Today, there was no sunning to be done. It was overcast, cloudy, showery and just plain not weather to go lay out and get sun.
Grandma & Grandpa had a party planned for tonight to celebrate Rhonda family style, so they put together some last details for that. They had brought most all of the decorations with them since they figured things would be much more expensive here and that way they were sure to have everything they needed. It was a Hawaiian theme, of course what else!
Everyone sort of went their own way today. Dave, Rhonda & Jason did some shopping at Kukui Grove in Lihue, Grandma & Grandpa worked on party details and the Joel family set out to Costco to get party food. And boy did we find great food! We were going to BBQ, but decided that Dave needed a break from cooking, so we'd make it easy and buy some yummy lasagna, a family favorite. We also picked up some fresh baked crusty baguettes, salad and dessert. One of Rhonda's favorite desserts is cheesecake and Michelle had remembered that Costco carried Cheesecake Factory cheesecake in their freezer section, so we picked up some of that for a real treat.
Food prep was easy and everyone showed up about 7ish. Rhonda loved the decorations complete with balloons, crepe paper, party plates....everything. She got a beautiful silver flower necklace from Jason, some island themed wine glass markers and money for shopping from Grandma & Grandpa, and money from the Joels for more shopping.
She loved the cheesecake and the party was just really nice and lots of fun. We also took the opportunity to look at the vow renewal pictures again since Dave purchased a connector cable for his computer to make the images from his screen show up on the TV. It was nice to see them a little bigger and not have to crowd around his laptop like we had before. It was neat to reflect on what a perfect night that was and how everything just worked out great. Jason and Courtney also shared some of their pictures that they had taken since the beginning of the trip. We will have quite a scrapbook of wonderful photos once we get all the images merged onto one CD.
It is hard to believe we have just a couple more nights until our long awaited trip comes to an end. *sigh*
Friday, July 25, 2008
JULY 16, 2008: Happy 50th Birthday Rhonda
So today Rhonda is 50. You wouldn't know it to look at her. She doesn't like to talk about her age or have attention drawn to her, but she is 50 and looks great!
Dave was taking her to dinner at Gaylord's tonight. It is located at the Kilohana Plantation and is a really nice restaurant with great atmosphere. First though, we spent the usual morning in the sun and the kids enjoyed swimming. After lunch, we all headed back to the Coconut Marketplace just down the street and planned to do a little more shopping and take in the free hula show. Dave, Rhonda & Jason met up with us at the hula show and then Jason stayed with us while they went to celebrate her birthday.
We went back to Kauai Pasta and had another wonderful meal. The place is pretty small, but they do a really bustling business. We waited for about 35 minutes for a table for the 7 of us. It is always worth it though. The owner there is a graduate of Linfield College too, so he is familiar with McMinnville and we visit about Oregon some. He does think he remembers us from last time we were there 3 years ago, although the kids have really grown. (and well okay, maybe the adults have changed some too??)
We were originally planning to go back to Grandma & Grandpa's room to visit until Dave & Rhonda returned, but Courtney and Ryan weren't having the best of nights getting along. We decided they could benefit from going to bed a little earlier. Ryan hadn't been napping while we were gone and Courtney is not used to sharing her bedroom with her little brother. Courtney jumps into "Mommy mode" very easily and she has sort of been "on alert" during her sleep time rather than just getting a restful sleep. She is a lighter sleeper than Ryan anyway, so she tends to hear the noises outside in the morning earlier than he does too.
Dave and Rhonda had visited Na Hoku at the Hyatt after her birthday dinner as well, so Rhonda had some new bling to show off when she returned. She got a pair of Mother of Pearl silver earrings for her birthday and a matching necklace for their upcoming one year anniversary. They are very pretty, and remember the lady at the original Na Hoku who was crabby and moaning about her lost sales?? Ever seen the movie Pretty Woman? One of my favorite parts is when Julia Roberts goes back to the snotty salesclerk and asks her if she works on commission and then shows her all the bags of purchases that she has purchased from someone else who was willing to help her and says "big mistake" pointing out she shouldn't have been so quick to ignore her. This would have been pretty tempting to do, but we behaved ourselves and just made a note of where to take our business.
Dave and Rhonda's dinner was great and the rest of the family would celebrate together tomorrow.
Dave was taking her to dinner at Gaylord's tonight. It is located at the Kilohana Plantation and is a really nice restaurant with great atmosphere. First though, we spent the usual morning in the sun and the kids enjoyed swimming. After lunch, we all headed back to the Coconut Marketplace just down the street and planned to do a little more shopping and take in the free hula show. Dave, Rhonda & Jason met up with us at the hula show and then Jason stayed with us while they went to celebrate her birthday.
We went back to Kauai Pasta and had another wonderful meal. The place is pretty small, but they do a really bustling business. We waited for about 35 minutes for a table for the 7 of us. It is always worth it though. The owner there is a graduate of Linfield College too, so he is familiar with McMinnville and we visit about Oregon some. He does think he remembers us from last time we were there 3 years ago, although the kids have really grown. (and well okay, maybe the adults have changed some too??)
We were originally planning to go back to Grandma & Grandpa's room to visit until Dave & Rhonda returned, but Courtney and Ryan weren't having the best of nights getting along. We decided they could benefit from going to bed a little earlier. Ryan hadn't been napping while we were gone and Courtney is not used to sharing her bedroom with her little brother. Courtney jumps into "Mommy mode" very easily and she has sort of been "on alert" during her sleep time rather than just getting a restful sleep. She is a lighter sleeper than Ryan anyway, so she tends to hear the noises outside in the morning earlier than he does too.
Dave and Rhonda had visited Na Hoku at the Hyatt after her birthday dinner as well, so Rhonda had some new bling to show off when she returned. She got a pair of Mother of Pearl silver earrings for her birthday and a matching necklace for their upcoming one year anniversary. They are very pretty, and remember the lady at the original Na Hoku who was crabby and moaning about her lost sales?? Ever seen the movie Pretty Woman? One of my favorite parts is when Julia Roberts goes back to the snotty salesclerk and asks her if she works on commission and then shows her all the bags of purchases that she has purchased from someone else who was willing to help her and says "big mistake" pointing out she shouldn't have been so quick to ignore her. This would have been pretty tempting to do, but we behaved ourselves and just made a note of where to take our business.
Dave and Rhonda's dinner was great and the rest of the family would celebrate together tomorrow.
JULY 15, 2008: Sightseeing up North
Again, we decided today that we'd let the kids swim and we'd sun for a while and then do some sightseeing and shopping later in the day. The swimmers have made lots of progress with all their practice. Ryan is now okay with getting his hair and face kinda wet. It has taken him playing with the kids, Dave & Tom and forgetting all about the fact that his hair is wet to make him used to it. (You might recall in an earlier post that Ryan refused to get his hair wet, for fear it would "stain".) I guess there is a first for everything! He is still not begging to get wet, but doesn't fall apart at the littlest splash towards him either. Occasionally, Courtney will get overly abundant with her splashing. Courtney will insert the word accidentally, but we all know brothers & sisters do some things by accident and other things just to get under the other one's skin. The jury is still out on that one, but either way he got more used to it as time went on. Courtney is more and more comfortable with the deep end too. She is using her new face mask that protects her contacts better while swimming and using the noodle to swim down to the 7 foot more frequently. She and Jason are having fun racing and "fetching" things that Dave throws in the water for them to find at the surface.
After lunch and freshening up, we headed up north to Princeville. There is some beautiful scenery up that way and usually some pretty decent shopping. Dave was going to show Rhonda the lighthouse since the rest of us had seen it on previous trips, but by the time they got there it was just a few minutes until closing time. She got to see it from the distance, but not upclose with all the birds and facts that would come with the full tour. Kilauea Lighthouse began lighting the way for mariners in 1913. It served as a pivotal navigation aid for ships sailing on the Orient run. It is now a visitor's sight providing lots of beautiful scenery and historical significance.
