February 8th -15th 2021
I worried about Grayson being able to find his way in and out of airports all by himself. Then again, I was glad for an opportunity where he had to make adult decisions on his own. That time is not far off!
Also, because Graham is obsessed with flying, he would be tracking the plane. Graham knew about Grayson's gate change in California before Grayson did! Graham texted Grayson—then sure enough—Gray heard the announcement.
I face-timed Grayson while he was in Hawaii. He had a clogged ear. Ava was attempting to pin him down while she put in eardrops. He was fussing while she was commanding him to, HOLD STILL! Callie and I just watched and laughed. Grayson was not enamored with Hawaii, which wasn't a surprise to anybody. I think what came as a surprise was how indifferent he was to the water. The girls said that when they started out to Chinaman's Hat, they looked back to see that Gray had turned around and was on the beach!
He was interested in hiking, however. He also wanted to see Giuseppe. Using Mallerie as their guide, they all hiked Stairway to Heaven.
From the pictures, it looked like a misty hike. Depending on how you look at it, that mist is either freaky or dreamy. That is Giuseppe bringing up the rear.
Laurie and Hank were so generous to treat the kids to the Night Show at the PCC. Yes, it was open!
I had to see a picture to believe it, but Grayson let Mallerie shave his legs!
He looks thrilled.
After spending a week in the sun, Grayson flew home on Monday, February 15th, the same day that Matt and I flew out to Hawaii!
OUR TURN
When I first learned that Ava had chosen the Laie Temple to be endowed in, you would think that I'd have jumped up and down. The truth is, getting to Hawaii is no joke! Like I said in November, now is not the time to take a Hawaiian vacation. And yet, we keep taking them.
After getting all the logistics sorted out with my kids, I got excited to see my Hawaiian babes again. As we neared the islands, I felt downright giddy. Out of curiosity, Matt had me check to see if his "non-rapid" results had come in. Yes, they had come in at 7 am that morning. The drive to Idaho was not necessary. Sigh. At least we weren't on pins and needles the day before.
There was a real jerk-store on the plane, seated behind us. His wife was confused why her Covid-free test was yellow on her phone, while her husband's test was white. He insulted, "What part of your brain does not comprehend that it doesn't matter what color it is." I passed them later in the airport and saw that he had on a BYU shirt. I thought, "He is not helping our cause."
Sixteen years had elapsed since our last visit, and now here we were, back again in a matter of months. The girls had a delicious Mexican feast ready for us! They had the pressure cooker going and it smelled so good. Laurie and Hank came over, and we enjoyed an evening of visiting. They are just too generous to let us stay there and everything. When the girls picked us up from the airport, Matt asked, "Why are you driving this car? Don't you usually drive the other one?" The girls said, "Laurie and Hank insisted that we use their car while you are here."
The girls had been crossing their fingers that I'd bring them some sugar cookie bars. Glad that I did!
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Through a mutual connection, we secured discount tickets for the night show at the PCC on Tuesday. The girls had planned for us to make Haku leis for it. For flowers, they foraged from anywhere they chose. As they were leaving on errands, they asked if they should come back to get me to pick flowers. I said yes, but then I was glad when they didn't:/
After the show, we ran into "the girls," who are what Mal and Ava call their friends. They knew it was Ava's last week on the island, they hugged her so tight (even though we'd be seeing them in a couple of days). I could tell how much they love her! When they met me, they said, "Abby! We have heard a lot of Abby stories." This caught me off-guard. I supposed if the stories were bad then they wouldn't have told me that. But what stories??
Since we had just come from a fire and knife show we got to picturing if our head-gear had caught on fire...too funny. Not!
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
The following morning, I sent a picture of my legs and a text to Katrina, "I am glad that you left the aloe in the fridge when you were here." She texted back, "We have very different problems today."
Texas had experienced the worst snowstorm in....well, forever! She was one of the lucky ones who still had power, but her water was off. She had enough food for a few days. I was glad that I mailed her some cookies! I felt helpless being so far away and asked if there was anything I could do. She said, "Just keep checking in." We did.
For my school assignment that week, I had to record my mini-lesson. Since I was in the rainbow state, I did a lesson plan on rainbows. I took advantage of Ava's videoing skills. She had it filmed and uploaded to YouTube with no problem-o. That has been her job while in Hawaii, she films Laurie's pre-school lessons and uploads them to the website. My Instructor wrote back, "I had to smile that you chose to teach about rainbows while in Hawaii!" She used to teach at BYU-Hawaii. I couldn't use the pre-school students for my class because I would have had to get permission to film them, so I used Matt and Mal as my students. She was ANTSY, "How long is this going to take, Mom? I thought you said you were ready?" As if I wasn't flustered enough about being filmed!
