This was such an ALOHA, ALOHA, ALOHA trip to Hawaii for Jax and I. I know aloha can mean many things but we had many aloha (hello) moments this trip. We did a lot of cool first-time things that will be fond memories. We also experienced aloha (love) as we participated in the baptism of Lucy, blessing of Erik, and had family fun time together. Last but not least, shed a tear here with me if you can, the time came when we had to say aloha (goodbye). Since the fam is moving back to Utah soon, I have a feeling that this could be our last trip to that gorgeous place for a very long time and maybe even forever. I know it's weird of me but I think I'm already having sad separation anxiety and I'm not even the one moving from paradise! :) It has just been so much fun to visit our family there a few times and we feel so blessed and thankful to be able to go this last time. A HUGE thanks to Kimi and Liz for helping me with sky-miles!!!! I just can't thank you enough!
On to the ALOHA times.....
The 9.5 mile Hike. I don't even know what this hike is called but it was the most gorgeous hike I've ever been on. EVER. We were proud of ourselves for doing this venture and the company made it a great adventure! There is never a dull moment when Chris is around. He picked up a poisonous frog before we even started the trail. Yup, that's my bro. Anyone who knows him wouldn't be surprised by this at all. We had to get a girl-power pic at the end as we were happy to have finished our personal "marathon" hike. The views on the trail were absolutely breath-taking! Pictures never do real life justice.
Shimazu's Shave Ice--This was a first for us. My mouth is honestly watering as I'm thinking about it right now writing this. You add the ice cream on bottom and cream on top....Man oh man. So good!
Wait for it....wait for it....
And we're on! Choooo choooo!
Baptism of LUCY. We are so proud of Lu for her decision to be baptized. It turned out wonderfully! One of my favorite parts about it was that she sang and did an ukelele solo "I Like to Look for Rainbows" It was a sweet moment to watch and listen to her. I loved her purity, innocence and the special spirit that came into the room immediately. I was happy to help by doing the invitations and program.
These Hawaiians, they know how to partay! Big fat piggeroo...
The food spread was amazing and delicious!
Blessing of Eric What a sweet boy! This was such a nice day. We had yummy leftovers from the night before and just chilled at home after church. (More on baby Erik below) We were so happy to experience both the baptism and baby blessing. It's just wonderful to enjoy these type of special occasions together with family.
Surfing Lessons. One of my personal top Hawaii moments. Kimi and I seem to do our best when we are together at being sort of annoying to other people but funny to ourselves. This was us at our best, I think. ;) Our hard core surf coach was flying through directions at a rate of a hundred words-per-second it seemed. At one point I asked, are you going to repeat this because I feel like I'm still trying to digest the first thing you said? "Nope" and he carries on with the lesson. Yikes! So we were both a little nervous but trying to act like we weren't by joking about everything. ha! My biggest fear was my inability to swim well. (Sorry mom, for never passing level 4 in swimming lessons six years in a row!) Kimi's biggest fear was being eaten by a shark. Na na na na na na. Poor Kimi, being forced to watch Jaws one too many times. Anyway, back to the story, we paddled out to "the spot" for a long time. This surfing is a serious upper body workout. My arms, shoulders, and back were sore before we even got started! When we actually got going, our instructor proved to be pretty good. He gave us a push and then coached us through getting up. It was easier than I had thought it would be! First time...and I got up...whooo hooo!!! I was surprised at myself. Then I started doing all sorts of flips and tricks since I was pretty much pro. Kidding! But we really had a good time riding some waves. We even purchased the professional photographer's pictures, since this was such a momentous occasion. Cowabunga! (Is that even a surf word or just a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles word?)
Way to go, Gibbs!
This is my excited face after my first try.... Whoooo!
Waiamea Falls with four cute little boys. This place had a nice paved trail to the falls, which was perfect with the littles. The falls were beautiful and we took turns swimming out there. The boys loved throwing rocks in the pool.
The three things that stick out most to me are:
-Austin's tour guide skills--updating us as to where we were on the map every few minutes and giving us a tour of how the natives lived, ("And this is where they kept their wild pigs" Then I would read the plaque and that's exactly what it said, "and this is where they dry their meat before they eat it" etc. etc..)
-The sharp rocks jabbing into my feet as we tried to walk out to an area deep enough to swim
-Cole's shoes falling off every five seconds on the hike and his big fall smacking his head on the road right at the end of the hike. Poor, poor, boy! The older ladies were trying to be very nice to me by giving me advice on how to care for the poor kid and his true mother just snickered every time another lady gave me advice. :)
It really was a beautiful place. Much more "touristy" than the "marathon hike" but very beautiful.
Austin, the tour guide.
Beaches--Lounging, Jumping waves, playing in the sand, Snorkeling (not for me though), Boogie-boarding, Long boarding, Picture taking, etc. etc. Jax LOVES the beach. We missed daddy at moments like this because this is usually his favorite part of vacationing here. Bellows Beach....we will miss you!
North Shore--Shark's Cove's Next Door Neighbor Beach, Turtle Beach, Kahuku Grill
Diamond or Crystal's (depended on the day) Nail and Hair Salon. Who names themself Diamond as their play name??? This girl is such a funny chick. She has some serious skill when it comes to painting nails! Grandma tried to give her some advice on the color choices of something more subdued but "Diamond" knew better. Bright yellow and purple for you, Grandma!
Teaching Pre-School. C is for COWBOY. We had a fun Letter C-roundup, Panning for Gold, Cactus craft, Trail Mix snack, and some stories out on the campfire. I was surprised at how much Jax and Cole liked all of this! They were loving it.
Uke Class and Zumba at the church. It sounds weird but these little activities were one of my favorite things about the trip! I was able to go to Zumba class 3 times. Happiness.
Babysitting. I was able to babysit for Geo and Kimi while they did a little getaway to Molekai. It was such a delight to get to know her kids on a more personal basis. My favorite moment was when Cole copied exactly what he had seen me do a few times and stood right in front of the fan and said "oh....dat feel dood!" ("that feels good"). I laughed so hard when I saw him do that! The humidity was kind of killer. Both for my body and my hair. :p I took the boys to the mall for a train ride, which they absolutely loved. We also enjoyed some swimming time together and I remember Lu was VERY concerned that I would be able to find Ruth's house. So funny. I sure love my nieces and nephews!
I love this picture... Look at Cole's face!
Jax and Baby Erik on the other hand, were good friends except for when he tried to steal the binkie, which happened on a regular basis. Jax loves babies. He had such a great time sticking the binkie in baby Erik's mouth! :) We are still working on "gentle hands" with tiny babies. It was so much fun to meet sweet baby Erik! We just think he is such a cutie pie! He seems like such a good-natured little guy. He was so good to go with the flow on all of our adventures. Cute baby!!!!
Punchbowl. I'm really, really glad I got to experience this place. It has such a neat feeling about it. I was amazed at the number of graves and how many names are on the walls leading up to the memorial. We live in an amazing country! It was a good experience to take a moment to reverence all of those who have lost their lives in the cause of freedom.
The kids loved the fountain the most. No surprises there, right?
Field trip to the Children's Theater. Cinderella-Korean Style. The only thing I can come up with off the top of my head is the chant they sang at the end, which wasn't even part of the play, to encourage emergency preparedness. "We're not scared. We're Prepared! We're not scared. We're Prepared!"
Of course we did some serious shopping and eating out! Thank you Geo for watching Jax so many times so that I could go out and do some fun touristy things. I'm sure I'm missing some details but we are SO GLAD we went this last time to Hawaii! I can't help but smile even thinking about it!
All I can say is......................
