All I Have to Say Is...

.....life sure is fun at times. Another absolutely wonderful weekend. What is this??? Two amazing weekends in a row???!!! Yeppers.

So, life on Kauai is more laid back than on Oahu. But no less exciting. Maybe even more so. I got to meet my good good friend John’s new girlfriend. Well, actually they’ve been dating for a year and she moved in about two months ago. John’s been kind of hibernating lately. Now I know what he was up to. I fell in love with her too. Meet Sue and John.
I can’t tell you how happy I am for John…and Sue of course. We had a blast together and they’ve restored my faith in love is possible after a certain age. Sue turned me on to a good book, “Perfect Love, Imperfect Relationships”, by John Welwood, which I started and have to order online. It’s about something similar in subject and combines the psychological with the spiritual. Right up my alley.

Okay, back to the exciting. Not that John and Sue’s love isn’t. Because it is. Very. On Saturday I got to meet not only Sue, but also one of my Sparkbuddies, Carol. We went to Mahalapu, a beach and fishing spot. We had a great lunch, sandwiches Sue made and lots of portioned out veggies and fruit that Carol had packed. Yummy! Thanks, Carol!!!! She also turned me on to some low calorie and fat chips that are available here. Carol always has great suggestions, recipes, and tips. I haven’t shown her the pics yet, so I’m not going to post any of her until she gives the okay. I don’t like the one pic I got of her and I so I am definitely not going to post that! But…we had a great hike along the cliffs and she showed us some cool stuff, like the “Marilyn Monroe” vent that shoots up air from the ocean’s power about 20 feet below, and the “dancing sands” vents…hard to describe, but very cool.

All in all we had a great time, ending with a swim in the ocean to cool off. Here’s a pic of John and Sue on the beach. I love Sue. I guess she forgot her suit, so she stripped down to her undies and tank top and announced that she was wearing her “new white look like undies but not” swimsuit….lol..gotta love her. John made some delish poke stir fry after Sue and I went to the store….where tomatoes were almost $5.00 a pound!!!!! Yikes! Good thing Sue is growing tomatoes, lettuce and basil at their house.

Okay, on to the most exciting part of the weekend. John and I went on a bike ride to a waterfall Sunday morning while Sue was with her parents. It was 8.3 miles roundtrip, and there were hills. Lots of them!!!! I remember thinking a few times, “What goes down must come up.” Okay, I tried to add the route with elevations but MapMyRide is being ornery. If I ever get it to save anything I will post it. But, it showed the elevations were over 300 ft. Maybe more. Now, this is the first bike ride I’ve been on outside of the gym since I last visited John almost two years ago. That time we had fun, but had to turn around when I looked (and felt) like I was going to have a heart attack trying to go up a really steep hill. This time, which was a different ride, I made it all the way, even though I had to get off and walk my bike a few times.

I felt so good this time, and almost like a real bicyclist, wearing a helmet and riding Sue’s bike. I didn’t listen to myself and bring my camera, or you’d see how real I looked. That won’t happen again, I promise. But, John took me back today to take pics. Here are a few pics of the road and of the path to the pond where people were jumping off the rocks above and swinging off the tire swing.

On the way back I was pushing myself too hard I guess, because when I stopped and John looked really concerned, I took my pulse and it was over 200. Not good. But, it went down quickly and I went on. Did I mention that John is a really really good friend? Stopping or slowing down next to me when I needed to, even though he was often practicing his wheelies behind my back?

Anyways, after the bike ride and walk to the falls, we showered, had a quick lunch, and then went to Nawiliwili Harbor where John volunteers as a sail instructor on Sundays. We all went out on Lasers. It was okay, but kind of cramped and not very fast. I think my sailing days are done. I spent quite a few years when I was younger sailing Hobie cats, which are really fun and fast, and then our 36 foot yawl, but it’s lost its allure.

Then we went out for margaritas and dinner for John’s birthday. That was fun and I let myself eat much more than I have for the past few months. Mostly salad bar, but that included potato and Caesar salad and cole slaw. Waaaay too much fat and mayo, but I figured I’d already burned it all off earlier. Then for dessert we had an apple crisp Sue had made, and that we’d sampled the night before. Absolutely delicious!!!! My one concession there was nonfat vanilla yogurt instead of ice cream.


So, that wraps it up. I think I’m okay on the weight this week. We’ll see on Wednesday. Back to the gym tomorrow. I need to do some treadmill to keep my pace for the C25K progress. And definitely some more bike. Gotta be ready for my next trip to Kauai and those hills.