Maui: Day Two

Day Two began with a wake-up call from United. It was a pre-recorded message saying that our flight for this morning to Maui had been cancelled and we would automatically be rescheduled for the same flight the next day. This is where I about lost it. Two nights of our kid less vacation in Maui stuck in the Bay Area? No way. Eric jumped on the phone, called them back, and got us on another flight to Maui later in the day. So we headed off to the airport and then flew to LAX before heading off to Maui. But we made it. We arrived about 5:00 p.m. local time and then had to spend the next hour tracking down our bags.

United had sent them on the night before to Honolulu with a flight that hadn't left yet, but no one knew where they were after that. When we got to Kahului, the window for the baggage claim attendant for United had a sign that said, "Be Right Back". So, Eric got on the phone with the corporate baggage guys and bawled them out a bit, and I got in the line to speak with the United guy. After he looked up our numbers, he didn't know where they were, but when I told them we knew they'd been sent to Honolulu, he told me to go search the unclaimed bags for Hawaiian Air. It's common for them to transfer lost bags back and forth between islands using Hawaiian Air. And guess what? There they were... safe and sound... in a locked cage owned by Hawaiian Airlines.

So, we finally made it over to the rental car pick-up. Eric tried to sweet talk the attendant for a free upgrade to a sports car, but she wasn't falling for it. He said, "you have no idea what kind of ordeal we've been through to get here. So far, this has been a terrible vacation." She just smiled and replied... "Don't worry, it will get better." What can I say? She was right...

By the time we arrived at One Napili Way, it was almost 7 p.m. local time. (10 p.m. at home.) And we hadn't had food since we were in LAX several hours prior. And we'd been awake since 5 a.m., which was 2 a.m. local time. After we dropped our bags and doled out hugs, we jumped back into the car to go to the local BBQ joint. It was the closest and fastest way to get food. And it was delicious... we had pulled kalua pork sandwiches on sweet Hawaiian bread. Our first meal in Maui, and it didn't disappoint!

By the time we got back from dinner, we were exhausted. But we made it, and I, for one was planning to sleep in nice and late the next morning!

Maui, Day One

As I blogged about before we crossed the Pacific, we missed our connecting flight to Maui on the first day of our vacation.  We spent it in Burlingame, CA, instead.  Which, I guess, it could have been worse.  Our hotel was right on the Bay and we walked a mile to have dinner at this El Torito restaurant, which had great water views too... not quite the view we were hoping for though... 

When we finally made it to our hotel, I collapsed on the bed and begged Eric to find me a Diet Coke.  It was after 3 p.m. and I'd not had any soda all day.  It was quite the adventure for him to get one, but he succeeding in finding a vending machine and bringing back two of these.  He'd been off soda for a few months, but he couldn't resist drinking one too.  It had just been one of those days for both of us!

California poppies are plentiful in this area, and I always miss them when I'm not at "home".  (Meaning in the Bay Area....)

Stay tuned for the adventures of Day Two...

it involves a 5 a.m. wake up call, more Airline trouble, and lots of Diet Coke!

Birthday Boy

 Round two of the birthday celebrations... we will have Round Three next Friday when we do the Friend Celebration. 

We did presents first thing in the morning today and I will not make the mistake of making another cake.  We didn't even eat half of the cake I made last week.  Tonight it will be brownies.  I'm off to take Brayden to Burger King for a lunch date, and then we'll hit Red Brick Pizza for dinner. 

Brayden turning five feels like such a big milestone for me.  No more diapers... no more naps... no more preschool and we recently gave up sippy cups!  (The jury is still out on whether or not this was a good idea...)

Things I want to remember about Brayden at this age:
He loves eggo waffles and hot dogs.
He hates bread and most crackers.  Even the smell of them gross him out.
He loves stuffed animals.  He goes to bed with about 20 of them on his bed every night.
He hates taking showers or getting his hair cut.  He would let his hair grow out to his shoulders if he could.
He loves Phineas and Ferb, Thomas, Star Wars and Lego anything.
He hates doing chores or any kind of clean up job.

