Sandy Beaches, Sunsets, and Snorkeling

ALOHA!!! Our family vacation to Hawaii was fabulous! We stayed 8 nights on the island of Oahu and did all sorts of exploring and adventure seeking. Between myself, my two sisters, and my brother, we took over 400 pictures! It was very hard for me to narrow it down to a dozen or so to post for all to see! ENJOY!!!

WELCOME TO PARADISE....
Mom, Dad, my two sisters and I were the first group to arrive. My brother and my husband joined us over the next to two days (they had to work). When everyone was there, that's when the vacation began! !

The first few nights we stayed in Honolulu, a big city packed with people. Our hotel was an "apartment style" high rise and we were on the 25th floor. Our view of Waikiki beach was nice, but included the tops of several other tall buildings and hotels. It was close to the airport though and that made it easy to get to pick up the rest of our family. While waiting for the rest of our group to arrive, we did some exploring and site seeing. We shopped at the International Marketplace, toured Pear Harbor, walked Waikiki beach, and got lost in the maze of shops at the Swap Meet. When Brian and Dave arrived we were ready to leave the city and head to the North Shore.

With all 7 of us accounted for we made our way across the island to our villa at Turtle Bay Resort. We stopped at The Dole Plantation on our way and had some delicious pineapple ice cream.

Our villa at Turtle Bay was gorgeous! Modern and beautiful! Comfy beds, beautiful kitchen, a balcony over looking the pool and the ocean. Flat screen tv's in all the rooms, a storage unit packed with boogie boards and snorkel gear...



One of my favorite parts of the trip was all the snorkeling! We saw all sorts of colorful fish and even a few sea turtles! We would just pack the cars with our "gear" and head to different beaches. (Above) This is at Sunset Beach, our first snorkeling experience. You can tell we were all in need of some "sun!"

We also snorkeled at a place called Sharks Cove... the sharks only come out at night! So they said!









Sunset at Sharks Cove

Our day at the Polynesian Cultural Center was long, hot, fun, and VERY entertaining. We were able to visit different "countries" and learn all about them. We attended different "shows," went to the dinner/luau, and then to the night Horizon Show with all sorts of dancing and entertainment.

Brian was the greatest entertainment! He got called up on stage and did a little dance and some drumming! It was hilarious!

The rest of us each had our turn in the spotlight. The girls, my dad, and I all danced with coconuts and Dave made fire from sticks and opened a coconut!
Dinner and the luau was great! All sorts of dancers took the stage as we filled our tummies with pork, purple rolls, noodles, potatoes, and delicious desserts! It was a buffet so we all left feeling very stuffed!

We visited SEVERAL beaches on the island of Oahu. My brother, husband, and I found the biggest waves at "Sandy Beach." With a name like that, of course it was going to be a great beach. The waves were a bit too big for me though so I stood back and watched Dave and Brian get pummeled by the crashing waves.

Brian and Dave brought their boogie boards but when the lifeguard told them how dangerous the surf was then, they decided not to board but to stand in the sand and get pounded by the big waves. I got some great video's!

We also did some hiking while in Hawaii. The more difficult of the two hikes we went on was to the top of Diamond Head Crater. After several switchbacks and over 200 stairs the view of Waikiki beach and Honolulu from the top of the crater was beautiful!!



The other hike we went on was really more of a stroll through the jungle. This excursion ended at a water fall called, Waimea Falls. Dave and Heather cooled off my taking a little dip in the water and playing under the falls!

The Laie Temple was so beautiful! Mom and I woke up real early one morning and drove to the temple to do a session before everyone woke up. It was such a neat experience! I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints! The gospel is the same wherever you are...California, New York, Hawaii... it is TRUE!

Of course we had to see the temple at night too! A group of us ventured to Laie one night to take photos and admire the beautiful building.

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Sunset Beach was my favorite beach! The snorkeling was great, the water was crystal clear, the soft was soft, AND the SUNSET was very pretty! We took our chairs to the beach one night and just waited for the sun to set. While waiting we had fun burying Holly in the sand!

We did plenty of hanging out at our villa and the grill by the pool! I think we BBQ'd almost every night! The men would take their drinks and chairs by the grill while the girls showered after a long day of snorkeling and got ready for dinner!

Just lounging by the grill...waiting for dad to cook our burgers!

What better thing to do after a meal? Play a little volleyball in the pool then soak in the hot tub for a bit!

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Halewia was a little surf town about 15-20 minutes away from Turtle Bay. We were told that Pizza Bob's was a great place to eat here and for dessert we were to try a shaved ice from Matsamotos! I have never tasted such a delicious shaved ice! They put ice cream in the bottom and beans if you want them (I tried them but didn't care for them)! It was a very delicous treat to cool you off on a hot Hawaiian day!

