Paddle Boarding

We went paddle boarding on Friday. This was probably my favorite thing all week. Why? It wasn't cheap and we only paddled for about an hour. I think it's my favorite because the funniest stuff happened to both Jeff and I during that hour. Plus, I've never paddle boarded before and I never thought I could since my balance is pretty poor (plus the vertigo stuff). Here's an example of my BFF Jennifer Aniston paddle boarding.

Jeff wanted to snorkel (again) but he also mentioned paddle boarding on our last full day. The idea kind of sunk in fast and my mind was made up. We talked to a New Zealand guy (leaving one paradise for another?) and his prices were outrages.

Well, they were to Jeff; I didn't know any better. We left and found a more affordable place in the Hanalei shopping area. We were given two paddles after measuring our arm length and then a guy on a bike met us at Hanalei Bay to unlock the boards from their station. He gave us simple instructions--because it turns out it's a really simple activity, and we had about 3 hours to play. I can't remember if it was before snorkeling or paddle boarding that Jeff said I should let him know when I was ready to head back to shore by using a code word. His code word suggestion was for me to yell 'shark'. We started off practicing in a cove on our knees (as seen in the pic I took below)

and then we just stood up and headed out to the bay. The bay is also the marina. Here's a shot of the marina from far away.

You also saw it from above in the heli ride post. Here's where we headed which was to the left of the cove.

Here's a shot of the bay to the left of the pier. 

On to the funny stuff. The bay is really big and the waters are crystal clear and calm (except for the occasional slight wake from motor boats). I'm just paddling along and I look for Jeff. He's pretty far from me and is near the pier. I avoided the pier because there were more people over there and I would hate to fall on someone. Well, I'm getting closer and closer to the boats. I'm trying to make my board go to the left toward Jeff and away from the boats. I mean, I'm paddling hard. It's very difficult to turn those behemoths. The only thing that's happening is I'm going even faster toward the boats. I look at Jeff and he throws his hands up like, "Do something!" So, I plop down and straddle the board and paddle like a fiend. The front of my board was in the boats anchor line. Having my legs in the water and my furious paddling helped the board stop and I was able to backup and paddle away while still sitting on the board. At a safe distance I got on my knees and then stood back up. I looked for Jeff again hoping he hadn't seen the whole thing. I look up just in time to see him tip his board and completely fall into the water. It. Was. Hilarious. I was bent over laughing. He gets back on his board totally drenched. We're both laughing now and trying to enjoy the view as we paddle around. We decide to head back to the cove after 10 more minutes. Well, I'll be damned if I didn't somehow head right back to the boats and almost ram another one! I think at this point Jeff tried to act like he didn't know me. I got control about a foot from disaster and made my way to the cove. The one on the right was the first almost accident and the one on the left was the second. 

I lost my balance a little after a motor boat went buy but I never did fall in the water. That was all Jeff. Jeff was still standing on his board as we approached the shore. His board slammed into the shore and he kind of runs and stumbles into the sand still tethered to the board. Also hilarious. We were both laughing so hard. I decided to get back on my knees and prepare for the shore impact. Such a fun time. Jeff was able to get this picture of me displaying my awesome paddle boarding skills. 

We returned to Hanalei Bay on Saturday to look for more shells. I wish we had taken pictures because all the locals were camping on the beach, grilling, socializing, and the younger crowd had pool floats and noodles in the water. The entire bay is like a giant swimming pool and I wish I had taken pictures of all the tomfoolery. We did have some success finding shells here. These are my prize finds.

The bottom one is a cowry shell. Score! And it's creature free.

Heli Ride

A chance to see the Na Pali Coast is probably the number one suggestion to anyone visiting Kauai. You can only see it by boat or by air. Jeff, the snorkel lover, wanted to try for one of the boat tours that offered a little snorkel time (sea turtles and dolphins are practically a guaranteed sight). Well, most of those tours are 6-7 hours. I can't handle being on the water that long so we tried for some of the 3.5 to 5.5 hour tours. They were all booked until Sunday or Tuesday the following week. Jeff worked out the snorkel situation so that was no longer a priority. Another option was 4 to 5 hour sunset cruises along the coast. Those also booked quickly and our chance was gone. Next we looked into helicopter rides. We read reviews on at least 3 different companies on the island and finally decided to go with Island Helicopters.

Most expensive 50 minutes of our life. Since all of our other options to see the coast were gone I'd say the cost was well worth it. Plus we got to see a lot of the island that you can't see by boat. I wore a motion sickness patch plus I had about 3 other remedies on hand. I chewed two pieces of ginger gum during the trip. Jeff took a ton of pictures. Poor guy. I hope he had a chance to enjoy the ride and the views for himself. So, what follows is basically a photo dump of the island. Here we are getting ready to board the heli.

