c'mon we just got the tree

For the past few weeks (pretty much starting November 29) we have been living this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTs5eKZ0i1E

Christmas is my favorite time of year. Lights, bundling up in warm sweaters with hot cocoa, giving and receiving gifts, santa! I just love Christmas. This year was very different than others. It was our first Christmas away from family. We didn't do any travelling... not to Iowa, the east coast or any islands this year....we just stayed home. In our house home.

We were a little sad to not wake up in our childhood home with the siblings/nephews/kids around. However, we were very excited to have our own Christmas together in our new home.

We got a tree and frantically started decorating the house. Christmas music played 24/7 and Home Alone was quoted at least every hour.

As the big day approached our living room got more and more full. Presents filled the living room and Munson sniffed out every one that was full of food.

The Thursday before Christmas, Denver was hit with nearly a foot of snow. Which meant not only an extra day of vacation, but a white Christmas! Munson went psycho, per usual, in the snow and got even more excited for Christmas.

On Christmas morning the three of us woke up before dawn (because we're still 7 years old) and jumped over to the couch to let the festivities begin. The hot cocoa brewed while we opened up our presents from family and each other.

Christmas was perfect. We spent the day lounging, over eating and just enjoying our time together. It couldn't

have been more perfect.

Munson got a giant ham bone for Christmas which she ate within 2 hours and then had extreme diarrhea later that day. Needless to say, her Christmas was perfect.

After overindulging on cookies and candies we decided to eat some substantial food and made a grand Christmas dinner. Ham, asparagus, homemade macaroni and cheese and stuffing! A delicious feast and perfect end to the day.

The next day we cleaned up the house, and said goodbye to our tree. We would have liked to keep it up longer. However, the falling pine needles were beginning to take over the entire living room so we felt it was time to say goodbye.

It was a good tree....next year....

It was a wonderful Christmas. Some would even say, perfect.

WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!

Hello Friends. We are in Denver now. Have been for a bit.

Here's how it happened.

October 26^th 2011

2:37p – Ready to give up, after weeks of tempting yet fruitless searching, calling and emailing on Craigslist for a house in the Highlands of Denver, Tommy emails Dani an ad for a charming little bungalow in the perfect location. The subject line reads “This one’s a real tease”. He debates not sending her the ad in order not to get her hopes up.

2:44p – Dani reads the email and gets her hopes up. Way up.

2:45p – Dani calls their friend Lindsay in the Highlands to have her check out the house.

9:15p – Tommy and Dani go to bed thinking of the home. Dani is excited. Tommy is rolling his eyes thinking it’s a scam and or will get snatched up by the next morning.

October 27^th 2011

8:32a – 4:46p – Several emails are sent between Dani and Tommy about what restaurants and bars are near the house.

6:12p – Lindsay visits the house and its current tenant.

7:06p – Lindsay calls Dani and Tommy and informs them that the home is adorable and tells them “… that place IS Tommy and Dani’s home…”. She also lets them know that there will be an open house in 2 days during which the current tenant will be screening applications from potential tenants.

7:45p – Tommy and Dani make the decision that in order to have a chance at their now dream house, they would need to be there in person at the open house. They decide to drive to Denver from Des Moines the next afternoon.

9:39p – Miss Munson looks confused.

11:30p – Dani and Tommy go to bed after packing up supplies for the weekend, their Halloween costumes (Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf) and a load of belongings to move to Denver early and store at Lindsay’s.

October 28^th 2011

5:45a – Tommy arrives at his job and explains to his boss that he is there 2 hours early today because he needs to leave after lunch to go to Denver. She is clearly upset because it is month’s end crunch time, but understands and gives Tommy permission to leave early for the weekend. She can see it in his eyes – “Do not F with the power couple”.

1:17p – Several pounds of sunflower seeds, Gatorade and Reese’s Cups are purchased at Casey’s in West Des Moines. Tommy and Dani depart for the Front Range.

1:18p – 10:53p – Dani sees a total of 83 deer that she is sure will careen into the side of the Jeep at any moment.

