We finally got the Tarry family to come for a visit to our Island! We had Steve here at the same time for a big party. WoooHooo! We were so excited. Before they got here we had spent hours on an itinerary that was down to specifics. We knew it was going to take alot of planning to get 17 people to all the highlights of the island in 10 days. We had meals planned, runners leaving early to prepare the meals, time off of work planned in 1/2 day intervals to maximize time together, and a whole lot of things packed into 10 days. Here is a rundown of the things we accomplished in our quick 10 days...
Arrival - It wouldn't have been complete without a traditional lei greeting at the airport. Steve arrived 1 1/2 days later and was totally overwhelmed. We all ran at him screaming at the same time. I will only give you one guess who's idea that was. (ynneJ)
Ahukini landing - When you get off on the plane in Hawaii the first thing you want to do is see the sparkling blue water and the waves crashing against the rocks, right? Ahukini landing is just down the street from the airport and provides the perfect opportunity for instant ocean views.
Shopping - We made a pit stop at Costco for a stock pile of groceries. Thanks to the plan we knew exactly what we needed and didn't have to stay for too long. Other than that we did a pretty good job staying away from boring old grocery stores. We also made a trip to the sunshine market one day. We shopped at the Billabong outlet in Kapaa, and at spouting horn in Koloa.
Kipu falls - Kipu falls was a double visit location. They went once right after arrival. We told them to have their swimsuits in the top of their bags and be ready to jump in. Not only ready to jump into Kauai, but also into Kipu falls. Everyone loved the rope swing and the cliff jumping. Only one slight mishap here... Mike flew off the rope onto Rusty's head while he was enjoying a leisurely backfloat. It pushed him four feet underwater and he had a headache for a few days. Despite the mishap, they loved it so much they went back a second time the day they left.
North Shore tour - We tried to make it to Ke'e for snorkeling, but it was crazy busy. Even the overflow parking was jam packed. We ended up going straight to Hanalei and enjoying a lazy day on the beach. We brought the paddle boards and everyone got to try that. Lucas (the exchange student staying with Jenny and Don) entertained us with his ladies man act. He made $5 when he jumped off the pier after telling a few girls "this is the way we do it in Germany." We stopped at the taro field lookout, the lighthouse lookout and at Banana Joe's for a smoothie.
Dinner with Jeff and Antoinette - Jenny and Don's next door neighbors and friends happened to be on Island at the same time, with Jeff's parents. We had them all over for dinner with pasta, bread, and a chocolate fountain. We love spending time with Jeff and Antoinette.
Kayak day - We started our kayak day by picking up Steve. We made a trip to the Wailua falls lookout and the shops in Kapaa. We ate lunch in Kapaa and then picked up the boys at work. They already had all the kayaks we needed borrowed from friends and loaded in their trucks. We kayaked to the fern grotto and then on to the secret falls drop point. We hiked the two or so miles to secret falls and had snacks and a swim at the falls.
Brennekes- We took everyone out for their first bodyboarding experience. They loved it. It has been so long since I have been to Brennekes that I was surprised how much fun I had,too. Kyleigh rode a few waves and we even got Katelyn to jump on a board. Ben told his mom he would only leave if she promised we could go back there. We also had a Taylor Lautner look alike spotting, which made Brianna happy.
Scuba Diving- I didn't get to be their for this because I was at the stake self reliance fair representing our ward teaching a little bit about hydroponics (with what tiny bit of knowledge I have). Everybody got a chance to go down and there was a turtle and lobster sighting.
Secrets beach- I forgot how much fun this place was, too. It is on the Northshore, and a short hike down to a little freshwater waterfall running into the ocean. There are lava pools that you can swim in if the ocean is calm, which it was. A nice hike, swimming in lava pools, playing with hermit crabs, and standing under a waterfall while you watch the ocean crash against the rocks. Definitely a winning combination.
Golfing- Don got one round of golf in with Rusty at Kukuiolono.
Waimea Canyon- We took everyone up to the various lookouts and up to the Kalalau lookout in Waimea Canyon. We got a clear view of Kalalau as a reward at the end of the road. This was on Fathers day so we went back to Kokee and had a barbeque. Steve was our master chef.
Other- A few other things were...Several trips to Lapperts, lunch from the fish market at the boat harbor, dinner at Duke's, picnic lunch on the sheraton lawn, glass beach, and a trip to Auntie Lillikoi's for Jenny to stock up.
I'm not sure what we didn't do. The food was good, the activities were great, the company was the best. The only question I have is when are they coming back?
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Ridge's First Haircut
Ridge got his first haircut on June 12th. Rusty cut Ridge's hair while he sat in the sink. And he really did sit. He didn't move a muscle the entire time. Even when Rusty was cutting around his ears with the scissors. He looks so handsome. Ridge does too.
Cousins
We got to watch the girls for two days last week while Holly was at Girls camp. We had a great time.
