days_unfolding

Today is spa treatment day. I have to be there at 12:45, so I’m eating lunch here (done). Showered and am letting the suntan lotion sink in.

Went across the street and bought the ”Sea La Vie” sign and a book of meditations for busy women. Had some overnight oats at the cafe.

Went to the spa. I really like the Grand Hyatt. ($973 a night. Holy cow.) They have a nice pool, a hot tub, the spa, and water features. The massage therapist said that I should take more vacations and get a massage once a month. He said that he did he best that he could but my neck was “stubborn “. I relaxed more during the facial. And then I got a really cute manicure. I found the nail polish online. Sheesh, expensive.

Now I’m at Brennecke’s Beach Bungalow waiting on a table. Got the table and the view rocks. The food was good too. I didn't get a chance to see the sea turtles because it got dark. Now I’m in a food coma, so I think that I’ll go to sleep.

I’m looking into the Hyatt on Maui.

This is the end of my trip. I'm taking the red-eye flight out on Saturday.

Woke up at 4 AM. Ate oatmeal and went back to sleep. Woke up at 7.

The trust wants to move the meeting about buying a house to next week. I told them that I was free only Monday and Friday. We’re on for Friday.

I decided to go out for breakfast to the same place as yesterday. I forgot to mention that yesterday, a bird jumped up and snatched some of my overnight oats. They have no fear of people. This time, I brought the food back to the hotel with me. While I was wandering around, I saw a sign that said “Sea La Vie” that I kind of want if it’s for sale. I’ll have to go back when the store is open.

I think that I’ll take a nap (done). Grabbed my swimsuit, although I still have a sore spot on my foot that might hurt. Took most of my cash and cards out of my wallet because they’ll need to go in the waterproof pouch along with my phone. Got the GoPro ready for snorkeling.

I want to get gas because I don’t know how much gas the trip to Hanalei will take. There’s a gas station a little out of my way, but I know where it is.

I stopped in Princeville to use the washroom and have lunch.

I made it to Hanalei Bay. Wow, it’s gorgeous and the water is so clear. I changed into my swimsuit—the door didn’t lock and someone walked in on me—parked a beach towel on the sand and headed out into the water. The waterproof pouch worked well, although I didn’t immerse my face and hair. I didn’t see the coral reef, so I didn’t video snorkeling.

I sat on the beach and thought about the house situation. I'll need to postpone the move and estate sale until I buy a house. I'll need to spend Christmas in Mom's house. I have to find a storage place in Champaign-Urbana for my stuff.

I stopped to have a passion-fruit shave ice because I’m in Hawaii and have to have a shave ice. (It's like a snow cone with cooler flavors.) Then I stood in line again to get a Hanalei mug.

I’m back. I think that I need a nap. That drive takes it out of me. Ate the other half of my sandwich from Princeville. Threw my swimsuit and some clothes in the wash.

I should say a little about driving in Kauai. The speed limit anywhere there are people around is 25 MPH, with a maximum of 50. The highways go through the towns, especially Lihue and Kapaa. And no one goes the speed limit, which is confusing for a visitor.

Looked at the info for my helicopter ride tomorrow. It’s at the airport in Lihue. I was supposed to call and confirm. Oops. I’ll call them when they open at 7 AM. Got my clothes together for tomorrow.

Hmm. I lay down for a nap, but haven’t slept so far. I’m yawning though. I didn’t set an alarm because my neighbors go to sleep really early. I think that I'll take my meds and get ready for bed soon.

I've got a spa appointment the day before I leave. Awesome.

Poipu Beach has a lifeguard seven days a week. So I'm going to drive there tomorrow. No, it occurred to me that would be literally rubbing salt in my wound. I’ll spend some time on the beach though, even if I can’t swim. I’m busy rearranging my plans. I think that I’ll go to Waimea Canyon and Kokee the day after tomorrow to do some hiking. My leg doesn’t hurt, although that could change tomorrow.

This time I woke up at 4:30 AM. This is ridiculous. I’m going to have some oatmeal and go back to sleep. My neighbors are up, so maybe they woke me up? Went back to sleep and woke up at 8 AM.

The landlord wants me to leave the house. Fuck. He said that there were bugs and mice there. But he said that he needs the house now, so I'm not sure if the place was really in bad shape. I asked the management company to confirm the state of the house. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I wrote the trust about buying a house. I found some homes that are a possibility.

As for my knee, it isn't too bad. I washed it out, and it just stings a little.

