i am...mai

LOST in Waikiki

On Saturday, Hawaii fans of LOST were treated to a one hour preview of the first episode for the sixth and final season of the hit TV show.  The full 2-hour premier isn't scheduled to air on TV until tomorrow, but people in Hawaii crazy enough to brave the crowds got to enjoy this special early viewing at the Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki event on a 30-foot screen on the beach along with the show's leading actors.  Yes, I dragged my family down to Waikiki for this.

The show wasn't scheduled to begin until 6:30, but we knew that festivities would start a couple of hours earlier and that the crowds would show up really early to stake their claim on "seats."  It's free, and it's LOST.  Of course everyone planned to be there.  Unfortunately, we didn't have the luxury of an early arrival.  Arwen had ballet Saturday morning and was in desperate need of a nap (as was Rob) following class.  We'd normally allow her a break, but she's got a performance coming up later this month, and there are few rehearsal opportunities left.  Oh the sacrifices we must make for this kid's hobbies and interests!

We also used this premiere event as an excuse to take a much needed stay-cation in Waikiki.  By the time we got checked into our hotel and down to the beach, there wasn't an inch of sand left to sit upon, and the only seating left on the pier would put us at a poor viewing angle for the screen.  We managed to find a decent spot on the grass between the sidewalk and the street that actually turned out to work to our advantage on multiple levels.

While waiting for the show to begin, we saw the limos and town cars heading down Kalakaua Avenue and realized the red carpet was just down the walkway from where we sat.  Rob and Arwen hung out on our blanket as I sprinted down the walk and through the crowd to witness the arrivals of Ilana, Sayid, Richard, Desmond, Frank, Michael, Kate, John, Hurley, Jin, Sun, Jack, and Sawyer.  The only three stars I missed coming out of the cars were Miles, Claire, and Ben.  I attempted to take pictures, but the crowd kept it a challenge - lots of elbows, heads, and other cameras blocking my shots.  But I did manage to catch a few shots as the celebrities came by.  They were awesome, taking the time to smile, wave, shake hands, sign autographs, and pose for pictures.  I could have gone home immediately following this part of the evening and been completely satisfied.  Too cool!

I returned to our spot following the paparazzi moment to find a very excited Rob and Arwen who explained that the limos and cars passed right by them.  Rob had told Arwen, "These cars have the stars from the show in them.  Let's wave."  Arwen waved to the car in front of them, and then the window rolled down - John Locke was in there and waved back at her before pulling away to the red carpet.  How cool is that?!?!

The sun set, and the program began.  Even though the show will air tomorrow, I'm not going to post any spoilers.  All I will say is that we had a nice view of the screen, it was cool how the sound echoed off of the surrounding Waikiki hotels, and the first hour of the episode was great - a typical LOST rollercoaster ride.  I am looking forward to catching the whole episode tomorrow.  Love it!

Following the show, ABC gave away free t-shirts to those of us that completed their survey about the program.  Again, our previously thought to be decent spot allowed us the flexibility to make a bee line to the t-shirt tent, and my crazy luck planted me in the perfect place by the booth to get our t-shirts (in our desired sizes!)  I was even able to help out the woman carrying a little baby behind me by getting her shirts, and we worked together to escape the mob still waiting their turn.  Eek!

The three of us walked back to our hotel just raving to each other about the experience.  Rob: "That was awesome!"  Arwen: "That was so cool!"  Me: "I'm so glad we did this!"

Back at the hotel, the stay-cation began.  Time for the Schultz family to get lost in Waikiki for a day.  We enjoyed a simple dinner in the hotel room and then wandered downstairs to get Coldstone for dessert.  Yum!

After a restful night in comfy beds and an air-conditioned room, we walked down to Duke's for their breakfast buffet.  Breakfast on the beach on such a beautiful day was a total "Lucky we live Hawaii" moment for us.

We returned to the hotel to give Arwen some pool time and then enjoyed the comfort and fabulous view from our hotel room a bit more before check out.  The conversation in the car on the way home?  Rob: "That was awesome!"  Arwen: "That was so cool!"  Me: "I'm so glad we did this!"

What an experience!

More photos from our weekend are on flickr.

Ups and Downs

Last night I went to bed feeling good about finally completing the edits and upload of the pictures I took for Pua on Monday.  Her husband Brandon returned from a 6-month deployment aboard the USS Chung-Hoon, and she wanted to record his homecoming. 

 

This was such a special event, so it was important for me to take the time to put together a photo set that properly conveyed the joy and excitement of the happy reunion.  I think I succeeded, but you can check the set out here and decide for yourself.

