Last Maui Post, Pinky Swearz

I figured I'd just post the rest of the trip and then we can alllll be done with it.  I'll forever have the memories & will cherish them always.  But no need to drag you along for what must be the most boring walk down memory lane.  I realized today that this is equivalent to the olden days when people would get slides made of their photos, invite you over, and force you to look at them up on their family room wall while they commentated.  Torture.  And I apologize in advance.  But since you're here...

More cute pics of Gty boogie boarding.  

But lookie what he did to his super expensive boogie board we got at the local grocery store.

This may have had something to do with it?  (Plzthanks ignore my super annoying laugh, but it was really funny)

This here is a pic from Big Beach.  Around the corner is Little Beach which is also the unofficial nudist beach of the island.  Gty & Cal "accidentally happened upon it" whilst snorkling.  Shya right.   Anyway, the waves get so big at Big Beach the lifeguards make scary announcements as soon as whiteys like us walk onto the beach.  Things such as "If you don't have experience in the water, DO NOT GET IN." and "We will send a swim team out to get you if you get in the water right now."  and "Srsly, don't get in the water.  We aren't kidding."  It was fun to watch the local guys boogie board in these waves though.

Taken with the timer.  Don't I look like I was casually reading my magazine rather than having just ran back to my chair after pushing the button?  We had many a beach days.  Typical schedule...wake up.  Go to beach.  Get lunch.  Go to different beach.  Take shower.  Go out to eat.  Go to bed.  Best vaycay ever.

On the last day we had to check out of our place at 10am and then we were all scheduled on the red-eye back to the mainland that night at 9:30pm.  We didn't really want to be all "beachy" on the red-eye so that day we did what is called the "Road to Hana."  It's this all day "adventure" where you drive on this jungly, curvy, lush, beautiful drive on the other side of the island.  The road TO Hana is fun with stops along the way and fun things to see & do.  The road BACK from Hana (same road) is a bit annoying, however, as you don't stop, you've seen it all already and you're in a rush to buy souvenires and catch a plane.  I dry heaved from car sickness.  That's all I'm saying.

But again, the Road TO Hana = super fun.   First stop.  Some overlook thingy place.

Can you imagine living here?  I mean, reeeeeally living here?  People do.  It's gorgeous, no question, but LIVING there?  I don't know if I'm the type.

We stopped at an arboretum along the way.  I LOVE these Rainbow Eucalyptus trees.  I HATE the jags who carved their initials in them.  HATE. Who does that?

[sparing you some intense amounts of photos of scenery, us in various poses, upclose pics of vegitation, etc.  You're welcome]

We then went a little beyond Hana (one lane roads at times, one lane bridges all the time) to some state park I will look up later, where we hiked to a freakin' waterfall!  Aren't we adventurous??  We weren't really "dressed for hiking" per say, but we managed.

Loved these tree roots we hiked over.

Gty enjoying one of the overlooks along the hike.  It was a good 2 miles up, and 2 miles back btw.  My glutes were talkin' the next day.

Huuuuuge Banyan Tree.  Photo op!  I got up ok.  Kim had "issues" getting up.  Gty racked his family jewels pretty good getting up.  And Cal spared the poor girl waiting to take our pic some time and opted out of getting up.  Totally worth it though. Obviously.

Cool bridge leading to the bamboo forest.

Bamboo forest!

And the big pay off!  Waimoku Falls.

Can you see my little Gty just a sittin' there contemplating life?  He didn't mention but I'm sure he had some deep thoughts.

Me + watefall

We then looked at our watches, ran back down the trail and had to skip seeing the Seven Sacred Pools.  Here is what they look like from the road though.  I'm sure they are lovely upclose too.  Freshwater pools right there on the ocean.  But again, we were in a rush.  Tshirts to buy and stuff.

So we then flew all night long.  These $6 neck pillows I bought at the BigK there were an absolute life saver.  I slept the entire 5 hour leg from Kahalui to LA.  I barely even moved.  I drooled.  But didn't really move.  Then I slept for goodly portions of the LA to SLC and SLC to DEN legs.  Good thing too because we went straight from the airport to JBird's football game.  And then straight to a team party at Five Guys.  

Loved every second of this trip.  Side note:  You never really know what it'll be like to travel with another couple.  I mean, you can assume it will be fun because you have fun together in other circumstances but travel is a whole different ball game.  Needless to say, I think the Landersons and the Mr. & Mrs. Aweeyum are the perfect traveling match.  Similar ideas on how to spend our time & money.  No drama.  Wives have fun together.  Husbands have fun together.  It was, literally, the perfect vacation.  

