Pennsylvania -----> Hawaii

We've had a handful of visitors since moving to Hawaii and everybody that comes asks us the same thing, "what can we bring you"? It's true, things on the mainland are cheaper than they are here, but we don't need much here. I've asked for a handful of beauty products, some clothes we left behind and a few homemade goodies. But aside from that, we really don't need anything. The one thing we've missed the most has been certain foods. Judy Willey enchiladas, Tasty Tacos, Susan's chicken pot pie, and Yuengling to name a few.

Last week one of my very best friends came to visit. Jesca Prudencio. Jesca has been my friend since Elementary School. My once tiny theater obsessed Filipino friend is now an uptown New York City director. (i'm so proud of her)

Jesca and her family flew to Oahu for a cousins wedding. After the wedding, they all flew to the Big Island for a few days. Tommy and I did the best we could to show them around and give them the "Big Island experience". We took them cliff-jumping, drove on the scooter, played on the stand up paddle board and ate the best food!

Having Jesca here was wonderful. A real taste of home. Central Pennsylvania in the middle of Hawaii. Right when Jesca was leaving, she pulled out of her suitcase the one thing she brought us from the mainland. Yuengling!

As many of you know, Yuengling is the oldest (and best) beer in America. Tommy and I are huge fans of this beer and even had the opportunity to tour the brewery when we were home over the holidays. Yuengling is only available on the East Coast and only in a few select states, it's very hard to come by...and there have been times when we have craved it!

As Jesca was packing up to leave, she pulled out 4 sparkling bottles of Yunegling all for us. We have been savoring every drop of them. We have 2 left in the fridge that we are saving for that "right moment". But for now, I enjoy opening up the refrigerator and seeing bottles of Central Pennsylvania amongst our Hawaiian foods.

Jesca (and the entire Prudencio family), it was so good to see you and I miss you all terribly. I hope to see you all again very very soon. I hope you enjoyed your Hawaiian vacation as much as we enjoyed seeing you.

Operation Make the Yard Beautiful

Since moving in to our house (in August!) we have made it our home. We've added our little touches to make it ours and have drastically improved the property. However, there has always been this one part about our yard that we hated. There was a small fence in the back of our yard that was full of overgrown junk. Palm fronds, weeds, strange tools and treasures as well as garbage. We've always turned away from that side of the yard and tried to ignore it....but a few weeks ago, we said enough is enough, and operation make the yard beautiful began!

We borrowed a friends weed-whacker and went to town. The weeds didn't stand a chance because we were on a mission. With only a few centipede and scorpion scares and multiple trips to the garbage, we had succeeded.

We made a small garden for lettuce and tomatoes, dug a compost hole, made a fire pit and hung the hammock. Our gross back yard had suddenly turned in to a five star lounge.

I think Munson was the happiest of all because we had nearly doubled the yard for her to run and play in.

Since the yard operation, we've had guests and dinner parties but this past week was the real test. We invited our dear friends, the Taylor family over for dinner. The Taylor's are good friends that paddle with us and have 2 kids-Hayden and Katie. Hayden is a campfire junkie and fully endorsed the

mallows and smores in our back yard.

All the perks of camping without having to leave. Our hard work absolutely paid off.

So consider this a formal invitation to all of you back on the mainland. If your'e in the mood to lounge under the palm trees with a fire pit and good company. Come join us here. We'll save you a seat. And maybe a marshmallow.

SUP

I remember sitting on the beach early one Saturday morning last June. Tommy and I were watching the waves seeing if we could surf. As we sat on the beach a group of girls unloaded their trucks, loaded up with water and sunscreen and headed out to sea on their stand up paddle boards. I was infatuated with these girls and the idea of a day long paddle boarding trip. Granted, at the time I had not even touched a stand up board or had any idea how to do it...but I knew, that I would and I was going to do a day trip.

