BACK to reality :}

Can I go back to Hawaii now? There are WAY more issues to solve here at home than I want to deal with today! NOT TO MENTION that I'm still not completely off of Hawaii time! The good news is that all of our luggage fit into (Thanks Margie & John!!) the carriage that took us home after it all successfully arrived into New Orleans!! YAY!!! I think we are taking the kiddies back home to the red stick today!! We'll see if anything else actually gets done. Man, reality is a BUMMER!! :D

The picture is yet another Hawaiian sunrise :)....almost LOST from my camera card [OH NO!!] ...but that is another story.

Home again...

Can we sleep yet? Where are we? What day is it? The plane was FULL...seriously, not ONE open seat....ewwww! Little sleep was had by anyone. CAN YOU SAY JET LAGGED?????

I'll leave you all with this pic taken on one of my peaceful morning walks on the beach.

Oceanside morning walks...

I took this picture today on my last a.m. stroll this trip! I didn't miss many mornings to grab minutes of solitude and quiet... I surely will miss it!

We were off to the airport tonight...leaving at 8:40pm :P We took advantage of the extra minutes in the airport to grab one last Hawaiian-pineapple-laden drink! Aloha beautiful islands of Hawaii! Until we meet again....

Breathe deep! Eyes wide open!

Basically spent today soaking up sunshine and trying to memorize the scenery!! Dips in the waves were important too! Also wrestling with suitcases---BOY, was THAT fun!!! :)

Hang Loose!

BUSY day running around Honolulu to get a bit of shopping in....finally got that shave ice (and I think mainland southerners have improved the concept)....stopped to get a few pics of Rabbit island (there is a cool story that goes along with it)....and to see if any whales happened to be frolicking about!! Noteworthy purchases include our attempts to increase our orchid collection...macadamia nuts (OF COURSE!)...and our first ukulele!!

Swimmin' with the fishies! :)

An EARLY morning rise began our day running to the beautiful Hanauma Bay for hours of staring at the creatures of the reef! It is one of my favorite things to do on Oahu! You MUST get there early to get the icy but clear water and best view of the fish.

The current was STRONG today so snorkeling in deep water made me VERY happy to have some fins of my own!! Wish I had an underwater camera so I could share the real sights with you all!

We took a LONG nap today as the exhaustion of constantly being in and out of the water is obviously getting us .....and reminding how out of shape we are!!! *ROFL* pathetic, right??!!

Surf's UP!!

My brave SO took a surfing lesson which I attended as resident photographer! :) His quote after the event was "that is WAY harder than it looks!!!" He got about halfway up at least 3 times--I was proud!! The surfer babe instructor told us that for your "first" surfing lessons they should really be done on Waikiki beach since the waves there break slower and further out. He guaranteed a successful stand out there!! Maybe next trip????

Anyone recognize this scenery from 'Lost'??? Well, perhaps you should??!??!!!

Hey bra! Are we spongers??

Depending on who you chat up here on the isle....a 'fellow' sponger will tell you they can catch the waves later, do better tricks, and catch MORE airtime than any surfer ever could......a surfer might give you an earful of why the sponging parasites should not be stealin' the waves!! Heehee--> from my SO's perspective he just says there is a REASON you don't see any overweight surfers out riding the tube!!

WHATEVER your take on the debate--SPONGING is the way to go for beginners!! We have the bruises, scrapes, cuts to PROVE it....ahhhh but NO emergency room visits which we did witness on Sandy beach! Those waves can be brutal man!!

We basically spent the day sponging the waves which are supposed to be dying down soon!

:(

ALOHA!!!!

Happy Malasada Day! Happy Mardi Gras!!

OK...I might be a little homesick for south Louisiana today BUT I have donned purple, green & gold and I'm off to see what adventures await!

The pics are the view from the Pali lookout where the wind was so strong we could barely walk or see what we were taking pictures of.....a 'jungle' view.....and the waves at Sandy beach with all the BRAVE and experienced surfers/spongers are waiting to ride!!

