I forgot to mention something in yesterday's recap. Since August 17th happened to fall on a Sunday I caved to my wife's request to go to church. (I'm usually an avid supporter of not attending church while on vacation. I'm still trying to come to grips with how I can attend church without "thinking church". It's complicated.)
Anyway, we found one that started at 8am and was held in a oceanfront restaurant ("church on the beach" seemed like a neat idea at the time.). Now, I don't want to sound too critical, but that's 75 minutes of my life that I won't get back. Seriously, it was actually painful. It fulfilled almost every bad stereotype of church you've probably ever heard. In fact, I was contemplating leaving midway when a mom & two kids seated at the table next to us decided to get up and leave. I had missed my window of opportunity.
Anyway on to the next day...
August 18
We slept in until 8:30am. And since we were still a little tired from all the travel the day before, we had to settle for the beach. I know...rough life, eh?
We also decided to head out on some jetskies for an hour. What a blast! But I think the highlight of that adventure was just sitting on the jetski amidst a school of dolphins. There must have been 25-30 dolphins swimming around us, so we just sat and watched for the last 15 minutes of our rental time.
And I was too lazy to bring the waterproof camera! Sheesh!
After some more beach time in the afternoon, we headed into Lahaina to grab some grub and do a little shopping. I think we hit up every little shop on Front Street and nearly got lost in a little obscure, back-alley bookstore that was floor-to-ceiling books. (Hey, we needed some more reading for the beach!)
As you notice, there weren't many photos from this day. Erin took a picture of me napping after my strenuous day at the beach. It's not that pretty, so here's the other picture.
As promised...
August 14 (The Plane & The Arrival)
We ended up sitting behind the "college crew" on the plane. You know, the cool guy (who tries to order 2 beers 10 minutes into the flight) and his cool girlfriend (who like tries to like enjoy the like trip with her like friends). Then there's the other couple (quieter and more subdued than couple one, but almost identical looking at first glance). Then there's the jock. And let's wrap it all up with the geeky guy. It was a 6 hour cultural experiment.
By the time we got off the plane in Maui, got our rental vehicle, figured out how to get the windows down in said rental vehicle, bought some supper and got checked into the hotel it was 2:44am BC time. And just what do two tired and hungry people eat at 2:44am?
Judge for yourself.
August 15 (The 10th Anniversary)
The alarm clock didn't go off (as I don't set it on vacation) but the numbers almost scared me.
Seriously, what was I doing up at 7:45am?!?! On a freaking vacation?!?!
We spent all day hanging out, buying books & groceries, swimming, snorkeling (saw a turtle), and watching the sunset. Then we took in a meal at The Outback Steakhouse. Mmmm....cheese fries!
And a grown up conversation. Sometimes I forget what those are like. You just get used to kids voices and kids stealing the conversation. And you're usually in a hurry to get out of the restaurant so you can get them home and to bed in time. But not tonight.
Funniest moment: being asked if we were on our honeymoon. I guess Erin looks young!
FYI, I married the prettiest girl in the world.
August 16 (More Beach)
Up at 7:00am?!?!
If you know us, this is beyond unusual. We're late sleepers. But I guess we wanted to suck every moment of sunshine out of this trip that we could.
At least I could use the time to do a little reading (one of the few items that was on my agenda for the week).
What else? Well, is there anything else to do but hang out on the beach? Swim. Read. Swim. Snorkel. Read. Repeat. Any questions?
Part 3 of this recap will come soon.
I mean well. I really do.
I plan to share some highlights and photos with you.
But my folks are around, it's the kids' birthdays (yes, both kids celebrate this week), and I'm back to work. It's not crazy busy, but I'm just going to focus on other things right now. So you'll have to settle for a little tease until I can carve out some time to plunk away at the computer.
In the meantime, this was the view from our room.
We made it back from the beach.
Now it feels like winter.
And I feel like I've been run over by a truck.
But, would it be inappropriate for me to start looking for a job in Maui?
Anyone want to plant a church with me?
Oh, and don't worry, I'll fill you in with the details and a few pictures over the days to come.
Tomorrow is my 10 year anniversary.
I love this lady. (Even though she doesn't blog anymore.)
The two of us are headed to Maui for the next week.
I am stoked!
I contemplated taking the laptop and trying to jump online to do some blogging while I was away, but that's a stupid idea.
I'll show you some pictures when I get back.
Go and play this game.
Check your sense of humor at the door.
I think my time was 4:20 or something.
Forget the coffee and the diamonds, check out the tunes!
Go check out NoiseTrade.com. Listen to an artist. If you like them, buy the album for whatever price you think is fair. Or refer three friends and get the album for free. (Or maybe it's $1. I haven't got that far yet as I'm still sampling artists and trying to see if I like any.)
