Honolulu to Maui: Day 3 (June 15)

*Make sure to keep reading after this for a post on the girls' first day of school yesterday*

Did you ever think we'd get to day 3?! The funny thing about it is that today was actually our least eventful day ... in fact I only took 1 picture the entire day (but it's worth it - promise)!!! Guess that's what you get when you island hop ;)

We woke up early so we could hit the Honolulu Swap Meet to get some souvenir shopping done. I wish I would have taken my camera - there were some seriously interesting things to be seen! There were more t-shirts, beach towels, luggage, jewelry, and ukeleles than you could imagine! There was one section of the swap meet that looked like the absolute WORST garage sale you've ever seen!!! We had a fun time shopping and got the goodies we needed ... and a few that I'm sure we didn't need ;) We made it back to the hotel with just enough time to get checked out so we could make it to the airport to catch our flight to Maui.

It was so refreshing to have a completely uneventful day of travel after our fiasco trip to Honolulu. We ate at Stinger Ray's in the airport before boarding our 40 minute flight - which left right on time. We arrived in Maui on schedule and called to find out where to pick up our rental car. We decided to rent from a company called Maui Cruisers based on a recommendation from a friend. Their entire fleet of cars are 8-10 year old Nissan Sentras ... SWEET!!! All the rust and plastic floor mats were included at no extra charge. It cost us just over $100 for the entire week rental including tax so we figured we couldn't go wrong! Mike & Teisha rented from them, too. Their car was at the airport parked and waiting for them, but since there were 2 of us renting cars that day and they run a small operation they had to drive us back to their "office" to pick our car up. Little did we know at the time that we were being driven to the most far removed DUMP you've ever seen!! There were literally broken down cars (not their fleet) all around and a completely disheveled trailer on the lot that they used for their office. It seemed like the type of place that someone would go to dump a body they were trying to hide. Lucky for us we felt a bit more "safety in numbers" since there were 4 of us there.

We got our sweet ride, signed our paperwork, and were ready to hit the road (if we could find it from this no-mans-land we were in). Mike asked if he could get a different car because the one that was waiting for him at the airport was pulling to one side pretty dramatically. He tried out a few others and settled on one. We headed out with our 1996 Sentras ready to conquer Maui. We went straight to Costco to buy fruit, muffins, water bottles, etc. to have with us since we had full kitchens in our condos and then we were off to Kahana.

The first thing we noticed about Maui was that it was exactly what we pictured when we thought of Hawaii. We had had a fantastic time in Honolulu but it is more of a concrete jungle than the tropical paradise that is Maui. We *LOVED* every minute of our drive along the coast as we made our way from Kahului to Kahana (just north of Ka'anapali and south of Kapalua for those of you familiar with Maui). The views were spectacular the entire way. Once we arrived at the Valley Isle Mike said that his engine had been smoking. We opened the hood of their car to see that the oil cap had not been replaced, the oil had sprayed all over under the hood, and he had oil smoking all over his engine!!! Long story made VERY short he FINALLY made contact with the owner of Maui Cruisers, they came to pick up the car and gave them a full refund - DUH! We decided to just share a car the first few days and it worked out great since we were always together. We got checked into our rooms, got ourselves settled, and decided to head out for some dinner and a few other groceries. We got pizza at a great place called Pizza Paradiso and took it back to our place to eat. We knew we needed to call it an early night since we were being picked up at 2 A.M. the next morning for our Haleakala Sunrise Bike Excursion.

One of our favorite things about Maui - that we got to enjoy each and every day - was the view from our room. We were on the 7th floor with an ocean view. We could see Molokai and Lanai, too. We didn't close our sliding door to our lanai at all while we were there ... the sound of the ocean was amazing and the cross breeze felt and smelled awesome. While I wish I had taken more pictures today (because there were so many funny things to photograph) I think the one photo I did take is one of my very favorite from our entire trip. It reminds me of how I fell asleep and woke up every day in Maui and why I will FOREVER *LOVE* this place ....

