A few things we've been up to...

Da Poke Shack +Donnie=  Satisfied

Another gorgeous shot of A-Bay

Since my last post was almost exclusively about running, I thought I'd add in a few more details about what we've been doing besides running. :)

Good Times at A-Bay!

Last week we went to a beautiful, shady and calm beach that is a little hard to spell, we call it A-Bay. It's not as far as Hapuna, but it is now our new favorite. We went there a week ago, on the day that the Spurs lost to the Heat. It was a great start to the day, but a very sad ending.

The Keck Observatory!

Mini-Me Keck

On Monday, we took a drive out to Waimea to see what was out there. There isn't much. The weather is much cooler up there, so it was a nice respite from the heat and humidity. We had lunch at a taco shop/brewery, then headed over to the vistor center at the Keck observatory. It was small, but very cool to see all of the little models and replicas of the telescope. Paul wasn't interested for very long, so we moved on and drove out the Mauna Lani.

I liked this guy.

Please help me figure this out...

Mauna Lani is a resort community where we were going to have dinner at Ruth Chris's to celebrate Father's Day. We ended up there a little early, so we decided to explore the grounds. There is a gorgeous golf course, and a neat little walk that takes you to some petroglyphs. We weren't really dressed for hiking, so we just took the paved path up to where a few of the rocks with designs were. It was cool to see all of the designs, men, turtles, things I couldn't figure out.  I would like to go back to explore a little bit more, but if we don't get the chance, I'm satisfied. From there we wandered around the shopping center at Mauna Lani until our reservation time. It was a glorious meal, as it always is at Ruth Chris, and Paul had pretty good behavior, so we savored the food and the company. When dinner was over, we walked downstairs to watch a troupe of Hawaiian dancers. It was my first time seeing hula dancers live, and they were great! The men even did some fire dancing, which looked incredibly difficult. It was a long, but wonderful day, so we headed back to Kona from there, and all fell asleep relatively early.

Dancing!

Tuesday started out stressful.  DHL contacted me that our visa documents had arrived in San Antonio, but when my friend Jane went out to pick them up, they were nowhere to be found. After calling every neighbor on Angie and Ron's street, it was finally located. Jane graciously drove back across town to get the documents and overnight them to us here. They didn't arrive until Wednesday, so we decided to go on a coffee adventure on Tuesday.

Hmmm....yes, please.

Tuesday, after a delayed start, we drove back up into the cool mountains to tour the Mountain Thunder Coffee Plantation. It really wasn't a tour of the plantation, so much as a tour of the way they turned their coffee plants into award winning coffee, but it was neat. Paul was more interested in splashing in the mud puddles, but it was too cold to let him do that for long. We bought some delicious Kona coffee, a little overpriced, but definitely worth it, then headed back down to Kailua. The rest of the day was lounged away with naps and eating, and soon Wednesday was upon us.

Ron and Angie took the day and went out to Hilo, and Donnie and I dug in to wait for our documents to arrive. Luckily, they came early, and we spent the rest of the day much the same as the day before. I did fill out our applications for our Chinese work visas. This set of paperwork was a lot less tedious than the previous round, but it's still been a challenge.

Today we got up and went for our longest run since Sunday (only 4 miles), and then went to watch soccer and a cool bar called LuLu's. Everybody was super friendly, and I had some delicious breakfast tacos, and we sat there for quite a while. When the game was FINALLY over (it went double overtime and extra penalty kicks), we headed back to tackle the process of mailing off all of the stuff to get our visas.

We piled in the car, headed to UPS, and Paul fell asleep, of course. We woke him up for a passport picture, which he was less than pleased about, printed all of our applications, and put our passports and all our paperwork into an envelope and shipped it off. It is now in the hands of www.mychinavisa.com.

