Do you want to go to Hawaii? Let's go!

November of 2020 was not the ideal time to take a Hawaiian vacation. No. However, if my daughters were in school in South Dakota, that's where we'd go. But if it's Hawaii, then sigh, go, we must!

Getting tested was no joke! To get an appointment took having rehearsals, literally. The Walgreens in Taylorsville was our only option. However, they have a limited number of spots that are only available for booking three days in advance. They fill up lightning-fast, so if you aren't online the second the next day's appointments post, they fill up, and you missed your chance. To remedy this, Matt and I logged on simultaneously —since there were five of us who needed testing. He ran upstairs, triumphant, "I got Grayson scheduled at the Orem Walgreens." Huh? We had rehearsed "TAYLORSVILLE Walgreens" again and again. Luckily, my fingers flew over the keyboard. I was able to get the five of us scheduled for testing at the Taylorsville Walgreens (after he canceled Grayson's Orem apt, of course.)

During dinner, the night before testing, I confirmed, "Everyone feels healthy, right?" (We had been so cautious in the weeks leading up to our trip). The High School students had been dismissed—due to high numbers, so only Graham and Callie were attending school. Grayson said, "I don't feel great—I bet I won't pass." With his dry sense of humor, you never know if he's joking, but he insisted he wasn't. He had indeed complained of a headache that week and said he was tired. Oh boy. 

With fingers crossed, we made the trek to Taylorsville on Saturday the 21st. We waited in the line of cars for an hour before our turn. Testing was painless. We got to minister the test to ourselves.

After a few errands, we came home to wait.

Grayson's results were the first to be emailed. I called Matt upstairs to be with me as I opened the results—this was nerve-wracking! 

POSITIVE.

Oh man, Gray tested Positive! We immediately had him skedaddle away from the rest of us. Was it already too late? 

The rest of the results came in with just enough wait-time to keep us in knots. 

Negative, negative, negative. Phew—this was looking promising. Graham's results were the last test to come through. He was the one most looking forward to the trip. Well, not the trip, but flying! He had done extensive research on the plane and had done a flight-simulation of our exact route. He was ready to go!

Finally, Graham's results showed up in my inbox. We gathered around as I opened them up.

Negative. 

Cheers! But what to do about GRAY??? The truth was, if anyone was going to test positive and yet still have the trip happen, it needed to be him. If Matt or I tested positive, that would leave kids flying alone (we were not all on the same flight). If Graham or Callie tested positive, Matt or I would need to stay home with them. Also, Grayson has never really been looking forward to the trip. Opposite of Graham, he hates flying. The last time we flew, Gray threw up and was utterly miserable. He's a homebody. 

That night, we had a family council via Zoom and heard everyone's insights on how they thought we should proceed. Opinions were all over the board: from canceling the trip to smuggling in Gray anyway. 

Matt and I decided we would proceed, sans Gray. It made me sad—I so badly wanted my family together just ONCE this year. I felt like this was a righteous desire, but I trusted that the Lord knew our situation and all would be well. In the days leading up to the test, I was such a bundle of nerves that I asked Matt for a blessing. He promised, "All would be well." 

I talked to the lady at the Health Department who cleared Grayson for the following Friday. Matt changed Gray's flight, and I logged on to that blasted Walgreen's website to get him a new test for Wednesday. 

And with that, we got up in the wee hours on Monday the 23rd and drove away without him. I couldn't believe it. 

The new Salt Lake City Airport is spectacular—we oohed and awed. There weren't any holiday crowds—we breezed through. However, I was a bit surprised at the layout; we had to walk a mile to get to the United Terminal. Since Matt was flying Delta (which was right at the entrance), he was nice to walk with us. By the time we got to our gate, we didn't have long to wait at all. 

I felt like the lucky one being able to fly with sparkly-eyed Graham. We took a shuttle to the plane. "It's so tiny!" I noticed. It only needed to get us to California, but still. 

Graham informed me, "Pilots don't like to hear that—it's an insult." I kept my tiny plane opinion to myself. Both Graham and Callie got window seats. At the last minute, a man was seated next to Graham. The guy dozed right off. One of the advantages of wearing a mask on the plane is that no one can see your jaw hanging open—obviously, it is—but you can't see it. 

Graham had chosen wisely on which side of the plane he sat on. As we approached San Francisco, he saw the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz!

For how tiny or plane had been to California, the opposite was true for our plane to Hawaii. Three seats on each side, and FOUR in the middle. We were in the middle. As we were seated, I could hear the music in Graham's head, "Wa-waaa-waaaaa." We were in the front row of our section, so we did not have movie screens in front of us, nor a tray to pull down. Aaaaaaand, we were seated next to a lady with a bay-bay. (There had been a real sad one on our flight to CA.) 

