Hawaiian Holiday

I've always wondered what Christmas in the islands was like. Do they decorate palm trees? Drink hot chocolate out of coconuts? Make sandmen instead of snowmen? It all seemed so foreign to me.

And now I've experienced it. No, they don't typically decorate palm trees. Instead, they choose to decorate the downtown streetlights with garland and red and green ukeleles. Apparently, that's totally normal. Mele Kalikimaka is played give or take every 3 minutes on the radio and snow actually does exist so snowmen are possible.

Yes, it's true. There is snow on the Big Island of Hawaii! In fact, just this past weekend there was a snow and blizzard advisory for the top of the 13,000 foot Mauna Kea Volcano. Driving towards the mountain was crazy. I felt like I was back in Colorado, giddy over the first "fresh pow" of the season.

And if snow wasn't enough to get you in the holiday spirit...we had our own Hawaiian Christmas this past week. We decorated our mini Christmas tree, lined the table in presents and candy and woke up early to see what Santa left. Seeing as it is Munson's first Christmas...she was a little spoiled. Lots of new toys, treats and clothes. (Just to make her even more adorable). Tommy got a new longboard which he let Munson pull him on all morning.

Next Thursday, we are headed back to the Mainland for a Christmas/New Years Extravaganza. First off to Des Moines for Christmas, then meeting the Spivey and Willey family in Orlando at the most magical place on earth! We are absolutely so excited and cannot wait to feel that crisp Mainland air. It's been dropping to nearly 60 degrees here at night and I'm freezing so this trip could turn out to be a near death experience. I'm slightly worried.

As wonderful as the Hawaiian holiday feel is, I'm really looking forward to bundling up, playing in the snow, smelling real Christmas trees and being with family. There really is no better place than home for the holidays.

Circle of Life

We hate to be the bearer of bad news but there recently was a death on the Big Island. Our 1980 Datsun Pickup truck, Old Chub, is no longer with us. He had a good life and ran until he could no longer run anymore. On Thursday, November 11, 2010, Old Chub took his last breath on the side of the road and had to be towed back to his home on Plumeria Street.

But every cloud has a silver lining and out of old chub came a new jewel. A hidden jewel by the name of Julia. A turquoise Ford Explorer with the power to go off-road and enable 4WD. The ability to hold more than 2 people comfortably and the ability to drive without the constant fear of explosion or death. Yes, Julia came in to this world and was adopted by Tommy and Dani.

Julia, who came from the mountains, is adventurous. She loves to get dirty and explore new lands. She loves the color of the ocean and having her back seats covered in dog hair and fun toys like paddles and surfboards. This past weekend, we had to see what Julia was really made of and took her to our favorite place-Waipio Valley. We have waited months to go back to Waipio because we didn't have a 4WD car, but now was our chance and we embraced it.

We packed Julia up full of snacks, surfboards and adrenaline and headed down an extremely steep grade hill into the Waipio Valley. It was beautiful, and such a rush to actually drive down.

We spent the day lounging on the beach surrounded by cliffs, exploring the jungle and running through trails and riverbeds getting our paws muddy. By the end of the day we were beat and ready to take the DRIVE (not hike) back up the hill.

Although we are sad to say goodbye to Old Chub, we are very excited to have Julia in our life to allow us to go on these awesome adventures. 4WD is somewhat crucial here in Hawaii and we are very excited to be able to finally experience it.

Life is one long weekend

It is easy to lose track of time here. The constant sunshine and feeling of permanent vacation just gets you in that mindset. Our job makes it even easier to do so. With our schedule, we have a week on and then a week off. Which essentially means we have a Hawaiian vacation every other week. Not a bad gig.

During our weeks off we have been living the ultimate Hawaiian fantasy. Secluded beaches, surfing, cliff-jumping, endless amounts of fresh fish. Life is good here.

Our most recent find is this place called "The end of the world". It's about a 10 minute drive from our house and is a cliff-jumpers fantasy. Huge rocks to climb only to jump in to the most crystal clear water you could imagine. It takes some guts at first, (it took me a few hours to get the courage), but once you jump...woo! what a feeling.

Another wonderful feeling is standing up on a surfboard. Now, I am not quite a pro at this one yet. I am much better at falling and crashing in to the reef and being terrified of eels, sharks and any other animal with teeth biting my toes off. However, Tommy is hooked. Paddling out, watching the swells and then using every muscle and ounce of energy in your body to catch a wave and ride it...it's invigorating.

Me, I'm more of a stand up paddle board kinda gal. It's the new craze apparently. Longer, thicker surfboards with a paddle that enable you to catch every wave and just cruise the water. I love it!

