60.

Happy Birthday Dad.

First time for everything.

Tis the season to try new things. January has proven to be a month of firsts, even for this seasoned almost 30-year old (that looks way worse written than I thought). Call it a mid-life crisis or just being in the right place at the right time but I have had not one, but two life changing events this very week alone.

First experience of note - eyebrow threading. No needles involved, only a spool of white thread and a pair of very skilled hands. We were out celebrating Sara's bday (I won't say which number but she's older than me) and somehow between dinner and walking back to the car we ended up in a "threading" salon thanks to Chelsey I think. Next thing we know we are giggling like schoolgirls and gathering around while each of us takes a turn supine in the chair.

I'm not one to mess with my eyebrows, much less allow another to do so; only once before have I been coerced/embarrassed into getting them shaped. (at the nail salon. when you walk in and they greet you with "eyebrow wax?" even if you just came in for a pedicure, of course you say "uh, yes" and find the nearest mirror to confirm your fears of why they asked). But everyone was doing it, it was only $11, the technicians looked like they were from the right region of the world to perform the service, I probably needed it and I never balk at the chance to experience a little pain (see favorite quote in right column), especially for a good cause.

I wish I could explain more about the process, but even after watching a few times, I have no earthly idea what exactly is going on. It was quick and I felt little hairs all over my face while she was doing her voodoo (enough that I thought someone would definitely be coming by to sweep up after I departed) but the result was incredible and just painful enough to be fun!
Experience grade A+

The second thing is something I've always wanted to try but haven't had the chance and that is to take a hip-hop class. Luckily I was visiting my sister on the right day and she goes to the right gym. Now mind you I don't have special "hip-hop" shoes like she does but I looked gansta enough for the class (you can take the girl out of Banning but you can't take the Banning out of the girl), thanks to a ubiquitous Not Guilty t-shirt and some borrowed Nike windpants from Britt's boyfriend. I know that I sang high praises for the Bikram yoga (haha) but THIS was my favorite workout ever. I almost considered moving to Manhattan Beach just so I can go to his class weekly (think the Army will ever have a base there?). He, is DHQ, whose claim to fame is choreographing for Bobby Brown. His music was great and he made complicated dance moves less frustrating than a beginning step aerobics class. It was a great workout for body, soul and mind (who needs Sodoku, when you can stimulate your brain putting together dance moves like Janet?). I was sad when it ended.
Experience grade A+ +

There are two classes of travel -- first class and with children

- Robert Benchley

Yesterday, with my newly minted four-year old (and my mamas boy) in tow we escaped the lonliness of an absent (or sleeping) father and headed "home". I revised my packing strategy three times and finally (correctly) decided that it was useless to pack anything in the carry-on that might entertain me on the flight, such as the usual books, magazines, laptop, journal and used every inch of diaper bag space for snacks snacks and more snacks, diapers and wipes...and a few more snacks. I packed each of us a bag, half-full, except for Miles' which had a months worth of diapers, and which I expected to be half-full upon return. I have been informed that there are indeed washing machines in California and came to grips with the fact that it isn't the end of the world to be seen in the same outfit twice during a three-week stay. After all, I am the least fashionable sister anyway and should therefore know my place.

From check-in to boarding it took the entire hour forty-five I had allotted. Two agriculture checks, security (which A. is a complete pro at - shoes off, backpack in a bin and boarding pass in hand before I even had to say anything) and a bathroom stop later we were at our gate, which was boarding. Did I mention the 3/4 mile walk to get to gate 33, the very farthest gate in the terminal (was that what the shuttle was for?)? I'm sure the trek was good for our pre-flight circulation and for tiring out little legs. It's fine because I like to board last anyhow, as long as seats are pre-assigned that is. And last we were.

