Ga-gung, ga-gung.

16 Saturday May 2015

Posted by Making Magic in Baby Stew Brew, Baby Stew Diaries

Tags

baby stew, baby's first heartbeat, first ultrasound, new mom

Friday, May 15th 2015 might just go down in the books as one of the most mind blowing and amazing days in the history of days (as of yet…)

Friday’s are pretty amazing in our world but on this particular Friday I had my second prenatal doctors appointment at 1pm. I got home from coaching at 11 and quickly started making lunch. I was so excited and nervous and anxious that 1 o’clock couldn’t come soon enough! As I sat down to eat my phone rang, it was my doctors office asking if I could come in now. Right now? Yes, as soon as possible.

They needed to bump up my appointment because my doctor had been called in for surgery and the ultra-sound room was only open for another 30 minutes. After a bit of a mad dash, leaving my freshly made lunch on the table, running out the door, calling Colt on my drive to tell him to leave work now that he needed to meet me in the next 30 minutes we were both somehow there and waiting.

Very rarely will you see me (or any woman for that matter) smiling while in this position waiting at the doctors BUT when you are having your very first ultra sound, to see your very first child, you can’t help but be all smiles

As we waited for the doctor to come in I prepared myself for anything. Based on my last missed period I was suppose to be 8 weeks exactly but because of my irregular cycles and ovulation I wasn’t sure if my last period would be extremely accurate to go off. I also didn’t want to be disappointed or freaked out if we didn’t hear a heartbeat since I heard that is normal if you are measuring earlier than what you or your doctor thinks. I hoped for the best but was trying hard not to get my hopes up. After all I could still barely even believe that I was actually really pregnant.

After waiting for what seemed like forever Doctor Takemoto came in. She introduced herself to Colt and we got started. She explained to me that we were going to do an internal ultrasound and that hopefully we would be able to hear the babies heartbeat. As I relaxed and took a deep breathe she turned on the monitor and shut off the lights and suddenly just like that boom our little baby Stew was up on the screen!

It was love at first sight

As she pointed to each area of the screen we honestly couldn’t believe we were looking at our baby. I mostly couldn’t believe that it actually already looked like a baby! It was love at first sight and in that moment I knew that this would be our greatest adventure yet.

As we continued to watch the screen she started taking measurements of the baby to check to see our due date. We couldn’t wait to find out when our little baby Stew would be arriving and as she moved around snapping photos she stopped and said you see that little white flicker? That’s your baby’s heartbeat and then the microphone came on and ga-gung, ga-gung. ga-gung. It’s a heartbeat. It’s our babies heartbeat. Ga-gung, ga-gung.

Our babies heartbeat at 176 bpm

To say we were on cloud 9 after hearing the heartbeat would be a major understatement. It was so crazy how loud, fast and strong it was. Our baby had a heartbeat!

As she continued to check things out she let us know that I was measuring at exactly 8 weeks which was right on track to my last period.

Anu & Joe got us this amazingly awesome chalkboard to document all of our weekly memories & milestones as Baby Stew continues to grow! We are so grateful for you Getgen’s!

We could not believe that we were already 8 weeks along! That would have to mean that we had conceived Easter weekend which we spent at the Grand Wailea (which was so magically perfect) it would also mean that our due date would be, drum roll please…..

December 25th, 2015

I shit you not, our actual due date is on Christmas Day! Watch out Santa there is a new kid in town!

Click below to listen to baby Stew’s first heartbeat!!

Baby Stew’s first heart beat

Just like that…

01 Friday May 2015

Posted by Making Magic in Baby Stew Brew, Baby Stew Diaries

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

baby, baby stew, first child, pregnant

Driving. Park the car. Wait in car for 10 minutes. Take a deep breath. Say a prayer. Go inside. Get greeted. Fill out paperwork. Wait. Urine test. Wait. Go inside room. Wait. Nurse comes in, “Congratulations Jennifer, you are pregnant.” Watery eyes, blank smile, butterflies, dizziness, is this real life?

This was the order of events that took place on the first Friday of May. I must have asked her “so I’m pregnant” at least 5 times. I still couldn’t (can’t) wrap my head around the fact that the answer continues to be “yes.” I knew it was going to be “yes” the 3 tests at home over the last 2 days all continued to say yes, yes and yes.