Mal was working on her own school assignment—any spare second she had. When signing up for classes, she needed another elective but she could only choose between a tennis class (she ruled that out because of the ghastly shorts she'd have to wear) or a cultural dancing class. Gavin convinced her to do the dancing class with him. We watched them practice in the living room. She always sends me a video of the finished product. They are fun to watch! I also got to see her in action a little with her pre-school class.
If our last trip was about sightseeing, this trip was about food tasting. The girls said that Lenard's has the best Malasadas. At the food truck, we got them gooey and warm. Mallerie kept saying, "I just don't think they'd be good cold."
Since we were by the mall, we helped Ava pick out a mission bag—the same one that Mallerie had, but in blush.
I was glad we had hit the beach the first day because it was rainy the rest of the week. I also learned that the UVU index had been NINE while we were at the beach, no wonder I had crimson legs!
Mallerie drove us to the Nu'uanu Pali lookout, which was WINDY.
After a loooooong nap, Ava drove Matt and me to Kawela Bay for a short hike/walk to Turtle Point. This time the Banayan tree—which everyone treated like a jungle gym last time—had caution tape around it. I asked nervously, "Did we do that?"
The view from the tip of the bay was dreamy, with its crashing waves. 
This was Ava's special day.
We had a hard time deciding what to do for dinner that night. The only places with indoor seating were Pounders (we had already eaten there) and Seven Brothers (we had already eaten there). Mallerie suggested we eat at the food trucks in Kahuku. There were outdoor seating areas with twinkle lights. However, it had started to rain again. While Mallerie and Gavin stood in line for Thai food, Ava and I darted to Giovanni's shrimp truck. As we bit into the SUCCULENT garlic shrimp, I wondered, are we going to pay for this while wearing our masks in the temple? I knew that eating at a food truck in a drizzle was not what Ava had in mind, but because of Covid, dining options were limited. However, that garlic shrimp was on point! (And I always carry a toothbrush in my temple bag anyway:)
The sun sets early in Hawaii. It was only the 6 o'clock hour, but we were losing daylight quickly. Outside the temple, we snapped photos in the rain anyway. We were all so excited! Especially Ava. She was also very prepared. Her friend Kadee had taught her temple prep classes. I had put together a ton of scriptures from the initiatory through sealing that I emailed her. It took me a while to compile them. I sent the list to Matt, who ended up using it for a couple of ward members who are preparing to go through the temple. He said, "It was meant to be."
On our first night in Hawaii, we went over a few more things with Ava. I think all of her preparation made for the wonderful experience that she had. She was giggling in the Celestial Room. I asked her what about. She smiled, "I am just so happy!" She was radiating.
Everyone came to the party pad afterward for snacks. We played Blank Slate. It was getting late, so Matt and I toddled off to bed while they continued to play games. Such a cute, fun, sweet, intelligent, friendly, lovely group of young people—all returned missionaries!
We decided on Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe. We got a good chuckle watching a girl pose for pictures on the top of a jeep. Her boyfriend snapped away as she puckered her lips and stretched her arms to the sky. She was wearing denim cut-offs on the bottom. For a top, it looked like she was wearing two masks. She was our inspiration for our poses the rest of the day.
I guess because admission was free, they felt like they could pepper the place with rules.
Rules. Rules. Rules.
As we walked back to the parking lot, we saw the mask girl was still posing! The drive into the garden was through a steep winding road. Many visitors chose to walk it. As we approached one couple, Mallerie accidentally laid on the horn—as they jumped out of the way. Matt could not stop laughing.
From the gardens, we went to the beach in a part of town I hadn't been to before, but the girls knew it well. We needed crackers for our picnic. They knew right where a Target is.
Aside from the wind—at least the rain wasn't an issue—we set up charcuterie on a delightful day. The birds were making Ava nervous. Mallerie said the beach was rated one of the top ten in the world. It was pretty, but who makes these lists?
As we pulled out of the parking lot, she asked, "Anywhere else? Or should we just go home?" I said, "I am fine either way, but if I were to go somewhere else, I'd get some coconut shrimp." We all agreed that sounded good. One more stop. Unlike Seven Brothers in Hauula, the Seven Brothers in Kahuku offers shrimp. Luckily, we could sit inside because it had started to drizzle again. After we finished, I noted, "We ate our way around the island today."
