Twenty-five and Counting...

I guess I extended my hiatus a bit longer than I planned.  We inadvertently left the camera battery and its charger in the outlet of the hotel in Hawaii! Fortunately security found it and are sending it to us at no charge. I am just hoping they get it to me before I head to China on Wednesday.  My other excuse(s) are that I still don't have a "real" working computer, plus I have felt quite lazy overwhelmed with laundry and packing for China that I just haven't gotten around to it until now. I will recap the highlights of each day.

First of all, the reason for the trip in the first place was for our 25th anniversary. Before we even left my parents house, they gave us a low key dessert party. In my mom's typical fashion though, the decor and desserts were delicious. My parents, brother and sister-in-law had this adorable sign made for us.

When we arrived at the Kauai airport, we found our friends had arranged for this warm welcome...

The other welcome we got in Kauai was that of wild roosters and chickens all over the island, and we mean ALL OVER!

Here was the incredible view from our hotel room. We started our day off every morning drinking coffee on our deck, and finished with this view every evening. The hotel would shine the lights on the breaking waves until 10:00 every night, which made them look as though they glowed.

Our first full day was probably our toughest days, that of hiking on the Hanakapiai Trail to Hanakapiai Beach, then another two miles to the gorgeous Hanakapiai Falls. It was muddy and a tough hike, but so worth it for the gorgeous views. Here is Mike on the hike to the beach. Don't let the flatness of this area fool you. Note the red dirt...anyone who touches it takes home a little of Hawaii in their shoes, clothes, etc. You literally can't get rid of it!

We began the hike at sea level, climbed up and down for a couple miles, then came to this gorgeous beach.  Swimming is definitely not recommended here.

Now the hike got super slippery, rocky, etc. What made it even more dangerous is that you wanted to look around at all the incredibly colorful flowers and scenery, so that you increased the likeliness of tripping as you hiked. This photo is the first glimpse of the 300 foot waterfall we were heading towards.

Breathtaking view! The water was so powerful coming over the falls. It was loud and windy; note the water on the lens from the mist.  The hike out was much quicker, but hotter too. A stop for local bbq on the way home finished off a great day.

The next morning, which was our actual anniversary, we headed out for an early catamaran trip.  Fortunately neither of us had any ocean troubles, and we could enjoy the trip and food. Unfortunately for some families, they wasted a lot of money on a trip they never got to enjoy. The trip went up the west side of the island, along the beautiful Napali Coast. We got to see the area we hiked the previous day, but only this time from the water side.

We also stopped and did some snorkeling along the way. We were entertained by Spinner Dolphins several times. One time there was easily over 20 of them. They would swim right in front of the catamaran. The photo is not very good, but you can see how close they were to us. They get their name from when they jump out of the water and spin.

We continued the celebration that night with dinner at Keoki's Paradise. It was a beautiful setting and just a short walk from our hotel.  We also got free dessert for the second night in a row!

The next day was the most low key of the entire trip. We did a little shopping, rented snorkel gear for the rest of the week, then headed north for a luau. Another gorgeous spot on the island (but then again, what isn't), as the luau took place at a botanical garden.  Since the actual dance part was at night, and I was too cheap to pay $20 for the professional photo they shot of us and some dancers as we walked in, I only have some photos from the gardens.

Dinner???

So only three more days to recap, and I will do so in another post. Stay tuned for more exciting photos, and an especially thrilling video. I know you can't wait!

Hawaii Hiatus....

I haven't forgotten my blog, but rather, just taking a 25th anniversary Hawaii hiatus! We are having an incredible time here. Didn't bring my laptop, and blogger won't allow me to post photos from an apple handheld device, so for now you will just have to take my word that the views from air, sea and land are amazing. Check back in a few days for a recap. Mahalo!

The Love Shack...

Remember the 80's song by the B-52's? Well we have passed the Shrimp Shack for 20 years now, but never stopped until this Father's Day. So now we can say we Love the Shrimp Shack! It was a beautiful day and the food was fresh and delicious.

In fact on our way back to the car, the owner was boiling shrimp, then putting them on ice. He let the girls each hold one, which was pretty funny. Check out the expressions on each of their faces...

This was taken seconds before Kaia dropped hers on the ground!

Not so sure about this...

Before we headed off island, the kids gave Mike some hand made cards and gifts. Plenty of silliness took place too. That's one of the reasons why they all love their dad so much.

Mike has been wearing this cervical collar to relieve his back pain, but it looks cuter on Jaelyn! The glasses do accentuate his beautiful blue eyes though.

Pucker up son!

We topped the day off with Cold Stone Creamery and a trip to Costco. What says "We love you Dad" better than free samples?  Just spending time together is always a great time.