Uncle Tony was off to the airport today and we were all sorry to see him go! We have had a fantastic time so far! Stopped at Leonard's for malasadas!! YUMMY!!

Right? Left? Straight ahead?

Felt a bit like we were whisked into a Harry Potter moment today as we traversed a 100,000 sq. ft. hedge maze at the Dole Plantation! (the longest according to Guiness Book of World Records) We found the 6 secret checkpoints and our way out in 43 minutes. Don't be too impressed-->the record is 6 minutes!


I gave an offering to King Triton today!! ....my shades are under the sea!! :(

It was a FIVE rainbow day...

My SO toured the Missouri today and I did a bit of shopping at the Aloha stadium!

Most time spent with more boogie boardin'---> the waves have been an unusual (for our side of the island) 5 - 9 feet!! We are taking advantage of that having some FUN!! Thanks for the board bag Mom & Dad but we aren't sure if one of the boards will actually make it home again!!

Gorgeous view.......check!

Lotsa wave action.......check!! Flying a kite from the brilliant blue-green waters edge of the Pacific ocean.......PRICELESS!!!


Yes, this IS the view from the lanai of our little cabin! Boogie boards & kite flyin' have taken up the majority of the day. Getting drilled by waves as a storm moves in has my da kines looking ROUGH!!

Are you proud to be an American??

Who knew a luau at the house of the warrior could be a moving patriotic experience? But it was... also included cheesy moments, fire dancers, and washed-up 80's light rock musicians!!

We finished up the evening singing karaoke drinking a Blue Hawaiian in the bar! GOOD TIMES!!

Island time for one and all!! :)

What is it about all of us on the mainland U.S. that we RUSH around SO much from on thing to the next? I vote we ALL adopt island time!! Since we arrived, we have met three families who relocated to the islands for that very reason-->a slower more relaxed PACE to life. Ultimately all of our "running" gets us nowhere--more stress, more things, no time.....we spend more time with NO TIME for the people and things we love and enjoy??!!?? ISLAND TIME--that is the way to go :) I know some of you reading this are thinking that 'Ginnytime' is already very close to island time but I promise you being surrounded by people who all live this way is INCREDIBLE!! (or maybe it is just that everyone is late for things and not just me)

...maybe that is part of why these islands call to me now??

I'm in love...

Happy Valentine's Day! I am in love with Kauai! If ever given the opportunity to run away to Neverland...this is the perfect place!

The sunrise shot was taken from the bedroom window in our room... have I told you about the birds here on Kauai?? There are NO natural predators for them here so it is bird watchers paradise...later maybe I'll tell you the story about WHY there are no predators for them! It involves a shipload of mongoose!!!

We are leaving the Garden Isle today...and it is not without a little sadness. The scenery, the people....everything about Kauai (even the chicken takeover) has been wonderful.

2 hours 45 minutes to chum! :(

While 1/2 in and 1/2 out of the boat, all I could think (besides the obvious..) was "Look at how incredibly blue this water is!" It was a bit cloudy with 5 to 7 foot seas and 'YES!'-->that is a fish (an aku in Hawaiian or skipjack tuna otherwise) caught during the big adventure on the "high"seas...HIGH according to me! I think I may have to give up my GinnyDreamin' thoughts of learning to sail!!

Menehune STRIKE!!!

I heard him in the night--he wasn't very quiet!! It woke me up and I was thinking 'What in the world is that?' But I quickly fell back asleep... pondering the sounds. When I woke up I remembered the commotion in the night. So I investigated and discovered a chess piece is MISSING!! The folklore on the islands is strong...

It is raining this morning so we had a rainy rain forest wakeup today! We are going to strike out for snorkeling if the water isn't too cloudy. More later...

Chickens RULE the island!!

Seriously, they are everywhere! In the yard, in the forest, in the parks, in the parking lot, and they will even attempt to unpack your beach bag if left unattended! They are wild here and you can go nowhere without hearing and seeing them! ...NOT on my "expected to see in Kauai" list--but you all know that I do like chickens (unless they chase me, of course!) The other sights are from the north shore of the island--totally breathtaking...and I STILL wish we had a 4x4!!

