From the Inside Out

Wow, I can’t believe that “Leaving Iowa” opens this week! Since returning from Maui, we’ve been rehearsing like crazy! We had a four hour rehearsal on Saturday, eight hour rehearsal on Sunday, and four hour rehearsal tonight. It’s tiring, but at the same time, I’m glad we’re doing it. I missed an entire week of rehearsal while I was in Maui, so I really need it.

Tonight was our first night to be in the Courtyard Theatre in Plano (where we’ll be performing starting on Thursday). It’s an awesome venue, and I’m really excited to be performing there. We have a spacious back stage area, good dressing rooms, and a separate green room. It’s great to have so much space for the cast and crew.

The tech crew joined us for this evening’s rehearsal, so we got to practice with the lighting, sound, and multimedia. It’s great to see it all finally come together. We still have lots of work to do before Thursday’s performance, but I know it will be great!

If you enjoy theatre, please come out to support us. I really like the play. It’s a great story that is both funny and touching. And, I think almost everyone can relate to the family road trip scenes. If you’ve ever traveled with your family in a car, this will bring back memories…and make you laugh. And if that’s not enough, you get to see me act as a “mom” which is a stretch for me…haha!

For more information and to get tickets, visit: http://bit.ly/cGs2qL

For a few blurry iPhone pictures from our rehearsals, see below.

Practicing the Civil War re-enactment scene — just one destination on the family road trip

Shaw and Pam at the diner

Our director and Gary working very hard…or not.

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String games!!

First night in the Courtyard Theatre

The actor’s viewpoint

Every time I think about leaving Maui, a sadness descends upon me. It’s one place that no matter how much I go, I still don’t want to leave. My brain fantasizes about all of the different things I can do to stay just a bit longer or permanently live here. Gary and I could sell everything and live the simple life. We could buy a charter company on the Island, or better yet, become entrepreneurs and start our own tour company. The list goes on and on. Finally, reality begins to settle in. We have full lives to which we need to return. There are people depending on us, and there are family and friends who would miss us. My goal is to retire in Hawaii, but for now, I must return to Texas.

Since it was our last day on the Island, we got up early today for another scenic, 20-mile bike ride along the ocean.

Taking a quick break

Lanai just across the way

After the ride, we packed up our belongings and checked out of the hotel. We returned our rentals and then went back into Lahaina for our last Maui lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise, a local burger joint.

The view at lunch

On the drive back to the airport, we stopped for a few final pictures before saying goodbye.

View from the highway on our way back to the airport

Clouds and light rain on Mt. Haleakala

I’m sad to go. Dear Maui, thank you for such an amazing trip. I love you, and I will miss you dearly!

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PS: If you want to see all of our pictures from Maui, click the “Photo” link to view the full album.

After having lots of fun exploring the Northern shores of Maui, we decided to continue our journey northward. After a delicious lunch beach side at Hula Grill in Whaler’s Village, we jumped in the car and headed towards the unknown.

Rocky Coastline of Northern Maui

Cool lava rock formations…this one was shaped like a bench

Blowholes!!!

Scary hazardous cliffs! Beware! Meh…we’re exploring!

Giant killer plants! Ok, maybe I’m overstating the killer part.

Long narrow winding roads

Awe-inspiring views

Quaint villages

Cool churches

We found lots of great things along the way in our trip up North. Eventually, we ended up on a treacherous single lane road and decided to turn back, but not after sampling a few treats sold by the locals in a small village. If you’re ever up this way, stop at the pink hut and get some shaved ice. It’s the best…you betcha, you betcha!

On our trip back, we stopped in at the “rehearsal beach” to do some….yes, you guessed it…some rehearsing. Once again, we were all alone enjoying the lovely splendor that God has created. I’ll never get over it. I just love the ocean. It’s amazing.

Our “rehearsal beach”

Back at the hotel, we got a lovely full rainbow. It’s sooo beautiful!

We watched the sun set over Black Rock

Stayed for the torch lighting ceremony

And cliff diving ceremony…it never gets old

Then back to Front Street in Lahaina for dinner on our last evening in Maui.

Another fantastic day in paradise!

Another beautiful day in Maui — the weather was perfect, the clouds were resting lightly on top of the mountain, and it was time to go exploring. Our first adventure of the day was a short bike ride to the area of Kaanapali beach where we spent our honeymoon sixteen years ago. We visit it each time we return to Maui so we can see just how much things have changed. On our last trip, we discovered that our condos had become apartments. This time, they are still apartments, but the name has changed yet again. I guess it’s hard to find a good name these days…hehe! And as expected, more shops and resorts have sprung up nearby. The Italian Cypress trees are taller, and the plants in the garden have grown like crazy.

It’s fun reminiscing about those first days of our marriage and retracing our steps. Wow, it brings back so many great memories. I love Maui! We are so blessed to be able to travel there for a third time — and, I hope it’s not the last. I hope we get to go back again and again and again.

Ok, enough with the memories and back to the recap of our trip…after the ride, we walked to the back side of Black Rock to reach a more secluded area of the beach. Gary and I enjoyed the water, worked on our tans, and rehearsed a few lines before grabbing lunch by the pool at our hotel.

After lunch, we decided to get away from Kaanapali and go far up North away from the resorts and tourist areas. We wanted to explore. Here’s some of what we found.

Honolua Bay, a great snorkeling spot with water as clear as glass

A completely secluded beach which Gary and I affectionately named “Rehearsal Beach.”

We spent hours on this beach relaxing and rehearsing our lines for Leaving Iowa (which opens next week…wow!)

We also took time to have a little fun

And then back to rehearsing!!

On the way home, we had some amazing views of the sunset

We ended the night back in Kaanapali and had dinner at a seafood restaurant on the beach in Lahaina — a great ending to a perfect day.

Monday in Maui was the Monday of my year –without a doubt. Gary and I got up extremely early (5 am) to catch up with a snorkeling trip called Blue Water Rafting. It was the best snorkeling tour I’ve had on the Island. Instead of being in a slow, large, and boring boat, you are in a rigid hull inflatable that is small and nimble. Pair that with a couple of fun-loving tour guides, and you have the start of a great adventure.

After loading up, we headed to our first snorkeling destination, which can only be reached by boat. On the way, the drivers did their best to make sure we had some fun. They cranked the boat up to full blast and jumped across the waves. They also took time to do a few donuts on the water. The experience was almost like a mini-roller coaster in the ocean — fun! We also spotted a few bottlenose dolphins on the way there. A neat treat for many on the trip.

We snorkeled in the first location for a while, had breakfast, and then departed for our next adventure, sea caves and a lava tour. The captain drove us to a part of the Island that only few people get to see (~35K per year), even many locals never venture to that area. Here, we found large waves (which were a blast to jump over in the boat) and some interesting lava formations. They drove us around and provided some interesting information about the formations, but to be honest, the best part was when they drove the boat inside the lava caves. The waves would crash in around us and blow out foam. It was really cool.

After the lava adventure, we went to Molokini (a small crater off the coast of Maui that is a popular snorkeling and diving destination). They allowed us to snorkel on both sides of the crater (which most tours won’t let you do). The outside of the crater is a sheer drop, and it’s about 300 feet deep. We got some great views there and saw lots of fish. Then we pulled around to snorkel the inside of the crater, which also offers some great views of marine life and coral. Finally, we drove to an area where many of the sea turtles hang out and dropped anchor to snorkel and to have lunch.

It was an awesome trip, but I can’t share pictures yet since they are all on my waterproof camera (which isn’t digital). I’ll try to share some when I get them developed later.