Things started looking up when we realized that our seats DID have screens and a tray. We pulled them out from our armrests. I watched a fellow passenger across the aisle struggle. He had ear-buds in, so I couldn't' get his attention. He figured it out eventually. Probably for the best. He didn't come across as someone who liked to be told what to do. Another bonus was that being on the front row gave us extra leg-room. 

The bay-bay reminded me so much of Graham as a baby with his sparkly eyes. The baby did well, considering the long journey he had already traveled. His mom said they had taken the red-eye from New York before boarding the long flight to Hawaii. From there, they would take a flight to Guam—where her husband is stationed. She looked exhausted. I assured her that we were not bothered by the baby at all. When the little guy grabbed at my scarf or tossed my water bottle, I assured her, "It's fiiiiiine." A fellow-passenger offered to hold her baby. Seeing that I had just been with Covid-boy the week before, I felt it best that I didn't offer such a favor. Otherwise;) When I asked how old her baby is and learned he is 9-months, I realized that he's only known a Covid world, which was apparent when he did not try to pull at my mask as I cooed at him. All he sees are masked people. Weird.

I got all of my reading for my religion class done while on the plane. The kids were in heaven with their snacks and movies. Though the airplane snacks have pared down, Matt had loaded us up! Oddly, I chose to watch "Jingle all the Way." Laurie gave us the VHS when we were first married. Since we were heading to see her, it seemed a good fit. It was a long flight! That had been another of Grayson's complaints, "Why is Hawaii even part of America? It's so far." We wondered how Matt was faring on Delta all by his lonesome.

Since Matt had all the luggage with him, it was easy for us at the airport once we arrived. Easy, but not fast. We waited in a long line to show our QR codes. No one leaves the airport without a QR code showing a negative test result. We could feel the humidity in the air as we waited. When we left Salt Lake that morning, it had been a chilly 25 degrees. The weather report in Hawaii read, "81°, feels like 82°." In the summer, the humidity is much worse! 

THE ALOHA SPIRIT

Mallerie and Ava greeted us outside the airport. They had a fresh flower lei for me and candy leis for all.  Hank made them for us! We pulled away from the airport to wait for Matt and our bags;) Since we were renting a car, Matt and I boarded the shuttle while the littles stayed with Ava and Mal. Another family was on the shuttle with us. She looked at my beautiful lei with the look of, "Where did you get that...I didn't get one of those." 

Enough with the snacking, we had done—we were ready for a real meal. The breakfast burritos we had in San Fran seemed an awfully long time ago. The Mexican restaurant we ate at was called MEXICO. Mexico in Hawaii, our two worlds combined. The seating in Hawaii is "Five per table!" We split up boys and girls. I was glad to know ahead of time that the portions are gino, so we each shared. The flautas Mallerie and I ordered were superb. 

We stopped in Waikiki to see the sunset before heading to the north shore. It was so good to be back in Hawaii! It's been sixteen years—if you can believe it. Laurie has been to the mainland many times between then and now, but it was good to see her in her world. She said, "We never have visitors!" Yet, they are all set up for visitors. They own two houses next to each other with pre-schools on the bottom floor. Ava and Mal use the empty house as their party pad. We stayed at the party pad. While the rest of us took a tour through the expansive three buildings that house the pre-school classrooms, Graham stayed on the couch with a broom in hand—seeing a cockroach had sent him into panic mode.

THE PARTY PAD

I tell ya, it even sounded like a party! The pre-school runs till 2 pm each day. We must have been staying above the music room. It was fun for us to look out the window and see Mallerie and Ava at work. The whole set-up was nothing like Callie had been picturing—now she can picture their world. When the girls finished working, we said, "Take us to the turtles!" 

SEE SEA TURTLES

The tourists were all gathered around one turtle, but Mallerie said, "Follow me." We climbed over a fair amount of lava rock before reaching a hidden beach. I saw them first and called back to Matt, "It's worth it." 

Seven turtles!

We had worked up a sweat, so a swim in the ocean was just the thing. The advantage Matt had while sitting on the beach was to see that there was a turtle swimming right by us! The disadvantage was that we didn't even know.

Since Matt didn't join us in the ocean, he was ready for some Hawaiian ice in Haleiwa after. He "treated" us well. Haleiwa is pronounced like CallieAva.

COSTCO

We needed to do a Costco run. When Mallerie first moved to Hawaii, I was surprised to learn that they even have a Costco. I dropped my jaw (I didn't even have my mask on to hide it) when I learned that there are FOUR. No matter where you go, Costco is always PACKED—we could hardly find a parking spot. We got our usual hotdog and ate outside. We mainly discussed such things as, "You don't like mustard? I thought you liked mustard. I have to have mustard. I don't like ketchup. You've never liked ketchup. I have to have ketchup." 

