Summers are so jam packed with activities that I let 3 weeks pass without posting!

The week after we got back from Maui, my extended team had a quarterly at the aquatic center. Families were invited so James took the afternoon off, and we picked up the kids. We had catered barbecue and played on rented kayaks/canoes/hydrobikes. Kids got water toys to play with and take home. It was a lot of fun – and as a bonus, it wasn’t nearly as hot as the rest of the week!

That Friday, James and I went to The Kitchen to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. Thanks to James’ parents for babysitting! The food was delicious, although I have to admit I preferred the scallops at Lahaina Grill. My favorite dish was the Wagyu beef with Dungeness crab Bernaise. And they had the best dessert of all the times I’ve visited: peach ice cream made with raw honey … I had to get seconds of that despite my diet, it was so worth it!

That weekend, I took Calie to Lowes to build a Father’s Day frame … and then we went to Dylan’s house for dinner and a pool playdate. First swim playdate of the season! The next morning, we got up early and headed to Intel for a charity 5k.

Calie was last in the ‘under 5′ category and had to be carried back as to not hold up the next race. Zachary ran a 1/2 mile in 4 minutes … much better than I expected. He was so proud of himself and said,”I did not even look back because I didn’t want to waste any time.” He took his medal (everyone got one) to summer camp the next day to show his friends. I ran with Karen, Erjia, and Jaybal. My first 5k in maybe 10 years, but I met my goal of running the whole way even if it was a 12 minute mile! 

The following weekend, we were going to the Bay Area to visit my sisters … so I panicked when I got food poisoning Friday evening. I was also bummed to have to cancel a girl’s night out. Fortunately, I recovered quickly and the weekend plans were saved. Saturday, I took my sisters to Watercourse Way Spa as their birthday gift. We reserved a private room (called ’9 Bats’!) with jacuzzi, steam room, and cold plunge. It was really neat, although it did cross our mind what other people might do in such a room.

We all had 1 hour massages next, and I was happy to hear my sisters say it was the best massage they ever had! Fortunately, that weekend, the spa was celebrating their anniversary, so we received free hand/arm scrubs and had cookies and fresh fruit refreshments. After a homemade spaghetti dinner, James and I went to see Wicked while my sisters babysat the kids (thanks!) What a GREAT musical … I highly recommend it.

The next day was Father’s Day, and we decided to go to Great America. It was an ideal day to go – not crowded at all. The only downside is that many of the rides required 44″ and Zachary was 43″ with shoes.

Since the last time I visited, the park added a decently sized water park area and Snoopy themed rides/shows. Bonus: Alice “won” a turtle for my kids for looking like she’s in her 20s!

Last Thursday, I rescheduled my girl’s night out – and it happened to be on Kathy’s birthday (Happy Birthday Kathy!) Karen, Rachel, Megan, Kathy, and I went to Ruby Tuesdays for dinner to celebrate. Then we met up with Sandy to watch the 9pm showing of Sex and the City 2. As it turns out, Palladio theater does not keep Flixter updated and the movie was no longer showing. Ack! We decided we MUST see this movie and drove 30 minutes to Roseville to another theater. Since it was a 2.5 hr movie, I didn’t get home until past midnight. Despite the bad reviews, I really liked it. I think it helps to know the characters (and we all did … does that date us?) On Friday, I had a team builder at work, where we had Quiznos and pizza, and played volleyball. After work, Kathy and I made another trek to Roseville for Mikunis sushi with Dana and Reshma (and their cute babies.)

Saturday morning, I went for an early morning run, and then took the kids to the local water park to splash around.

After lunch, I headed to Simple Serenity Spa with Melissa, Karen, Rachel, and Kathy for a few hours of relaxation. It’s great having friends I share so much in common with – be it our kids’ interests, careers, travel, or even getting in shape. Definately lots of good laughs – sorry Karen for jolting you out of your massage induced slumber! (Haha) The owner of the spa was so gracious and accommodating, it reminded me the importance of supporting small businesses.

After our private spa party, we went to Rachel’s for dinner and a pool playdate. I got to verify that my new camera was indeed waterproof. We had so much fun, we didn’t leave until it was dark, past 9pm!