Crescendo...

Crescendo; the climatic point or moment in such an increase.  That's a perfect definition for this past weekend. So bear with me and stay for the crescendo at the end of this long post.

Flashback to last Friday, where Josh received some high honors at the senior awards assembly. First was the Cliff Gillies Award, given to a high school student from each of the District 1 schools in the state of Washington who exemplifies scholarship, citizenship and participation in school activities. Next he received Male Athlete of the Year honors, along with his dad, who got coach of the year award.

At the Senior Scholarship night that evening, Josh received two local scholarship awards, along with his WSU honor.  He received one a scholarship from the Oak Harbor Education Association, as well as one from the Oak Harbor Sports Report.

Josh's girlfriend is the color guard captain and performed at both the awards night and graduation.

After Jaelyn's final soccer game of the season on Saturday, Josh was honored by many friends and family for his graduation open house.

Sunday was baccalaureate at our church.  It was a great service, ran by the students. We were once again proud of Joshua as he gave the closing prayer. We had a bit more time to snap photos that evening than we knew we would after graduation, so we took advantage of the moment, since they were already in their cap and gowns.

Josh walked with his friend Kenneth in both the baccalaureate and at graduation

Monday turned out to be a gorgeous evening for graduation. The sky was blue, but note the scarves and gloves some are wearing! In typical Whidbey Island fashion, the wind whipped through the stands.  The procession was lead by the teachers, followed by the 344 graduates.  Rebecca led the color guard in.

Here's the last shot I got before my camera died! Scholarship award winners were asked to stand. And no, that's not Lord Voldemort, that's Mike sitting in the black robe, front row!

So while Kellen videoed Josh actually getting his diploma, I missed the moment while wrestling with my camera. Fortunately some friends of ours just happened to be sitting on the 50 yard line in the stands, and they emailed me these photos they snapped of Josh as he walked down the ramp after getting his diploma. 

Don't recognize their move? Don't worry, neither did I. Evidently it is called the Fusion Dance, from one of their childhood shows "Dragon Ball Z."

Here's the video Kellen shot. Dad's advantage of working at the school gained him the privilege of being the first to congratulate Josh...

And the first to get a selfie photo with him, while the graduation was still going on...

These photos were all captured post graduation on my ipad...

These four all went through eighth grade together in Coupeville, so was fun to have them all together at graduation.

I told you that this post would be long, but the finale was worth it! Now to finish out school for the rest of us, then on to our fun-filled summer!

Hippy Chicks...

A big thank you is owed to Joshua and Kellen for watching their sister so that Mike and I could be with Kaia for her surgery.  While we were gone, Jaelyn participated in the local 3 v 3 Rock On soccer tournament.  Two of her fellow "Chicks" were from her rec team, plus a couple others from opposing rec teams.  Looks like they had a lot of fun.  Meet the Hippy Chicks...

Darn Dog!

The good news is that we have been home from the hospital since Monday. The bad news is that once again, Cocoa has reeked havoc on our back yard!  While we were gone, she chewed our internet/cable wires to the house, so we had neither until yesterday afternoon, which is why I haven't posted. We were impressed with comcast though, as they came out and fixed it all at no charge.

So in just a few days, Kaia has gone from this....

to this....

Kaia actually went back to school today.  She has taken no pain medications for two days now. The biggest challenge is keeping her from being bored with the "Soft, no-chew" diet, and keeping enough calories in her. She has also asked to go jump on the trampoline. Um, No!  The worry is that if she bumps the mouth area at all, before the bone has been accepted, or if any infection settles in, then we have to do it all again. Five lonnnnnnggg weeks left!

Here's the photo of Kaia and Abe that I wanted to post earlier...

Now if we can only get Cocoa to be that calm.

Meet Abe....

Well I had planned to post a cute picture of Kaia and Abe, the friendly golden retriever who visited her hospital room yesterday, but that didn't go as planned.  What I do have is an update on the last 24 hours.

Yesterday when the doc made his afternoon rounds, he decided not to release her due to the fact that she had not peed all day, was not putting weight on her leg, and was still quite puffy. Since mike's back has been killing him, he headed home to get a good night's sleep before returning in the morning to bring us home.

So that WAS the plan.  Last night I noticed swelling under the chin. When the doc came in at seven this morning it had swelled even more, which he did not like. He thinks she had a blood clot in the tissue, which is not all that uncommon, but puts you at higher risk for infection. So we are starting antibiotics and here at least one more night. The good news is that she is getting around well on her leg, and is eating soft no chew food. She has been craving pizza, so for lunch she gobbled up puréed pizza!  Hopefully we head home tomorrow!