Commuter Flight

We flew Go Mokulele to travel back and forth to Maui from Oahu.  It's a small commuter airlines using small planes and charging small prices.  But watch out! They get you on baggage fees!

We can't stand baggage fees and make sure we travel with carry ons only no matter where we go.  But this airlines can be strict.  They even make you try to fit your luggage into the little empty box that is their size max...22x9x14.  I'm guessing the one inch thick wood making up the box makes that size requirement even smaller because our "carry ons" didn't pass.  We ended up paying $60 in fees to get to Maui.

Now, on our way back to Oahu, I made sure my husband was present when we checked in our bags.  He made those bags fit the box!

Makena Landing

We had no reservations, but we had a plan.  He down to Makena Landing and find someone to rent us a couple kayaks.  We checked the web and found only places that would provide you kayak tours.  But that's not the way we roll, or row, in this case.  We'll skip the guided tour and blaze our own trail.  Nothing against the knowledgeable guide and the interesting facts one can learn from them.  We like to have a little more freedom and go on our own pace.

So, 7 am and we're at Makena landing.  There were already a couple small tour groups either heading out or doing their pre-ride talk.  BT was able to secure us two two person kayaks for $50 cash.  Normally, a guided kayak tour is $70 for adults and $40 kids, saving us over $200.  We were in our wet suits, life jackets and water shoes with our snorkel gear bag strapped to the kayaks even before another tour guide had finished talking to his group about how to kayak.

We kayaked north for a mile then dropped near a point to snorkel.  The water was clear with a beautiful variety of coral.  My son Trenton spotted a white spotted eel within 5 minutes of being in the water.  It had to be over 3 feet long.  On the kayak back we swam with
turtles.

I just asked my eight year old "How far was that turtle from your face? Close enough for you to touch?"

He replied, "No! That's illegal!"

But it's true, the turtle was that close!

As we rowed to shore we thought we hang out and catch a wave into shore.  We were right on top of a wave riding it in when our kayak somehow turned to the side and turned over!! We fell right into the sandy surf with my daughter freaking out and me laughing the whole time.  Of course the husband and son rode the wave all the way into shore perfectly.

Heading to Turtle Town...

We're up early on our last day in Maui.  We are yet to see any turtles, so hopefully this trip to Turtle Town will check that off the list. We did see one in Oah'u, but I attribute that to beginner's luck.

Don't mind my hair. This humidity and salt water is making me look more like a native than evah, brah!

We're going to try to rent a kayak on our own to avoid the premium tour fees they're charging.  Wish us luck.

Trying Something New

When trying new things it can either be something you always wanted to do or something you’ve heard of and although it sounds interesting, it’s not necessarily on your bucket list, but you’ll do it anyway. Like the Friday before Halloween, I finally went to a Murder Mystery Dinner. I've always thought about doing this, but it's something I would not have regretted missing. I’m not going to be sitting on my death bed one day saying “Dang! I wish I had done that Murder Mystery Dinner Theater”. I would most likely be regretting that one time I was in London when I was 28 and had the chance to head out to Amsterdam for a few days, but didn’t go. Doh!

Anyway, the murder mystery was fun. Our neighborhood community association organized it using Murder Ink Productions. I got to play the part of the Homecoming Queen during Prickly Pear High School’s 1968 Class Reunion. I won’t tell you if I murdered my old classmate-turned famous actress, but she did ruin my infomercial career. Here's a grainy old pic of the Homecoming Queen Sasha Saccharin herself!

So, for this week’s “new thing” I will be signing up for a Yin Gong Meditation class. From what little I know about it, this class consists of Yin Yoga while you are bathed in the sounds of the gong. Both of which I’ve never done before, so hey, two for the price of one! Yin yoga poses are held for up to a minute and a half and are supposed to target more than just your muscles. It works the deeper connective tissue like bones, ligaments and joints. Ha! When was the last time you put bones and ligaments on your workout schedule?

“Hmmm…Monday is Leg day…then Abs day…oh look, bones, ligaments and joints day! I think I have the perfect playlist on my ipod! There’s the Animaniac’s Bone Song (see video below), Smoke Two Joints, Sublime’s version and hmmm..don’t know any ligament songs.”



Actually, the playlist for this specific work out is a gong. There will be someone in class along with the yoga teacher that will play the gong. A gong bath is sound therapy to promote relaxation. The bath is supposed to clear your nerve endings. I guess our nerve endings, like battery terminals in a car can get corroded and need a good dip in baking soda and water every now and then. I wonder if that’s why I get muscle twitches and Charlie horses every now and then?

I’m really looking forward to this class. It is offered by Floo-id Yoga in North Scottsdale and more information and sign ups can be found on their website . They only offer this Yin-Gong Meditation class once a month, on the first Saturday. It is very important to reserve a spot, too, because if they don’t have enough reservations they cancel the class.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Wraps Dinner!

I felt a Geisha girl costume would be perfect for this year's Halloween contest in the office. I came to work dressed in the full kimono get-up. I even got in the car and scolded my son for messing with my hair, but it was just my chopsticks bumping into the head rest. Sorry, kid, my mistake.

Unfortunately, I didn't win the contest at work.

I actually lost to a Dead Prom Queen, Dog the Bounty Hunter and a Birthday Cake.






