Aloha 2012! Day 3

On our third day in Hawaii, we finished up the Volcano/Hilo side of the island and then headed over to Kona. Before driving over to Kona though, we took one last tour through Volcano National Park. Taking advantage of the early start and low crowds, we hiked through a lava tube. This isn't actually a tube of lava, but rather a tube created by lava. But no one wants to call it "big gaping tunnel that the lava made and is sorta tube like."

After the lava tube we walked through the sulfur flats. These were amazing! The trail was paved an elevated, and apparently the ground was so hot it could burn you. Or at least there were unpredictable pockets of heat that you could get burned by. No ROUS sightings though. 

As one last stop in Volcano National Park, we drove back to where Mark took the picture of the active part of the Volcano. This is what it looks like during the day! Amazing! If anyone wants to study light, I highly recommend a trip to Hawaii because every time we turned around, the light changed and challenged us to rethink what we were seeing.

After a yummy lunch, we started our drive towards Kona. We stopped at Black Sand Beach Park, where the sand was indeed black and the sea turtles let us gawk at them.

Dragging ourselves away from the sea turtles, (they really were awe inspiring) we drove a bit out of our way to South Point. South Point, aptly named, is the southern most point in the United States.

And Mark took one of my all time favorite pictures ever. I think this one is going to end up on our wall!

We finally made it to Kona, grabbed some grub, and went to sleep. There were even more adventures awaiting us on the other side of the island!

Aloha 2012! Day 2

Quite a bit belated but it is what it is!

Our second day was a Volcano day for us. We started by heading to Hawaii Volcano National Park. I think we're unofficially collecting pictures of ourselves standing in front of national park entrance signs.

After hitting up the visitor's center and driving through the park a bit, we headed out on a hike to get a good idea of the landscape. The prevailing theme seemed to be "Life Beats Lava." Which, heck, considering the year we all had in 2011, sure is a relief to find true! It was so inspiring to see the different levels of habitat growth throughout the area. This lava bear was also pretty amazing! The hike itself was on a little bit of slippery ground... I wanted to run part of it but quickly decided that running on loose uneven ground was a bad idea.

From parts of the hike we could see the volcano spewing. It wasn't erupting, just active in the sense that stuff was coming out. I would call it smoke. Pretty cool stuff!

The light throughout the day stunned us at every turn. We truly began to feel that paradise feeling. So many times we'd turn a corner or crest a hill and find ourselves looking at varying bits of sunlight sprinkling the landscape. Gorgeous, breathtaking, and in a way, healing.

Ok, obligatory "couple with a view" pose. I thought I was being so clever by standing on ground a bit higher up from Mark, but alas he's still so much taller me.

 A bit later in the day we hiked out to where some lava flowed right over the road. Lava beats road.

After watching a gorgeous sunset, we headed back to our rental house for some dinner and rest.

Finally, before we were all completely tired out from the day, we headed back to the park to check out the volcano at night. Let's just say my illusion of smoke was dissolved! I couldn't believe that what I thought was smoke earlier was this:

And with that Mark has declared that if it ever truly erupts again in our lifetime (which it likely will), then we'll be on the first flight to Hilo that we can catch.

Aloha 2012! Day 1

After saying so long to the Brady clan, we drove back to San Jose and then flew to Hawaii where we met Steph, Julia, and Toni. I'd never been to Hawaii before and Mark had only been during a conference, so we were not really sure what to expect. Luckily Steph and Julia had been before and helped us have a very relaxing and enjoyable trip! I love having a professional guide as a SIL!

We flew into Kona and got our rental car upgraded. Here's how we drove around:

Can't say it'd be a good family car, but it sure was fun to roll around Hawaii in a Jeep Wrangler!

We started out by driving from Kona over the north side of the island to Hilo. On the way there, we stopped at some pretty overlooks, and then took a short hike through a rainforest to a waterfall. It's good thing we brought our rain jackets because the rainforest was taking its name seriously!

Akaka falls... you say it and not giggle!

The drive from Kona to Hilo (technically we stayed in Volcano) was gorgeous. We stopped for malasadas, which can be described as donuts only better. We also saw a lot of the crazy topography that a volcano creates. And of course, we saw the ocean. Here's a smattering of pics from the day:

Laupahoehoe Harbor, where the energy of the ocean is overwhelming.

