Sole sisterz

On Saturday I had to run long.  I say, "had to," because it was the homework I was supposed to do on Thursday, but didn't then Friday, but didn't.  And so my alarm ran on Saturday and I told myself I had to get up and run. Had to.  Because it was my homework.  I knew it was now or never because there was too much going on in the afternoon to get the run in.

To make a long story short, the run sucked.  It was too hot and too humid.  My legs were tired, tight, and felt like lead.  I wanted to quit and walk home.  This never happens.  I don't walk. I finish my runs. I don't stop until I am done.  Somehow I pushed out 7 but it was miserable and I hated it.

Sunday I was scheduled long again.  I made plans with my girlz to meet at the spot and hour early and run.  In my mind I wanted to do double digits but I had doubts because Saturday's run was so bad.  We met at the place and time and we were all feeling the dread of the LSD.  The hill towered above us, the sun promised to burn us.  But we set out with positive words and affirmations promising one another to get ourselves through it.  At mile 2 we ran into another friend and it was the positive lift we needed.  We started to chat, laugh, talk about guys, talk about our kids.  Mile two turned into the mile 4 turn point and soon we were at the 2nd hill, the 2 mile (or 24 mile marker) running up the dreaded hill strong and hard.  We finished strong at the Queen's statue and high fived her.  8.5 miles done but we weren't done.  We ran to our cars and some of us ran more.

All in all I ran 11.5 miles this morning and probably could have run more.  There's just something about group runs that makes it so much easier and I'm surprised because I thought it wasn't my thing.  But I guess it is.  :)

Never say never...

We spent 6 hours at the baseball field today just talking story, hanging out,and watching our kids run around happy.  It made my heart smile to see them running and playing without a care in the world and making new friends.  Today was exactly how I remembered summer as a kid.

Proud Mommy!

Today was the kids' first baseball game and since you have already read how the game went from Team Mom POV, here's the proud mommy point of view.

I am so proud of my kids!!  Noah, aged 4 and one of the youngest played catcher and probably worked harder than anyone on the field today!  The team we played against pitched 8 balls to pretty much every kid and poor Noah had to catch/chase every ball and throw it back to the other team's coach.  O-M-G!  Poor kid.  He's going to sleep well tonight.

Dannika, aged 6 played left field and short stop.  I was worried about how the game would go because she didn't eat a good lunch nor take a nap, but she did awesome. No fear, she made some great defensive stops and moved around the field with amazing instincts--going to the ball, covering her team mates and showing amazing anticipation.

This is exciting for all of us because they are 4th generation baseball players on my side and 3rd generation on the hubby's side. My grandma Castora and her sister Nancy were an amazing pitcher/catcher duo coached by my Grandpa Suero.  Growing up, I watched my dad play in his Mountain Ball league and my Mom play in her women's softball league.  Both my husband and I grew up playing baseball and softball coached by our own parents.  This is truly chicken skin.

Who woulda thunk that 7 miles is easier than Team Mom duties?

I woke up this morning, snoozed my Morning Run alarm two times then pulled my tired lazy butt outta bed to run.  I really wanted to stay in bed but something told me that I would be way to busy and tired to run later. So I did it.

With legs feeling as tight as rubber bands and as heavy as cinder blocks I somehow ran a slow 7 miles up and down the Mililani hills.  There were many times I wanted to stop and a point where I even considered calling home to be picked up but I did it.

Now that the day is over I realize that those 7 grueling miles was probably the easiest part of my day.

The run really wiped me out but I had to the grocery shopping for the ingredients for the pasta salad and spinach salad for tomorrow's baseball potluck.  The commissary went okay, Costco was another story.  The kids decided to start fighting over the blanket in the cart and already on edge I lost it and went back to the car to sit with them while hubby did the Costco run.

Little did I know that dealing with my two squabbling kids were the least of my problems.

With 1.5 hours before game time we hurried and got the kids ready then left the house a little early so that I could get a Coffee Fraupuccino.  I opted for a grande and now I know that before every game I will get a Venti.

We pulled up to the park and the memories came back to me.  Over 3 decades ago I watched my own 6 year old brother play ball here.  I was excited and apprehensive. It was the kids' first ball game, they didn't eat all their lunch, it was hot, and Danni didn't take a nap. I was hoping upon hope that there would be no explosions today.

