Some Favorite Videos

Click here to view a video taken while driving on the road to Hana. Make sure you have your speakers on for these. Warning-Take your Dramamine first!

Road to Hana Part 1

Here is another short video in the car again. I love the music playing on the radio.

Road to Hana Part 2

Here is a video that brings a smile to my face everytime I watch it. I could listen to this giggling and laughing all day!

Niko and Ava playing.

Maui Ocean Center tunnel. It was cool to see the sharks and marine life swimming around, above and below you.

Maui Ocean Center

Here is some video of Ava, Bethany, and Matthew learing to hula at the luau.

Our Hula Dancers

A couple short clips of the professionals at the luau.

Luau Hawaiin Dancers

Several Favorite Photos

Bethany and Auntie Amber enjoying the pool

Sarah and Amber at Makahiku Falls
Niko's mud encounter on the Road to Hana The group that made it to Makahiku Falls (beyond Hana)
This is what it was all about-visiting, talking, laughing...being together
The infamous Lava Flow Mike ordered at the Sports Bar
Loved these times-Ava and Matthew playing
Beach time

Playing in ocean with Grandma
Sunbathing with Auntie Amber by the pool
Love this photo of Greg, Jen and Ava- so sweet!
Auntie Sarah and Niko at Black Sand Beach
Uncle Brad giving Matthew a lift in the beach towel
With Grandpa and Grandma at the Maui Ocean Center
An exhausted Matthew catching some zzz's after the Ocean Center
Brothers playing together peacefully in the sunset
Group beach time

Got to love that smile! It so warms the heart.
Our family at Haleakala Crater
The trail into the crater
Beautiful Hawaiian sunset
Enjoying some great views on the beach :)

Kids and I taking a walk along the water
Dad and Kristi
A pair of whale tails while on the boat
Mike and I at the luau
Kids at the luau

Dad and Kristi
Learning a Hawaiian dance
Getting photo taken with the fire dancer
Matthew was a bit nervous
Last day on the beach

Playing together, having a great time

Saturday, January 19th

It was Saturday morning when we landed. We took forever getting off the plane. When we got off we all went to the bathroom and took our time getting to baggage. We were the last ones from our flight there and they were getting ready to take our stuff away. Made it easy to get it all since it was all together already.

Mike flagged down his dad, who was picking us up. We loaded everyone and everything into the truck and gave Luke an earful. We got home, unloaded and everyone crashed again.

The stomach bug that everyone was getting in Maui hit me soon after we got home. It lingered for about a week.

Soon enough it was back to the daily grind and Arizona life. Later on in the day, we picked up the truck from the shop and then went out to dinner with our friends...

Friday, January 18th

Today is the final day of our vacation in Paradise. It has been such a fun week. We are leaving this evening for the airport at about 6:30 p.m. Our flight leaves at about 9:00. So that gives us still a whole day to enjoy and savor before we conclude this trip.

The push on the food was still on today. We finished up some cereals for breakfast. I continued doing some loads of laundry in the condo to minimize what I had to do when I get home. We cleaned up a bit then soon after breakfast headed to the beach. Our plan was to spend as much time down there as possible, wear out the kids and just have fun.

We relaxed, played Frisbee, built sand castles, ran around, watched for more whales, swam in the waves, took pictures, napped, and enjoyed the warm sunshine, soft ocean breeze.

The waves were quite a bit larger today as well. The kids have had a lot of practice with them all week so they were able to handle them just fine, especially with the life vests on. They did great.

Mike made a few runs up to the condo for refills on his Mai-tai's, that was one of the items pushing to go.

The boys had great fun running up the sandy banks on the beach, pulling themselves up by the thick vines, and then jumping off the top into the soft sand. That entertained them for a long while until I realized it may not be such a good idea to speed up the erosion process of the area right there. They didn't do any harm, but better to stop before they did. The it was back to collecting lava rocks and sea shells and sand.

