Blog from paradise island!

Alohhaaaaa! It's not every day I get to sit on a lanai in Maui and blog about adventures in a tropical paradise.

Before I recap the past few days, quick update on my foot injury. I've been lifting weights and spending some pleasant hours on the elliptical ever since the Seattle Half, trying to heal the nerve pains I've got going on in my left foot. Long story short: I ran three miles today with ZERO PAIN... and still no pain walking around today so far. Praying that this injury biz is over.

What was my cure? Rest, ibuprofen, some PT work early on from Dr. Lesko, foot strengthening exercising, and most importantly... no running (fun eh?).

Now onto my Christmas vaca getaway...
I got to Maui on the 26th: one day after Christmas, one day before my dad turned 53, and six days before my dads second wedding! A lot is happening over here and we've been packing in all the activities before things get crazy with wedding plans.

Here's the shenanigans we've been up to.

A day at the Grand Wailea water park. Filled with rope swings, water elevators, human hamster balls (which is hands down my new favorite way to run), ocean trampoline'ing and water slide after water slide after water slide.

 Sarah and Noah... my soon to be step bro and sis!

Grand Wailea rope swing... Sarah's getting her Jane on!

Notice the trampoline says "STOP" in sharpie to the left of the ladder... mhmmm, clearly we didn't notice it either.

FishPipe. YouTube it if you haven't seen it in action before. It's quite hilarious to watch. The people in control dictate the speed from slow, medium or fast and you have to try and keep up with it. Half the time I was on my butt getting tossed around in this claustrophobic human bubble. It was so much fun (and of course absurdly expensive for a 90 second ride!)

First sunset of the trip.

Dad and daughter :)

And the soon-to-be newly weds at my dad's 53rd birthday dinner. We went to Joe's restaurant, one of our favorite places to eat on Maui. Super good food and a friendly family that owns it.

From left to right: my grandpa Richie, his girlfriend Caroline, my dad Mark, his fiancee Stacy, her son Noah, me, my twin sister Olivia, and little Sarah - at Joe's!

That brings us to this morning. We were off to go snorkeling and paddle boarding and I ended up seeing 2 turtles! Cutest creatures with their huge eyes and awkwardly small hands and feet (I tried to ask them how old they live to be but my tortoise friend wasn't having it). I also saw a bunch of colorful fish and some weird looking bottom creatures that looked like water lizards. Pretty neat-o.

So there's a quick wrap up of three days. Maui has sort of been a second home to me growing up. I've been blessed to have grandparents who bought a place over here in Wailea many many years back, and as tradition in our family we've been coming here since I was a baby. As I've gotten older I've been able to appreciate the beauty that's all around this place, the incredibly friendly people, and of course the delicious food.

My dad is about to make this is a very special place for another reason because he's getting married! Stacy and her two kids, Sarah (9) and Noah (12) will become part of the fam on New Years Eve right in front of my grandpa's place. Super small wedding and very low key, but of course, heavy on the photos. More updates soon!

Nickelback: Instagram Parody

Christmas day Josh and I were driving to his moms for xmas breakfast and he showed me this video. I was dying laughing and knew it was way too funny not to post, if you haven't seen it already. 

If you think this may be hinting at your Instagram addiction, well I guess we're in the same boat and we're both screwed.  Enjoy!

1935-2012.. life is too short.

In loving memory of Grandpa Bob, a man who I wish I would have gotten to know more, heard more stories from about the good ol' days, and learned more about his life and his passions while he was still around. I'll take care of life as it is and take today as a simple reminder that the future is never promised and that the present is a gift to always be thankful for.  

Grandpa Robert Parish June 26 1935 - December 12, 2012 

We came, we saw, we conquered

Where to begin after a three day adventure with the most energized and amusing group ‘o birds Texas has ever seen. It was my first time in Texas, my first time attending The Running Event (TRE), and the best part of it all… I can proudly say it was my first inflight biz trip I’ve ever been on (yeeehaww to that).

This adventure topped off 2012 and came dangerously close to rivaling all the Trials Party shenanigans from Eugene back in June. A neck and neck tie of hysterical commentary, moments of awe and excitement, and a full scrapbook of memories.

Quick recap and highlights of our 3 day excursion.

Night number uno.

Monday night we landed in Austin around 5:30 pm and made our way through the airport in attempt to find transportation to the Swanky Condo. After twenty minutes waiting for the bus, it finally arrived and we headed towards home, conveniently close to the Convention Center where The Running Event (TRE) was taking place. Getting off the bus we pulled out an ever so reliable GPS iPhone…and you can only imagine what came next. 

What looked like a quarter mile walk turned into a hysterical scene of utterly lost travelers. Just picture six out of town folks with luggage up to their elbows, off-roading through dirt roads, while playing frogger across 2 freeways and taking a “slight” detour which turned into over a mile long journey…in the pitch dark. It was epic and totally laughable after the tired feelings of misery and hunger pains from a long a** flight.

That night was a reunion slash meet ‘n greet with sales reps and teammates who I finally got to meet IRL. After all, a virtual friendship over email and twitter can only last so long. We caught up and hung out on the rooftop terrace grubbing on a Texas style bbq buffet still in awe of the Austin heat and sitting outside in summer clothes.

And eventually got to sleep that night in our slumber party bungalow, clearly another highlight of the trip. Took us all back to elementary school sleep overs and pillow fights, of course without the truth or dare or 10 fingers games. Totally kidding. Or am I. 

The Running Event

My first time experiencing TRE and I would say it was a huge success that will be hard to beat next year. Dozens upon dozens of booths were set up in the Convention Center for brands big and small to share their excitement and newest additions for the upcoming year.

I was blown away walking in because it was literally a fish bowl of runnerds from all over the country geeking out over the sport we all know and love.

Without going crazy into detail, the best part of the event for me was walking around to as many booths as I could and seeing new running products on the market with the ability/privilege to converse with reps and learn about their swag. While each brand and biz has their unique aspects, seeing the “behind the scenes” passion for the sport from a totally different view was pretty motivating to be a part of. 

I saw some great companies, many of which I had never heard of and I got to talk one on one about new innovations and design. I felt honored to be a part of the Oiselle crew. Having great people commend us on our booth/strides we’ve made in the past year was a heartwarming validation yet again of knowing I am in the right spot in life.

A few notable companies that had terrific people working their booths: Swiftwick, Win Detergent, BIC Bands, Honey Stinger, Nuun, SmartWool, and SpiderTech - all extremely friendly and knowledgable.

Birds ‘N Boots

Words and pictures cannot do this party justice. I'll just say it was hands down the highlight of the trip. From tons of mingling boots, a delish free taco truck, an incredible venue, an array of fab Oiselle peeps and friends, THE best D.J. in Austin, and a dance party so outrageous we arguably might have been able to skip that morning workout and still get a good sweat in, if you catch my drift. So, so, SO much fun. Ready for 2013!