On the drive up north, Ryan kept asking where the Sleeping Giant was since we had pointed it out earlier in the day. Sleeping Giant is a mountain scape that looks like a sleeping giant laying with his mouth open (snoring?). Finally Ryan spotted what we were talking about and then he said "I wouldn't call it the Sleeping Giant, I would call it man going to the dentist to say ahhhhh!" We had a good laugh at that imagination of his!
Shortly, we all met up at Princeville and looked through a few of the shops. Grandma & Grandpa are usually able to find a windsock at a particular store here, but this time they found they don't carry that kind anymore. We browsed a bit more, had some ice cream at Lappert's and decided to head back to Kapaa area where the Coconut Marketplace was. We had always spent lots of time at this mall in previous years as they had lots of really cool shops, water features, hula shows, etc. It seems that Kauai's tourism has been hit pretty hard by the struggling economy because this mall is not quite what it used to be. We still managed to find some cool shopping, but the atmosphere was not the same. Several shops had closed and the water feature has been turned off and is in disarray. We did find there will be a hula show Wednesday night though (tomorrow) and Ryan and Courtney have been wanting to see some hula dancers so we'll have to come back and check that out.
We met up in Dave & Rhonda's room to use up some leftover hamburger and shrimp for taco night. Tom ran across the street to Taco Bell and got some beans and a bunch of sauce packets. We joked all week that we'd have to eat at Taco Bell for lunch several times so that we could all grab sauce packets for our taco night. Most of us hadn't tried shrimp tacos before, but yummy, those are good! Courtney & Jason aren't really big shrimp eaters, so they stuck with the hamburger. It was a great way to use some leftovers and have a yummy dinner. Of course later after night swimming, there was a variety of ice creams to choose from. We also sat out on the beach and watched the moon. It is almost full now and it is pretty how it shines into the ocean.
The night was quiet and peaceful until Ryan decided he needed to see what we were doing and come talk nonstop about the moon and the clouds. Then he started putting on a show for us and taking our restaurant orders, and pretending he was a flight attendant with Hawaiian Airlines. Poor Rhonda was #18 the entire time we were gone I think for her restaurant order! Or his restaurant would be out of something until you threatened to take your business somewhere else and then all of the sudden he magically had your order ready. His imagination is quite vivid and I swear he thinks he is serving real food. There are sound effects, talking to the pretend kitchen staff and then every so often shooting one of those looks that says "get it or else" to said pretend kitchen staff. The boy knew what he wanted and how he wanted it served! The flight attendant routine was pretty comical too. "Ladies and men, aloha from Hawaiian Airlines. Please fasten your seatbelts and put your trays up. Mahalo and thank you for flying with us". Funny guy!
After lunch and freshening up, we headed up north to Princeville. There is some beautiful scenery up that way and usually some pretty decent shopping. Dave was going to show Rhonda the lighthouse since the rest of us had seen it on previous trips, but by the time they got there it was just a few minutes until closing time. She got to see it from the distance, but not upclose with all the birds and facts that would come with the full tour. Kilauea Lighthouse began lighting the way for mariners in 1913. It served as a pivotal navigation aid for ships sailing on the Orient run. It is now a visitor's sight providing lots of beautiful scenery and historical significance.
On the drive up north, Ryan kept asking where the Sleeping Giant was since we had pointed it out earlier in the day. Sleeping Giant is a mountain scape that looks like a sleeping giant laying with his mouth open (snoring?). Finally Ryan spotted what we were talking about and then he said "I wouldn't call it the Sleeping Giant, I would call it man going to the dentist to say ahhhhh!" We had a good laugh at that imagination of his!
Shortly, we all met up at Princeville and looked through a few of the shops. Grandma & Grandpa are usually able to find a windsock at a particular store here, but this time they found they don't carry that kind anymore. We browsed a bit more, had some ice cream at Lappert's and decided to head back to Kapaa area where the Coconut Marketplace was. We had always spent lots of time at this mall in previous years as they had lots of really cool shops, water features, hula shows, etc. It seems that Kauai's tourism has been hit pretty hard by the struggling economy because this mall is not quite what it used to be. We still managed to find some cool shopping, but the atmosphere was not the same. Several shops had closed and the water feature has been turned off and is in disarray. We did find there will be a hula show Wednesday night though (tomorrow) and Ryan and Courtney have been wanting to see some hula dancers so we'll have to come back and check that out.
We met up in Dave & Rhonda's room to use up some leftover hamburger and shrimp for taco night. Tom ran across the street to Taco Bell and got some beans and a bunch of sauce packets. We joked all week that we'd have to eat at Taco Bell for lunch several times so that we could all grab sauce packets for our taco night. Most of us hadn't tried shrimp tacos before, but yummy, those are good! Courtney & Jason aren't really big shrimp eaters, so they stuck with the hamburger. It was a great way to use some leftovers and have a yummy dinner. Of course later after night swimming, there was a variety of ice creams to choose from. We also sat out on the beach and watched the moon. It is almost full now and it is pretty how it shines into the ocean.
The night was quiet and peaceful until Ryan decided he needed to see what we were doing and come talk nonstop about the moon and the clouds. Then he started putting on a show for us and taking our restaurant orders, and pretending he was a flight attendant with Hawaiian Airlines. Poor Rhonda was #18 the entire time we were gone I think for her restaurant order! Or his restaurant would be out of something until you threatened to take your business somewhere else and then all of the sudden he magically had your order ready. His imagination is quite vivid and I swear he thinks he is serving real food. There are sound effects, talking to the pretend kitchen staff and then every so often shooting one of those looks that says "get it or else" to said pretend kitchen staff. The boy knew what he wanted and how he wanted it served! The flight attendant routine was pretty comical too. "Ladies and men, aloha from Hawaiian Airlines. Please fasten your seatbelts and put your trays up. Mahalo and thank you for flying with us". Funny guy!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
JULY 14, 2008: "Splouting Horn"
Today we decided to mix things up a bit and only sun in the morning so that we could sightsee and shop some in the afternoon. We go to see Spouting Horn every time we are here and it never ceases to amaze us. We can just stand there and watch it all day. It gets pretty addicting trying to catch the perfect shot of the water blowing up out of the ocean too. Rhonda has never been to Kauai so she hasn't seen the Spouting Horn yet and Ryan was only a little over 2 when we were here last time so they were both in for a treat.
We started our trip to Poipu area by stopping off at the Poipu Shopping Village. Mainly because all of us ladies wanted to go to Na Hoku and see if any jewelry called our name. They specialize in the beautiful Hawaiian Heirloom jewelry that we have come to love. We got the worst sales lady ever (which never happens there as they are wonderful with customer service and making everything right) but this lady was horrible. She followed Rhonda all over the store and told Grandma that she had "showed this lady everything and she just wasn't interested". Truth be told, Rhonda wasn't interested in her. Tom and Michelle were looking for something to commemorate the special vow renewal, but she was not very nice to us either. She told us that she didn't have the ring I wanted in stock and that we would have to order online as she had done special orders before and she would never do that again as it was just too much of a hassle for the small amount that she made. After she huffed and puffed about how she was missing out on sales while we were trying to ask some more questions, we gave up and moved on. Fortunately, we have shopped at Na Hoku enough to know that is a once in a lifetime experience with their sales people. They just aren't like that. She had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, not retired early enough, or put her underwear on sideways apparently because she was in quite the mood! Michelle checked with the other Na Hoku on the island which is at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Resort & Spa, and they were happy to take care of the arrangements if we wanted to come in later than evening. We decided we would do just that after we took a family trip to the Spouting Horn.