If only I could somehow capture the sound of the crashing waves, the tide rolling in and then back out to sea, the breeze through the trees, the giggling and delight in the voices of my kids, the murmur of people talking and laughing and yelling in the distance...the salty smell of the fresh ocean air, occasionally sending sweet aromas of tanning lotions and sunscreen by your nose....the gently breeze dancing through my hair and across the beach, occasionally turning up the edges of the towels or sending a shirt tumbling over itself a few times...if I could somehow capture the warmth of the sun as it beat down on the earth on this tiny island in the middle of the great Pacific Ocean...the feel of the warm, silky smooth sand filtering through my toes......I want to just put it all in a bottle somehow and take it home with me.

We spent a long while at the beach. Aunts, uncles and grandparents came and went throughout the morning and we all played and relaxed together. Then everyone got hungry for lunch. We headed up to the pool and I went into the condo and made sandwiches for our five and we ate pool side. We met up with other there also. A lot of the guys were out and about golfing, I think.

Mike played in the pool with the kids to keep them occupied as I finished up some laundry and started getting things repacked.

As I was packing in the condo, a pale Jenn came in with Ava. She was not feeling well at all and so I took Ava so she could get back up to her condo and rest. Ava and I played for a bit. Then I lathered her up with sunscreen and we headed out to the pool to play with Auntie Sarah and Grandma. They took over with her while I finished up and completed packing.

With packing done, we were able to enjoy our last evening with everyone. People were coming and going, saying good-bye, heading to the airport, heading to go play some more. Mike took a nap after drinking all those mai-tais and before getting on the plane, we thought that would be a good idea. We ran down the the ABC store a couple times to stock up on some last minute souvenirs and stuff for the flight home.

I bathed and put the kids in their jammies and before we knew it, we were watching the last amazing sunset we'd see in Maui for a very long time.

We made a couple sweeps through the condo. Then we packed up the van and Dad took us to the airport, stopping by WalMart on the way to get pillows for the flight.

Then in a blur, we hugged, kissed, bid farewell and were off through security and into the airport. I love that airport! everyone is so very nice and patient and smiley. We got all settled at our gate and I got some hot dogs for dinner. 35 bucks for 4 hot dogs and a couple chips! Wow-zas. I think that was the most we spent on food the whole trip :)

When it was time, we got settled on the plane. It was not a full flight and the guy checking us in had given us a whole row for our family. So, we were able to spread out a bit. Within 30 minutes everyone was out. We started waking up as we flew over California. We were still a bit out of it and Matthew and Niko were still completely out until we entered Arizona.

Thursday, January 17th

Today the rush on "must-finish-the-food" push began :) I think the realization that everyone is packing up to leave tomorrow or the next day brought on a feeling of...not panic, but urgency, maybe?...when we looked in the fridge and freezer and counters and cupboards. This wasn't the highlight of the day, though, by far.

Everyone headed to the docks in Lahaina to catch boats this morning. The majority of everyone were boarding a snorkeling adventure for half the day. Brad, Andrea and our family, hopped on a boat to go out and see some whales up close.

We went through the orientation, we were briefed on all the rules, walked down to the boat, past the dead puffer-fish, got on board and were off. As soon as we set out of the harbor, a whale breached no more than 50 feet in front of the boat. Of coarse, it was so soon that we didn't have our cameras ready. But now with cameras out and in hand, we continued our adventure. It was so very interesting. They told us all about the migration, what they eat, how much they eat, about the babies, how much fat is in whale milk, why they breach, everything you ever wanted to know about them, we learned. It was so cool! We saw several more calves with their mommas. They put the microphone under the water and we could hear the ruckus of 'talking' going on beneath the surface. The guide said that if you go under the water just 5 or so feet while you're in the water back at the beach, we can hear the same sounds with just our ears alone...Pretty cool.

It was a great trip out on the water. The kids had fun, we learned a lot and we got to spend some time with Brad and Andrea. And it was just long enough too.

We debarked the ship and got one last glimpse of the dead, puffed-up, puffer fish floating in the water. The kids were pretty excited about that. From there, Brad and Andrea and us parted ways. We headed back up to Kahana to hit some shops that the kids wanted to pick up some souvenirs at. They had fun picking out treasures to remind them of this trip and treasures to give to others to let them know that they were thinking of them.