Critter Camp and Letter Camp
Kyleigh attended Critter camp at the humane society last week. She went every day Monday-Friday from 9-3. She had a great time. They did all kinds of things, including games, crafts, education, playing with the animals, and training a dog. After her first day she came home and gave me a lesson on the body language of dogs. It was really quite impressive. On Friday they had a little awards ceremony and a demonstration with the dogs they trained. On the first day of camp they got their T-shirts. Katelyn had the green eyed monster when she saw that T-shirt. I decided she needed something fun to do, also. So we came home and instituted letter camp. Each day while Kyleigh was gone and Ridge was asleep we did an hour or so of letter camp. We did letters in every medium I could think of. That included watercolors, play-doh, stickers, blendy markers, bendaroos, jello jigglers, our bodies, and Katelyn's favorite, puffy paint. We made a letter camp T-shirt with the puffy paint. It was so fun that we are going to have a number camp when Kyleigh goes to soccer camp for a week at the end of the July.
Piano recital
Kyleigh had a piano recital at the beginning of June. She played "soaring" and did such a great job. Last recital she had to start her piece three times. This time she started and played right through. Extra bonus, Holly played in the recital (she has been taking lessons also). Can I just say they are both so brave, and we were so proud of both of them.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Our First Cruise!
About six months ago we got a notice in Rusty's check stub that said we were eligible for the 5 year Layton safety cruise. We could either take it this year, roll it over to next year, or cash out. We checked take it this year, not really thinking it was an official statement of intent. Surprise. A few months later we got our confirmed booking on the ship, and our flight itinerary, also already booked. We figured at that point we better find a babysitter. Mom to the rescue. She agreed to fly over and watch the kids for us (Nancy, your turn is coming!)
We have heard our friends talking about cruises and had decided they really weren't for us. We like to push vacations to the max. Every minute planned way in advance with as much packing in of activities as possible. I started getting concerned when we read that the average age on the Statendam (the cruise ship we went on) was 65. I was really concerned when I looked at the shore excursions available and it appeared the most physical one was a 3 hour 8 mile bike ride...on a path. I was kind of panicky. I was picturing us going crazy locked on a boat with lots of sparkly clothes and bingo for 5 days. So I called my friend Genevieve, who should really be my travel agent. She told me that the boat is like a floating hotel that feeds you. O.K., I could handle that. She also sent me to a cruise review website that gave me some good ideas for the ports we were going to. I started making calls about rental cars and lined up rental cars at the three ports we went to. I also lined up a zipline tour, which I have always wanted to try. We had other plans, some that worked out and others that didn't. Regardless, we had a GREAT time.
We started a trip by nearly missing the plane. We arrived five minutes after the airline was supposed to have closed their check-in. We weren't aware that they closed at 8:00. Oops. Luckily, the attendent was the daughter of a friend and she stayed late for us. This flight was one of the things I was most excited about. I have never flown across the ocean without my kids. It was really fun. I got to watch a whole movie. We arrived in Vancouver the next morning and they sent us to the port in a taxi. We checked in and after awhile they herded us to the boat. We were happy to see that there were others that weren't of the retired age. We were also happy to greet the lunch buffet. Really happy.
Some of the activities we took advantage of on the boat during the five days were a massage (my first ever), country dancing, movies in their little theatre, a cooking class and a class on how to make towel animals, played basketball, tennis, and ping pong, watched a couple of shows, ate a lot of food, including a dinner with Stewart and Kristy, and watched for bear/scenery while moving through the chanels.
We got off the boat in Victoria, BC, Port Alberni, BC, and Astoria, OR. In Victoria we went ziplining and then hiking in East Sooke park. Ziplining was OK, but not quite the adventure I expected. I was thinking of going from tree tops to the ground and having to run at the bottom to avoid smashing my head into the ground. My sense of adventure is so warped, compliments of marrying Rusty. On our hike we had a seagull come visit us for lunch. No seagulls in Hawaii so that was kind of fun. We hiked to some petroglyphs. I wonder if todays graffiti is tomorrow's petroglyphs? We thought it was so cool to see the moss all over the trees on our hike. We even took a picture of Russ sticking his finger into it to show the kids how deep it was. It went to the end of Rusty's finger. The next week we went on a hike here and Kyleigh wanted to test the moss like we had. She stuck a two foot stick into it and didn't reach the end. I guess we were so impressed with it there because it was the same kind of landscape we grew up with, but it had moss all over it.