And now a plug for Hawaiian Airlines. I love to fly Hawaiian if at all possible. Avery was happy to be flying on the plane with the Hawaiian girl pictured on the tail and I was happy because, it was non-stop, the flight-attendants are consistently nice and they still feed you. Not to mention it was the cheapest flight available and best-fit my scheduling restrictions - which is - nap time or red-eye. This was supposed to be a nap-time flight. Not that my children have ever taken a 5-hour nap, but one can certainly hope.

The good news is that the back of the plane, where I always try to sit, so as to bother the least amount of people, was nearly completely empty. Not only did we get the three center seats to ourselves (M. still qualifies for lap-child status) there was no one behind us or to either side and one person in front of us. We settled in nicely, Miles securely strapped into his car seat and Avery getting "comfty" with pillows and blankets and me, doling out snacks from the center seat. It took longer than hoped for either child to fall asleep but with my reading material relegated to the checked luggage it didn't matter much and I was still able to eventually enjoy the current issue of the inflight 'zine*. The first two hours weren't all that pleasant actually but I did get excited when I smelled dinner being warmed (doesn't that sound delicious?). I should have known what was going to happen next, because it always happens. "Oh I'm sorry we're out of pasta, but here's a cold turkey sandwich", is what I get for being nice and sitting way in the back. It'll also happen on the return flight I'm sure. I'm not sure why they don't make more hot meals. The hot warmed meals come with a salad, roll and dessert of some sort. How is that equivilant to two slices of deli meat and one half piece of cheese on a croissant? Oh, I guess I forgot that it comes with a couple condiment packages and a bag of Lays. I ate it begrudgingly. And then I ate most of Avery's as well.

Both kids were asleep for the presentation of "Nanny Diaries" so it should have been enjoyable. Loved the book. Disliked the movie because it had the potential to be excellent but wasn't, although it's probable that I was still bitter over the meal I hadn't been served. What really got me through the flight was thinking about what awaits me on the other side... bean and cheese burritos, taquitos w/ guacamole, produce that hasn't been on a ship for two-months before it gets to market, and I really needn't say it ... In-N-Out. Is it possible to get a bad meal in California?

Well, now for the good news for those of you who have made it to this point. Not only do I promise not to recount every detail of our return trip, there is no slideshow to accompany this post. Lucky you.

* I recommend the article Sanctuary in the current issue of Hana Hou.

Happy Fourth Bday!!

Despite my threats that if she didn't stop doing this or that thing* she wouldn't turn four, Avery made it to the big day. She has already informed us that she wants to turn four and then five and then stop (because at five you can be a dolphin "trainer"). She also asked me, while semi-fake weeping, if she could live with me forever, even when she has a baby and gets married. As long as it's not in that order, she can.

When asked what she wanted to do for her birthday she simply replies "celebrate" so celebrate we have. On Saturday I took her to see Enchanted with a friend from church (super cute, I totally can't wait to buy this movie...and I don't usually care to own movies), they danced in the aisles during the credits. Today, I am taking her to get ice cream with two of her other friends then we will have a quick celebratory meal with dad before he goes to work.

*this or that consists of stunts like stealing her brothers binky, not going to bed when I say, talking back to adults - for instance she is really into no smoking or no whatever signs, we were at a doctors office recently and a lady was talking on her cell phone while standing right next to a sign that indicated no cell phones with the red circle & slash and I could tell that A. was dying to say something to her but was getting glared at by me to not say anything and when I left the waiting room to talk to the nurse I observed her proceed to (kindly) inform the lady that you weren't supposed to use phones in the waiting room.

This kind of self-confidence/righteousness is highly annoying to me in a child and I am trying to do everything I can to stop her from thinking she is "in charge" (any suggestions from anyone on how to reign in the strong-willed child?). Of course privately I do see the humor in some of her antics, like most recently, at church when she tried to leave her seat to go into the foyer and I threatened her that she would have to go sit in the car she instantly bared her teeth, and drew up her arms and legs into the Karate Kid pose at me in defiance. Yikes! Which leads me to a further warning - watch out, because she is into fake slapping too, but don't worry, she'll give you a tutorial on how to move your head before she throws one on you. I always thought being a stunt woman would be cool so maybe that's what she's going for. I am a little scared at what age 4-5 will bring but I'm sure it will be both entertaining and challenging.