First Day of School 2008

Believe it or not my girls went back to school today ... it's August 4th in case you missed it ;) It seems so early for them to go back and yet when I taught school in Utah we went back the end of July with our year-round schedule so I'm not sure why it seems so strange. They have what they call a "modified year-round" schedule here and I actually like the spacing of the breaks and the shorter summer - my kids were beyond ready to go back to school and we've actually had a fairly busy and eventful summer!!

Brinley started 4th grade and Ashton started 2nd grade. It is unbelievable to see Brinley as a 4th grader when I taught 4th grade back in the day!! I was up late last night (or should I say early this morning) working on gifts for their teachers. I love to do a little something for them on the first day of school to let them know how much we appreciate all they do for our children throughout the year - and, of course, for more selfish reasons, I want them to like me :) I decided on goodies this year ... again for selfish reasons. I've been craving Chex Muddy Buddies (aka Puppy Chow) for a few days and thought it would make the perfect treat for back to school. I would load up some bags for the teachers and then have leftovers for us!! Ended up being a great solution! I made some cute tags to dress them up and ended up with this:I then decided to make some cute labels to cover Hershey's Nuggets that I had on hand to fill some clear top tins. I created 4 different labels, wrapped them around the nuggets, and filled the tin. The polka dot ribbon I had on hand was the perfect finishing touch for this simple gift!I think they went over well with the teachers ... I was happy with the way they came out!! Both of their teachers are fabulous and we look forward to a great year with them :)The first day of school is always hectic - hair has to be just right, the outfit has to be new and perfect, the backpack needs to be ready, etc. We do fairly well on most accounts but the dynamic of having 4 kiddos ready to head out the door (since Steve has to work early on Mondays) adds a bit of chaos ... especially when Cougar decides he needs a little extra sleep on the first day of school! We made it to the school on time but the traffic was unreal - as is the norm on the first day of school. I used to get so stressed about it but now I figure I'll find a parking space when I find one and they'll get to class in plenty of time. We made it to their classrooms before their classes had even come in from the playground (and we didn't have to stand in the 95 degree weather that is 7:30 A.M. this time of year)!!

It was so nice to pack only 2 kiddos to Target this morning to run errands and continue the hunt for school shoes for Ashton. We got our running around done with just enough time to come home, have lunch, and get Cougar down for a nap. The best part was the quiet time I had to scrap this afternoon while he was sleeping and Kendyl was playing on Barbie.com on the laptop. It's fun to share the space with her, talk, laugh, and watch her explore ... all while I'm getting to play myself! I haven't gotten to scrap in AGES so I felt pretty rusty but I was happy with the outcome. I've got so many albums I need to be working on from this summer that I will hopefully get to fine tune my skills again before my next digital scrapbooking class in October ;) Here is the outcome of "my time."

Credits:
Back 2 School Kit by Shabby Miss Jenn
Photo Edges & Frames by Rhonna Farrer
2Peas Stop Sign Font from 2Peas in a Bucket
Century Gothic Font

Yes ... those are the same backpacks they have had for the past 2 years. I just can't make myself buy them new ones when these have held up so well!! I know they're dying to get something different but that's what clothes and shoes are for, right? A backpack is all about function. Nevermind - if I use that reasoning then Steve will NEVER agree with my argument for wanting another purse ;)

Happy Blogiversary!

It's been one blissful year of blogging for me!! Sad that I haven't even reached 100 posts yet ... this is #95. I was hoping to make 100 on my 1 year but my summer schedule just hasn't allowed it (or I'm just plain lazy - you be the judge)! I am proud to say that I have posted every 3.84 days on average which is WAY better than any journal I've ever kept so at least I'm making progress :) I do have to say that my favorite part of this journey is the fun I've had looking at my life from a whole new perspective. I've noticed more of the "little things" and have found more of an appreciation for my life ... as crazy, joyful, frustrating, empowering, boring, and blessed as it may be. Add to that the closeness I have felt to so many of you as I read your blogs and shared in your lives and your stories. Thanks for sticking by me through it all - especially when I'm as far behind as I am right now ;) I love to read your comments and see who is stopping by ... friends and family from all over the world and from different time periods in my life. You all play a big part in this crazy little thing I call my blog and I love you all for sharing it with me!!

Now ... who's ready for Day 3 of Hawaii?!

