Babymoon - Day 4

Snorkel! Snorkel! Snorkel! We woke up while it was still dark to make Maalaea. We chose to go snorkeling through the Pacific Whale Foundation. Our boat had about 100 people, and the staff/crew seemed very knowledgeable about marine life. I was a bit worried about the service but it was fine. They came around with breakfast and told us what we could expect on our tour.

We bought an underwater camera from an ABC store (they're just as plentiful as our 7-11s here) since I really wanted some pictures of the sea turtles but didn't want to rent a D10 for a hefty price. When I had last checked, there were 17 exposures left. The next time I checked I was at 0. I only recall hearing a click twice, so it'll be interesting to see how they turn out when we get them developed. We're hoping for at least three good pictures (forget framing and angle, let's just have our subject somewhere in the picture) to call the purchase worth it.

At Molokini we saw lots of coral and fish! It was an incredible sight to behold and definitely beat our snorkeling on our honeymoon in Mexico. Any time I saw a new kind of fish I'd get really excited, forget that I had to keep my mouth closed, and would get a surprise punch by the salt in the water. After some time of swimming hand-in-hand with my love (isn't he sweet?), I started feeling off. I thought maybe I was hungry and tried to fight through it, but then I realized I'd reached my pregnant limit and headed back to the boat (Bossman first). Then I felt nausea kick in and almost wish I would just throw up to feel better. Keeping in line with my first trimester, it never came up but I was hanging my head over the side of the boat - just in case.

Upon arriving at Turtle Arches I still wasn't feeling 100%, but we came to see turtles so I got in the freezing water. When Maui Revealed advised to leave all expectations at home, they weren't kidding. I thought there'd be lots of sea turtles around just like in advertisements. Now I know that it's all photoshopped. Thankfully, we did see one. According to one of the crew doing a "tour" in the water, it was a rare hawkbill turtle. One of the other staff members had only seen it four times in her years out there. Neat! That definitely made my queasy stomach feel better. But then I felt satisfied and went back to the boat to rest and take some pictures out of the water. It took some searching, but I found Husband amidst the many heads.

With that, we were fed a BBQ lunch and heading back to the dock when we spotted a mommy whale, her escort, and a baby whale! Soon after, we saw some dolphins swimming in front of the boat! And then we saw a turtle on the side! So much excitement from one boat ride; Mr. Woo picked the best day to go.

We made a pitstop at Hula Cookies and Ice Cream for a haupia (coconut) ice cream sandwich between chocolate chip macademia nut and hula's delight (mango, pineapple, coconut, macademia nuts) cookies before heading back to the condo.

After a catnap and a nice shower, we headed out for a luau at the Grand Wailea. This is the hotel that we considered. We quickly crossed it off the list when we saw the $400-500 price tag - per night. But it was just the right setting for dinner and entertainment. We were initially sent to the wrong place and ended up being late for early seating, but when Mr. Woo told them our situation (I was eyeing the long ling forming for regular seating) they responded with, "Don't worry about it. You're on vacation; you shouldn't have to stress about something like that." Then the woman who took care of it later saw us and greeted, "Welcome, Mr. Woo." She remembered us amidst the hundreds of guests. That's why she has the job that she has.

We witnessed a pig resurrect from the ground and taste delicious, saw stories of Hawaii's history and culture through dance, and talked with other travelers at our table. Of course, it would not have been complete without a sunset in the horizon.




Whew! What a day.

 

Babymoon - Day 3

We began our second full day in Maui with a stop at 808 Deli. The red velvet cupcakes caught my eye first, and lucky us, it was buy one pastry get one free! Mr. Woo opted for the homemade peanut butter cup. While the cupcake was just okay, their chicken mango chutney panini was pure brilliance. It was my favorite discovery of the entire day.

This day, we headed up north. Of all the things I could have eaten, I was determined to find at least one bakery. We did find one on Day 2 with our handy dandy Maui Revealed but it had already closed for the day. Komoda in Makawao looked like a teeny-tiny store from the outside, and we discovered that it was. After selecting a few different breads, I walked out as if I had discovered the next element on the periodic table. Though everything looked yummy, our favorite was the stick donut by far.

