weather report...

really now, am i the ONLY person that LOVES, and i mean CAPITAL LOVES, this weather!!??? let's list the pros.....

1*candles are burning.
2*i can turn on the furnace with NO Guilt from my husband.
3*you can't tell that my windows are DISGUSTINGLY dirty.
4*Frank Sinatra sounds extra good (Siriusly Sinatra.SIRIUS satellite tv...channel #6075..all the great oldies...ALL DAY).
5*cleaning the house actually sounds like something i would like to do.
6*fireplace ON!!
7*i have actually given some thought to dinner BEFORE i hear Ryan's truck hit the Visser road. (ok, i'm lying, i haven't given ANY thought to that YET but i will,soon.)
8*my boys are out playing in the mud. i know that sounds like a weird thing to like but being the mother of all boys, there is something intoxicating about the smell of dirt.
9*i'm warming water for those glasses of hot cider that they are inevitably going to be asking for in a matter of mins.
10*this weather makes me realize that the holidays are just around the corner.
11*Halloween is over. hallelujah.
12*i'm extremely thankful for a semi-clean garage. without that, i'd be parking in the driveway, instead i can walk out the door, into my warm car. to some that may not be a big deal but i went 37 years of my life, never experiencing that luxury.
13*i'm feeling ZERO need to go out and weed my flower beds.
14*i'm digging the fact that it's 4:45 and already it's starting to get dark. it makes for long evenings.i love that.
15*the sound of whipping wind thru the windows and doors of my house made me realize that my home may be a bit drafty, a tad uninsulated, however, it's home. i'm thankful beyond words to be able to have a place to call my own. i know that SO many do not have that privilege. i am blessed. on this cool, dreary day, i KNOW i am covered by God's goodness.

there's my list, go make yourself one. i bet you too can come up with 15 things!

trip concluded......

here it is, 4 days, back in the 'real' world. i've chosen to wait to post these last few pictures to make my vacation linger. for just a brief moment, i was back there, sand in my toes,cool drink in my hand, warm air blowing thru my hair and an 'agenda' that was really NO agenda at all. yes, all good things must come to an end. in the end, to sum it up,it was a spectacular trip. we felt more relaxed and connected than we have in 13 years. it was long overdue. it's been a crazy few years and we feel blessed to have had this opportunity to take the time to do this trip!
we are SO thankful to all those who took such great care of our boys. they were well loved. here's a shout out to my folks, ryans mom, tim and lis, kath, gloria and all the others who did such a good job loving on them. you are appreciated and loved more than we can say!!
thanks honey for a great trip!! here's to the next one.....

one of the buildings in our complex....




happy hour, day five. thankfully, the resturant was mostly empty so we only needed to explain to the waitress what we were doing with 4 stuffed animals! (hidden in our suitcases, by our children!:))




Banyan tree. this is the most amazing thing!! one main truck with 16 smaller trucks that have grown from the main one! covering almost a full acre with shade!!!

paradise....

whenever people talk about Hawaii, i've heard them say, "you can't imagine how beautiful it is until you've seen it with your own eyes", well, now i get that.

we're 5 days in, only 3 more and back to reality. our week started out a with a tad of a leak. the room above us burst a pipe so the water was literally gushing out of the can lights in our bathroom! carpets and kitchen, flooded. thankfully, our laptops and cameras were out of the way! we are staying over here at the Westin and they are some of the nicest people i know! they bent over backwards to make it right. (even sent over a fruit basket!)they so kindly moved us to really nice room (i'll post a few pics), with a BETTER ocean view than we had. we're on the back corner,very little foot traffic of any sort. we sit out on our balcony every morning, thankful for that blasted 'bursted' pipe. blessings in disguise.


we have eaten most of our dinners out. most breakfast and lunches in. tonight we had dinner with one of ryans employees who is in town with his wife. Bubba Gumps was the choice spot tonight. great food,great place to eat. back there tomorrow to buy some souvenirs.
tomorrow the plan is to hit the local aquarium. snorkeling again in the afternoon. tuesday, our last full day here. :(

this trip has been nothing but relaxing. we've had zero on the agenda,we've taken LOTS of drives around the island. renting a jeep was one of the best choices that we made this vacation! fresh air and a little sunshine to color our faces, good way to see things! we eat dinner when we feel like it, at places we wouldn't normally take kiddos, we 'waste' a lot of time doing nothing but vegging out. last night,we went down to the beach after dark and sat and listened to the waves hit the shore, thanking God for these moments and one another. as much as we love this place, we're missing home. we can hardly wait to get back home to our beds, our routine and most of all, our boys!!


it pays to be 'rained on'...
yes, that's a parrot on his arm!!

snorkling, again....