But you know what, I'm okay with that. You know why? Because that afternoon, I saw a tweet from P.F. Chang's

@PFChangs "Dressed up? Send us your Halloween pics. We're picking our favorite in a few hours & giving the winner a gift card."

Of course I replied:

@jainz57 "@PFChangs twitpic.com/78v5u0 I already have the chopsticks!!"

A few hours later...

@PFChangs "We couldn't pick just 1 photo, so we have 3 gift card winners. They are: http://img.ly/9YTG http://pic.twitter.com/S9c8INdG http://twitpic.com/78v5u0"

Winner!! I should be getting a gift card in the mail soon. Pretty cool.

Although, I didn't win the office contest, I still got some PF Chang's from dressing up today. We also have our company-wide costume contest that will be judged by the end of the week, so there's still another chance for more goodies!

Hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween!

Well that was a FAIL.

I wanted to write for 30 days straight and I miss day 2. Nice one. Lucky for me it takes only 21 straight days to form a habit. So, I can start now and still form this writing habit before my next vacation! We'll just forget that the whole "31 days" blog ever happened. It'll be our little secret.

"If you’re going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow."
Louis L’Amour

Well said, Louis. Well said.

I'll turn on the faucet and you'll all be drowning in a torrent of prose unleashed up in here! Starting...tomorrow.

30 Days

You’ve heard of that FX network series 30 days? It’s puts a person or group of people in a situation that they would never have found themselves in, and see how they handle it for 30 days. It all started with the sociological experiment by Morgan Spurlock (who also happens to host the show) that resulted in the documentary “Super Size Me.” Well, I’m going to conduct my own little 30 day experiment. Basically, I'm going to write in an entry in this blog for 30 days straight.

Alright, it might not be as sociologically intriguing as making an avid hunter live with and as a vegan for 30 days, but it’s my way of forcing myself to keep writing. And wouldn’t you know it? 30 days from now happens to be the day we leave for vacation. What perfect timing!

Well, aanywaay....



I took another step towards my “Trip to Japan” goal today. I’ve started teaching myself Japanese. So, Konichiwa, otomo-dachi-suckas!! I’m even going to teach myself some Katakana as well. It shouldn’t be too difficult. I did take one semester of Japanese back in the 90s and did fairly well. By the end of the semester, I was able to read the lyrics from some of the Japanese songs at the Karaoke bar. So, I think this is something I can learn on my own.

Check out my fancy little widgets I’ve added to my blog – the “Japanese Word of the Day” and a little Koi fish pond. I think I’m turning Japanese. I really think so.

31 Days to Paradise

In exactly one month from now, I'll be basking on the beaches of Hawaii. Where I'll be gathering more material for this blog, along with seashells, lava rock and ancient talismans (Is the correct plural here talismans or talismen?).

Alright, I know, taking anything off these islands are strictly taboo. We all remember what happened to poor Greg Brady who wore that idol around his neck during the surf contest. I will not be risking that.

The last time I was in Hawaii was August of 2008. Here's the blog of the time we were there to visitKona and Maui. However, that trip was just Brian and I. This time we are bringing my 15 year old daughter, Spencer and our 8 year old son, Trenton. It will be there first time in Hawaii.

We will be spending the first night at the JW Marriot Ilhilani, Ko Olina Resort in Oahu for one night. Then two nights in Waikiki. Then we'll island hop over to Maui for 3 nights at the Marriot Maui Ocean Club.

Needless to say we are all extremely excited. Yes, Spencer squealed, as 15 year old girls are wont to do, and then danced with delight when she first found out. She also had no qualms about missing 3 full days of school and knowing she will need to catch up on all her honors and AP classes. Yikes!

So, What's the Strategy?

I’m going for a Social Media strategy…blogging, tweeting, yelping, picasa-ing. I’ll be using this blog to document my steps to obtaining this trip…learning Japanese, taking a Flower arrangement course, becoming a pro at origami…In the meantime, I’ll also be blogging about my own trips, restaurants, points of interests, etcetera, etcetera, ad infinitum…

So, I guess what I really need are some followers. That way those judges will know that the things I'm writing about are actually being read. But hey, one step at a time!! This is only my second blog entry!




So, you! Yes You!! The random person that just happened onto the blog by clicking the wrong link on Twitter. Let me know in the comments what else I could do to get ready for Japan. And yes, I’ve already taken a course in Sushi making, so I’m good there. Oh, and while you’re here…become my first Follower and you will win the right to have your pic/icon right here on the right border of my blog for all (or as of now, none) to see!!

My Trip to Japan

I know it’s a long shot, but hey, you can’t win anything you don’t try, right?
Ugh, there goes the negativity again…Starting off this whole blog with “I know it’s a long shot.” My husband always warns me about prefacing things with negativity. Like “I know it’s past the 30 day return policy because it’s been 31 days, but can I please return this?” Yep, that’s me. You’ll probably learn a lot about me in this blog, and I’m ok with that. I’ve got a trip to Japan at stake. So here it goes.

Basically, Japan’s National Tourism Orgainization has proposed an initiative to give away 10,000 flights to Japan to increase tourism since the industry has been hurt by the Tsunami and on-going Nuclear Radiation threat. Of course, this is all pending examination and approval from the government. But, I’m not going to think negative here, remember? They will definitely be giving away trips and I’m going to try to snag four to bring my family.

So, stay tuned!!