Introducing Kona!

Now is the moment everyone has been waiting for: Meet KONA, our new Puppy-kid!

We adopted Kona-Bird from the Farmington Animal Shelter on April 27th.

Greg was checking out their website and called to say that we needed to get down there to check out a few dogs. When he saw Kona, it was love at first sight.

Greg was actually the one who named her and really put a lot of thought into it. At the time, we just got back from Hawaii and Greg looked at a few Hawaiian names on a baby-naming website. :)  He came across 'Kona' and knew it was PERFECT for the new pup.

Kona means "Lady" and they actually called her "Lady-Bird" in the Pound. Plus, she is the color of Kona Coffee AND when she whines, she actually sounds like a bird chirping!

We're not quite sure what kind of a dog she is, but she is definitely some sort of hound mix.

What we know about our Little Kona-Bird:

• She is about 8 months old, which makes her birthday sometime in November.
• She is definitely a puppy! {Loves to chew, play, pee, and get into mischeif}
• She loves real leather Kenneth Cole SHOES. {you really don't want to know}
• She loves taking pictures and wants to be right in front of the camera.
• She is such a GREAT walker! She just likes to hang out by mom's side and see the sights.
• She has the cutest little puppy-wrinkles around her mouth.
• She has BIG feet and will probably grow to be a little taller than Timber.
• She is a little nervous around new people and hides behind mom's legs, but she LOVES dogs!
• She winks and blinks when she looks at you. SO CUTE!
• She has two half-socks on the tips of her back paws, all black nails on her front paws except for ONE clear/white nail on her right front paw.
• She has five little white hairs right in the middle of her forehead.
• She is a 'bad-girl' and, like her brother, has a TATOO on her belly. {showing that she is spayed}

Here's an Extra tip for new puppy owners:

PLEASE don't give up on your puppy if they keep getting into mischeif and destroying things! Puppies have so much ENERGY, are teething, and get bored EASILY. If you don't have the time to watch them all the time, divert their attention and energies, and keep them occupied, I have three words for you.

DOGGIE DAY CARE.

I know, I know, it sounds like I'm overspoiling my dogs and I'm a prima-donna Puppy mommy, but REALLY; Doggie Day Care saved my house AND my dogs lives! 

They get to play all day with other dogs, wear themselves out, and when they come home, they are pleasant, happy, non-destructive little cuties. WORTH IT WORTH IT WORTH IT!

Melissa and Bob at CANINE CASTLE have been my saving grace and I LOVE them for keeping us a Happy family!

Hawaii- Final Part Five: Whales!

I know it's sad, but it really is time for the Maui Finale, introducing my ALL-TIME favorite part of our April Hawaiian Vacation: WHALE STALKING WATCHING!

I've wanted to see Whales since I was in Junior-High going through my Eco-friendly, I love Wyland paintings, change my e-mail to 'oceangirl,' I only wear oversized Dolphin-Turtle-Whale-SavetheWildlife Foundation T-shirts, Burks and Rope Sandals phase. :)

That is why Whale-day was such a BIG DEAL for me.

 {See my face in the picture above? I was SO excited!}

We were able to see FOUR Humpback Whales on a beautifully-sunny-day: a momma and her baby, and two males that were chasing after the poor momma. We followed the whales for about 45 minutes and were lucky that they stayed near the surface the whole time! It was such a MOVING experience for me to see these beautiful, GIGANTIC, awe-some creatures.

Did you know that all Humpback whales are actually Hawaiian? Sounds funny but it really is true! Humpback whales migrate over to Hawaii during the winter months to give birth and to mate. After that, they move up to Alaska to feed. So... since almost every single Humpback is born in Hawaii, they are Hawaiian!

If you EVER get the chance to Whale watch, especially in Hawaii or Alaska, DO IT!
It was truly an UNFORGETTABLE experience.

Hawaii Part Four - The Road to Hana

On the Fourth Day on Maui, my true love gave to me.... A Road and Hiking Trip to Hana.

Driving to Hana really isn't all about the destination.
Don't get me wrong, Hana has a beautiful beach and well, ... duh, it's in Hawaii. I just have to say that The Road TO Hana is really the experience in and of itself.

Normally called the "forgotten part of Hawaii," this day-long road trip shows off Hawaii's unspoiled and beautiful Nature.

Along the Road, we saw these curious and lovely "Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees." The bark on these trees was INCREDIBLE; full of bright rainbow/neon colors!

We also hiked to a few waterfalls, the most memorable hike being to Waimoku Falls, past Hana near Kipahulu. On this hike, we were able to see the "Seven Sacred Pools" along Oheo Gulch, past an ENORMOUS and beautifully-old Banyan tree and a BREATHTAKINGLY silent Bamboo Forest, finally reaching the Waimoku Falls which climbed straight up a mile-long cliff face!

After the Hike, we decided to head the LONG way home and instead of turning around and going back through Hana, we continued Southwest through Kaupo and the Haleakala National Park.Though the road-quality took a nose-dive, Greg and I were SO glad we took this route! In the Kaupo Valley, we came across this AMAZING black lava rock beach with HUMONGOUS waves! We took so many pictures and videos in this one spot... it was UNREAL. Just absolutely Beautiful.

Overall, the Road TO Hana was my Second Favorite thing we did in Maui... You'll just have to read Part Five Tomorrow for my ULTIMATE Favorite part of Maui!

Hawaii Part Three- Misc Maui Loves!

Now you will know the reason I've been procrastinating my blog posts...

I'm still not done talking about our Maui Trip!!

We really didn't just hang out at the Hotel all day... well, not EVERY Day anyway. :)

We drove around alot, checking out different Restaurants, Towns, and Beach Parks.

Favorite Restaurants:

Lulu's Bar & Grill: in Lahaina, great little place to hang out with GOOD live music.

Japengo: Restaurant at our hotel in Ka'anapali (See Hawaii-Part One)

Mama's Fish House: outside of the cool little town of Paia, be prepared to be WOW'd... and to spend a lot of money. This was definitely our biggest SPLURGE, but SO worth every penny! The Restaurant has it's own Beach, beautiful Hawaiian-style buildings, open windows and AMAZING Desserts!!! {Supposedly we just missed seeing Owen Wilson and his new baby, who are apparently regulars... who knew? And, no, I did not just break a toe with that name drop} :)

Favorite Towns:

Lahaina : Great Restaurants, Chill downtown area, BANYAN TREE PARK, shopping!

Paia: Cool little Hippie Town with FABULOUS boutiques, fun shops, and the last food & gas shop until you reach Hana.

Kula: A Little Mountain town halfway up the Volcano, Lavendar farm, cool breezes, TERRIFIC views down the valley to the beaches of Wailea and Kihei.

Our Favorite Beach Parks:

Kahekili Airport Beach Park: Between Lahaina and Napili, it's a GREAT place to hang out all day, good snorkeling, grass, bbqs, BATHROOM FACILITIES, people and their dogs. :)

Ho'okipa Beach Park: outside of Paia, BEAUTIFUL Lookout point and Rock formations, Surfers, Windersurfers, BEST place in Maui to watch Sunsets. HANDS DOWN.