And a dear friend, Ali Edwards, is raising money for a very very good charity. It is sponsored by SixDegrees.org - Kevin Bacon's foundation - and the top 6 fundraisers get a $10,000 grant from Kevin Bacon. It's based on the number of donations, not the amount of them - so all you have to do is contribute $10 (the minimum) and it counts toward her goal. She's trying to get 2000 donations before midnight Eastern time tonight.
So take a look here, and if you are so inclined, add a ten spot too :)
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
St. Patrick's Day...
So Violet decided that she was going to make a trap to catch a leprechaun... hahahaha
Of course this was decided at about 7 pm on Friday... which means Mom had to think fast on this one to see how it would all work out.
Violet covered a cardboard box with paper and created a "for sale to leprechauns" sign, complete with clovers adorning it. Then she created a playground for the leprechaun out of tinker toys, cause come on - who can resist?? Finally, she left a trail of fake gold coins to trap him in his house.
When morning rolled around, there was no leprechaun to be found. But he left something behind - HIS CLOTHES!!! And in his pocket? A teeny tiny golden key - probably the one he used to get into the house in the first place! ooooooo!!!!
So if you are out and about and happen to see a little naked leprechaun running around, let him know that his clothes are safe and sound!! :)
Of course this was decided at about 7 pm on Friday... which means Mom had to think fast on this one to see how it would all work out.
Violet covered a cardboard box with paper and created a "for sale to leprechauns" sign, complete with clovers adorning it. Then she created a playground for the leprechaun out of tinker toys, cause come on - who can resist?? Finally, she left a trail of fake gold coins to trap him in his house.
When morning rolled around, there was no leprechaun to be found. But he left something behind - HIS CLOTHES!!! And in his pocket? A teeny tiny golden key - probably the one he used to get into the house in the first place! ooooooo!!!!
So if you are out and about and happen to see a little naked leprechaun running around, let him know that his clothes are safe and sound!! :)
Thursday, March 22, 2007
The end of Hawaii...
The last night in Waikiki we went to a fancy dinner at a restaurant right on the beach... the sunset was gorgeous and made for some lovely lighting by which to take photos. :)
Kris and Mel are so cute!
Oh yeah - so are Rick and I :)
Lovely dinner - I competely forgot to take a photo of what I ate, though. I had the fish though, and it was wonderful.
And then, Rick and I went out for a little after-dinner adventure.
WARNING: The next several photos include Rick topless. Small children and those who are jealous of his manly physique should turn away now! As a side note, you'd think that he would be a little less pasty seeing as how he's spent the week in Hawaii. lol
The artist applying the decal to Rick's arm... Rick chose a custom designed tattoo of an endless knot cross... a slight modification of the design my dad created.
And the artwork begins!
Rick said it didn't even hurt that bad. I was totally impressed, since his fear of needles runs long and deep.
The finished product... before getting bandaged up. This artist did a GREAT job and was really fast. They told him it would be about an hour and a half, and he was done in just about 45 minutes!
Rick getting the lowdown on the proper care and feeding of your new tat, as he gets bandaged up...
The next morning. Look how tough Rick is now ;)
Our final day in Hawaii was beautiful! One last shot of the view from our balcony...
Sigh. I don't want to go home.
As we packed up the car to head the airport, Rick & Mel's facial expressions summed up how we felt perfectly:
Hawaii. Definitely an amazing place to visit. We will have to go back. Hopefully it won't take us another 12 years of marriage ;)
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Hawaii. Nearly done!
Sorry about the delay in posting. Here are the pics from when we got to Waikiki beach!! :)
The first day we got there we had leftover food from our fridge at Ko Olina. Of course this hotel room didn't have one... so we kinda tried a makeshift icebox in one of the bathroom sinks... but the ice cream wasn't holding up. So Mel & I made oreo shakes for the boys ;)
The view from our hotel suite on the 15th floor of the Sheraton Waikiki...
we rented that lone little umbrella down there!
This beach was quite different than the one at Ko Olina. Very tourist-y and very crowded. If you didn't get to the beach at sunrise, chances are you wouldn't get an umbrella.
The boys spent most of their time napping... either on the beach, at the pool, or in the room.
Mel and I decided to go take surfing lessons! We did so completely great! Of course this beach is perfect for learning to surf. The waves are loooooong and low... and the water is warm... and the instructors are very adorably cute ;)
Mel also insisted that a trip to Hawaii is not complete without having the Shave Ice experience. So we found a shave ice stand and got some...
Mine was strawberry, mango, pineapple! mmmmm
Rick wasn't feeling well the whole time we were in Waikiki. I think the Slimers from the luau got to him... but he still put on a happy face when I requested (demanded!) it... ;)
We had dinner at a fun restaurant called Cheeseburger in paradise the first night we were there. I had a pineapple guacamole cheeseburger. YUM YUM YUM
After dinner we went to a nightclub! It was pretty fun... well for me, Mel, and Kris anyway. Rick wasn't feeling so hot.
One more post and Hawaii will be done! Stay tuned!! I promise I won't wait so long before posting again... really!!!!