Out of the blue it started sprinkling for a few minutes, but just like the natives we kept going about our day without a care. Thinking about water, I became thirsty and decided to wash down all the sugar with another shave ice and ice cream. The nearest menu to have it was a sushi place down the street. That should have been a red flag as it wasn't as good as the first one I had. Interestingly, I later read that Makawao was the "cowboy" city of Maui.

Not knowing when we'd come back again, we tried to make the drive up to Haleakala National Park to see the much-talked-about crater (think: Hawaii's Grand Canyon). Keep in mind that we started our venture in the late afternoon, so by the time we hit mile 8 and were at around half the altitude of the highest 10,000 it was dark and raining on the hairpin turns with only an occasional car passing by. Feeling sick (and scared) we decided to call it quits and headed back.

Myth: Because Maui doesn't have too many main roads, it's super easy to find your way around the island.
Fact: They give you a map at the car rental for a reason - to humble you and try to save you some time. 

On our way back, the official shot gun navigator gave the driver the wrong turn (south instead of north) and fell asleep shortly after. An hour later she woke up to the sound of the driver saying, "I don't think this is the right way..." Upon double checking, we realized that not only were pretty much east of Kihei, the road only allowed us to drive north or south. So we had to go back up north, turn where we were supposed to in the first place, then drive south again. For what it's worth, the view of the coast was very serene.

After our surprise detour, we were back in Kihei just in time to watch the sunset at the beach. Lots of people were out with us. Isn't it interesting how God made people attracted to splendid things? We watch the Olympics, talk about Guinness records, and yet we're a county whose heart denies the almighty God. A starving group of people, really.

For dinner we settled on eating Moose McGillycuddy's, mainly because out of the three waiting lists we were on, this was the shortest. Steak and fries for the man, fish taco for the woman. The view was great, company was fantastic, and the food mediocre.

I started thinking about what I could bring back home as a souvenir of the wonderful time we were having. I came across this cute little glass piggy with flowers on its rump! But I couldn't justify the 15 bean price tag. Instead, we went back to the condo to get some much-needed rest for an early rise. I was bursting with excitement for our snorkeling trip and luau dinner that Mr. Woo had planned for the next day. Woo-hoo!

Babymoon - Day 2

To see Day 1 of our last-minute getaway, click here!

Good grief, can we get away from McDonald's anywhere in this country? Apparently not, and Mr. Woo had heard that all should try the saimin noodles. To me it was like cup noodles with the golden arches slapped on the huge styrofoam bowl, but to each his own. (The McDs over there had taro pie instead of apple pie!)

So after we got that out of the way, we began trekking further up to more of West Maui. My role was assistant pilot, aka navigator. Our condo owners were kind enough to leave a copy of Maui Revealed which we found to be a fantastic aid. With that plus the map from the car rental, we began our drive in the hot sun and humid breeze.

We stopped at a couple of outlooks along the way so that we could both enjoy the beautiful waters and picturesque scenery. The Hawaiian radio station provided the soundtrack needed for our tour of the island. Although after a while all the beats started sounding the same...

Then lunch was at Cheeseburger in Paradise in Lahaina. Mr. Woo was a wonderful gentleman and made sure that we sat next to a window overlooking the blue waters below. It also helped that a lovely older couple announced, "I'm not moving my butt until [the waitress] says yes," followed by "You better slide your butt over now [before it gets taken]," moments later. Note to self: Be one of those kinds of people when I'm older.

Our next adventure was more subdued. We went to find the Banyan Tree. It looks like twelve trees' work, but it's all one! After getting rocked by the waves, I decided to give Bossman a break and not climb the tree, except a tiny bit for one picture (in which you can see my growing belly). It was also here that we found the cheaply advertised activities to not being entirely honest - there's always a catch. Once you qualify for it, they have you sit and listen to a 2-hour presentation of whatever they're trying to sell. Mr. Woo was a great leader and declined so that we could utilize that precious time in a better manner, even if it means paying a little extra. Great idea, Husband!

While we were up there we trekked to Black Rock in Ka'anapali. I kid you not, people climb over and up to the top and jump into the water. My view from the beach was plenty fun for me, so I just paddled in the water after slathering on sunblock. Since the waves were tossing me to and fro anyway, Husband taught me how to bodysurf! It was a lot of fun but in the end, it was something like Waves: 13; Mrs. Woo: 8. I ended up pulling a muscle and had trouble walking the next day.

