Another Month Bites the Dust

I have had this song stuck in my head for like a week.



You're welcome.

They used to play this at the church I went to whenever a couple got engaged. I thought that was like the best thing ever. Everyone cheered and it turned into a party. Not very traditional, I know. Shoot, it was stuff like that that got me in the door and kept me there so long. By the time I was betrothed to BD, they didn't do it anymore. Boo. I still can't help but think of that every time I hear the song though.

Anyway. So I've been gone. Again. Blah blah blah.

I really do have good reasons. Wanna hear 'em? Here they go:

1. I know I've posted since then, but I never really elaborated about our Christmas trip to the Dominican Republic. It was rather awesome, if I do say so myself. We didn't get to go away last year since we were in the midst of a post-deployment cross-country move. And then, over the summer, we were quite The Busy. BD was working and we were hosting company weekend after weekend. It was pretty chock full of activity and we hardly missed getting our passports stamped between beaches, lakes, and San Antonio.

So, yeah. The DR was a great get-away. I slept on the beach a lot.


And we ate a lot. Playette made plenty of friends everywhere she went. We forgot we had brought an actual camera until the last two days. Whoopsie! But I did get this cute little clip of her with my phone after the resort staff handed out gifts to all of the kids. It was an impressive stunt, even after a parade complete with brass band and landing Santa on the beach in a helicopter.

I'm not even kidding.


Obviously, I'll need to devote a post to this trip.

2. Right after we got back, it was off to DC for an amazing New Year's Eve wedding of a very good friend. Can you say Best Wedding Evah? Yeah. Cause it was. From the goody bag in the room (complete with a red velvet Georgetown Cupcake) to the steel drum playing during the cocktail hour to the fun photo booth to the hip hop violinist while we dined on amazing food. I totally made myself stay up until the music stopped at 2am.

Again, I'm not kidding. Hip. Hop. Violinist. It was all sorts of amazing.


I wore my sparkly shoes for the occasion and was feeling super cute, belly and all. Even though several people were concerned that I'd be giving birth on the dance floor. Apparently, I am very large. It's nice that people remind me of that, isn't it?

3. The next morning, we had to hop out of the ever-so-comfortable hotel bed and make our way to pick up Playette from her sleepover with my friend's kids so that we could get home as soon as possible.

Why?

Because I had to fly to Tennessee at noon on Monday (yes, the holiday) to start my two weeks of annual training with the Navy Reserve. Highlight: I got to break out the khaki tent, my affectionate name for the maternity uniform. That thing is not only super comfy, but totally unflattering. And it has no pockets, so it's also impractical. Woot!

I met some great people, had a few fantastic meals, learned a lot, saw the Globetrotters, went to the National Civil Rights Museum, skipped Graceland on Elvis's birthday, and more. If my family had been there, I would have been solid. But they weren't, so I came home as soon as the opportunity was made available to me.

BD did a fantastic job of holding down the fort. And Playette. Of course I mean that figuratively. Maybe.

4. I got home and slept. Because, ironically, while I was busy doing items 1-3, time did not stand still and somehow I crossed over into my third trimester of growing a human. After 12-13 hour days of work while I was away, coming home to my own bed was absolute heaven. The adrenaline rush that kept me vertical through the training faded right along with the second trimester and my body did all it could to recuperate before I had to return to work on Tuesday.

5. And then, on top of everything, work is a boiling pot of stress. I hate it. Did I just write that? I think I did. I really need to do something about this. It's been bad since pretty much Day 1 and here we are five months later and I'm still there.

I have a goal in mind and I've pretty much met it, so I'm about one stupid comment away from being back at home full-time again. Little do they know. Or maybe now they do.

I. Don't. Care.

6. If there's another excuse in there somewhere - and who knows, maybe there was something else - I can't even remember.

But I'm here now.

And I'm feeling big scared great, so let's just ride that out for a while, shall we?

Things are going to drastically change soon enough.

Hold me?

Goings On

You know, I seem to dip in and out of this space a lot lately, but, truthfully, it's summer. And I don't want to look back and say that we didn't live it up when we had the chance, y'know?

So we've been doing just that. And so I'm behind on my emails and phone calls and posts. But that's what winter's for, right?

Know that I won't quit you though, k? I mean, even at the times that I start to think that this blogging this doesn't really mean anything to anyone but me, I get confirmation that what I write matters to someone. Even if it's just one, it's one. And that means a lot to me. So here I am.

