Obsession & Hawaii Part II

I have a problem. It's taken over my life to the point that nothing else matters...not even recounting our amazing vacation that I've practically forgotten by now. That problem is...HOMELAND. It began so innocently on a Sunday afternoon in my basement...and now has led to obsession.  I'm talking an under the covers in the middle of the night with my iPad and headphones like an adolescent girl obsession. Thankfully, I squeezed the first 31 hours (Seasons 1, 2 and half of 3) into a week long binge and have now come up for air (until my next fix on Sunday). If you're not watching this show, you should be. If you are watching this show then you should be held responsible for my not knowing that it existed. 

Ok, ok...onto Hawaii. The second half. 

Day 4: 10.22.13

We fulfilled Jay's only must-do of the entire trip on day 4. We got up incredibly early and flew from Maui to Oahu to visit the Pearl Harbor War Memorial. We got take an aerial tour of the islands on way! The Pearl Harbor Memorial was an honor to visit. It was reverent and sacred and touching. 

Flag from inside the memorial of the USS Arizona. 

We also got to see a submarine, a battle ship, and a quick tour of Honolulu. To tell you the truth, after the Pearl Harbor tour I was pretty much done. It was hot and humid (my least favorite combination) and our only meal option was an oversized hot dog. I tried to keep a good attitude while Jay and I crawled through every space on the sub and battleship but I guess that all that matters is that Jay enjoyed himself thoroughly.  We got back to Maui a little after 6:00pm, grabbed something to eat at a nearby restaurant and were in bed by 9:00pm. 

Day 5: 10.23.13

This was by far my favorite day of the entire trip! We had planned to rent a car and drive to Lahina to take surfing lessons and then drive around the island; however, after our long day at Pearl Harbor we decided to cancel surfing lessons and have a day free of obligations. We rented a mustang and just drove from beach to beach with no plan other than relaxing. 

Here we go!

 

First stop- Ka'anapili Beach 

Jay's jellyfish sting. Yikes! 

Kapalua Bay

We saw a huge sea turtle here! 

We found an awesome brewery/restaurant and I (the non-beer drinker) found a beer that I liked! 

That night we went to The Plantation House restaurant and had an amazing dinner. It goes without saying that the seafood in Hawaii is out of this world!

Best piña colada of my life. 

Finally captured Jay smiling! 

Day 6: 10.24.13

This was our last full day on the island and we had plans to go scuba diving. We've both been before and really enjoyed it...but this time didn't go so well for me. We started with a lesson in the hotel pool and for some reason I really struggled to allow water in my mask and clear it. I kept sucking it up my nose and then shooting to the surface to get a breath. Strike one. This wasn't the start that I was looking for. Then we got down to the beach and our dive instructor gave me a wet suit with a really tight turtle neck. If you know me at all then you know that I can't stand anything touching my neck and that I get very anxious when it does. Strike two.  Then we had to get all of our gear on (flippers, tanks, goggles, etc.) and walk into the ocean, past the rocks and reef until we were deep enough to descend. This was strike three for me. I was tripping over my flippers and falling under the weight of my tanks and after about 30 feet I declared that I didn't want to scuba dive. Yep, I panicked and bailed. Jay was less than amused and the dive instructor insisted on walking me all the back to shore which was pretty humiliating. I was disappointed that I left Jay to dive by himself and that I missed out but it turned out to be a pretty good choice for me. I rented snorkeling gear and just hung out around the bay for an hour until Jay and the instructor returned. 

After the dive, we went back to the brewery and had lunch and then spent the rest of the day at the pool! Here are a few pictures. 

Relaxing by myself. 

Not my best work but who goes to the beach and doesn't get a 'name in the sand' picture?

That evening we went back to our favorite restaurant--Merriman's. The food was amazing but we really went back because everyone bragged about the beautiful sunset that we missed the first time.  It was absolutely gorgeous and these pictures don't do it justice. 

The bay as you walk up to the resturant. 

Wow.

Cute guy. 

By the fire pit. 

I should mention that I had the best scallops that I've ever eaten and a fresh pineapple bread pudding...I'm sure this meal alone only cost me 3 of the 5 lbs that I gained on the trip. 

