Aloha!

In August Russ and I got to go on a trip of a lifetime, courtesy of our credit card SkyMiles. We had accumulated the perfect amount to get us both round-trip tickets to Hawaii. How can you say no to that! Neither of us have ever been and we couldn't let perfectly good SkyMiles expire, right?! So we made plans to visit the islands of Kauai and Oahu. Our first stop, Kauai. 

We flew through Honolulu and made a mad dash to grab our bag, re-check it through security, and barely make our connecting flight to Kauai. 

Top Left: When we arrived to the Kauai airport it was crazy because the majority of the airport has big open half walls, where you think windows should go but it's just open to outside. Top Right: On the hotel grounds, someone had taken the time to write "Kauai" in real Plumeria flowers. Bottom: Right: We stayed at the Kauai Marriott and we loved it. When you turn into the hotel grounds from the road, you drive a beautiful tree-lined drive up to the entrance. It was like a tunnel of trees. Bottom Left: Our favorite part of the hotel was the pool! That's where we spent most of our time. It was massive. It is set up in a flower-shape, so no matter how many people were at the pool it never felt crowded. Plus, they had like 5 hot tubs. We also had some of the best sushi ever there!

Our first full day was a Sunday. So we went to a local ward - which was awesome. At the end of Sacrament meeting all the members of the ward went to the front of the chapel, by the pulpit, and sang "Aloha Oe" to the visitors, while they passed out leis they made out of yarn. It was the sweetest ever. After church we cruised around the island. The entire island isn't very big, so we drove up the entire East side of the island within just a couple hours (including some detours and stops.) 

Top Left: There are wild roosters everywhere! They strut around everywhere, like parking lots, outdoor eating areas. It's like they think they're pigeons or something, but they are surprisingly beautiful. Top Right: This was our means of travel. We quickly discovered a Jeep was the ultimate symbol that you are a tourist, not a Hawaiian native, but it was a fun little ride. Never did get to take the top off it though, cause without any notice it would suddenly start raining. The rain would usually last about 5 minutes. Guess that explains why the island is so green. Bottom Left: There is basically one main "highway" on the island and it is just a two lane road,  while driving we would occasionally stumble onto one-lane bridges. You are supposed to alternate which direction of traffic drives on the bridge. (You can see the line of cars waiting on the other side of the bridge.) Bottom Right: I didn't realize people hitchhiked anymore, and I think it's not that no one hitchhikes, its just that all the hitchhikers of the world moved to Hawaii. We saw so many there. 

The first stop on our Sunday drive was the Kilauea Lighthouse. We just stopped at the lookout point and it was lovely. 

Russ checking out the Lighthouse.

The highway is beautiful. It looks like you're driving through the jungle with all the big, lush trees. I felt like any second we would see Tarzan swing right in front of us. 

Top Right: There were lots of signs along the road that said "Scenic Viewpoint." We made sure to stop at everyone. One of the viewpoints was this beauty. Bottom Right: There was an adorable church along the side of the road. 

Us in front of one of the Scenic Views. According to one of the other tourists there, they said it was land used for farming and they were growing Taro plants. So I now pass that little fun fact on to you. Do what you will with that gem.

Another shot of the lookout point. I mean, come on. 

This was another gorgeous view as the highway curved. I don't know how there aren't car accidents all the time from people distracted by all the pretty scenery!

Another rooster struttin his stuff along the beach. 

After driving up North we headed back down South, near our hotel, because we were headed back for a Fireside. While we were at church we saw in the program's announcements that Jimmer Fredette was giving a Fireside at their building. Russ and I looked at each other like "Whaa? Is there a Hawaiian who lives here named Jimmer?" Turns out Jimmer was vacationing there the same time we were, so he got asked to give a Fireside. So we thought out timing was amazing on that one. Before the Fireside we stopped by Wailua Falls. It was gorgeous. 

We made sure to get in plenty of beach time on our trip, but the island was just so beautiful, and we only had a few days so we wanted to make sure we saw as much as could. So the next day we continued cruisin'. This time we were headed to Waimea Canyon. (And if you're asking yourself, "Waimea Canyon? Is that the Grand Canyon of the Pacific?" Yes, yes it is.) 

It is a little drive to get to the main part of the canyon. Along the way we made a couple stops. Right: We saw this beautiful view along the road. Top Left: While at this viewpoint we noticed a couple houses in the middle of the mountains, but they were in the middle of nowhere and there were no visible roads or trails. So how anyone gets there or out, we had no idea. Like a Hawaiian version of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, I guess. Bottom Left: There was this tiny little waterfall on the way up to the canyon. The dirt was so red it looked like we were on Mars. 

