Maui Waui! pt 1

Seattle is cold, rainy, and quite depressing after the amazing four days we had in Maui, HI. We stayed in Lahaina, a small, rather uncommercialized town on the western peninsula of the island of Maui. A bunch of Cirque people stayed there before, so we knew it was a good place. Nancy, the owner, was personable and thoughtful. She even got us a pack n play so Sophie had someplace to sleep! She brought Sophie a Hawaiian rose that Sophie was so careful with, she didn't want to drop it! And she gave us fresh papayas right off the tree in her back yard.
Monday, we left Portland and made the drive to Seattle. We stayed in a hotel super close to the airport, so getting there would be easy. This is the sunshine that we woke up to Tuesday morning.



















We boarded the Hawaiian Airlines flight and there were no problems. They even fed us too! Sophie was great until the last hour, but the view made us feel better - as well as a few teething tablets.





























We landed












and got the rental car, a red Jeep Compass with car seat. I like their license plates.















We drove to Lahaina to where we were staying and changed clothes. Flip flops and shorts were required at this point! We decided to drive around, get our bearings and get a few groceries. On the way home, we stopped at a beach for a picnic to watch the sun set.















While waiting, we happened to see a few little heads pop up here and there - Green Sea Turtles!
They happened to be a highlight of the trip, but we'll get to that later.

Day 2
We woke up to the sound of birds (of which Sophie yells "tweettweettweet!" EVERY. TIME.) and decided to drive the road to Hana. Everything we saw when researching said the road was just as interesting as the destination. This is absolutely true. We took our time (at the end of the day, drive from 8:30 am - 6:30 pm, Sophie was a trooper!) and stopped at all the scenic views. There was one where there was a paddleboarder and his dog were chilling in the water. So cool! This was very laid-back and Aloha! The water is an amazing color of blue. These photos are not photoshopped nor enhanced in any way - like I know how to do that anyway!




























There were waterfalls and roadside stands open for people to meet the locals. We stopped at one where we bought yummy banana bread ("Nana!") and candied coconut.















We stopped at the Twin Falls also. It was about a mile trek back to see them, but it was worth it. The flowers were AMAZING ("Fwowah!") and we saw bamboo and a one-armed lobster. A tour guide gave Sophie a princess crown as a souvenir, and we both got sunburned. After, we treated ourselves to a fresh pineapple and banana smoothie. It was delicious! Here's a pic with Sophie and Daddy in the bamboo.















The next stop was the Garden of Eden. It was a place that had colorful foliage, ducks you could feed and nice overlooks of the ocean and islands.















































This peacock jumped out of the tree when I went to take a picture of it and fanned his feathers just for me. I was flattered, but told him I'm already married.














We made our way home through the bumpy, winding (and sometimes single lane) road and called it a night. I will continue in another post.

Multnomah Falls

The thing about teardown week is that this is when Jim and I try to cram in all the places that, in the beginning of the city, we thought there was plenty of time to visit. Now it's three days until leaving and there is still a looong list. Last Monday, the weather held out long enough for us to go to Multnomah Falls. They were beautiful, and not too far a drive. Here are some pictures. Sophie walked up the path to the bridge, all by herself. She held on to Daddy's finger. It was very sweet.

Mother's Day weekend

So sorry about the delay in posting this! It's teardown/packing/moving week here, so it's extra crazy to begin with. In addition to that, I've had some stress here. About two weeks ago I went to the OB-GYN for some pain in my breast I've been having. She felt nothing and sent me on my way, saying it was a muscle thing. I had another appointment with a different doctor yesterday and she felt a lump. I had an ultrasound today, and the doctor there said it was nothing to worry about. It's a non cancerous nodule that is pretty common in women of my age. She didn't see a need to do a biopsy, but does recommend that I see a doctor in six months to make sure there aren't any changes.

ANYWAY...

Mother's Day 2010 was amazing! Jim took Sunday off [as a reward for doing such a great job when Seth had his baby, Esh had kidney failure, and he integrated a new singer and a new drummer. I'd say he deserves a MONTH off!] and the weather was AMAZING! The sun was out and we decided to go to the park and have some fun. That night, we got a babysitter and went to see Iron Man 2.
































































































































Monday, we went to the Portland Children's Museum and out to dinner. Here are a few pictures from the day.














































































I am truly the luckiest mommy in the world to have a beautiful family to love!

Happy 17 months!

As we approach my second Mother's Day EVER, I am so very blessed to have such a beautiful and intelligent daughter (and such a caring, thoughtful husband to boot!). Thank you for making me laugh a thousand times a day. You (both) have made my life brighter! Happy 17 months!

Pictoral Update

I just wanted to post a smattering of pictures I snapped here in Portland. If you'd like high-res versions for printing, please email me. These were taken within the last week. Sophie is 16 months and getting more and more beautiful.

This was taken today on our walk along the river this morning. Notice the foreboding clouds. Yup, it rained. Howd'ya guess?


















Being a cutie.














Loving her dachshund Grandma and Grandpa Lutz sent for Easter.














Her long, curly hair.














Jack Nicholson in The Shining, anyone? I'd say her impression is pretty dead on.














Reading a book, on Dada's lap.














I'm in love.


















Gorgeous.

Transfer week

Jim, Sophie and I took a road trip during our transfer week between San Diego and Portland. We decided to take our time this week and not be in any rush to leave California. We took the 101 or the 1 as much as we could, to stay by the coast. We stopped when we felt like it and it felt wonderful. Many times on transfer weeks, it is imperative that we JUST GET THERE, but not this week. After spending over six months in California with KOOZA, we understandably weren't ready to give it up just yet.

We left late Tuesday morning. Orange County was perfect, as per usual. We drove through beautiful Huntington Beach and stopped for lunch at Baja Fresh where we had yummy fish tacos. To those of you reading in far away lands, or Michigan in layman's terms, fish tacos are fried fish fillets in corn taco shells, topped with cabbage and a pico de gallo salsa. They are definitively a California thing. We continued up the coast and stopped at Hearst's Castle for lunch. We didn't go up, but it looked like a nice place. Click here to check it out. We remarked pictures showing Hearst and his dachshund named Helen around the area. It was a nice place to stop and eat. We shared a slice of pizza and homemade potato chips.


















Just up the road there was a nice view of the ocean where seals had taken over. I snapped this shot of Jim and Sophie. It was very cold and quite windy. I won't bore you with pictures of beautiful sunshine or blue skies or sandy beaches or crashing waves. It would be excruciating, I know.














Here is a video I shot while we were driving. I caught Sophie singing to herself.


Day Two started and ended the same way, however, we stopped at In N Out Burger for the very last time. I'll wait while you get a tissue. Or you can wait for me. These, my friends, are the best burgers pretty much EVER and are missed dearly. Even Jim commented how much he misses them just today.
The road we decided to take on this day closely resembled EVERY CAR COMMERCIAL YOU'VE EVER SEEN. It was GORGEOUS! So is this one, I have to admit:














Day Three was when we started seeing more forest and less ocean. We drove through a 2400-year-old Redwood (here's the website) while driving the 31-mile Avenue of the Giants (a scenic drive through the giant Redwood forest). It was awesome in the correct usage of the word. These trees were unimaginably grandiose and just plain mammoth!


















We also saw a herd of young wild elk sitting by the road in a field.




























We also drove past the Smith River and I snapped these during an obligatory diaper-changing stop. The water was a natural aquamarine color that I do not ever recall seeing in person, except maybe in Mexico.




































Day Four was a fairly short drive on the 5. In the rain. We have definitely arrived in Portland.