A great day, and a new friend

I did my gym thing this morning. Reluctantly. But, when I was finished, I felt great. I should have ridden that wave while I could have.


Tonight, we went to Bubba Gump's for dinner, and watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. It was amazing, every single second of it.


See? Beautiful.


I pushed a few pictures, and got some decent results.


At restaurant. Not at restaurant. Wait. Stop. Strike that. Reverse it.

Let's press on.


I even got some good pictures of my main man and his mom.


Lappert's. If you ever get a chance, have some of this stuff; you won't regret it.


Ah, always some crazies, no matter where you go. I don't even know what Matthew 12 or whatever is all about; I'm guessing something to do with the end of the world (mark your calendars, December 21st isn't far away! And you silly people who continue to buy Christmas presents, how lame are you, huh!).

All in all, a very nice day. Great workout, lounges by the pool a bit, nice dinner, dropped Tim's mom off at her hotel room, and we even made a new friend on our way back to the car and our hotel room.

This friendship ain't gonna last.

People-watching and analyzing

Simply observing people is hands down the best thing ever. Watching the way they move, trying to understand their body language without hearing their words or, at times, not understanding their language. Posture tells a lot about a person, I think.


It's easier for me to notice differences while I'm in a new and different place, but even at home, with family and friends, you can see love. All wrapped up in just watching people.










I love capturing happy, smiling people. People who are honestly happy. You can always tell whether a smile is for real or not.

People that don't know you're snapping pictures of them are fun. I mean, when the person doesn't know you're taking pictures, that's when they aren't paying attention, and therefore are more truly themselves, right?








And then, there are the pose-ers:









Are they just the look-at-me type? No. I don't think so. I think they honestly want to remember a moment. Or be remembered. Speaking of being remembered, what do you make of this one?


Seriously. I want to know what people think of this!

Who do you think these people are to each other? Do they get along? Do they like/love each other? Are they happy?

Make up a story. I want to hear it. Gimme your theories.

Why are you doing what you're doing?

From where I'm sitting right now, I can see a variety of things:


My morning beverage of choice here on the islands, warm and sweet, just how I like it.


The ocean, a little boat, and a paddle boarder doing his thing.


Cars and mopeds zooming up and down the road, probably cursing the congestion tourists tend to bring.


Walkers, joggers, runners, and bikers. A guy passed by not too long ago, each arm carrying a surfboard.

So, why am I here? Why am I just sitting on this hotel balcony watching the world go by? Why isn't it me out there running?

In a word: priorities. Right now, in this moment, my priority is relaxing, enjoying the view, and then I'll go to the hotel gym to get my sweat on (while avoiding the humidity).

And until we leave this beautiful place, my priority will be to kill as many birds as possible, with the fewest number of stones. One of these days, before we leave, we plan to drive the road to Hana, and go hiking there. Enjoy beauty of nature + get nice and sweaty. Love it. My idea of a GREAT time.

Puft dreamin', prizes, problem solving and an annual 5k

What do you think about when you're not supposed to think about anything at all?


Does something pop into your head, regardless of your very conscious effort to avoid thinking of anything?


Weird things happen in my head. I've never truly been able to comfortably go without thinking. I think of random things: good times, bad times, memories I want to remember for all time, and memories I wish had never happened.


Some are dream-like; did that rashly happen in reality, or was that just a strange passing thought?

When I run or elliptical or bike, random thoughts go through my mind. I think that's what impacts my workouts the most: what I think about. That, plus my mood, can make a workout "good" or "bad."


When I run for a goal, a prize, a treasure at the end of a rainbow, the thing itself can motivate me, depending on what it is.


The feeling I get when I complete a run is one of my strongest motivators. I love achieving goals.


I think more creatively when my body is physically engaged in some way. I run for fun, and to prices thoughts and ideas. When I need to solve a creativity problem, I have two options: run or sleep. Same effect either way; both have benefits.


I almost always think of Alexander when I run. Or when I'm alone. Or with family. Or sleeping. I think about him a lot. Last year, just after he died, I ran a 5k in honor of him; I was on vacation in New Orleans, which had been planned months in advance, but I decorated a shirt specifically for that run, one with his name and info on it. I signed up for another 5k this year, and I think I'll do the same thing: decorate a shirt in honor of him.

