Kauai, Hawaii

Almost a month has passed but don't worry, I'm still going to tell you about my quick trip to Hawaii.

Ryan and Lauren lived (yep, already past tense) in Kauai but decided to move to South Carolina (big change!), so I rushed out to visit them real quick while I'd still have a free place to stay. (Because come on guys, Hawaii is expensive!)

I arrived on a Friday night. Lauren's birthday, in fact. They picked me up at the airport and gave me a lei! I had always wanted to be greeted with a lei in Hawaii, so that was pretty exciting. We stopped by their place so I could drop my stuff off, then we went to a park at the beach where their friends were throwing Lauren a birthday party. (Unfortunately Hawaii doesn't do daylight savings time so even though I arrived at 7:30pm it was too dark to see much of anything.)

A lei with real flowers! (Nevermind they may have stopped by the hotel where they worked to get it. Also, in case you're confused about the daylight outside the window, I took this photo on my last day there, just to document the lei I was about to throw away.)

Saturday we all took Tess on her morning walk, then the three of us went to the farmers' market for lunch. I also got a popsicle. Then we took the scenic route to a river, stopping a time or two along the way at overlooks.

Lucky dog.

Cute kids.

Waterfalls!

At the river we met up with another friend of theirs, then went paddling! Ryan and Lauren rented and shared a canoe, while I used the other guy's extra stand-up paddle board. I'd never been paddle boarding before and spent the first little while on my knees, but eventually I got up. Paddling on a river in Hawaii felt so adventurous. Then we pulled off the river and hiked a mile or so to a really neat waterfall. Hiking to a waterfall in Hawaii also felt very adventurous. We took a dip in the watering hole before hiking back to our boat and boards. Then we paddled a little more down the river to check out the Fern Grotto.

The Wailua River, where we boarded. (Look carefully and you can see kayaks below.)

After the adventurous Hawaiian paddling and boarding we needed a snack, so we grabbed some poke (raw fish salad) at the store and drove to a beach to eat it. Not gonna lie, it wasn't my favorite. I hear it grows on you. After that we went home to clean up, then went to dinner at the vacation rental a friend of Lauren's was staying in with her family. They made some pretty great fried tacos. And their place had some pretty nice beach views. After dinner Ryan and Lauren went to another party with friends in honor of Ryan's leaving. But I was too tired and had just seen all those strangers the night before, so I went home to watch a little TV with Tess and go to bed early.

Sunset dinner.

The next day Lauren had to work, so Ryan and I hung out. He showed me around the hotel where they worked, including the resident nenes. (The nene is the state bird. It's a Hawaiian goose.)

Nenes!

Then we had some lunch at Da Crack before heading to a botanical garden. We also stopped by Spouting Horn on the way to see water spouting out of rocks.

Spouting Horn

We did the guided Allerton Gardens tour. It was pretty neat. I got a ton of bug bites though. (Luckily they didn't itch much after we left. I was worried I'd never be able to sleep because of all the bites.)

Trees that were in the movie Jurassic Park

Look how big they were!

Lobster Claw Flowers

Edge of the Allerton Gardens property

Sunday night we went to the luau at the hotel where they worked. It was pretty fun. Their co-worker friend (who also worked with Ryan in Utah) joined us.

Cheers!

I ate all of this. Plus some more. And dessert.

Fun show.

Photo op with the performers.

This guy juggled flaming knives. He looks pretty intimidating with his tongue out. Others of us, not so much.

Monday we woke up early and headed to a nearby town to take a catamaran snorkeling trip! We were on the boat for half the day, riding along the Na Pali Coast. The three of us sat in the front of the boat. As in, I was right there in the very front of the boat. When it got a little choppy it felt like being on a roller coaster, going way up in the air and then falling back down. So adventurous. At one point they stopped and unfurled the sail so we could sail a little too.

Sail boat selfie!

We saw lots of spinner dolphins and a few bottle nosed dolphins and several sea turtles. I also saw some flying fish, which I thought were pretty cool. They look like little birds flying just above the water. Eventually the boat pulled into a quiet spot and we all got out and snorkeled. I'd never been snorkeling before and it took me a little while to get used to going under without fearing I would get a snout full and choke. It was also weird to only breathe in and out through my mouth.