As soon as we got onto the field the excitement and electricity hit me.  There was so much to do.  Get the kids to organize their equipment, get a spot, warm up.  So much going around me and I wasn't sure what to do.  What exactly does a Team Mom do?  Since I had no idea I did what I do best.  Organize.  I got the kids to put their things in an orderly manner and directed them to warm up on the field where the hubby and my mom were helping out.  Nothing better than seeing your whole family involved with your kids.

When the game before us ended we approached the bench and began to get the kids in order. Being the visiting team we'd be hitting first.  I watched as Head coach went to take care of the kids hitting off the tee, assistant coach hubby walk out to 1st base, and the other two assistant coaches each walking off to their own base.  It was me, 13 kids with bats, helmets that they didn't know how to put on, a batting order they didn't understand, and basically no clue as to what to do.  The next 90 minutes was a blur of using my teacher voice to get kids in order, running back and forth doing bat boy duties, running back and forth to the bathroom (which was too damn far away), reminding kids to drink water like the mommy that I am, looking for kids' gloves, helmets, hats, and coaching kids how to swing, step over the plate, drop their bats, and run to first base, and in between taking pics of my kids as they hit the ball, ran the bases, and made some great defensive plays on the field.  Oh, and after the game, talking to parents about the Potluck.

Sigh.

No one told me that I was going to have to do all of that.  And no one told me the field was a mess of red dirt.

So, what did I learn from my first baseball game?  Wear ugly shoes.  Don't wear a beige Fighting Eel tube top.  If you are going to run long in the morning eat a huge lunch.  And most importantly, men have no clue how to organize anything.

With that being said I am rallying the other moms and we're going to get a helmet and bat rack and I am going to use my teacher skills to create a velcro baseball diamond visual for the kids so that they know where they play every inning as well as a chart for their batting order.

But that will have to be next week because I am currently updating our website and then need to go to sleep because I have a long run scheduled tomorrow morning. Yes, before our game and potluck.  Hah!  Nope, I don't learn.

Ladies Who Lunch n Lulu

My life is far from the one I had envisioned.  You know the one where I drive a Porsche, get my nails done every week and spend my time doing charity work.

HAH!

I drive a damn stinky dirty van, my runner's toes are black, and I have too many part-time jobs than I know what to do with.

But the last couple of weeks I have had a little glimpse into the good life.  It's called "Ladies who Lunch 'n Lulu."

Actually, I just came up with the name today and all it really is is getting together with my girl T for some girlie time.  So far we've had lunch at Cuu Long, CPK, and Nordies Cafe.  Typical moms we don't lounge.  We shovel our food as fast as we can into our mouths with ZERO grace.  No pinkies in the air as we sip wine, no sireee.  Gobble, slurp, gulp, let's GO!!!

Today's lunch had to be especially fast because we ran into slow salad guy.  I have to give him props because he was very meticulous in his salad making.  Talk about sprinkling furikake perfectly onto tofu. But c'mon.  10 minutes a salad?  Long line out the door at 1:15 pm?  Let's move it mister, the ladies who lunch need to LULU!!!

Yes, Lulu. My new obsession.  Once it was LV, then it was H.  There was 7FAM, TR, MAC, MF, EIL, FE...all replaced by Lulu.

I am lolo for Lulu.

I am sure there's something in the air in that store.  And skinny mirrors and weird lighting.  Something is definitely going on.  Because I don't know how I can get so excited over running shorts. And I don't know why all of a sudden I need a neon yellow bra.  Or why, every Monday at 8:15 pm I continually refresh their page to see what new products have been uploaded.

But here I am.  I know the sales gals in the store and they know my husband.  And I am kicking myself because I didn't press buy for my neon shorts and they're sold out online and still not in stores.

Lolo for Lulu.  That's me!!!

Here's some pics.  Now tell me, if you're dressed that cute to work out, of course you're gonna run farther and faster and look damn amazing while doing it, right?!!!

Team...WHAT?!!!

Team Mom.

That's me.  I got railroaded. Really I did.

In a moment of weakness I told the coach's wife (who has 5 boys) and was acting as stand in team mom that I would do the job if absolutely no one took the job by Wednesday.  That was last week.  Today is Wednesday.  Our first game is Friday.

