Day 2 - Waimea Canyon

Today we drove to the other side of the island to check out Waimea Canyon.  It was a long drive, and everywhere we went there were chickens and roosters running around.  They were on the road, in the canyon, in parking lots, at the beach... it was hilarious to see how enthralled Akhil was by the chickens.  Every time we got out of the car, he was off on the chase.  The only problem was that he wants to run faster than his legs, so just as he'd come close to a chicken, he'd fall and have to catch up again.

Waimea Canyon was nice but we were hoping for more view

 points.  There's only 1 road along one side of the canyon, so you basically get the same view, just from slightly different angles.  We stopped off at the park museum to get a trail map of the hikes.  Amit went in while we watched the chickens.  He asked the lady for a hike that 2 pregnant women and a 1 1/2 year old could handle.  She pointed out only 1 hike that matched thadescription and we were on our way.  Before we got to that trail, at one of the view points, Srivalli and I noticed another trail and decided we wanted to try that one.  The trail map said it was moderate but we felt bold enough to try it out.  I was so glad we did!  It was the most unique terrain I've ever seen on a hike.  Even though we had to be extra careful in our baby-on-board condition, we loved climbing up, down, and around all the rocks and bends on the trail. 

Day 1 in Kauai

We arrived in Kauai late last night.  We're here with Chethan/Srivalli/Akhil.  We've got a gorgeous 2 brdm condo with a breathtaking view of Safeway.  The resort itself is right on the beach, so sitting at the restaurant or pool had a great view.  

Today we spent the day swimming & napping in the morning, followed by lunch at the restaurant downstairs on the beach.  In the afternoon we went to checkout the blowholes in Poipu, the southern coast of the island.  While we were there, right off the coast, Amit spotted 2 whales! What a treat...who needs a whale watch tour when you have this!

The Introduction

We saw our little one for the first time today (Week 8)!  It was incredible!  We heard the heartbeat, too.  The next appointment is in 3 weeks - Week 11.

All my pregnancy symptoms are in full swing - I am only able to eat apples, dal & rice, spinach, and beef (weird, right?).  I'm also exhausted beyond words.  I pretty much go to bed by 8pm and even that feels like it's really late!

Big News!

It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving - we were at BJs with Dumma, Chethan & Srivalli to watch the Patriots vs Dolphins game.  I usually love their pizza so if I had to spend 3 hours pretending to be enthralled by the game, there was no place I'd have rather been than at BJs.  

...or was it?

Strangely, when the pizza arrived, I found myself sick to my stomach at the sight of it.  And don't even get me started on the smell!  I must have raced to the bathroom two or three times during the meal, and couldn't wait to leave the restaurant.  That's when I started to suspect that something was fishy.  Apparently Amit was thinking the same thing.  

Later that day, we made a special trip to Walgreens and which would lead to confirmation of the good news...we're pregnant!!!  We were so excited - it was a mix of disbelief that it was finally happening, combined with total elation.

A visit to the doctor a week later, right after Thanksgiving weekend, confirmed through an ultrasound that I was 6 weeks along.  Another 2 weeks and we'd have our first ultrasound where we'd also hear the heartbeat.  Suddenly our lives started revolving around when the next doctor's appt would be and the anticipation of seeing our little guy/girl on the little screen.

Pismo Beach

Friday we headed off for our weekend getaway to Pismo Beach.  We left around 3:30 - traffic was bad, but not as bad as we expected, given that it was Halloween and a Friday.  The drive down was uneventful...we debated Tuesday's election a bit, and just generally caught up about what happened during the week.

Around 6:45 we got to our hotel - The Cliffs (www.cliffsresort.com).  It was super nice.  Checked in, dropped off our luggage, freshened up and headed out for some dinner.  We wandered down to the pier area where all the restaurants were.  By "all" i mean about 4, maybe 5.  They were all little hole in the wall places - we picked one with outside tables and settled in with some beers as our first course.  After dinner, followed by a stroll on the pier, we decided to call it a night a little early.

Saturday, we laid in bed debating what to do that day...a short hike/walk or go to Hearst Castle?  We opted for the walk to Cave Landing.  Headed out there, parked in the dirt lot and set off on foot..the fork to the right was the caves, the fork to the left was the nude beach.  Careful navigation was critical here...

After our outdoor excursion, we decided it was time for some wine tasting.  TomTom led us to San Luis Obispo for the nearest wineries.  Hit up a couple of places and managed to control ourselves and just buy 1 bottle. 

Tired of driving, we decided to move our wine party back to the hotel.  Luckily there was a Trader Joes on the way back to the hotel so we stopped off for a bottle of Malbec, some cheese and crackers.  Back at the hotel we found our way to a table outside overlooking the beach (and a wedding).  We enjoyed our wine as the sun set (or what we could see of it through the clouds, at least).  That night a super nice dinner was followed up by cocktails at a nearby bar.  It was the perfect day.

Sunday was uneventful...just woke up leisurely and drove back up in the afternoon.  Overall a fun weekend!

The weekend's highlights:

- A lady stuck her thumb in my beer

- When we told the girl at the winery we were from San Jose, she said "Oh wow!  I've never been to a place like San Jose before.  My friend just moved there, is it amazing?"

Good times...

