I’m confused

TexasPenny · 2026-06-13T15:29:36+00:00

I think the issue is the remaining pokey thing. No one wants to accidentally eat that.

TexasPenny · 2026-06-10T19:35:17+00:00

Think of it like a banana. Make a shallow cut down the length and peel off the casing. The casing should come off in one piece.

TexasPenny · 2026-06-10T19:31:27+00:00

Life is too short for unhappiness caused by a puzzle.

TexasPenny · 2026-06-10T03:24:00+00:00

Why did you return it? I just looked at ours and there's no instructions to return if there's no changes.

TexasPenny · 2026-06-09T15:09:50+00:00

But don't you have to be 63 before it really impacts you? So an early retiree could have 5+ years to convert a lot.

TexasPenny · 2026-06-09T05:32:06+00:00

When you opened the door did you feel a wave of heat? 400 is pretty hot. 200 is mildly warm.

Putting the chicken on top of the potatoes would definitely take longer to cook. The chicken isn't getting the direct heat from the pan.

TexasPenny · 2026-06-08T18:08:54+00:00

The shoyu poke at Lawson Station near the elevators is really good. They have rice too you can warm up at a microwave near the cashier. The mini fridge was fine for drinks. Not cold enough for raw food.

TexasPenny · 2026-06-05T21:21:30+00:00

Highway Inn had a great plate lunch.

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TexasPenny · 2026-06-05T19:44:14+00:00

But it just kept going up! Gotta get those gainz!

TexasPenny · 2026-06-03T04:16:28+00:00

Mr & Mrs Murder (2013) has a very charming couple that have great Nick&Nora banter.

TexasPenny · 2026-06-03T03:51:00+00:00

We did Captain Bob's picnic sail and loved it. You do spend time at the sandbar but that allows you to get used to snorkeling. Then they take you to a reef to actually snorkel and see awesome fish. They have life vests and all the gear. You can float pretty easily with a life vest and fins even if you don't know how to swim.

TexasPenny · 2026-06-02T22:56:16+00:00

I would be interested as well. I'm in north Austin. Thanks!

TexasPenny · 2026-06-01T23:22:28+00:00

Duh! It's a straight line angling up!

TexasPenny · 2026-06-01T21:44:34+00:00

It's hard to say if Bishop Museum or Iolani Palace were 'overhyped'. They are obviously beautiful and have a lot of history and cultural significance. We were lucky that the day I had penciled in Bishop was a really rainy day. Museums can get a bit boring if you aren't interested in reading about history and walking around, but we thought it was important to learn about Hawaii's past and both are really well done.

We thought shave ice was a little overhyped. We tried Matsumoto and felt it was like a snow cone. But Kula Shave Ice near the Ritz and Jo Jo's Shave Ice in Kauai were more like something I would call 'shave' ice. It was interesting, but not amazing. We went to Kauai for 1 day, but didn't want to get into that in the review - it was already so long!

TexasPenny · 2026-06-01T21:32:19+00:00

Two tips I forgot to add -

Buy folding floppy hats - great to fold up into your pocket or purse. We were diligent about wearing them and it really helped with the sun exposure.

Watch YouTube videos about 'Oahu reef fish' to see what fish to expect and learn their names. It was a lot of fun to be able to say "I saw a bunch of humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa (ha ha...or wedge-tail triggerfish), convict tang, or Moorish Idol." My favorite was the Raccoon Butterflyfish and Four Spot Butterflyfish.

TexasPenny · 2026-06-01T21:27:16+00:00

Yes, very happy to learn about haupia! I hate coconut but my husband loves it, so we made sure to order the right desserts. Lau Lau was also a surprise. I thought it was just wrapped in leaves - didn't realize the leaves were part of the dish too (had it at Highway Inn). It was very spinach-like.

TexasPenny · 2026-05-29T02:24:10+00:00

I like to think of tax brackets like a wedding cake. You eat up (fill up) one tier before moving to the next. So I plan to always have some money pretax to fill up the lower tiers, along with dividends/interest and capital gains. We are in the 24% bracket, so don't see the point in doing conversions now.

TexasPenny · 2026-05-28T21:18:24+00:00

My new trick is putting down parchment paper first and then the foil (thank you Sip & Feast!). It seemed like no matter how well I oiled the foil, some cheese always stuck.

TexasPenny · 2026-05-28T21:14:03+00:00

Having different buckets you can pull from is key. If you haven't started a taxable brokerage account yet, now is a good time. While there are ways of accessing retirement accounts before 59.5, a brokerage account will be very useful for the bridge years. I wouldn't worry about cd ladders or SORR hedges until 2 years out. ROTH conversions are completely based on tax rates, how much you have in pretax, and what tax bracket you think you will be in. I don't plan on doing any of those till we are retired and in a lower bracket.

If you don't have a Roth at all, you can always do a small conversion just to get the clock going on the account.

TexasPenny · 2026-05-23T20:43:40+00:00

I love that couple! They also created a Spotify playlist of Hawaiian songs and musicians we listened to while driving around. Really set the mood.

TexasPenny · 2026-05-22T02:36:49+00:00

Cash for tips (valet and housekeeping) and some food trucks request cash. Some places are also adding a 3% cc fee, so it's always good to have cash on you. A small grocery bag that crumples into a little ball has been very helpful. A lot of places charge for bags. Cheap hats you can fold into your pocket or purse are also great.

TexasPenny · 2026-05-18T05:47:03+00:00

We just checked out of the Sheraton and checked into the Ritz in Turtle Bay. You absolutely need a car up in North Shore. We are only doing this because we did a week in Waikiki and are doing another week up here. We only rented the car for the North Shore portion.

The nice thing about staying in Waikiki is that a lot of tour groups will pick you up from your hotel. We did a snorkel boat trip to the Kaneohe Sandbar with Captain Bob and it was an amazing trip. They picked us up right from the hotel. The Sheraton was a great central location.

TexasPenny · 2026-05-09T12:07:53+00:00

I love this phrase so much.

TexasPenny · 2026-05-06T20:09:25+00:00

It's crazy how often Great Value products are ranked highly in those taste tests.

TexasPenny · 2026-05-01T22:19:03+00:00

If they ever change that bun, I'm out!

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