Hawaii and Kelcy's Wedding!

Bill and I just got back from 4 days in Maui. I know, not nearly enough time to relax and enjoy ourselves, but we were going for a wedding and without the kids, so we thought we would make it a quick trip, this time.

Maui was wonderful. We stayed in the town of Lahaina (where Kelcy's family lives)at the Royal Lahaina Resort. The views from our hotel room were amazing. We could see the islands of Lanai and Molokai from our room and the neighboring Kaanapali Resorts and just bright clear blue water that went on for miles. The weather was great everyday we were there (minus a little scare we had during Kelcy's wedding, but that's another story). We rented a mustang convertible, so the wind whipped through my hair and gave me a little bit of color. I loved Maui because of what it did to my hair! It felt so full.

Thursday, Oct 23
We arrived around noon and drove about 45 minutes to our hotel. We checked in and were starving so went out to look for some food. We ate at The Mixed Plate, a local hangout that serves teriyaki type food. It was good and the view was nice. There were a lot of birds hanging around to eat any food that may have fallen on the floor..Let's just say that they got nothing from us. This meal was the first time that Bill was introduced to Poi. He did not like it (neither do I for that matter). But he did fall in love with Lomi Lomi Salmon..who knew? Then later that evening, we headed to Kelcy's rental and had a bbq by the pool for all the folks that arrived early.

Friday, Oct 24
We decided to go and try The Gazebo, per the recommendation of one Jacob Pollinger. We finally got to the place and sure enough, the line was already started. We waited about 30 minutes before getting seated and I proceeded to order the fried rice dish (the house speciality)..holy cow it was HUGE! At least two cups of rice (measured uncooked) and portugese sausage, ham, onions, egg, green onions all mixed together. We didn't even eat half of it. Bill ordered corned beef and hash..REALLY! and then we got one order of banana macadamian pancake (since they were famous for that too). I just have to say that I was not overly impressed with the food and left the place feeling bloated and FAT! I don't recommend this place. From there, we went shopping at the Whalers Village and bought Bill a pair of slippers and some trinkets for the family.

Then we had to go and help Kelcy set up for the reception, so we drove to the Jodo Mission and Bill dropped me off while we moved tables around. We also had the wedding rehearsal that day and the sunset was beautiful. Later that evening we went to the Royal Lahaina Luau. We got to enter through the VIP side entrance and had the best view in the house..of the ocean and the stage. The food was good the show was good. But I have to say that I wasn't too overly impressed. You know how it gets whey they hype everything up for so long..But I am always amazed at how they can shake their hips the way they do. Besides, you have to see a luau at least once when visiting Hawaii! After it was over, I went to bed and crashed.

Saturday, October 24
Wedding Day!!!

The day of the wedding started out beautiful. I kept telling Bill that Saturday was by far the best day. Not just because of the wedding, but because we woke up, got coffee, headed back to the hotel, hung out by the water and looked out over the beach and just relaxed. It was the first time we were able to do this together. I wasn't supposed to be at Kelcy's until 2, so Bill and I were able to relax together for a bit.

So this whole trip I've been wanting sushi. All I hear about is the freshness of the sushi, so I wanted to compare the fish in hawaii vs oregon. Well, it turns out that most of the good places don't open until dinner or they are on another island. We decided to go find some sushi at lunch, but were unsuccessful. Instead we hit this place called The Blue Lagoon on Front Street and had some disappointing food and drinks (at least I did). Another bad food experience.

But it was wedding time so Bill dropped me off at Kelcy's so the girls could get ready together..although, Kyle Dobashi was in the room most of the time..can we call him a girl too? =)

I used a flat iron for the first time and I fell in love with it. If I didn't have two kids to get ready in the morning, I would totally do that to my hair. My hair looked great (at least to me). The dress actually looked a lot better on me once I was surrounded by the other girls too.

Kelcy looked beautiful. She had on a spaghetti strap ivory dress with a small train. She also had the cutest shoes. We all headed over to the Jodo Mission so we could get the party started. The girls were lei'd and the flowers smelled so GOOD! As we were proceeding to the alter, the wind was starting to kick it up a notch and we could see the clouds getting bigger. The sun was gone and it turned a big overcast. After the ceremony was pictures and we had a good time, except there was a nazi videographer that just wouldn't let the newlyweds get to the reception in a decent time. During this time tables were being moved to covered areas, just in case, but thank goodness the rains never came and the evening turned out to be perfect! Everyone ate (the food was amazing..courtesy of Jayson Asuncion and his crew), drank, and danced (Kyle was a great DJ, if you're looking for a DJ, check him out). The party moved to a house and unfortunately, I was tuckered out and went to the hotel and slept.

Sunday, October 26

Time to come home. We left Lahaina early because we wanted to check out the neighboring cities. We headed southwest and north and drove through Kihei and Kahului, not that exciting. We drove to Paia and Kapua and that's where we saw the surfers, para-surfers. It was exciting and definitely a highlight! We got in at 11pm and went home and found two sleeping kids. It was a cute sight.

We had a great time in Maui and at Kelcy and Ben's wedding.

Check out the pictures from our trip here.

http://picasaweb.google.com/patty.grunwald/MauiAndKelcySWedding

A Wedding to Remember...

Last Friday, Bill and I went to my co-workers wedding. The ceremony was at the Classical Chinese Garden and the reception was at the Jupiter Hotel in Portland. The event was really beautiful and FUN!

My co-workers fiance is part Chinese so they played on this theme throughout the wedding. The bridesmaids wore traditional Chinese dresses and carried open umbrellas instead of flowers. The bride had on a beautiful, yet whimsical white dress that came a little below the knee and had white polka dots on it with a brown sash around the waist. She also worked a very high pair of heels! I was most impressed. The ceremony was heartwarming with each writing their own vows and I have to admit that I shed a tear or two. The newly married couple was whisked away in a pedicart (bike with a carriage).

We reconvened at the Jupiter Hotel where the party was underway. The canopy was beautifully decorated with lanterns and lights and modern furniture. They had two signature drinks: a blue hawaiian (YUMMY) and a chocolate martini that went along with their blue and brown theme. The booze was flowing and everyone was having a good time. The happy couple was introduced by two Chinese dragons who proceeded to perform a ceremonius (I'm assuming this is what they did) dance for the married couple. It was definitely a highlight of the evening. They provided catered food from Noho's and a very nice looking cake. Unfortunately, I did not have any.

It was one of the best weddings that I have been too and once again, my other co-worker, Katie, got Bill onto the dance floor! I was wearing shoes with a heel that was slightly too high for me, so my feet were paying the price the whole evening and actually into the next day, and now that I think about it, now.

Congrats, Adrian and Georgia!