Ryan's ready for action.

We snorkeled for about 30 minutes. I swam above a couple sea turtles, which was pretty neat.

Fish!

Another snorkel boat like ours.

Na Pali Coast!

Say cheese.

After the snorkeling we got to eat hamburgers on the boat for lunch, and they started serving beer. The three of us went up top and sat with the captain for the ride back. Having a crew member come up to give us warm cookies and cold beer was pretty awesome.

After we got back on land we drove to see the Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." It was impressive. We stopped a few times at different overlooks.

Ryan was followed by a cloud of bugs that bothered him. I thought it was funny.

Then we kept driving into the Koke'e State Park to Kalalalu Lookout. Pretty darned beautiful, and neat to look down to where we'd been on a boat not that long ago.

On our drive back home we stopped on the way to eat shaved ice. There are lots of places with shaved ice on the island, and this place (JoJo's) serves theirs over ice cream. Delicious. When we got back to the house I took a nap while they went out to meet friends for another beach birthday party. Then when they came back for me we went out to dinner.

Tess would join me in bed each morning. Apparently she spent the nights passing between their room and mine, just to check on everyone. I love Tess.

The next day was my last day, but my flight didn't leave until the evening. It was also Ryan's last day living in Kauai, as he booked the same flight with me to the mainland. I told them I couldn't go to Hawaii without actually going to the beach though, so we went to Poipu Beach, near their house. Lauren chilled in the shade on a towel but Ryan and I hopped in briefly. The water was so clear!

Poipu Beach

Then we drove to their hotel, where they'd reserved a cabana at the pool for us. It's a pretty impressive pool scene, with a lagoon, a water slide, a lazy river, and some other pool we didn't go in. But before the pool time we ate some fancy nachos.

Hotel lagoon.

A pistachio shell sighting! I know it doesn't look like it, but that thing is under water. I spotted it immediately when I stepped into the lagoon, and of course had to go back for my phone to take a picture. You're welcome.

Water slide by our cabana. Yes we went down it.

After some pool time, which was sadly not as long as desired, we had to leave in order to get showered and finish packing. Then we went to dinner on the way to the airport. The airport part was really sad since Ryan and Lauren were saying goodbye to each other for a month while Ryan headed to South Carolina (via California and a drive to New Mexico, then on to the east coast) to start his new job and she stayed behind to finish up her old job. I know they're both excited about moving, but they also had a fun time living in Hawaii for a little while. With good reason, since Kauai is so neat.

So that was my trip. Short and awesome. I'm super happy I got to go while they still lived there.

tri-ing again

Though I'm still cautious of impending injury or illness or unforeseen scheduling conflicts, I'm looking forward to completing another half ironman-distance triathlon in July. I'm currently six weeks into a sixteen-week training plan. I bike three days a week (on the trainer, in front of the tv), and pair up runs and swims three days a week. It's a lot, but apparently I like to be kept busy. This past Saturday I rode my bike outside for the first time all year. It was fun. I'm excited to ride more. I'm also kind of enjoying swimming, even if I'm still super slow. Running is going pretty well too, though I'm still having to be cautious with my IT band.

This coming Saturday is the Montalto Challenge 5k, which I've done the past six years. Part of me feels like I should do it just to keep up my streak, but a bigger part of me is happy to say "sorry Montalto, I've got a 40-mile bike ride to do instead."

Vegas: Race Car Edition

I'm a few weeks behind in telling you all about my annual Vegas family vacation. Per usual, we went the first week in March for Nascar weekend. It was lots of fun.

I got in Thursday morning and Ryan and Lauren picked me up. We ate New Mexican burritos at Carlito's, stopped by the store for all my breakfast foods, and then checked into Treasure Island. My parents and aunt and uncle arrived that evening in time for dinner.

Our hotel.

Friday we all had brunch together, then Ryan and Lauren and I wandered the Strip and hung out. Lauren's family also came for the weekend, and we all had dinner together at Battista's Hole in the Wall, a fun old-timey Italian place just off the Strip.

About to lose at giant Jenga.

Sporting our New Mexican shirts.

