Ending the weekend on a high note at The Royal Hawaiian's Azure, I was paid an interesting compliment by our waiter at the completion of the meal.
First off, this was my first experience with Azure, though I'd already made it tot he Mai Tai bar on a previous occasion to sample the famous drink, to which I am a big fan. The menu at Azure is loaded with local ingredients, attention to detail, and creativity. Drinks, salad, fish, everything was simply delectable. I'd not tried Ono or Opah before an was able to taste both. Oh my goodness, the fish was so flavorful, perfect texture (not too flaky), and difficult to choose which I preferred. The entire experience was fantastic, from the service to being seated in a cabana on the beach.
Now, for the compliment. As our waiter was thanking us one last time, he rounded back to the table to highlight my good posture and straight back. What's funny and interesting to me is how often I receive praise about my posture from all sorts of people. I've had comments from grocery store cashiers, friends' parents, audience members at a play, photographers, a whole bunch of random people. I get a kick out of it every time because, growing up, my figure skating coach was absolutely never pleased about my posture. She was really never pleased about anything to do with me, but especially the posture.
I'm sure other people get complimented on their posture too, but maybe not quite as often as other traits, like eyes or hair. It always makes me smile, and sit up even straighter.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Breakfast on the Beach
Sunday morning, passing clouds, 80-something. We've been living full time in a hotel room in Waikiki for a couple of weeks now, after traveling here for short trips over the last 6 months or so. We've been expecting the luster to wear off a bit, especially since we're halfway between being tourists and residents. Our current spot: the end of the main stretch down Kalakaua from the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the place to find restaurants, shops, hotels, and street vendors, all beginning to look the same. Waiters, baristas, sales clerks recognize us and many even know our names, that we came from Nashville, that we like hiking.
The first major decision of the day is where to go for breakfast...Diamond Head Grill (went there yesterday), Honolulu Coffee Company, Lu Lu's (once this week), Cream Pot, Hula Grill, Safeway (donuts), Starbucks (3 times this week), or Eggs 'n Things (attemtped twice, line's been too long). Hula Grill was the winner since we love the few, coffee, and POG juice, plus we had a super thick Star Advertiser at our doorstep to peruse through. What wouldn't I give to just stay in my PJ's, make my own coffee and enjoy it in one of my two favorite mugs (brought from home), and make some scrambled eggs or Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Maybe in a few weeks...
Sitting in the open air restaurant, checking out the beautiful beach, we chatted about the options for the day:
hang out by the pool
cross the street to the beach
go for a hike
shop for running shoes
check out a movie (Transformers)
other??
Who considers going to a movie while living in a tropical paradise? We do, since the paradise part has slightly worn off revealing daily life.
We found out the Transformers hasn't been released yet, so that's off the list. Surfing had been considered but since the jellies are in town, we decided against it. The box jellies are very prevalent about 10 days after a full moon. I'm too freaked out to chance it, especially when lifeguards have staked signs on the beach warning of the cnidarian invertebrates, therefore I'll avoid the water for another day. Jeff did humor me on the walk to breakfast by walking down the pie with me to search for jellies in the water below. Nothing but some cool fish. I'd seen a couple of box jellies at Ala Moana Beach last month, highlighting my day.
Back to the decision of the day...since the list of option for the day is short while we're still midway between being tourists and residents, it gets to be that we aren't jumping up and down for any of the choices. I liken it to only having two dessert options every day for a month: chocolate kisses or cookies 'n cream ice cream. Eventually, both options lose their appeal. Don't be silly; having dessert is never a consideration for me but a given. But, instead of a chocolate kiss or scoop of ice cream, a person may crave strawberries or a cookies or a slice of key lime pie (had an amazing piece from the Diamond Head Market!).
All I'm saying is that having to do some laundry, wash the car, take the recycling, really any weekend chore would be so nice. Then, the uniquely Hawaiian attractions would be more enticing. Always appreciated: sitting at the computer in front of open windows, overlooking Waikiki's crystal blue water, curtains floating in a soft, tropical breeze.
The first major decision of the day is where to go for breakfast...Diamond Head Grill (went there yesterday), Honolulu Coffee Company, Lu Lu's (once this week), Cream Pot, Hula Grill, Safeway (donuts), Starbucks (3 times this week), or Eggs 'n Things (attemtped twice, line's been too long). Hula Grill was the winner since we love the few, coffee, and POG juice, plus we had a super thick Star Advertiser at our doorstep to peruse through. What wouldn't I give to just stay in my PJ's, make my own coffee and enjoy it in one of my two favorite mugs (brought from home), and make some scrambled eggs or Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Maybe in a few weeks...
