Sweet Goodbye Hawaii... your forever in our hearts!

This morning I woke up to a cool breeze flowing through the bedroom windows. With my husband’s warm body next to me and the alarm clock playing a soft Hawaiian song, I thought to myself.... Do I have too? Can't I stay forever??




I know some of you know the feeling I am describing. You have been there, some in Hawaii and others somewhere that is equally as special.



None the less, I got up, made a pot of coffee, and finished packing. We boarded our plane and left the Islands as specks in the ocean, hoping, deep inside that we would make it back to them sooner than later.



Tomorrow we will fly into Bismarck around 4pm. Even though the trip was wonderful and the time spent irreplaceable.... There is no place like home!




See you all soon!

Jayme

Baby Bren

I received news last night that I have a new niece. My sister Teresa and her husband Tyson welcomed their first child this morning. Her name is Madeline Ann Bren. WELCOME baby Madeline (no longer baby Bren). She weighted 7lbs 8oz and 19 inches long.

Kaua'i Coffee

Mmmm.... COFFEE!!!

So as Dustin and I are driving along... in our white Ford mustang convertible (yes.. we did it again), top down, we come across a sign that says Kaua'i Coffee. Of course we have to stop.

The gravel parking lot is moderately filled with mini vans and other ford mustangs. The building is surrounded by coffee plants or rather coffee fields (Jack Pot) and it is clear that this is just what we needed... an afternoon pick-me up!

We entered the gift shop and were welcomed by the sales associate and the lovely air conditioning. We could smell the fresh coffee being produced and followed our sense of smell to the good stuff. Out on the patio there were many coffee machines on small tables with small coffee cups all around to taste test all the different varieties.

So... as my thrifty husband is in hog heaven (unlimited coffee samples for caffeine addicted tourists) we walked around and sipped a little here and then we would sip a little over there. We decided to take the coffee tour through the grounds and learn a little bit about how we get this wonderful pick me up drink.

We generally get the concept of making coffee (and we mean a little more in depth than putting the grounds into the coffee pot and pouring 12 cups of water into the tank and turning on the machine). If you would like to take a production tour of coffee just follow this link;

http://www.kauaicoffee.com/OurCoffee/default.aspx

I am thankful for coffee and everyone that is responsible for creating such a wonderful beverage.

Thank you coffee people of the world!

Kauai Living Conditions

Well... I have to say that we have gotten very lucky in our accommodations. The condo/villa that we are staying in while we visit Kauai is called the Outrigger at Lae Nani. To some this maybe a familiar name as it is the same place, different condo, which the Heick's stayed in while they were here 2 years ago.

The weather here has been rainy at the condo but all we have to do is take a short drive to the sunny side as there is always a sunny side if there is a rainy side.

This morning while making breakfast, I realized that we have very small guests that like to dine with us. There were ants all over one of the breakfast plates that had been used for pancakes and syrup. They were very happy but I was not.

The struggle... I just can't do it anymore

I am sad to report that as of now I can not post future pictures do to the Internet connection that we receive. It currently takes around 40 minutes to load a picture (if it doesn't time out) and I am loosing my mind... and ready to throw the computer into the ocean!

I will try to upload pictures on our next island. I don't think it will be better but I will try.

We have had a few busy days. On Thursday, Jan 29th the same day we did our first scuba dive, we went to a luau for supper. It was awesome. I have some great video and pictures to show. Friday Jan 31 we spent the morning/day on the beach and then in the evening we went to Lahaina for shopping, eating shave ice (Dustin's favorite), and we watched a beautiful sunset on the pier. Yesterday Sat, Jan 31st, we went diving again in the morning to the crater also referred to as Molokini. Our deepest depth was 65ft for about 35 minutes. On our way back to shore were were able to stop and watch whales that were hangin out in the channel. There were several males and one female. The captain's on our boat said that it looked like a competition pod. That is were the males fight for the female. After the dive we were quit tired so we went back to the room and took naps. We got up around mid afternoon and made lunch of some local fresh shrimp and scallops. That evening we went to Sansei's again (the awesome sushi restaurant). We then came home and watched tennis. Poor Roger Federer.

Today we got up relatively early and decided to drive the Road to Hana. What an adventure. I wish I could upload pictures and videos for everyone. We visited a black sand beach, drove a road that was balancing on the edge of a cliff along the coast line, hiked through a waterfall, and had a nice lunch of pastrami sandwiches. We got back to our room around 8:30pm. Just enough time to shower and throw a load of laundry in and to bed we go. I HOPE.

Tomorrow we fly to Kauai. We will be at the airport around 12 (noon) and our flight leaves at 1pm.

Life's an adventure.

Swimming with Sharks...SCUBA trip

Hello,

Yesterday 1-29-09 Dustin and I went scuba diving. We did a shore entry dive were we put all of our gear on and walked into the ocean. There were 4 divers and the instructor. The deepest we went was around 40 feet. It was a good way for me to get acclimated to diving in the ocean. We say many awesome creatures. We have a dive scheduled for tomorrow morning that will take us on a boat into further, deeper water.

On our dive yesterday we saw; pencil urchin (red), reef tip sharks, sea turtles, starfish, and a trumpet fish.