When we're not surfing, cliff-jumping or riding waves, we're usually paddling. We've joined a Polynesian canoe club that goes out Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings. An Outrigger canoe is essentially a longer canoe that typically holds a team of 6 people. There is a small

ama attached to the side which helps keep it balanced. The paddling part is nothing like canoeing or rafting as you have to press down on the water instead of pulling back. But once the boat gets moving...you can really haul! It's even better to go out in the mornings and watch the sunrise over the mountain as dolphins swim right next to the boat. It truly is paradise.

We miss you all like crazy and hope that you are able to come visit and experience these things with us. We can promise a fantastic time! Hope to see you soon. Aloha.

Halloweenie

In the beginning, we were a little hesitant to celebrate Halloween on the Big Island. We had heard endless stories of how lame the Big Island is in regards to parties and that Honolulu was the place to be. Unfortunately, with the hospital ordeal and our tiny bank accounts-Honolulu was out of the question so we risked it in Hawaii.

And boy are we glad we did. We spent that night at our friends house called "The Dirty Shack". It's basically just a huge plot of land with "shacks" on the property that overlook the gorgeous Kealakekua Bay. Well, the dirty shack certainly knows how to throw a party with dj's, fire twirlers, and tons of fun.

We started off the night as Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton but ended it looking more like trashy rednecks. (not far off).

A few work friends joined us and we had a fabulous time. Whoever said that the Big Island does not know how to celebrate Halloween has clearly never been to the Dirty Shack.

Blast from the Past

Have you ever come upon an experience that felt like it had the ground work laid out for you before you were even born? And then over time evolved and grew and finally found a way to enter your life? Dani and I had had just that experience this past weekend.

Decades ago Capt. Edwin Allen owned a four seater Comanche plane. He used it to buzz around the cornfields and take his children out to breakfast in a different part of the state each Sunday morning. Eventually he sold his plane and it traveled the country with different owners, even making it up to the last frontier, Alaska. Which is where Capt. Allen had resided years earlier before it was even a state. But the Comanche missed meeting him there by a few decades. By the time the plane come into the ownership of its current pilot, Mike S., it had lost its original red and white paint job and gained a patriotic white coat with blue and red stripes. Mike decided that like most things and people, this plane wanted to be in paradise. He commissioned a another professional pilot fly the plane from California to Hilo, Hawaii. He made the 13 hour flight alone (the three other seats had been removed and shipped to make room for auxiliary fuel tanks). So there, across the Pacific, on the east coast of the Big Island, making charter air tours and flying auxiliary for the Coast Guard, lived Pilot Mike and the Comanche.

A few years ago, Capt. Allen found his old plane and new owner through the federal aviation registry. He wrote Mike a letter describing his adventures and his connection with the aircraft that went beyond mere ownership and sat satisfied reconnecting with a piece of his past and knowing it was still making people happy.

And then Capt. Allen learned that his grandson (me) was moving to the Big Island of Hawaii. Grandpa was beyond excited to give me the story and pictures and contact information for his old fly machine. I took the papers and went on my way to Hawaii and like with the majority of other aspects of my life, procrastinated to get a hold of Pilot Mike. I was also nervous to call up a stranger and try to get through that first few minutes of trying to explain how he should care about talking with me- "Um, you have plane... I have Grandpa... And ummm... " and the like.

A few weeks ago I was able to muster up the effort and call him. And of course, it wasn't nearly as awkward as I was making it out to be and Mike was very nice. He said that he remembered my Grandpa's letter. He said that he had been contacted by other former owners of the plane, proving that this machine makes a connection not easily faded away. Mike told me that if Dani and I were going to be over on his side of the Island to give a few days notice and we could come take a look at the plane and maybe even go up in it. This was more than we expected.

This past weekend it worked out perfectly. A friend is moving off island and we went to Hilo to send her off right with a hat and sunglass party and the next day we were able to meet up with Pilot Mike and the Comanche.

We drove the back roads to the old Hilo airport and were met by Mike to walk out onto the runways after passing through security (a gate). We walked by WW II era crop bi-planes and after passing a few rusty t-hangars, we saw her. Sitting shiny in her home, not looking a day over 10 even though turning 50 this year. We walked around the plane while Mike explained everything thats been upgraded on her and just what makes her such a sought after plane. Of course this aviation jargon was completely lost on our ears but we still understood. It is a beautiful aircraft. We took pictures, asked rookie questions and just waited for him to ask it. And then he did, "So you guys want to go up for a quick buzz?"