Then we made it to the big enchilda, the Waimea Canyon Lookout. It really was awesome. If you look at the pic on the right, you can see a tiny waterfall on the left. Unfortunately it was foggy so you can't see it very clearly, but trust me, it was beautiful. 

There were a couple other lookout points farther down the road and one was this beautiful view. It was awesome to see the big green, rocky mountains right next to the bright blue water. I think it was the prettiest of the views we saw. 

After some time in the mountains we headed back down to make it in time for our Sunset Dinner Cruise. It was a cruise to take us along the Napali Coast. The Napali Coast is only visible by boat, helicopter or if you're crazy adventurous, you can hike. We opted to see it by boat (or catamaran to be exact.) On the cruise we saw some dolphins, flying fish and some unbelievable views. When I envisioned the cruise, I pictured a smooth, peaceful sailing trip, maybe a string quartet, but at some points it was the complete opposite. We hit some choppy water which start splashing up over the boat. So everyone was getting blasted by water. We'd see people stumbling around trying to get to some shelter and getting soaked in the process. Kinda funny. But we had a really good time and the food was pretty good too. Right: We stopped the boat for a little while to eat, and we happened to stop right by some beautiful mountains and a rainbow. How Hawaiian is that?! Bottom Left: There were some really cool looking sea caves, we didn't explore them but they look pretty from afar. 

Russ took some video while we were on the boat. 

Sailin'.

It was sunset just before we got back to port. It was a little cloudy but still a very pretty sight. If you look closely you can see a couple little boats sailing on the water. 

Our last full day we mostly hung out at the beach and pool, but had special dinner plans. Everyone who had been to Kauai recommended a restaurant called The Beach House. The food was pretty good but the views were amazing. This video shows the view. Disclaimer, Russ was not stalking the lady walking in the video. She just happened to be walking the exact pace he was filming, and going the exact same direction.  

The restaurant was right on the water and we arrived there right at sunset. So we had to grab a pic. 

The next day we had just a half day in Kauai so we went to the most authentic Hawaiian restaurant for breakfast - McDonald's. (We tried to go to this little trailer, Rainbeau Jo's, for breakfast every single day we were in town but it was never there. When we called the number it went straight to a voicemail saying if they weren't at their designated location they were either catering, sold out, or just plain closed. So apparently one of those 3 things occurred every. single. morning.) But the silver lining, if we had gone there for breakfast, Russ never would've been able to order Spam & Eggs for breakfast at McDonald's. Right: An adorable little chicken family in the McDonald's parking lot. Left: There were lots of little produce stands around the island. 

Next stop, Oahu. In Oahu we were able to meet up with Russ' brother, Logan. He was our buddy and we all went on our adventures together.  Middle: We stayed at Turtle Bay, because we'd heard good things and it was close to BYU - Hawaii, the Temple & Polynesian Cultural Center. Right: The bay surrounded the entire hotel, so it looked like almost everyone had a view of the ocean. Even the hotel gym had incredible views. This was our view every morning. Not too shabby. 

Our first day we headed to Dole Plantation. To get a view of the plantation we hopped aboard the Pineapple Express Train where we learned more about pineapple growing than I ever thought I would, but it was a nice little ride. Then our next item of business - dole whips (after getting our picture in those head-hole things, of course). The dole whips were very tasty. 

After the plantation and getting an icy dole whip, we stopped for a snow cone at Matsumoto's Shave Ice. We got a Rainbow flavored cone, with vanilla ice cream on the bottom, and it was de-licious. (Sidenote: we liked the shave ice so much we went back a second time before we left, we got a Hawaiian flavored cone with ice cream and sweetened condensed milk on top. We are still craving one!)

On our drive along the North Shore we saw a sign for a Farmer's Market and we pulled over. Everything looked amazing there, but we had already had a dole whip & snow cone within the course of 20 minutes so food wasn't really our top priority. But one of the things Russ wanted to try while in Hawaii was fresh bananas. We saw someone selling little tiny bunches of bananas for like $1 so we tried some, and they were so good! They were a lot sweeter than your standard banana. Bottom Middle: There was this amazing tree leading to the entrance of the Farmers' Market. Bottom Right: I had never seen some of the produce they were selling like ever in my life, but it looked pretty. 

Left: Our next stop was Banzai Pipeline, where there are supposed to be huge waves and incredible surfers. Well, guess I didn't research that thoroughly cause the huge waves are only during winter. So it was kind of a bust, no surfers, no waves, but we did see this pretty sight. Right: So we didn't see any pro surfers at Banzai, but I did see some awesome surfers at Turtle Bay! Russ and his brother, Logan, took surfing lessons at our hotel. That's a picture of Russ getting up on the board. They both did really good. 