10:54p – Tommy, Dani and Miss Munson arrive in the Highlands to stay with their friends Ryan, Lindsay and Senor.

October 29^th 2011

3:30a – After rehearsing their story in order to make them look like the coolest, most responsible tenants in history, Dani and Tommy finally fall asleep

5:01a – Dani and Tommy wake up in order to be ready for the day. Only 3hrs and 59mins to open house.

6:30a – Munson practices her adorable well-behaved yet playful face. Cleary she knows today is A-Game only.

8:55a – Tommy and Dani arrive at open house, along with close to 30 other applicants. Schmoozing ensues. Munson plays and snuggles with current tenant’s dog. Tommy and Dani learn from current tenant that its preferred that the future tenants have a dog. Dani and Tommy high five when he turns around.

10:22a – Neighbors spot a young couple and a dog jumping up and down in the street and shouting “ADORABLE!!!” and “I LOVE IT!!!” and “IT COULD HAVE AN AWESOME MAN CAVE!!!”.

11:00a – 3:00p – Dani and Tommy tour three other houses and pretend to be excited about them, still thinking about where they will hang which pictures in the house they fell in love with that morning.

4:14p – Tommy and Dani receive an email from the current tenant and landlord of dream house informing them that they are in the top three for the house and a decision will be made by the next day. They flip out.

9:15p – Fully costumed (see previous blog), Dani and Tommy hit the town of Denver for Halloween shenanigans. They tell every stranger about the amazing house they’re going to move into. Dani rekindles some of her Denver friendships.

October 30^th 2011

1:48a – Back at Lindsay and Ryan’s Dani falls asleep with visions of home décor dancing through her head. Tommy eats half a McRib and lurches into bed.

9:30a – Dani leaves to have a wonderful brunch and catch up with her dear friend Oats. Tommy wakes up to learn that lack of sleep, the cold he was recovering from, the altitude, multiple gin and tonics, half a McRib and general stress have developed into the perfect storm of flu bugs. He realizes that he will not be leaving the bed today except to speak directly to his porcelain friend, ‘John’.

11:24a – 3:49p – Dani checks their email a total of 54 times to find nothing new except messages from Barrack Obama and coupons for J. Crew.

4:12p – Tommy rejoins the living.

4:45p – Dani and Tommy receive an email thanking them for their interest in the house in the Highlands and that a tenant has been chosen and a lease has been signed. Tears, shoulder dropping and overeating ensue.

October 31^st 2011

11:10a – Tommy and Dani drop off the rental applications for the other houses they toured and quietly, sullenly depart for Des Moines. All the while trying to point out the negatives of the dream house, lying to each other about parts they ‘didn’t like’.

November 1^st 2011

9:55a – Tommy returns to work the late shift at the job he was hoping to give two weeks notice to. Dani resumes the online house search. Munson makes a bed out of dirty clothes.

10:46a – Every house on Craigslist sucks.

12:30p – Dani receives an email from dream house landlord. The email says that the other applicants that were chosen cannot get out of the current lease and Tommy and Dani are next on the list – “… are Tommy and you still interested? Can we meet up tonight?”

12:30.46p – Tommy receives a frantic call from Dani explaining the aforementioned email. They discuss.

12:40p – Dani replies to the landlord explaining that they had returned broken hearted to Iowa once they learned they didn’t get the house; but after Tommy gets off work at 7:00p, they could do a phone meeting or perhaps a Skype session. Proving that she’s not a nerd, the landlord agrees to a phone call at 7:30p.

12:41p-6:50p – Numerous texts are sent between Tommy and Dani. Most of them intelligible, with the majority saying merely “AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!” with happy emoticons sprinkled throughout.

6:59.59p – In order to make it home to Dani for the 7:30 phone meeting, Tommy sprints out the door of the office. He finds that the Jeep will not start.

7:02p – Wells Fargo workers are appalled at the curse words echoing through their normally peaceful parking garage. Dani leaves to meet Tommy at his work after learning the Jeep will not start.