The first day we got there we had leftover food from our fridge at Ko Olina. Of course this hotel room didn't have one... so we kinda tried a makeshift icebox in one of the bathroom sinks... but the ice cream wasn't holding up. So Mel & I made oreo shakes for the boys ;)
The view from our hotel suite on the 15th floor of the Sheraton Waikiki...
we rented that lone little umbrella down there!
This beach was quite different than the one at Ko Olina. Very tourist-y and very crowded. If you didn't get to the beach at sunrise, chances are you wouldn't get an umbrella.
The boys spent most of their time napping... either on the beach, at the pool, or in the room.
Mel and I decided to go take surfing lessons! We did so completely great! Of course this beach is perfect for learning to surf. The waves are loooooong and low... and the water is warm... and the instructors are very adorably cute ;)
Mel also insisted that a trip to Hawaii is not complete without having the Shave Ice experience. So we found a shave ice stand and got some...
Mine was strawberry, mango, pineapple! mmmmm
Rick wasn't feeling well the whole time we were in Waikiki. I think the Slimers from the luau got to him... but he still put on a happy face when I requested (demanded!) it... ;)
We had dinner at a fun restaurant called Cheeseburger in paradise the first night we were there. I had a pineapple guacamole cheeseburger. YUM YUM YUM
After dinner we went to a nightclub! It was pretty fun... well for me, Mel, and Kris anyway. Rick wasn't feeling so hot.
One more post and Hawaii will be done! Stay tuned!! I promise I won't wait so long before posting again... really!!!!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
OK.
I know - I need to finish Hawaii.
But the thing is, the next set of pics is on Rick's camera.
And I don't know where it is. And I keep meaning to ask him where it is so I can get the photos downloaded... but I keep forgetting. Cause he comes home and it's dinner and softball practice and playing and cleaning up and watching movies.
Rick and I have decided to watch at least one movie a week.
I signed up for Blockbuster Total Access last night.
I know, I used to have Blockbuster online - but that was before I could return the movies to the store right away. Which is way cooler than having to mail them in. And since the store is right around the corner from us, it's perfect. And now they offer free game rentals once a month... and since Liane & Carl have a Wii now... well, it seemed perfect.
Did I mention the Wii yet? I don't think so. It's freaking AWESOME. We did the sports one over at Liane & Carl's place. It was fantastic!!! Ask Rick about how rad the boxing is ;)
Okay. Really. I am going to find the camera so I can finish Hawaii. I swear!!
But the thing is, the next set of pics is on Rick's camera.
And I don't know where it is. And I keep meaning to ask him where it is so I can get the photos downloaded... but I keep forgetting. Cause he comes home and it's dinner and softball practice and playing and cleaning up and watching movies.
Rick and I have decided to watch at least one movie a week.
I signed up for Blockbuster Total Access last night.
I know, I used to have Blockbuster online - but that was before I could return the movies to the store right away. Which is way cooler than having to mail them in. And since the store is right around the corner from us, it's perfect. And now they offer free game rentals once a month... and since Liane & Carl have a Wii now... well, it seemed perfect.
Did I mention the Wii yet? I don't think so. It's freaking AWESOME. We did the sports one over at Liane & Carl's place. It was fantastic!!! Ask Rick about how rad the boxing is ;)
Okay. Really. I am going to find the camera so I can finish Hawaii. I swear!!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
And the luau!
Let me just say that a trip to Hawaii is not complete without a luau, and I think we went to the best one possible. Kristopher's friend Kapena hooked us up - and it was A.W.E.S.O.M.E.!!! Here are the highlights:
right when we arrived at the place we got treated like VIPs - leis around our necks and private photos with the performers. This dude had some rad Samoan tattoos on his body all underneath his garment here. Kristopher was especially freaked out by his belly button tat!
We did some crafts, like learning how to do traditional Hawaiian weaving techniques.
My finished woven crown!
Kris and Mel's!
Then we did some good old fashioned spear throwing. WOOHOO! Kapena was a crazy spear throwing fool!
And of course, it was tattoo time for the boys. First Kapena got one on his face, then Kristopher. By the end of the night these guys had started a trend - and you could see face tats all over the place!
And of course we girls wanted one too! Actually I just wanted that cute muscular Hawaiian boy to rub oil on my arm and draw pictures on me ;)
Aren't we so tough? LOL
It was finally Rick's turn...
And the boys... all done! hee hee!
The sun set on the horizon and we heard the sound of a conch being blown, which signalled us to the amphitheater where we were told the tradition of the luau and the kinds of foods we would be eating tonight.
And then a couple of very strong men took the pig that had been roasting out of the ground!
After that, dinner was served - we went to our table where we found these little plates awaiting us. Dessert was first! Pineapple, coconut cake, and a square of a sort of coconut-jello-ish thing that I can't remember the name of... Melissa does, though. Ask her.
Our salad course - with a raw salmon ceviche sort of thing on the side. I really liked the salmon. The salad wasn't anything spectacular though.
Bread! Made with taro root so it's purple! Awesome!!