As we drove back, we passed by everyone, who were back from their snorkeling outing and now doing some shopping at the open air market down the street from the condo. So we stopped with them.

When we got back at the condo, Matthew and I laid down for a while to rest up for the late night at the luau. While we were resting, others rested up also. And others took advantage of some last minute shopping. Bethany went with her aunties to check out some other stores. Dad and Kristi enjoyed a relaxing pool-side massage.

Soon it was time for everyone to get ready for the evening. It was a change that everyone was getting ready to head to the same place for the same reason. It was a really fun "last night" plan. We all congregated in the condo and everyone was so hula-hula beautiful. Everyone sporting a nice dark tan, hairs all combed pretty, wearing island flowery clothing, girls with flowers in their hair, puka necklaces, dresses with flip-flops...everyone looked so put together and Hawaiian. Very sharp looking group!

So we piled into the vehicles and headed to the Marriott Luau. We all piled out and they got the vehicles parked. We walked through the corridors of this beautiful hotel/resort as we made our way to where the luau was. We found our tables and seats and got some drinks and started to get into the atmosphere of the night. The evening sun was bright, but it was lovely and pleasant. We went out by the water to take several photos of different groupings of people and got some taken by the professionals they had there as well. We all worked well together.

We continued to visit, take photos, laugh, talk, visit the 'drinking fountain' ;), take more pictures. Then the food in the feast was explained and we all served up. My goodness! The food was great! Salads, macadamia crusted mahi-mahi, the traditional pork, steak, chicken, poi, breads, this salmon tomato thing, rice, noodles...

While we were busy doing all this, the sun began to set, putting on quite a beautiful show. We took a break from the table and got together for some more sunset shots over by the water. It was so gorgeous. While photos were finishing up, again, the hosts were beginning hula dance lessons on the stage. All the kids-Bethany, Matthew, Niko, and Ava-Went up to learn a hula dance. It was so fun and they did so well. We returned to our seats, and visited, finished up eating and then the desserts came on out.

By the time our bellies were beyond full, the show was gearing up to begin- The story of Hawaii. It was really fun and entertaining. We saw ladies performing from the trees on silks-a kind of circus act type thing where they twist themselves up and dance suspended in the air using two hanging silk sashes...There were drummers, hula dancers, men dancers, fire walkers, stories of surfing the big waves, fire breathers...Fun, fun...

We had the opportunity to meet the fire-walker/breather afterwards. The boys were so impressed by them and in complete awe as they stood next to him to get their photo taken. It was so cute.

It was a great evening, full of laughter, good times and great memories.

We got the kids all tucked in bed and then I went out with Sarah, Dave, Brad, and Jesse to the Sports Page to shoot some pool and hang out some more. It was more so the guys playing pool, but Sarah and I humored them a bit by joining in. Unless you're talking about the billiards on my cell phone, I don't play normally :)...But it was fun still and nice to talk with Sarah. Jesse headed back early because he was not feeling too hot...Soon, we all headed back.

It was such a great week and a great evening to wrap it all up in. So sad that we're packing up tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 16th

This morning a good majority of our clan got up at about 3:00 am to go for a sunrise bike ride up to the Haleakala Crater at Haleakala National Park. The elevation at the crater is above 10,000 feet and the sunrises from there are supposed to be spectacular. From the looks of the photos it was very surreal. There were clouds this morning, however, from where they were watching, they were above the clouds. Pretty cool. It was freezing there that early in the day-literally. They had to bundle up pretty good. Mind boggling how you can go to freezing temps and then hours later be lying on a sunny beach in your bathing suit...

So while they were off seeing spectacular sights, Kristi and Ava and us mosied around the condo, getting ready for our day. We were headed up to the crater, too, but we were driving up and spending some time hiking into it and around.

While we were eating and getting our picnic lunch ready and things, the boys were playing with Ava. It was a crack up. They would make their cars fly around like spaceships and crash and every time they crashed, she would laugh hysterically. It was so sweet. It was fun to watch the cousins have some bonding time.

It wasn't long before we were out the door. We made a stop by Starbucks and ran into Brad and Amber coming back from taxiing the biker group. After getting filled up, we were on the road, the beautiful road, to the crater.

