life in general

the sun is shining and we have a date with a lounge chair

Sunday . . . rain

Monday . . . rain

Tuesday . . . rain

Wednesday . . . 

We woke up to this view out our window and, oh man, I was just plain giddy!  

It's a pool day!  Yes!  We ate breakfast, gathered up our things and made our way to the pool where we claimed our spot . . . . (at 8am)

And didn't move for 7 hours.

There were books to read, lava flows to drink, and relaxation to be had.  We ordered lunch from the poolside waitress and just acted like bums all day long.  It was perfect.

Friday was another pool day and we pretty much repeated this same set-up.

Our resort was located up on a cliff so we didn't have direct beach access.  But there was a dirt path off to one side that you could walk down to a small beach.  We decided to check it out one day.

I loved this portion of the beach with the black rocks on the sand.  

I spy a chicken

And that big rock is just screaming for a Little Mermaid pose.  Don't you think? 

The big moment of the day . . . . As we were leaving the beach I found my first ever heart-shaped rock!  I was so excited and Scott didn't quite understand why.  Until I explained to him that I have always wanted to find a heart-shaped rock.  It's just one of those cool, rare treasures that come in moments of serendipity.

The next day we spent the morning at Tunnels Beach and I found another heart-shaped rock!  (And a piece of clear/white sea glass -- now that is a rare find).  I was feeling pretty darn lucky!

Tunnels beach was gorgeous.  Crystal clear water, shallow enough to wade out a long distance . . . and this amazing backdrop of massive lush green mountains.  

It appears that snorkeling is the thing to do there, but we weren't in the snorkeling mood this trip so we just sat on the beach and enjoyed the view.  I loved sitting right at the water's edge and letting the waves lap up over my legs.  Ahhhh, absolute paradise!

Okay, so on our previous 2 trips to Maui we were always being asked the question, "Are you honeymooning?"  Well it was day 4 of our Kauai trip when I realized . . . . no one has asked us if we're honeymooning?!  Does that mean we're looking old?  We're not as cute as we used to be?  Boo-hoo-hoo!  It was a slight moment of crisis.  

As we were leaving Tunnels Beach, on day 5, I told Scott that I really wanted to get a picture of the two of us together.  So we set down our bags, carefully tried to balance the iphone on top of some flip flops, set the TimerCam app, and hoped for the best.  We were in the middle of this odd balancing act when a woman walking by asked if she could take the picture for us.  Yes, thank you!!  

In our exchange of thank you's she asked . . . "Are you two honeymooning?"

YES!!!

Well, no.  But yes!  Someone asked us the magic question!!  Oh, I was so relieved.  Phew.

She happened to be honeymooning.  And a BYU grad.  She commented on Scott's BYU visor.

After lunch we hopped on our resort's little shuttle to go to the St. Regis Resort and enjoy their beach.  The Westin and St. Regis are both in the Starwood family so we get to share stuff.  While we didn't have a beach at our place, it was nice that we could make the 2 mile jaunt down the road and enjoy theirs.

Along with lounge chairs and umbrellas.

looking out at Hanalei Bay 

And beachside drink service, of course.  You know what we ordered.

And that, my friends, is how we vacation at the beach.

one little word 2013: april

Each photo represents something related to my one little word for this year . . . thrive.  Something that I did in the month of April.  It sure is cool to see it all together on one page.  Dang!  April was a good month!

I also wrote action statements on each photo to remind myself how I was feeling in that moment.

As I look at each photo and each statement I think to myself over and over again, "yes, I'm thriving, I'm doing this, keep moving forward, one step in front of the other."  This one little word really is a journey and a process.  It doesn't happen overnight.  But it also does not consume my life.  

It is something that I think about often and I use this word to help me make choices.  Is this helping me thrive?  What can I do in this experience/situation to make my word proud?

Thrive in 2013

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

anchor

When all the world is spinning round like a red balloon way up in the clouds
and my feet will not stay on the ground you anchor me back down

Anna had a chance to perform in a talent show last night.  And she sang Anchor by Mindy Gledhill.

She did so amazing.  She was beautiful on stage.  She sang sweetly.  We were just so proud!

The 2 days before the performance she went through her usual "stage fright" phase -- constantly nervous and worried that she's going to mess up and forget the words.  I just need to plan on this happening each time. Finally, the afternoon before the performance she pulls it together and is totally fine.

I think the prospect of wearing make-up has something to do with lifting her spirits.

After we put on that make-up (RED lipstick!) I posted this picture on instagram and received so many sweet comments.  I was particularly excited to get a comment back from Mindy Gledhill herself!

