Catamaran Cruisin'

This past weekend, my company rented a catamaran boat for a Saturday Napali Coast adventure. After a dosage of Dramamine, Karen and I were excited to see this uninhabited part of the island. As seen below, the front bough of the boat was a popular spot.

The lady behind us was wishing she had taken some Dramamine. Let's just say the fish were happily fed an unusually acidic treat.

A few miles out we found dolphins! They usually sleep during the morning hours close to the surface, but when we passed through several turned around and began swimming with our boat. The dolphin below was a real crowd pleaser.

The Napali Coast was formed from ocean waves carving out lava rock more quickly than mountain streams, creating up to 4,000 ft cliffs. (Remember this Cory, Kristen, Paul, and Ang.)

I snapped this when Karen wasn't looking, but her face says it all.

We also tried scuba diving for the first time. I think we look pretty good, what do you think? Then again, I tend to compare everything to my awkward phase as a kid.

Six Years and Counting

For our sixth year anniversary, Karen was in charge of planning the day's activities. She decided to take a break from the beach and hit the mountains. This particular trail weaves around the Napoli Coast. The views were stunning.





I really had to tip-toe to the edge to get this picture.


We only saw six other people the entire hike so again I resorted to taking our own picture....man, I love digital cameras. I got it right about the fourth time.


About halfway through our hike, we snuck up on Kauai's largest wildlife....fiercesome, huh?



Later on in the evening we had some excellent Italian cuisine accompanied by a romantic full moon. After dinner, Karen kissed me on the veranda......I mean....nevermind.
(Three Amigos, anyone?)

Brennecke Fridays...the Start of Great Kauai Weekends

The past 4 Fridays, we've hopped over to Brennecke's beach right after work. They typically have great boogie boarding waves, and even though it is crowded, it's worth it. The crowds also die down in favor of dinner, and the stalwart boarders (i.e. US) have the place to ourselves. As a consequence, we are always STARVING on the way home, but it is the price you have to pay...

We are looking forward to catching the waves tomorrow. (I don't think it is necessary to point out which person is my fair-skinned husband in the picture below.)


As a side note, last week, I hurt my back doing the above activity. I had a stellar afternoon, catching some of my most thrilling waves since moving here, but in the process, tweaked a muscle in my back/neck. Our Saturday festivities last week had to be low-key as a result. We went up the North Shore to Secret Beach, which is really no secret now that it has been published in the Kauai Bible. It is fantastic for families, and people who want to stay out of the waves. There are several calm and warm (not from urine, we hope) tide pools to hang out in.


The tide pools were calm, but the waves were ripping in on the other side! This is about a 7 foot wave.

North Shore Excursion

A cloudy/rainy day at our home on the East shore meant we were anxious to get to another part of the island yesterday. After all, you can't waste a Saturday. We took off toward Hanalei Bay, but changed our minds and camped out at Ke'e Beach. (I use the word "camped" because of all the gear you end up trucking up to the sand--fins, mask, cooler, chairs, towels, book, etc.!)

I enjoyed my second taste of snorkeling on the island. The first time, I was pretty weirded out, but now I am much more comfortable in the water. Brady even taught me how to dive down (not really an impressive feat, but a BIG baby step for me). There were beautiful purple/orange/bright pink fish to follow around.

On the way home, we decided to stop at Tunnels Beach. We have read that it is some of the best snorkeling on the island. It was incredible! We should have spent the entire day here. The beach is really terrible for anything but snorkeling because of the rock right below you, but the fish are so close and abundant! Most of the group got up close and personal with a huge turtle. Nic had a good time throwing around sea cucumbers. I still need to learn what is dangerous and what is not, because that gave me quite a jolt to see the creature flying towards me in the water.

This is the only time I remembered to bring the camera.

Brady, Nic, Heidi, and Nic's cousin Heidi out for a swim.

Heidi and Ty hanging out on the the beach.

I've decided that Ty is quite a beach bum. He stays entertained for hours at a time, playing with the chairs, sunglasses, sand toys, and water.

We're sad Brady's brother Ryan wasn't along for the adventure, but we're still counting on a visit soon!

Celebrating Independence

This fourth of July Karen and I decided to pursue one of our favorite past-times....hiking. The Kalalau Trail begins at the entrance to the Napoli Coast. We have concluded that this hike is a must do for visitors.

This pictures sums up the surroundings while hiking....beautiful oceans views accompanied by lush green jungle.

Panda bears would be loving this section of the hike.

