Day 10- Gorgeous Maui, not so much.

Woke up this morning somewhere around 5:30-6am, my usual that I really don’t mind. I went and sat on the balcony and typed up my blog as I watched us pull into our first port of the cruise, Maui. We are here for two days. We have rented a car for the two days. The forecast on NCL’s Dailies (daily newspaper with ship activities and info) said Cloudy- if only. It was pretty cloudy coming in and misting a little. Nothing too serious. I finished up the blog and headed inside to get ready and get Matt moving. We were trying to get off the ship right at 8am when we got the all clear. The closer to 8am it got the less in a hurry I was in, because I remembered we have the car for two days so we don’t have to be back by any specific time. 

Day 9- Boarding the ship.

I got up this morning at my usual time of somewhere between 5:30-6am. I decided I would shower and get dressed right away so that my bathroom products would dry out more before I packed them, while I typed up the day before’s blog post. The morning was pretty laid back even though I had a bunch of packing to do and I didn’t know what was ahead of me with lugging all this baggage around all day- the suitcases, not Matt. Speaking of Matt, he got up about an hour after me, made some phone calls and then helped in the best way he can these days- delegating. Awesome. I do joke a lot about Matt’s general uselessness this trip but that’s only because he is normally so far from that. He hates feeling useless and watching me have to do everything. I, however, love to bust his chops and he can’t get me back on the blog, soooo onward with the Matt jabs! Love you, honey.

Day 8- Wave Hunting & Hula

This morning I got up at around 6am, my new normal. I have to be honest, I haven't been trying too hard to stay in bed any later because I enjoy my relaxed, quiet mornings where I can write my blog on the lanai (balcony) and just enjoy. I got up and posted my two blog posts- I had fallen behind one day since we were in a hurry to get to Hananuma Bay the other morning. Matt's been sleeping later than I have, so once he got up we decided on our last free day we would go searching for the perfect beach with the perfect amount of waves. So we got our swim suits on and headed out. Even though we were headed for a beach, we still brought the wheelchair just in case we ended up somewhere else that Matt would definitely need it.

Day 7- Snorkeling and Stank.

This morning I woke up at my usual 2:30am, but this time I forced myself back to sleep until 5:45am. I could have probably slept even later, but this was the final get moving as early as possible morning. Today were were headed for Hananuma Bay to snorkel which opens at 6am and gets very busy fast. Once the parking lot is full, they close it and you are left circling until enough people leave for them to reopen it. So as you can imagine, we wanted to get there early so we didn't wast our morning driving in circles. We got ourselves ready pretty quick and we were on our way. The bay is 9.5 miles from our hotel in Waikiki. The good news was we were going against the flow of traffic so we didn't have traffic issues. Most of the drive there is on this same I wanna say 6-8 lane road with traffic lights and a 35 mph speed limit. In the morning, traffic is so bad headed into Waikiki that this road has cones up, forcing all but one lane to be headed westbound, into Waikiki, and only one lane headed eastbound for Hananuma Bay. We didn't hit traffic and got to the bay at around 7:10am. Thankfully, the parking lot was still open. We did not bring the wheelchair since we wouldn't be able to use it on the sand and I knew there was an optional shuttle to take you up and down the massive hill.

Day 6- Couple's Massage & Waikiki

Today I woke up pretty emotional. I think with everything that's been going on I was just in "fix it" mode and it all hadn't really set in until this morning. I woke up at 4:30am on our departure day. I was getting us ready to check out of my dream resort that I didn't even feel as though I had checked into yet. I missed out on my favorite part of this whole trip and the waterworks were-uh-comin'. I held it together because I didn't want to make Matt feel bad...until I called my mom while I was packing the suitcases. Why do mom's have that power over you?? I couldn't hide it from my mom even over the phone and once she asked, "What's the matter? Are you okay?", enter Typhoon Lisa. I cried... I mean I cried. I'm sure it's a mix of exhaustion and sadness, because it was pretty intense. Oh, and remember holding it in so I wouldn't make Matt feel bad? Um. Yeah. He was sitting in the same room as me when I went into my downward spiral of full on female emotions. There that went. Now I have my mom worried and trying to cheer me up, I'm a mess and I have been unsuccessful at making Matt not realize how sad I was about all that we missed. Great job, Lisa.

