2 ~ Hawaii ~ Catamaran, Finding Home, and a Storm is Coming

We started our day with Dole Whip right after breakfast for the girls.











The first day we woke up to bad weather news.  Tropical Storm Darby was headed to the big island of Hawaii.  I'm not sure how long Scott knew about the storm.  I think he held back telling me.  As soon as I found I, I checked texted my Dad.  It was only a text but it was reassuring just as it always is.  The storm was headed to Oahu, and then Kauai (the island we were headed to next week)







Although it was supposed to hit later in the evening the sky already was cloudy and there was a certain "buzz" in the air among travelers .  We decided to do something that might be cancelled the next day due to high waves from the overnight storm.  Scott had booked this at home and we were really looking forward to it.  It was the perfect activity to lighten our 'storm coming moods'.
Catamaran on Waikiki 
The Catamaran was only a very short walk from our hotel down Waikiki beach.  Pulled up right on the sand.  We walked into the water and into the water, climbed on board and found our seats with the the Hawaiian sailors.

They told us that if we wanted to get really wet, to sit on the mesh net.  So I choose a regular seat (of course) while the girls and Scott chose the really wet part.

I really wish I could have taken my camera but since it was a wet ride we thought it better to capture the view from a phone.

Our catamaran ride started out very cloudy





Turned out to be a Hawaiian gorgeous day!

















Diary:
Saturday 3pm

Right now the girls are swimming in the ocean, Waikiki beach with Scott. He bought them tubes. And I'm on the patio writing because I don't want to forget anything. Like this morning, our first breakfast at the Beach Club or our Catamaran. 10:30 am just steps from the Moana Hotel. We hopped on and I was so nervous... luckily Scott remembered to give Anna a Dramamine. The girls started on the boats net floor and loved it. But once we got past diamond head it got so choppy and the waves crashed over the girls. One so huge it knocked Abigail into Scott. I looked down and saw tears in her eyes so scared.

(Here is what fun we had and here is a big wave about to crash right over Abigail.)



Diary 
The sailor guy picked her up and lifted her over to me. A little cuddle was in order for the rest of the trip. The rest was calm and wonderful. How lovely to see Waikiki from the ocean. Lovely indeed. Lunch at the Surfrider in our bathing suits. I ate the most delicious turkey wrap - so fresh when I crunched. Then Scott got the girls tubs for floating in Waikiki beach. Lovely day.







And then after a while she was fine (but stayed up with me)



Finding Home ~ Kaneohe

In the afternoon we relaxed in the lobby for a bit and then headed to another part of the island to find the home I lived in when I was seven.



Okay, I have to stop and tell you that in Hawaii (with the exception of one photos on the beach night) I wore not a drop of makeup. Nothing! And I didn't blow dry my hair (both of which I do at home every single day) So with that said...



Windy but still happy when Anna will take the camera for me so I can get one with this guy!



So easy! We found it. Because I had the address memorized since I was seven! Some things you never forget.



The girls jumped out of the car because I HAD to have one in front with my daughters!



A flood of so many happy childhood memories behind that gate. There is a patio behind the gate.  An outdoor shower (it's Hawaii, you need one to get off the sandy feet after the beach every day) And then there is a front door.  I wish I could go in to show you (or maybe my memory is better).  There is a kitchen to the right.  We had a kitchen table in there.  And it was open to the family room.  A sliding glass door to the backyard.  I can't picture the bathroom at all but I remember the two bedrooms off of the family room/hallway.  It was brand new when we lived there and just right for our family of 5 when we lived there.  I slept in a small bedroom with my brothers.  They were in bunk beds and I was in a bed.  The top of the sliders you see there lead to the master bedroom.  I remember trick or treating there (it was so warm, but drizzly that Halloween in Hawaii) I was a princess.  My Dad made a crown out of card stock.  He drew it and colored it with markers.  My Mom figured out a dress and added light blue tulle to it and made a wand.  I loved that costume!



I'm so glad my parents were so brave to leave everything and live there for a year!



And it was getting late but we found my school. There is a new front area on it and a new playground (thank goodness) but the outdoor hallways were exactly the same. I could pick out my hall, and both of my brothers.  (schools website)  My Mom just told me (but as soon as she did I remembered like it was yesterday) that my brothers and I got on the city bus with a dime to and from school.  We only had one car when we lived in Hawaii and my dad drove it to his school where he was a teacher so my Mom rode her bike to this school when she wanted to volunteer.