After working up an appetite, I dove into mango shave (not shaved) ice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream at one of the shops at Whalers' Village. Then we walked to Leilani's for happy hour sliders - kalua pork for Mr. Woo, crab cake for Mrs. Woo.

On our way home we stopped at what I thought was a lighthouse. It turned out to be a poser, but we took a few snaps anyway. Of course, we squeezed in another obligatory sunset session. Hawaii's colors are beautiful, and God is an incredible Artist.

For those who want a quick scan of our trip, visit Mr. Woo's Flickr for his set of Maui pictures! (Hasn't he improved so much since he first picked up the camera?)

Scout cookies, next door, diamonds

We briefly interrupt our Hawaii recap, which reminds me of why I didn't want to leave. But I suppose it's a good thing we did since we (finally, finally) had our ultrasound today!

The technician pointed out that it was harder to get images with this one due to how much moving the fetus was doing. Then, after 15 minutes or so, she announced, "and it's a... okay, commercial break." And she meant it. She made us wait. Longer. After we laughed at her sense of humor I thought she would say that she was kidding and then proceed to tell us, but she didn't. I waited patiently, and finally she said the magic words: "It looks like it's... [Note: At this point, my mind is racing. Boy? Girl? Boy?] a girl!"

Let me remind you that Mr. Woo really wanted a girl. Nolie really wanted a niece. What it is with these two and baby girls I still don't know, but Mr. Woo triumphantly raised both fists in the air and quietly, yet firmly, uttered the one word, "Victory." Then he got up and was moving around with quiet excitement.

Little did we know that we were not even close to being done with the ultrasound. The baby was having a lot of fun wriggling around but was awfully camera shy with her face. It wouldn't have been so much of a problem except that the technician needed images of the nose and mouth that she kept covering with her arms. (Maybe she's going to be a boxer! Don't boxers allows keep their arms up like that, with their chin tucked under?) This was also not ideal because she needed to go on her lunch break, everyone else had already left for their lunch break, and the radiologist couldn't leave for her lunch break until the ultrasound images were in. We hadn't eaten yet either and were past the time that our substitutes were expecting us back. But after two hours of persistence and patience (and the baby's not even out of the womb yet!) they got the pictures they needed and we all went to our respective lunches.

Alright, alright. I'll cut the chit-chat. We proudly present our little baby girl:

Isn't she beautiful? She may have some gorgeous looks, but between her father and uncle I wonder if she'll ever get married (imagine the two Woo brothers with a shotgun in one hand and a long-winded checklist/interview questions for any potential suitor in the other). In the meantime, I'm a happy mommy knowing that our baby is active and healthy.

We had our list of boy and girl names picked out even before we conceived (we're sticking with them even if one of the 14 others expecting might "take" any) so we might as well let you also know that we'll be calling her Selah. :) If you're familiar with music, the Hebrew language, and/or the book of Psalms you'll recognize the word.

Bossman is a BossWOOman! o_O  

Who does she look like?

Babymoon - Day 1

My dear, sweet husband booked us a flight to Maui, Hawaii the Friday before spring break. Saturday night, our lodging was confirmed. Sunday morning, we flew out. Needless to say, it was a last-minute getaway though a much talked-about trip.

Myth: The pilot talking at the end of the flight is useless.
Fact: The pilot gives very useful information, such as giving warning about the uneven platform when you step off the plane.

I was the unfortunate soul who, with her 5-month pregnant belly, tripped on that uneven platform because I thought he was saying "blah, blah, blah." Lesson learned. And this would only be the beginning for poor little Bossman.

My first thought outside of the airport: Hawaiian birds are so skinny! The warm weather was a nice change from all the rain we were having in the Bay Area. We had a layover in Honolulu so grabbed some mediocre airport food during our wait. I consoled myself with Coldstone, whose sweet smell hit me within minutes off of the plane. Once in Maui, we picked up our rental car and were on our way to the Maui Banyan in Kihei - our home for the next several days.

Upon our arrival Mr. Woo was greeted by a baby scorpion at the door. My not seeing it until much later was a great blessing. That plus the lizard on the porch outside made me wonder if Hawaii was similar to Texas. But Mr. Woo handled it nicely (my hero!), and we didn't have any more visitors the rest of our stay, except for butterflies and the birds who sang so beautifully.

