Rest and relaxation

Kevin and I spent a lovely couple of nights in Waikiki. Thanks Mike and Judy!! Kevin had to go to school/work Fri during the day so I spent the day walking, exploring and basking in the sun. The Hale Koa is the military resort on the beach so I spent most of my time there. The beach is nicer, the bar is close and everything is cheaper (major bonus!). Kevin joined me on the beach around 2 and there we stayed until the sun dipped into the sea. Pictures have been posted. We had a fabulous dinner at Keonies! and then strolled through the carnival that the streets become after dark. We watched bands, artists, guys painted silver that didn't move much and all sorts of weirdo's looking to make a buck. It was interesting. Saturday morning we checked out early and went to Hanauma Bay. By ourselves. With no children. WOW!!! We swam and snorkeled without care or concern. It was amazing. When we decided to leave we grabbed one bag and 2 towels and we were outta there. That was a huge change from the usual amount of junk we have to haul in and out of there. How glorious! The beach was so nice when we got home we dragged Judy and the kids back to the beach we have on base. Kevin had Judy out snorkeling and the kids were just glad to be there. They didn't care if they were in the water or on the sand, they were just happy to be there. Tomorrow we head out on the boat to float around Kaneohe Bay. Ahhhhh! Just another day in paradise! Aloha!

Mike and Judy are here!!

Mike and Judy have been visiting with us since the 16th. The children have had a grand time playing with their grandparents and Trey will even let them touch him now. (He was playing "hard to get"!) Judy and Kevin went out on a fishing trip. They caught lots of fish (the pictures are posted) but they both said the ocean reminded them of The Perfect Storm. The swells were pretty high but we ate well. We have been to the beach and we took them to the north shore to Turtle Beach too. I wasn't sure if there would be any turtles because as you know, the north shore swells can be huge in the winter time. When we first arrived they were hiding from us but eventually 4 or 5 showed up to play. Even Grandpa Mike was on the beach and caught a glimpse of my favorite island visitors. We stayed for a while and then headed down the coast to have another of my favorites- a shrimp truck plate lunch! We had scampi, hot and spicy and boiled with lemon. I tried to stay away from the scampi (all the butter is bad for my diet) but I did sample a little of the rice encrusted with huge chunks of garlic and seasonings. Yum yum! We have done some requested shopping and we are going out on the boat this Sunday. Mostly M & J have been around the house enjoying the kids and being a part of their "everyday". Kevin and I are staying in Waikiki for a couple nights and Judy is fully in charge!! She may leave sooner than planned!! We are staying at the Ohana Beachcomber right next to The International Market Place and have a beautiful view of the ocean and of the city at night. I am going to end this here so that I can head over to the beach. Can't you just feel the heat of the sun, hear the lapping sound of the waves and feel the warm sand between your toes?? I guess if it's cold and snowy that was pretty mean- tee hee hee!! Aloha!

Brrrr! The house is cold!

My a/c works!! I was able to turn off the window units, get rid of the fans and every room is cool and comfortable! Yeeaahh! Of course I had to go knocking on Forest City's door and ask why I had not heard from them since they had given me the estimated date of repair as 1/08. Amazingly enough they gave me a repair date for the next day. Now if I had inquired the day before I wonder if it could have been fixed the day prior? And if so, they should have been on the phone calling me to let me know that the parts had arrived and asking when they could perform the repair for me. Very poor customer service. Anyway I have a brand new unit and it is working nicely. Now I just have to return all the fans and a/c units we have borrowed.
Tara had opening day ceremonies for cheer leading again today but we are now into b-ball instead of f-ball. The performance was very cute minus a few technical difficulties with the music. They had a game later in the day that Kev went to while I napped so I could come in to work. He said they need to get used to cheering inside from the bleachers instead of outside behind the lines of the football field. The coaches always neglect the first game when preparing for opening ceremony so it will get better. Tara loves coach Angela and she is great with the girls. She likes to bribe them with stickers and, occasionally, candy. It works! Kevin was glad I was going to work tonight so they could eat pasta and bread. They have been eating healthy right along with me. I'm down 7 #s. My mother is coming to stay for a month in mid Feb and she is having an entire NS order sent here so we can do it together. Kev laughed and said she hopes she can sleep with it cause we are out of room! LOL! (Don't worry, Mom, he's just teasing!) Did I happen to mention to anyone that Tara decided she didn't like a piece of hair that was hanging in her face so she cut it off? Yep, right in the front and she cut it close to the scalp. Now it is growing out but we call her spike. She hates it! I have actually caught her with the gel trying to get it to lay down but it is just at a perfect length to stick straight up and it does! We are hoping she learned her lesson. I think I remember doing something like that as a child? Hope you had a great day and I have some videos I'll post tomorrow when I get home. Aloha!

Camping

The tent was our original idea. The cabin was our reality.