Day 7: 10.25.13

Our final morning was spent gorging ourselves on breakfast and then packing. Our pick up was at noon which was perfect timing because the Ritz was hosting a very popular triathlon called Xterra that weekend and the hotel was filling up with bicycles and very athletic bodies. We went from Maui to Honolulu and then flew 8.5 hours from Honolulu directly to Dallas. We landed in Dallas at 5:00am CST and had to sit a couple of hours until our flight to Lubbock at 8:00am. We made it back to Lubbock at 9:10am and couldn't wait to get home to our pups!! We got home and then went straight to bed and slept until 1:00pm. We got up just in time to see Tech end it's undefeated season with a loss to OU and got a surprise visit from my sister-in-law and nephew!! 

So precious!

Not sure so about Stella. 

Never mind, she's a funny pug!

Whew! I'm glad that I finally got the trip recap checked off my list! I'm actually re watching Homeland now...I have to go. I have a serious problem. 

xo- hill

Ha-why-ya

Jay and I just spent a week on the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii! The title is in honor of my Granddad who pronounced Hawaii as "Ha-why-ya". My dad always responded by saying "Fine. How are you?"--my Granddad did not think this was funny...but he was not known for his sense of humor. :)

Anyways, back to our trip. We always try to do some type of vacay in September or October because Jay's business usually slows down a little bit and it seems to be a good time for me because everyone that I work with takes vacation between June and August. We had originally hoped to go to Costa Rica but we didn't get our passports in order so we decided to visit Hawaii. I'm so glad we did because it was amazing and quickly rose to my #1 vacation spot! 

We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua which is on the northern side of Maui. It's tough to beat the Ritz when it comes to hospitality and quality. Here was the view from the lobby down to the pool. 

I'm going to break the pictures up by each day so that I can keep an accurate account of our trip. A lot of the pictures were posted on Instagram as we went but Hawaii is pretty enough to see these pics more than once!

Day 1: 10.19.13

Our travel began in Lubbock to DFW, DFW to LA and finally to Maui. Tech was playing West Virgina that day and all Jay cared about was being in a spot that allowed him to stream the game from his iPad. It was close to half time when we landed in Dallas so we grabbed a bite to eat at a pizza/wine bar and Jay plugged in. It was pretty entertaining because he was yelling the whole time and had no idea how loud he was. This included a few very loud expletives...so I had to offer a public apology of a couple of times. 

We got to see Tech win right before we took off to LA. Once the game was over and we started looking around we realized that Dick Van Dyke was sitting one row behind us across the aisle. He didn't look too good...very old and he was rocking a TV Land letter jacket. We tried to get a picture of him without being super obvious but it didn't turn out so well. 

We had a long day of travel and finally landed in Maui about 10:00pm HST which is 5 hours behind us in Texas. We were completely exhausted and it was pitch black outside so we just checked in, ordered room service and passed out.

Day 2: 10.20.13

We woke up at 5:00am the next morning due to the lovely time change. Nothing was open yet so we waited for the sun to come up over coffee on our walkout porch. These were our first looks at Hawaii! 

From there we went to breakfast and down to the beach! The beach was only a 3 minute walk from the back of our hotel and we planned on spending the whole morning there but...the tide was up and the waves were pretty high for non-beach dwellers like Jay and myself. Jay's first big wave rolled him and took his new Maui Jim sunglasses with it. My first big wave rolled me and then a second one hit me as soon as I came up for air...I was pretty sure that I was dying so I headed for the shore to play photographer. 

Jay likes to get his guns up no matter where we are! Bye sunglasses!

Thankful that I survived the wipeout!

We spent the remainder of the day by the pool with tasty beverages and then had dinner at an awesome restaurant called Merriman's. 

Day 3: 10.21.13

Day 3 was gloriously spent by the pool. It went something like this...lay in the sun and read, swim to cool off, dry off, order a drink and repeat! I went through 4 books on this trip. More about those later!

This little peach sat by me and asked why I wasn't brown? Haha! Poor white me! I burn and then go right back to being white. 

That evening we went to a traditional Hawaiian luau. The concierge said it was a 'must do' but personally, I wasn't very impressed. The food was supposed to be really good but it was just average and the drinks were bad. The performance was interesting but really long. The best part was at the end when a guy twirled fire. 

We met a great couple from Austrailia and they have us the low down on how things go over there. The amount of time they get off from work is unbelievable! 12 month (6 months paid) maternity leave, 4 weeks of paid time off and 17% higher pay when they are on vacation...what?!?  I can't imagine how they get any work done but they said it works really well. ...And that was the end of Day 3. 

