Where's the Cold??

My favorite season is fall. I love pumpkins, the color orange, fall scents, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider...I could go on and on. By the end of the day on September 1st (my idea of the start of fall), I had all of my fall decor out and was ready to start with my fall baking. There was only one thing missing...cool weather. I love Hawaii, however there is no real "transition" to signal the start of my favorite season.

Where was I going to find cool weather?? Of course! ALASKA. Okay, so I didn't go to Alaska just to find fall weather. Blaine was working there, so I decided to join him for a couple of weeks! Blaine worked most of the time I was there, but we had a great time taking in the amazing sights and hanging out with our friends, Howdy and Michelle!

Determined to find a moose in Alaska...and I found one on the Air Force base! Actually, I had to slam on my breaks when I looked up to see him crossing the road in front of me. And then I desperately fumbled for my phone to capture this picture. :)

Here are some of the awesome things we saw and did...

My first night in Alaska, Blaine and I drove down to Soldatna, where our friend, Angus, lives. After the boys took a flight over the mountains in Angus' plane, we cozied up to a bonfire where we dined on Alaskan cuisine straight from the outdoors...silver salmon and ptarmagan! It was a gorgeous night with a clear sky, revealing more stars than I have ever noticed before. This definitely felt like a true "Alaskan experience". Thanks, Angus, for an awesome time!

Blaine and Angus getting ready to taxi toward the runway!

Beautiful lakefront view from Angus' home!

Amazing mudflats that are exposed when the tide rushes out near the Turnagain Arm.

We met up with Howdy and Michelle for dinner at The Moose's Tooth the following night...what a surreal, but great feeling to see friends from Charleston, so FAR AWAY from Charleston! Michelle and I did some shopping, hiking, and more eating out through the week...there are some really cute places in Anchorage! My second weekend in Alaska, Howdy, Michelle, Blaine, and I hiked to Byron Glacier in Girdwood. Amazing! I was intent on seeing a glacier, and we found one, up close and personal. It was beautiful!

Hiking to Byron Glacier

Sun rays shining through an opening in Byron Glacier

I didn't even think about how dangerous it is to sit underneath a melting glacier!

Blaine, Jen, Michelle, and Howdy at the end of a gorgeous hike!

This is what the same view from the Turnagain Arm looks like when the tide is up!

Another week of shopping (I had to mail two boxes of stuff home), eating out (I wanted to try every restaurant that was recommended to me...and I think I succeeded), and having pumpkin spice lattes from every coffee shop in town (every day of my visit!)...and we come to my final weekend in Alaska. I spent Saturday with Howdy and Michelle while Blaine worked. We had breakfast together and spent ALL day hanging out in the cutest coffee shop near their home, engaged in great conversation. I really enjoyed my last day with our sweet friends! Thanks, Howdy and Michelle, for keeping me company and being great tour guides! I truly am thankful for our time spent together. :)

Several people recommended that we visit Alyeska Resort in Girdwood and eat at their infamous restaurant, Seven Glaciers, that lies on the top of the mountain, accessible only by a very steep hike or the tram. We decided to make a weekend of it, staying at the resort Saturday night and exploring the area the next day, to include the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. We had SUCH a great time! The resort was unbelievable, the dinner was amazing, and the scenery was breathtaking. It was so nice to have that time with Blaine...we considered this an early celebration of our four-year wedding anniversary. Thanks, sweetie, for an unforgettable date night! I will certainly hold dear our Alaskan memories forever.

Alyeska Resort...if you look REALLY closely, you can see Seven Glaciers Restaurant at the very top of the mountain in the background.

After enjoying each other's company over a romantic dinner, overlooking the beautiful mountains and the resort...we had to check out the engine room! Yes, Blaine was SO intrigued by the tram that the operator offered to give us a tour of how it works. Isn't this how all of your date nights end?? ;)

This is a tree from Girdwood's "ghost forest"...during an earthquake, the ground sank, allowing saltwater to come in, which killed a lot of trees and left these reminders behind. Don't they look neat?

