Sunday, February 27, 2011

A New Addition . . .

We are excited to announce a new addition to our little family. We have been trying for a few months now, and we finally got the good news yesterday.


We are the proud owners of a new Macbook Pro!
We have been sharing a computer since we got married, and it has been rough. Since evenings are the only time we are both home, it's hard for us to both be productive. But that's all about to change . . .

Monday, February 21, 2011

Coconut

The following random stories have 1 thing in common:

People think that life in Hawaii is nothing but sunshine and coconuts. Nothing can go wrong. All problems are wiped away and life is easy. Not quite. One time Rod complained on Facebook about how there aren't any good gyms around here, and our Aunt Robynn commented "just go lift up some coconuts!" She doesn't know this, but it has become a major inside joke that we bring up anytime something isn't going perfectly. "You have a flesh eating virus? Just rub some coconuts on it!"


A few weeks ago on "Off The Map" there was a guy with a life-threating blood disease. They ran into the jungle, gathered some coconuts, and did a coconut milk transfusion. I'm all about finding and making use of natural remedies, but come on . . . . really.

These beasts are real. They live on Christmas Island, and they are so big that they can crack open coconuts and eat them. Yikes.


"That's coconuts - you're super delightful"
- Phil Dunphy, Modern Family

Tanya inherited the following recipe from my mother. I grew up loving her coconut syrup, and Tan has been making it non-stop. It turns your average pancake into an out-of-this-world experience.

- Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup light corn syrup in a saucepan on medium heat until melted
- Remove from heat - let cool to room temperature
- Add 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- Stir in 1 cup whipping cream (un-whipped) until blended
- Serve and watch people's brains explode out the back of their heads!



Yesterday we went to a new restaurant called Phuket Thai. All four of the dishes we ordered were amazing, mostly thanks to the heavy use of coconut milk in Thai culinary creations.


I'm seeing a pattern here . . . .

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Aloha Lahaina

Spring Break is coming. . . I can feel it. I've been so busy teaching and I am SO ready for a break.

Thanks to Rodney's gracious neighbors from back home who donated one of their timeshare weeks to the cause, we are going to Maui for a whole week in March! It's been a goal of ours to visit at least one other island while we live here.

We should have known when Rodney got this fortune with his PF Chang's last week


We are very lucky

Monday, February 14, 2011

Mine

Is Valentine's Day cheesy and overdone? Yes

Do we love it just the same? Yes

This one, she's mine. We enjoyed a nice seafood dinner seaside tonight and reminisced about our previous 3 Valentine's Days

Sunday, February 13, 2011

As Of Late

Here's what's been happening lately on 'da islands:

We re-discovered a childhood favorite: fudgesicles! There's no better way to beat the winter heat
We are 3.5 months away from our big trip to Thailand! Now that I've finished The Hunger Games books, I have been using precious beach time to research the crap out of this fascinating country. We cannot wait to eat curry daily, ride elephants, go snorkeling in water even clearer than Hawaii, focus our chi, and hang out with the folks.
Mark and I found a new favorite surf spot and a week later we brought the wives along. I love this place and hope to go back again soon
We have fully embraced the nautical/beach vibe and have slowly turned our shack into a home. Here are some things we've incorporated to make the transition:

Surf posters to cover our hole-filled walls
We continue to collect bottles that wash ashore. This is my new favorite. Before your junior high minds wander too far, RT stands for Rod & Tan.
We are still nursing our orchid plant, hoping for a second round of bloom.
Although we really really wanted to invest in the fine piece of functional wall art pictured below . . . We have settled for what was already there
And we even found decorations for our porch
Our favorite little nugget/vicarious nephew Bannock is busy fighting to keep big hotels from inundating the North Shore
We had a Fiesta for our friend Natalie's 23rd birthday and the food was fantastic.
Cheers to you, Natalie!
We all got a little shutter-happy
Yesterday was cloudy so we decided to long board the day away with Tommy and The Joz

Coke isn't even paying her for this marketing . . . yet

We are trying to spend as much time outdoors as possible these days. We live in a beautiful place and we want to enjoy what time we have left.
Aloha

Saturday, February 12, 2011

What you Should be Watching

Rod and I have a love for television. . . A love that we fully embrace thanks to our DVR and Netflix membership. Here are some of the shows (in our opinion) that you should be watching if you aren't yet. I've started with our newest addition all the way down to the classics.