Sunday, we took Zachary and Calie to a trial class at Steve Wallen Swim School. It was highly recommended by my friend Bhavana. I could tell that they work a lot more with the kids than the public pool lessons Zachary took last year. The session from last summer were good in that he became more comfortable/confident in water .. but they didn’t really teach him to swim. These classes were semi-private, so a teacher would be dedicated to just Calie and Zachary … and run us $350 for 8 30 minute lessons. I was hesitant because I never expected to pay that much for kids’ lessons. But then I remembered I shelled out ~$800 in spa treatments this month, and signed them up – funny how guilt works!

After our class, James took Zachary to watch Toy Story 3 (in 3D) with Dylan and Jessica. I walked around the local farmer’s market with Calie, trying to keep her in the shade as much as possible. She loves fruit and ate a bag of cherries, claiming that half of them had “no seed!” I probably ruined a pair of shorts with all the fruit stains, but the verdict is still out since I haven’t done laundry yet. We all met up for Mongolian Barbecue after the movie, where I decided it was completely unfair that I don’t have Rachels’ metabolism. It was a busy weekend, so the rest of the day, the kids just played at home.

From a Calie milestone standpoint, she is talking in simple sentences and usually able to get her point across verbally. Even people outside our immediate family are starting to understand her. I love hearing the two kids converse in the back seat … although it does occasionally break out into arguments.

Thursday, before heading to Maui, I went out with my friends and tried a new wine bar. We shared a few appetizer plates and also a chocolate platter. Some of us opted to try the ‘summer whites’ tasting, while the true wine affectionados among us stuck with reds. Cheers to good friends!

(On the way home, a police car was right behind me almost the whole way - while it had been literally hours before my last drink, talk about feeling nervous!)

Friday morning, we go on the plane and headed to Hawaii! Finally! I booked this vacation about 6 months ago, when Alaska airlines was advertising their new direct flights.

Day 1-2: We checked into our condo, the new Honua Kai on Ka’anapali Beach in Maui. It was very nice, with lots of grassy areas for kids to run around, a few pools (including a water play and slide area), and the beach right outside the condo.  

We waited a few hours for Natalie (with nugget), Jason, and Anderson to arrive,  as they were flying in non-direct from Austin. The first 1.5 days, we played on the beach and hung out at the resort. Last year, Zachary was afraid of getting too close to the ocean … this year, he enjoyed going in (knee deep only) to pick up washed up pieces of coral, shell, and rocks. Calie still preferred staying far away from the crashing waves … as did Anderson, although he warmed up to it after a few days.

Day 3: We hit the 3 Upcountry tourist attractions … first stop was Ali’i Lavender Farm. The view from up there was incredible, almost surreal. We walked around the gardens and Zachary completed a scavenger hunt. We sat out on their patio and had lavender tea, scones, and cookies.

Next stop was Tedeschi Winery. Coming from the Napa area, I was surprised that tastings (up to 4) were complimentary. Of course, both families ended up buying a bottle of passion fruit “wine” from them before walking across the street for a barbecue lunch. Our final stop of the day was Surfing Goat Farm. Unfortunately, we didn’t expect them to close so early (2pm!) on Sunday. So we didn’t get a tour … but we did try their fresh cheese sampler and pet baby goats. Well, Anderson did … my kids were scared of them. Ended the day playing at the beach. Natalie and Jason went to Roy’s for dinner, while we watched Anderson.

Day 4: Natalie and I met up with Kathy at the Sheraton for spa treatments. The Spa at Black Rock was not as luxurious or big as the Westin spa, but the massage was excellent. In the afternoon, I took Zachary parasailing. He LOVED it! We did a 800ft tandem flight, which included a dip in the ocean. In the evening, Natalie and Jason watched the kids while James and I went to Lahaina Grill for dinner. Everything was so delicious … seriously, the best scallops I’ve ever had. Highly recommend this place!

Day 5: Retrospectively, Tuesday was probably alittle overbooked. There’s still alittle bit of “let’s do it all” in me even though I’ve slowed down considerably since traveling with children. We started the day at the beach … we try to go early in the morning or in the evening to avoid too much sun. Then we took the first Sugar Cane Train to Lahaina. (There is actually a schadenfreude story here. Anderson hid his parents’ rental car keys in a martini shaker … so we left ahead of them and waited at the train station. We had to board without them. Then right as the train was pulling away, we saw their car driving by the track … and they ended up catching up by the next stop!)

