12+ Hours And We Are There

The flight was long, and we were already feeling the effects of jet-lag kicking in, but that wasn’t keeping us from running around the Hotel and beach like little kids.

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The Pacific Ocean was amazing, powerful, and humbling all in one. Being that I live in landlocked Kansas, it was surreal to look out and see nothing but blue skies, and bright blue water. This was our very first time to even see an Ocean, and on that first day we were out walking on the beach and enjoying the cool water as much as we could.

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I loved the palm trees with their soft, swishing palms chilling in the cool ocean breeze.

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There were cloudy, stormy skies, but we didn’t care one bit. It was absolutely beautiful in Honolulu.

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Our Hotel was right on the beach, with a great view. We were on the 22nd floor, and our room had a balcony that overlooked the harbor, and the Pacific Ocean.

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It was a beautiful combination of downtown Honolulu with amazing urban sprawl, and laid back beach culture. Made even more complete with Surfers that greeted the morning sun, and cute little birds that would perch on the balcony railing.

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It was just day one of the vacation and I was already in love with Honolulu.

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Stay tuned for even more Hawaii posts to come.

May 1

May Monthly Menu

Thank goodness May is here. We are wrapping up the school year, and enjoying all of the tasty fruits and veggies that Spring has brought our way. I have a yummy dinner menu planned for the month, and I’m taking a few nights off from cooking duties too. Here’s what we are having for dinner in the month of May.

5/1/2010: Chili, Saltines, and Brownies
5/2/2010: Grilled Chicken, Fried Squash & Zucchini, and Mashed Potatoes
5/3/2010: Nacho Bar
5/4/2010: Salmon Cakes, Corn, and Rice
5/5/2010: Chicken Nuggets, Fries, and Macaroni & Cheese
5/6/2010: Dinner Out
5/7/2010: Cherry Turnovers, Bacon, Toast, Jellies, and Scrambled Eggs
5/8/2010: Quesadillas, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, and Cheese Dip
5/9/2010: Grilled Chicken, Rice, Corn, and Cherry Jell-O Cake
5/10/2010: Angus Burgers, Chips, and Brownies
5/11/2010: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, and Chow Mien Noodles
5/12/2010: Chicken Fajitas, Mini Bean Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, and Cheese Dip
5/13/2010: Dinner Out
5/14/2010: Cinnamon Rolls, Toast, Jellies, Bacon, and Scrambled Eggs
5/15/2010: Salmon Cakes, Corn, and Rice
5/16/2010: Chili, Saltines, and Brownies
5/17/2010: Fish Sticks, Fries, and Macaroni & Cheese
5/18/2010: Nacho Bar
5/19/2010: Salmon Cakes, Corn, and Rice
5/20/2010: Dinner Out
5/21/2010: Monkey Bread, Toast, Jellies, Bacon, and Scrambled Eggs
5/22/2010: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Salsa, and Cheese Dip
5/23/2010: Pot Roast and Potatoes
5/24/2010: Nacho Bar
5/25/2010: BBQ Beef Sandwiches and Chips
5/26/2010: Chili, Saltines, and Brownies
5/27/2010: Dinner Out
5/28/2010: Breakfast Sandwiches and Cinnamon Rolls
5/29/2010: Salmon Cakes, Corn, and Rice
5/30/2010: Chicken Noodles and Mashed Potatoes
5/31/2010: Angus Burgers, Chips, and Brownies

Time to make some shopping lists, and get to cooking.

May 1

Three Airports To Paradise

A few months ago when James told me about the trip to Hawaii, I was instantly excited, and then a bit worried. You see, I don’t fly, hardly ever, at all. When the tickets arrived we saw all of the stops ahead, and then my nerves really kicked in. There would be three airports to visit, in one day, and about 12 hours in the air. Did I mention that the longest flight that I have ever been on was about 2 hours, and yeah it totally freaked me out.

We started off in Kansas City, and we decided that it would be best to find a hotel close to the airport.

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I was hoping that the stay near the airport would steady my nerves, and it was also good practice for the kiddos. All three were staying home with Nana. We were a little over an hour away from home, and not up in the air just yet, so that made me feel a bit better.

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But there it was, just a mere 5 minutes away…

We woke up extra early on Sunday, bags in hand we caught the shuttle over to the airport, and started on the first flight of the day. A short 1 & 1/2 hour flight to Dallas. The weather was a little questionable and storms were on the horizon. I kept it together, and we landed safely in Dallas.

Our stay in Dallas was so short, that I didn’t even have time to dig out my camera to grab a picture. A little side note…. I love airports, but not airplanes, I’m strange like that.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat, and some snacks for the plane, and then we boarded the biggest plane I had ever seen to Honolulu. What was ahead of us was an eight hour-full of turbulence-crazy-LONG-flight.

It was cool to see almost the entire country in a day, and I read 10 chapters in a book that I brought along. But let me tell you, those last few hours were so long. We gazed out the window at an endless sea and sky of blue, and I was starting to get a little worried. We were 3,777 miles from home, and there was no land to be seen. I kept my mind clear and focused on landing in paradise, and finally after 8 hours, you could see the beautiful island of Hawaii.

The landing wasn’t so great… We hit a lot of stormy skies in the air, and that made for a bumpy landing. But we made it, and we couldn’t wait to get out and play in the Ocean.

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The air was perfumed and sweet, and the sand was warm to the touch on bare toes. It was the first time that James and I had ever seen the Ocean, and we couldn’t wait to enjoy every minute of the vacation.

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