After the talent show, while enjoying Blizzards at Dairy Queen, I showed this to Anna and told her that the Mindy Gledhill made a comment on her picture.  Her jaw dropped. And her eyes got big.  "Really?!  Mindy said something to me?!  Wow!"  And then she laughed and giggled, feeling so so special.

***Mindy is recording a new album!  Can't wait for it to come out this fall!  I pledged HERE for a signed album.  You know how much we love her after seeing her in concert in Portland and eating lunch with her and holding her baby at the Vintage Spring Sorbet last year.

And here is the much requested video of her performance (taken on Scott's iphone -- I really wish the spotlight didn't wash out her face so much, but oh well).  I'm accompanying her on the keyboard.  You'll have to excuse my 2 little mistakes -- this was my first time playing on that keyboard and the keys were small.

banana cake, the legacy continues

I originally posted the recipe for Banana Cake way back in 2006, when this blog was just a baby.  On Friday I made some Banana Cake and posted a picture on instagram.  I got a lot of requests for the recipe, so here goes.

Banana Cake

recipe from my mother-in-law, Valerie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease & flour a 9x13 pan.

Cream together:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mix together & add:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/3 cup sugar

Beat for 3 minutes.  Bake for 35 minutes.

Banana Cake Frosting (here's where it gets good)

Don't begin making this until the cake is completely cooled

• Melt 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan.  Add 1 cup brown sugar -- cook for 2 minutes
• Add 1/4 cup milk.  Bring to full rolling boil.  Take off heat.
• Add 2 - 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar & beat until smooth spreading consistency.
• Spread onto the cake right away (the frosting will set as it cools)

My favorite way to eat banana cake is to heat it up in the microwave for about 20 seconds -- just until the frosting gets a little soft.  It also makes a fabulous breakfast.  Make sure you have a tall glass of milk ready and enjoy!

Banana Cake is Scott's birthday cake, and has been since he was 8 years old.  Here he is blowing out candles on his birthday banana cake!

Once again at 37.

Once he finds something he likes he sticks with it and doesn't look back!

Even though he had a busy day at work, we were able to celebrate his birthday with decorations, dinner, and gifts in the evening.  And then we had a very relaxing Saturday by the pool which helped to balance things out.

Anna has decided that she loves banana cake.  In fact, Scott had to cut her off because she was stealing slices throughout the following day -- there weren't enough leftovers for him!

on a saturday in may

I made plans to get out and get to work on the yard as soon as we were awake, to beat the heat. The kids were reluctant to get started on the job (I had to send someone to fetch Anna when she disappeared into the house a few times), but they were good workers -- weeding, picking up sticks and branches and leaves.

Payton and I worked on the side yard together, pulling weeds from the massive rock bed.  He began complaining about how dirty (un-pretty) our yard was.  Payton is my boy who really takes notice and appreciates when things are nicely done, in order, and are aesthetically pleasing.  He said, "Our yard in Oregon was so much nicer."  I had to remind him that both of our Oregon homes started out with ugly & messy yards and that we had to put in a lot of work to make them pretty.  Remember THIS?

After a few hours of weeding, blowing, sweeping, trimming, and pulling shrubs we were sitting in the gazebo when he looked around and said, "wow, it looks good out here."  I asked him, Can you tell a difference?  "Yep."  See, that's what it takes -- from time to time we'll put in some work and it will keep looking better and better.

Payton then went on to plan all of our backyard landscaping. And boy, he has plans.  It includes a treehouse with stairs that go through the wall in our house into the living room.

Here's where we are at right now.  Clearing out all the shrubs from the left flower bed was the big task of the day

So far we have not planted anything in the yard.  We have spent all of our time clearing out weeds and removing dead, ugly, or randomly placed shrubs.  I still have a few shrubs that are on my kill list.

I have a love/hate relationship with the trees in this corner of the yard.  (Note: all the trees are planted in our neighbor's yard or on the walking path behind our yard.)  I love the shade they provide and I love that they are beautiful, green, mature trees.  I hate the junk that they drop on our yard and pool from November to April.  Right now we're doing good.

Don't you love our lounge set-up?  I bought an outdoor rug and my mom treated us to lounge chairs and a side table.  All I need now are some flowy white curtains (to block the late afternoon sun) and we are total resort mode!

Yes things got cleaned up.  Getting the backyard "summer ready" is high on my list.  And we're just about there.  A full-blown re-landscaping project is also on my list, but that will have to wait.  For now it's a work in progress and we are really enjoying the variety of spaces that the yard provides.  Pool, trampoline, table for eating, gazebo for lounging . . . 

pillows and side table from Target; lounge chairs from Lowe's

Once the work was done, this is how the rest of the day went and I hope that we have many, many summer days just like it.

