Hello, Seattle!

We are happy to announce that Chris is officially the new Associate Art Director of Seattle Met magazine! Chris will be joining a highly-talented team including Design Director André Mora & Editor in Chief Katherine Koberg and company this July. I’m really excited about this great opportunity and can’t wait to get up there and get to work! Get ready to hear much more about this award-winning publication in the weeks to come…

Some words, from Chris: But, as excited as we are about new beginnings—it’s a bittersweet feeling leaving such a great team behind. MauiTime has been an amazing place to work, and I can’t say enough about what a wonderfully talented group of people they are—and what an amazing product they produce each week. When you see what goes on behind the scenes you gain a new respect for the hard work and dedication that it takes to make such a great weekly happen. They haven’t been just co-workers, but a family here for both my wife and I. So to all my MauiTime peeps—I wish you guys (and gals) the best of luck going forward—although I know you won’t need it. Mahalo, and aloha to our friends.

CHRISTOPHER TURNS 29 ON MAUI!

What a better place to spend your 29th birthday than on Maui! I surprised Chris with a weekend stay out at The Westin in Lahaina. We have stayed there previously and loved it, so I knew he was going to have a great time.

We both took Friday off—it was great not having to get up and do anything. I made homemade, breakfast tacos with fresh fruit for him to start the day and then we did a little bit of shopping to start our weekend. We headed towards Lahaina, stopped at Cilantro's—Maui's fresh Mexican food—Chris' favorite— for lunch. Time to check into the hotel!

With a special help from the PR director there, we got a Beach Bell Tower, Deluxe Ocean King room—it was amazing! Spacious room, ocean and Black Rock view for great whale watching from our room, flat-screen TV and the most amazing, comfortable bed you have ever laid on. Seriously, they are known for their beds—you can even purchase them they are that good. We were in heaven.

But the weather was not heaven. The forecast all weekend said it was going to be overcast and rainy. Thanks a lot! But we were determined not to let that get us down. The complimentary (and surprise to Chris) champagne and birthday cake that greeted us at 5 made our rainy day look a little brighter. We got our swimsuits on and went to the hot tub. Yes, it was rainy, but it felt good to be in the hot tub. Happy hour at the lobby bar, then off to Hula Grill for more drinks and dinner. Birthday night numero uno- sucessful!!

Weather the next day was the exact same, crap-tastic weather. Which I of course wasn't excited about because I had surprise, surf lessons set up for Chris and I. We still went, HAD A BLAST! and yes, we both caught some pretty decent ones. We totally rocked it. But honestly, I don't think I could do the whole surfer girl thing because 1- paddling is half of the work and that's way harder than you think 2- those board are heavy! and 3- the waves and having a wipe out freak the sh#^ out of me. I'll take lying on the beach any day and Chris could boogie board all day. Then I also had lunch set up for us at 'Ono Bar and Grill. I had the grilled chicken and mushroom ciabiatta sandwich—the chicken was sliced thin and juicy and the grilled mushroom and aioli sauce brought the entire sandwich together. I am craving it as we speak. Chris, of course, had the fish tacos. Fish was white and flaky and their special sauce hit the spot. It was now some shopping and hot tub time before dinner.

Chris chose to have dinner at Maui Brew Co. Definitely a mans-mans restaurant. Homemade brews, upscale burgers, adult mac and cheese, pizza and more brews. Chris had their jambalaya filled to the bowls brim with juicy shrimp, sausage and chicken mixed with tender rice. I

had the adult mac and cheese (my body craves cardio now!) with sausage, Gouda cheese and mushrooms. We finished dinner off with drinks at LuLu's. Funny story—there was a girl who was celebrating her 21st birthday that night and Chris bought her a shot since they had the same birthday lol! Birthday day/night numero dos—super successful!

You would think the weather would be different the next day? Nope! So, what do you do on Maui when it's raining all weekend?? You go shopping. And boy did we. We went to Whaler's Village Shopping Center and had a blast. Clothes, luggage, cookies, and more clothes. We have a blast s

hopping together and getting each other's opinions on what we choose. We also choose what we think the other would wear. We're right, most of the time! It was just fun to get out of the rain for a little while. We also visited and got our learn on at the Whale Museum.

Now, the sun was finally out! Thanks Sun, for coming out the DAY we check out. We still managed to get a couple of hours and drink time by the pool before we checked out and headed home. But of course, we didn't get enough Vitamin D the whole weekend, so we laid out by our pool and soaked up some more rays. It was great! We didn't want our weekend to be over.

