Travel | Peaches Prattlings

{February 1, 2017} I missed you!!

Oh my friends…I have missed you! I hope the feeling was a wee bit mutual.

I had such an amazing weekend that I had promised to share with you as I experienced it. Alas…Tmobile was not so friendly on the Big Island of Hawaii. So, a frustrating as that was, I’m going to be a big girl and move on and share my weekend with you now. Needless to say…it’s gonna be long one.

Here’s how my Friday, January 28th post went:

What do you do for the weekend, when you live on an island? You go to another island!

January 30th marks the two year anniversary of our first date. I don’t know if you remember me surprising PSM in Hawaii for our one year anniversary, it was awesome! It was also my first trip, of many, out here before I moved officially.

PSM surprised me with a trip to the Big Island for the weekend and here we are! He booked the tickets and the car, I got the hotel, you can guess where we’re staying!

We got to the hotel, the Hilton Waikoloa Village checked in and then headed to the room. The property is 62 acres! They have their own transportation system on the property, you can walk, of course, how yesterday! Or you can take a boat or tram!

We opted for the boat to get to our room, in the Ocean Tower. We have a very nice room with a partial view of the ocean, we can see it, not sure how partial it really is. The important thing is we can hear the ocean, sleeping with weigh A/C off and window open tonight!

The first thing we booked when we arrived was the luau and shortly after seeing the room, we left…headed to the luau.

What fun! The had a vegan option for me and PSM went to the buffet. Awesome waiter kept bringing more drinks, PSM was a happy camper.

The show itself was fabulous. Great history to learn about the Island of Hawaii. Each island has their own history, own and different stories to tell. I have to say, the fire dancing and spinning was the best! If you ever have the opportunity, do it! So much fun!

After the luau it was a nice walk back to the room, talk, laugh, catch up and then try to talk to you. A nice way to start our weekend, wouldn’t you agree?

Welcome day two. And what a day it was! We spent the day on a tour of Volcano National Park!
We toured lava tubes, which are the natural conduits which lava flows through, wow! We hiked to a volcano crater, there are hot pockets that you see and feel the steam coming up, unusual foliage, berries you can eat and berries, you shouldn’t.

We went to another part of the national park and we could see where the lava formed around a tree and then dinner at a volcano winery where they grow grapes and tea leaves.

We finished our day at an active volcano so we could see the glow in the distance, pictures cannot do it justice at all.

Sunday morning came and PSM had a relaxing massage, we met for breakfast and then headed to the airport. We flew back to Honolulu, collected our luggage, headed to check in, so my bags off, say a heartfelt farewell and I flew off to the great blue yonder back to Chicago.

Yesterday, I arrived about 630am, headed to the hotel and they had a room and that two hour nap was amazing! Then it was a day at the office, dinner with DLP at Kitchen 17, hotel and zzzzzzz…

Well, after mushy talk with PSM for our two year anniversary.

I hope you’ll forgive me for not talking to you last night.

So…it’s been great catching up with you tonight and now I am going to crash. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Goodnight!

{January 27, 2017} Where am I? When am I?

So…you know I travel a little right?

That being said, I talk to people in different time zones and I’m in airports in different time zones all the time. People ask where I am, can’t always tell them. My dad gave me a watch made of paper for Chanukah and I set it to Hawaii time so I always know what time it is at home and when I can call PSM. Doesn’t help in airports, so…

I decided to get clever…my fabulous watch has many options on watch faces and one has multiple time zones, so I selected that one and chose New York, good for eastern standard time, where dad is and GES in Boston, then Honolulu, where my home and honey are, Paris, well, if you know me, you know I love Paris and ‘my location’, so I’ll always know what time it is where I am.

I thought it was a good idea. It’s 11:57 pm here in Honolulu where I just landed so I will say goodnight. Good morning to some of you as it will be 5am in a few on the east coast.

{January 26, 2017} Wow! Thank you for asking!

Lunch today was kind of a bust, but with a twist.