There were six passengers and one captain/pilot. We were smooshed in there like sardines but the time flew by (ha!) and we got over it quickly. This is liftoff. The pilot played a little James Bond theme music to lighten the mood. It was pretty funny.

This is the waterfall from the opening scene of Jurassic Park, hence the name of the tour; Jurassic Falls. Dozens of movies have been filmed in Kauai. There's even a tour that takes you to all the movie film spots. That would have been fun if we'd had the time. 

I think this is Waimea Canyon. And Jeff's left hand.

The next several pictures are of the Na Pali Coast. It looks like we were there are separate days because some of the shots are gloomy and some are sunny. 

Can you see the trail below? I'll discuss that more.

The next few are of Hanalei Bay. Hanalei Bay is gorgeous. It was where we paddle boarded and visited a couple times to look for shells and watch the locals. Hanalei is mentioned in the Peter, Paul and Mary song Puff the Magic Dragon. 

Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea

and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee

I think this was taken about mid-way through the trip.

Here we are again, safely on land. 

Our cool captain. 

I did not get sick on the trip. My stomach did flip a time or two but everything went very well. I also haven't been on a helicopter since I was about 6 so this was an exciting adventure. Jeff got some really great pictures and I think I might have to pick one to enlarge and frame. I still wish we could have taken a sunset boat tour, especially since our one attempt to get sunset pictures was on a cloudy evening. 

I did mention that a month wouldn't be long enough to see and do everything you want in Kauai. There's also the chance that I may have gotten sea sick on a boat tour and that would have ruined a day so there's that to consider. 

Snorkeling

We snorkeled twice in Kauai. If it were up to Jeff we would have snorkeled every day. We rented snorkel gear at a local shop. Most tourists rent everything from snorkel gear, to camping equipment, to beach chairs. It's hard to fit those things in your luggage on a plane. We snorkeled at Tunnels Beach, also called Makua Beach. Does that ring a bell? Did you see the movie Soul Surfer? Probably not but you've most likely heard about the female surfer with only one arm, Bethany Hamilton. Tunnels Beach is where a shark attacked her and took/ate her left arm. She was much farther out to sea and I didn't find this out until after our first snorkel visit, thank goodness. Our second snorkel visit was much shorter. Anyway, we lugged our snorkel gear from the parking lot to a spot on the beach. On the way we saw this fella.

Jeff said, "Do you see that dead seal? Everyone's taking a picture." This monk seal was not dead, just resting. Apparently they beach after a meal to rest and digest. Lifeguard's will rope them off (see the arrow) so people don't disturb them. A lot of pictures and video were being taken.

I watched it's belly rise and fall a few times and then went on my way.
Here was an easy spot to enter the water to snorkel.

There's enough area for people to get their masks and fins on and then start swimming. You can see the reef formations easily from the beach. This was only my second time snorkeling so I still had that newbie hyperventilating breathing reaction for the first few minutes but I was fine the rest of the time. We only wore our fins on the second day. I didn't really like them.

They were huge and we didn't have much swimming space between the reefs and the other swimmers. We saw TONS of fish. Way more than in St. Lucia. Plus I didn't get sick breathing in diesel fumes. We could also take our time.

I call this one the fish photobomb.

I think this is a shot of my favorite fish (again with the arrow). It's neon; bright, bright, neon.

I think this Google image example is the same fish.

It looks way more florescent in the water. We also tried to look for some shells. I finally found a cowry shell. I've wanted to find one since I was about 10 years old. I gave it to Jeff to keep in his swimsuit pocket. It actually looked a lot like this one with the spots on top but dark instead of light.

Ten minutes later we looked at our finds and the cowry shell had limbs coming out of the opening. It was still inhabited so we had to throw it and pretty much all our shells back for the same reason. Jeff used his underwater camera that I bought him a few years back. After 10 minutes in the water it stopped working and he hasn't been able to use it since.

At least we were able to get a few pictures but that stinks about his camera breaking. Snorkeling was a very fun and cheap activity (probably the cheapest thing we did all week including eating). I'm getting more relaxed with it and I even dove down a good bit. On our second snorkel day Jeff said he wanted to go back to our towels so I headed to the shore. Instead he stayed in the shallow water looking for shells and kept spitting at me through his breathing tube. Disgusting. Apparently Tunnels and Anini Beach were the best for snorkeling. We walked around Anini but didn't return to snorkel.

Back From Paradise

Jeff and I made it safely back to Atlanta on Sunday afternoon. Those of you that followed me on Instagram know all the fun we had. I usually blog about my vacations on a day-by-day, play-by-play format. Well, I don't remember everything we did each day. In fact, the second half of Monday is a complete blank. Instead, I'll do different blog posts about each activity. It's never too late to spice things up a bit. For now I'll list a few things I learned about Kauai last week.

In Kauai...

