Birthday Bash!

It was my birthday about a month ago and I figured it was about time I actually post the pictures! A special thanks to my wonderful husband for making me the most amazing cake EVER!!! 4 layers of yummy german chocolate goodness with the best frosting in the WORLD! Thanks, Babe! And thanks to everyone that came to share it with me - I couldn't have done it without you!

Tides Game

Sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER!

About a month ago, Kevin and I drove down to Norfolk to watch the Tides play and had a ton of fun...the seats were great, the weather was pleasant, and the baseball stadium food really hit the spot - hotdogs and dippin' dots...yum!

Hawaii 8.0 - IAO Valley

On our last day on the Valley Isle, we trekked up to IAO Valley to see "the needle"...a beautiful site as you can see!

Kevin's thoughts: "I REALLY don't want to go back to school!"

Hawaii 7.0 - The Infamous Road to Hana

At least now I can say I've done it...but I'm not quite sure if it was worth it! If you have never heard of the Road to Hana, imagine a one lane road through the rainforest with beautiful waterfalls and countryside on one side and a sheer cliff drop off on the other (and locals who drive like maniacs around blind corners and across one lane bridges)...very scary! The road itself is 60 miles long (50 miles to Hana and another 10 miles to the 7 sacred pools) and takes a whole day to go there and back. At the end of the road and the whole reason to go is the "7 Sacred Pools" National Park which consists of a series of waterfalls and pools that descend into the ocean. The park was beautiful, but I am not sure if it was worth almost losing my life!

On the road...

A waterfall along the way

This waterfall was just off the side of the road (long before we made it to Hana) and Kevin was really excited to go swimming!Living the dream! (this is not a picture of the 7 sacred pools... we forgot to take a picture of that!)

Hawaii 6.0 - Horseback Riding in the Rainforest

Another day in paradise and us girls decided to go horseback riding. We had the most AMAZING ride! On the northwest coast of Maui is Mendes Ranch perched on a cliff and nestled into the side of the rainforest. If you are looking for a fun ride on Maui, this is the place to go! We started our ride by heading up the trail to see the most famous Maui waterfalls - the ones used in the filming of Jurassic Park (think the Helicopter ride in the beginning of the movie) and then headed straight down to the beach through the most beautiful countryside. While I still have a slight fear of horses (they are just so HUGE), we all decided to ride intermediate skill horses, thus giving ourselves the chance to run in two places on the ride! Most ranches don't let you gallop, canter, or trot, no matter what your skill level was. Having never reached a full gallop before, I was a little nervous but really excited about today's challenge - and we all did great! My horse, Cowboy, was so much fun! Once he broke into a gallop, the ride was smooth and exhilarating...I just wish the running area was longer (only about 300 yards). To say the least, we had a great ride!

Mendes Ranch

See the waterfalls behind us? No?

The rainclouds prevented a good picture of them...but they were there!

(see the lame hang-10 we're doing...prepare to see that in most of the following pictures)

Miss Stacie

Mom and Stacie on the Beach (super cool hang-10!)
Such a beautiful view!

Forgive the dirt and sweat covering us...it was a hot and sticky day riding horses!

And the final hang-10!

Hawaii 5.0 - The Feast at Lele

One of the only requirements for my trip to Maui was attending a Luau. I know they are super touristy, but why else do you go on vacation but to spend all of your time doing touristy things? We were told that The Feast of Lele was the best Luau on the Island of Maui, and I would have to agree! The food, entertainment, and location all exceeded my expectations! And the best part? OPEN BAR! Even though we don't drink, we definitely took advantage of the free cocktails (albeit virgin cocktails)...I probably had 4 myself! With names like "Lava Flow" how can one resist! The next time you are looking for a Luau on the Island of Maui, make sure to look up The Feast of Lele in Lahaina and you won't be disappointed!

The Family

Just the girls

Me and my cute sister Stacie

My wonderful Mom

:)

The dancers performed traditional dances from all the different

Polynesian islands around the world

Not only did we get to see the sun rise, but we watched it set as well!
Funny story - I noticed the man sitting in front of me decided to record the entire show and I thought to myself, "is he really going to watch this ever again?" Well, when I took a closer look at what he was recording (namely, close-ups of the female dancers' chests and hips) I decided that yes, he would watch this tape again!

Hawaii 4.0 - A Treacherous Ride

After watching the sunrise, we loaded back into the nice warm bus and headed down the volcano a bit to a drop off point to begin our 28.2 mile bike ride down the volcano to the beach below (far, far, below!). We got a long safety brief (blah, blah, blah) about riding in single file, keeping our distance from other riders, not crossing the yellow line into oncoming traffic (that was pretty intuitive to me, but I guess they had to mention it!), to keep a safe speed of 18-25 miles per hour (surely I can handle that!) and to remember to tip our guides (how that is part of safety, I am not quite sure).

At this point I was feeling pretty confident that I was not only going to have a great ride but that my days riding a bike as a kid would help me race down the mountain with finesse. They gave us gloves, a bike, and a wicked cool helmet and we started down the mountain. Not one switchback later and I was in a sheer panic...my bike won't STOP!!! I am hurling down the side of a volcano and my brakes won't save me! Switchback after switchback I tried pumping the breaks...it sounded simple enough during the safety briefing, but when it became a matter of life and death it just didn't work! I tried pumping the breaks and all I got was a heart pumping faster as I continued speeding down the mountain!

About 7 miles into the ride, we all stopped for a photo opportunity and I threw myself into Kevin's arms crying that I was surely going to die on that mountain. He lovingly told me I didn't have to ride anymore and that I could get into the van that was following our group (to carry the wimps like me who can't handle the speed)...but my ego wouldn't let me. I was pretty sure I was going to die, and not only would it be the fault of my seemingly missing brakes, but also my pride.


So, we were off again, and this time I had a new resolve - I was going to enjoy this even if it killed me! Well, we made it to the beach and all in all it was a great experience, even if I cried half the time down and wanted to kill my daredevil little sister for egging the guide faster and faster down the volcano. I was COMPLETELY out of my comfort zone - that's for sure!

Photo Op!

WE MADE IT!!!

That's a look of relief!