The Spouting Horn was beautiful as always, but the day was pretty calm with not much wind, so the waves weren't splashing up quite as regularly as we'd seen in the past. It still gave a really great show though and everyone snapped lots of pictures and thought it was really neat. It gets its name from the horn like sound it makes when the water enters into the hole and blows out. Ryan thought that sounded really cool and he said "I love the Splouting Horn, I fink a monster lives inside and doesn't like to get his hair wet!" He was convinced that someone was in there making a roaring sound and not liking getting wet, but everytime the "monster roared and got his hair wet" Ryan thought it was funny. I think he could have stood there and watched for a really long time. We got there late enough that the vendors that sell Hawaiian pots, baskets, jewelry, etc were closing up for the day. Tom and Michelle usually find some neat trinkets there, so we thought maybe we'd come back later in the week.
After we were done there, Ryan rode in Dave, Rhonda & Jason's car. They were headed to Walmart (yes even paradise has a Walmart!) to get some swimming noodles so that the kids could play with them in the water. Courtney didn't want to go with us to get our jewelry, so she headed back with Grandma & Grandpa and we would meet up with everyone to eat dinner in little bit.
Tom and Michelle got to the Hyatt and it was gorgeous! We decided quickly that we thought it was neat we were finding our special rings here because it was right next to the beach all of us had renewed our vows at over the weekend. The Hyatt is a big place, so it took us some time to find where to park since we weren't guests there and where to go inside the huge lobby to find the Na Hoku store. Once we found it though, they were very helpful and got Michelle's ring sized, ordered and gave us some special information on the Maile (pronounced MY-leh)leave that is on the ring. Here is the info on the Maile leaf:
The Maile Leaf grows on vines in the rain forests of Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii. In ancient times, only Ali'i (pronounced a-lee-ee which means kings and queens) were allowed the honor of wearing these beautiful fragrant leis, and only during special or religious ceremonies. A maile lei represents Aloha (love), Ho'ohanohano (honor), and Mahalo (respect). Today, maile leis are worn during wedding ceremonies by the bride and groom, or given to someone who has achieved something special.
We decided this ring had a lot of neat symbolism and it complimented my other rings nicely. We were also able to find a complimenting ring for Tom that he could wear on his right hand too that had the Maile leaf pattern on it. Both rings are on order and will be here in 3-5 weeks! Here is a picture of Michelle's ring:
While we were getting our rings custom ordered, our poor family back at the condo was starving. After they were able to get ahold of us, it was decided that they would go ahead and eat and we'd meet up in a little bit since the kids were wanting to swim after dinner and it was already almost 8pm. They chose to eat at Bubba's Burgers, and we'd meet up with them later. Bubba's was okay, we felt they were a bit greasy compared to our perfectly grilled burgers by Dave earlier in the week, but it was dinner and it was fairly quick so the kiddies could get going with their swimming.
The swim noodles provided lots of splashing and entertainment and Rhonda and Michelle decided they evidentally were much more than floatational devices because the kids used them to make fountains, karate chop and numerous other things. The kids have all had fun swimming and have tried to make it a nightly thing to go back and swim after dinner. The hard part is convincing an adult to want to go with them since Ryan is still young enough that he needs someone in there. Dave was usually up to the task though and sometimes Tom could be convinced to join in the cooler evening swim too.
Tomorrow....gee, how about more sunning, shopping, good eating??
We started our trip to Poipu area by stopping off at the Poipu Shopping Village. Mainly because all of us ladies wanted to go to Na Hoku and see if any jewelry called our name. They specialize in the beautiful Hawaiian Heirloom jewelry that we have come to love. We got the worst sales lady ever (which never happens there as they are wonderful with customer service and making everything right) but this lady was horrible. She followed Rhonda all over the store and told Grandma that she had "showed this lady everything and she just wasn't interested". Truth be told, Rhonda wasn't interested in her. Tom and Michelle were looking for something to commemorate the special vow renewal, but she was not very nice to us either. She told us that she didn't have the ring I wanted in stock and that we would have to order online as she had done special orders before and she would never do that again as it was just too much of a hassle for the small amount that she made. After she huffed and puffed about how she was missing out on sales while we were trying to ask some more questions, we gave up and moved on. Fortunately, we have shopped at Na Hoku enough to know that is a once in a lifetime experience with their sales people. They just aren't like that. She had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, not retired early enough, or put her underwear on sideways apparently because she was in quite the mood! Michelle checked with the other Na Hoku on the island which is at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Resort & Spa, and they were happy to take care of the arrangements if we wanted to come in later than evening. We decided we would do just that after we took a family trip to the Spouting Horn.
The Spouting Horn was beautiful as always, but the day was pretty calm with not much wind, so the waves weren't splashing up quite as regularly as we'd seen in the past. It still gave a really great show though and everyone snapped lots of pictures and thought it was really neat. It gets its name from the horn like sound it makes when the water enters into the hole and blows out. Ryan thought that sounded really cool and he said "I love the Splouting Horn, I fink a monster lives inside and doesn't like to get his hair wet!" He was convinced that someone was in there making a roaring sound and not liking getting wet, but everytime the "monster roared and got his hair wet" Ryan thought it was funny. I think he could have stood there and watched for a really long time. We got there late enough that the vendors that sell Hawaiian pots, baskets, jewelry, etc were closing up for the day. Tom and Michelle usually find some neat trinkets there, so we thought maybe we'd come back later in the week.
After we were done there, Ryan rode in Dave, Rhonda & Jason's car. They were headed to Walmart (yes even paradise has a Walmart!) to get some swimming noodles so that the kids could play with them in the water. Courtney didn't want to go with us to get our jewelry, so she headed back with Grandma & Grandpa and we would meet up with everyone to eat dinner in little bit.
Tom and Michelle got to the Hyatt and it was gorgeous! We decided quickly that we thought it was neat we were finding our special rings here because it was right next to the beach all of us had renewed our vows at over the weekend. The Hyatt is a big place, so it took us some time to find where to park since we weren't guests there and where to go inside the huge lobby to find the Na Hoku store. Once we found it though, they were very helpful and got Michelle's ring sized, ordered and gave us some special information on the Maile (pronounced MY-leh)leave that is on the ring. Here is the info on the Maile leaf:
The Maile Leaf grows on vines in the rain forests of Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii. In ancient times, only Ali'i (pronounced a-lee-ee which means kings and queens) were allowed the honor of wearing these beautiful fragrant leis, and only during special or religious ceremonies. A maile lei represents Aloha (love), Ho'ohanohano (honor), and Mahalo (respect). Today, maile leis are worn during wedding ceremonies by the bride and groom, or given to someone who has achieved something special.
We decided this ring had a lot of neat symbolism and it complimented my other rings nicely. We were also able to find a complimenting ring for Tom that he could wear on his right hand too that had the Maile leaf pattern on it. Both rings are on order and will be here in 3-5 weeks! Here is a picture of Michelle's ring:
While we were getting our rings custom ordered, our poor family back at the condo was starving. After they were able to get ahold of us, it was decided that they would go ahead and eat and we'd meet up in a little bit since the kids were wanting to swim after dinner and it was already almost 8pm. They chose to eat at Bubba's Burgers, and we'd meet up with them later. Bubba's was okay, we felt they were a bit greasy compared to our perfectly grilled burgers by Dave earlier in the week, but it was dinner and it was fairly quick so the kiddies could get going with their swimming.
The swim noodles provided lots of splashing and entertainment and Rhonda and Michelle decided they evidentally were much more than floatational devices because the kids used them to make fountains, karate chop and numerous other things. The kids have all had fun swimming and have tried to make it a nightly thing to go back and swim after dinner. The hard part is convincing an adult to want to go with them since Ryan is still young enough that he needs someone in there. Dave was usually up to the task though and sometimes Tom could be convinced to join in the cooler evening swim too.
Tomorrow....gee, how about more sunning, shopping, good eating??
