Wanderlust Tag

I saw this randomly one day on Youtube from Catrific and thought it would be perfect for this blog.  The first time I traveled abroad was when I went to Japan in 2009.  It was also my first time traveling alone and living by myself.  The year I spent in Japan was truly an eye opening experience, and this is where my passion for travel first began.

1. Your most treasured passport stamp?

My first thought when I saw this question was the stamp we got at Kilometer 82 at the start of the Inca Trail.  It's one you can only get if you do the Inca Trail so it's a very special one to me.  On the other hand, there is also the one I got when I went to Japan for the first time studying abroad.  So it would be a tie between either of those. 

2. Can you recite your passport # from memory if asked?
Nope!  I don't think I know anyone who can...

3. Preferred method of travel; planes, trains or automobiles?
My first choice would be planes, then trains, then automobiles.  Flying is just more convenient and much faster than the other two.  I also like traveling by trains too.  When I traveled in Japan and Europe, I used the train a lot.  It was pretty affordable and a good way to take in some scenery and meet new people.  I hate traveling by car or bus!  When we were in Peru this was our main method of transportation, but we didn't really have a choice.  I get motion sickness very easily so I always dread long bus and car rides.

4. Top 3 travel items?
Packing cubes!  These are a life saver for backpacking and it helps keep everything organized.  Also a camera and a notebook (for tracking your budget).


5. Hostel or hotel?
Hands down, hostels!  I honestly can't remember the last time I stayed at a hotel.  Hostels are just so much cheaper and a good way to meet new people.  You just have to chose a good one.  Hostelworld.com and Hostelbookers.com are good sites to book hostels on.

6. Are you a repeat visitor or do you explore new places?
I definitely like to explore new places.  The only place I've visited twice is Japan and I would definitely want to go back.  But I like the excitement of going somewhere new and different.

7. Do you read up on your destination (culture,history,safety) or do you wing it?
I do a lot of research before traveling, but I don't plan out an itinerary or anything.  I just try to educate myself about the place before we go, but we plan our days once we get there.

8. Favorite travel website?
Tripadvisor -their forums are especially helpful. 
Also some good travel blogs: A Little Adrift, Explore for a Year, One Giant Step, Nomadic Matt, So Many Places

9. Where would you recommend a friend to visit? Name city & why.
Hiroshima, Japan!  It's not a big city so it's a little more laid back than Tokyo, but the city is full of history and the food is amazing!

10, You're leaving tomorrow, money is no option, where are you going?
I would love to go to South Africa, Egypt/Jordan, New Zealand or Australia.  

Adventures in Peru: Inca Trail Day 1

Group picture!

We woke up at 3:30 in the morning to leave for our four-day trek to Machu Picchu.  I had been waiting for this day for over 6 months.  After reading countless blogs and daily visits to the TripAdvisor forums, I was so happy to be that much closer.  We had packed most of our things the night before after the Llama Path briefing.  We had gotten our duffel bags that we were to pack for the porters to carry.  One note about packing: I packed a lot lighter than I thought I would.  My day pack was very small and I only packed 2kg out of the 4 kilograms we were allowed for the porters bag.  We were thankful our hostel had a scale we could use, since the weight restrictions were so strict.  I might just do a completely separate blog about what I packed and what I found useful.
We were supposed to meet the bus at the square near the Llama Path office at 4:30am.  After storing our packs at the hostel, we met the others in our group at around 4:20am.  We had a large group with 12 total including ourselves.  We were actually supposed to have a total of 14, but one couple was sick so they couldn't make it.  They met up with us on day 4 at Machu Picchu.  Our lead guide was Marco and assistant guide was Ronnie, and they were both amazing throughout the entire trip!
We were expecting the bus to be waiting for us (at least that's what they had told us the night before), but no one was there.  We were supposed to depart Cuzco at 4:40am, but we actually ended up leaving around 5:00 because our bus was late. 
The bus ride was long.  We first had a two hour bus ride to Ollantaytambo, where we were stopping for breakfast.  Then another hour to Kilometer 82, where the trail started.   Thankfully I slept almost the entire bus ride to Ollantaytambo, so I didn't get sick.  The breakfast was a buffet, so I loaded up on food because I didn't know how long it would be until we had lunch.  We had a chance to use the bathroom (the last sight of a normal toilet until we got to Machu Picchu) and buy some coca leaves for day 2.