It was so cool how the terrain changed so much on the drive up. We went through rolling, green, grassy hills, to driving through groves of huge eucalyptus, to pine trees...It was so beautiful and the view of the ocean was breath defying...

We got up to the 10023 ft elevation peak and it was still pretty darn cold up there. We parked and walked around a bit. We could see the snow capped peaks of Pu'uwekiu over on the Island of Hawaii...we could see the endless, vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean ...Stunning....OUr adventures at that view point were done when Matthew was running to catch up with Daddy this time, and slipped and fell on the sharp lava rock gravel and busted his knees open...Again!

So we got quick in the van and drove over to the visitor center to the restrooms to get him cleaned up.

It was at this stop that the trail heads were so we got geared up to go. Bethany doesn't do well with high elevation, like her momma, so we took it easy into the crater, to avoid decorating the trail with our breakfast.

It is much like hiking into the Grand Canyon, you decrease elevation rapidly, without realizing it and then it takes much longer to hike back up. Also, it is absolutely barren. It technically is a volcano, really. Not sure what the difference is between a volcano and a crater. You'd think I would've found that out while we were there....Anyhow, it was pretty cool to walk down into it. The soil was pretty smooth and fine, making for a lot of dust. We got a good distance in. I was worried about the kids (and me-hehe) making it back up, so I turned around and we headed up. The trail was pretty busy, so Mike headed down a bit further and then caught back up to us in no time.

By the time we reached the top, Bethany had held onto the contents of her tummy (barely) and so did I, so I think that's a success. We ate our picnic and headed back home. It was a great time and we were awed once again at the spectacular variety of the amazing playground God's given us.

By the time we got back, everyone had dispersed again. Dad and Kristi were catching up on some zzz's being that it was a late night and early morning. So we took the kids down to the beach to keep the condo quiet for them. It was fun to play with the kids in the sand, play Frisbee with Mike, and play in the waves with the five of us. It was quiet and still lots of smiles and giggles...

Grandma and Grandpa came down to join us after a while for a bit. Then we stayed longer and tried to get in another sunset. Good golly it was a gorgeous one tonight! No clouds in the sky and this blazing orange ball sunk into the horizon, casting the most brilliant glowing light onto the crashing waves. Goose-bump awe....And no dramatic incidents to interrupt the beauty tonight-oh yeah....

We headed up and showered and put the kids in baths. By that time dinner was getting done and the air in the condo was filled with laughing, talking, story telling, picture showing, discussion...Happiness...Mahalo....Aloha

We ate, kids went to bed and Mike and I headed out with Sarah, Dave and Jesse to the sports bar up the street, The Sports Page Grill and Bar. More chit chat and small talk and catching up on game scores. We had some beers, with the exception of Mike who doesn't drink beer. He got a couple umbrella drinks again. He would try a different one each time. The last order that went in, I got myself a shot of tequila and he ordered a Lava Flow, not knowing what it was. Were at a Sports Bar, mind you...The waitress comes to the table and mikes drink not only has a straw and umbrella but whip cream on top! Hoo-rah, oh yeah, he was feeling like a man at that point-haha. We all had a good laugh. And, yes, we were laughing with him, not at him. He thought it was pretty funny too.

We walked back to the condo and Jesse and Dave hit the hay, but Amber was there and her, Sarah, Mike, Brad, Andrea and I broke out a game of Yahtzee. By the time we finished up the game, I think all of us were sleeping between rolls. It was time to hit the hay and shut things down.

Tuesday, January 15th

Today Grandma and Grandpa took a day to spend with the Clesceri Clan. We went to the Maui Ocean Center. It was really cool seeing all of the sharks and different sea animals that are around us here in Hawaii. It was interesting to learn about the Hawaiian habitat and the different things living in it. There was a tunnel that we could walk through and sit in where the fishes and sharks could swim over and under you. It was very cool.