A few months ago, I splurged and bought myself a stand up paddle board. It's 10 feet long and a smooth ride. Perfect for surfing tiny waves (which I am still scared to death of) or just cruising the sea. Tommy and I love it. It's our favorite toy. The only downfall with it, is that we only have one....day long trips together just weren't possible.

This past weekend, we were able to borrow a friends 10'6 stand up board and made my dream a reality. We packed a bag full of water and granola bars, covered our bodies in sunscreen and put the boards in at the pier around 9am. We set out for Keahou Bay, about 7 miles from the pier (give or take). It took just a few minutes to find our balance, and in no time at all...we were cruising! With a few breaks, and only a few falls in to the water, we made it to our destination in about 3 hours.

Although we said we could have kept going a few more miles. When we stood on land-we practically collapsed with exhaustion (in a good way).

It was such a fun morning and an adventure I had been looking forward to trying for months. Just another awesome day on the islands.

Kai'Opua

A few months after we moved here we joined the Kai'Opua Canoe Club. It is traditional form of Polynesian paddling. We were paddling with the recreational club a few days a week which is a mellow group of mostly retired people so we worked on learning how to paddle and figuring out what the heck we were doing. This past month there was a meeting regarding the competitive season. I figured..."what the heck, I'm unemployed. I'll give it a try. At least I'll get coaching and a good work out, even if I never compete". Well, this past week was our first race and I don't want to brag....but we kicked ass!

Our team is called the Novice B's. But, we dressed as Bees-wings and all. We had an advantage as all of us have been paddling for almost a year and had not only experience but the ability to practice up to 6 days a week.

We skimmed the water as our cheering crowd (of over 20 people) screamed for us to "dig dig dig". We came in first in our division with a time of 2 minutes and 58 seconds for a 1/2 mile race. Pretty good for a bunch of new(bees).

I've never really been part of a team or part of a competitive sport as I have done ballet for all of my life. This sport is something brand new for me...and I LOVE it! I feel so free on the water and love using all of my muscles to push a 4,000 pound canoe with a group of girls. This will hopefully be the first of many more races to come. And if we're lucky, a trip to Maui to compete in the Hawaii state tournament. GO BEES

price of paradise

March 11, 2011-a tsunami hit the Hawaiian islands.

At 8pm, I got news from a friend that an 8.4 earthquake shook Japan and we were on a tsunami watch. Shortly after, we were then put on a tsunami warning with the likely possibility of a wave hitting. At around 9pm, the tsunami sirens went off. The piercing ring can make the hair on your neck stand straight up and your eardrums hum for hours.

I packed up an emergency bag and Munson (as Tommy was at work down south in safe grounds) and headed up the mountain to stay with friends. We sat on the deck all night listening to the surf get bigger and louder and the sirens going off every hour.

When we awoke in the morning, after maybe 30 minutes of sleep, we had no idea how bad the damage was. Streets were blocked off and schools and businesses were closed but we had no idea what was in store for Kona town.

Alii Drive, the main road here in Kailua-Kona was hit the hardest. This 4.5 mile stretch borders the ocean and is full of bars, restaurants and touristy shops. At the far end, is the pier and a hotel which was completely under water. Canoes that are held at the pier were found in trees, across the street, and out at sea. Hotel lobbies were flooded and debris was found all over town.

Surges continued throughout the day but settled by evening with a spectacular sunset. Calm AFTER the storm, I suppose.

Water and debris covered Kona, but fortunately stopped 1 block away from our house. Luck isn't the word to use in this situation....

On Saturday, I headed North to do some beach cleanup at my new job at one of the resorts. Furniture, debris, fish, trash, etc. covered the grounds. Canoes again, were found split in trees and materials across the complex. It will take days, if not weeks to rebuild.

Going through this was one of the scariest things I've ever been through. When I was packing up our emergency bag I was scrambling throughout the house trying to choose our most valued possessions. In that moment, nothing mattered. No clothes, books, surfboards, or even pictures mattered...only our loved ones.

