Another new week

First of all….thank you for the birthday wishes!

I don’t know about you…but shouldn’t a birthday go all week long…not just one day?…that is why every morning i woke up…i had to remind bryan and/or the kids that it was still my birthday week and that i needed coffee in bed….or that i didn’t need to do dishes on a certain night because birthday week officially didn’t end till midnight on Sunday.

I also made it through my first week of torture boot camp…which is three days a week…and the only thing that really got me through the week was knowing that birthday cake was waiting for me at home.

Gabby runs this boot camp through the winter here….and as long as i can walk out of class and not crawl out of class….i’ll be keeping it up.

{i also promised her if she invites me over for dinner to her house that i wouldn’t lick her husband…but so far…i haven’t gotten the invite}

This morning i got into my tighty whities and had bryan photograph me….so that in a few months…i can show a before and after.

Let me just state that the before is not pretty….not pretty at all.

I’ve even decided to cut out the fine boxed wine during the week….and just indulge on the weekends.

Weekends will now officially start on Thursdays though…..and end on Wednesdays.

Just kidding

Not really

really

check check

The family gave me some grey Hunter boots for my birthday…and i just know they will come in handy with all the rain we’ve been getting…..

i also got a super sweet Anthro dress from my bestie back home…..

so i plan on pairing those two gifts up and doing a little fashion friday soon.

This last weekend the sun came out and it was just beautiful…..

{it really has been raining a whole lot the last few weeks…..something no one informed be about before we moved here….}

Bryan is off on Sundays….so we decided to skip church….

{i already cleared it with the big man up above….so all is good…}

and we spent all day there.

I’m also slowly starting to inch my bikini bottom up a little more each time we are at the beach….so that one of these days i can squeeze into a teeny tiiny bikini and not have my white ass honking it’s horn loud and clear.
The kids have really white sunscreen on….like a mask almost {think zinc oxide}….because when i took them on Saturday to the beach….

i lost my good mothering award by forgetting to lather their faces in sunscreen and their faces got some sun.

sheet!

Normally when we hit the beach….we go after school and early evenings….when the sun is not harsh and so we never need to put sunscreen on at those times.

BUTT……

i realized on Saturday afternoon my mistake.

At least they are all caught up on Vitamin D.

Lola is now an official player of Volleyball….

right along with her bestie.

Somehow i was roped into going to the parent meeting last week….

and signed her up for the team.

Lola has never been into sports….at all….

and i mean……

at

all.

So when she finished the week long camp…and was asking if she could join the team….

we sat down and decided to let her try it out.

{even though this is going against my whole philosophy of not doing any team sports while we live here because i want the kids to spend as much time in or near the water as possible since we don’t know where we will be next year…}

speaking of water….

i thought i would bring up what happened to Mason last week while we were at the beach.

It’s so important to constantly tell your kids the dangers of rip currents when going to the beach….the ocean..which is so fun and amazing…is also so very dangerous.

I’m the one that is the water freak….and i just know the minute i get in that i’m going to be eaten alive by a tiger shark….but the kids have no fears…..

and that is one of the things i love.

Mason was pulled out by a rip last week…and even though it wasn’t a big one…it was enough that i could see panic in his eyes and he drifted out pretty far.

He has lost his boogie board in one of the waves…and that was the problem…. he didn’t have it wrapped around his wrist like he should have.

His boogie board came in…but he did not…he was pulled out.

{our new rule is that if you go out with a boogie board…you have to have it secured to your body…just in case this happens again….at least you can hold on to it}

Even though i could tell he was scared….he didn’t fight the rip…..

{just like we had taught him…}

i had ripped off my cover-up {luckily i had a swim suit on..but even if i didn’t….well…thankfully i did…..} and was about to jump in with an extra boogie board to go and get him

when it let him go…he was able to swim safely to shore.

I meanwhile was starting to freak out…..not that he was going to drown….but that i wouldn’t be able to reach him fast enough. Mason is a great swimmer….but even great swimmers drown.

The important thing to remember…and to always teach your kids {yourselves included} is not to panic when something like this happens.

People get scared…and fight the current…and that is why they drown….but if you just remember to relax and let it carry you…..you will be fine.

I kissed Mason on the head…..said a prayer….and we continued our day….but it’s still there in the back of my mind….but i thank god that Mason used his head.

Okay…back to our normal scheduled program…..
I realized i never showed any photos of our Halloween…..

it was 80 degrees…..and we headed to the local “fall festival” at a school…
Lola was an evil sock monkey…..but i liked the costume so much better without the head…

Mason was a _________

{don’t ask…i still don’t know}

and Fin was a vampire who wore flip flops.

The kids loved the “fall festival”….they were able to smash a mini {van not cooper} and no…it wasn’t mine.

They played a bunch of games and then we headed over to our church for a free bbq dinner.

{gotta love a church that feeds the people before heading out to collect a years worth of candy}

and then we walked all around Kilauea town and trick or treated.