Late Night Date

Ben's working the night shift now and he had a day (or night rather) off but didn't want to reverse his current schedule too much so we decided to hit up a late night movie. Since most baby-sitters are trying to end their nights by 10pm (which was when the movie started) we made it a family affair, banking on the fact that Miles would be asleep and sincerely hoping that Avery would follow suit. Nevertheless we picked a movie that would be appropriate..or more correctly, wouldn't be inappropriate if she did manage to stay awake. We are lucky to have a dollar theater within walking distance (we drove) which has been really fun for the kids and I, we recently saw Ratatouille and the Bee Movie. Since M. doesn't know that he loves watching TV and movies yet, it's nice because we're not ruining anyones $9, first-run movie experience if he decides to get loud and he's not ruining my $9, first-run movie experience if I have to take him out.

The movie we saw was Dan in Real Life w/ Steve Carrell and Juliette Binoche. It was really good. Definitely worth the dollar. It was funny, yet touching and real. A movie that men and women can appreciate equally. AND, they managed to keep it clean! I recommend it.

When we were getting our tickets the gal that was selling the tickets mentioned that she remembered seeing us on the Big Island. Avery was playing with her daughter in the pool at the mega-resort. We also ran into a family from our ward when we were there. It's a small small chain of islands.

Big Island Day Five

Goodbye volcanoes. It's our last day here. The good news is that our flight isn't until 8:30pm. We'll spend the day revisiting Hilo and checking out what lies between here and there.


What is between here and there, is, well, another farmers market resulting in one of the few good meals during our trip*, some awesome tide pools, lava tree state park and some more incredible scenery. Oh yeah, and some island wildlife, include crawfish and wild turkey.

*food while travelling is very important to me, I like to consult Frommers advice on where to eat, which Ben likes to make fun of me for, and so far this trip has been a disaster on the culinary front.

Big Island Day Four

From resort luxury to rustic living! We stayed at Kilauea Military Camp in Volcanoes National Park, right at the top near the caldera and were relieved to park directly in front of our cabin instead of having to take a tram or boat to our spacious room(s). We were also pleasantly surprised that the air was brisk and chilly, making the fact that we had a fireplace an attractive option. We arrived just in time for a hula show in the dining lodge and we were in need of some homestyle all-you-can-eat buffet as was offered. The camp had a bowling alley, movie theater, tennis courts, etc. none of which we got to use because we spent our short time there taking in the incredible volcano hikes, scenery and exhibits.

Avery was a little disappointed that it was Kilauea and not "Killer Whale", like she had thought she'd heard (she'd be even more disappointed to know that her parents saw humpback whales frolicking while she slept the day before...we tried to wake her up). But she was impressed to see the steam and the hardened lava. The different formations and lava flows from various years were really cool. I thought some of it looked shiny and cracked, like the top of a pan of brownies after it cools, and others looked like intricate designs of rope or stretched taffy. It is nature at it's awe-inspiring finest. If you like lava, you'll love this slideshow:

Big Island Day Three

Today we enjoyed our hotel until we had to check out at noon. And now for a word about where we slept - I feel we hit the Priceline jackpot in the Hilton Waikoloa Village. I have used Priceline almost exclusively when we travel over the last 5 years and it has yet to fail us, but this time we won big time. For $130 a night (room rate on the door - not that anyone really pays those fees, but for comparisons sake, started at $465/a night)we stayed at a 62-acre resort with every amenity that you could imagine in a hotel. Maybe I am just easily impressed (I fully enjoy a clean Motel 6 room just fine - I get that from my mom), but it was fancy nice to the point of being overwhelming. I felt slightly out of place, as I realized that we were now rubbing elbows with women who bring perfume and jewelry on vacation and who also actually use the provided blowdryer and iron.

