hike – Lori's Life and Other Stuff

The Walk

About a week ago (I think?! Two weeks? The days are starting to blend together a bit for me lately 🙂 we went on a walk on the trails near our house. We went with Grandma and Grampa and had a GREAT time!

It was, however, a groundhog-day sort of walk. The kind of walk you take with preschoolers. Meandering. Looking at a twig. Looking at the drain. Throwing a leaf into a ditch. Throwing a leaf into the ditch 500 times. Picking blackberries. Getting stuck by stickers in said blackberries. It was comical, fun, and a hilarious 2.38 miles. And Hannah and Jake were troopers having walked almost the entire thing!

I should point out that they were troopers AFTER about the first half mile….poor Jake and I had a standoff that rivaled the one at the O.K. Corral. Sheesh! That boy can be strong-willed. Can’t imagine where he gets that from…..anyway, once he got that we were in fact going to walk the loop and not just turn around and go back, he starting having fun, too!

Grandma and Hannah running along, side by side….most all of the way!

Pit-stopping to do some “happy feet”. (Think football drills.)

Hannah and Grampa stopping to wave at EVERY dump truck that drove by….

And Jake too!

Walking with Grampa! She asked him to carry her for a bit! So cute!

Happy Feet with Grampa!

And she nearly crashed at the end. Wanted to be carried. Can’t imagine why! Two miles on those two little legs was tough work! (For the record, I did have the stroller. She chose not to use it.)

Grandma took a turn!

And of course, Jacob had to get in on the carrying action!

So much fun with these crazy kids!

Wild Hairs and Crazy Ideas

Waking up this morning at o’dark thirty to a screaming, fit throwing, apparently possessed Hannah, I got the wild hair to get the workout done today before anything else. As I contemplated a run, (location, should I bring Jacob’s bike, just the stroller, decisions, decisions….) I got the genius idea to go for a bike ride with the kidlets in the bike trailer.

“Yeah, that sounds good. Just got the bike back from her tune up – she’ll be good to go!”

We dressed and were out the door by 7:15. I thought riding from my house to my sister’s coffee shop couldn’t be that far. I could do it. Probably only take me a half hour or so. It’s only like 7-10 miles, at most. I biked to bootcamp on Ford Island from Honolulu and discovered it was only about 5 miles. If I could do that, surely I could do this.

Smh.

Yeah, took me an hour to get to the coffee shop. Let’s not forget I have to ride all the way back! We stopped and had coffee (milk of course for the kids) a treat and a fun little visit with Uncle Dan at the roastery before hitting the road for the LOOONNG trek home. And of course I had forgotten to set the GPS before I left, so even if I had gotten a ride back home – I wouldn’t have wanted it because I was dying to know just how far it was (and how BADLY I had misjudged the distance)! So when I got home – I discovered, to my shock, that it was about 26 miles round trip.

Yeah – that’s a marathon.

And what’s even more ridiculous, is that elite marathon runners actually RUN (on legs) the same milage in the same time it took me to BIKE it! HA!

The kids were such troopers. I still can’t believe they rode that long in the trailer (mom fail!) Here are some pictures from the ride:

I let them out of the trailer to walk over the bridge…..amazing views! And a good break to get out and stretch their little legs!

Looks like they are in jail!

The view back home…..

The direction we were heading – to Moka Joe! This part was pretty daunting. Just like in life’s obstacles – “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming…” Or pedaling.

This is looking out over Swinomish channel

Me! The Crazy Idea Girl!

Driving cars along the “track”!

Beautiful morning views that I usually don’t get to appreciate much as I am usually driving over this bridge.

Funny little side note: I had texted my sister and let her know where I was headed. You know, back when I thought it wouldn’t be more than about 10 miles! If I hadn’t texted her my plan, I SO would have turned around and gone back to the house before I’d even gone 5 miles. That just goes to show the power of accountability! There was NO way I was going to quit what I set out to do, after I had “announced” it to someone else! Accountability partners are KEY!

FINALLY we make it back home. And did I mention yesterday’s leg workout day was, to quote my workout partners, “gnarly”!? Yeah, I was feeling the “weakness leaving my body”! I don’t know that I’ve ever been so happy to turn down my street and see home!

After a much needed rest and down time at home, we (I) then get the crazy idea to go to Washington Park! There’s a playgorund, the beach and a 3 mile loop road with spectacular views of the ocean, with trails that are simply stunning. I actually used to walk the loop often when we lived here before and when I was pregnant with Jake.

After riding 26 miles pulling 70 lbs, what better way to relax and recover than to walk a couple of miles herding kids on bikes and trikes while I push a double jogger in the fairly predictable chance that one or both of them is going to get tired and not want to ride/walk anymore!?

B.E.A.Utiful!

Down to the water we go!

Washington Park is one of my favorite places on the planet!

Looking for critters in the tide pools – no luck today…maybe next time! And notice the coats and long sleeves. In August. Really Washington? This is summer? Sheesh!

What a cutie!

Needless to say – they crashed early tonight. I think my wild hairs and crazy ideas wore them out! (I don’t think we’ll be leaving the house tomorrow!)

Karma

I’m not sure if I believe in karma, but I definitely feel like we should all live by the golden rule – do unto others…
Well, apparently I haven’t been very nice because karma came with a vengeance in the last 36 hours!! I can’t make this stuff up – it would be hilarious if it hadn’t happened to me!

