ALOHA! From Oahu!!

Aloha from Oahu!!

We made it! After a VERY long day of travel and some issues and security check point and turbulence on the plane- we are here! It’s so beautiful and we are so in heaven! My blog entries will be more like photo blogs while we are here.

Things we learned on the way….

1. Just because YOU know what should and shouldn’t be brought on the plane (liquids, lotions, etc), it doesn’t mean that your KIDS know! Good grief people! We created quite the scene at the CR airport as Kayla was selected for random screening, I had to watch them go through our bags and pull out tons of shampoo and crap the kids put in without me seeing and we lost Kayla’s cell phone only to find out later that Tyler had it in his pocket!

2. We all tried a Chicago Dog! We had a layover in Chicago and all (well most of us) tried a Chicago Dog full of onions, pickles, and bright green relish. Another cool thing to knock off our bucket list.

3. Planes suck: People are still rude (kicking my seat for 9 hours that guy almost lost his face!, NO leg room, and they didn’t serve a meal like they said they would. We got water (or juice)…twice! On a 9 hour flight. I almost ate Alayna for dinner. They sold food but they had a ½ sandwich which would cost you your 1^st born and a salad that would require you to take out a second mortgage. But we didn’t complain because we are so happy and excited!

4. Never show “Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus before you go on a long flight over the pacific. Poor Alayna was getting a little concerned that Megaladon would jump from the sky and rip us into shreds. She was so great on the plane by the way. Even though the 2 movies that were supposed to be shown in-flight didn’t work.

5. Hawaii TOTALLY rocks! We ate at a restraint called “Big Kahuna” that supposedly has the best pizza on the island. We ate so fast Im not sure we could made a fair judgment but pizza with BBQ sauce and Hawaiian slow cooked pork is a winner anytime!

(At the airport)

(Big Kahunas!)

6. But NEVER EVER try to navigate to or through the Wal-Mart in Honolulu! Enough said!

7. You truly cannot beat the landscape or view! We stopped along the coast highway to take pics and look at fun stuff, but we didn’t get into our beach bungalow until late. We didn’t get into bed until 2am our time.

8. Beach Bungalows rock! We are staying in this quaint 2 bedroom bungalow cottage and I LOVE IT! The ocean is literally off our deck!! We open the windows and sliding doors and listen to the ocean and EVEN feel the ocean spray into our bedroom and living room. Its heaven, people! Truly heaven!

(The view from our deck.  The rocks completely disappear in the afternoon- huge waves replace them.  The sunrise was incredible!!)

Memorial Day Fun

(Alayna “laying out”- notice how she keeps her towel from flying away)

(Creating a lake in the sandbox.  Notice the head phones)

(Garden is all in and starting to grow)

(I took a huge step and planted my baby christmas tree outside.  Ive been raising it inside since it was a baby.  I hope it can weather the Iowa summer storms…)

(Teaching Alayna how to drive the mower)

Summer is here and we are free!

Summer is here and we are free!

This felt like the longest year of all time and we are so thrilled that summer is here and school is done!!! We were concentrating hard on just trying to survive the week so I hardly got any pictures. I have learned a couple things this week though…

1. Be careful what you pray for

Ok, just so you know, when you pray to lose weight so you look good and feel confident in your swimsuit on the beach, make sure you specify exactly how that should happen. I was hoping any extra “jiggliness” would simply disappear, however I ended up getting a nasty stomach flu for the week. I was so sick and it was NOT fun! Now I am very worried that all 4 kids will have it on the trip.

2. Taking That Giant Leap of Faith

Sometimes you decide you just need to take that “Leap of Faith”, but then you find yourself hanging over the grand canyon and you aren’t sure where to put your feet down, or even if you will drop to the depths below.