When I got the call from the coach today at noon I knew I was the chosen one.  The one who won the prized position by default.  Because no other mom in their right mind would ever volunteer to be a team mom for Mililani Baseball.

Our short conversation knocked my socks off.  Not only did we have a game on Saturday (a mere 3 days away, but we had a second game on Sunday and a potluck to follow.  Expletive, cuss words.  I had so much to do.  How the heck was I going to get everything ready by 4:30 practice?  My head was spinning.  I don't do anything half-assed.  Need to print out roster, create a team newsletter, create a potluck sign up sheet...but more importantly, need to meet my girl "T" for Ladies Who Lunch 'n Lulu (to be explained at a later date).

Yes, this van driving soccer mommy baseball team mommy needed to escape the life for a bit for girlfriend time.

But really, if you know me you know that I can't fully enjoy myself when a task needs to be done.  The damn slow salad man at Nordies Cafe was making me crazy (20 minutes for 4 salads) and I was ready to pull my hair out!!  Luckily, our time at Lulu was relaxing and took my mind off (for a little while) of all the stuff I had to do as soon as I got home and before the meeting I had to hold at practice.

Before I left I made my girl T swear and promise me one thing.  To never let me turn into that baseball mommy.  You know the one.  Team baseball t-shirt, matching visor, jeans shorts, Nike shoes, and carrying a backpack.  Please don't call me a snob because there's nothing wrong with that baseball mommy.  I just refuse to become that mom.

You see, of all the things in life, a baseball team mom is probably the last thing I ever thought I would be.  Baseball Coach?  Yes.  Baseball Manager? Sure.  Team Mom?  Never!!!  When I think about who I am I never see the qualities of a team mom.  I am not overly mothering.  I don't conform.  I refuse to socialize at the park until 8 pm at night.  And I don't think I particularly have much in common with other moms.  I'm just sorta anti-social that way.

But here I am forced into a role that I need to play and play well.  I need to be that one happy smiling mom who brings the team together, is always smiling and making small talk, remembers everyone's names and organizes all the stuff.  The organizing I got.  The smiling and being nice.  Not so much.

Or maybe it's just that my mom has always been a role model for me.  She coached and or managed every team I played one.  She was never the mom behind the scenes.  She was the mom in charge.  She knew more than snacks.  She knew the rules of the game, the strategies, the skills.  And she brought out the fighter in all of us.  She was never one to comfort our scrapes or worry about potlucks.

And so with only 5 hours of notice I was forced to learn the game and play it well.  I arrived at practice, did a short run to get the nerves out and held a Parent Meeting.  It wasn't the best meeting I have ever held but considering the circumstances I think I did pretty well.  I distributed my team letter, got parents to sign up for our potluck, and even made small talk with a couple of really nice moms (one is a runner too and we talked about compression sleeves and racing, one is a mother of three boys with a deployed husband who offered to give my kids hand me down pants).

The small victory gave me some false confidence and led me to come home, send out more emails and create a damn team website.  Two hours later I had no idea that I did baseball team mom work straight through my schedule Weights Work out.

And so I begin a new chapter in my life.  My name is Aurene.  I am 40 years old. I have two kids.  I drive a van. I coach soccer.  I am a baseball team mom.

But I will always carry my Louis Vuitton bag to the field.  True, I now wear sneakers to the field but they are running shoes.  High end running shoes and I am wearing them with Lululemon workout wear.

And my dear friend T, if you ever see me wearing a backpack if it's not one by Louis Vuitton, you just shoot me, okay?

lose it

After taking some time off from clean eating I am ready to get back on track.  I spent a lot of April, May, and June enjoying food and giving in to my indulgences.  After stepping on the scale and realizing it is NOT broken I have accepted the fact that I have gained about 7 pounds.  It's not just that I am not happy about the way I look in my jeans and lulu clothes but the fact that my runs are becoming painful and slow.  The added pounds have definitely wreaked havoc on my speed and my joints.  So, I have logged back onto loseit.com, set a new goal, and am tracking my eating and exercising again.  I have a daily allocation of about 1300 calories post workouts.  So far, the first 24 hours have gone well and I ended the day -100 due to my long 7.5 mile run, 1 mile walk, and 15 minutes of weight lifting.  Let's hope I am able to drop the 10 pounds by September as mapped out for me in loseit.