Trail to Akaka falls

We never did see any donkeys... just the five asses in the Jeep.

Rainforest beats lava.

And so that was the first day. I remember going to bed thinking "I hope we didn't do all the amazing stuff today because there are still six more days left!" Luckily, we didn't. More to come!

A Very Brady Christmas, and Hello 2012!

It seems like everyone is saying adieu to 2011 with gusto. Was it really such a bad year for everyone? I know for us, while we had some amazing things happen, we also had some really awful things happen. And whether it's circumstantial or just an attitude adjustment, I feel really positive about 2012 and the things to come!

We ended 2011 in the best way possible. First, Mark accepted a position as a tenure-track professor at St. Mary's College in California. So in about six or seven months, we'll be moving to a permanent location-- The bay area! Or, at least, the East Bay. Drivable to SLO and and easy flight to Seattle and San Diego? Yes please! The bay area is pretty much a perfect location for us. We're so excited!

We rounded out the end of the year with two weeks of travel. We spent the first half in San Luis Obispo for A Very Brady Christmas 2011, and then the second week in Hawaii for NYE with the Lingwoods. Not a bad deal, eh?

As per usual, we had lots of people at my parents house for Christmas. It still felt rather empty to me though as my brother Aaron is currently stationed in Cambodia doing humanitarian with the SeaBees. But we did get to video chat with him :) Technology is awesome.

I would post the family picture but this one is so, so much funnier. It's missing Mark (he's behind the camera and I am obviously trying to tell him what to do despite the fact that I had no idea) but it is hilarious and I think sums up every family picture ever.

Front row: Carol, Collin, Lillie, Sunny, Tena holding Cassidy, Katelin, Me
Back row: Michelle, Ray, Mom, Dad, Larry, Heide, Rick, Steve

Ok, here's the nice picture. You have to applaud Mark for not only herding all of his in-laws into the picture and then taking a fantastic shot, but keeping in good standing with them while doing so!

We had a wonderful time and it was made all the more wonderful knowing that we'll be back to California permanently in a bit!

More to come on our Hawaiian NYE adventure... 

The Importance of Being a Tourist

My mother-in-law was just in town for a week which meant Mark and I had the chance to play tourist in our home area. I cannot stress how much I value exploring, touring, playing, and just being in your town of residence. How many people live in Seattle but have never been to the top of the Space Needle or rode the ducks? Haven't you always heard of people living in New York City but never visiting the Empire State Building?

But Kristen! you say. Don't you live really far from any kind of big city with touristy things?


Well... yes thanks for the reminder. But that doesn't mean we don't live somewhere with fun things to tour! Every little or big town has its own gems to explore, and with a little effort and time and the right expectations you can find them! Here's what we found out and about in and near Blacksburg, VA.

First up is the Smithfield Plantation. Mark and I took my mom here when she was in town on her birthday and I knew I wanted to go back with Toni. It is a historic plantation building located on the Virginia Tech campus, built in 1774. They give a fantastic one hour tour and you can even take pictures! I found out that apparently most people from Blacksburg have never even been there, despite it's central location on the campus. Pity!

We also took the time to tour our quaint little downtown. Of course I have been downtown several times before as it is pretty much the only place to go out to eat without driving to nearby Christiansburg. However, walking through slowly you're bound to discover new things, like historical signs that actually tell you about your town! Turns out Blacksburg was named after Mr. William Black. Essential information? Nope. But definitely fun and interesting to check out things like your local friendly historical sign, enjoy your old fashioned post office, and appreciate the fact that the random buildings in the area just look cool. This is what a tourist would do, and this is what you would do if visiting a different city. Why not enjoy it in your own town?

On one of the days Toni was here, Mark, Toni, and I drove down to the Blue Ridge Parkway. While not in Blacksburg, this definitely counts as being a tourist in our hometown. Sometimes we can't believe how close we are to national parks and forests! It was a beautiful drive and we can't wait to go back during the fall when the leaves will hopefully be all different colors. 

On the drive we stopped at the Mabry Mill where the water wheel was restored and still running! Very cool.