Mountain Thunder Coffee

Tomorrow I will embark on my first surfing lesson here in Hawaii. I've had one other one, long ago in Costa Rica, but I expect this will be completely different. It was one of my resolutions to learn to surf, so I'm happy to be taking the first steps to accomplish it. It only took 3 weeks ;)

Andie arrives in a week, and I cannot wait to share this experience with her! I am already making a mental list of all the must-dos while she is here. I hope she is doing the same. :)

The passage of time seems to have slowed, but I know it is only temporary. Too soon our relaxing summer will be over, but I can't help but be excited. I even snuck a peak at the IKEA website in Shenzhen to see what kinds of things we may be buying. It's silly things like that that make me so anxious to get to the finish line. :)

Till next time, aloha.

Running in Kona

Too Beautiful.

Let me start by saying, I am not a runner. Contrary to popular belief that I would spend all of my days running if I could, I actually have the hardest time staying motivated. Somedays I cannot imagine putting my feet down on the pavement and moving forward. Luckily, I've got a pretty motivated partner, and he reminds me that if I don't run my emotions get a little out of whack. I think pretty much any workout would suffice, but running is the cheapest and least time-consuming.

An early start for a race.

We've enjoyed our runs (for the most part) here in Kona, as we've gone up and down Ali'i drive, and over to the old airport, but there has been little variety. I thought when we ran here it would be filled with beautiful beaches to run on and cool sea breezes. I think I was thinking of the Texas coast. The beaches here are small, but beautiful, and the breezes are cool, but the sun is hotter. And Kona is not flat, it's hills are a challenge I don't take lightly.

Despite all the difficulty, we get up every morning, hoping to beat the heat, and pound the pavement. I've grown to recognize faces as we run, and I think people are starting to know us (at least that's my perception). I know it makes me feel better after it's over, but the challenge of daily runs never ends.

Pre-race pic

Today we challenged ourselves with the Kona Half-Marathon. It was my 7th half marathon and I really think it may have been the hardest one yet. I thought last year in Hamburg was hard, with the rain, and extreme cold, but now I know I was wrong. (Or maybe I just forget in the heat how cold I really was.) The race started early, which was good and the first few miles I hardly even noticed. When we reached the fourth mile, Paul was there with his grandparents to cheer us on. He mostly just got upset that we were running away from him, but I made my heart happy to see him. It was the first time he's seen us race. Donnie powered forward and I didn't see him again until the turnaround, and I struggled through every step. I try to keep smiling though, not really for the benefit of the other runners, because mostly if I let myself get too absorbed in all the mental power it takes to keep moving forward, I might not make it. So I smile to keep myself going, like an inside joke that I can laugh at the whole way. The last mile of the course was torture, a massive hill followed by a quarter mile of trail hills, followed by winding through a Sheraton Resort (including up and down stairs!). Needless to say, we were spent by the end of the race. Donnie made 1:57, I got a 2:05, but honestly I was happy to finish. :) We got sweet medals,  ate and drank the free food, and headed home.

I always say I don't know why people run longer races, but I really do know why. The feeling you get when you've finished a long amount of miles (which could be even 1 mile depending on the day!) is inexplicable. I understand the nature to push harder and go farther, that is the root of my being. But today I'm glad it was only 13.1 miles. I'm glad it was in "paradise," and I'm glad I get to curl up for a nap not long after. :)

This move to China feels like a marathon. It's long, it hurts, and it's hard to keep moving forward. But in the end, I hope it feels like the end of one of these races. Because that will be so rewarding. :)

Donnie waving hi to Paul.

Me, still smiling.

Hawaiian Tourists

Hawaiian Princess

The days have started running together much more quickly now, and meanwhile we've been spending our days trying to stay cool and watching the Spurs!

Sweet tunes.

Saturday was a state holiday, the celebration of King Kamehameha. I don't know much about the history of it, but there was a parade down the main street of Kona. It was interesting to see all of the traditional dress in this part of the world. It reminded me of the Battle of the Flowers parade in San Antonio. The morning started off cool, but quickly heated up. I felt bad for all of the people in full dress costume. When the parade was done, Paul, Donnie and I spent some time playing in the pool to stay cool. Unfortunately, Paul ended up with a slight sunburn on his face, so it was decided to spend the next day indoors.

Trying to stay cool, but too hot!