Knock, knock ...

Who's there? ME!!! I know you've all been hanging on my every word about our trip to Hawaii - waiting for the past 3 WEEKS to learn more about our adventures. A few big projects, swim meets, and a road trip to Utah have put a stop to any blogging that may have been thought of. Summer is almost officially over for us ... the girls go back to school on Monday. This week will be filled with laundry catch up from our trip, organizing closets for back to school, grocery shopping to fill my bare cupboards (not a box of mac & cheese to be had in my house right now), car shopping, completing my assignments for my photography class, and helping out with the PTA. Hopefully my blogging hiatus will come to an end soon. I never intended to take a break ... life just scheduled one for me! I really do have SO MUCH to catch up on for my own journaling purposes. You WILL hear about the rest of our trip as well as the many other fun times we've had this summer :)

Honolulu: Day 2 (June 14th)

Yes ... it's taken me over a week to get to day 2 of our Hawaiian vacation. Coming home has been business as usual - which means BUSY! I know everyone reading this is just as busy as I am so that makes for a pretty lame excuse on my part. I also threw in a 30 hour trip to Chicago last Saturday to add to the fun ... more on that AMAZING day with pics to follow! We're still at swim team every day, swim meets on Thursdays, and I just started an online digital photography class last Monday. Finished another big project this weekend which I am beyond excited about, too! All that and I guess I'm just a slacker ;) As much as I love remembering our trip it reminds me we aren't there anymore and probably won't be there again for years!! *SOB*

We woke up early on Saturday so we could go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. This is one of those places that you must go if you visit Honolulu. It is breathtaking to see from above and is completely picturesque!! I had been when I was younger but, as most things in my life when I was younger, I don't remember a bit of it. We got there just after 7 AM since we knew we could only stay until about 9 (based on our afternoon plans) but figured a few hours was better than nothing, right? We set up camp along the back edge of the beach trying to secure ourselves a little piece of shade. The beach was fairly empty when we got there which was so nice ... and unusual if you go later in the day. That made it even more disturbing when a group of other tourists literally wedged themselves right in next to us - practically onto our blanket! The beach was empty and they decided they needed the spot right on top of ours. We shifted our camp over a little so as not to invade their space the way they chose to invade ours! We took turns going out into the water to snorkel so we would have someone with our stuff on the beach at all times (paranoid?). Once I got in the water I was reminded of how much I enjoy snorkeling. The ability to breathe underwater is so amazing!!! To peer down on the life that exists in the ocean is truly remarkable. We had Mike take a picture of me and Steve together while we were snorkeling ... this is what we got. Thanks, Mike :) We saw lots of beautiful fish and even watched a turtle munching on some coral and swimming. I could watch the sea turtles all day! Have you ever tried to take pictures underwater? It is not easy!! I bought a digital underwater camera to take with us - got a great deal on it and figured it would be more cost effective than disposable underwater cameras. That and the fact the kids can play with it in the pool sold me on the idea. Only problem is you really can't see the LCD screen on the back of the camera while you are underwater so it's pretty much point, shoot, and hope for the best! We did get a few fun shots and that makes it completely worth it!
Of course Flat Tori joined us there and picked herself up a hottie while we were out playing ... guess she got bored reading New Moon on the beach!
After our time at Hanauma Bay it was back to our rooms to shower and prepare for our day in Laie at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Again, one of those places I went with my family when I was younger but I literally have no recollection. Sad, really. The drive over from Honolulu is unbelievably gorgeous ... still wishing we had pulled over to take photos of the views along the way.