JULY 13, 2008: How much relaxation is too much?
I don't think we can get TOO much relaxation. Afterall, that is what we are here for. Normal life consists of juggling school, sports (baseball for Jason & dance/theater for Courtney), work, family time, etc. it is nice to just kick back and have no place to go. Hawaii, and more specifically Kauai, is the perfect place for relaxation. We haven't had much of the tradewinds since we've been here so it has been pretty warm, but today it was great as there was some breeze, sounds of the ocean and the kids played in the pool for a good part of the day. With the vow renewal ceremonies behind us, there weren't any last minute preparations for Grandma & Grandpa to make either, so they could enjoy their first full day of relaxation and sun since arriving on Kauai.
After a great day, Grandma & Grandpa hosted dinner in their room tonight. We had steak and shrimp grilled by Dave and Rhonda made some rice and salad. Just like at home, Grandpa always makes sure there are lots of ice cream flavors to choose from so after dinner and visiting, we had our dessert and headed back to our units to rest up from another "really rough day".
After a great day, Grandma & Grandpa hosted dinner in their room tonight. We had steak and shrimp grilled by Dave and Rhonda made some rice and salad. Just like at home, Grandpa always makes sure there are lots of ice cream flavors to choose from so after dinner and visiting, we had our dessert and headed back to our units to rest up from another "really rough day".
Sunday, July 13, 2008
JULY 12, 2008: Happy Anniversary Grandma & Grandpa!
Today is the big day! Happy 50th to Grandma & Grandpa! Lots of planning has gone into making today special so we were all a little bummed when we woke up at 5 am to a heavy wind and rain storm. Fortunately there was quite a bit of time before the ceremonies and weather can change quickly here. It wasn't as hot today as it had been, but it was still good sunning weather. The kids did their usual swimming with Tom & Dave and the rest of us relaxed working on our tans.
Later that afternoon, we all got ready for the ceremonies. Each family wore coordinating colors and everyone looked really great. (Pictures will be loaded soon, there is a slower connection here, so stay tuned!)
We met the Pastor at Poipu Beach Broiler Restaurant so that he could drive us to his "special spot". He has a less populated area that he likes to do his ceremonies. He drove us to Shipwreck Beach, but the Hawaiian translation is so much better. It is Keoniloa Bay in Poipu. It was a beautiful backdrop and very private (except for 2 people fishing and they apparently wanted to witness the ceremonies as they never did move!) The weather was perfect and each ceremony went off without a hitch. He started with Rhonda & Dave who are celebrating their first anniversary on July 27th. He then renewed Tom & Michelle's vows, who are going on celebrating #15 on February 12th. Last, but certainly not least, was Grandma & Grandpa's renewal. He made each ceremony unique based on our number of years of marriage, etc, but the basic vows and exchanging of white orchid leis and rings was the same. Dave presented Rhonda with a silver band to go with her diamond ring and Grandpa received a new Hawaiian Heirloom wedding band with black enamel/gold ring accents that matched Grandma's. Grandma also received a beautiful diamond bracelet. The whole evening was perfect and a photographer was on hand to capture lots of great family shots against a beautiful backdrop. There was even a rainbow right before the sunset. We had just finished our ceremonies and pictures around 7:15 when the rain set in. Talk about perfect timing!
Grandma & Grandpa had a reservation for our dinner at 7:30 at Keoki's Paradise Grill. They had a table ready for us right away. Dinner was fabulous! They told us to order whatever we wanted off the menu, so Dave had steak and lobster, Rhonda had lobster, Jason & Courtney had fettucine pasta, Tom has steak and shrimp, Ryan had a hamburger (although he tried the shrimp, scallops & calamari and loved them all!), Michelle had lobster, Grandpa had , and Grandma had a teriyaki chicken and beef dish. The lobster tails were the biggest you have ever seen, so Rhonda and Michelle felt like they had died and gone to heaven. Everyone's dinner was soooo yummy! The restaurant also gave each couple a complimentary Hula Pie to share. It is a chocolate cookie crust, with vanilla/macadamia nut ice cream topped with whipped cream and fudge sauce. Ohhh, it was really, really good!
Once our very full tummies headed back to the condo, we stopped off in Grandma & Grandpa's room to look at all of our pictures. We got some terrific pictures and are excited to see what the photographer captured too! Everyone was pleased with the day and that all had gone according to plan. Now everyone could truly relax with nothing to worry about!
Later that afternoon, we all got ready for the ceremonies. Each family wore coordinating colors and everyone looked really great. (Pictures will be loaded soon, there is a slower connection here, so stay tuned!)
We met the Pastor at Poipu Beach Broiler Restaurant so that he could drive us to his "special spot". He has a less populated area that he likes to do his ceremonies. He drove us to Shipwreck Beach, but the Hawaiian translation is so much better. It is Keoniloa Bay in Poipu. It was a beautiful backdrop and very private (except for 2 people fishing and they apparently wanted to witness the ceremonies as they never did move!) The weather was perfect and each ceremony went off without a hitch. He started with Rhonda & Dave who are celebrating their first anniversary on July 27th. He then renewed Tom & Michelle's vows, who are going on celebrating #15 on February 12th. Last, but certainly not least, was Grandma & Grandpa's renewal. He made each ceremony unique based on our number of years of marriage, etc, but the basic vows and exchanging of white orchid leis and rings was the same. Dave presented Rhonda with a silver band to go with her diamond ring and Grandpa received a new Hawaiian Heirloom wedding band with black enamel/gold ring accents that matched Grandma's. Grandma also received a beautiful diamond bracelet. The whole evening was perfect and a photographer was on hand to capture lots of great family shots against a beautiful backdrop. There was even a rainbow right before the sunset. We had just finished our ceremonies and pictures around 7:15 when the rain set in. Talk about perfect timing!
Grandma & Grandpa had a reservation for our dinner at 7:30 at Keoki's Paradise Grill. They had a table ready for us right away. Dinner was fabulous! They told us to order whatever we wanted off the menu, so Dave had steak and lobster, Rhonda had lobster, Jason & Courtney had fettucine pasta, Tom has steak and shrimp, Ryan had a hamburger (although he tried the shrimp, scallops & calamari and loved them all!), Michelle had lobster, Grandpa had , and Grandma had a teriyaki chicken and beef dish. The lobster tails were the biggest you have ever seen, so Rhonda and Michelle felt like they had died and gone to heaven. Everyone's dinner was soooo yummy! The restaurant also gave each couple a complimentary Hula Pie to share. It is a chocolate cookie crust, with vanilla/macadamia nut ice cream topped with whipped cream and fudge sauce. Ohhh, it was really, really good!
Once our very full tummies headed back to the condo, we stopped off in Grandma & Grandpa's room to look at all of our pictures. We got some terrific pictures and are excited to see what the photographer captured too! Everyone was pleased with the day and that all had gone according to plan. Now everyone could truly relax with nothing to worry about!
JULY 11, 2008: Sunning, swimming, shopping...a person could get used to this!
Absolutely!!! Today was more of the same...sun and swimming. Courtney got a mask and ventured into the the 7' area more frequently today. Ryan had Dave take him around and "touch all of the numbers on the pool". They touched the 3', 5', &
7' signs. He felt like a big boy getting to see another area of the pool. The kids had fun searching for stuff that Dave & Tom would throw in the pool, playing with the Skipees that Grandma & Grandpa bought and spending another day cooling off in the pool. We had a nice lunch in the shade, Dave and the kids played shuffleboard and it was another great day.
Grandma & Grandpa met with the Pastor for tomorrow's ceremony and found him to be a great guy who spent some time getting to know what they were about and what they wanted for the ceremony. He has never done a ceremony like theirs before where three couples from the same family were renewing their vows, so he thinks this is really unique and special. Afterwards, they went to Kukui Grove Mall to get their rings polished and cleaned. The rest of us met up with them over there to do the same and then stopped off at Hilo Hatties to do some shopping. Everyone bought a little something while they were there since they have such a wide variety of things there.
