Very Belated Hawaii Update

Wow, I have been away from blogging for the better part of two months. I have no idea how that happened but I am sorry to the four people who enjoy reading my ramblings. I have been gone so long that some more of my favs have gone private and I have been left out in the dust again. Perfectly Plump Preppy, please say it ain't so!

(View from my cabana the first day. Ahhhh!)

OK, I have a dozen things to talk about but before I forget again, let me fill you in on my fabu Hawaiian vaca in November...

(Lush and green!)

I went because I was the Maid of Honor (time #2) for my sorority little sister and very close friend, Little. She was working at a horrible job over in Hawaii and of course....met a boy. They fell in love and although she quit the job and left Hawaii, moved back to be with him. Love will do that to a girl! And I must say that after meeting him, I agree that they are a perfect match for each other. Two cutie southern kids meeting via Match.com in Hawaii - their one day kids will love that story for sure!

(I love my new camera!)

I must say, that was the LONGEST flight of my life! I don't know if I would do that again. I got up and walked as much as possible (and since I didn't sleep a wink, I felt like I was up a LOT) but my legs swelled up anyway. I have never experienced that before and it was miserable. I could hardly walk by the time we got to the resort. My left leg, knee and foot never fully went down the entire time I was in HI. I wore short heels to the rehearsal dinner and both legs swelled up again. So that was a little dark cloud over the week for me because I was actually in a fair amount of pain. But other than not being able to walk well (highly over-rated....right?!), it was a fantastic week with a fun group of southerners. There were close to 20 of us on the flight from Hotlanta to HI. Very fun!

(A toast in matching sorority t-shits. We're big cheese balls!)

The wedding was held at the Mauna Lani Resort on The Big Island- BEAUTIFUL! I shared a room with two of our sorority sisters. Everything was just breathtaking- especially our view of the ocean! There were lots of walking paths throughout the resort and the three of us made sure to wake up early, eat a yummy tropical breakfast and take our camera as we walked for about an hour or so. The scenery was just stunning. Especially for a little snow bunny like me who came from the cold and grey Upstate NY. Oh that warm sunshine was just heaven!

(The beautiful setting for the Bridal Lunch. Not sure why, but she had a bridal and not a bridesmaid luncheon. It was my favorite meal of the trip though so who cares!)

(The amazing desert at the Bridal lunch- three types of the most delish sorbet in an almond sugar bowl on a bed of fresh whipped cream. Oh yes- it was even more delish in person. I ate the whole thing!)

I was surprised to see how many different climates were located on one fairly small island. The resort was of course lush and beautiful but outside of the resort was just miles and miles of this crumbled up lava rock. To me it seemed so prehistoric looking and I half expected to see a brontosaurus walking across the rocks. Not really my definition of beautiful but it was interesting for sure. I feel the same about the desert- just not my thing. But the further north we went, the more lush and green our surroundings became. It was wild to see such landscape diversity every 20 minutes.

(Can you see that brown part in the ocean? That's where part of the island fell off into the ocean. It just fell off!)

One of the first afternoons in Hawaii, a large group of us went on a tour that started at our resort and lead us up to Mauna Kea. It took several hours on tiny and sometimes unpaved roads to make it up to the top of the mountain. And as we were about to make our final jaunt up to the peak, the park rangers closed the roads. It was unsafe because it was SNOWING. Thank goodness the travel tour provided us with parkas and gloves! After dinner, the roads were open again allowing us just enough time to make it to the peak to see the sunset. Breathtaking! This is one of the top observatories in the world and it was truly amazing. After the sun set and the temps dropped even lower, we drove down the mountain a few miles to a spot that was clear enough for our guides to bring out their two high powered telescopes. We saw planets and constellations and the highlight for me was viewing the moon. Now normally I could really care less about this astronomy stuff. I have a lot of interests and many soap-box topics but looking into space has never been one of them. Beyond those glow-in-the-dark stars you stick to your ceiling when you are eight, I am just not a star gazer kind of girl I guess. Of the six or so things we looked at, I could only actually find 5 in the telescope. And there were about four shooting stars that lit up the sky as we were standing out there looking up and listening to our great guides and do you know that I didn't see a single one. To this day I have yet to see a shooting star! But the moon....well that was just about the most stunning sight I have ever seen. I was near tears and got back in line for a second look because I was so mesmerized. It was so detailed and I was really just in awe! A cup of hot cocoa and we were ready to head back down to our resort. And that warm ocean breeze. It was really strange to be so hot that morning and so cold that afternoon. A little trippy but totally awesome!

(Observatories that draw scientists from all over the planet.)

(Sunset from the top of Mauna Kea)

Little's house was up towards the mountains. The girls and I took a day to drive along the coastline up into a variety of small villages with cute shops. OMG we had THE BEST Mexican meal ever that day with a margarita that was to die for! It was made with two native fruits that I never figured out how to pronounce and it was like a giant glass of YUM-O! That night was actually a cocktail party up at Little and Groom's cutie cottage in the mountains. So we headed there early to help set up and to get some more time with the bride and groom before the crowds arrived. We could clearly see the observatory from their backyard. After the cocktail party was a dinner event at the couple's favorite restaurant (where they became engaged actually).

There was not a ton of beach time on this vacation as it was a "working gig" being in the wedding party. But all of the events were beautiful and the settings were more amazing each day!

(Little Bride's hair with fresh orchids. Sooo pretty!)

(Little Bride's bouquet)

It was a really fun time with both new and old friends. Both families were Southern so there was a lot of good ole southern flair to be heard and fun had by all. I borrowed a pair of special circulation socks for the flight back to the mainland and they did help some. But I really didn't get my legs back to normal until about week after I was back home in NY. Very uncomfortable and strange. A small price to pay for a week in paradise I suppose!

(Trunk show at Bestie's house. I can't believe I shipped that much stuff.)

(The base fell apart so we stuck it in a martini glass. Looks adorable I think!)

Since my flight went through Atlanta, I planned a second little vaca in GA with my bestie. This was an equally fabulous part of my adventure. We went to the GA/Ga Tech game with friends, held a trunk show together at her house and just hung out and shopped. It made me really want to live close to her and her hub and my other Ga pals again. While the political atmosphere is less than ideal for me, I miss my friends and the mild weather that they get down south. And the food. And the great shopping. And dog parks. And sweet tea. And Coke (not Pepsi) offered everywhere. And the accent. And most of all....bestie! It was the perfect ending to my big vacation. I miss you, Bestie!!

(Bestie, Me and P at the very chilly but very fun UGA/Ga Tech game 2007)

The update is that Little and Groom moved last week from far away Hawaii to Las Vegas. Yippee! I am so excited to have her closer. And she is thrilled to have modern conveniences like affordable groceries and Target. I can't wait to take my first trip out to Vegas to visit them soon!