My family knows that I do not love going to Costco. It is a well-known fact that I have, many a time, pulled into the parking lot, looked at the crowds, and put the car in reverse. I needed a pep talk to go in. We saw stacks of pumpkin pies at every turn and couldn't get over it. Every customer would need to leave with one for them to make a dent in the stack. We did our part. Mallerie concurred, "The islanders love a good pumpkin pie." Matt found some cabana wear. I sounded like Nora Krank, "Oooo, are you going to wear that on the trip?"

We called my mom on the way home to wish her a Happy Birthday. We had only been there a day, but we already had so many tales to share.

I didn't have to cook dinner that night. Mallerie said that her friend Lawana wanted to cook for us. Lawana brought over a full enchilada feast that evening! We had a little crowd at the party pad. We met Mallerie and Ava's friends: Asya, Gavin, Dartanian, Mia, Bob, Gus, and Lawana. It turns out that Lawana is the mom. She's a little older than Matt. Gus, her youngest, is 6—a little surprise. I said to her, "And now you probably can't picture your life without him." She looked off dreamily, "No, I can. I picture it all the time." Ha-ha! I guess you would. We couldn't thank her enough for her kindness in bringing dinner—they are the Baker family, so maybe it's what they do. They have three kids attending BYU-Hawaii. They flew in to celebrate Gavin's birthday.

Mallerie and I can get SILLY. We feed off each other's energy and it can get…well, just really silly! To the point that Callie and Ava look at us like, "Oh myyyyy." Still, we can't stop giggling—which happened a couple of times that night. Luckily, there were enough happenings around us that we blended right in. Aysa brought Remi, the famous cat. Laurie brought the grandkids, Mahina and Makoa. It's a Party Pad.

CHICKEN TREE

Wild chickens roaming around are a common thing in Hawaii. Having the soft heart that he does, Hank feeds them. At night, they into the plumeria tree. It is the best thing ever to look at them all snuggled for the night. It aint no thang to the locals but we just loved the chicken tree. The girls said that when the tree is full of plumerias you can't even see the chickens. Made me glad that the branches were bare.

FIRE DANCING

We started our morning on Wednesday with a little fire dancing show at the Pre-School. We also got to hear the kids sing "Go My Son," that they have been practicing ever so hard. Chicken trees. Fire dancing. NBD in Hawaii.

BANYAN TREE

We met up with our new friends the next morning at the LOST tree. The night before, Gavin had told us crazy tales from his mission while serving in Kiribati. That must have been where he learned to climb trees like Tarzan. I didn't put it together till then that Kiribati is where one of the new temples will be built. It was just announced at the October General Conference. You can imagine his astonishment at that announcement. They didn't even have running water or electricity on the island he served on. Note: WE were equally amazed when a new temple was announced to be built in Lindon, UT—literally walking distance from my parents.

The trees were like a giant jungle-gym. The only problem was that we were being eaten alive! I was willing to drive back to the house for bug-spray but Lawana had some so we walked back to her car. I heard Dartanian ask, "Are we hanging out with them all day?" (I suppose our family was wondering the same thing.) The adjoining beach is in The Hunger Games. It was a great beach. Just as Graham and Callie got busy in the sand, Mallerie announced that it was time to go on a hike. Graham wondered why in the world we would leave such a delightful place to hike!

KAWELA BAY

PILLBOX

The Pillbox was a Mallerie hike. The reason I call it a Mallerie hike is because when she describes it as "Easy" or "It's just right there" that isn't necessarily the case. What we were not planning on was getting so MUDDY. Sure, it kept raining off and on but whoa, it was crazy mud. We made it to the Pillbox—an old army look-out. 

The way back down was GNARLY. Most of us managed to stay upright. Matt and Gus had it the worst. We hosed off the mud at the beach across the street. 

From there we drove to Sunset Beach for a swim. It was cute to see the three older siblings' fuss over Gus. In the ocean, I found the most beautiful coral. Sunset is Matt's favorite beach. 

Of course, we had to stay and watch the sunset.

Back at the party pad, Mallerie and Ava dove into homework, which they and been sorely neglecting. I had worked my little tail off in the weeks leading up to the trip to get a week ahead in my schoolwork. As Mallerie sat on the couch, she waved her hand, "Mom, maybe you can make some dinner." I knew there was a basil plant in the yard so I took a bowl outside and started searching. Wow. They weren't kidding. It was a crazy big basil plant. I used Mal's Cuisinart to make pesto for our pasta. As Mallerie gobbled it up she said, "Thank you, I was staaaaaarved." I asked, "What would you have done if I wasn't here?" She said, "I would have had a couple of strawberry belts and called it good." Ava had a Costco size container of such things that Graham and Callie were gah-gah over—our mainland Costco doesn't carry strawberry belts.