With that being said lets back up a minute. I had one of those movie moments on Wednesday morning when the girl wakes up and kinda scratches her head like “damn I never did get my period did I”? My first thought of course was not “maybe I’m pregnant” but rather “here we go again.” I’ve had irregular cycles for the last 13 months since going off birth control with only the last two being “regular” with 29 and 34 days between.

All previous months it’s been 40 to 50+ days which in the “trying” to get pregnant world basically means “it just ain’t going to happen.” No ovulation = no baby. It’s been discouraging to say the very least, your body not doing what it’s suppose to do, what it was essentially made to do, what you are begging for it to do.

We saw the doctor, we did the testing, we did ALL the testing and all the tests pointed to “normal.” There was nothing wrong with either of us besides my daunting and dreadful super long irregular cycles.

“Be patient. Stop stressing. Stop trying. It will happen. Your still so young. Your next. Are you pregnant? Are you pregnant? So are you pregnant…..”

SHUT UP!

I get it!! I really do but when your in the thick of it and you’re feeling like your body is failing you the VERY last thing you need or want to hear are any of the above statements. I get it, you don’t know what else to say. How about, I know this must be really frustrating for you two. Hence my 5 time question to my doctor on Friday afternoon in complete disbelief “so I’m (ME) pregnant?”

Pregnant – well I’ll be dammed.

A silver lining, happiness, excitement, fear, anxiety…HOPE. That greatest of all HOPE.

A baby. Wow, we are having a baby.

My two positive at home pregnancy tests on April 29, 2015, I ended up taking a third the next morning and also got a “YES”

After the doctor confirmed I was indeed pregnant

First “belly selfies” at 6 weeks, first trimester

My favorite time

24 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by Making Magic in Thoughts from Jenn

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Happiness, Life, saturday

There is this moment on Saturday mornings when the whole world is still. The dawn is just barely breaking, birds are just starting to rustle in their nests and the air is still and cool. To my left I have a seven pound ball of fur curled up and jammed in my ribs. To my right my lightly snoring husband who is too far away in slumber to hear me stir. I’m careful not to disturb either, just yet. It’s in this single moment when thoughts of the day, to-do lists or responsibilities have yet to creep in to my mind and my world stands still. It’s the moment that I look forward to all week. A moment I stop and record regularly to keep fresh in my memory for when I need a minute of peace. It’s my favorite time. Nothing to do. Nobody to be. Just me and my whole world, for a second, until it’s gone, until next time.

Gone. The saddest word in our language…In any language.

18 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by Making Magic in Thoughts from Jenn

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death, Life, loss, love, reflection

…8 years ago today I sat in a crappy apartment, in a crappy city, in a crappy relationship. My relationship of five years was coming to an end (it was long coming) but it was five days before my 22nd birthday and although I knew it was over, there was some part of my naive 22 year old heart that was hoping for something (anything) to give, I mean come on…it was my birthday!

As I started my day and got ready for work I got a phone call that stopped me still in my tracks, it was my mum, and her words were telling me that my godmother was dead.

Died. Dead. Passed away.

– Silence –

Excuse me?

I’m so sorry baby.

-Sobs-

And there it was my 41 year old godmother (holder of so many years of my life, my secrets and my childhood was gone) just like that! No goodbye, no hugs, no kisses, no no no no. It couldn’t be, how could she be dead. It wasn’t the first time (unfortunately) my family & I were hit with such young death in our family but that didn’t mean it was going to be any easier.

I hung up the phone and started packing, feeling anxiously aware that I needed to leave, leave my boyfriends crappy apartment and never ever ever come back. I packed and cried and sobbed and talked to her. I called my job and told them I was done, I had to go it was time to leave, leave this crappy apartment, in this crappy city, in this crappy relationship but as I said the words my eyes stung with tears because I knew that even when I did leave it didn’t change one damn thing, my godmother was dead.

I spent my 22nd birthday at her wake and funeral. It was horrific to know that while I was being born 22 years ago (probably one of the happiest days of her and my families life) she was now being buried (one of the worst days of mine and her families lives) as I sat at the viewing I looked around in a tear-stricken haze at my family, her family, her kids. Her kids. It wasn’t fair, life was and never would be fair and there wasn’t a damn thing anyone could do about it.