The town filled up with oodles and oodles of families….and we ran into so many school friends.

Thanksgiving is coming shortly….and we have two sets of friends coming into town…so i have lots of preparing and cooking to start soon.

We’ve been here 3.5 months { 15.5 weeks} and it just seems to be flying by.

Bryan is working at the St. Regis 5 days a week …..and 2 nights at the Mediterranean restaurant….

we have full benefits now….

and life is treating us well.

There are some thrift stores on the island {quite a few actually} but i’ve yet to find any treasures that i could use to add some fun to our home here.

{i’ll keep looking though}

Even though our life is full and complete at the moment…i would be lying if i said i don’t miss doing a little decorating around the house. The style here is so different….that i might just decide that i love wicker and bamboo and glass after all.

I did collect a bunch of awesome driftwood a few weeks ago….and i’m trying to figure out how to incorporate it in.

Okay…now that i’ve babbled for the last hour….i’ll let you go so you can enjoy a glass of wine without me.

cheers!

HELP

i’ve fallen……

and i can’t get up.

Let me round up the last week for you.

*I’m 37 years old today….

* Lola started volleyball camp this week….

*Lola will probably not be a professional volleyball player….

*I paid my kids $10 each for their halloween candy….

*But damn if i didn’t eat it all myself….

* I couldn’t get out of bed this morning…

* And not because it was my birthday…

*And not because i had too much fine boxed wine last night….

*It’s because I’ve started a new boot camp this week….

*The bootcamp trainer is Gabby Reece….

*Don’t tell her…but i had to substitute vodka in place of water in my bottle today…

*It was the only way i could get through another class alive….

*The class is invite only….

*I had to sell Fin in order to secure a spot in the class….

*It’s all good though….because i’m done with having back of knee dimples…

*I’m going with a friend to lunch…and i’m ordering something fried…

*There is no such thing as fried food here…..

*I might have to sell another child to get some fried food around here…

*And i want that fried food dipped in aioli sauce please…

*Somehow i am now on a parent committee of people that want the schools lunch to be healthier…

*I was forced…..and bribed with quinoa and rice milk latte’s….

*Okay…that was my weekly round-up….now i’m going to go and celebrate my 37th birthday with an advil and heating pad.

*And a glass of fine boxed wine.

*Even if it’s before noon…..

life is like a fine wine


Right now….

our house here is being fumigated….for termites…..

{termites are a problem here…}

and we are checked in to the Westin.

{free room thanks to bryan who works with the parent company now….even if it’s poolside}

I didn’t know how much i would miss HDTV and HBO….but i do.

We can act like normal guests here …..

{not that we sneak in here or anything…}

and i ordered a pool side drink….which was really good.

So good in fact that i ordered another.

This Westin has a really nice gym…with a sauna and steam room…which i will be spending at least an hour in tomorrow morning….

{the sauna….not the gym}

maybe the gym….because my butt is just not getting any smaller.

Which reminds me….i was invited {finally…thanks to my surfer friend Jenny} to a bootcamp which is taught

by someone {sort of famous} but i totally admire.

{If i show up on Monday…i’ll tell you all about it}

Bryan is working hard….harder than he worked in Chicago….but a different type of harder….

not the stressed out kind of harder….

but the …..his feet hurt at the end of the day harder…..

and he loves his new Dr. Scholl inserts.

Our new thing to tell people is…..

we went from white collar…to blue collar …..to NO collar;-)

As the kids and i were sitting in the hot tub this afternoon {legally today…}

i was chatting with a young family that brought up that they would love to move to Kauai as well….

{i think everyone that vacations here….heads home to think of how they can make it work…}

but when i told them that we live on 1/4 of our old salary…..they got freaked out.

Insert gasp

How does a family do that???

It’s hard….

the mini {van not cooper} has two doors that are not working now…….

but if you’ve never stepped outside your comfort zone….

or

lived life …

i mean….really lived life…..

experiencing it….feeling it….doing it….

doing something that you can look back on later on in life when all is normal again…

and flawless….

{is there such a thing}

i promise you….you won’t regret it.

okay…you might regret not having two working mini {van not cooper} doors….and not having DVR…which by the way…i really try staying awake to watch Parenthood =best show ever and if you were me…you might regret bringing an extra suitcase full of cute vintage frames……

…..

instead

you have beaches full of fabulous driftwood…and sand in your toes….dinner on the beach….kids with blond hair…….friends that don’t care what kind of car you drive………schools where you don’t have to wear shoes….and swim suits that are worn every day….and fine boxed wine….

{life is like a fine wine…..if you savor it…and drink it slowly….you can taste the oakey dokey flavor…but if you drink it too fast….you might start to slur your words…and if it’s red wine…it’ll stain your teeth }

give or take….

however you decide to live your life…..i hope you live it to the fullest.

the end

over and out

check check