After 12 hours of travelling, we made it to Hawaii.  We decided to stay right on the ocean because we didn’t think we’d be coming back and we wanted to enjoy every moment taking in the scenery and the sounds of the ocean.  We were wrong.  We are definitely coming back!  This was the beach at our condo.  There is no such thing as a “private” beach in Hawaii – the area from the ocean to high tide is public.  This area is one of the best spots on the island for surfers, so we were able to watch really good surfers from our balcony in the mornings and early evenings.

One of the sunsets from our balcony.  It was gorgeous.

As soon as we arrived at the condo, the kids found some boogie boards in the closet, and off they went to hit the waves.

Ali lets me take pictures of her (and loves it), so I have a lot more picture of her than Gabriel.  With Gabriel, if he’s having a good day (healthy self-esteem), then he will let me take pictures.  Otherwise it’s a no-go, and I choose to respect that.

Gabriel was obsessed with finding coconuts, and then he would open them and gross out when tasting the coconut water.  But that didn’t stop him from wanting more coconuts to open!

 

The next day we went to Magic Sands Beach at La’aloa Bay, about a mile south of our condo.  It is home to a beautiful beach cove, known also as Disappearing Sands Beach, or White Sands Beach. The reason it is called Magic Sands is because the action of the surf literally pulls the sand off the beach periodically, exposing the lava rocks that were buried by the sand. Later, as the surf subsides, the sand gets washed ashore and re-deposited.  The water was so clear and beautiful!  The currents that day were way too strong however, and a massive one came through when Shaun and I were trying to put on our snorkel gear.  He tried to brace himself in the sand with his hands and really hurt himself.  He wrapped it the rest of the week, and found out when we got back that one of the bones on the back of his hand was broken, so now he has a nice purple cast on, and he can’t type or even hold a mouse.  We’ll see how he works when he gets back!  Even after all that, he managed to have a great time with the kids.  They had SO much fun!

This was also at the back of our condo.  According to one of the locals, the coral is extremely sharp in that area and can really cut you up.  She said that kids shouldn’t swim too far out because it was dangerous.

Scandinavian Shave Ice is located in Kailua Village and it’s been around for over 20 years. It is considered to be the best shave ice in Hawaii. Often mistaken for “snow cones” or “slushies” a true shave ice has the consistency of new-fallen snow, not the granular, crunchy ice we are used to. And if that wasn’t good enough, they will also fill the middle with ice cream or frozen yogurt! I did not get one (not into pure sugar and food coloring), but I had a scoop of their macadamia ice cream and it was delicious.  The kids, Shaun, and Nana all had Shave Ice and loved it.

We took a full day tour to see the lava with Wasabi Tours .  We stopped at a beach with black sand called Richardson’s Ocean Park.  I was expecting it to be more like gravel since the sand is made of lava rock, but it was very fine and felt just like typical sand.  I’m glad we got to see it.

We also stopped to see Rainbow Falls.  I wish we could have gotten there early in the morning to see all the rainbows.

Our guide Mike also took us to see this formation created by lava flow.  It is called the Holei Sea Arch.  It is currently about 90 feet tall, but has a limited life span and will eventually crumble.  It was cut into the cliff of an ancient lava flow, about 550 years ago. It’s impressive.  The lava on this island does whatever it wants and there’s nothing you can do about it.  There is no such thing as insurance for lava damage, so if it flows into your yard, that’s pretty much it for your lot and house.  Fortunately it flows slow enough that there’s plenty of time to get out of its way.  The force of nature is incredible.  You really feel it on this island between the lava and the currents.  It makes you feel pretty small.

We did not hike to the active lava because the fumes are dangerous for the kids especially.  So we saw it from 2 miles away at the overlook at Jaggar Museum.  If I were to do it again, I would go on the boat tour because the lava is so active right now, it is flowing into the ocean!

We also walked through a lava tube.  A lava tube is a natural conduit formed by flowing lava which moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. After the lava flow has ceased, the rock cools and leaves a long, cave-like channel.

We spent the day on Saturday driving to Hilo and going to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.  If was beautiful and reminded me of El Yunque in Puerto Rico.  You could even hear the coquis that were accidentally introduced into Hawai’i from Puerto Rico in about 1988.

And I was able to get a good picture of my parents with the kids.  This was still at the Botanical Garden.