The condo had all the amenities we needed plus more. They amply supplied towels and toiletries. Two sets of beach chairs, snorkel gear (which Mr. Woo wanted to take home as a souvenir), and a drying rack was provided for the beach days. Tennis rackets, washer/dryer, a kitchen with utensils, a knife set, microwave, coffee pot - really, they were two steps ahead of us. The Wi-fi and Cable were probably most-used.

As our first day in Maui, my first time ever setting foot on Hawaiian soil, we used it as a introductory day. We drove around a little here and there but had to stop for the sunset. Mr. Woo with our Canon DSLR and me on our credit card-sized PowerShot.

We ate at Alexander's for their mahi fish n' chips and tacos. Not knowing what hushpuppies were, we gave those a whirl too. We found out that they're deep-fried, maybe twice, pieces of cornbread. Then we went back to the condo to lounge around and call it a day.

Farm food delivered

To read Part I of my PSA on knowing what we're eating go here.

In short, we're trying out a produce box from a farm because the government has created a horribly deceiving system that prevents its own people from know what exactly they're eating and where it's come from. This was sparked by watching a documentary which depicts some of these troubling issues.


As I'm excitedly putting away the produce from the box, one at a time (it's like getting a goody bag at a party)...

Top 4 phrases to leave my mouth:

"Ohhhhhhhh..."
"Ohh!!!"
"Yuuum!"
"What is this?"


I very much appreciated the list of items in the box so that I could match items up with their proper name. The list was also in the order in which we should eat the produce (how long it'll last).

I washed some of the items to use for dinner or my next day snack. There was definitely some dirt so I didn't doubt that it was from a farm of some sort. I did find one worm. In the past I was have been grossed out by this, but this time I felt kind of good about it. It was the real deal and I was feeling earthy.

The eggs come from chickens raised naturally (not grown four times faster than it should be), are free to roam around 20 acres of land (opposed to being cooped up super-tightly), and can actually support their weight (instead of being immobile due to the previous two facts). They're given organic feed and are treated well overall. They look and taste a bit different too. The yolk is more orange in color, and the egg sits higher when cracked onto the frying pan. (Note: The farm's new chicks are so cute!)

Mr. Woo couldn't taste much of a difference but enjoyed his dinner nonetheless. And yes, he's wearing a polo shirt in that picture. You're welcome.

By the way, that peeled navel orange sitting in front of the fish is the sweetest orange I've ever tasted. I may want to continue our subscription just for the yummy fruit. I can't wait until the strawberries make it to the box! 

Here's what we're expecting this week. If things run the same as last time, they'll update with the actual list and recipes in a couple of days. And now I can look it up at home with our Internet installed. Yippee!

Farm food signed, sealed

Until recently Mr. Woo and I were on a long stint of not having Internet at home (thus the very infrequent updates). We'd nomad around town finding gracious friends who'd host us for the evening if we really needed it (more like Mr. Woo used it and I mooched off their cable TV). One of those nights we were at "the girls' place" when I was able to watch "Food Inc." It shocked me.

So much so that I presented to the leader of our household some reasons why I wanted to try a trial subscription to Eatwell Farms. It's basically farm raised produce that's delivered to many neighborhoods. You know exactly where it's from and where it's been. Husband agreed to trying it, and our trial subscription was born!

The sign-up process was simple, and I felt like I had enough information on their website to search for answers that I needed. In the end we decided on a bi-weekly delivery with a half dozen eggs. This means our trial will cover four pick-ups over eight weeks with eggs each time. Our family is small for the time being and we weren't sure exactly how much food to expect.

Alas, our first pick-up day arrived! I checked the website to see which goodies would be in our box for that week. The site also (thankfully) provides recipes for some of the produce that I've never heard of, much less cooked with in my lifetime. Our pick-up location is just minutes away on the hosts' front porch. We cross off our name, take our box, pick up our eggs, trade any items we may not use/want in the provided box(!), and drive home happy. I tell you, it's like ordering a surprise pack of books on CBD - very exciting - except it's physically healthy for you. Oh, and being the newbies that we are, we didn't bring any bags to transfer the contents to so that we could leave the box there. Now we'll have to bring it back next time to "be green." :)

I felt so organic! I was putting away produce that was picked just the day before, from a real farm. None of the one-of-the-ten-middle-men-genetically-modified-something-shenanigans. For all I know, we might go back to buying produce at the market but I'll enjoy for now.

Part II on our farm food to come soon!