My godmother and I weren’t talking when she died. We hadn’t talked in quite some time. It’s not important why we weren’t talking, what is important is to remember how we thought it was okay that we weren’t talking. We made excuses (so many excuses) life happens, people get fucked up, people change, things change, we change, people lie and cheat and you think that being mad at them and holding grudges against them will eventually blow over and things will be okay. Or even worse you think that never talking again, never forgiving them again will some how be okay. We forget (we always forget) that while all of this is happening death can happen…at any time without warning. You think you have TIME. You think it will all be okay. You think, you think, you think.

I think everyday. Everyday about so much..life, love, forgiveness, loss, sadness. That’s life. That’s part of my life. This is part of my life, everyday. But I live and the more I live and the more I give the more I learn. I’ve learned that I refuse to live my life with regret so instead I live with lessons learned and just like all lessons in life some are much much harder than others.

I miss my godmother. I miss her so often. I miss knowing that I can call her (even if we hadn’t talked in a long time) I miss knowing that she was there. I miss knowing her, hearing her voice, her laugh. I miss her craziness. I miss, well, I just miss her.

It’s 8 years later and I still miss her. I will always miss her. In life and in death she has taught me so much. She has taught me that nobody is perfect, that unconditional love and forgiveness will prove to be one of our hardest but most important struggles, that memories with family and those you love will be your most valuable possession and that no matter what you do there will always be loss (but there doesn’t always have to be regret).

I feel you in the breeze at the beach, I smell you in my tanning lotion on hot days, I listen to your voice on my wildest of nights, I secretly cheer for the Miami Dolphins every single time they play and I giggle every time I see a girl with long fake nails.

I’m turning 30 in 4 days and I wish you could call me and wish me a happy birthday (like you did for so many years) I wish that my birthday didn’t remind me of your loss. I wish…

Until we meet again….

Me and my godmother in July 1986 after my 2nd birthday feeding the ducks in the park

30 days until 30

23 Friday May 2014

Posted by Making Magic in Coach Jenn, Life on Maui, Runners HI, Wanderlust

≈ 1 Comment

…2 days until Anu’s Bach party, 6 days until the end of the regular school year, 7 days until my Moms 50th birthday in Oahu, 15 days until my Uncle Rays Maui wedding, 30 days until my 30th birthday, 50 days until Anu & Joe’s wedding, 55 days until Colt’s 30th birthday, 81 days until Lika’s wedding, 94 days until our 2 year wedding anniversary and 113 days until Kevin and Kristen’s wedding in Florida! (whew, are you exhausted yet?!?)

To say I’ve been busy would be a total understatement but not the kind of busy that you hate and all you want to do is pull your hair out, but more of the kind of busy that your non-stop living your life and wishing that there were just a few more hours in everyday. With that being said you can only imagine my surprise when I jumped on my blog to renew my yearly dues and I realized I haven’t posted since December (shame, shame) so here it goes!

This school year of coaching has been nothing short of amazing! I’ve learned so much and grown not only as a person but also as a coach. I’ve established an irreplaceable relationship with my students and I couldn’t feel more blessed to wake up everyday and go to a job that I truly love! It’s been such a positive and enlightening change in my life and I often wonder how I EVER (ever) did anything else!

On top of coaching full time and Lightning Electric part time I’ve also recently started a new adventure with a long time friend and his production company. The role is still evolving but I’m excited to be apart of yet another successful small business on Maui that I believe in. It’s such a big (and rewarding) change after working for corporate all those years!

Aside from my professional life my personal life has also been delightfully busy and filled with all of the things that I love which include but aren’t limited to being a wife to Colt, being a maid of honor to my best friend Kristen and Anu, spending time with family & friends, running, beaching, exploring and traveling!

The Warrior Dash in Oahu, I finished in the top 20 woman in my heat which was a huge accomplishment not to mention a blast!

The run till your green race was my fastest 5k to date!

The happiest 5k on earth, need I say more!

I also took a girls trip to Tahoe with Anu to celebrate her upcoming wedding. To say it was the best girls trip EVER would be the biggest understatement of the century.

After Tahoe came my favorite trip of the year which is going to Cali to visit sister stew, go to stagecoach (watching Lynyrd Skynyrd perform free bird live is now at the top 10 happiest moments of my life) and of course we couldn’t leave without saying hello to the mouse!

As you can clearly see married life continues to get better by the day. Being married to your best friend is truly life’s greatest blessing. I fall in love with Colt more and more everyday and being away from him (even only for the work day) is truly hard. I love being by his side, he makes my life richer and me better. I can’t wait to celebrate our 5 years together, and 2 years married in August!

