Maui Day 4

Today, we spent most of the day in beautiful South Maui because Jim had an early afternoon tee time at the Wailea Golf Club (Emerald Course). You may be surprised to learn that I think South Maui is a tad more beautiful than West Maui especially since we've stayed on the west side two years in a row now.

Let me explain...while South Maui has slightly newer resorts and is a little quieter, West Maui is quite simply where all of the best activities take place! Most of the sailing, snorkeling and whale watches leave from Ka'anapali or Maalea and, in our opinion, the best restaurants and beaches are definitely on the west side. Plus, West Maui offers both beach and mountain views. However, a few aspects of South Maui really stand out, including Wailea Beach, the gorgeous beach path and the upscale Shops at Wailea.

Wailea Beach

After Jim left to golf, I bought lunch at a beach side cafe, aptly named "Snorkels," and continued to sun myself. All of a sudden I saw two cameramen flashing away and I knew they must have their sights on a celebrity. After a little investigation, another beachgoer and I learned that it was Kathy Griffin. I was a little bummed because she's considered D-list, but it was exciting nonetheless. My new acquaintance was understandably far more disappointed because last year she saw Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston while they were filming Just Go With It. 

Eventually the photogs moved further down the beach and I decided to go in for a dip. A few minutes later as I was splashing around in the water, Kathy Griffin and the two guys she was with walked right past me. I could've literally reached out and touched her. It made me think she must not be rich enough to have bodyguards 24/7. Below is a photo taken by one of the paparazzi today.  

Kathy Griffin and her mystery man

To be honest, she actually looked much younger than 50 and her "work"  was much more impressive in person compared to on television where I think she looks completely plastic with all the nipping and tucking. The other thing that astonished me was her tiny stature. She couldn't have weighed more than 100 pounds. 

After all the excitement, I was able to finish my beach read, The Broker by John Grisham, and check out the Shops at Wailea before picking Jim up from the golf course. I couldn't help but think how nice it would be if we could have open courtyard style shopping at home, but obviously our weather doesn't allow for that luxury.

Since tonight was our one year and two month anniversary, there was only one place we could eat dinner -- Plantation House in Kapalua -- the restaurant where we celebrated after our wedding ceremony! 

2/10/2010

2/10/2010

Traveling up the beautifully landscaped driveway and walking down the long hallway definitely brought back some memories. Before we were seated, I wandered around downstairs and looked at all of the pictures of the famous people who have played the Plantation course, including Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Joe Torre and more. It's pretty neat to think that my husband played the same golf course yesterday and was pleased with his score given the difficulty level and 40 mph winds!!! I'm very proud of my him! Here's the trophy that is handed out each January to the winner of the PGA Tour Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

While we didn't get the VIP table we had last year, we were still able to secure a window seat with a gorgeous ocean view! I ordered a glass of Australian sauvignon blanc (Dashwood), a baby kula spinach salad and the same entree as last year -- Maui onion mustard crusted Hawaiian catch on roasted Maui onion and Mediterranean couscous finished with fried capers. It did not disappoint! I raved about my meal so much that Jim was probably getting bored listening to me. ;-) It felt SO surreal to eat at the Plantation House again and I'm so glad we did because it was my best meal thus far on our vacation (I'm not just saying that for sentimental reasons..heehee)!

By the time we arrived, the sun had set, but you can still see the ocean below

A Gorgeous Dress

Did any of you check out the red carpet fashions from the CMAs tonight? When I went to People.com for my daily dose of celebrity gossip, my eye was immediately drawn to this photo of Carrie Underwood. She is donning one of my absolute favorite colors! However, I'm a little unsure how I feel about the appliques on her hips. Do you think they add or detract from her overall look?

Carrie Underwood is unquestionably one of my style icons because she consistently dresses in an age appropriate, sophisticated manner. She pulls it all together effortlessly. I'd love to borrow her stylist for a day sometime! Maybe I can add that to my list of things to do if I ever win Mega Millions :-) In case you're wondering, I'm not a fan of country music at all, but I'll take beautiful dresses anytime.

