what she does when we're not looking

At least it's not the walls.

cultural patrons

Today we visited the Bishop Museum which is spread through several buildings and houses Hawaiian artifacts, art, interactive exhibits and the like. While there we saw both a hula demonstration and a lava making demonstration, as well as confirmed an earlier mongoose sighting. It was bigger than expected, so we didn't have time to see everything. A return visit in the future is in order, methinks.

This display lets you pump these handles up and down to build up pressure which produces a simulated (of course) volcanic eruption.

This globe shows how geographically isolated the Hawaiian Islands actually are.

On our way out - Ava has a book which she chose from the museum gift shop

check it, yo!

The Ala Moana shopping center is a huge mall taking up several city blocks and housing over 200 shops and restaurants. We've been there three times and have still not seen everything the mall has to offer. Luckily, we did see the store that contains these excellent manequins...
I guess they are attempting to appeal to trash talking, over the top posturing, down and dirty school kids?
This darling, along with her amazing pose, wacky permed pixie cut, and killer expression also has a tongue stud that I wasn't able to catch on film. That's a pretty committed punky manequin.

And yes, I totally pretended to be fiddling with the camera across the hall so I could take these pictures...hence the partial plant in the frame.

housing woes

We've been having some extremely long and drawn out problems with our (hopefully) new condo concerning the VA (our financier) and some rather ridiculous if not impossible requests they've been making regarding an issue concerning a seemingly unattainable permit. We were supposed to close about a month ago, but have had to extend until this whole mess is resolved.


Both the sellers and ourselves are about at our wits end with the whole debaucle, but things are finally looking up, and an end is in sight. We should definitely know by next week's end where we stand, and whether we will be moving as planned or starting the search all over again (excruciatingly loud ugh). We'll keep the updates coming...

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In the meantime, enjoy these rather cute pictures of Ava in the pool:

perhaps she's a pied piper?

Ava frequently insists on having this very cool scarf tied about her head, but really can you blame her?

looking to waste some time?

I can only assume that if you are reading this blog, you have some extra time on your hands. Might I recommend the following time wasters as well:

How do you think she gets her legs so tan? Photoshop Disasters features many a poorly done advertisement. To think that someone got paid for this...

Also check out D-Listed Decor - exploring the very worst furniture listings that craigslist has to offer. It really is worth even a quick check in.

the park

a day hike

Yesterday we took a hike up to Makapu'u Lighthouse that overlooks the ocean (obviously) on Oahu's windward (eastern) side. It is a paved trail almost the entire way and not very long (about 2 miles), but it was an extremely hot day and the uphill climb wore Ava out.


The views from the top were phenomenal, and there was one sign posted saying that pods of humpback whales gather in the area, and can be seen during certain times of the year from the overlook. We didn't see any this time, but intend to go back next year during prime whale watching season. We did see what I believe to have been a mongoose - we weren't quick enough with the camera to catch it on film though.

BREAKING NEWS...Naveen Andrews loves pizza and boredom

Photo via Plaza Constitucion

Last night we went out to eat at the California Pizza Kitchen at the Kahala Mall. Being that it is the Kahala Mall - widely renowned for being the most boring mall around (I did some searching, and it seems everyone agrees) - we had assumed it would be a quiet evening.

Somewhere between courses, I glanced up to see a man whom I thought looked an awful lot like Naveen Andrews. Though at the time, and I'm a little embarrassed to even be writing this post, I didn't know that his name was Naveen Andrews. To be perfectly honest, I've never even seen an episode of LOST before. At any rate, my lack of inexperience with the show caused me to question my authority to decipher what its cast members look like. That is when I remembered that LOST is actually filmed here on the island, and the possibility that this man could be said cast member started increasing exponentially in my mind. My suspicions were confirmed when upon leaving with his take-out order there was much waving, smiling, whispering, pointing and all around general gawking.

Upon arriving home I decided to delve deeper. I've found several web based accounts of people seeing Mr. Andrews at the very CPK we were in fact dining at. Apparently he's there frequently. So, if you're in Honolulu and like to be bored, check out the Kahala Mall. Naveen will be waiting for you.

six down...sixty to go

Hip hip for us! Today was our anniversary, and we couldn't be more pleased with one another.

running wild

We've had an odd amount of requests for more shots of Ava running. As she is frequently running to or (more commonly) away from us, it's an easy shot to get...so I'm happy to oblige. I'll try to keep them coming!

a look at ala moana

The Ala Moana beach park is one of my favorite beaches. A large offshore sand/rock barrier ensures that large waves never reach the shore. This makes it great for small children - small children like Ava.

ugly dolls - a celebrity favorite

A hearty thank you to Grace for Ava's belated birthday gifts. She is napping with them at this very moment.

little lizards

These little guys seem to be everywhere here. We come across several everytime we go out for a walk, and they can be heard chirping back and forth in the evenings.

phew....

Thank you to my very kind Aunt Nancy who helped us get our taxes done just in the nick of time.

check out her lip

There was an incident involving an uneven sidewalk. Here she is taking it like a champ!

swimming lessons

A couple shots of Ava enjoying the pool

chinatown

Today we wandered down to Chinatown and spent some time walking around.

Here's a look at some of the neighborhood's offerings:
this amazing table of gold mice
tons of fresh veggies
and crazy toys

Asian packaging is so much cuter than its American counterparts - even for simple snacks
Mmmm...creepy looking dried fish




Apparently Chinatown is the place to go for a haircut. We saw all these shops within a two block area.







My personal favorite, and the place I would try out very first, the Cute Cut. Could there possibly be a better name for a hair salon?

a cheerful sign

This funny little sign can be found next to a bus station.

Ava Bean

Ava has mastered the age old childhood right of passage, hopping around in a pillowcase.

Ryan is a scoundrel

In Ryan's desperate attempt to detatch himself from the damaging evidence of his similarities to Sarah Jessica Parker, it seems that he waited until I was in bed and ran the look a like software again. Sadly, for him, I'm on to his tricks. Had there been an available photo of Sarah Jessica Parker in a baseball cap, she'd be right back on top of the list. Luckily for Ryan, a lady of her utmost caliber would never create such a fashion faux pas. Very clever...

hurray, Ryan doesn't look like Sarah Jessica Parker...he looks like Michelle Wie

a new friend

We stumbled upon this little buddy in a local thrift shop, and Ava subsequently decided she had found a new best friend. When he's not on her back, he must be squished in next to her (as if he's actually sitting, not just laying there as a backpack would) in the car seat.