First we had to be outfitted with awesome flight/flotation jackets and given the slightly terrifying 'If we have to land on water' speech. Mike took us up 1000 feet above the coast of the Big Island and for about 30 minutes we marveled at coral structures, lush jungle farm lands and waves crashing against lava pouring into the ocean. And feeling really cool the entire time because we got to talk through those awesome headsets. Mike explained the reason for the more air turbulence over the land and we tried to pretend we weren't getting woozy as we prepared for landing. I always wondered what landing was like in those little planes. If you have a great pilot like Mike, they're like buttah.

We helped Mike put the plane back in its hangar and completely wore out the phrase 'Thank you so much'. I told him how much it meant to do this and how thrilled it will make Capt. Allen. Mike told me how touching he found my grandfather's letter.

Capt. Edwin Allen has led and continues to lead an amazing, even legendary life. Dani and I left this experience wondering what we have done in our lives that has set the wheels in motion for the possibilities of amazing experiences for our future family and friends.

Go out and live.

Hilo Hospital

To all of our bloggers out there-I'm sorry it has been a while since our last update. This past week has been a little hectic to say the least.

Last Wednesday I was feeling some slight back pain. I rubbed my favorite remedy (icyhot) on and headed to work Thursday morning. Unfortunately, Thursday night turned in to an all night affair with excruciating back pain and discomfort. I was taken out of the field and spent the next few days at base sleeping and trying to rest up to head back to work.
Unfortunately, that plan didn't quite work out as planned and Tommy took me to Hilo Hospital Monday morning. After a ton of tests including MRI's and CAT scans, I was diagnosed with a kidney infection and lesions on my kidneys.

For the next 4 days Tommy and I cuddled up in a hospital bed watching non-stop cable tv and having nurses poke me all day to take my blood, vitals and IV's. Not to mention, listen to our old Hawaiian roomate who had some serious issues with her bowels. We won't go in to detail there.

After some extensive antibiotics the doctors released me on Thursday saying I was healthy enough to go home. Days later I felt phenomenally better-almost like nothing had happened. I am still on antibiotics but am feeling immensely better. Despite being on an island what feels like millions of miles away, I am so grateful for our supportive friends and family who sent warm wishes along the way. In addition to wonderful doctors and nurses who treated me with such care.

It seems like it should be illegal to have a dog in Hawaii that doesn't like the ocean. But surprisingly...we have one. She doesn't hate it. But she doesn't love it. This past week was dedicated solely to Munson loving the ocean. Code name "Doggy Diving".

We have found the dog beach which helps Miss Munson not only make friends but also play in the water. It is official-Munson has more friends than we do. So that was a success (I guess). Her loving the ocean as much as we

do though... we're working on it. She's not quite there yet.

She flops and flails and doggy paddles here way back to shore but my god is she cute when she does it. Here are a few pictures to prove it...

A new pup and a new home.

With a new addition to our family it has become quite necessary that we move out of our teeny tiny studio apartment. The three of us in one room and hardly any yard just wasn't going to cut it anymore. Before we went to work last week we began looking in to some other houses in the area. The only requirements were that it had a yard and was walking distance to the beach. Little did we know that we were going to land the perfect beach bungalow.

We found a house on Plumeria Street (how Hawaiian) that we were a little hesitant about at first. It resembled somewhat of a shanty town with hardly any lights, tarps used as roofs and trash everywhere. But with a little elbow grease, some bleach and new lumber we were able to make this house a beautiful home. Tommy has been working diligently with his fancy new tools to make a fence and gate for Munson, a kitchen table and knick knacks for the home. While I have been busy gardening, painting any piece of furniture I can get my hands on bright colors and cleaning.

Our new home is a 2 bedroom house. Though one of the rooms is more like a bonus room that we like to call the Kapua Suite for our guests. (Consider this the formal invite). It has hardwood floors throughout the house, french doors that open up on to our deck, a beautiful stained glass window, a big yard for the pup and a backyard full of papaya and banana trees. (Note: the banana trees will be ready in about 3 weeks!) Not to mention, it's a 5 minute walk to a beautiful secluded black and white sand beach.

We've turned our backyard in to an island getaway with hanging lights, lounge chairs, candles and plenty of flowers and herbs. I feel very at home in our new place and am looking forward to another new beginning and adventure in Hawaii. We hope to see you here soon.

Love, Dani, Tommy and little Miss Munson

Miss Munson

A few more pics of our adorable pooch...Miss Munson.

A new addition

We would like to now introduce the newest member of our family...Miss Munson Goodley!