We decided to eat while we were out, so we stopped at Pizza Hut on the way back and had some great pizza and enough for some leftovers. While we were there, Ryan was entertaining us with his version of the "silver guy" on Oahu who would paint himself and dress in all silver and stand like a statue waiting for someone to drop some money in his bucket before he would do a little dance or entertainment. Ryan thought this was a neat idea, so he pretended to be a statue for a while and would wait for us to drop pretend money and then he'd kiss & hug someone in our group. He is always good for some sort of laugh. After dinner we went to ABC store again and he was telling Rhonda that he was a walk sign and would put his leg and arm up in the position of the "white walk sign guy" and tell her she could go when he made a walk signal. His imagination is really vivid and only needs to see or hear things once before they are in his head and he hangs onto it for some sort of idea to do later. Poor Rhonda has been #18 for the last couple of days when Ryan is pretending to call someone's food order or waiting for someone else to swim with him and calls the number for someone else to come in the pool.
After a dip in the pool and getting filled in on some of the details of the big day tomorrow, we retired to our units.
7' signs. He felt like a big boy getting to see another area of the pool. The kids had fun searching for stuff that Dave & Tom would throw in the pool, playing with the Skipees that Grandma & Grandpa bought and spending another day cooling off in the pool. We had a nice lunch in the shade, Dave and the kids played shuffleboard and it was another great day.
Grandma & Grandpa met with the Pastor for tomorrow's ceremony and found him to be a great guy who spent some time getting to know what they were about and what they wanted for the ceremony. He has never done a ceremony like theirs before where three couples from the same family were renewing their vows, so he thinks this is really unique and special. Afterwards, they went to Kukui Grove Mall to get their rings polished and cleaned. The rest of us met up with them over there to do the same and then stopped off at Hilo Hatties to do some shopping. Everyone bought a little something while they were there since they have such a wide variety of things there.
We decided to eat while we were out, so we stopped at Pizza Hut on the way back and had some great pizza and enough for some leftovers. While we were there, Ryan was entertaining us with his version of the "silver guy" on Oahu who would paint himself and dress in all silver and stand like a statue waiting for someone to drop some money in his bucket before he would do a little dance or entertainment. Ryan thought this was a neat idea, so he pretended to be a statue for a while and would wait for us to drop pretend money and then he'd kiss & hug someone in our group. He is always good for some sort of laugh. After dinner we went to ABC store again and he was telling Rhonda that he was a walk sign and would put his leg and arm up in the position of the "white walk sign guy" and tell her she could go when he made a walk signal. His imagination is really vivid and only needs to see or hear things once before they are in his head and he hangs onto it for some sort of idea to do later. Poor Rhonda has been #18 for the last couple of days when Ryan is pretending to call someone's food order or waiting for someone else to swim with him and calls the number for someone else to come in the pool.
After a dip in the pool and getting filled in on some of the details of the big day tomorrow, we retired to our units.
JULY 10, 2008: Ah...This is the Life!!!!
Relaxation, sun and swimming is pretty much how most of us spent our day. Grandma & Grandpa didn't get to enjoy the sun much as they had some details for the upcoming renewal ceremony to take care of. They were hoping to meet with Pastor Kilborn this afternoon, but he wouldn't be available until tomorrow. They took care of getting the leis ordered for all of us and made contact with the photographer. All of this planning would soon pay off since the ceremonies are in less than 48 hours.
Ryan did a great job swimming today as he found out pretty early that he could stand on the bottom of the 3' level. He didn't seem as particular about getting splashed or getting his head wet either, although he still wasn't big on going under water. It will come. Courtney progressed today a lot too. She is not a huge fan of the deep water but eventually swam over with Tom & Michelle to the deeper end of the pool. Jason is a little fish right now. He bought a swim mask last night at the ABC store (a store that is literally located on every corner here in Hawaii). Court is thinking about getting a swim mask so that she doesn't have to worry so much about her contacts when she is swimming. We might have to check into that tomorrow.
Rhonda and Dave swam a bit, but laid out in the sun and perfected their tans for a while. Everyone really enjoyed just kicking back. Grandma & Grandpa missed that time today but know it is just around the corner that they will be able to relax.
After a BBQ by Chef Dave of hamburgers, potato salad, & chips, we all enjoyed watching the sun go down on the beach followed by some refreshingly cold ice cream.
Ryan did a great job swimming today as he found out pretty early that he could stand on the bottom of the 3' level. He didn't seem as particular about getting splashed or getting his head wet either, although he still wasn't big on going under water. It will come. Courtney progressed today a lot too. She is not a huge fan of the deep water but eventually swam over with Tom & Michelle to the deeper end of the pool. Jason is a little fish right now. He bought a swim mask last night at the ABC store (a store that is literally located on every corner here in Hawaii). Court is thinking about getting a swim mask so that she doesn't have to worry so much about her contacts when she is swimming. We might have to check into that tomorrow.
Rhonda and Dave swam a bit, but laid out in the sun and perfected their tans for a while. Everyone really enjoyed just kicking back. Grandma & Grandpa missed that time today but know it is just around the corner that they will be able to relax.
After a BBQ by Chef Dave of hamburgers, potato salad, & chips, we all enjoyed watching the sun go down on the beach followed by some refreshingly cold ice cream.
JULY 9, 2008: Flying to Kauai
We were all packed up and ready to head to the airport by around 10:30 today for our flight to Kauai. We have all been there several times (except Rhonda) so we are looking forward to not doing too much and just resting and relaxing.
Our flight wasn't until 3:15, so we had plenty of time to get through airport security (which have we mentioned what an incredible pain this is??), grab some lunch at Burger King, and kill some time in the airport. We were hoping to standby for an earlier flight, but everything was full.
Our flight went smoothly and felt like we were hardly in the air before it was time to land. We collected our bags, picked up our rental cars and went to Kapaa Shores our condo home for the next 10 days. Everything is just as beautiful as we remembered it, although the economy seems to be taking a bit of a toll on the tourism here. There aren't many people for it being the middle of summer and prime vacation time.
Michelle & Grandpa had already declared that we were eating dinner at the great italian restaurant we had several times on our last trip. We have been anxiously awaiting to return to Kauai Pasta. It is really convenient to our condo (right across the street), affordably priced, and has great, yummy food! We were not disappointed. Everyone ate well (probably too much!) and then we went to Safeway to buy some breakfast and lunch items for the next few days.
The kids were excited to swim at night since the pool is open until 10pm, so Dave and Tom swam with them and the rest of us visited and watched them swim.
Our flight wasn't until 3:15, so we had plenty of time to get through airport security (which have we mentioned what an incredible pain this is??), grab some lunch at Burger King, and kill some time in the airport. We were hoping to standby for an earlier flight, but everything was full.
Our flight went smoothly and felt like we were hardly in the air before it was time to land. We collected our bags, picked up our rental cars and went to Kapaa Shores our condo home for the next 10 days. Everything is just as beautiful as we remembered it, although the economy seems to be taking a bit of a toll on the tourism here. There aren't many people for it being the middle of summer and prime vacation time.
Michelle & Grandpa had already declared that we were eating dinner at the great italian restaurant we had several times on our last trip. We have been anxiously awaiting to return to Kauai Pasta. It is really convenient to our condo (right across the street), affordably priced, and has great, yummy food! We were not disappointed. Everyone ate well (probably too much!) and then we went to Safeway to buy some breakfast and lunch items for the next few days.
The kids were excited to swim at night since the pool is open until 10pm, so Dave and Tom swam with them and the rest of us visited and watched them swim.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
JULY 8, 2008: Maui & Buster, say Cheese...
