Chinatown Bus is the new awesome

A great thing about living in DC is the easy access to NYC. Recently my sister, Leslie, just happened to be there on a work trip at the exact moment that I just had to get out of town. As soon as I found out she was there, I booked a seat on the Chinatown bus and went to play with her and Alex.

It was a classic whirlwind trip to the city. We ate some amazing pizza at Patsy's, Thai at Pongsri, and hot dogs at Gray's Papaya. (To find some of these places, we walked until we were ready to collapse. Totally worth it!) Alex found the perfect knockoff Coach purse (not for him), and Leslie finally convinced me to buy some Levi's. And I admit, she was right - they're pretty awesome jeans. While Leslie slaved away at work, Alex and I went to the Museum of Natural History. Pretty neat place, and it was fun how excited Alex was, to be on the set of "Night at the Museum." But by far, my favorite part was when we stumbled upon the Mexico/Central America exhibit, and Alex got to enlighten me with exerpts from his vast pool of knowledge on the Mayans, Aztecs, and everything in between. I've always believed the best way to experience a museum is with an expert on the subject. If you haven't tried this, do it.

Last of all, we went to see Stomp on Broadway. Very high-energy, and quite creative! They used brooms, matchboxes, kitchen sinks, pvc pipes, folding charis, and lots of other things as sound-making props. Here's a small sample for you - they're making music with water cooler jugs. :o)

DNCFR

For those of you non-natives to the great city of Pocatello, that stands for Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo. Coincidentally, I made it home to attend this year, and Sarah-Dawn got to come with me. (She drove through a snowstorm in her big-rig to be there for me and deserves a million points for her efforts!)

We got to see real-life cowboys tackle/tie up a calf or two and watched the hard-core kids do some mutton busting. And, of course, what's a rodeo without the bucking broncos?

A rodeo experience is just not complete if you don't dress the part, so we took a trip to DI and found the perfect cowgirl attire. As you can see here, S-D's truck is fo real.

How to take a low-budget (yet awesome) trip to Hawaii

So I finally got to take my vacation on the company dime. Not surprisingly, Hawaii was a trip full of relaxation and clarity. I needed it bad. Yes, I did some work, too, and it was really interesting. Not just because I got to see the difference in caliber between students at BYU-Hawaii and University of Hawaii. My favorite Career fair moment was at UH when some girl walked up wearing a halter top, a mini skirt, and flip flops, and she said, "Hey, you guys have highlighters! These are so dope!" Yeah, real professional. My co-recruiter said some schools won't even let you in the career fair unless you're in a suit. Guess they're a little more lax in HI. I still don't really feel like enough of an adult to be on the interviewer side of the table - I feel like just as much of a kid as the people across the table from me - but I think I faked my way through it alright.

When I wasn't hard at work, I played with my old BYU-H adventure buddy, Ryan. By the end of my trip, his circle of friends was mine, too. We had some beach time, went to a pro soccer game (ahem, Beckham was playing. Cameras flashed all over the stadium every time he touched the ball), we camped out one night, ate at all my favorite cheapie restaurants, and went on a hike I've wanted to do since I lived there: Stairway to Heaven. This hike is intense - it's about 3900 steps straight up the face of a mountain. My legs were shaking the whole way down. Love it. I also got to pay a visit to my old favorite place of employment, the Polynesian Cultural Center. If I wasn't feeling so lazy, I'd figure out how to do the slide show with all my pics. But I am. So here are just some excerpts.

The hike (See the staircase behind me? That is but a small portion.)



At the top of the mountain

View from close to the top (it was all foggy at the tippy top, zero visibility. Oh well.)


I couldn't help myself. These guys were going about 20 mph and we were stuck behind them for miles. You can't see it, but the dude in the back has a vanity plate: BIGOLHG

My favorite PCC show, the New Zealand poi balls. I used to get this song stuck in my head every day when I was a tour guide.

The view from my hotel in Waikiki, where I only stayed a couple nights when I HAD to for work. (I know, it looks nice, but stay away from Waikiki if you can. Too much noise and people.)


Naturally, when Mormons camp out, we play Catch Phrase around the fire!

And we eat birthday cake. And smear it on each others' faces.


The beach where we camped, close to Kaena Point - the most northwesterly point on the island.

Why, oh why didn't we have Banyan trees where I grew up? This is all one tree. The next picture/vid is also part of the same tree. The roots grow down from the branches and plant themselves into the ground.


The vines I'm swinging on are some of the roots that haven't hit the ground yet...