Sweet Escape

My handsome husband and I escaped to Wailea, Maui, on March 27th for 6 nights. After an unexpected delay in San Francisco (the pilots refused to fly aircraft due to it's unacceptable condition, whatever that means) and waiting patiently for 3 hours for a new plane and 5 hour flight, we made it to the gorgeous island of Maui. This year we stayed in Wailea instead of Ka'anapali and loved it! The hotels were at 30% capacity, no rain, no kids, yummy food, great friends, comfy bed, shaved ice, Lava Flows by the Serenity pool, beautiful flowers, morning walks, Hula Girl excursions, snorkeling with dolphins . . . I could go on and on. If you haven't been to Maui, save your money and head over there! It's truly paradise. I can't wait to go back!

Hanging out by the pool (ah, literally hangin' out). Talking to the kids. They missed us! Ok, we missed them, too.

Oceanview rooms, beautiful greenery, not a soul in sight!

Golfing at The Planation in Kapalua.

Sunday night BBQ on the beach and watching the sunset.

Good friends. I love Alison. She is a beautiful, kind, PATIENT, humble, and giving person. This beach was down the road from the Marriott where we stayed. Clint Eastwood's home is the first house on the left. Tiger Woods owns a home a few doors down.

I love flowers. The red flowers belong to the ginger family. I took a trillion pictures in front of the flowers!

A cute wedding chapel on the beach.

Outside our hotel room. A strange man asked to take pictures of us. My hair was not cooperating so I'm not too excited about the pictures, but the guy is hot! And the view is breathtaking!

The Marriott has the coolest pool! It looks like it flows into the ocean.

Another shot of the Serenity pool -- adults only! It was so quiet. You can see the floating cabana and palm trees that blend in with the ocean. There's actually a rocky, lava beach below the pool.

Happy Shawn, Happy Davis!

The cookies were a hit! Shawn, the Leprechaun, did not play any silly tricks on Davis and Chandler, and instead left a little treat. The treat was left on the doorstep late in the evening and Davis screamed in delight at the glowing green mug filled to the brim with gold chocolate coins and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Chandler looked for the little green guy and after a disappointing Leprechaun hunt concluded, "Shawn was transported back to Ireland." Oh, how I wish I was young, innocent, and imaginative like my boys.

Sweets for Shawn

Oh, to be in Kindergarten again! Davis has been learning about Ireland, St. Patrick's Day, and Shawn, the Leprechaun. Shawn has been taunting Davis' class for a week -- leaving footprints, eating treats, writing notes, and leaving his little green pants on the playground. In hopes of keeping the peace with the pesty Leprechaun, Davis and Chandler each wrote Shawn notes and taped them to the bottom of our front door. They have been there for days! Tonight we decided to bake and decorate cookies for Shawn to keep him happy. (Nothing fancy with our cookies -- some gummy worms, green and yellow sparkly frosting, sprinkles, and we just slap it on! Davis tried to add some gold to his cookies . . . .)

Lazy

O.k, my blog is no longer in trouble. I've been lazy. Some days I come home, lay in bed and do n-o-t-h-i-n-g. I pooped out after 4 back-to-back weekends of out-of-town excursions, an overwhelming, swamped two weeks of work for WASC, and Baby 4 growing inside my wee belly (not so wee, let me tell ya). This week is extra crazy with Olivia's play opening on Thursday and Davis' baseball started tonight with 2 hour practices. Yes, two hour practices for 5/6 year olds. (Confession: I fibbed about Davey's age but he was ready for the Big League. He was awesome tonight and the other parents were amazed!) I hope to get off the lazy bus soon and post something spectacular. Love to you all!

Trouble

Something is wrong with my blog. Need to fix it!

Weekend in Oregon

Chandler and I snuck away and spent the weekend in the beautiful, green, and nothing-quite-compares Portland, Oregon. We left on Friday and returned on Monday -- too short! Chandler loved playing with his cousins, following Grandpa Chandler around the house and to work sites, and working with Grandma on a "Save the Pandas" project. He absolutely loved the trees and even built a tree fort. Chandler was overheard telling Cade, his cousin, how lucky he was to live in Oregon. Admittedly, I had the same thought while I was there! I enjoyed time with my family, and had a wonderful, over-due visit with my dear friend, Jessica.

Hiding in Grandpa's tree. He DID NOT want to come out to take the picture.

Cousins: Cade, Chandler, Cole. Cade and Chandler are only a day apart.

Me and Mike

Me and my Jessica. This was a 15 year reunion -- too long! I miss her. We were good friends at BHS and it was so good to reconnect. We met at Red Robin because that is our old stomping ground (mudd pie and guys). We talked and talked and talked. I loved hearing about the 10 year high school reunion that I chose not to attend. I can't wait to see you again, Jess.

A Wicked Time in San Francisco

It was a beautiful, sunny, smiley day in the City by the Bay. Nicole and I were fortunate to travel with Crescent View Charter High School elective classes (about 20 students and 7 adults) to San Francisco to see a matinee performance of Wicked. Nicole is the choir director and I am her accompanist, as well as science teacher at the school. We saw Wicked in Hollywood with our husbands about 1 1/2 years ago and I have been itching to see it again. Three students canceled at the last minute so I was able to take Olivia, her friend, Ryann, and Danielle, a friend's daughter. The show was just as fabulous in San Francisco as it was in Hollywood -- and I can't wait to see it again. Maybe Broadway?

Nicole wore a green scarf -- perfect for the Emerald City.

Checking out the Bay at Pier 39. We ate lunch at Hard Rock Cafe.

I was so excited to see the Wicked banner.

Goofin' off on the charter bus after the performance. Long ride home!

This mysterious, yet cute creature followed me all over San Francisco. Feeling sorry for the homeless manimal, Olivia asked if we could bring him home. I didn't mind the the weird noises but the hot breath down my neck was something else. I shared my donut holes and fish-n-chips 'cuz he looked like he hadn't eaten a hearty meal in weeks. I accidently left him caged at school for a long four day weekend. I'm gonna miss him over the weekend -- hope someone feeds him and lets him out of the cage for a few hours.