The next day we had plans to spend the day in Honolulu. The traffic is horrible in Honolulu. Worst I've ever seen. So we tried to consolidate as many Honolulu activities as we could in one day. Which meant, as usual, a lot of food. One of our first stops was Leonard's Bakery, for some of their famous malasadas (they're like Portuguese donuts). They were warm and delicious. 

After the Bakery and a quick lunch we headed to Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately, we got there after tickets had sold out to see the U.S.S. Arizona, but we did get to see the Museum and do an audio tour of another ship at the harbor. It was cool to see all the tiny rooms of the ship. 

After Pearl Harbor we headed to yet another bakery (Liliha's bakery) and got some cocoa puffs. Not not the cereal, though I'm cuckoo for those too, it was a cream puff filled with chocolate cream and topped with a macadamia nut topping. Russ wasn't a big fan, but I liked em. After our puffs we headed to Waikiki beach to watch the firework show they put on every Friday night. It was the first time I'd ever seen fireworks on the beach. It was like two of my favorite things in one!

A little taste of the show. 

Our hotel was only about 15 minutes away from the temple so we definitely wanted to go. So we got all dressed up and were excited to go inside. Well once again, my planning failed us. We got inside about 15 minutes after their last sessions started. So we couldn't go. :( But at least we saw the lobby, and got to see the grounds. The temple is absolutely gorgeous. (Plus, it just gives us another excuse to go back. Am I right?)

Right: There is a little palm-tree lined road that leads to the temple. (This was the view of the road from the temple.)

Us in front of the temple. 

The temple is right by BYU-Hawaii campus so we cruised around there, and then it was just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Polynesian Cultural Center. We spent most of the day at the PCC. It is divided by little villages that each represent different island countries like New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, etc. We did a canoe ride, and then toured the villages. They each had different activities so we did some spear throwing, Tahitian dancing, poi twirling, saw some great presentations, took ukelele lessons and even drank coconut milk out of a real life coconut! (Note: that is not an actual tattoo, it was a stamp from one of the stations. I swear, mom!) After exploring we went to a luau tried some poi (wouldn't do that again), ate some yummy things and drank a smoothie out of an actual pineapple. After the luau we went to the Ha! Breath of Life Show. It was a play and told as a story, but with lots of dancing. They even had fire dancers. It was really well done. 

The next day was Sunday so we went to church and then drove around the Western side of the island along the coast. There are some gorgeous views there. Left: We hiked a small little trail to get to some tidal pools. It was really pretty to see the waves crashing right there. Left: While driving we saw a few small rock islands out in the water.

Logan at the tidal pools.

We stopped at Halona Blowhole. When the waves hit the rocks just right magic happens. Check it out.

We spent the rest of the day relaxin' and hanging out at the beach.

Our last day we wanted to do some stargazing. We heard near Keana Point (the westernmost tip of the island) there is beautiful stargazing. You can go off-roading or hike to get to the very tip but we just drove til the paved road ran out. The night was a little cloudy but when we got out of the car it took our breath away. This picture we took doesn't do it justice. We saw soo many stars (including a few shooting stars) and even saw the cloudy Milky Way band going across the sky. It was incredible because not only was the sky stunning, but you could hear the nearby waves crashing. It was pretty magical and a good way to spend our last night in Hawaii.

We had an incredible trip. When we were hanging out in the pool our last day we were already trying to plan a trip back. We made lots of good memories and saw some of the most beautiful sights we'd ever seen. We can't wait to go back some day. Aloha.

California Dreamin

It's been a while since we blogged but figured we would start off the new year with a post about our trip we took to San Francisco. I have gotten really good at tagging along with Russ on his business trips. This was no exception. A couple months ago he had to go to San Francisco for work. We've both to San Francisco before but it had been a while, and we'd never been there together. It was fun to do all the touristy things and see how much we could squeeze into a long weekend. 

Our hotel was in the middle of Chinatown. So we did some exploring and that including going to an amazing Chinese restaurant. (Sidenote: It was pretty funny cause the restaurant was playing music but it was just the same Bruno Mars song over and over. So we probably heard it like 15 times while we ate.)

We went to the famous Lombard Street and I guess a lot of people take the cable car from the water to the start of Lombard Street. We decided we didn't need the cable car and we would just walk since it was only a couple blocks away. About a minute into our walk we found out that the street to get there runs basically, completely perpendicular to the Earth's surface and we were walking the steepest hill ever. 