Porters packing at Kilometer 82

After the hour bus ride to Kilometer 82, we had to wait a while for the porters to pack up out stuff.  We applied some sunscreen and bug spray, and got a chance to get to know the others in our group. After the porters were packed, we headed to the passport checkpoint, and took a group picture under the Camino Inca sign. There was a long wait at the check point.  We waited about 20 minutes for the porters to weigh their bags before we could actually make it through.

Passport check point

Off we go!  Start of day 1

Inca Trail day 1

Inca Trail day 1

After reading so many blogs, I expected the first day of the hike to be the easiest.  But it was actually the toughest, not just physically but emotionally too.  The hike started off relatively flat with a few up and down portions.  The pace at the start of the hike was pretty quick and we fell behind pretty quickly.  I thought we were well adjusted to the altitude after spending three days in Cuzco, but I was completely wrong.  Hiking in high altitude was definitely not easy.  Our guide Marco stressed that we needed to move at our own pace, and take it slow.  We had pretty good weather on day 1.  It was overcast and it was drizzling on-and-off, which was nice.  We actually had decent weather throughout the trip.  I was very thankful it didn't rain too much.

Inca Ruins

We stopped at several spots on the trail for Marco to explain about different plants or ruins we passed.  We were definitely the slowest in our group the first day.  By the time we made it to the lunch spot, I would guess we were at least half an hour behind everyone else.  We were the last ones to arrive at around 2:00.  Lunch was amazing and it was our first taste of what food on the trail would be like.  We had pumpkin soup, fried fish, stuffed avocados, and broccoli pizza among other things.  By the time lunch was over, we still had another 1 1/2 hours of hiking until we reached the camp site.  We quickly realized at our slow pace that what Marco said would be 1 1/2 hours, was more like 2 1/2 hours for us. We left the lunch spot at about 3:00 and quickly fell behind our group again.  At this point I was really worried if we were going to make it to the camp site before dark.  Luckily even though we were behind everyone else, the assistant guide Ronnie was with us the whole time.  We made it to camp just as it was getting dark and it had started to rain.  We were greeted by a big applause from all the porters since we were the last ones to arrive.  We were completely exhausted as we climbed into our tents and unpacked our duffel bags.  The sleeping bags we rented were surprisingly comfortable and warm.  We had happy hour in the dining tent which consisted of tea/coffee, Milo, biscuits and popcorn.

Dinner on Day 1

We had dinner shortly after and were given our wake up time of 5AM.  I was very anxious for day two since I knew we were very slow.  I was just hoping for a good, long rest.  My legs were extremely sore after the first day.  I actually woke up in the middle of the night because of the pain.  I took an advil and somehow made it back to sleep.  I was really nervous, but day two had come whether we were ready or not!

Peru Trip 2013!

Lima, Peru

Huaca Pucllana

Sacsayhuaman

Start of the Inca Trail- Kilometer 82

Machu Picchu

Zip Lining in the Sacred Valley

Colca Canyon

We got back from our trip from Peru about a week ago.  It was such an amazing trip, and I really hope to go back someday.  The highlight of the trip was definitely the Inca Trail.  It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was so rewarding and such a good experience.  I will definitely do more blog posts on the whole trip, but it's nice to be back home!
As for the wedding, I'll do a separate blog post on that.  We haven't gotten the pictures from the photographer yet, but I will definitely do an update then.

Wedding Planning: Invitations, Favors etc

So much to do and only 4 days left!  Can't believe the big day has come so fast! 
We knew since we started planning the wedding that we wanted to do boarding pass invitations.  I was actually planning to get them done on Etsy, thinking it would be much cheaper.  But we decided just to do a consultation with Something Blue Hawaii, just to get a price quote  They specialize in custom invitations, and I had heard a lot of good things on Yelp and through The Wedding Cafe workshops.  We worked with Carol who was really friendly and very helpful.  We had a custom logo that we wanted to include on the invitations which was easy for her to incorporate.  They were surprisingly very affordable so we ended up purchasing our invitations through them instead of Etsy.  She gave us an initial quote, averaging about $4.50 an invitation (including printed return addresses on the envelope.)  After paying a deposit (50%), we communicated through email, tweaking the design, placement and colors on the invitation.  After everything was finalized they were printed and ready to pick up.  I didn't realize until after we had picked up the printed invites that there had been a mistake on them.  It had actually been wrong on the invitation the whole time, and neither of us had noticed the mistake.  I contacted her right away and she was very understanding and apologetic.  She even reprinted the corrected invitations free of charge.