In a nutshell, I think he had a blast and so did I. It was much needed. Though I say that about all the weekends we spend together, it's true. I think it's so important to get away from everything once in a while. Even if you can't afford to take a weekend trip, make it a stay-at-home weekend with your significant other, close friends, family, no computers, phones, and just stay in and watch movies or go outside and spend some time together. We get so wrapped out in everything we do during the week, that sometimes we forget to take the break our mind, body and spirit needs—needs to recuperate from the week, reconnect with ourselves and each other and refresh from the daily stresses.

When was the last time you had a weekend or day that you had time to recuperate, reconnect and refresh? Make it a priority one time, and you'll make sure it's part of your life for the rest of your life.

i love you Chris Skiles and I'm glad I was able to be apart of your 29th birthday and make it so special! Here's to many more together!

Flyin' Hawaiian Time!

Last weekend we had the awesome opportunity to zip line with Flyin Hawaiian Zipline.

One of Chris' coworkers was shooting the photos for their website— they're just about 1 year old. So he asked if we wanted to be the "visiting white couple." Let's see: we can zip line for free AND get photos.... ummm yes please!

We had previously zip lined the Haleakala tour and honestly were not that impressed. It was our very first time zip lining so we were kind of expecting a lot but were kind of disappointed. We weren't that high, the lines weren't that tall and it wasn't that exciting. I feel bad saying that, but just telling the truth.

So, we were excited to be going to this one— it couldn't be worse than before. We definitely were not disappointed. It is Hawaii's longest and highest zip line.

Located in the West Maui Mountains, your canopy adventure includes 8 ziplines ranging from a 200 ft. warm up to a 3,200 ft. monster! With over 2.03 miles of ziplining excitement and exceptional panoramic views of The Valley Isle (Maui).

Flyin Hawaiian Zipline is dedicated to the enjoyment and preservation of Maui. All participants on tour are leaving a legacy that will grow and thrive long after they leave.

Needless to say we had a blast. The crew was energetic, lively and entertaining while also staying professional with the safety part. What I loved about this, besides the thrilling ziplines, was that the whole group we went with was able to plant a plant ourselves. They are very eco-conscious and wanting to get this certain plant off the endangered species list. By doing that, they are dedicated to learning about them and planting one each time a group goes up there. Pretty amazing.

The views from each different line were spectacular. The West Maui mountains, the oceans and the tropical plantations—we even saw whales out there.

After our thrilling adventures, we went over to Beach Bums "Hawaii's best barbecue" First of all, most places here, boast they are "the best" at whatever they are serving. But with us coming from Texas, you have to serve up something pretty spectacular when it comes to barbecue. Beach Bum's is actually quite good. I had their pulled pork sandwich— moist, tasty and their spicy barbecue sauce was the perfect compliment to it. Chris had their Chili cheese burger— you can't really go wrong with that.

These are two places we highly recommend if you're planning a trip out here :)

Pictures of this weekend to come soon!

Acclaimed Chef Bev Gannon opens another Maui restaurant

This is the first restaurant review I did while currently freelancing for MauiTime. ENJOY!!

Gannons
Acclaimed Chef Bev Gannon opens another Maui restaurant
by Sabrina Dreyer

Gannon's
100 Golf Club Dr., Wailea
875-8080

Acclaimed Chef Bev Gannon is noted for being one of the founders of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement. On Maui, she's the force behind the famous Haliimaile General Store and Joe's Bar & Grill in Wailea. Given her reputation, her new South Maui venture—in the former Sea Watch location—has a lot to live up to. The good news: it meets, and perhaps even exceeds, expectations.

Upon entering, you're greeted by ultra-modern décor and a warm, inviting atmosphere. The light fixtures alone are something to marvel at. Bev credits this feature to her husband, a lighting technician who spent his career lighting rock shows.

Seating is either inside or out on the lanai. If you come before 6:30pm, choose the lanai for a blazing Wailea sunset and spectacular view of Molokini.

If you've dined at one of Gannon's restaurants before, you won't be let down; if this is your first experience, you'll be wowed. A must-try is the crab, lobster and tomato tower. Cucumber avocado rolls are topped with a wasabi-vinegarette glaze and succulent crab salad, fresh heirloom tomatoes and, finally, lobster. Cutting into the tower gradually is "the only way to fully enjoy the richness of each layer," Gannon says.

The wine list is extensive enough to satisfy even the staunchest connoisseur. If you like reds, the Sinskey Merlot is a full-bodied selection that will compliment any of the meats on the menu. If you lean more to the white side and/or are ordering fish, I'd recommend the crisp, sweet Laird Family Estate Pinot Grigio.

