The Hilton Waikoloa Trip (Take Two!)

Last Memorial Day weekend, we took our first ever family staycation to the Hilton Waikoloa Resort.  Though there were some ups and downs (mostly ups) then, we were all very excited to return again this year for another two nights with my parents, and this time- Keni & Riki too!  And we all had a fah-bu-lous time.

However, the trip started off with more of a sputter than a bang.  I hit the road running at 5:30am and felt pretty blech...so I popped my spare (emergency) gel at mile 2 with the hope that it would put some pep in my step.  Thankfully, it did, and the rest of the run was fairly strong.  I'll admit that when I passed the airport at mile 9-10, I did experience a fleeting sense of dejection knowing that I wasn't even halfway done yet.  Later, I experienced a little drama at mile 16 when I couldn't find the water bottle my brother had stashed for me in the bushes. I looked high and low for 15 minutes in the prearranged spot before finally giving up and stopping at the Kukio guard shack around mile 17 and asking the guard there if there was a nearby water spigot (I was prepared to scale an electric fence and take on barking pit bulls if I had to get water, since I did NOT want to run out of fluid and have to abort my run).  Thankfully, they let me refuel my bottles from their cold water dispenser and saved my run!!!  (I'm sure they were more than a little taken aback by the sweaty, panting runner with the wild hair and crazy eyes demanding water, so it was kind of them to indulge me.)  So not only did I finish the run with enough water (which ended at the entrance to Kiholo Bay), but I actually ended up feeling as good as I did two weeks ago when I did my 20-miler in Kona.  Sweetness.  :-)

I only run 2 days a week, so I don't want to set any time goals for the Kona Marathon (although of course I have a secret one)...I just mostly want to make sure the race doesn't feel like the Death March that was Hilo last March.  I still have nightmares about that race.

One more funny thing about my run (& proof that we live in a small town), I ran into one of Rich's fellow RNs at mile 17, Rich's boss at mile 19, and then saw three of his CNA coworkers at the resort.  Note to self: if I ever take on a secret brother husband/boyfriend...do not do it in Kona.

A few pics of the trip...

The boys in the grotto

My million dollar shot of the trip...the four boys at the Lagoon.

Last year we had dinner at Sansei, this year we tried Romano's Macaroni Grill (eh).   Go with Sansei...tabemono wa motto oishikatta.

Chilling out

He did it!  Even though the parrot's claws digging into his arm terrified him and his scrawny arm was shaking under its weight, he did it!  Atta boy, Ry!

Grandpa and his grandsons

Ryan caught his first live baby shrimp!  And I swear...he ate it live!  I was shocked.  Keni told him it was edible and popped 2-3 into his mouth, so Ryan copied him and did it too.  Wow.  Both horrified and impressed.

Riki flying down the slide...on Sunday morning I offered to take him there for a few rides.  And lucky me... he went down TWENTY times before deciding he'd had enough.  

Holding a brittle starfish at the Dolphin Center.  We found out later that touching it was a no no...but I think the staff person felt bad asking the little boy to put the starfish back since he was just standing there calmly and gently stroking it.  Maybe the brittle starfish is Ryan's aumakua (protective family God in the form of an animal).  ;-)   

The Ice Cream Team outside Island Gourmet.

Cow-a-bunga!

No fear!!!

Our room was in the Palace Tour this time.  I rejected the Ocean Tower because of their mynah bird problem, but we were bumped out of the Lagoon Tower due to renovation(s).  So initially I was bummed about getting assigned to the 'boring tower,' but I liked it!  We still had an ocean view from our room, and it was blessedly quiet...so in the end, it was all g.

Hey!  Where is everybody?!  Seriously- the resort was 100% sold out for the Memorial Day weekend and was usually packed...but since most other people don't go swimming at 8am- we had the pool to ourselves for awhile!

A rare moment when I'm not actually behind the camera...I love this photo of me and my boy just hanging out.  Note that he is clutching his friend Naomi's toy digital camera and taking photos like mad (just like his mommy).