new blog

Hey, we created a new webpage for our blog, so our blog has moved!

Go here to find it now: http://thelifeofbrianandkate.com/

Nano Tank Update

Some of our recent adds to our 12g JBJ Nano cube.

A Midas Blenny who we call Midas. He's nervous in this pic and hiding, so he looks a bit funny > but he's super cute and one of the cooler fish we own.

Yesterday we added a Halloween Pincushion Urchin. This thing is super fun to just watch slowly move around the tank:

Full tank shot, Anemone is on the glass right now > no idea why:

Happy Birthday Matthew!!!

Today is Matthew's 5th birthday!

We celebrated his birthday by going over to his place for dinner last night with his family. There are many reason I love Matthew. I would have to say that if there was one distinct thing that stands out to me about Matthew it is his love. Every time I see him, without fail, he gives me the biggest hug. And no matter how my day was, he always brings a smile to my face.

Kaua'i - Day 7

Our final day in Hawaii was my birthday and since we had to be out of the hotel by 10 am before our 10 pm flight we made it a day to enjoy our last day of 70 degree+ weather before we returned to the fridged Minnesota cold.

We enjoyed some time at the beach and in gardens:

We also took some time to enjoy the Moa's (chicken's) which we would no longer have to drive around, listen to and see every where.

And for my birthday dinner before we headed to the airport we enjoyed seafood burritos and tacos and Monico's Tacos. They were delicious!!

Kaua'i - Day 6

Day 6 was one of the rainier days we experiences while on the island. This unfortunately hindered some of the hiking we had hoped to do. Instead we did more exploring of the island and were able to find these water falls on our way up to the arboretum:

We also picked up another local favorite called ahi poke. Which is raw tuna. I was able to eat a couple chunks and Brian ate a few more but neither of us thought it was the great:

We also stopped by the Kilauea Lighthouse and bird sanctuary. Here we saw multiple humpback whales out in the water and we think we possibly saw a sea turtle swimming around in the water.

A walking photo at the lighthouse:

For dinner that evening I convinced Brian we should have pizza at Hanalei Pizza. Something he was not very excited about. Then once there I insisted on a veggie deluxe pizza which according to some reviews I had read was suppose to be absolutely delicious. The meat lover gave into my nagging and we got what I wanted. The pizza ended up being delicious and Brian absolutely loved it!

Kaua'i - Day 5

Day 5 was our big touristy day. We had booked an adventure with Princeville Ranch Adveutures for hiking, kayaking and zip-lining on their private property. Our tour guides Tiff and Sam were awesome as was the setting:

Kayaking their private river was awesome, all the trees and lush vegetation made for an awesome stroll "up river".

After kayaking we did some zip-lining which was awesome. The unfortunate part is how quickly flying across tree tops can go!

After our adventure we headed back to the hotel to relax for our evening Luau with Smith Family.

Here is the awesome kalua (pig) after it was uncovered from its imu (oven):

The food at the buffet was delicious:

Kaua'i - Day 4

After two days of hiking we were pretty much set on having day 4 be a fairly easy day.

We started the day out at the Glass Beach. Essentially it is a beach littered with sea glass located in the middle of an industrial area in Ele'ele. The glass found on the beach evidently came from broken bottles and auto glass dumped by Swiss Cheese Shoreline on the western end of Kauai. It made for a great morning digging through the beach to find some sweet sea glass treasure to bring home:

After the beach we headed up to Koke'e State park area again to see the Kalalau look out. Since the previous day had been so foggy we didn't get a chance to see the breathtaking look out. It was certainly worth the second drive on the hair raising road for the opportunity of a glance at the Napali coast:

After the look out we did something I never would have imagined. We stopped at (gasp) a coffee plantation. Kauai coffee is pretty popular in the area (obviously) and since Brian's mom loves coffee we thought we stop for a quick tour and to pick her up some coffee directly from the source. Here is a picture of coffee beans still growing:

Fun lunch we tried another local favorite, 'plated lunches'. This one we got from Mark's Place, I've already eaten the salad but what remained was Katsu Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, Beef stew and rice. The container was loaded full of food and it was all delicious.

Then we went to spouting horn. This natural wonder occurs when water rushes under a lava shelf and bursts through a small opening at the surface each time spraying water into the air. In addition to the spraying water there is a low growling sound which occurs with the rushing water.