What do you think about when you run? Anything in particular? Nothing? Or do you go through a stream of consciousness as crazy as mine was just now?

Smiles in spite of the UB

Think of Hawaii, and what products you might want to obtain from there. More than just your standard Hilo Hattie tourist-y souvenirs. Any major money-making exports you can think of?


Maui Grown Coffee. We came. We saw. We sampled. And the uppity barista (UB) didn't like me, probably because she lacked a sense of humor.


There were some awesome bags and coffee-related goodies and unique peculiarities to be had. Like, for example, coffee jelly and espresso jam. I asked the UB what to do with things like that; she said I could put it on toast, or mix it with ice cream or basically anything (which made me think, "no freaking kidding, at that point it would be MINE; I could throw it in a lake or out a window if I really wanted; I could use it as shampoo or face wash"). I wanted to hear her say, "it's really great on/with..."


The different types of coffee beans of were very interesting, and all smelled great. Mmm...coffee... I love that smell.


Y'know they say, "the best revenge is living well," so Tim and I left the place with a bag of Maui's finest, a picture of us smiling, and a smirk for the UB.

Take that!

Sunrise and Brewing on Maui

After my missing checked luggage incident yesterday (which was resolved in the time it took just to eat dinner), things kind of turned around and straightened out. For the most part, anyway.


We started today by heading to a highly-raved-about breakfast spot, the Sunrise Cafe. I love little hole-in-the-wall places that locals frequent, and this was one of those. It did not disappoint. Except that the coffee could have been a bit more free-flowing. Whatever. My french toast with mac nut syrup was great.


Then we were off to the Maui Brewing Company tour, where (with the help of my beloved) I recreated one of the Olan Mills pictures from when I was maybe seven or so.


Yo. Bartender. Can I get a drink over here or what.


The tour was educational and interesting, but here is what I really wanted (too bad the display case was completely empty, not even a crumb):


I've never even tried pot, but if it was legal (as I believe it should be), I would give it a go, at least, in baked goods. Natural. Holistic. Organic.


We couldn't leave without a six-pack of [root] beer; that's the law!

Both places were awesome, and I would definitely go again IF I found myself on this island, but that isn't very likely, since I far prefer Kauai and Oahu. By, like, a very long shot.

Guys, girls; Boots, Kimo's; sleeping beauty

We only stayed in that lovely (read: anything but lovely) hotel room in order to be a half hour closer to Diamond Head, which we hiked at sunrise yesterday morning.


It was crowded, but beautiful. As usual, Tim powered his way up, driven as he is, and was the third person to reach the top. Go, him! I was a little slower.


I was sandwiched between a couple of American guys in front of me, and a couple of Japanese chicks in back of me. Fortunately, the guys helped push me forward, and the girls didn't pass me. It was cute: I interacted with the Japanese chicks despite the severe language barrier, and a few minutes after we got to the top, they found me and each insisted they have their picture taken with me. How cute is that?

Cross that off the ol' bucket list. Take picture with total stranger. Done.


The guys were here on business, though. I had to ask for clarification. They didn't exactly seem the part of travel/adventure journalists (hello, they took pictures at the top, and that's it). I had to know. Not only to satisfy my own curiosity, but also s I could apply; whatever company sends their people to Hawaii is a company worth working for.

The answer: Deloitte. And they had to hurry back to their hotel to do more work. Yeah, maybe a career there wouldn't be so thrilling for me. I don't even know what they do. (Note to self: research what Deloitte does.)


Anyway, the sunrise was beautiful. Very worth it. Very recommended. Loved it.

But now it was time for food. And drink. Eat, drink, and be merry, 'cause we just climbed Diamond Head!


Soooooooomeone from our group (who didn't hike) was more interested in sleeping than anything else. What a cutie: she slept in the car the whole time; we knew she would be safer there than at the hotel.

So we made our way to breakfast.

Boots and Kimo's. And their very famous (and heartbreakingly delicious) mac nut sauce over banana pancakes.

Definitely a must-eat when we come to this island again. Oh. Holy. Yum.


And it was back to sleep for this beauty...