Brayden makes us laugh every day.  He says the funniest things.  And if what he is saying isn't really funny, it becomes funny because of the way he says it. 

This morning, he climbed into my bed, and I asked him about turning 5. 

"How does it feel?"

"It doesn't feel any different.  I don't think I am five today."

"Yes you are... it's your birthday!  Now you are five years old!"

"Well it still doesn't feel any different from yesterday!"

We love you Brayden!  Happy Birthday!

Aloha Lost!

 

Right now I feel exactly how I felt when the Harry Potter legacy ended.  You want to know how it all ends, but you don't want the ride to be over. 

Sunday night a television dynasty ended.  It was bittersweet for me.  For so many years we have craved answers, answers, answers... but guess what?  Finally getting those answers means the end of the show.  It was a great ride, though.  And I LOVED the finale.  It surpassed my expectations.  I laughed, I cried, I mourned and I rejoiced with the characters we have come to know and love over the last six years.

I had a long talk with my mom today about the ending.  She doesn't like sad endings, and if understood incorrectly, last night's show could have been considered a sad ending.  But, I saw it as one big reunion and happy ending.  Maybe my strong belief system that supports relationships in the hereafter makes that easier for me to embrace.   But seriously, anyone who has followed this show for the last six seasons couldn't help but be moved by the reunion of Claire and Charlie... or Sawyer and Juliet. 

I wanted the island to be real... I didn't want it to be a dream, or a fantasy or a make-believe place inside a snow globe.  The story deserved the credit of being real.  I would have felt completely cheated if the Island experience had been fake.  And the closer it got to the end, the more I realized that the Island itself couldn't be the "happily ever after" in the story.  Too much violence, too much pain and too much death took place there.   That had to make the "sideways" world a valid place... a place for resolution.  Which in the beginning was a hard pill for me to swallow.  I always wanted them to find peace on the Island.  But I guess that part of it was never meant to be.  Once it was revealed in the last 10 minutes, that the sideways realm was the afterlife... the pieces of the puzzle started to drop into place.  That's why it is the way it is.... ahhhh.... I get it now!

Here's a snippet I copied from http://www.ew.com/, courtesy of Jeff "Doc" Jensen, arguably the biggest and best Lost fan in the universe:

"The End” was an emotionally draining epic that had me crying with almost every single “awakening” and has left me mulling the true significance of the Sideways world, which was revealed to be a Purgatory-like realm created by the souls of the dead castaways themselves. (Purgatory! The irony!) I was so happy The Island was saved. I was so moved by Jack’s heroism and sacrifice and the glorious significance of ending where he began, as well as that Doubting Thomas allusion there at the end. (You caught that, right?) (Oh, and appendix scar my a**!) I thought that Hurley was a surprising choice for the new Island guardian–and I loved that Ben had a role as his No. 2. The “resurrection” of John Locke rocked my face, and one of the many moments that had me dabbing my eyes was watching Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson play their last duet together.

For more Doc Jensen goodness visit http://www.ew.com/ and search for Doc Jensen or Totally Lost.  You'll have lots of links to peruse either way!

There's only a couple small things that are still bugging me... so maybe if I throw them out there, I will feel better about it.  Here they are:

• In the sideways/purgatory world... (by the way, I hate the word purgatory... it's implication is so negative...)  anyway, how did Jack have a son that he didn't have in real life?  Was it some kind of "test" for him to work out his Daddy issues before he could move on?
• I was really disappointed not to see Walt in the church at the end.  Michael wasn't there either.  In the Kimmel interview after the show, Michael's character confirmed that Michael is trapped on the island with the whisperers, unable to move on.  But, Ben Linus did things far more evil and wrong than Michael did... yet Ben earned a place in the sideways/purgatory world and Michael did not.  I still don't quite get how they decided on that.  If you get something that I'm missing... please enlighten me!
• Where in the world is Christian Shepherd's dead body?  It was never found on the Island, and in season six, we never saw it either.  We know that Smokey took the form of Christian when he appeared to Jack in season one, but when that happened in season five/six with John Locke, we got to see proof it wasn't really the John we know and love because of the corpse.
• And I know they threw this in at the end, just to make us wonder, but where did that plane wreckage come from in the closing credits?  ARGHHH!!!!!  Because it wouldn't be Lost if they didn't give us at least a few new questions to mull over, right?