This guy took himself way to seriously.

"I can't watch!" LOL Go Spurs Go!

Yesterday was Father's day, and we celebrated by going for an 11 mile run along Ali'i Dr, then took it easy for the rest of the day indoors and cheering the Spurs on to win game 5 of the finals. It was a great day, but way too hot for my tastes. I pushed for a trip the mountains for today to escape the heat.

Another volcano with this man. :)

Sulphur Bank

So our adventure to Kilauea started early. We woke up early as usual, and I tried to make sandwiches for the trip, but the bread was bad. So I settled for a cup of coffee and some eggs. We gathered all of our supplies up and packed into our car and headed out. It's only 93 miles to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, but it took us 2.5 hours. The road is so topsy turvy, it reminded me of our travels in the Oaxacan Mountains, which made me nervous. I settled for entertaining Paul in the backseat and occasionally glancing at the spectacular view. ;) We drove through the area with coffee plantations, through lava deserts and through hills that reminded me of Ireland. It was crazy how much the terrain changed along the way. The volcanoes are about 4,000 feet above sea level, so it was much cooler when we arrived. So much so that we needed sweaters. 

The Kilauea Caldera

After exploring the well-staffed visitor center, we went for a short hike to see the sulphur banks. Needless to say, it was not pleasant to smell, but pretty cool to look at! The rocks were all yellow and white with crystals growing all over them. There was steam seeping from the ground, and lots of warnings not to go off the path. From there, we drove around Crater Rim Rd to a few other lookout spots. You could get a good view of the caldera, and it was steaming, but there was no lava to be seen. Donnie and I were remembering our trip in Guatemala, when we got to climb the active volcano and actually stand on the hotspot where the lava was seeping out. Too many rules here in the States for that kind of exploring. ;) It was still quite a sight, and Paul learned a lot about the different kinds of rocks and lava. But I guess his favorite part was jumping in the muddy puddles, I think that's what he'll remember from today.

After a classic 2 year old fit, we decided it was time to pile in the car and head back. The Hales slept most of the way back, and I was grateful to see that the sun is taking a break behind the clouds. I couldn't take another sweltering afternoon. :)

 I plan to begin my surfing lessons sometime in the next 7 days, and a trip to a coffee plantation sometime this week. But we'll see what happens. We still have a few more weeks here on the Big Island, and I plan on making the most of it. ;)

A cool art piece from the observatory.

Kona=Paradise

Kahalu'u beach bum

Crowded, but cool!

So our first few days in Hawaii were spent taking care of business and trying to slow our pace of life down. I think we've done that pretty well, as I've pretty much forgotten what day it is, and have sunk into a routine that is super relaxing.

Tuesday we decided to try out a beach that is recommended for families. Donnie and I went for a run to check it out in the morning, then we all headed down around 10am. The name of the beach is Kahalu'u, and it's only about 4 miles from where we are staying. It is made up of mostly tide pools and is in a very sheltered harbor, so it's good for kids. But by 10am it was super crowded, and not so fun to hang out at, so we didn't stay long. Plus the Spurs were on!

The Spurs thankfully had a heck of a game, and we all enjoyed watching them, while Paul took a much needed nap. He's been embracing swimming and playing in the sand, so he's been sleeping very well, which needless to say is a relief to me. :)

Taking care of business.

On Wednesday, Donnie and I got up for an early run, and then we all piled into the car for a trip to Hapuna Beach Park. It is only about 25 miles from here, but since highway speeds are are slow like island life, it took 45 minutes. It was definitely worth the drive. The beach wasn't crowded when we arrived, but it became so as the hours wore on.

Loves sun & water.

This beach was probably one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to. The water was clear and the waves were calm for most of the morning. Paul wouldn't let go of his Trunki (a suitcase that we bought in Belgium last summer), but eventually he braved the water and we swam for quite a while. There was also a creepy cave to explore, it's amazing how much lava rock is here!! It makes up most of the landscape, and I can't help but be fascinated with it. We drove home, and Donnie and I walked up to Kona Brewery to test the local brews. They were good, and it was a fast walk home before dinner.

