Mt. Rainer Excursion

October is almost over and we're gearing up for the Holiday Season at the ole red & khaki. It's really a whole buncha hype for a seriously huge shopping period. Retailers make between 17-20% of their yearly sales in just a four or five week period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's pretty insane. So yeah, there's a lot of prep work going into the planning stages to make sure everyone is happy and no one dies. That's right kids, no one must die. We have to take quizzes on how to ensure people are let into the building in a safe and orderly fashion. This module is called "The Opposite of What Wal-Mart Does."

Conversely, the time at home is more relaxed than usual. With our trip to Hawaii complete and nothing seriously pressing on the horizon, we are trying to ensure our sanity is intact before the craziness of the Holidays begins. I was able to go through some over the summer pics and found some good pictures when we went up to Mt. Rainier with Evan & Ali, April's brother & sister-in-law. We went up there on the last Saturday of the year that the park was open. Fortunate that we did because it was probably the most gorgeous day on the mountain. It was sunny & hot with great visibility AND the kid actually wasn't a complete disaster area. Here's some pictures from our escapade up the mountain:

C'mon Evan, even Vivian has sunglasses on!

Beautiful backdrop with a beautiful lady!

Check out this waterfall next time you're up there. Most tranquil!

We dared V to rip off that piece of wood.

Um... We didn't think she'd actually do it.

Then she got mad because we doubted her and tore apart this fence.

Hawaii Is Better Than Work

Yeah that's right: This is two straight posts without the kid. We didn't bring her with us to Hawaii and since that's all we've been doing or thinking about for the last two weeks, the exuberance continues. Our minds were free, our bodies bronzed and our egos in check... until we came back home and went to work. Don't get me wrong, we both enjoy our jobs but there's a certain letdown once humans return to the "old life." I really think there's preconceived notions with the problems that one has returning to work after a long break. Things like exhaustion, inability to focus and a general lack of drive. All of these preconceived notions are true.

So here we are back in the swing of things and fighting through all the notions that come in our path. We're pretty much going to kill ourselves on the right path to success. Just let the kid at home bring you back to reality when the perils of work fail. Speaking of the kid, we'll get back to her pictures once I decide we're done talking about Hawaii. I don't want to throw April under the bus but she totally tried to get rid of me whilst we were on holiday. Check out these pictures as the proof of the mockery:

She first tells me to go stand by the edge of that big rock.

That's me getting incinerated by a huge wave.

That didn't work so she tells me to walk over there by that rock face.

I'm thinking "YES! EPIC WAVE CHUMP!"

But her plan works... I am officially vanquished.

With husband gone, she's resigned to showing off her exquisite derriere.

Fifty, Five Zero, Cincuenta, 50

We did it! April and I have been to ALL FIFTY STATES! BOO to the YAH! It only took us about 30 years and a lot of gas money but we're done. It's fun to think that we have seen so many different cultures in our own country. From the free spirited Floridians and bigger than life Texans to the easy going Hawaiians and reserved Vermonters... Vermontians... People from Vermont. If I learned one thing from our travels its that you don't have to leave the States to see some great places and have a lot of fun. Don't get me wrong, I'm still jealous of our friends Doug & Carla sailing the ENTIRE Pacific Ocean. I'm just glad I can say that I've done something that, well... frankly I don't know anyone else that's done this achievement in so little time. If you do know of someone, don't tell me about it because I need this.

So yes, we finally made it to Maui, Hawaii. It's a beautiful part of the country. It's weird saying that because it's a 6 hour flight from Seattle but it's a state nonetheless. I must say that if you only get a chance to go to one tropical vacation, it's definitely the easiest because you don't need a passport to visit. Monetarily it has to rank as a Top 3 most expensive place I've ever been. $5 for a gallon of milk? Even the pineapple that's grown there is expensive. It's grown there people. Coffee was grown about a mile from our hotel, roasted two miles from our hotel and it costs: $20 a pound. We just picked up 2.5 pounds of Starbizzle with a coupon for $15. Think about that the next time you buy a Starbizzle.

We had a blast and I want to post a giant synopsis later but I'm still recovering from jet lag, kid lag and work lag. Here's some of our favorite pictures and I promise to tell some stories soon:

Our amazing view as we land in Hawaii!

The view from our Condo was much better.

As if on cue, the waves come up right behind us!

Dinner at sunset 20 feet from the beach... aw yeah...

See? We did have fun!

We totally got mad tans and here's the picture to prove it!