I’ve been taking little snaps whenever I think about it lately, intending to post them here for posterity as a little time capsule of what life was like for us during this crazy time. I want to remember the way it felt to slow down and savor life amidst the tumult of the world.
So many dog cuddles. I love this one because our dog Jax literally cannot get close enough to his dad’s face lately. He’s like velcro.
Our dog Jax had TPLO surgery in February, so I appreciated being home with him during his recovery and seeing his zest for life (and SO MUCH PLAYING) come back.
I hate wearing a face mask. It’s so tough to breathe in those things! I look forward to the day I can go in public without a mask on. Here I was in line at one of a few trips to the Home Depot. I had to restrain myself from going there too often. Being home all the time had me itching to do home improvement and beautification projects.
Here was the line at Home Depot (and basically every other store in the world). What a trip to wait in line to enter a store. Takes me back to my clubbing days in my early twenties. To be honest, it was nice to not have such a crowded shopping experience, especially at Costco!
I’ll never forget my newfound juicing habit I picked up during quarantine! I sincerely hope I keep this one going for the rest of my life… It’s a pain the ass to juice, but the juice is worth the squeeze if you know what I mean!
Looking at houses during quarantine was a total trip. I love this man of mine who is willing to put on a hankie and upend our lives and move in the middle of this.
Getting the house led me to stare at this photo of my new kitchen for hours, dreaming of how I’m going to organize it and all the new recipes I’m going to try and how I’m going to use our new space to create deeper connections with friends and family when we can finally be together again.
It also led to me preemptively missing the big ass tree we have in our current backyard. I joke that someone planted their old Christmas tree back there a million years ago and it just kept growing and growing. It’s huge! I don’t know how many hours I’ve spent staring at it while looking at the moon at night.
What else?
This romantic date night dining al fresco on the back patio with Keith. The weather was perfect – one of the first days that felt like Summer and the food was delicious. And then a huge city rat skittered by running toward our trash cans and I was so mortified that Keith literally thought I had seen a robbery. That was the one and only time we dined outside.
Oh, and I’m sure I’ll never fucking forget (excuse my french, but I need it for emphasis) the truly endless number of Zoom calls I participated in for work during quarantine. I hate video conferencing SO MUCH. I actually took this photo because my skin looks amazing thanks to my new skin regimen (more on that coming soon!), but it preserves my dorky headset for posterity.
Oh, here’s a fun one: the pure joy I felt inside when I found yeast. I made one loaf of homemade bread and then abandoned my bread baking career for now. Truthfully, I’m just too saturated with sourdough content online right now to feign an interest.
Keith and I have almost watched the entire 16 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy during quarantine! Why we picked this show, I have no idea, but I will always associate Grey’s with this time in our lives. This episode was a major highlight because one of my best friends was a guest star on the episode. That’s him dressed as a woman! Great episode!
And, I’ll end on this note…
One Sunday Keith and I drove up to the Berkeley Hills to watch the sunset over the Bay. I fell in love with my city again that day. It felt like pure ecstasy to be out of the house. The couple in the Chevy Blazer parked in front of us must’ve felt great too because they started getting it on in the backseat of their car! The car was a rockin’ and no one better come knockin’. Keith and I died of laughter. We finished our outing by getting takeout Top Dog, one of our most favorite pastimes that is quintessentially Bay Area. Standing there on the street waiting for them to grill up our dinner, life almost felt normal.
Do you have scenes from quarantine? Feel free to share a link to your blog in the comments. I’d love to see!
We got back last week from a beautiful trip to Maui to celebrate Keith’s 50th birthday! It was definitely a trip for the record books. My best friend since the sixth grade has lived on the island for ten years now with her husband who grew up there, so I think we got the insider’s tour of paradise. Aside from being amazing adventurers, Sarah is a realtor in Maui with Keller Williams and they also own and operate both Maui Spearfishing Academy and South Maui Spearfishing so they know the entire island like the back of their hand and were so giving of their time in sharing their home with us for the week. We had the good fortune of staying in my friend’s guest bedroom whenever we wanted to, so we alternated a couple of nights staying with them with a couple of nights in hotels. We definitely got the best of both worlds.
Can I share a bit of a guide for our week in Maui with you?
To Do:
Our vacation style is definitely laid back. My idea of a good time is chilling on the beach or by the pool during the day and then going out for dinner at night. I might venture to include a day trip on some trips, but honestly I’m quite content to keep it low key. Keith is pretty much the same, though I do think he has more of an adventurous side than I do. Because this was his birthday trip and because our friends are much more active than we are, we packed quite a bit into this trip while still leaving some time for the pool and relaxation. It was a good mix, heavier on the adventure than usual for me, but I have no regrets.