We all ended up in bed early due to the sun and long day. But we were up early ready for today.

Love it.

Today was a slower paced day. We spent some time at the pool, and now we are back watching the Spurs. Hopefully this game will be just as good as Tuesday. Go Spurs Go!

P.S. There is an amazing coffee stand down the street from us, Green Flash Coffee. I'm obsessed with Kona coffee. :)

So fascinating!

Can't leave Trunki!

Isn't that water crazy?!

Aloha to The Next Chapter

Havin' fun in the backseat!

Finally the summer has arrived! This chapter of our year has been long in coming, but much anticipated. I can't officially close the Texas chapter, because we will be back for a few days in August, but I am happy to begin this new, slower paced life (even if it is in the short term).

We left San Antonio on Friday afternoon, and it was a long, but relatively easy drive to El Paso. I watched West Texas pass by in the window, and although I was sad to be leaving, I was glad this was the last time I would have to make this drive in a while. We spent the night in El Paso, and were back on the road early for Phoenix.

Pretty good traveller.

 I have no pictures to post from Phoenix because it was such a whirlwind of activity. We arrived around noon, ran some errands, and were at my mom's by 1:30pm. Paul spent 2 solid hours swimming in the pool, when although it was 108 degrees outside, we had to pull him out to warm up. He gets so cold, even if it is hot outside! He used all his new swimming skills and had so much fun. :) Mom hosted a small BBQ and invited a friend of hers, and Nathan had an old friend over also. I soaked in the time with my family and we all had a really good time together. Everybody left there with a smile on their face. From there we went to meet my dad, and Grace at dinner. They are going through a lot right now, but it always makes me happy to see my dad. I keep both my mom and dad in my heart all the time, and I hope they know that. After a delicious dinner, Donnie and I were planning on meeting up with my old friend Kyle, but we were so tired we could hardly carry on a coherent conversation with each other, let alone hang out. I wish I had the energy, I would have really loved to see him. But hopefully when we come back through we'll have a chance to catch up. We crashed out at the hotel around 11pm, and all of us (except Paul) woke up at 3am when the power went out! It wasn't just our hotel, it was all of Tempe and some of Phoenix. It started to get warm very quickly with no a/c, but luckily it was back on by 4, the time we had planned to get up to get ready. Again a day of very little sleep, facing a long day of travel.

Happy to be in Kona!

We made it to the airport with time to spare, so we grabbed some breakfast.  Since it was the day of a Spurs game, Paul and Donnie were decked out in their jerseys. I was surprised to find that most people don't like the Spurs! I guess we've been sheltered in SA for so long, and Phoenix is so anti-Spurs. It was kind of funny how people kept making comments about it.

Kona! On our way to the condo.

From Sky Harbor, we flew to Salt Lake City, and then we were on the flight to Honolulu. It was a 6.5 hour flight, a good test run for the long flight that is coming in August, and Paul did pretty well. He threw his share of fits, but eventually fell asleep for a good 2.5 hours of the flight. I just know it's going to be super hard to keep him entertained for 15 hours on an airplane, and I know now that I will need a lot more sleep to deal with that stress. 

In Honolulu, we had to catch a small airplane to Kona, which I was sure we were going to miss. We only had an hour and a half to get our bags, shuttle to the other terminal, check in, make it through security and then board the plane. It took us 30 min to get our bags and get on the shuttle! When we got to the other terminal, I realized I had nothing to worry about. Everybody was moving at their own pace, and there was no threat of us even missing the plane (so Andie, it'll be super easy for you!).

Loving island life and Trunki

Two minutes from our condo

After the short flight over, we got our rental car and drove to the condo. Kona is an interesting place, beautiful, but in a different kind of way. The beaches we've seen are small and beautiful, but surrounded by jagged volcanic rock. 

Our condo is super nice!! It is such a huge place compared to our tiny apartment in Munich, but the downside is that there is no air conditioning. This has taken a couple days to get used to, but mostly with fans, we're fine. The weather is humid, but refreshing.