So today I look forward to Part Two of Doc Jensen's last Lost recap... I hope that as he dissects the sideways/purgatory world, he'll be able to answer some of the things that are still bugging me.   And if anyone wants a gift idea for me after August 24 (when season 6 gets released on DVD) you know that I would LOVE to have all six seasons on DVD.  I look forward to the day that I can watch them back to back, start to finish. 

Until then,

NAMASTE!

All About B

On Friday, after we'd gotten home we had a day full of excitement for Brayden.  He had his preschool graduation, which was super exciting!  It was even more fun having a set of grandparents on hand to join us for that event. I still can't believe my baby is done with preschool.  Now onto Kindergarten!

Then on Friday afternoon, we decided to have Brayden's family birthday party.  Why not celebrate a week early while we have grandparents, around right?  So Grandma and I ran to the store to buy gifts, and Megan made a cake... although in my rush to throw together a birthday party, I forgot that he doesn't really like cake.  Brownies would have been more appreicated.  Oh well...

Now I just have to throw together a friend party in the next couple weeks.  I still don't have a plan.  Hopefully today I'll get some inspiration.  He wants it to be Star Wars themed... so far that's all I've got to go on.  I have faith it will all come together, though! 

What You Can Do with a $5 Candle From Walmart...

We are back from Maui.  We got in Thursday morning.  I have been suffering from Jet Lag... and therefore, have not blogged.  I have several hundred photos to sort through... from my two cameras and the cameras my dad and brother brought.  In the meantime, I wanted to post this before I left, but I didn't get around to it.

We had teacher appreciation week two weeks ago and this is the gift I made for Ian's teacher:

I also made one for a friend who had a birthday that same week. 

I swear I saw or heard about the idea on this blog, but when I went back and searched through the archives, I couldn't find it anywhere... but anyway, the idea stuck with me when I heard about it, and since I own one of those fancy Cricut machines, I used some leftover vinyl I had to test it out.  I am so happy with how they turned out, I think I will be making many more in the future!

The Best Made Plans...

The "dymanic duo" camera/case combo that I plan to use underwater... tomorrow!

I should be in Maui right now.  Instead, I am in a Holiday Inn Express in Burlingame, CA.  We had all kinds of flight trouble today trying to get to Maui.  My brother and his wife are going out with us to meet my parents who have already been on the island for a few days.  The plan was to fly to SFO (airport between us both) and go out together from there. 

First problem occurred when we checked in for a United Flight with US Airways.  We had two flights today, but only got one boarding pass, for the first flight.  The US Airways agent assured us we would get boarding passes in SFO without any problem for the second flight.

We boarded our plane, after I had to have one of my carry-ons inspected at security.  Apparently several books plus a ziploc bag full of oatmeal packets looked a bit suspicious.  It was actually kind of funny and the TSA people were very friendly and courteous. 

The only stroke of good fortune came when Eric and I got the whole row to ourselves... which was great.  But, then we sat and sat and sat.  There was a maintenence issue that needed to be resolved.  We only had an hour to catch our second flight and we knew already we would have to change terminals.  We were antsy.  Finally we took off 30 minutes late, and landed 20 minutes late.

Sprinting through the terminal did little to help our plight because we arrived at the United ticketing counter, only to be told that it was too late to get a boarding pass.  We had to be re-booked for the first flight the next day.  But for a few minutes, I felt like I was a contestant on the Amazing Race... it was kind of exhilarating to run through the terminal at high speed darting around people and looking important.  (Well, I don't know if we looked important, but it was still just a little fun!)