Day 5- Snorkeling with Gimpy.

All-star Game Hat

Today was our first day totally free. We decided despite the injury we were still going to spend the day beach-hopping to check out some snorkeling spots I had read about here, but we started our morning with opening our Anniversary gifts which we didn't get to do yesterday. I'm going to the MLB All-Star game at Citi Field!! My jet lag is getting better- I woke up at 5:30am. We decided to head up to the North Shore and work our way back down to Aulani. We left at just around 9am. We still didn't have our rented wheelchair- it was arriving at the resort some time around noon. We did have Aulani's borrowed wheelchair, but it's a standard wheelchair so I did not want to be lifting that thing into the trunk of our rental car. So we continued with our regular routine, I go get the car and pick Matt up at the lobby.

Day 4- An Anniversary we'll never forget.

Today was our first wedding anniversary. A year ago today, I married my partner in crime and we were going to celebrate, in our own weird way. I woke up at 3:30am again, so no improvement on my jet lag today. I got myself dressed right away so that I could start the hunt for crutches. I also worked on the blog and reorganized the room a little bit. Matt got up and he was still hurting, so it wasn't just a bad dream like I hoped. We wished each other a Happy Anniversary and then I was off to get him ice for his knee and then the hunt for crutches began, now that it was Monday and more places were open. We also decided that we definitely needed to see a doctor because we had no idea what was going on with his knee, would he need surgery, would a hot tub make it worse, etc. So Matt got on the phone with his insurance to find out local places that took his insurance, while I cleaned up our room so housekeeping could walk. Normally, I keep my hotel rooms super organized, but this trip has been far from normal.

Day 3- Sharks in the water.

Aloha. We're back after a Murphy's Law kinda day. We're still in Hawaii, so we can't complain too much, but this day has had some major ups and some major downs. It started last night with a phone call from our Shark Tour operator. We've planned to go cage diving with sharks for quite a while now. Believe it or not, it was this scaredy cat's idea and Matt was the one a little nervous- about the sharks that is. I was very nervous about getting seasick and the temperature of the water, since I am quite the baby with water temps. All the reviews I had read talked about how rough the water was and that at least one person on each outing throws up. I'm usually okay with seasickness, but not great. I really didn't want to be the one hurling over the rail, so I followed everyone's advise: go out on the earliest charter possible and ask to be the first in the cage. So I booked the 7am charter and was planning to request first as soon as we got there. Well, last night I started getting really nervous. I've always had anxiety issues and they use to be A LOT worse- like not being able to ride in a vehicle worse. So at about 4pm yesterday my butterflies started and a more somber mood came over me. At about 5pm, while we were at dinner, I missed a call from the captain. I noticed it so I headed outside and called him back. They were having boat issues so they were pushing us back an hour. Great. I know it's only an hour, but that was not "the early charter" anymore so my nerves were really going. I freaked out for a bit then pushed it out of my mind the best I could after a sweet pep talk from Matt.

Day 2- Jet Lag & Island Tour

Aulani before sunrise.

What a great first day in Hawaii! I slept in one hour increments- meaning I woke up every hour until 2:30am. Once it hit 2:30am I could not go back to sleep. I didn't mind so much because I had a lot I needed to get organized and I wanted to leave this morning as early as possible. So I got up, cleaned up my first blog post, organized all our stuff for the car & got ready. Matt got up at about 4am and we leisurely got ready together laughing & carrying on like it was 4pm! 

