This one was more for fun…

These are from a church in North Dakota. The church was renovating and gave these panels to my great grandmother’s family. The family later asked my great grandmother if she would like to have them. Being the good Catholic she was, her response to that question was “I will take them as long as there are not any Saints in them!”

They ended up in her garage and eventually ended up in the West wall of my grandparents lake house.

Jam out on Aunt Samantha’s iPod

And play on the sand horsey that her dad and I made

She taught me how to eat ranch off your fingers

Kids can be so much fun!!

“Whatever Goes Salad!”
1 thawed out Tuna steak
1/2 a bag of frozen Thia Style Stir Fry
1/2 an apple
Couple handfuls of spinach
Olive oil
Balsamic oil
Couple of pinches of Thyme, oregano, and fresh spicy Thia basil leaves.
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the tuna in an olive oiled loaf pan. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top of the tuna. Drizzle some balsamic oil on top of the tuna. Lightly drizzle the thyme & oregano all over the tuna steak. Add a pinch of salt over the top of the steak. Lay the basil leaves all over the top of the steak. Put in oven and cook for 15-17 minutes.

While cooking, steam the veggies with a bit of salt and wash & cut up spinach for salad. Slice up the apple and add to the salad. Once the tuna and veggies are done, dice up the tuna and add them all to the salad. Drizzle some balsalmic over the top and serve!

That being said, I will now give you my Hawaii travel tips.

1. Stay in a hotel that’s NOT on the beach. (Well duh! Of course it will be less expensive: the drinks, food, room, etc. No it’s not a luxurious as the ones on the water but if you can convince the woman/man checking you in to put you in a room up high and ocean side or partial ocean side then it’s just as good. Plus most hotel pools will provide you with towels and you can then take that ‘free’ towel to a hotel-on-the-beach’s pool and get the same experience (most don’t check to see if you are staying there or not). But even cheaper is to bringing your own towel and go to the beach (that’s why you came here right?!)

2. ABC Stores swarm the beaches if Waikiki!! The more you swat at the to go away the more they pop up!! (Buy as many meals, drinks, whatever you can at these places. You will pay 1/2 as much or even 3/4 less than you do at restaurants and hotels. If you are any kind of drinker like me then you will learn this QUICKLY!! A restaurant lunch for 2 adults can cost you as much as $30 for sandwiches and water (no drinks or tip). But if you are smarter than me, you will bring food in your carry on. The airliner doesn’t say you can’t bring food, just not liquids.)

3. Honolulu’s Public Transportation is fantastic for tourists! (Or at least the times I needed it they were! Your concierge can tell you which buses you need to take and where to pick them up. The fair to ride the bus is $2.50 & they give you a transfer pass to pay for your next ride. DON’T through that away!!! Or you will be paying for that ride back when it’s included in the original fee.)

***I spread all these good words b/c I am now paying for the bills!

4. You want to do more than chill at the beach or pool, duh! Not everyone comes to just lay out. So some inexpensive things to go do are:

A. Hike Diamond Head Crater- Take that public transportation to we just talked about to the base of this crater, walk up to the entry point, pay a $1, and then keep hiking up to the top of the crater.  Spectacular views!!!  I recommend that you go in the morning before it gets too hot.  This climb is definitely worth it but you will have to hike up some steep and rocky terrain as well as several runs of stairs.  I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys walking, even if you are not an avid hiker.  You can go at your own pace and enjoy the adventure!

B. Hanauma Bay- Some of the prettiest snorkeling I have ever done!  Again…TAKE THE BUS!  As well as a back pack of food and drinks.  Try to go early and stay all day.  It costs $5 per person admission and if you bring your own snorkel gear then you will be smarter than me!  They are closed on Tuesdays to give the little fishies a break, so plan accordingly.  If you know how to swim and have a bit of guts, I would suggest you go out further than most people (not too far because you wouldn’t want to end up floating away) but the further you go out the better the fish get!  While we were snorkeling we saw plenty of beautiful tropical fish but we were also fortune to see an 8′-0″ long  reef shark (which swam right below my feet and scared the CRAP out of me!) as well as a large sea turtle.  At one point when I was trying to take as many pics as I could of the turtle, he turned his head right around to face me and gave me the most definitive “You better get out of my face with that camera” look I have ever seen a sea turtle give (since I have seen that many turtles, ever).  But that had to be one of the highlights of the trip!

C. This would probably be the most expensive, inexpensive (if that is possible!) thing I need to recommend.  Go have desert at Hy’s Steak House on Waikiki. The food is excellent too but the desert is the best.  If you do decide to eat there, make sure you don’t eat a lot.  HELL! Skip RIGHT to desert and then have dinner.  Who says you can’t!  It is a very entertaining event to watch them make it in front of you.  And the aromas that fill the air as they are preparing it! HEAVENLY!  Almost as good as it tastes!!!  I recommend the “Chocolate Lovers” Flambe desert.  You can share it but don’t!  Tell your partner to get their own!  It will cost you about $15 but it will be completely worth it!  My husband had the “Sweet Thoughts” Chocolate Decadence Cake, which he said was very delicious!

So when you finally get back from Waikiki and have SAVED all your money because of the few tips I gave you here, please post a comment or pics to share with everyone else!  But most of all, ENJOY yourself while you are there!  You are in PARADISE!!!!