So here I sit... in the "business center" of a local Holiday Inn Express.  On the plus side, we did get to eat dinner at one of our fave restaurants from our California days, El Torito.  We walked the mile down the water front to the restaurant and it was gorgeous.  Freezing, but beautiful.  We have no clothes appropriate for SF weather, so we didn't brave a trip on BART into the city.  Dang it.... and Eric's brother and sister are only 60 miles away but traffic and lack of a car make the trip totally pointless.  Plus, we are going back to the airport tomorrow morning bright and early... no screw ups this time!

We don't have our luggage except carry-ons, so I am glad we both had the foresight to pack an extra pair of undies and a clean shirt in our carry-on bags.  I did it just in case our luggage got lost and I had to spend my first night on vacation with no clothes.  I had no idea that I would be the item that didn't make it to Maui tonight! 

So, for now, I'm signing off... and getting ready for a great trip to Maui tomorrow!  Aloha!

And thank heavens we have a direct flight back from Maui to Phoenix....

Inspiration

Dear Stephanie,

I've followed your blog since the very first time I'd heard of you, which sadly for me, was right after your plane crash. I live in Arizona too, and I'm not a native either. I am also a mother of four children: 3 boys and 1 girl. I've never emailed or written you, but I've been a silent stalker and admirer ever since.  I even broke my boycott of Oprah for you.   That says a lot.

You see, I have a flying phobia. I didn't used to be afraid of airplanes. When my oldest child was one year old, we spent a lot of time together in airports cruising between Utah, California and Texas. And it didn't bother me one bit. Then I had a bad experience when I was pregnant with child number 3. Which I don't even want to write about here, because it was nothing... I mean nothing, in comparison to your bad experience on a plane.

Every time I've had to get on a plane since, I want to die of anxiety. It's the worst when my husband and I fly together without the kids. I have this fear of the plane crashing and my children being orphaned. I know it's completely irrational. We are more likely to die in a car wreck on the local interstate, than be in a plane crash... but I just can't help being terrified. 

Last December I actually flew by myself to Ohio for a Temple Sealing for a close family member. It ended up not being that bad. I was lucky enough to sit next to the chatty types on every flight. While most people groan at the thought of being stuck next to a "chatty Cathy" on a plane, I found very quickly that having someone to chat with calms my nerves.

In 24 hours, I will be getting on a plane with my husband for a much needed adult only getaway. I know the vacation rewards will far outweigh my anxiety over getting on the plane. I know it's worth the risk. And I am amazingly calm. Usually by now, as I approach a flight, I'm nervous and jittery and full of anxiety. But I feel calm.

I want to personally thank you, Stephanie for that. I know you aren't the one making me calm, but gosh-darn-it, if you can jump planes to come south to visit Dr. L, after all you've been through, then I can get on a plane for a vacation with my husband.

Thank you for being the strong woman of courage that you are. I admire your honesty, your candor, and your testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I admire your willingness to plug through a difficult life plagued with pain and sorrow that most of us will never experience of understand. You are my hero.

As I board that plane tomorrow, I will think of you. If you can do it, so can I. Thank you again for helping me to conquer my fears... I hope to kick this one in the butt!

Yours truly,

Christy

City Meet

The final track meet for kids not progressing onto the Regionals is called City Meet.  All the high schools in our area, gather together for one big and LONG track meet.  This year our High School hosted it, and I snuck out of the snack bar to watch Taylor run the mile.  I snuck inside the track fence so I could get some good photos of Taylor running since everything I've gotten so far includes lots of chain link obstructions.

Here is Taylor on lap 2... if it were me, I'd be dead already!

Crossing the finish line... the last 100 meters for these 3 were very exciting.  One thing that's funny about Taylor... he knows how to throw in a burst of speed at the end.  He actually crossed head of these two!

I've been very proud to see how my son's sense of sportsmanship has developed over the years.  When he was nine years old, he almost got thrown out of a soccer game because he was displaying such poor sportsmanship towards the other team.  Not my proudest moment as a mother, let me tell you.  But now, he is one of the only guys who fist bumps all the guys in line after the race, no matter what place he is in.  I love that about him!

And what did Brayden do while Taylor ran?  Turned into a Monkey of course!

Look at those eyelashes ladies... aren't you jealous?