JUST 3 LITTLE THINGS

HOME...

1.) We are home. It was a MAGNIFICENT vacation. A few more days with Boo-Boo and we'd both be ready to turn right around and go straight back. The weather there was incredible...perfection...never too warm, never too cool. (We landed at DFW in a blizzard, fought snow the first two hours of the drive home yesterday morning. Ugh. It was just the kind of 'welcome home' we were dreading.)

2.) I have a little jet lag this morning (slept late and dreamt I found my camera (and photos), ruined in the dishwasher). I have 523 photographs from Maui. (Lots of new painting fodder!) When I get around to it, I'll make a little album for the "Just 3 Things Blog" and get it posted so I can share a few highlights. In the meantime today I hope to get our luggage unpacked and the laundry started. Maybe make a few phone calls to friends. As I said...I'm sluggish. I slept about 4 hours on the overnight flight home: we took off at 6:00, changed our watches to 10:00 pm, was finished with our 4 course meal at 11:30, went to sleep around 12:00, and was awakened to "prepare for landing" at 4:15 a.m. Originally, we had planned to spend the day and night in Dallas, but we decided we'd cancel our hotel reservations, even though they were paid for and were non-refundable, and just get on home. We'd spent enough time at the DFW Hyatt before leaving for Maui and were anxious to see Boo. (Lacey brought him over last night so he could help dig through the luggage to find his loot.)

3.) Historically, I have been a skittish airplane passenger. This trip, however, I flew like an old pro...and YEA! I daresay I ENJOYED the flights. We were in first class so the seating was very comfortable, the food was yummy, and the service was great. Getting through the airports was less fun. Leaving Maui, my purse couldn't pass the x-ray inspection and 4 sets of eyes. Four times they sent it through, then took it aside and unloaded it, then "repacked" it and sent it through again...Finally, they were satisfied. I don't know what they thought they saw. I only had my usual stuff in there. At any rate, we've decided we need to take more vacations, more flights. If we recover financially from Maui, we're headed to a long weekend trip to Las Vegas in March!

Love and at Least 3 4 U 2, L

Whale Watching Excursion, The Guts and the Glory...

1.) Every year between December and April thousands of humpback whales make the 6000 mile journey from Alaskan waters to Hawaiian waters to breed and calve. Experts don't know why, but this year there's been a bumper crop of whales. A whale-watchers playground! Photo 1 shows a Momma humpback and her new baby. All in all I got about 65 various whale photographs. (And that's not counting what Ed snapped on his camera.)

2.) Photo 2 shows from a distance, the boat we went out on, the Trilogy IV.

3.) Photo 3 shows the back of the boat and a few of our fellow sailors. These fellow sailors, in way (and like it or not), know me intimately, for they were all blessed with the sight of me stretched out on deck puking my guts up over the side of the boat. Yes, and egad, I got SEASICK. Very, very, very. I was caught completely off guard by this, as it's never happened before. (We've owned so many boats! Spent weeks at time on them, went on a cruise, etc!!!) I think it was because I was looking through my camera lens the whole time that the boisterous wave action confused my inner ear/brain. I'd say I was embarrassed but honestly, I was too sick to care.

Today, however, I'm a little bummed out. Since I felt fine and great the whole first hour of the trip, Ed and I were very excited about whale watching (just loving it!) and planned to take several more trips out before we have to return home. Now, the idea of that sounds like nothing short of a trip to hell. Ah, well...

Today, it's terra firma for me!

Aloha! L

1.) That's me...smilin' in Maui!

2.) The second photo is Bubba Gump's Fish House in Lahaina. And so is the third...with Ed seated at our open air window. (Everything is open here...nothing truly indoors...it feels so great to be outside all the time!)

3.) That said, I spent 6 hours in(side) the spa yesterday, but I (OBVIOUSLY) can't complain about that experience either! I even went naked in the ladies hot tub, which sounds daring but wasn't since there wasn't another soul around, ha! And, the only reason I chose to go naked is because I didn't have my swimsuit with me.

