Maui - Day 2

    Our second day in paradise started much too early.  We woke up at 1:30 AM and drove to Haleakala Bike Co. where we were fitted for bikes and helmets.  Then we jumped in a van and drove up to Haleakala's summit at 10,023 feet.  The roads were steep with sharp corners.  I kept wondering how I was going to make it down on a bike, alive!

    We arrived at the peak a little over an hour before sunrise. It was dark and cold! Very cold! The temperature was around 40 degrees but with the wind chill it was almost unbearable at times.  It was all worth it though!  We didn't get to see the sun fully rise because there were so many clouds on this particular morning but the light show was unbelievable.

the start of the light show

thinking warm thoughts

view into the crater

it looks like lava!

    After watching the sun rise and freezing our butts off, we jumped back into the van and drove down to 6,5000 feet where we began our 23 mile bike ride.  Most of the ride was downhill but there were at least 6 - 8 uphills that I was not anticipating.  I even had to lift my butt from the seat to make it up a few of the hills! No worries though, those 3 spin classes I took before our vacation totally prepared me for this bike ride!  

    I was hesitant at first (aka I was scared!) whenever we came upon a sharp turn (and there were lots of them!) but after a few miles I became more comfortable on the steep slopes and sharp turns.    The only thing that did continue to freak me out a little bit was when a car drove a little to close for comfort. Hello people?! Can't you see I'm riding a bicycle down the side of a volcano?!  

    We made lots of stops for some photo ops!  Oh, side note! I somehow managed to take 736 pictures with my fancy Nikon, 45 pictures on my old smaller camera (I took this the day we were on a boat, I didn't want to risk my fancy camera getting ruined) and 29 pictures with my phone. That's 810 photos total! Craziness! I have since gone through and deleted the bad photos and duplicates and narrowed it down to 500 photos! I will not be posting them all but if you're ever in SC, come on over and I'll gladly show all of them to you!

view on our bike ride down Haleakala

our view when we stopped for lunch

I made sure to wear all bright yellow gear
so that my hubby wouldn't lose me!

we had to stop not for a photo op but because my
hubby's butt hurt, so I made my own photo op!

 
    We thoroughly enjoyed our entire 23 mile self guided bike ride.  As we started to get closer to the bike shop, I kept saying, "but I don't want it to end!"

    It was about an hour drive back to the hotel and during the daylight, there was much more to see.  We drove by this little gem...

    After all that cardio (okay so it was 98% downhill), I decided to treat myself to a slice of Hula Pie.  Prior to arriving in Maui, I had researched some restaurants for us to try.  I read that the Hula Pie from Leilani's (remember the place from my last post) was to die for.  And if you know me at all, you can imagine my excitement when I realized we were only a short walk away from this lovely treat!

a little slice of heaven

   
    We ended our night by taking a walk along the beach, enjoying the beautiful sunset and watching the Black Rock Cliff Dive ceremony.  A Hawaiian warrior runs onto Ka'anapali Beach carrying a torch.  He climbs up Black Rock and lights the torches along the way.  He offers his lei to the Hawaiian gods and dives into the ocean from the top of Black Rock.

 
    And so ends another successful day in paradise!

Maui - Day 1

    After traveling for what seemed like forever, we arrived in Maui around 3:30 PM Hawaii time.  Hello 5 hour time difference!  The views were absolutely gorgeous, even right outside the airport.

    I was so happy to finally be on my dream honeymoon that I caught myself almost crying on several different occasions throughout our vacation.  Maui is stunning! We cannot wait to go back!

testing out my camera

hot handsome husband excited to be in Maui
(and to be driving a convertible for the whole week)

    

    When we arrived at our hotel (the Westin), we were more than satisfied.  The lobby was beautiful, there were 5 pools (including an adult pool where we spent most of our time), a water slide (that was much faster than I anticipated) and our room had a beautiful view of the ocean.

    After quickly freshening up, we went to explore the hotel grounds and the surrounding area.  To our surprise, our hotel was right next to an outdoor shopping center with several restaurants.  We actually became "regulars" at Leilani's On the Beach, hitting up their happy hour at least 4 of the days we were in Maui. Talk about the perfect location!