We also did our favor boxes though them as well.  We did plain mini suitcases which were 60 cents each.  We got custom stickers from Zazzle which were surprisingly affordable.  We paid $23 for 100 stickers plush shipping which was pretty quick too.  I was very impressed with the quality and would definitely order from them again.  We stuffed the favor boxes with Haribo Saft gummy bears.  We discovered this on our trip to Europe 2 years ago and fell in love with them, so we wanted to share them with our guests.  I bought them in bulk on Amazon, about 12 pounds worth which was more than enough for 100 favors (we still have one unopened bag left.)  We measured about 1.5oz or 1/4 cup per bag.  But I think we could've filled them a little more considering we had a whole bag left. 
I finally picked up my dress from Bijou Bridal on Sunday.  It didn't need much alterations, just a hem and a bustle.  We also had her do a sweetheart neckline which turned out great.  I would highly recommend this place!  Everyone here was so nice, and I love my dress!
I also had my hair and makeup trial done on Sunday.  I decided to have my hair up in a messy bun, and a neutral smokey eye for the makeup.  Both turned out amazing so I'm really excited for Saturday.  The only downside is we have to get it done really early in the morning, but the ceremony is in the morning so I hope it will hold up throughout the day
We bought our centerpieces as well.  We decided on potted herbs for the centerpieces because we wanted something practical.  We went to Lowes yesterday and bought a bunch of different herbs, as well as some ceramic pots to put them in.  We just have to transfer the plants to the pots and decorate them.

Speaking of decorations, we finally finished stringing all of our paper cranes.  It's tradition in Hawaii for the bride to fold 1000 cranes for her wedding.  It took us about a month to fold them and 2 full days to hang them.  We are not quite sure how we are going to put them up at the venue yet, but we are planning to donate them to the Peace Park in Hiroshima, which gives us another excuse to return to Japan. 
For the music, we are just using a playlist on her ipod.  We are still undecided which songs to use for the ceremony.  I had originally decided on River Flows in You by Yiruma, but we are also thinking of To Zanarkand from FFX or Tifas Theme from FFVII.  Still undecided, but we only have 4 days left to figure out all the last minute details.  Can't believe it's come so fast and we leave for Peru in just over a week from today! 

Warrior Dash 2013: My Experience

Pre Warrior Dash Hawaii 2013

Warrior Dash came to Hawaii again in 2013!  We signed up really early this year, which was good because the registration filled up so fast!  They even opened up a second day, but I don't think all of those slots got filled.  We ran on the first day, second wave at 9:30, same time as last year. 
The parking situation this year was a lot better this year.  It was much more organized this year, and the drive to the parking lot was closer.  We were supposed to start the race at 9:30, but we didn't actually start until 9:45.  There were 2 separate lines for each wave that were released every 15 minutes.  We got really confused at the start because we thought they would let everyone go at once, but we had to wait about half an hour before we got to start.  They said last year the course was too crowded releasing everyone at once, which is why they changed it this year.  The obstacles were less crowded and everyone was a little more spread out so that was good.  I felt the actual obstacles were harder than last years course.  There were a lot more vertical obstacles where you had to lift yourself up.  I finished in about 50 minutes this year, beating my time from last year (mostly because I tried to run the whole thing rather than walk).

Finished!

Much to my disappointment,  the rinse-off area wasn't at the lake this year.  It was on the grounds in the mud, and it was just a bunch of hoses hooked up.  Last year was much more efficient, but with just a few hoses for everyone the line was so long and it took forever!  There was also no changing tent, and no turkey legs at the food both this year either!  And no $5 off merchandise coupon on your bib either.  I didn't buy anything this year since it was all pretty much the same.  I was actually pretty disappointed after the race and I felt there was a lot lacking in terms of organization.  The shirts we got this year were pretty nice, but I'm not sure about the quality.  Btw they gave the shirts at the finish line, not at check-in this year.  I read on their facebook page that it doesn't hold up well after being washed. 
Warrior Dash this year was a lot of fun, but I wish they had the same things as last year.  I felt like they were missing a lot (seriously, how can you have no turkey legs?).  We even got some fruit and granola last year, but nothing this year.  I think I would definitely do it again next year though.  I am thinking about doing the Spartan Race which will be at Kualoa Ranch in August.  They are only allowing pre-registration now, and I'm not sure how much it will be, but it sounds fun.  Who's going??