I loved our time there! There is so much to see, do, and take in at the PCC. We met our guide, Vai Eli, and were on our way to the Rainbows of Paradise canoe pageant ... after stopping to take a few photo, of course :)
The show was fantastic! There are 6 villages at the PCC - Hawaii, Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa, and Aotearoa (Maori New Zealand). Each of these cultures was represented on a canoe that floats along the river that flows through the middle of the PCC. As the canoes move along there are dancers dressed in traditional attire dancing to traditional music. How these people do not end up in the river is a mystery to me ... especially the girls from Tahiti who can shake their hips like nothing I have ever seen before!!! It really is a sight to behold.
After the canoe pageant we got to go through a few of the individual villages where there were shows, displays, shops, and different things to try from each of the countries. We saw a great drum demonstration in Tonga (where they invited people out of the audience to participate who ended up being hilarious) and also learned to weave a fish out of palm leaves. We then went onto a demo from Samoa where we saw so many things - they demonstrated how to make fire and put it out with your foot, open a coconut in record time, scrape the meat out of the coconut faster than you can imagine, squeeze that meat to get the milk - no, the juice that comes out of the coconut when you crack it open is NOT the milk, and even watched a man climb to the top of a palm tree (and back down) with his bare hands and feet!!! It was then onto Aotearoa to see a traditional welcome ceremony followed by singing and dancing in their native tongue and custom. The Haka and poi ball dancing was fabulous. It was really extraordinary to see a slice of these diverse cultures and gain just a bit more appreciation for their customs and traditions. I only wish we had had more time to see everything ... we could have easily spent an entire day there and will definitely take the kids there sometime (although I'm sure they won't remember it)!
After the villages we hit the Ali'i Luau. We were given a lei greeting and I thoroughly enjoyed the scent of my lei the rest of the night! We were brought into a huge outdoor theater where they pulled the pig out of the ground that we would be having as part of our meal. There was a great show of singing and dancing to keep us entertained - although we kept ourselves very easily entertained just visiting with our friends :) They taught us about all of the foods that would be served and we waited our turn to hit the buffet. The food was good but the smoothie served in the pineapple was to die for!!
After dinner we caught the last shuttle bus to visit the BYU Hawaii campus and the Laie Hawaii Temple. I was so amazed to learn about the work-study program that BYU Hawaii and the PCC have that brings so many students to Laie to gain an education, work at the center to pay their tuition, and trains them to return to their home countries. What a wonderful opportunity for these students to take their skills and education back to better their own people. I was really touched to find out that many of them have 90% of their education paid for in exchange for their work at the PCC ... that is amazing.
The temple in Laie is absolutely beautiful. It has such a rich history as being one of the first temples (5th, actually) built, and the stories of the saints and missionaries in Hawaii who have shared the gospel and watched the church grow there is astounding. The building itself is exquisite but the spirit and sacredness of the grounds is powerful. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to go there and spend time learning about how the temple and the area around it were built up and sustained by faithful members of the church.
Now you would think after all of this writing that our day was over, but you would be wrong. We then headed back to the PCC for the Horizons show. This was spectacular. The only bummer is that you can't use flash photography so I don't really have any fantastic pictures to share! It is an amazing musical production put on by most of those who work at the center and it is not to be missed when you go. Each of the villages is showcased with unbelievable dancing. It would honestly do the show no justice to have me try and explain any more than to say it was fabulous. Even after a long, hot, exhausting day I was completely thrilled by what I saw. The absolute star of the show was the crazy little Samoan man who did most of the demonstrations at the Samoa village earlier in the day. You could see every single muscle in his body ... you've never seen legs like this before. He danced with fire, put out fire with his own body parts, and his energy was more than any 5 small children would possess. Teisha and I couldn't resist having our picture take with him after the show. He was completely charming and we laughed when his 16 year old LARGE son came to get the car keys from him ... I can only imagine what his wife must be like (since I believe they have 8 children)!! We also couldn't pass up a photo op with the floral headbands :)
Now I'm sure you can see why it is taking me so long to get this "report" done - I don't want to forget the details!! Sorry for all of the pictures, too ... I thought I was doing pretty good to narrow down to about 30 from the 200+ I took that day ;) Thanks for hanging in there with me!! Then again you probably skipped the article and browsed the pictures instead - I can' t blame you for that!! I know how long-winded I can be :) Don't worry ... tomorrow is a far less eventful day :)

Honolulu: Day 1 (June 13th)

After traveling for what seemed FOREVER we were thrilled to land in Honolulu to find our luggage already taken off of the belt and waiting for us - I guess that's the kind of service you get when your luggage arrives before you do (since it actually MADE the flight that you were supposed to be on)! Some of my favorite things I saw at the airport were these:

They obviously knew we were coming and got the sign hung just in time!

