Magic...

Even as I sit down to write this post, I can't help but smile with my whole being. On 3 October Scott arrived back on U.S. soil and we began our month-long journey that would take us from Kansas to Florida and back again (well, we really live in Missouri but its so darn close to the state line). We got to spend time visiting with his family, he finally met my parents, and then we headed to Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys. This is a 5.5 acre island off Little Torch Key that is designed to be an absolute escape. There are only 30 bungalowsand no one under the age of 17 is even allowed on the island. While we were there the resort was almost completely filled but we saw maybe 3 or 4 other couples during the day. Gotta love that! Let me give you a little tour...

The resort is only accessible by boat and The Truman or The Woodson, both wooden crafts, ferry guests and staff to and from the island every hour. Once you arrive, your things are taken to your bungalow and you are free to "do whatever you want" (this was told to us many times by staff members, however the motto of the resort is "Get Lost").

This is the porch with a baby grand piano (there is live music every night), and down the steps on the beach is a fire pit where you could chillax with a cocktail and watch the sunset over the crackling fire.

Here is our dinner view. We would eat after the sun went down but the tables were set up so that everyone had a perfect view. The food was absolutely fabulous and we went on a ceviche tour during the time we stayed (they served a different ceviche appetizer choice each night). I also had the best Mojito I've ever had there.

Breakfasts were a little different. We chose to order the night before and have our

breakfast served on our private porch...

Our bungalow was perfect, see the photos, no explanation necessary.

Just perfect. And of course I wouldn't want to forget about our neighbors...

As part of the services to guests, 13ft Boston Whalers, kayaks, and sailboats were at our disposal. We kayaked one day (with our fishing poles of course!) and then spent two days lobstering. This is me with seven of our lobsters (I caught two myself!)

But even though all of this was marvelous, of course my personal favorite part was sunset on Wednesday 20 October, 2010, when Scott & I stood out on the beach and pledged our love and lives to each other. The photographer did a remarkable job and has put the photos into a slide show. Please go to: http://www.vimeo.com/16115553 and use the password TinaScott. I am sure you will love it :)

Thanks to all of you for your wishes and congratulations. Its a wonderful feeling to have so many people in the world who care about us!!!

Some Hawai'ian Memories...

Pete & Kim, my Hawai'ian peeps (also big Patriots fans)...

Mikayla & Utu (Chris & Sarah's pooches) playing in their favorite

watering hole...

Me, Ryan(sunglasses), Megan, Chris, Sarah, & Jesus (in front) before heading out for Ryan's birthday to Señor Frog's in Waikiki

Pineapple fields....

Chris and Utu on a hike near the house...

Hamakua Marsh (I just loved the color contrast)...

Chris & Sarah

(my friends and gracious hosts)...

Waikiki at night (from the balcony at the Hula Grill)...

The best waterfall I saw on Oahu (don't know the name)...

Traveling to the north shore of Oahu & going to Turtle Beach where the Hawai'ian sea turtles beach themselves daily to bask in the warm sun and sand...

Saying goodbye to Morio of Morio's sushi, the absolute BEST sushi I have ever had....

For some reason, most of the Japanese tourists at the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings felt the need to pose with a green pepper and a peace sign so of course I didn't want to miss out on being a cool tourist...

Loads of great memories & experiences packed into 2 1/2 months...mahalo to

all my new Hawai'i peeps for such a wicked good time!!!!

Mt. Olomana

This was by far the most intense hike during my time in Hawai'i. I use the term hike loosely, because there was just as much rock climbing and repelling involved as there was hiking. Now, there are actually three peaks to this particular hike. Olomana is the name of the highest of the three peaks only, which is also the first peak along the Olomana Trail that links all three. The second peak along the trail is Paku'i, better known as Olomana's "second peak," and the third is Ahiki, better known as (surprise) Olomana's "third peak." Legend has it that Olomana was a renowned warrior that was over 30 feet tall and ruled the lands from Makapu'u to Kualoa. The mountain was formed when the King of Oahu, Ahuapau, sent one of his foremost warriors, Palila, to confront Olomana. During the ensuing battle, Palila, gifted with supernatural powers, sliced Olomana in half with the top portion landing near the ocean while the bottom portion became Mount Olomana. Not a very pleasant story.