The kids, especially Niko, loved listening to these little telephone things that they gave us. It was like a guided tour. We pressed in the number code of where we were at and then listed into the phone to hear all about what we were looking at. Like I said, Niko really paid attention to everything and is now able to tell us everything there is to know about the ocean here in Hawaii...well almost everything :)

We spent a good 2 hours walking through the center. On the way home, Matthew crashed. We took a memorable photo of him, passed out in his seat, sun glasses on, gum hanging out of his mouth. Too much fun for this little guy.

We got back to the condo, made lunch, and connected again with everyone.

The kids and Mike headed down to the pool. Because Matthew's nap was only for about 20 minutes, i laid down with him again and we both were out.

While we slept, everyone moved from the pool to the beach (Kamaole Beach Park I). Ava was able to join this time and she loved the sand and the water. While they were down there, they met up with a Newport Beach Fireman who played with the kids, talked with the grown ups and had a dog that befriended everyone...from what I am told. It was more fun times of playing, chasing waves, building sand castles, piling sand on grandpa's back while he was trying to take a nap, jumping through waves with uncles and aunts and dads...and watching the whales. The water was a bit clearer and Greg took the snorkel and mask out there and saw some crabs walking around and some other things.

By the time Matthew and I got up, everyone was headed up from the beach. I headed down to meet up with Mike and the kids. We stayed to watch the sun set. The crowds seem to gather as the bright sun sinks into the sea. It's so quiet and peaceful and everyone whispers and takes in all the beauty...The kids continued to play in the water and run around, which was fine. As the sun got closer to the horizon, the beauty and awe of the moment was interrupted by a screaming child. That would be Matthew. He was down by the water, screaming, and would not move. I went down there and got him and he kept saying that there was something on his foot. By this time the attention of everyone was off of the beautiful sunset and on this screaming child (nice)...I walked him up to the shower, as he continued to insist that there was a "bug" on his foot. I rinsed him off and showed him that nothing was on him, but he still hurt. We will never know for sure what happened, but Mike is thinking it was a Portuguese man of war. Their tentacles are known to wash up on shore and still have the stinging power as if they were still attached to the animal. It's a good theory based on what Matthew was saying and the pain he was in. He seems to be better now, so if it was something like that, or even a normal jelly fish, it wasn't a very bad sting, from what they say about them. So we'll see if this has affected his water/beach fun for the trip. We're hoping he'll hop right back into the water and still enjoy himself...

So after all that drama, we headed back up and got the kids in the bath...The drama wasn't over though. I had a little mommy melt down, my Aloha/Mahalo had run out for a brief moment. Dad and Kristi graciously came to the rescue and suggested Mike and I have a night out. So we got ourselves together and headed out for a late dinner date, while Dad and Kristi took care of the kids for the evening, feeding them and getting them to bed. Gosh, I love how parents don't miss a step and love and give of themselves so abundantly. I hope I can be half as gracious as them.

So Mike and I went out. We went up through Lahaina. I hadn't been that far up yet. Everything was closing up from dinner, so we continued on up to Kahana and ended up at the Maui Brewing Company. It was perfect. Mike got some great umbrella drinks and I had a couple different types of their beers. For the only time we'll probably go out while we're here, I think it was a good choice, considering our options for what was open. Cost-wise, it ended up being just about as much as if we had gone out at home. So I think we made out. Most of all, it was a treat to have some one on one time with my sweetheart. It was perfect.

We got home late, or should I say early?

Tomorrow is the sunrise bike ride up to the crater for the majority of the group. We'll be going up after the sun is higher in the sky. Thank God we all found the Starbucks, that's all I have to say about that!

Monday, January 14th

Today has been an exhausting, yet spectacular day! Thank you, thank you, Dad, for driving the whole way to Hana and back. I know it was exhausting for you, but it was such a great experience and we saw so many beautiful, amazing things. Can I just say one thing? We have the most creative God ever! It is amazing that He has put these places into existence for our enjoyment and to just 'wow' us. We were "WOWed" today. I have never seen so many beautiful places. You can see photos of these things, but actually being there, is no comparison. And to be there enjoying it with people you love dearly is just an amazing, irreplaceable gift.