When I woke up this morning and realized it was 30 days until 30 a part of me felt really sad to know that my 20’s (the best years of my life, thus far) were coming to an end. Yet part of me felt so incredibly overwhelmed with excitement for the next year to come! 30 — three zero — the fact that I am now a walking and talking adult is still extremely weird and overwhelming to me on the daily and now to know that I’m a soon to be thirty year old is even weirder!!! Especially when you hear things like “make sure you have a good a skin-care regimen if you don’t already” and that my exercise routine will now be a necessity rather than a leisure which I can’t lie scares me a lot. But on the flip side I am also ready to find out the good stuff like why they say life begins at 30 and to experience all the new adventures, lessons and blessings that are yet to come.

As for the rest, they say counting time isn’t as important as making time count..” and I fully intend to do just that!

Our December

07 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by Making Magic in Life on Maui, Thoughts from Jenn

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Christmas, December, Happiness, Life, Maui, staycation, time off

I am officially in mourning as I take down Christmas around our house. We had such a beautiful December spent doing the things that we love and really just enjoying Maui.

I am so grateful that we were both able to get Christmas and New Years off and that I had some extra afternoon down time since my elementary schools were all on break and my office work was light with my father in law on vacation. He went on holiday for the holiday so Colt and I stayed on Maui this year so we could handle biz (literally).

December was mellow and fun and we enjoyed it and each other very much….

We got our tree on black Friday. It was another perfect pick and I’ve enjoyed having it up very much. The smell, the beauty. It’s still up as I type I am just looking at it and wishing it didn’t have to come down (ever)…

Once the tree was up we had our typical Christmas card photo-shoot (thanks Anu) and as you can see it’s not Colt or Kai’s favorite part of the holiday but I love it.

A Stew’s Christmas 2013!

We spent a lot of time playing at the beach working on our tans. I think we went to the beach more in the last 2 weeks than we did in the entire year of 2013 but hey better late than never!

We also spent a night at the Grand (Colt and Joe) surprised Anu and I and of course it was awesome!

We spent our Christmas Eve at the beach, went to the candlelight service at church and then Anu and Joe had us over for a really nice chicken dinner.

Christmas Day Colt made a big breakfast buffet just for the two of us and we relaxed, ate and exchanged gifts while enjoying the morning.

This was Colt’s favorite gift (it was $3.50) a koozie that says “Drop Shaka’s not Bombs,” it has also become his 2014 motto.

Later that evening we went to Anu’s parents house and had a wonderful dinner and played games. We of course missed both of our families very much but we are so blessed and grateful for our Maui Ohana.

6 days into January and my head is still floating in beautiful memories of December. It was a good year, a year of transition!

We are both really looking forward to an exciting and adventurous 2014!

New Year, New Stew

02 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by Making Magic in Thoughts from Jenn

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Tags

goals, growth, Happiness, new year, resolutions

Well not really, I’m actually not one of those people who try to pretend like just because you make a New Years resolution you are all of the sudden this new & improved person. I’m well aware that resolutions, goals and life changes take a ridiculous amount of willpower, determination, consistency and hard work and in order to achieve these goals and resolutions we must be willing to not only change ourselves but also our habits and lifestyles which is extremely hard to do!!! So this year while making my goals list I put that knowledge first so I would be set up for success rather than disappointed by failure.

So with all that being said I’ve spent the last few days determining new goals for this upcoming year as well as reflecting on the 2013 goals I did and did not accomplish (I did come up a few goals short) however I’ve decided I’m going to be happy with the things I did accomplish rather than beat myself up about the ones that I did not.

So as you can see we unfortunately did not make it out of the country, I did not get back into the gym consistently and I didn’t end up running the Honolulu marathon (this was due to timing, finances and a few other things and although it was disappointing it wasn’t due to lack of training so here’s to maybe running it ~~next year~~) this year!

Regarding my 2014 goals, there are some that are a little different and some that are very stereotypical because let’s face it everyone wants to be fit life, look amazing and be a better person (and if you don’t well, cheers to you for being perfect and or just not giving a shit and congratulations because you just made my list of hero’s..)

So without further ado here is my 2014 goals in no particular order…..