Went to Long's Drug/CVS and got supplies. I was feeling shaky, so I stopped at a restaurant for some food. This trip is a diet disaster; I got fish and chips that were fried in oil. The fries were good though. While I was sitting outside, it started raining. It was warm rain and no big deal though. There was a rooster hanging out near the restaurant that kept bugging me. He almost tried to grab one of my fries but decided not to at the last minute. Cheeky bugger :)

Speaking of diets though, my t-shirts are getting a little baggy on me. Excellent.

Tried to lie down for a little while, but my brain was churning over the house situation. I think that I’ll go take pictures (done). I sat by the waves for a while. It's hard to stress by the ocean.

Ran to the grocery store to pick up some more Lean Cuisine lunches. Now I'm doing laundry.

Hmm. I looked up trails in Kokee and Waimea Canyon, and they said to bring plenty of water. I might have to run to the store to get some tomorrow.

My next-door neighbors of the 4:30 AM wakeup knocked on the wall, so I guess that I'll dry my clothes tomorrow.

I tried to get my shellac polish off but no dice. I ordered some gel polish remover to come on Wednesday.

My handyman woke me up at 6 AM calling me. I texted him back and told him that he woke me up. He said that he didn't know that I was on vacation. Okay. I think that I'll eat a slice of pizza for breakfast and go back to sleep for a little while. I couldn’t sleep, no doubt due to the time change. Got up and had a nice shower. Made a grocery list.

Made it to the grocery store and loaded up on supplies, including the all-important Diet Coke. Fresh fruit and salads too. And oatmeal.

I opened the windows to get some air and light in here. There is no air conditioning, only ceiling fans. That’s common in Hawaii.

Kauai is not feeling familiar, but I haven't gone to any places that I went to previously yet. There are some pretty drives.

The WiFi here really sucks. It's almost as slow as dialup.

I think that I'll try to nap a little. I have nothing until the Fern Grotto tour at 3:15, and I'll leave around 2. I got the address to enter in the GPS on my phone. I would have been completely screwed this trip without the GPS.

A guy was using a leaf blower or something like that when I lay down. But I did doze lightly after that.

Had a small Caesar salad for lunch. I must have been hungry because it tasted really good. Changed my clothes and freshened up, and I have a half-hour to kill.

Interesting. I saw a video about a couple who retired on a cruise ship. They said that it’s costing them $35000 a year. That’s something to think about, but I’d have to not have pets.

Took the fern grotto cruise. The fern grotto is basically a photo op. I don’t remember it from our Kauai trips when I was a kid, and I’m not surprised. Now I’m waiting for the luau.

I’ve decided not to take the snorkeling trip on Sunday. I’d have to meet them at 6 AM, and I don’t do 6 AM even Hawaii time. I can rent snorkel equipment at the place where I’m staying at a more civilized hour.

Then I went to the luau. Dinner took two hours. The food was pretty good and the live music was great. But the actual hula show started at 7:45. I walked over there but started to yawn. Bearing in mind that it was almost 2 AM EDT, I had a longish drive ahead of me, and I was up at 6 AM today, I decided to leave and drive back. I didn't really factor jet lag into my plans because I'm a night owl. But a six hour time difference is making a difference.

I'm back at the hotel and plan to sleep soon. I'm a party animal :) I'm going to set my phone on "do not disturb" this time until my alarm goes off.

Oh, I discovered that there is a washer and dryer in the hotel suite. Excellent because I want to wash my travel clothes before going back. The complex has a laundry room, but this is better.

Got my French homework printed off and stashed in my backpack. Got my clothes together for both days of flights. I'm getting my second wind, but I still think that I'll pack my clothes in the AM.

Intel is going to be providing foundry services to NVIDIA. I'm trying to scrape together cash to invest. Okay, transferred some money. Bought shares.

Getting up before dawn sucks. I ate breakfast and fed the cats, but I decided to go back to sleep and pack tonight. I’ll go swimming in Kauai.

The handyman came to put up the screens right after I woke up. I had a new frontier of weirdness; I took a shower while he was in the house. I trust him though. He spent the rest of the morning changing some door locks. He said that the cost of the aluminum framing on the roof will be about $4500. Sigh.

I really like my new Hawaiian hoodie. It’s a coral reef and very nice-looking. So of course, I got some food on it. Aargh.

I found out how to use the fabric AirTag holders, so now they’re securely fastened in my suitcase and small carryon bag. I’m missing a couple of them, but I have one for the backpack. They aren’t expensive, so I can order more.