Here are a few things we did that I highly recommend::
Snorkeling(with a pro): It’s not hard to understand the mechanics of snorkeling, but getting a lesson from a pro totally changed the experience for me. In the past, I would get a bit panicky when I was in the water because I couldn’t get used to breathing through the snorkel and I would freak if I went too far from shore. Learning from people who are highly experienced made all of the difference. They gave us a lesson, took their time with us, watched out for us, answered our questions and guided us back to shore at the right time. Plus, they could point out all kinds of cool stuff on the reef (including an octopus!) that we definitely would’ve missed. Also, snorkeling with flippers is a MUST. We were fortunate to use our friend’s equipment and expertise, but there are many snorkeling tours available throughout the island that I’m sure are awesome. If you’re more experienced snorkelers and just want to rent equipment, All About Fish Maui is great.
Whale Watching (if the right season): Yes, we were the youngest people on the boat by many years, but age brings wisdom and those retirees are onto something. Seeing a magnificent whale flap its tail in the water a hundred feet away from you is going to make you giddy regardless of your age. We went with Ultimate Whale Watch and they were awesome. Be sure to tip well, friends. It isn’t cheap to live in Maui.
Hana: I have mixed feelings about Hana because it’s such a long, tiring day trip, but it’s undeniably beautiful and, ultimately, worth it to go at least once in your life. My favorite stop is right at the beginning at the Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees at Mile Marker 7. You can pull over along the three hour drive to eat lunch (if you don’t get car sick!) at any number of roadside stands and then spend your afternoon in Hana seeing the sights. We visited a black sand beach, a red sand beach, Hamoa Beach and then came home along the back side of Haleakala. If you rent a car, I don’t think you’re technically able to come home via the back side, so be prepared. It was an exhausting but super fun day, especially because we took our lives in our hands and made the journey while sitting in beach chairs in the back of our friend’s truck. What a view! Oh, and we also went swimming in a lava pool which is a crazy water cave but the one we visited was technically considered trespassing so I can’t really share the details here if you know what I mean!
Lanai trip: We didn’t get to squeeze this one in on this trip, but I went in the past and I loved it. Sailing on a catamaran to a remote island and eating lunch is my idea of a good time, okay?
To Eat
Let’s be real, the best part of travel for me is the food. We were lucky that we received some amazing home cooking at our friend’s house (ummm homemade Octopus Poke was a real treat), but we also had some pretty delicious meals out as well. Here are a few of the highlights:
Monkeypod Kitchen in Kanaapali: Get. The. Mai. Thai. If you do nothing else, get that drink! It’s SO good. It comes with a passion fruit foam on top of it that just takes the entire drink to flavortown. We also got the chicken wings, marinara pizza and the chocolate pie. All awesome and affordable if you come in for happy hour. We sat at the bar and had a great time heckling the bartenders.
Fish Market Maui: Don’t let the fact that this fish market is in a strip mall scare you away. The Fish and Chips is epicly delicious and this is coming from a person who is a bit meh on seafood in general. My friend also vouches for the Fish Burrito. The portion sizes are LARGE, so feel free to share. We got take out and ate while watching the sunset. Heavenly.
Da Kitchen: As soon as you get off the airplane, drive over to Da Kitchen and get your grub on. I got the Poke, Keith got the Chicken Katsu and my friend got the Loco Moco and it was all delicious. Large isn’t a big enough word to describe the portion sizes here, so come hungry or be prepared to share.
Sansei Maui: This is a LEGIT sushi restaurant that offers 25% off basically the entire menu from 5-5:30 weekdays. The food was amazing. Highly recommend, but make sure you have a reso or line-up at 4:30. It gets packed.
Shaved Ice: I couldn’t mention a trip to Maui without giving a shout out to the shaved ice. This isn’t the shaved ice you grew up eating, so it’s worth it to try it at least once. When I first went to Maui, I raved about Ululani’s. They’ve since sold the chain and the quality definitely isn’t there anymore, but the entire experience of shaved ice is worth it in general. Let me know if you find a great spot.
To Stay
The Westin: I can’t deny that I’m bad and bougie, so it probably doesn’t surprise you that I’m glowing over the one night we spent at the Westin Kaanapali for Keith’s actual 50th. The pool grounds were so beautiful and the views were out of this world. The service was impeccable. They delivered the birthday treats I arranged ahead of time (Champs + Giant Cupcake!) right on schedule. My best friend loves the Westin because they have a big slide for the kids (in reality and at heart). She talked me into going down a couple of times and I won’t lie, it was completely thrilling. I was shrieking the entire ride down. We also got lucky and scored a free cabana while we were there, so we really enjoyed our time poolside.
Honua Kai: We also stayed a couple of nights at Hanua Kai. This is the place to stay if you have a family. All of the rooms are suites with full sized appliances, including a washing machine and a entire kitchen. The pools here were lovely as well, but I didn’t really enjoy our stay as much. The property is a hotel and residence and I just didn’t feel like the other folks staying there were very kind or friendly. As an interracial couple, we just didn’t feel that comfortable here. There weren’t any incidences that I can point to as to why, but it just felt off energetically. You know what I mean?