A month ago some of the group decided that they wanted to do a Dolphin Encounter at Sea Life Park. Today was the day to go see some sea creatures. Rhonda, Grandma, & Michelle decided early on that they would be the designated picture takers for the event rather than joining in with the dolphin experience. We went a little early and saw a show at Dolphin Cove, saw some sea lions do some fun tricks (dance, pretend to sleep, etc) and saw some sea turtles, sting rays, colorful fish and lots more. Our time for the encounter was at 2:45, so we got everyone rounded up and in their suits. It was very, very hot that day and the park is not shaded much so everyone was pretty warm and looking for some refreshing cool off time. We cooled off in the air conditioned shop and awaited our time.
The water was a little deep for Ryan to stand up on his own, so Tom and Dave took turns holding him. There was a group of 12 with each trainer. Each of them got to take a turn kissing the dolphin and holding its fins. Grandpa, Dave & Ryan had a dolphin named Maui. Courtney had Buster and Jason has a dolphin named Bugs. They had fun "petting" the dolphins and learning about them.
After everyone got cleaned up, it was almost time for the park to close. We had to wait a bit to get the official pictures though since the professionals of course have the best vantage point for the best shots. We all got great pictures, so we played tourist and purchased them all!
Once we got back to the condo, we cleaned up and headed to La Cucaracha for Mexican food. We had a plan too because several of us wanted milkshakes or ice cream treats later in the evening. We all ate a good dinner, but saved some room for yummies later. We walked along one of the main streets in Honolulu and browsed through a few more shops and then it was off to Rock Island Cafe for our ice cream.
We had some packing up to do for our flight to Kauai the next day, so we did that. Ryan had been wanting to "stay the night" at Jason's place, so he slept there that night and felt really big boy to have his first sleepover. Tomorrow, we fly to Kauai and really start to unwind and relax.
The water was a little deep for Ryan to stand up on his own, so Tom and Dave took turns holding him. There was a group of 12 with each trainer. Each of them got to take a turn kissing the dolphin and holding its fins. Grandpa, Dave & Ryan had a dolphin named Maui. Courtney had Buster and Jason has a dolphin named Bugs. They had fun "petting" the dolphins and learning about them.
After everyone got cleaned up, it was almost time for the park to close. We had to wait a bit to get the official pictures though since the professionals of course have the best vantage point for the best shots. We all got great pictures, so we played tourist and purchased them all!
Once we got back to the condo, we cleaned up and headed to La Cucaracha for Mexican food. We had a plan too because several of us wanted milkshakes or ice cream treats later in the evening. We all ate a good dinner, but saved some room for yummies later. We walked along one of the main streets in Honolulu and browsed through a few more shops and then it was off to Rock Island Cafe for our ice cream.
We had some packing up to do for our flight to Kauai the next day, so we did that. Ryan had been wanting to "stay the night" at Jason's place, so he slept there that night and felt really big boy to have his first sleepover. Tomorrow, we fly to Kauai and really start to unwind and relax.
JULY 7, 2008: $20, no tax....You Like???
Seems like today that is all we heard when we were shopping in International Marketplace. You walk along and even show interest or touch anything to look at it closer and someone runs over to ask you if you like and how much you want to pay. Courtney was a little overwhelmed with the wheeling and dealing as she never knew how low was too low to go. They wanted her to "tell me your price you want to pay, we make deal, you like?" She couldn't always understand their Asian slang, but she was pretty particular about what she wanted to spend her money on. Grandma helped her "make good deal" and she came away with some nice jewelry. Each of the kids had been given $50 by Grandma & Grandpa to spend however they wanted during the trip. Courtney picked out a really pretty silver flower necklace and matching bracelet.
Of course, all the guys wandered through pretty quickly. They were able to just not make eye contact and keep gliding along. They all bought some t-shirts and seemed happy they didn't have to dicker too much. Michelle bought a nice wood wall plaque with pretty bamboo palm trees on it and Grandma bought herself an ankle bracelet...although once we got back to the room and her and Court tried on their anklets they were really bracelets, so still on the hunt for cute anklets.
We took the trolley out to Hilo Hatties and shopped around there for a while too. That was fun as they always have fun island stuff. Ryan found a pair of maracas he couldn't live without so he used part of his gift money on that, although somehow Tom & Michelle know we will live to regret that purchase!
After a full day of shopping, we went to Chili's for dinner. It was good food, but way too noisy as there was a group of 51 seated on the open air level above us and they were really loud. The streets of Honolulu were a welcome sound coming out from there if that tells you anything!
Everyone was tired from their big day so we headed to our respective rooms to settle in for the night. The weather has been very hot here with not much in the way of tradewinds, so it is hard to stay cool for very long.
Of course, all the guys wandered through pretty quickly. They were able to just not make eye contact and keep gliding along. They all bought some t-shirts and seemed happy they didn't have to dicker too much. Michelle bought a nice wood wall plaque with pretty bamboo palm trees on it and Grandma bought herself an ankle bracelet...although once we got back to the room and her and Court tried on their anklets they were really bracelets, so still on the hunt for cute anklets.
We took the trolley out to Hilo Hatties and shopped around there for a while too. That was fun as they always have fun island stuff. Ryan found a pair of maracas he couldn't live without so he used part of his gift money on that, although somehow Tom & Michelle know we will live to regret that purchase!
After a full day of shopping, we went to Chili's for dinner. It was good food, but way too noisy as there was a group of 51 seated on the open air level above us and they were really loud. The streets of Honolulu were a welcome sound coming out from there if that tells you anything!
Everyone was tired from their big day so we headed to our respective rooms to settle in for the night. The weather has been very hot here with not much in the way of tradewinds, so it is hard to stay cool for very long.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
SUNDAY, July 6, 2008: Time to go play in the water!!!
Today, we slept in a little and were all happy to feel a little more rested than the night before. As much fun as traveling is, it is really a drag on traveling day...especially with ALL the luggage and the poor kids having to have patience for us cranky parents who just want to get through security. Of course, I know Courtney and Ryan don't feel like their parents were cranky yesterday at all, we were absolute gems as security has nothing on us! :)
We all met up in the lobby around 11 am to drive to the Hawaiian Adventure Water Park about 45 minutes away. It was a gorgeous, hot day and we were ready for some fun in the sun. (A quick note worth mentioning, Ryan stayed dry for the 2nd night in a row, which for this heavy sleeper is a big deal. We all clapped and were excited for his big accomplishment!) Once at the water park, Dave & Rhonda headed over to the sunny area, and the rest of us headed over to Keiki Kove, the kid's area. This park has something for everyone. As excited as Ryan was to get here to the water park, he was hesitant to go down any of the slides, despite having done them when we were here a few years ago. Amazing how much fear kids can develop in such a short amount of time. He had no fear last time, and now thinks through it all and it has to be on HIS terms. He did great though, despite a few tears at the top of the first small water slide. He found an area he liked a lot and just played with the small waterfalls and kiddy slides, etc. Courtney and Jason found some bigger kid slides to go down and had a blast. It wasn't long until they headed to some of the other areas of the park to experience more "teen like things". Tom took both kids to Volcano Express, a fast paced slide about 400 feet long. You slide down on your tummy on mats and the water flows underneath you while you go over dips. This was a favorite and the kids spent a good part of the afternoon on it. Grandma & Grandpa just hung out and took pictures and people watched. It was a full day of water fun.