We really liked the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. We met this guy, among the rest of the elk, who was really rambunctious! He was charging at people and seemed to REALLY like the ladies in his pasture. ;) Such a stinker!

Two bears playing in the water

This caribou was just as mischievous as the elk...he kept charging at us, too.

This bald eagle was found with a bullet hole through his left wing, which had to be amputated. He seems to be enjoying life at the conservation center, though!

I took this picture of a huge glacier from the plane window on the way back home...so pretty!

We really enjoyed our Alaskan experience, and had a great time with old friends! What an amazingly beautiful place!! And I got my cold fix. ;)

Summer Fun!!

We have been quite busy, yet very grateful, to have close friends and family visit us this summer! After our family was here in June, we had our dear friends, the Pinkertons, visit in July. Less than a month later, we had our nephew, Jordan, and his girlfriend, Christina, visit in August! We had a blast showing everyone around, sticking to my list of "must-sees". I really love when each new visitor brings their own list of "must-sees"...things we haven't done yet, which always makes for an adventure. Below are some pictures of things we did and saw that were new to us, too!

Matt and Rachel spent a week with us in July, and we were SO happy to see them after so long! Some of our sightseeing adventures...

Blaine and Matt jumped off of a big rock in Waimea Bay...I love this picture of Matt!

We hiked to Manoa Falls...very muddy, but we felt like we were in a rainforest!

We saw these amazing rainbows, the first near the North Shore and the second was on base...actually, Matt and Rachel saw a rainbow EVERY day they were here!

We visited the USS Arizona memorial...it's the white one on the right. ;) What an overwhelming feeling to stand over this sunken vessel, imagining what December 7, 1941 was like, while remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

We rented kayaks in Kaneohe Bay and cruised around the bay for the afternoon. We also enjoyed watching a C-17 fly a training pattern right over us!

We checked out a different luau in Ko'Olina...very pretty location right on the beach!

Jordan and Christina's visit was packed full of adventure...because Jordan was fully determined to find it while here! :)

The boys wasted no time getting down to business. Just a few hours after arriving on Oahu, Jordan went night spearfishing with Blaine...yes, the scary thing I don't like to do, except they did it in the DARK! Crazy.

Blaine

Jordan


Christina

Everyone jumped off of the cliff at Waimea Bay...except me. I mean, someone had to take the pictures, right? ;)

I LOVE this picture of Jordan Stand-Up Paddle-boarding!

Jordan got to surf Waikiki while Christina and I laid out!

Gorgeous view from the top of Makapuu Point!

Blaine and Jordan crossed the railing on our Makapuu Point hike to "skip rocks" on the ocean's surface...WAY down below!

Maunawili Falls...another waterfall hike with a cliff that Jordan jumped off of!

The last picture taken with this camera...right before Jordan and Christina's kayak turned over and took the camera with it. :( We were just thankful to have saved these pictures!

Beaufitul view from the semi-private beach on the Moks!

Girls in the "grotto", as the boys dubbed it. ;)

By far, our favorite thing was kayaking out to the Mok Islands! What a gorgeous place!! It took about an hour to kayak from shore to the islands, and through some pretty big swells and waves, but OH, WAS IT WORTH IT to arrive on a beach with maybe 10 other people! AWESOME! Next time, we'll pack a picnic and spend all day here!

Laie Point...much more dramatic of a scene when the waves cooperate and crash through the hole! But still very pretty!


We enjoyed a famous Shave Ice on the North Shore!

And, just for fun, we met this guy on the North Shore's Turtle Beach!!

We have had such a fun summer, enjoying Hawaii with family and friends!! Playing tour guide has been a great way to explore and discover what the island has to offer. Until our next adventure...aloha!

A Very Happy 29th!

I normally would not devote an entire blog entry to my own birthday, but I must share with you just how special my day was thanks to some very thoughtful friends...and my hubby, of course!

