Resorting

There was a time, not too long ago, that Scott and I stayed in cheapie hotels. For us, it was good enough to just go on a vacation. We didn't have to stay anywhere luxurious. At least, that is what I would tell myself. But in my secret heart of hearts, I longed to stay in fancy places. Rooms with down comforters, and fireplaces. Sheets that didn't look like they have been there since 1980, and continental breakfasts without smashed donuts. And if there was a deep soaking tub or walk in shower, oh be still my heart. I can pinpoint when I decided that I was through with $60 dollar a night hotels. Remember this?

Enter Hawaii. I wanted to stay in a resort, just for once. Just to be fancy. Just because I had never been and always wanted to. But we also wanted something Lucy friendly. And so we compromised. Two nights at the Turtle Bay and 5 nights at a beach house. I know, this post is kind of obnoxious. But just think back to the hostel we stayed in when I was pregnant. You know the one with gun shots heard at night, and a night club downstairs? Yeah, I didn't use to be so high maintenance.

Anyway, to finish my ode to the Turtle Bay, it was awesome. Sure, when we first got there they put us in the handicap accessible room. And then when we requested a change, they put us in a room that was already occupied. That got awkward for a second. But finally, we were settled in our very own cottage, with a view of the ocean, and a hammock just outside, complimentary champagne for the mix-up (nice thought, he he!), and chocolates on our pillows. Did I mention Charles hooked us up with free t-shirts too? Who's Charles? Just one of the awesome staff members who chatted with us about Alpine, Utah and the Laie Temple Re-dedication. The Turtle Bay was really fun. But I have to say, 2 days was about perfect. After that, we were ready to be in our little, family friendly beach house.

But back to the Turtle Bay. Did you see the picture of the pool? Cool, right? The view? Amazing. And did I mention, there was a tub large enough for 4 people in our huge, luxurious bathroom. I kid you not. We had our very own swimming pool.

Dear,

Cousins, thank you for being such good friends to Lucy. She thinks you are the coolest. Thanks for playing so good with her at her first sleep over.

Rain, seriously? I hate to complain, but Scott has the day off, it's May 30th, and it's 40 degrees outside. I would say I'm overreacting, but then I read it's the wettest May since 1860 and the wettest Spring since 1875. Way to be rain. Way to be.

Deer Valley, you are awesome. Thanks for the snow. I mean it. I now get to check off hot tubing in the snow off my list. Who would have thought it would happen at the end of May?

Lucy, we love you so much, and you were very good in letting mom and dad have a mini one night stay away. But now you are super grouchy. Maybe we will wait another 18 months to do this.

Anniversary. You were awesome. Caputo's sandwiches, gelato and park time with Lucy? Yes, please. An overnight stay in Deer Valley. Double yes, please.

St. Regis, you also, were awesome. Next time though, I'm bringing some treats. I couldn't justify spending $15 for a hot chocolate. But your bathrooms are the nicest I have ever seen. Thank you for that.

Pounds gained, You were worth it. I'm looking at you bread pudding and chocolate raspberry tart for brunch. Oh, and you fettucini with a pea cream sauce. I don't regret you.

Yard work, bikes rides, the zoo, and picnics. I guess you are going to have to wait until I don't need to wear a coat.

Our Secret Beach

We had a secret beach in Hawaii. All you had to do was go through this tunnel of trees and you were there. Our beach house was basically in the bottom right corner of the photo. There may have been other people on our secret beach, but it sure didn't feel like it. The beach access was nestled in the neighborhood, several houses from the road. Meaning you pretty much had to be in the know to go there. We felt so lucky to have a beach basically in our front yard. How the other half lives is pretty nice.

Crispy

We grilled pizza last night. It was super yummy, except for the fact that the bottom burned. And our pizza stone also turned black. I'm assuming that isn't good? Next time we will try for a lower temperature. I had potato/caramelized onion/cherry tomato pizza. Scott had a Margherita.

Oh, and when I say the bottom burned, I'm not kidding. It was as burned as you could possibly get, without lighting on fire. I think this calls for a repeat. Let the pizza experimenting perfection begin!

Lucy Updates

Do people get tired of Lucy updates? Too bad, if you do, because she is hilarious right now. And when I say hilarious, I'm not exaggerating. She is so chatty and has such strong opinions. For example, she is obsessed with her summer PJ's. I need to post a picture of them. She finds them in the dirty clothes and sobs and sobs and sobs until you put them on her. Scott tried to put on her winter PJ's one cold day, and Lucy was heartbroken, crying, "No! No! No!", trying to run away, and basically having a complete meltdown. Finally he gave up, pulls out the summer ones and Lucy squeals, "YES!" and climbs in his lap so he could put them on. She prefers her summer PJ's with her winter boots. The girl has style.

She also says the cutest things. It's funny to see how your child mimic you. For example, she has started patted things and saying, "Ollie, come on up!" I always pat the bed for Ollie to do stories with us, and now she walks around inviting Ollie to jump up on things. She likes to sing songs with actions, jump on her walks, explore, throw rocks, give crazy kisses, march, go through my purse and shut my computer because I'm not paying enough attention to her.

Ahh me, I'm seriously loving her lately. We have been having so much fun. In the next week or so we are going to start swimming and doing bike rides. Having Lucy in our world is the best thing that has ever happened to Scott and I. We just love her to pieces.

This isn't a real Polaroid. This is a photo taken with my iPhone and run through the Shakeit App. I see myself taking a lot more snap shots than I previously have. I'm so excited about this!