HAWAII was a vacation I'll surely never forget! One day Brian and I would like to visit another Hawaiian island. But until then, we'll keep the photo album handy and remember our good times in paradise!

This was our last Hawaiian sunset! We stopped and ate at the Aloha Tower on our way to the airport.

~~~ALOHA HAWAII! ~~~

When Friends Get Together...

I don't get to see these fine women often enough! The only person missing in this photo is our dear friend Autumn who is currently living in Minnesota.

These girls are all one in a million! They are the best friends anyone could ask for! Life has taken us all in different directions from Tennessee, to Alaska, and Minnesota. Distance has made it hard for us to get together as much as we would like, but that hasn't put a dent in our friendship!

What brought us all together this time was Amber! She flew in from Tennesee for her baby shower and we all jumped at the occasion to spend time together. We had such a great time getting caught up on each others lives and sharing stories. I have been blessed to have these gals as friends and will forever be thankful for their friendship, for all they do, and for all that they ARE!

Class of '007

CONGRATS HEATHER!!!

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I can't believe my little sister graduated from high school this year! Not that I didn't think she would graduate, just that she's growing up so fast! The next stop for her will be the University! I am so proud of her and all she's done! She will be successful in whatever she puts her mind to. Love ya, SIS!

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One of the gentleman who spoke asked all the seniors to picture themselves 10 years from that day. While he talked about all they would accomplish over those years, I did a little mental checklist of what I have done (since it has been almost 10 years since I graduated). I think I'm on track! I've traveled, I've graduated from a University, I have made several friends, I have a good job etc. Most important to me is the day I married my perfect match and the happiness he has brought into my life!

Big Boys Like Big Toys

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About 2 months ago my hubby started working for a CAT dealer. He helps out in their parts and rental departments. So far I think he enjoys it. I think that what he likes most about his job is access to the heavy equipment, FREE! When he told me he was going to bring home a "little" piece of equipment to do some yard work I didn't expect "little" to still be so big! Daisy was scared of the machine so she just sat inside and watched from the door. I just about joined her! But, he got the job done he set out to do and our flower beds look great! Thanks hun!! Don't know what I'd do without you!

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Aloha!!!!

The countdown continues....only 22 days till paradise! On June 7, the whole family (all 7 of us) is heading to HAWAII for a week! We are all so excited! We are going to stay in a beautiful villa on Turtle Bay, Oahu! We plan to spend our days snorkeling, boogie boarding, enjoying the sun and sand, eating snow cones, and enjoying the sites! Mom and dad are the only ones who have been to Hawaii in our family so they are anxious to experience paradise again. As for the rest of us, we can't wait to experience it for the first time! Look out Oahu, here we come!

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Easter Weekend

Easter weekend was a blast! My brotherand his girlfriend came up from St. George and it was a lot of fun having the whole gang home! Saturday morning all of the men in our family went rabbit hunting. They took pictures, but unfortunately I didn't get any copies. I'm not sure if pictures of dead bunnies on my Easter post would be real appropriate anyway! But they had a lot of fun and hope to make it an Easter weekend tradition. While the men were hunting, the girls decided to go golfing. It had been a long time since any of us had played so there were lots of laughs, a few lost balls, and even a time or two when we had to yell, "FORE!"

We only played 9 holes but that was plenty for us! None of us were playing very well. Heather found some of gram's old golfing gloves in gram's golf bag halfway through our game and decided she needed to sport them. For some reason after she put them on she was hitting the ball like a pro! We called her "magic fingers!" After our game we got some tips from the golf pro and we are all pumped for our next golf outing!

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On Easter morning we attended our church meetings then celebrated Easter with both our families. I feel bad I don't have any pictures at my in-laws! The kids did a little Easter egg hunt and we had dinner. At my parents we had dinner and then we had to find our Easter baskets! We all got kites last year so mom gave Dave and his girlfriend one this year. Of course we had to go fly them! Another Easter tradition! I love traditions and I love my family (families now).

The girls!

The boys!
Dad stayed home to watch The Masters golf tournament on TV!

Sisters!!!

I don't know what would I do without these two amazing girls!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Home Improvements

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I have been waiting patiently for the day the aqua carpet could come up in our house! One Friday we were getting ready to paint and decided to pull the carpet up too! Underneath was beautiful hardwood! Here's a sneak peak at what the fron room looked like before and after our painting and carpet pulling up weekend! There is still more to be done, hence the "sneak peak." I'd say, so far so good!

Before:







NOW!!!!