All of us were so exhausted from the travel and the time change, that Donnie prepped a delicious salad for dinner and we went to bed pretty early.

Beach spray

Paul was up early on Monday, and so were all of us, so Donnie and I headed out for a run. We'll have to carve out a better run though, because we ended up beside a highway and I'd rather find a more tranquil place to run than that. But with the beach below you and the volcano looming in distance, it's hard not to enjoy it everywhere.

We spent yesterday doing our shopping, prepping for our stay here. It is expensive here! I guess we'll have to get used to it though, because I'm pretty sure that is how China will be. After stocking up on all our supplies, we hung out eating fresh tuna on the patio. That is one thing that is relatively low priced. I look forward to lots of fresh meals and fresh fish.

I did make it down to the beach by our condo for some pictures, it is beautiful, but the waves are too rough for playing in them. They do look perfect for surfing, so we'll see. :) We are off to a different beach today, one that is sheltered for families, so hopefully it will be good for Paul.

Here is my warning: I will be posting tons of pictures of beaches. So I apologize in advance if that gets old or boring. ;)

See ya, San Antone

See ya, Generals!

Wow, this past week has been such a blur that I really have a hard time sorting out the days. I've been through so many emotions this week that all I feel right now is exhausted, but I will try to figure it all out so it makes sense.

Monday was busy, work, then a super hot run, then a trip to the clinic for some shots, then to our favorite neighborhood restaurant called Los Generales. We've been going to this restaurant since we've lived in Texas and feel at home there. They know Paul and are super friendly. The food is decent and we enjoyed our time as a family, and wished them goodbye.

Field Day!!

Swim Lessons!

Tuesday was field day at work, and we had some errands to run in the afternoon, so I took a half day. The morning was fun, humid and hot, but the kids had a blast. I will miss the traditions that I'm familiar with, but I think my new school will be similar enough that I won't be too far from the familiar. Donnie and I ran around town like mad people on Tuesday, but we made it back in time to take Paul to his swim lesson. We signed him up for four days of swim lessons, and it was so cool to watch how fast he learned things! He can get in and out of the pool safely, swim small distances with out help, and dive for rings in shallow water. I thought I would be afraid to watch him try to swim, but actually I really trusted the instructor, and he was so good with Paul. We went for another hot run that evening, this time in full sun along the riverwalk downtown. Needless to say, it was a really hard run, so we finished up with some refreshments at Blue Star Brewery in Southtown. From there we went to the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown, not because we really like it, but because we had a gift certificate. But it was a nice excuse to go say goodbye to the riverwalk.

 Wednesday was just as busy, trying to get my classroom cleaned out and my last faculty meeting. So weird to feel like it all was ending at school, but I was so ready for the end of the school year. That evening I went out with Birthday Club, for dinner, then out after. I've been a part of this group of girls for six years now, and they are a really incredible group of people. I've worked with the original member for 5 out of my 6 years here, and I will miss her dearly. I'm glad though that I can come back at any time to see and visit with them as if no time has gone by. I hope some of them come visit me while we're gone, but even if not, I have such warm memories of them. Lots of laughter and story-telling.

My empty classroom. 

Before I knew it, Thursday was here. It was the last day with my students, which we spent trading stories about the school year, watching movies, and having an end of year party. The end of the day was so chaotic, that I didn't get to say a proper goodbye to most of them, but I know they'll get a hold of me if they want to. From school, we rushed out to finish up some errands before finishing our packing for our Hawaii trip. We left Paul with his grandparents for the evening and headed out for our last Spurs game in San Antonio.

Great friends, great game!!

We ended up having a small party at Blue Star Brewery. There was a tv in an upstairs room, and our friends came to share the game with us. Mostly Donnie's old friends, but a few of mine too. The game was unforgettable! The first game of the NBA finals against the Miami Heat. Tony Parker made a killer shot right at the end that led us to victory. Such a great way to say goodbye to everybody, and enjoy one of our favorite pastimes.

