Hawaii, Day 2

Today we decided to head up to the North Shore to check out the beaches and the waves there. We got up and had a puka dog for breakfast (seriously... a hot dog smothered in spicy garlic sauce... just writing that out makes me want to jog down the block and get another one!) and then were on the road. Thank goodness for Garmin - it has made traveling a snap.

We debated what beach to stop at. The first one had a lot of random junk washed up on shore, and smelled kind of funny, though the scenery was pretty. At the one that we thought was "turtle beach" they had an ambulance there, so I figured maybe the waves were bigger than what we were ready for. Instead, we ended up at Waimea Bay, which is an inlet, and has slightly smaller waves. Still big and scary at times though! The surfers were slightly farther down the beach, in front of the lifeguard stand. The lifeguards have big attitude. The guys on the bullhorn reminded people that "if you can't swim, please do us a favor and stay out of the water." We also heard them calling out a few times to see if folks in the water needed help, and then sending someone out. The first couple of times, Tim and I retreated towards shore, and then as the day went on, we realized that us, waist deep in the calmer water, were not the lifeguard's chief concern.

We were there for about four hours, just relaxing, reading on the beach and spending some time fighting the waves. Tim is more timid than me when it comes to jumping in the waves. I also find that when I'm in the water, he's watching me like a hawk. He's a good beach buddy. I did get picked up and dropped on my butt a couple of times, including one time when Tim was like, "hold on to me, you'll be fine." Then he basically shoved me down. Nothing's better than standing up and realizing that sand is streaming from your drawers. That's when you know mother nature has given you a talking to.

Around five we packed up and headed out to Ted's Bakery, where we had plate lunches and delicious, delicious pie. We were starving, so we devoured our desserts while waiting for the plates to come out.

On our way back, we stopped off again at Turtle Beach to watch the sunset. We actually go to see a Hawaiian green back turtle! It was pretty cool. They come up on shore to bask and relax and digest whatever they've been eating. There's a group that comes and guards them and educates the public, which was very cool. We named the turtle Ned while we sat and watched the sun set. He was a nice turtle. He even waved one of his flippers at us.

So now we're back, trying to shower off all of the sand. We're meeting the bride and groom later for a drink. I'm glad to finally have a little color - I feel less like some sad shut in from Des Moines.

(okay, I have been trying to upload photos but our internet is ccccrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwllling. And we have to go get a Dole Whip, so pictures will have to wait.)

Hawaii, Day 1

A lovely day in Paradise. We got up and wandered the main drag of Waikiki. We checked out all of the doo-dads at the International Market and had some sub-par sushi, followed by a delicious Dole pineapple whip. We came back to our hotel and changed into bathing suits, and then were off to the beach. The clouds didn't seem to cooperate, so we left after a couple of hours, having alternated between basking and shivering. We were wearing so much sunscreen that even if it had been bright, we wouldn't have gotten a tan anyways.

Came back to the hotel room and cleaned up, and then went and got a delicious Puka dog hot dog. I love hot dogs, especially when they are in weird, all-encompassing bums and spread with spicy garlic sauce. I think we will be having a Puka dog every day until we leave. From there, we headed back to the beach, where we sat and snuggled and watched the sunset.

Spent the rest of the night wandering the Waikiki strip. It's sort of like Vegas, with all sorts of random high end stores (there are four Coach stores in a two mile radius) except that they are passing out fliers for a shooting range instead of strip clubs. We had some cake, which was delicious. We also saw fireworks, for apparently no reason. They were far enough away that we saw them way before we heard them. We ended up at a random hotel's outdoor pool area, where they had live music. Tim and I ordered mai tais and sat outside listening to the music, with some occasional slow dancing thrown in. He's a pretty hot date.

Around 11 we met up with Jesus and Alfredo, the other gentlemen in the grooms party. We had a slice of pizza and a beer with them, and then sent them home so that they could sleep before their 6am tee time call. Tim and I are headed to the North Shore tomorrow, to explore and lay out. We are mostly playing it by ear thus far, but it's wonderful to just sit and grab a drink and talk. It's like a second honeymoon, with my darling husband.

Here we are with our delicious Dole Whips!

A little sunset action.

Our fat heads on the beach.

Tim playing the drum outside an outdoor mall.

Me straining to playing a similar drum.

A little shaka with my mai tai. You can also see in this photo the sweet bracelets I bought at the International Market.

Aloha!

We have arrived safely in Hawaii - it was a very easy trip. By the time we got through security, it was time to board the plane. There was a lot of turbulence on the flight, but we arrived on time and all of our bags joined us. Picked up the rental car (a SWEET Toyota Corolla) with no trouble and Garmin took us to our hotel right away.