Woke up this morning continuing last night's high - excited for Arwen's last day of summer school, my walk, and our plans for a Mommy-Daughter date with cupcakes and Coraline.  It's going to be a great day, right?  Maybe not.

After dropping Arwen off at school, I got rear-ended while stopping for a crazy homeless person in a crosswalk.  I'm okay.  The other driver's okay.  The damage to the van isn't too bad, but the whole situation is still so frustrating and stressful, and I'm not looking forward to the downtime to get the car repaired.  Take a look at my car's new owies.  Poor baby.  Second fender-bender in a year!

Had to axe the walk for today to take care of the insurance stuff, but the rest of the day went smoothly.  Car insurance agent was both friendly and helpful.  It looks like I won't have to pay for the damages since I wasn't at fault.  I also made it down to Hokulani Bake Shop to pick up the cupcakes for tonight as well as some cookies for Arwen to give as mahalo gifts for her summer school teachers.  The purchase even came in cute little reusable bag.

Arwen and I didn't get to watch Coraline because we both knocked out for a long late afternoon nap and didn't wake until 7 pm, so by the time dinner and dishes were done, it was just too late.  But there were cupcakes for dessert, so we still managed to end the day on a positive note.  Cupcakes are good that way.

Busy Summer Saturday

We had a relaxing Sunday today.  We caught up on some much needed sleep, had a delicious brunch at Big City Diner, and went to see a great movie Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 3D.  All of us loved the first two Ice Age movies, so we walked into the theatre knowing this would be another "must have on dvd."  All of our favorite characters were back with a couple of new ones - a girlfriend for the Scrat the squirrel and, my fave, Buck the weasel.  Voice by Simon Pegg and hilarious.

Much of today was a recovery period for yesterday - another busy summer Saturday.   After Arwen's ballet lesson, we went to a wonderful pool party to celebrate Pierce's third birthday.  A few Calvary parents that we hadn't seen since school ended in May were there, so it was a great time to relax and catch up while the kids played.  The party also included an awesome korean food spread with homemade (by Pierce's grandmother) kim chee.  I couldn't pass up seconds.

As we left the party, we realized that we still had time to catch the tail end of the Contemporary Museum's ArtSpree.  I am such a huge fan of this annual event and used to volunteer for it through Alpha Gamma Delta each year.  Originally disappointed that our day's events wouldn't allow time for us to go this year, I was suddenly excited that we'd make it after all - even if just for a short while.  As always, the event was fantastic with lots of kid hands-on activities, demonstrations, and entertainment - all provided free of charge to the public.

 

Arwen not only enjoyed the face painting and crafts, but also seemed to be quite interested in the artwork and sculptures displayed throughout the property.  We'll have to return one day soon to check it all out.  Maybe it's time to renew our membership to support the museum and fabulous family events like this one.  You can click here to see a few more photos from ArtSpree.

Following the return on the crazy shuttle bus to our car parked at Punahou, we decided to make the drive out to visit the Majors family who were camping at Malaekahana in Kahuku. 

Even though we weren't going to spend the night, Arwen was so excited to "camp out" with Gabe.  This was her first experience with sitting by a campfire in the woods by the beach.  Exciting stuff for the 5 year old.  Not so exciting for this 37 year old that isn't exactly the "outdoorsy type."  But that's okay.  We still had a great time checking out their campsite, the beautiful beach, and the idiot from a neighboring camp that broke his fish line. 

We also enjoyed eating a delicious salmon and hot dog dinner grilled up by Chef Isom and roasting yummy S'mores for dessert.  The kids played for hours in the tent while the adults got smoked out by another neighboring campsite.

On the drive home, I was almost convinced we could go camping some day.  But after discussing this possibility with Rob over dinner tonight, I realized that it only sounded like a good idea because we had a great time hanging with friends by the campfire and then came home to a hot shower and our own bed.  Had we spent the night out there, I don't think I'd still be smiling about our "camping" experience.  You can click here for more Malaekahana pictures.

Staci Meets the Seal

Did the 4 mile walk route around Diamond Head again today and was pleasantly surprised to find our monk seal returned just a little further down the beach than where it was on Monday.  Arwen was still on an excitement high after showing her seal photos to her school friends today that I couldn't help but share the good news when I picked her up.  Of course, she insisted we go straight back to Diamond Head to see it again, and this time, we swung by my mom's to pick up my niece Staci. 

Arwen is now very interested in Hawaiian monk seals and asking lots of questions about them.  What do they eat?  Why do they like to sit on the beach like that?  Why are they "nen-daned-derd" (endangered)?  We Googled it, but it seemed that the more I read, the more questions she had for me.  I think I may take her to the book store or perhaps the library to learn more about her new friend.