Wedding Planning Update: Flowers, Cake, Invitations

So I just thought I'd do a small update on my wedding planning so far. We have made some progress lately.  Already have a cake and flower vendor, and someone to do our invitations.
And even better news, my dress came in!  I went to try it on a few days ago and it fits SO nicely!  I was actually really surprised that it fit so well.  I don't think I will need to have much done for the alterations.  After wearing it for a second time and having it fit so well, I fell in love with it even more!  I wish I had a good picture to show, but the one my sister took from her phone was really blurry.  The dress actually has a corset inside, which I didn't notice the first time I tried it on because it was so big.  The woman there said it was good for me because I'm so petite.  I will probably go back to do an actual fitting sometime in March. 
We chose A Cake Life to do our cake.  We found them through The Wedding Cafe's Wednesday Night Workshop.  Kristen had contacted us through email after attending the workshop, and we scheduled a cake tasting with her.  The cake tasting cost $25 which we paid through paypal, and we got to try 6 different flavors.  She brought a selection of their most popular cakes, and we discussed our design and how the whole ordering process works.  All of the cakes were delicious and very moist!  We ordered 72 cupcakes (3 different flavors) and 1 round cake for the top of the display. Kristen has been really patient with us and it's very easy to communicate with her.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how our travel-themed cake will look.
For our flowers, we actually contacted someone we knew from high school.  Candi's Flowers is a business Alanas friend owns.  She has done flowers for many friends weddings and her prices are very reasonable.  I'm not a huge fan of flowers so I know I didn't want to spend that much.  We just ordered flower bouquets for us and the bridesmaids, a flower piece we could put on the arch (which she is also providing) and boutonnieres for the fathers.  We really didn't know where to start with the flowers so she was really helpful!  We've also paid the deposit with her, and I can't wait to see how they turn out!
Our wedding venue, Queen Emma Summer Palace requires us to have valet parking with 50 or more guests.  We also found Prestige Valet  though the Wedding Cafe.  I got a quick reply through email with a quote for the event.  I also attempted to contact Elite Parking who said they would email me back as they were working on the rates for 2013.  I still haven't heard from them, so we just went with Prestige Valet.  I thought it was a little weird that we didn't have to sign a contract.  We just paid a deposit to secure the date.  They also had great communication from the start and were really easy to work with.
I'm excited to see how everything will turn out!  It's actually turning out to be much more stressful than I thought it would be, but I'm glad to be making some progress.  5 more months to go!
 

Dreaming of...Peru?

So this idea all started about a month and a half ago.  I was on my lunch break at work and saw a blog post linked on Facebook about hiking the Inca Trail.  I really wish I could find the blog, because it was really well written, but I can't seem to be able to find the link again.  Anyway, we had been debating for quite a while as to where we should go for our "honeymoon", and we were pretty set on going back to Europe.  However, after reading this blog, I was inspired to do something different.  I've always wanted to see Machu Picchu, and since we've already been to Europe I thought going to Peru would be a nice change of pace.
We had been looking at airfare for the last month or so trying to set a date to go.  I was debating for a long time whether I should use my miles or just pay full price for the round-trip ticket.  Luckily the ticket prices have slowly been dropping the past month, and the price just dropped $250 yesterday so we took a big leap of faith, and bought our tickets!  We leave May 9, 2013 for 18 days in Peru!  I'm excited, but scared at the same time.  If anyone has been to Peru or hiked the Inca Trail before, please let me know if you have any advice!
We still have to book our flight from Lima to Cuzco, as well as out 4 day trek to Machu Picchu.  We are probably going to go with Peru Treks after hearing a lot of good recommendations from different blogs, and on Tripadvisor.  I will update on how the booking process goes, as well as how we will be training for the hike. 
As far as the actual wedding planning goes, we have secured a flower, invitation and cake vendor and well as the valet parking that is required at our venue.  My wedding dress should also be coming in sometime in December, so I'm really excited for that!  It's really nice to see things finally coming together.  I can't believe we only have 6 more months! 

The Color Run: My Experience

The Color Run Hawaii

This past Saturday we did our second 5k run this year: The Color Run!  Claiming it's "the happiest 5k on the planet" it was so much fun! 
We actually stayed up really late the night before making our crayon inspired "District L" shirts.  We go there early, a little after 8:00 so we got to run in the first wave.  There were 8,000 participants and they were releasing the waves every 5-10 minutes.  I was happy to be in the first wave because at the starting line they were handing out free color run merchandise and extra color packets.  Unfortunately we didn't get anything because we weren't standing close enough to the front.
Overall the run itself was pretty easy.  The whole course ran through a residential area so it was paved the whole way.  There were 4 places on the course where the color zones were where volunteers throw color on you.  The actual color is in powder form so it does get in your eyes and mouth.  After the race was over, they had a color throw for all the finishers.  This was definitely a great finish to the race and it looked pretty cool watching it from afar (there are a bunch of pictures on the color run website). 