Now that I shared the details with you, here’s a little photo diary of our trip. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Our flight left at like 7 in the morning. Fun fact, we almost missed it because we arrived so early and I was zoning out on instagram instead of paying attention to our gate! Keith was so happy! I was tired…
Our first sunset in Maui. This is where we ate the epic fish and chips. Well, I did. Keith was too excited to eat. It may have been his 50th birthday celebration, but he was as excited as a little boy!
Celebrating at the Westin before going to dinner for his bday. Yes, that is a Rent the Runway dress 😉
I’m wondering how many sunset pictures I can add before y’all stop reading….
Pretty please, get the Mai Thai at Monkeypod Kitchen. It’s just SO good and I honestly never even liked Mai Thai’s before I had this drink…
Is it bad that the highlight of my trip was probably the nap I took in this Cabana at the Westin?
The shaved ice! It wasn’t even that good and it was still good, you know? Get the ice cream on the bottom.
The rainbow trees! They’re so freaking cool.
Keith obviously loved them.
I really think they’re just so cool
My friend Sarah’s dog Hiccup got his model on at the rainbow trees, too. He is so cute.
These are the views on the Road to Hana. I mean, seriously. This makes the long day worth it.
I wasn’t lying when I said that we road in the back of a truck. Keith and Sarah rode back there the longest.
And, honestly, this was my primary view of Maui. NO ONE takes documenting a vacation as seriously as my love does. He records the entire trip on video and goes live on Facebook in the weirdest places. It’s too cute.
The black sand beach in Hana. So pretty.
Can you tell I watched Cheer on Netflix right before this trip?!
Even Keith did it! He claims it was his ‘I’m on top of the world’ moment, but I think he was inspired by Jerry just as much as I was….
This was the treachery we had to survive to get to those TOP SECRET lava pools.
After the TOP SECRET lava pools.
The backside home from the Road to Hana.
And, last but certainly not least, the most epic whale watching trip. We saw a whale flap its tail like this for several minutes + saw a baby calve breach multiple times. It was amazing.
If you made it to the end of this post, I must say thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate you so much for following along with this epic recap. It makes me so happy to document such special memories in this space.
Have you been to Maui? Where should we go next time we visit??
Can I be a wee bit self-indulgent here and share our Save the Dates? What’s that you say? This entire blog is the very definition of self-indulgence? Well, don’t mind if I do, then.
The fact that we actually sent out our Save the Dates is a miracle in and of itself since I’ve had multiple freak-outs over the past few months about getting married again, which I’ve already covered in this space. I’m proud of myself moving forward despite the fear, so actually sending out these little postcards was a big step for us. We went with Minted for the production, which was easy peasy since we were able to use a pre-selected design that I felt was premium, minimal and fully in line with what we wanted to execute. They have a designer check your print prior to production and I’m annoyed that the designer didn’t flag the fact that Keith was going to basically disappear once our photo was applied to the paper stock I selected. Surely they could’ve edited the photo somehow to make his black skin look as beautiful when printed as it did in the digital photo we used? I almost sent them back when they printed, but we decided to go ahead and move forward.
The memory of when we took these photos this day on the beach will stick with me forever. I was still pretty sick with my vertigo on this trip, but I had a vision. I was captivated by this photo that Gabi Fresh shared on her instagram and was determined to recreate it. I ordered a $200 sequined dress from Asos, packed up our little tripod and got Keith fully on board with the plan. When we were in Cabo, we kept putting off taking the photo until we only had one or two sunsets left. Once we finally decided to take the photo, we got decked out in our room. When I put on the dress, it seriously weighed about twenty pounds! It was so heavy. We were running late getting ready, so we basically had to sprint down to the beach to make it in time for the sunset. Everyone in the resort was looking at me because I was basically a disco ball running through the resort trying not to sweat all of my makeup off. When we got to the beach, we had initially planned to take the photo under the arch where we’ll get married, but they had it all set up already for a candlelight couples dinner, so we had to reassess. I set up the shot and then we kept setting the self timer and then sprinting to get to the shot before the sun went down. Eventually, a nice man came over and offered to take our photo, but we had already clinched the photo above. It was so epic. When Keith and I returned to our room, we were seriously concerned because we were sweating profusely due to the stress of getting the shot (plus my heavy disco ball dress!). We had to just lay naked in the air conditioning for a bit to regroup.
I love that man so much for being so supportive of my crazy ideas. I love that we have this beautiful photo and this sweet memory to attach to our little Save the Date cards. Everything from getting the shot to gathering the addresses to sitting in the post office adding up to 4 stamps to each card to get to the 35 cents we needed for postage is a wonderful memory for me, one that I hope to cherish forever.
When I think of what I want to accomplish with this blog, the first thing I want to do is use this space to gather up all of the sweet memories I have of my beautiful life. I hope that by doing so, I’m able to encourage you all to pause and appreciate all of the special moments in your own life. Life really is beautiful if we take the time to pay attention. Our society is so focused on the bad times, but each of us has little miracles and moments of joy in the everyday. Sometimes I think the best thing I can do to improve the world is to always search, find and share the good and the beautiful.
What’s a beautiful memory you never want to forget? Please feel free to share here in this space. 🙂