But we made it! And it was fun to watch all the cars slowly drive down the windy road. Plus, bonus, our little hike probably completely burned off our dinner in the process. :)

We looked up the best places to eat in San Francisco, and "Mama's" made almost every list. So we decided to go there for breakfast. We knew it must be good cause we had to stand in line for like 2 hours before we could actually go in and eat. We weren't disappointed. :) And though we were probably starving and would've enjoyed any food by the time we ate...it really was good. I mean look at it!

Of course we had to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Our bus tour drove us on the bridge and it was crazy cause as soon as we crossed onto the bridge, the temperature got like 30 degrees colder, and it was super foggy. 

Since our tour didn't stop and let us see the bridge from a distance, Russ and I found this little beach with a view of the bridge. Not only did we have a cool view, the beach itself was beautiful! 

We got to go to Ghirardelli Square and the Ferry Building.

Us enjoying our Ghirardelli hot chocolate. We also went to the California Academy of Sciences and got to go through their "earthquake simulator." Russ gives the Science museum a thumbs up. 

Left: The science museum also had a big rain forest terrarium we got to walk through. It had lots of plants and some animals. There were butterflies flying free in there. Turns out butterflies are terrifying when the fly out of no where and brush up against your face buuut they're still pretty cute...from far. 

Right: I couldn't leave San Francisco without seeing the house that the Tanners (and Katsopolis family & Joey Gladstone) called home! Unfortunately the real owners painted it purple, but it still felt like if I knocked they would've invited us in for a Jesse & the Rippers concert, and then Danny would offer us some sound advice while emotional music played in the background. 

Left: Start of Fisherman's Wharf. Middle: View from a seafood restaurant on the pier. Right: View across from Ghirardelli Square.

View of Alcatraz in the distance from Pier 39.

Us at Alamo Square Park, in front of the "Painted Ladies."

Just the "Ladies."

It was a fun weekend and we loved getting to see all the sights!

Turning 30 and Turning 4

The summer always holds a very special holiday...Russ' birthday in July. This wasn't just any birthday, it was his 30th birthday! So what did we do to celebrate this milestone? Big surprise party? Big night out? Nope, just the birthday boy and me at home. It was kind of fun to have a quiet, birthday just the two of us. Here are some pics of our party of 2. 

Russ wasn't too worried about turning 30. In fact he said, "Yeah it's not so bad being 30. Justin Timberlake is older than me and he's still really cool. Soo..." I love his logic.

Last night Russ and I had another celebration. We celebrated our 4th anniversary!

1. Russ and I had never had a full meal at The Melting Pot and thought our Anniversary was a good excuse to try it. We decided that we should've just ordered a bunch of the chocolate fondue and forgotten about the main course.

2. Our dessert leftovers were just asking to be turned into a face with a moustache. So we did what any respectable adults would do in that situation.

3. Lately Russ and I have been in a big Mario Kart phase. (Like old Nintendo 64 Mario Kart.) Nothing says love like shooting shells at each other and being overly competitive. It was the perfect end to our night. And this song was pretty much our anniversary-Mario Kart anthem.

4. Can't wait to celebrate #5 next year!

Utah from Top to Bottom

We just go back a couple weeks ago from a trip to Utah. My parents, Russ and I have gone out to Utah for General Conference for the last few years and it has become a fun tradition. It's great getting to see Conference and so much fun to see family who live there and visit with great friends. It was a big added bonus that I got to spend so much time with Russ. He hasn't gotten much time off since he started his new job so it was nice to get to be together for a whole week!

We flew in early and spent a couple days in Moab, Utah to see the arches and windows in the canyons there. It was beautiful and fun because neither of us had been there before. In Moab we got to see beautiful sights like...

...this... 

and this. 

Us in front of one of the "windows." So cool huh?

Random adorable, and might I add adventurous, couple in front of us on the trail. Not only were they precious and holding hands while they slowly walked down the path, but he was carrying an old-fashioned video camera that only added to their cuteness. 

I spent a lot of my time in the canyons trying to make sure Russ didn't fall off the side of a huge cliff. But I guess he's always been one to "live on the edge." (get it?)  Can you spot the Russ in this picture?

I knew we were high but it didn't really hit me until I saw a bird fly right by and perch itself on the edge of the cliff. Realized we were as high as birds fly! (Which to me sounds like as high as you can go.)

It was pretty crazy cause we went from 80 degrees in Moab to about 30 degrees in Park City! (world's fakest smiles?)

We spent a day in Park City and we got some snow! It was kind of a nice change of pace.