On the night my date and I dined, the special was walu (Hawaiian Butterfish), seared and served with mushrooms, bacon and onions, plus mashed potatoes drizzled in a lemon butter sauce. Never having tried walu before we didn't know what to expect. It was succulent, flaky and cooked to perfection, while the mushroom, bacon and onion gave it that little extra kick. For the second entrée, we went with the venison loin with Parmesan risotto and smoked corn nage. The venison was cooked medium rare—a little too rare for my taste—but was tender and juicy, letting the full flavor of the meat come through. The creaminess and richness of the risotto provided the perfect complement.

Last stop, dessert. I have a huge sweet tooth anyway, and it doesn't help when the menu has treats like chocolate cake, Kailua black coffee mousse and vanilla bean ice cream cake. For research purposes (of course) we decided to cave in to the chef-recommended ice cream cake with cherry compote. It tasted great, and revealed an unexpected fact about Gannon.

"I remember growing up with vanilla bean ice cream cake and it was my absolute favorite," the famed chef told us. "Plus, I've never really been a big fan of chocolate." Who knew?

Got a hot food scoop? Call 808-280-3386 or fax to 808-244-0446

808 All Day

Here is my second restaurant review!

Food & Drink
808 Bistro
808 All Day - Popular sandwich guys try out a bigger location and a whole new menu
by Sabrina Dreyer


808 Bistro
2511 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei
Open 5-9pm daily
879-8008

You probably know Josh Richardson and Mitch Edwards as the guys behind 808 Deli, the popular little sandwich joint next to Fred's/Moose's on South Kihei Road. Now they're branching out, moving into the spacious confines formerly occupied by the now-defunct Greek Bistro. The new venture—dubbed 808 Bistro—is good enough to lure patrons away from the long wait for Taco Tuesday at Fred's.

808 Bistro has open-verandah seating with modern, sleek wooden tables and nice sunset views. Once seated, you're served toasted bread and exemplary creamy pesto butter. Appetizers run the gamut: baked crab dip, buffalo shrimp with gorgonzola cream dipping sauce, Johnny Wellington, smoked salmon and steak kabobs.

There were three in our party, so we opted for the crab dip, served with a toasted baguette, and the Johnny Wellington. The dip was rich, with the shrimp flavor standing out the most. Though it paired well with the crunchiness of the baguette, I preferred the dip by itself to let all the flavors come through. Meanwhile, the Johnny Wellington—lamb in a puff pastry served with tzaziki (yogurt and cucumber) and mint sauce—was delicious. The lamb was cooked to perfection and paired perfectly with the tzaziki sauce.

Richardson suggested the Maui Cordon Bleu—herbed panko-crusted chicken breast stuffed with ham, Swiss, spinach and a fresh pineapple glaze. The ham, Swiss and spinach complemented the juiciness of the chicken, but it could've used more of the pineapple glaze. We also tried the mahi mahi, served with jasmine rice and vegetable du jour with a choice of three sauces; we selected the restic tomato buerre blanc. Fish: flaky and cooked perfectly. Vegetable du jour: delicious, sautéed veggie sticks. Sauce: creamy and ties it all together.

Finally, we sampled the New York Steak, served with bleu cheese apple gratin and vegetable du jour. The steak came medium rare and was accompanied by a balsamic vinaigrette mushroom reduction. It was one of the best sauces I've tried on Maui—and I'm not usually a fan of mushrooms.

For heart-healthy foodies there are a variety of soups (the carrot, coconut curry sounds the best) and salads. Have a sweet tooth? How does lilikoi cheesecake or sorbet sound? Macadamia nut gelato? Sweet Hawaiian bread pudding?

During dinner, I spoke to a couple that has been to the restaurant three times since it opened (808 Bistro is only three weeks old). I asked them what brought them back. "It's like eating at a gourmet restaurant at half the cost," they said. They also praised the staff, and even said they liked the current BYOB policy.

Richardson and Edwards personally visit each table with a smile; you truly get a sense of the owners and the restaurant. "It's about the atmosphere," Richardson said. "We greet everyone, serve excellent ingredients and bus tables ourselves. Everyone leaves happy." Sabrina Dreyer, MauiTime

WEEKEND UPDATE!!

These are one of my favorite blogs to update because I get to relive our wonderful weekend in paradise again :)


This weekend wasn't as jam-packed as last weekend but still exciting.

Friday we decided to see Iron Man 2. Yea, I know not a very "Hawaiian" thing to do, but it was soooo worth it. This movie was excellent. A lot of people say that the second one is never as good as the first one, I beg to differ. This one was just a good, if not better. I don't need to tell you how much Chris liked it either.

