Weekend Roundup

Guess who celebrated her 5th birthday this weekend?  Sadie!  Since she's our treat girl (Gunnar will take treats, but prefers to de-stuff toys) I gave her all kinds of goodies, including peanut butter filled Kongs, raw chicken*, and soft Buddy Biscuits (the favorite).  

And here's my beautiful birthday girl!  She's looking good, even if she has grayed so early.  Many people assume she's an older dog due to all the gray on her muzzle.  I think she just wants to look distinguished.  

In other news, I found out that a couple of my pictures this school year were published in the Pacifica, a publication that features pictures from DoDDS schools in the Pacific region.  I thought it was exciting because not only do I get credit for the photo, but the blurb by the picture states, "In Mrs. Hammer's class...."  

I bought a small piece of furniture this weekend.  Now, I finally have a table next to my big chair in the living room.  So far, I've only put our remotes in here and put some magazines on top, but I'm looking forward to working the piece into the room.  Look at all that storage!

Finally, this weekend is also Mother's Day and my grandfather's 80th birthday.  So, I just wanted to publicly thank both my mom and Noa's mom for being exemplary moms in so many ways.  They are both women of strong character and are both so giving. We love you!

Me & My Mom

Noa's Mom & Dad

And to my grandfather: Happy Birthday, Papa!  Wishing you many more years of health and happiness! Love you!

*If you're wondering why I feed my dog raw chicken, read this: Top 50 Most Asked BARF Questions

Shoes

I forgot to blog about the cool shoes I got in Hong Kong.  They are perfect for a Kindergarten teacher and make me feel like I'm a walking children's book.  I love 'em!

Birthday Bash

This weekend Meghan celebrated her 29th birthday in style!  She hosted a great party.  Here she is with her cookie cake labeled with the party's theme: The Not 30 Yet Party!

The set-up was so fun (and thankfully, the weather was GORGEOUS)!  Meg and Joe rented a cabin (that overlooked the ocean and beach) and a bounce house (which was not limited to just the kids).  There was a ton of food, cute decorations, games, music, and people.  It doesn't get much better than that!  

A close up of the bounce house, which was entirely too much fun.  I laughed like a little kid again and I think I got a cardio workout at the same time.

Actually, 3 people were celebrating birthdays this weekend.  Here are the birthday folks (left to right) Jonas, Meghan, and Rebecca.

As an additional gift for Meghan, Joe grew a mohawk for the occasion.  It was awesome.  If only the military would allow him to keep it.  

Happy birthday, Megs.  Thanks for letting us share the occasion with you!

Travels, Part 3

Sorry for the delay...

Hong Kong Weekend

In less than a week after returning home from a week in Kauai, we boarded another plane to Hong Kong for a weekend trip.  The reason for going to Hong Kong, besides pure curiosity, is that one of Noa's med school buddies, John and his wife Angie happened to be visiting her parents (who currently reside in HK) there.  

On our first day, John took us to a history museum.  I'm so glad we did this, because I literally knew NOTHING about Hong Kong's history and it's relationship with China and other countries.  Now, I at least feel like I have some background knowledge and understanding.  Besides that, it was a pretty cool museum.

Noa and I stand in front of the boat display.  Hong Kong's port trade began long ago with fishermen who lived on these boats.

Unfortunately, it poured our first day in Hong Kong (good day for the museum), so we had to battle the weather as we toured around.  Here we were able to seek some shelter in this covered walkway.  Noa and John fought to keep their umbrellas from turning inside out.  

We also got to try out the subway system.  The subway is easy to use, clean, and less complicated than the Tokyo train system.  Although the names were sometimes hard to remember and some were just outright hilarious to me.

We stayed with Angie's parents who live on the campus of Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.  Check out the view from their place!

On our second day there, Angie and John introduced us to these "healthy dessert" places.  Basically, they use lots of mango and other fruits to make yummy concoctions.  My favorite was cut up mango pieces in a mango puree with tiny tapioca pieces on the bottom.  Yum!  I ate about 3 of these in a course of 2 days. 

I like the Terracotta Soldiers.  One of the restaurants had some replicas and I had to get a photo.

We also went to a building with 9 floors of "mall."  

That night we went out for a big dinner of Peking (Beijing) Duck.  It was delicious!  The best part was that our friend (and best man from our wedding), Herman, happened to be traveling to Hong Kong at the same time and joined us!

The chef preparing the duck.
The guys in front of Spring Deer Restaurant (highly recommended if you visit HK): John, Herman, and Noa.
The Olympic spirit was in town.  They had all these characters set up along the water.  I think they are adorable.
They had a display in which each character represents a sport.  I liked the boxing panda.
Some skyline pictures:

And, lastly, the group: Noa, me, Angie, and John.

Travel, Part 2 Continued

More Activities in Kauai...

A doorless helicopter ride!  That's right - NO doors!  Let me tell you, I was scared (I'm not a big fan of heights).  But, it was so worth it.  What a beautiful way to see the island!

Noa right before heading up, up and away.

The view down below.  There were miles and miles of white, sandy beaches.

Here's the group, complete with our emergency floatation devices!

The boys.

The girls.

Horse Back Riding!

Although it's really just a simple trail ride, I had a blast getting back in the saddle again (I used to ride horses at summer camp as a kid).  Jess and I got some serious sunburns on our shoulders, but we got to take in some GORGEOUS views.

I love it!!  I want to own a ranch now...with lots of dogs and horses.  Well, at least one horse.

A picture to show how lovely the view was from the saddle.

Golf!  Noa and Mike went golfing three times during our stay in Kauai.  They got to golf some really nice courses, such as the Princeville (apparently, that's a good one).  The best part was hearing their stories at the end of the day. 

 

Here they are.  Look at how beautiful it is!

All smiles.

They found Tiger Woods' locker.  Perfect for a photo op!

Spending time together was simply the best way for us to enjoy our trip.  Whether it was golfing, shopping, exploring beaches, or eating out, we were always laughing and joking.  We love traveling with the Apostles - they sure make "Hampostles" a fun group.

Me and Jess - all smiles.

"Mahalo" at McDonalds.

Team Juloa.  I love this picture.

Lastly, the "Hampostes": Mike, Jess, Julie, and Noa on our last night night in Kauai.

Tomorrow, I'll blog about our more recent trip to Hong Kong!

Travels, Part 2

Outdoor Activities & Other Good Times in Kauai

Hiking:  We took advantage of all the activities to do on the island. We took 2 hikes, one of which was the Kalalau Trail, an 8-mile hike to a beautiful beach and a large inland waterfall. Although a bit challenging due to the rain and mud, it was so worth it to see the views from the trail, the beautiful beach, and the giant waterfall.

Mike and I take in the sights from the trail.
Noa, AKA "Jurassic Park" tackles the rough terrain.
Team Juloa on the Kalalau Trail.
This picture is dark and blurry because it was taken by the waterfall at the end of trail in the pouring rain.
Couldn't resist another waterfall picture.


The other hike was to a mountain called Sleeping Giant. Although shorter, it also proved beautiful.

Jess and I catch up at the top.

We made it! We love Hawaii.

The Apostles!

More to come!