We headed out pretty early to avoid some traffic. On the start of the trip, the side of the island we were on, we were getting pounded by wind and some rain as well. We got out on a view point over the ocean. It was spectacular, but we were all bundled up and our hairs were flying all over the place. We took several fun pictures there and then got back on the road. We had several places we had planned to stop and hike around.

Today was just so overwhelming, it's hard to write out everything that we saw. Once we got going and curved around the island, the wind died down and we had sunny skys for the most part. We got a few showers early on in the trip. The road is so windy and narrow and these tour buses kind of overtake the roads. But everyone is in the Aloha spirit of things and not too bothered by it all.

We saw countless waterfalls off the road. We stopped at a spot to do a hike. It was a shorter walk, but it was so lush and green and wet. Our shoes got pretty muddy, but 'tis life...There were so many cool exotic flowers and ferns. There was a rooster sitting at the start of the trail to greet us. Kind of cute. The views of the island and the ocean were awesome.

We all loaded back in and got back on the road. We passed homes and tons of fruit stands. As we got out at several other waterfalls and walked around, we could see the fruit in the trees that we were seeing at the fruit stands; fruits that we had never seen before.

When we got out, the kids almost got hit a couple times It's pretty deceiving when you're parking right on the side of the road, not very much room, and then you have cars that are NOT stopping at the same places you are, and then you have a group as large as ours, the kids kind of forget the dangers of the road. That was the only frustration for me today, was the kids 'forgetting' where they were and walking in the middle of the street, giving me a heart attack. But they survived, thanks to everyone looking out for them. All that didn't take away from the beauty that surrounded us though.

We stopped at the 'Half way to Hana' snack stand. We were told that although they sold banana bread all along the road, this place was the best place to get it. So we loaded up on banana bread and fresh coconut and we got a few other fruits also. And of coarse we got the famous Hawaiian canned juices and teas...It was a great snack time. Kids were not too fond of the coconut, but the grown ups sure liked it (uh...that would be me).

We stopped at another waterfall where the mud got the best of Niko. He was covered in it! It was at that point that he changed into his swimsuit because he had no choice if he wanted to get back into the car. It was also at this point that Greg and Jenn turned back and Bethany went with them. She had taken her Dramamine earlier that day, but I think it was wearing off. She felt better to go back with them.

We continued on. There was a hike we all were really looking forward to doing, but when we got there, there was a sign saying it was private land or something to that effect and if we tried to still hike it, we could be fined or prosecuted or something. So we decided against that one. We continued on the the Black Sand Beaches (BSB). This is where we had lunch and spent quite a bit of time walking around and exploring. It was amazing. There are not enough adjectives in existence to adequately describe everything. So forgive me sounding like a broken record.

It was also here that I busted my cell phone beyond repair. I had been taking photos with it throughout the drive of waterfalls and was planning on photo messaging them to my co-workers and friends when we got back into cell range. Guess that didn't happen!

It was also here that Matthew tripped and fell while he was running and not watching where he was going- again! He missed falling on his face into a rock by a hair, but still got his knee pretty good. He was running after Grandpa, despite our beckoning him to wait and tripped on the rocky trail.

At the BSB there were so many blow holes and we found one that the tide was far enough out that Mike and I climbed up through it. It was fun to kind of do a little free hand rock climbing. We went in through a cave and up about 25 feet through the hole. When we were loading back in, Sarah had to doctor a blister on her foot that had popped and filled with sand. While she did that, Jesse tried knocking a coconut out of the trees for Niko and my dad and I worked on getting a good photo of this HUGE black spider with orange stripes on it that was sitting in a web on a bush.

We did end up getting all loaded up and on our way again. We continued on and got to Hana. The community was so...Hawaiian :)...We stopped at a fruit stand here and loaded up on some really interesting stuff. All of that interesting fruit that we'd never seen, we got to taste and bring some with us. It was fun to see the Hawaiian lady take her machete and cut into the fresh coconut that we had got.

