Father's Day

I have been meaning to get Aaron a grill for quite a while now. We enjoy cooking on a grill, especially during the hot summer months when we don't want to heat up the house. This year for Father's Day we went down to the store and let him pick out the one he wanted.

Dad got a new toy, that I am benefiting a lot from as well, and the kids got one too.

Aaron cut out a door and two windows for them. They played with this for a few weeks, until it wore out enough to throw it away. The simple pleasures childhood brings.

Trip to Paradise

Aaron and I had a wonderful opportunity to go to Hawaii this last week. It was a great trip to paradise. Aaron won a free stay at a condo on Kauai, so it was not a deal we were willing to pass up. We spent a week there. The greatest thing about this trip was that we didn't feel pressure to do, well, anything! We did a lot of nothing for a week. It was a wonderful break from the usual grind.

Our fist day there we went to the local Costco and the grocery store to pick up some food so we wouldn't have to eat out every meal. That is one of the nicest reasons to stay in a condo instead of a hotel. One night we made our own lobster tails, at a quarter of the price it would have been to eat out, and they were FABULOUS! We really got use of the grill there. With our lobster we grilled up some squash and zucchini with some oil and garlic salt. They were heavenly. We ate well!
The next day we drove up the coast to the North Shore. There were a lot a beautiful sights along the way. We stopped at the lighthouse and wildlife preserve and looked out at the beautiful ocean. Well, we looked out at the beautiful ocean a lot. One of my favorite sights of the day was the overlook of Hanalei Valley. Gorgeous! Along the way we also stopped to see some caves. When we got to the end of the road we thought about snorkeling for a while before heading home, but it was pretty rainy and chilly, so we decided to just call it a day and head home. It was a beautiful drive.

The first day we went to the beach to swim, we forgot to make sure our camera was set up properly. Aaron got a waterproof case for our video camera so we could take it snorkeling with us. But since we didn't set it up before we got to the beach we didn't take it out with us the first time. But we made sure it was set up before we went out to the beach the second time. The second day we were at the beach we went out snorkeling twice, but between times the camera got a bit fogged up, so the second time the pictures didn't turn out very well. That was a real bummer because when we were out that time we saw a huge school of fish. There were tons of them, and all so close we could reach out and touch them! It was truly amazing to see.

I think the highlight of the trip for both of us was the day we went out on an ATV tour. We rode out on a ranch where they have filmed a few movies. We got to see the field where dinos ran through Jurassic Park, the trees the monkeys hung out in in Outbreak, and the river that Indiana Jones escaped on in Raiders of the Lost Ark. We even got to swing out and swim in that river, right where Dr. Jones did. Normally, the trails kick up a lot of dust and they tell you to wear a handkerchief over your nose and mouth to keep out the dust, but it had rained all morning, and it was pretty muddy. Aaron had a blast plowing through the puddles and splashing muddy water all over. Ok, so did I. At the end of the trip we got to clean off in a waterfall. The pond and falls were in the shade, so the water was pretty cold. It would be lovely after a hot summer day ride, but after a cool spring day, it was a bit too chilly.

After our ATV tour we hurried back to the condo, showered, threw our clothes in the wash and went down the street for a luau. The food was fabulous! The Hawaiians really know how to throw a party. The dancers were beautiful. It was fun to see and hear some of their traditions and legends. Aaron loved the fire dancer. It was pretty cool to see him dance with the fire. I can't imagine the discipline it must take to master something like that. What a busy and fun day!

The next day we drove up the west coast. Our first stop was Spouting Horn. Here where the lava met the water, lava tubes were created. When the waves crash on the shore here it pushes the water through the tubes and makes a kind of geyser. One of the neatest things about it is the sound it makes when the wind and water rush through the tubes. The old legend is that a brave warrior was out fishing on the shore when a dragon showed up. They fought and went into the tubes where the warrior escaped, and the dragon got stuck. The sound you hear is the dragon roaring, trying to get out. And it really does sound like a dragon roar! We hung out there for quite a while, and even saw a turtle in the water.

We drove up the coast to Wimea Canyon. They call this the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. I did not even think such a huge wonder could fit on such a small island! The drive through the mountains almost made me feel at home, but Aaron reminded me it smelled too green for it to be home. The only bummer about our drive up the canyon was it poured. So we didn't get to see as far as we would have liked. The good thing about the rain was the waterfall we could see, that wouldn't have been there if not for the rain. And we both love waterfalls! This was the most gorgeous drive we took. I loved it.

We had such a wonderful time! However, we missed Zack and Lexi a lot. One night we sat there just pulling up pictures of the kids on our phones and giggling at how cute they are. This trip made us realize that we don't want to take any more vacations without them. If there is a trip that we don't feel comfortable taking them with us, it will just have to wait. But we are glad we went on this one.

Honey-Do List: Yard Work

One of the things that Aaron has looked forward to the most is getting a Honey-Do list. He loves to work with his hands, and couldn't wait to get started on projects in our new home. The first thing he wanted to take care of was our yard. Our tree out front was grossly overgrown. Aaron wasn't sure if our homeowners insurance would approve the policy until the tree was taken care of, it was rubbing up against the shingles on the roof. I was anxious for him to take care of it because there was a branch that would rub against our bedroom window, really annoying in the middle of a windy night! Aaron did a wonderful job trimming up the tree, it looks so nice! Unfortunately we did see some shingle damage after getting the branches down, but we did expect it.
Our next project in the yard is our garden. We have a patch outside our patio that will be perfect for a small garden this summer. We got all the ground cover pulled out, and most of the big rocks out of the patch. We're going to plant some tomatos and peppers, perfect for sandwiches and salsa. It feels good to have our own place to take care of!