In addition to making pasta that night, I started on Thanksgiving prep. I wasn't sure what Thanksgiving would look like this year but after going over the options, we decided on a traditional feast. Laurie did the meat and patahas, and rolls. We made sides and pies. That evening, we crumbled the cornbread—so it could dry out, and got the apple and pecan pies made. With the palm trees and waves out the window, it was hard to believe that it was time for the holidays at all. Sam and Jan came over and we watched The Amazing Race in the glow of the Christmas tree. I had a speck of sand in my eye that was giving me the worst time. If I could guarantee it was going to turn into a pearl, I would have left it.

GIVING THANKS

There was a lot of bustling the next morning to get the Pre-school turned into a dining hall. Mallerie and Callie walked to the grocery store three times for me. I put together my sweet potato pie and stuffing. Ava made green bean casserole. It was all coming together! Gavin saw his family off at the airport and then came to lend a hand. As I handed him hot dishes, I said, "You'll need to carry them on a cookie sheet, they are hot!" He grabbed them with his bare hands, "I worked in food service for years." 

His birthday had been the day before, and he was given a similar shirt to Matt's from Costco. Now we had TWO boys in cabana wear. 

The meal was delightful. Matt has not had Thanksgiving with his sister since he was a kid, probably 35-years ago. He showed her the infamous "Doritos Touch" commercial he and my brother Cade made that won them a trip to the Super Bowl.

 After dinner, we played hot potato outside. When the timer ended, the needle poked the water balloon. Whoever was holding it got wet. (For this reason, I made sure to pass it to Matt above his head;) Of course, this turned into a full-fledge water fight—something I have never done after Thanksgiving dinner!

The safe zone was by the babies,

though no one was really safe.

The young adults sang us the Hawaiian song. After all the silliness that had gone on, they switched gears and gave it the reverence it deserves. 

Later, Mallerie drove Matt and me around to point out some of her favorite places. I think every place in Hawaii is her favorite. In general, we just had her drive. That evening, we went over and saw Anela and Brandon's house, which is just a street or two away and as darling as can be. Everyone came back to the house for seconds. I was still too full from the first round! Nothing like Thanksgiving food to fill you up. As people sat around and chatted, three-year-old Mahina twirled around in her dress-up, "This is the best family," she sang. So sweet.

GOAT ISLAND

The sea was angry that day, my friend.

Friday was another island adventure. I was glad we all packed water-shoes. I was glad that I had packed TWO pairs of water shoes since Graham forgot to bring his. The day was blustery, so it felt strange jetting off into the ocean. We were able to touch the whole way across so that wasn't the issue. The issue was that the route to the island is where the tides meet so the waves come at you from both sides. It is rough water! I watched in awe as Anela hoisted Mahina on her shoulders as she walked. All while holding her bag out of the water. She's tough!

Goat Island is dreamy. Live crabs. Seashells. Succulents. Dreamy. We walked around the whole thing. Graham loved the walk to and from the island. It truly felt like an adventure. A Mal adventure. Laurie and Hank joined us as well but turned back with the baby when the waves got too rough. Gavin collected a shell and handed it to me, "Since my mom isn't here, I'll give this to you." We gathered beautiful coral as well. 

We had all packed lunch and chose to go back to the Hunger Games beach to eat. Hank snorkeled and then came back with things that we couldn't see—he held them on the boogie board above our heads. He told Matt to close his eyes. Hank handed him a sea cucumber! If you wonder what one looks like. It looks EXACTLY like a cucumber! Matt shivered and tossed it. Ava and Mallerie left from there to go pick up the cousins from the airport. They had arranged to have Alivia, Landrie, and Kate fly in as well! It was bitter-sweet in the sense that I had hoped Grayson would be flying in with them. However, he had tested positive again the Wednesday before. So that was that. 

Matt admired Gavin's new bike. As he pulled into the parking lot I said to Mal, "Cool guy" (a line from our summer vacation). 

I'LL MEET YOU AT THE TOP OF THE COCONUT TREE

After lunch, we all met back near Goat Island for Gavin to show us another mission skill—climbing a coconut tree! He opened the coconuts with the machete he had in his backpack and we drank the juice then ate the soft coconut. I didn't know that the young coconuts have the texture of a mango. He said that is what they are for breakfast every day on the mission. As he hacked into the coconut we said, "You could work at the PCC." 

He shook his head, "Nah, they won't hire me, I'm too white." 

We said, "That's too bad." 

He assured us, "I have enough privileges." 

