Saturday, February 6, 2016

Maui Day 2


  • breakfast at the condo
  • drive to Dumps--what on earth is up with these coconuts on the fenceposts?  (no one seems to know.)

  • Snorkel, snorkel, snorkel
Looks like this one is related to the Humu-Humu


Black Durgon Triggerfish mob


Pennant Butterflyfish


Parrotfish

Probably a coronetfish.


  • snorkel selfie
  • no turtle till the end
  • meet the welcoming committee
  • new favorite snorkel adventure: carry water shoes in mesh bag, snorkel from Dumps to Ahihi Cove and get out there.  Walk path back to Dumps.  
  • get more groceries, buy awesome bag

  • Costco's open air food court
  • Go by the airport beach park again, darn all of the windsurfers are putting their gear away.  Learn that while Maui does not have a wild dog problem, it does have a feral cat problem.  Spot at least 50 cats in 10 minutes!
  • Miss the sunset--oops, had the time wrong!

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Maui Day 1

I think it would be kindness for my Facebook friends if I didn't dump all of my Maui pictures there, so I'm going to try to do an every day or two dump here.  Maybe even with a little narrative.

Our trip started with trying to get the suitcase down below 50 lbs. Sunday night.  I'd hoped to take a thermos and hot chocolate for sunrise on the volcano but ended up being too heavy.



Even thought I was packed early-ish (for me anyway!) I had other things that still weren't done and didn't get to bed till midnight.  Then we had to get up at 2:30 to leave the house at 3 for our 5:45 flight.  One thing that was nice--there was NO traffic then, not even through the tunnel!  And the airport lines were super short.

This made me laugh at the airport.  Apparently you don't have to chug that water anymore.



I hate like anything having to get up that early, so it was nice that there was a lovely sunrise from the airplane that lasted a long time.



In San Francisco we had a yummy sourdough bread breakfast sandwich and then happily boarded the plane for Maui.  We napped and read--I read a cute little book about teenaged ninjas written by one of Cindy Lynn's friends.  Sooner than we expected we could see the island.  As an added bonus when we circled the island to come in from the Kihei side we saw 2 whales in the water below!  (no picture, sadly)



I thought I'd roast to death standing at baggage claim, which is open to the outside.  It had been cold in Oregon so I was wearing wool socks, exercise pants, and a long sleeved shirt and fleece jacket!  As soon as the luggage came we both changed into shorts, tshirts, and flipflops!  And then we drove over to this beach which is right by the airport.



Tired, happy people.



Happy feet.  (Cold water!)



Our goal was to stay awake until 8PM and then go to bed.  We ran errands, got dinner at Maui Taco and ate it at the beach, picked up snorkel gear, then went to the lookout to watch for whales and then the sunset.

I think watching for whales is a memory that will be etched in my heart forever.  The water was so beautiful, very calm with this amazing texture.  There was a catamaran in the distance, and from time to time we'd see whales.  In the background a car in the parking lot had John Denver songs playing.


Hey, it's good to be back home again
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend
Yes, 'n, hey it's good to be back home again



After the sunset we drove back to the condo and watched this week's Downton Abbey.  Then, halleljuah, it was bedtime!

Oh we love Maui!

Monday, February 1, 2016

Please "talk" me

Without a doubt Kate's favorite thing to do is to "talk" things.  Beanie babies and other stuffed animals, to be sure.  But also completely inanimate objects like forks or cups; anything can be "talked" in Kate's world.  (Her very favorite activity is to bring several things over to Cindy Lynn, or Jenna, or me, and demand like the pint-sized dictator she is, that we "talk" something too.

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Mahon and Cindy Lynn are going to go do some training at the pediatrician's office in hopes that they can work better with some of Kate's outbursts.  It sounds incredibly high tech: the psychologist will sit behind a 2 way mirror and watch them interact with Kate.  They will be wearing earpieces and she will tell them exactly what to do or say to help them learn this technique.

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Sometimes I get so frustrated--that I said something too harshly, that I couldn't think of the right response in the right moment, that I just can't bring myself to reach out in a loving way in a situation where I've felt hurt.  After Cindy Lynn told me about this training I started thinking--I want that!  Except not just for parenting, I want it for my whole life!  I want to have an earpiece in my ear. I want them to tell me what to say and when to say it, to give me the gracious words I resist, to give be a verbal kick in the butt when that's what I need, to caution me when they can see I'm headed in a direction I'll regret later.

I just need someone to "talk" me!