Maui

We arrived in Maui 1-28-09 in the afternoon. We went to the car rental at the airport and, SURPRISE, they wanted us to upgrade to a ford mustang convertible. But do not fear my friends and family, we did not fall for it again. Instead we went with the car that was initially assigned to us. It is a blue Chevy cobalt, 2 door. We were pretty excited that it was small and easy to drive... and then we realized that the Chevy cobalt is Maui's ford mustang convertible. EVERY TOURIST has it. O well... I guess we just have to own up to it and be tourists for a while!

We took pictures of our room that we will be staying in for 5 days. It is very nice and comfortable.

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

Before we flew out of Oahu (1-28-09), on our way to the airport that morning we stopped by the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

"Also known as the "Punchbowl", it lies in the middle of Puowaina Crater, an extinct volcano. It was officially dedicated on September 2, 1949, on the 4th anniversary of V-J Day. Of all the national cemeteries, this one has been described as the most beautiful and the most moving.The cemetery consists of 112.5 acres in extent. Roughly translated, "Puowaina" means “Consecrated Hill” or “Hill of Sacrifice.” The Punchbowl was the site of many secret Alii (Royal) burials. It was also the place where offenders of certain kapas (taboos) were sacrificed. In the early 1800’s the crater was an important stronghold for Oahu natives who tried in vain to resist the invading Army of Kamehameha when he unified the Hawaiian Islands in 1810. The kingdom established by Kamehameha existed until Queen Lilioukalani was deposed in 1893."
http://www.interment.net/data/us/hi/oahu/natmem/

The most amazing part of the visit was that we could not see any other visitor. The grounds crew were out doing maintenance but other than that it was just Dustin, me, and the brave souls of the pacific.

I thought these trees were awesome. They are found all around the grounds. Don't the look like they were cast in the Lord of the Rings??

The plaques were posted around the memorial.

All along the sides going up the stairs the ivory colored walls are engraved with soldiers names on them. They form small rooms with trees planted in them. It appears that people come and place necklaces or flowers in the trees in honor or remembrance of their loved one on the trees that are nearest their names.

SUSHI at Sansei's...YUMMY

Last night (Tues 1-27-09) Dustin and I asked around to find a good sushi restaurant. I first tried sushi in St. Paul MN with some girlfriends and have loved it ever since. Being from ND I don't get a chance to eat the good stuff very often. I did try it once in Grand Forks with Mom and Ken. It was awful.....right mom?

Dustin's first experience with sushi was with his cousins Sarah and Johnny in Sacramento. There was much eaten and lots of sake to go around. And of course with good sake comes GREAT conversation. Thanks again Johnny and Sarah!

We wanted to share our dining experience with all of you so... we took pictures and got the menu descriptions of what we tried.

Our first course was from left to right; Island Style Seafood Poke Sampler (Ahi, Salmon, Tako, Maui Onions, Tomatos, Wakame and Kiaware Sprouts tossed in Poke Sauce), Edamame (immature soybeans baked, cooled, and lightly salted), and Sansei's Special Sushi Role (Spicy Crab, Cilantro and fresh veggies, dusted with Funkake and serviced with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce).

The second course was Traditional Miso Soup

The third course was Panko Crusted Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll (Sashimi grade Hawaiian Ahi, Arugula and Spinach wrapped into a sushi roll, panko crusted , flash fried and served with Sansei's mild soy wasabi butter sauce.

The fourth course was Japanese Calamari Salad (Calamari fritte tossed in spicy kochujang vinaigrette over nalo greens in a crispy won ton basket.)

The fifth course was Sansei's Asian Shrimp Cake and Miso Garlic Prawns (Sansei's award winning shrimp cake crusted with crispy chinese noodles and grilled miso garlic prawns, served with ginger lime chili butter and cilantro pesto)

The sixth course was Sansei's Lobster and Crab Ravioli (ravioli stuffed with sweet lobster, blue crab and shrimp , served with rich truffle butter sauce.) This was the first time that Dustin and I had either tried a real truffle.

The seventh and final course was Matsuhisa Style Miso Butterfish (Tender butterfish marinated and roasted in sake and sweet miso.)

Hello Everyone!
After only 1 full day on Oahu we have learned some very valuable lessons as tourists. We were lucky enough to catch some on film so I have created a check list. Hope you all can learn from our successes, failures, and others faux pas!

By the way…. It’s, Wed76°F 70°F Thu76°F 63°F, Fri76°F 70°F, Sat76°F 68°F.

Enjoy!

1.) DO NOT choose a ford mustang convertible (of any color) for a rental car. It SCREAMS tourist. We got suckered in. I was so excited to get a convertible and then after driving through the parking lot of the Pearl Harbor Memorial and seeing every other tourist car being a ford mustang convertible I felt used by the car company.

2.) DO choose to people watch. I have had some of my funniest moments in awe of our human race.

3.) DO NOT give the people that are people watching something to look at. Case in point, DO NOT squat in a skirt while taking pictures and DO NOT take a nap on a bench were there are a few thousand people milling around.

4.) DO take advice from locals as to where the best restaurants are. ( Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar)

5.) No matter how highly recommended by locals, DO NOT eat at a restaurant that has pigeons dinning with the guests. (even if the guests exclude small children and elderly that tend to drop food unknowingly on the floor). And a bit of advice for the pigeons of the world… If you happen to find a restaurant that allows you to dine with their guests, watch your toes as there seemed to several peg legs!