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Uh-oh. It's raining.  And it's supposed to rain all weekend in most of northern California.  Just in time for our weekend at....the Beach!  Looks like I better come up with some indoor options for us - maybe some wine tasting?  Here's hoping all my outdoor plans don't get washed away...

slow week

I'm only working 2 days this week.  The idea of 3-days to myself has me too excited to even decide what to do with my time.  Hopefully, lots of gym time, some pampering (pedicure, massage, maybe a facial), and some good ol' fashioned sitting around reading.  aahh..perfect.

This weekend I'm surprising Amit with a little road trip for our pre-anniversary celebration.  Our 6 year wedding anniv is Nov 29.  Since that's Thanksgiving weekend this year and we'll be surrounded by family, we're trying to sneak in some Anniversary celebrations before then.  Yes, it seems a little early - 3 weeks too soon in fact, but can you believe the rest of our weekends in November are booked up already!  Super crazy...  

Oooh one super exciting thing is that we are going to Gary Danko (wooohooo!!) for dinner the week before our Anniv.  We got reservations for Nov 22 which was the earliest they could fit us in, but so perfectly timed right before our big day.  I have been trying to go to GD for the last 4 yrs or so, but never could get a reservation for the dates I wanted.

I can't believe how fast the last 6 yrs went by!  Thinking back on old times, here are a couple of pics from way back when....our honeymoon in Bali :)

Amit's New Friend

Amit's in Ireland again this week. This is his second trip in 2 months. This time...it's a little more interesting. Apparently his hotel didn't stop at providing free soap and shampoo in the bathroom...there's also a rubber duckie!

So Amit did what anyone would have done, he popped it into his computer bag and is now carrying it around town, taking it out when he wants some company (or least a couple of fun pictures).

Here's the rubber duckie checking out the view of downtown Belfast from the hotel room:

And here's the rubber duckie eyeing Amit's bagel at breakfast this morning:

I just got off the phone with Amit and apparently he and duckie went out tonight, too. He's going to send me a pic later :)

The Invasion

I hate ants.  No, I mean I *really* hate ants.  And this weekend, we were invaded by them.  A whole family..or colony..or whatever.  Ughh... 

It started on Satuday, about 15 minutes after our exterminator company closed for the day.  So after I spotted the first 2 or 3 ants, I promptly cleared off all the counters, washed any lingering dishes that were in the sink, and put out every possible home remedy I could think of.  Right now, just about every inch of counter space in our kitchen is covered with Cinnamon sticks, Cloves, Boric Acid, Black Pepper, Red Chili Powder, and Vinegar.  I squished every pesky little ant that had the bad luck of coming within my line of sight.  Needless to say, the kitchen is closed until further notice!

My severe ant phobia can be traced back to my childhood when I was ravaged not once, but twice by fierce, unrelenting Texas Fire Ants.  They are more commonly known as Red Imported Fire Ants, orginating in South America, and introduced into the US in the 1930's from a Cargo Ship that docked in Mobile, Alabama.  They are now most common in the southeastern states so I pretty much grew up knowing to beware fire ants.

Wikipedia accurately describes the most common way in which people are attacked - which, incidentally, is what happened to me *both* times:  a person accidentally steps into a mound, causing the ants to immediately attack by swarming up the person's legs.  It happens so fast that you don't even realize it.  

So it happened to me twice.  The first time, I went out into our front yard where my dad was mowing the lawn.  As I stood on the lawn, I suddenly felt my legs burning, only to look down and launch into an all out panic at the sight of hundreds, maybe even thousands of ants all over my legs.  They were all over - from my feet up to my thighs.  I screamed in pain while my dad ran to the water hose and sprayed them off.  But the damage was done - for nearly a week I had welts all over my legs.  Poor me - I was a mere 5 years old!

The second time these cursed critters attacked me was during a family outing to Galveston, TX (I think it was the same year!).  While we were all enjoying the beach, I had the misfortune of accidentally stepping into another mound of fireants.  Same story, different day.  I had itchy, painful welts for a week.  

So....I *really* hate ants.  And it doesn't help that we get this crazy ant invasion just about every year, right around this time of the season.  Gross.  

Tomorrow's exterminator visit can't come soon enough!

Amit runs the SF 1/2!!

He did it! After months of training and overcoming a couple of injuries, Amit successfully finished the San Francisco 1/2 Marathon!!

We went up to SF Saturday afternoon to pick up his bib and registration docs.  The tent was set up right across the street from my office, so we conveniently avoided the mayhem by parking at work :-)  I love working in SF.

Anyway, after that we went over to the Hilton where we were staying with Chethan/Sri, Appu, and their parents.  After an early dinner where the guys carbed up for their run (chethan was running the 1/2, appu was running the full), we went to bed early in anticipation of our 4:30AM wake up call.

Amit slept like a baby that night, I tossed and turned with all the noise outside our window (it was facing Naan'n'Curry where it seems like there's always an all-night rage going on).  We left the hotel at 5am to get Appu to the start line in time for his 5:45 start.  Leena and Dumma met us there and we cheered as Appu started, then Chethan and Amit started at 6:05.  Once the guys were off, we jumped in the car and drove to a couple of different points in the city to cheer them along their way.  

We made our way to the Golden Gate Bridge where we saw Naveen and Amar waiting to cheer for our guys.  We dropped off Dumma and his bike...he rode with Chethan and Amit from the bridge to the finish line.  Amit really appreciated the support; having Dumma and Chethan with him gave him the extra push to run the farthest he's ever gone before.  After they finished, we hurried over to the full marathon finish line to cheer for Appu who came.  All three of them did amazing - we were thrilled to share this experience with them.  Congratulations, Amit, Chethan, & Appu!!!