For more information, visit their website.  There's also an app for your smart phone.  

www.loseit.com

Daddy's Girl

Some of the earliest pictures of me are of me and my dad in the backyard hitting off a tee at about age 2.  I was supposed to be a boy and grow up to be a baseball player but ended up as daddy's girl.  Growing up Dad and I did everything together.  We'd spend hours every afternoon on the side of the house throwing and catching. When I became a pitcher I'd pitch and he'd catch ball after ball as well as some strikes.  He taught me to throw a knuckle ball, a drop, a riser, and a change up.  At the park he taught me to fast bunt and hit.  He was my soccer coach too and to get in shape we'd often run in the afternoons and evening with our dogs.

When I went to high school he transferred jobs so that he was able to take my brother and I to the Private School we got accepted to. He'd wait every afternoon and evening until we were done with our practices to take us home.  It was a long day starting at 6 am in the morning and ending at around 7pm.

When I decided to become a teacher dad and I would talk shop a lot.  He always offered great advice about working with kids and their families.  Although he knew the pitfalls of being an educator he always encouraged me to follow my dreams.

Dad was always the soft parent but had no problems giving me lickens when I needed it, lol.  I won't go into details but I got smacked when I deserved it.  :)

Today Dad is a fabulous grandpa to my kids.  He spoils them rotten and gives into their whims.  Whenever they're eating contraband after I said NO a million times I know exactly who is to blame.  My kids enjoy snuggling up to him to hear him read a book and he can always be suckered into watching them ride their bikes, play on the swings, dig holes in the garden, or go for long walks to nowhere ending up at the Park.

On this day and every day I am so thankful for my dad.  I am one lucky daddy's girl!!!

We have a long way to go.

"I need all the help I can get, so dads grab a glove and get on the field.  And moms, I need a team mom."  To me, everything pretty much wrong in my world leads back to this sentence. My mother raised me to be a strong independent woman and I really want to raise my two kids to know no gender boundaries.  I can play ball and drink a beer (ok, maybe not the drinking) as well as any of the out of shape dads sitting on the sidelines.  I can tell you what 6-4-3 is, and what an infield fly is.  Furthermore,  if those same dads would be a little more organized and motherly in their roles as dads the world would be a better place.


Women fought hard for the right to vote and thought that it was a victory when they began working outside of the home.  Me, I wonder how my life is better than that of my grandmother's.  I have the same responsibilities as a stay at home mom, and a working woman.  My husband?  Nah.  

Baseball!

A new era has begun in our ohana. We are officially a baseball family.  It was inevitable but I was dreading the day.  Not because I don't like baseball, but because of the stigma that comes with Mililani Baseball.

If you are familiar with Mililani Baseball you know that it is hard core.  During baseball season go to the park and watch a practice.  During my afternoon runs I have heard coaches cussing and swearing at their young players.  The competition and expectations are cut throat.  In to win?  You bet!!!!  But that's not the only issue that I have with the league.  If you go to games you'll see that entire sidelines are decked out in matching clothing from the little 2 year old sisters to 80 year old grandpas.  The kids also have matching bags, jackets, and helmets.  And then there are the "snacks."  "Snacks" is a code word for meal.  When it's your turn for snacks you really need to cook, buy, bake whatever a meal for the entire team and their ohana.  Ever driven in Mililani and wondered what the little lights on the field are at 8pm?  It's the baseball peeps!!

I am not a conformists, I am pretty anti-social and I do not wear tshirts unless they are Lululemon, Nike, or my Racing Tshirts.  So this whole baseball thing has me really quite FREAKED out!

The kids had their first and second practice this week and I was worried.  For one, this is the first (and probably the last) time they have been on the same team.  They fight all the time at home and I wasn't sure how they'd act at the field.  Well, I don't know why I would have expected anything different because yes, they did fight at the field. Over the one bat that we bought for the two of them to share.  Two kids, one bat pulling, pushing, yelling.  Nope, my kids are not the type to behave in front of strangers.  Needless to say I will be buying another bat this weekend.

My second worry had to do with the nature of the game.  My kids are very active (hyper) and soccer is perfect for them because it's always moving.  The waiting game in baseball is not the easiest for easily distracted naughty short attention 4 and 6 year olds.  So of course, it was a problem but not to the scale that I was worried about.

