Breaking Dawn

As some of you are aware and waiting, this Saturday, August 2nd, Breaking Dawn will be released. It is the 4th and final book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Thanks to Lora, I love these books and have had a lot of fun with them. I read Twilight with my book club girls, inhaled New Moon a week later, and then anxiously awaited the release of Eclipse by hosting a Twilight Prom with my fabulous friends...

Julie (in blue) and Keirsten (in pink).

That's right! We planned, prepared, decorated, and hosted our own Twilight Prom and had a BLAST...

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with family and friends.

This was by far the best girl party I have ever been to. There were 47 beautifully dressed moms, daughters, sisters, grandmas, and friends eating, reading, and dancing!

The Beach Bums Are Home

After 23 days of island fun we finally managed to find our way home. I have to tell you though, I could really be a professional beach bum! It totally suits me.

Nicholas and Audrey at Lani Kai Beach.

Sarah decided that she liked the beach this year!

Audrey and Grandma after their walk along the shore of Kailua.

Audrey, Nicholas, AJ, and Anisee found a crab to play with at the Ko Olina coves.

The Polynesian Cultural Center

I love this place! It is seriously one of the best things to do and see on Oahu.

The kids and I are in the Samoan village standing in front of a Samoan fale.

The grandkids enjoyed hanging out with Grandpa.

Audrey and Anisee

Me and Sarah

Nicholas and Grandpa patiently waiting to see cousin Nani dance in the canoe show.

Airplane Grandma

This is why we call her Airplane Grandma!!! My Mom is a private pilot, and a member of the Civil Air Patrol, Hawaii Wing.

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Here she is in a F-4 Phantom.

My Mom is also the owner of this Beech Muskateer. This is Nicholas just before his first "authorized" flight with Grandma. Nicholas and I went up with my Mom once before about 2 years ago, but I neglected to consult with Ryan. I thought it would be better to ask for forgiveness. Not the best choice I know, but it was soooo cool! This trip Ryan kindly lifted Nicholas' no-fly ban. Needless to say Nicholas and Grandma were extremely happy and had a awesome flight.

Audrey got to listen to the Honolulu Tower and taxi with Grandma.

Little Sarah loved the airplane too!

Grandpa's Waiahole Farm

My Dad took us to see his farm in Waiahole. It's a very beautiful piece of land that has an amazing view of Kaneohe Bay. Some of the things the kids saw growing on the farm were, papaya trees, coconut trees, banana trees, and taro plants.

The kids even got to see Uncle Ken climbed a coconut tree so that they could enjoy some fresh coconut juice. This is Uncle Ken, Audrey, Nicholas, AJ, and Anisee posing by a papaya tree.

Two little monkeys, Amron and Nicholas.

Makapu'u Lighthouse Hike

This was quite a hike for little legs and little feet, but they did it!

Here are the kids and my mom at the trail head.

We made it to the top!

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From the lookout we were able to see Molokai and Lanai peeking through the clouds.

Honolulu Zoo

I was very surprised how much the kids enjoyed the zoo!!! It was pretty hot the day that we went, but the kids were so enthralled with it all that they didn't even notice. They pretended that they were on an adventure to discover animals. It was so fun to watch them.

Temple Valley

I have to admit that I have passed by the Valley of the Temples in Kahalu'u a bazillion times in my life but have never gone in to see it. So Ryan and I decided to take the kids in and check it out. Within the Valley of the Temples is The Byodo-In Temple that was built in the 1960's to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant workers in Hawaii who came to work in the sugar plantation fields. It is a replica of the 950-year-old Byodoin Temple located in Uji, Japan on the southern outskirts of Kyoto. Inside the temple is a huge golden Lotus Buddha. It is stained in a black lacquer and decorated in gold leaf, and is the largest wooden Buddha carved in over 900 years... Who knew?!

As is customarily done before entering the temple, the kids rang the peace bell. This ringing of the bell is done to purify the mind of evil spirits and temptation. It is also said that ringing the bell will bring you happiness, blessings, and a long life... I rang it twice just to make sure!

My Brothers

These are my big brothers. From left to right... Kenneth, Jan, Me, Jas, and Doug. My younger brother Justin was the only one not able to make it to Hawaii.