Uncle and Aunt

Me and Uncle T

Saturday was my Nascar day. I usually don't go to a race with Dad anymore, but this year was special. He, my uncle, Ryan, and myself all headed over to the speedway in the late morning. The day started warm and beautiful. We hung out in the parking lot applying sunscreen and drinking beer. Unfortunately about halfway through the race it got cloudy and windy and chilly.

Our spirits remained high though, because after the race we headed down to the track to ride in race cars ourselves! This was the Christmas gift Ryan and I gave Dad. And Mom didn't want Dad to do it alone, so Ryan and I rode, too!

In line to get suited up.

Fire-protective suits and silly caps.

And helmets of course!

Excited (and nervous!)

 They had six cars going on the track at a time, and they make three laps. So all three of us rode in separate cars at the same time. We had to climb through the window and everything. They strapped us in really well and my (female!) driver chatted with me a little bit before we started. And then we were off! We picked up lots of speed and then zoomed up onto the tilted track. It was scary. I spent the entire time praying we wouldn't crash into the wall or the car in front of us. I couldn't even keep track of how many laps we'd made. And then pretty quickly it was over, for which I was grateful. We all bought plaques with pictures of us in the cars.

Look how happy he is! He liked it.

Sunday my parents and aunt and uncle went to the race, so Ryan and Lauren and I hung out again. First we met up with her family for a lunch buffet. Then the three of us hung out on the Strip some more, including in the New York New York arcade. We ate dinner at the Todd English P.U.B. that Ryan and I really like. This was the one night I actually stayed out (relatively) late. The first few nights I was exhausted and would go to bed pretty early.

Shooting bad guys.

Monday we all went downtown. We ate pizza for lunch, then people split off for various gambling/napping/museum/walking activities. Dad and I checked out the Container Park, then searched around a casino for his favorite buffalo slot machine.

Family portrait.

Dad getting creative at the Container Park.

He had had pretty good luck on one of these earlier in the trip.

Tuesday my aunt and uncle headed home, but the rest of us went to Red Rock Canyon. After stopping by the visitor center Mom dropped us off at one of the parking lots and we hiked a couple miles to meet her at another lot. I love hiking there because you get to climb all over the place and sort of forge your own trail. Lauren and Ryan were sometimes skeptical about how much fun we were having, but Dad and I had no doubts.

 Eventually the hike ended. Then we all piled in the car and starved our way to an early dinner. We ate a big meal at Buddy V's at the Venetian, which was pretty good. Afterwards I went shopping with Lauren and Ryan until I was so exhausted and sore from being on my feet all day (or so it felt) that I left them out on the Strip and went to bed.

Wednesday morning we met for one last family meal, then Mom and Dad took the three of us to the airport for our flights home. It was another great trip!

(Also, I realize that within one year the five of us got to hang out three different times: in California last June, in New Mexico last fall, and now in Las Vegas. This probably won't ever happen again, and it kind of makes me sad.)

February updates

Remember that cough I had back in November and December (and January)? It came back a little last week. I thought I was pretty much better, and had started running a couple times a week on the treadmill at the gym. (Because even though I prefer to run outside, I was trying to be smart and not run in the cold, knowing it would probably make me cough.) I did a little swimming too, and some bike riding on the trainer. Then I decided it was okay to start training for a half ironman. So I started last week. Tuesday I rode 40 minutes on the trainer, Wednesday I swam 800 meters and ran 4 miles on the treadmill, and Thursday I did another 40 minutes on the bike. But Thursday I also started coughing again. I decided I'd better not swim and run on Friday. Then I went ahead and quit the triathlon training.

The cough isn't really that bad, it's just not letting me move on with my exercise life. I haven't run outside since early December. However, I'm keeping a good attitude. I'm giving myself a few more weeks off, and then will attempt triathlon training again in mid-March. And in the meantime, I'm trying to be smart and healthy so I'll finally get 100% well.

And in other non-news, I've started doing this semester's dissertation research! I need to spend a lot more time doing it, but starting is half the battle, right?

Ubiquitous Pistachios!

I know you all must be sad I haven't posted any pistachio pictures lately, but weep no longer! I've been posting all my sightings on Instagram instead, and I've just added an icon with a link over here on the right of the blog so you can check them out too! (I even post non-pistachio-related pictures occasionally...)