Sitting in the open air restaurant, checking out the beautiful beach, we chatted about the options for the day:
hang out by the pool
cross the street to the beach
go for a hike
shop for running shoes
check out a movie (Transformers)
other??
Who considers going to a movie while living in a tropical paradise? We do, since the paradise part has slightly worn off revealing daily life.
We found out the Transformers hasn't been released yet, so that's off the list. Surfing had been considered but since the jellies are in town, we decided against it. The box jellies are very prevalent about 10 days after a full moon. I'm too freaked out to chance it, especially when lifeguards have staked signs on the beach warning of the cnidarian invertebrates, therefore I'll avoid the water for another day. Jeff did humor me on the walk to breakfast by walking down the pie with me to search for jellies in the water below. Nothing but some cool fish. I'd seen a couple of box jellies at Ala Moana Beach last month, highlighting my day.
Back to the decision of the day...since the list of option for the day is short while we're still midway between being tourists and residents, it gets to be that we aren't jumping up and down for any of the choices. I liken it to only having two dessert options every day for a month: chocolate kisses or cookies 'n cream ice cream. Eventually, both options lose their appeal. Don't be silly; having dessert is never a consideration for me but a given. But, instead of a chocolate kiss or scoop of ice cream, a person may crave strawberries or a cookies or a slice of key lime pie (had an amazing piece from the Diamond Head Market!).
All I'm saying is that having to do some laundry, wash the car, take the recycling, really any weekend chore would be so nice. Then, the uniquely Hawaiian attractions would be more enticing. Always appreciated: sitting at the computer in front of open windows, overlooking Waikiki's crystal blue water, curtains floating in a soft, tropical breeze.
Ironing Out Plans
Ironing is something my very good friend, Amy, has inspired me to do regularly. Well, maybe inspired isn't the right word. Let's say, Amy has heightened my awareness of the need of ironing in one's life. While ironing a couple of shirts recently, I thought about what the plan for the days nearing my June birthday had been several months ago. That plan changed dramatically and is still in flux.
It must have been 8 months ago, maybe more, when I was living in Nashville, and Amy brought up the idea of renting a beach house for a couple of weeks in June for a 30th birthday celebration with loads of people. I marked it on my calendar before even getting off the phone with her. Since she'd moved to Denver and I'd stayed in Nashville, I was more than excited at the idea of getting together in Charleston for relaxing and catching up on the beach. We were used to hanging our multiple times a week and missed the ease of conversation, laughing, and stress relief that resulted from those visits.
Months passed and lots of factors plated in to the conversation I had to have with Many, explaining that I didn't think I'd be able to make it to the beach house after all. I hated the sick feeling in my stomach that seemed a daily occurrence for weeks. Jeff's company was offering to relocate us to Honolulu for a while so he could continue on a great project but not have to regularly commute back and forth from Honolulu, which had been straining on him and our relationship for months.
Though I'm so thankful to be here in Honolulu with Jeff, I'm so sad that I wasn't able to take part in Amy's birthday celebration or hang out in her hometown in South Carolina. During the low-key weekend I had, there was time to contemplate what I was missing out on in Charleston while struggling to appreciate being in Honolulu, living aloha.
Spending time time with Jeff, in Hawaii no less, is incredibly important to me. Living apart for weeks on end with a 5 hour time difference between us was not a recipe for a healthy marriage. The opportunity to live on the island for a while is not something most sane people would pass up, not to mention some of the professional and financial benefits attached to it. I focus on appreciating where I'm at and reflect on wonderful memories with friends and family, hoping for future chances to spend time together. Amy, among many others, is welcome to visit anytime.
It must have been 8 months ago, maybe more, when I was living in Nashville, and Amy brought up the idea of renting a beach house for a couple of weeks in June for a 30th birthday celebration with loads of people. I marked it on my calendar before even getting off the phone with her. Since she'd moved to Denver and I'd stayed in Nashville, I was more than excited at the idea of getting together in Charleston for relaxing and catching up on the beach. We were used to hanging our multiple times a week and missed the ease of conversation, laughing, and stress relief that resulted from those visits.
Months passed and lots of factors plated in to the conversation I had to have with Many, explaining that I didn't think I'd be able to make it to the beach house after all. I hated the sick feeling in my stomach that seemed a daily occurrence for weeks. Jeff's company was offering to relocate us to Honolulu for a while so he could continue on a great project but not have to regularly commute back and forth from Honolulu, which had been straining on him and our relationship for months.