7:16p – Following multiple “almost electrocutions”, Tommy identifies the problem as a loose battery terminal. He mends the connection, starts the Jeep and calls Dani to meet her halfway in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

7:35p – The dream house land lord, Dani and Tommy begin their phone meeting. Tommy and Dani are unsure whether this is a “confirm lease terms” conversation or more of a “do I want you as tenants?” type of conversation.

7:39p – Dani and Tommy learn that it is the former of the above choices. They know they got the house. They have trouble listening to the rest of the conversation because of their excitement. Luckily, unlike most Colorado leases, there are no Mafia agreements.

8:09p – After agreeing to move in November 15^th 2011 and occasionally watch the landlord’s dogs; Tommy, Dani and the dream house landlord end their phone meeting.

8:10p – Customers in the in the northeast corner of the West Des Moines Wal-Mart parking lot are startled when screams of “WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!” fill the air. Customers in the southwest corner of the West Des Moines Wal-Mart parking lot are curious why people are shooting mice and yelling about it.

A roller coaster of emotions, but we got the house. We love it. Every bit of our home. The quirks, the cracks, the colors... everything.

Dani moved out here a week before me in order to go to some interviews. I stayed behind in Iowa to finish up my job and save a little more moolah. But we're all out here now in the Mile High City.

We have spent the past few weeks making the house our own. Though it wasn't hard. It already felt like home.

Would you like to take a tour?

Hi there. Come on in.

Welcome into our kitchen. Dani has prepared you a delicious dish.

Enjoy. Now lets continue the tour into the living room.

Yeah. If you think this is nice, check out the other side of the living room.

Nice, huh? Now, through those french doors behind you and into the bed room.

Design tips from Judy Willey. On with the tour, follow me back through the kitchen.

But first a stop in the bathroom. You ever see "Elf"?

Here we are in the sink room. You see, much like the Parisian Flats of fancy yore, we chose to have our sink separate from our kitchen. A touch of class. Now we're ready to head to the basement.

Come on down!

Here we are in the scary part of the basement. Lets keep moving.

Ah, that's better. The not scary part. Or as we call it - "The Male Room" (also known as ManCave in some cultures).

And back upstairs we go.

Back to the main level. And there's one more room to check out before you leave...

... the Mud Room/Entryway/Munson Drying Room.

Farewell. Thank you for touring our home. But before you leave, some one else wants to say goodbye.

Arf. Thanks for visiting. Ruff. I got to go play with my best friend senor now. Bark. He's visiting too. Don't forget to check out the tree swing on your way out! Arf.

We love and miss you all.

-d & t.

Hey there little red riding hood

For over a month now we have been applying to jobs and stalking houses to rent in Denver non-stop. However, since being back on the mainland...we had yet to even go to Denver to visit. All of that changed this weekend.

Very last minute we decided to drive to Denver on Friday to check out some houses and hit the city. We packed up and drove 10 hours to be welcomed by good friends, city lights, the mountains...and snow.

It felt so good to be back. The weather was perfect and we explored the city with such joy eager to move here. Munson even got her taste of real powder snow. (Which is the cutest thing in the entire world). We stayed with friends as we went to open-houses and Munson wrestled around in the snow and played with her new best friend, Senor, all weekend.

We saw several adorable houses and put in applications for a few in hopes that we can get the ball rolling on moving there, sooner.

Saturday night we got all dressed up and hit the city. A feeling we hadn't experienced in quite some time. This year, we put the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers costume on the shelf and dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. We were a hit.

It was great to be out in the city, but what was even better was being with our friends.

We all danced the night away and geared up for a big move back to Denver.

We left Monday afternoon watching the Rockies in the rear view mirror for as long as we could. We were so sad to leave but even more excited to go back.

It just felt right. Ever since we decided to move back to the mainland we debated on where we were going to move. The list was extensive and went from California, to Vancouver, Virginia to Tennessee. But we just kept coming back to Denver. Being there this completely confirmed our decision. We love Denver and can't wait to make the city our own.

T-PLUSH!

Phew! What a weekend it was. Brewers made it to the playoffs, Susan Spivey drove 13.5 hours and Tommy and I ate our weight in cheese curds and fish fry.