Step 1 - Slather up with sunscreen.  I have a basket of sunscreen on the porch and the kids know to take care of themselves.  Messages written in sunscreen are also appropriate from time to time.  "I am awesome" and "I fight evil"

Step 2 - Swim!  Creative uses for indoor toys is part of the pool fun.

Step 3 - Warm up on the trampoline.  The pool is only 70 degrees right now.  And the trampoline is hot.

Step 4 - Swim again!  They like to play taxi with the lounge floaty -- they gave Scott a ride and then he returned the favor.

Step 5 - More trampoline!

Step 6 - Swim and repeat the swim/trampoline cycle until mom and dad say it is time to go inside.

We really do have a great set-up.  Scott and I sit on the lounge chairs under the shade of the gazebo (with the ceiling fan blowing).  Music is playing from the ipod docking station (thank you builders for placing outlets on the gazebo).  I have a bag of Twizzlers that I pass out to the kids as they come by.  Oh!  And we finally tested out the misters above the patio.  They work!  It is perfect.  And I'm looking forward to many, many summer days spent doing this exact same thing.

I just have to say that it warmed my heart so much to see this day unfold.  The kids are re-living my childhood summers to a tee.  Growing up in California we had our own pool and we literally lived in that pool.  We wore our swimsuits all day long.  Everyday.  Prune fingers and toes is an understatement.  We would lay on the hot cement to warm up our bodies.  We would swim up to the edge of the pool to eat snacks and otter pops.  We listened to the Beach Boys and 80's pop music through the outdoor speakers scattered in the flower beds.  We had wacky diving contests, we made music videos, one year we invented the Baby Olympics . . . . we were always coming up with something creative to play in the pool.  And I loved it.  Like I said, it warms my heart to see my kids experiencing the same thing.  

I think it's going to be a great summer.

My childhood pool - sometime in the mid-90's.  My family lived in this house in Gustine from 1986 to 1999.

happy weekend

As you can see, we have had a great weekend.  

Scott and I went on a date tonight.  And you'll never guess what we did.  Like, literally -- you. will. never. guess.  Ah, but I'm good sport.  I'll give you a few clues.  It's something from my 101 in 1001 list.  And Scott planned it.

I will send some happy mail to the first person who can correctly guess what we did on our date.  Just leave a comment on this post.  (I'll close the comments right before I post about our date.  This is kind of a random one so you might have 3 days, or you might have 7. Good luck!)

So, coming up this week expect to see:

    *more of our Kauai vacation

    *what we did this weekend

    *lots of girly stuff from my recent annual mother/daughter weekend with my mom

    *the banana cake recipe.  While baking Scott's birthday cake I posted a few pics on instagram and received several requests for the recipe.

    *the reveal of our mystery date

remember the time we drank from a coconut in kauai?

This is a memory that I'm sure Scott and I will pull out of the vault from time to time over our marriage.  And the answer to this question will always be, 

"Ya.  That was not so awesome."

Now, the image of drinking from a coconut . . . doesn't that just seem like the picture of paradise?  I have never done it and I like good photo-ops so I told Scott that we needed to stop at one of the coconut stands on the side of the road.  

He happily fulfilled my request.  But, I was unaware that he had tasted fresh coconut milk in his past and had already discovered that it was not-so-awesome.  He kept his comments to himself because he could see how excited I was about this experience.

Such a handsome guy.  

And that lady in the truck -- she knows how to use a machete.

I got my cute picture.  And we sipped . . . 

. . . and ruled that it was not so awesome.  Certainly not good enough to drink more than just a taste.  And the coconut meat -- slimy and chewy.  I think I'll stick with my dried coconut from Costco.

Lesson learned.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And here's one more of Scott, because today is his birthday!

And it's a pretty awesome day because it is also the day we met, 15 years ago.

Wailua Falls

I'm so glad that we survived the waterfall so that we could spend this day together.

princeville golf course

This, an America's Top 100 Golf Course, sat right next to our resort in Kauai.  Just gorgeous.  

On our 3rd rainy day we decided that it was time to play golf.  Well, Scott played golf.  And I rode along in the cart (for an extra $25 fee) acting as photographer, providing company, and enjoying the beautiful scenery.  (We joked that I was his ParMate - click on the link, it's totally a thing in Vegas.)

view from the clubhouse

warming up at the driving range

We got set up with a golf cart.  Scott was stoked to see that the rental clubs were Titleist.  His brand.  It was also equipped with coolers full of water bottles and ice and the golf cart featured a sweet GPS unit.