Saturday, we went hiking at La Perouse. The views were spectacular, as you can tell by the photos. Where isn't a view incredible here? We got up around 8 am. Once you're living here you don't want to waste any of the beautiful weekend weather. We had a whole lunch fixed, our water and snacks ready to go. The book that we have - Maui Revealed (don't let the locals know you have this book) - said there was some side path you could take, which Chris read - and believed. It was said to be a 5 mile hike and we were ready. We never really found what we were supposed to find, but it was still so worth it. We have both come to like hiking a lot and it's not something we got to do in Houston. Getting out in the fresh air, doing something different together is exhilarating. Study after study shows that couples who do things like that together last longer than couples who don't do anything active together. I can't disagree with that.

I still wanted to get some beach time in. Chris keeps saying that I could just live at the beach if I could. I probably would. It's so relaxing. This time we went to Polo Beach, since we hadn't been there before. So far, I think this is my favorite beach. It was like 12:30 p.m. and it wasn't that packed at all nor was it windy. We set up our beach chairs, got our sunscreen on and..... just relaxed. Chris of course took a little catnap. I read the current book I'm reading Nine Rooms of Happiness - look for upcoming blogs on this wonderful and inspiring book. We talked, relaxed some more and relished in the sunny air. Our day was still not done.

Chris later took us back to Makena, where we had our engagement photos shot, to watch the sunset and drink some wine. It was kind of like a mini celebration of our anniversary of being together for three years. It was a great way to spend the rest of our Saturday. I have the best and most thoughtful fiance ever. I can't wait to make him my husband.

Sunday ended up being our cleaning/working out/lazy day. The place needed a good clean; we need a good run and then just time to do nothing. Normally we're running into town to take care of errands. It was nice to do something different and not worry about having to get things done. Not only did we clean our place but we took care of ourselves too with a run. We are running every other day now and it's great! If you do anything with your significant other then get out, enjoy the fresh air and run or walk. It will be great for y'all not only physically but emotionally too.

Another amazing weekend in Maui down. Yea, we could pretty much do this for awhile.

MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR WEEKENDS - OR DAYS OFF AND YOU WILL FEEL SO MUCH BETTER.

With 163 Days To Go

.....we are crossing a lot of things off our list! Today we went to a Tuxedo shop to get Chris fitted with the right sizes and see what styles of suits he liked. It was so exciting! We decided what style, just haven't decided on whether he (and his groomsmen) will be wearing a tie or bow tie. I think we're both kind of leaning towards the white tie, with a white vest etc. I'm still not sure about a bow tie.....

Another thing that kind of sucks for us is that there is no Men's Warehouse or Al's Formal Wear, so it makes it SO hard! Now, what we have to do is, send his sizes to Men's Warehouse, decide on the style that we like from what they have online then he will only have like a window of about a week and a half when he gets into Houston for the wedding. Ugh!! Seems a little frustrating right now, but it will all work out :)

Next thing on the list is the bridesmaids dresses. Yes, I know I thought we already decided on one, but I think my girls changed their minds. Hey, we're all girls! It's totally normal. This dress stays with the classy look that I want and is elegant at the same time. I love the belt instead of the silver jewel which was on the other one.
My girls will look great in anything, but I think this style will suit them all and I've heard a yes from five out of six. Just waiting on my other and I think we should be good!!

Now, we're trying to decide how to print the invitations. Should we go with just plain (but still looks good)? Should we add a gold foil stamp (our favorite so far)? Do embossing? Lots of decisions but printing them a certain way, will of course cost more money. Since we're trying to help my parents out as much as possible, we're trying to stay as affordable as possible. So we're still trying to decide. Because invitations are important. It is how your guests will see the theme and your overall wedding impression for the first time. We want it to look classy and elegant while at the same time not breaking our bank (or our parents). Stay tune....

I feel a lot better that we got Chris all measured up and decided on the style. We have a little more time for him and the guys, but the sooner we take care of everything the better. It is never bad to be early, just bad to be late :)

I'm still on the look out for some white shoes for the ceremony and of course my splurge for the wedding a pair of crimson Blahniks or Louboutin's. Anyone who knows me knows I love my shoes so of course I have to have a pair of gorgeous crimson (the color of the wedding) ones for me :) If anyone knows of a good website for affordable pair or knows someone who knows someone who knows someone.... let me know PLEASE!!!!

We are also taking our engagement photos tomorrow! FINALLY! We are so excited to get some really great shots of us together and what a better place to do then on this beautiful island of Maui on one of the best beaches of the world. It's ok, you can be jealous. Check back later as we post our photos from the wonderful Sean M. Howard.

That's all for our wedding update for now. Stay posted on the rest of our decisions and check back in the next couple of days as we peruse the island on a zip line tour this weekend, YAY!!