We had an absolutely fantastic weekend in Milwaukee. We got to the Snyder's around 11:30pm on Thursday and quickly jumped in to party mode. The pidgin started rolling and Braddah Jumbie even made an appearance. Next thing we know it's 3:30 in the morning and we need to rest up for the Brewers game.

On Friday we picked up the cousins at school and headed over to Miller Park. We ate brats, played some corn hole and Tommy even got to be on tv with a few T-Plush fans.

We didn't have tickets for the game so once the tail gating died down we headed back home in anticipation for the mauds arrival.

Half of us waited at home while the other half scoped out a table for the traditional friday fish fry and conclusion of the game. The bar was packed with crazy brewers fans. After the big win, it's pretty safe to say that we are devout Brewers fans now. (sorry Phillies)

The rest of the weekend was jammed pack with card games, drinks, more family and a lot of squeaky cheese curds.

I hadn't been to Wisconsin to see the fam since 2006. It felt so good to be back and made us even happier to be back on the mainland. We were even tempted to consider staying in the mid-west until we remembered how terribly cold it gets in the winter. The Tundra just isn't our style. However, family time is.

We have really missed the family get-togethers, sporting events, and yes, even the cold. We plan on making several more trips back to the mid-west and Milwaukee once we move to Colorado. (especially when the Brewer's make it to the World Series!)

Journey through the mid-west

We have been very busy since moving back to the mainland. Nights out with friends, family BBQ's, family reunions, and lots of catching up.

This upcoming weekend we are headed to the great state of Wisconsin to visit the Snyder's. This fine woman on the left is even making the trek out to visit as well. And I couldn't be more excited!!!

We're looking forward to a Brewer's game, brats and lots of laughs.

A new chapter.

We made it one year and 4 months in Hawaii. An adventure we will never forget. We spent our last few days soaking up the sun and trying to get as tan as we possibly could in hopes that it would last forever (don't worry, it's already faded). The island said goodbye to us with another amazing sunset and perfect water on our last night. We said aloha with a champagne toast and only a few tears.

Part two of the adventure began at the airport. 4 suitcases, a guitar, 2 over-sized carry on, a canoe paddle, oh yea and a dog. We were a little worried about Munson not having any medicine to make her drowsy and being in her kennel for 17 full hours. But, she made it out in one piece and was happy as could be. When we picked her up in Des Moines she darted out of her kennel with plenty of kisses to give us. It was then official....she was a mainland pup.

Our first few hours on the mainland were a bit shocking. Mostly being that it was 60 degrees...all the time. I suffered from some brief frost bite and then slowly adjusted. Munson too struggled to the new environment. She was unsure what to do in a house with now 6 people and 3 dogs. But she adjusted quickly and is loving the non-stop play time and attention.

As for us, we have been looking for jobs, houses and cars. We recently purchased a jeep Cherokee to help us make the trek to the mountains.

We have been spending time with friends and family and enjoying the change of seasons. It's crazy how much we missed the feeling of fall. The endless summer is great...but fall is simply magical.

We welcomed fall this past weekend at Oktober Fest in Des Moines with old friends. We were thrilled to be with good company and cheap beer. Not to mention the brats! Oh the perks of the mid-west!

We are so excited to be back on the mainland. There are lots of things that we are already missing about Hawaii but we know that it will always be there, and we will definitely be going back at some point. For now, we are soaking up the fall and preparing for our next grand adventure.

Don't be afraid of the dark.

We recently have been doing some pretty heavy exploring to continue with our bucket list. This past week we did two of the most incredible things we have done since being on the island.

Our dear friends Danny and Zulay took us on a lava tube dive a few days ago. At first we, (okay, just me) were a little weary to climb down in to a cave in complete darkness and snorkel in freezing cold fresh water in the dark. But once we got down to it, it was amazing.

We only had to squeeze into a few small spaces until the entire cave opened up. Though it was dark, you could see with the dive lights that the water was about twenty feet deep. We snorkeled around enclosed by the lava tube and felt completely separated from the outside world. It was amazing, but we were pretty excited to see sunshine as we climbed our way out of the cave.