Then we continued on beyond Hana on the road. We saw lots of cows and farms and flat rolling land. We saw some sort of mosque that was pretty interesting. We at last got to our final destination-the entrance to the Haleakala National Park. This is the other entrance though. We will be going back here on Wednesday, but not to this side of it. We got out and hiked to a set of waterfalls that were so cool. It was where the Pipiwai Stream let out into the ocean. It had huge pools below each of the waterfalls. Although, the pools pretty much belonged to the ecosystem living in them (let's just say...uh...swimmer's itch?) they were breathtaking to look at and Mike and I did climb up to one and he sat under it and we went behind it. Beautiful to look one direction and see these waterfalls and turn your head and see the mass expanse of the Pacific ocean.

We walked up and around there and then loaded back up for the looong, windy drive home. We found a local station that played some great 'hula-hula' music. That entertained us as we drove...The boys also took turns singing their favorite songs and playing "I'm thinking of an animal..." Can you guess how many times and how many different ways they described a shark, turtle or sea snake? That was pretty unbelievable in itself.

By the time we saw civilization again, it was pretty dark. We got a cell signal and got in contact with everyone. It was Mexican for dinner tonight. Mike and Bethany went out with the group while I fed the boys at home and put them to bed. They were so tuckered out from the long day today and went out like a light. I was told that Bethany pretty much slept the whole time at the restaurant as well.

She had a fun afternoon of swimming in the pool and spending time with Ava.

Spectacular day! Wonderful day! Amazing day! Exhausting day!

Sunday, January 13th

I woke up this morning pretty early, about 6 or so, and Bethany was not in her bed. I looked in the boys room and she wasn't there, I looked in the bathroom, she wasn't there; I looked on the balcony, not there; on the couch, not there...The condo wasn't that big where she could be anywhere else. I knocked on my dad's door thinking she was probably in there. Nope...but the big question got answered when my dad told me that she had gone with Kristi to watch Ava while Greg and Jenn did their run in Lahaina...Whew...I knew that she was most likely with someone and fine, but your mind does funny things for brief moments in those few minutes you are looking and half asleep still...

We got up and got moving. Mike and Bethany went with Dad, Kristi and Ava to pick up the runners and watch them finish the race. They were able to cheer them on at the finish line and then saw some beautiful rainbows at the beach.

I stayed behind with the boys to unpack and get settled in. Brad and Andrea came by on their way to check out the Starbucks down the street. After they continued on their way, the boys and I took a walk around the condo to check out where we were. The air is so fresh here. I love the sound of the breeze rustling through the trees and the caws and chirps of the birds. It truly sounds so tropical when you stop and listen. The sun is so warm, yet there still is a nice cool breeze (near wind at times today) We walked down to the beach that was right there at the condo (I guess the 'official name of the beach is Kamaole Beach Park I) We felt the silky smooth sand, and couldn't wait to get back to play in it. While we were feeling the sand, we looked out and saw a whale breeching just off the shore. It was so surreal.

By the time we got back from our walk, people were returning from Lahaina. Breakfast was started and in no time we all were eating and discussing plans for the day and week ahead...I love seeing all the smiles and laughing and talking and everyone so relaxed and working out plans together. It is so wonderful to all be here together. We will miss Corey though, a lot on this trip.

After Breakfast was all cleaned up, we all got ready to head down to the beach. We met down at the beach right down the street (Kamaole Beach Park I). The wind had really picked up by then. A couple people recommended we check out the next beach up (Kamaole Beach Park II) to see if it was less windy. So we walked about 1/4 mile up the road. The wind was getting Ava really agitated so Greg and Jenn turned back to have a more pleasant time at the pool, where the wind was guarded off a lot better...We continued on to the beach.

It was so fun to lay on the beach, run in the water, dive through the waves. I am so amazed and awed by the fact that we can sit on the beach and watch the whales jumping and breeching out there in the ocean, not too far away. Beautiful! We also watched boats travel by and people on those rowing boats...The water was so clean and warm and perfect. It was pretty turned up from the wind, I suppose, but no matter, it was still a blast to play and run around. It is so cool to congregate in a group out in the ocean past the break, talking, laughing, connecting, with the kids swimming around, being passed to each other, pleading with uncles, aunts, daddies to catch a wave in with them and then get back out there, lifting them over the crashing waves....

