Our Last Supper (Day 7)

For the last evening of our 15-year anniversary getaway, Amber had hoped that we could do a moonlit picnic on the beach. I wasn't convinced this would be the funnest activity, but I was willing to give it a try.

We grabbed the lantern, some towels, and jackets at the apartment. We then went to a nearby deli and purchased some food and walked out onto the quiet Kailua Beach. The environment was fabulous. We didn't see anyone else on the beach. It felt like we had the peaceful scene to ourselves. We spread out our beach towels, turned on the lanterns, and laid out our little feast in front of us.

We had a great time sitting next to each other and sharing the food while talking and enjoying the constant sound of the surf as it washed up within a few feet of us with its never-ending, calm rhythm that makes the ocean beach such an amazing destination.

It was the perfect way to conclude our vacation together.

I'm so lucky to have Amber as my wife. With her at my side, I feel like I can take on the world. It was so good for us to spend that week together in Hawaii.

We are grateful to Jen and her family for taking care of things at home so that we could spend this much needed time together.

Mahalo and Aloha!

Lighthouse Hike (Day 7)

On our last day in Hawaii, we decided that we had had enough laying around and soaking up sun. We got our tennis shoes and donned the backpack and took up a nearby hike that overlooked an old lighthouse on the shore.

On the way up, we had to make sure to grab a geo-cache so that we could count Hawaii as one of the states in which we have found the hidden treasures. There were a number of them along this hike, but we only took the time to find a few of them. Earlier in the week, I climbed out on a rocky ridge above a wild shore and got yelled at by Amber as I retreived the cache. I figured that we should probably do a more calm geo-cache so that the memory would be a nice one rather than a more violent one ;-), so we grabbed these together on the hike.

Once we got to the top, Amber was a bit weary about the height of it all.  We decided to snap some pictures of the two of us on the summit. We were able to see a lot of different sites from the island from this vantage point. It was a beautiful perspective and were glad that we did the hike.

After the hike, we started to head back to our apartment but decided to stop off at a beach that is informally known as "from here to eternity beach".  The beach actually has an official name, however, many of the locals call it this as a famous movie scene was filmed on this beach for the movie, "From Here to Eternity".  The mid-20th century movie involved a steamy love scene of the stars rolling around and kissing on a small sandy shore of wild beach where the surf pounds the nearby rocks with its fury.

Amber and I had the beach to ourselves. So we took about 20 to 30 minutes setting the camera on auto shoot mode and doing some fun "From Here to Eternity" poses at the beach. I guess we were not the only ones having a good time, as after a while we looked up on the rocky cliff above us and found several people at the Lookout watching us set our camera and run into position to create comically steamy shots of two lovers on a wild shore.

Sunrise, Sunset (Day 5)

We wanted to make sure that while we were in Hawaii we would catch at least one sunrise and one sunset. On one of our days, we got both ends of the spectrum.

During our stay on Oahu we rented a small apartment in a small town called Kailua. He was a quiet town that had a beautiful long sandy beach that was not overcrowded. In the morning, we got up and rode bicycles provided by the apartment to the beach. There we walked along the shore talking and waiting for the sun to rise above the ocean horizon.

It was beautiful to see the sunrise above the water and to have the two of us on the beach with few other people.

We were the only ones on the beach, however, as it had been a windy morning several man-of-war jelly-type fish had washed up on the beach. Unknowingly, as we walked with her feet in the water one of them was washed across the top of Amber's feet. He gave her a good sting and left some welts on the top of her foot. Luckily it subsided after 10 or 15 minutes. However, we decided we would walk higher on the beach for the rest of the morning.

Later that day, we were on the North Shore of Oahu.  As the day drew to a close, we parked at Sunset Beach to watch the sunset. It had been difficult throughout the week to find a good sunset because at night we had several clouds come in and it would cover the sun. This was probably the best sunset we had on the beach. We wanted to make sure that we had a picture of the two of us at Sunset on Sunset Beach. We grabbed a passerby and asked them to take her picture in the waning sunlight.