Once again Sarah was my partner in crime for this hike (I'm wondering if she's glad I've left the island, given all the crazy things I've talked her into doing-lol). I was excited about the intensity of the hike (I'd watched a couple of youtube videos and was confident we were up for the challenge). Climbing to the first peak was not bad, a few places where rope was used to help climb up some of the rock faces, but nothing to bite your finger nails about. At the top of the first peak the view was spectacular, even better than Koko Crater (my favorite hike until this one). Then came the fun part...

Yes peeps, what you see is Sarah and I repelling about 70 meters down to get from the first peak to the path for peaks two and three. And when we got down to the path, the view of peaks two and three looked like this:

If you are wondering where the path is, you aren't alone. It wasn't until we got down there that we saw our 1 meter wide (at the most) footpath, with drop offs

on both sides. We had heard that some people had to be airlifted out earlier that week because one of their group had fallen. Sarah and I were confident we could figure out how that might have happened. In addition to the path being so narrow, we had to contend with gusty winds that could knock a girl off balance if she wasn't paying attention. So we took it carefully. When we reached the top of peak two, the view again was fantastic. Now honestly, we really could've stopped here and headed back. But I just couldn't turn back now...the coup de grace was so close! Climbing between peaks two and three was the most difficult, with rocks that you not only had to climb over, but around as well. Truth be told, this should've been done with a harness but since ropes were all that were available, I was thankful for my rock climbing knowledge and a little invincibility. Sarah decided to stop on the way to peak three, having found her limit, but I pushed through to the top of peak three. The view wasn't really any different than the other two peaks, but it tasted so much sweeter given what I went through to get there...

Na Wahine!

I believe that the climax to my Hawai'ian adventure occurred today, with my participation in the 12th Annual Na Wahine Sprint Triathlon. Many of you know that I have been training for this almost since I arrived (I needed something to do with all of this energy I have-lol) and even joined BCH (Bootcamp Hawai'i) to get into race shape. I talked Sarah into trying the super-sprint race (she wasn't excited about the swimming part but agreed andtrained with a vengeance) and today was race day. My race went like this: 500 meter ocean swim (at high tide with some pretty big rollers); 18 km bike ride (on an older, heavy Schwinn mountain bike); and finish it off with a 5k run. Our friends Pete and Kim, along with Chris (my friend and Sarah's husband) came to cheer us on and take photos.

Being that this was my 9th or 10th triathlon (I can't remember but I've been doing these since 2004), I must declare that although I didn't win my division (since I got a year older I had to

enter into a new age division this year...35-39) I feel like this was my best race yet. Why? So glad you asked...I figure that I've been doing these races for 6 years now and I have been consistent or improving all that time. So even though I am now 6 years older, I am holding or improving on times from my younger days (yeah, that sounds so silly doesn't it-lol). That means that if I continue on this trend, I should be able to win my age division by the time I'm 60! How cool is that (laugh if you will, but the idea that I will be able to run these races until I'm 60 is way more important to me that pushing myself too hard now and not being able to participate at all later)!

Having said all of that, here are my results for this race:

Swim=10:15 (I finished in the top half of all sprint competitors)

Bike=Not gonna post this time as it was pitiful and not really comparable for me since I had been previously riding a Cannondale racing bike and switched to a Schwinn Mtn bike (much heavier)

Run=30:04 with a 9:42 pace. This is my best race time

yet, especially the pace!!

In addition to this being a culminating event for my time here in Honolulu, I also had to celebrate the beginning of the New England Patriots 2010 season by biking and running with my Tom Brady jersey (I think it was good luck for both of us since the Pats beat the Bengals today!). The best part of the race? Coming back to Chris and Sarah's, lounging in my pajamas, eating, and

watching the game. Gotta love it :)

Me & Mom in Maui Part 3

One of my favorite outdoor activities these days is snorkeling. I just took it up last year (having only been out twice in my life before) which is rather amusing to me since I lived on the southeast coast of Florida for over ten years. I have to thank Scott for reintroducing me and outfitting me so that I could accompany him while he was spearfishingand hunting lobsters. Anyhow, Mom and I really wanted to go out on a snorkeling trip while in Maui so after some research I found us a trip to Lana'i and Molokini aboard a vessel operated by the Pacific Whale Foundation. I would HIGHLY recommend this organization to anyone looking to snorkel in Maui. These guys have been around since 1980 and their mission is:

To promote appreciation, understanding and protection of whales, dolphins, coral reefs and our planet's oceans. We accomplish this by educating the public -- from a scientific perspective -- about the marine environment. We support and conduct responsible marine research and address marine conservation issues in Hawaii and the Pacific. Through educational ecotours, we model and promote sound ecotourism practices and responsible wildlife watching.