I wasn't too excited about my birthday this year...besides entering the LAST year of my twenties, I just don't know many people here well enough yet to think they would want to share my birthday with me. I really thought I'd spend the day alone, waiting for Blaine to get home from work. I was also a little sad not having my mom here to bake a cake, like she always does for all of us on our birthdays. I had to make my own cake. :( Pitiful, I know! You'll see from the pictures that I decorated it with an exciting "29"...I just couldn't write out "Happy Birthday" to myself!

My morning was filled with phone calls and texts from dear friends and family from the mainland, which was a great start to my day. I talked to my family through Skype, so I got to "see" them on my birthday, which was great. Blaine also surprised me with my birthday gift (a Shark steam mop that I've been eyeing for some time now)...well, I surprised HIM when he walked through the door at 8 a.m., carrying an unwrapped gift ;)! Thanks, sweetie!!

My sweet friend, Elizabeth, treated me to lunch at the Sand Bar and Grill (located on the beach here at Hickam AFB). We had Mai tais with our food and then laid out on the beach to get some sun! It was great...thanks so much, Elizabeth, for spending the afternoon with me!

So, Blaine plays on an intramural softball team here on base and had a game on my birthday. I have to admit, I was a little bummed that he was going to play softball instead of taking me out to dinner and having a "normal" birthday evening, even though I really do enjoy the games and hanging out with the other wives. Right before we rushed out the door to his game, we decided to cut the cake so that our neighbor, Jewlee, and her kids could help us eat it! They were so sweet and excited about the "birthday party"...they sang 'Happy Birthday", helped me blow out the candles, and knew exactly how to remove the candles...making sure to "clean" each candle of it's icing. ;) Thanks for the help, Jake, Brodie, and GiGi!! And thanks, Jewlee, for the super-adorable bracelet!

Blowing out ALL of those candles!

Eager to help remove the candles so that we can cut into the cake!

As we showed up to Blaine's softball game, the girls yelled "Happy Birthday!" I was a little confused and surprised that they knew it was my birthday. Right away, I noticed the dugout was different...the girls had coolers of beer, they bought a birthday lei for me, AND baked me a birthday cake!!! It was all I could do to contain myself and keep from crying! I asked them how they knew...Blaine had told one of the girls' husbands and they all got together and did all of this for me in less than a day. I couldn't get over their thoughtfulness! It was so sweet!! Thanks so much, Elisha and Linsey, for going out of your way to make my birthday so special! The guys won their game :) and some of us went out for Mexican food afterwards. It was so yummy and the perfect end to an awesome day!

Linsey, Elisha, and Erin helping me celebrate!

The birthday cake! Victim to the heat, yes...but OH SO YUMMY!

Thanks to everyone's kind hearts and generosity for making my 29th birthday more awesome than I ever imagined! I am always blown away with just how blessed I am with amazing family and friends!! Y'all are the best!

A Stay-cation!

What a great time we've had! From attending my sister's graduation in Texas to having Blaine's family here with us in Hawaii, the past couple of weeks have been a blast...

We flew to Texas the first week of June to be at Cassandra's high school graduation. Although it was a short visit, we had a great time and were so happy to be there to celebrate her accomplishments...check out all of the cords and ribbons around her neck! We are so proud of her and know that she will continue to excel at Texas State University in the fall...yes, the alma mater of both of her sisters! :)

Blaine's family actually arrived in Hawaii the day before we returned, so we were greeted by very familiar faces when we got home! From the day they arrived until just hours before their flight back home, we made the MOST of their visit, squeezing in everything that we could. And we had SO MUCH FUN!

Soon after our plane landed, we took Blaine's family to Schooner's, a really neat restaurant on Pearl Harbor. It's run by the Navy base, so they have military prices instead of Hawaii prices. And we sure did appreciate those $3 Mai Tais after traveling for 10 hours!

