15

15 Already. My kids seem to grow up so fast....I can hardly keep up.

I realize that you were hoping for more pictures of Maui. Me too. It's really hard to sort thru the photos without pulling up flights to just go back. It's a fine balance, so I am proceeding cautiously.

So, A-Dog is 15. As of yesterday. 15 years and 29 hours ago I held that sweet boy in my arms for the first time. I tried to relive the moment before he went to bed Sunday night, but it was awkward. And uncomfortable. And frankly, not as sweet. Sweet, but not as sweet.

I am so proud of this kid and thank God everyday for allowing me - ME - to be his mom. How did God decide that I should get such a loving spirit?  Certainly I've done nothing to deserve him or anything else I have, but I have been entrusted to bring him up the best we know how.

A-Dog is generous with his love, he is kind and unassuming. He is a great brother and friend.  He is funny and witty. He loves food. Certain foods are loved more than others, but in general, he just likes to eat (like all good teenagers).  

He is nearly as tall as I am, so he begs me not to wear shoes that will diminish the closing gap if we will be in public. I oblige. I can't help it. I am a sucker.

So, A-Dog - Dad and I love you - but you already know that :). We are proud of you - but you know that too!  We love watching your grow up into the amazing young man you are becoming and finding your way in this crazy life! 

Never let your dreams be squashed, never let anyone sway you from your Faith and always keep God front and center.

Happy Birthday!

Vacay - Part 2

So, we are currently at whatever day of vacation it is. For us, it was Thursday.

It was Thursday for you also, but if on any given day you asked me the actual date, I had no clue. That would be how I messed up our living arrangements when it was time to switch from our timeshare to a condo...but that is not part of this post. 

Thursday.

Snorkel Cruise. From Ma'alaea Harbor to Molokini (which is a crescent shaped, partially submerged crater. Great for snorkeling).

Headed to Molokini aboard Ali'i Nu'i

Grandma took it for the team and stayed back with the little kids. 

I was gonna bring her - but her pocket book said 'thanks', since she would only be a passenger, not a snorkeler.

Dad (Grandpa) and my sweet husband

Before we left harbor on our huge catamaran, we had a wonderful breakfast. More food than we could possibly eat. Lots of great drinks, even homemade ginger ale. Which came in handy. 

Boat view

It was the perfect day, with a bit more wave action than Grandpa and I would have preferred. Luckily, my sweet husband was a bit paranoid (due to news of some large swells predicted for that morning) and bought some sea sick medicine. Boy am I sorry that I mocked him because my dad and I were the ones that ended up needing it.  Truthfully, the waves really weren't that bad...I am not sure why we were green..

But, the day was amazing and the water was warm. Agent P did a great job in the water and then when he was cold (trust me, the water was not cold...) he went on the boat and was spoiled by the crew. He was the only kid that day and they took special care of him!

Side of Molokini

Back side of Molokini

  

On the way back there was kalua pork, teriyaki chicken, salads, many adult beverages. After my don't-get-sick-on-the-boat medicine kicked in, I had some adult beverages (because I'm on a boat with free adult beverages...duh...). They were kind enough to let my dad and I pack up as much food as we wanted in some bags, to enjoy later :).  

That afternoon after showers and naps (because at this point, we are all a bit jet lagged with the 3 hour time change) we hung out... and then...geez. What did we do?  

Oh, I remember I didn't eat dinner. I did eat my food from the boat...that afternoon. They all went for a walk after dinner and I stayed in with twins and got them to bed (and me too). Because what do you do at the end of a stressful day? You walk across the street and watch the sunset on the beach, what else?

I know you are wondering - "am I going to have to sit here thru each day of vacation???"  Well, remember this is my online journal so that I don't forget what happens in my life too...so, ya, you do ;) Or you can just check back regularly to see if I'm done yet!

Let's all just be thankful I'm not posting the 700+ photos....and I'm just picking some....

Here is a random one...

One day we were driving to the beach (weird I know..) and it was rainy in a section of the drive. This rainbow was right across the bridge of the mountain. Truly amazing. Notice it is not all green and lush. Maui is a very unique island and has desert type dry areas.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but you can get the idea.

Cheers!

Vacay part 1 of 645

Well, I hope it doesn't take me 645 posts to get the gist of our vacation in, but let's just take it one post at a time.

So, yup, we took the family to Maui. Yup, on a plane. It is a sacrifice  but truly, Maui is my absolute favorite destination. And since I'm the designated vacation planner, we go where I want to go. It's like dinner...if I make it, it is because I like it and you get to eat it. Hey, I don't make the rules, I just follow them.

However, due to the beauty of frequent flyer miles we only had to pay for 2 seats. Mine and Mini P's. 

Because I'm willing to take it for the team, I let all the boys fly together. Had I gotten first pick, A-Dog would have flown with me. That apparently was not how that was going down - some new rule I guess. I thought I got my pick...

Then of course, because so often flyer miles..well...suck...their flight was not as pretty as one would hope.

The quick of the long of it is that the airlines that we have miles with, had a computer hiccup and the original not as ugly flights didn't get recorded, so we only had our flights 10 months in advance and because of that the boys spent nearly 19 hours in route (on a Monday). Not to mention getting a car, getting food upon arrival and checking in. Pretty sure they were all up for almost 24 hours straight.

10 months. You'd think we would have something decent. Yes, our vacation was planned that far in advance - longer actually. I'm actually ready to start planning my next trip to HI in 3 years. No kidding. Don't tell my husband...shhhhh.

Mini P and I had better flights, THE NEXT DAY and arrived the mid afternoon after only 8-9 hours of travel (Tuesday).

Once Mini P and I got there, we found out that my sweet husband had car trouble and had to head back to the airport to exchange the vehicle...we met somewhere in the middle and switched a few kids and off to the grocery store I went.  Let's face it, after being up since 4am, two days in a row, the LAST place I wanted to be was the grocery store.  Well, that's the last place I ever want to be so, I guess my analogy isn't warranted, but still.

So - without further delay:

Kahekili Beach

A-Dog, happy as can be on the beach!

Kahekili Beach was our first beach. It has a combination of beach sand and grass and palm trees.  I didn't realize how amazing the snorkeling was here until the last day we snorkeled and were getting ready to leave the island. A shame, because it was superb! There is a coral reef literally feet off the shore. So close you have to be careful getting in. Lots of amazing fish!

Then later in the afternoon, I went to the airport to pick up these 2 amazing people!

So, there you go.

That gives you the first 3 days, even if 2 of them were travel days.

Just wait, it gets better. Way better. Just need to gather all the pictures from all the phones, cameras and video camera (which has video and photo...)

Cheers!