How could you not want to go into a bathroom that is marked with a man wearing a tropical shirt?! The one for the women's bathroom was wearing a dress and a lei but the men's sign had more of a tropical feel ;)
By the time we made it to our condo (after getting lost on the freeway in our rental car - a convertible ... so fun!) it was almost 3:00 Hawaii time - 6:00 back home. Most of the day seemed to be gone but we certainly weren't going to let that stop us! Mike & Teisha had gone out to explore and made it back just as we were getting our luggage out of the car - how's that for timing? We got things upstairs, took a quick shower (since we were still in the same traveling clothes), and made a game plan. Before that we had to take a quick picture with Flat Tori - you know, like Flat Stanley of kindergarten project fame? Tori didn't get to make the trip to Hawaii with us but that didn't stop us from having her there with us ;) Here we are reunited as friends for the first time in YEARS! I get to see Tori often but she hasn't seen Teisha since they moved over 4 years ago. Both of them are more gorgeous than I ever remember!!
We decided to go out to Pearl Harbor before doing anything else that day. By the time we got there it was too late to take any type of tour so we got to spend some time looking at things from a distance. I remember going there when I was younger and going out on the monument to look down in the ocean at the ship below. It's an image I will never forget. Of course I didn't take my zoom lens with me so the photos are kinda far away but it's what I got :)

After our time at Pearl Harbor we headed back into the downtown area to take a stroll on Waikiki Beach. It's one of those places you just have to go when you find yourself in Honolulu but it can be PACKED with people!! We got lucky and found it cleared out enough to take some pics without other people in them :) It was the perfect time of day to get these gorgeous views of the beach and Diamond Head.

Then it was time to wander the International Marketplace, listen to some local musicians, and head to dinner. We ate at a restaurant at the Sheraton called Rum Fire. It was a beautiful setting overlooking Waikiki and the pool area where they had a music and dance performance going on ... the perfect end to our first day. We got to watch the sun setting over the ocean while sipping Pina Coladas, eating fish tacos & lettuce wraps, listening to the sound of the tropics ... and smelling the plumerias.

Back to Reality

The following entry was written the morning that we left San Francisco for Honolulu. I would have posted it sooner but we were so busy during our Hawaiian adventure that I decided after the first day to wait to post details and pics until after we arrived home. Bummer for all of you, I know. We are home now (sadly), have collected our kiddos, and are trying our best to move on with life ... kinda hard after the amazing trip we had. I'm going to do a daily recap of our time there so don't worry - you'll see and hear about all of the fun we had :) Until then, enjoy this post that is strictly for my own journaling purposes!!

Happy Friday the 13th!

Yes, I realize that Friday the 13th is not usually associated with good luck - the kind we need after a day like yesterday - but I am confident that later today we will be basking in the sun in Honolulu with our friends who actually made the connection yesterday. Besides … one of the last Friday the 13ths we had was the day Cougar was born … after not being able to get into the hospital to be induced on the 12th. Look how well that turned out! Quick, easy delivery that involved no pushing at all and the perfect baby to boot!

We woke up at 7 AM to take showers and put back on the same clothes we wore yesterday … all day. Not the best way to start but at least we had slept in a bed (for a few hours) and actually got to take a shower. The hotel had toothbrushes and toothpaste that we used once we got to the airport. Glamorous, I know, for a fabulous trip to Hawaii ;) We caught a shuttle back to the airport at 8 and got through security with no glitches. Breakfast was provided by our generous $10 food vouchers from United. We bought a sandwich to share on the plane for lunch, too, since airlines apparently don’t believe that food should be included in your almost $800 plane ticket when you are in flight for 5 hours. We met up with the same group we were traveling with yesterday - all wearing the same clothes. Our “new friend” looked at us and said “nice outfit!” I know she was just hoping she had enough diapers for her 2 year old to make it through another day.