The only gripe I had about The Color Run was the parking and the traffic.  From the time we got off the freeway in Kapolei it took us about 40 minutes to actually park the car.  Traffic was so bad!  No one was there to direct cars and people were just parking anywhere, so it felt really disorganized.  A lot of people I knew actually had to park really far and walk a long way just to get to the start line.  Even though they have us a map of places to park, I felt like with 8,000 runners, it wasn't nearly enough.  The parking was free which was nice, but hopefully if they do it again next year, it will be better.
The color actually washes out pretty easily.  You can pretty much dust it off since it's powder.  Before I showered, I took a lot of it off with makeup remover and it came right off.  
Overall, it was a really fun experience and I highly recommend doing it!  I would definitely do it again next year!

Pinterest Test # 2: Baked Chicken Taquitos

Baked Chicken Taquitos
I made these for dinner last night after seeing rave reviews on Pinterest.  These came out amazing, and they were so easy to make!
I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, except for the garlic.  I used about 2 teaspoons of garlic powder instead of the fresh garlic it called for, and 4oz of cream cheese instead of 3oz. After baking for 20 minutes at 425F they came out prefect.  Brown on the edges and very crispy!  They were also very flavorful and they tasted great dipped with salsa.  I would probably add a little more cheese next time, even though it calls for 1 cup.  But I really love cheese, so that's why I would have liked a little more.  Overall, these came out so good!  It's quick and easy for a weeknight meal.  Definitely something I would remake!

Engagement Photos

Yay!  We finally got our engagement photos in!  I was so excited when we got the CD in the mail.  Our photographer Shannon Sasaki was amazing and did such an awesome job!
We took our engagement photos at Hawaii Loa Ridge a few weeks ago.  We were both pretty nervous before the shoot and didn't know what to expect.  She did a great job making us feel comfortable and we actually had a lot of fun.  The photos were uploaded for us to view online by the next day.  After choosing which photos to edit we got the pictures on a disc a few weeks later. 
The pictures turned out amazing, and the best part was they were free!  They were actually included in the 6 hour package we purchased, so it was a really good deal.  I highly recommend her!  I can't wait until she does our wedding!

Pinterest Test #1: Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
I found this recipe on Pinterest through a friends post, and I knew I had to make it right away.  We bought a bag of whole wheat flour and had been looking for recopies to make with it (other than muffins).  After looking through all the reviews, I decided to give it a try the other night.  I think most people are really intimidated by making bread, but this recipe was so easy!  It really helps that there are step-by-step directions with pictures on the site. 

I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, but instead of using a stand-mixer I did it by hand.  I think it might have been easier to mix the dough with a stand-mixer, but it's not impossible by hand.  It just requires a little more work.  The directions say to mix until it doesn't stick to your fingers, but even after adding a little more flour, it was still sticky.  So we just covered it and let it rest.  After the hour, it wasn't as sticky and it was easy to form the dough into rolls. The recipe also calls for 2T of yeast, but I used just under 2T, because after opening 2 packets of yeast, it still didn't equal that amount.

Al together it took about 2 1/2 hours or so, most of the time the dough it rising.  The wait time is definitely worth it, because these taste amazing!!  I brushed the tops with butter like the blog recommended, and I think they turned out great.  They are light and fluffy, and slightly sweet because of the honey in them.  We got 24 rolls out of this batch and had a lot of leftovers.  They keep really well in an airtight container.  We just reheat them in the microwave and it tastes just as good.
I highly recommend trying this!  Really easy to make, and it tastes amazing!  I think I will make this for thanksgiving this year.  Great find on Pinterest! 

September Update: In Photos

Avington Coffee Table from Target

Our brand new Avington coffee table from Target!  Bought after a crazy drive, getting lost in Kapolei one night.  We actually intended to get a coffee table over a year ago, after we moved into our new place, so it was was about time.  It was really easy to assemble, and great quality.  It was about $140, but it's very nice and made from real wood. 

 One day a couple of months back, I saw a puzzle while shopping at Barnes and Nobel.  It was a scene from a town in Cinque Terre, Italy, and it immediately brought me back to last spring when we were there.  Although I've never done a 2000 piece puzzle before, I knew I had to buy it. Another reason we bought the coffee table was so we could do the puzzle on it, but as you can see, the puzzle is clearly too big, so we had to move it to the floor. 

 The above picture is after our first night of working on the puzzle.  It took about 4 1/2 hours to get this far. 