Fri, Day 1- Departure Day

I woke up this morning 10 minutes before my alarm, 4:50am. I actually didn't feel too bad for how little sleep I was on. I got ready and finished up some odds and ends in the hour before my dad arrived. Matt got up a little after me and took care of Bania. We left the house on time and treated ourselves to a bacon, egg and cheese on a hard roll and I also made the wise choice to get an additional item to snack on while on our flight, a buttered hard roll. I tried to get Matt to bring some food to snack on, but he said he was fine. Just like he said he didn't need anything to drink for the ride and we were not even off our street when h realized that it would have been the wise choice to listen to his wife and bring a drink to wash down his breakfast. Anyway.

Last day before paradise!

It's here. We are at the final day before our Hawaiian Vacation! I had a pretty busy day, for Matt is was like any other work day. Matt headed to work and I headed to my nail and hair appointment, of course. That went pretty eventful, although I was almost charged with assault at the nail salon. I am very ticklish so pedicures are not a relaxing experience for me, to say the least. After nearly kicking the pedicurist in the face while giggling like a school girl, I got the heck out of there and headed to my hair salon! Torture, I tell you. Pedicures are torture. I'm just so ticklish! 

One week 'til Hawaii!

We are a week away and boy do we have a lot going on! First, that surprise I couldn't speak of until closer to the trip...well, I just got back from a visit to Michigan. I was surprising a good friend of mine for her baby shower. She is adopting a little girl from China. The surprise went perfectly and the look on her face was priceless. She arrived at the airport expecting to pick up her mom & sister-in-law, instead she found me, since their plane was delayed. We had such a nice time playing tourist in Detroit and helping her get her home ready for the little one. She's probably going to be in China while I'm in Hawaii. It was a nice visit but I'll tell you, I was so removed form reality that when I got home I felt extremely overwhelmed with how close our trip was and I felt like I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. After a day home and a full nights sleep, I was much better. This weekend we'll be getting all packed up, since we're flying out on Friday morning and Thursday night will be a full evening. We decided that there was no way we could wait over two weeks until we got home to see Iron Man 3 so... we are going to the first showing on Thursday night! Not only are we going to the showing the night before our big trip, but we're driving 40 minutes to the Palisades Mall (9th largest mall in the country) to see it on Imax. Basically, our vacation begins Thursday night after work. Wednesday night we head up our church's youth group in our home and Tuesday night Matt has softball. Monday is free, but Sunday is also full, with Matt in NJ for a baby dedication. Now you can see why tomorrow (Sat.) is our day to pack. I can finalize any last minute items on Thursday, since I work at home watching the little terrorist. We are so excited!! 

Watch for stalkers.

Aloha! We are 24 long days away from Hawaii! It's so close, yet so far! I've got a lot coming up and I've been getting a lot done, but it just feels like time is standing still. I've checked off a few more tasks on my to do list since my last post. A big thing done is Mother's Day. Matt & I will be away for Mother's Day for the second year in a row- last year we were on our honeymoon. I went ahead and purchased our Mother's Day gifts, filled out the cards & wrapped them. I also got a giant garbage bag to bring for Matt's boogie board so that we can bring it on the ship. I may purchase a noodle, since I always feel more comfortable snorkeling in deep water with one. I put in an order for a "thank you" gift for both our wedding photographers and videographer to receive on our one year anniversary. They are the best and I thought they should know it! I also informed my credit card of our upcoming trip and checked with them about their rental car coverage. Basically, if we have an issue with our rental cars they will cover whatever costs our regular car insurance doesn't already cover. So no need to buy the rental car company's insurance scam. My brother used to work management for Enterprise and if you only knew...never buy any coverage from a car rental company. Enterprise employees are taught to lie and rewarded for it- my brother quit for this reason. I digress. I also wrapped Matt's anniversary gift and filled out the PERFECT card. That's all I can say about that, as Matt is a stalker who reads every bit of my blog. It's like he's obsessed or something?? I also got some other things finished up that I can't share with you until just before our trip. Is the suspense killing you?? 

A shoe shopper's dream!