The good news in all of this drama? Our plane boarded on time, pushed back at 10:30 on the dot as scheduled, and we are looking to arrive in Honolulu just before 1 PM, giving us plenty of time to enjoy our day there (thanks to gaining 3 hours in flight)!! Our flight is not jam packed because they actually added an extra flight just for us. Out of 182 seats there were only 92 checked in and 30 getting on standby. We may not have had 5 extra hours on a plane with Mike and Teisha yesterday but we have 8 amazing days of jam packed fun ahead of us once we get there.

The funny part? Our horoscopes in the United Hemispheres magazine said:
Libra (Steve) - Traveling to new destinations has a ring of familiarity. Be flexible with scheduling and expect last-minute changes to be the norm.
Capricorn (Kari) - Last-minute scheduling conflicts require you to be flexible.
Sagittarius (Teisha) - Don’t expect travels to be drama-free.
Aquarius (Mike) - Venture out with friends.
I personally like Mike’s the best and believe we’ll live up to all of them in the next week!

Pictures to come once I get to my other camera .. and actually have something worth taking pictures of! I’m sure pictures of us sitting in the airport in the same clothes 2 days in a row really wouldn’t be that exciting. The main difference in our pictures? The bags and dark circles under our eyes this morning after yesterday. Nothing that a little time at the beach won’t solve this afternoon!!

We made it ... to San Francisco :(

Well, our less than perfect beginning turned into more of a bad dream - we ended up having to deplane when they couldn't fix the mechanical problems and told us they were bringing in another plane ... that was JUST about to leave Denver - over 2 hours away! The people from United went back and forth trying to figure out what to do with those of us connecting to Honolulu (there were 65+ people on our plane making the connection - most of them teenagers for a soccer tournament). Would they hold the plane waiting for us in SF? Would they be able to find room for us on other planes that were already overbooked? Would they route us through LA or another connector?

Well, they sent the plane waiting for us onto Honolulu with the Marsdens on it while we waited in the airport. Apparently there were 75 people trying to get on that flight standby so I'm sure they were thrilled when there were suddenly 65 seats open! They got us on a flight to SF that left around 8:30 (original time of departure was 3:40). United wouldn't even give us food vouchers while we were stuck in the airport!! They gave them to the soccer players "because they were kids and they didn't have money." Um ... totally disagree!! Those kids were going to play soccer in Hawaii for heaven's sake - and many had their parents with them. They were hardly going without ... most had laptops, iPods, AND cell phones with them. I overheard one girl say her friend went and got a dozen cookies from Paradise Bakery with her voucher because she had already eaten. I would have liked one of those cookies during my LONG airport vigil!!!

So here we sit in San Francisco waiting to catch a flight to our "perfect vacation" tomorrow. United has been acting like they're doing us a favor putting us up in a hotel for the night and giving us a $10 voucher that we can use for breakfast in the airport while we wait tomorrow. Apparently they "upgraded" one of their other Honolulu flights tomorrow to a larger plane that could accommodate the extras from our flight ... thanks for going out of your way to help us!!! Trust me - United will be getting a letter from me after this fiasco!

To top it all off, our carry-on bag has our cameras, laptop, snacks, books, 4 swimsuits, and a cover up. We were told if we wanted to wait and pick up our luggage tonight (rather than having it sent right on to our new flight) it would take 2 hours. Needless to say we are sleeping in our clothes and won't be able to comb our hair tomorrow - really tough on Steve, I know ;) Guess that is our "what to pack in a carry-on" lesson. Good to know since it will probably be another 9 years before we travel again.

Just got a text from the Marsdens - they just landed in Honolulu. I bet the smell of plumeria is amazing. Can't wait to smell it for myself ... tomorrow. We should get there about 16 hours later than originally scheduled. At least we'll get there in time to hit the beach, get in some shopping, sip a tropical drink, and watch the sunset :)

I've got 2 tickets to Paradise ...

Are you singing along with me?! We are off on the trip of our lives - or at least that’s the plan ;) Things aren’t working out EXACTLY as we had hoped, but I’m sure once we get off the ground things will be perfect (how’s that for positive thinking?)!! This trip has been in the works for over 9 months now so it definitely feels like it is ABOUT TIME!! We took the kids for a vacation with Grammy and Paca so we could take our first “real” vacation since kids came along 9 years ago. We’ve either been in school with no money, just out of school with no money, pregnant, or tied to home with a new baby … the timing just hasn’t been right! Now we are Hawaii bound with so many fabulous things planned that I can hardly contain my excitement.