It’s really cold out. I think that I’ll wear the wool trench coat tomorrow because I’ll be waiting outside for the shuttle car.

I have hot and cold running meetings, so I'm going to go to the UPS Store tomorrow before work.

I talked to the life coach, and she was her usual helpful self. I now have a list of things to do when I get back, but the TaskRabbit ones, I can do from Hawaii. We also talked about my getting a spa treatment, and I found a place that I like. I need to figure out when to go there.

Talked to my weight-loss coach, who is still like nails on a chalkboard. She wants to turn everything into an end goal, and I'm more about the process. And I have been losing weight, so I wish that she'd back off.

Mover guy called me back. He asked if the move could be later if I need it delivered later, and I said no. He said that he’d look into a “container move” and will get back to me tomorrow morning.

I got everything done that I wanted to get done for work. The pet sitter stopped by and got the key. I dashed off some things for my goal-setting class.

Had my Dare to Dream class. Put my stuff for the UPS Store in the car for tomorrow morning. I’m freezing cold so I went upstairs. Packed my main suitcase. Now I'm boiling hot, so I came downstairs to print stuff off. I just need to pack my little "jump bag," and I'll be ready to go.

Checked in and printed off my boarding pass. Printed off maps. The spa is just a short distance away from my hotel. The only thing is that with the time change, I won't be able to call them from here tomorrow morning. The time that I'd need to call them is the time that I'm being picked up. I might be able to call from my hotel in Chicago. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until I get there. Okay, my travel documents are printed off. Printed off cat instructions.

The landlord leaving stuff at my rental house can't get into the garage. I didn't know what to tell him.

I'm going to go finish off packing my little jump bag, pack my meds, clear off the mail on the table, and then go to sleep. I should get a decent night's rest.

Did part one of my pedicure this morning. (I pushed back my cuticles, exfoliated my feet, and clipped my toenails.) I'm planning to paint my toes this afternoon, after my errand to the bank, so that my toes can dry while I'm working. Efficiency :) The pedicure is done.

I'm down 20 pounds! I just need to do this three more times, and I'll be at my target weight!

Hmm. I need to give a key to the handyman in case he or the real estate guy need to get in while I'm gone, but he's not here yet.

Well, hell. The animal hospital near me no longer does boarding. A lot of the kennels around here are dog only. I called another animal hospital and left a message. They left a message and said that they don't do boarding. Yay, I found a place, but they want a leukemia shot as well as rabies, so I need to see if they've had one. Got the vaccination record, but they weren't vaccinated for feline leukemia, so I need to bring them to a local vet for shots as soon as I get back.

So many plates to keep in mid-air. I want another set of shelves for my pantry area before the Urbana organizers get there. Because I'm running into Christmas when I get there (what am I going to do about food?), I need to get them while I'm there for the on-site meeting. I suppose that I could get frozen food too. I think that I have some for that matter if it's still good. I paid my deposit for the Urbana organizers.

I’m going to have to work on my performance appraisal this weekend because my boss wants it done before I leave.

I’m wondering where a small tin that had what I think was my mom’s safety deposit box key in it. I think that I kept the tin, so it’s probably in storage. I’ll need to look for it when I get back.

Had my voice lesson. but I kept yawning, so we postponed guitar and music theory until Sunday.

Oh yikes. I got the date wrong on the flight back to Detroit from Chicago; I needed it to be a day later. I jumped on the phone with the airline and got it changed. I'm glad that I caught that.

I'm thinking of going to bed soon.

I have charged GoPro and camera batteries. Go me.

I added a scale showing 120 pounds and a sheath dress to my vision board. I hope that it helps. I did row, but the video that said “scenic” wasn’t and I can’t get the resistance above 1. I need to contact the company. I’m trying the “small goals” approach and doing it for 10 minutes and will build up. I forgot to feed the cats beforehand and Zara was meowing from upstairs. I suck.

I practiced voice and guitar. Go me. Now I need to go back to bed.

Woke up with my alarm. Mimi came down for breakfast long after Zara had eaten Mimi’s food, so I gave Mimi some dry food. It’s tough having two cats on different feeding schedules.

I found my box of missing camera stuff in the plant room. Good.

The downstairs is done (except for the garage)! We finished the breezeway and three and one half closets downstairs. We started on the crawl space upstairs. I found my mom’s dog’s ashes, so I need to figure out what to do with them. We just have four more sessions because then the organizer’s baby is due, but she said that she could connect me with her helper, who is great on getting trash out.

I can’t stop sneezing from the dust in the crawl space.