I thought I’d try a new place for lunch today. No love for the vegan today, I ended up at Burger King, which I enjoy, but it wasn’t my first choice.

Before I ended up at Burger King, the last place I went to, as I was leaving after looking at the menu and mentioning there was nothing for a vegan, the bartender asked what they could have on the menu that I might want.

They were changing their menu and she would like to know what they could offer. I said for me, I would love to see a veggie burger, as I’ve told you and I told her, I don’t care if it’s frozen and they stick it in the microwave, I just want the option. I also mentioned that it shouldn’t be cooked where they cook meat, but if it is, like on a grill, cool it on tin foil.

If I want to go out for a salad, then that’s what I want, but I don’t want a salad to be my default and only option.
I thanked her for asking and she thanked me for my help and away I went…to Burger King for a veggie burger.

{January 25, 2017} And you doubted my love for Hilton?

I have told you, I’m spoiled. Hilton treats me right, let me show you.

I’ve been in all sorts of rooms all over the world, in all sorts of hotels, and I’ve shared what Hilton has done with upgrades. A few years ago I got upgraded to the presidential suite and this week, the governor’s suite! I could live here!

I’ve been trying to upload a video, but it’s not happening, I hope the photos do it justice! [I’m going to post the video on Facebook, if we’re friends there, you’ll see it, sorry non-Facebook peeps].

All I did was make a reservation, the rest was up to Hilton.

{January 22, 2017} Definitely a thespian!

The Wizard of Oz! My favorite movie and now…my favorite young stage production!

Today, EJS performed in The Wizard of Oz. She’s in a theater group called Show Stoppers. Last year, she was in Beauty and the Beast, she was a few different characters. This year she was Elmira Gulch in Act I, wow! Elmira Gulch, if you’re not in the know, is the mean woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.

In the rest of the show, she was a jitterbug, and munchkin, a crow and part of the Queens Guard, versatile! There was singing and dancing and they were all great, but you know, she’s my niece so of course, she was the star!

She asked me to do her hair in a sideways French braid. First time…let’s give it a shot! I did the braid, she approved and they pinned it up, looked great! Whew!

It was a fun production, minimal sets…we had a farm, a yellow brick road, a curtain for the Great and Powerful Oz, colored lighting, music, singing, costumes…what more do you need?

It really was great and EJS knew her lines, she was on point, she danced and sang and enjoyed herself and had an entourage of about 25 people! Aside from my sister, b-i-l, MGS, dad and LaLa, J&AS, B&SS she had three friends on their own, then J&EK with their kids, S&P, S&LR and their kids S&E, RG and her daughter A. What a crowd and what a lucky girl! Can you image what her Broadway debut will look like!

Congrats to the entire cast and easy to go EJS! I’m so proud of you!

{January 17, 2017} Martin Luther King Jr Day and Hidden Figures

What a day.

Today we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. His Birthday is January 15th and we celebrate on the third Monday of January.

Martin Luther King Jr was an American Baptist minister and activist who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.

There are many ways that we honor Dr. King in the United States. Different groups honor him in different ways, lectures, celebrities, it’s a federal holiday, schools are closed, some companies give their employees the day off, as mine did.

Since I knew I would have been in Chicago today, DLP and I decided to go to the movies and it seems fitting that we saw Hidden Figures.

Hidden Figures is a movie based on a true story. A team of African-American women provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program’s first successful space missions.

It was an amazing and powerful story. The three main characters are smart, clever, personable women you can’t help but cheer for, want to succeed and wish you had even a fraction of their brains.

The movie took place during a difficult time in history for people of color. It was interesting and difficult to watch at times, empowering, happy, sad, frustrating, exciting, so many emotions. There were tears, anger, joy and those were the feelings of the audience.

It was an amazing and inspiring movie, I walked out wanting to be a human computer! Go see it!

{January 16, 2017} A goodbye and Singin’ in the Rain

So many emotions.

I can’t believe it’s been a year, but January 15, 2016 is when PSM got on a plane very early in the morning in Boston to move to Hawaii. This morning, 7am, he kissed me goodbye and headed to the airport to go home to Hawaii.