We are currently sitting on a plane that was supposed to take off almost 2 hours ago. They are trouble shooting some mechanical problems and are hoping to be San Francisco bound in 30 minutes. Let’s hope we get moving soon - my battery power on this laptop is sucked dry in about 30 minutes tops so I’ll be lucky to finish this entry … which is really too bad since we may be here a while and I could be really productive in catching up on our lives the past 6 weeks or so! Our dear friends are already in SFO awaiting our arrival so we can board the plane to Honolulu together. So far they are holding that plane for us to arrive since there are 65 people on this flight getting onto the Honolulu flight. If they put us on another flight it means 5+ less hours we get to spend with the Marsdens … and then they are stuck in Honolulu waiting for us to arrive (since we are the ones with the timeshare reservations)!! Good thing we have the next 8 glorious days with them filled with amazing excursions, lots of sunbathing, fabulous food, people watching, and laughs galore. I’m hoping to check in here along the way to post some pics of our adventures - thank heaven for wi-fi!!

They just announced that they have been unable to fix the A/C problem so far, so they are contacting their chief to see where to go from here - my vote is San Francisco and then onto Honolulu!!! By the time we get there it will be after 2 AM “our” time and since I was up until 3:30 this morning getting packed and ready for us to be gone (my entire house is clean … all the way down to the kitchen floor … ALL at the same time!) I will be one tired girl :) Good thing we’ve got a lazy day of snorkeling, laying on the beach, shopping, and eating planned for tomorrow!

P.S. I would post pics from sitting in the airport but my USB card reader is only sized for an sD card and the card in my P&S camera (which I used for the few pics in the airport … easier) uses a CF card!!! Will take plenty with the “right” camera/card to post once we make it to Hawaii :)

Some Sign of Life ....

I figured it was time to come up for air and let you know I am, indeed, alive and quite well ... except for the fact that our summer vacation officially began at 10:50 this morning when the girls got out of school. Thank heaven I have Hawaii to look forward to in a few weeks - should keep me going (if swim team every day doesn't)!!

I have so much to post it's overwhelming so I'm going to take it one bite at a time rather than making you sit through a post that could rival a good novel ;) There has been a kid-free, husband free, completely perfect vacation, Ashton's birthday & party, stampers group projects, Mother's Day, swim team practice, a fun mini-album project for a surprise baby shower, our first 100 AND 110 degree days, and a sweet family move into our backyard!! Throw in some church related activities and a few other things at the school, my parents visiting, and trying to actually spend a few minutes with my husband and we've had a busy month! There will be details ... and pictures ... coming soon now that I have "entertainment" for Cougar during daylight hours - otherwise he sits and pinches my arms when I'm on the computer :)

I'll start with posting our most recent family delight ... we have a family of quail living in our backyard!! No idea how they got there (although we're assuming the eggs were laid in our yard and now that they've hatched they're sticking around until they can fly) but we are getting such a kick out of watching them!! Steve first noticed them a few days ago. They hide in the lantana bushes and then wander out onto the pool deck or the grass. We've been able to get a few good pictures of them and even a video clip with Ashton's new camera (will be covered when the birthday is discussed). The girls are so concerned about them. We've had rain the past few days and they have been praying for Heavenly Father to protect them and keep them safe. We got a really good downpour this afternoon which prompted another fervent prayer on their behalf. Within minutes the rain stopped, the sun came out, and all 12 babies, mom, and dad were out playing on the deck!! The girls were thrilled to know that their prayer had been answered and that the family was safe. Brinley said "It's amazing that one little prayer for one simple thing can make such a difference!" How true. Here is our little family playing after the rain storm:


And a few pictures for good measure (and journaling purposes) ... aren't they adorable?!

Thanks for putting up with my absence ... I know how disappointing it can be to see the same post title every day when you are checking ;) I've still got lots to say so come back soon! I'm nearing 100 posts and there will be fanfare! I should hopefully be making the blogging rounds again soon so I can see what all of you have been doing in my time away!