Hawaiian Paradise

OK, try not to be too jealous! Jim and I spent last week in Hawaii. Those of you who are currently living in the Utah deep freeze will have an even greater appreciation for this. We went to a resort on the Big Island called the Kona Village. It was quite an adventure. Not your typical resort! The first night we weren't sure if we were in heaven or at a Hawaiian camp ground. We had our own "hut" with a thatched roof, sitting on stilts over a 200 year old lava flow. Fortunately,the inside was little more modern! It was definitely heaven! We ate breakfast each morning on a little patio 50 feet from the beach. We could sometimes see whales jumping about a half a mile out. Breaksfast was my favorite part of the day! Fresh papaya, french toast and coconut syrup. It's hard to beat that!

I can't tell you how much we loved the Kona Village (or Kona KOA, as Jim affectionately nick-named it). Their motto is "Hawaii the way you want it to be." It was awesome! Quiet, peaceful, no phones, no television. They only thing that would have been better would be sharing it with our kids, maybe another time.

Jim had a great time playing golf. The golf highlight was a round at the Hualalai course at the Four Seasons Resort, you can read up on it in Golf Digest if you want to know more. It was awesome! I rode along in the cart, caddie of sorts. He was ready to play a second round that day! Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for Aimee the caddie) we didn't have time.

Another highlight was our "whale-watching," turned "swim-with-the-dolphins" event! We left from the resort on a small boat to find whales for a couple hours. We saw a few whale tails from a couple hundred yards away (a little underwhelming, although pretty amazing when you think about it). Then the boat captain took us in closer to shore where we came across a school of dolphins. He gave us snorkel gear and told us to jump in! The water was about 50 feet deep, and totally clear with white sand on the ocean floor. It was fantastic! Several hundred dolphins, totally unphased by our presence. Some came within a few feet of us. They were jumping, diving, spinning. They migrated away after about 15 minutes. It was amazing! It took me back to my days in 5th grade when I dreamed of being a marine biologist! Here are some pictures, although all you can see are a couple of dolphin fins on the top of the water (they move a little too fast for digital cameras).

One of Jim's other favorite events was a Jeep tour that we took of the Waipio Valley on the last day. We got there intending to hike from the look out point down into the valley. We were in our Jeep that we had rented for the week (Jim has always had a thing for Jeeps). When we got there, we found an access road leading down the the beach, four wheel drive required! That was an opportunity that Jim was not going to pass up! We had to drive through several stream beds, saw several waterfalls and ended up on the beach where we watched some surfers for a few minutes. It was fun. Jim had the time of his life, what more could we ask for!

It was FABULOUS! We won't soon forget our week in paradise! And of course, in closing, a picture of our children back in the deep freeze! (Thanks to all of you who helped take care of them while we were gone!)

Happy Birthday Amanda!

Amanda had a party for her 10th birthday on Friday night. It was a "girls' night out" and we had a great time. We were able to keep the guest list to 5 (a difficult task for Amanda who usually has a list 15 or 20 people long). Amanda negotiated a more expensive birthday gift in exchange for the "small" party. We went to TGI Friday's for dinner where Amanda discovered a new favorite food: fried macaroni and cheese. Yes, you read that right. After dinner we went to see the movie "Alvin and the Chipmunks." Jim should be grateful it was a girls' night. He would not have enjoyed to chipmunk thing! The girls played a rousing game of "who can sing most like a chipmunk" in the car on the way home from the movie theater! That won't soon be forgotten! We love Amanda so much. She is a great kid! Talented, smart, friendly. . . . I really loved being with her and her friends (Lacey, Katie, Isabella, Paige, and Brooklyn).

Getting Started!

OK! I am going to give this "blog" thing a try! My friend Stacy sent me a link to her blog this morning. Needless to say I was intrigued. I spent an hour "blog stalking," as my sister-in-law calls it, links to Stacy's page. After I checked out all those other cute family blogs I could no longer resist! I'm still learning what it takes to make a decent page, so please be patient. Mom, I hope you enjoy this! This may be the best way to keep you up to date! More to follow... Soon...