A few artists have done this in the past (Radiohead, Derek Webb, Downhere) and I think it's a great idea for getting word of your stuff out there. And the potential for finding some obscure artists that you wouldn't normally hear is what intrigues me the most.
So, check the site out here.
Or stay tuned in via their blog where they explain it all and update you when they add new artists.
But man, did it rain. It started Saturday morning and it stopped long enough for us to start a fire before it started again. Water everywhere. So much water. The girls slept in all the cars because their tents were water logged. One guys tent could be labeled "waterfront property" based on the size of the lake that gathered right outside the tent doors.
One leader slept in a raft. I kid you not.
I slept like crap. I didn't eat well. (In case you forgot, I did the cooking. Ask me sometime about my 35lb iron pot and how we were able to feed 22 people canned ravioli without a can opener or spoon.) We were also unable to do a single thing we planned. Yet everyone seems to have had a blast. As for me, I should probably just go to bed now. But the Community Shield has drawn me in. (I'd link to the Community Shield for you but I don't want to ruin the score. I have almost made it through the first half.) Ok...goodnight. On to the second half.
It's almost time for the camping trip.
I'm nervous. It looks like the rain will make an appearance (stupid Lower Mainland weather). I'm in charge of food. I'm still not sure what everything will end up looking like.
And exactly how would one go about hunting and trapping a sasquatch?
Another random video was brought to my attention today.
How do you feel about kids that make videos of themselves lip syncing to various songs?
Me? I laugh.
That could be due to the fact that I remember making "music videos" in high school with a couple of my friends. Hmm...maybe I'm on YouTube.
In other news, this week has been a blur.
- The intern started, so I'm trying to help him get settled. I'm looking forward to working with him in the upcoming year, but I know it's going to be a ton of work.
- I spent almost 2 hours on the phone tonight with my mom trying to help her set up her new computer. I'm now officially "Tech Support". I won't send her a bill as she was kind enough to raise me and feed me.
- Leadership Summit starts tomorrow. Why do I agree to go on this 2 day adventure with the staff when I have a youth camping trip that starts Friday? Because sometimes I make bad decisions and I don't say "no".
- The camping trip starts Friday. 16 students, 7 leaders and a sasquatch. I'm of mixed emotions right now. I just hope (and pray) that the weather turns out to be dry and sunny. (God, do you hear me?)
- My folks arrive on Sunday night. They're spending almost 3 weeks with us.
- The "BIG" anniversary trip is looming. I've probably been showing a lack of enthusiasm lately for the trip, but I'm just trying to keep myself sane until we leave.
So, now I'm blogging and watching Manchester United play Juventus. I should probably go to bed and do a little reading.
I should probably update the Reading Contest. So, here's the latest:
Book #27 - I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
The class nerd gets up in front of the school at graduation and announces to everyone that he loves the coolest girl in school. What follows is a crazy adventure that is part Ferris Bueller, part Can't Hardly Wait, a little Drillbit Taylor and a side of Superbad. I've always been a sucker for those high school stories where the nerdy guys gets the girl in the end. It drifts past the PG storyline in a few places, so it should be interesting to see what they do with the upcoming movie.
Book #28 - Beatitude by Matthew Paul Turner
I've read a few of Turner's books. Something has always bugged me about him and his writing. And this time I was able to put a finger on it: I see a bit of myself in his story. And it bugs me. Not him...mostly me and the way I can be. It's part of my journey, and it's nice to be able to identify with someone like this. Maybe I can come out unscathed in the end. Now I realize this didn't say much about the book, so I apologize.
Book #29 - When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris
I thought I'd branch out and try something new. I saw this on the "One Week Only" shelf at the library. It's the shelf where books are picked up first come, first served and you can't reserve the books. Oh yeah, and late fines are $1.00 per day after the first 7 days. I ripped through it and was left laughing, chuckling, cringing, and annoyed. It's kind of all over the place. The guy is so completely random, that you never know where he'll end up. I'd be hesitant to recommend this one due to content and language, but with that said I might try one of his other books.
Book #30 - I Am America (And So Can You) by Stephen Colbert
This guy just plain cracks me up. If you like him on The Colbert Report, then you'll get a kick out of this one. How can you go wrong with a guy who says you need to randomly make rules up for your kids to follow so that they are kept on their toes? You can't.
So, what are you currently reading?
How many blogs do you read?
How many do you subscribe to?
What is 476+282-35?
As you notice, there weren't many photos from this day. Erin took a picture of me napping after my strenuous day at the beach. It's not that pretty, so here's the other picture.