Santa arrived by boat

    After doing some exploring and enjoying some delicious fish tacos (from Leilani's), the two of us were fighting to stay conscious.  We called it a night at around 8:30 but that is totally acceptable because we had an early morning/big day ahead of us.

Lazy Bones

I'm having a hard time getting into the swing of things this new year. The house is a disaster. The bathrooms need to be cleaned. Floors need to be vacuumed. Piles of laundry just hanging out. Living out of half packed suitcases. Christmas decorations still need to be taken down and put away. My to do list could go on and on!

Now I just need to find my motivation. I think I might have left it back in 2012! Goal for this weekend is to get my house cleaned (so that I can start some deep organization/purging within the next few months!).

If you need me the next few days, you know where to find me!

Out with the Old

    In with the new, year that is!  It is officially Twenty Thirteen!  Where did the last year go?!

    I'm not going to lie to you, I'm glad 2012 is over.  It was a tough year for my little family of three.  My hot handsome husband and I spent more days apart than we actually spent together.  After a quick calculation, I figured out that my hubby was only home for approximately six weeks.  During those weeks, we may have been in the same state but many times he was still extremely busy with work and we were living completely opposite schedules.  Most days my hot handsome hubby would leave before I woke up, he would be gone at work all day, I would leave for work/other commitments before he arrived back home and he would be in bed by the time I arrived back home.  I cannot recall how many times I said the statement, "I feel like we live two completely separate lives and meet up for a few hours a week."  But we made it through last year stronger than ever and we're looking forward to a better 2013!

    As a matter of fact, we ended 2012 on a high note and we hope to continue this positive energy.  We spent the last week of December in Maui on our "better late than never" honeymoon and it was AMAZING!  I have over 730 pictures to upload and filter through but as soon as I do, I will be sure to post all about it!

    After traveling all night, we arrived back to Charleston on New Year's Eve.  We had just enough time to pick up our beautiful fur baby and get ready to head out to a NYE party!  And let me tell you, all the rushing around was completely worth it because we had the best time on NYE!  There was great food, open bar, lots of dancing, fireworks, awesome friends and most importantly we had each other.

Sexy Ladies

One of our favorite couples!

Photo Bomb

Me with my Hot Handsome Husband

Hello 2013!

   
    On our drive home (AKA we just pulled out of our parking spot), my hot handsome husband said, "If we're still in Charleston next NYE, we are definitely doing that again!"  It's crazy to think that we might not be in Charleston by this time next year but that's the Air Force way!

    Even though we had been nonstop/rushing around for 2 days and running on very little airplane sleep, it's safe to say that we had an absolute blast!

     By the time we arrived home and crawled into bed it was after 2:30 AM and my poor hubby had to be up at 6:30 AM to hit the road for a 13+ hour drive.  I don't know how he did it!  He's a trooper!  I on the other hand, spent all day yesterday laying in bed, cuddling with Cheyenne and making lists (because what else would I be doing!).  And no, those lists weren't part of my new year's resolution.  No resolutions for me, I just plan to work on becoming a better me!  And those lists, well those are just a part of my everyday survival!

    I hope y'all had a perfect NYE and welcomed the new year with the ones you love! Happy 2013!

High Five for Friday

It's been brought to my attention that I've been a major slacker when it comes to my blog lately. My apologies to the hand full of family members that follow my blog. I'll try to be better! It's just life has been busy but boring and no one wants to hear about that.

The weekend doesn't usually mean too much to me since I only work one or two days during the week and my hot handsome husband is usually off saving the world. Most of the time Saturday and Sunday are just like any other weekday. But I'm actually looking forward to this weekend and I think that's because I had a busier than normal week and my hot handsome husband will actually be home (fingers crossed)!

I worked three nights this week, that's unheard of for me! Yes, I am fully aware I sound like a Princess and I'm okay with that. The Urgent Care was out of control! Flu Shot people! Oh and please don't come to us if you think you are having a heart attack or stroke. We are not an emergency room, we are a glorified doctor office!

I'll get off my healthcare soapbox and share my five favorite moments from this week.

