Life of Larisa or LOL

Who sprains their ankle twice in a three month period of time? Me. Who hikes in mud in Hello Kitty tennis shoes? Me. Who almost gets on the news and carried out of Pu'upia trail in Manoa by six firefighters? Me. I should probably be feeling a little more shame...first copying the ice coffee and now this. I enjoyed another scenic, great exercise of a hike this morning...until I fell on top of my foot with that big baby again. At least the majority of the hike was complete. At least the baby is perfect. Nothing but a streak of mud on his shin. Baby wipe took care of that. I, on the other hand, was in need of a little more than a baby wipe. A shot of whiskey was coming to mind. I'm going to venture and say this sprain (on the same foot as the previous sprain) is much worse than the one obtained in the wet crosswalk in front of Gabe's school. I'm only able to be somewhat glib since no injuries to my baby occurred. I won't be hiking, or walking, or doing any Wii Just D

One of my favorite things? Coffee. Even better than that? Iced coffee. And even better than that, iced coffee in my fridge ready to drink at all times. It's my version of a coffee IV. I learned how to make the worlds best iced coffee from my friend Tobi who got it from the Pioneer Woman blog. Thank you to both of them. I have saved hundreds of dollars in the past week since I essentially have coffee on tap at home. As if the Keurig wasn't a good enough Starbucks alternative! I would normally feel ashamed of copying someone else, but we're talking about coffee here so... Here's the short version of how to make this liquid gold: 1. (I halved the recipe) and used a half pound of ground coffee instead of a pound 2. Pour coffee grounds into a large plastic container 3. Pour four quarts of cold water into the container with the grounds 4. Stir the coffee grounds and water mixture 5. Cover the mixture and let sit/steep for over eight hours 6. Drain the steeped coffee u

Alright, where's the hike that is down hill both ways? This uphill business that just days ago I mentioned being fine as long as it is at the beginning of the hike...uh, maybe not. Today's quality family time brought to you from the Ironwood Forrest on the northshore-ish of Oahu. I have done this hike before. It was without a baby strapped to me so a little less taxing. Not only is my cute Z heavy, he is long. His head was somewhat obstructing my view today. And his feet were impeding my walking pace as they inadvertently kicked my upper thighs. This was a great workout though and Gabe did an excellent job of hiking and not annoying me. Everything we read about this hike said it was two and a half miles long. In dog years? Longest "two miles" ever. And according to my phone (she's so smart), it was two miles that most people call four. Which explains why I was so over it about halfway through. My mental state almost got the better of me but then we encountered a b

...is great for those who enjoy shade, nature in the city, taking their kids with them to hike, uphill workouts, Jackson Chameleons...helicopters. Wait, lizards and helicopters? Today, like a crazy person, I ventured into the woods on the side of a mountain with two kids...one of whom was strapped to me and weighs almost twenty-four pounds (as determined from Tuesday's nine month check up). I survived. This seems to be my ongoing mantra these days. The first half, the downhill portion of the hike, was fun-ish. Picturesque views, cool breeze, not too sweaty. Then we turned around to head back. Torture. I was ready to build a hut with sticks and just live in my new home on the side of the mountain. Uphill needs to happen in the first portion of a hike! Especially when giant baby is strapped to your unfit breathless self. Today was a definite stretch---of my muscles and of my comfort zone. It's great to have friends who push your comfort levels and continue to call you to hang o

I was hesitant to go hiking this morning. One, I barely walk around our house, let alone out in the real world. Two, remember that fall two months back? Yeah, that pretty much did me in for getting athletic-y with a baby attached to me. And three, this kid is heavy. But, I pushed my trepidation to the back of my mind and met up with a good friend and her baby at Makapuu. My time could have been better (usually this is a half hour to forty five minute hike)...we ended up taking close to an hour and a half. But, I wasn't doing it for time. I accomplished my goal of being active at least once a week and conquered my fear of hiking with a baby without Isom, without the stroller. Just me, Z, G, and a backpack of snacks. The view along the way was gorgeous (Zach's charming smile), and the view at the top was cloudless, blue, and perfect. Kudos to Gabe and our hiking companions...for enduring my sweaty complaining self (my non sweaty, non complaining self is a barrel of laughs). After

Can't wait for Zach to be big enough for s'more fun. Every summer, (which is perpetual here in Hawaii) we make s'mores. It's a fun tradition for me and Gabe (so far). Half the fun is the sticky mess and the other half is preparation. Last night we roasted our marshmallows via coals in the grill after our taco dinner. Tonight we broiled our marshmallows after our manicotti dinner. Isom was on chef duty this weekend. The biggest smiles of the summer are always after a dip in the pool with the promise of s'mores to come. Who knew three ingredients could be the recipe for family fun. This year we left out the Hershey chocolate and opted for Nutella. Simple summer s'mores.

My baby is a bully. He bullies me around. Feed me. Change me. Carry me. Entertain me! If I don't comply I find myself the victim of a Zach Attack. Scratches on the face. Bite marks on the wrists. Bruises on the back of the arm. Faint bald spots from hair pulling. I joke, but he really is strong for someone who can't talk, walk, or dress himself. Today we played with Zach's buddy Grady (at least they were buddies before the attack)...and play is a loose interpretation. Grady is very cute, mild mannered, and enjoys chewing the T.V. remote. The perfect victim for Zach to attack. I guess Zach is uninterested in sharing the remote (that doesn't even belong to him). Good thing he's cute...otherwise Zach Attacks would be less amusing.

They say love is patient and kind...oh and blind! Isom is all three...how else would we have stayed together this long? Our anniversary was yesterday. Year twelve. Not a milestone but we're making our way towards one. Two kids, 2 states, renovations, travel...I'll say twelve things about this marriage of mine--- 1. There are always laughs. 2. There is always a good meal at the end of the day. 3. There's always a kid around. 4. Walking and swimming have probably made up half the time we've been married. 5. We overcome adversity together...remember we have two boys. 6. Sunday nights are for good t.v. watching. 7. A mutual love of coffee and beer can really take you far. 8. Deployments have kept the spark alive. 9. Hawaii is an ideal back drop for epic romance. 10. Compromise. If that means giving over full control to me, so be it. 11. Love. Even when we are sleep deprived, irritated, hungry, and have an eight year old boy to manage. 12. A good match. Pretty c