Heavenly Hawaii

Before I post any pictures, I wanted to share my thoughts about this vacation.  Jeff and I needed this time away more than I realized.  We savored every second and took in so much beauty.  Hawaii is so gorgeous.  We left on Friday, October 11th and were scheduled to be home on Friday, October 18th.  However, when we got to the airport  Thursday night, the airplane had some mechanical issues and we were put up in a hotel for two extra nights on the airlines tab.  I was a bit frustrated because when I set my mind to something, it happens.  This was out of my control and I am here to say that those few extra days were the best part of my trip.  Jeff and I were able to go to a few more places and spend more time together relaxing.  I had several moments of pure reflections on my life at home.  I missed my kids terribly but I knew they were begin taken care of.  My parents came to stay with them while we were away.  They had obstacles with  things but took care of everything.  I'm so grateful for their help and love always.

Camille was so generous to invite us!  This was a trip I will always hold precious to my heart for many reasons.   Life has a funny way of showing us its true meaning.  I am grateful for each person in my life.  Hawaii was AMAZING!  I told Jeff several times while we were there that we WILL live there someday.  What's a dream when you don't express it and work towards it anyway?

It was great to spend quality time with GG and Grandpa Dave too.  They are such a cute couple.  They were troopers to be out in the hot Hawaii sun and humidity during the triathlon.  They are so supportive of their children and I admire their spirited nature.

The Ironman Triathlon was empowering.  I learned so much about life in that one day.  Watching and rooting on Dan through the race was an adrenalin rush.  They swim 2.4 miles, bike 112, and then run a full 26.2 marathon.  Watching each contestant was mind blowing.  Especially knowing Dan personally and his personal struggles going on in his life right now.  He dedicated his race to his darling wife, Michelle, who is battling breast cancer.  I am grateful to have such inspiring and uplifting people around me to help me try to be better.  Dan finished in 13 hrs and 22 minutes.  His goal was to finish in 13 hrs and 15 minutes.  He was pretty darn close.  He did the entire thing with a sprained ankle too!  Then there were the men I saw who didn't have legs who did the entire triathlon with their arms.  AMAZING!  I'm sorry but there is just no excuse why any human can't do something they dream of doing.  Anything is possible with passion, endurance, and a steady determination to reach your goals and make your dreams a reality.

Where's Waldo? 

I got a kick out of this funny man dressed up like Waldo. 

This was the perfect place to dress up and be spotted!

Owen loves Where's Waldo books and he looks in the books

almost every night with daddy. 

 



This photo of Michelle and Dan was taken immediately after Dan finished.  He looked exhausted!  And he had every reason to.  After having done a full marathon myself, I still cannot imagine the endurance required for these athletes to swim, bike, and run. 

That is something that will always amaze me. I loved spending time with them. 

We stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa in Kona, HI.  It was a very nice and spacious resort.  I believe they said it was 67 acres.  That is huge!  This Hawaii trip was way more relaxing than any other vacation I have ever had.  I loved being able to spend quality time with Jeff's family.  It seems like whenever we have a family get together I am always chasing kids or there just isn't enough time. 

Family is a true blessing.  

The resort had dolphins that you could pay to swim with.  We opted out but were able to get a (horrible) picture of them.  There was a new baby dolphins that was just a few days old.  It was tiny and cute.  One day, we are going to take our kids to swim with dolphins..  I think Kaebrie would absolutely LOVE it!

The water slide was fun for all, but me... I decided to take photos instead;)

Everywhere we went there were these cute little birds.  They were super friendly and not shy to come for food near you.

This picture has a story!  Camille wanted to take Sam and Abby beach combing before we headed to the airport on Thursday.  It is bad karma to take stuff from the beach.  We thought it was pretty funny when we talked about the events after her taking stuff from the beach.  She almost hit a cat in the parking lot, our airplane broke, and she was sleeping on bench in the airport terminal and a sprinkler turned on and got her wet.  We laughed about the bad karma... 

I loved spending time with Dan and Michelle and their adorable kids.  Abby and Sam have one of the sweetest brother-sister relationships I have ever seen.  They were so fun to watch! 

Dan and Michelle went to the Ironman banquet one night and the kids stayed at the house.  I was listening to them make a plan to jump in the swimming pool with their clothes on.  They were giggling together and daring each other.  Then they jumped in the pool together and laughed hysterically for jumping in the pool fully clothed.  Now that is living right there!  I loved seeing that a brother-sister can get along and show love to each other.  My hope is that Owen and Kaebrie will have a special bond like that always.



 

There was a father and son out fishing in the ocean with a plastic cup and fishing line.  Yes, a cup.  It is hard to describe their strategy but they were catching tons of fish and filling a bucket with them.  Who needs a fishing pole when you have a cup?

On Saturday, we went snorkeling at a private beach in a residential estate area.  It was a black sand beach.  I have a fear of the ocean but I went out and snorkeled for awhile.  I was very proud of myself for letting go and making a memory.  I haven't laughed so hard in a long time though.  The tide was coming in very strong so it was hard to put the snorkeling gear on and get out to the water without getting washed up on the beach.  Camille and I grabbed onto each other and we both got swept up on the beach several times in a row.  It was a rocky beach so we got scraped up and had tons of treasures in our bathing suits.  Made for a hilarious ending to our trip... I am grateful to have such a spirited mother-in-law.  She is the best!

This is Camille and her friend LeeAnn.  They were quite the duo.  We had such a fun time with everyone and highly recommend to anyone everywhere to go to Hawaii at least once in their lifetime to experience the beauty, fresh ocean breezes, the sunset, and the laid back atmosphere.  We live in Utah where the air is so congested and icky.  When we got back to Salt Lake and drove through Bountiful, I could smell and taste the pollution. I LOVE Hawaii!!!