I made a huge leap of faith and resigned from my job as a teacher. There is a huge story that accompanies my decision to do so. I felt I needed a change. Long story short, I have a few options on where to land and I have to make a decision by Tuesday. Stay tuned to find out the rest of the story…

Miscellaneous

*I am proud to say that both Marisa and Kayla earned the Stake Presidents award for seminary!

*Bob and the kids headed to Nauvoo this weekend for the youth temple trip.

WE LEAVE IN 3 DAYS AND WE MAY NEVER RETURN!!!!!!

Sun, Service and Turkey Volcanoes

Happy 17^th Birthday!

Marisa turned 17 this week! We made her a giant cookie and then she got what she wanted for her birthday…a guitar!! She is very excited about learning how to play it. She has also been teaching herself how to play the piano. We will go to Osaka to celebrate her birthday on May 31 because every day up til then seems to be booked.

(Alayna bought her the orange bandana she wanted)

She wore her “I only date ninjas” shirt to school that day. Kayla saw it and dramatically said, “Oh! So, that’s why you never date!” Oh, the joy of little sisters!

Turkey Volcanoes and Fruit Flowers

We have been trying hard as a family to exercise and eat healthily to keep ourselves as healthy as possible. This week we tried the volcano turkey burgers from “Biggest Loser” and they actually turned out pretty good. We even got Alayna to try one! Alayna also created our flower fruit plate to go along with it.

Day of Service

Our family participated in our ward “Day of Service”. Gardening work needed to be done at .

We also finished our garden! We finally got the tomatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini planted. We are trying a new way to keep the weeds out. After we planted, we covered the dirt with several layers of newspaper. Then, we put hay on top of that. I hope it works! It was a long hot day and we all slept like logs!

Finally! Summer weather!

The weather has been just beautiful this week! We have been spending a ton of time outside playing and soaking up the sun!

More concerts

Tyler had his final band concert this week and did a great job. His band also got to participate in a unique opportunity. His band director arranged for them to come to school Friday night and Skype with a middle school band in Australia!! He said it was VERY cool. They were able to ask all sorts of questions. Tyler asked their director if he had ever been kicked by a kangaroo and his answer was YES! How funny!

Kayla had her final band concert as well and Marisa had her final orchestra concert where she was awarded another letter for Fine Arts.

Misc

*Alayna auditioned for and made it into the Linn Grove talent show which is tomorrow. She was adamant about doing jump roping. So, she has been practicing a ton around the house and she is very excited!

*Marisa was inducted into the Thespian Society this week!

*Alayna is one of the most creative people I know. When I went downstairs, I saw that she had created a “Barbie Float”! She even attached it to the treadmill so it actually rolled and it looked like the Barbie was waving as she went by!

(The audience watching the float)

*Seminary is over! We had a fun seminary breakfast on Friday morning at 6am. The girls (and I) are looking forward to more sleep! Tonight is seminary graduation and Marisa is playing in a selected orchestra group made up of youth in the stake.

Only 4 ½ days left of school (thank the heavens above!) and 10 days until our trip <envision me doing the running man here!>

Prom, Parties, and Pure Fun

May 15, 2011

Prom

Marisa had her junior prom yesterday. I wonder if boys have any idea how much effort girls put into that day? Marisa went to a friends house to get her nails done, picked up the boutonnière, and then went to the house of a lady in our ward who did her hair and makeup. She spent forever shopping this week to find matching shoes, etc.

Anyway, I think she had a wonderful time. It was pouring rain so we weren’t able to take pictures outside, but I got a few inside. I will post the group pictures when I they arrive.

Parties

Alayna and I were able to go to the Mother/Daughter Activity Days party. We got to dress up, make matching bracelets, and even decorate our own giant cupcakes. It was a very fun evening to spend together.

Kayla and Tyler had friends over to party since none of them were old enough to go to prom. They made bracelets, played wii, and watched a movie.

Tyler had a Merit Badge Clinic yesterday and he earned his pioneering merit badge.

Only 9 ½ days left of school and 17 days until our trip!!!!!!!!!!!