1. Refinance my credit card debt

This one SUCKS, but as with life so does most things when it comes to money! I’m in a credit card, rat wheel hell and the worst part is it’s all past debt from college & medical bills, and although the accounts are closed the interest is high so no matter how much I pay (and I do pay, my credit is awesome) they still just seem to stay the same! Ugh I could honestly just scream writing about it, but instead I’m going to take control and go and get some advice on an attainable and strict game plan so I can end this happiness of life sucker once and for all!!!

2. 75 / 25

…and here it comes, the stereotypical get healthy goal but really it’s more of a commitment to making an honest and lasting lifestyle change for the long haul. So what I would like to see happen is to eat in more and eat out less (hence the 75/25) I’d like to feed my body the daily essentials that it deserves instead of the “I’m to busy” excuse that it’s become so accustom to! However, don’t get me wrong I will still indulge in my favorite pizza and enjoy fancy dinners with Colt, I just want it to be more of a treat and less of the norm.

Bye Bye restaurant dining, hello new recipe books!

3. More sunsets, Less media

I’m taking the plunge to unplug! Like most people now a days I’m guilty as charged for being glued to my iphone, computer, iPad or TV much too often. Most days I get home from work and “decompress” on Facebook & Instagram while watching TV and although I do enjoy this down time it’s easy to lose yourself and your night once you get sucked in. So although it’s going to be pretty hard for me (I genuinely love social media and I love seeing everyone’s daily lives and posts) it’s time to get back to the real world, but don’t worry I will still be uploading pictures as it’s nearly impossible for me to be able to miss a killer photo opportunity!

4. More Sex

That’s right I said it (with my husband of course) how else do you suggest we try to make a baby in 2014?! I’m happy to announce that this is officially the year we will start trying for baby number 1! It’s honestly so surreal and exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time, but it’s TIME! We will both be turning 30 this summer, we feel secure in our living situation and job security and we will be rounding year 2 of marriage so overall we just feel ready! Boom…Boom.

5. Get Moving

I’d like to get as active as possible in my running, weight lifting, yoga and gymnastics so I will not have to be so limited if and when the time comes that we do conceive. I want to stay as active and healthy as possible while pregnant so making this lifestyle change now is the only way to be sure I’m ready. Ideally my new routine will consist of hitting the gym 3-5 mornings per week, running 15-20 miles per week, attending 1-2 yoga classes per week, walking Kailea at least 1/2 a mile per day and throwing back handsprings regularly during gymnastic classes. I would also like to run the Maui 1/2 marathon in 2 hours or under as well as complete the warrior dash and a handful of 5k’s.

6. Only Love Today

Thanks to a great new blog that I’ve recently started to follow called “Hands Free Mama” these three little simple words “only love today” have become a part of my daily life. Basically by saying these words to myself it’s a way to stop bullying & judging myself and others by changing the course of my thought process when I start to get on a rant about something that makes me mad or unhappy. A good example would be if I missed a workout or a run I would typically beat myself up while letting it ruin my day by telling myself how lazy, fat or unmotivated I can be. However instead of going there as soon as my thoughts start spiraling I quickly cut the thoughts off by saying out loud in my strict, stern voice “only love today” this also goes for situations when people piss me off or disappointment me. It’s a simple reminder to be better not only to yourself but also to the people that you love and the strangers that you meet.

A little more LOVE goes a long way.

7. More Maui

I’m travel obsessed and let’s face it in a world of social media it’s hard not to be! I long to run away as I watch people travel and explore places around the world and I often get sad and depressed that we can’t travel more. So while I was making my goals it was no surprise that travel was one of the first things I wrote down but as I did I realized, I live in MAUI! Every day that I leave my house is someone else’s dream vacation! I live in a place that people dream about visiting and when they do they fall in love. A place that’s beautiful and sunny and adventure-full everyday of the year. So this year (minus Anu’s Bach party, Stagecoach, Kristen’s wedding, Lika’s wedding and hopefully a 30th birthday celebration somewhere awesome for Colt & I ) it’s more Maui because my weekends are your vacation.

8. Let it Go

I tend to sweat the small stuff, hold high expectations on my myself, my husband, my family and my friends as well as let one bad thing or moment ruin 100 good ones. It’s hard to admit our own faults but it’s even harder to live with regret or the feeling of lost time. So this year I’m making an honest commitment to try harder to let things go and allow myself to enjoy more life, more love, more people, more living….

