Baby Steps

Inching my way back to blogging with a questionnaire from one of my favorite blogs.

1. What is your spirit animal? My spirit animal has shifted wildly over the years from horse to a bear to a raven. Currently, my spirit animal is a dog. I'm a sucker for a little unconditional love.

2. What is your most embarrassing moment? Everyday of my life.  I like embarassing myself.

3. Would you rather have a tattoo of Patrick Swayze as a centaur or Chris Farley as a Chippendale's dancer? No competition: Patrick Swayze as a centaur

4. What is playing on your iPod right this instant? I have "Dog Days are Over" by Florence and the Machine on repeat

5. What is your dream place to live? If money and practicality weren't issues? Well, right now, my dream is to have an apartment of my own in Juneau, Alaska. I want it to be full of color, horse paintings, crewel embroidery, bright pillows, stacks of quilts, and a comfy bed. And a view of the mountains and the channel.

6. What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be able to roll with the punches, be empathetic, be friendly, be financially stable, and be a dragon.

7. If you could play any musical instrument, what would it be and why? Banjo.

8. If you had to wear one last pair of shoes every day for the rest of your life, what pair would it be? I already wear my xtratufs every day, and that's not going to change.

9. If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Brown Curry from Starfire

10. Would you rather kiss a wookie or an ogre? Ogre.

11. What is your favorite part about spring? The return of the light. It fuels the entire town of Juneau with vibrant energy. I'm eager for all the changes and life that spring will bring!

Happy Birthday, Mama

Happy Birthday to my favorite Mom in the whole world!

Living far away from my Mom is pretty difficult sometimes, but I cherish our phone chats and sporadic visits. She is amazing woman, who has taught me so much about spirituality, compassion, creativity, organization, and, of course, traveling.

Happy Birthday, Mama!!

Waimea Finale

We spent our last day in Kauai driving the winding road up Waimea Canyon.

It seems that this spot was the it spot to visit if you're in Kauai. There were hundreds of sweet little elderly people at this lookout.

But we took some time at the rail to gaze into the abyss. 

Luckily we found a little trail that spit us onto a private lookout. There was no rail between us and the canyon, and it was an special moment of seclusion.

This is my last post about our perfect trip. I'm so sad to let it all go. The memories of this vacation have comforted me while shivering in Anchorage. I miss these two like WHOA.

Now Jeff is talking about Costa Rica. I fully support that choice.

xo

Alli



Sunset Together

I miss this.

xo

Alli

Be a Tourist for a Day

Since our lovely vacation houses provided us with easy comforts, we hardly ever wanted to leave to explore the island. But, we decided to take a day to explore three tourist attractions. We started the day at a coffee plantation moved onto a beautiful Hindu monastery, and finished the day at an old sugar plantation. Each equally provided lush landscapes.

xo

Alli

Polihale Beach

Budget Rent-a-car specifically told us not to take the car into Polihale State Park.

We didn't listen. 

We knew we had to check out Polihale Beach. I was nervous, and convinced that we could have an equally enjoyable time at a beach that was easily accessible. Unfortunately, I'm a nervous passenger. The older I get, the more sweaty I get on rocky/icy/sandy/any roads. Luckily, Jeff is an extremely cautious driver, while at the same time full of curiosity and courage.

He carefully drove along the long dirt road to the Polihale Beach access. We parked the car under a big tree, and walked a quarter mile to the breath-taking, and seemingly deserted beach.

Meredith and I spent most of the day sitting at the water's edge, trying not to get swept away into the sea.

Looks like these guys were really daring. Their vehicle had fat tires, and they even deflated the tires a bit.

On our way back to our car, we discovered dozens of dried and flattened frogs. I couldn't figure out if cars had flattened them, or if they were just simply dehydrated.

We also made it back to Polihale Beach on our last night in Kauai. I didn't bring my camera, but we saw a family of wild pigs cross the road. It looked like a mama and six or so little piglets. Such sweet lovems! 

xo

Alli

PS-Jeff and I are spending our Thanksgiving at Chena Hot Springs, which is an hour north of Fairbanks. I think I might be a nervous passenger on that trip too. Please pray for us...

Just Across the Street

Kekaha was much different than the North Shore. It was much drier, and the little town felt more like a Mexican Village than a Hawaiian tourist site. Our house was also much different than 100 Shades. It was smaller, it didn't boast the same breath-taking views, BUT it did have a rugged private beach just steps away. 

Jeff, Aaron, and I spent our first evening in Kekaha enjoying the warm sunset on our beach.

Sunrise was equally exquisite.

xo

Alli

Hanalei to Kekaha

 After four perfect days at 100 Shades of Green, we made our way to Kekaha. We decided to make lots of stops during our little road trip from the North Shore to the West Side.

 Our first stop was in Hanalei at a little shop called "Strings and Things." The little store featured yarn and ukuleles (but no ukuleles with yarn for strings...ha!) I picked up some beautiful local hand dyed yarn.

 We also stopped at the premiere tourist attraction on Kauai.

 

It was a beautiful little stop, and we felt good supporting a Federal Park.

We also made a quick, little stop at a church and grave yard. Meredith and I love cemeteries.

At this particular look out, we were amazed that Walmart and Target hadn't taken over this spot of land.

My favorite stop along the way was at Chicken in a Barrel. This place got rave reviews, and was run by an enthusiastic Christian who wasn't shy about his unique way of cooking whole chickens "in a barrel."

This stuff was legit.

xo

Alli



Queen's Bath

I have to admit, I want to hold onto my sweet memories of Kauai.

I don't want to set them free into the Internet.

Snow is spinning around Anchorage, and I like to stare through the icicles, and fantasize about sunshine.

But I love looking over old blog posts, and remembering my adventures. 

So I'll keep going with my Hawaii share.

After our tour of the garden, we went to the secluded Queen's Bath. This is a local secret, right on the North Shore in Princeville. We were not keen on resorts and crowded popular beaches, so this spot fit the bill.

We hiked a cute little trail, past a waterfall, onto warm lava rocks. We heard laughing and splashing and waves crashing and figured we'd found the spot.

The Queens bath is a series of pools that have formed in the rocky shore. It's fairly calm and full of colorful fishies. Although, we were warned that the waves were unpredictable, and had the potential to wash someone out to sea.

I was pretty nervous. No surprise.

Jeff was, as usual, not nervous at all.

Jeff bought us some guineps at a local farmer's market.

I made the mistake of eating the pit, so I didn't have any seconds. Jeff, Mer, and Aar loved 'em.

The boys continued to explore the pools, while Meredith and I warmed up on the hot rocks.

I was awakened by this guy. But he was nice, because he was dead, so I didn't mind.

 xo

Alli