The nice thing this time, well for me, is that PSM took a taxi and I stayed in bed and went back to sleep, ahhh…he’s home, safe and sound as we speak and I’ll see him in two weeks for our 2 year anniversary! I don’t know if you remember that I surprised him last year, it was perfect! This time, he knows I’m coming, but he’s got a surprise planned for me!

After I got up leisurely, had breakfast, hung out and then headed to the movie theater nearby to see the 65th anniversary of Singin’ in the Rain on the big screen. The theater was full, very few empty seats, even quite a few kids.

The opening credits started to roll and it was on! I will easy, a little bittersweetto see Debbie Reynolds on the big screen after just losing her so soon from our lives. I just sat back, literally…in the recliner, and reveled in Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Conner, singing and dancing on the big screen.

I’ve watched this movie at least 50 times or more, but on a TV, there is nothing like seeing it in the theatre on a big screen. That’s why I go as often as possible when they re-release a movie or a one time showing on the big screen, something that brings back my childhood or gives me a new experience.

It’s on the big screen today and Wednesday, January 18th across the country, go find a theater, at fandango.com, and fun! Here’s the full list of what’s going to be on the big screen, presented by TCM, http://www.playbill.com

{January 15, 2017} A day at the museum

A night at the museum would have fun collection, just to say it, I love that movie!

We took our time getting up, getting breakfast, headed out into Chicago. We decided to go to the Art Institute of Chicago.on the way, we stopped at the theater showing Hamilton to see if we could score some tickets, oh well, it wasn’t meant to be.

We went to the Art Institute and enjoyed sharing the time, we love going to museums and view, discuss, appreciate and question the art we see together. We have different tastes in some areas and the same in others.

After a few hours we left in search of lunch, then it was another stroll around the city and then, football! Cause I’m awesome…the Falcons were playing Seattle, congrats to Falcons fans and congrats to Patriots fans for beating Hoston. Happy PSM.

A great day to spend together.

{January 14, 2017} Together again

I’ve got my baby back! I just love saying that…mostly because now you’re singing it!

This past week, PSM was in St Louis for work and since he was so close, we decided to get together. He extend his time in St Louis and I booked a flight to see him.

Well, Mother Nature had other plans and sent a big ice storm his way so…rebook to Chicago for Friday and I got a hotel for the weekend and here he is!

I went into the office because I knew he would be working most of the day and I was right. About 5pm, he got off his call and then rang me as I was packing up my bag to leave.

It’s nice being together, ahh….we went to one of my favorite vegan restaurants, his idea, so very sweet of him, had a good dinner, then walked around Chicago. Eventually ended up back at the hotel to relax and eventually crash.

It’s been a great evening, talking, laughing, catching up, being silly, just right.

{January 11, 2017} Insomnia, work, nap and dinner

I am sleepy, Wahoo! And now let me tell you why I’m excited…

Last night I had a bad case of insomnia. Now, you know I sleep only about 3-4 hours a night. About once a month I’ll catch up sleeping for 8-10, maybe 12 hours. Every once in a while I get a case of insomnia. At the moment, I have been awake since 630am Tuesday.

I wanted to sleep last night, I really did, I just couldn’t. It was 11pm, then 1am, 3am and then next thing I knew, 530am, I’m not going to sleep at this point, pook.

I got up, showered, dressed and went to get breakfast and lunch for later, requested an Uber and off to the training site. I had good sessions, I was energized and on, surprisingly. I will say that by the last session, I was dragging a little.

In the Uber back to the hotel, I feel asleep! I may have been mid discussion with the driver! Oh my! I had 2 calls, closed my eyes for about 15 minutes, then up and out to meet LJ and DLP for dinner at Kitchen 17 for a deep dish vegan pizza! We had such a good time chatting, eating, catching up and laughing.

Back to the hotel to pack, talk to you and pass out! I’m tired, I should be able to sleep, wahoo!

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