Odie can swim???!!???

News from the homefront this am is my crazy puppy fell into one of the goldfish ponds! Yes, he has serious trouble with edge definition :D *ROFL* The good part is he figured out how to swim to the edge so Mom didn't have to go in after him......not even a trip running for the net!

Here we are on island time -- planning on cooking up some Portugese sausage for breakfast! YUM! Have I mentioned that the kitchen in this place is BIG and sunny and I luv it! WINDOWS SURROUND THE ROOM :) ....makes me smile!

"Grand Canyon" of the Pacific

This is a hiking island! Everywhere you go there are fantastic hiking trails! We REALLY needed to rent a 4 x 4 instead of a convertible!! We have been officially off-roading and didn't get stuck!! We are kicking ourselves that we didn't get at least a jeep so we could get further into some areas. (NO joke--DIRT roads are a mainstay to get into the inner sanctum of the canyon.) One lady I talked to said her son went out on a really long hike down toward the beach from the top of the Na Pali 'cliffs' and his quote was "I have never been more scared in my life"---the trail followed the super narrow tops of the mountains! Of course we haven't gotten THAT brave but the opportunity to kill yourself abounds for anyone willing to risk it! (Ask us about the condition of our "red" shoes when we get home) We spent the day exploring Wiamea Canyon and all of its splendor!! Guess what???? Matt only had to stop TWICE so I didn't hurl!! (anyone want to change their bet on the fishing trip?? HEEHEE) HUGS to all!!

Rainforest wake-up!

You know those CDs you can get with rain forest sounds? That is what it sounded like when I woke up this morning!! It is really QUIET here...or should I say quiet. We are about to start our adventures for the day but I wanted to share the view on our lanai (patio)! Especially for you Dad, Mom, Grogan & B ---> check out the orchids and orange tree! BEAUTIFUL!! To be continued...

Hawaii.....at last!!

ALOHA!! Most of our day was spent between airports in New Orleans, Houston, Honolulu, and finally our destination Lihue, Kauai!! (Thanks Mom & Dad for baking cookies, "babysitting" Odie, taking Betsy to jail, and for the mad dash to the airport! We love you!) The airport pics here were in Honolulu (Oahu) when we got our first glimpse of the palm tree paradise! We landed there in time to actually get to SEE the beautiful sites at sunset, snapping a quick shot to prove we made it :D and RUNNING to our connecting flight! NOW THAT WAS FUN with the 'Ginnypacking' result of two not-so-small suitcases, HUGE boogieboards, and three not-so-light carry-ons! *ROFL* Everyone who has EVER been camping with me KNOWS I don't pack light but I'm ALWAYS prepared for almost ANYTHING!! Just so you know I DID lighten my packing from the last trip we took to Hawaii by 2 suitcases!! The first step is ADMITTING that you have a problem... We got to watch the sun slip under the horizon of the Pacific ocean out the window of our flight to Kauai....drinking guava juice!! Once we arrived, the DARK adventure began of finding the quaint and hidden Kauai Country Inn!! First impressions of Kauai (that we literally could NOT see other than the road in front of us) surround the steady rain, clean air, wonderful breeze, and QUIET...

Pre-Hawaii Luau!

I had a second surprise at work today! A spaghetti luau...the likes of which I am sure Hawaii has never seen--complete with brightly lit palm trees, a ceiling FULL of balloons, hula girls, and a limbo!! I WISH I had taken my digital camera to work--I just didn't know what was in store for me! :) (maybe I'll update this post with pics when I get them developed) The LIMBO was especially noteworthy! I have friends at work with MOVES! *ROFL* WHAT A FANTASTIC DAY!! I'll certainly never forget the good times, good friends, and love at St. Clare. It is a bittersweet event to be leaving this place!

Thanks SO MUCH Debbie, Margaret, Dorothy, Jackie, Betty, Geraldine and Martha for throwing the COOLEST going away bash I ever had!!