After lunch, I ran to Walgreens and picked up my prescription and some tweezers. Then I went to the copy shop to print off my music theory book. The print job was more than the maximum allowable print job, and I used up my three print jobs trying to get it to work. So that was a bust. I ordered the current edition from Amazon, but it's different from what my teacher has.

I'm not able to go swimming because apparently I was still using my old debit card to pay for the gym access, so I need to get that fixed. But first, it's nap time.

The scale thing on my vision board is working. I wanted a snack when I came back, but I looked at it and did without.

Got up from my nap with the alarm. Made a list of things to do.

Cool. I got the Maui t-shirts. And I love, love, love the tweed blazers that I’ve been getting. The black and navy pumps that I got are perfect. They’re comfortable and fit well.

Gathered cash for the hair cut. Watered the orchids. Paid my gym bill. Booked Italian and French lessons. Finished my Italian homework. I need a short break before doing the music theory homework. Booked a singing lesson in November.

It’s gotten late, so I’ll do my music theory homework when I get back from the haircut. I need to practice voice and guitar (done!) Now to sleep....

Woke up with my alarm and got dishes done before my shower. The power washing guy isn’t here, but it’s supposed to rain today. Okay, now he's here.

Had technical difficulties and was late to a meeting. Oh well.

The roofer guy came (while I was in my meeting with the life coach)! He said that the roof in the front part of the house and the garage needs to be replaced, which is more-or-less what I figured. He's working on an estimate. The power washing is almost done and the house looks great!

The life coach helped me figure out what I need to do for the Hawaii trip plus on the house. She said that I didn't give myself rewards enough, given that I'm getting so much done. I need to think about that.

I tried to nap over lunch, but couldn't sleep. Mimi wanted to lie on me, so we had difficulties. But I still couldn't sleep after she got off.

Talked to my weight-loss coach. She suggested drinking water with Crystal Light, which I'll try. I just submitted a grocery order with Crystal Light in it.

I bought myself a wedding ring! One of my solo travel sites recommended wearing a wedding ring when women travel solo, which is not a bad idea. But I wanted something pretty, so I found a rose gold one that wasn't too horribly expensive.

I've decided what to do right after work. My life coach suggested exercising, but I need some down time after work. I've decided to read after work both as a treat and also for self-improvement. I've loaded up on Kindle books and will read for an hour each day.

I’m setting up the new laptop. It’s small but mighty. I love it. Right now, it’s updating. Once my files are copied and the battery charged, I’m just going to pack the new laptop and continue to use the old one. Windows did not copy my files over, so I'm backing up my files on the old laptop and will port them over.

The Crystal Light is good. Note to self: ask the organizer where the Brita pitcher went. Found it.

I can't find my reef-safe suntan lotion, so I need to order more. Also couldn't find the waterproof housing for the GoPro, so I'm ordering a new one. I had a box of camera stuff that I can't find. I'll have to ask the organizer about it. Losing stuff after we "organize" kind of sucks, but I don't see a way around it.

I think that I have Semagic set up on the new laptop, so I'm going to test it with this post.

My strategy with eBay is if I find something that I like, I wishlist it, and often the sellers will give a discount. It worked for the blue tweed blazer that I wanted.

Woke up around 8 AM. Selected my BistroMD meals. Started a load of laundry. Got boxes for the packing person. Had a good petting session with Mimi. Found my missing pair of glasses; they were on the floor in the bedroom. I don't regret ordering more though.

Took a short nap. OMG, there are more pictures in the other dresser in my room. Crud. The packing tape order that I placed was delayed. I just placed an order at Mejier for more tape. I want the packing person to pack up all the pictures in my room. Plus, I need to pack up the clothes that I'm returning.

Oh okay. I have a hair appointment next Sunday, and I had the thought in the shower that the organizer scheduled for that Sunday, but it was the following weekend.

Oh. The packer is having car trouble, so she wanted to reschedule. And I started my Italian homework, but Italian isn't until next week. I am confused :) Scheduling stuff is a pain. Oh good, the pet sitter confirmed for my Kauai trip.

Zara wants lunch! Now! I’m making my lunch too. I got up to order a book for the Kindle called Honest Aging, mentioned in the Washington Post, and both girls got excited because why would I get up except to feed them? They're charmingly self-centered. I fed them.

Crud. I put clothes in the dryer, and it was making a weird noise. I might have to replace it sooner rather than later. And I put a load in the wash, and I'm almost out of detergent, so I placed a Kroger order too. I also ordered blue dress pants to go with the blazer and blue top.