Dear Diary (9:00pm)

The girls and are sleeping and I'm sitting in bed (with tea) writing. They are oh so tired from a day of sun and swimming and sand that we can even have the light on in here. It was a full, full day taking in the beauty of this amazing hotel. Discovering all of it. After showers we had dinner at the Beach Club and then to the tron of Kanaoe about 35 minutes away. I found my 'old' house where I lived for a year. It looked almost the same. I felt an instant connection. And my school - Scott helped me find my school. It was sweet to see - a different time in my life. How adventurous my parent were at my age - younger.

They are saying a big tropical storm is coming tomorrow into Monday morning. But we will be spending the day with the Yogi's - so no problem at all - I still can't believe we're here. Dreams to come true! All 20 years of them. Night night!

1 ~ Hawaii

I started uploading the raw images from my many digital cards and I thought, "did I really go there"? In a way the photos didn't even look familiar.  Either I took so many that I forgot about that day, that dress, that part of our trip.  Or I was gone so long that I forgot parts.  Either way, it is good to look back.

This morning, during my Bible time and prayer time I was thanking God for all of the things He used this trip to teach me, grow me, relax me, clear me.  I know it was only 13 days but in some little way I feel like a whole different person. And it feels like it reset our family.

When I look at these pictures they seem like a long time ago.  We are really 'just back' but when I first viewed them, I thought there is no way these were THIS summer.

So join me, on a trip to Hawaii.  (and it's going to be in small bits and pieces, sorry for that.  I have small bits and pieces for photo editing and blogging with my girlies home with me... this is the sweetest part of summer.  August.  Nothing but just us girls all day... and I don't want to miss any of it)

We went to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary. And we all went because it was really a celebration of God starting our family 20 years ago. We've been talking about our 20th anniversary trip since our honeymoon there 20 years ago and saving points for all of those years to help with the expenses. But with all of those years talking about "going back" it still felt like we were living in a dream when this all happened.

We drove to NYC and stayed at a JFK hotel the night before our early morning flight. We were groggy and tired that first morning waking up in NY but so excited!



I should have taken a quick shot of us going through security with all of our medication. A whole carry on suitcase full of meds for Abigail and all of her elecare (cans of powdered medical drink... kind of looks like baby formula). Along with that we had a thermos filled with premade elecare and doctors notes asking security to allow us to go on board with the food and drinks for her. We were quite the 'hold up the line' family. But our flight was 11 hours and there was no food for her on the flight due to allergies.

But once we got through and to the gate we relaxed and we waited.



And it felt really good to have most of this stuff gone.



We ate breakfast in the terminal

(she doesn't eat bananas due to one getting stuck in her throat when she was a baby because of EoE but that was what we could find her that wasn't allergic so she did and we were all so happy) 


A word about Abigail and this trip because traveling to Hawaii from Connecticut is kind of stressful when your daughter has eosinophilic esophagitis. We never eat out home and we'd have to eat out for every meal for 13 days. It's (sort of) easy to manage this disease at home but this trip would force us to be in uncomfortable situations over and over (3 times at least per day) and we HAD to face what we hate. We had lots of talks with Abigail before we left about this trip and she was 'on board' with handling it. Typing this after we got home and reflecting I can say that she did amazing. We are so proud of our girl. She ate the same thing (once we found a food that was safe for her to eat on each island) over and over and over and never complained. She set my mamma's heart at ease and things like, "that's okay, I don't mind eating a plain piece of chicken" (while we were served amazing meals) I think the secret for our family and traveling with food allergies was to not look at the whole trip but to handle each meal at a time. That nine year old of mine rocked this trip with her food allergies. She drank warm elecare (gross!) and smiled to help ME through it. She made friends with the chief on Oahu so much so that he cooked her meals even if we weren't there just in case we came back to the hotel from a day exploring. She NEVER EVER complained about what she had to eat or being hungry. She just enjoyed. That girl is going to be just fine in life. Facing adversity or even just a tough day as an adult will be a breeze for her. I learned so much from her on this trip.

Okay, back to the photos...

Before we knew it we were boarding the plane.



This was my view for the 11 hour flight.



From my diary:  
Here we are!  We're in the air right now.  Scott has his movie and I have a hot cup of H& S organic Roobios and my diary.  It's almost like home with the girls in front of me watching Just Add Magic.  They were so cute and so polite when they ordered their drinks. "Yes please" Anna said to ice.  "just a little" Abigail added.  The steward smiled at them.  It feels really old fashioned to be writing.  Everyone around me has an ipad, a kindle fire, earbuds...