And this is the most recent shot, from a couple days ago.  It's been about 2 weeks since we've been working on it, and I've lost count of how many hours we've put into it.  We are planning to frame it after it's done, but I think that in itself will be a big challenge. 

Awesome lemon raspberry muffins!!  Made from a recipe I found on Pinterest made with whole wheat flour: http://www.faithfitnessfun.com/8420/healthy-muffin-recipe/
I'm thinking about doing a few blog posts reviewing recipes I've tried on Pinterest.  I've tried several others that have come out amazing, and they've become staple dinners in our house :)

Kainoa getting ready for a trip to the store!  We took him out to Petco last week.  I don't know if he enjoyed it too much, because he seemed more scared than anything, but he definitely enjoyed the car ride!

As far as wedding planning goes, we met with our florist last week.  We had a consultation with her, and hopefully will get an estimate by the end of the week.  We had out engagement photos done yesterday!  We had our engagement session at Hawaii Loa Ridge, and it was so much fun!  Our photographer Shannon Sasaki was amazing!  Even though we were both nervous at first, she was super easy to work with and so much fun!  We had a great time and I can't wait to see the pictures!
Work has been crazy lately.  I finished my training, and have been on my own for the past week.  Even though it's been super busy and stressful, I do like my job, and I'm learning a lot. 
Hope everyone is doing well!  Sorry for the lack of posts...my life lately has consisted of work and puzzle time.  Btw isn't it crazy that it's almost October??  I can't believe how fast this year is going!

The Hunt For The Prefect Dress: Bijou Bridal

I first found out about Bijou Bridal a couple of weeks ago on Wedding Wire.  I was looking at different bridal salons in Honolulu and came across this one, which had just opened.  It was brand new (opened just a month or two ago) and I only saw one review on Yelp, which was 5 stars.  I decided to give this place a try, so I called to schedule an appointment for Saturday at 11:30.  Unlike Davids Bridal, I had no problem contacting them, and they were very friendly on the phone.
I arrived a few minutes late for my appointment, and we were greeted by a couple of ladies at the reception desk who were very friendly and energetic.  My consultant was Brenda and she was really nice.  She asked what kind of style we were looking for, what our budget was, and let us look through the racks to see if anything caught our eye.  We actually pulled 7 dresses to try on and she got me started in a fitting room.  The first dress I tried on was one I saw an a mannequin in the front of the store.  As soon as I saw it I knew I had to try it on, and I loved it!  Since it was the first dress I tried on, we went through the other 6 dresses but I didn't find anything I liked better than the first one.  A couple I really loved, but once I tried on the 1st one on again, I knew it was the prefect dress.  My mom and sister also loved the first dress too, so even better!
The customer service was great.  Brenda was really knowledgeable about the dresses, and gave a lot of helpful suggestions.  She wasn't pushy at all, and helped me find a great dress.  The showroom is actually pretty big, and I like that they allow customers to browse the racks freely.  We were the only people in the store, so everyone was attentive, but not overbearing.  As you can see in the pictures, the mirrors were huge and allowed you to see the dress really well.  The dressing rooms were also quite spacious.  They had a good selection of designers, but the dresses are definitely more expensive, compared to Davids Bridal.  I'm not sure what the range was, but the dress I chose was $1500.  They had a 10% off opening sale going on (until August 12), so I saved $150!  They didn't seem to have a huge selection of bridesmaids dresses (only one rack), but if you purchase a dress with them, you get 15% off bridesmaids dresses too. They are located in Honolulu, around Kakaako (600 Queen Street) right near the Bridal Boutique.  There is free parking in the building and appointments are recommended.
Overall, I had a great experience here!  I highly recommend this place!  I will make an update when the dress comes in.
Here are a couple of the dresses I tried on.  The one I chose is the last one:

