V-DAY 2014

HAPPY (belated) VALENTINE'S DAY!  So, our day didn't go exactly as intended but it was lovely nonetheless.  J had planned to take me to Borgne, one of John Besh's restaurants.  J has been before but I have not.  Anyway, he told me he didn't make reservations but he was confident we could get in.  Secretly, in my head, I'm thinking "yeah right buddy."  I mean, it was Valentine's Day after all.  We sat in lots of traffic to get downtown.  The NBA All-Star Jam had started and we were headed right for the epicenter.  When we got to Borgne, we were told it's a no go.  They were actually closed?!?  The entire restaurant had been rented out for a private party.  Which NBA All-Star ruined our plans?  Was it you CP3?  It was time for Plan B.  J suggested we walk to Herbsaint and try our luck there.  Another restaurant J has been to but I've never had the pleasure.  We strolled, holding hands, and arrived at Herbsaint a short time later.  They were open.  We were off to a good start.  "Table for two," we told the hostess.  I could tell by the expression on her face our balloon was about to be popped.  Inside seating was booked.  We could sit outside if we liked, but there was Mardi Gras bleacher construction going on.  The hostess was positive our food would become covered in dirt and dust.  So, I still have yet to cross Borgne and Herbsaint off my list.  Oh well... another day, another time.

I'll leave you with my favorite moments from yesterday... walking around downtown NOLA holding hands with my husband, soaking up the warm sunshine (while the rest of the country was under a blanket of snow), the "Bee Mine" card J gave me, delicious grilled wings in homemade wing sauce that we ended up cooking for dinner, and cuddling on the couch as we started watching Season 2 of House of Cards on Netflix.

Time for pictures!

Earlier in the week we received a surprise package from my parents.  My Mom had baked and mailed us cookies.  They were beautiful!  Looked too perfect to be homemade!  J started chomping down before I could even snap a pic (ie the bite marks).

J isn't a huge chocolate fan but he sure does love Rogue Chocolate Stout.  Thus, I gifted him beer for Valentine's Day.  Wife of the year award coming my way!

We had lunch downtown at Between the Bread.  Neither of us had been before.  I ordered a Reuben and J had the Chicken Salad sandwich.  The food was good and the staff - oh man - they were super friendly!

Dessert after dinner... Oreo balls drizzled with white chocolate.

Our cards for one another...  Don't you love J's diamond mine and the hard hat his little stick figure guy has on?  Safety first!

"SOME BUNNY LOVES YOU" CARDS

I made Valentine's Day cards for our parents and grandparents over the weekend.  I'll mail them out today or tomorrow in time for a February 14th arrival.  I like the cards but I love how the envelopes turned out.  It's so much fun getting pretty snail mail!  Now I just need to make J's card.

Homemade "Some Bunny Loves You" cards

Envelopes

And FYI, the ladies in my family have some pretty cool names!  Kit, Kaiva, and Viola?!

SEATTLE VS. DENVER

What a boring Super Bowl last night!  J and I had dinner with friends and watched the game at their house.  While the food and company were fantastic, we could have done without the blowout by the Seahawks.  Final score 43-8.  Poor poor Broncos.  I was rooting for ya Peyton!  In other Super Bowl XLVIII news... loved the Bruno Mars halftime show and loved the advertisements.  The commercials below were definitely two of my favorites!  And I'll admit they both made me tear up.  Pulling at my patriotic heart strings?  You'll get me every time.


Budweiser
"A Hero's Welcome"

Coca-Cola

"It's Beautiful"

HAWAII TRIP: DOLE PLANTATION, CLARK LITTLE, & SURFING

This is the last blog entry in our Hawaii series.  Enjoy!

12/30/13

This was our last full day in Hawaii.  Kyle had already flown home to San Diego at this point.  So the remaining guys woke up that morning and went golfing.  Daddy took some pictures of Benjamin and J out on the course.

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While the boys were golfing, my Mom and I planned our own fun day.  Alisha was kind enough to stay at home with all the babies.  Hopefully they behaved!  First up was the Dole Pineapple Plantation.

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I'm a hula girl!

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A baby pineapple.  They grow in the ground by the way.  Did you know that?  In my head I always pictured them growing on trees.

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Me and Mama Mia <3

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My Mom and I had lunch at the Dole Plantation Grille before leaving.  It was really good!  I was shocked by how amazing the food was actually.  I had the Kalua Pork Quesadilla topped with Hawaiian BBQ sauce and fresh pineapple tomato salsa.  My Mom had the Teriyaki Chicken on an island-baked sweet roll bun.  We split a Pineapple Float for dessert.

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After Dole, my Mom and I drove to the North Shore to visit the Clark Little Gallery.  You have no idea how much I love Clark Little!  Love love love his wave photography!  I actually wrote a blog post about him HERE in 2012 if you want to check it out.  Such an amazing opportunity to visit the gallery and see his images up close.  I'll be the proud owner of a "Sand Monster" aluminum print one of these days.  Mark my words :)

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Once my Mom and I finished up at Clark Little (and did some shopping at HE>i), we met up with the boys to watch some surfing action.  J got a surf lesson from Sergio.  Sergio started Island Style Surf School.  Very cool guy!  Highly recommend him!  And since Benjamin had already taken a few surfing lessons from Sergio, he rented a board and did his own thing.

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Sergio teaching J the way of the waves.  Practice (in the sand) makes perfect.

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J and Sergio paddling out...

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Benj off in the distance catching a wave.

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These cute golden retrievers were hanging at the beach while their Mamma (a human) taught surf lessons.  They were such good dogs!

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Benjum Noodles finished surfing for the day.

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Wet hugs for Dad!

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Awww.  Mom, Benjamin, and Daddy.

