Maui, June 2010

WHERE HAS SUMMER GONE?!

I have not posted in FOREVER, due to the multitude of activities this summer. The free time between my work stretches has FLOWN by....I will try to highlight a few of the fabulous activities, backtracking to JUNE with our marvelous trip to Maui, HAWAII!! My friend Karen and her fiance, Chase, were married on the north shore of Maui in a small town, Paia. Brandon and I, along with 3 other friends, rented a small 3 bedroom house 1 minute walking distance of the wedding site. A great time was had by all!!! Congratulations Karen and Chase!

Windows down, top off, wind in my hair ~ that's how I thoroughly enjoyed driving this rental!
Our home for most of the trip! Our friends, Paul, Carly and Colleen stayed with us. With a 1 minute walking distance to the wedding locale, it turned out to be the party headquarters for the week prior to the wedding!!!

Wedding LOCALE!

Oh, it's just the entrance to a public beach in Paia!

On the road to Hana!

The 3 Bears waterfalls

A beach formed by the lava of a volcano eruption

Honokalani Black Sand Beach in the Wainapanapa State Park

A fresh water cave in the state park.

Home from the 'road to Hana' ~ now for some fabulous surf and turf cooked to perfection by my handsome husband!

Yoga on the beach for the wedding guests!

And time for some rest & relaxation!!

The rehearsal

Pre-wedding family photos!

Karen, the bride, Chase, the groom and their two kids, James and Olivia!

Rehearsal Dinner!

The Maid of Honors.

Last night in Paia! Off to Lahaina!

Sunset in Lahaina!

We found out from a local where a great view was to watch great sunsets on the northwest corner of Maui! We drove north past Kannapali and Kapalua and found ourselves a stretch of road without cell phone service. We found the correct mile marker and parked in a gravel area which appeared to resemble what the local had describe. We start walking about 10 minutes down old dry dirt paths to find a wooden ladder to climb down to tide pools. From the tide pools we could have the best view in Maui of the sunset. Soo...I was a little hesitant as we searched for this ladder and even more hesitant to climb down the rickety old ladder...who was waiting for us at the bottom?? But, as it turned out...it was just a great place to watch the sun set! Thanks local Lahinaian?!?!
On our way to find the mile marker.What a stud muffin!
Think we found our spot...now where's that ladder?? You can barely see it in the top left corner of the rocks in the above picture.

The ladder!

At the tide pool, the edge of Maui!

The Sunset!!!

On our last morning of our trip we decided to take a helicopter tour of the west side of Maui, Molokai and Lanai. What an awesome treat! I loved the helicopter ride, it was amazing! Feels totally different than a regular jet plane, a little more unsteady feeling, but all the worthwhile. What a great way to end a terrific trip. Thanks Brandon! Love you lots!

Our pilot flew the bachelorette Ali on a few trips in Maui. And Bill Gates rented out all the helicopters in Maui the day of his wedding so the paparazzi would not have a way to get to Lanai. So our pilot actually got a paid day off on Bill Gates' Wedding!


Amazing waterfalls in Maui!
The pretty waters off Molokai!

Destroyed navy ship off the coast of Lanai!

The road to Lahaina!

What a trip! Slept the entire flight home to Seattle! Love Maui!

Snow Lake Hike

July 12, Tuesday, my friends, Annie Rose and Cly'ta, and I did an 8 mile hike to view Snow Lake! The lake is still covered in parts with snow and the ice on the lake is slowly melting! An absolutely beautiful site!! At the top, we enjoyed a picnic lunch and the sun was shining!! An absolutely great day!

Snow Lake, still inaccessible due to snow on the trail!

Frigid on the north side where Snow Lake stood, warm on the south side!

And so the hiking adventures began!

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

3 years ago, I married my best friend. Today, I continue to love and cherish you.

Wow, where have the last 3 years gone?? Everyday, I love you even more than the day I married you. How can that be? It is amazing that our love can continue to grow. I love that we love to do the same things. From traveling to just watching a movie, from hiking to trying new restaurants, from laughing to doing really goofy things, I love spending time with you. I appreciate you for you and what you do for our little family. I look forward to spending many, many more years together. Thank you Brandon for the past amazing 3 years! Happy 3rd Anniversary!!

Today, we celebrated our 3 year anniversary enjoying the sun watching the wash gush over the Snoqualmie Falls. Disappointingly, when we arrived we found out that PSE is doing some major renovations around the falls to their powerhouses. There is a huge crane on top of the falls, ruining the pristine view. And since the short trail to the base of the falls is closed until 2013 for renovation we searched out a new trail.

Marring the beauty with construction!
A newly remodeled lookout area!

So much water flowing!
Oh what I would have payed to be able to sit near those rocks, enjoying the spray of the falls during the 80 degree heat!

We drove further east to exit 34. We did a short 3 mile hike to view the Twin Falls in Olallie State Park. The falls create about 4 steps with the last step being a large 150 foot drop that sort of separates at the base to make it look like 2 falls, thus the name Twin Falls. The view is absolutely amazing!!! Thanks for an amazing day Brandon!

The beginning of the steps!

The middle of the steps!

The 150 foot last step! Twin Falls

Brandon's new friend, unfortunately we didn't have what the squirrel was looking for: food! Next time we'll come prepared!

Next up wine and a seafood feast. As it has become tradition, we had a seafood feast tonight. Brandon brought home 2 lobsters weighing 3 1/2 pounds each and a Dungenous crab. We had to use a hammer to crack open the lobsters claws. The lobster was just amazing...cooked perfectly with just enough sweetness to satisfy our taste buds!!!

Hammer ready!

Happy Father's Day!!!

For Father's Day, we took my dad up to the Woodinville Wineries. We went to his favorite winery, XSV and bought him a bottle of the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon! He can't stop talking about how good this bottle is. We went to 4 or 5 others and he can't find anything that compares. Tom and Christine came up from Portland and Tom wine tasted for the first time!! Happy Father's Day to the best dad I know!


Sampling wine right from the barrel!!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

For dad's birthday June 12, Brandon and I got tickets to the Tom Petty concert over at the Gorge. We packed our suitcases, and my mom, dad, sister, Brandon and I spent the night at our condo in Crescent Bar! We enjoyed the sun, sunbathing, gin and tonics, and freshly baked pizza lounging by the pool. As the sun set we drove the few minutes to the Gorge concert area and enjoyed the scenery and music! I think my dad had a great time!!! Happy Birthday Dad! I love you!!

An absolutely beautiful weekend!

Finding my way through the crowd with my favorite, kettle corn!

The next afternoon we drove home and had a salmon barbeque with extended family, complete with chocolate cake and bocce ball! My dad lit a huge bonfire and a neighbor down the street called the fire department, as she thought our house was on fire. I must say, (although my dad sprayed the nearby trees with water prior to starting the bonfire) it was an impressive one. The firefighters even said they as they were driving here from another call, and they had received phone calls 10 blocks away noting smoke. Needless to say, we put the fire out. We might have to have a smaller one next time....I hadn't even made a smore yet! Wow, 61 candles!!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Bocce Ball, my dad's favorite

Started out innocently enough, just enjoying the fire!

Getting bigger...the heat feels great!

As the firefighters say goodbye...