All in all the kids did pretty well for their first practice.  We haven't spent a lot of time on baseball skills so they have a lot of work to do.  It should be of no surprise that they're great at running the bases and have excellent careers ahead of them as pinch runners.

Beach Day!

When I was growing up my parents rarely sent us to any long-term summer programs.  We'd take enrichment programs like tennis, cooking, and art classes but we never went to summer school or summer fun.  It actually bummed me out because I always yearned to be able to do the same things my friends did.  Since my parents were both educators and didn't work we did a lot of outdoor things and would spend all day at the beach swimming, boogie boarding, fishing, and crabbing.  Some times it was just our family, other times we'd hang with the Millani Soccer ohana.

I can vividly remember the days we'd spend at Ali'i Beach in Haleiwa.  The adults would stay at the park eating and talking and the kids would be on the beach swimming and body boarding.  We'd be in the water for hours pre-sunscreen era from early morning until past sunset.  We'd occasionally go back to the park to eat the tons of potluck food that everyone brought.  The best part would be driving home from the beach through the dark can fields. Often they would be burning them and it was a scary but spectacular sight.  I have such warm memories of my days spent at the beach and when I think of summer these memories always come back to me.

Today we packed up the kids with my parents and drove to the other side of the island to Bellows Beach. Mom made her famous egg omelets that we always had at the beach growing up and we picked up some other foods to munch on.

It was a gorgeous Hawaii day at Bellows.  The water was pristine aquamarine, the sky a Kodak cobalt blue, and the fine sand a gorgeous white.  The kids were excited to be at the beach and even the signs warning of Portuguese Man O War didn't damper anyone's spirits.

We had a great time playing and building in the sand and body boarding.  The kids loved catching the waves and although N shied away from it after wiping out a few times, D continued to catch wave after wave with her Daddy.

I enjoyed a nice run on the beach, 1.5 miles in all.   The fine sand was hard enough to run on and soft enough to not hurt my feet.  The cool water felt perfect on my legs that were recovering from a torturous 10 mile training run through Diamond Head, Kahala, and Aina Haina yesterday.  I even caught a few waves with the kids and wiped out a handful of times nearly losing my Dior sunnies I had on my head!!!

Today was truly a perfect day spent with my family.  It was invigorating, uplifting, renewing and the hubby and I even came home and did a 3 mile run after the long day in the sun.  As I sit here typing I am replaying the great day and hoping for more perfect summer days once Summer School is over in two weeks.  So lucky I live Hawaii.  We have to take a trek to Ali'i Beach next.

Happy National Running Day!!!

A year ago I never would have known that such a day existed, two years ago I wouldn't have cared. Today I am a runner and I celebrate today because running has changed my life.

I have always run.  I ran at gymnastics, I ran at softball, ran ate recess, at soccer practice and I would also run with my dogs and my dad growing up.  I ran to get in shape for soccer, I ran to lose weight.  I ran to run with my dad in races.  I ran because my coach told me to.  I ran in one Track Meet then quit.  Sometimes I hated it, others I dreaded it.  Many times I tolerated it but I never loved it.

Now I do.

Running has changed me in so many ways. Some are physical others are intangible.  I think the biggest change has been the confidence I have found in myself to push myself past physical and mental limits.  Through running I have learned to trust in my determination and that if I set a goal I can accomplish it with a little and a lot of hard work.  In the past year and a half I have surpassed many limits I thought once existed.  I have become stronger mentally and physically.  It's been a total transformation.

My running journey has been exciting and grueling. It's been rewarding and fulfilling. It's far from over and I am not sure where exactly it is going to take me.  I know it's not for everyone but it can truly transform your life if you let it.

On January 1, 2011 I was able to run .75 miles and walk .75 miles. This pushed me to my limits and made me sweat hard.  Today, June 6, 2012 I ran a 5K in 26:20 for fun and felt amazing.  I am in two challenges and these are my numbers:

Running Streak Challenge:  157 straight days of running at least a mile in 2012.
2012 Miles Challenge:  722 miles run in 2012.

Dating back to November 24, 2011 I have only taken one day off of running (on December 26, 2011).  I have lost about 20 pounds (was down 24 but gained some back).  I have run a 5K race, 4 10Ks (PR of 55:54), an 8.2 mile race, a Half Marathon 7 leg relay, and 2 Half Marathons (PR of 2:11:20).