Stuck on Good

Thank•full•ness

29 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by Making Magic in Life on Maui

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family, holidays, love, Marriage, Maui life, ohana, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving day, thanksgiving holiday

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. It was the first year Colt and I actually had Thanksgiving day off together since 2009 and we were really looking forward to hosting it our new place. I spent the whole week shopping so we had a ton of food and although it was different then what we had originally expected it was still perfect which made it easy to count our blessings rather than our worries.

This was Colt’s second year preparing “the bird” 23 pounds of pure delight Nothing like morning squats to get that bird to fit in the oven My 2nd year making Colt’s favorite “green bean casserole” Adding some extra love He was so happy and it came out so GOOD…

it was juicy, seasoned and not dry, whew! I was one happy girl. We asked Papa to do the honors of cutting the bird and as you can see he was thrilled Teaching the boy how to carve the turkey The Thanksgiving spread Love these two men Me and Papa Dessert time with friends

My favorite Man down, the turkey coma hit the Stewart household hard

Wrapping up the thanksgiving holiday is always bittersweet for me. I LOVE Thanksgiving, it’s truly my favorite holiday. My father in law asked me last night why it was my favorite and it’s an easy question to answer, it’s still the ONLY holiday that is family and friend focused, not based on what we don’t have but rather on what we do have and what we are thankful for plus it’s food focused rather than present focused. What’s not to LOVE?

This year although grateful for so many things including the acceptance this Thanksgiving has brought to me. I would have to say above all I am most grateful for my beautiful marriage, new traditions and my amazing husband. He is kindhearted, caring, loving, giving, funny, supportive, patient, understanding but even more than all that he strives to be the best husband he can possibly be and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.

I hope you all had a blessed and FULL Thanksgiving filled with the people and food that you love! As we officially kick off the 2013 holiday craziness, I am wishing you all a happy, healthy, stress free & non-humbug season.

Happy Slappy

27 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by Making Magic in Life on Maui

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Tags

experiences, Fun, Maui, one of a kind, pancakes, restaurant, saturdays, slappy cakes

…or really Slappy Cakes but I was so excited about going to this new restaurant that you could certainly call me slap happy.

I woke up this morning at 8:07 a.m. and rejoiced in the feeling of “sleeping in” I needed a day off from my alarm clock and I felt relaxed and rested when I opened my eyes. I had a plan, I wanted to fly (well really I wanted to travel) but since that wasn’t likely on such short notice I figured flying would be the next best thing and lucky for me there is a flying trapeze place in Lahaina.

I asked Colt what he wanted to do with his day and he told me it was “my day” since he always watches football on Sundays. I told him I had the perfect Maui day planned in my head and to get ready. As he got in the shower I googled Slappy Cakes to ensure they were open and called the trapeze. I found that slappy’s was open until 2 but the trapeze place was having a private event and closing early. I was bumming but hoping that Slappy’s would do the trick.

By the way for those of you who do not know what Slappy Cakes is, it’s a pancake breakfast restaurant. It’s new to Maui and only has 4 other locations, one in Portland and the other 3 overseas. I have heard only great things about it and from what I thought it was an all you can eat, create your own pancake buffet (but boy was I wrong).

We arrived at 10:45 a.m. and that’s when all the fun began! The host asked us if we had ever been to “Slappy’s” and we told him no. He asked if we would like to sit in the “regular” restaurant dining area or the “cook your own pancakes” area (umm, does a bear shit in the woods?) COOK your OWN pancake section? We were so IN.

Each table has a built in griddle top for you to cook your own pancakes!

You are able to choose from a variety of pancake batter and tons of toppings.

You even get your very own spatula

They have a delicious drink menu with fresh squeezed juices and amazing cocktails.

We tried the rumsicle & a lavender-gin-mimosa

Since it is October they had a seasonal pumpkin batter option which was INCREDIBLE!

We got one pumpkin batter and one buttermilk batter. They have all kinds of different batter including gluten free options. For toppings we went with sausage, goat cheese, lavender, papaya, banana, granola, cinnamon-whip cream and bacon!

All of their menu items are fresh, local, organic and made from scratch with hormone-free dairy and meats which makes it very easy to enjoy yourself!

This was Colt’s first creation of the day.

Buttermilk batter, goat cheese, sausage and maple syrup.

I know it sounds disgusting but really it was the BEST one of the day.

So sweet and savory hmmm mmmm good. This is me being a chicken and making a “baby pumpkin” one to taste.

It had pumpkin batter, granola, cinnamon-whipped cream and maple syrup.

