itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-pink-leopard-print-bikini

so it turned out that i was able to feed my "saved by the bell" addiction while nursing before the buttcrack of dawn, even in hawaii. since i tend to use the tv as a nightlight at such times, i managed to find my favorite 90's teenybopper show - same bat-time, same bat-channel. awesome.

the hub had a date with the team to meet in the lobby at 7:00 for their ridiculously early ("come on, that's 9:00 at home!") tee time at the wailea golf club. of course, when the wake-up call came at 6:15, somehow i was the one nearest to the phone. huh. and of course, i answered the call, turned my head and he was still fast asleep. i had to poke him a few times to get his ass up. sheesh.

so since i was awake anyway (as was the bean), we took a walk across the resort to find the starbucks that we'd been promised was on-property. i was really hoping not to run into anyone we knew, because bean and i were sporting the same clothes we wore to dinner the previous night, but as we headed towards the elevator, we ran into the hub's partner in crime. bleh.

the "starbucks" turned out to be the resort's casual cafe, where lighter fare was offered (cereal, pastries, sandwiches, etc.), along with a partial menu of starbucks brand products. i went for my iced caramel macchiato and picked up some cereal and milk and headed back to our room to shower and change.

the hub's parting words were "you guys should head over to the shops and check things out" - so after i chowed on my apple jacks and fed the bean, that's exactly what we did. the shops at wailea were a very short walk from "home", and as we strolled down the path, we even got honked and whistled at by a car passing by full of boys. hee! even pushing a stroller, i've still got it. [doing the wink and gun at the monitor] bwahahahaha! i couldn't even say it with a straight face.

walking through the shops brought more flashbacks from two years ago - the hub's wedding ring was from tiffany's, our rehearsal luncheon was at cheeseburger, and the wedding dinner was at ruth's chris steakhouse. i took pictures of the bean in front of the latter two - the cheesiness is always in effect here, y'all.

we didn't buy much, although i did scoop up one item for the bean that i absolutely could. not. resist. i know some of you aren't big fans of stuff like this, but this will be fun to torture her with when she brings home her first date or something:
muahahahahahahaha!

when we got back to the hotel, i decided to check out the on-site retail shops. usually, the selections at those stores are pretty shitty - and the first couple of stops we made followed that pattern. i mean, you would think that the powers-that-be would have realized by now that the clientele at upscale resorts aren't ALWAYS 65 years old, right? but i found nothing but hideously colored muumuus, straw hats, old lady sandals, and knick-knacky souvenir shit.

until i turned the corner and found a roxy/quiksilver store. score! i'd managed to completely overlook packing shorts except for one pair, and i desperately needed stuff to wear during the day. i wasn't all about the swimsuit-and-sarong look, either. in fact, i planned to avoid busting out swimwear as much as i could get away with. so i scooped up two pairs of bermuda shorts and some black flip-flops and went upstairs to change.

as i was changing into these shorts and a black top, the phone rang. it was one of the clients' wives inviting us to join them at the hibiscus pool. the guys were on their way back from golfing, and we were going to have lunch at the poolside bistro. perfect - i was starving.

the bean and i headed towards the pool - labeled ADULTS ONLY. um, awwwwkward. i didn't want to be *that* girl, trucking on into an adults-only area with an infant in a stroller! not to mention, we got the stink eye from some heffa perched on a beach chair, slathering on her sunscreen and sipping a martini. so instead, we strolled around and checked out the rest of the grounds - which included no less than NINE pools, a "baby beach", water slides galore, plus a water elevator! it looked like tons of fun, and i made a mental note to try and talk the hub into taking the kid there next summer. she would absolutely love that place.

and can i say that our stay at the grand wailea only confirmed that we made the right choice in getting married at the neighboring four seasons resort? i tell you, that place was a damn wedding factory. in the day and a half that we'd been there, we'd seen no less than EIGHT bridal couples, exchanging vows in the seaside chapel. it looked lovely, but geez. at the four seasons, they only do one wedding per day - we likey.

just as i had given up on finding any of the crew and was about to head back to the shops to have lunch at cheeseburger, we ran into the hub. i told him about the martini-swilling lady, and he said "FUCK that. we're guests, and it's not like the bean's a screaming five-year-old running amok." and he took charge of the stroller and marched right through the hibiscus pool area and into the bistro. ha! take THAT, martini heffa!

that bistro served the most fabulous, most delicious mini crab cake poppers i've ever had. ohhhhh, they were wonderful. i could've eaten about a hundred of those things. these poppers served as the group's official addiction for the duration of the trip.

we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the pool, watching the sunset, and chatting with the others. and the bean was blissfully napping in her stroller for most of it. everyone commented on how content and quiet she was - and i told the hub that she seemed to be a happier camper in hawaii than at home! he gave me that "duh!" look and said "aren't we all?" heh.

dinner that night was at nick's fishmarket at the fairmont kea lani. we decided to skip the cabs and opted to walk the path along the beach instead. well, the walk ended up being a bit longer than we'd anticipated. this meant that when we finally arrived at the restaurant, the hub and i were two sweaty ass monkeys. and the bean was fast asleep - thank goodness! this time, there were ceiling fans and a cool ocean breeze, so she slept through the entire dinner.

when dinner was over (another full meal, from hors d'oeuvres to dessert!), the others headed back to the path, while the hub and i decided to catch a cab. but it was past 10:00, and when we inquired at the front desk about calling for it, she took one look at the bean, exclaimed "oh, how cute! look at that hair!" (if i had a quarter for every time someone commented on her hair, i'd be ballin') and called the valet to take us in the hotel's town car instead. sah-weet!

the men of the group were going on a deep-sea fishing boat the next morning - even earlier than golf - so the hub requested a wake-up call for 4:45 am. ugh. i made his ass sleep on the phone side this time, fo' sho'.