Sea Turtle Visit - (Day 5)

Before we had left for Hawaii John asked us to take a picture of a sea turtle if we encountered one while we were there. Our fifth day in Hawaii we decided it was time to search out the elusive sea turtle. We got out our tour book and found some of the best beaches for sea turtles. We hit this beach on the North Shore and we were lucky enough to have a visit by an old sea turtle within 15 minutes of our stopping the beach.

It was fun to see this turtle swam up to shore and then climb up on the beach and just rest in the sun. There were some biologists are on the beach the rope had often talked a little bit about this particular sea turtle as well as the sea turtles in general. It was fun to learn a bit about them.

Snorkeling in Oahu (Day 2)

Our second real day in Oahu and make sure that we got some snorkeling in. The apartment we stayed at had snorkeling gear there that we could use. We threw it into the convertible and headed off to the nearby Hanauma Bay that is a nature reserve dedicated for snorkeling enthusiasts. It is a nice place to snorkel. There are tons of reef and fish. The only downside to this day was the number of people that were there. The good thing about snorkeling, however, is when you're inside the water everything is peaceful and quiet. It is amazing how the fish are so used to people swimming by them. We will swim right next to you at often follow you as you go along looking for the different varieties of life under the water.

This was our first time snorkeling in many years. We are both a little nervous so we thought it would be fun to hold hands under the water. If one of us started to swallow water or otherwise need to resurface we could squeeze each other's hand and pop up out of the water. This worked for a little while, however, as we got our bearings and felt comfortable with the masks were able to do this without keeping so close to each other.

One downside to snorkeling trip is that I lost my wedding band. I wore in the water because I have never had it slip off of my finger in the almost 15 years we've been married. The only thing that I can figure, is that while Amber and I were holding hands under the water swimming that maybe one of us yanked our hands free in order to maneuver and it must've pulled the ring off. I was quite bummed about losing my wedding band.

Snorkeling ended up being one of our favorite activities while we were on the island.

Lost

At the beginning of the year, Amber let me talk her into getting started with the TV series, "Lost".  We have really gotten into it and have enjoyed the series. For those of you familiar with the TV series, it is about a group of people that are involved in a plane wreck in crash on a deserted island. Some people thought it was a little funny when they saw us watching movies on the airplane about people who crashed while in flight. But it sure helped pass the six-hour flight between LA and Oahu.

We had read that the series was filmed on Oahu and we wanted to find at least one of the sites were some of the major scenes were filmed. We did a little research and found that the beach where most scenes take place on the TV series were filmed on a secluded beach on the North Shore of the island. In order to get to the speech, we had to park a ways down at a public park and walk along a rocky beach line to get to the popular scene.

On our way Amber and I were talking and I was ahead and she was behind me. While we were chatting, Amber screamed all of a sudden. I stopped dead in my tracks wondering what the world went wrong. She then indicated to me that within a few feet before I was walking there was a large seal resting in the sand. We had originally mistaken it for a piece of large driftwood, and I probably would've walked right up to it or even stepped on it. I was glad the Amber realized what was before we found out what it feels like to run away from an angry seal but was woken up from its nap.

We found the beach and took some pictures of it and the surrounding area. We had fun messing with the time delay function on our camera and we took some shots of the two of us.

As we started walking back to our car, Amber asked me to stop for a moment. She said that she had purchased a gift for me that she wanted to give to me on our trip to Hawaii. She had purchased it a few months ago and was waiting to give it to me while we were on the island. I open the small block house that she put into my hand and found a brand-new wedding band. She has wanted to give me a new wedding band for quite some time. 

I had lost my wedding ring a couple of days earlier when we had been snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. She thought that was quite ironic that I would lose our wedding band on the same trip that she had planned to give me a new one.  For added emphasis, or irony, she waited until we are on the beach where they filmed "lost" to give me my new wedding band to replace my lost one.