1. chickens rule the roost. They are everywhere. You will hear the roosters at sunup (just before 6 am) and throughout the rest of the day. And they cross the road constantly. 
2. jean shorts are the new underwear, super short and super tight. I saw way too much hiney on this trip; of all ages.  
3. the sand is hotter than the surface of the sun. I lost a layer of skin on my feet our first day on the beach. My skin is prickling just thinking about it. 
4. the water is the most beautiful shades of green and blue you will ever see. St. Lucia has nothing on Kauai. 
5. no amount of running or weight lifting prepared me for walking in the sand. I was literally out of breath after 10 steps. 
6. you should book all your activities well in advance. A few things were not available even though we called a day or two ahead. 
7. good food is hard to find. We did have a couple excellent meals but for the most part we ate sandwiches in our condo. People don't really travel to Kauai for the food anyway. 
8. the fruit (this is the exception to the "no good food" thing) is delicious and extremely aromatic. I've never tasted sweeter pineapple or banana. 
9. everything is expensive. Everything. 
10. finding a parking space at any of the beaches is difficult. You get into standoffs with other cars waiting for spaces. And if you park in the "no parking at any time" places you will get a ticket. 
11. every one's yard looks like a botanical garden. Gorgeous plants and flowers in every shade of the rainbow decorate yards, fences, driveways. Georgia is a little monochromatic in comparison but there's no place like home.
12. a month would be insufficient to see and enjoy everything. Truly beautiful. This was a once-in-a-lifetime vacation.  

I'll post lots of details and photos so check back for updates. 

GACE Ace

I passed my media specialist GACE exams!!! I didn't really ace them but I passed both and that's all that matters. The test was unpleasant at best; lasting 6 hours (including travel time) and it cost me about $170. I did not score 220 on the GACE exams, that's just the minimum score needed in order to pass.

I feel such a sense of relief. I'm not really proud of my score because it's not something you can necessarily study for but I'm so happy that I don't have to take it again or pay more money for another shot. It is a standardized test but it's not like the SAT or GRE. I did very poorly on both of those and thank goodness that's not all that schools consider when you apply. My final is tonight and after I complete the test I am DONE with school! I hear angels singing, does anyone else hear singing angels?

Candy Crush Break-Up

My mom sent me this hilarious email today.

How indeed? She's talking about the incredibly popular game Candy Crush of course. Last week I made the brave decision to delete Candy Crush from my iPad.

I think I only got to level 60-something. I was super addicted there for several weeks but it stopped being fun. The chocolate was causing me anxiety and I had to get away, cleanse, separate, delete; for good.

If only I felt that way about chocolate in real life. I feel that if a game is causing me anxiety then it's no longer a fun game. I have plenty of anxiety with work and school so I'm just saying no. Nancy Reagan would be so proud.

Lake Scene

I found this on MSN.com today.

"Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy, that is. Matthew Macfadyen's Darcy never sexily rose from a Pemberley lake and thus is ineligible for this 12-foot soon-to-be icon. In tribute to what every Jane Austen fan knows as "the lake scene," an enormous fiberglass statue of Mr. Darcy emerging from the water a la the BBC's 1995 "Pride and Prejudice" adaptation was installed in Hyde Park's Serpentine Lake on Monday. The sculpture was built to promote Drama, a new U.K. TV channel dedicated entirely to British programs. It works, because Colin Firth in a sopping wet blouse nearly causing Elizabeth Bennet to faint is about the most British thing we can think of. The statue will reportedly visit several lakes before making its way to Lyme Park, where the scene was shot. A happy thought indeed."

So...I live on a lake.

Mine At Last

About 3 years ago we ordered a new set of Harry Potter books at work. The entire series is well loved and circulated at our library and the copies get damaged over time.  I have my own set of the series in hardcover. The new set arrived in an awesome cardboard case. Our evening library assistant also had a full set. Since we were the only two in the office that owned our own sets, and we both wanted to have the box, we flipped a coin for it. I lost. She accepted another job about a month later. The whole experience was very sad and somewhat unjust. Or it was until last week. We ordered another set...and this time the box is mine!

It sits where my collection originally sat but the volumes will no longer be covered with dust. They now have an attractive, protective case.

It has "travel" stickers to add to the box. I won't be using them but I'll keep them tucked inside the box for nostalgia purposes. 

It has a lock!

And handles!

My precious books are safely hidden inside the box. It's just the cutest thing.

I'm so glad this has finally been "delivered" to me. 

I wouldn't say my patience has paid off because I never really thought I would get a second chance to own this delightful box. I think I would call this good fortune. I treasure my Harry Potter books and they are the only books that I will not lend to anyone. I've learned my lesson with lending books and all but the first book of my Harry Potter collection are first editions. I would love to have the British version of the series (signed by J.K. Rowling, of course) but I'm more than happy with my set.