There's been quite the activity in the Ds community lately.

First, and most importantly, there was the NDSC Conference in San Antonio, TX, last week. I can't say enough about it. Where else can you spend 4-5 days in a resort setting and hang with a bunch of people that just get it? And then you eat, dance, laugh, cry, learn, speak, and listen. It's pretty awesome.

This was our third time attending. We went to Sacramento and Orlando and it would take something massive to keep us away from DC next July. So get your bags ready and start setting aside your allowance, y'all. It's worth it.

We didn't take a camera, but thankfully others did. I'll either share some pictures here soon or provide a link to where you can see them. Playette was quite the poser so she made it into lots of shots.

Oh! While we were there, we had the chance to go to Morgan's Wonderland and I'm so, so glad that we did. A theme park that utilizes inclusive practices? Bonus.

I loved seeing our friends and friends that have become like family. The only thing that blew was that it didn't last longer. But it gave me hope and the strength to continue to fight the good fight.

=====

Good thing, huh, cause in the midst of all of that warm-fuzziness, there came word of the whole The Change-Up controversy.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...just because you can be a jerk doesn't mean that you should be.

If it's "just words" then why is it so hard to make the switch? It's a matter of respect. And if you can't respect my kid, I can't respect you.

That's the nicest, most concise way I can put it.

If your friends, family members, or co-workers still don't get it, fell free to forward them this.

=====

And then there's this story.

Um. Well.

You may be surprised at my reaction, but I don't think he should play.

To me, that's the definition of treating him special-special.

I'm not a fan of special-special.

One thing I learned from the conference session on inclusive practices is that we can't have it both ways. We can't want for our kids to be treated just like everyone else and then not want them to be treated just like everyone else when it doesn't feel good.

Inclusion, to me, means that everyone is together and supports are provided when necessary. In my mind, it's not that we get the best of all possible outcomes at all times.

I admit, my kid is four. I have a long way to go and my thought process is certainly skewed by my limited experience in the land of Special Needs Parentdom.

I also admit that I don't always take road less traveled. Some days are hard enough as it is and I welcome a break. Any break.

So when someone offers Playette a special pass for free admission to the zoo, I will probably accept on her behalf. See? I'm not perfect. Perhaps that even makes me a little hypocritical.

But I'm not going to be mad at the zoo if we go and they don't offer Playette a free ticket. Because no one else gets free tickets. Does that make sense to anyone but me?

Help is nice, sure. But it's not a given.

So I guess if they had decided that Brett couldn't suit up, but could still do some stuff with the team (which it sounds like may now be the case), then I guess I could be convinced to be ok with that. But I don't like our kids treated like mascots. And I don't think that they should be allowed to break rules courtesy of the extra chromo.

When I was a kid and used to say, "That's not fair!" one of my parents would always reply, "Life's not fair."

Maybe that's why I'm cold-hearted. Or a realist. Or whatever.

=====

But back to the happy-happy-joy-joy! Washington, DC. July 20-22. Come early or stay late. Just be there.

We'd love to see you.

The Travel Deets

Ok, so maybe this will be the most boring post ever, but, eh. I just feel like sharing.

So, I was very proud of myself for being all packed and ready to go last Wednesday night. I even put the suitcases in the car so that there would be no delays in getting us to the airport by 5am. I didn't get much sleep, but I figured that I'd catch up during the two plane rides.

On Thursday, I was up at 4, got myself cleaned up and dressed and then did the same with Playette. We were a few minutes late leaving, but such is life with a three-year-old and a very sleepy mama.

Our airport is close by and teeny tiny so I didn't anticipate any problems.

That was my first mistake.

As I dragged our luggage through the doors, I realized something.

The line was long. Really, really long.

And it wasn't moving.

The plane wasn't there. It never landed the night before, due to fog, apparently.

And that fog? It was still lingering.

After about an hour, we made it to to the counter. The hope was that we could still make the connection, but it was already looking bad. Just in case, the agent saved us seats on another, later, flight that would take us though two different cities, adding another leg of travel and several hours.

I really wanted that original plane to show up.

I had packed a lot of snacks, but still.

Fast forward 5.5 hours, two itinerary changes, another hour in line, a Signing Time DVD on the laptop, two calls to United customer service, two trips through security, and zero planes landing and I was D-O-N-E. So were the snacks.

Playette was doing remarkably well. Since I hadn't packed enough pull-ups in the carry-on to get us through such a long day, I was making sure to take her to the bathroom regularly and she was doing great.