Perl Harbor

One of the things that Amber and I wanted to do while we were in Hawaii was to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial. We've talked to several people that have done that before and they mentioned that the worst part about it was getting there early and standing in lines in order to get tickets that were at assigned for a certain time later that day. It really tied you up to be in that part of Hawaii for most of the day.

On the Saturday that we were there, we were nearby Pearl Harbor and so we decided to take a gamble. It was in the later part of the afternoon so we had no idea what to expect as far as crowds. When we went to the desk they told us that there were no more tickets for the day and that this was the last session that they were allowing through in the Memorial. They suggested that we come early the next day or go online and order tickets a couple days in advance.

We were turning around to leave when Amber suggested that we just try to make our way in with the last group regardless to see if they would let us get in. The last group had just gotten into the auditorium so we had to run to get over there. When we got there we asked the park rangers if there were any extra spaces and they said that there was. So we were able to hop right in without getting any tickets or without having to wait in line to do so.

They showed a good film about the events surrounding Pearl Harbor in the attack. And then they put you on a boat and ferry you off to the Memorial that they have erected above the sunken ship, the USS Arizona.

It was a good thing to do, and we were glad that we are able to get it for that day. We were especially glad that they were able to fit us in at the last moment.

Being a Big Helper can really Suck!

Amber had a neighbor coming over to our house today to work with her on some wood working.  The neighbor, a friend of ours, had just bought some tools and was wanting to learn how to use them.  We had the same tools, so she asked Amber if she could come over and help her with a project so that our friend could learn how to use the same tools.

In preparation for the visit, Amber was tidying up the garage so that they could have plenty of room to work.  Jace wanted to help, so he got out the ear muffs and the shop vac and went right to work.  It was funny...he took his job very seriously and did a tremendous job!

Family Home Shooting

John and I had a scout campout over Friday and Saturday. The scout master is a good friend of mine. We got to talking and decided it would be fun to have their family over for FHE on Monday night. Jared said he could bring some clay pigeons and his thrower. He only had a 12 gauge shotgun, so it was my repsonsibility to find a good shotgun for the kids.

On Saturday, Amber and I shopped for guns and found a 500 Bantam Mossberg 20 gauge shotgun that was cut for youth. It is a fun little gun.

On Monday night, their family showed up. We built a fire by the barn and roasted hotdogs and smores. We set up the thrower and shot skeet for a good portion of the time. Aylee and John really enjoyed shooting the gun.

We also had Aylee's bow and arrow in use in another section of the field for the kids. John let us borrow his BB gun and we set up targets for the smallest kids and helped them shoot as well.

We had just a little rain and wind just as we got started, but it cleared off nicely and we all had a great time.

Polynesian Cultural Center

On the same day as our trip to the temple, Amber and I spent the second part of that day at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

It was really an amazing place. We went to just about every show provided by the center. They had a number of island systems represented at the center and each one had shows and presentations as well as hands on workshops. We only were able to do a few workshops, but spent most of our time viewing the different cultural shows.

We ended the evening first with a Lu'au dinner at the center and then a big finale type presentation. At the dinner we sat next to a small family from Wisconsin. We found out they were LDS just near the end of our time together. We mentioned to them that we were planning on going to Nauvoo in this fall with the kids. They had friends that own a house in Nauvoo. For most of the year it is empty and they rent it out for free with a request that you donate a specific amount of money to Fast Offerings. Pretty interesting concept. We'll have to check it out if our Nauvoo plans involve an overnight stay.

Hukilau Cafe

Our first lunch in Hawaii was held at a place we found quite by accident.  After our temple session in La'ie, we opened up the urbanspoon app on the iphone and chose an authentic Hawaiian place called the Hukilau Cafe.  It was funny, this really was like a hole in the ground, but you could truly say it was authentic.  We ordered the "Loco Moco" meal and shared it between the two of us.  We discovered that we really probably didn't care much for authentic Hawaiian :)  

The Loco Moco is a dish of white rice with a hamburger patty and an egg on top and then smothered with brown gravy.  It wasn't terrible, but was just bland and a little greasy.