In Astoria we were hoping to find someone that would rent us a boat and some crab pots, or go clamming. We couldn't find anyone that rented things out and low tide wasn't very low. We ended up driving to Mt. St. Helens. A surprising highlight. For one thing, our "road trips" can only be about an hour in any direction on Kauai and we both enjoy a drive once in awhile. We took the wrong way on the way there and drove for three hours. They have a great visitor center that we stopped at. It has a cafe so we ate lunch on the deck overlooking Mt. St. Helens. We also read up on the history and read some first hand accounts. We planned our trip back based on the three hour trip up there, and got back to Astoria in half the time. A plus because we got to take pictures in front of the Goonies house (the house where they filmed Goonies). That was one of Rusty's all time favorite movies. I even talked Russ into lifting his shirt and doing the "truffle shuffle" in front of the Goonies house. Sorry, I promised him I wouldn't post that one. While we were there we could hear sea lions barking. We drove toward the sound and found a pier that was absolutely covered with sea lions. We got to watch them for awhile before we had to make our way back to our floating hotel with dinner waiting for us.
The bottom line is I have done a 180 on my opinion about cruises. It is so cool that while you sleep and gorge yourself on tons of really good food they are traveling for you. When you wake up you are there and can go about your business. We would totally go again.
We have heard our friends talking about cruises and had decided they really weren't for us. We like to push vacations to the max. Every minute planned way in advance with as much packing in of activities as possible. I started getting concerned when we read that the average age on the Statendam (the cruise ship we went on) was 65. I was really concerned when I looked at the shore excursions available and it appeared the most physical one was a 3 hour 8 mile bike ride...on a path. I was kind of panicky. I was picturing us going crazy locked on a boat with lots of sparkly clothes and bingo for 5 days. So I called my friend Genevieve, who should really be my travel agent. She told me that the boat is like a floating hotel that feeds you. O.K., I could handle that. She also sent me to a cruise review website that gave me some good ideas for the ports we were going to. I started making calls about rental cars and lined up rental cars at the three ports we went to. I also lined up a zipline tour, which I have always wanted to try. We had other plans, some that worked out and others that didn't. Regardless, we had a GREAT time.
We started a trip by nearly missing the plane. We arrived five minutes after the airline was supposed to have closed their check-in. We weren't aware that they closed at 8:00. Oops. Luckily, the attendent was the daughter of a friend and she stayed late for us. This flight was one of the things I was most excited about. I have never flown across the ocean without my kids. It was really fun. I got to watch a whole movie. We arrived in Vancouver the next morning and they sent us to the port in a taxi. We checked in and after awhile they herded us to the boat. We were happy to see that there were others that weren't of the retired age. We were also happy to greet the lunch buffet. Really happy.
Some of the activities we took advantage of on the boat during the five days were a massage (my first ever), country dancing, movies in their little theatre, a cooking class and a class on how to make towel animals, played basketball, tennis, and ping pong, watched a couple of shows, ate a lot of food, including a dinner with Stewart and Kristy, and watched for bear/scenery while moving through the chanels.
We got off the boat in Victoria, BC, Port Alberni, BC, and Astoria, OR. In Victoria we went ziplining and then hiking in East Sooke park. Ziplining was OK, but not quite the adventure I expected. I was thinking of going from tree tops to the ground and having to run at the bottom to avoid smashing my head into the ground. My sense of adventure is so warped, compliments of marrying Rusty. On our hike we had a seagull come visit us for lunch. No seagulls in Hawaii so that was kind of fun. We hiked to some petroglyphs. I wonder if todays graffiti is tomorrow's petroglyphs? We thought it was so cool to see the moss all over the trees on our hike. We even took a picture of Russ sticking his finger into it to show the kids how deep it was. It went to the end of Rusty's finger. The next week we went on a hike here and Kyleigh wanted to test the moss like we had. She stuck a two foot stick into it and didn't reach the end. I guess we were so impressed with it there because it was the same kind of landscape we grew up with, but it had moss all over it.
In Astoria we were hoping to find someone that would rent us a boat and some crab pots, or go clamming. We couldn't find anyone that rented things out and low tide wasn't very low. We ended up driving to Mt. St. Helens. A surprising highlight. For one thing, our "road trips" can only be about an hour in any direction on Kauai and we both enjoy a drive once in awhile. We took the wrong way on the way there and drove for three hours. They have a great visitor center that we stopped at. It has a cafe so we ate lunch on the deck overlooking Mt. St. Helens. We also read up on the history and read some first hand accounts. We planned our trip back based on the three hour trip up there, and got back to Astoria in half the time. A plus because we got to take pictures in front of the Goonies house (the house where they filmed Goonies). That was one of Rusty's all time favorite movies. I even talked Russ into lifting his shirt and doing the "truffle shuffle" in front of the Goonies house. Sorry, I promised him I wouldn't post that one. While we were there we could hear sea lions barking. We drove toward the sound and found a pier that was absolutely covered with sea lions. We got to watch them for awhile before we had to make our way back to our floating hotel with dinner waiting for us.
The bottom line is I have done a 180 on my opinion about cruises. It is so cool that while you sleep and gorge yourself on tons of really good food they are traveling for you. When you wake up you are there and can go about your business. We would totally go again.
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