When we walked on the plane it was ice cold with a blanket and pillow on our seats.  Perfect for napping.  I'll be here for 11 hours.  Hoping Abigail finds a way to close her eyes and sleep a bit.  She's so tired.  She ate a banana at the airport.  So happy!  Breakfast!

Said goodbye to everyone - Mom is most excited following our flight online "with us all the way".  The hardest part is not being 7 and with my parent and brothers.  The second hardest part is not being 23 and "just married".  But some day I'll sit here again and say the hardest part is not being 43 and holding little girl hands.  

Bye- off to read my book (with real pages, ha!)  







The flight went by quickly (although I read an entire book cover to cover) and we landed in paradise! We were greeted by family friends the Yogi family. (if you saw the video of us in Hawaii when I was little back here, you saw this same family. Mr Yogi was the elementary school principal when my Dad was a teacher in Hawaii. And my parents have remained friends with them all these years)



It was a short visit and we were off to our hotel. (with a promise to see them soon) We decided to stay at the amazing, elegant, first lady of Waikiki, The Moana Surfrider, where we stayed for a few nights 20 years ago. Pulling up to the Moana is already like stepping back into time with it's elegant, arches, hard wood floors, open to the sea lobby. If you think about it you almost think you're back in 1901 when it was built. And for us it was just like stepping back to 1996. Nothing changed. It was just as elegant and wonderful as it was those 20 years earlier.

Moana Surfrider (first lady of Waikiki) 





(first glimpse that we saw as we pulled up... had to capture with my phone)


Scott must have taken this while he was checking in and we were all sipping on watermellon elixer in the lobby.









No matter how tired we were there was nothing like stepping on the sands of Waikiki!



Our room was amazing. There was chilled champagne and glasses, elegant and perfect. Just as I'd remembered it from 20 years earlier!



Suits on right away. We need ocean! Waikiki Beach 







And we stayed on the beach until the sun sank low. And it looked pretty as a postcard.





(phone pictures mixed in with the photos... but each picture I love so they're all in here, all mixed together) 








Back in our room we settled in for a cozy night of sleep.



From my diary:
Saturday 2pm
Soooo much has happened since we've been here.  The most wonderful aloha welcome from the Yogi's.  Beautiful leis.  And grandfathery warmth from Mr. Yogi.  I don't want to forget pulling up to the Moana Surfrider Hotel.  It was like a dream!  Just the way we left it 20 years ago.  Beautiful, upgraded family suite and dinner under the Banyon tree.  Lovely beyond!  

The girls swam and loved the ocean with Scott and then the pool.  We hopped into bed at 9pm which was really 3am to us in CT.  Abigail fell fast asleep and we worried about the noise.  After thinking it over for not too long we decided to switch rooms - by the time we were in bed it was 11pm (5am CT) I carried my sleeping Abigail with me to the new room.  She never woke up.  Now our room was cozy, quiet, and has an amazing ocean view!  I never thought I was an ocean view kind of girl but when I walked out even so tired from the travel day I gasped!

(more tomorrow)

Anniversary~moon

My sweet Scott surprised me with a little anniversary~moon the morning before we left for our big trip. We had such a special time together... I feel so blessed to be married to such a thoughtful, tender, and loving husband! I still get butterflies when he walks in the door, and I know that will never change!



Now to some, big anniversaries (like a 20th) bring diamonds. But my heart flutters with a pretty ribbon around a new Cannon lens box. Scott knew that this lens was one I wanted to add to my collection for quite a while and he is always trying to make my dreams (big and little) and I know I am one lucky girl.



Thanks for such a special morning, just us!

When the Letter Comes

It's 1:26 am and I am wide awake. We are back from the "trip of a lifetime" and my internal clock just can't seem to figure out day from night.

People have called this trip we just got back from a "trip of a lifetime" and it WAS an amazing trip but really the 'trip of a lifetime' is my LIFE! Oh I am so grateful for so many things in my little life right now.

But this.

This is first. If I were on facebook (which I'm not, currently) this little video would go viral. There'd be a gazillion likes and it might even make the Today Show!

On August 1st the back to school letter arrives in our mailbox. We were away so it was a few days late this year. It's the most anticipated piece of mail since the last day of school.

This year when Abigail opened it to find out her 4th (yes, I said 4th) grade teacher she had the GREATEST reaction ever. Because it was this teacher. (here) (here)

She opened the letter and this is what she read.  You've got to wait to see her reaction at the end.