The month of November flew by very quickly for us. We got back from our trip to the mainland and realized that we had less than 3 weeks left with Bethany, Cammon and Cortlynn, so we took advantage of every moment before they returned to the mainland.
We visted the Waikiki aquarium, where we got to see lots of fishes and this lovely monk seal. They are a protected species and are hard to see in the wild, but Bethany got to see one on the beach about a mile from the house. Lucky her!
Lucky Cammon too! He won a Nook at the Wahiawa Haunted Botanical Gardens.
Halloween was a lot of fun this year. In addition to the haunted gardens, we went to parties, carved pumpkins, and went trick-or-treating.
We got to go back to the Bishop Museum for the much-anticipated Lego exhibit.
The great home-school group that Bethany found here went to Kualoa Ranch.
We got to visit a native village and learn about traditional Hawaiian games, plants, food, and houses.
We also got a fantastic view of Chinaman's Hat.
We made sure to get in one last vist to the North Shore shrimp trucks.Look at those "shaka" hands!
And, we took every chance we could get to have some famous North Shore shave ice.
We visited the Laie LDS temple and visitor center.
Getting lemonade from these girls on the corner of our street is always fun. They make the best lemonade ever, and treat their customers well.
Bethany got hooked on - and good at - stand-up paddleboarding. The ocean has been a great adventure for all of us.
Dash the cat got quite used to Cortlynn.
Grandpa and Cammon went on an awesome hike on a steep trail.
In the early morning when Grandpa left for work, the children would go to the window, chant "good-bye Grandpa" and wave and blow kisses. He really misses his send-off.
We really miss having our fence look like this.
We had such a wonderful time having these wonderful people here with us. It went all too fast, and
much too soon we had to say goodbye. But, we are glad that they will have time in Texas with their other grandparents. And, we are glad that soon they will be saying hello to their wonderful Daddy, who will be home soon from Afghanistan.
Sooooo......
What do we do now?
Well....
We took a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii so we could see the Kilauea volcano. It was awesome.
And mesmerizing, especially at night.
Standing next to a stem vent was like feeling the earth breathe. It was fascinating.
On this trip we also went to Mauna Kea, home of a wonderful observatory. No good pictures of this because we went at night. The stars were incredibly bright, and very beautful.
This year, the Thanksgiving turkey left a beautiful stand-up paddle board for Sarah. She is delighted and had a great day on the water!
As we begin the Advent season, we are truly grateful for our family, wherever on the globe they might be. We love our children, and are delighted to be grandparents. We are grateful Stephen has been safe in Afghanistan, and grateful to him and thousands like him who sacrifice on behalf of their country. We are grateful for the wonderful world we live in, for the beautiful ocean, and for blessings too numerous to count. May you all have a blessed, joyful holiday season.
ALOHA
and
Mele Kalikimaka
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