There weren't many breakfast choices, so we shared a croissant, which did not please my companion. I tend to forget sometimes that so many things are firsts for her. I don't think she had ever had croissant before and to have it all smashed and butter-drenched was not exactly appealing to her. Too bad my brain doesn't work the same way.

So, yeah, I was done there. I ended up calling to get on the same 6am flight the following day that we had originally been booked on and when I confirmed the details, I was informed that, yes, I was on the flights, but Playette was not. There was no room for her.

Okayyy.

That wasn't gonna work.

So, my next option was to come back that night and take 3 planes to Wisconsin. It had to be done. There was no way were weren't taking this trip. But even though Playette was in good spirits, she looked awful. She was getting sick and I welcomed the break from the airport.

After retrieving our luggage, a friend came to get us and brought us home. On the way, I called the pediatrician and made an appointment to get the Littlest checked out. The last thing I wanted to do was take a sick kid to someone else's house and get all their kids sick. I at least had to know what I was working with.

After the doctor's office, we got scripts, lunch, and came home for much-needed naps.

At 7pm, the fun started all over again.

This time, though, the plane took off. Late, but still. We left.

When we landed in LA shortly before the flight to Chicago was to depart, I noticed that the carseat dolly thingee was broken. I had made the mistake of gate checking it and they were not gentle.

That, frankly, sucked.

So not only was I loaded down with carry-ons, but now I had the dolly, Playette, and the carseat to get wayyy across the airport to a flight that was already boarding.

I didn't have enough hands.

And no one at the gate was offering any form of assistance.

Until this one pilot became my hero.

He took Playette and I grabbed everything else and we ran. I mean RAN. I was soooo grateful for my tennis shoes and all the miles I've been putting on them lately because we were on a mission. Missing another plane just did not feel like a viable option.

When we got to the gate, I was a sweaty mess and they were waiting on us. Like, "Really? Where have you been?"-type waiting on us.

I grabbed our outstretched boarding passes (thankfully, they thought to change our seats so that Playette and I would now sit together), thanked the pilot profusely, and walked onboard.

There were about 7000 people on that plane. And they were all giving us that same "we're waiting for you" look.

I try not to get embarrassed about things like that that are out of my control, but I could feel my face getting hot. I was already sweaty and loaded down with stuff and we had a long way to the back of the plane. I didn't have the hands to keep Playette close, but, thankfully, she makes friends quickly and was saying "hi!" and waving to everyone she passed.

So, as I fumbled in first class, I looked up and saw a familiar face. When I see famous people, I always first think that it's someone I know personally. It took a second to register that, no, this was not my 11th grade History teacher, this was Smokey Robinson. "Tears of a Clown" and "Quiet Storm" and a million other songs Smokey.

Suddenly, I perked up. I looked at him and quietly said, "I'm a big fan," and then shuffled down the aisle, after Playette, feeling good and humming songs.

We had a pretty long layover in Chicago, close to three hours, so Playette and I hung out in the frequent flier lounge (free snacks!). Guess who else was there? Mr. "Cruisin'" himself.

He made eye contact and I said, "Hello again." He got up from his seat and greeted Playette, who did not happen to be at her friendliest. We talked for a couple of minutes (He said that Wisconsin is beautiful - true!) and then we said goodbye so that he could get back to resting. Playette offered an "I yuh oo" as we walked away.

I was too tickled. I really like him.

After breakfast, we made our way to the other side of the airport (thank goodness for luggage carts!) and boarded the last, short flight to our destination.

It was a long beginning to a great weekend. All worth it in the end.

It's EXACTLY like That '70s Show!

Ok, well maybe not exactly like it.

But it was Wisconsin.

And we were there.

Yup, Playette and I made the fantastic decision to head east for a long weekend of visiting with friends and adding a little bit of advocacy on the side.

Who do we know in Wisconsin? Well, these great folks.

I've written about them here before. They have a daughter named Ruby who is just over a month older than Playette. I came across the family's blog when I was still coping with Playette's dx and I immediately identified with this mom of a little girl who reminded me so much of my own. I'd been hoping that these girls could meet for quite some time. And then it happened.

After initially checking each other out like rival greasy dancers on the set of the "Beat It" video, Playette and Ruby came around and decided to be besties for the duration. Success!