Another Celebrity Split

Ashlee and Pete in happier times

    In case you hadn't heard, all of major Hollywood magazines are now reporting that Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are donezo! I never thought this one would last, partially because it appeared they only married due to Ashlee's pregnancy. I also never understood what these two could possibly have in common. However, they now have a really cute son, albeit with a terrible name -- Bronx Mowgli.

    I can't help but wonder if Ashlee's father had something to do with it. Anyone who watched a single episode of Newlyweds with Jessica and Nick could identify Papa Joe's meddling personality. There were also numerous reports that his interference is what caused the demise of Jessica and Tony Romo.
It's almost as if he "arranged" this
marriage to keep the talentless Ashlee
in the spotlight.

     It makes me wonder why anyone in Hollywood gets married these days. They should all just take the same stance as Angelina and Brad, i.e. that they won't marry until everyone can legally do so in the U.S. At least they wouldn't have to worry about incurring exorbitant legal fees when it comes time to split up.

A New Trend?

Asscher-cut stone

      Once I discovered decided our engagement was imminent, I began a quest for a unique, yet elegant engagement ring.  After an extensive search, I finally found the Asscher-cut and absolutely fell in love with it. This origination of Asscher-cut diamonds can be traced back to the 19th century, but they didn't become popular until the 1920s -- one of my favorite eras! Many people think of it as an art-deco piece of jewelry, but I don't think it has to be because there are so many options with side stones and pave diamonds these days.

     As you can see from the picture, an Asscher-cut diamond is a uniquely shaped square, which resembles an octagon, but has cut edges. The second (and, I  think most beautiful) quality is the "hall of mirrors" effect when you peer deeply into the stone.  Some jewelers also call it a "square emerald."  Production of Asscher-cut diamonds was severely cut during the Great Depression and they are only now starting to regain prominence. 

The ring we used to design mine

    I eventually stumbled upon "my" ring (Asscher-cut center stone, two trapezoid side stones and two baguette side stones) on the internet, printed a picture and decided we had to replicate it with a local jeweler. It had exactly the timeless, vintage, sophisticated feel I was hoping for. After working with a jeweler for MANY months, Jim completely surprised me one night after work in August 2009 with a bouquet of roses in the backyard. Of course, once I picked up the roses, the ring was hidden underneath. It was a really special moment and  Jim even thought ahead to make sure Buster was there to 

witness the whole event. I'll never forget it!

    Fast forward about a year to when Chelsea Clinton became engaged and began sporting an Asscher-cut diamond. Then, last month, I was catching up on celebrity gossip when I saw that Nick Lachey proposed to Vanessa Minnillo with an Asscher-cut diamond flanked with trapezoids!!! I later found out that Jessica Alba and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz rock Asscher-cut engagement rings too! I just hope that they don't become too popular :-)

Freedom!

See ya in February!

     I am SO excited to announce that I am FINALLY finished grading the July 2010 bar exam. Every year it seems that grading becomes more taxing than the last, but then I change my tune when I receive the nice check at the end. In past years, I deposited the checks into my house savings account.

     From now on, this well-earned cash will be applied toward my share of our property taxes. Jim and I got a sneak preview of our property/school tax bill this weekend courtesy of a new Times Union database -- ouch! Either the real estate broker was citing old numbers when we first considered buying this property in 2009, or he was completely sugarcoating it. Either way, we're on the hook now and are looking forward to moving in sometime next month.

     Now that this monumental task is over, my readers can look forward to more frequent and interesting (I hope) blog posts. In the coming days, I plan to devote some posts to my love of travel and our most recent trips. I will also be spending some time catching up on my guilty pleasures -- watching episodes of Gossip Girl that I missed and reading US Weekly.

     On that note, did you hear that Courteney Cox and David Arquette's marriage officially ended this weekend?  Does it bother you that 11-years is considered a "long-term" marriage these days?