Next door, there is an 18 hole family friendly garden golf course. It is set amongst small waterfalls, palm trees, Hawaiian flowers, canoes, etc. It is really pretty. We divided into 2 groups since there were 9 of us golfing. Grandma & Michelle were playing with the kids since we weren't "serious golfers". We were definitely the amateur bunch. Dave and Rhonda golf more and Grandpa & Tom have more sporting skill than we do, so they were more serious about getting their putts lined up. We were hot, hungry and tired, so after the last hole it was off to Outback Steakhouse Restaurant for some dinner. The restaurant was FREEZING cold, which you would think would be welcoming for us since it was so warm out there, but it was really, really cold. Ryan warmed up by huddling in Grandma's sweatshirt. We all couldn't wait to be done eating and get our bill so that we could go back outside where it was warmer. Once we got outside, Ryan layed down on the sidewalk and asked Rhonda if she wanted to lay and look at the moon. Silly guy...he will be a hopeless romantic when he is older.
Tomorrow is a day of rest (or more appropriately shopping!).
We all met up in the lobby around 11 am to drive to the Hawaiian Adventure Water Park about 45 minutes away. It was a gorgeous, hot day and we were ready for some fun in the sun. (A quick note worth mentioning, Ryan stayed dry for the 2nd night in a row, which for this heavy sleeper is a big deal. We all clapped and were excited for his big accomplishment!) Once at the water park, Dave & Rhonda headed over to the sunny area, and the rest of us headed over to Keiki Kove, the kid's area. This park has something for everyone. As excited as Ryan was to get here to the water park, he was hesitant to go down any of the slides, despite having done them when we were here a few years ago. Amazing how much fear kids can develop in such a short amount of time. He had no fear last time, and now thinks through it all and it has to be on HIS terms. He did great though, despite a few tears at the top of the first small water slide. He found an area he liked a lot and just played with the small waterfalls and kiddy slides, etc. Courtney and Jason found some bigger kid slides to go down and had a blast. It wasn't long until they headed to some of the other areas of the park to experience more "teen like things". Tom took both kids to Volcano Express, a fast paced slide about 400 feet long. You slide down on your tummy on mats and the water flows underneath you while you go over dips. This was a favorite and the kids spent a good part of the afternoon on it. Grandma & Grandpa just hung out and took pictures and people watched. It was a full day of water fun.
Next door, there is an 18 hole family friendly garden golf course. It is set amongst small waterfalls, palm trees, Hawaiian flowers, canoes, etc. It is really pretty. We divided into 2 groups since there were 9 of us golfing. Grandma & Michelle were playing with the kids since we weren't "serious golfers". We were definitely the amateur bunch. Dave and Rhonda golf more and Grandpa & Tom have more sporting skill than we do, so they were more serious about getting their putts lined up. We were hot, hungry and tired, so after the last hole it was off to Outback Steakhouse Restaurant for some dinner. The restaurant was FREEZING cold, which you would think would be welcoming for us since it was so warm out there, but it was really, really cold. Ryan warmed up by huddling in Grandma's sweatshirt. We all couldn't wait to be done eating and get our bill so that we could go back outside where it was warmer. Once we got outside, Ryan layed down on the sidewalk and asked Rhonda if she wanted to lay and look at the moon. Silly guy...he will be a hopeless romantic when he is older.
Tomorrow is a day of rest (or more appropriately shopping!).
JULY 5, 2008: Let the trip begin!
The day started bright and EARLY with a wake up call from the Radisson PDX airport front desk at 4:45 am. None of us slept overly well, but relaxation is on the way, so I'm sure we'll catch up.
We took the shuttle as scheduled and arrived at the airport by 6 am without incident. We grabbed a bite to eat while we waited for Dave's family to arrive.
We boarded the plane around 8 am, and got to board first since Ryan was 5 and under. Way to go Ryan! The stewardess immediately stopped Ryan and asked if he would like to go visit the cockpit and meet the pilot. Ryan was hesitant, but Tom went with him and although Ryan was overwhelmed by all of the controls on the plane, he got to sit in the "driver's seat" and get his picture taken. He also met Captain Baldwin, so that was really cool.
The flight wasn't very full at all, so the crew encouraged everyone to move around and spread out some if they wanted. We did just that, and settled in for the 5 + hour flight to Honolulu Airport.
Once we arrived, we collected all of our bags (thankfully all were accounted for!) and headed over to get our car rentals. Grandma & Grandpa ended up with a silver Pontiac G6, Dave's family had a gold Chevy HHR and the Joel family had a white Ford Escape 4WD. We navigated our way to the Royal Kuhio, our condo for the next 4 nights. After settling in, we grabbed a bite to eat because suffice it to say our turkey sandwiches and pasta were not "wowing" us from the flight. We then went to a nearby grocery store to pick up some necessities for the next few mornings.
Some of you saw us on the Live Webcam at Waikiki Beach by the Duke statue. It was fun to wave to our family and friends! We talked to a couple of our friends on the phone while they saw us waving and it was so cool to have them see us and hear their voices on the other end of the phone. Technology is amazing.
We saw a little bit of a hula show and then walked to our dinner spot, Rock Island Cafe, for some burgers, fries and old fashioned shakes. It is a fun 50's style diner that has fun music and clips of old movies. We decided we'd have to come again. Dave and Rhonda had experienced it on while on their honeymoon last July here and thought it would be a great spot for us to try. Prices are definitely higher here...$75 for the Joel family to eat dinner, drinks & dessert. Considering this is a tourist area though, that isn't bad.
Everyone is excited for the waterpark adventure tomorrow, so we headed back to rest up for the big day.
We took the shuttle as scheduled and arrived at the airport by 6 am without incident. We grabbed a bite to eat while we waited for Dave's family to arrive.
We boarded the plane around 8 am, and got to board first since Ryan was 5 and under. Way to go Ryan! The stewardess immediately stopped Ryan and asked if he would like to go visit the cockpit and meet the pilot. Ryan was hesitant, but Tom went with him and although Ryan was overwhelmed by all of the controls on the plane, he got to sit in the "driver's seat" and get his picture taken. He also met Captain Baldwin, so that was really cool.
The flight wasn't very full at all, so the crew encouraged everyone to move around and spread out some if they wanted. We did just that, and settled in for the 5 + hour flight to Honolulu Airport.
Once we arrived, we collected all of our bags (thankfully all were accounted for!) and headed over to get our car rentals. Grandma & Grandpa ended up with a silver Pontiac G6, Dave's family had a gold Chevy HHR and the Joel family had a white Ford Escape 4WD. We navigated our way to the Royal Kuhio, our condo for the next 4 nights. After settling in, we grabbed a bite to eat because suffice it to say our turkey sandwiches and pasta were not "wowing" us from the flight. We then went to a nearby grocery store to pick up some necessities for the next few mornings.
Some of you saw us on the Live Webcam at Waikiki Beach by the Duke statue. It was fun to wave to our family and friends! We talked to a couple of our friends on the phone while they saw us waving and it was so cool to have them see us and hear their voices on the other end of the phone. Technology is amazing.
We saw a little bit of a hula show and then walked to our dinner spot, Rock Island Cafe, for some burgers, fries and old fashioned shakes. It is a fun 50's style diner that has fun music and clips of old movies. We decided we'd have to come again. Dave and Rhonda had experienced it on while on their honeymoon last July here and thought it would be a great spot for us to try. Prices are definitely higher here...$75 for the Joel family to eat dinner, drinks & dessert. Considering this is a tourist area though, that isn't bad.
Everyone is excited for the waterpark adventure tomorrow, so we headed back to rest up for the big day.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Last day of prep, now on with the FUN
I have decided I really hate packing. There are so many "what ifs" and second guessing and then trying to fold it or roll it all so that it looks the least bit wearable and not like you drug yourself through a knothole backwards. It is 1 am and we have finished most of the packing. I am happy to report that we have whiddled Courtney down to only 6 pairs of flip flops as opposed to the 8 or 9 we started out with. I am told that each one has a purpose and that they are "really flat and don't take up any room in the suitcase at all". Nevermind the lump of shoes in the middle of the suitcase, but at least she'll look good while she is there! We joke that if this girl ever goes on tour with "So You Think You Can Dance", that she will need several UHauls trailing behind the bus just to haul all of her clothes and shoes! This girl takes her packing very seriously. She actually made a key code for the list. A check mark meant it was packed in her luggage, a squiggle meant it was in with someone else's luggage, a star meant to go back and make sure she really had it in there, and a circle meant "my mom needs to go buy it at Walmart before we go". Fortunately since I have received a running list for MONTHS now on what all we need in the way of toiletries, there were very few, if any, items with circles. We managed to get through the list and I'm happy to report she made it in ONE suitcase!
