Nuthin’ but an H thang, Baybay…

Drink umbrellas are the best kind of umbrellas.

Originally uploaded by Pookareena

With sad hearts, we returned home from Kauai last weekend.

This year, we had a total of 10 travelers in our party including: AdamV, Dena, Chrissy, Justin, Rich & Joy (Justin’s parents), Brandon, Michael, AdamK and me. When we bought our Marriott timeshare in 2005, I imagined how fun it’d be to mingle different activities with a variety of friends/family…and now those thoughts have come to fruition!

Here are a few highlights:

We laid around in the hot sun a lot. It was warmer than usual in Kauai this year, so we took great advantage of the beaches and pools…and blended drinks.

AdamK, Dena and I hit up the Farmers Market. We found delightfully fresh fruit and veggies there which contributed to a couple of lovely meals. AdamK picked up some fish from the local market and made an amazing orange sauce to complement his work on the grill.

I nearly died. Okay, perhaps that’s a little overly dramatic…but yeah, I thought I would forever be stuck in the forests of the Napali Coast. Chrissy and I decided we needed to hike the Kalalau Trail, so we dragged AdamV, Dena, Justin, Michael and Brandon with us. It was a nightmarish combination of climbing boulders straight up into the sky, maneuvering slippery, unstable surfaces, avoiding hoards of fire ants…and once in awhile, there was a flat trail. It was the roughest hike I’ve ever attempted and one I won’t attempt again soon. We got to see Hanakapi’ai Beach, which was cool, but the hike back was brutal. Michael and Brandon took turns waiting for me to catch my breath (Michael & Justin even carried my heavy backpack!) while AdamV made sure I had water when needed – they were awesome. I was in shock for awhile after the 4-mile trek, and even the cold water on Ke’e Beach couldn’t completely shake me back into reality. I don’t like to admit defeat, but the thought that I could hike this aggressive trail in the shape I’m in was…dumb.

I enjoyed my very first helicopter ride. Six of us toured the island and got to see the most beautiful, untouched areas of Kauai. Amazingly tall waterfalls, rugged, tree-lined mountain peaks, hidden beaches…it was breathtaking. I’m still processing the photos, but the stunning images will never leave my mind.

We toured Waimea Canyon with AdamV and Dena. Waimea is always impressive and it was fun to show it off again. We tried to make it to the Kalalau Valley lookout in Kokee Park, but the fog was so dense we had to turn back. That evening, we ended up at the Waimea Brewing Company for dinner/beer and found the rest of the group already there! After eating, we all checked out the black sand beach on the property, but we were more impressed with the enormous trees in the area.

The entire group attended the Smith Family Luau. Adam & I both liked this luau far better than last year’s at Kilohana Plantation. The grounds were magnificent: Japanese gardens, ponds and ornate bridges, a huge variety of animals frolicking about, open air dining hall and lots more. They had an open bar (Kilohana didn’t) and the food…just ask me, I could rave about the food all day. It was the best pork I have ever eaten, hands down. The show after dinner was engaging and fun. They performed traditional dances from Hawaiian “cousins”, such as Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, etc.

It was a beautiful vacation, even if the Napali Coast won this round.

Last year, I lost about 15 pounds after a lot of hard work in the gym. I had tons of stamina, was able to sleep 100x better, fit into more clothes…it was FAB. However, I cut way back on exercise in 2009. At the rate I was going, I simply could not sustain it long term. Plus, I didn’t pay close attention to my diet this year. It’s not that I paid no attention or went crazy with my food choices, I just didn’t monitor it like I had been in ‘08. Anyway, the long and short of it is that all the weight came back and I feel out-of-shape once again.

I think my trouble is finding balance in maintenance. When it comes to getting healthy, I’m all in. Once I achieve my goals, I try to get to a balanced place with my food intake and realistic exercise intervals. But this is where I fail. Don’t get me wrong, weight loss isn’t my primary goal. I really only should lose about 20-25 pounds from where I am now. My main objective is to not feel like crap! I want to run up a flight of stairs without feeling completely out of breath, or hike into the woods to take photos without feeling exhausted. I need to feel good physically to combat stress, period. Being a size 8 versus a size 12 is only a bonus.

So I guess I’m starting over. It’s always a challenge to get rid of the pounds, but my bigger challenge will be to keep up a good balance of diet and exercise. In 2008, I learned a lot about exercise: what I like, what I don’t, how not to hurt myself, how to combine cardio with weight-training and a lot more. I’m confident that I can find balance in the exercise department with a little work. I’m worried about my diet though. I love sugar&butter&cheese&carbs-ohmy! Not only that, but I’m a horrible cook. When it falls to me to “make a meal” for myself, I prepare whatever’s easy: popcorn, mac & cheese, cheese & crackers, etc. Adam has taken most of the responsibility for cooking (which is awesome because he’s so good at it!) but I need to have more of that role so that I’m prepared for times when I’m by myself. Maybe, at age 33, I can finally learn how to cook/prepare something healthy and tasty…without burning my meal, myself or my house. It’s a good thing we have insurance.

October is normally a pretty good month. The weather’s still tolerable, the landscape gets more beautiful with the turning leaves, we normally take a vacation, my wedding anniversary arrives, Halloween is always great fun…it has a lot going for it. However, my brain decided to start October 1st at 3am. I’m stressed out, there’s no doubt about it. I’ve said it repeatedly, I know, but Kauai can’t come soon enough.

For the last week, I’ve been dealing with a cold. Yeah, I did end up catching a bug as I predicted – but not a flu-bug, just a cold. Last weekend was either a waste or a godsend, however you choose to look at it. I camped out in bed, coughing, sneezing and sleeping the entire time. I did almost nothing of value or interest, but maybe I just needed the sleep. Adam has outdone himself in the husbandry department: he bought me a get well card, made me chicken noodle soup (from scratch!) and pretty much waited on me hand and foot. And just yesterday, he brought me 2 lovely bouquets of flowers. He’s mighty-good.

Well, this afternoon should be interesting because ALL afternoons are interesting after a 3am rising. Do they still sell Vivarin?