My blood pressure is great, my cholesterol lower, and I am feeling great.  It's been a miracle and if it's one that you would like I challenge to commit to make a change.  Start slow, listen to your body and go farther every day.  Rest when you need to but continue to challenge yourself.  If I can do it, you can do.

Happy Running!!!

Running Fastinista

Ok, I am admitting it.  I run because I get to wear really cute clothes.  I remember my first (and last) track meet back in high school.  The singlet was kinda ugly, the shorts tiny and floppy and the shoes, well, boring.  Those days are no more.  There are cute skirts, matching head bands, jewelry, visors, skirts, colorful socks, did I say skirts?  Fashion has taken the running world by storm.  What more reason do you need to get out there and RACE?!!!

Ma'am ohhhhh damn!

I turned 40 a few days ago and being the type A over-achiever, rule follower, organizer/planner, check it off my list kinda gal, I got my first mammogram the day after I turned 40.  You know the rule:  Once every year starting 40!  I've been hearing for years how painful they are.  A dear friend of mine we'll call her Aunty Kay once gave me a blow by blow play of her mammogram, complete with left and right stickers getting stuck on her double d's and her taking them home with her.  Well, being that I have triple As I wasn't sure what the whole thing would be like.  In all honesty, I wasn't too worried. After two horrifying child births and an exploding fallopian tube I really didn't think that boob squooshing would be so bad.  Truth be told, my biggest concern was going through the whole day (my appointment was at 1:00) without wearing deodorant!  Really?  No deodorant?!!  YIKES!!!

Like the good student that I am, I read all the directions 10 times.  I didn't want to get all the way to the appointment and find out that I would have to come back another day because I failed to follow directions.  The directions said not to drink caffeine (ok, so I didn't follow that direction), it also said to take Ibuprofen for pain (forgot my damn pill box so didn't do that either), and they also said not to schedule the mamo when you're on your period.  Strike THREE!  Yikers!!! When my name was called I stepped into the "room" and sat down next to the boob squisher.  I bared the boobies, put on the gown and waited for the person who would be doing the squooshing to come back.

The squisher was an older woman with a german accent (I think it was german) and I couldn't help but giggle.  However, she was extremely kind, caring, soft, and compassionate.  She was so gentle in her demeanor that she put me at ease immediately.  She asked me a few questions, the funniest being whether I had any implants--hmmm...have you seen the size of my rack?  I don't think I paid 8K for these droopy double As!  She then continued by explaining everything that was going to happen and had me step up to the machine.  Left boobie went on the plate first, straight on.  The squooshing plate came down and flattened it like a pancake.  I waited to feel some sorta pain but I felt nothing.  Seriously, nothing.  No pain, no discomfort.  If I hadn't been there myself I wouldn't even believe that I was getting squooshed.  Left boobie needed another picture, this time angled. I had to lean a little and my boobie had to be stretched to get on the diagonal plate.  The other plate came down and squooshed.  A little pulling this time but nothing bad.

It was time for the right boobie.  Right boobie also took two pictures.  The second, diagonal squoosh was a little more painful but in retrospect it was because they had to pull what little skin and fat that was there (not much) really tight to be able to get any photo taken at all.  Pictures done it was time to get dressed and go home to wait for a call (if there's problems) or a letter if it's all clear.

Waiting for the results is always the hard part, especially since there's a history of breast cancer in my family.  I was hoping not to get a call from the 432 number in the next few days because I knew that no call meant that all was fine.

Well, it's been a week and I got my all clear letter in the mail today.  I will continue to do self-exams and schedule a mamo on my birthday every year.  And in the time being I'll be running the Susan Komen Race for the Cure run in October this year.

More info about the race can be found here:  Race for the Cure 2012

If you are 40 and haven't had a mamo yet I highly encourage you to take the jump.  Early detection can save your life. I realize that not everyone will have as pleasant as an experience as I did but when you think of the bigger picture, isn't it better to know what's going on with your body?

Van mommy signing off and reminding you to squeeze those boobies!!!

Sometimes you gotta forget the fairy tale...