We saw a poster of the movie, "Fifty first dates".  We could tell there was some significance there.  We looked it up and found out that the Hukilau Cafe was featured in the movie, however, it was only featured in name, not actual location.  They purchased rights to use the name in their movie, but chose to have a fake set of a more glamorous restaurant than the corner, five-tabled shack of its namesake.

La'ie Temple Visit

On Thursday morning, our first day in Hawaii, Amber and I decided to get up early in the morning and head to the La'ie Temple to do a session. We wanted to hit an early session which wouldn't be a problem since our internal clocks were still set to Mountain time. So, getting up at 6:00 in Oahu, is like getting up at 10am in Idaho.

We traveled the hour drive up the east coast of Oahu to get to the temple. It was fun to do so with our convertible's top down! It was a beautiful drive.

We hit the 8am session, and knowing the Polynesian Cultural Center wouldn't be open for another 90 minutes when the session was over, we did a sealing session as well. We were the only couple on the sealing session. It was just us and the sealer and witnesses. It was cozy and nice. The Hawaii temple has small comfortable rooms that you moved to throughout the session similar to the Idaho Falls temple. It was a great experience and a wonderful way to kick off the week together.

Race Day

A few weeks ago, Amber found that there was going to be a race in Kailua where we are staying here in hawaii. She signed up for the race to say she went to hawaii to run a race :).

When we picked up her packet we saw that she was runner number one! She must have been the first person to register for the race.

I'm sitting on a park bench blogging about our trip as she runs the race. I'm looking forward to her strong hawaiian finish!

Riding in style (Day 1)

When we were planning our trip to hawaii a couple of months ago, amber convinced me to spend an extra ten dollars per day to upgrade our rental car to a convertible to give us more viewing angles of Hawaii as we drive through the island. I am not dissappointed!

Our rental car actually ended up being a brand new chrysler 200 convertible. It still had the protective stickers on the steering wheel and everything.

We have been having a lot of fun getting to our destinations in this sweet ride. There is nothing like driving a tropical island with the top down.

Oahu (Day 0)

Amber and I flew into Oahu, Hawaii today about 6pm Hawaii time (about 10pm MDT) By the time we got the rental car figured out and our bed and breakfast found, it was 8pm.  We went out to dinner and are heading to bed...hoping to get over the four hour time difference so that we can fit in with the locals!

Happy Easter 2012

Amber and I have always had our most commercial part of the Easter Holiday on Saturday since the activities and traditions fit better on a Saturday.  This meant that yesterday was a busy day!

When the kids woke up they went to find the baskets that were filled by the Easter Bunny.  They each received candy, chocolates, and sun glasses.  The kids were pretty excited about that.

We then got dressed and left the house to go out to our annual Ward Easter Breakfast and egg hunt at the church pavilion.  No worries that it was only 32 degrees at the time...the old timers said we would be fine eating our pancakes outside in freezing temperatures, and they were right, we survived :)  We had a great time seeing so many ward members.  Adee and Adam arrived at the church just in time for the easter egg hunt.  All of the kids had fun running around looking for the hundreds of eggs scattered out on the church lawn.

Later that day we held an easter party of our own.  We had Verne and Ann, Adee and Adam (and their family), and our friends the Rickabaughs.  

We started our party around 2pm.  We kicked it off with two different easter egg hunts.  The first was for the little kids down in our "orchard" lawn.  The older kids were responsible for hiding the eggs down there.  It was fun watching the youngest kids get such a kick out of hunting for the eggs.

Each egg had some pieces of candy in them.  After the younger kids hunted, the older kids had to hunt for the eggs hidden by the adults.  The Rickabaughs brought a silver egg with two dollars in it and a golden egg with five dollars in it.  The kids that found those eggs got to keep the money.  Man they were all motivated.  The oldest Rickabaugh girl found the silver egg, and Aylee found the gold egg.  The silver and gold egg ended up being the two last eggs found...thanks to the wicked hiding ability of Adam Christensen.

