'appy ndew yeahr

Well,it was inevitable. When Alicia arrived,she spent the first several days of her visit sick. Then Tim arrived, and within a day he too was feeling icky. They've now recovered and have returned to their respective homes on the cold east coast.

We got ready for our big night out for new years eve... A little dinner, maybe a club with some dancing and then watching the fireworks at midnight! But alas, halfway through dinner, Michael got cold, clammy, achy, stuffy.... The dreaded goo had struck. Here it is almost 10pm on nye and we're back home, watching (the horrible) Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve. we can hear fireworks going off in the neighborhoods and parties all around us (they are legal here And it's a lot like 4th of July).

oh well. Seen one new year....

Happy - and healthy - 2012 to you all.

Yes, Nancy, there really IS a Santa Claus

.... and this year, it was our kids.

We have been so busy with all the things to try to get the house set up blah blah blah (I feel like all I do is complain about how busy we are... wah wah wah).  Anyway, certain seasonal elements had fallen by the wayside.  Yes, I finally got lights up around our lanaii - lovely.  But a tree?  No.  Any decorations up?  No.  The kids got here, and Alicia said  "WHAT??!!"

Days went by and still nothing.  We looked at one tree lot (on the 22nd) and they wanted $35 for a tree that was really too big.  It just didn't make any sense.... And I somehow couldn't bring myself to put up decorations without the centerpiece.

So one morning - the 23rd of December to be exact, the kids left for an adventure together - they ended up circumnavigating the island from Kihei to Kahului to Hana and around the back way through Kaupo up the backside of Haleakala through Kula, Pukalani back through Kahului and home.

They actually managed to put a few miles on the Box Car!

Meanwhile, we finished our work day and headed out (yes, on the scooter) to run errands.  When we arrived home, we were met at the gate by a familiar reindeer and two festively bedecked puppies.

And this was just the beginning!  All the Santas were out, the nutcracker, the stockings... the sparkle and warmth of Christmas and the comfort of holidays past.  And lo and behold - a TREE!  A perfect small, fragrant tree ready for trimming.  Our kids brought the holiday spirit to our little ohana.  They are the best gift ever.

Gone Native ...

Michael has joined the ranks of locals and now comandeers his very own 150 cc "scooter".  It's actually considered a motorcycle - requires a license plate (which we have) and a special operating license (which he has - albeit old and CA still).  It's perfect for the little around town errands, trips to the beach (sans doggies), and the like.

There may yet be a kink or two to be worked out... like remembering to remove the lock (think bike chain) before you attempt to scoot down the driveway.   (Luckily it was on the back tire, thus avoiding a dicey ass-over-teakettle spill.  Actually, there was no spill involved and no damage to scooter, lock, or, thankfully, operator.) 

And yes, we always do wear helmets.  (Honestly, we didn't once, but the next day saw a nasty accident, and decided not worth the risk any more.)

Happy Christmakus!

The holidays come to Kihei....

With warmest Aloha for the season,
Nancy & Michael

The Real Meaning of Couch Surfing

It took us a while, but we finally found a couch!

For a week or so, we had big empty living room (and by big, I mean small, but still, it was essentially empty....)

We then, thanks to a brilliant suggestion by a mainlander (thank you, Anna!), transitioned to some fine albeit temporary seating. (I added the throw blankets for the more panache, less beachy, feel.)

But now.... after much searching (soul, web, store).... we have taken delivery of a lovely little sofa.  Amen to that!

I'd say we are coming ever closer to having guests!!  Witness our friend, Tom, here who actually braved an evening with us before we even had the presence of mind to break out the beach chairs!  Not that you can tell in this picture, but we are dining on some very fine Chinet paper plates.  Okay, so we are still on the hunt for dinnerware.  And glasses.  ...and nightstands.  ...and lamps.  .... and a chest of drawers  ...and seat cushions. ......

Toto, We're Not In Kansas Anymore

A more or less typical day at the office.  Phone calls, however, are taken inside, lest we disturb the neighbors, or birds, or geckos.

Things are Slowly Taking Shape

We hung our first picture last night.  It was tough putting a hole in the pristine walls that Michael had worked so hard to prep and paint only two weeks ago.  But this wasn't our first hole.... noooooo. 