Yes folks, the rumors are true...we got a dog. We went all over the island and found the most perfect fur tube you could ever imagine. She is a 9 month collie mix but we think she's more of a fawn/crack fox mix.

She has a little bit of a retard cross-eye and recently had surgery so having her wear the cone is the icing on the cake. It's a little frankenstein-esque.

But we love her so much and are very proud parents

xo

d, t & m

Big Things

Hello out there to all of our friends, family and those of you who heard of our blog on last week's Access Hollywood. The biggest news in the world of the Big Island Power Couple (us) was my new position at our job. Tomorrow I start as a Field Supervisor. This was a surprise happening so early, but we feel really good about it. What were most excited about are the new possibilities available to us. As field instructors we were not able to have a dog. But now with my position we might be able to have an addition to our family. We've begun the interview process, holding numerous appointments at the Hawaii Humane Society. Hopefully in the near future we can find a suitable candidate. Its just like hiring some one, just fuzzier.

Although, this means having to look for a new place to live being that our current home is not as dog friendly as we are looking for. We do love our little beach studio but we're thinking that some more room would be nice. So we are starting that process also. We did find a cute trailer-like home for sale on the right on the water. And at 1.2 million how can we pass it up? So we're holding a bake sale soon to get a down payment. Wish us luck.

Well thats what you get for now. I hope you all are living life well.

We miss and love you all.

d & t

The most beautiful place on earth.

In our last post we talked about the most beautiful place on earth (to us)-Waipi'o Valley. Here are a few pictures from this magical place.

all our love-dani & tommy (power couple)

For Susan.

How to begin? Life has continued to happen as we spend our days here in beautiful Hawaii. Its getting late (8:30pm) and tomorrow we head out for another shift. But we are pressing through the night and burning the midnight oil to keep our many followers out there informed on the goings on for Dani and Tommy. So here are some highlights since we last checked in.

We have continued to settle into our home. The key is having different names for the different "rooms" in our home (studio apartment) and only allowing appropriate activities in each. Like it is strictly forbidden to eat in the bedroom; even though the bed and the stove are physically touching. Its the little things, you know? We've made it more our own. With little bits of friend art, wine bottles and calendars of cats wearing several different hats. Dani makes guacamole while I strum blues riffs on the ukulele, its fantastic.

It was an all around fun week, but by far the crescendo was having our first visitors. Friends from the great state of Iowa were out and it solidified our presence, our home. We are officially living here, we've had visitors. That has to be some sort of certified qualifying event for status of where you live. And it was wonderful to have old friends to spend time with. We were able to feel like locals while we went to a secluded beach and hit the good little food spots, all the while in the company of a fantastic couple of people. Thank you so much for making us a part of your vacation Jay and Ella.

Another big style moment of the week was our day trip to Waipi'o Valley. Its about an hour and a half away and was recently voted by a panel of local judges (Dani and I) to be the most beautiful place they've ever been. Towering rock cliffs, jungle waterfalls, and a river running through a field of fern, banana trees, and giant taro leaves into the ocean to be met by back breaking waves crashing onto a mile long black sand beach. Absolutely amazing. We layed on the dark sand, hobbled around on the rocks, hiked streams through the rain forest, and picked avocados from reachable branches. We had a great conversation with one of the few valley residents (shacks and small horse ranches completely off the grid) but the talk had to be cut short due to the only down side of the area; the mosquitoes. But they are only back in the thick, out on the beach its breezy and clear. I hope to be good enough someday to surf there. We watched a few brave wave riders for a while. I felt like I was in a surf video. Another down side of the Valley is that if you don't have a 4x4 (we don't) you have to hike down and back out (we did). The hike in isn't that bad but the hike out is vicious. Granted its on a "road" and not that long, but goodness gracious is it steep. Our calves and glutes were burning something awful when we got back up to the truck at the end of the day. Luckily we were able to find super greazy burritos and enchiladas to revive our worn bodies. I immediately began looking for a 4x4 on Craigslist when I got home. Waipi'o Valley is a place I think we will become frequent visitors of. And I don't think my knees can take it.

Well we should probably head off so we can be well rested for the week of life changing role modeldom coming up. But I can't part without telling you that we went surfing this morning and Dani got up on her knees on at least 2 different waves. Which is exponentially better than the awkward flopping about and flailing that I do on the board out there.

We'll try to get some pictures of our adventures up again soon.

We miss and love you all.

Tommy & Dani

our little house...

the bathroom---

the kitchen---

kitchen---

the bedroom---

the living room---

the living room---

the porch---

the view at sunset--