Spring Break

My Mom and Dad came to visit us during my mom's Spring Break. We had such a wonderful time. We had been missing them so much. Sam kept asking when they were coming and we gave him our standard answer, "In two days." We always say that because that's the only measurement of time that he uses. Here are a few examples of this:

"Samuel, when are you gonna clean up this big fat mess you made?"
"In two days."

"When are you gonna start pooping on the potty, like a big boy?"
"In two days."

Just when he was starting to get tired of that answer, Deucie and Grandpa arrived. It was just so nice to see them. I had been feeling really homesick and I needed their visit.

We gave them leis when we greeted them. (Sam had to try Grandpa's out while we waited for them.) I later found out that I gave Mom a lei that's traditionally for weddings. Oh, well. It was a really pretty white one with jasmine in it so it smelled really beautiful and reminded me of her. Any of you that know her know that she always smells so nice.

A couple of days after they got here we moved into our home. My parents were so helpful during what's usually a stressful time. Mom unpacked a million boxes for us and Dad was so helpful with Sam. Our new place is right across the street from a play scape and Dad took Sam over there several times a day while we tried to get settled in. Scott had to work the whole week because he just got here and couldn't take leave yet. (Thanks, Mom & Dad, for all your help!)

While my mom was here we also secured a location for my sister's wedding. We had appointments to look at a few sites. We had pretty much settled on a place and were thinking about canceling our final appointment, at Kualoa Ranch, but we decided to go anyway. I'm so glad we did. It was breath-taking. We both fell in love with it. It's a 4,000 acre ranch, which is the largest privately owned property in Hawaii. TV shows and movies have been filmed there. (Lost, Jurassic Park, & Godzilla, to name a few.) On part of their property they have what they call "Secret Island." The access to it is by boat and it feels totally secluded and romantic. I think Claudia and Bobby will love it! (That dome-shaped small island in the background is called "Chinaman's Hat.")

While we were at the ranch we stopped by a public beach nearby. Dad found a coconut and channeled Tom Hanks in "Castaway" and managed to break it open. He just wanted to see if he could do it.

Saturday we went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Dad LOVES pineapples so I figured that was something he'd really enjoy. It was fun for everybody, though. When we first got there they had a jewelry stand where you could pick your own oyster and they would crack it open to reveal a cultured pearl inside. Mom and Hannah picked out a couple of oysters each. They then set your pearls in whatever jewelry you'd like. Mom set hers in a ring and matching earrings. Hannah got a pendant and matching stud earrings.

After that we went straight to the train. Dad promised Sam that we would ride a train there and Samuel was a little more than excited. It was a 20 minute train ride that went all around the plantation. As we exited the train they handed everyone some fresh pineapple. It was delicious.

We walked through the garden after that. It was full of native plants and flowers, including tons of Hawaii's state flower, the hibiscus. They were so beautiful! They also had a fishpond there. I'm not sure if they were koi or just giant goldfish but those fish were CRAZY! A small vending machine with fish food stood next to the pond so, of course, Hannah & Sam wanted to feed them. When they threw in the food the fish went wild. It was actually kind-of sad. Sam said, "They're so hungry!" because they were fighting over the pellets.

Our last stop was the maze. It's in the Guiness Book of World Records as being the longest maze. (It's about 3 1/2 miles if you go all the way through each path.) Hannah desperately wanted to do the maze because you could win a prize if you made it all the way through while stopping at various checkpoints throughout the maze. Needless to say, we did not make it all the way through. After about half an hour Mom & I wanted out. Hannah didn't want to give up yet. We made her think we were still trying to find the checkpoints but we were actually trying to find a way out. We kept squeezing through the hedges, hoping we'd find an exit. I'm not gonna lie, I started to panic. I was just sure we were gonna be stuck there forever and no one would know to come look for us (or where to come look for us). We made it out alive, thank God, and were back in civilization.

Sunday they had to leave. I can't wait for them to come back. I miss them terribly. I miss all of you guys. Hope to see y'all soon!

Aloha!