David Tutera for Mon Cheri Solange #112209

The Hunt For The Prefect Dress: Davids Bridal

So the first place I visited on my search for the perfect dress was Davids Bridal.  I was a little hesitant after reading the horrible reviews on Yelp, but it's the only place open late on weeknights, so my mom and I went there on Friday night.  When I called to make an appointment a couple days earlier, I was put on hold for 10 minutes (wtf) so I just hung up and called back later.  They sounded a little busy and the second time I called I left a message with one of the associates who said she would give me a call back to see what they had available.  Eventually, I was able to get a 6:30 appointment on Friday.
Fast forward to Friday at around 6:00.  We got there pretty early and checked in with the woman at the reception desk.  She was very friendly and explained about discounts and perks you get with purchasing at Davids Bridal.  Our consultant was finishing with another customer so she told us we could look around until she was done.  I was actually really nervous to try on dresses, and I didn't really know what to expect.  It was a little overwhelming at first because it was my first time.  My consultant’s name was Maria, and she was pretty good.  She was very friendly and knowledgeable.  Since I had a favorites list saved on Davids Bridal online, she pulled a few from my favorites list and we worked from there.  I think I tried a total of 7 or 8 dresses, which was a little too much, in my opinion.  I thought a lot of them looked good on the hanger but not so much on myself.  I only found a couple that I really liked, but none that I loved.  A lot of the dresses has things I really liked and disliked.  I walked out empty handed, but overall had a good experience.  I had a pretty good consultant, and she wasn't too pushy (it's obvious that these girls work on commission) so that was nice.  I didn’t find any of the associates to be rude, like I had read on Yelp.  But I guess it really helps when you have an appointment.  They weren’t busy either, so maybe that’s why I had such a good experience.
I am going to the Bridal Boutique and Bijou Bridal next weekend, so hopefully I will find my dress soon.  I can’t believe it’s only 9 more months!

Davids Bridal Collection Style WG3477

Oleg Cassini Style CRL277

Davids Bridal Collection Style WG3263

Wedding Planning: Our Photographer

We actually started our search for a photographer several months ago.  We wanted to start early so we could do our research and make sure we could book our wedding date.  We did a LOT of research, reading reviews and looking at portfolios, and eventually narrowed it down to three choices:
Alvarado Photography
Pinky Photography
Shannon Sasaki Photography
As far as our budget, I was willing to spend a little more on photos, especially since we chose not to have a videographer.  We set our budget at around $2,000-$2,500, (for 5-6 hours) which is actually on the cheaper side for wedding photography.  We were also looking for someone who was really comfortable to work with, and LGBT friendly.  I started to email the photographers in April trying to get some price quotes so we could see who fit into our budget.  We got really quick responses from everyone, and I was quite surprised that everyone fit into our budget.  Pinky Photography was actually the most expensive out of the three, then Alvarado Photography and Shannon Sasaki.  Shannon's prices were very reasonable for wedding photography, and she asked to schedule a face-to-face meeting.
We met with Shannon about a month later.  She was so friendly and upbeat, even though we met so early in the morning.  She explained about the different packages she offered and her contract, and we got to see some prints and different samples of her work.  I loved her style.  It's very fresh, modern and candid.  Her prices were very affordable and she was lgbt friendly.  Soon after meeting with her, we decided to book her for our wedding.  I thought about meeting with the other photographers, but the price of her packages were too good to beat.  We chose a 6 hour package which was $1300 and included a free engagement photo shoot.  We haven't scheduled out photo shoot yet, but I'll definitely update when we do.  I would definitely recommend her if you're looking for an affordable photographer.  However all three we considered were reasonably prices for wedding photographers, so if you're looking, definitely check them out.
I'm also going dress shopping tomorrow!  Unfortunately I've been putting it off for quite some time just because I've been so busy, and it's hard to coordinate schedules with my mom.  But I got an appointment at Davids Bridal tomorrow, so we will see how it goes.  I've heard really bad reviews about the place, but I'll definitely blog about the experience.  We are also planning to visit a couple of places next weekend as well, so hopefully I'll find my dress soon :)

Review: The Maze Runner- James Dashner

It seems like after The Hunger Games, YA dystpoian novels have become so popular.  I decided to pick this book up after hearing so many good reviews.  A lot of people say if you're a fan of The Hunger Games, this book is similar.  I hate to say, I would have to disagree.  Although I wanted to like this book, I finished it and felt a little disappointed. 

The concept of the story is pretty unique and one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book.  The main character named Thomas, wakes up in a box with no memories of his life prior to that day.  All he remembers is his name.  He wakes up in a place known as The Glade, a large meadow surrounded by a gigantic maze.  There are about 50 other kids living there, all boys around his age who came there the same way he did.  All the kids there are assigned varrious jobs, but the maze runners have one of the most important.  Their job is to solve the maze and try to find a way out, but it's definitely not easy.  The maze doors close every night and the maze walls change everyday.  On top of that, the next day after he arrives, a girl is sent there with a message, and everything is about the change.

Other than the interesting story line, this story was an easy read.  Each chapter has a cliffhanger ending so the story moves pretty quick.  The story is also a lot more violent than I thought it would be.  For a YA fiction piece, some parts I thought were a little graphic, but the action in this book will suck you in.  There were some parts where I was completely hooked, and others that were a little slower.