From there, the party was downsized to Kel, Donnie and I. We went to our favorite taco truck (we call it Limelight Tacos), for one last Mexican food fix before we headed out on our summer travels. We ended up staying downtown for the evening, Kel had gotten a room and decided not to use it, so he gave it to us. It was a late night, but a fabulous time.

Limelight Tacos, named because of its location.

The next morning we woke up and Donnie took me to school for the final time. I finished up my EOY checklist and chatted with a few people around campus. A few of us had planned to go to lunch together, but since everybody was at different stages of being finished with cleaning up, we ended up canceling it. I just remember walking around the school not believing it was the last time I would be there for a while. I know the people that I work with will still be around when I come back, but I felt like it would never be the same again. I guess in some sort of self-preserving way, I just began to feel numb. I couldn't feel sad about leaving, only tired. It just didn't seem real, more like a dream I was walking through.

When I got home, it was an anxious push to get on the road. It took us 2 more hours before we actually got in the car, and another hour before we were on I-10 headed for Phoenix. It was as we were driving out of the city limits that it hit me. I was overwhelmed with sadness. Why hadn't I spent more time saying good bye? Why was I leaving a good thing in the first place? It was raining as we left San Antonio, so I couldn't help but feel like San Antonio was sad to see us go. I cried in the backseat for a while, but eventually I was soothed to sleep by the moving car.

Everything will be ok. Change is good. Life is better. The adventures are just beginning. :)

The dawn of my last day at work.

Twilight in Texas

So here it is, our last full week in Texas. It's hard to believe that it has come down to these last few days. I am facing my final days at school, with that comes relief, but also sadness. I've known these days were coming for quite awhile, but there's such a difference between knowing and living it.

We've kept ourselves busy for this past week, I think mostly to distract ourselves from the changes to come. We've been running this week, and despite the rain and hot temperatures, it's actually been kind of a relief. It's a  physical way to deal with stress, and I am benefitting immensely from it.

It was my school's end of the year party on Friday evening, so we went for a short time. It was fun to socialize with people you only really see in passing, and catch up with friends outside the school walls. We left early to drive to Austin to spend the night for an early run.

The great city of Austin: view from the run

We got to Austin, ate a quick room service meal, then fell into a hard sleep. We all slept until 7:30, which surprised us, so we hustled down to Town Lake for our run. The weather was humid, but cool, so we did our 10 miles at a slower than normal pace. I thought we did pretty well considering we had to alternate miles pushing 40lbs of stroller and child. And Paul was fantastic. He sat and watched the trail the entire time, and didn't even squirm!

After the run, we were actually energized, so we headed out to get some good food. We settled on Trudy's and it was delicious! Paul had pancakes (of course) and we had queso and enchiladas. :) I will definitely miss the food when we go.

yum!

From there we were off to my favorite store, H&M, but we didn't spend long. Just some quick exchanges from our Phoenix trip, then we were back on the road to San Antonio.

I spent the afternoon at a hair salon, while Donnie and Paul had a blast riding the train at Brackenridge Park. They stopped at the Witte for a while and I have to say I was a little jealous of their adventure.

Donnie and I at the game.

But soon the evening came, and we left Paul with his grandparents and went off to enjoy our last Saturday night here in San Antonio. We went to the Scorpions soccer game with a few of Donnie's friends. It was fun! They were funny and hassled the goalie of the other team, and I got to see my old boss who was at the game also. The evening ended with tacos, and we were not as awake this morning ast yesterday.

Go Scorpions!! They won!

Today we went with Ron and Angie to our favorite Thai restaurant (in a new location), and it was delicious! I was meaning to get there before we left, so it was good timing. I've spent the day avoiding packing by doing some QSI training and writing this. ;)

It's just that in this moment I am so overwhelmed. I know that it will get easier, and it will all get done. But facing this last week seems a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'm still not facing the reality that this is it, it probably won't hit me until we're on a beach in Hawaii. Or maybe not even until after we get to China. We'll see. I just want to soak up every moment, every face, and every experience I can. And thinking of all of that makes me feel incredibly stressed. Maybe I'll go for a run....