Kaua'i - Day 3

Day 3 like most days started out pretty slow. We enjoyed muffins on our hotel balcony followed by a swim in the pool. Once we were set for adventure we signed ourselves up for zip lining on day 5. After that we headed to the North shore for the Kalalau Trail which is an 11 mile trail, which we only did the first 2 miles. We hiked from Ke'e Beach to Hanakapi'ia beach. The hike was by far one of the hardest hikes I have ever done. It was rocky, slippery, wet, up/down and also along a cliff most of the way then at the end you had to pass through a stream which had the potential to sweep you off into the ocean to your death... Despite all those negatives it was an amazing hike filled with water filled shoes and breathtaking views.

This is us literally on the trail, notice the stream...

One of the many amazing views along the trial:

Us at Hanakapi'ai beach just after going through the scariest stream up to our waists. I was so nervous and shaky that I absolutely forgot to take a picture of how strong the current was.

An amazing parking job we saw at Ke'e Beach. You have to love how people treat rentals:

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the Hanalei Overlook, the view was amazing:

Kaua'i - Day 2

Day 2 in Kauai started out pretty slow, we began the day by heading over to the St. Regis hotel to check out the beach to get some sand in our toes and our feet wet. It was a beautiful morning and we spent some time just watching surfers ride the North Shore waves.

After relaxing by the beach we headed to the South Shore, we stopped at Wailua Falls along the way. It was a beautiful drive up to the top of the falls and was one of the bigger falls we have ever seen. It said in our tour book that the official government height of the falls is 80 feet, but the authors note that it looked considerably taller, so they decided to measure it and found that it is 173 feet - as tall as Niagara Falls (although far less water flows over)!

After the falls we headed up to see Waimea Canyon and Koke'e State Park. Waimea Canyon is often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. The canyon stretches 14 miles long, one mile wide and more than 3,600 feet deep.
While in Koke'e State park we stopped for lunch and Brian tried out a local favorite called the Loco Moco. Which is essentially white rice, topped with a hamburger patty, topped with a fried egg, and then finally topped with brown gravy. He says it was delicious...

After lunch we decided to do the Awa'awapuhi trail which promised to provide us with breath taking views of the Napali coast. Unfortunately once we a couple miles into the hike fog rolled in, so all we were able to see was the trail and the clouds...

Kaua'i - Day 1

Our first official day in Hawaii was spent primarily at the Allerton Garden - National Tropical Botanical Garden.

Since this was our first day on the island after a long day off travel we decided to take it easy. The Allerton Garden promised to be a place filled with unique plants and a beautiful setting.

Our tour guide Martin was a hilarious guide who allowed us many opportunities along the tour to taste many of the fruits growing within the garden. They were all delicious!

After our tour of Allerton we set out to find Puka Dogs. We had heard about these prior to heading to Hawaii from our good friend Matt. So based off his recommendations we had to try one. Overall the most interesting hot dogs we will ever eat. They have a different bun shape than a normal hot dog but the uniqueness of them comes with their garlic sauce and their fruit relish.

Best cat toy?

Who needs kitty toys when you have a sink?

Who needs friends when you have anemone?

So we finally broke down and started our anemone tank. Here are a few pics. We may be over feeding the poor thing...

Cookie Making!

We did our annual cooking making day with Carol and Co. We ended up with quite a few different types of cookies:

- Russian Tea Cakes

- Spritz

- Pecan Tarts

- Sugar

- Mounds Balls

- Fudge

- Thumb Prints

- Peanut Butter Fingers

I think that's about it...

COFFEE CAKES!

Coffee cake baking happened a bit earlier this year. We ended up with only 114 cakes, I"m pretty sure I am to blame for this since I like to over fill! So this is what happens when I'm in control.

It was a great day with lots of food and lots of fun. Now I just need to remember to grab a frozen one out of the freezer whenever I want!

Arboretum

I'm a bit behind on keeping up with our life!

I took a day off from work in November to go to the Arboretum with Natalie and James. We walked way more trails than I expected! We had Natalie in her bike carrier so we didn't have to worry about her getting tired out - there was however no bike carrier for me! Regardless we did quite a number of trails, went through a couple of their mazes and in general had a great day! A few pictures from the day...

The plant James donated to the arboretum:

Natalie in the bee hive:

Natalie in a tree along a trail:

Halloween At The Fish Store

The fish store we go to has an annual Halloween party. This year at the party there was Pizza, Cup cakes, member discounts and PRIZES. To our surprise Natalie won the Kids Grand Prize and we won the adult Grand Prize! Hooray for mermaids, bananas and TOGAS!

Us with our prizes:

Natalie with all the fish store kids:

Me with a couple pirates, a hostile Mexican, a fairy, a mermaid (Natalie) and Super Girl.