I wouldn't change anything.  

How often can you say that about an 8 day trip?

Classic Maui

I'm sure more of you (than just Jespy) were confused by our attire in the last post.  One doesn't think of Maui and think rain coats and pants.  I admit I wasn't expecting that myself, but we had to do the volcano thing early in the trip so our bodies were still mostly on CO time.  2am REAL Maui time?  Fuggetaboutit.

Now let's move on to some more "what we were all expecting" pics, mkay?  Starting with the above pic of our view on the beach yesterday.  Gorge.

Obviously we were all expecting my blinding white skin to cause some retinal damage.

Here's the obligatory "playing in the Pacific" pictures I'm sure you had on your check list.

Pictures of us at a nice waterfront restaurant were sure to be expected.

Snorkel, anyone?

(Side note: I'm not a huge fan of snorkeling.  There is something unnatural about breathing while underwater.  It makes me start panicking.  Not to mention the creepy sea life that appears out of no where and could do who-knows-what to me.  Ick.)

And, (lucky!) look who got to have their 39th birthday on the loverly island!  Aren't I a nice wife to give him this trip as his gift?  Cuz srsly, that's all he got.   The economy you know...

Aloha & Mahalo.

Who Wakes Up at 2am on Vaycay?

We do.

And (after I just took a 3 hour nap) it was totally worth it.  Here we are at sunrise at 10,000 feet atop Haleakala volcano (inactive, of course, like my sister).

We then put on our slickers & helmets and biked down the road to the base of Haleakala.  Exhilarating.

Aren't we so romantic?

Maui=highly recommended.

Duh.

I'm The Blue Dot

This Could Have Been You...

...if your cake had been better.

The 4 Year Old's New Normal

Were you worried that Beebs was going to be bored now that the brothers are back in school?

Let me put you at ease.

Her schedule has more mandatory meetings on it than mine does.  I'm teaching her early that "being busy" equals "has value in this world."  Jaykay.  Although you might think so looking at what she's got going on these days.  She doesn't know the order of the days of the week but she knows which day is what.  For her it goes:

Church Day

School Day

Dance & School Day

Gymnastics & School Day

School Day

No School but the Brothers Are At School Day

Nobody goes to School Day!/JBird Football Day/TBone Soccer Game Day

That's how we talk about the days of the week and that's how you need to refer to those days in her presence, btw.  Or she'll get confused.

School Days:

First day of PreK was on Tuesday of this week.  It will be Monday-Thursday 12:30-3pm.

Quickly getting to work on mastering shapes.  It was sort of an in-your-faces to the other kids.

I won't be here smiling & posing every school day.  Just the first.

Her BFF will be though.

Dance & School Days:

Beebs has now moved up to Ballet/TapII which basically means she could go on SYTYCD if she were old enough.  Perfect form is all I see here.  This will be Tuesdays at 10am.

This pic makes me giggle.

RFTP shot here.

Ah...look who is here again!  The BFF!  

Gymnastics & School Days:

I can't get enough of her leotards.  She shall wear them Wednesdays at 10am.

The BFF is in this class too but I don't have any shots of them together.  I will remedy that soon enough.

Now seeing this 4yo's schedule all laid out like this I'm realizing it's ridiculous.  I think I need to work on changing a couple of those days to "Nap Day" and "Sit Around & Watch Tom and Jerry Day."

"I Like You"

This is a common phrase said around our home.

I like you.

For whatever reason, it means more to us than the more customary I love yous.

Yes, we say "I love you" often enough, but it's the "I like yous" that really dominate.  Everyone loves each other.  We are family.  Of course we love each other.  I've given birth to some of us & married the other.  Others of us are siblings.

Love is a given.

But like?  Do we have to like each other simply because we are in the same family?  Is like a given because we were married in the temple?  I've seen plenty of people who don't particularly like their kids (or one of their kids perhaps).  I've seen plenty of couples who, while they love each other in every sense of the word, don't particularly like each other.

Like is on a whole different level.

I'd even venture to say I love every single person in my ward... in a "wardly love" kind of way.  But like?  Now you're pushing it.  Like implies you enjoy spending time with them.  Like means you find them interesting.  Like consists of enjoying their personality and wanting to talk to them regularly.

So, when I see TBone being kind to Beebs simply because he wants to, I'll look at him and say, "TBone, you're a good kid.  I like you."   And when I'm lecturing Gty on this & that and complaining about stupid little things he'll smile at me a little, rub my arm and say, "I like you."  I usually roll my eyes & tell him to "stop patronizing me and just listen!" but secretly I like being liked.   Who wouldn't?