Giving Thanks

Greetings!  

I can’t believe another month has already flown by.  I can tell by the weird Christmas trees hanging around town that it is almost time to do some holiday shopping and head home for a visit, but it doesn’t feel like holiday time at all.  Thanksgiving is really my favorite, anyway...a whole day to eat and enjoy hanging out with family without worrying about buying stuff or sales or packaging or lines or whatever.  Before you call me Ms. Scrooge, let me say that I do love giving thoughtful gifts, but the commercialism and overspending of American Christmas really take the soul out of that holiday for me.  Still...I look forward to coming home for a visit in just a few weeks!  Oh, the long, lost loved ones..the woolly socks and snuggly down coat...I can’t wait!

Megan and Kati on the snorkel boat. 

We have some friends in town from San Francisco for Thanksgiving week...Kati and Megan.  We headed to the Drums of the Pacific Lu’au on Thanksgiving day and gorged ourselves on huli huli chicken, roasted pork, pineapple, poi, and a billion other tasty treats.  It was totally cheesy and surreal, but we had a good time.  The dancers performed amazing acts inspired by many of the islands and cultures of the Polynesian islands, which was pretty cool.  Dave is considering a career as a fire knife dancer.  The UConn basketball team was there, having just won the Maui Invitational b-ball tournament.  I was worried when those guys got in front of us at the buffet line.  It looked like they would eat everything!  Fortunately, Hawai’ian style means there’s plenty to go around.  

The day after Thanksgiving I headed over to the Hana side with our guests while Dave and Porter held down the fort here in heaven.  We had a crazy night of “sleeping” in our little tent while gale force winds and pelting rain kept us awake all night.  It felt like sleeping in a weather balloon.  Thankfully, we did not wake up on the Big Island as I feared we might, and everything was sunny and dry by morning.  We swam in a freezing waterfall, ate some delicious banana bread, and headed for home the next morning.  

Not sea sick!

Tonight we went to Merriman’s for happy hour and who showed up, but Mr. Big!  That guy from Sex and the City...I don’t know his real name.  It was pretty funny to see him out on the patio while we enjoyed our french fries and mai tai’s.  After he headed in for dinner, it seemed like every woman out there was talking about the show.  We all have our favorite moments...come on...admit it.  I totally had a little flash back to when I used to think I was the fifth friend.  Luckily, I got my head together before I was overcome with the urge  to kick him in the shins for cheating on Carrie with that woman at Merriman’s.  

Ok, now I am starting to come a little unwound.  Please pardon that last paragraph.  We really did see a famous guy, though.  I had too many (one) mai tai’s and I am exhausted from hostessing adventures and work today.  I’ll see lots of you very soon.  Enjoy your post-Thanksgiving holidays and stuff.  I think it is time for me to go to bed.  Oh!  8:08.  Definitely Maui midnight. 

Aloha, 

Jen

P.S.  We saw a breaching whale on Thanksgiving!  We were sitting on the beach and it was way out in the water, off the coast of Lana’i.  Amazing.  I am thankful for whales.