1. How cute are these two?! I just want to squeeze them both.

2. Chocolate mint wine! I love everything minty and chocolate and I'm looking forward to trying this. I'm hoping it's like dessert in a glass.

3. I like to torture Cheyenne when I'm bored for my own personal amusement. My future children are so screwed!

4. We were finally able to use our fire place this season. To say I was excited is an understatement. I tried to get Cheyenne to sit in front for a photo op but she wasn't hearing it.

5. And most importantly, this week was 12/12/12, my hot handsome husband's 30th birthday! I blew up 30 balloons and attached 30 pictures with sayings, quotes and qualities on the back. A borrowed Pinterest idea!

I'm looking forward to some snuggle time, a Holiday party and more snuggling this weekend.

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

High Five for Friday

    I know it's Friday but all day yesterday and even when I woke up this morning, I thought it was Saturday.  I pumped myself up for the Farmer's Market, only to realize that it's not quite the official weekend yet.  I'm not sure which day of the week I mentally skipped over but I feel like my brain has been extra foggy this week.  Thank goodness I took some pictures to remind me of what I did!

    1. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE receiving things in the mail. Cards, coupons, clothes, packages and especially fun gifts like the one above. I look forward to getting the mail everyday. Strange, I know, especially since we mostly receive bills and junk mail. So you can imagine my pure childlike excitement when I opened my mailbox and found this Halloween decorated package from my Auntie Lori.  I knew it was from her because she always draws me pictures on anything she sends me! Sno caps, Tinkerbell gummies and a festive scrub top! She knows the way to my heart.  As a side note, my Auntie Lori is the best! She sends me packages for all the Holidays (sometimes just because) and always includes non age appropriate things (which I love). My inner child always makes an appearance and her packages guarantee a smile! Thanks Auntie Lori!    

    2. I had a migraine two days this week (maybe that's where the fogginess came from) and have been on the cranky side.  My hot handsome husband came home from work with these flowers.  The best part was his presentation, "I brought you sunflowers to brighten your day."  He's such a great guy!

   3. Speaking of my hot handsome husband, he's obsessed with Halloween! We have a grave yard, a pirate skeleton, a monster coming out of the ground, a witch, creepy skeleton man on our door, spider webs galore, black lights, strobe lights and so much more (the picture does not do it justice). Oh and of course Cheyenne had to supervise our decorating!

    4. This must have been the week to get into the Halloween spirit because beside decorating, I bought my costume and carved a pumpkin with some pretty great ladies from the 16th AS. I really wanted to do a monogram pumpkin but my Sister Wife (yes, I'm still complaining!) convinced me to carve Tinkerbell.  She will fit right in with our scary decor! 

    5. I don't know who was more excited for some quality cuddle time, me or Cheyenne! She was snoring within 2 minutes! We are looking forward to some Mommy/Puppy time this weekend.

    Are you doing anything fun this weekend?

High Five for Friday

I am so glad yesterday is over. Thank you to everyone for checking in on me and for all your inspirational words. I plan to get back to you all individually. I love all of you.

This week has been productive but lacked excitement. Things are back to "normal" in the Froehlich household. My hot handsome husband is home but he's not actually home. He's been so busy with sims and work and school that we've spent about 45 min of quality time together. I go to sleep way earlier than him and he wakes up before the sun. But still I'm happy to know that he's in the same state as me!

As you'll notice from my Top 5 from this week, running has been my highlight.

1. I signed up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon! I am beyond excited! I have been wanting to do this for several years now. And yes, I've already purchased my princess crown.

2. I finished week two of my couch to 5k program. Baby steps people! I have to admit though I've been running five times per week and not three like the program suggests. I'm hoping to lose a few pounds!

3. This cute little guy greeted me on one of my morning runs. I stopped to take his picture and an elderly woman stopped to chat with me. I learned she gets just as excited about little creatures as I do (flash forward to me in 40 years!).

4. Speaking of little creatures, Cheyenne will always be my favorite!

5. My breakfast this morning. I am obsessed with everything pumpkin and I'm not afraid to admit it. Our house is full of pumpkin candles, soap, body wash, lotion, lip gloss and delicious pumpkin treats!

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend! Mine is full of work, BLS class, running and a date night with my hot handsome husband!