Ed's daring feat (his way outshines mine, but that's nothing new) was to fly a Cessna all over Paradise, even into and out of a volcano (!), and landing several times in (this he told me "after") "the worst cross-wind conditions that exist  at ANY of the other US airports nationwide." He took lots of photos in the air, looks like he got some good whale photos from up there...the water's so clear, you can actually see the whole whales below the surface.

While we were in Lanai, Ed (bless his heart) bought himself a gorgeous framed painting by Aldo Luongo. It will be shipped to Oklahoma and most likely hung in his office. He's very excited about it...AND SO AM I!

Well...fun and frolic calls me away...

Aloha Loved Ones, L

PS: Lace, We bought Boo a tee-shirt that says "Run, Forrest, Run!"

 

Morning 3 in Maui...

1.) Photo number one was taken off our lanai on Monday. Ka'anapali Beach up to Black Rock which wraps around to North Ka'anpali Beach where we drove yesterday...while it was raining. Yes...an atypical day of rain. Rain usually comes only the form of brief showers, here and there. But yesterday...it RAINED. The whale watching expedition was canceled (postponed until today) and last night's luau had to be canceled as well.

2.) So...went shopping in Whaler's Village and bought lots of lovely little trinkets and amused ourselves that way. We also had dinner out at Cane and Taro...very good food, such fresh shrimp and crab, as you might imagine.

3.) And...we also marveled at the perfect timing of the gift (second photo) we received from our son, Cale! The card read, "Just a little something to help you guys out on a rainy day in Paradise." :)  Thanks, Cale!

(*Weather seems back to normal today, yahoo! As I said, we're off on whale watching expedition. I hope to get some magnificent photographs!

Aloha and at Least 3 4 U 2, L

3 From Day 1 on Maui....

1. Well, it's truly fabulous here...I think I could live on Maui. Nothing like the pounding of the surf to slow the whole mind/body/spirit into a relaxed state. (The food and drink doesn't hurt either.) 

2.) We've had a marvelous slow 1st day today. We're a little tired from the jet lag and the long flight, etc. We were up at 5:00 a.m. this morning, eating pineapple, coffee, eggs and blueberry waffles with whipped cream for breakfast! Then, a nice long stroll on the early morning beach. 

3.) Tomorrow, we're out on the Trilogy catamaran for whale watching (we can actually see them from our lanai) and then the luau for dinner here at the Westin Resort. (The flamingo's are from the "lobby".)

Aloha!--L 

A Webcam and too Much Time on our Hands!...

 
  

1 2 3...Days in Dallas...

1.) We missed the Oklahoma ice/snow storm...arriving in Dallas around 10:00 p.m. Wednesday night. Now we are lounging around in Dallas, not able to catch an earlier flight out. The non-stop to Maui only runs every other day and, alas, all the seats were still reserved on today's flight. So...here we are...killing time until Sunday morning. We actually enjoyed our day of rest yesterday. Spent the whole day without leaving the room (I didn't even get dressed!). We watched movies, napped and ate (too much) excellent room service meals and snacks. It felt good to recover from the unplanned mad dash we made to get out Oklahoma...no small feat with a company to run, etc.

2.) How do you like the view from our suite?? (Ed LOVES it, btw.) Thankfully, the room's more quiet than you might imagine. No broken windows, no teetering lamps, no sonic booms, anyway.

3.) Today we're blowing this joint. We're going shopping at the Galleria and take in a few galleries. AND, unless Eddie's teasing me mercilessly, we're going to the Dallas Bass Pro Shop.

Love and at Least 3 4 U 2, L

PS...Lacey, I will watch for a Hula Girl for Heather. Give yourself and Graham a big hug from Nonn. If you talk to Cale tell him to let us hear from him...we'd like to know he's not a popsicle. Love, Momma

Hurry-Scurry...

