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Snow Days

Family, Fun, Travel Comments Off

Jan 192012

Seattle was hit with its first snow of the winter season this weekend.

Day 1: Light snow fall. It was a little disappointing that we could still make it out of the house without emergency provisions. Dad went to work, we went to the mall to shop and drink Starbucks.

Day 2: Heavy snowfall. We had several inches of quality packing snow. What better thing to do than go swimming in it? This has become one of our favorite “winter in Seattle” experiences. It is just awesome to swim in a warm pool with snow falling on your head. We had a mini snowball fight in the pool, and made a mini snowman that we watched melt in the pool.

Day 3: Ice storm. There is a decent coat of ice on top of the snow today. Our snowman’s hat solidified and even taking one step outside is unthinkable and irresponsible. We plan to hunker down and pack for our road trip tomorrow (by which time the roads are supposed to return to normal).

4 Ways to Pretend You are Warm

Family 1 Response »

Jan 142012

Nothing says, "Stay away sleet!" like a gigantic cheery yellow umbrella.

I’m going to be honest. It’s freakin’ cold here. We have discovered a few ways to make adjusting to the mainland go a little smoother. Here they are:

1. Hot Beverages
We are drinking plenty of warm liquids like tea and hot chocolate. On average I have 4-5 cups of hot (as close to scalding as I can get) liquid a day. Mom put together a tea party for Autumn which included non-toddler-friendly china teacups, a real teapot, English tea, and petits fours. I might also have to go Russian and have some vodka at some point here.

2. Poofy Clothing
The general rule is that the closer you resemble the Michelin man the warmer you will be. Autumn has 3 new jackets, one of which has fur on the hood. I actually bought a pair of slippers. They go half way up my leg for optimal poofiness. In addition, I’m eating a lot of oatmeal cookies and peppermint bark to add to my natural poofiness.

3. Think of it as “Fun Cold”
It is forcasted to snow this evening and tomorrow, which would mean that the cold weather was a fun cold, and not just plain miserable cold. The plan is to go sledding if it really snows so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

4. Hot Tub
A heated pool and hot tub are also great ways to stay warm. We indulged in these at my parent’s condo clubhouse. Although not great for energy conservation, half of the pool is outdoors. In the winter you get some great steam coming off the pool and it makes for an otherworldly swim. For best results, you should stay in until sufficiently pruney. Other than having our hair freeze as we walked back to the condo, it was wonderful.

Aloha Hawaii. Hello Seattle.

Travel Comments Off

Jan 122012

“I can’t believe all of this fits,” says Clayton as we lean on the trunk of the rental car to get it shut. There’s something to be said for getting the full-size rental car. The grand total: 2 checked suitcases, 3 rolling carry-ons, 3 backpacks, pump, diaperbag, stroller, 2 car seats, and “Pita” the bulldog.

We left Honolulu on Tuesday afternoon. Autumn said goodbye to everything as we drove to the airport. From the backseat we heard, “Bye house. Bye school. Bye trees. Bye McDonalds.” I admit I got a little teary-eyed as we drove through the Likelike tunnel and I glimpsed the last of the Windward mountains. Hawaii: What a beautiful place. I mean, all the hype is really true. It’s awesome. We are going to miss it. As Clayton said, “I think I might have some post-move depression after this one.” It’s likely it won’t hit us for awhile since we plan on seeing lots of family, friends, and countryside over the next few months. It’s nice that in the craziness of moving we also have that to look forward to.

First stop: Seattle! This is where my parents live, not to mention most of my relatives. We will be here for 10 days soaking in the rugged northwest. Yesterday was crystal clear and cold! The high for the day was 40 degrees. This chilly welcome to the mainland didn’t prevent us from enjoying the outdoors, albeit briefly. We bundled up and headed to the playground. Clayton invented running and jumping games to keep our blood pumping, but we knew it was time to go when Autumn’s nose turned red, she refused to play, and said “Mom I’m cold”. Back to the house for cocoa!