This experience was awesome from start to finish. Once we boarded the vessel, the crew explained safetyprocedures & the most important issue-the head. On board, to reduce waste, no paper was thrown into the toilets, it was deposited in the trash next to the toilet. This allowed for water treatment to be done with as little environmental impact as possible. The crew then handed out cups, made from corn, that would biodegrade in a landfill. They also passed around a Sharpie to write your name on your cup, as each person only got one cup for the day (great savings instead of just throwing cups away all day!). Reusable plates were then handed out for breakfast and the crew came around and served fruit and bagels, coffee, water and juice while we were heading out to Molokini Crater, our first snorkeling site. During the entire day the crew periodically got on the microphone to give us bits and pieces of valuable information that would help us to understand the immediate surroundings as well as the flora and fauna we would see on our travels (both above and below the water).

The water around Molokini Crater was phenomenally blue, the kind of almost cobalt blue that is just so vivid it makes you pinch yourself to see if you are dreaming. The reef was a myriad of colors and and the sun shining down through the water made everything so much brighter and more beautiful. The only downside to this snorkeling site was the amount of people(which of course meant fewer fish). After we arrived, at least 5 more boats full of people anchored up. There were people everywhere, however the Pacific Whale staff were the only ones out on kayaks keeping track of their snorkelers and making sure we were okay. It was an extra service that I was really impressed by.

After Molokini Crater, we had an 1 1/2 hour trip to the next snorkel site, off the island of Lanai. During this time, a fantastic lunch was served (grilled chicken and vege burgers along with a delicious pasta salad) and a recap lesson in the front of boat that went over the wildlife we saw and what we could look for at Lanai occurred for those who were interested. The staff continued to be extremely friendly and helped serve lunches to those who didn't have their sea legs and offered assistance in whatever way they could. All of the food for the day was provided by a local caterer who used as much locally grown food as possible.

Lanai was much quieter and there were definitely more fish, but what made this part of the day was the dolphins. As we came about 2 miles outside of the reef, spinner dolphins began to swim around the boat. There were many of them and they stayed with the boat for the better part of the trip into Lanai. They really are amazing creatures and because the water was so blue, we watched as even the baby swam under and over the waves. I was lucky enough to catch the shot of one jumping (with my holy iPhone I might add). After the second round of snorkeling was finished and gear was turned in, the bar opened and libations abounded. I tried my first Maui microbrew(really good!) and Mom had a POG cocktail (Pineapple, Orange, Guava juice) and we enjoyed the ride back to the dock. The crew even came around with homemade cookies to sweeten the end of the day!

We were both sunburnt (even though we had applied lotion-chemical free provided by the boat), and headed back to the resort for a much desired shower and restful night.

The rest of the trip was filled with shopping and Starbucks (two of my favorite things), and the first week of preseason football (I even brought my Pats jersey for the occasion). All in all, this was an excellent trip. Thanks Mom!!

Me & Mom in Maui Part 2

Being that we were staying on the western side of Maui, we often had to travel quite a distance to get to the places we wanted to go. For instance, the trusty guidebook told us "You simply haven't seen Maui, or at least looked into its soul, until you've made the trek up to the top of this awe-inspiring mountain. Its appeal is magnetic: ancient Hawaiians cam to the summit to worship, Mark Twain praised its healing solitude,and visitors of all walks of life still find mystic experiences here." The book is of course referencing Haleakala Crater on Maui. At 10,023ft I do believe this is the highest point I have ever climbed to (ok, actually we drove). It was 22 miles from the entrance to the park to the summit, full of winding roads and switchbacks that keep you on your toes. Oh, did I mention that we left our comfy bed at 2:15am to see the 5:57am sunrise? It took us just over two hours to drive to the park entrance, then another 40 or so minutes to reach the summit. The guidebook also forewarned that bringing as many layers as possible would be necessary as it was going to be "c-o-l-d". Really? This is Maui for goodness sakes...So glad I grabbed the blankets off the bed!!! Haleakala is often referred to as the world's largest dormant volcano with the floor measuring 7.5 miles wide, 2.5 miles long, and 3,000 ft deep (deep enough to swallow Manhattan). Originally it had reached a height of 12,000ft, but erosion carved out two river valleys that eventually eroded into each other and formed the crater. It is impressive. And although I cringed at the cold (45 degrees with 30+mph winds-did I mention there was awind advisory that day?) the show that Mother Nature put on was nothing short of humbling. So after the sun peeked over the horizon I booked it back to the car to thaw out. We warmed up and drove partially down the mountain to hike the Halemau'u trail along the ridge which also gave rise to a fabulous view. Mom decided after looking out over the skies that she was sure she could lie down on those puffy clouds (I think it was elevation sickness-lol). Needless to say we had a great day on the mountain. But wait! It was only 11am! Whatever shall we do?