The Hilton's had even captured dolphins for our enjoyment, which was a huge hit with the kids of course. There was a boat or tram to take you to your room. Not to mention water slides, museum-caliber artwork along a one-mile walkway circling the property, cabanas, a "Diego"-bridge (whatever that is, but that's what A. referred to it as) a lagoon with a waterfall and tropical fish, multiple fitness centers and complimentary classes... I'm getting tired just mentioning it all.

After checking out we started on our way to our next destination - Volcanoes National Park. On the way we saw a windfarm a la Palm Springs and a black sand beach that made Miles' look...well, even whiter than usual. I wasn't sure that was possible. And we saw turtles...which I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to touch...

Big Island Day Two

Today we travelled down to Kona to do some kayaking. We rented some gear and headed toward Captain Cook's monument (the place where he said his final aloha's) for some awesome snorkeling and paddling. We had hoped to see wild dolphins but they didn't come and play that day. On our way home we decided to head up Mauna Kea, the world's tallest mountain (base to top: 33,465 feet) to view the night sky. It was spectacular and there is a reason that it houses the worlds largest observatory. I've never seen so many stars in one place. The nearest "city" (meaning lights) is Honolulu, so the darkness, coupled with it's incredible height makes it an amazing place to star-gaze. And it's COLD! Talk about strange - seeing a mountain peak with snow on it in Hawaii?! I wish I had pictures of the night sky, but you can see some HERE. After some hot chocolate, a treat I haven't had or even wanted in nearly a year now, we headed back to the village...

Some of our pics for that day were taken with a waterproof disposable film camera and since the ants have taken over our scanner, I haven't yet been able to upload those.

Big Island - Day One

Ben had requested leave in order to go to CA for Ryan's bday/deployment party but when airline prices failed to accommodate, we took a last minute trip to Hawai'i (aka - the Big Island) so as not to waste the granted days off. There is definately a certain sense of urgency now to see and do all that the chain of islands have to offer before we must say our final aloha's.

Our departing flight was at 5:10am (I'm not sure I realized that we would have to leave our house at 3:30am when I booked them but I wanted to maximize our time) and we arrived in Hilo before dawn. I had been anxious to see a Hawaiian sunrise and with Hilo being on the East side, it was a great place to do it. It wasn't as awe-insipring as I thought it would be so I will continue to sleep through them for the remainder of my days living on an island. I'm more of a sunset person these days (it hasn't always been so).

We caught the acclaimed Hilo farmers market early and scored fresh banans and tangerines and rice cooked three ways - Spam Musubi, Sweet Rice Fried on a Stick (not to be confused w/ fried rice on a stick) and Glutanous Cinnamon Rice in a rectangle. I was particularly hoping to get some tastes of honey from the bee-keepers station but he just wasn't setting up quick enough. It's amazing to me how the taste of honey can vary depending on the types of plant life the bees gather from. But that's a whole 'nother topic entirely ...

We promptly left Hilo and started making our way toward the Kona side where we would be staying for the first few nights. Amazing scenery (like what you can see in the pictures times a million) and every few miles we felt we were in another country or state. I think that first day we compared the scenery to Guatemala, Ireland (at least what we've seen in pictures), Pennsylvania, Colorado and Yucca Valley (I know, not a state nor a vacation destination).

About halfway to our first days stop we pulled over to take a brief nap, capitalizing on the fact that the children were fast asleep. We slept for over two hours.

December Recap

Where to begin, where to begin? I don't want to dwell too much on December since it is the start of a new year but here it goes:

Ben - Finally got me a Christmas gift that he came up with on his own and was just for me and that I didn't return - a new Wii game (Raving Rabids 2) and the new Cranium game...wait a minute...those are for both of us! Oh yeah, he did get me some perfume that I wanted (Flower by Kenzo) and I only mentioned it once to see how well he was listening. Good job.