We were in a rad VIP eating area (THANK YOU KAPENA!!) and got to have a personal visit with the Girl With The Coconut Bra Which Plays The Queen :)
And also The Cute Tattooed Boy That We Met Earlier Who Plays The King!
Finally it was time for dinner - pulled pork (MMMMM), a chicken wing, fish, green veggies, and THE MOST AWESOME RICE EVER. Sticky, flavorful... I had like 3 helpings of the rice!
Then the boys went up with 98 other people to learn the Hukilau. They even got certificates for graduating their "Accelerated Learning Course in Hula" haha
This was when Kristopher had already consumed several crazy drinks, including this one - called "The Slimer". Of course here he had taken a coffee that was on the table and had added it to the drink for what he called "extra flavor". Um. OK.
Me? I had plenty... plenty of Mai Tais. I think this was #5.
After dinner - the show! It was a beautifully entertaining piece with several dance numbers and costume changes. I was getting accused of only wanting to take pictures of the cute Hawaiian boys, so this one is evidence that I also took photos of the girl dancers!!
Boy With Tattoos was also the Samoan Fire Dancer! WOOHOO!! This part of the show was phenomenal!
It was an amazing night that not even the random rainshower could dampen. Rick and Kristopher drank too much (again!), so of course they were paying for it the next morning. Melissa drove us back to our hotel (which was literally blocks from this cove) and we got our swimsuits on and went in the hot tubs. The boys liked scaring people with their tattoo faces. They were like total 9 year olds! We were *so* not ready to have to leave this place tomorrow.
right when we arrived at the place we got treated like VIPs - leis around our necks and private photos with the performers. This dude had some rad Samoan tattoos on his body all underneath his garment here. Kristopher was especially freaked out by his belly button tat!
We did some crafts, like learning how to do traditional Hawaiian weaving techniques.
My finished woven crown!
Kris and Mel's!
Then we did some good old fashioned spear throwing. WOOHOO! Kapena was a crazy spear throwing fool!
And of course, it was tattoo time for the boys. First Kapena got one on his face, then Kristopher. By the end of the night these guys had started a trend - and you could see face tats all over the place!
And of course we girls wanted one too! Actually I just wanted that cute muscular Hawaiian boy to rub oil on my arm and draw pictures on me ;)
Aren't we so tough? LOL
It was finally Rick's turn...
And the boys... all done! hee hee!
The sun set on the horizon and we heard the sound of a conch being blown, which signalled us to the amphitheater where we were told the tradition of the luau and the kinds of foods we would be eating tonight.
And then a couple of very strong men took the pig that had been roasting out of the ground!
After that, dinner was served - we went to our table where we found these little plates awaiting us. Dessert was first! Pineapple, coconut cake, and a square of a sort of coconut-jello-ish thing that I can't remember the name of... Melissa does, though. Ask her.
Our salad course - with a raw salmon ceviche sort of thing on the side. I really liked the salmon. The salad wasn't anything spectacular though.
Bread! Made with taro root so it's purple! Awesome!!
We were in a rad VIP eating area (THANK YOU KAPENA!!) and got to have a personal visit with the Girl With The Coconut Bra Which Plays The Queen :)
And also The Cute Tattooed Boy That We Met Earlier Who Plays The King!
Finally it was time for dinner - pulled pork (MMMMM), a chicken wing, fish, green veggies, and THE MOST AWESOME RICE EVER. Sticky, flavorful... I had like 3 helpings of the rice!
Then the boys went up with 98 other people to learn the Hukilau. They even got certificates for graduating their "Accelerated Learning Course in Hula" haha
This was when Kristopher had already consumed several crazy drinks, including this one - called "The Slimer". Of course here he had taken a coffee that was on the table and had added it to the drink for what he called "extra flavor". Um. OK.
Me? I had plenty... plenty of Mai Tais. I think this was #5.
After dinner - the show! It was a beautifully entertaining piece with several dance numbers and costume changes. I was getting accused of only wanting to take pictures of the cute Hawaiian boys, so this one is evidence that I also took photos of the girl dancers!!
Boy With Tattoos was also the Samoan Fire Dancer! WOOHOO!! This part of the show was phenomenal!
It was an amazing night that not even the random rainshower could dampen. Rick and Kristopher drank too much (again!), so of course they were paying for it the next morning. Melissa drove us back to our hotel (which was literally blocks from this cove) and we got our swimsuits on and went in the hot tubs. The boys liked scaring people with their tattoo faces. They were like total 9 year olds! We were *so* not ready to have to leave this place tomorrow.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Day 2 part one...
Aaaah. After a lovely morning which involved sleeping in, we met in Kris and Mel's room for breakfast of french toast and bacon.
Only these are electric stoves and, well, we had a bit of trouble cooking the bacon.
Here's Mel trying to fan the smoke so we don't set of the smoke alarm :)
And Rick is setting the table. Mimosas, anyone?
After breakfast, we decided to go out to the cove to play cards and hang out. Only we didn't want to be in the sun, so we decided to go on the hill instead of the beach. Once we got there, it was windier than we anticipated, so we just fooled around with the camera for awhile until heading back inside for a rousing game of canasta!
Up next... the evening luau!! :) :)
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