 

PCC

One of the usual things we would have done during our trip is to spend a day at the PCC (Polynesian Cultural Center). We've been the last couple of times we were in Hawaii, so I didn't think I'd miss it but as we drove by, I realized that I did miss it! Many things are still closed due to Covid. However, the restaurants are open and Laurie and Hank treated us to dinner at Pounders that night. The same five-person-to-a-table rule still applied so we had to spread out. We had the cousins in tow and Sam forgot that he had signed up to feed the sister missionaries so they were there as well. We took up four tables! Laurie and Hank are very generous.

KAT IN TOWN! 

That evening it was my and Matt's turn to head to the airport. This time to pick up Katrina! This is the first time we have seen her since last Christmas so it was a wonderful reunion. She had a chance to catch up with Laurie about her last year, which included living in New York. Laurie said, "The thing with New York is, there is no aloha spirit." No, no there isn't.

First thing I drug Katrina over to see what the chicken tree at night. "They just sit there???" She too thought it was the best thing ever. 

SWAP MEET

On Saturday morning we all headed to the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium. Sam and Jan were already there (a first!;) Last time I remember it being so hot and muggy we hardly stayed long. Experiencing the difference with the air this time, Matt says he'll never go to Hawaii in the summer again. 

We found all sorts of trinkets. I was careful with what I bought since I only had four pounds to play with when it came to the weight of my suitcase:/ A pair of earrings, a sarong... I saw some darling scrunchies. We all flocked around them and bought several. I was disappointed that my hair is too thin to support the weight. As I looked down the aisle. I saw a parrot on Callie's head. I snapped some photos as I walked closer. Then I heard the guy say, "Five dollars for photos." He saw me. Ahh, I get it now. His booth was nothing but a folding chair and a parrot. I paid him and then felt obligated to take a ton more photos. When Grayson later looked through my photos he said, "Why are there so many of Callie with a parrot?" 

When I sent Grayson photos of us at the swap meet, he texted back, "Wait, is that Katrina?" I guess he missed the part that she would be joining us on the trip???

We had to replace Matt and Graham's swim shorts. The red mud from the Pillbox hike never did wash out. There was nowhere to try them on but the man running the booth taught us a trick. Laying the shorts flat, wrap them around your neck. If they can wrap around, they will fit. We found this to be spot on.

WAIKIKI

We were close to Waikiki so we took our lunch over there to the beach. 

There is such a touristy feel there compared with the north shores of Hawaii...and yet...there we were to stay. Matt checked me and the babes into the Marriott. It was probably for the best to give the girls room to spread out at the party pad. The Marriott was beautiful but also left me feeling like everyone was now very far away. However, we had things planned that were on that side of the island so it was all going to work out. Deep breadths.  

We ate dinner at Outback with the babes that night since the others went on a crazy pants Mallerie hike. Katrina is sure she almost died on it. 

MARRIOTT'S KO OLINA BEACH CLUB

Graham and Callie each had a bed to themselves—we didn't even need to pull out the sofa bed in the living room.  

As Graham settled in with popcorn and his favorite movie, I could hear the words in his head, "Now THIS is a vacation."

PEARL HARBOR

The next morning was what Graham was most looking forward to about the whole trip. PEARL HARBOR. To be there only a week before the anniversary made it extra special. Mallerie had reserved tickets for the ten of us. We met the girls there. The feeling at the memorial is reverent. Respectful. As if at a cemetery—it is a cemetery—as recently as last year a soldier was laid to rest with his comrades. Graham was disappointed to learn that the top half of the USS Arizona was sawed off to build the memorial. He wishes that they left it as it was. However, because the memorial is now directly on top of the sunken ship, you can still see oil leaking into the ocean. I said, "That can't be good." 

Katrina agreed, "No it can't."

As we meandered through the grounds and read the plaques, we saw another exhibit. The girls had seen enough but Graham had not. I was game to stay so the four of us made a day of it. We toured the USS Bowfin Submarine. The submarine tickets could be purchased with a combo pass to Ford Island. I am not familiar with Ford Island, but Graham sure is. As soon as the gal mentioned it, his eyes lit up. Sparkly-eyed Graham, everyone's favorite. We enjoyed tacos in the sunshine as the kids poked around and bought stretch pennies. 

We then boarded the shuttle to go over the bridge to Ford Island, which is still an active military base. 

As we entered the aerospace museum, we were offered the option to purchase a flight simulator ticket for a REAL flight simulator. WOW. Graham hardly focused on the planes in the museum—he wanted to get into the cockpit! 

Callie was his co-pilot. We could see them on a screen so we watched while they were inside the closed dome that rotated 360°. I would have tossed my tacos. 

 

Graham had saved his money—not falling for trinkets at the Swap Meet—for the gift shop at Pearl. He decided on a poster of planes.

From the museum, we walked to a hanger that still has bullet holes in the glass from December 7, 1941. Graham described, "It felt like we went back in time." Some of the structures on Ford Island remain untouched. I appreciate that Graham has studied so much about history. It made it meaningful to be there with him. 