I know we're like the last ones to starting watching it, but oh well. That's what Netflix is for right? It's so well done and so interesting. Rod loves the 1960's marketing schemes and I'm enthralled by the almost total lack of safety and health precautions there were back then. I mean seriously, what is the cigarette budget for this show?

Also. . . ever since his appearances on SNL I love Jon Hamm, even though his character is shady at best on this show.


This show is brand new this season. It's kinda like Grey's Anatomy (which I love but have gotten so behind on I'm waiting for the DVDs to save me) but it's set in the jungle of South America. If you love outrageous medical dramas, this show is for you.

The main reason we started watching was because it's filmed right here on Oahu! I drive past the set every morning on my way to Kaneohe. It's fun to see the place we now call home on TV, and to see how they make it look like the Amazon.

This is our 5th season watching this show and it never ceases to amaze. Yes, we fast forward through the shameless promotions for Extra Gum and Multi Grain Cheerios, as well as heart-to-hearts that last too long, but it is awesome to see these people grow up and shrink before our very eyes.

Phil Dunphy - 'nuff said

We hesitated watching this show because we were mad at Courtney Cox for what she did to her face - but our friends talked us into giving it a shot and it's now a favorite. It's like "Friends" all grown up. The characters are hilarious and they give us hope that we can still have fun in our forties.

Yes, this show is still a guilty pleasure. It is so well written that it has kept us enthralled for four seasons (mostly thanks to Chuck and Blair). I also love to oogle at the fashion. . .

Liz Lemon keeps us in stitches week after week.
"My mini fridge?! What about my fresh fruit. . . flavored toaster cheesecakes?"

This show took awhile to grow on us, but it was worth the wait. It's too bad it has been pushed around so much (to make room for crappy Outsourced and its too-easy jokes) but it's back and better than ever! I've been told by Rod and my family that I remind them of April. . . It's because I'm sometimes a crusty brunette I guess.

Although we love Joel McHale, he's still the least funny character on this show - so what does that tell you? The more outrageous the episode, the more we like it (the paintball war episode, the trampoline episode, the Kentucky Fried Chicken spaceship episode, the Dungeons and Dragons episode).

Michael Scott will be missed, but we are hoping that losing him will scare the writers into trying harder and keeping the show fresh - or going in a new direction. We still have hope (and are excited for a cameo by Will Farrell).

These next two are the best shows on TV that got canceled. I blame you, Charlie Sheen.


Yes there is a laugh track, but don't let that discourage you. Christine Campbell is the perfect mixture of Elaine Benes and Liz Lemon. Add in constant zingers from Wanda Sykes and you've reached perfection.

This show only lasted one glorious season. We watched it on TV and recently re-watched it over Christmas Break. All of the characters are clueless and hilarious. Once again I'm told by my family (and mostly Rod) that Selma Blair's character reminds them of me. . . apparently she rolls her eyes just like I do. I guess I need to learn to be nice :)

I promise we do more than watch TV, but when it's rainy or dark it's our favorite pastime.

Happy Watching!

Monday, February 7, 2011

In a Nutshell.

It was a rainy day in paradise. . .

This was our day in a nutshell.

Every dollar counts
And every morning hurts
We mostly work to live
Until we live to work

Thank you Vampire

Love, Rod and Tan


Sunday, February 6, 2011

I Want. . .

How do I already have a birthday list? It's not even March yet.

Roxy is my one true weakness.




Torah Bright. Beautiful beach girl and a pro snowboarder. Can I be her?
I love the Roxy athletic line too. . . I need some new workout clothes.

I have a new goal. I'm going to borrow Jozie's longboard and practice until I get good enough to fly down The Point barefoot. . . maybe not that good.

But I do hope to own my own Roxy longboard some day (maybe one to match Gentry's?)


My current running shoes are clunky. . . I would love these. Light as air and so much better for kickboxing/zumba/step classes.

And as long as I'm being outrageous I'll put this on my list.

Imagine the pictures we could take in Thailand!
I'm dreaming.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Funny

Today my mentor teacher was gone and I was left to fend for myself for the first time (there was a sub but he slept through most periods) . . .

This is my favorite highlight from today.

Darling student: Miss! Miss! What did everyone get on the quiz?!

Me: None of your beeswax

Darling student: Was dat? Beeswax?

Me: It means none of your bidnass

Darling student: OHHH Miss, you're funny

Seriously made my day.