The character development was the one this I was really disspointed with.  It is severely lacking throughout the entire story, which sucks because I think the characters have so much potential.  Unlike The Hunger Games, it's hard to develop a personal connection with the characters, and you don't get emotionaly involved at all (at least I didn't).  Another thing I didn't like was all of the "unknown" factors.  I mean, it's ok to a certain extent (keeps you guessing), but when it's dragged out it gets old.  You don't really start getting answers until the last fourth of the book, and when you do, it's not as surprising as I expected it to be.  It took me about a hundred pages to really get into the story. In the begining, the kids in The Glade use different words (mainly substituting swear words), which I thought was an interesting choice on the authors part.  It turned me off a little at first, but it gets better as you read. 

I didn't exactly hate this book, but I didn't love it either.  It was an entertaining read, but I feel like it is definitely written for a YA crowd.  The concept I liked a lot and I thought it was different.  I actually liked the ending, and it almost makes me want to go out and buy the next book, but I'm not sure if I want to get it yet.  Has anyone read this trilogy before?  I've also heard a lot of good things about Divergent, which I'm planning to read next.  Let me know if you have any other good reading suggestions!

Challenge Nation Hawaii! My experience...

Challenge Nation Hawaii!  Pre-race

So today I competed in my first ever Challenge Nation race!  It's an urban adventure race/scavenger hunt around the Honolulu area.  Registration was $50, but I got a deal through Groupon which I only paid $20 for, and there was also a special registration price if you registered before May 30 which was $30.
This was their first year in Hawaii so there was a huge turn out.  There were about 650 people competing in teams ranging from two people or more.  I raced with my sister and the other half, and our team name was District L.
Each team was given a list of 12 clues.  We had to complete 11 out of the 12 and take a photo at each stop with all team members.  We could walk or use public transportation, and we were allowed to use smart phones as well.
The registration took place at Gordon Biersch at Aloha Tower.  We got there early, at about 12:00 (event kicked off at 1:00) to get our bib numbers and sign a waiver.  As 1:00 approached they asked for team captains to form a circle so they could start handing out the clues.  There was a short count down and the race started promptly at 1:00.  There was a huge rush at the beginning as everyone tried to get their teams organized and figure out the clues.  Our strategy was to figure out all of the clues first (or as much as we could) and then head out.  It took a few minutes to figure out the clues, but they weren't too hard.  

 Take a photo of a license plate containing X or Z in its license number.

 Find a person with an out-of-state drivers license and take a photo with them and your team making the shape of the state with your hands (it's supposed to be North Carolina)

King Kamehameha Statue

 Monday is officially his big day. Find the spot his likeness was drenched in flowers and give us the best impression of his pose

Kawaihao Church

 Find the "Westminster Abbey Of the Pacific". When the clock is pointing to a number (:05, :10 etc) snap a photo with your teams bodies spelling out HNL

Find this aPEALing object. You want the one given to Hawaii by the Department of Treasury in 1950, not the other replica in town.  When you find it, act out your most American scene with the target.

 There are two of these memorials in town that the guys in the next clue will never put out (HFD). Find the older of the two.

Mission Houses Museum

Take a photo with any building or structure older than 1850. When you reach it, act out a scene from that era in Hawaiian life.

Iolani Palace

 On the southwest grounds of this one-of-a-kind regal feature, you'll form a human pyramid.  You'll know you're in the right spot if you can see a coronation pavilion nearby.

Hawaii Theater

Find any stage, theater performance hall etc, that is not within 100 yards of any other clue site. May we suggest an old post office that's now a theater?  Once there, along with at least one other stranger or another team, act out your favorite movie or play scene.

 Find a screw that's not a Philips or a Flathead and is more than a whopping three feet in diameter. Give us your best maritime pose in the photo.

Did you know you were wearing a clue this whole time?  Find the ten coded digits on your body and ring them up to hear your next challenge:  Take a photo with any boat captain or behind the wheel of a boat.

We finished in 1 hour and 19 minutes, in 69th place!  Challenge nation was so much fun!  The clues were a easier than I thought they would be, and closer in distance than I had anticipated.  We were able to walk/run everywhere and finished in pretty good time.  There were 164 teams competing that day so I think we did really good.  A word of advice for future participants: read the clues carefully!  There are specific directions for each stop, and they do penalize you for mistakes at the finish line.  I would definitely do this again next year!  Has anyone else competed in Challenge Nation?