Five hours after meeting up with the girls I texted them to let them know, "We are barely leaving the museum btw." 

We relaxed at the Villa and then enjoyed a nice dinner at the restaurant on the property. As we waited for our food, Graham drew on the back of his kid's menu how his future boy's bedroom room will look—which will build it in the cockpit of a plane. He drew a side view and a birds-eye view. Just as he finished telling us about it, a gust of wind blew the paper off the table. A waiter was able to stop it with his foot. Graham stood up to go get it when the waiter waved him off with his hand as though to say, "I got it." And with that, he crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash. Then he was so kind as to bring Graham a new kid's menu. "Thaaaaaanks."

The walk to and from our room was beautiful at dusk. I can still picture the way that the palm trees looked black against the orange sky. 

There was a fabulous Christmas tree in the foyer. It was chock-full of interesting things to look at. Callie changed the home screen on my phone to one of the pictures. The guy that took it was a bit of a joker and cut our heads off. 

We loved the big sea turtle peeking out. Callie bought a turtle ring in the gift shop. 

There was a dancing feel at the Villa that night. So, I did.

It sure is easier being a family of four on vacation than a family of eight. Just sayin'. 

CHINAMAN'S HAT

The drive back to the North Shore in the daytime was purely tropical.

I was so happy that Laurie and Hank joined us all as well. 

As we started across the water, we were soon left in the girl's waves. I was glad we were going nice and slow when Hank spotted a blue bubble. A blue bubble looks like any old bubble that is floating on top of the water but it has long tentacles that sting if you touch them. We know the story well of Kei, as a child, swinging one around (if you hold it by the bubble part it doesn't sting) just as Sam ran by and a tentacle brushed through his EYEball! 

Once we reached Chinaman's Hat, we were leering about Mallerie's hike to the top, "It's just right there and takes two seconds." Matt opted out immediately. The rest of us started up the steep terrain. At one point Ava was using a rope to climb. Katrina announced that she was turning back. Callie was trying to decide what to do. I assured her, "I'll go with you." She asked, "To the top, or back down?" 

"Yep!" 

We all proceeded. There is a 360° from the top and a great view of Kualoa Ranch, where such movies as the Jurassic series were filmed. Those that stayed down at the bottom had a treat as well when Graham spotted a huge sea turtle joining them on the island. Then the turtle turned around, got back in the water, and swam away. The rest of us managed to shimmy back down to the water as well. 

On our walk back (yes, we just walked/swam out the island) I saw Mallerie helping Callie up ahead. She was pulling something off her. Oh boy, a blue bubble. Moments later I felt something on my arm. Yep. Matt also got stung. I had a bite-gel in the car that helped. The stinging horrors from a blue bubble that we've heard about weren't as bad as we thought they'd be. However, I didn't have one drug over my eyeball. The only scars we were left with were those from the coral. Those cuts don't heal!

Laurie and Hank again treated us afterward. Everyone had worked up an appetite. We got juicy burgers at Seven Brothers. Ironically, one of the brothers recently moved to Utah and opened up a shop at The Riverwoods. 

WAIMEA BAY

Matt wanted to see some waves! The girls assured us we would see some at Waimea Bay. They had been there the day before and had spooky tales to tell. For this reason, I was a little jumpy and decided to just watch from the shore. Mallerie was her usual crazy self and decided to boogie board. We watched her get pounded over and over by enormous waves. As the water poured over her, I could see her silhouette with her hair flailing in the water. One wave pushed her waaay up onto the sand and started to suck her back in. I said to Matt, "Grab her!" Between my shouts and the cousins, we were making the whole thing way more dramatic than it needed to be. We wanted to. It was making the experience feel rather gleeful. As Graham went to get in with Mal we kept screaming, "Graham!" as we saw waves approaching. Then we'd laugh hysterically.

Katrina didn't fare a whole lot better. She said she had so much sand in her suit she didn't dare get out of the ocean or she'd look like she was wearing a saggy diaper

Mallerie reminded us of a funny story. She said that she remembers one time when the Gouldings were sleeping over we all went to Deer Creek Reservoir. The bottom of the lake dropped and Sophie, to stay above water, started pushing Katrina and Romney's heads underwater. They were hollering. Mal remembers that Matt called out from the shore, "You kids having a good time out there?" Bwahaha. 

BONFIRE ON THE BEACH

Before our trip, we each mentioned something that we wanted to do while in Hawaii. One of the things that Katrina wanted to do, was to have a bonfire on the beach. We decided on a much calmer beach and then headed to Sam's house to get firewood. Several of his buddies also live on the land and were milling about. I casually asked about the coconut tree and the next thing we knew Keahe was climbing it for us. He threw down coconuts to Caleb, who used a spear to crack them open and shred them for us. These coconuts were more mature so they were crunchy. Mmm, Dinner! The wood they got from Sams was a little wet so while Gavin attempted to light it the rest of us went for a night swim. That night-swim was a real highlight of the trip. Rolling along with the waves in the moonlight. We would all holler, "Whoa!" as the waves carried our feet off the ocean floor and then back down. 