We spent a lot of time in the car on our mini Utah tour driving from place to place. One day at the tail end of a rain storm we saw this beautiful rainbow. 

After some time in Provo and SLC, before we knew it our trip had come to an end and we were heading back home. It was such a nice get away and we had such a wonderful time. 

T.G.I.S.

Pretty much every Saturday Russ and I will do the same thing, go to dinner and then watch a movie at home. The last couple of Saturdays we decided to break from tradition and do some things we don't normally do or get to do.

We have talked for months about going to Inner Space Caverns (a cave in Texas) but since it was so far North in Austin we just never got around to it. A couple weeks ago we happened to be in that part of town running errands and so we decided to go for it. No this was not the exciting spelunking excursion you may be thinking. In fact, it was the same cave tour I went on with my 1st grade class on a field trip. Even though we didn't get wedged in between crevaces and need to use a pocket knife to cut off an arm, we did see some bats...so equally as adventurous.

Inner Space Caverns

Here is us in the cave and part of the cave that looks like a sumo wrestler eating an ice cream cone.

Last week Russ and I decided to go roller skating! It had been years since either of us had been roller skating and unfortunately it showed. We realized when we hit the rink that we were the only ones skating who were old enough to have a driver's license. These kids were also freakishly good skaters. Like so good that they actually know how to use the brake stopper on the front of the roller skate instead of just going full speed into the wall to stop. Regardless it was so much fun! If you haven't gone roller skating for a while you totally should.

Jack-o-Lanterns & Jobs

Russ and I had a pretty quiet Halloween. We didn't dress up (sad huh?) and aside from our church trunk-or-treat and passing out Halloween candy the highlight was..............(I'm building the suspense)..........pumpkin carving! So we worked diligently digging, scraping, poking and carving. Below is the proof!

We had a few ideas of what to carve but all ideas came back to one thing...Mitt Romney of course! And to let the trick-or-treaters know they are "Welcome" we thought what better way then by telling them in a pumpkin.

Here are the final products. And yes, yes that is Mitt on the left. So it's not exactly a spitting image but for a pumpkin president we thought it wasn't too bad. And there is our "Welcome" pumpkin. In spite of gooeyness and hand cramping it was a lot fun! 

In other news we are so excited because yesterday Russ found out he got a new job! He's been working the past year as an auditor here in town but has always wanted to do something related to Investment Management. He found a great job and applied, and after months of different rounds of interviews he got it! We still get to stick around Austin and it is a great company and it's affiliated with UT so I guess it's appropriate to throw in a "Hook 'em Horns." I'm so proud of him and can't wait for him to start!

Home Sweet Home

Russ and I moved into our humble abode the first part of December and although it has nearly been a year that we've lived here, we have yet to share some pictures of our place. And I know there are literally only a couple people (you know who you are) who have a desire to see this, I still say to grab a bag of chips, a drink, get comfortable and enjoy this mini episode of MTV Cribs (minus the fancy reverse and fast forward camera tricks they do.)

The front of our house. Try not to be too distracted by our sweet car and amazing landscaping.

This is the entry hall that leads to our living room/kitchen area. To the right are two little bedrooms (one is being used as our office) and a bathroom.

Our living room.

More living room.

Our kitchen.

Our dining area in the kitchen.

We just painted our bedroom and so once we get it all set up I'll post some pictures of that and our other two rooms. We've had so much fun decorating and painting. And we have even had fun doing little home "repairs." (and by "we" I mean "Russ" of course.) We love it...and if you're ever in Texas you can now stay at "Casa de Brown."

In other news. Russ and I just celebrated our 3rd anniversary! Can't believe it has already been three years. We didn't do anything too big, just went out to dinner at a super good seafood restaurant we had never been to in downtown Austin. We usually don't explore any of the trendy downtown Austin eateries, we feel like we aren't cool enough, or I guess in Austin's case, aren't weird enough to go to them but our anniversary was a good excuse to try out a new one.

1.  Where Russ and I ate way too much seafood...and realized how little we know about proper dinner etiquette...and how to act like we totally knew we were ordering something with raw quail egg. 

2. And the night wasn't complete without some Mexican Vanilla ice cream with strawberries from Amy's Ice Cream. One of Russ' favorites.

3. The flowers sweet Russ got me. 

4. I feel like we rarely take pictures of us together so here is our attempt of a self-timer picture. 

We're holding up 3 fingers because we've been married 3 years. Brilliant idea huh? 

Anyways I love that guy and am excited for a lifetime of anniversaries together...with the only guy I know who would eat my raw quail eggs...now that's true love.