on the beach. The sun was just peaking out of the few clouds in the sky, which made the wind seem a little chilly. But once the clouds blew by, and the sun was out, we had our paradise weather back.
Patrick and Ethan decided to create some sand art.
He built is close to the water edge, so it was easier to get the wet, wet sand. And in order to protect his turtle, he made walls; intial, secondary etc to protect his turtle as long as possible from the waves. Little did he know that these safetly walls would be mistaken as sand chairs for people needed to put on or take or their snorkle gear. The wall survived this gentlemans use, and the turtle survived until we left.
We all did some snorkellying out in the bay. Ashley's day was made when she seen her turtle. By the time we left around 4:00, the beach was packed, and we were tired.
We walked the long trek up to the parking lot and took in the gorgeous veiw from our day.
When we returned to the hotel, it was early enough that we headed to the Cheesecake Factor with hopes of getting in. thankfully there was only a 15 minutes wait. The food was great; the portions large (again doggie bags for a few of us) and the cheesecake was good (Auntie Anne's is always better). Everyone did get I'D' (ok not all over us, so Bill ordered whatever Patrick wanted and they "shared". Ashley had her Mai Tai.
Patrick and Bill headed back to the hotel, and Ashley Ethan and myself took our last trek through the international Market Place. Ashley bought a beautiful mauve jade bracelet. I'm kicking myself now for not getting one for me.
And for those who are on top of this trip, you have probably figured out that Bill didn't go for his run today, and yes the rested of us noticed too.
Till the next day
Stacey
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