That’s the prettiest leaf I have ever seen! 🙂

We had to go to a Luau!  The pig in the pit also reminded me of Puerto Rico!  Ali took some Hula lessons and she had a good time, as you can tell.  All smiles!  Mama did not pack her proper shoes but at least they matched!

The last 2 days of our trip we went to the prettiest beach on the Island called Kua Bay Beach.  The water was beautiful shades of blue and the white sand was so pretty.  The waves were perfect for the kids too.

Here’s a picture of the beach and the water.

I got a shot of my dad from the balcony.  He looks like he was about to be torn away from that rock but he is actually very close to shore.

Look at this gorgeous tree!  This tree is also all over Puerto Rico.  Apparently it is as well liked as the coqui – they call it the weed tree.  It’s become quite invasive in Hawaii.

We went snorkeling with the Manta Rays our last night there, and while we were waiting, we spotted the highly endangered Monk Seal!  The captain said there are only 5 around Big Island.  How cool is that, that we saw one!  And he was so cooperative to stick his head out of the water right when I snapped the picture. 🙂

What a wonderful trip!  We will definitely be back.  Especially so that Shaun can play golf.  He hurt his hand the first day at the beach, and found out when we got back that one of the bones on his right hand was broken.  It sure didn’t stop him from having fun!

Here’s are DOs and DON’Ts for our trip:

• DO pay the extra money for oceanside.  JUST DO IT.
• DO go snorkeling/diving with the Manta Rays.
• DO rent bikes or hike to the lava flow instead of going to the overlook at the park.  (OR go on the helicopter tour, I hear it’s worth every penny)
• DO go eat at Da Poke Shack.
• DO find a place to try malasadas, yummy yummy Hawaiian donuts.
• DO go snorkel at Kahaluu Beach Park.  There is SO MUCH sealife there.  So rent some snorkel equipment for cheap, and head out from the beach.  You will be amazed.
• DO go to Kua Bay Beach, it is beautiful!
• DON’T think you can lazily swim in Magic Sands Beach and not pay attention to the strong currents and waves behind you.  (You might break a bone or worse!)
• DON’T do the dolphin excursion where you just watch them from the boat (they are going to make it illegal soon to swim with the wild dolphins)
• DO get or rent a GoPro camera.
• DON’T go to El Maguey Mexican restaurant.  There were 2 roaches on the floor and they never even gave us a menu before we decided to leave.

This was my favorite vacation EVER.

[I found this picture on my phone.  Ali must have taken it while I was busy trying to take a picture with a real camera.  Hers came out better]

 

(August 6th-8th)

You could tell we arrived in Texas because it was HOT.  So hot that the AC had a hard time trying to keep the camper cool during the day.  We were also ready to be home and not be on top of each other.  And it was hot.  We were supposed to stay a day longer and then stay somewhere near Dallas to break up the 8.5 hour drive to Austin, but we decided to just go for it.  It was a good decision.

We went on one very short but steep hike to the cave.  Did I say it was hot?  Look at amazing Luna, posing so perfectly in the photos.  It was nice being in a state park again so we could take Luna on the trails.  I would like to come back to this park when it’s not so damn hot.  And I forgot my tripod, so no pictures of me.

They climbed to the top and I told them I would stay put to take a picture of them.  It worked well for me, since it was so bloody hot. 🙂

On our last morning there, I went for a jog with Luna, and it was nice.  Nice weather, nice and peaceful, good company.  I wasn’t looking forward to the drive home, but I was trying to stay positive.

 

We left a heart on a branch while at the dump station.  Hopefully it won’t smell by the time someone finds it and takes it!

We arrived at our house at 7:45PM, and it was glorious.  Nana and Baba were waiting for us at the house.  It was so nice sleeping in our bed again without the floor moving when you got up to go to the bathroom.

Well, we made it!  We still like each other, no one was hurt, we all had fun, and we plan to do it again.  I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do something like this.  

One week relaxing at home, and then we are flying to Hawaii!!

(August 4th-6th)

I was so happy we could visit an old friend of mine who moved to Ft. Collins, Colorado.  I finally got to see her beautiful house, her animals, and feel the yarn made from her Alpacas.  The kids loved feeding the animals, and Gabriel had fun with their pugs (although I’m not sure how much fun the pugs were having!)  We had the kids eat oustide, so we were actually able to catch up with Kay and Andy and have some adult conversation.