As an aloha gift, the boat Tommy works on gave us free passes for the manta ray dive. Close to the Keauhou harbor is the Sheraton hotel. The Sheraton puts dive lights out on the water which attracts plankton. Plankton then attracts Manta Rays. Each night boats, kayakers and divers go out in anticipation of a manta ray show. It's hit or miss and manta's don't always show up. However, we got lucky.

We got all suited up in our wetsuits in anticipation for a show. After the first 15 minutes or so of laying in the cold dark water we were just about ready to call it quits until a manta with a wingspan of about 8 feet came to eat.

Despite the size of the manta rays they are surprisingly not scary at all. Even when their enormous mouths are shoveling in tons of plankton 2 feet away from your face (literally). It was magical. Hands down one of the most amazing things we have ever done. I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance.

We ended the manta dive with hot soup, about 10 cups of hot chocolate and memories that will last a lifetime.

puppy anxiety.

With a big move coming up in 2 weeks, what we are most worried about is the condition of our highly anxious, emotional and less than independent pup-Miss Munson.

She is going to experience a 17 hour flight across the Pacific and later a 10+ hour car ride across the country. Needless to say, we're a little worried.

However, this fellow blogger certainly helped ease our worry of traveling with a dog. (insert sarcasm here). Enjoy.

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/11/dogs-dont-understand-basic-concepts.html

Bucket List

Upon deciding to move back to the mainland we composed a pretty extensive bucket list of things that we must do on the island before we leave. I feel pretty good knowing that we've crossed off 90% of the list in 2 weeks.

Last week we headed to the Southeast side of the island for some jungle exploration and tried to see the lava. We went to the jungle to visit some friends and try to understand why they call the people who live in Puna..."punatics".

We woke up surrounded by birds, jungles leaves, and even a pet monkey. We set off to explore hidden beaches and new territory. We found ourselves in pine forests that lead to cliffs that overlooked the ocean and windy roads through the jungle. It was breathtaking. Munson loved running around the woods and smelling all the trees. Seeing her run around made us even more excited to explore the Rockies with her. She's going to be such a mountain dog.

We spent the morning in Puna and then headed over to Volcano to try to see some lava action. Although we live on an active volcano that is dumping lava in to the ocean every minute, trying to see the actual lava is not as easy as it may seem. Unfortunately, it wasn't flowing in a great spot so we settled for the most recent flow's hardened rock versus the smoldering hot lava. Most of the Big Island is covered in lava rock. We have very few sandy beaches here. Most of the beaches are made of lava rock or you at least have to cross it to get to the beach. The lava rock in Volcano was beautiful. You could see every ripple and air pocket from the previous flow. Crazy to think that just a few years ago the whole town was nothing but hot lava.

We spent the night with our favorite uncles and 6 dogs and rested up for a 5k rainforest run we were going to do the next day.

We ran our first race together through the rainforest and volcano village. Although it was just a few miles it made us excited to move to Denver surrounded by a ton of running clubs, bike trails and hiking paths.

Our last few stops were to a Buddhist temple in Naalehu to visit the monks and peacocks and the most Southern point of the island. Uniquely named 'South Point'. South Point is a famous cliff, off of which Tommy jumped.

We headed back to Kona sad to say goodbye to such a beautiful island but excited for our new adventures.

This past weekend we celebrated with an aloha party to help close our stay here. We invited all of our friends, made a ton of food and dressed in our finest luau attire ready to say "aloha".

Our time on the island is coming to a very quick end. 3 weeks from today we will be headed to the airport and back to the mainland. It's a very bittersweet feeling but we're more excited than anything.

Hold the Phone

We have really big news.

For the past few months we've thought a lot about our lives here in Hawaii. Our jobs, our living situation, our friends, etc. We love Hawaii. The past year+ has been absolutely incredible and we have loved every minute of this grand adventure. But we're ready for something else.

We thought long and hard about this decision. We made a list of our top locations, reasons to move, job possibilities, etc. and we decided to make the leap....to Denver.