The 4.5 mile trail ends at Hanamake'ai Falls....bet you can't pronounce that. I still can't.

Even though we knew we would be hiking to a waterfall with a pool, we still looked like clueless tourists due to our lack of swim-wear. We dove in anyway with our hiking clothes. Swimming behind the waterfall is just as romantic as it sounds. Swimming under it, however, leaves you only with a mouthful of Leptospirosis (the bacteria found in fresh water).

I'm getting better at taking our own pictures.

On the way back from the falls we took a slight detour and discovered the most beautiful beach I've seen in my life. You have to hike two miles from any road to get here. In the winter, this beach will sport 10+ foot waves. I'm currently taking reservations for winter visitors.

Karen's valient attempts to stay awake on the drive home...

We spent the remainder of the day with our friends Nic and Heidi, and their son Ty, eating a yummy salad bar and heading off for fireworks.

Happy July 4th!

A Moment of Prayer

Heidi had a nice blog about Ty's first "amen," and I am adding to the collection of prayer experiences. During closing prayer on Sunday, I was caught peeking...by a giant cockroach. It went waddling by, and it was all I could do to stifle a shriek. It was right next to my foot, and I swear it was bigger than 2 thumbs put together (3 if you're Cory).

Most public prayers are not very lengthy, but apparently they are in our ward. This one went on for minutes. I had my legs yanked up on the bench, and I couldn't stop staring at the rascal's path. I kept getting the creepy chills up my spine, and disrupted enough people around me that the pews on my side were all involved. By the time "amen" was uttered, Brady heroically put an end to the critter. It took more than one attempt. Ewwwww....cockroach guts.

I've now gone out and purchased containers for anything in my house not "cockroach-proof." I've seen lots of crawlers now--the cane spider, several centipedes, and (as noted) the flying cockroaches. I think I will move if I find a centipede in bed. I hear that's not terribly uncommon.

What I Remember from 6th Grade

1. Singing a "Grease" duet in our school production with a boy I thought was soooo cute (and later was expelled from school for sexual harassment).


2. Winning the high jump at our track and field competition.


3. Wearing cotton pants of various colors, and thinking they were pretty cool. (Jillian was in my class, and remembers that they were actually not that great.)


4. Listening to my teacher, Mr. Bullard, break out into song at any provocation.


5. Throwing up on said teacher's desk, because I was afraid of cutting in line to ask if I could go to the bathroom.

Well, I know cotton pants will be different, but I expect many of the same adventures as a 6th grade teacher! Ahhh... Yep, I'm switching from 9-10th grade students to the middle school level, and all the deodorant phone calls and puberty issues that involves. Who knows? Maybe lifelong friends will meet in my classroom. Maybe a student will develop a passion. Maybe I'll just have gheckos pooping in my classroom, rather than students throwing up. (Hmmm...hopefully, I won't have both.)

I will also finally get to use my history background, as I will be teaching social studies in addition to health. Time to brush up on my geography, and remember the dynasties of Egypt. I have my summer reading list picked out!

At Last!

On Friday, Brady and I finally reunited after 6 looonnnngggg weeks apart. Brady took me to a yummy restaurant in celebration of my bday, where we had a fantastic view and delicious fresh fish.

After dinner, we went over to the Marriot and used their ammenities. A wedding was going on, so there was great music to accompany swinging on the hammock.

Saturday morning, we picked up my grandparents from the airport. They were on a trip for their 50th wedding anniversary, which was actually Friday. We went out to Waimea Canyon (i.e. the "Grand Canyon" of Hawaii), followed by lookouts of the Na Pali Coast.

Grandma and Grandpa treated us to the famous macademia-nut-ice-cream-based icees at Jo Jo's, followed later in the day by dinner at Keoki's--our favorite restaurant here so far. The outdoor, tropical ambience (complete with water cascading along the rocks next to your table) is a delight.

We polished off dinner with Hula Pie--macadamia nut ice cream topped with hot fudge and nuts. Yum.

Sunday, we visited our ward, greeted with the traditional leis and Aloha! song. After church, we drove all the way up the coast, taking in views and giving Grandpa a chance to take pictures to his heart's content. (The last 2 pics are his.)

A Bachelor's Best and Worst

The most incredible sunset I have ever seen.
No explanation required. Yuck!Rock jumping and rope swinging.
Battle of the Cane Spider--the broom won, but my nerves were shot.
My daily lunch spot.
I'm out of my first can of Raid already.Swimming with sea turtles.

I'm glad Karen arrives here shortly, it's her turn to take care of the next spider.