The next day, while Blaine was working, we took a scenic drive around the Windward side of the island (my favorite drive) after eating at a cozy tea room in Honolulu. The gorgeous blue water and waves crashing on the rocks is just one of the many reasons I love this drive so much!

On Tuesday, Blaine was still working, so I took everyone to Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu. This was our backup plan, after we tried to visit the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor and there were no more tickets available. So glad we went to the palace, though, what a beautiful place! Before we moved here, I had no idea Hawaii was once a monarchy, ruled by a royal family until 1893. Captain Cook only discovered Hawaii two years after we signed our Declaration of Independence! I thought all of this in Hawaii had happened long before that. My favorite room in the palace was filled with the royal family's jewels and King Kamehameha's cape made entirely of yellow and red feathers. You'll see pictures of this cape all over the island when you come to visit ;) but it was really neat seeing the actual thing in person.

Just outside Iolani Palace, you'll find these amazing Banyan trees. The trees drop roots from their branches and the roots grow toward the ground, and eventually grow into the ground, expanding the size and width of the trees. So neat!

The next day, we tried to visit the Arizona memorial again, but it was closed due to high winds. So, we decided to check out the USS Bowfin submarine instead. I can't even imagine living in such a small place for months at a time. Check out where they load the torpedos!

On Thursday, we spent most of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. This place is incredible! It's run by the Mormon church and their profits support students coming from the Polynesian islands to attend Brigham Young University-Hawaii. In fact, most of the tour guides and employees are students of the university. Our tour guide was a native Tahitian who is studying English and plans to return to Tahiti to teach English. The center is made up of different villages, representing the islands of Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Aotearoa, Tonga, and Samoa. Throughout the day, each village puts on shows and demonstrations. After visiting the villages, a luau dinner was served, followed by an amazing broadway-quality show!

A Samoan climbs a coconut tree to pick coconuts.

Blaine and Tim learn a Tahitian dance. You should really see the video! ;)

Kalua Pig at the luau dinner.

"Ha, Breath of Life" show after the luau.

On Friday, we had Blaine's promotion ceremony at the Officer's Club on base. There is an amazing space at the club available by reservation that sits in a tropical garden and overlooks Pearl Harbor. It was just perfect for us! His commander had wonderful things to say about him and everything was just so nice! We are so glad Blaine's family could be here for this celebration!

Blaine's mom and I pin on his Major leaves.

Reception area in the garden...the club did an EXCELLENT job setting up for this!

Food and drink tables at reception.

"Cupcake cake" for reception.

Celebrating Blaine's promotion with a beautiful sunset backdrop!

After the excitement surrounding the promotion ceremony was over, I was able to relax a bit :) and enjoy the rest of our family's visit. We headed up to our favorite spot, the North Shore, for Mary, Tim, and Lisa's last full day in Hawaii. We stopped at the Dole Plantation, hiked to a beautiful waterfall, snorkeled Shark's Cove, and had a yummy Thai dinner at Haleiwa Eats Thai! It was such an awesome day!!

Pineapple plants at Dole Plantation...how many of you knew pineapples grow like this???

An extra treat...we stopped at Turtle Beach in hopes of catching a glimpse of a sea turtle. To our delight, there were PLENTY of turtles out that day and we got to meet this guy up close and personal!

Waimea Falls...at the end of a gorgeous hike through botanical gardens.

Shark's Cove is a great snorkeling spot. This was Lisa and Tim's first snorkeling experience...had we known how much they were going to LOVE it, we would have done this at the beginning of the week and made time for much more snorkeling! They loved it so much that we woke up early the next day and snorkeled at Hanauma Bay just hours before their flight back home! :)

Hanauma Bay

It has been such an exciting couple of weeks...we loved seeing family in Texas and I also feel like WE have been on vacation here at home. We really learned more about Hawaii and found a deeper appreciation for the culture through this week's activities. We're super excited about all that we will be able to share with our next visitors...I hope you're getting excited, Matt and Rachel!! :)