We love Colorado. We always have. Tommy has spent many summer vacations/snowboard trips/long weekends and climbing trips in Colorado. Whereas I lived in Denver for 2 full years and felt so comfortable the entire time.

With the busy 'tourist' season quickly ending in Hawaii and a small time frame to fly with a pup, we had to make the decision and book the flights fairly quickly. We will be leaving the island indefinitely September 19. We will be flying to Des Moines for a few weeks to gather our belongings, look for jobs and get situated. From there, we'll pack it all up and head to the Rockies.

It's very bittersweet. Hawaii has been good to us and it's hard to leave. But, we're ready.

So that's that. We'll see you on the mainland!

The anticipated trip to Maui

I'm sure you all have been sitting in suspense just dying for the next blog update. Well, wait no longer...here it is folks!

Maui was quite an adventure. It is a beautiful island and exactly what you think of when you picture "Hawaii". Long white sand beaches, endless tiki bars, winding roads with jungle scenery and being able to see 3 of the other islands in the distance. (because Maui really is, that small)

We had a fabulous vacation. Flying in to Maui was a little nerve-wracking as we were packed tight in a 9 passenger plane and felt some pretty gusty winds. But the view was spectacular and we made it there alive.

Upon arrival we headed over to grab our rental car. We had initially signed up for an extra small/compact car. Perhaps something similar to a geometro? But instead, we got upgraded cheap for a silverMustang Convertible. Talk about living it up on vacation! The car was fabulous and nothing beats the feeling of driving with the top down right along the coast of the ocean.

Friday we spent the day exploring beaches and hanging with our dear friends the Feeny's. Drinks and food are never out of reach with this crowd. We turned in early in anticipation for the big race. The HCRA Canoe State Championship!

The race site was crazy. There were thousands of people there from all over the state. After the canoe blessings and opening ceremonies the show began promptly at 9am. Kai 'Opua started off strong and won the first two races. Then it was our turn.....the Novice B's. We have been working since April for this. We set out to go to states and were determined to win. Nerves were high and legs were jittery as we paddled out to the starting line. We said it was just another race and to just give it all.....and boy did we give it our all.

We put so much energy in to that boat that boat couldn't even handle us. Mid-way through the course, our ama lifted up and we huli'ed (flipped). We gathered our senses and with 2 minutes left to finish the race we tried to flip the boat back over and bail all the water out. Unfortunately, the swells were coming in pushing more water in to our boat than we were dumping out and our boat was swamped. We had the escort boat help us on and take us back to shore....not finishing the race.

We were all pretty upset. We worked really hard for this and couldn't finish the race. However, I like to look at it as just another adventure. Every paddler huli's at some point. It's unfortunate that our time had to be during the state championship...but c'est la vie.

I keep replaying the huli in my head. I'm still not sure what exactly happened or what we could have done differently. But what I do remember is how beautiful the water was. How clear blue the ocean seemed and how I could see the reef crystal clear hundreds of feet below. I remember how nice the chase boat guys were and how helpful the uncles were that helped us flip our boat back. I remember how close I felt in that moment with my paddle girls and how we all shared a laugh on the chase boat. I remember feeling the aloha spirit as we got back to the beach...and being okay with it all. Because that's what paddling is...dedication, love, and aloha.

As soon as we got to the beach it was Tommy's turn to go out and paddle. The mix team was now feeling exceptionally nervous because of our performance but they paddled strong and crossed the finish line in 11th place. They were lei'd on the beach with high spirits.

After the race we celebrated in Lahaiana with friends. We had a few cocktails and had a delicious dinner of pasta and lobster. (Hey, we're on vacation!)

The rest of our vacation was spent exploring the island. We ate incredible food, saw breathtaking beaches and went on the most beautiful ride of my life. We drove along the Northern point of Maui which was windy and at some points terrifying...but gorgeous none the less. We drove along cliffs on one way roads. We saw jungles that reminded us of Hilo, forests that reminded us of Jurrasic Park, Mountains that reminded us of Thailand and rocks that reminded us of Utah. Crazy to think that it was all one island.

We were sad to say goodbye to Maui but confident that we will back again. Hopefully with friends and definitely in a convertible.