The only issue is that during the last hour of the flight, my brain began to seize up with a migraine, so by the time we got to our hotel I was a goner. It was only about 10:30 by the time we checked in and the streets were still hopping, but I got into my pjs, barfed and then passed out. Tim apparently ordered a pizza and watched Saturday Night Live, but I was out like a light (which is better than feeling like my brain might explode.)

Our hotel is in a nice location in Waikiki - just a few blocks off the big shopping center area. There's a grocery store next door and we have a mini-fridge, so we can stock up on supplies for the next week. Tim brought the flask that Cory's parents gave us at the wedding, so we are ready with our own to-go cup to any event. Today we're planning on wandering around getting our bearings. Maybe we will hit up the beach! But basically, we have no real plans.

I have to admit, there is part of me that wants to find a sports bar and watch the playoff games. It's a problem, I know. Fly Eagles, FLY!

Getting Ready to Fly!

We are not packed, but certainly, we are mentally ready for Hawaii!

So Scotland was to celebrate the wedding of Tim's bestie, and Hawaii is to celebrate the wedding of my bestie. Frank (who I call Fluffy) and I have been friends since freshman year of college. It's an odd friendship, in its ways, and totally awesome. Having a boy as a best friend is one of my favorite things in the world (which is why I like having Tim as my BEST best friend.) Fluffy and I, in addition to being there to talk about each others gross emotions and relationship dramas over the years, are also like a meanspirited brother and sister. There is nothing we like better than laughing at each other.

Here is the sign I held up when he graduated from UCLA.


Here he is at his recent "bachelorette" party. Since Pari and I were not invited to the bachelor party in Vegas (being girls and all) we took Fluffy out for dinner and cookies in Westwood. We know how to party hard. Pari was like, "there is no way he's going to wear the tiara" but wear the tiara he did.

He and his wife have been dating for a little over a year, and decided to get married in Hawaii to keep things small. They're expecting about 40 people, and asked me to be in the bridal party. My official title is Groomslady. It's nice because I got out of having to plan all of the foofy girl stuff and act excited about dyable shoes, while still being able to be a part of my friend's big day. Also, I get to wear the same bridesmaids dress that I wore in Parissa's wedding this past summer (which we bought off the rack at Macy's to begin with!) A few months ago, Fluffy asked me if I would do a speech during the ceremony. He said something about how since the officiant at the wedding won't know either of them (they're getting married at a hotel) they wanted their friends to stand up and say something to personalize it. I figured Jasmin would have someone speak for her side, and there would be some sweet emotional moments, and then I would get up and do what I do best: make fun of Fluff. I wrote my speech in a teasing, loving sister way, and closed it with some emotionality. And then I found out that I am actually the *ONLY* person speaking during the wedding. Needless to say, I have rewritten my speech to soften the jokes (a little) and bring in more of that good old ooshy gooshy love stuff. I'm also planning to read a passage from one of my all time favorite books, Corelli's Mandolin.

He really shouldn't have told me I could get up and do whatever I want. I may break into an impromptu hula if the spirit moves me.

Other than our wedding related duties (luncheon on Tuesday, wedding on Wednesday) we don't have any real plans. I'm sure we'll go out and see the Pearl Harbor memorial. I'd like to go out to the Dole plantation and eat a bunch of pineapples. And I bought a new bathing suit, so I am definitely ready to lounge around on the beach. We are probably the whitest Californians in all the world and I worry about those who put their towels near us.

Plus, you know, we've been working hard for TWO WHOLE WEEKS since our last vacation, and we definitely need some time off to decompress and relax.

Yes, we are brats, it's true. To paraphrase the immortal Three Six Mafia - it's hard out there for a D.I.N.K. (dual income, no kids.)

Scottish Flu.

So the return back to work has not been as smooth as either Tim or I anticipated. Whatever we picked up in Scotland has stuck with us. We are both snotty, coughing messes. It's slightly humorous because it seems that all of the kids on the trip are suffering from the same malaise. At least we're in good company, right?

I survived Monday back at work. Tuesday afternoon, my boss asked me to go home. I was like, "but, I'm fine enough to work! I'm okay!" She told me to take my germs and leave. I asked her please not to call my parents and tattle on me, because when I was little, you only got to stay home from school if you were 1) bleeding 2) barfing 3) burning with fever. And a runny nose is not any of those three items. But she'd rather pay me sick time than have me get the rest of the office sick. Fair enough.

So I spent the rest of the day in my footie pajamas, feeling my Midwestern-work-ethic-guilt eat away at me. Sara got me the footies for Christmas, and made all of my holiday wishes come true. You may laugh, but they are seriously awesome. They keep my feet warm and they are snuggly. And they have a sock monkey theme.