Since we're become friends, the Z fam has grown and, while I was so excited to meet everyone, I was especially looking forward to a hug from Lilya, their newest addition, home for nearly three months now after her adoption from an orphanage in Ukraine. Lily has left an impression on us for sure. I've been home for 24 hours now and I find myself answering questions with her trademark "Dahhh" ("yes" in Russian) and Playette spent the evening asking "uuuup?" just as Lily likes to play.

There's something about being a part of something larger, y'know?

I don't have a big family and whenever I'm around one, I just feel like I want to make myself at home. There's always something going on.

Other than laundry and dishes, I mean.

We played indoors and outdoors. We saw Rachel Coleman speak about her experiences raising her children. We ate friend cheese curds (and ice cream, fruit fluff, pizza, fudge, chocolate chip pancakes, etc. All organic. Ha!). We walked in the first annual Ds Awareness Walk for that area. We saw our kids perform on stage with Rachel during her Signing Time concert. We went wine tasting - in the living room. We laughed. We cried. We shared.

It was a time that I'll never forget and I am so, so grateful for my friends.

We've really met some wonderful people on this Ds journey we're on.

Will we go back?

Dahhh.

Pictures tomorrow...

Getting Settled

I know it may seem like we're always jumping up and going somewhere, and I guess if I only read my own blog, I'd think the same, but honestly? We sit around doing nothing a lot. More than I like most of the time.

But I'm actually looking forward to doing that for a little while because the past month has been craaaazy.

First, the party, then a wedding, then Costa Rica, then my friends up and surprised me, followed by a change in my work schedule, and then we were off to the NDSC Convention.

Yup, we went.

And had such a good time!

For those of you that have been on the fence about it, let me encourage you to attend. Sure, it's an awesome opportunity to learn more about the Ds community and the latest in outreach, research, and opportunities, but what I love even more is the fellowship. It's almost like there are no strangers, just people that have either been there or are headed your way so it's easy to start conversations. What can I say? I just love hanging with my peeps. I like being in a place where when I say my child is 3 years old, I don't get quizzical looks or rude comments.

Plus, there are special activities for siblings and young adults, as well as info that pertains to just about any group of friends, family members, or caregivers.

Next year, the conference is San Antonio bound from 5-7 August 2011. We hope to see you there.

I'll do a recap soon, but I just wanted to come and dip my toe back into the blog pool and remind myself that it's still a comfy place to be.

Aaaaand we're back!

Wow. What a whirlwind!

I don't announce when we're heading out on vacation, but I love to share when we get back.

Wanna know where we went?

Here's a hint:


Traveling with a toddler presents certain challenges, but we're gluttons, what can I say? It was a great experience overall (even though 'skeeters apparently love us) and we're back and refreshed and ready to take on preschool (oh, wait, did the governor cancel that?) and all kinds of other new adventures coming down the pike.

I'll share photos from our trip (birds and monkeys and crocodiles - OH MY!) very soon, but first?

Two of my awesome friends surprised me by flying into town for my birthday so I'm off to entertain them.

Best. Gift. Ever.

Better than Southfork

First off, how cute are they?!


It's hard for me to write about a trip to Dallas without humming the theme song to the TV show in my head simultanously. Allow me to share my earworm with you:


So, about a month ago, that's where we were. Dallas.

And it snowed. A lot. Like, record breaking, flight-canceling, bring your heaviest coat kinda snow.

See?




I had forgotten that even though Playette was born in Snowville, USA, she hadn't actually lived there long enough to experience it.

Well, she tolerated the Dallas snow. Didn't love it by a long shot, but was interested enough to shuffle through the slush a little. Which was better than her mama. I greatly preferred staying inside near the fire or wrapped up in the nearest blanket. I've been hugely spoiled by our lack of real winters the last couple of years.

We were there for a couple of reasons. My good friend, L, inspired us to want to come and see the NBA All-Star game and we took that as a great opportunity to meet the lovely Wendy and her family.

We arrived on Thursday night, slightly delayed due to the weather. Since it was late and icky out, we stuck near the place we were staying and partook of some Irish Nachos and other delicacies at a local spot. By the way, because I know you're wondering, those're potato wedges under all that cheese and stuff. Yum.

On Friday, we got up and went to meet the fam. So. Much. Fun. The kids enjoyed each other right away and it was nice to sit and talk to Wendy in real life. Because usually she's imaginary and lives inside my computer. I think we stared at each other a lot in the beginning, trying to make sure that we weren't living in the neighborhood of make-believe.

