A sunny beach!

Drummer Boy and I were determined to have a really fun day, and we did! We went tubing down irrigation ditches in an old sugar cane plantation. The water was "refreshing" (some might say it was cold) and the tour guides were a lot of fun. There was a group of about 20 of us, and I felt like I knew everyone by the end of the tour. We don't have any pictures yet, because we took them all with a waterproof 35mm camera.

Then, we headed south in search for some sunshine, and we found it!!! We stopped at Poipu Beach, went snorkeling and laid out in the sun for a couple of hours. It felt so good!! We saw some neat looking fish in the water, one that looked like Rainbow Sherbert. I know Princess would have loved it. We also saw a monk seal asleep on the beach.

After the beach, we checked into our second B&B (which it turns out is only a Bed, not a Breakfast) in Kapa'a, cleaned up, and went to dinner at a little Thai restaurant that had delicious food. It was probably my favorite meal as of yet. Drummer Boy is still claiming the pizza we had at Tiki Man in Hanalei.

Rainy Day in Kauai

Okay, I changed yesterday's post's title to "Rainy Hike in Kauai" because I didn't know yet what a Rainy Day in Kauai was. Yesterday, the day started out with another beautiful sunrise over the ocean.

 Our plan for the day included snorkeling at two beaches and going to see the Kilauea lighthouse and wildlife refuge. We rented some snorkeling equipment in the morning and then headed to Anini Beach. Just as we got there, we noticed that it looked like we were about to get a storm. We thought it was probably a little system that would pass quickly, so we decided to go to the lighthouse while we waited for the rain to pass. The lighthouse was great. There were some beautiful views of the coastline, and a ton of native birds flying around. 

The rain started as we were leaving the lighthouse.

We continued to wait for the rain to pass as we went shopping and had lunch in the town of Kilauea. Then we continued to wait for the rain to pass as we rested in our B&B. Then finally we thought the rain had passed, so we went to Tunnels Beach to see if we could actually use our snorkeling equipment that we had rented. But the water was too rough for snorkeling, and then it started raining again. So we continued to wait for the rain to pass while we returned the snorkeling equipment that we never used (they graciously didn't charge us), shopped some more, and ate dinner at a great sushi restaurant. This morning, I woke up and it is still raining. :( Hopefully, it won't be another all day rainy day.

Rainy hike in Kauai

Yesterday started out very early in the morning. Drummer Boy and I went down to the beach and unexpectedly caught the sun rising over the ocean. (We didn't think we would be able to see the sun rise because of our location on the island.) Anyway, it was a nice suprise. We are going back again with a camera this morning.

After breakfast, which was delicious, we went on a gorgeous 4 mile hike along the Na Pali coast to Hanakapiai Beach and back. The weather was perfect when we started the hike, and we got some awesome views of the coast and mountains, but it quickly changed at about the 2 mile mark to rain. It rained on us the whole way back. We were drenched and exhausted, but had a great time. And met some friendly people during the experience.

It was a pretty difficult hike, with multiple warnings to stay on the trail and wear proper footwear. Yet, we passed several "dudes" barefoot, carrying surfboards. Of course, it stopped raining as soon as our hike was over.

After we cleaned up and rested a bit, we went snorkeling at Ke'e Beach. I saw a school of about 100 shiny little fish, which was awesome! We finished off the day with some yummy pizza, a Mai Tai, and dessert. We piddled around the town shops of Hanalei and Drummer Boy bought a Hawaiian shirt, of which the button broke when we got back to the room.

Aloha Kauai

We are finally here!! Drummer Boy and I started planning this trip to Hawaii to celebrate our 10-year anniversary about a year ago. After reading through travel books and internet tourism sites, talking to anyone we could find who had been to Kauai, making reservations for flights, rooms, and activities, and making arrangements for our children to be looked after while we are gone, I can't believe it has finally come. We are here and it is beautiful!!

We arrived after an 8 hour flight to Honolulu and then a 40 minute flight to Lihue, Kauai. We left Houston at 9:30AM and arrived in Kauai 11 hours later at 3:30 Kauai time. We rented a red convertible mustang and drove from the SE corner of the island to the NW corner of the island to our bed and breakfast, Hale Ho'o Maha. It is great! The room is beautiful. The bed is comfy, and the hosts are gracious.

We went to dinner at a great restaurant on the beach called Mediterranean Gourmet, and then went for a quick walk along the beach as the sun was setting. A great first day!

Since we are still on "Texas time" we tried to stay up as late as we could and ended up going to bed at 9:30 local time, only to wake up at around 3AM, unable to go back to sleep. So here I am at 4AM posting pictures on my blog.