And from there we set out for an afternoon of one incredible sight after another.  

It seemed like each hole provided a new visual treasure - ocean views, waterfalls, lush greenery, sweeping landscapes. . . . .

At every turn we found ourselves saying, "Wow, this is so pretty!"  "So gorgeous!"  "Amazing!"

At the end of this post I have a little video that highlights several of the best panoramic views we came across.  As well as some chickens.

It really felt like we were getting two activities for the price of one.  Golf + a jungle/botanical tour.  So much beautiful vegetation. 

It was a great day!  And I'm glad that we spent it together rather than splitting up to do our own activities (like me staying back to read in our villa, or going to a spa).

Here is the video I mentioned.  Watching it back, though, I noticed that I come off maybe a little too excited / awe-struck in the last clip.  It's somewhat reminiscent of the youtube guy and the giant double rainbow. . . . Not that bad, but I was pretty enthralled with nature.  Kauai will do that to you.

zip-line in kauai

Long before this Kauai trip -- in fact, way back on our last Maui trip -- I decided that the next time we came to Hawaii I needed to go zip-lining.  I even added it to my 101 in 1001 list -- #72.

After a rainy Sunday, and more rain in the forecast for Monday we realized that if we wanted to do things, they were just gonna have to happen in the rain.  Zip-lining it is!

And you know what?  I loved it!  I think I had a smile plastered across my face the entire time!  

Even though we were getting poured on.  I think the rain lasted through the first 3 lines and then let up.

We crossed 9 zip-lines, zig-zagging across a cattle ranch and taking in the beautiful Kauai landscape.  Nearly every line ran across or parallel to a stream.  And we got to cross this suspension bridge.  It was pretty wobbly.  So of course, when Scott began walking behind me he had to bounce and shake it up and down.  Of course.

In the left photo I'm yelling, "Scott Brown, stop it right now!" And in the right photo I'm smiling.

He realized that he wasn't capable of walking across without bouncing so he sat down on one of the slats and waited for me to make it to safety.  And got his bum all dirty.

It's a pretty cute bum.

Scott's technique involved a run and jump approach.

The thing that surprised me the most in this zip-lining experience was that you don't get that drop-in-your-stomach feeling.  I thought for sure there would be one when you stepped off the platform.  But it's all very smooth sailing from launch to landing.  You can just sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery!

On this zip-line course the big daddy, the finale is a 1200 foot long dual zip line named King Kong.  You launch from a 26 foot tall tower and the line goes on forever.

So this zip-line has a camera that takes a series of photos right after launch.  Some people choose to hold hands for as long as they can.  Others will launch backwards to get their face in the photo, and then you turn around for the rest of the ride.  And others could care less about the camera and are solely focused on the race.  Because there is a winner and a loser.

I convinced Scott to do the backward launch so we could get a photo and then he would be free to speed down the zip-line and cream me.  I'm totally fine with that.  I'm not a competitive person.  When we took a look at the photos at the end of the day, well . . . . you take a look.

Where is Scott's face?!  His excuse . . . he says he didn't know he was supposed to lean his head out to the side.  Anyways, I think it is a hilarious series of photos (there are 9 in total).  Me, gleefully riding down the zip-line with a HUGE grin on my face.  Scott, lost in his world with no time to worry about things like cameras.

We give the zip-line 2 thumbs up.  It was such a fun experience and a great way to spend a rainy day in Kauai.  Here is a cute video that I made from our day at Princeville Ranch Adventures.  You should watch it.  It is so cute!  Just ask me.  If you watch it then you too will know just how cute it is.

On this rainy day we were also able to complete #93 on my 101 in 1001 list -- Kiss in the rain.

one word wednesday // morning

7:40 am // walking to school

The kids were dragging a little today.  Probably had something to do with their little spat this morning.  Eh.  The mornings are getting warmer.  Today we had a breeze which was nice.  We also had to play hopscotch as we tiptoed around and across the pavement cracks that workers were covering with hot tar this morning.

5:25 am* // kauai

This was the sunrise view from our lanai.  And oh, what a welcome sight it was!  The first 3 mornings of our trip we woke up to rain.  Pouring rain.  On this, the 4th morning, we couldn't help but smile and race to get into our swimsuits.  We staked our spot by the pool at 8am and didn't move for 7 hours.  That's the life.

*Because of the 3 hour time difference we were wide awake at 5 or 6 am every morning (8 and 9 am body time).

********************

linking up : one word wednesday @ sweet dreams are made of these

next week : pink