We heard Mallerie call to us from the shore, "You kids having a good time out there?"

We missed having Grayson with us! The conversation turned to him. We all agreed, we needed Grayson there! Or as Ava calls him, we needed Gary there. After SEVEN granddaughters (hey, that could be the name of our restaurant), finally a grandson was born. I said, "It was fun to finally make that call, 'It's a boy!"

Ava piped up, "And his name will be called, Gary." 

We danced around on the beach to The Greatest Showman as the fire finally roared (Keahe had to bring over dried palm leaves and a blowtorch). Giuseppe is living in Hawaii and joined us! It was so great to see him. It was very healing on my end. I know it was for Callie too. Several other island friends joined us and we roasted marshmallows and visited in small groups. 

The night was getting late and we still had to get to the other side of the island. We drove back to the house for the girls to get their things, we drove to Gavin's for him to get his things, then we got on the road. The other side of the island seemed far that night. We were pooped from a day in the sun. As people figured out where to settle in for the night, Graham was rather put out at having to give up his king-size bed for three girls. It had to have been 1 am before we fell asleep.

My alarm went off in the 6 o'clock hour. The reason was so we could swim with the dolphins on the west side of the island. One car took off in a mad dash as I tried to get Graham even awake! He mumbled that he was just going to stay there. However, I wasn't sure how long we would be gone or how far away we were going. Katrina and I insisted he come with us. He was in a mood, "The free-loaders are all the good Danishes!" (The next day at the beach, as I recounted this story, with perfect imitation, "They are free-loading on our vacation!" Laurie died of laughter. Then I asked for reassurance that this does not mean I have raised a greedy, self-centered kid. She assured me that I have not—he's a typical 13-year-old.)

DOLPHINS!

As I said, the first car was already on its way to the Dolphins because Mal insisted, "We need to go now!" which left Matt fumbling to put the address into the GPS. Hawaiian city names are mostly vowels. If you put in a wrong vowel, you are re-routed to a different city. A half-hour out of our way, Matt noticed we were headed INLAND instead of along the coast. We tracked Mallerie's location and turned around. Realizing this mistake might have made the difference in us seeing the dolphins, we did our best to be positive—only commenting on the scenery as we drove along. At the beach, we fumbled with flippers, goggles, and boogie boards while the girls told us about how they had already swum right with the dolphins. 

Getting over the tide was the first challenge. Matt didn't make it. Besides, his goggles were pinching his head. He turned around. I was glad Gavin was there to help Callie on her way. Matt said, "I saw someone going past me fast as can be and looked over to see that it was little Callie!" 

As we waited for the dolphins to circle back, we made our way farther and farther into the ocean. My first time snorkeling! We saw coral, colorful fish, and a turtle! It was just a medium-sized one, but there he was on the ocean floor. Underwater, I pointed for Ava to see. We could see a boat in the distance that was following the dolphins. We headed in that direction. So much kicking! I could see why the flippers and board are a must for an excursion such as this. As soon as we made our way in one direction, the boat would head another. We probably should have just stayed put. However, we did see the dolphins! They didn't swim right under us, but the dolphins were not far in front of us. We watched as they leaped and played, performing corkscrew spins as though we were at SeaWorld. We clapped and cheered as though we were at SeaWorld. My mind went back to the year 2000 when we took Katrina and Mallerie to SeaWorld in California. In the home movie, the girls are more interested in twirling on the guardrails than looking at the dolphin through the glass. They were babbling and giggling with each other. There they were once again, sharing a board, babbling and giggling together. 

It was just as well that the ocean had spit Matt out. He was able to sit with Graham, who was fully clothed, on the beach. Graham had changed OUT of his swim trunks to get into the car that morning. He was proving his point! Laurie laughed even harder at this account. 

We had worked up quite the appetite. Some of us had skipped breakfast (Remember: "We've got to go now!") Matt had looked up a nearby McDonald's, but when he suggested it, he was met with blank stares all around. I asked Mal if she knew of someplace else. Of course, she did! She led us to a local pancake house that had such things as macadamia nut/banana pancakes. We sat outside—I even got to have my back in the sun. It was delightful. When I went inside to pay, I decided, "What the heck, I'll flip the entire bill." I quietly did so and then rejoined the others for chatting and chilling. 

Mallerie went inside and then came back out and said, "Ava!? You paid????" 

Ava looked utterly confused, "Dude, I didn't even bring my wallet." 