Drive more you say? Absolutely! And so we did. This time we drove the north west route back to our resort. That road was infinitely better than the road to Hana. In many places it was one lane (we had to actually back up once until there was

room to pass) but the cliffside views were right out of the movies...

Me & Mom in Maui Part 1

While here in the Hawai'ian islands, I had the fantastic opportunity to spend a week in Maui with my mom. This was the first time we had ever had a vacation together, just the two of us, and we had a great time. We stayed at a time share resort in West Maui and from the moment I got off the plane I felt very different. Maui is so much more relaxed and calm than Oahu. There was no city traffic, no Waikiki shopping district, just resorts and beaches and quiet. Life on Maui is relegated to the outskirtsof the islandsince the terrain inland is not conducive to development. I learned that Maui actually has a moratorium on building because there is such a limited freshwater supply. I think this makes Maui so much more attractive because as much as I am a social butterfly, I really do appreciate quiet and undeveloped areas. People really don't belong everywhere. Here are some of the memories from the trip:

ROAD TO HANA:

The trusty guidebook (Lonely Planet guides rock by the way) told us that "Of all the breathtaking drives in Hawai'i, this is the big kahuna." Yeah. About that.

It was good (better for me since mom did all the driving) but I wouldn't call it the big kahuna. You'll see when I get to the NW Maui drive later. The road to Hana was a winding drive along the eastern coast that took us through rain forests and by waterfalls on narrow roads that sometimes only allowed one car at a time (pull offs were frequent to avoid having to back up). The Kaulanapueo church was interesting to me because it is made entirely of coral. It was built in 1853 and was named for the pueo (owls) that once thrived in the forests around the church.

This place was great because all of the tourists had stopped a few miles back to hike into Twin Falls. The guidebook said the falls weren't impressive and skipping it helped us to get ahead of the crowds. We stopped next at the Huelo Lookout for a smoothie (say hi mom!) and then headed onto Ko'olau Forest Reserve. We hiked in and found the Ko'olau Ditch, the century old system that still carries up to 450 million gallons of water each day through the 75 mile system to the dry centralplains to the sugarcane fields. It was amazing to see

how the system winded through even the mountainsides. I am so impressed by the ingenuity of people hundreds of years ago, so simple but so practical. The hike was great but my favorite part was the sign at the beginning.

We also stopped at the Garden of Eden Arboretum & Botanical Garden. Here we found some great views (you can see the island used in the opening scene to Jurassic Park) and a 100 year old mango tree (no mangos though...)

Mom made friends with the locals while we ate lunch and then we walked around the property and saw waterfalls and loads of bamboo and plants. The best part about this place? They have a real toilet disguised as a portapotty. I was nothing short of thrilled when I stepped into the stall to find a real flushing toilet (those of you who have been on outings with me know my disdain for using portapotties). It made my afternoon!

We rushed through the rest of the drive to get to O'heo Gultch, which is at the east end of Haleakala National Park. Mom wanted to see the waterfalls (apparently there is a 400 ft one in there somewhere). We ended up stopping at the lower falls so mom could indulge her wild side and jump off the rocks. I sat on the side and watched (that water was way too cold for me to get in!). The rest of drive proved to be both beautiful and exhausting. By the time we left O'heo Gultch it was after 5pm and we still had 2+ hours of driving. The billy goats roamed the mountainsides and the cows ruled the road (they moved over when they were ready, thankfully we didn't get stuck behind any...). By the time we were coming back through Kihei, it was dark and we were tired. It was then that we found out that the only road that would take us back to our beds

was closed due to brush fires along the road. We ended up sitting there for over 2 hours. Thank goodness for reclining seats 'cuz mom and I laid back and snoozed until things started moving again. It was a good day, but really long.