Since both of our “trail” pancakes came out delicious we immediately turned into pancake making machines.

All the fixing’s Not so pretty, but pretty delicious. Loving life. Chef BoyarColt
…and then he got creative and made a pumpkin He really is so cool.

My attempt at a heart

(haha so not as cool)
Pumpkin perfect, heart not so much.
We were like little kids just having the time of our lives This was called the “meat lovers special” My McSteamy …and then for the grand finale pumpkin batter, goat cheese, bacon, sausage, cinnamon-whip cream and maple syrup

The price was more than reasonable for the amount of food you get and they even offer a 15% local discount. If you live in Maui and haven’t gone, GO.

If you are visiting and have never been to the Portland location or overseas, add it to your must do list!

It was an amazing experience and we can’t wait to go back. We already have plans to take Papa and Anu and Joe there, but beware you will need a slappy nappy after this one-of-a-kind dining experience.

Random

25 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by Making Magic in Thoughts from Jenn

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acceptance, Coaching, growth, learning, Life, new day, random, thoughts

I’m currently reading “words from a wanderer” it’s a great ~~book~~, well I guess you can’t really call it a book. It’s more of a collection of notes and poems and sayings by the author but none the less it’s still great.

As I was in bed reading the other night one of the quotes jumped out at me and changed my entire week, and although the words are simple they are deep if you allow yourself to really feel them:

Dear self,

There’s a blessing in every breath you take. Even when it’s hard to breathe, you have yet to suffocate. I commend you for your endurance even when the air is thick — keep breathing, keep loving, keep going…”

Love,
Self

As I read the last word all I could think about was all of the shit that I allow to consume me. Things that either won’t matter in a week, a month or a year or even worse things that are simply so far out of my control that even if I did attempt to try to change them it wouldn’t make the slightest of a difference….so why not keep breathing, keep loving, keep going?!?

I dove into my week wide open with this mind set and just allowed myself to be 100% present in the results as they unfolded beautifully.

I helped a student build confidence in a situation that I could have just let go. I found a solution that worked without ever making the student feel defeated. I relished in happiness for hours over the outcome of the solution and the gratitude that was expressed to me from their parent.

I logged and prepped every bite of food that went into my mouth & body. I opted for a salad over a sandwich and organic over fast food. I fueled my mind, body and soul with everything it asked for and or needed.

I feel strong, I feel alive.

I laughed long and hard with two year olds as we rolled around stretching our bodies and exploring new movements. I watched and encouraged as each of them tried new things. I cheered and yelled and clapped as they did their double forward rolls or walked like a crab across the bars to show each of them how truly special they are to me.

I drank green tea every day at noon and buzzed blissfully in the high.

I drove in my work van with the windows down and music up as I traveled from school to school, class to class while listening to country music and re-living some of my favorite memories from our time spent at stagecoach.

I watched as 6 of my advanced students gained the courage to throw a backhand spring on their own. I waited each time (stomach in knots) knowing they were ready (but scared maybe they weren’t) as they sprung backwards down the cheese, some successful some on their heads. I cheered and screamed and jumped up and down while applauding their courage and strength as they wanted to do more more more.

I had a photo shoot with Penny our best friends bulldog that just turned a year old. I made Colt put a pink hat on her, staged a fake pink cake while positioning her gift all in hopes to make our best friends smile and know how loved they are as they went through a difficult time.

I washed, dried and put away all the laundry (and it’s only Friday) which means happy weekend to me!

I enjoyed a glass of wine and a beautiful fancy dinner with my best friends and husband on a week night. We even ordered dessert (and yes, I tracked all the calories…)

I made home-made tacos with Colt and then snuggled on the couch with him and Kai while watching our DVR episodes of law and order svu and criminal minds.

I ran a few miles each day and watched happily as Colt got his stride back and me my running buddy.

I said a prayer as I got into bed beside Colt and Kai each night and felt my heart grow three times its size with love, happiness and comfort.

…and lastly I realized that the way we think of others is not always the same way that they think of us. Relationships change, people change, and just because we choose to accept this does not mean we are disregarding or belittling the hurt and sadness that this reality brings to us, but instead we are just choosing to make a conscious decision to focus on the good rather than spend our time stressing over things that are ultimately insignificant and/or out of our control.

Until next time keep breathing, keep loving but most importantly keep going…Balance is Everything!