Auntie Rach

It's great being an aunt, and my tally of cute nephews just increased by one! Welcome to the family, Noa (who I have no pictures of yet, but have seen pictures and he's a cute little guy). Irene and Isaac have relocated to St. Paul, MN with their parents, which means they are now a 3 hour flight away...and I'm planning to visit them during the warm months :)

Xavi is becoming quite a chatterbox (and a handy recorder/repeater of the unlikeliest of phrases), although I still can't understand his language entirely. I skyped with him briefly last night, and he told me many things. Several times he said, 'baby out' translated to "I'm ready for my mom to give birth to my brother now." After I joked that he might someday want the baby to go back in, he loudly proclaimed "baby, back! baby, back! baby, back!" When Xavi was done with our conversation (and ready to watch a youtube video of The Wheels on the Bus), he said "Rach go...Rach go...Rach go" and then closed the laptop :) The kid is nothing if not persistent. I'm so thankful to live in this age of technology, so I don't have to miss all the cuteness of my nephews and niece.

Catching up...

I think we can all agree that I've become a total blog slacker. Really, I think about things to blog all the time, but lack the discipline to make it happen. Let me try and recount things that have happened since my Maui trip...November: Went to St Louis for thanksgiving, where somebody in the family was a diabolical vector of gastrointestinal distress. I spent 36 hours in bed, with periodic trips to the bathroom for emergent evacuation of everything I had ingested over the last week.

December: The holidays were low key. My roommates went out of town, so I was kitty sitting. I went up to a friend's house for chili and a candlelight service on Christmas Eve. I worked 12 hours on New Year's Eve, and consequently fell asleep at 10 pm and stayed asleep through the midnight ruckus...no regrets there. Santa brought me a nook! I love it...makes buying and reading books so easy.

January: I flew to St Louis again for my sister-in-law Johanna's baby shower. It was fun to hang out with the fam, and nobody infected my gut this time :) Got to hang out with Xavi, who is talking up a storm these days and super cute. He calls me Rach, though it sounds more like 'H' and I love hearing his special 'Tom' voice ( http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talking-tom-cat/id377194688?mt=8 )

One of Xavi's favorite activities, doing dishes:

My roommate Jon's company gave him this enormous box of Godiva chocolates for all his hard work. It was both majestic and delicious.

I used the bow to decorate Jack. Such a pretty kitty, with murder in her eyes.

My cell phone busted the same week that my hard drive crashed. Thankfully my computer was still under warranty, so I have a shiny new hard drive. And my contract was up, so I also got a shiny new phone. I'm still trying to figure out all the cool things this phone can do.

I guess that's it for now. Will try to update a bit more frequently in the future.

Maui vacation 2010 (Yes, there will be a Maui vacation 2011)

As a bright pink T-shirt in the airport gift shop expressed so eloquently, I left my heart in Maui.

Our hotel was the southernmost in a string of resorts along Ka'anapli beach. There was a lovely oceanside path that led past said resorts; dotted with restaurants, pools, and grassy knolls with palm trees and hammocks. Swinging in a hammock next to the ocean was very high up on my list of things to do while in Hawaii, and I'm pleased to report that I got lots of hammock time :)

Our hotel had a fabulous pool. While it became annoyingly crowded around the pool, the water never felt overly so. This pool was connected by a grotto (complete with waterfalls at both entrances and a bar inside) to the keiki (kiddie) pool, which looked pretty cool and had a waterslide that I never tried out.

Thursday was our first full day, and it's a blur of beach and pool and doesn't stand out much in my mind. We walked along the path that night after dinner, but Kara and I (due to full bladders) didn't make it all the way to Whaler's Village, a shopping center about 10 minutes walk north of us. Here we are on our way back to the hotel. Yes, that is my room key poking out, and this is a perfect example of why all dresses need pockets.

Friday we walked to Black Rock, probably a 15-20 minute walk up the beach. The snorkeling here was fabulous; Jon and Kara had checked it out the day before and saw two sea turtles and lots of cool fish. Doesn't look like much above the water:

Lots of local teenagers climbed up and jumped off the rock. It looked like fun. While snorkeling, I saw a spotted ray and lots of awesome fish. Then on the way back in to shore, we saw a sea turtle. There was another snorkeler nearby who was feeding it clumps of algae and petting its shell. Once we saw that guy not getting a finger snapped off by the turtle, we felt comfortable swimming up and petting its shell, too. Here we are, high on communing with ocean wildlife:

Hammock time.

Saturday was one of my favorite days of vacation. We were picked up from our hotel at 7:15 am and driven to a marina down the coast. With us in the van was a boisterous group of 50-something women from the midwest, and a quiet couple from San Fransisco. Here we are checking in with Captain Mike, handing over waivers promising not to sue anybody if anything untoward happened during the trip.

And here I am onboard the Alii Nui (pronounced A-lee-ee New-ee for those unfamiliar with Hawaiian pronunciation...I know I am).