And what do two former apartment dwellers do with their pool towels when they move to the country? Turn them into picnic blankets, of course! We explored the nearby country roads to find two historic covered bridges, and had ourselves a nice little picnic. Little did we know this would be the last cool day before the awful, awful heat wave hit us and the rest of the country (except the the PNW, which has always done its own thing.)

Turns out even the most boring of towns (cough) have plenty of cool things to check out! Here's a last pic of Mark and I at a viewpoint on the Blue Ridge Parkway:

What about you? Have you spent your weekends exploring your hometown? Made use of your free or inexpensive landmarks nearby? Taken a tour of the modest little museums in your neighborhood? If not, I encourage you to throw your camera around your neck (or in your pocket) and go out and sight see!

Sadie

Hello folks! Pardon the silence. Mark and I have been adjusting to our new lives as DOG parents. That's right! About a month ago we adopted a dee-oh-gee! So, if you're interested in dog stuff, read on! If you stopped by for travel adventures... keep an eye out for later posts and we'll catch you later!

Sadie is just over 1 year old (15months?) and she's an Australian Cattle Dog/Rat Terrier/Mix of Other shelter rescue. Like many rescues, she came home to us with many special needs and as time has gone on, we're getting to know just how much time and effort she is going to need to recover from whatever unknown life she had previously. Her biggest needs right now are being more socialized with people and other dogs and working on her fear reactivity (also known as fear aggression.) So far we're working closely with a dog behaviorist/trainer as well as reading a lot of books. We've seen huge improvements and our trainer has called her recovery "amazing." We are exhausted though! Who knew getting a dog would be so much more than walks and fetch? If you want to know more about her needs and rehabilitation, drop me a line and I'll be happy to tell you all about it. It's been quite a process but extremely rewarding.

Sadie models her gentle leader/ head collar (not a muzzle) which works to guide her similar to how a bridle guides horses. 

The longer we've had Sadie and the more she has learned to trust us and relax, the more we are learning about her silly personality. And wowie does she have quite a character! She has earned herself the nickname "Silly Sadie" in its full right. She loves to lay on her back for belly rubs, but she'll take it a step farther and fall asleep on her back. She'll toss her toys in the air and thinks rain is fun to play in. Sadie loves to climb in our laps if we're sitting on the floor and so far she has learned to stay off the couch--when we're not looking.

She is also super smart. Every day we try to teach her a new trick or reinforce an old one. Currently I'm working on roll over and Mark is teaching her "dance". There is a really fantastic book called 101 Dog Tricks that not only has a great assortment of tricks, but it has good pictures and step by step instructions for teaching them as well as beginning-advanced rankings. For dog newbies like Mark and me, this is awesome!

A lot of people have been asking us about how things are going with the cats. Well... to be honest the cats were never going to be thrilled about us bringing a dog into the house. Can you blame them? Another four paw-ed thing has taken their space and their humans! But mostly things are going better than expected, though maybe a little slower than hoped for. Sorry stereotypers... the dog does not try to kill the cats. While there certainly are dogs out there who need to be in homes without cats, in general cats and dogs can coexist given the right circumstances. So far we have a gate up so the cats can have a "sanctuary" where they can feel like they own the place. Most of the interactions have involved nose-touching and butt-sniffing. The main problem we run into is that cats and dogs speak different languages. When Mr. Finnigan puts his paw up, he's telling Sadie "GET THE FRAK AWAY FROM ME I'M GOING TO FIGHT YOU" Well... unfortunately in dog language, a paw-up is a friendly "hey, wanna play, huh? we could wrestle yeah huh come chase me tag you're it!" So, naturally, when Mr. Finnigan walks by and puts his paw up at Sadie, thinking he's warning her to stay away, Sadie thinks "ooh fun chase!" which only freaks the cat out. You can imagine this is not making budding friendships bud any faster. But on the whole, we see at the very least a lifetime of tolerance.

Sunspot for teh kittehs

I know I've been a bit dog-obsessed lately, so thanks to all who have put up with hearing me spout every other sentence beginning with Sadie! Life is actually returning to a new normal, we've been hiking and jogging despite the heat, and generally enjoying the summer. But we can smell football in the air!