This weekend I learned to forget the fairy tale and just go with it.  Nothing is ever the way you want it to be. There's no such thing as perfect.  Plans fall through.  Life happens.  So just go with the flow and appreciate the ones that got your back!

Thanks guys!!!!

Alan Wong's 5 Course Tasting Menu

Alan Wong's has always been a special restaurant for baby daddy and I.  We got engaged there in August of......umm, not so sure, lol.  Maybe 9 years ago?  10 years ago?  LOL, I will find out.  Anyhow, it's a restaurant that we have always gone to for special occasions, usually my birthday because the service and food is always amazing.

So, for my 40th bday the baby daddy had me choose and I chose Alan Wongs.  I was set on having their ginger Onaga (since I have been trying to get back on the healthy track) but upon seeing the menu the lobster lasagna and the braised short ribs were calling my name.  I could not decide.

I have all of my personalized menus saved.  :)

So, I took a page outta the baby daddy's book and ordered the 5 course tasting menu.  In the 10 plus years I have been eating at Alan Wong's I have never done this.  1) it's too expensive, 2) it's too expensive, 3) it's too much food, 4) did I mention it's expensive?!!!  LOL.  I always cringe when I take the hubby out because he orders it and I always fear I will have to wash dishes so I end up ordering the cheapest thing on the menu.  Once we went to Hoku's and he ordered their seafood tower as his appetizer (meaning that was 80 bucks right there and not even his meal!!!) so I ended up ordering an appetizer as my meal...anyway, back to my meal. I didn't order it just to break the baby daddy's bank.  I ordered it because it was my 40th bday and I was going to indulge.  I worked hard the last two years to get my body ready for 40 and it was time to celebrate!!!

While waiting I even indulged in a girly drink.  It was a lychee pina colada and oooh so tasty.  My first alcoholic beverage since December and when I saw that they offered the same drink alcohol free and 8 dollars cheaper I kicked myself for not reading the drink menu (it was on an Ipad) more thoroughly!

The five course tasting menu had all of my favorites and I was so excited to eat!!

Here's course 1!  It's an appetizer. Two different cold soups.  The one in the shot glass was spicy.  The one in the martini glass was a cold tomato soup topped with fried Parmesan cheese (I am not a cheese person but it was good) and a kalua port sandwich.  Yumz.

And here's baby daddy's appetizer. This is one of the best dishes here.  Love love love!

 Course 2 was the lobster lasagna.  This was soo delish.  Alan Wong's has an amazing butter poached lobster.  The lobster in my lasagna was just as buttery.  12 miles would not work this little dish off but it was sooo worth it!

Hubby's dinner. Lobster 2 ways.  The Lobster Lasagna and his go-to, Butter-poached lobster.  :)

Close up, soo pretty huh?

 Course #3.  Their signature dish, ginger crusted onaga.  I love this dish!

Dish #4, their braised short ribs.  Melt in your mouth, fall off the bone (there was no bone) with some spicy sauce.  I love love love this dish!!!!  Thought the little veggies it was paired with was a little random though.  Not a typical AW plating in my opinion.  The eggplant was tasty though.  :)  Next time we come back I am going to order this dish as my meal.

By the way. These dishes are tiny but it is a lot of food.  I was eating half of each and giving th rest to hubby.  He was full from the yummy dinner rolls that come with a super tast aioli sauce that we love.

On to course #5, my absolute all time favorite dessert, "the coconut."  It's a chocolate nutty shell filled with haupia ice cream (to die for, I could eat a quart of this stuff) and topped with fresh fruit.  This is the mini version.  The big daddy version is de-lish!!!  

My coconut and also pictured is my free bday dessert compliments of the chef.  Hubby ate it, I have no clue what it was because I was consumed by the coconut!!!

Here's a close up of the dessert...we were perplexed that it said Happy Anniversary...to Aurene.  Not to the both of us, lol. So I am thinking it was the 19th anniversary of my 21st birthday!

All nights at Alan Wongs ends with them giving you your personalized menu as a keepsake.  :)

Dinner was yummy and I was so glad I decided on the tasting menu.  It's gonna be a bitch to lose the 5 pounds I've gained in May but it's okay.  Some times you just gotta live a little then work a little harder. I am committed.  :)  

And just like that...I am a middle aged, 40 year old, soccer mommy who drives a van.  :)