Miles - His vocabulary is still limited to Da(d), Dog, Duck, Hi, Juice, Go, Wow and Whas that? None of which any but the trained ear of a mother (his mother) can understand. But his comprehension has increased dramatically, so we communicate through questions and head nods and shakes.

Avery - Continues to patrol the streets and protect us from the underclothed. The perpetrator this time - The fashionably underclothed Aunt Brittany. The crime - Exposed shoulders. The punishment - A severe tongue lashing and warning issued by the warden of all things modest. It went something like this... "Aunt Brittany, your shoulders are showing" "Oh" "You shouldn't show your shoulders" "Really? Who said" (wrong question!) "God" "Really, when did He say that?" "A long long long long long long long long time ago" End of discussion.

Me - This month I learned that Christmas isn't all fun and games for moms, which is why Mother's Day must have been invented. After thirty years of fabulously effortless Christmases, I got to see it from the other side. I thought that I was keeping it simple and had most things done in advance, but it is just not in the cards for a mother to sleep much the night before Christmas. So thank you mom, thank you Leah, thank you grandmas, aunts etc. for all of your hard work over the years that made Christmas seem effortless. And kudos to the dad's as well. And Santa.

We were so glad to have Gma Louva, Gpa Dwight and Aunt Brittany with us for the holidays (and my parents here earlier in the month...remember we went kayaking...) I've never not had a Christmas with any of them (except for the few before Britt was born) and it was my first away from home so I was glad to have some family with us. Plus, having three more people added more gifts under the tree!

What else...hmm I know there is something....oh yes, we're moving to Washington. :) I haven't said much about it because I've been processing the info and trying to decipher how I feel about it. We are sad to leave Hawaii of course and surprised, because all things seemed to point to a 6-year stay, but we do like moving so, on to another adventure. I'm not sure how I feel about moving somewhere so rainy (I really like the rain actually, but not constant gloom) and we didn't love the area when we went to visit a few years back. But, the good news is that Ben got into the specialty that he wanted (ENT) and he will be working with a great team at a great hospital. Really, it's just the weather thing and the leaving paradise thing that is difficult. Hawaii suits us. I don't think we would have contracted the dreaded island fever (now we have to worry about getting S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder- a real disease) and we really like the "live slow", casual, nothing fancy lifestyle. BUT! I think there are a lot of things we will love about the pacific n'west as well. The blog content/interesting factor may suffer after the move, but I hope that's not the case. Anyhow, expect to hear more about what I'm sad/glad to leave and what I'm fearful of/excited to discover in our new locale, frequently in the next few months.

*The shark and Ariel balloon's in the slide show were not Christmas presents (how temporary!) but were souveniers from a place we went to eat. The balloon artists were amazing!

What is this...China?!

It's either that or WW3. At first we were feeling a little sad not to be celebrating the holidays as usual with family. But the spectacle we beheld last night made us wish it was loved ones who were here. One of the perks of living on a lush, tropical island, surrounded by a large body of water (that's what makes it an island, I know) means that anyone and everyone can explode fireworks as they please. The streets were filled with various on ground displays...and dangling from ladders and light posts (and dangerously near power lines) for that matter. The arsenal that nearly each house had in their garage/carport was amazing. You could barely drive the streets, or see for the smoke. But the craziest thing was that folks were shooting aerial fireworks from their front and backyards. You never knew when one would explode above your head. Officially and legally, the festivities of fire weren't to begin till 9pm but most started unleashing their booty (that's pirate speak booty - and no double entendre like on a certain t-shirt I heard was gifted among the family) around 6pm. And some even started the day before. A permit allows you to buy up to 5,000 firecrackers! It looked, sounded and smelled like a war zone (except thankfully, as Nate pointed out to Ben, no one died...although that's still to be determined). Here's some footage of the melee. Enjoy it cause I fell off a 5 foot brick wall for these shots (again, like all of my video footage, not for those with a weak stomach)





my neighbor said this year was mild. Here is some of the aftermath.