1.) As the incoming wild winter storms approach, our trip has suddenly gotten a lot more exciting, i.e. hurried. (The only reason I'm blogging now is to give my legs a rest from the endless ups-&-downs on the staircase.) We are scurrying (a repeating theme around here) to beat the storms and be in Dallas by tomorrow night. Our original plan was to drive to Dallas and catch a first class, straight (8 hr) flight to Maui. We were scheduled to stay in the Hyatt at DFW on Saturday night and then fly out Sunday morning. NOW, looks like we'll be in Dallas on Wednesday night. Best case, there will be a first class cancellation ( x2) and we'll get to Maui earlier! Worst case, we'll have a few (bad weather) days to kill in Dallas before we can leave, i.e. "get the hell out of Dodge".

2.) When we first decided to take this trip the weather was bitter, bitter cold. Since we couldn't just "drop everything" we had to wait a few weeks to get organized at work, home, etc. before we were ready to leave. During our waiting period the weather turned almost balmy. I jokingly said, "What the heck? Now that we're leaving the weather's gonna be WARM & SUNNY?" Well...be careful what you joke about. The weather warnings we are getting now sound pretty miserable. Snow, ice, winds, lengthy power outages. Sheesh. I'd hoped it would simply be cold enough to make leaving FUN. I did not wish for a wintry Armageddon. 

3.) I have almost all the Hawaii trip clothing packed. Now...for the Dallas trip. Suntan lotion in one suitcase, de-icer in the other...

1 2 3 . . . Siblings!

 
 1.) I came across this photo of me and my two younger sisters while looking for painting material. From left to right (and age descending) we are Lori, Cyndy and Nell. (This photo was made 2 years ago.) We are each three years apart, almost to the month (I'm a December birthday and the sisters are both Novembers.) My mother always said she planned our births to fall three years apart and I'd have to say she did a pretty dang good job of planning...IF (big IF) our little brother hadn't suddenly appeared on the scene when I was 16, ha!   

2.) ...Also, "Little" Brother never quite fit him, tee-hee. Danny played college football for the Arizona Sundevils and he's about 6'5 and 285#, having taken after our paternal whopping Irishman of Grandfather. (Get a load of those bear paw hands!)

3.) So...thoughts on my sibs...now that I'm 50 (and now that the majority of them are trailing swiftly on my heels): I think they're all JUST GREAT!! I'm thankful to count these three as my sisters and brother! (Love you muchly, guys!)

LOVE and at Least 3 4 U 2, L

1 2 3, Malihini

1.) All my "3's" are centered around Hawaii as we contemplate getting away to our third decade honeymoon. (32 years of wedded bliss, minus a day or two when Ed was grumpy.) The air around us is so rife with excitement it really makes us aware of how long overdue this vacation truly is. We always, always urge our employees to USE every bit of their vacation time because we KNOW HOW IMPORTANT it is for their health and their sanity, for their home lives.  As for our own self care...well, we've slipped too much over these past 5 years. At any rate, 2 weeks in Hawaii should reverse a good part of the damage, hee-hee.  (And if not, maybe we'll just turn around and head off for Jamaica or Tahiti when we get back!) (You know it.)

2.) Here's a list of what we plan to do while in Maui (besides swim, sunbathe, take ocean walks, collect shells, shop, spa day, star-gaze, sleep late, eat pineapple and mango, Kiss, hold hands, drink Kona coffee and mai-tai's, etc.): 1.) Go on an ocean whale-watching expedition 2.) Go to either the Old Lahaina Luau or the Feast at Lele Luau 3.) Hire a private tour guide to drive us (in our rental car) on an all day custom tour of the island (salt pools, waterfalls, rain forest, private beaches, old villages, etc...whatever we want, however long we want. 3.) Sunset dinner & dancing cruise on one of the (yet to be decided) dinner cruise boats. 4.) Air tour of the island in a Cessna (Ed) (and, possibly, me).

3.) What we WON'T be doing in Maui: Deep sea diving, windsurfing, waterfall repelling, monster wave surfing, canyoneering, ATV cross country tours, parasailing, ziplining, or, last but not least, biking down into Haleakala Volcano .

Aloha and at Least 3 4 U 2, L

*Malihini: tourist