Leftovers

I was going to say something insightful about the presidential election but really I just keep thinking about how much I love leftovers. It's like an instant meal with all the yum, none of the cooking. We are still enjoying the beef brisket from Sunday which is so good on a bun with BBQ sauce and I just wish every week had it's own brisket.

I love this one!

Kiss the bunny!

No sleep, baby shower, Mother's Day, etc

So... last week was rough with Norelle out of her usual good sleep habits waking up 1-2 x night. I took night duty since Jake was only getting 4 hours a night himself as his companies were reporting and he had to "write them up". We were a pretty cranky bunch. But alas, a pink-eye outbreak caused a scare at daycare thus giving me a much needed day home with Nori. I heart conjuctivitis.

On Saturday my aunts Jill, Tracy & Wendy organized a fun family baby shower (last one, I swear) for Norelle in Winona where we had lots of good food & desserts and got some adorable summer rompers, an exer-saucer, a jewelry box and other cute stuff. After the baby shower Jake's mom watched her while we crashed, we had to get caught up on our sleep before driving home last night.


Today... ah, Mother's Day! My baby girl and her daddy let me sleep in AND workout this morning. They even got me glass storage containers so I can toss all my old plastic and a coupon to take Mom & Baby yoga classes. Mother's Day was really special for me because I am so proud to be Nori's mom and it was really difficult for us to finally be able to celebrate this day as parents. Norelle's birth parents each called too to wish me a happy day... isn't that cool?



Later we went for a walk and had the Ho's over for dinner (beef brisket which they cooked...the best kind of friends are the one who bring brisket) . I really wish the weekend was NOT over as I am not enjoying my job as much now that I have such a wonderful baby waiting for me. Oh well, I'll get over it!

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Maui

Maui was so relaxing and wonderful! I don't think we even realized how exhausted we were until we got there. It was perfect timing for these new parents. While it was sad to say goodbye to Norelle we called her everyday and she was whooping it up in Winona.

Here' a peek inside our trip...

We stayed a night in Kahului after a quick bite at the Flatbread Pizza Co. in Paia. The next day we drove the windy road to Hana trying to find all the waterfalls and natural pools we could. Here Jake dives into a pool under a waterfall that we hiked to.

Another lovely waterfall. Apparently there is a big drought on the island so many of the waterfalls and natural pools have dried up. Our favorite, the Venus Pool, was nowhere near as gorge as last year but we swam in it any way. We ran across many local Hawaiians in the spots because it was a Sunday and they weren't trilled to see tourists. There is a movement to "keep Maui Hawaiian" and prevent the sprawl of tourists. Sorry dudes.

More Road to Hana sights...

Cottage in Hana where we stayed 2 nights. This place was amazing! We picked up some very expensive groceries in Kahului and made our own meals. We had 3 lenais, 2 bedrooms & baths and full kitchen all to ourselves. I would highly recommend this spot to anyone who wants to get off the beaten path. Thinks of it as your cabin on the volcano. And oh yes, we took long naps everyday!

Flowers at roadside stands. We also picked up some Pineapple bread since they were out of the Chocolate Banana.

Ah, the hidden Red Sand Beach. So beautiful except for the exhibitionist dude who was naked and kept flashing all the girls by moving his towel around to sit right in front of us, spread eagle.

At the Ritz Carlton in Kapalui for Wells Fargo's Concord Elite. Can you say extravagant? We had fresh flower leis, henna tattoos, games, photos with parrots and old cars, dancers, bands, massages, open bar and endless amounts of food... the crab legs and roasted vegetables were the best! Once night they had something called the Maui Food & Music Festival where they brought in the top gourmet chefs to set up sampler stations of yummy sushi or Asian ribs as well as many local musicians. It was brilliant (as the London Bachelor would say).

Our on the catamaran/snorkel adventure. The seas where very choppy so were unable to snorkel (thank God) but we hung out on the boat relaxing in the sun. We saw a mom & baby whale and they were splashing around, looking adorable. We met lots of WF people from all over the country.... I even took a cycle-yoga class with some ladies from Laguna Beach. Real life Newpsies! (who were actually very nice, I did not ask them if they knew LC but I wanted to).

Final night, East Meets West. Imagine the fanciest wedding you have been to and multiply it by 10. They had all kinds of East Indian inspired elaborate decor, dancers, and gourmet food. The West came in when we moved to the Dessert Buffet to hear the surprise band play. It was a Grammy-winning county band called Sugarland. We had never heard of them either but FYI the lead singer looks like a Southern Amy Poehler. Anway, it was fun! All week people were wondering who would be performing so there lots of bunk rumors going around about Bon Jovi or Jack Johnson.

It was an amazing vacation, thank you WellsFargo! We were so lucky to have this opportunity!
We missed you Norelle!

She's a machine...

The latest from Jana...

Just so you know, I competed in Richmond, VA this past Sunday and I qualified for Worlds in Italy!! This is will be on Sept 27...you and Jake should plan your next vacation in Rimini!
I will represent Team USA 2008. My rivals and I will all come together and represent our country along with 50 other countries in the short course duathlon. 10K run, 40K bike, 5K run.
Richmond was such a challenging course...but I left it all out there. I will send you a picture!
Love you!!
Jana

The REAL baby Liam