The girls agreed, but then Mallerie realized, "We didn't eat that much though—since we shared everywhere, we went." True. Nonetheless, it was a yummy and delightful day.
In addition to being a foodie trip, this was also a movie trip. We so enjoyed snuggling in at night with a good flick. Gavin came over for most. The Others came about when Mallerie requested a scary movie. That girl can scream!!!! Ava would promptly yell, "Mallerie!" They wanted another one sort of like that so I suggested Premonition.
They looked it up on rotten tomatoes, "EIGHT!" What? I didn't know a movie could even be rated that low.
I disagreed, "No way is it an eight. Let's give it a try, you can turn it off at any time."
Ava fell asleep, but a good way into the movie, Mallerie agreed, "This is way better than an eight." The other movie we watched was The Hundred-Foot Journey. Not a thriller, but sweet and beautiful.
I heard back, "WRONG NUMBER." Gah! I had failed to dial the area code! Mallerie was hysterical.
Saturday, February 20, 2021
I laughed, "Gavin's isn't going to get cold because we aren't putting it in the fridge!" Once Gavin was available, we all headed to Sunset Beach. It was poppin! Good vibes.
I've heard so much about the acai bowls at Banzai that I had to try one for myself this time. We drove through Haleiwa on our way to Costco, where we shopped and are. I wanted an expert to order for me, so I shared it with Binnie.
We decided on BBQ in a cup. At Costco, we got what we could and then went to Walmart for the rest. I couldn't bear to be in a damp swimsuit one minute longer, so I changed in the bathroom. I don't know how the islanders do it.
We decided to get dinner on the way home. I felt like Mexican, Matt is ALWAYS game for Mexican, so Gavin took us to a place he had been to. We sure enjoyed our time together that day. Whether we were swimming, shopping, sightseeing, or eating, it was simply heavenly to be all together. We finished with yet another movie night. Gavin was able to see what a late night with goofy girls entails. Matt already knows—all too well.
Sunday, February 21, 2021
On Sunday, we woke up to a text that Grandpa Mike had passed away earlier that morning. This was a blessing that we had been preparing for over the previous month. Still, it was strange to think that he was gone. He's been in Matt's life for 40 years and mine for 27. As Matt got in touch with his Mom, I logged on to teach my Gospel Doctrine class via Zoom. I didn't mention the passing to any ward members because we hadn't told our kids yet. Thanks to technology, being out of town does not warrant the need for a sub;) Mallerie and Ava were in the kitchen starting on food for the picnic later that day. I prayed that the Lord would be with me through my lesson. I felt calm and prepared. Matt logged on in time to show the video he had downloaded on his computer. I hadn't taught since before Thanksgiving (the last time we were in Hawaii) so, I didn't want to find a sub. It all worked out. Big sigh.
We got ourselves ready and headed to the Singles Ward on Campus. The chairs were spaced 6 feet apart. Since we were a family, they let us slide ours together. We almost didn't catch when it was Ava's turn to speak because she was addressed as, "Sisser Auvah" in a Hawaiian accent.
Ava did such a beautiful job on her talk. An interesting side note is that after she was assigned Elder Holland's talk, "The Exquisite Gift of the Son," she was going to ask Matt if she could use the same talk for our ward. However, he beat her to it when he texted, "Brother Lewis would like you to speak on Elder Holland's talk, "The Exquisite Gift of the Son." Wow.
Albeit a little windy, it was a nice day. While we were outside taking pictures, Gavin mentioned that he is colorblind. It's mainly the color green that he can't see. Since Mallerie has green eyes, I asked him if she looks like the old woman on The Others to him (if you haven't seen it, her eyes are just white... freaky).
Later that evening, while Mal and Sisser Auvah headed to their weekly "Come Follow Me"—with the rest of that cake (I knew they already had cups)—I took advantage of the empty apartment and started on cleaning, laundry, and packing. When they came back, Mallerie wondered, "How come it always seems so much cleaner when mom does it?" During our stay, it had been nice to go back and forth and visit Laurie and Hank's place. That evening, Laurie and Hank came over. How can we ever express our gratitude for their generosity? I knew they were very much looking forward to being back in the temple, so I was happy we could all be together for that.
Monday, February 22, 2021
We hugged Mallerie goodbye as she headed out on her run the next morning—at the crack of dawn. Ava couldn't find her shoes, so she drove us to the airport barefoot.
That is the Hawaiian way...