I love, love, love being on boats. I love kicking off my shoes, love the wind on my face, love the water all around...I wanted to ask if they were hiring new crew members. Wind in the sails.

Kara and I. My experience in this picture is my definition of bliss.

Testing out the snorkel gear.

We sailed for about an hour out to Molikini (per wikipedia: Molokini is a crescent-shaped, partially submerged volcanic crater which forms a small islet located in Alalakeiki Channel between the islands of Maui and Kahoʻolawe, part of Maui County in Hawaiʻi.) We rented an underwater digital camera and took a hundred pictures of random fish. And some of ourselves:

We had lunch onboard, and then I played in the ocean for awhile. The water was so clear it felt like I was in a gigantic swimming pool. I jumped off the side of the boat a few times :) and made friends with a woman from Rhode Island who also enjoyed frolicking in the ocean. The sail back was equally enjoyable...but I was sad to get off the boat.

On Sunday, Jon and Kara rented a car and went to explore the other side of the island. I chose to stay and have a beach day. First thing in the morning, I walked to Whaler's Village and rented a Stand Up Paddle surfboard (a bit wider and thicker than a traditional longboard, and with a paddle). I paddled out into the ocean, feeling good, and what followed probably would have made me an internet sensation if anyone had filmed it.

First of all was figuring out how to go from laying on my stomach on the board to standing up. I got up on my knees with no problem, and paddled around like that for awhile to get used to balancing. Then I hovered on my hands and knees for what felt like an eternity, trying to balance enough to stand up. I finally figured out it was easier if I popped up from a heel squat...and then I was standing up! For three seconds before falling into the ocean... I laughed a lot and kept trying. I got really good at standing up, but only ever ended up actually standing up paddling for 30 seconds at the most. I tried flexing my core and keeping my eyes on the horizon (tips from the woman who rented me the board), but it didn't help much. Anyway, I will keep working out and try again next time. It was fun and I'm glad I tried it.

After my SUP experience, I went snorkeling again at Black Rock. I didn't see any sea turtles, but did see my friend the spotted ray again. Lunch that day was Yogurtland, which I need to express my love for. If you've never been, it's a self-serve frozen yogurt bar where you pick whatever quantity and variety of flavors and toppings you want, then put it on a scale and pay a flat 47 cents an ounce. Brilliant.

Monday was our last full day of vacation, and my other favorite day :) Started with room service breakfast with Jon and Kara.

Then we headed into Lahaina town to rent boogie boards. We got a great deal at $2.50 a board for the day. My snorkeling trip friend from Rhode Island recommended a great surfing spot up north called Flemming Beach. It did not disappoint.

There were some massive, awesome waves, and I spent hours playing in them. A bunch of great rides, a couple of tumbles in a washing machine, and lots of fun.

After Flemming beach, we tried to go snorkeling at Honolua Bay. We heard it was an awesome snorkeling spot with some of the most diverse ocean wildlife in the world. However, the same great surf that we spent the morning playing in was creating massive waves in the Bay. They seemed to go on forever, and the surfers we saw were having long awesome rides inside the tube. It was fun to watch, but the locals who owned the beachfront property wouldn't let us into the bay to go snorkeling.

I don't really remember where we ate on which night, but most of the food was delicious. I had lots of great fish, including ahi, mahi mahi, and ono. We ate at Umalu, a restaurant at our resort many times, also we hit up Aloha Mixed Plate and Kimo's in Lahaina. I also had the most delicious shave ice ever.

My trip was pretty much awesome, and I can't wait to go back. Mahalo for reading.

Maui Teaser: Part 1

I'm posting from the Hyatt Regency Resort in Kaanapali on the island of Maui. Could not feel any more relaxed than I do right now (okay, maybe if I was sipping a mai tai while getting a massage...both of which I plan to do this week).

Little bit of jet lag meant that I woke up at 4:40 am, ready to start my day. So I drank some coffee, worked out, and went for a little run, all before the sun came up. Here's the view from the oceanside hammock I rested in after running.

View from my balcony this morning. Very Lost.

But then the sun popped out.

And the day was gorgeous.

Jon and Kara, poolside.

Heading into the ocean to do some snorkeling.

That's all you get for now. I'm enjoying myself tremendously, and wishing that I owned a tropical island that everyone I love could gather on :)

Xavilution takes Seattle: A Chronicle in Pictures

Jeff, Amie, and Xavi came to visit last week! I met them on Wednesday night at baggage claim; two weary travelers and one manic toddler, who was literally running around in circles. Poor little guy, 4 1/2 hours on a plane is long for me, so I can imagine it was eternity for him. He did smile when he saw me, and consented to being hugged and kissed :)

Thursday morning started out clear and sunny. Here's Xavi playing in my apartment while I made scrambled eggs:

We decided to do downtown Seattle things on Thursday. We bought CityPasses (www.cityPASS.com), which are a pretty great deal if you want to do tourist-y type things in a city. Having them helped give our week some structure, and saved us lots of money. We hit up Pike's Place Market first, and got there early enough that it was the emptiest I've ever seen it.