We decided that the kitchen cabinets, heretofore unsullied with any kind of handle-type hardware, needed knobs for easier access (and less dirty marks).  So I measured and marked where holes should be drilled.  Michael drilled & inserted knobs in 3 of the 7 bottom cabinets.  He then pointed out that I had missed marking a cabinet.  Righty-o.  I get my template, make my mark, and he drills his hole.  Only to then realize it was the wrong side of the cabinet (I had, in fact, marked the correct side....).  Oops.

 Okay, no worries.  He can spackle and touch that up.  4 more cabinets later, we step back and admire our handywork.  Looks awful.  We positioned them in a bad location on the doors (too far down.... good height if we wanted to teach the dogs to pull the doors open with their teeth).  What were we thinking?  Okay... out they all come, on goes more spackle.  Just a little carefully applied paint will hide those little blemishes, no problem. 

Now for the top cabinets. Again, I mark, he drills.  Again, I miss one or two.  I re-mark.  And - oh yes, you guessed it - again we mark and drill the wrong side of the cabinet.  Really?  Really.  Apparently, two people in a haze of idiot moving stupor should not be permitted to handle a drill without the supervision of someone with a fully functioning brain.

Maybe now you see why we are a little reluctant to hang our pictures....

La Cucaracha

I may have met my arch-nemesis here in paradise.  You may know that I am rarely given to hyperbole ... but I am here to tell you that he was big.  Easily the size of a small dog.  And noisy.  Clacking around in the cupboard, skittering away from the light.  Trying to hide under a paper, but unable to reel in his ridiculously long antennae.  Then he hoisted himself up and over a half wall.  Watching his shiny brown armored body scurry up one side of the wall and down the other was like watching Bram Stoker's Dracula scale the side of the building upside down - just downright creepy.   Michael sprayed him a couple of times with some nasty chemical, which finally slowed him down  enough for me to render him unconscious by beating him with an anvil and blowing him up with some ACME dynamite.  I think I heard him screaming when I flushed his battered carcass down the toilet.  Oh wait, maybe that was me.

 He and his ilk may be my undoing. 

I feel the need to go shower now.

It's a Dog's Life Here in Maui

No Robert Frost am I

The Beach is Lovely, Long & Bright....

But we have battles left to fight ....

And more to do before tonight .....
   

    Still more to do to make this right!



A December to Remember

So, you already know we made the big move.  We've been in the house now for 3 whole days.  This is our 2nd night, in the last 3-1/2 weeks, of sleeping in a real bed - our own bed.  This fact alone is one of the most positive things!  We finally put some food in the fridge tonight, besides leftover pizza.  On the other hand, we have been to the beach 3 times in 2 days.  Just for about a half hour each - enough to let the puppies run & chase waves - and take a mind-boggling number of dumps in the sand (the first barrage found us without a bag.  I had to throw out half of a perfectly good latte to fill the cup.  We do try to be responsible dog owners!)  And each day has stared out in the 70's, hit the 80's and ended again in the 70's.  Now, we're talkin'!

At least a couple of times a day, I stop for a moment, smack Michael on the arm and say "We live here now!".  Wow, huh?

But the move itself has been interesting.  We thought we were making lists and planning and deciding things BEFORE we left.  Well, that was just practice.  Now we're back to making lists, seeing things that need doing, fixing, cleaning, moving, cubby-holing, purchasing.... you get the picture.  It's fun and exhausting, possibly in equal measure.

We "sequestered" the dogs on the lanai during the move-in.  Here's what Hawaiian doggie confinement looked like:

The ramshackle stack of barricading was erected after Ami jumped over the kennel to greet the movers.  Ami jumping, imagine that?

Here's the living room, 8 AM ready for the movers to arrive,  after Michael had spent a full week painting every room in the house.

After 4 hours of schlepping and unpacking with the 2-man moving crew, it looked like this:

The other rooms similarly went from "less-is-more" to "holy shit, why did we bring all this stuff and where are we going to put it??!!".  By 9 PM that same night (this would be just last night), we had successfully wrangled 63% of the pile into submission.

Okay.... maybe more like 48%.  Point is... we're making progress! (At least in this room.... I plead the 5th as to other rooms in the house.)

It's late here (which means it's 2 hours later - or more - where you are).  I'm going to bed.  We've got to get up early to be on the beach by 7 for another canine bowel-purging run in the sand and the surf.

Aloha for now!