More island flavor

If you think you can handle it, click here.

Love writing

Lately, B has been hooking us up with a lot of new music.  Some I like, some I think is whiney, some I'm pretty much indifferent about, but most of it I love.  (We both have the same silly habit with music we end up liking-- we burn a cd so we can listen in the car and then only play that cd for about two weeks straight.  Non-stop.  Then, the cd gets shelved for couple of weeks, months maybe, until it resurfaces for another two weeks of fame.)  My current obsession?  Greg Laswell.

He mostly writes really, really sad songs--sometimes he'll play a lonely guitar riff and it's as if you can actually hear his heart breaking.  But it's his lyrics that get me and I think he's still writing love songs underneath.  Here is a sample of my favorites from his newest album:

if i could write out my own dream / for the next time that i sleep / you'd be the first one that i'd see / and i'd be the last one you keep

there's a song that i've waited / oh, to write with you / think i'll finish it instead / i got enough from you love / that it finishes itself / i regret

and if the plane lifts off / i'll write you a letter / to say goodbye / and i will make it long / and lie just a little / tell you that i'm doing fine

so go ahead and bang a gong / nothing / could drown out the sound of the whispers of my love

Masters of all trades

About a month ago, B moved into a office of his very own.  Well, his very own, plus four other guys, but an office nonetheless.  He is sharing a space in Lake Oswego with a marketing specialist, a videographer, a graphic designer and a web designer.  The trifecta plus two, so a five-fecta if you will.

It's great for oh, so many reasons:  a) B can keep normal office hours and has a place to meet clients, b) he can get out of the house to go to work which helps him keep normal working hours and c) all of the guys in the office have the chance to bounce ideas back and forth off one another, not to mention handing off clients to one another.

So far, it has been a great experience for everyone involved and they are just starting to get the ball rolling.  Last week, a writer for the local Lake O paper did a feature story on them for the front page of the Style section.  (I'm having trouble finding the link online so I think it might have just been in print.)  Here is a shot of what the page looked like:

Just a proud wife gushing a little bit over her hubby.

Doubleday Designs

A great big, huge shout out to my friend Erin and her new Etsy site: 

www.doubledaydesigns.etsy.com

She makes gorgeous jewelry, take a look around her shop!  Oh, and buy some of it too.

Liquid Aloha

So, it's time to explain the blog post drought around these parts.  B and I were on Kauai for a week.  Go ahead, take a moment.......

Yep, we just spent six fabulous days with the Incredi-Lodges on Hawaii's "Garden Isle."  We (in no particular order) hiked, drove around the island, drank, beach walked, combed the beach in the rain, golfed, snorkeled, laid out, surfed, boogie-boarded, kayaked up a river, ate ridiculous amounts of seafood and had a blast.  

Kauai is a fascinating place because the island has so many different landscapes.  We drove up the Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of Hawaii, and saw rocks off the side of the road that could have been plucked right out of Utah and then, at the top of the canyon, we hiked through the muddiest jungle.  Even the beaches were different wherever we went-- rocks, steep cliffs, sand.  The weather was unpredictable too-- the island greeted us with two days of torrential rain, but we soon figured out that if we went to the south side, we'd have sunny skies all day. 

In order to save you all from a day-by-day, play-by-play of our trip, I'll just post a whole truck load of photos.  The Lodges are actually STILL in Hawaii so I'll add the link to Julia's photos once they get home.

Waimea Canyon

The start of the hike out to Pehia Vista.  Muddy!
Julia and I try to navigate a drier route through the muck puddle.
Pehia Vista, where we were supposed to see "grand views of the amazing and spectacular Na Pali coast" behind us.  Yeah, not so much.
B in one of our very classy $3 rain trench coats at the Hanalei Farmer's Market.  (Lesson learned?  Always pack a raincoat for any destination.  Always.)
Hibiscus.Geoff and B and their surfboards on Wailua beach.
B gets ready to tackle the waves.
B at Wailua beach after a tiring session.

Julia and me pose outside of our lunch spot in Hanalei.  Finally, the sun was out!  Just minutes after this, we find out that the bridge back to the rest of the island is closed.  Closed.  Oh well, guess we'll have to go shopping. :)

Kayaking up the Wailua river.

Sun + palm trees = "do we have to go home?"

Snorkels are sexy.
An aquatic friend comes ashore for a sun bath.
Sunrise outside our condo in Kapa'a.
On a beach in Po'ipu on the sunny south shore.

Light it up!

I think we have day and night for a reason.  Day is for activity, night is for sleep.  It's really just that simple.  I'm sure there are those that will definitely disagree with me-- the whole city of Las Vegas for one-- but seriously, it's the reason behind that rule every mother in every small town has:  "Come home when the street lights turn on."  In other words, it's getting dark, it's time to rest.

So, with that in mind, why do we go skiing at night?  And why, if it is so against what the natural turn of the earth wants us to do, is it soooooo awesome?

The Oregon Cascades saw a ridiculous 3 foot dump last week and we just couldn't stay off the mountain.  B and I hit the powdery slopes at Ski Bowl on Friday afternoon and skied our legs off.  

Night skiing is fun, but I'll be honest, it's weird.  Think about it:  they put up lights on the side of the mountain so you can do something that should be a daytime activity at night.  Oh, and you have to pay for it.  I think my big brother should think about adding some lights to his golf course.  Can you say "Cha-ching."  Hello?  Night is the new day.