Little charmer. He enjoyed the free fruit samples.

Here we are outside our favorite Pirosky place. Unfortunately, they don't make gluten-free piroskys...so I couldn't enjoy a delicious meaty, cheesy pastry.

After the Market, we walked to the Aquarium. I'd never been there, but Jeff & Amie had. It was a pretty neat place. They definitely focus on education and conservation and stuff (typical Seattle), so there are no dolphin shows or anything. But they do have a 'petting zoo' where you can touch starfish and sea cucumbers.

After the aquarium, we went out for lunch at my favorite Seattle rodizio dining experience (okay, the only one I've been to): Ipanema Grill. Jeff, Amie, and I enjoyed the delicious meat smorgasbord, and Xavi inhaled his plate of feijoada.

On Friday we drove up to the #1 place on Earth and did some shopping at an outlet mall. Xavi loved the play areas that were scattered about and climbing into those coin-operated rides, however he did not like when coins were actually deposited into the rides and they started moving. After shopping, we headed to a farm. I'd gotten a groupon (www.groupon.com) a few weeks ago for a family pass to this farm with a pumpkin patch and a giant corn maze in the shape of Washington. It seemed like an appropriate autumn outdoor activity. And it ended up being awesome!

Xavi was sleeping when we got there, but he woke up on the hayride to the start of the corn maze. He had this look on his face that seemed to say, 'I don't know where I am or how I got here, but I see a huge tractor and it's AWESOME.'

Here we are in Olympia, the state capitol of corn maze Washington.

Xavi loved this playground. He went down the slide a million times. It was fun to watch him have so much fun.

After dragging him away from the playground, we checked out the animals. In addition to this pen full of bunnies (which we later entered), there were pigs and 6 day-old piglets, goats, sheep, chickens, alpacas, and kittens.

This kid was in heaven with all the tractors.

Saturday was cold and grey. We spent the day walking around the zoo and getting rained on. It was fun anyway, and gave Jeff & Amie a taste of 'real' Seattle weather (as it is always nice when they come visit). We saw tons of animals, but I think Xavi's favorites were the fake horses on the carousel :) Apparently at his zoo, he can ride the carousel as many times as he wants, so he wasn't very happy about only going once at my zoo.

After we got back to my place and dried up/thawed out, we decided to bum around for the rest of the evening. I ordered us food online from an Italian place nearby where you can get most things on the menu gluten-free (for an extra fee, of course). I had a delicious sub that was worth every extra cent. Fun with dominoes:

Sunday it was cold and grey and raining again, so we decided to go to the Science Center. Hooray for indoor activities! Jeff, Amie, & Xavi looking Lilliputian on a giant kitchen chair.

Included with our CityPass were free tickets to an IMAX movie. We were skeptical about Xavi wanting to sit through a movie, but picked the one about planes/flying and hoped for the best. The little goober shocked us all when he not only consented to wearing the 3D goggles, but also sat through 40 minutes of a documentary about flying. He was mesmerized, and it was fun to watch.

After Xavi's nap, the weather was dry enough that we decided to go to a park near my place. This park was so great! I told Jeff & Amie that I'm going to go back and be the weird lady hanging around the playground even though she doesn't have any kids. So, here's what Xavi wanted to do at the park:

And here's what the 'grown-ups' wanted to do at the park:

The other, legitimate grown-ups were looking at us like we were crazy :)

Pre-bedtime silliness in Auntie Rachel's room:

Monday was our last day, so rain or shine, we were going back downtown to use up the tickets in our CityPass. We started with a monorail ride to the Space Needle. Xavi loved it, and for the rest of the day asked, "choo-choo?" By the last day (as usual), he had decided that Auntie Rachel was pretty great, and he let me hold him, even snuggling with me when he got tired. Melts me into goo just thinking about it.

On top of the world.

It was definitely chilly up there, but clear enough to see (just not the mountains).

The day cleared up as it went on, and by the time we were ready for our harbor cruise, it was positively lovely out.

It's nice to have out-of-towners come visit and remind you that your city is pretty great.

We went back to Pike's Market after our cruise, for one last run-through. Amie wanted to check out this chowder place that she'd read about online.

Xavi entertained himself chasing pigeons and doing this. If you're thinking, 'hmm, that could be dangerous,' you are probably either a mother or a nurse or both. Shortly after this picture was taken, there was a minor incident.

We cleaned the scrape very well to avoid any kind of hobo and/or pigeon infection. A few hours later, good as new, playing with his cars on my deck.

My friends Amy and Nelson came over for dinner that night. While I was cooking, Jeff, Amie, and Xavi walked to Gasworks Park just down the street from me (it has what I consider to be one of the best views of Seattle).

So concluded the visit. It was really wonderful to have them come, and I'm so thankful to have an extra bedroom/bathroom for guests. All pictures were taken on Jeff's awesome camera, and I tried not to use all the good ones so CXI (xavilution.blogspot.com) can do a blog pictorial, too :)