We headed back up and made a stop by the pool to meet up with everyone who had moved from the beach to there. Ava was taking a nap by then. Our kiddos went into the pool and again, pestered the aunts and uncles to play :). It's nice that there are so many of them so they can take turns. I took Matthew back up to the condo to lay down with him to take a nap. Mike and the other tow kiddos played at the pool for quite a while longer.

When we got up, the kids played with Ava. They adore her. She is such a sweetie. We love her giggle and smiles. Matthew needs to work on sharing with her, the little stinker. He was being very stingy with his blocks. She was having fun knocking them down when he built something. He didn't like that so much.

We had a great BBQ dinner, compliments to Dad. We sipped on Mai Tais and more visiting the rest of the evening. Some people went out. We stayed in. I love the relaxed, low-key feeling here and among everyone. What do they say here?....Mahalo?or is it just Aloha?...I really think this Biddle Clan has Mahalo/Aloha down to a science.

Tomorrow is the road to Hana-woo-hoo. Lots of things to see.

Saturday, January 12

Mind you, Thursday night Bethany and I were in Urgent care at 2 in the morning and didn't get home until 5 am. She ended up having a bad ear infection and with the flight, we went ahead and got her some antibiotics to clear that up faster. I didn't get a chance to go back to bed, being that I had to be up at 5:30 to get ready for work. With some drama with Matthew the nights before by Saturday, I was exhausted!

This morning was consumed by last minute packing and rearranging bags and dropping vehicles off to the shop to be worked on while we are gone. The Schroeder's arrived to pick us up and take us to the airport.

The line at counter is nonexistent. We check in all our bags just fine, including the toiletry bag that I was planning on carrying on. Silly me completely forgot about the restrictions on everything, including the liquids and sharp objects and...well...any and all restrictions. Don't know how that slipped my mind. So in went the toiletry bag, not a problem. Our enormous black Duffle bag was obviously too heavy-11 pounds over. So, because we now had an extra carry on, we were able to pull the Camelback hiking bag out of it and Bethany carried that on. That took care of the 11 pounds. By the time we had checked in the line was wrapped around and extending out of the lane/line guards...

We headed up to the gate through security. Again, no line when we got there. By the time we had taken our shoes off, unloaded the laptop, dvd player and all of our still existing liquids, we had again held up the entire flow of traffic. Security line now extended beyond the point where you could see the end...

Well, we finally got ourselves back together and headed towards the gate. We got settled into some seats to wait. Grabbed dinner at The Burger King there, ate dinner, watched the planes and Bethany and I painted our nails and passed time until it was time to board.

Before we knew it the planes doors were closing and we were on our way to Hawaii! When we took off down the runway, the kids shouted in glee at the force of the speed pushing their bodies against the seats. Bethany let out a scream in delight, like she was on a roller coaster or something. It was pretty funny to watch them. You could tell they hadn't flown in quite a while.

We settled in for the 6 hour flight....The kids did really well. The movie was No Reservations. About 4 hours into the flight, I checked the time thinking we must be almost there....Ugh! Another 2 hours to go! That was disappointing. It was a LONG flight....But...we got there and it was so exciting to step off the plane into the airport in Kahului!! It was about 9:00 Hawaii time. We got our bags and met up with my dad and Kristi. It was so cool to see grass everywhere and cool plants. We couldn't see a whole lot on the drive to Kihei because of it being dark, but it was such a surreal feeling to be driving in the darkness and the only indication that you were on some tropical island were the fun names of the streets and the Hawaii License plates on all of the cars.

We got to the condo, more grass and beautiful plants, cool breeze... We unloaded and got the kids to bed so they'd be ready for a great time in the morning! The grown-ups stayed up, had some Mai Tais and got to see almost everyone as they trickled in and out-Brad and Andrea...Sarah and Dave...Amber and we got to meet Jesse...Greg came down, but Jen was up with Ava, who was already in bed...Then we decided that we were all beat and headed to bed.

Plans for the morning-Greg, Jenn, and Sarah are running in a marathon in Lahaina at 6 am. Some are going to cheer them on and then it's back to the condo for breakfast and a day on the beach!

Yeay! We are sooo excited to be here!