We walked around Lahaina until it was time to board the Reef Dancer, a glass bottom boat. Since both Natalie and Jason get motion sickness, we took Anderson while they grabbed lunch.

We rode the Sugar Cane train back to our condo, and then headed to The Drums of the Pacific Luau. We met up with Kathy and her boyfriend Caleb. Natalie, James, and I realized a few minutes after arriving, that we’ve been to this very same luau many years ago! The food was better than I remembered (I guess that’s what dieting does to you?) and it was neat watching Zachary and Calie up stage trying to learn a few dance moves. Zachary was very impressed by the fire throwing finale. By the end of the luau, the kids were over exhausted, but it was still a fun day!

 Happy 7th Anniversary to me and James!

Day 6: We kept it very simple on Wednesday, and just hung out by the beach and pool. Natalie and I took a walk (with Anderson and Calie) in the morning to a local farmer’s market. I wish we had discovered it sooner, as the local fruits were so flavorful – Calie had fresh lychee for the first time! For lunch, we went to Duke’s, which was poolside and overlooked the ocean. I could not resist (despite gorging myself on ahi poke at the luau) and ordered ahi tuna sashimi.

Since it was Jason’s birthday, we watched Anderson at night, while Natalie took him out to dinner at I’O followed by the Warren and Annabelle Magic Show. Happy 43rd Birthday Jason!

Day 7: Our last full day before heading home, James took Zachary on an ATV adventure. Natalie and I took the younger kids to Whaler’s Village. It was a decent walk (my guess is almost 2 miles each way), especially since Natalie had to carry Anderson for quite a bit of the way. I think she might be the strongest pregnant woman I know!

Afternoon, the kids played in the pool. The Honua Kai pools are really great for kids, with a number of shallow areas. And it was much less crowded than the Westin Villa pools next door.

Early evening, I met up with Kathy at the Westin Villa spa. Since I was in Hawaii, I decided to try the Lomi Lomi massage … which was basically a deep tissue, but not as deep. I’m glad I did it for the experience, but in the future, I think I’ll stick with the traditional Swedish style. The Westin Villa spa was quite a bit smaller than the Westin Hotel spa and didn’t have the incredible ocean views in the lounge area … but it was also less busy, so Kathy and I were able to enjoy the place almost all to ourselves. We were the only ones in their steam room!

<You may notice a lack of pictures here … 2 iPhones and a camera were recovering in a pot of dry rice. Fortuanately, mine made full recoveries. Possibly even more fortutitous for Jason, the new iPhone 4G will be available soon.>

Ending this ideal day (minus the electronic mishaps), Natalie and Jason watched the kids while James and I went to I’O. My salad and James’ fish entree were both very fresh. I also had carpaccio, and we shared a crab cake appetizer and chocolate dessert. It was our last night in Maui. We had reserved patio seating, overlooking the ocean, and enjoyed live Hawaiian music (as well as a sneak peek of dancing) from the Feast at Lele next door. I really didn’t want to leave … the 8 days of vacation felt like 3-4 days!

Day 8: We had a lazy morning before our 1:50pm flight. Stopped by Safeway for some bargain ahi poke ($7.99/lb) … I determined on the way to the airport, that I was probably at risk for mercury poisoning due to the ~2lbs of ahi I consumed this week. Oh well. We flew home… and since it was only Friday, we had the whole weekend to recover from the time change. All we did this past weekend was unpack, restock groceries, and play with the kids. Perfect!

Top 5 Travel Tips:

1. Get a condo right on the beach … saves you from strapping kids in carseats and driving anywhere. Walk out, walk in. No sitting in wet, sandy clothes in a car.
2. Get a place with a nice kitchen and washer/dryer. 
3. Unless you’re on a super tight budget … don’t over buy at Coscto (or any chain grocery store). Try the local farmer’s markets and nice restaurants!
4. Get a good friend to vacation with you … kids play together and parents can take turns babysitting, which gives the other couple a break.
5. There are advantages to ground floor – you get a better price (our 2 bedroom was $250 per night … so $125 per family) and you have a small private ‘backyard’ area for kids to play in.