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J catching his first wave!  Go baby go!

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My very own surfer dude.  Love the lighting in this photo!  Love it so much I actually ordered a giant version to frame and hang in the house.

Sadly, our trip then came to an end.  We flew home to NOLA the next day leaving behind the sunshine and warmth of Oahu.  This was such a wonderful vacation.  One of our favorites!  Hawaii is a beautiful place and we're dreaming of the day we get to go back again.

HAWAII PART 3: PEARL HARBOR, SPLASH PARK, & MY BIRTHDAY

Aloha and welcome to part 3 of our Hawaii series on the blog!  This entire entry takes place on December 29th!  My 31st birthday!  Here we go...

We started off the day with some delicious Latvian pancakes.  Thank you, Mom!  Then the ladies (me, Alisha, & Mom) went to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet.  The website says they have 400+ vendors there and I believe it.  It was huge and we didn't even make our way around the entire thing.  We bought some soy candles in coconut shells, a beautiful Hawaiian quilt, Hawaiian pillowcase, and some beachy dresses.  Everything there was super cheap!  For example, when we were at the Ala Moana earlier in the trip, I found some Hawaiian pillowcases I wanted.  The small size was $60 though.  Way too much.  At the swap meet the same pillowcases were $10.  $50 savings?  I'll take it! 

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After the swap meet, J and I went to Pearl Harbor.  Yup, just the two of us. Everyone else had already been.

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J

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"Grandpa's radar"

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"In an effort to deter Japanese aggression, the United States moves its Pacific Fleet from the U.S. west coast to Pearl Harbor in the spring of 1940."  The attack on Pearl Harbor was December 7, 1941.

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J confided he wasn't sure whether or not he should smile in the pictures.  So he half smiled.

Despite arriving at Pearl Harbor fairly early, the place was already packed.  We were only able to tour the grounds and museums.  The free tickets for the other exhibits, like the USS Arizona memorial, were already taken for the entire day.  I'm sad we missed out on that experience but thankful we were able to visit at all.

We left Pearl Harbor and headed back to Benjamin and Alisha's house.  It was a quick drive.  They only live 5-10 minutes away depending on traffic.

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Next up, the neighborhood splash park!  J, my Mom, and I took Andrew and Addelyn.

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Andrew

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Addelyn

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Addelyn

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Me, Addelyn, Mom, & Andrew

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Mom loves being a grandmother!

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The cutesome twosome with their Uncle J.

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Wrapped up and ready to go.

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After Pearl Harbor and the splash park, it was time for my birthday dinner!  We had grilled veggies and grilled shrimp.  J did a great (and yummy) job putting everything together while I got to sit back and drink Latvian Highballs.

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My Mom made one of my favorite things for birthday dessert... Snowcap Pie!  It was so delicious I even had some for breakfast the next morning :) 

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I got a lot of cool birthday presents including this book from Benjamin and Alisha.  Guess what will be living on my coffee table for the foreseeable future?!

So, I arrived in Hawaii as a 30 year old and would be leaving (much too soon) as a 31 year old.  Happy Birthday to me!  Thanks for making the day so special everyone!  The best present of all was spending it with family <3

The 4th and final blog entry of the Hawaii series is almost upon us.  Say it ain't so :(  See y'all tomorrow.

HAWAII PART 2: NORTH SHORE & DISNEY AULANI

Welcome to part 2 of our Christmas in Hawaii series on the blog!  I'm going to jump right in...

12/25/13

Merry Christmas!

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We spent the morning opening presents.

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The boys (Benj & J) got stylish tanks and Chubbies from Kyle.

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After presents, we decided to drive to the North Shore and check out the big waves.  Here is J still wearing that sexy tank!

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Near the Banzai Pipeline... Honoring lifeguards with 25+ years of service, famous surfers who have passed, and pipeline deaths.

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The famous North Shore!  That's Kyle (sitting) and J (standing) in the bottom right corner.

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You can't tell in the photographs but the waves were HUGE!  Biggest waves I've ever seen.  I could have sat on the beach all day and just watched them roll in.

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I was playing around with my camera settings.  This is "fish eye."

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My Mom took this picture.  Look at all the brave surfers out there!  I think this photo gives you a better perspective of just how huge the waves were.

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My beach babe!

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After hanging out at the Banzai Pipeline for a bit, we headed to the Turtle Bay Resort for lunch and drinks.  Me with my parents.

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Turtle Bay.  J, Me, Kyle, Daddy

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Loved this chair they had at the resort!

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Daddy and Mom.  Isn't Turtle Bay beautiful?

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Later alligator...  It was fun!

12/26/13

My bros!

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The day after Christmas, J and I left to go check-in at the Disney Aulani for a few days.  It was an early birthday present from my parents :)

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They lei you when you arrive!

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My lei smelled amazing!  So fragrant!  It died of course after a few days.  J, who also enjoyed the "soapy smell" of his manly lei, got to bring his home as a keepsake.

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The view from our room.

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Walking around the grounds of the Aulani.

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I enjoyed a Skinny Haupia Mojito while we listened to Ben Vegas and Maila Gibson.  J even requested a Jack Johnson song for me!

12/27/13

Those are J's legs!

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J floating along in the not so lazy river.

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Benjamin, Alisha, and baby Cora ended up getting a room at the Aulani, too.  They came up for one night and we all had a delicious dinner together at Ama Ama.

The following day, the 28th, we checked out and headed back to Honolulu.  We had so much fun on the North Shore and so much fun at Disney.  This was turning out to be one heck of a vacation.  J even remarked, "one of my best vacations ever!"  Tomorrow we'll take a look at some splash park pics, our visit to Pearl Harbor, and my birthday celebration!  See you then!