We had pizza for lunch and then went downtown to the All-Star Jam Session. This was all about the kiddos. They played and danced and I chased down taco hats and won sweatbands in a push-up contest. Because that's how I roll.



We wore ourselves and the kids out, so the next day while Dads 1 & 2 were at work and the movies, respectively, the rest of us enjoyed the food court all that the mall had to offer.

Sidenote: What do I miss by living in a small town? The food choices. Can you believe that we don't have a food court here?! No waffle fries, no sweet tea, no cherry limeaid. *sigh*

While watching the kidlets at the play area, W and I decided that we had earned ourselves a nice dinner in Ft. Worth. Because, in case you haven't noticed, it's all about the food company of your friends.

We had fun. Have you ever heard of margaritas? They are good.

After (ahem) sleeping in on Sunday and checking out of our adorable B&B cottage, back to W's we went. There was frito pie there. I almost moved in.

But then I remembered that we had a game to go to, so while W and Crew entertained Playette for us, BD and I went off to the amazing Cowboy's Stadium and proceeded to enjoy a fantastic Valentine's Day evening.

It was The Awesome.

Let the countdown to the next visit begin.

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

On-the-job Training, Pt. 1

Before giving birth to Playette, I wasn't what anyone would consider a master hairdresser. I was blessed with a full head of the stuff and have always struggled to keep it in a manageable state. Currently, never letting it get longer than 1/2 an inch is my method of choice.

I've talked before about the 15-30 minute per day struggle that is combing Playette's hair. As well as what it looks like when I don't.

I came across these recent photos and found the expressions on her face simply classic.

Don't worry. No toddlers were harmed in the creation of these photos. Which were taken in an airport. Because I was desperate.

During:

(She is so dramatic.)

















After:

(I didn't even get to the back. But at least my cornrows are improving!)

More Visiting

Over Labor Day weekend, we decided to up and get away for a little while so we headed down to San Luis Obispo.

Playette was so ready to go somewhere new.


We stayed at a hotel near the natural hot water mineral springs. In some rooms, they even pipe that water through to a spa on your back porch. You know we opted for that, right?




A few miles down the road is the cutest beach, complete with a really nice playground for the kiddos.


There are actually swings right on the sand too. It wasn't too crowded for a holiday weekend and it was warmer than home so I was loving it.

Mama's Little Poser
Playette enjoyed sitting on the blanket and eating snacks (her new favorite), which was great because it gave BD and I the opportunity to relax for a bit.




What I didn't notice at first, though, was that she was dipping the veggie straws before she ate them.

First, how horrible is it that she thinks every food needs to be dipped in something?

And, second, wha? Dipping?!

Caught, sand-handed.
Another great thing about being down there was that it gave us the opportunity to spend some time with another family. I mentioned in my post about the NDSC Conference (I swear, I'll finish up my thoughts on that sometime soon) that we had lunch with a lady (and her husband) that I met via this blog. We've kept in touch via email and phone for months and I was looking forward to finally meeting their children. As it turns out, they live not too far away from where we were and were kind enough to drive up and meet us on Sunday.

We ended up meeting back at Avila Beach, where we let the kids play. After a while, we packed up and went into town for lunch.

We were quite the crew, but CPK was glad to accomodate us. Did you know that they give out Goldfish for the kiddos? I had no idea. Does every place do that? I'll have to file that away for later because there's nothing like a quick, familiar snack to tame a hungry little one while you're waiting for the food to come.

Here's a group shot, minus the camera shy dads. From left to right, there's me cheesin', then N, B, Mama A, K, J, and Playette giving me the "I am not claiming you" look. Aren't their girls gorgeous?!


After we ate, we walked over to the mission plaza, before stopping for ice cream, an empty cone (K didn't know what she was missing!), and a chocolate/M&M covered marshmallow. I called myself being good by not indulging and then totally stopped for gelato on the way home. Boo.

Before we said our goodbyes, we tried for another group shot. I love this one because it's just so totally random with everyone looking in different directions and little B trying to hide while K plots to rip out my earring again, some more. (I was ready for her though. Playette does the same thing so I've pretty much resorted to wearing what are essentially break-away hoops.)


I hope that we'll all be able to get together again soon. Playette loves being around other kids. I tried to convince BD that four really isn't that many children, really, and it sure does appear to keep things interesting, but, well, he's not hearing it.

Wimp.