We, and Hawaii, are fortunate that nobody was hurt. Buildings were ruined, businesses destroyed, property damaged, but nobody was hurt.

Kona is now focused on cleanup and rebuilding. Streets are still blocked off and beaches are still closed. However, through all of this, the Aloha feeling is even more prevalent. People are eager to help others and volunteer where needed. Now, Ohana means more than just family.

Living in the islands is wonderful. The sun, the ocean, the people. But even paradise, has a price.

Life in Hawaii will continue. We and everyone will get through this and life will get back to normal. We are grateful for our loved ones and everyones thoughts and prayers across the mainland. Thank you for your concern and know that we are safe and sound. Just another adventure in our Hawaiian story.

Camping at Kiholo Bay

In the Fall of 2009, surrounded by the red rocks of Moab, Utah, we snuggled up in a tent and talked about Hawaii. It was when we were camping that the conversations started and the thought of actually moving to Hawaii together became a possibility.

We love camping. Moab was exactly half way for us. 5 hours from St. George and 5 hours from Denver. We used to pack up the cars and meet in the middle for a weekend of camp fires, tents, and chilly evenings. Since moving to Hawaii, we've missed camping. We love the exhilarating feeling of packing up the car for the weekend. Driving hours to find the perfect destination and setting up. Unfortunately, you can drive around the entire island in about 3 hours so the "road trip" feeling doesn't really exist. However, this past weekend. We decided it was time and we went camping.

We packed up the car with our boards, tent, hot dogs and beer and set out about 35 minutes outside of town to a place called Kiholo Bay. We were weary at first because it was a holiday weekend and the beach was packed! However, with a little cruising, we were able to find the perfect secluded camp site and parked right on the beach.

We spent the day on the stand up paddle board and whale watching. Tommy strummed the ukelele while Munson and I snuggled up in the sand.

The evening was closed with hot dogs on the grill and a champagne toast to one of the most beautiful sunsets we've seen since living here. The sky was a radiant orange/red and the sun fell perfectly behind the palm trees. It really felt like we were in a post card. But no, it was real life. Our life.

In the morning, we paddled out on the water that was so clear it was like riding a glass bottom boat. We shared some breakfast and headed back to town.

It was a fabulous weekend and we're kicking ourselves for not finding this spot sooner. Good thing, we live here and can go any time we want. Next time, I hope you'll join us...

Love and Aloha,

D & T

Another new addition....

Not being employed has its ups and downs. Of course it's nice to lay on the beach and soak up the sun all day. It's nice to come home to a clean house and sleep past 6 am if you want. But it's also very lonely. With Tommy AND Munson being gone for 8 days at a time every other week, it can really take a toll on you.

I've been baking and gardening, working out more, and recently started volunteering at the Humane Society. What a treat that is. Little puppies there to give you endless affection, even when you're lonely. There is something about snuggling up with a 9 week old shar-pei that tugs at your heart strings...

Tommy came back after another long week at work this past Thursday and we decided....it's time for a new addition....

With both of us leaving our jobs (soon) we decided it was absolutely necessary. One, if not both, of us will be at work at different hours. Someone will be out using the car while the other will be here in town. So we pulled the trigger and we bought one.

No....we didn't get another dog. Tricked you!

We would like to now introduce you to Francesca Giovanni Vincenzo. The Yamaha version of the Italian Vespa. A Vino. She's a beaut. Dark burgundy and cream with a nice basket on the back. Perfect for a few groceries, or a smaller puppy--someday.

We knew that we would have to have 2 means of transportation with us having different jobs and we got a great deal from a friend on this one. We just couldn't resist! How could you?

It's great on gas mileage (as in $5 will fill the tank for the week) and perfect for just a few miles to and from work. Plus, it's absolutely adorable.

With the open road, the wind in your hair, and the ocean to your side, it really is the life. We feel like real kama'ainas (locals) and are living the full Hawaiian experience. Life is good.

And maybe someday Munson will get a brother or sister. But not quite yet.