We had a nice ham dinner that night. My grandma Mary came over and we sat around drinking gewurztraminer and talking. I learned a completely random fact. My grandma was a double’s tennis champion in Omaha Nebraska one year in her teens. After the kids (and Clayton) went to bed my dad shook up some chocolate martinis and my parents and I caught up. It was a sweet time of conversation, and I was glad for the slower evening pace that afforded us the chance to finally really talk. Looking forward to many more evenings of that in the days to come!

Shave Ice Update

Food, Hawaii, Update 1 Response »

Jan 082012

Since our last post about shave ice, when we gave you our rankings for several locations on Oahu, we have visited three more that need to be mentioned. 2 are on Oahu, and 1 is on Kauai. Here’s our review (in no particular order):

I swear, there really is ice under all that.

1. Sweet Home Cafe
The name makes me think it will be Southern cuisine, but actually they serve Taiwanese hot pot. This is a pot of steaming broth that they place on a burner on your table. You choose and add veggies, meat, dumplings, and many more things (kind of like a fondu). As a bonus, at the end of the meal you receive a large bowl of Taiwanese shave ice for free. Yes, free! What makes this “Taiwanese” is that the focus is on the toppings rather than the ice and syrup. And, oh my goodness, they pile it on.

Ice
I know there was technically ice under there, but who cares.

Syrups
They don’t use them.

Ice Cream
None

Price/Size Optimization
Free. That’s pretty awesome.

Utensils
Big bowl and metal spoons.

Atmosphere
Because this place is so slammed with loyal customers, everyone is asked to finish their meal in 90 minutes. This means you might have to rush through the shave ice at the end. We didn’t have this problem though.

Service
Attentive and friendly

Bonus Features
Toppings, toppings, toppings! We had chocolate pudding, tapioca pearls, fruit jellies, and some white stuff.

I don't mind being cheesy if it's for shave ice.

2. Haleiwa General Store
Our friends Steve and Mary have been telling us this is their favorite shave ice on the island ever since we moved here. But because we normally hit up Aoki’s in this town, we hadn’t tried it until yesterday. Upon learning that it was our first time there, the one guy manning the shaving machine informed us of the reasons for their quality product. They change the blade frequently to ensure fine shavings, use Dave’s Ice Cream (a local company), and their syrups are made by a local couple.

Ice
Smooth

Syrups
Cane sugar based. I thought my 3 flavors tasted basically the same, sugary. Not the best.

Ice Cream
Dave’s vanilla ice cream. They give you a good amount in the cup.

Pile of shave ice ready to be served.

Price/Size Optimization
A little pricey. However they do give free snow caps (condensed milk topping) and li hing mui.

Utensils
They serve the shave ice straight in the catch cup, so you don’t pay extra for the holder. You also get a spoon-straw, which I hate, but also give you a regular spoon to make up for this deficiency.

Atmosphere
Good ‘ole North Shore. They have a couple tables outside with umbrellas that also makes it nice. This place isn’t crowded like Aoki’s and Matsumotu, so there is no waiting in line.

Service
Friendly and relaxed.

Bonus Features
Free snow caps and li hing. They also don’t mind giving you extra spoons.

A new favorite.

3. Jojo’s Shave Ice
This is the only shave ice place we went to on Kauai, but it was awesome. I’m not sure if it was just that I loved my combination, but it was really good. I’m not ranking these, but if I were it would be right at the top of all the places we’ve tried so far. I had the Haupia combo (Combo #4 on their menu): Mac Nut ice cream topped with coconut flakes, coconut shave ice, and coconut cream.

Ice
Smooth

Syrups
Full-bodied (can I steal that word?)

Ice Cream
In addition to vanilla, you also had macadamia nut as an option. A very tasty option as it turned out.

Price/Size Optimization
A little more expensive, as is everything on Kauai.

Utensils
Plastic spoons, and the loathed spoon-straw.

Atmosphere
This place is definitely hole-in-the-wall, but with the bright yellow sign it is also cheery. It is located in Waimea so is perfectly positioned to be a desirable post-Waimea-Canyon-hiking-trip stop.

Service
Friendly.

Bonus Features
You can get your own spoons and napkins so you aren’t jipped. It is also right next to the public library which has a free bathroom, a must for the potty training days.

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