Hawaii: Day 3

This was a pretty full day that started with us meeting up with some local friends who agreed to show us around their island for the day. We really appreciated the time they devoted to showing our little family such a good time.

Our first stop was the North Shore where we hung out at Waimea Bay, which is absolutely gorgeous. We went snorkeling and did some hanging out, enjoying the cool water and watching a pod of dolphins play just offshore.


Before you get confused, that's us - not the dolphins. I just like that picture cause the water's all purdy.

After the beach, we were hungry and headed to Haleiwa for lunch.






Yes, we ate shrimp off of a graffiti-adorned truck. I asked if it was like eating food off a street cart in NYC. If it is, I don't care 'cause it was GOOD.

I was half-expecting Playette's throat to close up though. It would be just our luck that she'd inform us that she was allergic when we were so far on the outskirts. But, thankfully, no issues other than the fact that she roughed me for a nice chunk of my food.

Next, we went over to Waimea Valley Park. It was a beautiful nature walk to the falls. Coincidentally, the distance is just about equivalent to that of hiking Diamond Head, but, yeah. TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

I couldn't resist getting in. When BD took this photo, it had gotten really crowded all of the sudden so I thought I'd help you out some. I'm at the end of the yellow arrow. (check out my mad MS Paint skillz)





The rest of the day, we rode around, getting a great view of the mountains. We didn't take many photos this day because it was all about the video camera. BD is a huge Lost fan (I go along for the ride) and he was getting a kick out of seeing all these different places where filming took place.

All in all, it was a great day.



Vacation recaps seem like a decent idea at first, but then I start to feel like a dork after the first post. Ah, what to do, what to do...

Hawaii: Days One and Two

If you're sick of hearing about our travels, you may want to take a break from reading for a while. I'll be sharing a few of the 406 pictures we took last week.

We scored first class seats (I guess being nice still works) on the way there and Playette got her wings. BD and I got lots of comped food and drinks. Woot!

Playette loved riding in her carseat with the Travelmate attachment. I highly recommend these for air travel.

Our room was great. It was nice and big (which came in handy with Little Miss Busy) and the bed was comfortable. We got a crib for the Littlest, but most nights we were so exhausted we tended to all crash together.

Sitting area. You may be able to tell from this picture the kind of view we had. It was great to be able to wake up in the morning and see the ocean from the bed.

Looking out from the balcony

Looking down from the balcony

It was about 7 pm (3 hours behind what we're used to) by the time we got settled in the room. We met some friends at a restaurant nearby and had a nice time chatting, snacking, and sipping on fruity libations.

The next morning we got up super early, even though it felt like sleeping in, and headed over to hike to the top of Diamond Head. Talk about tough! Mannnn, that thing was no joke! They say it's only 1.5 miles round trip, but when you're climbing about 600 feet at the same time and it's blazing hot? Shoot, I was straight proud that I finished it.

Not quite proud enough to purchase a t-shirt on the way down (t-shirt dude deserves credit for hiking his stand up there though), but still.

That light line in the above photo is the "trail." Apparently this hike is considered "moderate." Ha!

I must mention this: There was a robot woman who was on her third trip up in the time it took us to finish. I have no idea how long was there before or after us. She was no joke. Not only was she fast, but she was serious. She had her iPod blasting, while balancing a Powerade bottle on her head, carrying what appeared to be weighted balls in each hand.

I so want to be that lady when I grow up.

Shoot, I almost didn't keep going when I saw this:


And this:

And this:


BD even had to crawl through a tiny space, with Playette on his back, to get to the tippy top.


But this made it all worth it:







I actually ended up liking the hike after it was all said and done. I thought maybe we should do it every morning during our trip.

That. did. not. happen.

After the success of the hike nevermind when I fell right at the very end and put on a tumbling show for all the other tourists, we deserved a treat.


Mmmmmalasadas!


And since it was lunchtime by then, we, well, had lunch. So what that we still had sugar crumbs on our mouths from "breakfast." It was time.

We ate at a local hangout that served traditional Hawaiian food. Playette loved the kalua pig and laulau. I didn't take the camera because I was working hard at trying to blend in places that didn't have an access fee.

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were whooped. Whooped, I tell ya.

We finally dragged ourselves down to the beach for a while. BD played with Playette in the lagoon and I played with her in the ocean.

That night, we met our friends for dinner and tried FAILED to get Playette in a festive mood for her birthday. She was simply not having it, much to my disappointment.


But wait, there's more...