The day started like any other, getting ready to take my shower and luckily, Hannah was still asleep on my bed, snoring softly. I thought I might be quick enough to get in and get dressed by the time she woke up. Ahhh, the best laid plans! Just as I was pulling back the shower curtain (naked and vulnerable, mind you) my good friend Mr. Cockroach decided to pay me a visit in the tub! BLEEEGHHHH! Any one that knows me well, knows my intense fear/dislike/hatred of bugs of any kind, but spiders and roaches specifically. And the little bugger didn’t even have the decency to make his appearance at a time when my baby was awake so I could have at least done my normal primal scream!! Just another reason I’m not a fan!

So without my ability to properly scream and holler at Mr. C – I finally get him shoved down the drain followed by whatever chemicals I can find to ensure his demise. I decide to postpone my shower until the heebee jeebees have subsided.

But then I decide – eh, who needs a shower before heading on a hike when I’m bound to get all sweaty again anyway???

So off to Makapu’u we go with friends!!! It’s a great, kid friendly hike with a wide paved path big enough for strollers. The view was amazing!!! So stunning!

So we are climbing higher and higher and Jake wants in the stroller. Then out. Then in again. OVER AND OVER AND OVER! And it’s no big deal – he’s wearing himself out so he’s bound to take a decent nap….

After our picnic lunch at the top, its time to head back down, but Jake decides it would be much more fun to biff his sister in the head with his apple. (We are having issues with hitting). So as a consequence, he has to ride in the stroller all the way back down.

Awesome.

Screaming all the way down, “LET ME OUT!!” “UNBUCKLE ME!!”

I’m sure it was entertaining for all.

Or not.

These are the days I just wish I would have stayed home! LOL!

It was stunning though, and I am glad I went. But note to self for next time – bigger lunch and don’t forget Hannah’s shoes so she can get out and walk around more!

So I proceed to be DONE at this point so I start to make my way back to the car (screaming Jacob the whole way, Hannah trying to pull his hair and poke him in the eye, which only riles him up further) and I load up the kids in the car and we are not a mile down the road and they are both ZONKED!

Ahhh….peace.

So my genius self thinks – hmmm. I wonder if I can manage transferring them both to their beds, AND keep them both sleeping?????

Yeah, they woke up a mile from the house. Both of them.

So in the house we go and I dutifully get them some milk (C’mon tryptphan!! Do your sleepy magic!) They drink it down and up to bed we go. We are having a nap cause we didn’t yesterday. Jake is in his bed, Hannah is in her room

For an hour.

No one is sleeping.

Ugh.

I give up.

So backdown we go as day two of Stoffers Nap Boycott continues.

Then I get the BRILLIANT idea to go for a bike ride (Hannah in her trailer behind my bike and Jake on his own bike) because that will surely wear them out. Especially if I let them run around at the playground forever and a day!

So off we go pedaling down the road. My bike shoes have cleats that clip into the pedals (they rock) but I am still getting accustomed to them. You twist your ankle to remove your shoe from the pedal. And, I’m a newbie so this takes me a bit of time. And you have to pedal while doing it otherwise you slow down and you will fall over.

And that’s just what I did.

Tore up my knee and my elbow. Feel like a 6 year old.

And my first thought is, “I have to get back up. Jacob is watching me. When you fall – you have to get back up and try again.” And that’s what I did. I got back on my bike. We went to the playground, ran around like crazy people, got back on our bikes, then headed to my Battle Buddy Katy’s house for some TLC in the form of neosporin, band-aids, and an adult beverage!

After some patch up work, off we went home to have dinner with Daddy – which consisted of – well this:

Now, I know what you are thinking….That’s not a healthy eating plan! And you would be correct! This is not what I would normally eat – but it was one of those days. (And yes, I am back on track!)

And these are the nibble trays we made for the kids:

By this time, Eric is commiserating with my horrible day and the fact that it’s time to bathe the kids so we can ALL just go to bed. So I go up to get Hannah bathed. She’s playing in the bubbles having a grand time. Then she poos.

In her bath.

Awesome.

I really can’t make this stuff up.

Tomorrow just has to be a better day right?!

Wellllllll, Katy and I are going to swim at the pool on base as they have this “Swim 2012 yards (that’s over a mile!) and get a free towel” promotion for the new year. And both of us being on board with free fitness fun – we decide that’s what we are going to do! Keep in mind she is a swimmer – and good at it. I am a hack. But I’m learning and we are both training for our first biathlon next weekend. So we swim. And swim. Katy is done and I’ve still got a ways to go, so I’m doing my thing but have to take breaks and swim on my back for a half a lap or so…

and then I bonk my head on the side of the pool.

Hard.

Really? I’m able to keep going, not really thinking much of it other than hoping that no one saw me! We do our swim, get our towels, and go on our merry way.

I head to the commissary to pick up some groceries and realize I have a blind spot in my peripheral vision. And I’m feeling a little foggy – but that’s just because I swam over a mile! I’m bound to be a bit tired I suppose.

Then my arm starts tingling and going numb.

And I have a monster headache. Like the worst headache I’ve ever had in my life. (I don’t get headaches often, so it was probably not that bad, but it was awful to me.) So I come home and sleep for a couple of hours.

Yeah, a mild concussion.

I am officially DONE.

Karma, the universe – I sincerely submit my apologies to whom ever I have offended, wronged or otherwise displeased. Please make this stop!!!

🙂

Thank you! And good night!

Climbing Mountains

I don’t know why, but climbing Diamondhead seemed like such a daunting feat. We have lived here now for almost 3 years but with the excuse of the kids, being too busy, and just life in general it was something we never got around to checking off of the list…

…..until today!!!!