Got the tape. Yay. I’m practicing guitar and my chords are going better.

I booked a cleaner for Friday. Ordered more boxes. Urgh, I have a headache, but I've been practicing voice. I think that I need to power through. Okay, I've got my song memorized. Back to guitar. I'm getting hungry.

My music teacher was nice to reschedule me for a half-hour later. I told her that it wasn’t necessary this week because no Italian, but she decided to stick with the time.

Oh no! I lost my voicemail when I switched phones, including voicemails from mom! I need to see if I can get them back.

Music lessons went well. I have a bunch of homework, and I'm learning a new song as well. I need to order more guitar picks (done). We're also having an issue with printing off one of the books that we're using. I bought an electronic version of the book, but it will let me print it only three times. I'm thinking that I should go to Kinko's and print the whole 280 pages off.

Zara wants food. I thought that she was trying to con me, but she’s right, I didn’t give them dinner. (I can tell because her pill is in the pill splitter.) So I’ll feed them and take a short nap. I’m doing mass quantities of laundry because I want to start packing for Hawaii.

I reminded my Italian/French teacher that the lesson tomorrow should be French, and she said "perfect- perfetto-parfait :). So I guess that we've got the schedule worked out.

Tried to nap but couldn’t sleep. Gathered up clothes to pack. I'm getting a crashing headache, so I think that I'll go to sleep and do stuff in the morning.

I found a subscription site for virtual rowing workouts. Yeah, I think that I should get it and a tablet. I’m just looking for a good price on a tablet. Yeah, I found one on eBay for a good price. It has some scratches on the back, but that’s okay.

I was trying to take a picture of Mimi’s face with the iPhone, so she turned around with her butt towards me. Cats! Okay, I got a decent picture of her.

Overslept but managed to get myself together before 8:30 AM. Go me. And it’s after 8:30 and the guys aren’t here. Sigh. They’re here. They wanted me to move my car. The cats want nothing to do with this and ran off and hid.

And it's Friday. I don't know where the weeks go.

We got into a lively conversation about electric cars and solar panels at a "watercooler" meeting at work. Now I'm wondering if I should get an electric car as my next car and keep one of the gas cars for road trips. I'm trying to log into Consumer Reports to learn more about electric cars and hybrids, but I'm having problems logging in. I finally got into Consumer Reports (I don't buy a car without it) and there are no all-electric cars with lots of cargo room. So a hybrid it is. The Honda CR-V hybrid gets good ratings. I'm also considering the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, but it's currently being tested.

I have to say that the house looks neater without the ivy and with the trees trimmed.

However, the parts that had ivy look dirty. I was wondering if it needed tuckpointing, but the real estate guy thinks that it just needs power washing. He’s going to stop by to do an estimate. Well, I guess not. I'll get back in touch with him on Monday.

I attended a webinar about social connections. I thought that it would be more a meeting about how to meet people, but it was more about social anxiety and getting out of your comfort zone. I had started an online class about social anxiety, but I thought that would be more useful after I get back to Urbana. I started one about stress, anxiety, and worry. Depression would be useful too. Hmm, their screening questionnaire said that I didn't score high on anxiety and worry. But I do tend to get overwhelmed, which is related. I'm feeling less so now that we have a game plan and that things are moving along.

Now I'm looking at Apple watches on Reebelo. I don't need one. Cut it out, Adrienne. But the new ones have fall detection, which is a good thing for someone living alone and an SOS button! Hmm. Might be worth considering as I get older. It’s cooler than one of those buttons.

Oh cool. The hotel that I'm staying at in Chicago the night before the Kauai flight has a complimentary airport shuttle. That will help.

It looks like I fucked up at work. I made changes, but it looks like they didn't stick. Oh well.

I figured out the rowing machine. It has a tablet/phone holder instead of a counter. You need to log into an app to get stats. But it also needs to be plugged in (I just ordered a long extension cord) and it has Bluetooth. Once I get it plugged in, then I can pair it with the app. This is complicated :)

Did dishes and scrubbed the sink with Soft Scrub. I got the Soft Scrub on my clothes, so I rinsed it off and dumped my shirt in the laundry. I found that some clothes that I had in the laundry were wet. There are more leaks down there. Sigh.

The tablet has an estimated delivery of Sunday! Cool.

I’m thinking that I should go to bed and get up early. I got up fairly early this morning. But I need to do some things before my French lesson and the organizer. Okay, I’m prepared for my French lesson.