After the older kid egg hunt, we did the second annual adult/teen treasure hunt.  I had some booklets prepared with puzzles and codes.  People were running around with GPS units, booklets, and pencils searching for clues that led to the "treasure chest".  The teenagers (Aylee, John, and Emily Rickabaugh) were the first team to find the treasure.  They took a bold gamble and skipped a couple of puzzles to guess the final location of the treasure and it paid off!

We then enjoyed a little BBQ of hamburgers and hotdogs out on the deck.  After that, we had our pinata activity.  Kids of all ages had fun taking a whack at the easter bunny pinata.

Ann and Verne were the final batters and they scattered the sweet treasures across the grass amid kids on all fours rushing to get as at much of the sweet stuff as they could get.  After the candy was all claimed, the teens took turns shooting arrows at the remaining face of the pinata as it hung on the swingset.

After the neighbors left, Verne and Ann presented easter presents to all of the grandkids.  John received the most disturbing gift of all....a portable lighter.  Hmm...there goes the barn :-).  The kids really enjoyed the thoughtful little gifts at the end of the day.

It was a fun, and tiring day.  We were grateful to be able to share the day with part of the Reed Clan.  

Easter Egg Time

This afternoon when the kids got home from school Amber and Ann had everything prepared for easter egg dyeing. Ann sat with the younger kids and helped them decorate their eggs while the older ones worked on their own.  Some of the colors were pretty rich and amazing.  

Tomorrow (Saturday) we will do the hunt for the kids and most of all other easter festivities.  

Should I be Worried?

I am in the office right now working diligently on a presentation that I will be giving in the near future. I paused a minute to relax and realized that I can hear Jace running around the upstairs and playfully shooting, "You wanna piece of me? You wanna piece of me?"

Then I hear punching and jabbing sound effects before the feet are off again running to the next location.

I guess we'll have to pull Jace off of all of the Rambo-type movies and put him on some "Barbie Princess and the Star Fairy" ones instead.

Singing in the Bus

The other day Amber was telling me about John and Aliece and their habits of singing on the bus ride home from school every day. Amber met a woman in our neighborhood the other day. The woman had kids that are both John's age and Aliece's age. the boy was in the room first and Amber was asking him if he know John Andersen. The kid said, "Oh yeah, that is the boy that likes to sing on the bus. Man he sings loud too."

When his younger sibling walked into the room, Amber asked them if they knew Aliece. The younger sibling said nearly the same words, "oh, yes, she is the one that sings on the bus all of the time, and she sings loud too."

We have talked to the kids about it. John says that he and his friend are just doing missionary work by singing the hymns for everyone else to hear on the bus -- No convert baptisms yet though.

Aliece brags that she can sing loud enough to get the bus driver's attention (and she interprets that as a good thing, hmmmm).

Anyway, it reminded me of Dad always telling stories of when he would drive bus in his early married years. He would take the high school students on trips and he would sing the whole way to their destination.

There must definitely be a certain gene that is getting passed on here!

Look out Apple, here comes the P-Pad

Often when I am working from home and Amber has to run somewhere in the mornings without the kids, I'll just take out my iPad and hang it on one of the dresser drawers in Jace and Avary's room. They will watch a cartoon or something short while Amber is gone and I am in the office which is just the next room over.

Avary loves the to be able to use the iPad, but she has it in her head that the magical electronic device is a P-Pad instead of an iPad. It has always been so cute. Today however, Jace and Avary got into an argument because Jace was trying to tell her that it was an iPad. I think Avary believed Jace was saying it was his device (get it? I Pad). She would correct him and say, "no it is dad's p-pad".

I had to quickly get them distracted by a Movie so that they wouldn't get too mad at each other over the pronunciation of the device.

Given the number of iPads used in the bathroom, however, the name P-Pad might not be so far off.