First Tomatoes

One of the selling points of this house for me was the two small raised beds in the backyard, perfect for the vegetable garden that I wanted to start. Several weeks ago, Drummer Boy prepped our raised beds and Princess and I planted some pea seeds. About 1 week later, we had little green stems popping up through the dirt!! I was so excited! They continued to grow to about 8 inches tall as of now. There are still no actual pea pods forming yet, but we are still watching for them.

About 2 weeks after planting the peas, we planted some tomato, bell pepper, jalapeno, basil, and rosemary plants. Even though they were already in the plant form when we put them in the ground, it was amazing to see how much they grew in just a few days! We have been checking them every 1-2 days, watering them regularly, pulling weeds around them, and giving them some plant food. Then...a couple of days ago, Drummer Boy noticed something...some teeny tiny tomatoes on our cherry tomato plant! That was really exciting for me, because honestly, I had this feeling that we might just have a season full of beautiful leafy plants with no vegetables. I tend to do that (expect the opposite of what I would like to happen, so that I'm not disappointed). We might actually have some vegetables that we can eat!!

I think it is so cool to watch God's design for creation in action. It is so great to be able to plant a seed (or a small plant), water it and give it sunlight, and watch it grow into a flowering, fruit- producing plant. And I think it is extra cool to be able to grow our own food. Last summer, I read a book that I highly recommend called Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. That book got me on this kick of wanting my own vegetable garden and supporting local farms and organic farming methods. But, I think it has always been in me because I remember wishing that I had grown up on a farm and wanting to be a farmers' wife when I grew up. I guess that will never happen (Drummer Boy has informed me that if that's what I want, I've married the wrong man), but I'm glad I can have my own little farming experience in the backyard of my suburban home. It's been a great learning experience for the kids also. I'm glad that Princess gets to see God's mighty creation at work. Even if none of the other plants produce anything (there I go again) I'm so happy to have my three little tomatoes!!

A Year ago

This morning I spent some time reading through my last journal. I came across an entry on April 20, 2008 that read, ".....we are about to enter a really tough time in our life and marraige and I know we'll look back in a year and think about how crazy it has been and how we are stronger because of it". Well, that was about one year ago. Actually one year from that date Drummer Boy and I will be together in Hawaii!! As I think back on the last year, it has definitely been a crazy, tough time. Probably the toughest year of my life, and at the same time, the year of the most blessing.

• Going through my depression and anxiety
• Falling more in love with Drummer Boy and he more in love with me because of it
• Realizing the meaning of true friendship
• Trusting in God to provide and take care of us on a daily basis
• Taking a HUGE step of faith by selling our house and moving to Texas without a job, house, or any prospects
• Having Drummer Boy's parents open their home to us with a willing and happy heart
• Being able to spend the summer with cousins
• Our first birthday parties with both families and cousins present
• God's provision (finally) of a job for Drummer Boy and his reluctance of how much he would enjoy it or if it was really the right job for him, and his realization that it actually is a really great job for him right now
• God's provision and divine hand again in the house that we were able to buy and that we LOVE
• The holidays with our family that were completely stress-free, as holidays should be
• My amazement of how much I enjoy being at home with my girls and not working
• The great friends that we have already made in our neighborhood and in this city, and the old friends that we have reconnected with.

Yes, it was really hard. There were times that I pleaded with God, bargained with him, was angry and confused, wanted to check-out of life honestly (during the depression). But God is so good. His mercies are new every morning. And his blessings are never deserved, but yet they never cease.

Visiting Eve

Recently, Princess and I took a lovely trip to Nashville, mostly to visit and meet the newborn daughter of my best friend, but also to see several old friends that I miss dearly.

The baby's name is Eve and she is wonderful. She stole my heart the minute I saw her, and I think my Princess felt the same way. Princess was frequently in her face and almost on top of her, saying over and over, "Baby Evie, Baby Evie" with compassion. One time Eve was having some quiet awake time on the floor and Princess sat next to her and flipped through a book, holding it up for Eve to look at. It was so sweet. Watching Princess with Eve reminded me of how she was when she first met her little sister, Pumpkin. I don't know how many times we heard, "Baby" repeated in those first few months. There is no doubt that Princess loves babies. (Maybe she'll grow up to be a Neonatal Nurse like her mommy).

Princess also had a great time playing with Eve's brother and sisters. It was fun to watch them color, play games, ride bikes, put on a show, and pretend to be our waitresses, just to name a few things. They had such a good time together, and I loved spending so much time with Aimee.

We also enjoyed visiting our old church and seeing old friends there, and one afternoon we popped into the NICU at Centennial for a quick visit. I also had a much too short visit with my dear friends Wallis and Beth and their kids. It was a great trip, and I especially loved getting to spend some one on one time with Princess. I think I really needed that, and it was good for her too!