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor day started off at 5:30 AM. This was because we were planning on going to Hanauma Bay and wanted to beat the traffic and crowds. We didn't beat the traffic and there were no crowds. Hanauma Bay is closed on Tuesdays. But Scott and I are nothing, if not resourceful. We just turned the car around and headed over to Pearl Harbor. I should mention that we hadn't showered in two days, and were planning on washing our ripeness away in the ocean. Instead, we wandered a national monument in our swim clothes. Luckily, I was wearing a cover-up dress and Scott had sandals and a swim top. Unfortunately the swim top was a little tight. Which is why Scott purchased his very own Pearl Harbor T-Shirt. We are never a fan of wearing a t-shirt around at the actual place we purchased it. Hard Rock Salt Lake City for example, is just not that cool. But it was the lesser of two evils.

We were really excited to see Pearl Harbor, but organized activities involving strollers and confinement are not Lucy's current forte. Let's just say we are glad we saw it and we managed to keep Lucy on the boat and Memorial.
If that isn't successful parenting, I don't know what is.

 Scott, swim shirt, t-shirt and Lucy hand down his shirt. Awk-Ward!

 I don't know why the backs of people fascinate me, but I always seem to take this photo.

Hanuauma Bay II

Hanauma Bay was one of our favorite parts of the trip. The simple reason was that Lucy LOVED being in the water there. And since it was the only time she loved the ocean, it was really fun for us. Since the waves were pretty much non-existent, she could splash, and wade, and play.

Funny story about Hanauma Bay. We had heard from multiple sources how quickly the parking lot fills up, so we were sure to wake up at 5:30 on Tuesday to make the drive from the North Shore to Honolulu. We threw on our suits, packed up the snorkeling gear, skipped showers, and fought traffic only to arrive and discover that it is closed on Tuesday's. So, we made a quick change of plans and headed to Pearl Harbor instead. Scott was in his swim shorts and skin tight swim shirt. We were just grateful he decided last minute to bring sandals, instead of just his swim shoes. Otherwise we would have been those weirdos walking around Pearl Harbor!

A couple of days later we did the same thing, and got to Hanauma Bay around 7:30. It was nice to be there early, but when we left at 1PM, they were still letting people in. Ha ha! Jokes on us. But we don't let an early morning and an 18-month-old stop us. After snorkeling we ate at the Wailana Coffee House in Honolulu, went on our waterfall hike at Manoa Falls, and finished at the Valley of the Temples. That is just how we roll. Lucy was awesome this day (don't ask Scott about the Valley of the Temples. I prefer to remember her being awesome.)

Oh, and there may have been an incident of me having a panic attack snorkeling. Suffice it to say, I'm a little claustrophobic, freaked out in the middle of the water, was more worried about the coral than myself, and ending up making a complete fool of myself (with a few minor injuries.) Next time I'm going to remind myself to be in my happy place before I put on the mask.

Lucy's 1st Experience with a Beach

The sand was fun, the water was scary. I didn't take a picture of her screaming as Scott put her in the ocean. She never really liked the water, but the sand was super awesome.

I'm so glad we stayed at the Turtle Bay for our first two nights. It was fun resorting it up for a little while. So fancy.

Sunset Beach

We didn't chose our beach house for the bathrooms or kitchen. We chose it because it had bikes, scuba gear, beach supplies, toys and one small park lot away from the beach. Literally, we walked through some trees and we were here. On a very quiet, residential stretch of Sunset beach. We loved it. We came here pretty much every day to play and watch the sunset. One way or the other we saw the sunset on a beach every single night, except for our Polynesian Cultural Night. As Lucy would say, Aweeesome.

Hanauma Bay

Ted's Bakery/Dole Plantation

Come With Me, My Love...

It's Cinco De Mayo today. These pictures have nothing to do with that at all and neither does the song stuck in my head. That's okay though. Today I made vegetarian burritos. I cut up my first avocado and made black beans from scratch. Which, I discovered, means an 8 hour soak, 2 hours of cooking, and then additional time sauteing with jalapenos, onions and garlic. I decided to skip the gym tonight, which I dearly needed and take a walk with my family instead. That was the right decision. It rejuvenated my soul to be in the sun, with my family, and no pressure of chores or work. I visited my dad and sisters. I talked to Kyle from his mission in Guatemala. Taryn hung up on him. She thought someone was prank calling. I'm still laughing about that! My dad is doing okay, but still weak and hurting. Lucy played hard with her cousins, and took a late, late afternoon nap. I grocery shopped and retouched; returned emails and organized. Just a fairly normal day. I'm loving Lucy so much lately. We have conversations. She is picky about her shoes, she wants bread not applesauce. She likes to give me kisses on my neck. We play peek a boo and ready-set-go in the stores so she wont try to stand up. We chase Oliver like we are lions, and she sits in my laps spontaneously for book readings and snuggles. She has become neurotic over her baths. Once a favorite pastime, she has pooped one too many times and now only stands up in the tub. Her personality is so distinct. A couple of weeks ago, I found I was getting so frustrated with her. I think I found the solution. More playtime! Really, that has solved so many of our struggles. I don't want to be constantly frustrated with her and then one day realize she is a big girl and doesn't need me quite so much. It's weird, but I sometimes think of myself in the future, and how much I will yearn for these small, silly days. I really think I'm living some of the best bits of my life right now.

Lucy on the Beach

I'm trying to remind myself why Scott and I live in Utah and not somewhere with a beach. I think it has something to do with our jobs...

I Really, Really Want to Go Back

I Want To Go Back