Though I'm so thankful to be here in Honolulu with Jeff, I'm so sad that I wasn't able to take part in Amy's birthday celebration or hang out in her hometown in South Carolina. During the low-key weekend I had, there was time to contemplate what I was missing out on in Charleston while struggling to appreciate being in Honolulu, living aloha.
Spending time time with Jeff, in Hawaii no less, is incredibly important to me. Living apart for weeks on end with a 5 hour time difference between us was not a recipe for a healthy marriage. The opportunity to live on the island for a while is not something most sane people would pass up, not to mention some of the professional and financial benefits attached to it. I focus on appreciating where I'm at and reflect on wonderful memories with friends and family, hoping for future chances to spend time together. Amy, among many others, is welcome to visit anytime.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Considering
I am a professional at mulling things over. Not only do I chew on subjects, thoughts, questions, and roll them around in my head for far too long, but I add to the mulling by researching. Google is one of my very closest friends. Thanks to the search engine, I may have 7-15 tabs opened on my computer at any given time. Recently, I had tabs open for horseback riding tours in Kualoa, articles about milk affecting weight loss, lists of Kiplinger's top mutual funds (among others in this category), facebook, and two about Turtle Beach on O'ahu's North Shore.
This sometimes cripples my decision-making, or at least drastically affects how quickly I can make decisions. For example, I am currently living in a hotel room in the Waikiki Beach Marriott (another several posts to be done at another time). I don't have a car at my disposal during the day, as my husband is using it. There is public transit here: a pretty good bus system and a trolley. I have been wanting to make a trip to the mall that is in Ala Moana, just a few miles from my current location, since my schedule these days is wide open. Though it's a bit farther than I'd like to walk, and I LIKE to walk, I haven't made the leap to take the freakin' bus or trolley because it's not something I've ever done before. It's quite ridiculous, I know. Instead of walking to the bus/trolley stop and trying it out, I read articles, study maps, and check out apps. I now understand what it takes to ride both options, the cost, the time involved, etc. Yet, I am still a little anxious to ride one because I'm not positive of what to expect. We're talking a few miles, maybe 20 minutes. I have to talk myself into it like it's a major event.
I hate being a planner. And afraid of making mistakes. And a control freak. And annoying.
Grow some, you might say...I've said it to myself.
So, today was going to be the day that I was going to take TheBus to the mall. Then, I realized that my husband may be able to pick me up on his way between offices, dropping me off at the mall, right near where he works. I'm waiting for him to chauffeur me. I'll make an attempt at TheBus or the trolley some other day.
As this is my first post, it bears mentioning that mulling and researching has led to the major delay in my writing and starting a blog. Of course, I had to check out other blogs, write essays in my head for weeks, consider the articles available about how to name a blog, how to promote a blog, what to write about, talk about the issue with my husband (Jeff, by the way), post about it on facebook, and consider the idea some more while ironing. I don't like to iron.
This sometimes cripples my decision-making, or at least drastically affects how quickly I can make decisions. For example, I am currently living in a hotel room in the Waikiki Beach Marriott (another several posts to be done at another time). I don't have a car at my disposal during the day, as my husband is using it. There is public transit here: a pretty good bus system and a trolley. I have been wanting to make a trip to the mall that is in Ala Moana, just a few miles from my current location, since my schedule these days is wide open. Though it's a bit farther than I'd like to walk, and I LIKE to walk, I haven't made the leap to take the freakin' bus or trolley because it's not something I've ever done before. It's quite ridiculous, I know. Instead of walking to the bus/trolley stop and trying it out, I read articles, study maps, and check out apps. I now understand what it takes to ride both options, the cost, the time involved, etc. Yet, I am still a little anxious to ride one because I'm not positive of what to expect. We're talking a few miles, maybe 20 minutes. I have to talk myself into it like it's a major event.
I hate being a planner. And afraid of making mistakes. And a control freak. And annoying.
Grow some, you might say...I've said it to myself.
So, today was going to be the day that I was going to take TheBus to the mall. Then, I realized that my husband may be able to pick me up on his way between offices, dropping me off at the mall, right near where he works. I'm waiting for him to chauffeur me. I'll make an attempt at TheBus or the trolley some other day.
As this is my first post, it bears mentioning that mulling and researching has led to the major delay in my writing and starting a blog. Of course, I had to check out other blogs, write essays in my head for weeks, consider the articles available about how to name a blog, how to promote a blog, what to write about, talk about the issue with my husband (Jeff, by the way), post about it on facebook, and consider the idea some more while ironing. I don't like to iron.
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