Well, I'm exhausted and have to get a lot of stuff done to start the week back in the real world. I'll end it here tonight and pick up with part 2 tomorrow!

xo- hill

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's 55th birthday!! We had to celebrate with a fun family dinner at Double Nickel since it was his 'double nickel' (55) birthday.  It was delicious! I'm disappointed that I only took pictures of Owen but then again he was the cutest guy there! 

He was precious the whole time and was pretty content as long he had his spoon. The conversation was hilarious as we reminisced about the time we tried to teach my mom to dive off the diving board and she busted over and over until she got mad and left us at the pool! Not the most athletic gal on the planet...poor Dar. 

Here's a picture of Mom and Dad from Mom's birthday in June. It's the best I can do! 

Then another one from the Ranger's game this summer. 

Happy birthday, Dad! I love you! 

xo-Hill 

Wild About Wednesday

I've never done one of these but since I enjoy reading about products on other peoples' blogs (and have tried several things that I've discovered on various blogs)...I thought I would share a few of my favorites. 

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo

This is a winner. I first found this at TJ Maxx for $4 and thought I would give it a try because I was not pleased with my $30 Bumble & Bumble version. I'm so glad that I did because it works wonders!! I'm a morning workout person but unfortunately...I'm not a wash my hair every day person. This stuff can fix almost anything...except for maybe post hot yoga hair! This little can helps me 'cheat' and makes my life easier. I have most recently found it at Ulta for $8.99 and there are several varieties. I like the one for brown hair because it doesn't leave a white residue. The scent is a little too sweet and strong for my liking but it's definitely not a deal-breaker.  Lazy people unite! 

2. Jo Malone Diffusers

Where do I even begin?! How about by telling y'all that I have three dogs that all live inside and I have nightmares about my house smelling like dogs. The reason I have these nightmares is because it used to. My mom broke it to me. In my defense, it's tough to know what your own house smells like but...the embarrassment/insecurity remains. Then lucky me, I found out about Jo Malone from a close friend whose house always smells amazing. I asked what she used and she told me about JM candles. I drove straight home and searched online and found out that they also had diffusers. Diffusers were perfect for me because I needed something that could disperse scent all the time. I ordered two right before we sold our previous home and I've been hooked ever since! Now people always ask me, "what's that amazing smell??" and my house does NOT smell like dogs. How do I know? My mom told me so! There are 4 scents but I've only tried Pomegrante Noir and Lime Mandrian Basil. Both are great! Warning...these things are pricey. $80 each but SOOO worth it! Mine last about 3-4 months each and I order them from Nordstroms bc of the free shipping. You can get them directly from Jo Malone online or the JM Boutique inside most Neiman Marcus stores. 

3. Garnier BB Cream

I think that I first read about this product on accordingtonina's blog sometime last year and I'm so glad that I did! I had tried about five different brands of BB cream (all way too expensive) and none of them worked as well as this one does. I'm very fair skinned so I use the light/medium shade and it gives me enough coverage that it's the only 'foundation' I use. It goes on smoothly, blends easily, includes an SPF 15 and smells great! It's $12.99 and you can find it at any drug store. I highly recommend it. **Disclaimer- my friend Breanne tried it and broke out terribly. This has never happened to me but thought it was worth mentioning! 

4. Lululemon TaTa Tamer II

If you have anything going on up top and do any type of high impact exercise then you need this sports bra. I was hesitant about spending $58 on a sports bra but I had just recommitted to running and needed a better sports bra. I read the reviews and have not been disappointed! I own four of these now and wear them all the time. Nothing moves in this bra (seriously) and best of all it's adjustable just like a normal bra and doesn't leave you with that weird uni-boob look. If you're the kind of person that needs a good sports bra then look no further!

5. Nivea Exfoliating Body Wash

Last one. I'm a Versa Spa spray tan girl. I can't get a real tan to save my life and although VS isn't perfect, it's better than scaring people (myself included) with my white-ness...as a side note my phone just auto corrected to say white-MESS which is also an accurate description! Anyways, I use this stuff as an exfoliant before I spray tan. It works well, lathers nicely, and smells really good. The most important thing is that it's not oil-based. So many scrubs are oil-based which will keep your spray tan from soaking into your skin. Very disappointing after you've given $20 for a little color. This product can be found at any drug store and I think it was around $7-8. 

Well there they are! Some of my go-to products. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

I'll leave y'all with a picture of my girls from yesterday morning. Sweet sisters. 

xo- Hillary