I confessed, "It was me, Mal." 

I received lots of thanks from my kiddos and a bear hug from Gavin.

Mal said, "I went inside to ask for the check, but the lady said, 'Your SISTER already paid."

I said, "Well, just for that comment, it was worth it right there."

Mal loved the story enough to share it the next day. She kept telling people the story. It's a good story.

As we drove away, Gavin got out of the car, waving his arms. My swim pants were still on the roof of the van. Good golly.

MERMAID CAVES

I do not know WHAT I was expecting, but as Katrina and I passed a hole in the rock with water rushing underneath, I asked, "What if we had to go down there?" 

"No way." She said that she gets claustrophobic.

The next thing, we see Gavin up ahead, helping to lower cousins into a very similar hole! Kat bolted. Me? Well, I just do what you do! Down I went. It was pretty cool, I must say. AND I sounded just like Ariel down there. We all did

Afterward, while everyone swam, I sat under the tree with Graham;) I took advantage of the downtime to call home. We were still trying to figure out a way for Grayson to come to Hawaii. As we chatted, he said, "To be honest, I don't even want to go. It's hard to do school online, plus I don't like to fly." He asked lots of questions about the trip. He said, "See? I feel like I already took it." He asked who all was at the beach. 

I told him, "Our family, the cousins: Alivia, Landrie, and Kate, and Mallerie's friend Gavin." 

Grayson said, "He must be a cool guy to be with Mal." 

We parted ways with the North Shore bunch after that. I felt a little nervous, sending seven of them away in a five-seater car. They headed to the Dole Plantation while we headed back to the Villa—which was only TEN minutes down the road! Geesh. 

POUNDERS BEACH

As we got ready the next day to head back to the North Shore, I opted out of putting on a swimsuit. I can't live the wet/sandy swimsuit life on and on and on. I brought it just in case I changed my mind. We met at Pounders Beach. It looked like several of the girls were beached out as well. Mall had even taken a shower! I took advantage of the moment to get a family photo. Ava said, "Wait, let me put on my cover-up. I don't want to be the only one in a bathing suit." I think she was happy that she did when she saw that I used that photo for our annual Christmas card!

I wasn't even going to send out a card out this year. I like all of my family to be on it. Last year I had to scroll back to January to find one of us all together. For this reason, it pained me to ride the elevator at the Villa and see advertised, "Free family photo sessions on the beach!" Stab!

Laurie and Hank were just too generous! They treated us to one last meal of fish and chips at the Marketplace. Those that aren't fishy eaters cleaned out the bakery. No one left hungry. 

We got some great group shots at the Laie Temple. The sky was amazing. 

We took several photos of random combinations of people. 

 

The girls said, "Now take one of just the brochure family." So, Matt and I posed with our one son and one daughter.

 

Back at Laurie and Hanks, Hank showed Katrina how to play the Uke (she bought one at the Swap Meet), the girls did "smoochies" and talked me into a round of hip wars. We were soaking in our last few minutes till it was time to go. We would be taking Katrina to the airport before going back to the Villa for our last night. 

As we drove down the road, the girls ran and cheered after the car. My mind was flooded with nostalgia once again. It is a classic send-off that the cousins do for one another. 

TAKE A LITTLE PIECE OF MY HEART

Leaving pieces of your heart across the ocean is hard. Putting a piece of your heart on an airplane to Texas is hard too.

At the Villa, we did our laundry, packed our bags, and weighed our suitcases. Mal was begging for us to extend our trip, but the kids needed to get back to school. I had assignments on my home computer that I needed to access. Blah, blah, blah. It was time to go.  

I wanted to be through security and logged on for my Thursday Gathering Group by 6 am Hawaii time, so we got up earlier than we would have otherwise. We met our first obstacle when we tried to return the car. The place wasn't even open. They wouldn't be opening for HOURS. Since Matt was on a later flight, he dropped us off at the airport. We rolled our bags inside to see that it also was closed! The security man told us, "You're way too early." So, there we sat, waiting till they opened. When they did, we learned that first, we needed to go through the agriculture line. We got in line and had our "agriculture-free" bags scanned before checking in. Then Graham realized that his phone had fallen out of his pocket. We retraced our steps and, thankfully, found it right where he had been sitting. We got through security relatively quickly and then made our way to the opposite side of the airport. Hey, by the time I logged on, I was only 15 minutes late to class. Graham and Callie busied themselves for the next couple of hours. Graham, who is in love with airports, took advantage of the extra time and walked the entire airport again. During my break, I went to use the lady's room. In my haste, I walked into the men's room.  It's had to have been a dozen years since I've made that mistake.

It was good to have my mind occupied while we waited for our flight. Once aboard, it wasn't until the plane wheels folded in that the residual saltwater leaked from my eyes.