We are 30 days away from the trip of a lifetime! 30 days from now, this blog is going to get a whole lot more entertaining. Time is really flying by lately. We've been so busy with work, Easter, dieting, SHOE SHOPPING... I've totally lost track of time with blogging and have been just a tad bit tardy. Sorry about that. Now that things have entered the "exciting zone", you're not going to get me to shut up about our upcoming trip...and probably the shoe shopping. Seriously. Matt & I went to the mall Friday night and bought six pairs of shoes! Talk about a once in a lifetime trip...who needs Hawaii when Matt is buying us shoes! Now THAT is heaven on earth...three for me and three for him.  Okay, enough about the shoes. Let's get this blog back on track. Hawaii here we come! 

Six weeks of crazy.

I can't believe how time is flying by. Six weeks from today, we'll be on our 11 hour flight to Honolulu. That fact has been such an exciting thought until I look around and/or step on the scale. Ugh. There is so much going on in the next six weeks! Add on top of that, I've been doing my traditional pre-vacation diet and I am on day 8 of a plateau. No change in eight days of strict dieting. So frustrating. I'd like to loose another 7 lbs in six weeks. That's going to be tough, since my schedule is getting pretty nutty and I will not be able to be as strict as I need to be. Also frustrating is this weather! We got snow the other day. Like a lot of snow! I love winter, but even I'm sick of it & ready for some sunny, blue skies. It's so cold out too. I just want my flip flops. The good news... we're six weeks form our Hawaii vacation!!!!!!!!

Can we say... shopping?

Hello blogworld. I'm back after a little bit of a hiatus and my oh my has time flown by. (I guess I'm honoring Dr. Seuss a lil late for his Birthday, cause I don't know where that came from.) We are 60 days from our Hawaiian Vacation! I am so excited. I've made some big changes since my last post. Funny thing is, since I haven't gotten to posting those details yet, to you guys it's all new. Trust me, big changes. I'll note them when we get to it. One change is that I happened to check all my rental cars for the trip & in doing that I saved $125.75. I changed two car rentals. One saved me $125 & the other saved me 75 cents by doing so. When I told Matt this he immediately laughed. Yeah, so I sounded like the biggest cheapskate. Changing a reservation to save 75 cents. Who does that? Actually, the real reason I did it was because now 2 of the 4 of our rental cars are now with the same company, enterprise, rather than dealing with 4 different rental car companies. Plus, 75 cents can buy you...a candy bar?? Anyway...

Freezing Hawaiian Style

Good morning blog world. It's a cold one this morning! Woke up to a cozy 53 degree bedroom. If that doesn't get you dreaming of your upcoming Hawaii vacation, I don't know what does. As I write this, there's a kid younger than me, that acts like he belongs on a surf board in the North Shore rather than fixing my boiler, working on our heat. I have zero expectations & frozen fingers. It's a great day at Wain Manor. Good thing my hubby knows a thing or two about HVAC. Unfortunately for me, Matt's working today. I have the day off from the rambunctious Austinator, so I figured lets do some Hawaii bloggin' to warm myself up a bit. Well, warm my brain up at least. 

Finding Nemo...part deux.

Good afternoon blog world. We found Nemo & survived! I say "survived" even though I am one of the few that actually LOVES the snow. To me there's nothing like being snowed in with nowhere to go. I of course run to the supermarket like everyone else in the tri-state area and buy enough junk food to last us a month. I usually eat all of said junk food within 20 minutes of the first snowflake sighting. I gain like 5 pounds, but it's oh so worth it. Matt on the other hand hates the snow...especially when he has to shovel all 14 inches of it. Matt does enjoy the junk food aspect of it and because of all the shoveling he usually looses weight even after all that junk food.  Everybody wins...kind of.  

It's time...Aloha time.

It's that time again. Time to start the countdown for Matt & I's next vacation and this one's a biggie. In just 86 days we will be headed out on a 15 day adventure to Hawaii!