Again, look at Gabriel with the animals.  I didn’t think he was going to let the llama go.  He’s too funny.

 

Next up is our final stop before heading to Austin!  It’s been really great, but boy am I ready to go home.  The only person who is sad about heading home is Ali.  She’s having so much fun, she just doesn’t want it to end.  I think Gabriel is getting tired of always having to drive somewhere new.  Once he gets to a place he likes, he wants to stay there indefinitely.

 (July 30th – Aug 4th) 

 

We spent 5 days in Billings, Montana visiting Shaun’s family.  We stayed at the KOA in town which happened to be the very first KOA ever! The kids spent some good quality time with Grandma Priscilla and their cousins at her house.  They had fun playing hide & seek.  I’m amazed I was able to take a picture of all of them smiling!

 

I took these pictures to show how good Gabriel is with his youngest cousin, and how it was usually Tristen and Ali that played together.  I think Gabriel was sensitive to how close Tristen and Ali were and acted out by not wanting to hang out with Tristen too much, although they had some fun moments at Yellowstone and playing outside.  It’s nice to see Ali bonding with Tristen though.  

 

 

Gabriel has always been good at helping the little kids – it’s quite adorable.  Not to mention how adorable Elizabeth is! :-). This was at Grandpa Jack’s.  Grandma Nancy bought them this gigantic “bubble” to play with.  It lasted less than an hour before one of them popped it!

 

 

Ali and Tristen had fun doing gymnastics in their backyard.  The small hill is perfect to gain some momentum.  There’s Aunt Betsy in the background!

 

 

The kids had so much fun playing with Lexi.  Especially Gabriel – he LOVES all animals.  But Lexi was especially cute!  

 

 

The KOA in Billings was located right next to Yellowstone River and Gabriel spent a lot of his time there.  He found this baby turtle and frog.  The shell wasn’t hard yet.  He could be out there for hours.

 

 

Next stop – visiting Kay and Andy in Ft. Collins, Colorado.  It’s time to start heading home.

 

 

(July 27-30)

I have been struggling to come up with words to describe Glacier National Park, but then Shaun’s Aunt Cindy, who lives an hour away from the park and visits a few times a year says “Every time I go, it’s like seeing it for the first time.” I’ve only been this once, but I totally get it.  It was breathtaking.  It is 1 million acres.  It takes 2.5 hours to get to the other side of the park.  We are coming back, that I know for sure.  Any of our camping buddies want to join us?

The first day we went white water rafting.  The kids loved it.  Gabriel was allowed to jump in the water twice, which is all he wanted to do.  He’s just like Luna – if there’s water, no matter how small, dirty, or cold it might be, he wants to jump in.

Our guide mentioned Bowman Lake so Shaun thought it would be a good idea to drive out there. It turned out to be an hour long drive on a very bumpy dirt road and he later admitted he was nervous about me being upset if it turned out to be less than spectacular. We were pleasantly surprised. I keep looking at the picture and it looks like a fake backdrop to me. 

We saw this little one on a trail and it was not shy! 

We stopped along the Going-to-the-Sun Road to check out one of the many waterfalls.

And ran into these pretty flowers, which flared up Ali’s allergies later on that day. Perhaps I shouldn’t have asked her to hold the pose for my picture. 😐

Same background, different child. So pretty.

We saw a moose!! The bull had just left so we didn’t get to see him. 😕 We were still very excited to see this one.  It was at the Fishercap Lake at Many Glacier.  

Below is one of the many pictures I took of Fishercap Lake.  The scenery in this park is amazing.  Shaun and I couln’t get over how beautiful it was.

Playing with my wide-angle lens.

On our way back to the campsite on our last night, we stopped on the side of the road because this guy was looking through his binoculars so I asked him what he spotted, and he said a grizzly and her cub.  Wow!  So he proceeded to point to them but they were so far away that they just looked like tiny bushes amongst the other tiny bushes.  Well he left and we kept looking and Shaun finally spotted them after about 10 minutes.  Once I got home and zoomed in, I could finally see that they were bears.  So cool!!  Even though this is a terrible picture, I still have to put it in my journal for proof. 🙂

And then there’s the obligatory picture at the entrance.  

Still love my tripod!

And a few more of my favorite pictures.

 

And here is one of the Pokemon we caught in the truck while driving to Glacier. 🙂

I can’t wait to come back!!