It was a busy day of getting last minute errands done, but the ladies did have time to get their manicures and pedicures and boy was it nice! We each got French manicures and bright berry pink toes with flowers on them. They look nice and it was lots of fun. We enjoyed a nice lunch at The Sage before heading home to tackle more of the preparation for the trip.
Ryan stayed with Grandpa today while we ladies "prettied up". They went to lunch at Sandwich Express and watched the train. Grandpa then took Ryan to the park (actually TWO parks) to play, and then topped it all off with a "Not So Hot" from Dutch Bros. Ryan was really excited to get to spend some fun time with Grandpa. He bounded out of bed this morning "ready for lunch and having to get to Grandpa's house".
Tom was able to get off early today, although it didn't seem like it since traffic was backed up everywhere. It was nice for him to be able to get out of work mode though and start thinking about getting everything gathered for the trip. (In case you're wondering, I know Courtney doesn't get her packing list skills from him. His theory is the less the better! We will be lucky for him to even take 1/2 dozen t-shirts, a couple pairs of shorts, and his swim trunks for the entire two weeks. The rest, he says, he will just live without.)
We are all going to enjoy our last night in our own beds. I doubt we'll get much sleep tomorrow night at the airport hotel, so we'll try to sleep doubletime tonight. Tomorrow, it is checking off the last bits of laundry, tidying the last things in our house, and locking up the luggage. Ah...it is finally here!
It was a busy day of getting last minute errands done, but the ladies did have time to get their manicures and pedicures and boy was it nice! We each got French manicures and bright berry pink toes with flowers on them. They look nice and it was lots of fun. We enjoyed a nice lunch at The Sage before heading home to tackle more of the preparation for the trip.
Ryan stayed with Grandpa today while we ladies "prettied up". They went to lunch at Sandwich Express and watched the train. Grandpa then took Ryan to the park (actually TWO parks) to play, and then topped it all off with a "Not So Hot" from Dutch Bros. Ryan was really excited to get to spend some fun time with Grandpa. He bounded out of bed this morning "ready for lunch and having to get to Grandpa's house".
Tom was able to get off early today, although it didn't seem like it since traffic was backed up everywhere. It was nice for him to be able to get out of work mode though and start thinking about getting everything gathered for the trip. (In case you're wondering, I know Courtney doesn't get her packing list skills from him. His theory is the less the better! We will be lucky for him to even take 1/2 dozen t-shirts, a couple pairs of shorts, and his swim trunks for the entire two weeks. The rest, he says, he will just live without.)
We are all going to enjoy our last night in our own beds. I doubt we'll get much sleep tomorrow night at the airport hotel, so we'll try to sleep doubletime tonight. Tomorrow, it is checking off the last bits of laundry, tidying the last things in our house, and locking up the luggage. Ah...it is finally here!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Packing, Cleaning, Planning...Oh My!
"Mom, do you think I should take my pink flip flops, because you know I AM taking that one pink shirt that has the hearts on it and my other flip flops don't go." "Is it time to pack yet? I have to get all my clothes ready!" "Oh, when you are at Walmart, can you pick up some travel toothpaste and body wash?" Those are just a few of the quotes that we have heard for the last, oh I don't know, like 2 or 3 MONTHS from Courtney. She is such a planner at heart, and has like 3 packing lists. One for carry on items, one for things she wants to take in her luggage, and one to keep it all straight. I have told her so many times if she asks me one more time about packing, I'll have to leave her at home!! I think she has had her "airplane outfit" (yes, apparently in a preteen girl world there is such a thing!)planned for weeks now. Ryan has his music and his swim suit and talks nonstop about the airplane and the waterpark we'll visit. He has talked so much about the waterpark, but I'm really not sure that he will do as much as he thinks he will there. This is the same kid who when taking swim lessons last week said he couldn't get his hair wet in the water "because it might stain". I know he will have fun and hopefully get more comfortable in the water after all the time we'll spend swimming and playing in it. I'm glad that the kids are both so excited to go. They made a chain of paper links and have cut one off every night for the last month and now there is one little chain left that will get cut off tomorrow! Hard to believe that the time has come for us to go.
My Mom has bought (and returned!) about 5 or 6 dresses that she was checking out for the vow renewal ceremony. My Dad has at least twice that many Hawaiian shirts in every color and is ready for whatever her pick is. About two weeks ago, she settled on the perfect dress. My Mom and I went shopping a couple months back and found my dress and Ryan & Tom's shirts just sort of fell into place after that. And what about Courtney? Well, as you might imagine, we found her dress really early, before anyone else had their outfit. She is really pretty in it and it is just perfect. Dave, Rhonda & Jason's outfits came together in the last couple of weeks too, so everyone is set for the 12th. We'll have lots of pictures to share for that special day!
In the meantime however, I feel the need to clean the house, straighten my scrapbook desk (which has had numerous piles on it for months!), get the fridge cleaned out, etc. Why is it my house always looks best when no one will be here to enjoy it? There is something about coming home to a fresh, clean house and just feeling "home" when you walk back in the door though.
Tomorrow, Mom, Courtney and I will be getting a pedicure/manicure. Mom and I got a pedi about a month ago. I have indulged before, but she hadn't and thought it was really nice to have her toes looking good. Courtney is excited for her first mani/pedi and of course has it all planned out what color the toes will be. It should be a fun way to get relaxed and ready to depart.
This weekend we should be relaxing, doing some shopping at the International Marketplace, waving hello to all our friends and family on a live webcam in Honolulu, playing at the water park and generally having a great time. The endless planning and research will have all been worth it. We'll spend 4th of July evening sleeping at the airport hotel (although, I doubt any of us will really sleep!)
We will try to keep the blog updated throughout the trip, so until the next post, ALOHA!!!
My Mom has bought (and returned!) about 5 or 6 dresses that she was checking out for the vow renewal ceremony. My Dad has at least twice that many Hawaiian shirts in every color and is ready for whatever her pick is. About two weeks ago, she settled on the perfect dress. My Mom and I went shopping a couple months back and found my dress and Ryan & Tom's shirts just sort of fell into place after that. And what about Courtney? Well, as you might imagine, we found her dress really early, before anyone else had their outfit. She is really pretty in it and it is just perfect. Dave, Rhonda & Jason's outfits came together in the last couple of weeks too, so everyone is set for the 12th. We'll have lots of pictures to share for that special day!
In the meantime however, I feel the need to clean the house, straighten my scrapbook desk (which has had numerous piles on it for months!), get the fridge cleaned out, etc. Why is it my house always looks best when no one will be here to enjoy it? There is something about coming home to a fresh, clean house and just feeling "home" when you walk back in the door though.
Tomorrow, Mom, Courtney and I will be getting a pedicure/manicure. Mom and I got a pedi about a month ago. I have indulged before, but she hadn't and thought it was really nice to have her toes looking good. Courtney is excited for her first mani/pedi and of course has it all planned out what color the toes will be. It should be a fun way to get relaxed and ready to depart.
This weekend we should be relaxing, doing some shopping at the International Marketplace, waving hello to all our friends and family on a live webcam in Honolulu, playing at the water park and generally having a great time. The endless planning and research will have all been worth it. We'll spend 4th of July evening sleeping at the airport hotel (although, I doubt any of us will really sleep!)
We will try to keep the blog updated throughout the trip, so until the next post, ALOHA!!!
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