Camping! Rustic camping! The great outdoors, family bonding, hikes through the woods, s'mores, - torrential downpour? That wasn't supposed to be part of our trip! LOL! But, oh, the rain came down in buckets. The day started off grey but there was no delaying this trip for the kids. No way! Off to Bellows we went. Bellows is a beautiful beach just south of us with cabins and campgrounds and we were going to take the kids on the their first camping trip and strart a great family tradition. When we arrived the tent was set-up without a hitch. The kids ran around and everything was off to a great start. We rented a bicycle built for five, played at the playground, ran around the beach and then the sprinkle began. Thunder (it rarely thunders here) rumbled in the distance followed by more rain. We all jumped into the tent. It began to rain so hard that the bottom of the tent felt like a waterbed. We had a cooler full of food but I was having thoughts of jumping into the car and driving away to a nice restaurant for dinner to wait out the storm. That's not part of the outdoor experience so I stayed quiet. What I did do was make Kevin go to the office and rent a camper cabin. (I waited for the rain to turn into a drizzel so he wouldn't float away!) The camper cabin is a little log cabin with a queen size bed and a bunk bed. That's it- no tv, no kitchen, no couch. That's still pretty rustic in my book. In all actuality it turned out to be a great time. We had a porch so we had protection from the rain and we were able to get dinner together. The rain stopped and the stars and moon were even showing through the clouds. We cooked kabobs and hot dogs with campfire beans and a great big tin full of veggies. The kids were able to do s'mores and when Trey was sleeping soundly inside, we played a game of Sorry! on the front porch. The next morning we all played on the beach and the kids had a wonderful experience. That's what it is all about!! Our next camping trip will be after the rainy season...

Think warm thoughts!

Kevin is on his way to Alaska. Adak, Alaska, which is the little island that 3 or 4 people live on. I'm not sure of the spelling or the amount of people but I know it is basically considered uninhabited. Hawaii to Alaska in the dead of winter. I get the shivers just typing the thought! He was leaving at 2AM. The dilemma that I am building to here is that the KC Chiefs have their play-off game tomorrow at 11:30am our time. By his calculations he should be there by game time. But.....will the uninhabited island have a TV? Cable? Satellite dish with reception in a snow storm?? He is frantic!! LOL!!! Poor Kevin! I just hope there is a TV with the game cause if not his cell phone will be roaming for 3 hours. But maybe that won't get a signal either!! LOL!! I better set the DVR. (Cross your fingers and say a small prayer for him!)
So, Kevin is gone and won't return till Sunday late afternoon. Sunday is the day we go camping. Of course my dear husband will swoop in when the tent is set up and camp is complete and probably get there just in time for dinner. Luckily, our neighbors are going to go with, so Rey can do all the guy stuff. Tomorrow we need to get all the supplies ready but the kids say the only things we need are the ingredients to make s'mores. Speaking of kids, they saw Happy Feet tonight so they were dancin' around the house till we forced them to their rooms. The wondrous glory of childhood!
BTW, nutrisystem rocks!! And remember, think warm thoughts and TVs!! :)

Thank you Emily!!!!

My dog is so happy! She is laying very comfortably on the couch getting cozy in a blanket. Do you know why?? My dear friend Emily found 2 window unit air conditioners for us today. We have one upstairs and one downstairs and the house is cooling off nicely. At this rate by morning there will be icicles hanging from the ceiling. Fabulous!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

New Years Resolutions

We hope everyone had a great Christmas and a New Year in moderation. Oops! I know a bunch of us who forgot about the moderation part!! Glad that's over.... Of course the kids are on break here and since Christmas we have been letting them enjoy all their presents and each other. New Years Eve I woke up after working the night before, and the kids were jumping up and down (literally) because they wanted to go hiking. Also before I drifted off to dream land, we were going to have a nice quiet Eve with the kids and watch the ball drop. On our way to Manoa Falls (Kevin missed this one the first time around and I knew it would be an hour round trip) Kevin tells me that every one's plans had changed and they were all coming over. Yiipppeee! The hike is always a good one and the kids discovered the use of a walking stick. I thought the hike was going to be over before it started. Big Guy, on the way to the trail head, took a big spill on the pavement. Scraped his elbow and there was blood and everything. Luckily five steps away kind people had left walking sticks leaning against the fence next to the trail head. Good distraction technique!! Every other time he fell I would hold my breath until I heard the familiar "I'm okay!". A little family event was a good start to our evening. Several hours later we were ringing in the new year with sparklers and small fireworks. We played several rounds of 3 man, broke in the new blinko/drinko game and pretty much acted as if we thought we were 21 again. Problem is when I was 21 I didn't have to wake with the baby the next morning. The only casualty we had was the trampoline. As we were throwing firecrackers in the air one fell on the tramp. Pete made heroic efforts at trying to retrieve it before it did any damage but it did make several small holes. The children may call for a mutiny over this one!! Yesterday we loaded up the car and went to the beach over on Bellows. Bellows has an incredible powder sand beach and the waves break a little ways out making it perfect for boogie boards. Tara, Tyler and Kev had a great time in the water and I was kicking myself for forgetting my camera. Baby Trey was picture perfect as he dragged a boogie board around by it's leash. Too cute!! I sat on the beach freezing while everyone else was playing in the water. I have gotten so acclimated to my hot house (Yes, the idiots of Forest City have still not fixed my air) that the slightest bit of coolness gives me the shivers. While we were there we made a reservation to go back next Sun/Mon and camp. We shall see how that event unfolds. I know I missed some birthdays too so happy birthday to Barb and Kelly! Hope you had a good one!! I titled this new years resolutions so let me share mine here. I was most pleased with my weight after having baby Trey and managed to keep it off for the 10 months that I nursed him. Since then it has been creeping back. So I have decided to get skinny. Don't laugh! I'm serious!! I joined Nutri System and am now waiting for the arrival of my meals. Hopefully, in a few months, I'll be complaining because my clothes don't fit any more!! Wish me luck and I hope all of your resolutions come true too!!!