Footie pajamas... making lounging fun since approximately 1982.

Home Safe.

We are tired, but getting ready for bed in our very own apartment. The kitties are glad to see us, though they both keep wandering around crying, just to let us know that they are not pleased with having been left alone for a week (they were checked in on... it wasn't the cat version of Lord of the Flies.)

I think we're all glad to be home. All three of us are coming down with various degrees of ick - Jacob is the worst off. A lot of beer, a complete lack of sleep and a weird diet will do that to you, I guess. Nothing a little rest and some good old fashioned California citrus fruit can't cure. Jacob has all next week off, though Tim and I are back to work on Monday. I look forward to spending tomorrow prone, in front of my TV, watching football, and doing household chores (have to add up our spending from Scotland, which is always the least fun part of the trip!)

Cheers!

The Final Day.

Well, today was the last full day of our vacation. Cory and Natalie were spending their day taking care of last minute married folk stuff, and spending time with their families. They're heading home tomorrow too, but on a different flight. Maybe we'll get to say hey to them in the airport.

The three of us headed out to Edinburgh this morning. It was drizzling when we got off the train but stopped soon after. We have really had fantastic luck in terms of the weather here - though it's been overcast from time to time, we haven't gotten dumped on or too frozen.

Since we'd seen the castle already, we decided to go see the Royal Museum of Scotland. It's really a fantastic place, with floors and floors of exhibitions about the history of Scotland and its people. It's the sort of place that you could spend a week in, and never see all of the items on exhibit. We focused mostly on the early history stuff, and then went up to their beautiful rooftoop terrace to check out the views of the city. From there, it was off to find lunch. We stopped at the pub near Grayfriars, where a little dog apparently sat for 14 years on the grave of his master, but they said it would take an hour to get food. I was on the verge of turning into pumpkin, so we moved on and ended up getting some pretty decent Italian food. We also passed by the pub where J.K. Rowling went to sit and write the early part of the Harry Potter series.

Once we were fed, it was back up to the High Street. Since the first time I visited Edinburgh, I've wanted to go on a ghost tour, but never been able to make it happen, until today when the boys indulged me. We went in on one of the tours into the vaults under St. George's street. It's about forty minutes long, and they lead you into a bunch of creepy dark chambers and talk about all of the weird, supernatural things that people have felt while in these rooms. Apparently a show called Haunted Britain found these rooms to be the most haunted places in all of Edinburgh. I was definitely a little freaked out - I made both Tim and Jake hold hands with me. Tim was brave/stupid and stood into a former Wiccan circle that allegedly brings bad luck to those who step within its bounds. Nice Tim, thanks for standing in the bad luck pool the day before we get on a plane.

The nice thing about the tour is that it ends with a free shortbread cookie and a nip of whiskey. When we were done, we wandered down to the end of the Royal Mile. We had wanted to see the Scottish Parliament, but they had stopped doing tours by the time we arrived. The building is totally new and modern, and much in contrast to the vast majority of the historic city.

Since it was dark and we were tired, we decided to head back to Glasgow. We're all old people, for sure. Tim and Jake refused to go on any of the rides at either Edinburgh winterfest or Glasgow winterfest. They are both unkind. Apparently, Tim's romantic streak does not extend to ferris wheel rides when it's not sixty degrees out.

So now we are back, trying to get everything packed up and laid out for tomorrow. It's been a great break, but I think we're all ready to get back to normal life.

Things that I will miss about Scotland:
1. The incredible hospitality of their citizens
2. Haggis
3. Drinking
4. Liberal use of the F-word
5. Scarves

Things that I am looking forward to getting back to:
1. Our cats
2. Unlimited fountain sodas in restaurants
3. Moderated priced, medium-quality sushi
4. (and because I am a sick-o) the gym

At the Museum. This picture makes me want to say, a la my sister as a little kid, "how do you like my new haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair?"

Tim trying on a little armor.

View from the roof of the Museum

Tim and I with the castle in the background. You can also see on our lapels the little pins that Alex gave us - they have the Scottish and American flat together.

I am not kidding. I love food items made from sheep. This is during our last shopping expedition of the trip.

Deep fried Mars bar - it's apparently an Edinburgh delicacy.


Tim and Jake with the Yorba Linda Star. They are going to be famous when they get home!

We arrive in the early evening tomorrow, and then have Sunday to recover before heading back to work. Then only two weeks, and we're off to Hawaii. No more haggis for me - it'll be soups and salads so that I can shimmy into my dress and fulfill my role as Groosmslady.