Update on Previous Posting

Faithful Readership, (ie, family a a handful of friends) 

If you do not keep updated on his blog. Now you must check out the sweet video that our friend Kevin Mahan made of our trip. 

And while you are at it, check out his wife, Rachel's project blog. 

Exploring the Coastline with Kev and Rach

Yesterday we traveled south on highway one. 

One of our stops was Big Sur, Julia Pfeifer Burns State Park

It NEVER gets old. One of the most perfect places on earth. 

Mahan Trio

Don't be jealous that this is what you are missing. 

Road to Hana

Here is the Road to Hana its so popular because it is filled with waterfalls and rainforest. 

Although it may look like a short trip, the road is so windy that it takes 3 hours just to get to Hana. 

We decided to take the back road to get back to our hotel (between Lahaina and Ka'anapali)

Even though the back road was mostly a narrow dirt road, hanging off the cliffs with signs that warn of no emergency services provided we actually preferred it to the much more popular north side. But on the North side we did see this...

and more waterfalls then we can remember. One of which empties out into O'heo Gulch or the 'Seven Sacred Pools' You can totally swim in any of the ponds that the waterfalls empty in to. Of course all is at your own risk. 

If you find yourself on the Road to Hana, skip the Twin Falls(first stop on the journey) its about a half hour hike to see a waterfall that isn't even as good as some of the other ones that can be seen off the highway. 

We meet an interesting character who makes beautiful shell leis. Although she had a strange obsession with Elvis and his family, all her leis had a story. The one we bought for ourselves is made out of large shells which have to be reborn by being sanded down and polished and they represent Christ. The white represents the waters of Maui and the Green, the rain forests of Maui. She may have been slightly off, but we love our keepsake. 

On the backside of the road we really had some fun. 

And we preferred the off road terrain. I guess we felt more like a local? Or maybe that we were discovering uncharted territory?

There is lava rock EVERYWHERE. 

Open Road

We probably should have taken footage when it was a little more exciting. You know when the cliff was hanging over us, on a one car road, when we couldnt see if someone else was coming at us. But I guess documentation wasnt really un the front of our mind at that moment.

Week 14

We enjoyed our 14th Week in Maui!

More to come on all the fun we had enjoying our "Babymoon" (coined by Ashley Rojas)

(inspired by Pacing the Panic Room's Maternity Series)

Week 12

Starting this week we will be taking weekly belly pics so that our long distance family and friends can keep up with our growing baby!

inspired by: 

the incredibly talented photographer & artist at Pacing the Panic Room 

Things We Have Been Doing Since Nov 16th.

As with everyone else in America, the Holidays are busy. And we were busy.

First we had a Christmas Dinner at work with our students and coworkers


I flew from beautiful Santa Cruz to beautiful Long Beach for my sisters birthday on the 14th of Dec

and I hung out with her at night and with her dog Daisy during the day for four days. It was actually an awesome break, of doing nothing but watching TV.

My Parents adopted Kitty Kitty and then tried to give her away...

Christmas came and we got so many amazing gifts. It was wonderful, I think I might have to do a whole post on the awesomeness of our friends and family and how good they are at giving gifts.

Then we came home in time for our Third Honeymooniversary where we drove Big Sur.

We saw BREACHING HUMPBACK WHALES on their migration route south! Crazy!

Also Elephant Seals hanging out on their favorite beach to take care of their newborns.

Then there was the colony of regular seals

The over zealous and over plump squirrel in Morro bay

And some random birds.



Oh and we stayed at THE most beautiful campground in America

And our tent was on a cliff overlooking the ocean, this was our ACTUAL view!

And a waterfall

If you follow the waterfall up to the tree line, that is where we camped! Seriously why have you not come to visit us yet! haha

 oh and side note: my grandma taught me to knit, I am so proud because it has taken me years to learn and I think *knock on wood* that I finally have it down. This baby blanket goes to the first friend that gets pregnant! So GO! Make me babies to love on!

 

Art Show

So our school is having a staff/faculty art show. I am thinking about entering just for the fun of being in an art show. But I just cleaned out my portfolio of random paintings and I am not feeling inspired enough to paint.

So I guess photography it is...

But I'm not sure what to submit. A little help friends?







And I think Dom should submit one of these...





Can we get a vote?

I spoke too soon....

Yesterday was a gloriously chill and foggy day. So what did we do? Go to the beach and relax with next to no one else there. Amazing. (well that and we watched Babel, which was terrible, 2 thumbs down)

Anyway back to the beach. I painted, enjoying the quiet, cool, fogginess with a hope of cooler days to come.
and Dom got in the frigid water, when almost immediately a seal starting following him around. Seriously like ten feet away and they were in the first wave break. Dom was nearly out of the water when I finally thought that I should be taking a picture, oh well. I will try and get a picture next time because it happens almost every time we got to Sunset.
isn't the beach the best for portraits?
We finished off the cozy day with comfort food. We had chili and cheese dip, tomato soup
with a few yummy extras
finished with a grilled pulled pork and cheese sandwich. In terms of weather and food, it was the perfect day.