BACK TO REALITY

We are back home. And honestly, I can't say that I am too excited about it. Actually, that's not entirely true. I can never get enough of my friends here in G.P., but that's about it. One of the things I miss the most is all the COLORS that are in Hawaii. Here all I see is white. Stupid, white, cold snow. But anyways, I will not complain anymore.

Here's how the rest of the trip went.

Day 9 - We spent the afternoon with Rachel at the Honolulu Zoo. It was awesome because I got to see a peacock with it's feathers actually up and spread out. And I also saw some of the biggest tortoises EVER. And these weird crocodiles with really skinny mouths. Then we went for some delicious ice cream.

Day 10 - We went to Pearl Harbor. At first just Nate and Josh were going to go. Then Trentman decided he wanted go, then Alysha wanted to go.......So we all went. Merynn was NOT happy about it. But once we got there, ALL the kids really enjoyed it. But Josh, by far, loved it the most. (If any of you know my son, this will be no shock) It was almost too much for him to take in. A REAL war battleship and submarine!!! That we could explore!! He took pictures of anything and EVERYTHING. He needed to read EVERY note and clipping. The kid is over the top, crazy about anything military and Pearl Harbor delivered. I just hung back a little and watched his eyes. They were taking everything in. His face was priceless. I was also amazed at how the rest rest of the kids were excited for Josh. Everytime one of them opened their mouths is started with, "Oh Josh, look over here", or "Josh, look what I found." Kinda cool.

Day 11 - Awesome day. We got to go out on the boat that Rachel works on. Rachel took Nathan, Josh and I SCUBA DIVING!!!! I was so proud of Josh. I thought for sure he would freak out or panic but he totally did it!! And LOVED it. Me, on the other hand.......Don't get me wrong, being able to actually breath underwater was really cool, but I definitely didn't like being out of my domain. I sorta panicked a couple of times when I couldn't see Rachel but don't tell anyone. Then, Rachel took Merynn out snorkeling, and Trentan and Alysha went for a swim. We then got to ride on an inflatable banana that was pulled behind a boat, AND we got to go on the jet skis. It was so super nice of Rachel's boss to let us tag along. The funniest thing about it was, that the boat is mostly for Japanese tourists and they couldn't keep their hands off of Trentan and Alysha's hair.

Day 12 - We went to Sea Life Park. The kids had been waiting very patiently to go here. They ALL wanted to see a dolphin. Now, my Merynn has been obsessed with dolphins since she was three. And she has talked about swimming with a dolphin for years. So I was a little disappointed when we discovered that it was going to cost us $184.00 to get her to do that (times it by two because an adult had to go with her)I had sat down with her and told that we just couldn't afford to do it. She was sad at first but was a trooper about it. But when we got there, the park was having a special deal, and she could get in the water with them for $50.00 without an adult. SOLD!! So another one of Merynn's dreams came to life. I couldn't help but cry, just a little, as I watched her in all her glory playing with "Mr.Maui" the dolphin. She had the biggest smile ever.
After Sea Life Park (the sea lion show was hilarious), we went to a BYU Hawaii Basketball game. It was a really fun night. The game was good and the atmosphere was so much better than the other university game we went to. The kids were really into the game. I told them to male a mental note in the back of their minds that BYU Hawaii would be a really cool place to go to school.

Day 13 - We went to a beach called Waimea Bay. Last beach day. boo. The waves were a lot bigger here than any other beach we had been to, so I was having mild heart attacks as I carefully kept an eye on Josh and Merynn. They, of course, were having the time of there lives and, again, didn't get out of the water till we were ready to go. Trentan and Alysha had a lot of fun with Uncle Andy as he would dig big holes in the sand, and them bury them in it.
We then went home, got cleaned up and unfortunately started to pack and do laundry. We met Auntie Rachel and her "beau" (Steve) for dinner and then went to an arcade to play games with them. It was a hoot. I am sure Steve thinks we are bonkers. But, I suppose we are.

Day 14 - Last day. And it POURED rain! Packed all morning and had to be out of the house by 10:00. Took the scenic route into Honolulu and did a little shopping. Met up with Rachel at the movie theatre and took the kids to a matinee. RANGO. Bad kid show. Not really a good show altogether. Went out for supper, said bye to Rachel (sniff, sniff) and headed to the airport.

What an amazing two weeks. Hopefully the kids will remember. I know I will.